Without Me

The Galaxy Garrison (Ch.5)

Emotions and thoughts began buzzing through my head. Did she forget who I am? Has it been that long? "I'm- I'm your son. Lance. Don't you remember me!?!" My voice cracked.
"I'm sorry, I've never had a son named Lance." She said, bewildered.
"Mama!" I embraced her, tears leaking from my eyes. I wanted to do that for so long. And it felt so nice, it reminded me of when I was younger and I ran into the comfort of her arms whenever I got hurt or sad. The warmth of her hugs could melt away all problems. "You have to remember me! Let me in, let me see my little brothers and sisters! Let me see papa! Please remember me!" I desperately cried.
She broke away from the hug. "That is enough! You are insane!" She said, her voice cold and harsh. "I'll say this again. I've never had a son named Lance. And I'm not letting a complete stranger like you into my house, especially in war times like this!"
"NO! I'M YOUR SON LET ME PROVE TO-" before I can finish she slammed the door on me.

I stood there in utter shock and disbelief. I collapsed on the doorstep and started to sob. She didn't even recognize me. It's like she rejected me. It was painful, knowing that on the other side of that door my family was there, enjoying their lives without me. Living it as if I never came into their lives to begin with. I didn't think I was gone for that long, but everything has changed since the day I left. I should've never left. I kept thinking to myself. I just want things back the way they should be. I felt so alone and so isolated. My friends don't need me and my family doesn't want me. I left the front porch of the place I called home and went back to the only other place I knew before I left. The Garrison.

Getting back to the Garrison was a lot easier than I expected. It was like nobody ever noticed that I disappeared. In fact, it feels like nobody here even remembers me. I went up to a few teachers I had before and they had no idea who I was. Maybe because it's been awhile since my disappearance. I wonder if they forgot all about Hunk and Pidge too. For some reason I felt myself getting used to nobody recognizing me sadly enough. But I just wanted to get back to something familiar and almost comforting to me. The students in their Garrison uniforms walking through the halls, some who I recognize and others who are complete strangers. The faculty, and even good ol' Commander Iverson. After wandering around the facility I found my old dorm. Ready to settle back in, I opened the door, and could not believe who was standing there right in front of me.

"Hu- HUNK!?!" I gasped.
"Who are-" before he could finish I let myself in and gripped his shoulders, relieved to find my friend but also confused. Very confused.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE ON EARTH!?! I THOUGHT YOU WERE WITH THE OTHERS! WHY ARE YOU BACK AT THE GARRISON WHATS GOING ON!?!" I shook him back and forth like a madman.
"Slow down!" He said dumbfounded. "I have no idea what you're talking about!"
"But-"
"Who even are you? Who let you in here!?!"
"It's- it's me... Lance..."
I paused. Nothing makes sense. How come everyone is acting like they don't know me? It's like I'm in some different universe or something. After awhile of thinking I started connecting the dots and finally started to make sense of things. This all had something to do with the wormhole. It must have took me to some sort of alternate reality. It explains why Hunk is here and why he doesn't know me, why my mom doesn't know me, why the Galra are even on this planet. I thought about the time our team entered a wormhole and was in an alternate reality where the Alteans were the bad guys and Shiro was talking in some funny accent. And his name was Sven.
"Ok Hunk, I know this is going to be hard to believe, but I'm your friend from an alternate reality. My name is Lance. Does that name ring a bell? Does a Lance McClain even exist at this school?"
"What the heck are you talking about?"
"Stay with me Hunk, has a Lance McClain ever existed at this school?"
"No! I've never heard of that name before till now!"
This confirms it. I'm in some sort of alternate reality where I never existed.
"How about Pidge, where's Pidge?"
"Pidge? Pidge was my friend and former roommate."
I raised my eyebrow in curiosity. "Was? What happened to Pidge?"
"He went AWOL just like that Keith Kogane guy."
He? I suddenly remembered that Hunk wouldn't have known that Pidge's real identity was Katie yet. I took a seat on the bed and Hunk did the same to a bed parallel to mine. "I wonder where all of them are right now." I pondered.
"Are you an AWOL student who decided to come back?" Hunk asked.
"No. Like I said before, and I know you won't believe me, I'm from an alternate reality!"
"Stop that! I know people say I'm gullible but I'm not that gullible you know. If you really want to convince me tell me something only my closest friend would ever know."
"You're name is Hunk Garrett. You've been my friend since the third grade and I pretty much know everything about you. You weren't properly potty trained since the first grade, you kept peeing the bed. You love food but your most favorite food is mac and cheese. You love cooking! You want to become a Garrison pilot but you can't because you keep getting motion sickness and keep barfing. You're an excellent engineer and you're one of my most closest friends ever. You have a heart of steel, and you're practically the soul foundation of Voltron... You're like a brother to me." I smiled, then started to wonder if the Hunk in my reality was worried for me.

I looked over at Hunk who was blushing from all the nice things said about him. Then he became creeped out. "How? How do you know so much about me?" He asked. "You're really nice and all, and that was really touching. I've never had anyone talk about me like that before but... Alternate realities? I mean?? It sounds so absurd! And what's a Voltron?"
"Voltron is this giant robot made up of five lions. It's the legendary defender of the universe! The ultimate robot that fends off the Galra! The..." I realized just how crazy I sounded midway through that sentence and paused. Hunk gave me a complete look of bafflement.
"Ok, I want to believe you and all, I really do, but a giant robot made of five lions? Really? Sounds like you got that from a comic book or manga."
"It'll make complete sense just please let me tell you everything. You can ask about anything! Just give me a chance to explain myself!"
Hunk looked hesitant. He took a glance at the clock in the room. "Ok... I think I have some spare time to kill before it's dinner. Entertain me."
I then started telling him everything that happened in full detail from the point where me and him, Pidge, and Keith found Shiro to the point were we fought Zarkon as a team. As wild as my stories had seemed I saw a twinkle in Hunk's eyes. Like he understood what was happening, like he remembered everything as if he were there. The look of recognition I was hoping for.

After I told him nearly everything he laid down on the bed, his eyes fixed at the ceiling like he was thinking.
"I know. It's a lot to take in." I said.
"I don't know what's crazier, you or me believing in you. But somehow I do. I don't see how you can make all that stuff up. Unless you have a very overactive imagination... but just the hope that somewhere out there is a fighting chance that we have against the Galra... I'm ready to believe in."
I nodded in agreement.
"And you said I met this Shay girl? Tell me all about her. She sounds nice."
"I would love to buddy but that's a long story. A story for another time. I need to know what happened to the others. Where can I find Keith and Shiro?
Hunk sat up, rubbing his chin and trying to remember what happened to the both of them.
"Ok, just a heads up all this knowledge comes from rumors I hear on a daily basis. I'm not sure if things really happen the way I hear they do. Sometimes I even hear some of this stuff from the faculty themselves. Apparently Shiro did come back from Galra captivity, and the Garrison kept him hidden away somewhere, evaluating him to see what the Galra actually did to him. And Keith did show up that day to try and rescue Shiro, just like in your story. Only Keith wasn't successful in getting Shiro out of there alone. Both of them were captured."
"By who!?"
"By the Galra! But I hear from others that Shiro made it out with another person who disappeared awhile back. Matt Holt. And they're starting some sort of rebellion against the Galra. As for Keith Kogane, I have no idea what happened to him. Some say he's probably dead. Others say he's rotting away in Galra captivity." Hunk finished, and looked back up to the clock. "Oh crap it's dinner time already. Here." He fumbled through his trunk of uniforms and tossed me an extra. "I know it's a little big but you should have a uniform on. I'll take you to the cafeteria and we can talk more there."

When we were at the cafeteria we grabbed a tray of whatever muck they were serving today and took a seat at an empty table. The muck that they call Salisbury steak and gravy with peas and mashed potatoes was something I didn't miss at the Garrison. But after that long space trip with nothing to eat but fruit I scarfed down all my food.
"How'd you get here Lance?"
I chewed my mouth full of food and swallowed with a large gulp, wiping away at the gravy smeared on my mouth. "I was trying to go back home to my Earth. But I think I entered some sort of wormhole and ended up here instead."
Hunk took a bite of his steak. "So, what's the plan? How are you going to get back to your reality?"
I glanced around making sure no one was around to here me. Then I leaned forward towards Hunk and started talking in a low voice. "Here's the plan. I'm gonna sneak out of here and I'm gonna find Keith's old shack which is not too far from here. I'll find his little conspiracy map to the blue lion and hopefully I can use the blue lion to fly my way to space, find the wormhole, and go back to my reality."
"Sounds like a good plan. Only one thing. How are you going to sneak out of here?"
"I did it once before and I can do it again. Besides, I have my emergency escape pod parked outside, hidden from plain view."
"Ok. But last time you were only lucky enough to sneak out because you had me and Pidge's help in the other reality."
"True...." I thought it over. "are you willing to help a guy out?"
Hunk raised his eyebrows at me and shook his head. "You're nuts." He laughed. "How were we ever friends in a different reality? If you knew me you should known by now that I'm not the type to break rules."
I shook my head and smirked. "You're just like the Hunk in my reality."