Chapter ten: Many Locations, Same Destination
"Coast is clear." Lance reported, he was in full-on sniper mode, holding his blaster at the ready. Romelle stuck close behind him, a little weary if their surroundings.
"What do you think is down here?" Romelle asked nervously.
"At this point... anything." Lance responded simply, seeming a little distracted. He had to stay sharp. After those creatures' attacks, he was prepared for anything else that would decide to come after them.
A fist burst through a wall, the glowing pink fading to be replaced with the all too familiar darkness. Allura gazed into the darkness and strode down it, to search for a way out.
Keith stood stalk-still about to peer around a bend in the main tunnel. Stealing a quick look, he saw no one there so he continued on.
"Ok, come on." He said, motioning to Cosmo. The static in his com fluctuated into a voice.
"Hello? Does anyone copy, over."
"Pidge!! Pidge, it's me,.. Keith!"
"Keith?" The static cracked again. "Yes I'm here!! What happened to everyone?!"
"It's so good to hear your voice!!" Keith sighed happily. "Where are you? Have you heard from the others?"
"No, but I have Coran with me. I've been trying to reach you and the others. But I think something is interfering with our communication systems. We seem to have been teleported to another cave in the tunnel systems down here."
"Pidge?" Hunk's voice could be heard through the staticky coms.
"Hunk!" Keith cried with relief. "Are you ok?"
"Yeah I'm good, Krolia too."
"Guys?!" The Blue Paladin could finally hear them.
"Lance!!" Hunk and Pidge exclaimed together.
"Romelle too." Lance confirmed. "What happened?!"
"I don't know, but we must be close to each other, which is why we can finally hear each other." Keith guessed. "The walls of the caves must have some components that limit our communication range."
"Paladins!! I can hear you!! Are you alright?!" The Princess was so relieved to hear their voices.
"Allura!! Thank goodness!" Keith was elated to hear her voice cut through the static.
"Great, so everyone's alright." Hunk concluded.
"Actually no." Pidge corrected. "Has anyone heard from Shiro?" Keith's eyes widened in realization.
"Shiro? Shiro, can you hear me? Shiro?!" Keith called desperately over the com. The other end sounded fuzzy, but no voice came from it. "Nothing." Keith spat in frustration.
"That doesn't mean anything." Lance reminded him quickly. "He could have, lost his helmet or is unconscious or maybe he's somewhere beyond our scanner's reach."
"No, this is bad!" Pidge corrected him intensely. "Really bad. We have to find him now. Before it's too late!"
"Too late? Why?" Keith was confused.
"When we did our diagnostics on Shiro's arm before reattachment we missed something."
"What?"
"A crystal."
"No we didn't," Allura recalled. "We found the Galra crystal and figured out that it was the power source for Shiro's arm."
"Yes, but we missed the Altean crystal."
"What?!" The team gasped together.
"How do you know this?" Keith asked defensively.
"A 3D scan I did on Shiro's arm before putting it back on." Pidge reported.
"And you're just telling us this now?!" Lance was frustrated.
"I'm sorry but the scan didn't come back til now."
"So what does that mean?" Lance's tone lowered.
"It means whoever controlled the clone still has a way to do it. And can destroy him if they desire to." Allura explained gravely.
"Then we need to find him and each other before that happens." Keith decided with determination.
Shiro was frozen, as if his feet were glued to the ground. A blue energy spread like veins in a special pattern on the ground around him. A giant symbol perhaps, one with which he didn't recognize at all. The blue light intensified, as it spread even more. The energy seemed to float up in small bubbles, even passing up through his body. He suddenly felt restored, his realization was interrupted by the light becoming a big flash. He was then engulfed in this bright light which blinded him, and he shielded his eyes.
Lance and Romelle snuck around another bend, and something did come to meet them. "A dead end." Lance sighed.
"Same here." Pidge reported. Placing her palm on the rock wall in front of her.
"Mine is as well." Allura observed.
"Yep," Hunk stared at the wall before him.
"Yeah mine too." Keith said, putting a hand to the rock wall blocking him in.
"So now what?" Lance asked the group.
"Is there anyway to break through?" Keith questioned studying the grooves in the rock.
"We don't even know what's on the other side." Pidge reminded them.
"Or if there is an other side." Hunk added. Keith put an ear to the wall.
"Sound." He whispered to himself. "Can anyone else hear something on the other side of the wall?" Keith inquired. The other Paladins also listened carefully.
"I can hear something!" Pidge was surprised.
"Me too." Hunk realized.
"Yeah, me too." Lance agreed. "I think there might be a way to break through."
"Yeah," Hunk and Pidge agreed in unison. They four Paladins drew their bayards and Keith laid a hand on Cosmo's head and neck.
"Everybody ready?!" Keith began. "One, two, three!" Hunk and Lance shot their bayard blasters, Pidge and Allura shot their cable bayards and pulled down the rocks, and Keith and Cosmo teleported through the wall.
"Shiro!!" Keith saw Shiro immediately, he ran hastily to him as the others emerged from the dust. Shiro grabbed Keith's forearm with his left hand and pulled himself up. He coughed as he recovered himself.
"Shiro?" Keith was confused. "Doesn't that hurt? I thought your arm was broken."
"It is, I-" Shiro froze. He looked at his and flexed with his palm facing him. He pressed against his side, no pain?!
"Shiro?" Lance was beginning to freak out again.
"I'm fine." Shiro breathed. "I'm fine! It- it doesn't hurt anymore!!" He was astounded by this. He flexed his hand again. "Amazing!... I feel great!!" The team smiled, all but Hunk.
"Wait, wait, hold on a second." He gestured with his hands in front of his body. "How did this happen? We've been separated for what? Ten minutes? How is he suddenly better. And where exactly is here?" Allura stepped forward and placed a hand on Shiro's shoulder, it glowed blue for a second then faded away again.
"He's been alchemically restored." The Princess told them.
"By who?" Lance wondered suspiciously. Just then, an evil laugh echoed around them, one they recognized all too well.
"So, you did decide to fall into my trap." Haggar appeared before them just a few yards from their position. The Paladins drew their bayards, ready to fight. Shiro activated his arm was well. The witch just scowled at him.
"You should have left when you had the chance!" She snarled. She lifted her hand up outstretching it towards them. Dark energy glowed from her palm, Shiro felt something happening but wasn't unsure of what. His arm glowed purple as though something had taken a hold of it. Haggar magically dragged him closer to her.
"Shiro!!" Keith screamed. Haggar dropped Shiro on the ground halfway between the Paladins and herself, his hand still glowing. He suddenly felt her inside his head, he held his head in his hands trying to fight it.
"You cannot resist for long." Haggar told him increasing her influence.
"Fight it, Shiro!!" Keith cried, feeling powerless. His entire right arm was engulfed in a bright purple light. Keith's eyes widened in recognition, "No." Shiro's arm transformed as it had when he fought the clone. The influence of Haggar overwhelming him. Keith hurried to him, Keith stood about a foot from him. "Shiro!" He coaxed, hoping he could fight the Witch's power. Shiro's eyes turned Galra purple.
"No?!" He cried, feeling Haggar's influence consume him. And without warning, he attacked Keith sending him back toward the team.
"Shiro?!" Lance was horrified by his.
"He is mine now." Haggar told him as Shiro stood up again. Shiro cried out and hunched over again.
"Lance!!" He groaned through the witch's control. "Go... run... now!!!!" He knelt down and picked up a rock. Thrusting it at Haggar she deflected it. He fell to his knees feeling a little relief. "Get-..out-..of-..here?!" He told the others, through gritted teeth.
"We're not leaving here without you!!" Keith insisted. Suddenly a rumbling noise made everyone look up. The wall from which Keith and Cosmo had teleported through burst open. And from it, emerged the lions of Voltron, there to rescue their Paladins and their allies.
"You are a fool if you think your lions will stop me." Haggar spat her eyes glowing that sinister yellow. And then from the ground below, just behind the witch, the Granipede emerged with a loud roar. And joining it, were those strange bug creatures that had separated them earlier.
"Oh no." Keith breathed, his eyes wide with fear.
The end is near! Laeve
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