Hello All!
The previous chapter had been cut into two parts because, like a moron, I gave it to my over-worked and underpaid editors to be seventeen pages long! (Okay, they get NO pay...but you get my drift!) Anyway, the action is building...Keero is an asshole...and Keith might never get back Allura, even though she still loves him.
Oh, what a tangled web we weave!
But, as with all my chapters....I don't own Voltron...wish I did, then I could do whatever I want with Commander Kogane! (I know, a sick woman's wishful thinking)
I now present...
Chapter Twenty
Romelle is sitting on Allura's bed, listening to the whirlwind events that led her cousin to admit to what she has known Allura has always felt for Keith. Allura has been very forthcoming with the romantic interludes, but has been vague with how far they have gone.
Arching an eyebrow, Romelle states, "Allura, I'm happy for you…but I know that you did more than just kiss him and declare your love for him." Allura turns a bright red and stammers, "What do you mean?"
Romelle smiles, "My dear cousin…it's all over your face if anyone cared to pay attention. You two have made love, haven't you?"
Allura stands then moves over to the window, "It is why his leaving hurt so much. He held me as if nothing could tear us apart, then he just walked away. Being with him is like taking a look into my own soul…it's that profound." She turns back around and Romelle sees tears falling, "Not being able to touch him…not just physically but mentally is killing me…"
She stops at the knock on the door…but doesn't move to answer it. She can sense who it is and moves further into the room. Romelle observes this and goes to answer the door for her. There stands Keith…looking lost and alone. She smiles gently, "I'll leave you two alone." Allura is about to protest, but she stops when she sees Keith enter the room and Romelle leave. They stand there, staring at each other saying nothing. For a brief moment, he wants to lower his block and let her in, but in his misunderstood fear…he backs down.
"I have just spoken to Soren and he explained that vision we had." He waits for some kind of response, but all he gets is, "What did he say?"
"It was a warning…for me. There is something that I must or must not do to prevent it from happening." Keith has to grab his pants leg to make sure that he doesn't do something stupid, like try to touch her. Allura folds her arms for the same reason, "Is that all he told you?"
"No, he said that we have to look out for Haggar. She's the one after you…for your mental powers." She actually looks as if she's interested now, "Nothing of Lotor?"
"No, but I wouldn't count him out of this. I moved practice to eight so that we can get enough sleep. Keero will no longer be a part of the team." He notices her sigh of relief and makes it a point to ask about it later. Allura moves to sit down, but still far across the room, "What did he do? I heard the alarms..."
"He tried to take Black out and Black wouldn't let him. Then, he wanted to threaten us with a reprimand from Galaxy Garrison…something about knowing what was going on between us."
He had to start the subject somehow…I can't just come out and ask; "By the way, do you still love and want me?"
He waits breathlessly for her response.
Allura is reminded of the accusations Keero made in the dining area before the others came in and how there was no way for her to come back. "I never told him anything about us… he was reaching. For him to come at you about it, he was trying the same thing."
"I know…but I found myself struggling to answer the question…"
He moves in closer to her and sees her grip her chair then stand. Allura moves further away until she is blocked by the wall. With nowhere to go, she stares at him…but she's not afraid. She knows he would never physically hurt her…
Keith stalks her, moving with that familiar grace of a panther. Some animalistic urge overwhelms him and he can't help but advance on her. His body is screaming for her…his manhood has hardened to a point of excruciating need. It's been close to two weeks and he can remember how they both were clamoring for each other after a few days. Once he has her cornered, he places a hand at each side of her head and leans in. His body is mere inches away from hers and she can feel his heat…the lions know that it is taking everything in her not to reach out to him. Reason knocks him in the head, reminding him that he had left her…and what happens now is purely up to her. He holds back, resting his forehead on hers…needing this little bit of contact. They can feel their breath on each other and their combined breathing intensifies. "Allura…" he rasps out while he continues to hold himself back from taking this any further. Allura holds her breath, waiting to see what he's going to do…knowing that he's waiting for a signal from her, forgiving him for what he did. And a huge part of her wants to…but that hurt needs retribution. She pulls herself up and stares him in his incredibly expressive eyes. Reaching deep down in the recesses of her soul, she gathers the strength to say, "What are you waiting for…my permission?"
He backs up, feeling a spark of intense anger flowing to him. He should have known… Allura sees him pull back and she pushes against him. Her anger growing, she launches into another verbal attack to rival the last one they had, "What did you think…you were going to come in here and I would fall all over you again? You still haven't told me ANYTHING of why you left and made me feel like what we shared was nothing! GET OUT!!!!"
"I want to tell you…I need to tell you…" he stammers and she screams again, "GET THE HELL OUT!!!!!"
His heart caving in on itself, Keith backs out the room. The avenging Valkyrie is back and she won't let him explain himself. He had hurt her too deeply…and left it that way for far too long. Dejected, he heads to his room and begins to unpack his bag. The small package with his secret flower falls to the floor and he picks it up…placing back into the drawer in the nightstand. This will probably be all that I will ever have from my beautiful princess …and that very thought strikes the very core of him. He lies on the bed and tries to rest…it's time to concentrate on the threat ahead and not what mistakes he made in the past…mistakes he is still wishing that he can have a chance to resolve.
Eight o'clock comes awful quick and the Commander again has had no rest. He rises and takes a quick shower, dressing quickly to head to the control room. The other team members are there, waiting with grins on their faces. "Well, we beat the Commander here…you have been away too long!" says Lance sarcastically.
"Shut up, McClain…now, where is Keero?"
"Don't know…do we really have to have him here?" asks Pidge and Keith nods, "Even if I have taken the position of Commander, he is still part of the Force until the Admiral changes the orders. And he is supposed to be here…"
"So am I…I suspect. Good morning, gentlemen." Keith turns quickly at the voice and watches the Princess jog up behind them in her uniform. "Hey, Princess…good to see you out of your room…" starts Hunk and he's hit in the stomach by both Lance and Pidge. Hunk grunts and rubs his stomach…guess I wasn't supposed to let Keith know about her self-imposed confinement. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get to the lions…" she says happily, but she purposefully avoids Keith. Lance sees the hurt in his eyes and puts a hand on his shoulder, "Doomites first, then we'll handle the rest…it'll all work out."
"You sound like Soren…let's go." And the two friends head down their respective chutes. Keith feels at home in his launchcraft heading to his lion. Once the chairlift places him in the cockpit, he calls out, "Insert keys!" and places his key in the panel. Black fires up and lets out a joyful roar. "Good to be back, buddy…sorry I was an idiot, I won't do it again." He can almost swear that Black purrs before he launches into the air. He smiles as he sends Black into a steep diving twist and Black growls again. "At least you forgive me…think you can talk to Blue and convince her to persuade Allura to at least talk to me?"
The lion rumbles and Keith smiles, "I take that as a no?"
He maneuvers Black into position and the others signal their readiness…but then a blast hits near them, destroying a nearby tree-line.
"What the hell was that?" Lance asks and looks at his scanners.
"Doom fighters, twelve o'clock!" calls Pidge and they move out of their formation to engage. Keith calls Castle Control, "Coran, what are we looking at?"
"There are two full squadrons of fighters and three cruisers entering the airspace. They are engaging blasters!" calls Coran.
"Okay, team…fire up missile bays and engage the fighters! Each lion takes a quadrant and keep the ground damage to a minimum."
"Right!" is the collective response and the lions fly off to their respective targets. Black stays close to Blue, while Red, Yellow, and Green head back toward the castle. Coran watches the ensuing battle and calls out commands to the rest of the castle guards. "Man turrets on each tower and await my signal. Sensor control…let me know when those cruisers do anything!"
"Yes, sir." Replies the soldiers before they run off to their new stations. With all the hustle and bustle going on, Coran doesn't notice Keero moving his way down West Wing. His mission now is to find something on any of the members of the Voltron Force…anything that can give him some kind of leverage over them. Still seething from the putdown by Keith, he almost runs into a beautiful woman exiting her room.
"Excuse me…" and he freezes. "What the fuck…Katia?"
Katia almost screams, being startled by a stranger, but she looks at his face and truly becomes afraid. "Keero? What….how….?"
"I could ask you the same. You were in Lotor's harem the last time I saw you," he supplies with a sardonic smile. She frowns and returns, "And the last time I saw you…you were training for the Doom security detail…what happened, not Drule enough for them?"
He grabs her and pins her to the wall, "Actually, I was a part of an escape plan that succeeded. I made my way to Earth and they felt that with my intelligence and skills, I would be a perfect shoe-in for the Academy…now, here I am."
Her face contorts into one of disgust, "That means…you're the new Commander?"
He smiles evilly, "That's right…and to earn my rightful spot, I have to eliminate some obstacles…you now being one of them." Keero tries to move her, but she starts to fight…trying to scream. He hits her across the face and she slumps in his arms. Presing the button to open her room door, he takes her back in. Throwing her on the bed, he looks around the room for something to use as restraints. Taking the belts from some robes on the door, he ties her hands and feet…looking now for a gag. Finding a scarf, Keero ties it around her mouth cruelly. He slings her back over his shoulder and takes her back out into the hallway, making sure that no one can see him take her back to his room. This is not what I need right now…now I have to think of some way to get rid of her discreetly and still keep my commission… He reaches his room and upon opening the door, he throws her on his bed, tying her to the headboard. He then looks around the room to figure out a way to keep people out…she can't be found anytime soon or his career is over. Rummaging through his desk, he puts together the makings of a crude incendiary bomb...having placed those items in there a few days ago, just in case. As the scared woman watches, he quickly creates a booby trap that will go off if anyone tries to open his door. "Sorry it has to be this way, but with you knowing who I am, it will jeopardize what I want to accomplish here…but it looks like I have pretty much did that myself, didn't I?" Laughing a little maniacally, Keero sets the bomb and walks out the door. Satisfied that she can't get free, he heads back out to try to find the records room.
The lions are fighting hard, knocking out wave after wave of fighters. Red takes out four of them twelve tikets away from the castle, while Green and Yellow accelerate to the upper stratosphere. Keith watches Blue Lion duck and dodge fighters tight on her tail.
"Allura, drop fifteen degrees to your starboard and fire thrusters…I'll take them."
'Copy…" and Blue takes a steep dive and cuts sharply to the left. Black takes aim and fires photon missiles, destroying the bogeys.
On Lotor's battle cruiser, the Doomian prince stares out over the battle field and watches as his fighters fall to the deadly aim of the five lions. "Send Squadron Theta and flank them on the left. Remember to only damage the Blue Lion…we need the Princess alive!"
"Orders are clear, sire…Launch Squadron Theta!"
Thirty more fighters disembark from the main cruiser and head toward the lions. Keith calls out to the team, "We have more company coming…we have to lead them away from the castle. Coran, arm the tower turrets with ion cannons and aim at the cruisers…if we can get them to move back, we can get the fighters to follow us out to safer ground."
"I read you, Commander…All guns, aim at the cruisers with the ion cannons…full spray!"
The castle comes alive again with blue lazon fire, hitting the cruisers head on. Lotor screams at the navigators, "Power to shields…fire lazon blasters and arm neutron missiles, fire at the Castle of Lions!"
The return volley is as bright and deadly as the barrage from the castle and the lions continue trying to get the fighters to disengage them from castle airspace. Keith dunks under a missile and fires his rotor missiles. "We have to move away from the castle…Lance, are you free?"
"Yeah, just got rid of the last fighter I had on me…heading toward you at two o'clock."
"Good, get a couple of them to follow you out to the Altarian Flats. We'll follow as soon as we can. Now hit your thrusters…"
Red Lion blasts toward a group of fighters coming at them from the south and fires at one, dispatching it. Taking a sharp turn, he heads to the flats and most of the fighters in that group follow. Lotor sees them take off in the other direction and a horrible growl leaves his throat. "I'm going out there…if anyone is going to get Allura, it's going to be me!" and he runs to his fighter.
Allura blasts two of the advancing ships with her water cannon, but takes a hit to the side. "Keith, I'm hit…I'm going to have to take the main thruster offline and link the backup, but I don't know how long that's going to hold."
"You can't risk it…Lotor may launch a robeast at anytime and Blue can't take another hit like that. Hang back and let me know the minute it starts to fail…" Allura hears the slight worry in his voice and the little coat of ice she encased her heart in begins to melt, especially when he finishes what he has to say, "…please, be careful…we need you…" He stops short of telling her that he needs her. Hopefully, she already knows… Keith fires Black up and races to the flats with Blue on his trail. Lotor's fighter comes into view and comes in behind Allura. Hunk is flying off to the north side of the castle when he sees the black ship.
"Princess, you have Lotor right behind you and he's preparing to fire!" he screams. Keith hears the warning and wheels Black around to engage, but is too late. A volley of missiles hits Blue in the damaged thruster and a huge explosion rips the right hind quarters of the lion and Blue starts to take a dive. He hears Allura scream over the comm. system and his heart leaps to his throat…
"NO…ALLURA!!!!!!" screams Keith as he helplessly watches Blue lion fall to the ground. Out of sheer fear, he tries to reestablish the link that he has stupidly blocked, **Allura, my love...please say something! Please answer me! ALLURA!!!**
But, he hears nothing and it's the scariest thing he has heard since her supposed death. "Lance, take Hunk and Pidge and take out those fighters…Coran, get a rescue party together, Blue is down. I'm going after Lotor…"
Lance can hear the anger in his commander's voice and the best thing he can do is follow his orders. "Come on, guys…we've got fighters to dismantle!"
While the other lions are fighting at the flats, Keith barrels toward Lotor at a dangerous speed. Lotor smirks, "So, the Commander thinks he can take me on, does he? Let's go…."
The sleek fighter streaks toward Black and it becomes a game of chicken. Keith fires his blasters and missiles straight at the ship, his eyes burning from the unshed tears. I have to end this quick to see if she's okay...his mind is still trying to reach out to her, but feels nothing. Lotor dodges well, letting out his own barrage of missile fire. The others watch mesmerized as the two titans prepare to clash…hoping that their leader would prevail.
Lotor notices that the lion is not backing off and growls, pulling his ship sharply to the right. "Doom fighters, land and recover the Princess before their troops arrive…and she better not be harmed."
He hears a muffled reply as he heads back to his battle cruiser…
Lance turns Red to Blue lion's crash site and sees ground troops heading in her direction. "Keith….KEITH??!!"
"What is it, Lance?" answers Keith sharply.
"They are going for the Princess!"
Keith looks out the monitor and sees the ground troops advancing on Blue Lion. Swearing profusely, he turns Black and dives toward the troops heading toward his love…
Allura can hear Keith's frantic voice in her head, but can't respond...her mind hazy and unfocused. Her arm is more than likely sprained and she has multiple cuts and bruises all over her face and body. Smoke is quickly filling the cockpit and she starts to gag. Trying to look for her gas mask, she reaches around her chair to find the kit, but everything has been thrown around. Still trying to get her bearings, Allura realizes that she needs to get out of the captain's chair. Unfastening her harness, she falls to the floor…sparks of electricity flying all around her. "Are you alright, Blue?" she asks absently as she covers her face with one hand and blindly searches for her emergency kit with the other. The smoke is getting thick and it's getting harder and harder to breathe…she's beginning to panic, but that's not what she needs right now. Her lungs are tightening and her coughs are racking her whole body…it makes no sense for her to reach out to Keith since she is now going into a full blown panic and she still hasn't gotten her bearings back. Frantically, Allura swipes around for her kit, but she's losing her sight. The walls of the lion are going dim and everything is unclear…
Please…save me, my love… she thinks as she finally gives up and blacks out.