Hello, everyone! Here is the next chapter in the story.

This chapter is another explanation chapter, but I hope it will also demonstrate some emotion between the characters. There are a lot of people mentioned here, so please bear with me.

I also feel I may have rushed this chapter a bit, but that could just be my sense of deadlines talking. Please let me know if anything is seriously out of place, or needs to be fixed.

This chapter does have characters used by the Fanfiction user 'Myyddraal'. All credit for them goes to 'Myyddraal'.

Now, for the Japanese to English names:

Ushio = Trudge
Ruka = Luna
Rua = Leo
Saiga = Blister
Mikage Sagiri = Mina Simington
Aki = Akiza
Rutger = Roman
Takuya = Taka
Jun = John
Micchan = Mitch

DISCLAIMER: Same as the previous chapters. (Sorry, I'm not in the mood to type it all out. You all probably know what it is by now.)

Onward to the Chapter.

The wooden walls of Martha's orphanage don't give me any comfort. My heart hammers in my chest as I try to take slow, steady breaths. I put a hand against a wall, my other hand pressing against my heart. I feel tired, and upset at myself. I need to fix this, somehow.

A door closes behind me. Footsteps ring in my ears as they come up to me. A hand goes on my shoulder. I shut my eyes and turn my head away.

The strangely-calm voice of Martha tells me, "You are full of surprises, Netrunner." I sigh in response before I brush her hand off me.

"I need some time alone," I tell her. But, she grips me on the shoulder before I can step away.

"You won't get any help alone. I've seen these feelings far too often to not know that." Her words hit me hard, and my gut says they are correct. If that's the case, then she may have an alternative. But, several questions remain.

"Why do you want to help me?"

"I want to help everyone I can. The children here have almost nothing to call their own. They live in one of the poorest areas of society. But, they are still people, and they still deserve a chance to do great things. They just often need time, and care, to feel happy with themselves. That is the same now as it was when those young men were here."

"You mean…" I open my eyes as I try to interpret who 'those young men' could be. An answer comes like a spark in the darkness: "You know Yusei Fudo?"

"Jack Atlas, too. They were children here, once."

I turn to face her, see if she's lying. The fact astounds me, it must be false. Martha's eyes, her expression, looks honest enough to make her words true. My respect for her doubles in that moment.

"Look," she says as she squeezes my shoulder, "I'm going to talk to the others. Do you want to come with me?"

"No," I immediately reply, "not now. But… I do want to speak to them all soon." I look to the floor as I add, "I've got some things to say, and I don't want to leave anyone important out."

"I'll see about arranging that. In the meantime, you can head to the kitchen. I need some help in making our dinner, with so many new mouths to feed."

Her smile spreads to me as I reply, "I'll be there soon. I do need a moment alone, though."

She finally lets me go before going into the dining room. I walk up the stairs, my earlier fears gone. But, I know they'll be back again. While I'm here, with the Signers, with my memories, my fears won't go away.

I move up the stairs to a back room on the upper floor. I knock on the door, wait a few moments, and then open it when no sound comes from inside. The room looks almost exactly like the one I woke up in; the only big difference is the position of the bed to the door. The bed, despite looking low-quality, has the sheets carefully tucked in. No one is here, which is good for me.

I close the door behind me, and move to the farthest corner from the door. I take out the transmitter devices from my coat pocket, as well as the tracking watch. The three transmitters look the same, and all three are probably broadcasting their signals right now.

I should inform the Superiors of this change. But, how do I send a message to them? The Superiors never told me how to use these transmitters, did they?

[Accessing archived data…]

I close my eyes as my head starts aching. I don't pay attention to the images that flash behind my eyelids. Luckily, they only last a few moments before my implant gives me some instructions.

I slip one transmitter into an earlobe, and press a finger against it. It gives two short beeps as my guidance implant gives me a notification: [Transmission live. Begin your message.]

I take a deep breath, and start.

"This is the Netrunner, reporting to all agents of the Collective that can hear this transmission. I have located the missing transmitters inside Martha's orphanage. As the Superiors categorized, Martha is a caretaker of several orphaned children in Satellite. She willingly gave the items to me, and says three boys here had them previously. She does not know where the boys found the items.

"Martha and the children also know of my alias identity, since they watched the Fortune Cup. Because of this, I suspect many people in Satellite also know about me."

I take a swallow before I switch topics. I don't want to mention my fears of meeting someone here that wants to test their skills against a Fortune Cup Duelist.

"In connection to the Palus family, and Andromeda's investigations into them, I have encountered the daughter, and unofficial 'son', here in Satellite. It seems the daughter, Elizabeth, came to Neo Domino before her parents did to find Michael on her own. She wants to bring Michael back into the family, but Michael does not want to return. Michael harbors a lot of anger against his former father, Arias, because he disowned him from the family name.

"The siblings had a Riding Duel a short while ago, and I went along to observe the outcome. I went because I have interacted with them both at some point, and wanted to see their conflicts be resolved. Michael won the Duel, and Elizabeth will be living with him, in Satellite, for at least two months."

I take another swallow to clear my throat. I change topics again, going to another important issue.

"The Signers Yusei Fudo, Jack Atlas, Ruka, and Aki Izayoi have arrived at Martha's orphanage. They have seen me with my disguises removed, but have not shown any major reactions. My false Signer Mark activated in Aki's presence. Her Signer mark responded, with no negative effects. We have not spoken to each other since. I feel she has changed, but I still do not want to encounter her directly."

[You are stating personal information. That does not belong in an official report.]

'Sure, it doesn't.'

I almost roll my eyes at my own response, and continue.

"The Signers are currently discussing their own issues with Martha, in a separate area of the orphanage. I know Yusei Fudo has friends in Satellite, and they may have been affected by the black mist that took so many people here away. With the Signers here, I suspect the Dark Signers will also come here soon. A battle between the two groups will certainly take place if that happens, one that will lead to a lot of destruction and possible death.

"This concludes my report. May you all run the Net freely."

I press a finger against the earpiece, and it repeats the same beeps as before. My guidance implant gives another notification: [Transmission ended. Report concluded.]

I then look to the door. My eyes widen when I see it is ajar. How long was it like that? Did someone hear what I was saying? I thought I had closed it!

I race to the door, and throw it open. No one is outside, but I hear the fast patter of feet racing down the stairs. I look to the stairway and see a small shadow dart out of view.

Someone did hear me. Someone else heard about the Collective. I can't let them escape!

I charge down the hall, and take the stairs two or three at a time. I catch up to the shadow, and reach out to grab the person connected to it. My hand closes around a thin arm, and I pull the arm towards me.

A small form comes into view – Aimi. She looks at me with wide eyes, like when she first saw me. Her expression tells me she is guilty of something. She opens her mouth, but I give her a dark glare before she says a word. That shuts her up.

I pull Aimi back up the stairs as quickly as I can. I open the first door I come to on the upper floor, check to make sure no one is inside, and then pull Aimi in with me. Another bed is here, and I pull Aimi to the bed. I try to gently sit her down, but my strength makes her land a bit hard. She lies on her side for a moment, and then quickly sits up. I let go of her arm as I move in front of the door, blocking her way out.

If she heard my report, she has heard secret information. I can't let her expose my intentions, or feelings, with the Collective.

"Alright," I tell the scared girl, "time for some answers. Were you just outside the room in the back end of this floor?"

She shakes her head with an amazing amount of force. My gut says she is lying, and I give her what I think is an intimidating glare. She shifts back on the bed, so it must have worked.

"Did you hear anything I said in that room?" I ask her. "Tell me the truth."

She shakes her head again, a bit less forcefully this time. This isn't working. Maybe if I get closer to her, I can get the answers I want?

[Be careful with your handling. Rough manners do not, on average, aid negotiations]

I ignore my implants words; I want to do this my way.

I jiggle the doorknob with a hand; it's locked. I take a few strides forward, and stop next to Aimi. I lean over her slightly, and her breathing sharply quickens. My shadow hangs over her body slightly, but it doesn't dim the light in her eyes. Her pupils are dilated, her nostrils flared, and she shivers almost uncontrollably.

[Aimi is beginning to hyperventilate out of fear. Logic states she will attempt to flee this area, or fight you if she cannot escape.]

I look Aimi in the eyes and slowly ask, "Why are you following me?"

I inwardly flinch at my words. I could have phrased that better. A lot better.

She finally speaks up with a hoarse and scratchy voice, without breaking eye contact: "You're like me. You're like all of us."

"Who is 'all of us'?"

"Us. Martha's children."

I blink. That is not an answer I expected. I quickly ask her, "How?"

"You rose from Satellite. From nothing. People know you, now. We all want to do that, too."

[Aspirations are common among children, in comparing themselves to current celebrities.]

"So, you're spying on me to learn how I became famous?"

Aimi blinks without answering. I think she's confused. I rephrase my question to, "Are you trying to be like me by spying on me?"

She instantly gives a rough, "No."

"Then," I insist, "why were you listening to what I said in that room? Don't lie to me, you ran from outside the door when I finished talking."

"You can't prove that." Aimi's accusation comes from a shuddering mouth. She must be lying.

[Do not rush to conclusions.]

I ignore that last notification as I state what I believe to be true.

"I closed that door myself when I entered that room. I made sure it was locked. The only way it could have opened is if someone else opened it. They would have heard me in there. When I came out of the room, they would only have had seconds to make their escape.

"You," I emphasize as I point a finger at Aimi's face as her breathing reaches a feverish pitch, "were running away when I opened that door. You must have opened that door to secretly watch me, like you have been watching me since I arrived here. That is my proof!"

"Shut up!" Aimi screams, or rather croaks out of her hoarse throat. "Shut up! Leave me alone!"

Aimi curls into a ball on the bed, her hands over her face. Her blond hair falls messily onto the covers as her body shakes with sobs. Guilt billows in my stomach, and I force it down with iron determination. I give the little orphan some breathing space, and move in front of the door.

I am not leaving here until I get answers. Aimi will eventually realize this, I'm sure.

She does, sooner than I expected. Her sobs weaken, and then stop. She looks at me through her hands. When I see her eyes, she covers her face up again. This pattern repeats itself four times over. Then, Aimi sits up.

Dried tears run down her pale cheeks. Her hair hangs beside her like a curtain. She looks different, weaker, than when I first saw her.

I state my main question again: "Why do you admire me?"

"I hate you, now," she growls back. "I admire the Collective you work for."

I stand upright against the door. "What do you mean?"

"I heard of the 'Collective' you work for at the Fortune Cup. What they said felt right. I want to help."

"Why?"

"I want an equal world. Everyone as good, and happy, as everyone else. No poor people. No bullies. No fighting. Just peace."

I clench my teeth beneath closed lips. She's using my actions against me. For a child, that's a smart move.

[Observation confirms that this child is a believer of the Collective's goals. She could be a new agent, if she is willing to join]

'No! I am not having a child join the Collective!'

[That is not your choice to make. It is not your, or any other human's, place to deny someone the freedom of choice.]

I start with a quick, "I..." and then sigh as my determination deflates into a mix of other emotions. I didn't expect Aimi's 'admiring' to be an 'obsession' to the Collective. She is too young to know about the Collective, far too young.

"Look," I try to explain, "the Collective is not all good. Some people are afraid of them. Some hate them, and will not listen to what they say. If you join the Collective, people will hate you, too."

"I don't care. I want everyone to be happy."

"Even if you look like this?" I point to my metal eye as I say this. She looks at the augmented part, and nods.

"Even if people try to hurt you?"

She makes eye contact with me and nods. Her face is brighter from a few seconds ago.

"Even if your goal may take a lifetime to complete?"

She nods. Nothing I say works against her. She's determined to join the Collective. I can't believe this is happening… and a growing part of me doesn't want to stop it.

I open the door, and tell her, "Go."

She jumps off the bed, takes a few cautious steps forward, and then bolts out of the room. I watch her go without a word.

I don't know how to react. I need a few minutes to think about this.

[Your assignment is your topmost priority.]

Yeah. Yeah, that's right.

I need to go downstairs. Martha needs my help in the kitchen, and I've delayed long enough.

I step down the stairs, and move past the dining room. It is empty. Whatever discussion had happened in there must have finished some time ago. The clatter of metal, and a pair of loud voices, comes from the door to my right. The front door is silent, and somewhat imposing because of what is out there.

But, I can't leave now. I said I would help Martha in the kitchen, and I'm going to do that.

I go through the door on the right, and see an assortment of pots, pans, and utensils hanging on racks or placed on shelves. Martha behind Officer Ushio. Ushio, to my confusion, has a white apron wrapped around his waist and a smaller white scarf tied around his hair. He stands before a boiling pot, stirring the contents of said pot with a wooden spoon. He grumbles with each revolution he makes, and he is obviously unhappy with what he is doing.

The sight of a Public Security Maintenance Bureau officer in an apron, and cooking, lifts a sizeable chunk of my earlier depression. It isn't enough to make me laugh out loud, but I do break into a smile. Martha looks over Ushio's progress, and then bops a wooden spoon in her hand against the back of his head. Ushio grunts in pain, and glares at Martha.

"You're stirring too slow!" she scolds the officer. "The sauce won't boil until tomorrow at that rate!"

Ushio mutters something I don't hear in response, which earns him another bop on the head. Martha then notices me, and keeps her smile.

"Ah, Netrunner! Thank you for coming. Come," she says as she turns to a counter next to Ushio, "you can chop up some vegetables for the stew."

I nod to Martha, and don't look Ushio in the eye as I walk by him. Martha rushes over to a rack of aprons and head-scarves, and gives me one of each. It takes me a couple of tries to tie the items on right, and Martha gets a few onions and carrots on a large white board on top of the counter. Beside the vegetables is a large knife, and a pair of well-used gloves.

"You can use these gloves to protect your hands," she explains. "Chop these up as best you can. Let me know if you need any help." She shakes the wooden spoon at me as she threatens, "Don't slack off, or you'll get it from me!"

With that, she gestures to the vegetables. I turn to face them, slip on the gloves, and pick up the knife. The blade is clean, and the light bounces off the steel. I press the blade against an onion, and the metal sinks into the vegetable. One quick press, and the onion breaks into two halves. I move to one half and use the blade to chop it down further.

I quickly get into a rhythm with the blade. It's a slow one, and I feel the blade nick against the gloves a few times as I work. I stop to check my progress, only for something hard to bop me on the head. I wince at the sensation as I look at Martha's frowning face.

"Don't stop now," she orders. "I'll let you know when you mess up. We've got to feed everyone here tonight; that's a lot of food!"

"Why don't you get other people to help, then?" Ushio asks, and I agree with his question.

"They are doing other chores," Martha responds with her hands on her hips, "so they're busy, too. We all need to work hard here, understand?"

"We get it, Martha," I answer before Ushio can say anything. I then return to my task, and see Ushio do the same out of the corner of my eye. I glance over at him, just to be sure, and continue chopping once I see he isn't any angrier against our host.

"I heard about your Duel in Neo Domino," he suddenly says to me. "I thought you were dead after the Fortune Cup, so it was a surprise to see you perfectly fine."

I don't respond. Ushio scoops a bit of a brown sauce from his pot, and sniffs it. A spicy aroma hits my nostrils before Ushio places the spoon back in the pot.

"It's crazy," he comments. "A Satellite scum like you becoming some robot terrorist against Neo Domino's citizens? Sounds almost too crazy to believe."

I dig the knife into the third onion as my anger bubbles. Is he mocking the scandal against me, or supporting its farfetched nature? Does he know it's all a lie?

"What's also crazy," he adds as I move on to a set of carrots, "is how that slave-driver Martha is treating us. I certainly have better places to be than do a chef's job. I'm not properly trained for this!"

"We're doing this to help Martha," I reply. "She wants to feed us all, and we're her guests."

"I know that. But, she could have given us all more suitable jobs. I could have guarded the grounds, for example."

I don't have a good response to that, so I just shrug my shoulders. No sense in making Ushio any angrier at me, right?

The officer doesn't say anything else, which helps me complete my task. The remaining vegetables don't take too long to chop up into tiny bits. The combined aromas make my human eye tear up, and I wipe it off with my coat sleeve.

"Nice work!" Martha comments to us both when she sees our efforts. "Now, Ushio, the Netrunner here wants to meet up with every adult here soon. He'll need to go prepare for that, so you come with me for a new task."

"Another drudge job?" Ushio growls. "Can't you get someone else to do it? And, why does he get to go elsewhere?" Ushio tilts his head at me with that last question, and I frown back at him.

"No time for that!" Martha responds as she suddenly grabs Ushio's right ear with her fingers. "There's more work to be done!" She then pulls Ushio away as he says, "Ow!" several times in just a few seconds. They leave the room, and I try not to laugh. Something about seeing a man of Ushio's reputation be treated like this puts a smile on my face.

My guidance implant gives a possible answer as I turn to walk out of the kitchen: [You previously held fear, or anger, against this person. It is normal to express emotional reactions when that person acts, or reacts, in different ways than you expect.]

My happiness quickly fades as I step back into the main hall of the first floor. If I am acting like this with Officer Ushio, then how will the other people react to me when I lay out the truth? Will they find it funny, or frightening? Will they even believe me?

[You cannot control other people's reactions towards your words. State the facts, and let them decide for themselves.]

'That's not as easy as you are making it sound.'

[Emotions are never 'easy' to understand, or respond to. This is a fact the Collective has learned over time, and is a potential problem it will correct when mankind is united.]

I shudder in mid-step as I read that message. I then press my foot hard against the floor, to dispel my fears. I just need to get the facts out there, for better or worse.

The dining room is empty when I come in. I expected that, but the silence gives me no comfort. I pause inside the room's entrance, split between sitting down and going away to find people. Has Martha told other people about my intentions to meet them? Should I go to the people I want to talk to, and ask them to come here?

I get an answer when someone comes from upstairs: Yusei Fudo. He looks at me impassively, and says nothing, as he walks by me into the room. I step to one side of the doorway to give him room to pass by. He takes a seat on one side of the table, several seats away from the entrance. His eyes stay on the wooden surface.

I move to take a seat at the end closest to the entrance. A pair of lighter footsteps reach my ears from beyond the entranceway, but I try my best to not turn around. The sound gets louder until Ruka and Rua come in. They take seats next to each other, opposite Yusei. They each give him a smile, but only Ruka looks at me. I see the same expression in her eyes I saw in Aimi's: fear.

The next to come in is Saiga, but he moves to a far corner of the room. He leans against the wall, and only glances at me once. He seems focused on other things, not related to me. But, if he's here, he must hold me in some regard, right?

Jack Atlas comes next, followed closely by the suited woman from outside. He frowns at me as he sits opposite Yusei, which I try my best to not return. The woman takes a seat between Jack and Rua, and pauses when she sees my metal eye up close. I guess I should expect this reaction, since most people don't accept my appearance. At least she doesn't openly hate it at first sight, like the audience in the Fortune Cup did. She's probably had time to do some research, or hear different opinions on the matter.

Aki comes in next, and I look away from her the instant I see her. My right arm throbs once, enough for me to clutch the area with my left hand. I see Aki's hand move to her own arm, but she does not look affected. She moves to the back-corner opposite to Saiga, and stands at attention. Her eyes look at me, and me alone. It unnerves me, as if something is on my face that she absolutely wants me to wipe off. If it's my metal eye, I can't do anything about that.

Officer Ushio comes in less than a minute later. He doesn't wear the apron, or head-scarf, anymore; he probably finished whatever tasks Martha had him do. He doesn't look at me as he takes one of the chairs to my left, several seats away from Yusei. He does give the suited woman several quick looks, which she does not seem to see. What's up with that, I wonder?

Michael and Elizabeth Palus are the last to arrive. The dining room door closes after they come in; I don't look to check whether it's Martha who does that. I give each person a second look as I wait a few seconds. No one speaks up, or looks at each other for very long. Michael takes a seat next to Yusei in the meantime, and Elizabeth sits between him and Ushio.

I guess it's time to begin.

"Thank you all for coming," I start. "I wanted to speak to you all, in order to clarify any confusion you may have about me. You all have interacted with me in different ways, some more than others. I want to explain the truth to everyone, here and now. I will give my information in three main points.

"Please," I add with a raised hand, "leave any questions about each point until the end of my explanation for it. Any larger questions can be asked at the very end. Does everyone here agree with these requests?"

Everyone nods, or just stares back at me with no change in expression. That's a good sign, so I begin.

"My first point," I begin, "concerns my name, and origin. Some of you know me as 'Samuel'; others know me through my alias, 'The Netrunner'. I suspect none of you know me by my true name, which is 'Epsilon'.

"Epsilon is the Greek word for the number five. This name is like the names of my four brothers – Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta. Those are the Greek numbers for one, two, three, and four, respectively. We were all—"

I choke a bit on a lump in my throat as pictures of my brother's screaming faces flash in front of me. I swallow the lump down, shake my head to clear the images, and make a slight change to what I was going to say.

"We are a series of five human clones, created by Rex Godwin, as part of the "5D's Project". This project was made to summon the Crimson Dragon before the Dark Signers could regain their power."

Aki and Mia are the only people whose eyes do not widen at my statement. I almost wince at the shocked, or angry, looks everyone else gives me. I feel so embarrassed, but I keep talking.

"My four brothers and I were all spliced from the same host body. The host was an Osiris Red student at Duel Academia named Samuel Tagami. Samuel was murdered at the Academia five years ago, and the incident was extensively covered up before people learned about it. However, Godwin acquired Samuel's body from the school for his project.

"The main reason that Godwin wanted Samuel Tagami's body was because Samuel had inhuman psychic abilities. Those of you here who have interacted with the Arcadia Movement and their "Psychic Duelists" know what abilities I am talking about. Godwin hoped to use these abilities to replicate the Signer's connections to the Crimson Dragon, and each other.

"That is my first point. Are there any questions about this?"

Silence. Then, Officer Ushio speaks up with a slight growl to his tone: "Why haven't you used the name "Epsilon" before now?"

I quickly answer, addressing everyone as I look at him: "I did not know the full story of my creation when I first met all of you. I suffered amnesia from a hard D-Wheel crash in Satellite while escaping from Godwin's testing facility. I only regained my full memories after the Fortune Cup ended."

Ushio doesn't ask any further, so I turn my eyes elsewhere. Ruka slowly raises her hand, which gives me a satisfied feeling inside. I nod to her, and she quickly lowers the hand to the table.

"Are your brothers alright?" she asks, and then adds, "Where are they now?"

"My brothers are, as far as I know, still in the testing facility I escaped from. They are still under Godwin's care, their bodies inside stasis pods. Their brains are connected to a series of virtual servers with futuristic settings. These servers were created by Godwin to isolate the five of us from the real world: I say us because most of my earliest memories are inside these servers with them. My brother's minds were heavily damaged by Godwin's actions… as well as mine."

The screaming faces return, along with the warped images of the megacorporations they worked in. I clench my hands against the table's surface, and continue.

"Each brother worked in a fictional megacorporation in their server. Alpha worked for "Haas-Bioroid", which produced robotic parts, and human-like robots called "Bioroids" that were treated like people in Satellite. Beta worked for the Japanese-themed "Jinteki", which created clones to replace human jobs, or test psychic abilities. Gamma was with the world-spanning "Near-Earth Broadcast Network", or "NBN", a mass-media network that could manipulate what people knew through advertisements and specific news broadcasts. Delta was a high-ranking official of the "Weyland Consortium", which focused on industry and city-building to the point of recklessly draining the world's natural resources.

"The four servers were all connected to a single network, and each brother kept watch of the other's servers whenever possible. I visited each of them at different times, and learned things from all of them. Unfortunately, those servers were destroyed when Godwin tried to combine our Psychic Dueling energies together to summon the Crimson Dragon."

Ruka's eyes turn to the table, and Rua scratches his head with a confused look. I can understand why they don't know about this.

"My second point concerns my relation to the Signers, Dark Signers, and Crimson Dragon. I already mentioned that Godwin wanted to artificially summon the Crimson Dragon. To do this, he grafted my brothers and myself with false Signer marks, shaped like a dragon's eye."

I pull down my right sleeve, and show my bare right arm to everyone. To my surprise, the mark is still there, glowing just enough to seem unnatural.

"All five of us had the same mark," I continue as I cover my arm again, "rather than the unique marks of each true Signer. Even with this artificial mark, the Crimson Dragon seems to be interested in my survival. My mark has flared up in response to major conflicts with Dark Signers, or other Signers, occurs. For example, it activated when I Dueled against Aki in the Fortune Cup. The Crimson Dragon has also shown me visions of future events, and worked to restore my memories when the Arcadia Movement tried to enslave me.

"The Dark Signers recently sent a possessed individual against me to test my strength. They called me a "False Signer", despite my mark activating in their presence. I do not know why the Dark Signers care about me, but I do not think I am as important to them as the real Signers are."

"Any questions to this point?"

"If all this information is so important," Jack Atlas remarks with an annoyed frown, "why didn't Godwin mention it to us? We were just at his place, and he told us all about the Signer's purpose. He didn't say a word about you."

"Godwin probably regards me as a failure. Project 5D's did summon the Crimson Dragon, but only for a few seconds. It vanished by its own power, but not before giving me a vision of the Dark Signers destroying Satellite, and then the world."

"That's like the vision we all had!" Ruka speaks up. "Remember, at the end of the Fortune Cup?"

Yusei, Jack, and Aki all nod in agreement. Everyone else doesn't react, so they probably don't know about this incident.

"Compared to you all, I am not worthy of learning the Signer's true purpose. So, Godwin wouldn't regard me in the talk he had with you."

The suited woman speaks up next: "You said your brothers were hurt by both you and Godwin-sama's actions. What exactly happened?"

I hiss out a breath. I figured this question would come up. But, one word she says makes me pause.

"Before I answer that, miss, I don't think I know who you are."

"My name is Mikage Sagiri," she answers. "I am Rex Godwin's secretary, and adviser to Atlas-sama." I look to Jack for confirmation, and he just nods. He doesn't seem to care too much.

"Well, Ms. Sagiri," I explain, "after I was defeated in the Fortune Cup semifinals, my injured body was placed into a pod like my brothers. Godwin used a hologram to communicate with me inside that private network I already mentioned. He explained who I really was, and what he made me for. I also learned about the mental connection I shared with my brothers. That connection was the cause of their suffering.

"My near-death experience also affected my brothers, since their minds were linked to mine. The servers they lived in experienced a phenomenon called "The Surge", with a result like old Domino City's "Zero Reverse". Each megacorporation mutated into a dark version of itself, and each brother focused only on their own goals. I had to Duel each of them to unify our artificial Signer powers. I didn't want to do it at first, but the only other option was to watch them all turn into monsters.

"Alpha wanted to assimilate all mankind into robotic servants, because he believed machines were superior. Beta tried to make a cult out of Jinteki's workers, like the Arcadia Movement seems to want with its recruits. Gamma attempted to keep an illusion of the past alive, and used his human body as a power source for that illusion. Delta sought to move his people into space to escape the doomed servers, and find a new home.

"I beat them all, and the Crimson Dragon was briefly made real in our world. I was then taken from Godwin by members of the Arcadia Movement, and have not seen my brothers since."

"I see. Thank you." Mikage goes silent after she says this. She looks like she wants to know more, or talk about more than this, but she is resisting the urge to do so. I don't want to single her out, so I move on to my final topic.

"My third point concerns the "Collective" that I am a part of. They are connected to Project 5D's, and the "Zero Reverse" disaster that led to the Dark Signer's awakening."

I swallow down another lump in my throat before I begin. This time, my fears come from spilling one of the Collective's secrets.

"The Collective was first formed when "Zero Reverse" occurred. Three people working on the original "Momentum" Reactor were at the disaster site. They were all struck by negative energy, and saw visions of three possible futures for the world. These visions were what drew them together while everyone recovered from the disaster.

"One vision was like the distant past, where people lived like primitive hunters and gatherers. One was a dark nightmare, with machines killing the humans that created them. The third was what they called a "synthesis", where humans joined themselves with machinery to become stronger than ever before. This third vision is what the Collective hope to achieve, someday.

"To do this, the Collective are keeping watch in Neo Domino, and Satellite. They give all their agents cybernetic upgrades, or repairs, to make them better at their job. For example, they fixed my eye," I add as I point to my implant, "when I injured it in Neo Domino.

"The Collective do not wish to hurt anyone, and the agents it currently has are good at their jobs. They are careful, calculating, and hopeful of a bright future for everyone."

I let that statement hang for a few seconds, and then ask everyone, "Any questions to this point?"

Saiga clasps his hands under his chin before he asks, "How much influence does the Collective really have in Neo Domino?"

"Well, they—"

I freeze up as my metal eye turns blood-red. I cover the eye with a hand, in case anyone sees this change taking place. Warning panels overlap each other countless times over in that eye. My guidance implant shows an all-caps statement: [DO NOT REVEAL ANY PRIVATE INFORMATION ABOUT THE COLLECTIVE]

'I won't reveal anything important,' I quickly reply in my head, honest! I know the Superiors want to protect the Collective at all costs.'

[Your words will be monitored, and modified if necessary, to suit the Collective's safety.]

I lower my hand from my eye as the warning messages go away. A few quick blinks shows no long-lasting harm from the implant. I turn to Saiga, and try to phrase my words in a good way. Good for me, that is.

"The Collective has agents in almost every area of the City. Everything from celebrity life to secret market deals have an agent assigned to them. The agents report any special circumstances, people, or events to the Superiors so they know what is going on."

"So, they're like a "beat" in journalism? Every agent just sticks to their assigned roles?"

"Usually. Sometimes, agents are paired together to face a serious threat. It depends on the situation. Also, any reports that the agents make is to the Superiors first, and then to other agents. Anyone who does not need to know of a situation is not informed."

Michael is next to ask a question: "If the Collective doesn't want to hurt anyone, and is just watching things in the City, why did they take direct control of you during the Fortune Cup?"

I narrow my eyes at the Monarch-user. Did he have to bring that incident back up, too?

"That was the Superiors acting to protect me," I angrily reply. "They knew the Fortune Cup would reveal the Collective's presence, so they wanted me to be safe and focus on Dueling. Professor Frank tried to influence me into revealing the Collective's secrets, so he could use them, in turn, against the agents. If Frank had succeeded in doing that, the Collective might have been driven out of the city, or wiped out completely.

"You saw the public outcries Aki and I received in the face of Godwin's broadcast before the tournament began. He called us "Dueling Terrorists", and the public turned us into enemies. They were only happy when we were on the losing end, and they were most happy when two terrorists had to fight against each other!"

"Alright, alright," Michael says as he raises his hands in a 'take it easy' gesture. "Thanks for the explanation."

I let out a. "tch!" as I realize I reacted stronger than I probably should have. Michael doesn't say anything else.

Yusei then leans back a bit in his chair before he asks his question with a serious tone: "What are you going to do now?"

I take a moment to think, and then state my answer: "To be honest, I think the Dark Signer threat is my biggest problem. Since the Collective is connected to the conflict, I am sure the Superiors want it to end with a good result for as many people as possible. They will work as hard as they can to protect their agents from future attacks, and stop a terrible future for everyone."

Everyone looks at me, or each other. No one speaks, so they must not have any more questions.

"Thank you all for listening," I state before the silence gets too out of hand. Everyone focuses on their own tasks without a word back to me. Yusei gets up from his seat and moves to the doors. Rua and Ruka start whispering to each other. Ushio and Jack frown as they stare into space. Ms. Singleton looks closely at Jack, and Saiga watches Ushio just as closely.

Yusei opens the door, and Martha comes in with the orphanage's children. Were they waiting outside for us to finish, or were they busy elsewhere? They probably didn't hear anything I said in here… right?

The moment the children come in, the atmosphere changes. The heavy sense changes into a carefree tone, but I also feel awkwardly out of place. The boys quickly set extra chairs along the long table, with enough seats for everyone. The girls carry sets of plates forks, knives, and spoons, and arrange them in front of each chair.

Martha takes a seat at the end closet to the windows. Everyone else takes seats where they choose; the children stay close to Martha, while the Signers stick by each other on opposite sides. Ushio takes a seat on the opposite end from Martha, and I sit next to him.

Aimi looks at me once as she adjusts her seat a bit. She doesn't look upset by my choice to sit next to her, but she isn't happy, either. I inwardly hope our earlier talk hasn't left a lasting effect. I then look to Aki, and feel relief that she isn't as focused on me as earlier.

Come to think of it, Aki and Elizabeth were the only people who didn't ask any questions during my explanation. They might know something about all this the others don't, or they have their own opinions on the matter that aren't going to be changed by what I've said.

I'll have to find out, later. Right now, I've got a growling stomach to satisfy.

I join everyone in saying, "Time to eat!" before we all take our first bites.

The main course for dinner is a stew with potatoes, meat, vegetables, and eggs, on small plates. There are also several loaves of bread for everyone, resting in a few baskets across the long table. So, this is what Ushio was stirring in the pot, and what I added the chopped vegetables to. The children quickly start sipping the stew, and three of them each grab a bread loaf for dipping.

"This stew is yummy!" one boy comments. Rua and Ruka echo this with happily-surprised expressions, and spoons in their mouths.

"Yeah," another boy agrees, "it's great!"

I quickly take a sip of the stew. It tastes a bit hot on my tongue, but the flavor has a nice blend. It's a good taste, for sure; Martha certainly knows how to cook.

A blue-haired boy comments, "That nice guy from Security made it, you know!" between bites of his bread.

"Yeah," a brown-haired girl adds, "and the Netrunner helped, too!"

I look up from my food at the sound of my alias name. Everyone looks at me, and Ushio, with confusion or amusement. I blush with the Officer as we each try to stutter a reply, and trip over the other's sentence. Fortunately, the children don't seem to mind as they offer praise and compliments on the meal.

Aimi stays quiet, only nodding along with the others. I feel worse than ever for what I did, now. I try to relieve my stress with a gulp of water, but the water goes down the wrong way. I break into a series of coughs, and hold up a finger as I turn my head away from the table.

At the same time, I hear a loud, "Hot!" from Ushio after he slams his own glass on the table. Looks like he tried to eat too much of the stew at once. The children laugh at our actions, but my gut says it is a happy laugh. It's not meant to insult us.

Dinner goes by quickly. No one says anything important, but the children make small talk about their activities during the day. No one makes an outburst, or a bad comment. Everyone enjoys the food, and the other people here.

I haven't experienced something like this before. It feels good.

But, it doesn't last forever. As everyone finishes off their stew, Yusei's eyes turn to the table. He clenches his hands together; he probably wants to say something important.

"If we win this battle," Yusei then states, "a bridge will be built between here and the City. After that, there will be no more discrimination."

He then looks to Martha and the children. They look at him with wide eyes or, in Martha's case, a warm smile.

"Your futures are bound to change," the Fortune Cup champion says. "The time where you can be who you want to is coming."

"Yusei, you're so cool!" the blue-haired boy declares. The other children echo his words with giggles or laughs. They're all so happy, even when they have so little.

I almost smile at their enthusiasm. They are so confident they can make better lives for themselves, like Aimi was. But, how far are they willing to go to get their success? Will they take others down to come out on top? Will they stay friends beyond the orphanage?

[These matters are not your concern. How they use their fortunes is up to them.]

I slowly breathe out through my nose as my guidance implant states what I should be accepting, but don't. And, that worries me, because I don't know how to fix it.

A loud crash joins a burst of lightning from outside. The glass window shatters into pieces, some of which fall over the children and Martha. Yusei jumps up to shield some of them as best he can, and a few other people leap from their seats.

Martha quickly asks, "Are you all okay?!" Their answers are cut off by a long, dark laugh from outside.

At this point, everyone is on their feet. I look to the window with everyone else, just as another bolt of lightning strikes the ground. It reveals a muscled man, shrouded in a black robe that has red lines along the edges. His shadow is shaped like a giant spider – the spider I saw in the Crimson Dragon's vision.

"Who are you?!" Yusei shouts as he races to the window. The man chuckles again, and I now see a Duel Disk on his left arm. Its color is darker than the standard one I've seen used, but I can't tell much more from this distance. I don't really want to get any closer to this guy, either.

The whipping wind suddenly flips the man's hood back to reveal his face. I shudder as I first see his eyes; pure black with white irises. His skin is a dark brown, with darker red lines etched down from his scalp to his jaw. His white hair is spiked back from his face, and a pair of rhombus-shaped earrings dangle from his earlobes.

"My name is Rutger," he announces in a whispery voice as he raises his right arm. "I am the Dark Signer with the Spider Birthmark."

The arm shines with a glowing purple mark of that animal. I take a step back, in fear. He's a Dark Signer? A real Dark Signer?!

"I have heard that four Signers have joined forces," Rutger says, "so I came by to greet them. I also know the False Signer is here, too."

My fear doubles. He knows about that, too?!

"Of course," Rutger finishes as he raises his Duel Disk, "the welcoming party will be a Duel."

"A Duel of Darkness…" I mutter. That means we're all in trouble.

Jack shouts out, "What did you say?!" as he goes to the window, but Yusei stops him with a raised arm.

"We can't Duel here, Jack!" he insists. "Everyone will get swallowed up by the flaming geoglyph!"

Flaming geoglyph? Is that like the circle of fire from when I Dueled the possessed Elizabeth? Or, is it worse than that?

"Get everyone away from here," Yusei orders. "You protect Martha and the kids." Jack hesitates, and then complies. He turns to Ushio, who quickly moves to help Martha get the children out of the room. Yusei slams the window frame open as I move to one wall of the dining room.

"You're facing me!" he announces to Rutger. "I'll bring us to our Dueling ground!"

Rutger replies with a short, "Fine, then." He doesn't lose his smile.

"Yusei," Aki then states as the Satellite Duelist turns to leave the room, "I'm going with you." He only nods, and passes me by. I make a snap decision.

"I-I'll help with Martha and the kids," I state before he can leave. I don't entirely want to leave Yusei alone, but a real Dark Signer is something I absolutely do not want to deal with. So, I go with Martha and the rest to apparent safety.

If Yusei doesn't win this Duel, then our safety won't mean anything.

It takes a few minutes before my arm throbs with a new sensation. It isn't directly painful, but it implies pain that is to come. I look to my false Signer Mark to see the eye shift around and blink rapidly.

"Ah," Jack comments as he looks at his glowing Signer Mark, "they've started."

"Yusei…" Ruka mutters in worry. Rua places his hands on her shoulders, and the other children come around them in support.

'Good luck, Yusei and Aki,' I think as my own arm now throbs at a steady rate.'You're going to need it against that guy.'

Martha stops us all by a back door on the second floor. It's not a room I was in before. She opens the door to reveal a larger room with no lights on. My metal eye tries to automatically scan the room, and it detects several boxes along the floor. So, this must be a storage room at the back end of the orphanage. Better than nothing, I guess; at least this room doesn't have any windows.

"Everyone," Martha orders as she gestures into the dark space, "get inside here."

No one moves. It takes me a moment to realize what everyone else is thinking – something's wrong.

"Takuya isn't here!" one girl states after she tries to count the number of people here.

"Jun and Micchan aren't here, either!" another girl adds.

"What's this?!" Martha shouts in surprise. "Where did they go?!"

I sharply inhale as a very, very bad possibility comes to mind. Ushio, Saiga, and Jack all seem to think the same thing, because they all turn and race for the stairs. We all follow them, and Martha knocks me against the wall as she pushes past me. She shoves the front door open, and the three other men stomp out into the front space.

I get to the door a moment later. No children are in sight. My Signer mark burns as I look to the night sky.

A giant, purple spider geoglyph glows beneath the clouds a few miles away. A thin fog does nothing to hide it from my eyes. I stare at it with no idea of how I should feel. Scared? Confused? Angry?

I grasp my now-shaking arm as different emotions bleed into my mind, not all of them mine. Pain. Fear. Worry. Determination. Courage. How is this happening?

Martha lets out a, "That's—!" before she stops herself. A second later, she dashes off into the fog-covered path.

"Martha!" Jack shouts as he tries to reach for her, and fails. Ushio barrels past a moment later with a quick, "I'm on it!"

I look at the officer as he follows Martha into the darkness. Once again, I must decide on what to do. Once again, this decision will have consequences.

"I-I'm going to help them!"

I charge past Jack, and everyone else, and out onto the path. My heart thunders in my chest as I hear Jack shout something at me. I don't pick up on his words, my eyes locked on Ushio's fading form.

Ushio and Martha need help. I won't let these children, or the adults, be hurt, or worse, by a Dark Signer. No matter what it takes, I need to make the world safe.

Alright, that's all for now. What will Epsilon discover in a real 'Duel of Darkness'? How will he help Ushio and Martha recover the three kids? Please stay tuned to find out.

I hope you all have had a happy holidays, and a happy New Year. 2018 is around the corner!

As usual, your reviews, comments, constructive criticism, and feedback is well appreciated.

Draconos is taking off.