Settling in was easy. The kids knew what to do and with Blue around to do a lot of recon, Lance was able to plan multiple escape routs and since they were the only ones, they could build outdoor shelters. Which was a new concept to a lot of them.

"So we don't have to live in the cave?"

"Nope," Lance grinned, "You can sleep outside if you want to. I've got a friend that's better at building stuff than I am, but lets do our best, k?"

Heppik was better. Quite, of course, but with Martle and the others he was able to communicate just fine. His antenna were still tiny, but they'd grow back in time.

Lance was cooking the fish they'd caught that day and froze as his voice floated from down the river.

"…is made of gold
And in the morning sun
We'll be sailing
Oh, won't you come with me?
Where the ocean meets the sky
And as the clouds roll by
We'll sing the song of the sea"

Lance walked away from the fire and down the bank. Nomi, Gen, and Radik sat holding the little trinket he had found while saving Heppik. It was a small blue crystal attached to a chain.

" …Rolling, Rolling, Rolling…"

He knew that song. His grandpap would sing it to him, but he couldn't remember the lyrics. He'd hum it all the time, but…he was sure he couldn't remember it. When did he record it. This was his voice, wasn't it? This was his granpaps song, right? This wasn't a trick?

"…sing the song of the sea. Good night William."

Lance blinked and realized Nomi and Gen were fighting.

"Turn it off!"

"I'm trying!"

"Well, it looks like it finished…but why did you turn it on?"

"I didn't know it worked like that!"

"Hey, hey!" Lance reached down and took it from them, "where did you find this?"

"um," Nomi looked like she was about to cry.

"It must've fallen out of your pocket, cause we found it on the ground," Radik said, ever the honest one, "Why have you not sung that song to us? I really like that one."

Lance shrugged. Something was breaking. Breathing was getting a little difficult.

"I don't remember it," he said, "sorry, but if you like it, then you can play this as much as you like."

Lance held out the crystal, but then took it back.

"Who is Willi-"

Nomi slapped her hand over Radiks mouth.

"Something wrong?" Lance asked, Nomi shook her head violently. Lance sat on the ground in front of them and raised the crystal.

"Care to tell me why this exists? You know something."

"…not safe…" Gen said, "its not safe."

"It's a lullaby, not a magic spell," Lance said, his irritation growing, "you seem to know something and I want to know what it is."

Nomi whimpered and Gen shifted uncomfortably. Lance waited patiently. Then Martle showed up.

"What's the emergency Nomi?" she looked around and saw Lance with the crystal, "What's going on?"

"We didn't know," Gen said in an attempt to apologize.

"I just want to know why this has my voice singing a song I don't remember very well," Lance said, "I'm not angry. You are not in any trouble. But I would like to know what you know."

"Oh dear," Martle sighed.

The silence became even more heavy. Now Lance was getting angry.

"Well?" he asked

"Its not safe," Martle said shrugging.

"So I've heard, but I'll be the one to determine that," he snapped, "spill."

Martle took a deep breath, "Kax told us not to tell you because it would have slowed your healing. And then he told us not to tell you because it would hurt you more than help you."

"Tell me what, Martle?"

"You've been erased…"

Erased?

"We brainwashed Lance!"

"We did not, he's still the same. But we did screw up."

Lance thought about the ring he'd found in the couch. Thought about how Hunk seemed to worry for no reason.

"Can…can I get the memories back?" he asked the words sounding hollow in his mouth. Nomi shook her head.

"They're gone."

"But," Lance looked down at the crystal, "I named him..i named him after my granpap. I wouldn't do that with just anyone. Would he still be alive?"

They shook their heads. Radik was looking at everyone, not sure why everyone was sad. He crawled over to Lance and sat himself on Lances lap.

"Don't be sad," he said, "you still have us!"

But there was a hole. A great empty hole. Could negative space shatter?

Lance held onto Radik for a moment. He was the adult. He couldn't forget that. He would sort this out later. He could do it. He could…

()

Ollie licked his lips. His secret needed to stay a secret. He had almost told Shiro, but he was glad he hadn't. The ship was coming out of a hyper jump and Ollie tried to put his plan in motion.

He looked over at the others and made eye contact with Keith.

Keith scowled as he felt something, almost like when Red spoke to him, but this was different.

Distract the hunters from me…

Ollie gave a slight nod. Keith noticed that the cuffs on the boys wrists were already undone. The red Paladin focused on the hunters, making sure that they weren't paying Ollie any attention.

The kid took a deep breath and leaned back so that both of his hands were laying flat against the interior hull.

"Sir! We've lost the left engine!"

The captain immediately looked at Ollie who kept a straight face.

"Oh, what, you gonna blame a brat for your poor piloting skills?" Keith sneered, "I've been watching you guys; you all are the worst pilots in the universe. Believe me, I've flown with some of the worst."

The insults did nothing. The captain took out a rod and smacked Ollie across the floor. He bend over and picked up the broken cuffs.

"I thought you drugged it."

"I did captain! Twice!"

Ollie rolled his eyes and, with both hands on the floor took the rest of the energy from the ship. Lights winked out and the darkness was absolute.

But Ollie could see in the dark.

While everyone ran around trying to figure out what was going on, the kid weaved his way through the panicking bodies and released his friends. Concentrating hard he mentally communicated where the single escape pod was. Allowing them to see with his eyes.

Quietly they made their way along edge of the ship to the pod.

"They are escaping!"

Ollie let the others pass him as he placed both hands against the floor again. A small hole appeared on the other side of the ship. Without power there were no alarms, but there was an increase in panic.

Run. He told the others and they booked it to the pod. They got there the same time some others did. True to Shiros words he could fight just fine without his right arm.

Then Keith turned around and grabbed him. Ollie tried to push away, but Keith tossed him into the pod.

The pod was only really big enough for two people.

"Find Lance," Keith snapped, "and that Kax guy."

"Wait!" Shiro tried to shake the fog from his head, but Keith hit the eject button before he could get out.