Darcy paced the waiting room, trying to ignore the intense burning sensation she felt on her arm. Half a dozen other women had the same mark. One cabinet member, a professor, two reporters, and the wives of two cabinet members. There was no connection that she could figure out. They all had the same thing, a superficial second degree burn just below the elbow on their left arms. Dr. Gorma and his nurses were applying salves and wrapping their arms in gauze. Darcy allowed all the other women to go first, but she was growing impatient, not knowing what was happening or where Allura was.
With one more woman ahead of her, she pulled out her communicator and dialed up Lance.
"Collier."
"Hey Lance, what's going on?"
"Paton has called in some of her officers, they're interviewing the guests to see if anyone saw anything."
She felt her heart sink, "Still no word on Allura?"
"No. What's Dr. Gorma say?"
"Superficial second degree burns. We'll be alright."
She heard some muffled voices before Lance responded.
"Darcy, Keith wants you to bring all the women to Castle Control as soon as you're done there. There has to be some reason why you all were singled out for this."
"Will do." She snapped it shut and looked up when Nurse Helene came out of the examination room.
"Dr. Gorma will see you now, Sergeant."
Lance looked up as Darcy entered Castle Control with the other women behind her. They were all cradling their injured arms and looking skittish, except Darcy. She walked in with her head held high and her arm swinging at her side. If it wasn't for the bright white gauze, you wouldn't know she was injured at all.
Lance, Sven, and Keith were standing beside the main console, talking to Koran and Sgt. Holzer.
"Any news?" She asked.
Keith shook his head, "No. No one saw or heard anything unusual. What did Dr. Gorma say?"
Darcy held her left arm out, "They're superficial second degree burns, we'll all be fine. We all felt the same thing, a cold hand gripped or brushed our arms and when it let go, there was a burning sensation."
"Could you tell if it vas a voman or man?" Sven asked.
"The fingers felt very thin and I don't think there was any jewelry. If I had to guess, I would say a woman."
Keith rubbed his hands over his face and sighed deeply, "How does this all factor in?"
Lance put a hand on his shoulder, "We'll get her back, man, we always do."
"I know."
"What have you discovered so far?" Darcy asked.
"Someone disabled our electrical output system and disconnected the generator, which is why it took so long for power to come back on. Seven women received unusual hand-shaped burns. We're sending a scouting ship to Doom soon." Lance explained.
"But Lotor's dead."
"We're not taking any chances, it's our best guess right now." Keith told her.
"Excuse me, sir?" One of the women spoke up, timidly.
Keith turned to her, "Yes?"
"Did you need to speak with us?"
"We need to know if you remember anything that might help us. Did any of you see who touched you?"
The women looked at each other and shook their heads.
"If any of you remember anything, please tell one of us immediately. You can return to the ballroom. Everyone is to stay in the castle until further notice." Keith waved over a guard to escort them.
Before the door could slide shut behind the women, Paton and Hunk entered.
"Find anything?" Keith asked.
"No one saw or heard anything, but one person is unaccounted for." Paton said.
"Who?"
"Alona Kassenn."
"What?" Lance asked.
"No one has seen her for a while. Dante was the last one to see her, she asked him a few questions and then excused herself to use the restroom."
"The castle has been on lock down," Keith said. "No one has left or entered. We'll do a complete sweep of the castle."
"I've taken the initiative to have some of my men team up with some of your guards. So far they haven't found anything." Paton told him.
"Thank you. Let me know as soon as you hear anything."
"Will do, Captain."
Keith's communicator beeped.
"Whitaker."
"Cap, we found something in
the stables." Pidge replied.
"What?"
"Alona Kassenn."
"What does she have to say?"
"Nothing. She's dead, Keith. We found her buried under a pile of hay. She's been here for at least a few hours."
"Stay there, Pidge, we're on our way."
Darcy followed Lance and Keith as they left Castle Control and crossed the yard toward the stables. Pidge and Dante were standing with two stable hands at the last stall. They had cleared the straw away from her face, but most of her body was still covered. Her left arm was sticking out from under the hay with a piece of paper clutched in her hand. A mark, a red handprint was wrapped around her arm, just below the elbow.
Keith and Lance knelt beside the body and began brushing the hay from her. A quick examination showed no other outward sign of injury. Keith turned to the stable hands.
"You saw nothing?"
"No, sir. There was about five minutes when I went out to bring back our supper and Fennimorre was upstairs getting more straw for the horses. But neither of us heard or saw anything." The young man explained.
Keith nodded, "Alright, we need to get her in to Dr. Gorma, see if he can find what killed her."
"Does it have anything to do with the mark on her arm?" Dante asked.
Lance and Keith both looked up at Darcy.
"How do you feel?" Keith asked her.
"I'm fine, it doesn't really burn anymore." She told him.
Lance studied her, "You look pale."
"I'm fine, really." Darcy assured him.
Keith pulled out his communicator and called Castle Control, "Koran, we need Dr. Gorma and a stretcher out here. Send a couple of guards to help him gather up the body. We need to know what killed her."
"They're on their way, Captain." Koran replied.
"What about the paper? We didn't want to try and remove it without you." Pidge pointed to Alona's hand.
Very carefully, Lance pried her stiff fingers back while Keith tugged the paper out. It tore a little, but came out in one piece.
You took my family, now I'll take yours.
L
"What does that mean?" Dante asked.
"Lotor." Lance muttered.
Keith shook his head, "No. Landor. Lotor had told him that Voltron was the reason he lost his father and now with Lotor dead, his entire family is gone." He stood. "We're going to Doom. I want the Lions in the air in two minutes."
"You sure you're alright?" Lance asked Darcy as they ran back to the castle.
"I'm fine, really. Go, bring Allura back."
In Castle Control, Koran, Caleb, Darcy, Rankin, and Sven watched the Lions take off. The guests were asked to stay for the time being, no one argued, for the reporters this could be the story of their careers. Romelle and Paget disappeared to the nursery to check on Erik.
Alona's body was taken to the hospital wing and Dr. Gorma was going over her to find any evidence of what killed her. Two of the women who had been burned returned to the hospital wing, complaining of dizziness and upset stomach.
"Maybe you should go see Dr. Gorma." Caleb said to Darcy.
"I'm fine." She muttered.
"You're
really pale."
"I tink
you should go get checked out," Sven added.
Darcy continued to ignore the dizziness and nausea that was slowly edging its way into her. She had to know what was happening with Allura and how she was doing.
Sven took her arm, shocked at how hot she was, "Darcy, you're burning up. You vill be of no help if you are ill."
She nodded.
Sven waved over a guard, "Vould you please makes sure Sgt. Barlow gets to the hospital ving?"
The guard saluted and took Darcy's arm. She leaned heavily on him, her knees feeling weak and the room was weaving in front of her.
"We were expecting you, Sergeant." Nurse Helene greeted her.
"Huh?" Darcy asked, trying to distinguish what the woman was saying.
"You're the last woman to arrive. They're all sick. Come with me now, we have to double up, so you'll be sharing a room with Miss Wlyth." She took Darcy's arm and half dragged her to the last examination room on the left.
"Whaz wrong wid me?" Darcy mumbled.
"We're working on it, dear." Helene said as she removed Darcy's shoes and helped ease her back on the bed.
"I'm sick of bein' in de hozpidal." Her eyes were heavy and her vision was clouded.
"I know you are, get some rest." Helene pulled the blanket up to her chin.