Title: This is so Die Hard
Chapter: 6
Rated: T for violence and language
Author's notes - and now a short one to follow. Set near the end of season 2
Keith leaned his head back against the vent. The radio was still carefully hidden behind him. He had been able to talk to Lance briefly and knew the remote was in place. Pidge was waiting by Shiro. Keith was going to try to make it to Allura and Coran as soon as the barrier went down and the rebel Nitomians were distracted by the onslaught. Lance was going to provide cover. It was solid. It was the best they could come up with. It could go wrong so many ways.
Keith leaned back and toggled the radio, "Lance, are you in place?" He whispered without moving his lips.
"He's close Keith." Hunk came back. "He was a little out of breath after making it to that level." Hunks' tone told Keith how worried he was.
"Okay." And it was probably his own worry that made him let his guard down. "Let me know when he…ahhh!" The Overlord grabbed the front of Keith's shirt, his hands were still bound behind his back. He lifted him so high his feet weren't touching the ground.
"What are you doing? What is that?!" The Overlord pointed to the radio dropped behind Keith.
Keith kicked his feet trying to struggle out of the grasp of the monster in front of him, trying to draw air past the grip strangling him. He couldn't breathe he was started to see spots.
"Keith!" Pidge screamed.
"Stay back little one or I will end him and you." the Overlord aimed his weapon at Pidge with one hand and shook Keith with his other.
Pidge raised her hands and back away toward Shiro. The Overlord threw Keith against the wall. He grabbed the radio from the floor.
"PALADIN!" He screamed into the radio. "PALADIN!"
"What?!" Lance's voice came back surly and loud.
"I have your attention, finally. Where are you?"
"Around."
The Overlord fired his weapon and the bullet slammed into the wall near Keith's head. "Don't make me angrier than I already am Paladin! You won't like the results!"
"Wrong movie, wrong character, the Hulk is a good guy." Lance muttered.
"What are you talking about, this nonsense will not save you?" the Overlord was not amused. He grabbed Keith and pulled him in front of his body.
"You cannot escape me! Where are you?! Where are you?!"
"Why would I tell you? So you can come and kill me?" Lance asked like he was stupid.
"Not me."
Lance froze. He could hear someone moving, someone moving through the vents near him. These vents weren't as narrow as the ones that he had been earlier. These vents were big enough to let one of them into them. The one that wasn't accounted for, one of the ones sent to kill him. He was nearly to the vent that overlooked the hall. He was the sniper part of this plan and it was his job to keep the hostages safe. If the Overlord and his goons tried to kill the hostages; it was his job to stop them.
"Just keep talking Paladin, she will find you soon," the Overlord laughed. "Speak Paladin, you seem to enjoy talking nonsense. What nothing to say now?"
Lance held his breath. He was in place. He could see the Overlord and all three of the others from his vantage in the ceiling. All he had to do was activate the radio. The particle barrier would drop Hunk would attack, and bang, bang, bang, Lance would take out the bad guys. But the moment he did that the one hunting him would know exactly where he was. Or if he mouthed off to the bad guy again, or dropped something, or made a noise, or too many ors too many possibilities. What would the hero do?
"I'll make it easy? Speak or I break this one in two?" the Overlord held Keith off the ground in front of him again.
"I didn't really think Keith would be playing the part of Holly." Lance pressed the button.
"More of your nonsense will not save you or him." The Overlord moved his other hand to break Keith's neck when a shot silenced him. A hole between his eyes ended any further observations. He dropped Keith who feel with a groan, barely conscious.
A loud noise from outside indicated the approach of the Nitomian army and Yellow. Before the others had a chance to react - bang, bang, bang - and Lance's job was done.
The creature behind him didn't even make a sound as she drove a knife into Lance's back. Lance screamed and tried to roll over to get away and bring his rifle to bear. There wasn't room and the creature held him in place.
"I will take you with me. The others may be gone, but I will return to the Galra with you as my prize and I will be rewarded." She slammed Lance's head into the vent until he stopped struggling. She then proceeded to drag the blue paladin through the vent system back the way she came. With the particle barrier down, she only had to make it to the ship they had hidden in the Yellow Lion's hanger. It had been ingenious to use their inside man to discover the details of the trials being conducted. When the security was down to begin the test, they snuck their own cloaked ship in as the Yellow Lion exited. They were then in position to trap the Lions before making any moves on the rest of the Paladins. The Overlord may have been the figurehead, but he was not the only brains in the operation.