Chapter eight: Where's Black?
Keith had just stepped out of the Black Lion, when the team arrived to meet him.
"So how do we know if it worked?" Lance asked.
"I'm not sure we will until we find him." Allura sighed.
"Allura's right, so we better start looking." Keith agreed decisively. Suddenly, the Black Lion began to move. It stood up to roar and turned to look at the open hanger door. The Paladins shielded their faces and had to shift their weight tensely, to prevent from being knocked over as the jets activated and a swirling wind washed over them. The Black lion was suddenly gone and the light blue glow of its thrusters gave away its new location; which changed constantly as it got further and further away from the Castle.
"Where's the Black Lion's going?!" Allura gasped, everyone staring dumbfounded at what had just occurred.
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Haggar stood watching over the Galra Leader, her stoic glance hiding her emotions, yet her mere presence could burn a man alive. Her heart blazed instead of her eyes, her tense fist only held tighter; yet, still, she wore no expression of emotion. A sound suddenly made her wonder if she was hearing things; or if indeed; Zarkon had managed a groan. Just then his brow tensed and an audible breath heaved his chest up and down once. Haggar's eyes narrowed, and she turned and left. She stood there as the doors slid aside.
"Zarkon nearly wakes." She said to the few soldiers that stood waiting. "Prepare the armor."
"Yes, high priestess." A druid, who had also been waiting, replied. He bowed slightly and left as instructed. Haggar then turned to look back into the room; but only for a moment, before dropping her eyes to the floor.
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"Everyone get back to the lions we need to catch up with the Black Lion!" Keith called, racing towards the Red Lion's bay with Lance.
"And then what?" Allura asked, sitting down at the helm of the Blue Lion.
"Launch immediately; we can't lose sight of the Black Lion or we'll never find it." Keith replied, standing behind Lance's chair as they took off.
The lions launched from their hangers; blazing through space after the flickering glow of the Black Lion's thrusters, out ahead of them. Lance pushed the Red Lion faster after it, his determination rising the more he pressed on.
"We're not gonna make it!" Pidge screamed desperately. "We're losing it."
"There's no way we're gonna catch it with the head start it has on us!" Hunk complained.
"We've gotta stay on it. Keep trying!" Keith urged, his eyes glued to the screen; fixed on the Black Lion. Suddenly a round, white, portal-like anomaly swirled out and the Black Lion dove into it. "No!!" Keith cried, when and sudden jolt knocked him off his feet; followed by three more 'thunk's!' and a blinding flash across the screen. Keith groaned slightly, finding himself lying on the floor. Only his elbows had him propped up off the ground; since he'd landed flat on his back.
"You ok, Keith?" Lance asked, peering around the chair at him.
"*groan* Yeah." Keith replied, he began to sit up. "What was that?" He looked up at the screen. Lance straightened out to face the screen, his hands still on the handles.
"Is everyone alright?" The Blue Paladin called over the com.
"Ugh, I'm ok." Pidge's voice answered kinda flatly.
"Yeah me too!" Hunk responded thankfully.
"Allura? What's your status?" Lance called. "Allura?" He panned the Red Lion's head to the left, the screen showing the Yellow and Green lions doing the same. Blue, however, remained completely motionless and floating in a loose ball, it's right side facing them at an angle; eyes darkened and lifeless.
"Allura!!" Lance leapt from his chair and out of the cockpit.
"Lance wait! We need to stay with our lions!" Keith called after him, as he stood up again.
"Something's wrong with Allura!" Lance cried. "I've gotta go help her!"
"Hello guys, just got caught up." Coran said. "Did you catch up to the Black Lion?"
"No, the Black Lion's gone. And there something wrong with Allura." Keith reported. "Lance is checking it out now."
The doors slid away to reveal more darkness, no light seeming to reside here. And Lance soon found... an empty seat?! Lance's eyes widened, his eyebrows furrowing together in a confused, shocked, and hurt sort of way.
"Lance? Lance! What's going on?!" Keith's voice cracked through the com link.
"It's Allura..." Lance trailed off hollowly. "She's... vanished." Pidge's gasp caught in her throat, everyone's eyes widening; becoming just as distressed as the Blue Paladin's.
Lance looked up when a glow from the helm caught his attention. The cockpit sprang to life once more, and the Blue Lion's mind was opened to him once again?! It growled in his ear, it's soothing purr encouraging him to sit down.
From the outside the Blue Lion's eyes came to life, yet the lion still floated just the same.
"Uh...what is happening?" Hunk asked, a bit nervous by this.
"I think the Blue Lion's taking me back?!" Lance realized.
"How is that possible?" Pidge questioned.
"I don't know, but it wants me to take the controls." The Blue Paladin shrugged, still standing a distance from the empty cockpit seat.
"Take it, Lance." Keith decided. "We've already lost Shiro, the Black Lion and Allura. 'Least if someone's at the controls..we know we won't loose another one of us."
"Copy that." Lance agreed. "I'm on it."
"We need to find out what happened." Keith went on. "Maybe we can-.." His sentence was interrupted by another familiar roar and the glow of lights bursting across the screen; the view of the outside world pixelating into focus.
"Come!" A faint whisper urged.
"The Red Lion's back up and running." Keith reported, proceeding to assume his position in the pilot seat once again.
"What? How do you know?" Lance asked. The lion readjusted in the air, its eyes now flashing on as well.
"You're not the only one who got to reunite with an old friend." Keith replied, matter-of-factly.
"Great! Everyone's getting reacquainted, so now can someone tell us what the QUIZNAK just happened!!" Hunk exclaimed, panicking, only a little(actually a lot!).
"I'm not sure, but first we need to find out what hit us." Keith said. The lions all floated in a line all facing the same direction; the direction in which the Black lion had disappeared in.
"There's nothing out here." Lance observed. "It's just... space." Pidge eased her lion forward ever so slightly and hit something. All that resulted, though, was a ripple effect; like touching a calm pond's surface.
"It looks to be some sort of invisible forcefield." The Green Paladin guessed.
"Where do you think it goes?" Lance wondered aloud.
"And is there a way to get in there?" Hunk added.
"I think that bright light we saw, is what allows someone to gain access to whatever's on the other side of it." Pidge guessed.
"So it's, like, a chosen few. Got it." Lance determined flatly.
"*sigh* Yes, Lance, it's a chosen few type of situation." Pidge returned dryly. Keith just looked up into the abyss that masked the barrier curiously.
"Then... where did it take Allura?" He wondered.
Whasup everybody!! So this is a really short chapter(sorry about that!), but I think what comes next will make up for it. ;) As far as I know there isn't much news that I can discuss at this time. But I'm always excited to hear your thoughts on what you read, and hear speculations on what is to come! Can't wait to see what ya'll think! Enjoy!! Thx!!!