The team arrived in the battle zone and spread out a little. "Hey," Zoom said. "This looks like the Vandal home world." They were surrounded by thick jungle under a dark night sky.

"Great," Spinner said sounding so thrilled. "Who gets to hunt who this time?"

Sherman shrugged, "Maybe we won't run into any of them this time."

"All right, Lin. Which way to your stash?" Vert asked hoping to keep this trip short. Lin looked around carefully. He looked all around. "Lin, what's wrong?"

"It's different, over grown, perhaps," he replied.

"Wonderful, he's lost," Tezz snapped.

"Tezz, chill," Vert ordered. "Lin, remember what your mom said? You can figure this out."

Lin walked over to one of the tree trunks and examined the bark circling the trunk. He did this to about four other trees. "Here," he said pointing to a star carved into the tree's bark.

"What is that?" Sherman asked.

"Trail marker," he answered getting back on the Guardian. The team stared at him.

Tezz shook is head before stating, "Are you saying you left yourself a trail? And didn't tell us?"

He shrugged and said, "I forgot."

"Fair enough," Vert said. "I'm certain you had plenty on your mind."

"Oh sure, defend him just because you two are old buds," Spinner snapped and muttered to Sherman, "Do you get the feeling Vert's playing favorites?"

They drove to a small clearing where Lin stopped. He looked over a rock formation and nodded. "We're here."

"So where is it? Among the rocks?" Sherman asked.

"Only my bike."

Tezz took a look and said, "Sorry, but there is not a bike there. Only a license plate." He held it up.

Lin frowned and Vert said, "I know that was your baby."

"Wait, what do you call the Knucklehead?" Spinner demanded.

"College," Lin answered, "I hoped."

"Ah, an investment," Tezz said handing him the license plate. "Are they really worth so much?"

"Later." Vert asked, "Lin. Is there anything else?"

They could hear Spinner softly chanting, "Please say no. Please say no."

Lin nodded, "Buried."

"Buried?" Tezz repeated. "Why buried?"

"Cats don't dig," he said checking the tree trunks.

Vert jumped out of the Saber, "Are there more markers?" At Lin's nod, he said, "All right, Zoom help us out. Tezz, Cortez brothers, stay alert for any sign of Vandals."

"So, what kind of marks are we looking for?" Zoom asked starting to search. Lin held up three fingers then hooked them like claws. "Huh?"

Vert nodded, "We're looking for three claw marks." Lin nodded. "And you would prefer we kept it down, so no one heard us." Lin nodded again.

"So these claws marks… are they supposed to look like something a Vandal would do?" Zoom asked. Lin nodded. "There's a set in this tree." Lin came to see and his expression turned to relief. He managed a small smile to Zoom and walked to the opposite side of the tree. "Now, what?" Lin knelt near the roots and began digging with his gloved hands. "No wonder AJ warned us about how you hide things." He said coming to help.

Vert joined them with the survival knife. "Let's wrap this up."

Out of their sight, Krocomodo spied on them. "Krocomodo to Captain Kalus."

"Yes, Krocomodo. What is it?" The leader of the Vandals demanded.

"The sub-species are here with a battle key," he reported.

"Really," Kalus answered intrigued. "Can you tell what they doing here?"

Krocomodo could hear the Vandals being gathered. "There is a new one among them. He led them in a search for something. They seem to be digging it up."

"Ack, digging. How pathetic," Kalus scoffed. "Give me your location."

Krocomodo did so and added, "They are not aware they have been discovered."

Kalus growled, pleased by the news, "Then let us keep the element of surprise."

"Here I got something," Zoom said uncovering some cloth.

"Careful, we don't want to damage anything."

"Wait," Lin ordered shoving his hand under the bundle. He closed his eyes and felt around trying to remember why this action was important.

Vert waited and asked, "You booty trapped this didn't you?"

There was a click in the ground beneath the bundle. "Got it," Lin said. Vert lifted the bundle and saw Lin was holding a metal tube no longer than his hand, his thumb firmly pressing the top down.

As they stood, Tezz asked, "Lin, is there anything else you have forgotten to tell us?"

Lin frowned, "There are things I don't want to remember." Then the jungle got quiet. "Company," he said and raced for the Guardian, Zoom and Vert ran for their vehicles.

With a whirl of motors and the sound of the war horn, the Vandals attacked. Lin threw the booty trap at the Vandal, Sever. It exploded liberally spraying green slime on Sever's Water Slaughter vehicle. The shark-like Vandal stopped coughing and gagging. "What is this horrible stench?"

Vert smiled, "You had to love the Chemistry teacher and his stink bombs."

"You're joking right," Tezz said, "A teacher that makes stink bombs."

"His first class," Lin replied revving the Guardian as they all turned to engage the Vandals.

"Awesome!" Zoom shouted, "You'll have to show me."

With the first pass the Buster Tank tossed Grimian aside. Vert and Kalus ended up side-by-side hitting each other. Tezz engaged Krocomodo as Zoom headed for Hatch. Lin stopped beside Grimian's Prime Evil and took a closer look at the vehicle. "Lin, what are you doing?" Zoom yelled.

Lin hit the button to get his sword, glaring at Grimian. With his goggles, Vert checked that Vandal's vehicle to figure out what had caught Lin's attention. "Uh-oh," he said and turned to Kalus. "Seriously, you shouldn't have done that."

"I am the Vandal Lord. I do what I want," he snarled taking aim with his crossbow. Lin drew his sword and headed for Grimian. "The sword wielder is one of you?"

"Yup, and we're keeping him," Zoom said as Hatch tried to stab him. "Guys, why is Lin heading for Grimian?"

"Someone used Lin's bike to make Grimian's ride," Vert said pausing as Kalus started playing bumper cars. "He's not happy."

Tezz stated, "Isn't this normally the moment the leader reminds everyone of the mission."

"Good point, Tezz. Lin, stay focused. We got what we came for. Let's wrap this up," Vert ordered.

Lin stopped a few steps away from the Vandal Ape. Grimian knew the strange, silent sub-species was furious, but was even more disturbed when the human turned slowly away and headed back toward his vehicle. "Lin, watch out!" Zoom shouted as two Vandals on foot charged out of the jungle at the only human on foot.

Lin brought up his blade, sliding into a combat stance. He traded blows with the Vandals letting them drive him closer to the Guardian before knocking their weapons aside and escaping. The Battle Force 5 regrouped and headed for the Earth portal.

"After them," Kalus roared.

"I wonder," Vert said as they raced through the jungle.

"What? Did you forget something?" Sherman asked.

Spinner pleaded, "Please say no."

Vert smiled and asked, "Should we tell them how to get rid of Ode to Stink Bomb?"

Much of the team replied, "Nah," before laughing.

Once they were safely through the portal with the key in their hands, everyone breathed sigh of relief. Lin removed his helmet and rubbed his forehead like he had a headache. "Hey Lin, you ok?" Zoom asked pulling up beside him.

Lin shrugged, "I always get a headache after riding a storm shock."

"Really… I don't think any of us get headaches."

"How fortunate," he said dryly.

"Let's get back to the hub and see what buried treasures we have found," Vert said settling the bundle into a more comfortable position.

"Given what Lin has displayed," Tezz said, "It won't be of much value to anyone but him."

"Ignore him, Lin," Vert said.

Lin sighed, "Who knows?"

At the hub, Vert gave the bundle of mud stained cloth back to Lin. "Your stash, your reveal."

Lin untied the top knot, grabbed the bottom and allowed the bundle to roll upside down. The contents emptied on the floor and Lin stared confused by what he saw. Tezz blinked, "Well, I take back what I said, you have a good eye for tools."

"You recognize this stuff?" Agura asked.

"Yes, this is Sentient hand held equipment. I used some of it myself during my stay in the multi-verse," he explained sorting through it.

"These will helped a great deal," Sage agreed. "Well done, Lin."

"Lin, is something wrong?" AJ asked noticing Lin's confusion.

Lin began shaking his head and holding his temples stammering, "I can't re… this is… something else."

"Calm down," his mother told him. "Now, have a seat. Think it through."

"What could possibly be wrong now?" Tezz whispered.

Lin rubbed his forehead whispering, "Sark… the light… they and I… I don't want… I can't remember."

"Shush," she said holding him. To the others she said, "I was afraid of this symptom, repressed memories."

"What are repressed memories?" Stanford asked.

Sherman explained, "She means that Lin deliberately forced some of his own memories away from his conscious ability to recall them. It's kind of a defensive response to either painful memories that the mind cannot cope with." Mrs. Zang nodded in agreement trying to get Lin's mind grounded again.

Agura looked over the stash and then she smiled snapping her fingers, "I got it. Tezz which of these items holds little to no value?"

"What?" Sherman asked. The rest of the team was equally bewildered.

"Camouflage guys," Agura said, "Think about what you told us about how this stuff was hidden. The signs were in plain sight as well as the bike, but not this stash." She pointed to the tools, "These tools must still be camouflage for the real treasure Lin was hiding. Tezz, what here is something he would believe the Sarks and Vandals would discard?"

Tezz carefully looked everything over. Finally, he picked up what appeared to be a book, at least at one time. "This book wouldn't be anything to them." He untied a string holding the book closed. He tried to open it but the pages were stuck together. "Well, this is a ruined book." Lin watched them but could offer nothing.

"Smells like honey almost." Vert took it and pulled out his knife. He carefully slid the blade between pages. Then he cautiously pulled it open. The book had been hollowed out with a careful nest of rags placed inside. "I always did hate hide and seek with you."

He pulled away some of the rags. In the middle of the rag nest, glowing softly was a tiny dodecahedron much like Sage's hibernation form. "Whoa, Sage," Agura said. "You might want to see this."

"What is…?" Sage gasped.

"The light," Lin whispered.

Sage carefully lifted the dodecahedron out of its nest. "I… How did you find this? How did you know to protect it so well?" Lin shrugged but said nothing.

"What is it?"

"A baby, Spinner, of my people. Not born yet, but ready to be," Sage explained. "It will be kept safe, till I am ready to regenerate my people. Thank you so much."

"Why can't I remember it now?" Lin asked more to himself than anyone else.

His mother watched him a moment more. "I think this is enough for the time being."

"Agreed, we have completed two missions in one day. We've earned our rest," Vert said.

Lin left the control center to do just that. Lin's mother looked to Stanford and asked, "Mr. Stanford is your vehicle ready so that you may take me home?" Stanford jumped and slowly nodded. The team hid their smiles as they watched the cowed royal pain handed the lady into the Reverb. "Vert let me know if there is any change."

"You will be the first person we call," he promised.

Back on the Vandal home world

"No, stay back," Kalus ordered. Behind him were several of his warriors pointing spears at the unwelcome Vandal.

"But…"

Kalus roared and then coughed, as the wind changed, "I will not permit you to enter this camp."

"It wasn't my fault," Sever screamed from his vehicle.

"As long as you stink, there is a danger to our ability to detect possible threats to the camp," Hatch hissed.

Sever whined holding his nose, "but how do I get rid of this smell that sub-species cursed me with?"