He sat up abruptly at the feeling of winter's water surrounding his body. Wyatt flailed and hit the dunker in the nose. The person dropped him, and he rose from the water, crawling back to shore before coughing out the water he'd swallowed.

As Wyatt rubbed his cold arms, a sudden realization dawned over him. He was alive. The needle Dagger had stabbed into his neck has disappeared, replaced by a thick white bandage that choked his neck.

"Hey there."

Wyatt spun around and blinked at the person behind him. He panicked. "You again?"

Dagger was leaning against the tree, his hand held up against his nose, his eyebrows furrowed together, eyes closed, jaw gritted. "You're annoying, Clark. My nose hurts a lot. You've killed it three times already. Maybe I should've killed you."

Wyatt laughed nervously and stepped back. "Force of habit."

Dagger let out a breath before flatly saying, "For a minute there, I thought you really died on fruit punch."

Wyatt winced. "You injected fruit punch into my neck?"

"Yeah. It was the only unharmful chemical I found in the fridge."

Wyatt couldn't help but smile. "You didn't want me dead?"

Dagger sighed. "To be honest, I don't know what to say. I have no recollections of you, yet I feel that there was a time where we once knew each other. I decided to keep you alive longer. You seem like a better person than Royce." Dagger looked at Wyatt with his silver eyes. "I want to join your rebellion. You are the only one who can stop this."

Wyatt groaned. "This sounds like those 'chosen one' movies I used to watch."

"Welcome to reality."

"I don't trust you."

Dagger's fingers flexed on their own. "I need my memories. If Royce won't give them to me knowing that you're 'dead', then you're my next best chance. I'll team with you to kill Royce."

"So I'm a backup if you don't get what you want?"

Dagger nodded, unmoved.

Wyatt rolled his eyes. "Go ahead. Join. I don't care about any of you," he looked down at his fist, clenched until his knuckles were white, "I will kill Royce. I will avenge Chase."

A faint smile twitched on Dagger's lips. "Until next time, Wyatt. Don't be surprised if I try to kill you."

Then Dagger was gone, walking away, twirling his knife in one hand and the other held up in a "goodbye" gesture.

Wyatt sighed and stood up, walking away, following the river path slowly.

That was before a twig snapped behind him, and someone attacked.

*****
Dagger Belmont

As he walked on slowly, Dagger thought about what Wyatt had said. He smiled faintly as he pressed his back against the rocky edge of the cliff. A whoosh of air escaped his mouth, and the air around him got colder. Dagger teleported into Royce's meeting room, creating a numerous amount of surprised gasps.

Blandly, he announced, "I'm back."

Cassie stood up, "Hey, Grey-"
Mike cut her off with a sharp glare.

"... Dagger," she corrected.

Dagger slowly paced to his seat and sat down, resting his chin on his palm. Crimson narrowed her eyes, resting her hand on Shaard's head, who growled contently and sat down, chewing on an old squeaky toy he'd found in an abandoned home. Mike Best looked up, sharpening his knife  simultaneously. The scratchy sound sounded like nails on a chalkboard, making everyone wince. Chase, fully alive, looked down on the ground, his fingers drumming the table, eyes filled with sadness. The twins were arguing about something, maybe about which weapon was better, knife or bomb.
Mike asked, "Where were you?"

Dagger sighed and spun lazily on his chair, looking at Mike in the eye. "None of your business."

Crimson stood up, placing her hands on the table. "Weren't you getting rid of Wyatt's dead body?"

Cassie stood up. "Wyatt's dead!?"

Dagger didn't respond.

Cassie glared at him. "You killed him!" she screamed.

He got up and began to walk out of the room.

Cassie could be heard as she ran after him, yelling at him to come back. He spun around. She crashed into him. His arms were around her waist and Dagger hugged Cassie.

She froze, trembling, tears falling down her face.

He bent down to her ear and whispered, "You think I'd tell them the truth?"

She stopped and pulled back, her eyes glimmering in amazement. "Wyatt's alive?"

"Running away and about to murder people."

She smiled before looking away, out at the window.

Dagger saw a hint of sadness in her eyes.

Like she'd been living lies her entire life, and no longer believed anyone anymore.