The first thing Matt realized about the Galran was that Keith seemed to be afraid of him.
Even in his semi-conscious state, Keith flinched away from him, eyebrows furrowing. Mira looked down at the frail body in her arms and her mother-hen instincts clearly began kicking in. She clutched him tighter to her chest, glaring at the Galran.
Matt opened his mouth to speak - a taunt, a demand, he wasn't sure - but Uua beat him to it. He squared his spindly shoulders and took a step forward, moving one long arm to fling in front of Matt and Mira protectively.
"Big talk from a Galran," he taunted. "Think you're going to stop us?"
The Galran tilted his head. "I could break your body in half with one of my hands."
"I'd like to see you try." Uua shot back without skipping a beat.
Part of Matt wanted to tell Uua to shut up. To stop irritating the already furious Galran in front of him. The other part of Matt was working out a half-baked plan as he surveyed the area around him.
They only had a few minutes before the bomb on the blast furnace went off.
They had to be off the ship before that happened.
Matt observed the Galran. He was twice their height and probably triple their body mass. Taking him down would not be easy. Especially since they were going into the fight with an injured Paladin, Matt's three-foot metal staff, and Uua's on the fly weapons.
Think. Matt thought desperately.
Keith whimpered pathetically in Mira's arms. The Galran's gaze shot to him almost instantly and Mira curled her arms even tighter around his broken body. The metal prosthetic dug into her arm.
"Do you even know who you hold there?" The Galran asked, a sneer curling over his fangs.
"Yes," Mira said. "A part of our last hope to save the universe from you."
The Galran was not impressed. "What you hold is a prisoner. A broken, worthless boy. One that may have once been a Paladin, and now he is nothing. Just a half breed with no purpose."
Keith, still half-conscious and covered in blood, shrank at the words.
"Oh shut up," Uua snapped, peeking at his wristwatch.
Three minutes, fifty-eight seconds.
Matt swallowed the rising panic. With the Galran blocking the access point, hacking the door open was out of the question. He wouldn't be able to get to it without going through a solid wall of muscle, so he had to turn to other alternatives.
But what?
The Galran's blood-covered hands were twitching slightly. It was only a matter of seconds now until he pounced, tearing all three of them - and possibly Keith too - to shreds. At this rate the only option would be to hold out until the bomb on the blast furnace went off-
Matt froze.
The bomb.
Bombs. Uua.
He turned a wild gaze to Uua and made exaggerated eye contact, flicking his gaze between Uua's and the knapsack on Uua's back.
I can buy you enough time, Matt hoped Uua understood. Just make a bomb and blast us the hell out.
Uua nodded once. Short and stiff, but it was enough. Matt took a step forward and reached behind him to unclick his staff from his belt. It extended to its full length by Matt's side and Matt's grip around it tightened. He knew the incoming fight was going to hurt like hell but he couldn't let anything happen to Uua, Mira, or Keith.
The Galran's gaze snapped to Matt and something unnerving grew in the pit of his yellow eyes. His lips twitched, tongue reaching out to lick his lips. Matt suppressed a shudder.
"Trying to protect your friends?" The Galran sneered. "How disgustingly brave."
Matt ignored him, still thinking fast. In the split second he had before Uua's bomb would go off and suck them all into space, he had to get over to Keith and shove his helmet over his head so he wouldn't suffocate. It would be close, but Matt was sure he'd be able to do it.
In preparation, Matt pulled the helmet off of his head and handed it Mira. She made a face but accepted it.
The Galran sneered. "What is your name, foolish boy?"
"Fuck you," Matt answered steadily, hoping his voice sounded stronger than he felt. The Galran's face morphed into an ugly sneer. Behind Matt, Uua started digging in his knapsack.
"I am Laynek," said the Galran. "And I will be the last thing that you ever see."
For a moment, Matt felt his heart skip a beat. The threat - while overdone and cliche in a normal situation - was so utterly terrifying coming from a seven-foot alien made of muscle.
Instead of letting his confidence waver, Matt set his thoughts to his friends behind him. Uua, desperately tangling wires together, Mira who clutched a broken Keith to her chest.
Keith.
Another victim of a senseless war. A boy who had given everything and lost everything in return.
Matt suddenly felt inexplicably angry.
"I'd like to see you try." He snarled.
Laynek was upon him in an instant. Matt had time to lift his staff to parry the large claw that came in to gouge his side, sending vibrations all up and down Matt's arms from the strength of the blow. He took an unsteady step backward to keep his balance. Fuschia blood smeared all up and down the metal.
Matt changed his center of gravity and pushed back, teeth gritted. Balancing on one leg he delivered a powerful kick to Laynek's chest. The Galran did little more than release his grip on Matt's staff, but it was enough. Matt used all his strength to push his hands to the bottom half of his staff and hit Laynek across the face with a horrifying crack.
Laynek stumbled back. Purple blood oozed from his nose. His yellow eyes gleamed with rage and bloodlust. Matt squared his stance, the bottom of his staff clanging against the floor as Matt slammed it down, standing in front of his friends with his shoulders drawn.
"You're not going to hurt them," he snarled. "You won't hurt him."
Keith stirred in Mira's arms.
Laynek roared. He charged forward with all the grace of a full-grown rhinoceros and slammed into Matt. He met the Galran's charge head-on with his staff held level with his chest and wrestled with the strong grip. Unfortunately, Matt had misjudged Laynek's footwork and found himself lifted off the ground, his weapon in Laynek's hand.
Matt clung into his staff as Laynek whirled him around. The wind whistled in his ears as Laynek released him. Matt had time to curse all his life decisions before he slammed against the wall. The wind was knocked out of him with his strangled gasp, something in his hip popping with the contact. Matt hit the ground with a dull thud.
Laynek threw aside Matt's staff. It fell elsewhere with a loud clang, out of sight. Matt blinked furiously, trying to clear his blurry vision. A hulking purple mass was now approaching him, fuschia covering its hands.
Get up! Matt told himself furiously, but his body seemed to be refusing any commands he gave it. His heart rate quickened.
"You are a fool," snarled Laynek. "A fool who will die."
Matt blinked again. His vision cleared in time to see the fuschia-covered claw come down for his chest. Matt rolled, scrambling away. The claw missed, digging deep into Matt's calf instead.
Matt let out a loud scream as Laynek tore the flesh away, embedding his claws into the floor. Dark red blood was now staining Matt's pants as he dragged himself away. Crimson smeared across the floor, following Matt as he looked around desperately for his staff.
It was there, in the corner next to the door. Matt had to ignore the agony coursing through his leg as he forced himself to get up. Laynek charged once more at Matt and he tucked and rolled, his injury pulsing with the movement as he somersaulted and pulled up in a crouch. Laynek barreled by as Matt kept moving, ducking down and grabbing his staff. Blood smeared across the floor.
With a well-practiced strike, Matt snapped the staff into Laynek's face as he approached. The heavy metal struck Laynek's neck, sending him stumbling a few steps sideways. Matt pulled the staff close to him once more as Laynek grunted, holding the impact point with one blood-covered hand.
Matt glanced at Uua. A half-made bomb was in one of his hands, wires in the other.
His wristwatch read: one dobash, twenty-seven ticks.
Fuck.
Laynek's body slammed into Matt's. Blood from his leg splattered into the wall as Matt collided with it. He let out a pained cry, wrestling with the weight that was now resting wholly on his staff. The metal creaked as Laynek increased pressure on the weapon. It began bending at the middle.
"Die," snarled Laynek.
The staff snapped in half.
Matt's head smashed backward as the momentum of the breakage caused it to hit him directly in the nose. He felt his nose snap, the bones cleave themselves in two, as the jagged edges of the staff halves gouged themselves into his face.
Matt screamed.
Several long lines, blood seeping from them, now marred his face. Blood dripped off his chin as his broken nose pulsed and was now clearly hanging in a way it wasn't supposed to.
Matt dropped the two halves of the staff. Blood-covered and broken, they rolled away. Laynek grabbed Matt by the neck and squeezed, decidedly cutting off Matt's air supply. He choked, his arms flailing at Laynek's thick hand and tried to pry him off. Laynek's grip only tightened.
Matt had time to wonder if Laynek was trying to suffocate him or pop his head off at the neck, when a weak whisper that seemed so much louder than it actually was echoed across his fading consciousness.
"No…"
Laynek's head snapped towards the source. Matt did the same, one eye lidded shut.
Mira was looking down at Keith in surprise. His mangled arm was reaching out to Matt. Blood matted in his hairline and amethyst eyes were tired but awake and aware.
Laynek seethed.
He dropped Matt onto the ground. Matt keeled over, coughing and hacking, trying desperately to get oxygen back into his lungs. Blood dripped from his cheeks and face onto the floor, speckling the purple ground red.
Laynek marched towards Mira and Keith, murder in his eyes. Mira held Keith tighter to his chest, literally hissing at Laynek as her fur stood on end.
"Don't touch him-"
Laynek batted her away like a fly. Keith fell from her arms and hit the ground with a thud. He whimpered, the prosthetic arm landing first. Mira let out a scream of protective rage as Laynek grabbed Keith by the head and slammed it into the ground.
"You foolish, pathetic Paladin!" He snarled. "You don't know the trouble you've caused here today-"
"Paladin," Keith repeated, cutting across Laynek. He looked at Matt, face marred by the bloody lines in his cheeks. He tilted his head, recognition sparking in his eyes, and clearly seemed to gather what was going on. A smirk pulled at his lips. A ghost of his former one but still there. "I like the sound of that."
Laynek roared with rage. Mira did the same, flinging her body into Laynek and toppling him off of Keith. The two rolled, Mira spitting and hissing as she slashed at Laynek with her claws.
Laynek pinned her to the floor with two enormous hands, drawing blue blood from her skin. Keith, now unconscious once more, slumped on the ground, blood pooling around him. Matt, clutching his nose and slathering blood all over his hands, reached for the more jagged half of his broken staff.
Matt grasped it, stumbling to his feet. Mira let out a scream as Laynek began to dig deep wounds into her neck.
Matt came up from behind Laynek, eyeing the gap in his armor at the nape of his neck. He gripped the piece of the staff in his hand and made eye contact with Mira.
A smirk spread across Mira's face, blue blood staining her fangs. Laynek followed her gaze and made to turn, but he was too late.
With a loud guttural roar that made his own ears ring, Matt threw his arms downward. He poured everything from the battle into the one swing - the fear, the pain, the anger - and dug the staff into Laynek's neck.
Purple blood sprayed Matt's face and hands. Laynek bellowed , loud and filled with agony, and released Mira. He slumped over sideways, yellow eyes filling with anger before they fell shut. Matt stepped backward, breathing heavily as he looked at the half of the staff sticking out of Laynek's neck.
Uua paused in his bomb-making, looking over at Laynek's downed body and then down at his wristwatch. His eyes widened.
"Oh shit."
A second later, there was a vicious explosion. Followed by another, and another, and another.
The bomb on the blast furnace had gone off.
"Fuck!" Matt turned to Uua, his eyes widening. "Uua-"
Uua was already on top of it. He reeled his arm back and threw the bomb he'd just made as hard as he could. Matt made a break for Keith, shoving the helmet over his raven locks and dug his head into the younger boy's chest, sucking in a deep breath through his lungs.
The bomb exploded.
The doors burst open and Matt felt a sucking sensation as he flew off of his feet. He kept his eyes tightly shut as he was pulled out into space, tumbling over himself. The coldness of space stung his wounds, blood freezing on his face. He held onto Keith the entire time, refusing to let him go.
Matt vaguely registered arms wrapping around him and pulling him up as he risked opening his eyes.
Mira was carrying him, blue blood freezing on her neck and turning into crystals. She was using her jetpack to shoot them towards the rebel ship high above them. Below, the Galra ship began to explode, soundlessly turning the hull into little more than debris.
Matt's lungs burned as they kept going. He used all his strength to clutch onto Keith as he realized just how much he hurt. His leg pulsed like it had a heartbeat, and the jagged lines on his face and broken nose were absolute agony.
He choked, convulsing in Mira's arms as he fought the urge to suck in a breath. His throat closed, vision going dark at the edges. He forced himself to stay awake, holding Keith to his chest. He couldn't let Keith go. He couldn't, he couldn't.
Uua opened the cargo hold of the ship by pressing his hand to the scanner. He shot inside, offering one long arm to Mira. She grasped it, holding Matt by his wrist. Matt squeezed his eyes shut, his mind going fuzzy with the lack of oxygen, and then there was rush of air and a thud as gravity returned.
He sucked in a deep breath, coughing loudly as he finally allowed himself to release Keith. He trembled with cold, adrenaline finally leaving his body as he let out a low keen. He never thought he'd be so grateful for air.
He looked beside him, his ears ringing from the sudden influx of noise from the silence of space.
Keith lay next to him, his hair spread around him in Matt's helmet like a messy halo. His breathing was steady and sure.
He was alive. He was safe.
Matt rolled over, continuing to breathing air into his lungs. He felt like laughing, crying, and screaming all at the same time. He was in absolute agony, but the relief that washed over him at the prospect that despite all the odds being stacked against them, they had won.
They'd gotten Keith back.
He let out a strangled laugh despite himself, warm tears pricking at his eyes. "We did it," he said hoarsely.
"We did," Uua agreed.
Mira turned to Matt, fury blazing in her eyes. "What were you thinking?! You could have died!"
"I don't know," Matt shrugged, glancing at Keith. The steady rise of and fall of his chest was reward enough for him. "But...I don't regret it in the slightest."
Uua helped Matt stand. The world spun around him as he was hit with a massive wave of vertigo, but it passed soon enough. He leaned against the wall as Mira lifted Keith into her arms again to tuck him into a makeshift bed the other team had apparently pre-prepared for Keith in the cargo bay.
"I'll go contact Ryner and Voltron," Uua said. "Let's tell them the good news."
Never in his life had Shiro been more anxious.
The rebel operation to save Keith should have commenced today. Whether they succeeded or failed was all in the hands of fate now.
Shiro absolutely hated it.
He hated the fact that they had to turn to the rebels for help. It wasn't as though he was ungrateful for the help (on the contrary he'd never been more grateful) but he felt as though he should have been the one out there risking his life to save Keith. He had a responsibility to, as Keith's surrogate older brother and best friend. As the leader.
Lance sat beside Shiro, bouncing his leg nervously. Pidge paced in circles and Allura checked for transmissions obsessively with Coran. Hunk was fidgeting with a series of wires, putting them together and then taking them apart again.
The tension in the room was unbearable. No one spoke. No one offered words of comfort other than tender looks and small smiles.
Shiro held his breath, waiting, waiting.
Waiting for something to happen.
The console began beeping. Allura gasped, her hands flying to it immediately. Coran brought up the image and a screen appeared over the endless expanse of stars they'd been looking at for four hours. Shiro stood, Lance beside him as the team all drew together.
An unfamiliar purple alien with long spindly limbs sat in the cockpit of a tiny rebel ship. He looked a little worse for wear as Ryner appeared on the screen as well, looking just as anxious as the rest of Team Voltron.
"Uua," Ryner spoke. "How'd it go?"
The alien (apparently named Uua) glanced behind him. He seemed anxious and tired, like he'd seen a million things he wasn't supposed to. He turned back to the screen, his shoulders slumping. With relief or defeat, Shiro wasn't sure.
He held his breath.
And then...Uua smiled.
His lips quirked upward into a sincere grin as he surveyed the Paladins through the transmission. Shiro felt his breath catch in his throat.
"The mission was a success," Uua said. "We have him."
Lance let out a relieved cheer, throwing his arms around Pidge and Hunk. The two of them squeezed back, shoulders slumping.
"We're on our way back to Planet Zaaf as we speak," Uua said. "We'll get someone to treat his wounds and meet Team Voltron there."
"Thank you so much," Allura had lost all her picture of regality. She had her hand over her heart, kaleidoscope eyes swimming with tears. "I... we cannot thank you enough for what you have done for us."
"Just free the universe, okay?" Uua gave them an easygoing grin.
"After this?" Lance was grinning. "We'll save the universe and then some."
Uua's expression softened.
"Good work, Uua," Ryner said. "This mission could not have been possible without you or your brave teammates."
Uua frowned. "We lost some, though."
"What?"
"The other team. They were ambushed by a Galran," Uua explained. "One of them managed to warn us about him, so we were prepared when he found us too. We managed to fight him off. The other team...wasn't so lucky. They died in action." He hung his head, looking mournful. Ryner bit her lip.
"We'll...be sure to have a proper memorial for them," she said. "Their service was invaluable."
Uua lowered his head in respect. "I'll look forward to meeting Team Voltron on Zaaf."
"Of course," Shiro's voice trembled. "We want to thank you and your team personally." The others murmured in agreement.
Uua nodded and gave them one last tender smile. The transmission flickered away, and Allura turned to Coran.
"Set a course for Planet Zaaf," she said. "Let's go bring Keith home."
Shiro fell to his knees, relief half strangling him half lifting the weight from his shoulders. He felt hot tears prickling at his eyes as the rest of the team crowded around him, hugging each other with all the strength they could manage.
Shiro would be lying if he said he didn't cry right then and there.
Gah! Finally! They've gotten Keith out!
He's not quite home yet, and he absolutely has a shit ton of demons to work through, but he's out. And cuddles at an ending? God yes, count me in. Shiro deserves to cry after all the tension he's gone through in the last few days.
Okay, story time. I was going to kill Mira off this chapter! Laynek was going to either strangle her or just straight up stab her, and then Matt would have gotten angrier, but I'm actually happy with the way it ended up turning out. Matt needed someone to help him to the ship, and I'm glad it was Mira.
Thank you so much for reading! I can't emphasize how much your continued support and love means to me. I love reading all of your little comments and reactions, and it makes me smile with every single one I get. You all mean so much to me and I'm so glad you're reading and enjoying the nonsense that I put out.
LilyTheNinjaGirl: It did seem a bit too easy to me too, hence why I added the Laynek fight here. I just wanted to keep some kind of tension in the breakout because the stakes are so high. And Matt's hair was just a way for me to justify why the FUCK HE HAD CUT IT IN S8 WHY WOULD HE DO THAT YHUJK. And thank you so much for the compliment about my writing! 3 I try to edit every chapter before I post it, so hopefully, that work somewhat shows. Thank you for reading!
Moonview: Is Laynek dead? Is he not? I'll never tell :) And Haggar still has plans for him, even after Keith's gotten out
Saany: They did escape, thank God. But, there's still a lot more recovery to be had and the team has to reunite with their very emotionally scarred brother
SamS14: Thank you so much! :D
Angel of the Honey Bees: God I cannot thank you enough for the amazingly long reviews you leave every chapter. They're always a gift to read and make my day! Okay, onwards to the reply! Thank you so so so much for the compliment about my writing. I'm always super self-conscious about the stuff I work on and put out here, but encouragement like that is what allows me to continue. Hopefully you made it here to chapter 14! Matt's hair struggles have always been somewhat of a personal headcanon of mine. Especially after the ending of S8 where he cut his hair! Although, personally, I think Matt with long hair is always a gift to the world. In the canon universe, Matt struck me as an unusually upbeat character, especially in the way that he got along with Pidge and Shiro and how he just seemed so light-hearted. I wanted to incorporate that as best I could in this story, so hopefully I've done his wonderful character justice. Honestly, there could be a spinoff of Matt's experiences as a Galra prisoner and as a rebel and I would be all for it. As for poor Keith, he's still not quite out of the woods yet. There's a little problem involving Uua next chapter that'll come to light. And Keith's arm, specifically, is going to be a huge buffer in his healing process, but when he does finally accept it I hope that scene will be just as powerful. I've got a lot of plans for it. As for Keith's other arm...it's in bad shape, but it will be okay, buuut in the best way it can be okay. If that makes any sort of sense. This poor family has been torn every which way and destroyed and put back together so many times. I can't say I'm sorry for putting them through so much emotional distress, but I'm not. And they did all end up escaping, fortunately! Not without heavy mental scars, a gouged-open leg, a broken nose, and staff-gashes, but they're all out! And Uua and Mira were both so fun to write and create, I'm kind of sad they won't have a bigger role after the team arrives to pick up Keith. But honestly, I might add them in for the finale just for kicks :) And yeah, the Keith-captured arc is pretty much over. Now he has to deal with the repercussions of what he's been through and work through it with the help of his space family. And Matt's reaction to poor Keith honestly made my stomach roll a little. Because what Matt's remembered of Keith is this tiny, determined kid who refused to give in. Now he just looks so small and broken, that Matt's really surprised and heartbroken to see someone who'd once been so strong look so weak, if that makes any sense. And yes! Matt would immediately know that the bond between Keith and Shiro transcended universes and Keith wouldn't give up and accept the Garrison's excuse lying down. He'd go up and find the truth and get himself into a lot of trouble while he was at it. Thank you for leaving such a long, wonderful review. I love picking them apart and responding to them and they never fail to make me smile when I read them for the very first time. In all honesty, I was surprised by the extra-long length! It was such a pleasent surprise, honestly, and made my entire day. Thank you so so so much for reading and reviewing, hopefully you can make it to chapter 15. I'll see you next Saturday! :D