The team in the Secret Service Headquarters sat, tense, watching Peyton, looking for signs of disappointment or an upcoming outburst, in which case, they would evacuate the room with all possible speed. Instead, though, he just stood, leaning against a desk, staring at the computer screen that was displayed across the wall. After several minutes, Peyton finally said something.
"What just happened?"
The team sat in silence, afraid to answer Peyton's question.
"I'll tell you what happened," he said, beginning to pace the room, "Project Zero failed. Our perfect, foolproof weapon that you created, failed. And why?" He looked around the room, this time wanting an answer.
"It remembered," one brave scientist managed to mutter.
"It remembered!" Peyton shouted, slamming his fist against a desk, making the whole team jump almost out of their seats, "It remembered its previous life. We programmed it to not do so! This is an unacceptable failure!" He was silent and still for a few seconds, letting the tension rise again. "How are we going to get the Unnatural now?" he said, although it was a rhetorical question.
"We're going to have to use Plan B," another scientist said.
"Exactly," Peyton said, "Plan B. And do you know who will get the credit for Plan B?"
"Thomas Garek."
"Precisely. Thomas Garek, the inferior, sniveling idiot who thinks he has the right to be the governor of the new Sector."
"That's right, Burton" came a voice from across the room, in the shadows, "Thomas Garek."
A chill ran down Peyton's spine. The President was there. "President," Peyton said, "How long have you been here?"
"Oh, not long," Xandar said, walking out from the corner, "I had an errand to run. However, I am not ignorant of your failure to use Project Zero successfully. I am a forgiving man, though. I will be willing to forgive you, but just this once, Burton. You will work with Garek to capture the Unnatural, but, if they slip through your hands again, I will hold you responsible."
"I understand, sir."
"And, if you fail," Xandar said, an evil grin crossing his face, "I will send you back home."

"Mark!" Phoebe cried. She knelt down next to him. His face contorted with pain. Zero had beaten him up pretty badly.
"He'll be fine," said Byron, "We have to get out of here, though."
"What about Kyle?" Ashley said, who looked on the verge of tears.
"He's gone," Byron said sadly, shaking his head.
"Before Zero attacked him," Caleb said, "I tried to tell him something. Each of us was in Sector One, but we were broken out by somebody. They took us to their base, and we decided to help them. We can go back to them, they won't try to hurt us."
"Peyton will be looking for us," Byron said, "That sounds like our best option. Which way do we go?"
"Out of Sector Five and a few miles straight west," Caleb said.
"West? Isn't that where Xandar told us not to go?" said Kaytlen, "Where is Xandar, anyways?" She was right; the President was nowhere to be seen.
"It's our best option," Byron repeated, "I'll get Mark."

When Mark awoke, blinding light filled his eyes. He tried to blink it out, but it persisted until his eyes got used to it. He stood, seeing that he was standing on a white floor. It expanded in all directions for as far as Mark could see. The sky was white and went up infinitely. One of the first things Mark noticed was that he was not alone. It the room with him stood four figures. He recognized all of them; they were his friends. Gabe, Kyle, Stephen, and Veronica stood in front of Mark.
"Veronica?" Mark said. She didn't seem to hear him, "How are you all here? You're all dead!"
Then Mark realized that he might be dead, too. This could be the afterlife; just floating around in an endless room, unable to communicate with anybody else for all of eternity.
But it was not to be.

Mark woke up in a van. He was seated in between Phoebe and Byron, both of which shouted at Kaytlen, who was at the driver's seat. Caleb, Nellie, and Oscar sat in the row behind Mark, and Ashley sat in the passenger's seat. Mark wondered what they were yelling at, but, when he looked behind the van, realized why they were in a van going easily illegal speeds.
Behind them was a wall of rocks and dirt pursuing them like an avalanche.
"Hurry up!" Byron shouted.
"I'm going as fast as I can!" Kaytlen yelled back.
"You're going the speed limit?!"
"No! What do you think I am, o-"
"Phoebe, can't you just pick this van up?" Oscar yelled up.
"Can't you just stop this landslide?" Phoebe yelled back.
"Watch out! There's a-" Ashley yelled.
Suddenly, the van lurched forward, tumbling over the edge of a cliff. The group screamed, except for Mark, who remained calm. He knew he wasn't really in a van, and that this wasn't really reality.
The bottom of the cliff suddenly became visible, growing closer and closer with every passing second. Mark ignored the screams in his ear, watching as they fell down, down, down.

Mark woke up to a stabbing pain in his back. He groaned as he opened his eyes. He was lying on his back, in an open field this time. The sun was high in the sky, signaling the middle of the day. He was pretty sure that, this time, he wasn't dreaming. He was wide awake, his back and legs in pain from the beating he took from Zero. "He's awake," came a voice that Mark recognized as Byron. Mark heard a gasp and heard footsteps coming his way. Mark tried to sit up but couldn't; his back hurt too much. He saw Phoebe above him for just one second, but she came in close. She came closer and closer, and, soon, their lips were touching.