Daniel held out seven tickets to the Voltron pilots and other cadets.
"My dad wants you guys to come and visit when I drop off Covington." he said.
"Sweet! Vacation in Australia!" Lance exclaimed.
"Uh, actually Africa. Dad is taking care of some things there so he decided that we'd all meet up there instead of waiting a month or so to hand over Covington in the States." Daniel corrected him.
"Sweet! We're going to Africa!" Lance exclaimed.
"He just wants a vacation, doesn't he?" Vince questioned.
"What gave it away?" Larmina asked sarcastically.
"How long will we be there?" Keith asked.
"No more than a week. Bout three to five days." Daniel answered.
"Well, I'm gonna go pack! According to this, we leave in four hours and will be arriving in ten on the flight." Lance said and left.
"Don't forget to charge up your voltcoms before we go!" Keith called as the others retreated as well.
"Got it!" the response only was.
Several excruciatingly painful hours later…
The force walked off the ship port and stretched, grumbling and complaining about sore backs and aches. Well, all except Daniel, who was used to that sort of travel.
"He couldn't have gotten us first class?" Lance groaned.
"Lance, that was first class." Daniel informed him, petting a distraught Covington.
"Why is it so small?" Allura asked.
"Because this area is very restricted and has a small port that can't actually have big ships." Daniel answered, setting the cub down.
An old, beat up jeep was parked outside of the port.
"No way!" Daniel exclaimed, running towards the jeep.
The force and Covington followed him, exchanging strange looks. Daniel climbed into the jeep and started rummaging around, looking for the keys. Keith saw a note tucked under the windshield wiper and pulled it out.
"'Danny,
There's a full tank and some water in the glove compartment. Up for a game of hide and seek? Good luck, you little lion.
-Dad'" Keith read aloud.
"Lion?" Lance questioned.
"That's the hint he usually gives as to where he is. He never gives his exact location away." Daniel explained, pulling out a map of the sanctuary.
"So he's with lions?" Vince guessed.
"No, too obvious." Daniel murmured, taking the note.
"'Water in the glove compartment.'" he muttered, reaching into it.
Daniel pulled out a water bottle that had a picture of a hippo with a zebra in the background. He grinned and put the keys in ignition.
"So you know where to go?" Larmina asked as the others jumped in.
"Yep." Daniel replied, passing her the bottle.
"I don't get it." Vince admitted.
"He's with the herd of hippopotami that are near our biggest pride of lions. We have to leave the jeep with the lions so not to scare them." Daniel explained.
"You gathered all that from a letter and a bottle of water?" Hunk asked in astonishment.
"Yeah, this was one of the easier ones." Daniel answered.
Everyone, even the cat it seemed, gave him blank stares.
"…So he's a little paranoid… I would do the same if I were in his shoes." Daniel said, squirming a little as the looks didn't cease.
The drive was quiet while Daniel drove into the open plains. It wasn't until ten minutes later that Daniel stopped the jeep, putting on the emergency brake as well. They all hopped out and looked around. There was nothing but tall grass that stretched for miles.
"Are you sure you read the directions correctly?" Lance asked.
Daniel gave him a look that clearly said 'Did you really just ask me that?'. Lance raised his hands in surrender, though it looked like he still didn't quite believe Daniel. Covington gave a happy purr as she wandered around. Daniel seemed to be looking around for something, or someone.
"What is it?" Keith asked.
"We're being stalked." Daniel muttered.
"What do you-"
"Get back in the jeep." Daniel ordered.
"What are-"
"Just do it." Daniel cut Allura off.
The pilots and cadets did as they were told, Larmina taking Covington as well. Daniel dropped down on all fours, making the force lose sight of him. They looked around and saw something move in the tall grass. There was a blur of something tan and a startled yelp. The pilots ran out of the jeep, leaving the cadets.
Now, usually, when you're in Africa and you hear a yell, you expect someone to be under attack by a ravenous animal. This is what the force thought as well. They were surely proven wrong in their assumption.
For there, on the dirt, lay Daniel, but he wasn't hurt or being attacked. There was an old lion wrestling the cadet. Daniel was already dodging bats and was now on the lion's back, trying to force him down. The lion reared back and fell on its' back, crushing Daniel.
"Agh! Alright! Alright! I give!" Daniel yelped, trying to wriggle away.
The lion got up and laid down beside him with a smug look. Daniel shot the lion a glare, in which the lion just huffed in amusement and pinned Daniel with its massive paw. Daniel let out an exasperated growl and shoved it off him to sit up.
The lion brushed up against his back, biting his head. Allura shrieked in alarm, but calmed down when Daniel was released.
"Gross! Seriously?! Was that really necessary?!" Daniel demanded, wiping off lion slobber.
The lion purred, rubbing his mane against Daniel's face. He continued to cuddle the boy until Daniel gently pushed him off.
"Right, come on, let's go find Dad." Daniel sighed, standing up.
The lion was easily bigger than him, reaching up a little above his head just on all fours, but Daniel didn't seem to pay attention to that fact.
"So, care to explain why there's a pet lion?" Lance asked casually.
"One, he's not a pet, and two, not really." Daniel said curtly.
"How old is he?" Larmina asked.
"About sixteen. My parents got him as a cub. He's the Alpha in his pride. And yes, we have more than one lion pride. One of the reasons I sent you back to the jeep." Daniel replied, walking down a rocky path.
"He's older than you." Lance remarked as they followed after him.
"Yeah, he is." Daniel agreed, not seeming to actually pay attention to the pilot.
"So… why did your dad go thru all that trouble to tell you where he is?" Larmina asked.
"Because if anyone else were to find it and go to him, then something bad might happen." Daniel said as the lion walked next to him, keeping his tail wrapped around Daniel's waist.
"Like what?" Vince asked.
"Eh, poachers trying to kill us for sabotaging hunts, paparazzi getting lost or hurt, idiotic tourists that think the animals are tame. The usual." Daniel answered with a shrug while Covington pranced around under the massive lion.
After five minutes of walking, they arrived at their destination.
"Okay, you knew where we were." Lance admitted.
"Well, duh! I spent my entire life exploring every nook and cranny of the sanctuaries. One of the reasons why these guys are so protective! They spent a lot of that time making sure I didn't get into too much trouble." Daniel responded, stumbling a bit when the lion butted his head into Daniel's back.
"He seems to really care about you." Allura said.
"Well, yeah, Admiral's one of my closest of friends. More like family. I honestly can't remember a time in which I was here and he wasn't by my side." Daniel said distantly, lost in memories.
"Admiral? That's his name?" Hunk clarified.
"Yes. My mom named him that." Daniel said, shaking his head clear.
"So, if your dad's down there, and we're up here, how do we get down?" Vince asked.
"Oh, that's the fun part!" Daniel replied with a grin.
He uncoiled the tail from around his waist, picked up Covington, and charged down the hill like a rampaging rhinoceros, whooping all the way.
"Do we just do what he did?" Lance asked Admiral.
The old lion bobbed his head as though to say yes and trotted off. The pilots and cadets looked at each other before sighing and running downhill after their questionable cadet.
Larmina and Vince made it down easily due to their small and lean builds that were somewhat similar to Daniel's, but the same couldn't be said for the others. Allura barely made it down without stumbling while Pidge was able to grab a tree branch before falling on his face. Keith fell, but he was able to catch himself. The other two… Well, there's a reason they're not the most nimble. Both men face planted onto the ground with resounding 'THUD!'s that could wake the dead.
Daniel burst out laughing at their demise. He couldn't help it, and pretty soon the others joined in.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's funny. Now let's hurry up and find your lunatic of a father." Lance grumbled while the two got up.
"Don't worry, Lance. We're a whole lot closer than you think." Daniel chuckled, setting down Covington and moving on.
"We better be." Lance growled.
"Relax, it's just beyond this." Daniel assured him, pushing thru some leaves and wildlife.
A large, open pond-like lake was revealed.
"Whoa, I'm somewhat jealous of the hippos." Hunk admitted.
"Yeah, my dad purchased this just for them and their safety. It didn't used to belong to him, so he expanded the sanctuary. And it's more than just a hippo area. It's for every animal that can make it down here." Daniel said with a grin, remembering when his father first proposed to expand.
In the water, the pilots and cadets saw a man in his late forties, entering his fifties, petting a hippo. He had a head full of black hair and bright violet eyes that made him seem younger.
"Daniel, is that your grandfather?" Larmina questioned.
"Uh, no, heh. That's my dad. Yeah, he just had kids late." Daniel said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.
"That's pretty late." Keith murmured worriedly.
"Not really if you think about it! He was only like thirty-five, give or take!" Daniel said defensively.
"Anyways, let's go meet Professor Chandler." Allura said, taking a step forward.
"I'll go get him. You guys, though you've been vaccinated and all that, aren't used to the bacteria in those waters. You could still get sick." Daniel stopped her.
"How much bacteria is in the water?!" Pidge called at Daniel's back.
"Oh, about enough to make Hunk sick for months and kill you within two hours of entering the system." Daniel called over his back.
"And Daniel grew up like this?" Pidge said worriedly.
"From what I've seen, it looks like Daniel has been running wild all his life. And his father probably encouraged it." Keith informed them.
"Which would explain some of his actions and impulses." Pidge added.
"Daniel grew up socially isolated for the most part. Homeschooled for the better portion of his life." Allura said.
"He only had his father, who was probably never around after his mother died, and the animals." Keith pieced together with a bitter note.
"That's why the animals love him so much. They understood his lonesome life. They took care of him, not his father." Vince said angrily.
"There's no doubt that Professor Chandler doesn't love Daniel though. See?" Larmina said, pointing at the two.
Daniel had reached his father, who practically lifted him up in a Hunk sized hug. The two were talking while Daniel helped his father finish up whatever he was doing. Within a couple more minutes, the two were heading back to shore.
"It still isn't right. No child should have to be raised by animals instead of their fully capable parent or parents." Keith said bitterly.
"Guys, this is my dad." Daniel introduced as they approached them.
Now getting a closer look, they could see a more definable difference and similarity between them. Howard's face was more angular and his build was bulkier. Both shared their skin tone and ears, but Daniel's eyes were different.
"Professor Howard. I'm a big fan of your work!" Pidge exclaimed, shaking his hand.
"Really? What fascinated you the most?" Howard asked, and the two were off.
"We've lost them." Daniel chuckled.
"You're not actually dumb, are you?" Lance suddenly asked.
"Nope. In fact, I'm rather intelligent with a high IQ. I just… chose… not to show it." Daniel said, rubbing the back of his head.
"So what's the square root of 136?" Vince quizzed.
"11.6619037896906." Daniel replied instantly.
"And how do you know this?" Larmina demanded.
"Um… eidetic memory? I remember just about everything." Daniel offered.
Larmina punched him in the arm. Hard. Daniel yelped as she repeatedly assaulted his arm with her fists.
"You've (Ow!). Been (Ow!). Smart (Ow!). This (Ow!). Entire (Ow!). Time (Ow!). And (Have a heart! Ow!). You (Ow!). Haven't (Ow!). Told. Us!" she growled, punching him with each word.
"Ow! Ow! Yes! I've been smart this entire time! It's only because I was in disguise!" Daniel admitted.
"Why?!" she demanded.
"Would you want to be known as that Chandler? There'd be so much teasing and bullying my way. I mean, I love my pop, but there's a reason I was homeschooled. So, I made a false file on my family to get into the GA Academy, and ditched the smart stuff. Acting dumb makes people ignore you." Daniel explained, fighting her off.
"So why did you keep up the act even when you were gone?" Lance asked.
"You guys already thought that I was ignorant, so I didn't see the point in revealing my true brain capacity and overall person." Daniel said, switching to an emotionless, monotone voice.
"So you actually have no life?" Vince asked.
"Technically, yes. I had no life before the GA Academy." Daniel admitted, letting his voice uplift.
"And now?" Larmina questioned.
"Well, now I have my own purpose. I'm still learning how to interact with normal people, but I'm also making my own person. The real me, I suppose. Because honestly, I haven't been. But I'm getting there." Daniel said hopefully.
"So you split yourself up? One side is this serious child prodigy of a famous man, and the other side is an uncontrollable, immature, imbecilic wild child?" Hunk clarified, shocking everyone listening.
"In a nutshell, yes. Though I wouldn't use those words to fully describe it, you're mostly right on that statement. But now the two sides are merging." Daniel replied.
"Meaning?" Lance said questioningly.
"Meaning that two sides will become whole. Certain traits on each side will show in Daniel. He's adapting to us by merging his two halves into one." Allura explained.
"That would be correct." Daniel said with a pleased smile.
"So what are your thoughts on what you'll be like when they're done merging?" Keith asked.
"I feel that I'd become more serious, but still able to relax. I'll still be incredibly smart, yet know when to pull back. This is a guess, but I think I'm still going to be impulsive and reckless. But, one can never be sure. Even now, this late in my halves combining, something could go wrong. In fact, there's still the possibility that my two sides will be so uncharacteristic of the other that I could develop a form of MPD as a consequence." Daniel informed them.
The rest of the walk was silent except for the murmurings of Pidge and Professor Chandler.
So… Guess who's back? Yep! I'm back! And here to say that there will be a part three.