I am so bad, aren't I?  Sorry, I can't resist a good cliffhanger :)

Thank you all for your wonderful reviews.  I really appreciate them and I am so glad you're enjoying my story.

Just an added note:  I was thinking about putting this in my note on the first chapter of this story, but for some reason, I decided against it.  In this little story of mine, I consider the characters to be a bit older than they were in the series. It is one of the many liberties I have taken.  So to clarify, here is what I think their ages are in this particular story:

Keith, Hunk, Sven - 27

Lance – 26

Dante, Romelle – 25

Pidge, Allura, Darcy – 23

Caleb – 22

Rebcca - 21

I know, I know…Sven and Romelle haven't been in this story, not that I don't love them, I have so much fun writing all of these characters, I just don't like putting in characters just to have them there, but if the need should arrive for them to visit, I'm sure they will.

Thank you guys!
Failte

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"What do we do now?"  Becca whispered.

Pidge put one hand out in front of him and felt his way along the counter.  "I'm going to get out a flashlight.  We should be hearing from Keith any second now, if we don't I will try to contact him.

She listened as he opened and slammed a couple of drawers, ruffling through them.  "Aha!"  He proclaimed as a beam of light cut across the room.  "And there's Keith."  Pidge said as he unclipped his communicator.

Keith had contacted the entire Force all at once, "Roll call."

"Collier," Lance said.  "All three of us in our room."

Hunk replied, "Landers.  In my room."

"Audric and Becca's here too."  Pidge told them.  "We're in the kitchen."

"Addison, Castle Control."

"Marshall, in my room."

"And the three of us are here in our room," Keith said.  "Dante, you're on duty."

"Yes sir."

"What's going on?"

"Power just went out, sir.  No warning.  Pvt. Latham is here.  He offered to go check on the generators…"

"No!"  Keith interrupted sharply.  "Stay where you are.  Is everyone else able to get to Castle Control?"

"Yes."  The five other members of the Force replied.

Becca looked around the room, not seeing another door.

"Be there within two minutes.  Dante don't leave your post and don't let Latham out of your sight."

"Yes sir."

Pidge snapped the communicator shut and looked up at Becca, "Ready to go?"

Keith, Lance, Hunk, and Caleb all crossed to their closets with flashlights in hand.  Each of their closets had false backs hiding doorways that led to the hidden pathways to the catacombs.  They not only led outside, but to other rooms in the Castle as well, including Castle Control. 

Keith carefully stepped through, cradling Cady to his shoulder.  He turned and offered Allura a hand, helping her.  One floor down and a couple of hallways over, Lance took a crying Schuyler from her mother and waited for Darcy to cross through the doorway.

"Where are you going?"  He called as she disappeared back into the room.

"Just a sec," She called back, swearing as she banged her shin on a bedside table.

"Darcy, we don't have time for this!"  He said over the baby's cries.

"Trust me, you'll thank me for this!"

Lance listened impatiently while he heard her going through their room.  "Shhh, Sky, its okay," he swayed and rubbed her back, trying to calm her.

"Here," Darcy pushed her way through the closet, holding a pacifier in front of her.

Lance took it, gratefully, and held it to Schuyler's mouth.

"I don't think a screaming baby will help us in our quest to find a traitor."  Darcy whispered.

Lance shook his head and handed her the baby.  He took Darcy's hand in his and aimed the flashlight ahead of them with the other.

"Pidge said Becca's with him, right?"  She asked as they walked swiftly down the hall.

"Yeah, I'm sure she's fine."

In the kitchen, Becca watched, holding the flashlight, while Pidge fought with a hidden door in the back of the pantry.  The light wavered as she clutched it tightly in her shaking hands.

"This door hasn't been used in a long time," Pidge muttered through gritted teeth as he threw his shoulder into it.

After what seemed like an eternity, although only a few seconds had passed, the door creaked and groaned.  Dust and dirt fell to the ground as the door inched open. 

Pidge stepped back and wiped his hands on his pants, "Nanny isn't going to be too happy when she sees that mess."

"Pidge."

"It's alright, Bec, we'll get to Castle Control and find out who is doing this.  I set up a firewall so whoever did this had to do it from Castle Control, there is no way they can hide now."

"Do you…do you think it's Dante?"  Becca whispered.

"No.  Well, I don't want to think it's him.  Latham was with him."

"Latham?  He's the one who helped Lance get my stuff off the ship, right?  He seems like a nice guy."

Pidge took her hand and started through the passageway.  "Just keep close to me, but you don't need to break my hand."

"Sorry," she loosened her grip.

The flashlight's beam wasn't very large.  Shadows bounced off the stone walls and Becca felt her heart beating so hard she thought she could hear the sound echoing off the walls.

Pidge stopped suddenly.

"What is it?"  Becca whispered.

"I thought I heard something."


"Wouldn't it be one of the guys?"

"No, we're on opposite sides of the castle, we shouldn't be crossing paths."  Pidge took her hand and lowered it so she was clutching the back of his belt.  "Just listen to me and do what I tell you to."  He whispered as he unholstered his gun and swept the flashlight in front of them.  "Who's there?  Show yourself."

*************************************************

Cady laid her head on her father's shoulder.  Her eyes were heavy, but she fought to keep them open.  There was so much excitement. She couldn't understand what was going on, but in later years her mother would tell her the story, she was there when they discovered the traitor.  Feeling the vibrations in his chest and throat as her father gave out orders, her thumb slipped from her mouth and her eyelids fell.

It was quite an image, a combination of the leader of the most powerful Force in the Universe and a doting father.  While Keith stood beside Dante at the main console, telling everyone what to do, he swayed from side to side rocking his daughter.  Allura sat in the chair beside him, resting her hands over her stomach.  Koran, who had raced to Caste Control with the others, stood behind her taking in the scene around him and offering advice, one hand on the young woman's shoulder.

Lance and Hunk had run down to check the generators while Caleb waited beside the main computer terminal for the power to come back.  Darcy paced the room, waiting for Pidge and her sister while trying to calm Schuyler.

"Keith?"  Darcy spoke up.

He looked at her, knowing what she was going to ask.  He looked down at the lit face of his watch and sighed.  "They do have further to come.  The passage actually has to go back around the kitchen and under Castle Control."

"But should it take this long?"

"We'll give them sixty more seconds…ah, there they are."  Keith unclipped his communicator and shifted Cady.  "Whitaker."

"Captain."  It was Hunk.

"Yeah, Hunk, what is it?"

"Whoever did this cut some of the wires, it'll be a couple of minutes."

"Alright.  You haven't seen or heard from Pidge, have you?"

"No."

Keith nodded, "Get to work then.  Thanks Hunk."

"No problem."

Keith snapped the communicator shut and looked at his watch.  "Thirty more seconds."  He told Darcy.

She sighed deeply, annoyed with his hesitation but also knowing they didn't have enough trustworthy people to send out a search party.

****************************************************

"Lieutenant Audric?"

Pidge kept his weapon level and raised the flashlight.  "Corporal Cheyen?  What are you doing here, soldier?"

"I, uh, I thought I heard some disturbances in the hidden passageway and then the lights went out.  I thought I would investigate."

Pidge didn't lower the gun, "Did you report to Lt. Addison, who is on duty, that you noticed a disturbance?"

"There was no answer, sir."

Pidge watched the young soldier in front of him, his hands raised.  Cheyen had been with them for over two years, just after Rankin and Paget's wedding.  He knew his way around the computers, but he had proven himself time and again to be loyal to the Royal House of Arus. 

"Sir?"

Pidge felt Becca tighten her grip on his belt. 

"Corporal, I want you to hand me your blaster, very slowly, and then slowly turn around, keep your hands where I can see them and walk toward Castle Control.  Don't try anything funny, I will not hesitate to shoot."

Cheyen's eyes widened in fear, "Sir?  What are you doing?"

"He sent you here after Rankin's wedding.  He told you to lay in wait for his word.  You helped to get Fatina hired, you delivered her information to Dr. Gorma.  You helped them get into the castle when they attacked Darcy and Lance."  Pidge said, anger cursing through him.

"What are you talking about?"  Cheyen's voice shook slightly.

"You were with me through the entire computer upgrade, you know it almost as well as I do.  Those were your instructions.  You were told to infiltrate us from the inside, gain our trust and find away to bring down the castle from within."

"Sir?"

"Pidge," Becca whispered.  "We should go to Castle Control."

"Very slowly, with your hands raised, turn around."  Pidge ordered.

Cheyen slowly began to turn, "I don't know what you're talking about." 

Pidge thought of the mess in Becca's room, the torn nightgown in his room.  This man had invaded their privacy, frightened Becca, and made their lives miserable over the past couple of weeks.  He had no sympathy or patience for him. 

A beeping sound filled the hallway.  Pidge looked down for a split second.  He moved to hand Becca the flashlight while he unclipped his communicator.  In that split second, Cheyen kicked up, knocking the blaster from Pidge's hand, sending it skidding across the stone floor.

Becca gasped and jumped back as Cheyen tackled Pidge.

"You son of a bitch," Pidge snarled as he fought to get Cheyen off him.

"Me?"  Cheyen's voice rose to near hysterics.  "You!  You are the monster who killed my master!"

The communicator continued beeping, but it was ignored as Pidge fought back and Becca looked around helplessly for a way to help.

"Your master was the monster," Pidge grunted as he rolled over, pinning the Corporal beneath him.  "You come into our home, you try to frighten us, you invade our privacy…you're going to pay you little piece of shit."

Cheyen bucked up and flipped Pidge off him.  He went for the blaster in his thigh holster, but Becca was quicker, she grabbed Pidge's gun and aimed it at him with shaking hands.

Cheyen grinned at her, "Come on, little girl, you don't want to play with a gun.  Give it to me."

Finding new strength from anger, Pidge tackled Cheyen.  They were once again in a fierce tussle.  Becca watched them, still clutching the weapon.  Pidge fought to grab the weapon in Cheyen's holster, but the Corporal's insane devotion to the memory of Lotor drove him to fight hard. 

She flinched when she heard Pidge grunt as he took a punch to the stomach.  Cheyen flipped them over, slamming Pidge's head on the stone floor, stunning him.  He stood and looked at Becca, slowly unholstering his gun.

"Drop the weapon, sugar, you're more likely to hurt yourself than me."

*********************************************************

"Lance," Keith called into his communicator.  "I need you up here now!"

"What is it, Cap?"

"Pidge and Becca haven't made it to Castle Control yet," he explained as he handed Cady to Koran.  "He isn't answering his communicator, but we've traced the tracking device to the passage behind the kitchen.  I want you to investigate with me."


"Yes sir, I'll meet you in the passage where it intersects the catacombs."

"Twenty seconds, Lieutenant."  Keith snapped the communicator shut.  "Dante, let me know if he contacts Castle Control.  Keep everyone else in here for now.  If we need back up, send Caleb.  If Hunk finishes with the generators, send him."

"Yes, sir."  Dante saluted.

"Keith."

He turned to look at Darcy as he hurried across Castle Control.  "No, Darcy, stay here.  Your position is to protect Allura and the babies.  Don't argue, you are not coming."

"Be careful," she called weakly.

**********************************************************

Becca watched him approach her in the shadows created by the fallen flashlight.  Her heart raced and her eyes shifted to Pidge who was trying to rise.

His head was swimming, but Pidge knew Becca was in trouble.  He raised himself up onto all fours and felt his arms weaken as he pitched forward.  When he heard Becca quietly whimper, he steeled himself and pushed up.

"Back off," Becca said weakly, aiming Pidge's gun at Cheyen.

"You've never fired a gun before, have you?  It's not as easy as you think."  He taunted.

"There's only one way to find out."

"You're shaking so hard that if you fired it, you would miss me by a mile."  Cheyen caught the movement of her eyes and whirled to see Pidge lurching toward him.  "Fool," he muttered, raising his own weapon. 

Becca didn't know who fired first, but she did know they both fired.  She heard the sound of feet running and Lance grabbed her as her knees gave out beneath her.