And a bit more...Hope you're enjoying the ride.
Allura watched in horror as she saw her husband fall lifelessly to the floor. "KEITH!" Allura threw herself at Haltor, firing her gun wildly.
He snarled and backhanded her, sending her flying across the room. One of the soldiers grabbed her and pinned her arms behind her back. Haltor walked up and looked down at her. "My quarrel is not with you. Do not force me to kill you as well." He turned on his heel and marched over to stand over Keith's still form. "Get up."
Keith lay on the floor, feigning unconsciousness. The blow Haltor had given him had actually succeeded in clearing his head. He lay still, waiting for his chance.
"I said get up!" Haltor kicked Keith in the ribs.
Keith chose that moment to strike. He sprang to his feet, catching the Druhle man by surprise. Not giving Haltor a chance to react, Keith threw a series of punches at Haltor's face, knocking him back. Haltor recovered quickly, and pulled a knife out of his belt, slashing at Keith's face. Keith backpedaled quickly, trying to stay out of range of the knife.
"I will kill you!" Haltor growled at Keith.
Keith merely smiled. "You can try."
Haltor rushed forward, brandishing the knife, somehow managing to score a thin slice across Keith's right forearm. Keith responded with a sharp kick to Haltor's legs, knocking him to the ground. Haltor acted instantly, pulling Keith down with him. Keith went down hard and Haltor used the momentary lapse to grab Keith around the throat. Lifting him off the ground, Haltor rammed Keith against the wall. Haltor looked deep into Keith's eyes and smiled as he tightened his grip around Keith's throat.
Keith brought his hands up and tried to free himself from Haltor's hold. But the younger man was too strong and Keith's vision began to dim as he struggled desperately for air.
"No! Keith! Let go of me!" Allura fought to free herself from her captor, but he wrenched her arms higher behind her back and covered her mouth with his hand.
Keith fought to free himself, but Haltor only smiled evilly. "Good-bye Keith. Give my regards to my father." His hands clenched tighter around Keith's throat.
Keith's lungs felt as they were about to explode and a red haze swam across his vision. With the last of his strength, he smashed his wrists, still in the heavy iron manacles, against Haltor's temples. The Druhle leader's eyes rolled up in his head and he fell backwards to the floor. Keith slumped down next to him, his breath coming in ragged gasps.
Allura used the distraction to free herself. She bit down hard on the hand covering her mouth, at the same time stamping her heel hard down upon the soldier's instep. He howled in surprise, letting go of her. Allura started forward, but was grabbed by another guard before she could get to Keith's side. She fought like a tiger, but he was bigger than her previous captor and held her tight.
Keith sensed Haltor stirring, and quickly scanned the area around them. Spying Haltor's gun a few feet away, he scrambled to his feet and grabbed it and stood over the fallen commander. Haltor glared up at him, his yellow eyes blazing in hatred.
A few soldiers started forward, but stopped when Keith aimed the gun at Haltor. "Come any closer and I'll blow his brains across the room." He said coldly. They froze in their tracks. "Release her." He nodded towards Allura. The guard tightened his grip. Keith fired, just missing Haltor's head. "I said, release her."
Haltor nodded once, and the guard loosened his hold on Allura. She rushed to Keith's side. "You alright?" He asked her, not taking his eyes off Haltor. She nodded. "Get to Black." His voice was hoarse from Haltor's choking.
Allura shook her head. "Not without you."
"I'll be right behind you." He smiled ferally down at Haltor. "Get up. You're coming with us."
Haltor slowly got to his feet. "You have only managed to prolong your life for a few moments. I will kill you."
"Promises promises. Move." Haltor refused to move and stood resolutely before Keith. Keith brought the gun up level to Haltor's head. "Think I'm bluffing? Try me. I killed your father remember? Don't think I won't do the same for you." Haltor's gaze shifted to Allura. Keith snarled and rammed the gun into the commander's throat. "Go ahead. Give me a reason." He whispered menacingly.
Haltor stared into Keith's one good eye and saw no mercy. He knew at that moment, his death was closer than Keith's. After a tense moment, he shifted and they started towards Black. Haltor in the lead, with Allura and Keith following behind.
The rush of adrenaline was quickly fading out of Keith, and he had to force himself to stay focused on Haltor. If he knows just how weak I am, we're dead. He nudged Haltor in the back. "A little faster Commander. I'd like to get home in time for dinner." Haltor scowled, but didn't reply.
Keith felt a wave of dizziness wash over him, and his hands began to shake. He stumbled and would have fallen if not for Allura grabbing his arm. She quickly took the gun from his unsteady hands, and kept it trained on Haltor. "Don't move."
Haltor stood in front of her, smiling evilly. "You really think you could use that on me?" He advanced towards them. "And you, General, can you feel it? The poison coursing through your body. The antidote you were given was not enough. At this point you are neither human nor Robeast. Soon, your cells will begin to break down and you will die." He laughed as Keith moaned and dropped to his knees.
"Stop it! Leave him alone!" Allura stood protectively in front of Keith.
Haltor walked towards her. "And if I don't? Go ahead woman, shoot me." He laughed again.
Allura's expression didn't change as she calmly fired at Haltor. The blast caught him on the upper arm and he fell back in surprise. "That went exactly where I aimed it. Do not provoke me again unless you want the next shot to be somewhere more vital." Her cold smile was nearly identical to his.
"He will not leave this ship alive." Haltor told her, blood dripping down his arm.
"Keith's coming with me." Allura shot back.
Haltor snarled at her. "How dare you! You could have been a consort of the ruler of the galaxy! Instead, you settle for…him." He sneered down at Keith in contempt.
Allura's gaze didn't falter. "Keith loves me for who I am, not what I am. Your father seemed to have trouble with that."
"My father loved you."
"Loved me? Your father?" Allura marched forward until she stood right in front of Haltor. The top of her head barely reached his chin, but fury made her seem taller. "Let me tell you a thing or two about your father. He never loved anyone or anything in his life, except power."
Haltor narrowed his eyes at her. "He loved you and this…rabble turned you from him."
Allura refused to back down. "This 'rabble' as you call them, saved my planet, not to mention my life." She met Haltor's gaze fearlessly. "Lotor didn't love me, he coveted me and believe me, there's a difference. Lotor kidnapped my cousin, raped and tortured her then threw her into the Pit of Skulls to die. Want to know why he did that? For no other reason than she looked like me. And I was out of his reach."
Haltor took a step back at her tone. "But—But…"
Allura continued. "Lotor decimated more worlds than I chose to think about. All he ever thought about was who and where he was going to conquer next. When the Voltron Force came to Arus, they stopped him. And this was something Lotor couldn't stand. How dare a bunch of puny humans stand up to him! Well we did. And we won. And I will not let you or anyone else make Lotor a hero, when he was nothing more than an egotistical, lying, scheming, maniacal bastard. That's the kind of person your father was." She told him vehemently. She stood staring at him for a moment, then went back and helped Keith to his feet.
"He wanted peace." Haltor tried again, weakly.
Allura snorted. "Lotor? Peace? That's a load of bullshit!"
Keith started. "Allura!" He hissed.
She ignored him. "He wanted to rule over me, no more no less. And when we stopped him, he took his anger out on other planets, too weak to resist him." She faced the young man again. "Tell me Haltor, who told you all these stories about Lotor? Your mother?"
Haltor looked away. "No." He said softly.
"Who then? I want to know who has been filling your head with lies all your life." Allura demanded angrily.
"Haggar. Haggar told…him." Keith said raggedly.
Allura looked up sharply at Haltor. He nodded, but didn't reply.
"She lied to you Haltor. She's been lying to you your whole life." Allura's tone softened. "I'm sorry Haltor, but your father was not the man she made him out to be. And I think, deep down, you already knew that." She turned and placed a supporting arm around Keith.
Haltor stood before them, his head bowed. "Go." He said quietly. Allura and Keith looked at him in surprise. He faced them, his expression guarded. "Take him and go." He motioned to the guards to lower their weapons. "Majesty, I'm sorry."
Allura stared at him a moment, then nodded once and turned to help Keith towards Black.
"NOOOOO!"
A blast ricocheted off of Black's leg. Keith and Allura instantly dropped to the ground, looking to see where both the shot and the shriek had come from.
Haggar appeared behind Haltor. She screamed at him in anger. "You're letting them get away!" She glared at Haltor. "I always knew you were weak. I'll kill them myself!" She leveled her staff in Keith and Allura's direction.
"Not this time witch!" Haltor grabbed at her staff and the two began to wrestle for it. "RUN!" He yelled at Keith.
Keith needed no further urging. He placed his hand on the touch-pad on Black's leg, and immediately the ladder started to descend. He grabbed Allura and hoisted her halfway up before the ladder had finished extending itself. "Power him up. Get him ready to take off as soon as I get up there." Allura looked down at him, fear in her blue eyes, but she nodded and flew up the ladder.
Keith spotted a blaster on the floor. I'm going to regret this… "Haltor!" The Druhle man looked up and Keith tossed him the gun.
He caught it deftly, letting go of Haggar's staff. He leveled the gun at her. "It's over witch."
Haggar laughed evilly. "I don't think so!" Quicker than Keith believed possible, the old woman swung her staff, knocking Haltor to the floor. She then aimed at Keith and screamed words in magic.
The blast hit Keith in the back as he was climbing the ladder. Almost blacking out, he gripped the rung tightly as his feet slipped out from under him.
"Keith! Grab my hand!" Looking up, Keith saw Allura bending down, reaching out to him. Feebly, with dimming vision, he grasped the tips of her fingers, before slipping again. "No! Keith, hang on!" She disappeared from his sight and seconds later, he felt the ladder start to ascend beneath him. Within moments, he was laying on the floor inside Black Lion. "Keith?" Allura knelt next to him.
He looked up at her, his eyesight hazy. "A—Allura…"
"Come on, I need you need to get the Key." She hoisted him up by the shoulders, and eased him over to the control panel.
Keith bit back a cry of pain and nearly blacked out. Allura grabbed him and looked into his face. He was dazed and unfocused. "Keith? Keith! Snap out of it! I need you to start Black." Biting her lower lip, she steeled herself and slapped him across the face.
Keith started at the sting across his cheek. "What…why didn't you—"
She interrupted him. "The Key Keith, I need your Key."
He nodded and faced the computer. "M-Montgomery, Keith Alexander...412610524…'Cry 'Havoc' and…let slip…the dogs of war'…" He sagged backwards to his knees on the floor. The computer came to life, lights flashing and a small drawer opened. Allura snatched the Key and inserted it into the interlock.
Black got to his feet with a mighty roar.
"Here Keith, put this on." She handed him his helmet, putting hers on at the same time. "Strap yourself in. We're getting out of here now." She pushed a button, and the jump seat next to her opened up. Starting the infracells and dynotherms, she sensed him settling in next to her. As soon as she heard the click of the belt, she let Black loose.
The huge Lion turned and ripped through the steel hanger doors like they were paper. Laser fire erupted around them as they shot into space. "Lance! Lance!"
"Allura! What took you so long?" His face grinned up at her in the viewscreen.
Despite herself, she smiled back at him. "We're out. Where are the others? I want that base destroyed."
"We're on it Allura. Jeff, you heard the lady."
"Right behind you buddy. Fighters move out!" Jeff ordered.
"Jeff wait!" Allura took a deep breath. "If you see an escape pod, scan it. If it's Haltor, and he's alone…let him go."
"WHAT!" Everyone's voice echoed across the speakers.
"Allura, have you lost your mind? He's nothing but a murderer, you don't let a murderer live." Lance told her forcefully.
"Svavaliadeelin…" Dorma interrupted.
"Shut up Dorma!" Lance snapped at his wife. She frowned at him and cut her connection. Lance scowled in reply and turned back to his viewscreen. "Allura listen to me, you can't do this! He'll just come back with a bigger force. Didn't Pidge and the others mean anything to you? Who else are you going to let him kill?" Lance was white with fury and his green eyes glittered angrily.
Allura refused to budge. "Less you forget, this is my planet Lance. I know what I'm doing. Unless he fires first, let him go." Lance snarled at her and the screen went black. "Jeff?"
"Whatever you say Your Majesty, I just hope you know what you're doing." He too signed off.
Allura sighed and closed her eyes a moment. Then she sat up and turned the Lion towards Arus. "Keith? We're almost there. Keith?" For the first time, she noticed the blood on her hands and uniform. "Keith!" She turned to find him slumped forward in the seat. The back of his shirt was dark with blood. "Castle Control! I should be landing in a few minutes. Have a medical team standing by." Her voice shook.
"Roger that. Allura, are you alright?" The Admiral asked.
She nodded into the viewscreen. "It's Keith we need to worry about now." She turned back to her husband. "Please Keith, just hold on a little longer."