When Claus and Lucas got back to the base, darkness was creeping into the sky. But even though the day was ending, the sun wasn't gone yet.

Lucas wanted to linger, soak up as much sun as he could, but Claus headed for the base door as soon as his boots touched the ground.

Things he could say ran through Lucas's head but the sight of the guards at either side of the door kept his mouth shut as he chased after his brother.

Claus stopped short just before reaching the door and looked over his shoulder slightly as he waited for him.

The brothers entered the base side by side.

Lucas was familiar enough with the base's layout now that he realized after a couple of hallways that they were headed to the the dining area.

Good, maybe now he could find his way to the exit if he had to.

Not that Lucas was going to leave this place alone. He looked at Claus out of the corner of his eye.

What could he do to convince Claus to leave?

Vague plans and crazy ideas chased themselves in circles around Lucas's head as they traveled down more hallways to finally arrive at the mess hall itself.

Even louder than those though, was another question, one that repeated itself even louder as they entered the room.

Why wouldn't Claus believe him?

He'd always listened before, even when no one else had.

But everything had changed. Even Lucas.

For three years, Lucas had been getting stronger and stronger. Not only taking care of himself, but also taking care of the sheep, and technically taking care of Boney too, although Boney was a smart dog who mostly took care of himself.

But now, here Lucas was again, just like he'd been after Mom's death. Alone, helpless-

No. Lucas corrected himself as he got in line behind Claus. It was a little like back then, but not just like. He had gotten stronger since then, no longer helpless, despite the things out of his control. And even more importantly, he wasn't alone. He had Claus back.

Claus had been alone too and he'd been hurt much worse than Lucas had. But since Lucas was here now, he could help him feel better.

Claus didn't seem afraid of emotions so much anymore, and he remembered that they were a family now. That was a start.

There had to be a way to keep the good changes and to fix the bad changes.

"Hi Lucas!"

"Hi Senior. Hi Junior," Lucas said with a smile.

"What do you want today? A sloppy joe or a skip sandwich?"

"Huh… I think that sloppy joes look pretty good. You're going to have one too, right Claus?"

Claus turned slightly- his head had been tilted in the direction of the food but the look in his one visible eye told Lucas that his brother hadn't been seeing the food at all- and nodded.

"Alright, here you go. There's fries on the side today, see?"

"Alright, thanks," Lucas said, and again, Claus nodded in agreement before they headed towards the tables.

The sloppy joes weren't bad. Still not as good as anything Mom would make, but then Mom was the best cook ever, so maybe that wasn't a fair comparison.

While Lucas was glad that he and Claus were eating together, he didn't like eating in the mess hall too much.

It was so noisy, and since there were so many Pigmasks there, he couldn't talk to Claus about anything important- or about anything really. Not even the weather, because there was no weather in this grey box that Porky and the Pigmasks had trapped them in.

And even though the Pigmasks didn't stare as much as they had when Claus had first brought him here, they still looked at them a lot. And Lucas couldn't help but feel that some of those looks weren't very friendly.

He wondered if that group of Pigmasks that had tried to pick on him before still didn't like him.

Suddenly, hiding in the room while Claus wasn't around seemed a lot safer.

With the masks the Pigmasks wore, Lucas couldn't even see their faces, couldn't even use their expressions and the way they looked at him as a clue to what they wanted.

But you couldn't fix things by running and hiding.

If he could show the Pigmasks that he didn't really want to fight- and he really didn't- he wanted to stop Porky, but he didn't want to fight people like Sheep and Junior and Senior, and there was no way he could fight Claus- maybe they could get along.

Lucas didn't want to fight anyone. But he also wanted to stop people from doing bad things. Maybe if he could prove they were bad things, they'd stop doing them?

That should help, at least. But some people- like Fassad and Porky- just seemed to like being mean.

But most people weren't like that.

When everyone was together again, they could all work together, and then they could help everyone. They could do something about the chimeras hurting everyone and the old men's home being bad and everything. If everyone worked together, they could fix things, right?

Lucas get much done by himself, but he could at least get started- show the Pigmasks that they didn't really want to fight, that they wanted to get along.

And he'd gather information too, so that when the time came, they could figure out the best way to fix things. So they could fight only those who couldn't be stopped any other way.

Lucas realized that Claus had finished his food and quickly crammed the rest of his own food in his mouth.

Claus blinked. "You didn't have to do that."

Lucas chewed quickly and swallowed. "But you're always busy and everything. I just don't want to do anything that'll make it harder for you. I want to help you. I don't want to help them-" and Lucas inclined his head slightly towards the rest of the mess hall, towards the obliviously chattering Pigmasks, "because I don't like what they do- but if one's in trouble, I can help him then. But mostly, I just want to help you."

Claus looked at him a moment- then stood up.

Lucas quickly followed.

In the hallway outside, Claus abruptly asked "If one of the soldiers was injured, you would heal them, wouldn't you?"

"Yeah, of course! Unless they were attacking someone- well, someone like Dad or Duster or Kumatora or Boney or Grandpa. But if the Pigmask soldier was being attacked by a chimera or a Pigmask meaner than them, then I'd heal them- and then I'd help them fight."

Claus stopped and stared at him now.

Lucas shrugged, slightly embarrassed. "The way I see it, you might as well help someone all the way if you help them at all. It's not like the collar stops me from doing anything other than PSI, right?"

Claus's eyes flickered from the collar wrapped around Lucas's neck to his face and then nodded- but his eyes were kinda far away.

"Claus?"

"I'm working on a report. It's nowhere near complete, but it's a report I will hand into Master Porky. It's a report about you."

Lucas had tensed at the mention of Porky and at Claus saying the report was about him, his whole body demanded fight-or-flight, and he had to force himself to not grab Claus's hand and drag him away from this place now.

Maybe Claus saw that in his face- or maybe another part of his body- his fists maybe, how they clenched themselves shut, preparing to be swung-

"It's to show that you're not a threat," his older brother said quickly. "You don't want to hurt anyone- you want to help people, right?"

Lucas nodded slowly, then added "Well, it depends what they're doing. I don't want to help people do bad things."

Claus nodded, accepting that as perfectly logical. "In the report- should I mention the fact that the collar only stops your PSI? You've never attacked me or tried to escape even once- should I mention that the collar only blocks your PSI abilities and you could have tried to physically overpower me? I don't want to make it sound like you could be a threat if you wanted to- like you need more restraints placed on you, because you don't. But I do want to include anything that will help Master Porky understand that you're not bad- that you're not a threat."

Lucas smiled ruefully and hugged his brother quickly, before making himself let go, reminding himself that members of the Pigmasks could come at any time. "I don't think it'll make much of a difference what you tell him, Claus. I doubt that guy really listens to anyone. But if it makes you feel better, you can go ahead and put it together and give it to him. Because you're worrying about whether or not it's a good thing to put in, I know you'll do a good job. Now, come on- let's go back to the room and finish talking there." He held out his hand, before remembering where they were and the fact that people might come and see them at any minute-

Instead of getting angry, Claus smiled slightly, and reached out his hand towards Lucas's- before his eyes got really wide.

Before Lucas could figure out why, there was a loud roaring noise.

Claus shoved Lucas back and drew his sword.

Lucas hit the wall. He instinctively reached for his PSI before the freezing cold surrounding his bones reminded him that he no longer could.

Claus shouted something- Lucas didn't quite catch what- and there was a bright light, and as it faded away, an angry voice. A voice that definitely did not belong to Claus.

"Get out of my way! Can't you see that brat over there has infiltrated this base the same way he got into Thunder Tower?"

Lucas swallowed slightly as he saw Fassad standing in in the middle of the hallway, pointing angrily at him. The man's appearance had changed again- still obviously a cyborg, grey metal shining in odd places- but the horns were gone and there was no interpreter robot flying behind him. He was also braced for a fight.

Claus didn't move. Didn't even twitch. "He's my responsibility. He's no threat, no danger to this base or anyone on it."

"Are you joking?"

Claus tilted his head to the side slightly. "See that collar around his neck?"

Fassad looked at Lucas- briefly, and it was more of a glare than a look- it left Lucas cold.

"I see it. So what if he's got worse taste in fashion than you?"

"That collar blocks his PSI skills. Even if he wasn't a good boy, even if he tried to cause trouble, he wouldn't be able to. He is no threat, and he isn't a bad boy. The incident at Thunder Tower was not his fault."

"Nehehehehe! You're naïve, boy!" Fassad stepped forward and Claus snapped the energy sword open and stepped in front of Lucas.

Fassad stopped, staring at him. For a moment, his expression had been amused and confident. Now-

The light from the sword- gleaming almost like the Needles- moved over the hallway, causing light and shadows to shift and move.

Lucas stepped closer to Claus.

He didn't know what he could do without any weapons, without his PSI- all he knew was that him would do everything he could to keep Claus safe.

"This boy is under my protection," Claus said quietly. "If you even think about trying to hurt him, I will punish you."

"You can't tell me what to do, you little brat! You're just another one of Porky's toys!"

Lucas saw Claus flinch- but before he had a chance to say anything, Claus spoke. "Master Porky gave me the role of Commander of the Army. In the course of my duties, I came across him. I am the one who took him from where he was and brought him here. He is my responsibility. And you will not take him away from me."

Fassad was angry. It showed on his face- the way he glared at them- it showed on his body, the way it was all tensed up and how his fists were clenched so tightly.

But Fassad looked away from their faces and studied Claus. The way he gripped the handle of the sword, the way he held it in front of him, in front of Lucas. His face got even angrier, but he stepped back.

"You'll regret this one day- I promise the two of you that," he said, turning away. And then stopped and faced them again. His expression was still unpleasant, but more cheerfully so. "Oh, by the way. Commander, you recently assigned a new man to assist me. He's someone you know, Lucas. Did you know that your friend Isaac from your little podunk town of Tazmily has joined up with us?" His tone was back to being gleeful.

Lucas nodded silently, happy that he did already know that. Learning that from Fassad would not have been a fun way to find out.

The glee slipped a bit from Fassad's face. But it didn't vanish. "I see. Well, don't worry. He certainly won't be the last of your friends to join us. Soon, no one will remember the name of Tazmily, not even the ghosts." He turned and walked down the hall, nehehehehehes trailing behind him.

Claus waited until they couldn't hear him anymore before shutting off the sword and turning to face Lucas. "Are you okay?"

Lucas nodded.

"Don't worry, I won't let that guy hurt you." Claus looked around quickly, before grabbing Lucas's hand and pulling him quickly down the hallway to the Commander's room.

Lucas let Claus push him inside, though he winced slightly when Claus pulled the door shut so hard it slammed.

Claus pushed him further into the room, his eyes focused on the door. He stared at it a moment before turning to face Lucas. "You'll be safe in here." Before Lucas had a chance to respond, Claus suddenly looked worried again.

"…Claus?"

"… he shouldn't come in my room. Master Porky and the teachers he sent never asked before coming in, but no one's done that for a really long time now…" Claus frowned and turned back to study the door again. "Fassad never did that, but Fassad never wanted to see me anyway…maybe I should order Sheep to stand guard, just in case." He turned and looked at Lucas again, looking even more worried. "But would that make you count as a distraction?"

Lucas tried to smile. "Don't worry Claus, I'll be careful. If I hear that guy coming, I'll hide under the bed."

Claus didn't look that reassured. But then looked like he was struck by a thought. "Fassad is the one being a distraction. When the chimeras escape and I have to stop them to protect the soldiers and the scientists, that's a necessary distraction. That's not something I can ignore, right?"

Lucas nodded.

Claus smiled faintly, and patted Lucas's head. "I'll get Sheep to guard the door. It's not your fault Fassad is being a distraction."

"Claus-"

"I'll be back as soon as I can, okay?"

"…okay. But be careful Claus." Lucas hugged his brother tightly.

"Understood." Claus hugged him back briefly- so very briefly- and then he was gone again, and Lucas was left alone.

OoOoOo

At least Lucas's written explanation was growing. He'd also made some drawings to go along with it, so Claus would have something to look at, something to help him picture it in his head-

Lucas had drawn a map of the village even though he knew that it might be pointless since Claus was going there before Lucas could show him this, but Lucas had made notes on his. Which house belonged to who, where their favorite spots to play had been-

He'd also included a description of Mr. Wess's house and how Fassad and the Pigmasks and Mayor Pusher had turned it into the "Old Man's Paradise" except they kept it in such bad shape it wouldn't have been anyone's idea of a paradise, not even a rat's.

He'd also made a map of their house, and one of what Grandpa's house had looked like before the guys at Thunder Tower destroyed it and they made him move to Mr. Wess's house, even though Lucas and Grandpa both wanted him to stay with Lucas-

And he'd also made one of the graveyard. Most of it was a drawing of Mom's tombstone. He'd drawn it big enough that he'd managed to write everything that was on the tombstone onto the drawing he'd made of the tombstone. Since Claus's memories were all messed up, he probably didn't know where to go visit her. There weren't any flowers they could take her when they visited her either…

Lucas only stopped making the drawings when he realized he was avoiding doing the next part. The part that would explained about what happened to Mom.

That wasn't right. Even though they missed Mom, and the pain of missing her was made even worse by the uncertainty, trapped, and dangerous and situation- he couldn't hide away from that. It was one of the biggest things about to explain about their past. That, and Claus leaving to fight the Mecha-Drago. That was the last time they'd seen each other for a long time.

Lucas had to explain it to Claus so that he would understand where they'd come from, how they'd gotten here, and most importantly, where they belonged. Lucas had to explain it to Claus so that he would understand that they had to get out of here, that they had to go home- so that he would understand that Porky was evil, and couldn't be trusted.

Lucas breathed deeply, and positioned the pen over the paper.

"When we were ten years old, we and Mom went up to visit Grandpa at his cabin and stay with him for a couple of days. On the last day of our visit-"

The door banged open, and Lucas spun to see Claus shutting the door. Even after the door was shut, he stayed there a moment, not facing Lucas.

"Claus?" he asked worriedly, pushing himself off the floor carefully, not taking his eyes off his brother.

Claus was holding something in his hand, Lucas could see now. He couldn't see what it was, but he thought he saw a flash of metal. What was he holding? Why wouldn't he look at him?

"Claus, what happened?"

Claus looked at him- hesitated over his words.

Lucas went to him and hugged him. He didn't know what happened, but he knew by the look on Claus's face that it wasn't good.

Claus sighed, and tossed something onto the bed, before hugging Lucas back.

Curious, Lucas turned to see what it was and he was in time to see it bounce slightly.

Lucas leaned closer, curious then jerked back as he realized what it was. There was once just like it around his neck.

Lucas stared at the PK blocking collar a moment before finding his voice. "Claus… what's that for?"

"…there was no one there, Lucas."

Lucas looked up at his brother, not understanding.

"That place…the village you kept talking about… there was no one there. No one at all."

"What?"

"It was empty. Completely deserted."

OoOoOo

Wait what do you mean I haven't updated in-

(Looks at last date updated)

(incoherent screaming)