As promised!
The Kremlin
The Kremlin was just as grand as Lance had imagined it to be, and thrice as imposing. The bright red bricks of the fortification were stark in contrast against the green watch towers, elegant and bold in the clear afternoon light. The Spasskaya Tower scraped the sky with its sheer white spires and the golden Kremlin star shone blindingly from the sunlight. Below, the grand clock on its tower ticked slowly towards two o'clock.
Lance was trembling with excitement. Holding a large, black bag that was designed to pass security, he walked briskly behind Shiro- erm, General Anatoly. And quiznack, did he look the part. Shiro was wearing a greying moustache, his eyebrows and hairline also dusted grey to make him appear almost thirty years older. His eyes were hooded by his military cap and he walked, well, marched was more like it, through the Arsenal as though he owned it, confidence and a commanding, military air that demanded obedience practically oozed off of him. Lance was almost put off. Shiro looked frickin' intimidating.
Much to his chagrin, Lance was in less prosthetics, though he was wearing much more make up. Behind a pair of unattractive, circular, gold rimmed glasses that were probably made for dedushkas, his face was covered in a lighter foundation so to disguise his darker, Cuban skin. It was skilfully done (by his own hands, of course) well enough so as not to appear stark or off, but just enough to work with the disguise. His hands were not a problem as the white gloves both he and Shiro were wearing took care of hiding both their finger prints and any visible scars.
Outside the Arsenal and inside the courtyard of the Kremlin with the other tourists, Allura and Pidge were wandering around, Allura with a video camera in hand, Pidge with her balloon.
Allura had to admit, Pidge indeed looked the part of 'little eight year old girl' in her dark green overalls and striped brown, orange and pink shirt and shiny black dress shoes. Her balloon sealed the deal. Well, that, and the two small pony tails in green hair bands peeking out of the bottom of her fuzzy white hat. She had switched her black leather gloves for softer, white ones to match the hat. For all the discomfort and revulsion Allura could see just behind her round, baby-soft face, she had to commend Pidge for her acting skills. The tech genius was skipping around with her balloon in hand, tugging at Allura's sleeve and pointing at the watch towers. If Allura had been one of the hundreds of tourists around, she would have been entranced by the little bright eyed, fluffy haired girl.
Pidge had just come up to her and was tugging on her sleeve again. Allura bent down to see where Pidge was pointing, following her finger to see the golden tips of the Ivan the Great Bell Tower. The signal to check that it was time to let the balloon go.
Allura smiled fondly at Pidge and nodded, also pointing at the towers.
Pidge smiled back and skipped around Allura, suddenly tripping over the cobble stones and falling to the ground, her balloon slipping out of her hands. Looking up in mock sadness- were those actual tears in her eyes?- Allura helped Pidge up, comforting her with cooing sounds. Pidge straightened, her disguise falling as the dread symbol of her character floated away in the breeze towards the Arsenal chimneys.
"Can I have the camera now?" She asked, dusting her overalls off.
Allura hesitated, knowing that she was supposed to be the one who worked the camera, but she gave in, allowing Pidge to take the device.
They then slowly made their way to a bench, Pidge all but ignoring Allura. Her attention was now elsewhere as she closely watched the video feed off the camera in the little hacking device attached to the green balloon.
Lance tried to keep his eyes straight ahead as they marched closer to the entrance but he couldn't keep them still. He saw the decorated guards marching in their uniformed walk, guns held out, arms reaching to their noses and whooshing right back down like toy soldiers on parade. He saw the Russian flag fluttering on its tall stand, another Kremlin star poised on the tip like a Christmas tree topper. He saw the commanders and generals, stopping their conversation to stand to attention as Shiro passed, Shiro giving only the curtest of nods in response.
Lance swelled with excitement again. This was his hero. He was on mission- a dangerous, high- maybe even the highest- level mission. He hadn't been this excited since before... well, before their other highest level mission. Which wasn't even a sanctioned mission so saying it was a 'mission' was perhaps pushing it, but no. Lance reminded himself. It had a plan, an objective, high stakes and every importance to each of them. It had been a mission. Lance's eyes suddenly ached and he blinked, almost itching them before remembering who he was supposed to be in this moment and telling himself to suck it up.
Lance just prayed that this mission wouldn't end like the last one did.
Glancing at Shiro, Lance suddenly felt calmer. Shiro seemed to ooze composure and confidence and Lance suddenly couldn't help himself,
"This is so exciting. Being out it the field. With you. It's a bit of a dream. For me that is."
Shiro glanced at Lance a few times without moving his head.
"You look great, by the way," Lance gushed, still being sure to keep his voice at a hushed whisper, "You look just like him. It's a shame we're not wearing masks though. You know, like, full masks. Everyone gets to wear masks but Lance McLain. I mean, I wouldn't want to put this face behind a piece of rubber either but, you know, it's a mask. It's, like, one of the reasons I joined AIS in the first place."
Lance glanced at Shiro, who was staring at him. Lance suddenly gasped at what he had said. He had said their agency name. Out loud. On mission. In disguise. Lance sputtered out an apology, "I-I'm so sorry. I'm kinda, well, not nervous, just tense. I babble when I'm tense. Well, Pidge would say I babble all the time but I- I'm doing it again. Shut up Lance."
Pidge hugged the camera close to her chest, preventing Allura from seeing the feed. Allura was becoming annoyed. She wanted to see the feed as well. Allura stopped herself. How three-years-old was that thought? Allura watched Pidge watching the video camera, eyes darting in little twitching millimetres as she followed the balloon's position. Alert and completely absorbed.
Allura sighed suddenly and rubbed her eyes with her hand. She had maybe had four hours sleep in the past three days. She was just tired. Heaven knows everyone was. And it wasn't going to get much easier after this. There was still the Galra. Always the Galra.
They had been a secret organization since pre-antiquity, making them the oldest criminal organization in the world. They had never been fully extinguished at any one moment and had recently begun an aggressive new rise in the world under their new leader, Zarkon. Over the past decade or more, the new head of the Galra criminal empire had personally orchestrated sixty-three terrorist attacks. That the AIS knew of. The Galra criminal empire itself had taken over almost every major crime syndicate in the world. It was a virus gone epidemic and it needed to stop. Allura's father, Alfor, knew this as much as anyone. Allura had seen few others who worked with as much passion and nobility as her father to eliminate the Galra. Perhaps obsessively so. But perhaps that was what was required.
Allura hardened her gaze. She had that passion matched. There hadn't been a day over the past few months that she had been Team Leader for Voltron that she hadn't devoted to finding Honerva Haggar, the Galra witch. Maybe, however, maybe that obsession had been the reason her team disobeyed her direct orders almost four months ago now and almost... Allura closed her eyes and took a breath. Past worries did the present no good.
A strong breeze whipped Allura's hair and she turned to Pidge, knowing that strong winds could put their entire operation at risk. She leaned closer, trying to see if the gust had affected the balloon's course.
"Personal space Allura." Pidge muttered without looking up.
"I just want to make sure the balloon is still on course." Allura said.
"Of course it is. I accounted for wind, and rain, and breezes, and air quality. It's fine." Pidge was obviously not in a talking mood.
"I'm just trying to help." Allura said, frowning.
"Well you're not doing a good job of it." Pidge growled.
Allura wasn't sure what about that response rubbed her the exact wrong way- the tone? The underlying venom behind it? The know-it-all eye roll that she had just about enough of? Allura prided herself on her ability to remain calm, but this was not going to be one of those times.
"You weren't supposed to be with the video camera in the first place, but I gave it to you when you took it without so much as a please. If anyone is being unhelpful around here, it's you." She hissed.
Now Pidge looked up, her eyes blazing, "I should have the video camera. I'm the tech agent. It's tech! I had my last mission not in the chair. I'm done probation now. I'm back to normal again, I'm fine. It's the next mission. I know what I'm doing."
Allura threw her hands up to the sky, "No you don't! You're a child Pidge. A child. You barely know how to keep your emotions in check let alone keep a mission running smoothly without causing some sort of drama."
Pidge seemed to choke, "I'm dramatic? You're the one that has to micromanage everything! We were the best team for a reason, Allura. At least Alfor let us do our jobs!"
Allura was too worked up now for the jab to take any effect, "You want to know what Alfor did? He cuddled you. He let you have full reign and do whatever your little fingers pleased on that keyboard. I've got news for you green one. That's not how a Paladin works! He treated you like you were some golden child!"
"I AM THE BEST!" Pidge finally stood up. Luckily there were very few people around even though Allura barely cared, she was so exasperated, "Find me someone better at tech than me, I dare you Allura! I quiznackin' dare you!"
Allura stood up, towering over Pidge, her last strain of composure gone, "Only complements motivate your magical fingers to do your work that you should be doing no matter the circumstances. You all say that Lance has the biggest ego on the team, but I know better. If only sweet talk and sugar can get you to perform basic objectives Katie, then you're not a real agent and you'll certainly never be a real Paladin!"
Lance felt just like a real Paladin.
"Okay, metal detectors, security checks, no pat downs though, nothing we didn't prepare for." He muttered as he grabbed the big black bag and scurried after Shiro.
They passed the gate check with ease, Shiro doing all the speaking and Lance just nodding stiffly when appropriate.
They were now walking up a staircase carpeted in a lush red, marble columns and gold trimmings soaring above them. Lance nodded at the saluting security guard as they neared the front desk. Game face. Game face. Kremlin game face.
Lance cheered to himself as they passed it. Ura! Yay! Finally into the Kremlin and one step closer to-
"Excuse me commander, may I see your identification." The guard called.
They both stopped still.
Der'mo.
Lance waited for Shiro to move. It was all up to him now.
Well, him, and the ID hacking device that should be in the chimney by now scrambling the system.
Allura saw Pidge's face crumble.
She had gone too far.
Immediately, all anger and annoyance evaporated and Allura was hit with a wave of guilt. Of course Pidge was tense and snippy. It was a stressful situation to put it mildly. Naturally, she was dramatic and attention seeking. She needed the same amount of love that any young teenager would. Of course she was selfish and private. Anyone would be if their brother and father had gone missing.
Allura opened her mouth to say something but Pidge beat her to it.
"The agency took everything from me." Her voice, though trembling, was colder than any Russian winter and just as biting, "I gave this agency everything. I gave them my brother. I gave them my Dad. I gave them me and all I could possibly come with. And they took it all. My brother is gone. My Dad is gone. And I'm still here, giving all of myself to this stupid shithole of an agency through hacking and coding and revolutionizing AIS' tech agency, so don't you dare say I will never be a Paladin when I've earned that title a hundred times over by now! But do you think anyone ever gives me a second glance? No. They take one look at the kid with the wide set teeth, or the big round glasses slipping off her nose, or the hoodie falling over her eyes and walk right on by, cause I'll just be hacking into another government again soon anyway- after all, where else am I supposed to go? They can't let me go into the normal world now! I know too much! I'm too dangerous to be a civilian anymore. I will never be rid of the agency, or the AIS, or the damn paladins! I can only keep on giving and giving and giving until I'm killed. Cause that's what happens, right? That's what... that's what we're here for, right? Agents die. It's what they do. You'll all die a-and I will too. Someday soon, I'll just be shot or strangled o-or poisoned or... e-exploded or or-"
In one gentle sweep, Allura's arms scooped up Pidge and she held the agent shuddering lose. Stroking her soft hair, Allura's heart broke for the smallest paladin as she rocked Pidge like a mother would a frightened baby. Back and forth. Back and forth. Back and forth.
Pidge suddenly started hiccupping.
Allura looked down in soft surprise to see the widest, most golden, shiniest eyes looking back up at her.
Hic.
Allura couldn't help it. It was so small. So quick. So cute.
She burst out giggling.
A suddenly indignant Pidge wiggled her way out of Allura's arms, wiping away any tears still on her cheeks, "That's -hic- that's not- hic- that's not funny Allu-hic-ra!"
Seeing Pidge defend herself, her cheeks still bright red and her bottom lip out in a pout only made Allura laugh harder, "Hahaha! Oh, oh Pidge, I-hahaha- I'm so-hoho- I'm so sorry, I just haha- I'm just- oh hehehehe!"
Pidge just stared. She stared until her eyes started to crinkle in the corners. She stared until her mouth began to twitch. She stared until she too, was so overcome with giggles she had to sit down so as to not fall over, her legs splayed out before her like a toddler, the hiccups moving her entire body as she laughed and laughed until she couldn't breathe and she fell over to catch her breath.
Allura gasped in some air as she leaned forward, meeting Pidge's smile. Probably the first genuine smile Pidge had ever given her.
"You should recognize your commanding officer, private." Shiro took slow, deliberate steps towards the guard. Lance couldn't be sure, but he swore he just saw a shiver cross the guard's shoulders.
Shiro placed his identification on the counter, two fingers remaining pressed on it.
The guard was forced to pry the badge from under Shiro's fingers. He must have been pressing down on it for a moment because the guard lost his grip. On the second try, the guard slid the badge easily away from Shiro's hand which curled inwards like a deep sea creature folding back into its cave.
The guard looked up a few times as he opened the badge and scanned it. Lance thought he looked like a squirrel, twitchy and nervous. He was sure to take all his want to grin and manically chuckle and put it towards looking annoyed and insulted at the guard's actions. How dare he stop the General. How. Dare. He.
The scanner's light showed its progress as the computer waited to load the results. Lance checked his 'phone'. It was programmed to show the hacking device's progress. A red bar glared up at Lance, "Not Connected."
Well quiznack.
Allura and Pidge had finally calmed down.
Still taking deep breaths and Pidge still hiccupping, Allura shook her head and flopped back on the bench. What a tirade of emotions to go through in such a short amount of time.
Her fingers brushed something. She looked down to see the video camera, showing the balloon floating just above the chimney.
"Quiznack!" She hissed, grabbing the camera.
Pidge caught on and hissed her own string of swear words that would have made a sailor wince.
Allura fumbled with the camera and clicked the centre button. With a pop, the balloon was gone and the hacking device tumbled down the chimney in a series of clicks against the sides, coming to rest in a few seconds at the sooty bottom of the brick.
"It will work right away right?" Allura asked hurriedly. They may have just blown the entire operation before it even started.
Pidge nodded, pulling out her phone, "It should be working now. Here." She held up her device that showed a loading percentage that was increasing far too slowly in Allura's opinion.
Lance almost fainted in relief when his phone 'connected' and began to load. But the loading was taking far too long.
The computer bleeped a displeased sound and the guard kept his eyes on the computer. He did not want to tell the General the news, but he found his voice, "I'm sorry General, you are not showing up in the system."
Shiro sighed a big, long sigh of exasperation, his face never moving past a military mask of displeasure.
99%. 100%. Connected.
Lance put his phone back into his pocket and nudged Shiro's boot with his own.
"Try again." Shiro said slowly.
"Private." Lance added, sneering.
The guard tried it again.
Almost immediately, with a high, happy bleep, the ID badge was accepted.
The guard gave the badge back with a salute, "Apologies General, I did not recognize you."
Shiro just took the badge with an icy look and walked away.
Lance stooped to pick his bags back up. But he couldn't resist, "Your superiors will hear about this private. Pfff." He blew through his lips in exasperation. If he had had long hair, like a mullet or something, he would have flicked it as he walked away.
99%. 100%. Connected.
Both Allura and Pidge exhaled and slumped against each other on the bench. After a moment of rest for their drumming hearts, Allura rose and stretched her back. Turning to Pidge, somehow still slumped in the same position she had been on Allura, she extended her hand, "We should go and meet Hunk at the van now that our part is done."
Pidge looked at the offered hand and grasped it, adding a little bounce to her rise when she got to her feet, "I've been wanting to tweak the coms for months now. They're set up in the van still right?"
Of course they were. The com units were never set up anywhere else, but Allura knew the question for what it really was. Pidge's roundabout way of checking that she was fully cleared for tech duty again.
Allura smiled, "They always were, Paladin."
Pidge looked shocked for but a tick, the moment the emotion showed on her face was the moment she covered it up with a soft smile back. But Allura noticed her head tilted slightly back as Pidge walked ahead of her back to the van. She was glowing in excitement.
Allura took one look back to the Kremlin as they exited the property. She hoped things were going smoother for Shiro and Lance then they had for her and Pidge.
Author's Note:
Next chapter is where shit really goes down- so stay tuned!
Please favourite and review! Let me know what you thought! Was the argument in character? Any questions? Let me know!
Thanks again for reading!
