In the early morning deep in the sand flats, a storm shock portal opened and Battle Force 5 reentered Earth. On a ridge, someone on a dirt bike saw it all. They were congratulating each other on the mission well done. Zoom sped in and out of his teammates as Vert was relieved everyone was safe. "Well done, team. Let's hit the hub and then Zeke's."

"Wearing the same shock suit was a great trick," Sherman said.

"It worked then, and it worked now," Vert said.

Agura got curious and asked, "Just how did you use this trick in a race?"

"We found out that one of the other teams was planning to body-slam ours out of the race," Vert explained.

Lin smiled, "So we dressed up like them, bikes too."

"So during the race, they couldn't tell them from us," Vert continued, laughing. "They actually got each other instead of us."

"All right, Adrena-Lin," Spinner cheered.

Lin looked up glaring and whispered in a low tone, "Vert, why did you?"

"AJ, not me," Vert said.

Lin rolled his eyes as AJ said over the com. "Come on Lin, you used to love that nickname."

"AJ, they say a near-death experience can change a person forever, so what does over a year's worth do?" he asked. No one answered. "I grew out of that name. I grew out of a lot of things. Sorry." He glanced at Tezz for his opinion,

Tezz nodded, "The multi-verse has that affect in the long-term." Then he grumbled, "We can only hope AJ is not an anomaly."

Lin nodded and looked pass Tezz into the flats. He sat up straight, "Who is that?"

"Who? Where?"

"There," Agura shouted pointing at the biker on the ridge. "Did they see the portal?"

Zoom turned to the biker, "Let's ask what he's doing?"

The team turned and the biker tried to get away. Zoom cut him off and the Saber blocked his back trail. The team surrounded him. Lin stepped out of the Splitwire and carefully asked, "Lee, what are you doing here?"

Lee pulled off his helmet and looked his brother over: wearing the strange suit that matched Vert and his friends and the sword strapped to his back. "You knew it was me?" Lin snarled. "You don't have amnesia, do you? And what was that thing you appeared through?"

Lin rubbed his face not wanted to answer. Vert answered, "Lee, we can explain."

Lee jumped off his bike and half charged his brother. "How dare you lie to our…?"

Lin moved catching his brother's arm and tossing him over his shoulder. Lin's eyes wide with barely repressed fright. Vert stepped between the brothers shouting, "Lin, panic attack. Find your center. Calm down."

Lin stumbled back clutching his head. Some of the team heard him through gritted teeth, "Maxim, stop it. Whatever you're doing please stop." Agura and Tezz stayed close to him.

Vert and the others were trying to calm Lee down. "Why did he do that? What is going?"

"Lee, chill, please," Vert begged. "We couldn't tell the truth."

"You knew. And that just makes everything okay," Lee fired back.

"Dude, you're bro has been through an insane time," Zoom snapped. "Give him a break."

"Vert, something's wrong," Agura snapped catching everyone's attention. Lin had fallen to one knee. His hands were still in his hair. There were tears making tracks down his face. He was gasping for air. "Lin, what's wrong? Maxim?"

Lin raised his head enough to look at everyone. His eyes were glowing and it was Maxim that answered, "I am afraid there is a problem, my friends. There's not enough room inside Lin's mind for both of us to be fully present and functioning anymore. We are both accessing too much information. I must hibernate to protect our minds."

"What in the world?" Lee whispered.

"Multi-verse," Sherman corrected.

"What?"

"The multi-verse is where Lin actually went," Agura said. "but are you really going tell anyone your brother got trapped in another dimension instead?"

"They would call you crazy. Even worst than they talk about Zeke and his aliens," Spinner warned.

"What's with his eyes?"

The glowing eyes faded away and Lin stood rubbing his forehead. "Oh, I think I have Sentient migraine."

"Maxim, they are Maxim's eyes. He's a Sentient and a part of Lin now," Tezz explained.

"What's a Sentient?"

The team groaned. "Why don't we continue this back at the garage?" Lin quietly demanded. Everyone agreed. As Lin got back in the Splitwire, he informed the team, "Let's keep the hub and Sage out of this, if we can."

"Good idea."

At the garage, a police car was waiting for them. "You have got to be kidding me," Agura hissed.

"Who did what this time?" Vert asked.

"I did a drifting stop passed him, that's it," Lin explained.

"Keep Lee quiet. Lin, come on. Let's get rid of him," Vert said approaching the local tyrant. "Sheriff Johnson, is there something we can do for you?" Vert asked.

Zoom yanked Lee back, "You kept quiet, for your brother's sake."

"Not you Wheeler, it's the older Zang I need to have a word with," he snapped pushing passed him. Lin said nothing and maintained his blank expression. "All right hot shot, you have sent my daughter away in tears for the last time."

"Officer," Lin carefully asked, "with all do respect… who are you? And how do I know your daughter?"

Sheriff froze with his mouth open. Lin didn't so much as twitch. The rest were doing everything they could not to bust out laughing. The Sheriff shook himself and snarled, "You had the nerve to date my daughter when I ordered you not to and then vanish for two years."

Lin blinked, thought, and said, "I don't remember. I'm sorry, I hurt her and anyone else, but I can't… there is nothing I can do to change what happened then."

The sheriff frowned and poked him in the chest stating, "Don't you ever go near my Angela again, boy." Lin nodded and the sheriff glared at everyone. "Why are you all dressed alike?"

They looked at each and Tezz answered in a bored tone, "Work, naturally. Lin has joined our team."

"Oh… stay out of trouble. I've got my eye on you kids," he said and left.

The team breathed a sigh of relief. Standford opened the garage doors and asked, "Is he gone?"

Vert groaned, "Yes." Then he headed inside passed AJ.

Lin followed him, with the rest team, muttering, "I never made her cry while we were together."

After the door shut, Lee exploded, "All right, answers now!"

Lin sat down and checked his sword sliding it in and out of the sheath trying to calm his nerves. "Lee, the truth is so unbelievable even mother had trouble with it."

"Mom… knows?"

Vert put a hand on his shoulder, "Lee, Lin's been through… way more than you can imagine. He needed your mother's expertise."

"We'll talk to her after this," Lin promised.

"So what happened?" Lee demanded.

"I never saw another human in the battle-zones till the team found me, mostly a lot of enemies. And all of them wanting me dead but Maxim."

"Battle… zones?" Lee stared and asked, "Someone tried to kill you?"

"Lots of some ones, making several attempts," Agura said. "It gave him a hair trigger that he can't control as you discovered and we couldn't come up with a better idea than amnesia."

"So if you got trapped there why go back there?"

Lin swallowed, "Because those enemies are trying to find Earth and take it over. Just like they did to Maxim's world."

"Are there other survivors like Maxim?"

"One or two that we know of," Sherman said.

"That's not going to happen here," Lin stated putting the sword away finally. "Maxim asked me to help finish his mission." Lee stopped pacing about and looked at his brother, really looked and saw how very weary he looked.

"We wanted to tell the truth but most people won't understand," Zoom explained.

"And shouldn't be told…" Lin glanced up into his brother's eyes. "No, may you not," he said calmly.

Stanford frowned and asked, "No, you may not what?"

"Lee knows," Lin said dryly.

"Why can't I help?" Lee demanded.

"No way," Vert said realizing what Lee was considering. "Battle Force 5 is an elite team of drivers specifically picked for this war."

Lee began to speak but Lin cut him off, "Isn't one messed up son enough for our parents?" Lee grumbled something. "I lost more than just two years of my life, Lee, I lost the old me. I don't want to risk that happening to you. Look at me; do you really what to end up like me? And I won't be thinking about the mission if you are there."

"Why? You never had a problem focusing before."

Lin rubbed his forehead frustrated and looked is if to say it should be obvious. He got up and went to the Guardian, from under one of the coverings he pulled out a very tattered wallet. He flipped it open and handed it to Lee. The picture inside was worn and water-damaged among others things.

"Our victory picture from the Dunes Downs race," Lee said looking at the old, happy Lin with arms around Lee and Vert's shoulders. "I don't understand."

"While I was in the multi-verse, before I went to sleep and before I got up, I reminded myself why I was fighting for my life," he whispered. "And every time I wanted to stop trying."

Everyone was quiet for a moment. Lee looked at the wallet again and flipped the picture over. He turned it around and showed his brother the other picture. "What about her? Why are you letting her go?"

Lin looked at Angel in her prom dress. She was so happy that night, so beautiful, and he hated himself for making her cry now. "Lee, I would give… anything to be able to stay with her, but… what was her favorite thing to do when she came over?"

Lee shrugged, "She would sneak up behind you, though you always knew, and run her hands through your hair."

Agura groaned, "Oh, that would not be good."

"I would really hurt her," he breathed staring at the floor imaging the possible outcome.

"You don't know that," Lee argued.

Tezz shook his head, "He nearly broke AJ's arm when AJ startled him."

"It was an accident," AJ said and then shrugged. "Both times." Lee eyes went wide.

"It's not worth the risk. I will protect Earth and her," he said.

Lee sat down beside his brother. "All right, I'll stay quiet. Let's go talk to mom." Lin nodded and the two left.

The team breathed a sigh of relief. "That was too close," Zoom said.

"Agreed," Tezz said heading for the elevator.

The Red Sentient Stronghold

The Reds stood by the portal waiting for Krytus and Kyburi to return. Finally, with a flash both appeared. Their vehicles vanished and they walked toward the group. Krytus was frowning but seemed more annoyed than angry. Kyburi held a red datalog in her claws.

Krytus went straight to Kyrosys and demanded, "What happened outside the fortress? At least, tell me you destroyed their scout's vehicle."

Kyrosys gulped and quietly said, "The rest of Battle Force 5 was there waiting for me."

Krytus growled and paused, "Kyburi, what is in the datalog?"

The Red female frowned, "There are codes for vehicle upgrades."

"Then what's wrong?" Krylox asked.

"We already have these upgrades," she said. "That human must have known."

Krytus roared sharply and then demanded, "What of the tracker we placed on that human?"

"I will find him quickly," Kytren said turning and activated his vehicle. The Reds followed him through the portal into the battle zone of the red fortress.

"He is here," Krytus snapped not believing the misfortune. "He should be back on Earth by now."

Kyburi checked her scanners and said, "Sir, he is coming this way."

"Get out of sight," he ordered. "Perhaps, we can follow them." The Reds hid quickly and waited.

Kytren leaned forward carefully and watched as a figure came into view. Kytren gaped at what he saw. "Sir," he said cautiously.

"Yes?" Krytus hissed, "What is it?"

"There is a Red Sark approaching, not any of Battle Force 5," he answered. They all looked and there was indeed a red Sark walking towards them, on the yellow borderline. A single border guard followed it.

Krytus thought about how he had placed the tracker on the sword wielder. Maxim had the nerve to snap at him and he had taken the opportunity. Then he remembered the human had asked for the Sark to come near him. The human had been very direct with his motions. Krytus started to groan at the realization of how the human had played him and roared with fury, "How could your brother allow that human to do this?"

"My brother was never this clever. He must be relying the human to aid him," she believed.

"We will capture him properly and we will gain the knowledge of the Guardians," he snapped. "No mistakes and no hesitation this time."