Lucas collapsed onto his bed with a frustrated sigh.

At least he actually had a bed now. Apparently, the other had ordered someone to bring him a bed as soon as he'd been captured and brought to the base, but it had taken them until now to get it here.

Lucas shifted in his new bed- it wasn't nice and springy, the way his and Claus's bed at home was, but it was a lot nicer than the cot he'd been sleeping in before. The room was still pretty cold, but along with the bed had come two new blankets, so that did help. Lucas had promptly put one on the other boy's bed, right after he had finished pushing the two beds together.

Lucas's restless shifting had caused the mattress to move beneath him- enough that the teddy bear's balance was thrown off- fell on top of his head, temporally blocking off his vision. Lucas left a startled breath escape, then chuckled as he sat up and lifted the bear off of him.

"I think you need a name," he said softly- and then his smile slipped away.

It had been three days since Lucas had been bought here- at least, he thought it had been. It was hard for him to keep track without the sun and the sky.

He still had no idea where Duster, Kumatora, and Boney were or how they were doing… he really hoped they were doing okay. At least he knew the other boy wasn't evil, so they were probably okay- but there were still chimeras wandering around and things could happen- Lucas couldn't help worrying about them.

But the most immediate worry he had was the other boy.

Lucas still didn't understand him. He was still claiming that he had no name, that he was just "the Commander" and he didn't seem to want anything at all from Lucas other than his presence, and sometimes he didn't even want that. And he was keeping on his helmet on all the time- even to sleep, even though it was making his neck stiff and he kept rubbing it when he woke up, he still wouldn't take it off while Lucas was there. Why?

Lucas sighed- lowered the teddy bear and set it down against the head of the bed- lay down on his stomach and looked at it.

He was thirteen now, which was too old to be playing with stuffed animals, but he was happy that the other boy was trying to think about things that might make Lucas happy- and it was nice to have something that made this room a little less like a gray box. The teddy bear's smile might be stitched, but it was friendly...

…come to think of it, the other almost seemed to look at Lucas the way some of the villagers had looked at Boney when he was a puppy- cute, but useless. Some of them looked at Lucas the same way, even now.

They didn't seem to realize that with everyone else gone, Lucas was the one who took care of everything. He cooked for himself and for his dad (when he was home), mended the clothes, and took care of the sheep. Sure, at first he hadn't done it very well, but he'd learned.

Lucas wasn't the strongest person around, or the smartest or the most capable- but he wasn't stupid and he wasn't a weakling either. He could take care of himself- except for when it came to the other. But the other… he was… Lucas just couldn't figure him out.

The other had never asked him any questions- what they'd been doing at Thunder Tower- how they'd discovered the Needles- never asked him what Duster and Kumatora were likely to do next and where he could find them- he'd never asked Lucas about anything like that. The only thing he had asked that related to their journey was how to get into the Temple, and when Lucas had told him that he couldn't tell him, he had accepted that and hadn't asked again. Lucas was glad he wasn't asking about that or any of the other things, but at the same time…

Lucas didn't know what to do.

Lucas buried his face in his arms and groaned.

"Lucas, let's switch places."

The thing that had looked like Claus had said that, back on Tanetane Island.

Lucas knew that the things that they'd seen there had been just because of the mushrooms they'd eaten- just tricks played on their minds… but still…

In his mind, Lucas replayed it again.

"Oh Lucas, what are you doing here? Let's go together! I'll follow behind, okay? Lucas… Lucas… let's switch places… you're more… you're more… Lucas… Lucas… Lucas..."

Lucas slipped into sleep- a dream where Claus was running- always, always just out of Lucas's reach…

OoOoOo

The knock at the door made Lucas start, almost causing him to fall off the bed.

"Hey you! Open up in there!"

"…I fell asleep?" Lucas asked the empty room, still half-asleep, then shook his head.

"Hey you!" the demanding voice came again. "The Commander wants to see you! We're here to take you to him!"

…he wanted to see him?

Lucas jumped out of bed- jammed his feet into his sneakers and rushed to the door.

There was a group of five Pigmasks there- they seemed angry.

He hadn't taken that long to answer the door, had he?

"You, captive! The Commander told us to take you to him."

"Okay-" Lucas started to say, but one of the Pigmasks got behind him and shoved him forward.

"Start walking, captive!"

Lucas looked over his shoulder at him- he didn't say anything as he started walking forward- but he didn't like this.

He understood that the other boy was busy, that he didn't have time to do everything he wanted to, but he couldn't think of any reason that he would suddenly send for him. Other than having Lucas follow him around like a puppy, the other didn't seem to have a "use" for him- he seemed to like having Lucas around, but he didn't seem like the type of guy who pulled people away from their jobs just to fetch someone to follow him around like a lost puppy.

The Pigmasks crowded around him, surrounding him and ignoring him except to shove him in the direction they wanted him to go.

Lucas wished that he knew what was going on- wished he could see the faces of these guys- wished he knew where they were going. He hadn't been this way before, when he was following the other around…

They shoved Lucas into a hallway that didn't seem to lead anywhere. There were two doors, one marked "Supply". It was a lonely seeming hallway… it didn't seem like other people came there much- it didn't seem as well-traveled as the rest of the base.

They stopped there and Lucas looked around nervously.

"Why are we-"

One of the Pigmasks- it might have been a different one, but they all looked the same in those uniforms- shoved him, sending him into one of the other Pigmasks. "Listen, you! Don't go thinking you're special just because you're the only one the Commander eats with and spends time with!"

"Really? I'm the only one he does that stuff with?" Lucas asked hopefully, pointing at himself.

One of the other Pigmasks- the tallest one- slapped the previous speaker on the back of the head, then turned to Lucas and glared at him. "None of your business, captive! The Commander only brought you here to learn about you and your resistance friends, got it?"

"You know, I wondered about that at first too," Lucas said thoughtfully, "but he hasn't asked me about that at all- like he doesn't care about them. I mean, it's true that he and me are the only two who can pull the Needles, but still-"

If anything, the Pigmasks got even madder. "Shut up, captive! It doesn't matter why he's keeping you here- you're still nothing more than a prisoner! And it's about time you understood your place!"

On either side of Lucas, a Pigmask grabbed one of his arms.

Lucas tried to pull away, but they had tight grips, and before he could really get started, the leader Pigmask, the tall one, punched him.

It hurt- it really hurt. It knocked the wind out of him- for a couple of minutes, Lucas just struggled to breathe.

"Get it now? You're powerless, helpless- there's nothing you can do, and sooner or later, you won't be of any more use to the Commander, and then he'll discard you like a broken toy!"

The words stung, but Lucas just breathed, trying to find a way out of this situation. He didn't like the way the Pigmask was talking about the other, like he was some kind of heartless jerk, when Lucas knew he wasn't like that, but he didn't want to make the Pigmasks even angrier than they already were. And the one they called the King- he'd said that he'd blame the other boy for any trouble that Lucas got into-

"The Commander won't be interested in you much longer anyway," another Pigmask added. "The Commander doesn't care about anything other than his job."

"That's right!" another chimed in, "The Commander is only focused on following orders!"

"He isn't some robot called Commander!" Lucas yelled, forgetting about the danger, thinking only of the suddenly small figure of the other boy after the Pig King had hung up on him, "he's a human being, just like you or me!"

As the words left his mouth, he winced internally, watching the Pigmasks fly into rages that made the anger from before look like minor irritation- but he didn't take his words back- couldn't take his words back- only straightened his shoulders and glared at them. "Even though he's a very strong person, a very calm and cool person- even though he can be cold, he's just a human too!"

"How dare you talk like that!"

"You think you understand the Commander better than we do?!"

One of them slapped Lucas- he tried to twist away, but they held him tight- it was a wimpy slap anyway- Claus had hit him harder than that before they could walk.

More of them coming at him now- Lucas leaned forward, intending to kick back and try to escape that way- but then he froze. That feeling, that fist-clenching-his-heart feeling- it was back- why?

The fist hit his face then, halting all thought temporally.

Vaguely, he heard a mechanical roar- but he didn't quite understand it until the Pigmasks squealed and let go- he fell, briefly, until arms- strong and firm- wrapped around him and ripped him away.

Something echoed in his ears-

When the ringing stopped and the world stopped spinning, Lucas looked up.

"Commander," whimpered one of the Pigmasks.

The one holding Lucas didn't say anything, just continued to glare.

The smooth black jacket with the fuzzy collar was the same-the orange pants and the boots were the same- but the helmet was gone.

The whimpering Pigmask was holding a gun- he must have shot it, shattering the helmet, which was lying on the floor in pieces a few feet away.

Claus was the one under the helmet- Claus had been the one under the helmet all along. That's why he hadn't killed them when he had the chance on Tanetane Island- why he had kept Lucas alive and protected him.

His big brother's hair was the same shade as red as it had always been, the one eye that Lucas could see was the same shade of green- but he was pale now, more pale than Lucas had ever seen his brother- and his expression-

He wasn't looking at Lucas- he was glaring coldly at the Pigmasks- but he was still holding onto Lucas, even though he'd gotten his balance back and was in no danger of falling anymore. Claus's mouth was moving, but Lucas couldn't make out the words. His face was so stiff- so cold- he'd never seen that type of expression on Claus's face before- but still-

"You're alive." The words came out as quiet and soft as a breath, but they were strong enough that Claus finally turned and looked at him. There had been other words- questions and statements and more questions- beginning to form in Lucas's throat only for him to almost choke on them as his brother finished turning and he saw the other side of his brother's face.

Claus's hair was as red as always, his right eye was the same as always, but now Lucas could see that his other eye was wrong- changed. It was supposed to be as green as his other eye, but instead it was blood red and there wasn't even any skin surrounding it, only hard and cold metal.

Lucas reached for it without thinking about it- traced gentle circles around his brother's eyes.

But that fake eye was nothing compared to the fact that Claus was alive. His brother was alive and right in front of him!

Lucas's breath shuddered out before he gave his brother a smile that only trembled a little. "You're alive," he said, louder and stronger this time. That was the most important thing. It didn't matter how much they had hurt Claus, it didn't matter what they had done to him- Lucas had finally finally found his brother, and he was alive, just as he and dad had always known he was.

Claus had been studying him- now he blinked, confusion in both the familiar and unfamiliar eye. Lucas realized he'd scolded the Pigmasks and sent them away while he'd been lost in thought and memories-his face was so still… before, Claus had always been energetic, always moving, always in motion- he blinked suddenly, and concern surfaced and began to show in his eyes like a sunrise. "You're injured?"

Lucas shook his head- and that's when he realized that he was crying. "You're alive."

Claus blinked again. "Of course I'm alive."

"Everyone said that you had to be dead- that you'd gone and gotten yourself killed- but Dad and I- we believed that you were still alive- he's still looking for you, even now!"

Claus didn't say anything- just watched him, confused, but listening.

"Why didn't you come home? We were waiting for you- I made omelets every day for a year, hoping you'd smell them and come back…why didn't you come home?"

"…home?" Claus got to his feet, carefully pulled Lucas to his feet and then tugged him down the hallway back to the room- opening the door and pulling him inside, Claus swung his arm around. "Home."

"No! No, this isn't home! Home is Boney and Dad and Mom and you and me!"

Claus jerked, almost as if he'd been hit.

Lucas pressed on. "Don't you remember? Don't you know who I am? Don't you know who you are?"

Claus twitched. "Stop it- stop talking."

"No, I won't!" Lucas shook his head. "Did you hit your head? Is that why you can't remember anything?" A sudden horrible suspicion gripped Lucas and he reached for his brother but Claus stepped back. "Did- did they do things to you? Is that why you can't remember?"

"Stop talking!" There was something like fear in the raised voice- why? He reached into a pocket and pulled out the control for the shock collar.

Lucas barely glanced at it long enough to realize what it was before looking back at Claus.

"If you don't stop talking, I'll punish you."

Lucas took a step forward.

Claus shifted back.

"You're my brother. How can I not try to get you to remember?" Lucas asked softly. "You're my brother- my best friend- we used to do everything together…hey, let's get out of here- leave the base and-"

This shock was almost as bad as the first- he'd been so focused on Claus's face, he hadn't seen his finger press the button.

He might've cried out- might've screamed- he didn't know.

He collapsed, but he didn't hit the ground- he was caught- held…

"Claus." It came out weak, almost like a cough.

"Lucas?"

He didn't move- didn't say anything. What could he do? Claus didn't want to hear the truth, but he couldn't just-

Wait.

He'd used his name- he'd actually called his name!

"Hey Lucas, wake up! I'm sorry- I didn't mean it!"

"You remember me!" Lucas shouted happily, jumping to his feet- stumbling because he was still a little dizzy- he hugged his brother.

Claus actually hugged him back. "I didn't kill you- I didn't kill you- I'm so glad I didn't kill you!"

The two of them clung to each other for a moment- Lucas crying softly with relief- feeling his brother's heartbeat and feeling his body tremble as he breathed-

Eventually, Lucas shifted, moving his head so they could see each other. Claus's mismatched eyes blinked- looked down almost shyly, almost guiltily, before looking back up and meeting Lucas's.

"You remember me now?" Lucas asked softly, just to be sure.

Mismatched eyes flicked over his face. "…Lucas?"

"Yeah, that's right, that's my name."

"We're…we're brothers," he stumbled over the words, but when he finished, the ghost of one of Claus's old smiles flashed over his face before disappearing again. "I hurt you."

"I forgive you," Lucas said quickly, hugging him again. "I'm just glad you're okay!"

"…you were worried about me?"

"Yeah, of course I was. We all were."

"…why?"

"Why?" Lucas's head snapped up so fast it hurt. "Why? Claus, you're my brother and I love you- of course I was worried about you!"

Claus blinked- seeming to think about that.

"Claus?"

He lifted his head then, looked at Lucas. "… Claus… that's my name?"

"Yeah… you didn't even remember your name?"

Claus shook his head. "He said… he said I didn't have a name."

"Who did?" Lucas asked softly. He didn't really want to know- but at the same time, he had to know. Who would tell his brother such a horrible lie?

Claus dropped his head, and spoke in a voice even softer than Lucas's. "Master Porky."

Somehow, Lucas wasn't surprised. "Well, he was wrong," Lucas said firmly, pushing further questions aside for later- Claus came first. "You have a name- your name is Claus. And you have a family-"

Claus nodded slowly, the ghost-smile coming back again. "You're my brother." No hesitation this time.

"Yeah, that's right. I'm your brother- we're twins."

"Twins?" Claus questioned, then nodded as he remembered. "We were born together- but I'm older than you."

"Only by five minutes," Lucas protested, automatically and halfheartedly. "But Claus, we're not the only ones in our family- remember Boney?"

"Boney?" Claus repeated, "Boney…he's-he's our dog? He…he was following you around before… wasn't he?"

Lucas nodded happily and hugged him again. "That's right! That was Boney- he's our dog! He lives in his dog house, right in front of our house, and he's brave and smart and he'll be so happy to see you again!"

Claus shifted slightly, and Lucas went on. "Remember Dad?"

"… Dad… he's- he's bigger than us… strong… but not that strong."

Lucas wanted to protest- but then he remembered Flint grabbing that piece of burning wood and striking out. "…He's not that bad Claus- he missed you too, you know. He spends all his time searching for you."

"… but he was always busy… with the house… and the sheep."

"Claus, you're more important than the house and the sheep," Lucas said softly. "We were all scared for you- we were all worried about you. When you disappeared…after Mom's funeral-"

Claus shuddered.

Lucas tightened the hug. "I miss her too," he said when Claus stayed quiet for a few minutes.

"She's-she's… she's g-gone?"

"Uh huh. She died just before you disappeared… do you remember?"

Claus shook his head.

Lucas hesitated. He wanted to bring Claus's memories back all the way- but some of the memories- like that last walk home with Mom- were painful…when Duster had gotten his memories back, they'd all come back at once…

"Claus…"

"Commander!" the call rang out from the communicator at full volume making both twins jump. "Commander! The Ultimate Chimera has been spotted near the base!"

Lucas looked up at Claus- the change passed over his face like a freak storm cloud.

Claus grabbed the communicator and spoke into it, speaking as the Commander, his voice strong and firm. "Get out three of the Pork Tanks- even if they don't hurt it, they should keep you safe. I'm coming." He flipped the switch to shut it off, returned it to his pocket and pulled away from Lucas- turned towards the door.

"Claus wait!" Lucas grabbed his sleeve. "What about going home?"

Claus cocked his head. "This is home," he gestured to the four walls surrounding them, and then paused- thinking and then stepping forward- slowly- hesitantly- patted him on top of his head. "…this is home," he repeated. "Since I'm the older brother, I'm supposed to take care of you, right? Are you cold at night still? I can get you another blanket. Those guys that picked on you earlier? I'll take care of them. You probably don't want to eat in the mess hall after what happened earlier, right? I'll bring you your supper after I've dealt with the Ultimate Chimera… families eat together, right?"

"Right- but Claus-"

"Shh." Claus very, very gently patted his head again. "I'm going to take very good care of you. Be good- wait here- I'll be back soon." One last pat- and then he was gone, out the door- it clicked as it locked behind him.

Lucas fell to his knees. "He doesn't get it. He doesn't get it. Mom- what am I going to do?"

OoOoOo

So who was waiting for this? I know I was- so much so that while writing…I skipped chapter 4 to write this chapter. (Giggles sheepishly). And then in revision I decided to add two new chapters before this. (rolls eyes at self).

But argh, revising this chapter was such a pain- I'm still not sure I'm happy with it.