Chapter 10: The Explanation

Keith was panting heavily as his head still spinning. Slowly, the shadow figure woman approached/hovering over him. "Now, do you see?" The shadow figure hummed, "I've fully awakened of the true, new you?"
"Get the quiznaking away from me!" Keith growled as he waves his arm across the shadow figure's waist.
"As you wish," the shadowy figure moved away. "But still, you should have thanked me for that type of change."
"Thank…" he snarled, "Thank you? For what?" Keith stood up as chains still raddling on his wrists. "I've never asked to change or to look like this. You did that or forced me out of my free will!"
"Oh, so true." The woman's shadow figure hummed.
"Why?" Keith's ears still stay flat as he snarls, "Why did you do this to me?"
"Oh, since you asked." The woman shadow figure giggled, "I did all that because I need you to be used to be either a pet or a lab-rat."
"What?" Keith jumped.
"You see," the shadow figure sat in thin air. "I am experimenting here on the base, but the experiment only requires a half-breed or a hybrid. To be functional to operate the experiment, that is."
"Well, you shouldn't be needing me," Keith growled.
"Why would you say that?" The shadow figure crossed her arms.
"Because there is plenty of other hybrids that are roaming around the galaxy," Keith explained. "And/or living in different planets of the universe."
"True but," the shadow figure moved a bit. "I don't need any ordinary hybrid, I just need only one that is very different than any other."
"And that is?" Keith lessens his growl.
"The strength that they carry must be an alpha," she explained. "The strongest one among their pack."
"Well, there's news to you." Keith hissed, "I am no alpha."
"Oh, but on the contrary, you are." The shadow figure crept closer.
"What?" Keith stepped back a bit.
"In the past," the shadow figure began. "You were either an omega or a beta that lives behind the scenes of your group."
Keith's eyes widened. A beta or an omega? Me?
"Before the thought of you," the shadow figure continues and snapped Keith out of his thoughts. "There was once another alpha, who was a very strong hybrid and a great leader. So, they say. Before I've made a task to retrieve him, but something else has come up."
"And that is…?" Keith demanded.
"Betrayal and chaos occurred," the shadow figure hissed.
Keith tilted his head. Something tells me that she doesn't like battles. Keith thought in wonder.
"To be able to stay out of it," the shadow figure spoke. "The children and I have begun to wait."
Children? Keith jumped in wonder.
"But until," the shadow began. "We heard a word about either his death or disappearance, along with his new and old enemy. So, we have begun to search all over again. Until three years later, word has spread about the alpha's new and old enemy has resurfaced and begun to head course toward Earth. Where the Tau'ri lives."
No. Keith's eyes widened in shock. She…she couldn't mean…
"Oh, if you are wondering the alpha's name truly is. But…right now, I'm trying to remember what his name is. I believe it starts with the letter "L". Oh, what was it," she rubbed her shadowy head. "Was it…"
"Lotor," Keith mumbled.
"Yes, that's it." The shadow figure pipped up, "That's the alpha's name." Suddenly, she saw Keith begin to shake up for a bit. "Oh, don't worry. I haven't forgotten what you once were," she touches his cheek. "Young former paladin of Voltron."
"Don't you dare touch me!" Keith hissed as he stepped away from the shadow figure.
"For…" the shadow figure hummed.
"You should have…" Keith interrupted with a growl.
"Should have what?" the shadow figure asked as it raised a brow.
"You should have gotten the chance instead of me," Keith growled.
"Why is that?" the shadow figure nearly giggled.
"Because of what he did," Keith growled. "That Galra hybrid, he had lied to us. To the empire. To everyone in the universe. He betrayed and used the surviving Altean descendants for their quintessence. Quiznak! He has also used and betrayed one of my friends for power!"
"Ah yes, the Princess of Altea." The shadow figure hummed, "Bless her soul to rest."
"You have no right to bless her under her name," Keith hissed.
The shadow figure giggled, "Your quite right, I do not. But wishful thinking for me to interfere but have not the will to do so."
"Then what and why of all of this has to do something with me?" Keith growled.
"Since you ask," the shadow figure drew a little closer. "You were one a leader of Voltron, and your strength has added to the team and for the Blades. With all that strength, it has given you the status of an alpha." She explained, "Including defeating that clone friend of yours and becoming a leader. It all has defined you to an alpha."
"It proves nothing," Keith snarled. "I have to earn it by Shiro's trust because he is my brother. Whose been through thick and thin with me and saving him by putting his spirit into his cloned body. All of that is for both selfish and selfless acts."
"Oh, all of that is so true." The shadow figure hummed, "But your strength, is what makes you valuable to me."
"If you think that," Keith growled. "Then I'm going to rot before you could use me."
"If so," she summoned a familiar glass orb with a strange rose wrapped around it. "Do you know what this is?"
"A fish bowl?" Keith narrowed his eyes in irritation.
The shadow figure narrowed its' or her eyes in return, "Very funny, but no." The shadow figure hissed, "Let me demonstrate what it is," she put her hand into the orb and grabbed a yin-yang ball that is in red and black. That is in the middle of a purple aura. She began to squeeze it.
Keith shouted in pain, went to his knees, and held his side. "What are you…?" Suddenly, Keith shouted in pain again while he clutches his side.
"You see," she let go of the ball and pulled her hand out of the orb.
Keith sighed in relief, collapsed to his side, and panted.
"This orb holds your life," the shadow figure began. "It allows me to reach in and grabbed that orb from the inside and allow me to touch and to squeeze it. That will allow you to have aching pains from the inside of your body, like giving you a heart attack for instance."
Keith groaned in pain as he struggled to sit up.
"But don't worry," the shadowy figure purred. "I will only do it when there are temporary circumstances. So, you will behave yourself."
"It feels like mind control," Keith has started to taste something bitter on his tongue.
"It is like mind control," the shadowy figure admitted with a shrug. "But no," She shook her shadowy head. "It is more like a leach and you are wearing an invisible collar instead."
"If I have the strength left…" Keith growled deeply. "I will take it away from you and break it? So, I will be free from your control."
"Oh," the shadowy figure purred in amusement. "I won't do that if I were you."
"Why not?" Keith demanded.
"If you break this," she began. "You will die instantly."
"What?" Keith's ears prick up in confusion.
"It's true," the shadow figure admitted. "It has happened before. To one of my other prisoners to be exact. Once this orb breaks and shatters, death is sentenced upon within a tick."
"So, if that orb is either hand like yours or mine." Keith tried to summon it up, "I will still die when something happens to it."
"That is correct," the shadow figure nodded.
"No," Keith began to shake.
"Oh, don't worry. It's only temporary," the shadow figure purred.
"What's with the rose for?" Keith stared at the rose.
"Oh that," the shadow figure spoke as the orb disappeared. "That answer will come to you in time, but for now. It's time to behave and see who is boss around here."
"I rather starve to death instead of listening to you," Keith stood up as he growled.
The shadow figure giggled, "We'll see about that but in time. You will be either mine or not."
"And I will never become yours or a lab-rat, ever," Keith growled deeply.
"We will see," she floated to the window of the cell door and appeared at the other side of Keith's cell. "We will talk some more soon, fellow blade." Then the shadow disappeared into the hallway. Without a trace.

While the shadow is gone, Keith is now alone once again. In fear, Keith sighed and put his back against the wall. He slid down and sat for a moment. Keith nearly felt the erg to scream but questions have taken their place. What am I going to do now? Keith hugged his knees as his gut is giving out about something else that he won't be the liking of what is going to come.