A/N: This first chapter will take place mostly in flashback, Shiro will narrate in italics, the following Paladins will be known by these fonts/styles

Shiro

Lance

Hunk

Keith

Pidge

"Paladin's Evasive Action!" Shiro yelled at the Paladins.

The Lions were on there way back from answering a distress signal from a small colony who'd been attacked by the Galra when out of nowhere they ran into a meteor shower. The rocks soared through the sky from all directions causing even Keith's Red Lion to have some trouble dodging the space rubble.

"Where did this shower come from?" Pidge asked ever inquisitive as her Green Lion dodged a massive rock but kept getting pelted by the smaller ones like rain made off fire.

"Does it matter, just keep dodging." Keith snapped.

Hunk's Yellow Lion was faring better than the others due to its amazing durability but even as a meteor shattered on his haul he shook violently "Guys I'm not wearing my brown shorts."

"Dude?" Lance groaned flying next to him swerving in and out of the meteor shower "We have to get out of this torn, Paladins look for someplace to find shelter." Shiro ordered them from the Black Lion.

Lance was the first to speak "Uh Shiro we're in the middle of space?"

"No, Shiro's on to something, meteor showers often have massive satellites in them— there!" Keith said suddenly pinging everyone's radar to look at a meteor have the size of earth's moon hurtling toward them at a crawl. It was dark gray with massive canyons and crater caves on its surface from being pelted or ramming through other smaller meteors.

"Paladins, look for a cave or crevasse we can hide in." Shiro ordered them.

Lance suddenly started to snicker "hehehe… crevasse."

"What are you twelve?" Keith asked him as the blue and red lions flew next to one another.

"Heads up I just scanned the meteor, looks like there's a network of tunnels in and out the interior, the best one for us is on the other side." Pidge told them before his lion was almost crushed between two meteors impacting on one another.

"Then let's punch it!" Shiro ordered them, he took the lead with his arms and legs following.

With in a few short minutes brushing off death once again, The Paladins of Voltron were alive once again, for the moment.

The Pride of Lions had circled together inside the cave with everyone catching their breaths "We'll wait here till the storm passes." Shiro told them.

"How long will that be you think?" Lance asked.

"Could be minutes, could be hours for now everyone rest up." Shiro told them.

An hour later each of the paladins were finding ways to entertain themselves, Shiro was meditating in his Lion, Keith sat in silence polishing his knife,Lance was watching cartoons on his monitor somehow and Pidge was doing some calculating on his dashboard. "Hey guys, I've been scanning this asteroid, we're so deep in it looks like we have a pocket of breathable air here?"

"Is that even possible?" Hunk asked "Well the asteroid is pretty big and" "And we fly five mechanical alien lions that turn into a giant robot, we left impossible behind the moment we left Earth." Lance said confidently taking off his helmet and getting up.

"I need to stretch my legs." He added walking out of his lion.

All of them except Hunk was thoroughly entertained "Oh thank Voltron I've been dying of boredom." Hunk moaned, the other three left their lions behind one by one coming out into the inner workings of the cave.

"So what now?" Keith asked annoyed.

"We could play twenty questions?" Pidge suggested.

"Last time we did that Lance tried to shoot me." Keith said "Only cause you kept cheating!" Lance barked making Keith give him a glare that could only be translated as 'are you serious'. Before anyone could stop it the two of them were bickering again as usual, but instead of Shiro telling them to shut up he started snickering, before he grew morbidly silent.

"Uh, Shiro you okay?" Hunk asked noticing the.

"Fine Hunk, this just reminds me of my time as a Cadet." He said solemnly.

Hunk's eyes widened up "Ohmigosh guys I just realized how to pass the time, Shiro tell us a story, I've kept the Yellow Lion prepared for this ever since we got'em, I've got drinks, a self sustaining fire oh and of course s'mores." Hunk said running back into his Lion opening up the supplies cabinets.

"What like I'm your guys dad?" Shiro asked, nobody made a noise as a long awkward silence fell before Kieth, Pidge and Lance all covered their faces holding back thunderous laughter.

"What?" Shiro asked "Nothing, nothing, I was just thinking you must have some great stories being the youngest officer in Galaxy Garrison history." Hunk suggested coming back out of his Lion, his arms full of camping supplies and starting to set it up.

Shiro removed his helmet and sighed "I almost wasn't."

"What?" Lance asked.

"No way." Pidge Refuted.

Keith was, Keith about it.

Shiro looked at his helmet and his reflection, his silver streaked hair the hardened and scarred skin across oss his nose, the lines on his face more defined then they were those many years ago.

"I was a junior cadet, we we're on a training mission, the ones before they started using simulators at the Academy." Their leader told them.

"Oh yeah thats right, I remember hearing their was an accident a long time ago on Mars, none of the other cadets ever had the full picture." Pidge said over the intercom.

"That's because Garrison did their best to water down the story, especially when someone died or so the rumor goes." Lance said in a shadowy whisper.

Shiro was quiet as Keith groaned "That's just a story, something to frighten cadets."

"It's not Keith, because I was there." Shiro said getting his little brothers attention.

His words and his serious tone made everyone fall in to an ominous silence.

"I was sixteen years old, my class had done so well the Garrison wanted to see how we'd do in the field so they sent us on one of their most rigorous field test examinations to a world so harsh it's name meant war, Mars."

MANY YEARS AGO

MARS

A younger Shiro was looking into his Galaxy Garrison standard issue helmet, his own reflection showed a young boy with black hair and dark eyes, his hair wasn't cut as short yet and his chin was less defined. But Shiro still saw that same boy in his helmet even now, next to his reflection was his name 'TAKASHI SHIROGANE' his name in all capitals,. He was sitting in a space shuttle still strapped in the safety harness waiting patiently aboard the ship as it flew in space.

It was my first time actually going to an alien world, sure we knew almost everything there was to know about Mars but still I was excited a bit nervous.

He looked out the window at the stars passing by him and small fragments of space dust and ice that blew past the wing.

Our class had only gotten this because of a certain… problem I had with another Cadet.

"Space, the final frontier- these are the voyages of the Starship Shiro's Reflection- to bravely go where no one's- self image has gone- before." Someone said across from Shiro making the young cadet turn to look at the speaker doing an impression of a fictional albeit dastardly handsome space captain.

The shuttle full of cadets started chuckling with the one who'd spoke, Shiro looked right across from himself to see another boy, the same age. He had fair skin, dark brown eyes and thick shaggy blonde hair that fell past his ears, his jawline was almost as impressive as Shiro's with a clef fed chin and defined cheekbones.

His name was Adam Glenn, he and I had been top of the class on and off again every exam, he'd get ahead in one field then I'd out do him and round and round it went.

"What's the matter Glenn, is taking this serious a problem for you?" Shiro said leaning back in his chair.

Adam's smile disappeared as the other cadets got silent with Shiro's glib calling out the other boy "Only when I don't think I'll win."

"It's not a competition we're doing this for all humanity's future in space." Shiro said making Adam role his eyes "Space is the final frontier and I mean to conqueror it." He said arms crossed.

Adam was a second generation Garrison member, his mother Marlena Glenn went missing on a flight test of an experimental shuttle. So he had a lot to prove I use to think he had a chip on his shoulder but it was something… else one moment he'd be making stupid jokes the next he sounded like he was ready for war.

The blonde was about to say something else when suddenly the doors to the shuttles interior opened and a younger no less fatter Commander Iverson walked in in a Garrison uniform, he was skinnier with both eyes than he was when the other Paladins new the commander "Shut up Cadets, get those helmets on and listen up."

Wait? Commander Iverson wasn't always fat?

Use to have an eye too.

"This is your final test to see who can cut with the best the Garrison has to offer, you all are the top of your class, the one who performs the best will receive and officers commission." Commander Iverson told each of the cadets who were sitting in rows of six each.

He reached around his back and held up a small remote, using it to dim the lights and bring up a small holographic building of a mining complex built into a canyon wall. "The mining company who use to work this shaft is a relic from the last World War, we've used it for this test multiple times, you'll be doing a rescue operation for six miners who are trapped underground in the shaft with the rest about to cave in and make things interesting." He clicked the remote again he showed a ten minute timer appear.

"You only have ten minutes before the shuttle takes off." Commander Iverson said before Shiro raised his hand.

Adam scoffed rolling his eyes "Sir, what about Dust storms?" Shiro asked Iverson.

"Don't worry Shirogane, our planetary scans show there's no Dust Storms remotely predicted for this time of year, now the mine shafts main entrance was damaged in the war but for the purpose of this test we'll say it was destroyed in the earthquake that caused the mineshaft to become unstable so you go on foot." He looked at each squad looking left and right.

He clicked the remote again to show five symbols of a humanoid with a mining hat on "There are five miners in the shaft, the squad with the most miners has the higher score meaning they pass the other six get to try again— next year."

"But there's an even number of miners sure, what if both squads get two?" One of the other cadets asked, it seemed exactly what Commander Iverson wanted to hear "Each of the miners are scattered across the mine, four are in rescue chambers the last is unknown." Iverson told them making Shiro and Adam locked eyes.

"Glenn, Shirogane you two are squad leaders, Glenn you're Alpha, Shirogane you're Beta." Commander Iverson said making Adam smirk.

Both Adam and I knew the fifth man was they key to getting ahead, I was young and I had someone who could actually push me harder than I thought, but really at the time I wanted to wipe the smug grin on his face.

"Yeah he is." Adam said making Alpha squad all laugh "Cut the banter Glenn, you want to out do Shirogane you do it in the field." Commander Iverson said.

Guy sounds like Lance.

Hey!

Adam was an enigma to a lot of people, almost everyone knew about his mother she was one of the founding members of Garrison after NASA was absorbed. But the families of people who died for the Garrison usually sue or never speak to us after the funeral, Adam was different.

The shuttle flew down to the lower atmosphere to one of the Martian canyons getting closer and closer. There wasn't a cloud in the yellow sky of the world as the red dirt of the planet picked up dust as the shuttle got closer and closer to the ground.

He was a lot like you Pidge, wanted to know what happened to his mother thought the Garrison was hiding something but he could never prove it and had a problem following orders, remind you of anyone Keith?

But I can— wait you said was?

The shuttle landed and the gates opened up "Go, go, go!" Iverson barked at them wearing an oxygen mask so he wouldn't suffocate.

Both Alpha and Beta squad rushed toward the canyon entrance, a steep gorge that lowered down onto rocky terrain to a shattered ramp and stairwell. Shiro held up his fist to halt the members of Beta Squad "We'll need to scale down, one at a time, find something to attach the rope to." He ordered.

Adam looked back a this squad who were standing across from the Beta's, "What are you waiting for, do you want to live forever." He said suddenly jumping off the cliff side and landing on the rocks curling up to parkour himself to his feet, the rest of Alpha looked over at the Beta's and seeing Adam jump they let out their own hollers following in suit.

Shiro growled under his helmet "Move it people." Shiro said jumping after them, his squad followed him down the steep canyon running to the ruins of the mines stairs after Alpha was already on them. But Adam was moving at an entirely different speed he jumped off the railing of the stairwell and dropped down grabbing onto the other levels as he fell to keep his fall quick but efficient.

"Alpha I'm scouting ahead, I'll alert you to where the other miners are till I find the fifth." Adam told his squad as Shiro lead his own squad down the elevator shaft running after them despite the fact they had a strong lead on them. came next to a mine cart on a track heading straight for the mine. The track was old and rusted so was the lever holding he cart on the track from sliding down to a quick and dangerous drop, but Shiro looked at it with a smile.

He looked back at Beta "I've got an idea."

Like I said, I was young and I wanted to win.

Shiro and his squad got into the mine cart and he kicked the lever still holding it in place, his squad all screamed as Shiro held on tight to the cart. As it picked up speed the track that it was built on started to crumble a part. The old metal creaked and moaned before the metal supports behind the mine cart Shiro and his squad were in collapsed after it flew over them. Grabbing the leaver with his arm Shiro pulled the brake and the wheels caught sparks before screeching to a halt just as Adam reached the bottom. Shiro jumped out running toward the mine entrance that had smoke machines making the mine seemed like it was still on the verge of ruin. Each Squad leader glanced at one another before going inside, they leaped over fallen beams, sliding through narrow crags between rubble. Shiro pushed past him shoving Adam into a nearby wall heading toward two elevator shafts. Only one was still there with the other's cables being all that remained. The lift was a metal cage with basic mechanical elevator technology, a lever that went up and down and cords holding it in place until it was ready for use. He slammed it shut before it dropped "You and my squad can get the next one." Shiro called up to him as he was lowered down.

Suddenly Adam smiled then he jumped.

Dropping down nearly twenty meters he landed right on the metal cage of the elevator roof making it shake violently "Are you crazy!" Shiro screamed at him.

"Did I see you making out Adams W., kid after Astro Aviation theory?" A blush ran across Shiro's face as Adam G. winked at him through the cage bars.

"Good for you Shirogane you make a cute couple, now if you'd excuse me I've got to embarrass you in front of everyone." He chuckled rolling off the roof of the cage down into the chasm of pure darkness before Shiro's very eyes.

To answer your questions, no Adam wasn't crazy, he was insane.

So does that mean you and that guy…?

ANYWAY— the fifth man was hidden somewhere in the mine, it was a test to see if we could make tough calls and see if we'd be willing to leave someone behind to save as many as possible.

But you'd never do that, would you Shiro, leave someone behind?

Not unless I could see it was impossible, Adam… Adam couldn't.

Uuuh I'm confused?

Well stop interrupting me and I'll explain.

Adam reached the mine first to see it was an absolute labyrinth of tunnels and caves held up by metal support beams holding hem up with abandoned mining equipment. Reaching up Adam pulled off his helmet and took a deep breath sniffing the air before he put his helmet back on turning on his helmets headlights. Running into the mine Shiro arrived before him following his foot prints, but he could barely keep up with Adam before he vanished into the darkness even with his own headlights on.

Glenn did have one thing that nobody could touch, the stamina of tiger nobody and I mean nobody could keep up with him in the physical examinations it was almost like he wasn't human.

That's where I remember him from, Adam Glenn he holds the Galaxy Garrison Record for the track and field set.

And the pilot simulator, I remember seeing his name at the top of the list when Shiro brought one to my school.

I wasn't able to beat his hotdog eating contest record, I passed out just shy of seventy five.

Guys?

Sorry Dad-

….

…..

…..

…..

HAHAHAHHA HAHAHAAHA AHAHAHAHA

Moving on…

The rest of the cadets arrived in the mine, Shiro had arrived to one of the rescue chambers pulling out two dummies in construction hats labeled 'Civilian in Distress' Beta Squad ran up to him.

"What's the status on the other three civilians?" He asked.

Two of his squad mates took the civilians "Alpha's already got two, the third one is still missing?"

"Get back to the surface, signal the shuttle I'll get the last guy." Shiro ordered his squad, the other four cadets followed his orders and ran back to the elevator "Aren't we supposed to help?" One of the cadets in Beta asked.

"You want to get in there way, go ahead I just want to pass this in one piece." Another one of Beta said picking up one of the dummies legs, the other pair doing the same.

If your wondering where the last miner was, the through him down to the very bottom of the mine, yeah they were a tad excessive back then. But that's when something strange had happened, they said there weren't any dust storms in the hemisphere but…

Let me guess, dust storm?

Bingo

Commander Iverson was up in the shuttle looking down on the mine from above in the air. He was on the bridge with two pilots who were monitoring the shuttle and the planets weather below when the alarms started to go off, "What in the world?" Iverson said looking to the radar then out the window at not just a dust storm. It was a sandstorm with lighting, fire and furry inside it heading straight toward them.

"Cadets Code Red, Code Red, we are aborting this test return to the surface for immediate evac." Commander Iverson roared into the communications channels of both squads.

"Everyone sound off." Iverson ordered the cadets, eleven of the cadets sounded off all but one.

"Glenn sound off!" Commander Iverson ordered again but no response but static "He must be to deep underground, I'm going after him." Shiro said running into the mine.

It didn't take long for Shiro to find Adam he'd secured the last dummy civilian and was carrying it over his back, when he saw Shiro the infamous smug grin crossed his face "I win." Adam said.

"Dust storm, no time, run now." Shiro snapped at Adam who gapped before dropping the dummy "Well alright then."

We made a mad dash for the elevator, but the dust storm wasn't like anything Galaxy Garrison had ever seen, cause most Dust Storms don't cause earthquakes.

The mine was starting to collapse all around them, Mars' surface was rumbling so wrathfully the old support beams and reinforced steel collapsing behind them . "Man wait till you tell your boyfriend about this!" Adam said laughing at death while it chased them with caving in tunnel walls.

"He's not my boy-" suddenly a beam fell right on top of Shiro pinning him to the ground, Adam came to a skidding halt turning around. He grabbed the beam and lifted it off helping Shiro to his feet. He noticed that the wristband that kept Shiro's muscles from degenerating had shattered around his wrist.

The two of them locked eyes "We need to move." Shiro said.

Rounding a corner toward the elevators the cadets were already inside "Go, go, go now!" Shiro ordered.

The Cadets pulled the lever up making the elevator start to rise just in time for both Shiro and Adam to jump on and grab the bottom holding on with nothing but their hands on the elevators floor bars that were just below the cage floor. The Cadets dropped down to their hands and knees trying to reach through but were just out of grasp. Shiro tried to reach them but their fingers kept brushing past one another till Shiro couldn't hold on any longer. The spirit was willing but his body, the illness that was weakening him started to kick in without his muscle relaxer operating fully he lost his grip. When he started to fall Adam grabbed onto Shiro's wrist so he wouldn't plummet into the darkness. Even as the mine was crumbling around them and jerking it gave the elevator, Adam refused to loosen his grip.

Very few people knew about my illness, the one I had before the Galara cured me in their experiments. It was a degenerative sickness, stiffened my muscles and would've turned my body brittle. Adam was one of them, he caught me just outside a routine medical checkup as the doctor sent me out, Adam was there after he got into a fight with a group of Spaceforce Veterans. I thought he'd say something to Garrison command to get me removed from the class but he kept mouth, and his grip tight.

"I got you, I got you-" Adam stammered as the Elevator was almost to the top.

"Let me go, save yourself." Shiro told him trying to stay awake when the elevator's metal screamed through an excess of too much weight after years of disrepair.

Adam only squeezed his hand tighter "Do I look like the kind of guy who gives a good eulogy."

The elevator reached the top somehow but when the doors opened, seeing they couldn't get Adam or Shiro out of their they froze "What are you doing morons, RUN!"

When the cadets ran off when the Mine trembled again, Adam looked up through the bars to see the cables couldn't last much longer. The blonde started to swing his arms back and forth with Shiro on them like a pendulum and hurled Shiro up onto the ledge of elevator shaft. Saving him from falling to his death to maybe getting crushed before Adam could get there. Adam grabbed onto the bars and like an acrobat he swung to the other side of the chasm and climbed up to the top.

"Come on Shirogane, we're almost there." Adam heaved pulling himself and Shiro to their feet.

Throwing Shiro's right arm over his shoulder he dragged the cadet across the mine entrance to the outside. Where they crawled out of the darkness and into hell, the sand storm was almost on them. The winds were blowing so hard the rusted metal of the mine was starting to get ripped out of the red soil. The dust storms lighting was shocking anything near the brunt of the storm, blowing so hard and so hot sparks were in the air. The shuttle had already made its extraction run without landing, the cadets were all inside ushering for them to come on, their faces under the helmet screaming for the two run for their lives. But the wind's fearsomenous howled like a maniacal laughter, wasn't anything that could have ever been conceived on Earth, this was something worse.

To this day, I still don't know what caused that storm but for a brief moment I saw something in there, something that only Adam could see. I'd seen him jump head first into danger a thousand times before this test and he was frozen.

Adam was looking into the storm like a deer in the headlights, deaf to the Cadets screams and the orders of Iverson to board the shuttle. He was too busy staring at the face in the storm, with eyes as red as hellfire from the pits of hades. The shuttle was out of time, it's doors slammed shut and started to take off without them, Then the storm or the face that Adam saw inside it opened its jawbone like and swallowed the two of them whole into the darkness of the dust storm.

I passed out, the storm, my illness or from sheer terror I was out like a light, the next thing saw was the inside of the cave.

Shiro's eyes adjusted to the cave light, it was dim because the storm was still raging outside flashes of flaming lighting echoed outside the entrance to the cave. Which was a small crack,a sliver of open space between the rocks that made the cave. In the halo of the small light the entrance made, Shiro saw Adam hunched over hands over his ears- his ears his helmet was off. Shiro looked around to see where it was and saw a helmet on the cave floor with visor shattered, not even useful as a bucket at that point.

"Gle-... Adam, your helmet." Shiro said starting to get up when he got a better look at it and saw the name wasn't Adan's name it was 'TAKASHI SHIROGANE' his name in all caps.

He looked up at Adams face, he had turned around from the storm "Can you hear it?" Adam asked almost pleadingly. Something was off, Adam's face it didn't have the confidence or a smug grin like it had all day it was covered in red dust, with beads of sweat over fear.

"This is your helmet." Shiro said trying to sit up and pull it off "No, no stop it." Adam said stumbling over to him in the cave and pulling his hands off the helmet.

Adam forced his arms down and looked at Shiro dead in the eyes before another howl of the wind and the only thing Adam could hear, was the laughter. The cadets torn gloves smacked against his ears and he yelled "God aaaah, its back that damn laugh."

"Laughter?" Shiro asked as lighting struck the ground around the cave shaking the rock, another gust the dust storms wind, but to Adam it was laughter.

"The laughter— the face it was laughing at me…. it was skull." Adam said shivering as he covered his ears clawing at his hair wiping his face of the sweat.

I thought he was going insane, but looking back on it now, the things we've done, what we've gone up against. A dust storm with a face doesn't sound so crazy…

MODERN DAY

INSIDE THE METEOR

The Paladins were sitting around the artificial campfire with Hunks making five s'mores, gram crackers with a marshmallow and piece of chocolate starting to melt between the marshmallow and top cracker. All five of them were sitting around the fire looking at Shiro who had gotten quiet again, his gaze seemed distant looking into the artificial fire.

"Shiro?" Kieth asked to see if he was alright.

"Adam was the one who died wasn't?" Lance aid sitting legs crossed leaning on his feet.

Shiro's gaze rose to meet Lances "I don't know, the storm seemed to get worse and worse we thought the cave was going to collapse on top of us." Shiro said shaking his head.

"But it didn't right, cause if it would?" Hunk started to say as he made his last s'more he looked at each of the Paladins who were looking at Shiro.

"So what happened to Adam?" Kieth asked Shiro.

GALAXY GARRISON

EARTH

Shiro was sitting in a hospital bed, a new wristband around his arm to keep his muscles relaxed. His body hooked up to a dozen different machines wearing a white medical dress with Adam's helmet clenched tightly in his hands, Glenn had been scratched off on the name tag with ADAM being the only legible word. Both Commander Iverson and Admiral Sanda standing over him "One more time Shiro, what happened to Cadet Glenn?" Admiral Sanda asked. Shiro looked at her then back at the helmet at his own reflection the sadness in his eyes clear as day.

The last thing I wanted was Adam's memory to be about a cadet cracking under pressure, I thought he'd… I thought the storm was making him crazy. He kept going on and on about this laughter a maniacal evil laugh calling his name. Suddenly Adam couldn't take it anymore, he ran out of the cave into the storm and that was the last time I ever saw him. So I did something that I rarely do, I lied.

The pain in Shiro's eyes reflected in the helmet flickered "We still haven't found him yet, our scientists who were monitoring the storm said nobody could have survived inside it." Commander Iverson said.

"We just need you to fill in the blanks?" Commander Iverson asked the cadet, both of Shiro's black opal colored eyes hardened into stone.

"I'm sorry Commander, Admiral, must have lost consciousness I woke up in the cave, I don't know what happened to Adam, all I know is he saved me." Shiro lied to both his instruction and leader of Garrison.

Admiral Sanda and Commander Iverson exchanged a glance "It's a shame than, we've lost two Glenn's now, rest up Shirogane we'll talk later." Admiral Sanda said leaving the medical room.

PRESENT

"Only we didn't, Admiral Sanda had a plaque made for a grave marker even though they never found the body, a few words at a nice service with flowers and that was it." Shiro said as everyone ate their s'mores, at least Hunk did nobody else was eating theirs. Something had made the Paladins of Voltron lose their appetite so much the s'mores started to get cold.

Pidge suddenly took a bite out of his "Least they didn't try to cover it up like with you and my dad Shiro." She said with a mouth full of s'mores.

"Poor guy." Hunk said softly.

"Guess I'm glad now that we did those simulators now." Lance grumbled crossing his arms indifferent at what he'd just heard.

Kieth was being Kieth as usual, quietly looking at Shiro "That wasn't the end for you was it?" He asked Shiro.

Shiro kept his eyes on the fire "No it wasn't, after I was cleared from the hospital I started looking into the dust storm."

"That dust storm was unlike anything Mars had ever experienced, it was so hot that it turned the entire of desert into glass, the lighting storm buried the mine and half the canyon redrawing part of Mars like redrawing lines on a map." Shiro told them, he continued, "Then when I finally got my hands on the actual data I saw a huge surge of energy that we couldn't identify on Earth with Garrison tech, after that surge of energy the storm died down." Shiro finished picking up some meteor dust and letting it fall out of his palm like the last grains of sand from an hourglass symbolize he was almost done.

"And I keep coming back to the same hypothesis… Adam never died." Shiro said wiping the dust off his metal hand.

The only sound left in the cave was the crackling of Hunks fire, not even the meteors.

"Hey, I think the meteor storm passed?" Pidge said getting up, she held up her suits scanner to see clear space all around them "Guess this big rock came in handy after all." Lance said jumping to his feet.

"Good ghost story Shiro and Hunk, loved the s'mores, hey can I have that last one?" Lance asked stopping himself from putting on his helmet.

Hunk looked at him like he was crazy before he realized he'd made a sixth s'mores "Uh oh… huh guess all this talk about this Adam guy made me think of him a s'mores too weird."

"On second thought never mind." Lance said solemnly getting up and heading back to his lion. Shiro's lip curled up a bit at Lance's actions before he too got up with Keith off the floor of the cave.

"That stuff you said about the Cadet, Adam, do you really think it's possible he's still alive?" Kieth asked Shiro under his helmet, Shiro gave one last glance at himself in the helmet to be sure and smiled wide.

He put it on and looked at Keith "Like Lance said, 'we fly five mechanical alien lions that turn into a giant robot, we left impossible behind the moment we left earth'."

Kieth shuttered "Urk- please don't start quoting Lance."

The Paladins soon departed the asteroid which had gotten a bit smaller from its traveling through the stars with a single s'more left for one person, when the Lions flew back to their den the asteroid carried on into the cosmos. It sailed on into the curtain of the sky passing by the pinholes of light with its singular cargo. Passing through more meteor showers that brought its size down smaller and smaller till it slingshot around the orbit of a dying star going faster and faster, ripping holes through nebulas and flinging itself through the darkest parts of the universe until it soared right into a wormhole.

Only to come out on the other end heading right for a small planet, the outer shell burning away in the upper atmosphere of clouds. It streaked across a night sky before colliding into the earth of a great an ancient jungle leaving behind a massive crater and at the center was Hunk's s'mores.

Out all the things on this strange alien world to come and investigate the crater, a great beast on four legs with muscular limbs and paws that had four digits leaving tracks in the burnt soil approached. It sniffed with a dark black nose, a tuft of light green fur at its mouth and whiskers. That bore a coat of emerald green streaked in stripes of gold, reddish armor covered its face and back in the saddle. It's rider dismounted, dark leather brown boots lined with fur walked toward the epicenter of the new landmark. A leather tunic of animal fur and hides was wrapped around the riders bare legs as he bent down with dark metallic bracers round muscular forearms that lead to a chest carved from solid rock that had a double red cross breastplate covering his chiseled torso. A sword was strapped across his back in a sheath radiating with power, his hair was long blonde locks, a thin whisky beard covered his sharp jawline and fair skin covered his face and body with brown eyes.

He sniffed the s'mores and let out a gasp "A s'more?"

"Oh by Grayskull that's good." Devouring it in one bite a euphoric look covered his face when suddenly a small blue imp with a red cloak and pointed hat appeared next to him, he had a pink scarf and golden medallion around his neck "What you find Adam?" He asked in a curious high pitched voice.

"Just nostalgia Orko, whole of lot of nostalgia now come on Duncan and the Sorcerer are waiting for us, we got a war to win."

THE END

FOR NOW