Happy New Year!!!!!!!!
Well, still posting and still working on the next installment....as well as all the other works people have been asking me to finish or continue (Not Voltron)!
Anyway, for those interested, my links are on my profile here...;)
My New Year's resolution is...can't tell you, but it may have to do a kidnap plot, an old warehouse, and the copyrights to any fanfiction I choose! LMAO
As of now, I DON'T OWN VOLTRON!!!!!
I now present...
Chapter Twenty-Six
Keith suddenly stumbles back, hit with the powerful sending from Soren. Hunk and Pidge looks over to him, worried that the witch is claiming another one of their own. "I'm okay…just get ready." Keith stands still as he returns the summons…
**Soren, I'm here…what can I do?**
He is transported into the same realm with them and is shocked to see the physically battered Allura holding a beautiful little girl. He turns to Soren and asks, "What is going on here? What can I do?"
Soren smiles, "You have to get her to believe that you have come back for the right reasons…she's losing her hope, which was the only thing sustaining her. She has transferred what power she could hide from Haggar into her…" and he points to the girl who has yet to show her face.
"Why? Who is she?"
The old seer pushes Keith over to them, "Ask them yourself…then be prepared for the battle of your life." The handsome pilot turns back to the pair and walks over to them. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he speaks, "Allura, I'm here. I promised you that I would always be here."
A tear-streaked face gazes back at him, "You left me…and now I have no more fight left in me." He grabs her arms and makes her stare into his eyes, "I was wrong…by the lions, I was so wrong. But I'm here now…I won't leave you again and I'm so sorry that I didn't believe enough in us. I guess I was too afraid of losing you…"
"…and you lost me anyway," she murmurs, forcefully pulling away.
It's at this point, the little girl looks up. "Daddy!" she cries and takes both of them by surprise with her outburst. Keith stares down into eyes that are undeniably his and tears begin to form. Arielle grabs on to his legs and hugs him tight…he gently pulls her off to pick her up. She smiles brightly, "Daddy! I knew you would come!" and she grabs him around his neck. Keith stares at Allura and sees that she is looking at them stoically, showing no emotion. He turns back to Soren, "This is…my daughter?"
"It is a manifestation of what your child would be, yes…whether or not she already exists is a mystery right now." At those words Keith shoots his gaze back at Allura, who quickly lowers her gaze to the floor.
"Allura?" he asks as he puts the little girl down. Arielle moves over to Soren and watches the confrontation between her father and, her beautiful mother…
"You have to speak to me…we have to get you out of here and the only way I can do that is if you believe me. Please, my princess, I only did what I thought was right…" he breaks off and reaches out to take her hand. She resists at first, but slowly begins to relax as he continues to talk, "I don't understand any of this…didn't know what any of this meant until I spoke to Soren. He explained that I misunderstood what was being shown to me…that the visions were a warning, not a consequence. I didn't need to pull away from you…I acted too foolishly and quickly. The visions seemed so real and I HATED that I couldn't help you…I had to do something." She still seems unmoved, so he pours out his heart.
"I felt myself die when I heard your scream that night I left you…my soul completely shattered when you railed at me, saying I was just using you. I would NEVER do that to you; I could never see you in such a way. I have loved you for so long; I don't know how I could even think I could live without you." The raven-haired captain steps closer to her and gently tips her head up to look at him. There is no hint of anything there and he knows they are running out of time. As a last ditch effort, he presses his lips to hers…waiting for a response. As his lips slide on hers, Keith feels her hesitant surrender and decides to deepen it by lightly forcing her mouth open to receive his tongue. A sweet moan escapes her as he wraps his arms around her, pulling her close. He holds her like this for a while…then he reluctantly pulls back to stare into her glazed eyes. "I love you so much, Allura… believe in me, please."
She doesn't speak, but she does reach her hand up to caress his face and his eyes light up. The light that had been dimming has suddenly been revitalized, but a loud explosion rocks the small group. They all turn to see what it is as Haggar steps out of the billowing smoke.
"YOU WILL NOT DEFEAT ME!!!!" she screams,raising her staff to strike out at them. Blasts of electricity spark in the air as Keith knocks Allura to the ground to protect her. When the sparks cease, he looks up from Allura…who is staring blankly back at him, to Arielle and Soren standing solidly where they are…almost daring Haggar to attack. The witch sneers, "You can't stop me…the transfer is almost complete and her power will be mine!"
"I don't think so, Haggar. Even with all the tricks you have pulled to get her here, you still will not have everything you want." Soren replies coolly and she grimaces, "What do you mean?"
The seer smiles, "Did you think that Allura was that ignorant that she couldn't figure out what was happening to her? You do not have all her power and unless you obtain ALL of it…this whole thing will be for nothing!"
Haggar looks shocked, "What are you saying? You lie!"
"No, I don't. There is a part of her that you can never touch or possess…and it was something that you had tried to sever before you attempted this…"
Haggar sneers as she looks back at the entwined couple on the ground. "No…" she whispers and she tries to shoot at them again, but a shield created by Arielle blocks her blasts. Haggar stares at the little girl and begins to shriek menacingly before disappearing in a cloud of dark smoke. Soren rushes over to the couple and helps them to their feet. "We have to get back…she's going to try to absorb what there is and destroy Allura in the process."
Allura blanches while Keith holds her close. Soren closes his eyes and a portal opens off to the left of them. Allura says nothing, but she clings to Keith as they head towards it. The little girl stares after them…smiling when she sees Keith turn back to her. He tells Allura, "Wait here…" and rushes back to the girl that is to be his daughter. Bending down, he stares into those chocolate eyes deeply, "I wish we had more time…I wish I understood all this."
"You will, Daddy…just take care of Mommy. I'll see you later…" and she kisses him on the cheek before running off in the other direction. Standing, he watches her disappear… "We have to go!" calls Soren as Keith snaps out of his reverie to rejoin them…
They all step through the portal and are instantly transported back into their bodies…in the exact spots they were when their minds met. Soren moves to Allura and takes hold of the crystal, now that they have broken the shield that Haggar had conjured to protect herself; the very crystal that is now sparking and humming as if it were about to explode.
"Allura! Allura, get up and move…quickly now!" The drowsy princess stirs and sees the seer straining to contain the power sparking out of the crystal. Feeling as if a heavy weight has been lifted off of her, she slides to the side and hits the floor, still trying to gain her bearings. Keith runs over to her and helps her to her feet. "Are you alright, Princess?" Allura doesn't look at him, but she nods as she clings to him for strength.
With the severity of the scene unfurling before him, Lotor has been pretty much ignored in this time, as well as the other two members of the Voltron Force…but as soon as he sees that they get Allura from out under Haggar, he finally makes a move. Drawing his blaster, he fires at Keith from behind, striking him in the shoulder. Keith yells and Allura is let go, allowing Lotor to grab her, holding her to him. Keeping her tightly against him, he smiles maniacally, "The Princess is mine! She will always be mine!"
Keith turns dangerously slow, holding his shoulder, "You damn fool! Haggar still has her power…if we don't do something, neither one of us will have her!"
"You lie…" he yells back as Allura elbows him in the gut, so he releases her before running over to Hunk and Pidge, who immediately stand guard over her. Keith growls as he walks toward him slowly, "If we don't destroy that crystal, she will kill Allura and everyone in here! All your talk on staying in power will be for nothing…and your father will pay for it."
Lotor blinks unbelievingly at him, but Keith turns back to the catatonic witch still standing in front of the table that Allura was on. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Allura sagging against Hunk as her strength is slowly being drained away. The captain turns to Soren and Haggar standing off silently…neither one giving an inch mentally. Haggar finally comes out of the trance, raising her staff and strikes at Soren…but the blast is deflected by the crystal that he is holding. "No…impossible!" she screams as she reaches to take back her crystal. A strange mist forms and the tug of war between herself and Soren starts, both trying to gain control over the powerful crystal. Soren squeezes his eyes shut and concentrates on the mist; Haggar's way of projecting her power to give herself the upper hand…and it begins to dissipate. The brief flow of power into her being stops and Haggar shrieks, "You bastard! You will not steal this from me!" And with a flourish, she forces Soren off his feet with him flying backwards on the floor a few feet, having shattered the crystal in two pieces. Soren maintains possession of the largest piece of the crystal, while Haggar greedily clenches the small piece in her hand. Keith hurries over to him to make sure that he is alright, but the old man sits up straight, staring him in the face.
"Keith, you have the power…you can destroy that crystal. I can hold her at bay, but you have to destroy it."
"What?! That will kill Allura!"
The old man shakes his head, "No, you have the sacred ring…I don't know why I didn't think of it before. You possess the ring of the Lion Warrior and it has the ability to protect you and those you love for a short period of time. You must concentrate all of your energy on the ring and it will shield you and Allura…go ahead, we have no more time!" Keith is about to protest, when the seer grabs his hand, "Just believe…this battle is yours and yours alone."
Keith looks the ring once more and then back at Haggar, who is spewing more ancient words as shebuilds up her power for another strike. He closes his eyes and focuses on the ring and what he needs to do. Keith takes a deep breath as he stares at the glittering ring on his finger. The ring begins to glow and a feeling of immense power begins to fill him. Suddenly, everything is made clear to him what he must do…he stands to face the menacing witch at the other end of the room. In his mind's eye, he sees Allura still sagging, her body not able hold itself up. Then, he sees Haggar holding her piece of the crystal and he wills himself to get it away from her. Haggar feels a mystic pull on her prize; one that is more powerful than she has ever dealt with before. She looks over at the Voltron commander, astonished that a mere pilot has the ability to stop her like this…until she takes notice of the growing aura of power around him.
"Where is that coming from…NO!!!!!" Haggar wails as she tries to enter Keith's mind, but she is blocked by that unseen power, who realizes that the young man is going to need some additional help to succeed at his task. She looks at the commander and she spots the ring, snarling at the discovery. "How is a measly pilot able to possess the Lion Warrior crest?!" she asks to no one. In a desperate attempt, she blasts again at Keith, but Keith blocks her once again. The crystal in her hand begins to glow unnaturally...shaking uncontrollably in her wrinkled hand. With the crystal broken, the energy absorbed is now unstable…straining to break free. Suddenly, Haggar loses her grip and the crystal flies over to where the Black Lion pilot is and Keith takes hold of it. The crystal is still shaking as he hands it to Soren. Haggar stares in horror as Soren closes his eyes and squeezes both pieces of the crystal. After a few agonizing minutes, the crystal stops glowing to shatter effortlessly in his hand. An evil growl escapes the witch as she fires blast after blast of lightening energy at the ones who foiled her. As a bit of arrogance, Soren holds up what he still holds in his hand to let her watch the dust blow harmlessly away. A ear-piercing scream erupts from the old hag as both her and Allura faint dead away, leaving the rest of them to figure out what exactly just happened. Soren sags, falling back against Keith as Lotor shakes off his momentary shock as he immediately calls for reinforcements when he sees Haggar go down,
"All guards…the Voltron Force is on base…stop them at all costs and secure the Princess!"
Pidge fires at the prince; the blast hitting him in his arm and knocking him back a few feet as Hunk gathers Allura in his arms to take off for the door, making sure that the others are following. Keith leads Soren, who is weakened by the mental battle he had with Haggar, and they run after the pair of pilots. They all halt when they see some soldiers come to the door. Breaking into two groups, they run for cover…firing in all directions. Keith and Soren find a place behind a huge pillar on the side of the room while Hunk and Pidge carry Allura behind an upended table.
Lotor has pulled his blaster now and fires at Keith and Soren, while the rest aim at Pidge and Hunk. Laser blasts bounce off walls and floors, scorching everything around them…the troops are holding up at the doorway and it looks as if they have no way out. Keith is still firing while holding his shoulder as Soren looks around the room for some kind of idea to get them out of there. He looks down at his hand and sees the last remnants of the crystal, now turned back to black. Taking a chance, he hurls a piece at the guards on the door and a huge explosion rocks everyone in the room. "Let's go!" he calls and he pulls at Keith's arm to lead him out the door. "We have to hurry before any more can be called!" Keith waves at the other two and they come out from hiding spot. Hunk shifts Allura on his shoulder and they tear to the door, blasting all the way there. Lotor takes deadly aim and hits Soren in the side…the old man letting out a howl of pain. Keith grabs him as he is about to fall and turns his blaster on Lotor, trying to them some cover to get out.
They make it out into the hallway, heading towards the east entrance, where they know there is little protection. Keith struggles to help Soren along, but he decides that they can move faster if he carries him. So, the Voltron commander manages to get him lofted to his good shoulder and they all head to the entrance and out into the desert. They have a few hundred feet to reach Black Lion and he moves them along as quickly as he can. Hunk and Pidge take up cover positions as they run behind them. Legions of laser fire come out at them as they race to the lions, but they have too much of a head start. Lotor comes out to the doorway and stares at them.
He grits his teeth before hollering, "KILL THEM!!!!! But make sure no harm comes to Princess Allura! Keep them from taking off!" Teams of soldiers empty out into the desert, running after the fugitives. Keith and Soren reach Black and he calls for the chair lift to come down, firing at the approaching strike forces. Once it hits the ground, he pushes the seer in the chair and he hops on the back, his aim deadly as, one after the other, soldiers fall to the ground…leaving a distinguishable dark stain from their fatal wounds. The Voltron commander sighs as he sees Hunk and Pidge reach their respective lions and ascend into their cockpits with Hunk carrying the Princess. As they are locked in, he moves Soren to the back of the lion and settles himself in. The powerful roar of the mighty Black Lion fills the skies as Keith has him stand…ready for take-off. Green and Yellow Lions follow suit and they all leap into the air…away from the distant base.
Lotor watches as they fly away…not entirely sure if he is upset or relieved that Haggar's plot failed. Smiling maliciously, he turns back into the base and heads to her chamber. The room smells of laser fire and burnt ochre, but he sees the unmoving body of his father's witch and motions for some guards to come over.
"Take that hag to the dungeon…I will contact my father and inform him of what happened here."
Three of the guards nod and head over to her, while another two stand there. Lotor turns his attention to the two that are remaining, "Have a message sent to Planet Doom immediately…while it would be the perfect chance to attack them, we need to plan better. Haggar is not to be involved in anymore plans and I will inform him of this." They nod and head off for the communications room. The Prince of Doom watches as her body is carried down to the dungeons and an evil smile crosses his face. It isn't a complete loss…Haggar will be found to be a traitor and it will be a joy to see what my father will do to her…