Albert approached Pearl in her holding cell as she popped cookies into her mouth. He tapped on the clear glass wall of it, prompting Pearl to turn around, "Oh hey Albert! Been a couple of weeks! What's up?"

"Why are you so casual about this?" Albert demanded.

"I get free food," Pearl explained, "You don't seem to hold any active malice and, frankly I bet if I asked nicely you would let me out."

"What makes you say that?" Albert demanded.

"You're just not a leader, dude." Pearl shrugged, "That's not a bad thing but it's just not your strong suit."

Albert fell silent. Pearl turned around in her black swivel chair, "So, what's up?"

"Can you desanatize someone?" Albert demanded with a tinge of hope in his voice.

"Depends but sometimes yeah," Pearl replied, "Is this about Dedf1sh?"

Albert took a seat in front of the cell, looking down at his feet he sighed, "Please answer the question."

"Albert..." Pearl sighed, "I get maybe you're scared of telling Terry and Cara, scared they'll judge you or something, but you already don't consider me a friend. So, why not tell me? I won't judge, and even if I did, it wouldn't matter to you."

Albert shook his head, "My... past experiences deprived me of security and safety for most of my life until three years ago. Then I lost that, the only thing I had left. So, I helped the refugees who hated how things were as I do, and sought to reinstate my ability to feel safe."

"But what about Dedf1sh?" Pearl demanded. "I met her, she used to sneak up here to the surface before she went all zombie."

"We were..." Albert didn't know why he was telling Pearl this, but it was something bottled up for so long it just started looting out, he couldn't bear the burden alone any longer, "Partners. In combat, and romantically... but she abandoned me. I remember it clearly. The worst day of my life..."

Albert had fallen asleep cuddling Dedf1sh, who looked at the roof of the train car. She sighed solemnly, "So... I'm really doing this..."

She sighed and kissed Albert on the forehead, "I love you. Get to the surface. OK?"

Dedf1sh slipped away from Albert, gently placing his head on the soft brush of Stormbringer as a pillow. She sighed as the train came to a stop.

This was it.

All that fear and anxiety, she was going to be free from it.

But she wondered, was this choice causing some of it?

Was she merely being prideful, just as Albert was in the present day?

She lied to herself. Told herself that the doubt in this choice was why she had to go through with it, her stubbornness guiding her towards self destruction.

She approached her door, beyond which she would be sanitized.

She would never see her friends again.

Or get to play Rainmaker with Albert on the surface.

Or go to Off the Hook concerts.

Or get to share her music with her main inspirations.

Or hug Albert again...

...

No, she told herself these doubts proved the necessity of her action. No more doubt or fear of her choices or work or anything.

She would finally be free she told herself...

But then she heard a voice, full of worry and genuine care, "Dedf1sh there you!" Albert rushed up to her, "What are you doing? This place is giving mega bad vibes! Let's go!"

He grabbed her by the hand and began to walk back to the train, but Dedf1sh pulled away, shaking her head, "No... Albert... this is why I came here. Get back on the train."

"You'll catch up with me right?" Albert demanded, "Hey! If we need to steal something from this place let me help! I-"

"No," Dedf1sh stated sternly, "Trust me. This is what's best for me. I need you to get on that train."

"You'll be right behind me," Albert pleaded, his voice shaming now as he denied the dawning realization, "Right?"

"Get." Dedf1sh demanded, "On. The. Train."

Albert shook his head, "No. No! I'm not leaving without you!" He grabbed Dedf1sh's hands, "Dedf1sh we were going to leave together! You promised! I wanna see Inkopolis with you! I wanna see the stars with you! Please... if this is what I think it is this is a mistake! Don't throw it all away... come home with me."

Albert began to cry, "Please... you're all I have..."

"Oh Albert," She embraced Albert, trying to comfort him, "Shhhhh... It's OK... Do you love me?"

"Yes," Albert nodded.

"Then trust me to chose for myself," Dedf1sh stated, "It's going to be OK."

Albert collected himself, "OK... OK. I trust you. I'll call you when I get there. OK?"

Dedf1sh smiled to reassure him, knowing that after this she would never answer that call, "Of course."

Dedf1sh wiped his tears and kissed him, for the first and what she assumed to be last time. Albert leaned in, and after this display of love for the other lasted a few seconds Dedf1sh broke away. She requested of Albert, "Albert? Do you see that behind you?"

"See wh-" Albert asked turning around before he was pistol whipped in the back of the head.

And then everything went black.

Albert awoke, he pulled himself to his feet, and looked up. He called, "Dedf1sh?'

He looked around, he didn't know where he was, there were countless lights and buildings he didn't recognize. It was unlike anything he had seen before. He began to panic, overwhelmed by the noises of everything. His heart raced, the city twisted and wrapped around him, as if choking out. His hands shaking he put his earbuds in, he focused on the sound of Dedf1sh's voice singing, and steadied his breathing.

He realized two things.

He was finally safe.

And he was alone once again.

In a city he knew little about.

He felt his stomach rumble, and began to look for some way to get a meal. He saw a poster, a Rainmaker tournament. He gripped Stormbringer and took a deep breath, "I guess... I'm safe, and at least that'll be fun... this is all I have left."

Albert with determination marched towards that tournament, "And I'll make the most of the very little I have..."

Albert back in the present finished, "And then... I lost that. So I did what I had to."

Pearl looked at Albert now with genuine sympathy. At first she assumed he meant well but wondered if he was simply egotistical or mad.

He was mad, but in spite of his pride he was guided by pain and loss. Fear.

"...my God." Pearl replied, "Albert... I'm so sorry. Marina and Dedf1sh were friends, before she went to the metro. Dedf1sh was something of a big sister to her, I recall her mentioning. When Marina came to the surface she helped Dedf1sh send her music topside too. Over time though, the pressure got to Dedf1sh, we tried to tell her that it was a mistake that even she didn't get herself killed seeking these horror stories was a mistake, but one day she was just... gone. So, thanks for keeping her alive down there."

"But I let her chose," Albert sighed, "And..."

"Albert look you usually do have to let others do what's best for them," Pearl replied, "But sometimes people you care about will do something self destructive, and you should do your best to stop them if you can. At a certain point though you have to understand you can't save someone who doesn't want to be saved."

"Yeah that makes sense I guess," Albert sighed.

"So, that means you're wrong," Pearl smugly retorted.

Albert froze, he had been verbally cornered. He stammered, "I... well if they never choose they can never choose wrong. I'll finally feel safe again. Then no one will ever get hurt again."

"We could restore the old way of things as is," Pearl replied, "If you stand down. You're not fit to rule. You're gonna, what, become a tyrant and reign over every little detail of everyone's life? They don't want that and you don't want that. You're not built for the pressure, and you know people won't be happy like that. You're wrong."

"I know best," Albert snipped back.

"So trust you to chose what's best for yourself no matter what, ignoring the exceptions to that rule," Pearl demanded, "Right?"

Pearl got a smug grin, "Just like Dedf1sh right?"

Albert clenched his fist.

"You're wrong and you know it," Pearl continued rising from her chair, "There's no hard feelings if that's what you're worried about. It's time to let go. You're destroying yourself and you gain nothing by this. I would understand if you genuinely believed in what you said or had anything to truly gain. But you can't even claim this is a genuine desire or ideological battle anymore. You're just wrong."

Albert didn't reply. Couldn't reply. And maybe it was guilt, maybe it was shame, maybe he just felt it was the right thing to do, but most likely all of the above, but Albert opened Pearl's cell and demanded, "Get out."

"Well when your empire crumbles," Pearl assured, "I forgive you for all of this. That interview offer is still good man. Cya."

And with that Pearl was gone...

Pearl approached Terry and Cara outside. Terry was baffled, "How did you get out?"

"Albert isn't a good leader," Pearl replied, "A good man but not a king. Everyone has their strength and weaknesses. You know?"

"Smooth talk your way out?" Cara demanded, "Fair enough I guess."

"I don't think Albert even believes in anything at this point," Pearl elaborated, "I wanna purpose a truce."

"Yeah," Terry sighed, "Had a feeling it would end like this. He's breaking down at this point. It's not even about ruling anymore. He's just... scared. He doesn't know what else to do."

"Now normally you should respect your friends' or, he's family to you if I recall, choices, but there's exceptions to that rule when they're hurting themselves or others." Pearl continued.

Cara sighed, "You're right."

"We have to take Albert down..."