"I need you to forget, Junpei."

Junpei fell to the cold steel floor of the elevator that had carried them out of the bunker, clawing at his thigh and the needles of the bracelet that had been forced into it. For just a moment he reached out his arm towards Akane – the woman whose bracelet it was and who had used it against him – before even that fell still.

Akane took a deep, sorrowful breath. "I do what I must to accomplish my goals. That is just how I am," she announced. Her right hand shook slightly, and the ring on her finger with it.

Carlos stumbled back, his hands raised warily. "Whoa, Akane… Hold on! What are you doing?"

"Don't worry, Carlos," Akane said, "You get to keep your memories. I still need someone to look after Junpei when he wakes up."

"Look… after him?" Carlos asked.

"He won't remember anything about the Decision Game," Akane explained, "He won't remember much from D-Com, either. And he won't remember Radical-6. You heard what we told you. That virus will spread across the entire world, killing everyone it touches. Junpei… Junpei has to survive." The ring on Akane's finger twitched again. "You need to help him, Carlos. You need to make sure he lives."

"Wait! I…" Carlos started to say.

Akane scribbled something on a scrap of paper and tossed it to Carlos. A quick glance showed it to be a set of GPS coordinates. "There's a shelter, south and east of here," Akane said, "I had it prepared beforehand, just in case. It's got everything Junpei and you will need to get through this. It's all yours."

"No!" Carlos shouted. His fist clenched. "I can't do this. I have to get back to New York. I have to make sure that Maria's okay!"

Akane turned her face away. "I thought you might say that, Carlos. I understand why you'd want to look after your sister. But I think… I think that if you really wanted to ensure that Maria's okay… you'd go with Junpei. And you wouldn't tell him that I was ever here."

Carlos shivered. The meaning of Akane's words sunk into him. "Akane… You wouldn't… I thought I knew you!"

"I do what I must to accomplish my goals." Akane turned away and started walking into the desert. Still, her voice carried back to Carlos, cutting across the gently blowing wind, and the last thing she said was, "Don't worry. It's not forever. Eventually, the worst possible thing will happen. After that, you're free to do what you want."

Akane disappeared into the dunes. Carlos sunk to his knees.