**I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender
Shiro felt like he was going to break down.
The Castle of Lions was dead in the air, sparking and floating aimlessly. There was nothing but static coming through the comm link, and Shiro screwed his eyes shut as the hissing noise seemed to grow in intensity.
He'd witnessed countless deaths during his time as a gladiator, heard so many agonized screams from Haggar's cells and torture chambers. It was a horrible, horrible sensation and even now his memories threatened to pull him under. But nothing compared to the awful, gut-wrenching mashup of shrieks that had emitted from the Castle just moments ago. It had been the sound of sheer pain and terror as life was instantly and forcibly ripped from the bodies of his friends and precious family.
Mari's shouts echoed in his head. Even in such a garbled sea of noise, he'd been able to pick out her voice so easily. He thought her crying was the most heartbreaking noise she could ever produce, but that shriek just now…it was making him teeter on the edge of rationale and panic. How badly was she hurt? Were she and the others even still alive? For a brief moment, he imagined returning to the bridge to find five limp and cold bodies. Mari's eyes would be cold and dull, having lost their sparkle and the light extinguished. He wouldn't see her smiles anymore. He wouldn't hear her sassy remarks. He wouldn't be able to give her the rest of those flying lessons. They wouldn't be able to return home together and he'd have to tell their parents how she was killed in space. How he'd failed to protect her.
His breathing shallowed and sweat beaded on his forehead as he struggled to stop his thoughts from spiraling. He couldn't have an episode now, not when the others were counting on him to lead them. They were waiting for him, waiting for him to lift their spirits out of the darkness threatening to swallow them whole. Hope wasn't lost, even if it seemed like it. And if he wanted everyone he cared about to get out of this mission alive, he had to hold onto it.
Shiro's grip on his lion's controls tightened, making him more aware of his surroundings and current situation. He opened his eyes – the Castle still lay in front of him, quiet and dark but very much intact. Taking a deep breath, he told himself not to think about it. For now, he just had to believe that Mari, Allura, and the others were alive and okay. He had to hope.
"Everybody, listen. We have to fight," he finally addressed the other paladins, inserting as much empowerment and authority into his tone as he could muster. "We have to channel all our energy. Visualize five becoming one. We have to focus everything we have into moving Voltron!"
Scarlett groaned as she pried open her eyes. A spot on the back of her head throbbed dully from where it had made contact with the floor, and she winced as she touched it. Just moments ago, the Castle had lurched out of no where, throwing both her and Slav onto the floor. But now they were floating weightless inside the engine's control room, all their screens and panels shut off and the dim glow of emergency lights just barely illuminating them.
"Ugh…What was that?" Scarlett croaked. A squeak escaped Slav's beak-like mouth as he wrung his hands together frantically.
"Our chances of surviving in this reality are dropping even more!" he wheezed. As he floated closer, her tentatively latched onto Scarlett's arm. His flurry of fearful thoughts poured into her mind and she quickly shrugged him off before they could overwhelm her.
"Calm down," she tried to console him, but telling Slav to calm down was like telling a baby to stop crying. Those words held no meaning to him as he continued to fret, anxiously glancing all around the room.
Scarlett took ahold of one of the catwalk railings, pulling herself closer to the ground before grabbing him by one of his hands and bringing him down too. As soon as his fingers brushed against the cool metal, he clung to it for dear life. "Let's get to the bridge," she said, taking the lead as they began to horizontally climb and crawl towards the door. "Zyron, lights please."
Zyron flitted to her side, his eyes flashing as they lit up. He cast a ray of light over the door and with great effort did Slav and Scarlett manage to pry it open. Gliding along the walls, they made their way to the nearest stairwell and floated up to the bridge on the top floor. Together, they forced the sealed doors open and slipped inside.
Scarlett gasped at the sight of their companions hanging weightless and unconscious in the air. She pushed herself off the wall and soared towards the nearest body, Mari. The human girl didn't react as the Utearen bumped into her. With trembling fingers, Scarlett searched for a pulse and sighed with relief when she found it.
"Mari," she said, shaking her a bit. "Mari, are you okay?"
She poked her nose and it scrunched up beneath her touch. Mari grunted and her eyes half-opened out of focus. She blinked and shifted slightly at the sight of Scarlett and Zyron hovering over her.
"Ngh…Hey," she muttered, her voice coarse.
Scarlett grinned. "Thank goodness! You're okay."
"Alive, yes. Okay? Well, I've felt worse." Mari made a movement as if to sit up when she noticed they were drifting in midair. She glanced around at the dark bridge, noting their loss of power as it all came rushing back to her.
Scarlett's gaze raked over her, searching for any obvious signs of injury. "Are you hurt anywhere?" she asked. "What happened to us?"
"We were hit by our own attack." Mari grimaced as she tried to straighten herself. Her entire body ached. "I'm fine, but what about you and Slav?"
"We're good," Scarlett said, gesturing to where Slav was helplessly wheeling towards the other end of the bridge. Around them, Coran had awoken and was checking on Allura while the Blades tried to assess and adjust to their situation. Even the space mice were regaining consciousness as they tried to swim through the air.
Allura looked impossibly tired as she held onto the helm controls. "How badly is the Castle damaged?" she rasped as Coran propelled himself towards his control panel. His screens flashed red with a warning symbol.
"Our power levels are decimated," he reported. "Communications aren't working. We can't reach the paladins. I'm afraid we can't fight anymore."
"We cannot give up," the princess insisted. She frowned as stubborn determination lit a new fire in her eyes. "Coran, you, Scarlett, and Slav do what you can to get the Castle functioning again." Then turning to the Blades, she asked, "Kolivan, can you get me to the komar?"
"It will be dangerous, but I know a way," Kolivan said.
"Mari, how are you feeling?" Allura asked. "Can you fight?"
She nodded. "Yeah…I think so."
"Good. You, Kolivan, and Antok come with me." Allura pushed herself towards the doors. "We're going to have to attack the witch directly if we hope to stop that thing. Coran, the bridge is yours."
"No! You've been weakened by operating the teludav," Coran protested. "You can't face Haggar directly!"
"We don't have a choice," Allura admitted grimly, and before he could stop her, she, Mari, Kolivan, and Antok headed towards the airlocks.
As they prepared for launch using several of the Castle's many small landing pods, the thought of facing Haggar and her minions again made Mari's blood run cold. Her skin itched as she imagined those yellow eyes and creepy masks seeing right through her, piercing her soul. Bile rose in her throat as unpleasant phantom touches brushed against her body and the painful sensations of the torture she'd endured at their hands lingered at the edge of her mind. She swallowed thickly and took a series of deep breaths.
"Will you be all right, Mari?" Allura could hear her through their helmet comms, she realized. "If this is too much for you, you can go back to the bridge with Coran."
She knew Allura would never belittle her experience with Haggar. The princess would never dismiss the suffering Zarkon and his henchmen inflicted on people. But although her voice just now had been gentle and careful, there was no missing its harsh undertones, as if she were just barely able to suppress her impatience. But that was understandable, Mari decided. Their lives and the lives of the paladins and countless others in the universe were at risk, and the time to complete their plan was quickly ticking away. If they didn't go and do something to stop Haggar now, then they were all doomed.
This steeled Mari just enough to stop herself from trembling. She pressed her lips together in a thin line as a resurgence of adrenaline pumped through her veins. "I'm okay," she promised the princess firmly. "You'll need as many fighters as possible if we want to have any chance of beating them. And I think it's about time I get some revenge."
"Good," Allura said, and Mari could hear the smile in her voice. "Let's get going then."
Their group of four ejected into space, heading straight towards the lower half of the Galran ship, the komar. As they streamed past the wreckage and debris, they caught glimpses of the raging battle between Voltron and Zarkon taking place far off to the left. Seeing Voltron fully operational again, renewed hope and courage pushed Mari forward and she narrowed her focus on the task ahead.
They entered the opening in the bottom of the ship where the komar awaited them. Kolivan drove his pod directly into one of the small floating platforms, jumping off of it right before it exploded upon impact. The druid who had been standing on it shouted in surprise as he was caught in the attack. Allura, Mari, and Antok hopped onto the nearest platform, abandoning their own pods. They whipped out their weapons and sent another druid tumbling below into the emptiness of space before Kolivan joined them. With their ceremony interrupted, the remaining druids immediately turned to face their enemy.
From across the Komar, Mari could see Haggar herself glaring at them. Their eyes met and her grip on her staff tightened as the witch barred her fangs. "Attack!" she screeched and her lackeys propelled their hovering platforms forward, their fingertips sparking with purple energy.
Their group split into two as they faced their opponents. Kolivan and Allura leapt from platform to platform, struggling to land a blow on the druid firing at them. Meanwhile, the less nimble Mari and bulkier Antok were confined to a single platform as they fought to push their enemy off. As expected, this proved to be a very difficult task as the druids continuously teleported to dodge and attack.
Antok expertly ducked away from another bout of lighting and jumped high over the druid. He whirled on his heel to face the Blade, only to have Mari come up behind him and smash her staff into his head. There was a sickening crunch upon impact and the druid hissed in pain as he doubled over. Antok raised his sword, ready to deal the killing strike when he suddenly shifted gears. He grabbed Mari roughly by the wrist and yanked her behind him, nearly shoving her right over the edge of the platform. But before she could demand to know what he was doing, a bolt of black energy plowed through his shoulder right where she had been standing.
The stoic Blade of Marmora soldier screamed and his weapon slipped from his hand, tumbling into the abyss below. Haggar loomed over them, her outstretched hand still crackling from the assault. Her eerie eyes glowed as they locked onto the human girl and the corners of her lips curled into a triumphant sneer. The injured druid rose to his feet in front of the slumped over Antok. He lifted a gnarled hand that was pulsing with energy and before anyone could stop him, he ran the Blade through with a great beam of lightning.
"Antok!" Kolivan cried out desperately, and he and Allura could only watch in utter despair as Antok's heavy body collapsed and he fell over, dead. Mari stood frozen as she stared at the Galra's lifeless body, struggling to process what she had just seen. She was no stranger to death: her grandfather had died, she'd thought Shiro was dead at one point, and they had all witnessed Ulaz's life-ending sacrifice. But this was the first time she had seen someone killed right in front of her. Antok had saved her just seconds ago but now he was a crumpled in an unmoving heap, now dead because he'd chosen her life over his.
The injured druid turned to her, the wound on his shoulder already slowly healing. A rasping chuckle echoed off the walls of the komar as Haggar sneered down at her, sensing her distress.
"How weak and pathetic," she jeered. "Kill the Champion's kin. I have no more interest her."
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