"Oh, dear, Shiro," Pidge said robotically, "do you ever think we will find him here? In this canyon? That we have entered without our weapons?!"

"A very good question, Pidge," Hunk said loudly and just as robotically, "i would like to know that answer too!"

it was early the next morning and they were deep into the canyon. This was Keiths back yard and after a few days in the healing pod he was eager to play tour guide. However, Hunk and Pidge had been like this since the night before when Shiro had come back overjoyed with the tip he had gotten.

Needless to say he'd been crushed when Pidge and Victoria had told him that the tip sounded more like a set up. They had their bayards in their suits of armor, but hopefully these guys didn't know that.

Keith lead them around a corner. If there was going to be an ambush, this is the place he'd plan it. And sure enough, something out of the ordinary was parked directly in their path.

"My Speeder…" Keith hissed, quickly walking up to it even though he knew also that it was a trap, "If they scratched it, i swear…"

The sound of weapons being drawn echoed off the acoustic rocks and hunks hands instinctively went up in the air. Shiro and the others braced themselves as their exits were all blocked off.

A quick glance around reveled that their enemies were holding earth guns and Galra weapons.

wait…

"How the hay did you get those?!" Pidge shouted, "that's-"

a laser shot close to her feet. She backed up and shut her mouth.

"If you come quietly, you'll find out," said a large man with heavy facial hair, "you do want to see your friend again, right?"

"He's alive?"

"Don' know," the man shrugged, "he's been off my hands since yesterday. But I can show you where we dropped him off."

"This is getting weird…and creepy," Hunk whispered, "its Weireepy…or creird…"

"Get on the ground," the man said, clearly enjoying the fact that he had the upper hand, "or we open fire."

"I don't like your tone," Pidge said, hands on her hips, "how about a please?"

The mans eyes lingered on her as if evaluating her from head to toe. She shuddered and swallowed a gag.

"Please," the man said, grinning and showing teeth that were almost brown.

"Fine," Pidge wrinkled her nose, "but you personally don't touch me."

()

Lance couldn't remember a time in his life where breathing was this hard. In fact, he was about…80-something percent sure breathing wasn't ever supposed to be this hard.

Was he going to die?

better yet-

was he bothered if he was?

No one really wants to die, but it would be nice to not be in pain anymore. He could also avoid facing the others with all that awkwardness that was bound to come. He dreaded their questions, but he dreaded the looks they'd give him more.

but then again, Vik and everyone would be sad and mom would blame herself. That was a no go. this situation was stupid, and Lance had hoped to go down fighting at least, not lying on a store room floor. And the situation was really stupid.

there were three pros and three cons…Lance sighed and wondered again if he was going to die.

()

"How did you manage to get all four?" Bok asked as he watched the paladins being shoved to the ground in front of him.

"Its all in how you manipulate the situation," the bearded man said proudly, "Children are our greatest treasures, after all. Most humans will do anything for a child."

"I see," Bok watched the paladins surprised expressions and grinned, "Zarkon will be most pleased. You may have just saved yourself when he comes to rule over your pathetic planet."

"We're a helping lot, aren't we fellas?" the rest nodded and chuckled, "but that doesn't mean we do anything for free. You get these guys for what you promised."

"Of course," Bok nodded to the two Galra behind him, "after we leave you can go into that area and find your payment."

"No, no," the man laughed, "that's not how it works. You bring the payment here. This is where we exchange goods for goods."

Boks face twitched slightly. He would love to show this pathetic human a thing or two, but it would interfere with everything else he had planed.

"Ketak, Go bring these worms their payment."

"Yes sir."

As Ketak left, Bok walked up to the Paladins, looking them over.

"Is Lance alive?" Shiro asked as Bok hovered over him.

"Who?" Bok made a show of thinking about it, "Oh, you mean the blue paladin. yes, he's alive. I doubt he'll survive the journey back to Emperor Zarkons main ship, but the four of you will just have to do."

"The foolish paladin tried to escape last night," the other Galra grinned, "my shot brought him to heel."

"is that so," Shiro activated his arm and ripped through the zip ties. faster than anyone could react he'd cut Keiths bonds and then darted forward and cut down the grinning Galra. By then guns were drawn and Bok was cursing his horrible luck.

Keith released Pidge and Hunk the three of them taking out their bayards.

"You didn't disarm them?!" Bok roared.

"How was I to know about that?!" the man shook his head. they were at another stand still; this time both sides had weapons out and cocked.

Hunk cleared his throat, "i don't like awkward silences."

And he fired. Multiple shots cascading everywhere. the gang screamed and dispersed.

When the dust settled Pidge elbowed him while trying to hack up a lung.

"Really?"

"Sorry," he shrugged, "I was angry and forgot that this might have a different effect when not on a Galra ship…."

"You got angry?!"

"Remind me to never piss you off," Keith muttered, his heart was still bounding in his throat. Shiro was picking himself up as was Bok and a few others.

"I wouldn't try anything like that again," Ketak said behind them. He was carrying a large box and behind him was another Galra, holding a gun to Lances head. He was unconscious and it was now painfully clear what Bok had meant when he'd said he might not survive the trip.

the Galra walked over and dropped the box in front of the bearded man.

"This is your payment, I took a few back when i realized you had not disarmed them. You're lucky to be getting any at all."

"Luck has always been my forte," he coughed, "Monroe, you and Vega get this box to the van….give you his hand before a weapon…that bastard…"

"If you don't want the blue paladin to die immediately, then you will drop your weapons," Bok said, "and you, black paladin, will remove your arm."

As Shiro began to detach his arm slowly, a gang member fell. half of his head blasted off.

It took a moment for everyone to react to it. the bearded man looked up at the canyon walls and didn't see anyone. Bok looked at the paladins only to see that they were just as confused.

three more gang members fell.

Bok lifted his energy shield and rounded on the boss.

"You did not say they had back up!"

"You didn't tell me there were only four of you," he bit back, "what happened to that army you were bragging about just a few days ago?!"

the invisible shooter continued to pick off the gang members and the Galra holding Lance one by one until only the boss and Monroe were left, hidden behind the Galra captain and his shield.

"Coward!" Bok yelled, "show yourself!"

"How rude!"

Lance slid into sight.

The paladins had to blink. They knew it was victoria. They knew that, but she spoke, walked, moved, and if they hadn't known before hand, they would have sold shiros arm knowing that that was Lance! She was not only wearing his armor, but she had covered her face in dirt to hide any of her more feminine features.

"Wh-what is the meaning of this?!" Bok looked from his prisoner to the whole and healthy paladin in the blue armor, carrying the blue bayard.

"You guys nabbed the wrong twin," Victoria said, "now that i'm here, i'll have my sister back, please."

"Liar," the bearded man growled at her, "you're the twin, we have the right one."

vik laughed, "we're BOTH twins, Robert. Though i have to say thank you for shooting that horrible excuse of a father. But that won't save you. I don't take lightly anyone who hits my other half."

"You really are the girl," Robert sneered, "only the girl would know my name."

"You sure?" Vik asked, "or did you forget the little surprise i left in your car before we left Cuba? Were not my fingerprints all over it? Doesn't it make sense that i was only pretending to forget everything so you guys would leave us alone?"

Through the tan and the beard, Robert went very pale. vik continued.

"though i have to say, whoever you got to reconstruct your face did a marvelous job. I could almost believe that the facial hair is real!"

She grinned and Bok decided to cut in.

"I don't care," he said, "that one is going to die soon…if, that is, you don't surrender."

Bok was looking at the solution to his problem. The real blue paladin or no, so long as he was able to present what looked like all five paladins to Zarkon, that promotion was all his!

"Yeah?" Vik laughed, "you sure about that?"

An engine revved and Keith and Pidge disappeared with Lance on his Speeder. While Vik had kept their attention, it had allowed them to grab their teammate and escape.

"Oops," Vik covered her mouth with the tips of her fingers and batted her eyes, "i guess you all forgot you have no back up. That's a silly thing to forget."

An explosion went off farther away. This time it was Bok who went pale.

"Oh yeah," Vik said with a shrug, "You also don't have a ship, or weapons…or really anything that was left over there. That's why i was late. I woulda been here sooner, but i was really busy setting up all those explosives that i made myself. Not to brag, but i'm really good at anything that produces chaos."

"If you surrender now," Shiro said, "we'll take you to the garrison and let them deal with you."

"Damn…" Robert snorted raising his hands, "that bastard brat…he lied just enough to let you get the drop on us."

Bok looked around and knew he was out numbered. Knew he would die if he tried to win.

All his careful planning had slipped through his fingers.

()

shiro and hunk escorted their new prisoners to the garrison and Victoria made her way back to the castle. On her way she met up with Allura.

"That was very nice shooting," Vik said grinning at her new friend.

"I see you and Lance share the same talent," Allura said spinning her own weapon in her hands, "Nice idea, pinning them between the two of us."

"I gambled that you could shoot," Vik shrugged, "looks like i drew aces."

()

Pidge was leaning against the healing pod with her computer when they got back to the castle. Victoria thanked Pidge and Keith for being able to think without being told what to do. She hadn't meant it so sound condescending, but it had sounded that way.

"I don't know why i have to keep telling you," Pidge snapped, "we'd do anything for each other. We're not stupid and we don't want to be thanked by you."

"Gee, Bedivere, tell me how you really feel," Vik said and Keith grimaced at the phrase. The same phrase Lance had snapped at him when they'd fought.

"What is wrong with you?!" Pidge stood, "Allura is Allura, and i'm Pidge! Get it?"

"Actually you're Katie, but you're code name is Bedivere."

"WHO DECIDED THAT?!"

"Lance did."

Pidge froze and Vik continued.

"I'm making an executive choice and will tell you a little of our code. We use Arthurian characters and then make up our own story around it. Sometimes we just give them a general role in a fantasy story like papa was either 'the evil king' or 'the evil warlock' or 'the beast'. I came up with Guinevere for Allura because he said you guys found a princess and i was pissed at her. But he was the one who told me your code names."

"this i got to hear," Keith said folding his arms.

"He didn't really get around to telling me the whole story or anything," Vik shrugged, "So the code isn't up to date. Its what we've always done since we can remember. That way we could speak in front of people and they wouldn't know what we were talking about. We could tell each other everything and papa, or Aunt Rose, or anyone would just think we were making up stories like silly children."

She grinned at the pod holding her brother.

"Its our language," she shrugged, "The story of Shalott had the Lady breaking the rules at the cost of a curse to see Lancelot. You see, I was kept in my room and told not to leave. Papa would take Lance out and they would sometimes be gone for days! I really wanted to see my brother…so I took a bat and I smashed the mirror, just like how in the story, when Shalott was cursed the mirror cracked on its own. I was the one who told the authorities about papa. It was my idea to break that mirror. that life of 'this is just the way it is'. My curse is to never be able to do anything physical for more than a few minutes without needing to be hospitalized, and uncontrollable impulses. But I'm fine with that. Because now my Lancelot doesn't have to be a murderer and can be a Knight. But, seriously, on a separate note, these outfits need to change. This is not at all comfortable. The castle could use a new coat of paint and there is this smell that-"

Coran sighed and put a hand on Viks shoulder, "he will be fine," he said, "we were able to get him in the healing pod in time. It may take a while, but rambling isn't going to make it go faster."

Everyone stared at Coran. since when did he become the twin expert? vik stared at him for a moment and then laughed. But it was a sad attempt to hide the tears that were now making their way down her face.