Disclaimer: I don't own VLD!
A/N: There's a LOT going on in this chapter. So much to deal with. So many emotions. Also, if anyone is curious about Matt and his crew and how the Voltron crew got Shiro back, I've got a story up about it called The Incredibly Improbable But True Adventures of Matthew J. Holt, Rebel at Large. ^_^
Chapter 7
Lance wanted to reach through the screen and throttle the pointy-eared, smug bastard. This was the guy who was currently in charge of keeping the Galra Empire from sinking into the oblivion it deserved. Lotor. Lance recognized him from some vids that Matt had shown them weeks ago. Matt's crew had dealt with him and his hands-on, direct approach before he disappeared from their quadrant of space, but it seemed like he had been busy while he was missing.
It made Lance sick to think that this guy was currently in control of Theo, Josie and Isaia, and since he was thousands of light years away, he could hurt them without any immediate repercussions. Anxiety twisted through him, but he didn't let it show on his face. If he could help it, he wasn't going to show this asshole a single ounce of how scared he was.
His anger, however, was another story. He wanted Lotor to know the lengths he would go, the destruction he would cause, if it meant getting to Josie and Theo.
"You have our siblings, and we want them back," Hunk said, his voice tense but firm. The two of them were standing closest to the screen, and Shiro was standing right behind them. Pidge was sitting out of view at her contact station, keeping the signal scrambled, while Keith stayed next to Hunk. Coran and Allura had taken up spots next to Lance, and he was grateful that the whole Voltron family was there.
"I expected as much," Lotor said, "My terms are simple."
"Where are they?" Lance butted in, glaring at the alien on the screen. "Are they okay?" A dark thought stabbed into his mind: Are they all alive? Before he could panic, he forced it away.
Lotor's jaundiced eyes locked onto him and narrowed. "I was speaking."
"Yeah, I sort of don't care," Lance snapped, "I want to see my brother and sister."
A hand rested on his shoulder and squeezed, a silent note from Shiro. He needed to keep his cool and be careful about pissing off Lotor.
"I am going to put forth a rule, as I am in the position of making them and you are not. While I speak, you do not. I will give you chances to respond, so use those moments wisely." He leaned forward, an elbow on one knee, his eyes hard and unforgiving. "Don't break my rule, or you will swiftly regret doing so."
Lance didn't say anything, but his face grew hot with rage and frustration at being forcefully silenced and not being given an answer. He wasn't going to be able to focus on anything this guy said until he knew that Josie and Theo and Isaia were at least still alive, that there was some hope.
A quiet, muffled sound was picked up by the speakers. It sounded a little like coughing or someone trying to hide a cough. Lotor's eyebrow twitched subtly, as if annoyed, then he continued speaking.
"Do you understand my rule?"
"We get it," Hunk said, glancing at Lance for confirmation. The blue paladin jerked a nod. He could do that.
"As I was saying," Lotor continued, leaning back against his throne, "There are certain requirements that must be met before any hostage is released into your care." He seemed to be quietly enjoying himself and arrogance rolled off of him. "First, three of the Voltron Lions must be handed over to the Galra Empire in order to see the return of three hostages."
That one was basically a given. Obviously he would want the lions, though it seemed strange that he only wanted three. They wouldn't be able to form Voltron, but they would at least still have two lions.
"Second, to ensure the continued existence of your home world as you know it, paladins, you will relinquish the remaining two Lions."
Hold on, the continued existence of Earth? What was he talking about? Lance exchanged a nervous look with Hunk, and Shiro took a small step forward. Keith's head jerked up. Out of the corner of his eye, Lance saw Pidge go wide-eyed.
Lotor rested his hands on the arms of his throne. "I see you're confused, so allow me to explain. Currently, I have battle class ships hidden in your solar system and waiting for orders. If my terms are not met, they will be given the assignment of invading Earth and subjugating and enslaving the population. Your families are marked for particular attention, and I do believe my acquisition of the young shows I know exactly where to find them."
Lance felt like he had been kicked in the stomach. Kidnapping Josie and Theo and Isaia had been for show? Just an example of the power he had over all of them? Lotor knew their families. He knew where to find them. And now everyone was in danger, the Galra were poised at the ready to practically wipe out Earth. It could become just another world that was a part of the Galra's collection or even a quintessence extraction point.
The thought made him want to scream.
"Third, to keep your own lives, before you give the Galra Empire the Lions you will use Voltron to destroy the Castle of Lions."
Beside Lance, Coran and Allura tensed.
"You can keep the Alteans, I suppose, but the Castle must be decimated in order for the terms to be met. If all of these measures are completed, I will allow you all to live out the remainder of your lives on Earth in peace as long as you do not attempt to defy the empire. Galra rule will not be enforced on Earth until all of you have expired." Lotor paused for a moment and then gestured toward them with a lazy hand. "You may now respond with brief questions and acquiescence."
"What happens if we don't do that?" Keith asked.
Okay, now he felt like punching Keith, too.
"Or what if we only do one of those?" Keith continued, violet eyes trained on the Galra prince, "What if we just give you three lions?" Oh. A small part of him understood that reasoning, even if it would never work. That would get them the kids back and they could maybe still fight, though it would put Earth in a crazy amount of danger.
"Then your lives and the Earth are forfeit, but you get three hostages back and still have two Lions and a Castle," Lotor said, "It would be entertaining to see you continue to fight with only a head, an arm of Voltron, and one ancient battleship."
"When would you want all of this done by?" Shiro asked, "You must have a timeline in mind."
"I believe that would depend on which three hostages you would like returned."
Silence fell over the Voltron crew, and Lance leaned forward, his hands braced on the console. Who else did Lotor have? Was it another one from his family?
"Can we see them?" Hunk asked, his voice quiet but trembling with anger. "If you're going to try and make us choose, we should at least know who we're choosing from."
Lotor looked off screen and waved his hand. A pair of Galra guards shoved, dragged, and carried over four people, forcing them to kneel into the space before Lotor's throne.
Theo looked awful. His right eye was surrounded with a black bruise that was starting to fade to yellow and green, and his arm was bandaged up. He was staring back at Lance, his mouth open, fear and disbelief in his eyes. "No way. No." He looked back at Lotor, his arms around Josie. "Stop messing with us!"
As he looked at Josie, panic crawled down Lance's throat and took hold of his chest, making it hard to breathe. She was leaning heavily against Theo, her brown skin pale except for her flushed cheeks, and it looked like she was breathing too quickly. Her eyes were dull but a little light flashed into them and they filled with tears as she lifted her head and looked at him. "Lance!" she squeaked and then broke off into coughing, hiding her mouth with her arm.
Before Lance could say anything, before he could explain or reassure them, Pidge exploded out of her chair. "Dad!" she yelled, launching herself past the rest of them, "Dad!"
Beside Hunk's brother Isaia was an older man that Lance recognized from Pidge's mind-space and from pictures on her phone. Her dad looked a decade older than he did in any of the pictures, and when he raised his head, his eyes whirled and glowed faintly purple. Galra enhancements. He focused on Pidge, confusion on his wrinkled face. "Katie?"
"Dad, it's me, I'm going to get you out of there," Pidge said, tears in her eyes as she rushed the camera.
"No, Katie, what…what are you doing there? Where are you?" Captain Holt sounded like a broken man as he stared back at her, his face contorting. "Why are you there?"
"Captain Holt," Shiro said, shock plain on his face as he moved toward Pidge, "Sir, she's all right, and Matt's safe, he's with friends."
"Shiro...?"
"Look, you Galra asshole, let my dad and those kids go right now, or I swear I will use Green to completely decimate the Galra Empire on my own, so help your pointy ears!"
"Pidge, stop it," Shiro said, putting a hand on her arm and pulling her back. She tried to punch him, but he ducked to the side and grabbed her. "Stop."
"Let go!"
"Hunk, is that really you?" Isaia asked, dark eyes narrowed. He was sitting on Josie's other side, sandwiching her with safety. He had a red-stained bandage around his head, and bruises all over. There was a set of stitches on his leg, and he looked tougher. Battle-hardened at age ten.
"Yeah, bro," Hunk said, his voice cracking, "I'm so sorry, Isaia. We're going to fix this, okay?" He was watching the screen, eyes flicking over Isaia's many wounds. "I'm going to find you, don't worry. Please, just hang in there."
"What's a Voltron?" Isaia asked, "Why are you wearing armor? How aren't you dead, they said you were dead!"
"They are dead, this is fake," Theo snapped, "This is all fake. Josie, don't listen to them."
That was a knife stab straight to Lance's heart. "No, Theo, I'm not, I'm alive," Lance rushed to say, "Josie, I'm not dead, okay? I'm going to come get you, I promise."
"I know," Josie said, a weak smile on her face.
Theo glared at him and then looked away.
Lance couldn't stop looking at Theo and Josie, though he did feel bad for Pidge and Hunk. He was just focused on his siblings, especially because Josie looked so feverish. She wasn't a sickly child, but she was small and the conditions wouldn't be great in a Galra prison. What were they even feeding them? He had to get to her, he had rescue both of them, Josie might… His earlier dark thought raced through his head again, tearing at his composure. They were both alive for now, but the mere idea of losing Josie…
The view jerked up, taking his siblings out of view. Lance clenched his hands into fists at the sight of Lotor.
"Let me see my dad!" Pidge shouted, but Lotor only gave her a glare and off screen there was a grunt of pain from her dad. Immediately, Pidge covered her mouth with her hands and buried her face into Shiro's side, her shoulders shaking with sobs and fury.
"As I said, the timeline will depend on which ones you want. I can't guarantee that they will all be alive for much longer." The Galra looked straight into the view screen, locking eyes with them. "Again, you must fulfill the following stipulations. If you would like three of these hostages returned, the Earth to remain as is, and your own lives, you will use Voltron to destroy the Castle of Lions and then give up the five Lions to the Galra Empire. After the length of two days at this same time, I will look for a contact from you. I expect I already know the answer, but this does give you time to deliberate."
The contact ended, but Lance kept staring at the screen. He just wanted them back.
