Lance arrived in Castle Control to find Hunk and Sven overseeing the organized chaos.  The two men stood with Koran over the main console, talking in low tones.

"What's going on?"  Lance asked as he wheeled himself over.

"Ve have de castle in complete lockdown.  All de guards and de rest of de Force are doing a floor by floor search.  Every turret gun is manned and de military has been put on alert, dey're surrounding de castle as ve speak."  Sven reported.

"What do you mean?  We don't know who's here or where they are?"

Hunk shook his head, "There was no sign of any ships on the radar."

"What?"  Lance asked, leaning forward to study the console.

"We haven't been able to find the source of the explosions, it's almost like the castle hiccupped."

"How do we know the castle has been breeched?"

"It was reported when it was discovered the prisoner had escaped and both her guards were killed."

Lance pushed himself out of his chair, "Fatina has escaped?"

"Ve have reason to believe somevon sprung her."  Sven muttered.

"I want a guard on Darcy at all times.  She's in the hospital now."

"You think she's going after Darcy again?"  Hunk asked.

"Yeah, she thinks if she captures Darcy and hands her over to Lotor, he'll marry her.  Sven, I'll need you to fly Yellow for now.  Can you do that?"

"Uh, ja, but I tink Darcy could…"

"No, she's grounded…"  Lance stopped when Hunk's communicator went off.

"Hunk."

"Hey, Hunk, we found some more casualties."  Pidge said.

"Where are you?"

"We're just outside the hospital."

"Who?"

"Two guards.  Um, Kirschen and Xanez."

Lance grabbed the communicator out of Hunk's hand, "Have you checked in the hospital yet?"

"Uh, no, Lance.  We wanted to report the guards first. Oh wait, here comes Keith."  Pidge's voice became muffled as he lowered the communicator to talk.

The three men in Castle Control gathered around the communicator Lance held.  Pidge had lowered it so the small screen showed the green of his shirt.  They tried to decipher what was being said but could only pick out snippets of the conversation from Pidge's end.

"…you feelin' Cap?...but Allura…no…a good idea?...why is she here…Darcy…Lance…not like…"

"Pidge!"  Lance yelled.  "What's going on?"

With a sigh, Pidge brought the communicator back up to his face, "Keith wants you to call off the castle-wide search."

"What?"  Hunk cried, incredulously.  "Why?"

"We have to find Fatina before she…"  Lance began.

"We found her, she's with Keith."  Pidge interrupted.

Lance's mouth fell open.

Pidge looked away and listened to whatever it was Keith was saying.  He turned back to the communicator.  "He said to call off the search.  They're on their way to Castle Control."

"Alright."  Lance shook his head with disbelief and snapped the communicator shut.  He looked up at Hunk and Sven.  "Call off the search."

"You don't have to do dat Lance," Sven said.  "Keit is still on medical leave, ve can override his order."

"No, call it off.  For some reason, Fatina is with Keith, we can deal with it when they get here and I want as much coverage as possible."

Hunk nodded and turned to the console so he could contact everyone at once.

Lance pulled out his own communicator and dialed up Darcy.

In the examining room, Darcy was lying on the table, her shirt pushed up to just under her breasts.  Dr. Gorma was examining her with an intrasound, a small, handheld device that allowed him to look inside her.  X-Rays and ultrasounds had gone out of use years before, replaced by this new machine that was the size of a televeiwer remote with a small screen on it and a chip that allowed it to send the image to a printer or larger screen if needed.  It was safer than X-Rays and the picture was clearer than ultrasounds.

"You'll have quite a bruise, Sergeant, but you were lucky.  She hit you just off enough to the side that she missed the baby.  You'll both be fine."  Dr. Gorma told her, turning off the intrasound.

Darcy let out a breath of relief and pulled her shirt down, "Thanks, Doctor."

"But I would suggest you take it easy.  I mean that, Sergeant."

"Do you think she should be grounded?"  Allura asked.

"Yes, I do."  He replied.

"Lance already took care of that."  Darcy grumbled.

Dr. Gorma looked at her sternly, "Good."

Darcy scowled as she reached for her communicator when it beeped, "Barlow."

"Darcy, where are you?"  Lance asked hurriedly.

She rolled her eyes, "I'm in the hospital, I told you…"

"You're okay?"

"Yeah, Dr. Gorma said I'm fine, the baby's fine."

"Where's Allura?"

"She's in here with me.  What's going on Lance?"

"Have you seen Keith?"

"Dr. Gorma said he was unconscious from the pain medication."

"Well, he's up now and he's with Fatina."

Darcy looked up and exchanged shocked looks with Allura.

"That's impossible!"  Dr. Gorma declared as he rushed from the room.

"He's on his way to Castle Control with her," Lance continued.

"We're on our way," Darcy jumped off the table.

"No!  Wait!"  Lance shouted.  "Fatina is loose and four guards are dead."

"I have your blaster, Lance."

"I know, just wait until someone comes for you."

"Lance, if she was here to get Keith, she could have gotten me then.  We'll be down in a minute."  She snapped her communicator shut and looked into the worried face of Allura.  "Come on, let's find out what's going on."

Allura nodded and watched as Darcy picked up the blaster and turned the safety off.

"Stay close to me," Darcy warned.

Allura nodded again, her mind on Cady.  Were Nanny and Romelle able to get the children to safety?  Of course they did. Nanny knew this castle like the back of her hand and she understood the alarms.  The second the alarms sounded, Nanny would have ushered them all into one of the safe rooms.

Darcy crept down the hall towards Castle Control.  Her ears and eyes tuned into her surroundings.  It was eerily quiet.  The door to Castle Control slid open and she looked around, surprised at the number of guards standing around the perimeter.

"You can't mean that!"  Lance cried.

"I do," Keith replied, calmly.

"If she stays I'm leaving and I'm taking Darcy with me."  Lance growled.

Darcy and Allura pushed their way through to where Lance was standing, leaning on the console, glaring at Keith.  Fatina stood beside Keith, a hand on his arm.  Sven and Hunk flanked Lance with Pidge, Caleb, and Dante standing just behind them.

"Have a safe trip."  Keith smiled.

Sven's mouth fell open, "You don't mean dat!"

"I believe Fatina will be a valuable asset."

"Keith," Allura spoke sharply.

He turned his blank stare to her, "Allura."

She stepped forward, ignoring the smirk on Fatina's face, "What is going on here?"

"Fatina and I spoke," his voice was hollow and monotone.  "I think that she should stay on as an assistant to Dr. Gorma.  She has obviously helped Lance."

"She is a criminal," Allura told him.  "She is to be tried for kidnapping, assault, and espionage."

Keith shook his head, "That was all a horrible misunderstanding."

Lance swore loudly, "Enough of this!  I want her back in a cell now."

"No!"  Keith shouted.  "I will not allow you to wrongly prosecute an innocent person."

"Keit, if she is innocent den she vill be proven innocent at trial.  For now she needs to be locked up."  Sven said.

"Longe, Hulerquman, front and center!"  Lance barked.

Two female guards stepped forward.

"Take her down to the cell, we will make sure you have plenty of backup.  Hunk, give me your bandanna."

Hunk reached into his back pocket and pulled out the old bandanna he carried to wipe his hands on when he worked on the Lions.

Lance handed it to Longe, "Blindfold her."

"Lance," Fatina whispered.

He purposefully avoided eye contact with her.

"Lance look at me."

Hulerquman stood behind Fatina, holding her still as Longe approached with the bandanna.

"I'm warning you, Lance, don't do this."

He continued to look everywhere except at her, but there was a definite pull.  As hard as he tried, he couldn't fight it.  An invisible hand was forcing his head to turn.

"Lance," Darcy stepped forward.

He raised his gaze to hers.  "Is she blindfolded yet?"  Lance asked, never taking his eyes off Darcy.

Longe was having a hell of time.  It seemed that every time she brought the bandanna up around Fatina's head, it slipped from her fingers.

"Enough of this!" Keith snapped.

"No," Allura crossed to stand in front of Keith.  "I don't know what's going on, but I am sick of your recent behavior and I am beginning to think Fatina has had something to do with it."

Darcy went to stand beside Allura.  The two of them blocked Fatina's line of vision from the men behind them.  She reached out and wrenched Fatina's hand from Keith's arm.  He sucked in a sharp breath and grabbed his head.

"Who are you?" Allura asked.

"Just the hired help, Your Highness."  Fatina smirked.

"Hired by whom?"  Darcy asked.

Sven and Hunk stepped forward to help Keith whose knees had given out beneath him.

"Longe, Hulerquman, take her down to the cell.  I want the guards tripled up."  Lance ordered.  He called out the names of female guards to follow them down to the dungeons.

The monitor on the main console began to beep as an alien ship entered Aruisan airspace.

Hunk opened a line of communication, "You are entering Arusian airspace, state your name and business."

There was no response.

"You have entered Arusian airspace.  State your name and business or we will be forced to fire upon you."

Still no response.  The blip on the radar monitor disappeared and a moment later the castle shook violently. 

"To the Lions!"  Hunk ordered.

"No need for that."  A low, raspy voice declared.  A heavy coldness filled the room.

Lotor, Landor, and Haggar stood beside the doorway the guards had just led Fatina through.

"What are you doing here?"  Allura stepped forward.

Lotor dipped into a deep bow, "Your Highness."

Another loud bang shook the castle and a moment later Fatina entered Castle Control again and ran to Lotor.  "I've missed you, Master," she curtsied.

Lotor ignored her.  "We've come to settle a score."

Lance took an unsteady step forward, "You're outnumbered, Lotor, the only score we have to settle is to get you off this planet permanently."

The door behind them opened and Renata entered, oblivious to what was going on, but curious after hearing all the alarms.  With lightening fast reflexes, Lotor had her by the throat with a gun at her head.

"Call off the guards Lieutenant."  He growled.

Pidge stepped forward with a snarl on his lips and his blaster in hand.  Dante held out his arm and stopped him from rushing forward.

Lance paused.  The entire Force was here, they could handle Lotor and Haggar.  "You are all dismissed to do your rounds."

"Lance," Sven whispered.

"What else would you have me do?" He hissed back.

"You're not as stupid as you look."  Lotor said, watching as the last guard filed out.

"What do you want?"  Lance stood a little straighter.

Lotor released his grip on Renata on pushed her forward, roughly.  Pidge rushed forward and caught her as she stumbled.  He felt the shudder rush through her even before he heard Lotor's blaster discharge.  Renata looked up at him with wide, frightened eyes.

"Nata?"  Pidge whispered, slowly lowering her to the floor as her body grew heavy in his arms. 

Hunk, Sven, Dante, Caleb, and Darcy all had their blasters out and trained on Lotor.

Renata started to shake.  Pidge pulled her close, trying to warm her, and he felt the warm, sticky blood on her back.  She looked up at him.

"I'm sorry."  She whispered.

"No, don't be sorry," he whispered back, his voice shaking.  "It'll be alright."

"Thank you," she stopped and gasped in pain.

"Nata, stay with me."  His vision blurred and his glasses fogged as tears filled his eyes

"You made me happy, Pidge."  Renata murmured as her eyes closed.

Dante, Caleb, and Sven walked forward to surround Pidge and Renata as he cradled her on his lap.  Lotor watched the scene with a self-satisfied smirk.

"Nata, please, stay with me, I need you."  Pidge pleaded, a tear falling.

With a small smile on her lips, Renata closed her eyes.  Pidge felt the life leave her and the heart ripped from his chest.  He looked down on her, afraid to let her go, trying to will her back to life.

"Pidge," Hunk laid a gentle hand on his shoulder.

Landor smirked, shifting his gaze from Pidge to Sven.  "What is it with you men and our former whores?   If I didn't know better, I'd think you all like sloppy seconds."

Without stopping to think, Sven turned his blaster on Landor and fired, hitting the cocky young man in the stomach.  Landor pitched forward, landing on his knees.  Lotor looked down with disgust as blood splattered on his boots.

Anger, white hot and painful, surged through Pidge.  He gently laid Renata on the floor and rose to his feet.  Wiping the back of his hands across his cheeks, Pidge unholstered his blaster and aimed it at Lotor.

"Why won't you die!"  He roared, firing blast after blast.

Lotor took the edge of the cloak he wore and brought it up in front of him.  The cloak absorbed every blast Pidge fired at him. 

"Are you done?"  Lotor asked disinterestedly as Pidge spent his anger.  He lowered the cloak and smiled.  "One of Haggar's better creations, a blaster proof cloak.  Landor, being the young fool he is, seemed to forget this.  Or it could be he's just slow."

"What do you want?"  Allura asked.

"I want you to pay," he replied staring directly at Lance.

"Want to do this man to asshole?"  Lance took an unsteady step forward.

"I could fight you, Lieutenant, but that would be too easy."

Darcy grabbed Lance's arm.

"My plan was to hit you where it hurt, come between you and your lady love," Lotor said, turning to Fatina.  "But she failed."

"Master?"  Fatina murmured, worriedly.

Without a word, Lotor took his weapon from its holster and shot her at close range.  They all watched in horror as she slumped forward.  The young beauty quickly deteriorated as her flesh melted away and the face turned into that of a pinched, old woman.

"Fool."  Haggar hissed.

"You're an idiot, Lotor, this is between you and me."  Lance spat.

"No," Darcy whispered.

"This ends now."  Lance never took his eyes off Lotor.

"No, this would be too easy.  I will strike you where it hurts most."

Lance moved a step over, standing in front of Darcy, "This is between you and me, Lotor."

"This does end now."

A sudden warmth filled the room as a high-pitched, scratchy voice cut through the tension.

"Kadmus."  Haggar rasped.

"Haggar."  Kadmus stepped forward, leaning on his staff.

"Where did he come from?"  Caleb asked.

"You forget our pledge to help, not harm."  Kadmus continued.

"I never made such a pledge," Haggar smirked.  "And I am helping."

"You're helping the evil."  The wizened old man stopped beside Lance.  Without taking his eyes off Haggar, Kadmus spoke to Lance.  "They came to get your child."

Darcy clutched the back of Lance's shirt.

"I am tired of this fight," Kadmus continued.  "You fear me."

Haggar cackled, "You wish I did, old man."

"Who are you?"  Lotor wrinkled his nose like he was smelling something very unpleasant.

"She could have healed you."

"What?"

Kadmus shifted his gaze to the scarred visage of the Prince of Doom.  "She could have properly healed you, she chose not to.  Haggar liked the idea of having some kind of control over you."

Lance looked down at Haggar, "Damn you, witch!"

"No, I did all I could.  He is trying to come between us."

By this point, less than two feet separated Kadmus and Haggar.  They stood at the same height.  Haggar wore a long, old dark blue cloak with the hood up, hiding her face.  Kadmus wore a new, black robe with his hood down, exposing his wrinkled brown face.  The face that Darcy had thought kind was now angry and frightening.

"No!"  Kadmus yelled suddenly.

They all jumped as he whipped around and threw a ball of light at Lance and Darcy.  The light exploded into a shimmering wall in front of them.  An unseen force slammed into the wall.

"What the hell?"  Lance took a step back, putting his arm behind him, wrapping it around Darcy's waist, holding her tight against him.

"You have done so much evil!  You have hurt so many people!  This ends now!" 

They all watched in horror as Kadmus lifted his staff above his head.  Haggar gasped and covered her head with her hands.  There was a bright flash and the castle shook when he slammed the staff down on the floor.  Everyone turned from the light.  Lance turned and shielded Darcy from the scene.  Pidge dove on top of Renata's still form while Sven tackled Allura to the ground.  Haggar's high scream filled their ears.