"I'll tell you what Sam, old buddy, old pal, we really rocked the house tonight, didn't we?!" Amp said, filled with excitement, "Team Samurai loves ya, yeah yeah yeah!" Amp sang out loud, Sam merely rolled his eyes and put his arms around Amp's shoulders.
"Amp, take a breath, will you? There will be other shows," Sam replied.
"Oh, there will?" Amp asked as he slunk down on the nearby sofa.
"Take a load off you guys, the world's greatest drummer has arrived on the scene!" Tanker entered the room wearing sunglasses.
"Where did you get those sunglasses anyway, Tank?" Sam asked.
"Oh, well you see I got them off this cute little redhead in the front row,"
"Oh, brother," Sam said sarcastically.
"Oh come on, Sammy boy! Going on 25 years and the ladies still find my machismo irresistible, just call it that old Tanker charm,"
"Oh, is that what you call it?" Sam asked.
"Call it whatever you want, all I know is I've still got the magic that makes all the ladies swoon, and that's a fact, HEY!" Tank said as he admired himself in the mirror.
"Whatever floats your boat, Tank," Sam said as he seemed to be looking for something.
"You looking for something or what, fearless leader?" Tanker asked.
"I sure am, and I could have sworn I left it in this room somewhere,"
"Sam my man? I think it's over there," Amp pointed towards the mess that was a coffee table. Sam quickly rummaged through said mess and managed to find his change device from his Servo days.
"Oh, wow, you're still holding onto that thing all these years later?" Tank asked, "Hey, wouldn't it be awesome if we could somehow incorporate Servo into one of our live shows?"
"Yeah, good luck with that, the Servo program hasn't worked in years," Sam replied.
"Gee, it's a real shame, with a mascot like Servo, Team Samurai would totally blow every other rock band out of the water," Tanker lamented.
"Tank, relax. We've got a good thing going here, let's not ruin it with some cheap gimmick, alright? Team Samurai is great just the way it is,"
"Yeah, I guess you're right. But hey, a man can dream, right?" unbeknownst to Tanker or anyone else in the room, someone was watching them. Alexis came into view just as Tanker stepped away from the mirror.
"So, these are the meat-things Malcolm Frink mentioned earlier, very interesting," Alexis spoke from his vantage point from within the mirror. Cerberus' ability to warp across time and space really came in handy. Alexis stood within an empty void full of darkness as he eavesdropped.
"Hey, has anybody seen Syd?" Sam asked.
"Now that you mention it, I haven't heard a peep from Sydney in a few hours," Tanker replied.
"That's not like her at all," Sam sighed.
"Don't sweat it, Sam. I'm sure she's just fine," Tanker reassured him.
"Oh, man. Maybe we rushed into this whole thing too quickly," Sam fretted.
"Oh, come on, Sam! Syd's had feelings for you for a long time, you two just took the next logical step is all,"
"But marriage? I don't know, Tank. It might have been too much too soon,"
"I think it's time I acquainted myself with this Syndey, especially considering what I recently learned about her," Alexis warped away, appearing within another mirror that was next to a sleeping Sydney.
"Sydney Forrester Collins, I presume?" Alexis asked.
"...Is that, Kilokahn?" a drowsy Sydney asked.
"Not, Kilokahn, no. But he sends his regards. My name is Alexis Kerib... And we have so much to discuss, my dear,"
"But, I don't even know you," Sydney replied as she yawned.
"A mere formality, but rest assured I know you very well, at least a version of you,"
"You see... The ethnicity is different, and the name is different, but there is no mistake that it's you," Alexis explained cryptically.
"Who am I supposed to be, exactly?" Syd asked. Alexis smirked.
"I'm glad you asked, Sydney Collins; or should I say Akane?"
"Come again?" Sydney laughed nervously as she approached the mirror, "My name is Sydney Forrester, there's no way I could be this Akane person,"
"Oh, but that's where you're wrong, my dear... Space and time is a strange thing indeed, all those endless scenarios that could have happened, that did happen in some cases,"
"No," Sydney said defiantly, "You're crazy, and I think Sam should know about this," Sydney said as she went to grab the doorknob. She turned it, but it wouldn't open.
"I'm afraid I can't let you do that, Akane,"
"Stop calling me that!" Sydney screamed.
"But that is who you are, whether you choose to believe it or not,"
"There's a mistake, you're making a mistake! You have to be!"
"No mistake about it, you were born nearly three decades apart, but you and Akane Shinjo share one thing above everything else, a soul; call it reincarnation, call it whatever you wish, the truth of the matter is, Sydney Forrester Collins and Akane Shinjo Hibiki are one and the same,"
"And if what you're saying is true, how could you possibly know about it!"
"One minor detail and everything fell into place," Alexis explained. "Akane, like you, was also a musical enthusiast, with a vast number of instruments strewn about her room, but one instrument, in particular, piqued my interest, an electronic keyboard,"
"Well, what does that prove?" Syd asked.
"It proves plenty, Sydney Forrester Collins! Your dear old friend Malcolm Frink was also instrumental in helping to fill in the pieces of the puzzle," Alexis explained.
"Wait, Malcolm? You've seen him, he's alive?" she asked.
"Alive and well, and eager for vengeance," Alexis replied.
"Vengeance?" Syd asked confusedly, "But why? Malcolm was our friend, he helped to destroy Kilokahn once and for all!"
"Unfortunately for you, rumors of Kilokahn's supposed demise were premature,"
"No, I don't believe you, Alexis! I don't believe any of it, this has got to be some kind of nightmare,"
"You are not dreaming, I assure you my dear, but you will wish this were a dream for what I have planned for you," Alexis said in a sinister tone.
To Be Continued...