Playlist:
Good afternoon all. Here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy it.
Lyla: Thank you so much for reading. I hope you continue enjoying this tale.
Kristina Marie: I know! Eight years. Amazing. It's my favorite out of all my stories so far. I hope I can give it all the attention it needs. You are the first non-Sam fan! LOL! I love it. I really am working on Lotor. If an effort is made, he can be a wonderful villain. Let's see how he does in this chapter. Thank you so much for reading!
Guest: I'm so loving it that you're loving it. Thank you. Yeah, the bond with Keith and the lions…I hope you'll like where this will go.
Snyperlady: Yeah, the interaction with the lions is pretty cool. This story has been in the works for years. I hope that I can bring all my thoughts to life on it. There's so much! So glad you are enjoying it. BTW, what's going to happen to Keith and Vessa. Hello woman!
KathDMD: Lovey! It means a lot to me that you are reading this fic despite all the excitement around you. So, are we going to see pics anytime soon? Just wondering. The Lance/Romelle angle has been on my mind for years. Keith's very tormented over killing his friend. It may get worse… Yes. Lucy is going to go through challenges of her own. You'll see. I WANT PICTURES!
Mertz: Chica! Thank you so much for your help. It is always appreciated. So lucky to have someone like you on my side. ;) And thanks for the edit!
CubbiesFan1: Thanks so much for your input and thoughts. I really appreciate how you help me deepen the development of the characters. You are so talented. I can't tell you enough how I enjoy your fics. Can't wait until today's update. Go Jonny! LOL!
Playlist:
Sunny Tales-Sunlounger
Twenty-One Pilots-Heathens
Frou Frou-Let Go
Chapter 13
Keith left the base after his meeting with Mosley. He wasn't due back until the next afternoon to run some new simulations with Coran. The rest of the team was tasked with assignments. Lance had patrol tonight, Darrell continued to run surveillance and Allura was tasked with putting together contingency plans for various scenarios the team might be in during attack. Only Hunk was off for the night to meet with his wife. Since they didn't have to report back until morning, Keith figured he'd work at home for the rest of the night. He tried to convince himself that he needed a quiet place to concentrate, but in reality, he knew he just didn't want to see Allura again after their encounter.
He needed to find a way keep Altair away from his dreams, but had no idea how to do it. For the moment, keeping away from her seemed the best way to deal with the issue. But, Keith knew he was only putting a band-aid on the situation. And Black wasn't talking, no matter how many times he tried reaching him.
He read over a number of reports Coran and Darrell gave him before writing a strategy plan on his computer. After a few minutes at work, Agatha's voice called out, "Commander Kogane, you have a call from the secure line. Would you like me to transfer it to the home line?"
"No, Agatha. Command," he stood up from the dining room table and took the elevator to the second floor, the command center.
Once he arrived, Keith sat in front of the large vidscreen. Knowing the caller well, he accessed the codes to accept the call. Keith soon saw Hazar on the screen with his typical arrogant smile, "Captain, I'm so privileged to speak to you. A man as famous as yourself…well, I feel very humbled to be part of the elite group of beings that exchanges words with you."
"Did you find Haggar?" he asked, ignoring the fake accolade.
"So far, no," the Drule answered with annoyance. "One of my sources told me the witch is housed in some spiral galaxy outside the Denubian. I'm looking into it. But I called to let you know that I haven't given up on my search."
Keith stared at the Drule, knowing there was another reason for the call.
"Now," Hazar looked deep into Keith's eyes, "I need reassurance on your part, Captain. I need to know that once I have all my information ready to present to you, you will have the money you need to present to me."
"I'm good for it," Keith flat out told him.
"Are you now?" the Drule grew a little serious. "I want to believe that."
"What's your doubt?"
"Truth be known, when I asked you for that exuberant amount of money, I thought you'd have backing from the Arusian Corps. But something a few days ago made me doubt you."
"And what would that be?"
Hazar smiled, "I heard information that sparked my attention. A lion attacking reporters after the destruction on the city. That lion attacked them." This time Hazar laughed hard, "Protecting you. Of all people! If the stories are correct, and the lions attach their souls to those they deem worthy, that means you are still worthy of them."
Looking curiously at the Drule, Keith said, "I'm not sure I understand what you mean, Hazar."
"Very simple," he answered after he stopped laughing. "I, and many, by the way, think that you carry the soul temporarily. That the lions probably knew that danger lurked a mere short twenty years ahead and that they kept you with them for their…benefit, for lack of a better word."
Keith stared at the Drule calmly, but did not say a word as Hazar continued.
"But a few nights ago, when I saw the reports on Lenna, I realized something. It protected you," the Drule chuckled. "That bastard lion protected you. If you were there for convenience, he wouldn't have given a damn. You're still worthy of them, Kogane. Now, the question is why. Why you? You killed one of your own in cold blood. Hell, it was even on video!"
Keith's gaze didn't falter from the Drule.
Hazar snorted. "Keith Kogane. So damn noble and just that I know you wouldn't taint your precious Arusian army with having them deal with someone like me. You can. Probably because they expect it from you."
Leaning closer to the screen, the Drule continued, "Listen, Kogane. I know you have a pretty comfortable bank account. I know because I checked. With what your past…projects and what the Arusian Corps pays you, you are very comfortable. But, you don't have nearly enough to compensate me. So, you can see my concern about payment. The Arusian Corps is a dead end and Galaxy Garrison won't even look at you. Where will my money come from?"
"You're a very astute man," Keith simply replied.
"You have to be in my line of business," Hazar chuckled again.
"You needn't worry, Hazar. I will get your money," The captain stated with a calm neutral tone. "Just make sure you get me the information I requested."
"You sure Kogane?" Hazar taunted.
Annoyed and slightly losing his patience, Keith replied, "Get me the information and you'll have the money. Is there anything else?"
"Nope," he shook his head, now convinced of his client's credibility. "All I needed was your reassuring words, Captain Kogane. Give me a week or two, I'll have something for you. See you around. And…thank you for allowing me an audience," Hazar wholeheartedly laughed before terminating the communication.
XXXXXXXXXX
As the early morning hours arrived on Korrinth, Lotor woke up to the sounds of someone knocking on his door. He rose from bed, a bit frustrated that the sounds perturbed his deep slumber. The night before was filled with wondrous images of a woman he didn't yet know, but longed to meet. He hardly slept, waking up at different hours of the night after dreaming of her. Once he fell asleep again, Lotor would see, feel, and touch her. He so much wanted to continue dreaming of her, but pressing issues made it impossible for him to go back to the golden-haired goddess who conquered his thoughts. Running his hand through his long, thick, white hair, the Drule, wearing only dark blue drawstring, satin like pants, walked toward the door.
"Sire!"
He heard Yurak's voice from the other side of the door.
The dreams of Allura Altair were strong. Lotor never dreamed so clearly. He could feel every part of her creamy body against his blue skin. The prince smelled her perfume and touched her soft lustrous hair with his fingertips. Obviously, the images could never compare to the real woman. But to him, this night was the sweetest night he had encountered in years.
And now, Yurak had interrupted it.
"Sire! Please open! Haggar has news for us."
At the sound of Yurak mentioning Haggar's name, Lotor immediately picked up his pace. Haggar seldom contacted, but when she did, it meant she had something of importance to share. Opening the door to his room, Yurak allowed himself in.
"I've transferred her transmission to your room, your Highness," Yurak headed straight to the vidscreen.
Soon the witch appeared on screen. Her eyes filled with evil, her curt smile enhanced the hatred she felt within.
"You didn't use the encrypted messaging?" Lotor asked as he crossed his muscular arms along his bare chest.
"It wasn't safe," she gently replied with a sigh of impatience.
"You have news. Speak," the prince ordered as Yurak stood next to his leader and friend.
She nodded from the vidscreen, "Everything is going perfectly well. In a few weeks, the Arus Corps will be crippled. You'll be able to attack without any obstacles."
"I wasn't expecting you to act this quickly," Lotor smiled. "How did you manage, Haggar?"
"I have my ways," she smiled back at the man she raised. "Just make sure you're ready, my child. I've given up too much to make sure that our mission is a success. This world is dark and is slowly killing me. Do not fail me, Lotor."
He shook his head. His eyes glazed with unshed tears, looking at his mother, who had abandoned him for a greater cause. "I won't, Haggar. I promise you that I won't."
Haggar smiled, staring at the man she helped create, "Good, my child. Your father would be so proud." Turning back to the important matters at hand, she continued, "Before attacking, we must cripple the Voltron Force. And, I know just the way to do it," she told him seriously and firmly. "Lotor, you and I are going to show them who they are dealing with."
XXXXXXXXXX
In the latter part of the afternoon, Mosley looked over the computer screen at Control and noticed that some of the security beacons were off. Running a test, she confirmed what she feared. Quickly, she picked up her comm. to contact Coran when the alarms suddenly went off.
At this point, Kirian ran and contacted the base, "Attention. Enemy Drule fighters entering Arus airspace. All teams report to your stations. Attention, all teams report to your stations! Enemy fighters entering Arus airspace. Report to your stations!"
After, she contacted her advisor, "Master Coran, report to Control. Now!"
XXXXXXXXXX
Darrell actively worked on breaking another firewall into Korrinth's systems when the alarms went off. Quickly, he pulled out of the system, grabbed his gear and headed to Control. There, he found Coran giving out commands to Corp soldiers while Kirian observed the screens in front of her, assessing the trajectory of the ships.
"Where are they coming from?" Darrell asked, knowing full well another attack lay closely ahead.
"Coming from the north," Kirian answered without looking at him. "Where's the rest of your team?"
"Here!" Lance answered as he and Allura made an appearance. "Where is Kogane?"
"He just arrived at the base and is on his way," Coran quickly replied to them before his gaze fell back to the screen. "Mosley, pull up a view of the North Quadrant Area."
The young woman did as ordered and within a few seconds, the small group watched three large ships enter Arus' hemisphere.
Precisely at that moment, Hunk ran into the room, "Sorry, I'm late. Got caught at—Damn!"
Keeping her eyes on the screen, Allura asked with a pained stare, "How big?"
"Each could be carrying at least three hundred fighters," Lance answered in such a serious voice that Allura darted her eyes toward him. "Did you order evacuations?"
Coran nodded, "Underground tunnels are being utilized as we speak."
"Have they established a connection?" A new voice filled the room.
They all knew the voice. Keith entered the room, already dressed in flight attire. When Allura saw him, she could see his dark eyes studying the screen with a contemptuous gaze.
"No," Mosley shook her head. "We haven't received anything yet."
"We should go," Lance immediately said. "Make our presence known to them. He has to have at least three to five hundred fighters in those things. God know what else he is hiding."
"He's not here to attack us," Keith replied calmly to Lance.
"Really?" Lance countered as Keith moved closer to them. "Can't you see the amount of fighters he brou—"
"If they wanted to attack, they would have done so already." The captain walked past his first lieutenant and answered in a dismissive tone as he moved closer to the screen.
"So three ships the size of Texas isn't enough to convince you?" Lance sarcastically answered, looking at Keith's back.
"Captain, they want to establish a communication link," Mosley narrowed her eyes, continuing to man the helm. She was nervous, agitated. "Do we―"
"Go," Keith replied immediately.
Within seconds, Kirian typed in codes to establish a link between the command center and the Drule ships. Moments later, the image of a Drule man appeared. This wasn't just any Drule man, but a Drule they all recognized. They looked at the face of an enemy from decades past. This man, the spitting image of their former nemesis, except for the eyes. Cold reptilian, yellow slits of darkness.
"Greetings, Voltron Force," he stared intently at the group. "I am Lotor, Crowned Prince of Korrinth and future King."
"Not if we have anything to do with it," Lance jumped in.
"Ah," Lotor's lips slowly curled into a smile, "Lieutenant Commander McClain, a pleasure. It is nice to put a voice to the face I've seen on your military profile."
"You have our profiles?" Darrell asked perturbed. All of our files were sealed. How did he manage to get access to them?
"Why yes, Lieutenant Stoker," Lotor answered calmly. "I figured if you have made yourself comfortable tapping into our systems, I'm sure you have no issues when we do the same."
The comment certainly surprised Darrell, for it showed in his face. Lotor gloated. He turned to the rest of the group and found one of the two people he wanted to speak to. "Lieutenant Altair," he bowed his head just as any royal would, "You are one of the main people I wanted to meet personally today. Just as beautiful on screen as in your picture. Of course, with your hair, the way that it is, you look…regal. You are indeed a very beautiful woman, Allura. You'd look spectacular next to a prince."
Altair wanted to slash him with her frigid gaze.
"What is that you want?" Keith deliberately placed himself in front of Allura to take the attention away from her.
"Captain Kogane, the other person I wanted to meet," this time as Lotor's smile faded, his eyes shined. "You ask what I want. Simple. I want your blood. I want your heart. I want your soul. That will come in due time. You will pay for your crimes against my family. The Drules do not look kindly on those who kill the royal line."
"I haven't," Keith replied with a mocking smile. "You're still here. But, that will come in due time."
Lotor laughed, finding the rebuttal pleasing, "Well, that remains to be seen. But, like you said, soon enough we will see who the victor is. For now, I'd like to meet with you personally. Short meeting of the minds, if you will."
"Where?"
"Keith," Allura whispered with a snap to her tone. She grabbed him by his arm and gave him a look of warning. He sensed her concern and worry.
"Do not worry, Allura, no harm will come to him, or any of your people," Lotor replied looking at Allura. His eyes travelled back to Kogane, "Today. As a matter of fact, Allura should come along. It's a great opportunity to meet both of you."
No one said a word.
"Of course, if you both decide not to attend, I will use my fighters on the planet," Lotor casually shrugged before his gaze turned menacing, "All nine-hundred of them, give or take."
Lance snorted, "Son of a―"
"Where?" Keith repeated.
"On the top of one of these tall buildings," Lotor replied as the image of him disappeared and was replaced with one of the tall skyscrapers in the northern part of Arus. "How about this one?"
"The Princeton Building," Hunk stated looking at the screen.
Coran nodded, "The government building."
"Meet me there in let's say…ten minutes?" Lotor's voice boomed as he reappeared on screen.
"We'll be there," Keith turned to Allura and she nodded with determination.
"A pleasure speaking to you, Captain," Lotor answered. Returning his attention to Allura, the Drule prince smiled, "See you soon."
XXXXXXXXXX
"You can't seriously consider going on your own," Hunk said after Lotor ended the conversation.
"If we don't, he'll attack," Allura answered firmly. "We can't take that chance."
"What if he intends to either way?" Lance suddenly asked as he directed his gaze to both Keith and Allura. "What if the plan is to get rid of both of you, crippling us and then attacking?"
"By way of the conversation, it looked like he only intends on killing you, Keith," Darrell answered using a tone free from mockery.
"I expected as much," he answered without emotion. "I did kill his family." Facing Lance, Keith acknowledged, "You're right. We don't know what he plans on doing, that's why we are all going to go."
"What?" the second in command questioned.
"I have a plan."
XXXXXXXXXX
The Princeton Building was a government building that housed ambassador offices from different planets around the galaxy. The circular freestanding, one hundred and two story structure, made of reinforced concrete and steel, was true beauty. Glass windows with multiple colors decorated the building. Silver speckles sprinkled around the borders of the windows made the building sparkle from any vantage point. When the sun hit, she glittered. Princeton was hard to miss around the city. If she came down, the massive destruction would prove deadly to the people below her.
Keith and Allura landed a cruiser on top of the roof. Landing either one of the lions would destabilize the structure due to the mechas colossal weight.
As they disembarked the cruiser, Keith noticed that Lotor had not made his appearance. He had some time. Turning to Allura, he ordered, "Stay close. Don't let him bait you."
"He's not going to bait me, Keith," she replied in frustration. "I won't let him get to me."
"Allura, he's not taunting you," he replied in bitter frustration. "What he said to you was a proclamation of his lust for you."
"Lust?" her brow was raised. "Oh, please, I could be his mother!"
"That's not what he sees," Keith answered as gently as he could. "What he sees is a woman whose body he wants to touch, whose lips he wants to kiss and whose puss—"
"Damn it, Keith!" she snapped.
"It's the truth," he raised his voice a little. "He's a sadistic bastard, remember that. He disguises his ruthlessness with a blanket of class and refinement. I know his game. If he loses patience, the real Drule will come out. Don't let him bait you."
"How can you tell all this?" Allura asked, not because she didn't believe him, but because it amazed her how Keith's mind worked.
"Because he is Zarkon's son," he replied as they watched a Drule cruiser begin to land in front of them. "The apple does not fall far from the tree. Stay close."
She did as ordered. Moments later, the Drule prince arrived and walked toward them.
He was a few inches taller than Keith, with long lustrous hair that ran down his lower back. The blue of his skin was not as dark as his father and brother's, but lighter. A stunning shade of blue unlike others of his race. His face was striking. Perfect, manly, handsome features. Allura couldn't help noticing that he in fact was the most handsome Drule she had ever seen. Lotor's gaze immediately fell on her. He looked at her with very calculating eyes. Without allowing his gaze to faze her, she straightened up, looked at him defiantly and waited for her captain's orders.
"Finally," Lotor's eyes widened, "The two most important people in my world. So happy to finally meet face to face." At that moment, four beams of red light appeared on Lotor's heart, neck and forehead. "Is there a certain reason why there are red dots all over my body?"
"Precaution," Keith stated with an emotionless tone. "Just want to make sure you and your people don't try anything while we are up here. Too bad the feeling is not mutual," Keith replied. "You asked to meet. You never said I couldn't bring company. What is it that you want to talk about, Lotor?"
From Lotor's comm. unit, Cossack began speaking, but the prince stopped him, "It's alright Cossack. I'm fine. Stand down." Going back to both Keith and Allura, Lotor said, "Like I said before, Captain, I won't hurt you today. This meeting was really to finally meet face to face with my family's killer. I want to remember each and every one of your features. I want them ingrained in my brain, so every night, I think of how I will end your life." He smiled, "It will be a long drawn out death. Painful. With no pity. I take joy in that. You don't know how much." Lotor turned to Allura, "Meeting you, my sweet princess, was an added bonus. I look forward to knowing more of you."
"You will not get away with this!" Allura chimed in. "You have no idea who you are dealing with."
Walking closer to them, the prince's face beamed with elation "As a matter of fact, I will. And, by the way, I do." Looking straight at Keith, Lotor offered a snide smile, "I'll see you soon, Captain. By then, I'll have the perfect way to make your departure from this world…satisfactory to myself."
Turning around, the prince walked back to his craft, without a word to either of them. Within minutes, he left and soon enough the fighters retreated the airspace as both the captain and his lieutenant watched.
From one of the surrounding buildings, Lance lowered his sniper blaster and asked through his comm. unit, "Are you two alright?"
"We're fine," he heard Allura's voice. "Meet us back at base."
"Roger," Lance answered. He communicated with Darrell and Hunk, who were stationed on other buildings, "You heard the lady, let's get back to base."
XXXXXXXXXX
Keith landed the cruiser at the docking station on the base. The ride back was quiet and thoughtful. The Prince of Korrinth's words were still in their thoughts as they prepared to leave the vessel. Neither had any doubts about him fulfilling his promise. The question was, when?
As Keith began turning off the engines and closing out the programs, Allura watched him and an eerie feeling developed in her heart. She was beyond worried, she was downright scared for him. Feeling the sudden panic coming from her, Keith turned to her and said with his usual dispassionate tone, "You shouldn't worry."
"How can I not?" she asked as he stood up from his seat and made his way to the door. Following him, Allura told him, "He's crazy, Keith. Didn't you notice? He sounds crazier than his brother and Zarkon put together."
Keith looked at the woman with gentle eyes, "Allura, I'm the last person you should worry about. I'll be fine. It isn't something I can't handle."
"He plans on killing you and you act as if it is no big deal?"
"What choice do I have?" He snorted. "This isn't the first death threat I've received in my lifetime. I'm very aware of what Lotor wants to do. I'll be ready when he comes."
Her gaze began to soften as she looked at him, "Were they in jail?"
The question took him by surprise, "What?"
"The death threats," she had asked curiously. "Did you receive them while you were in jail?"
"Does it matter, Allura?" Keith tried evading the question as he turned the hatch to open the door.
"It matters to me," she stopped him.
Looking at her, Keith saw something in her eyes. For the first time since they reunited, Keith felt Allura's heart open up to him. Feelings of love from her flooded to him. The powerful feelings caught him off-guard. He gasped lightly. He didn't dare think of it….
He felt her worry, her feelings that went beyond care. Allura had opened a door that he thought would never open again. Even if it was for a moment, it was the best thing he felt in years. Without thinking, Keith walked toward her, pinning her to the wall. Allura hadn't noticed until it was too late. Not even an inch apart from each other, he whispered, "Why?"
"Why?" she repeated in a whisper, not knowing what he meant. Why did it matter? Or, why did she open her heart to him? Did either question matter at that point? "Because you are my teammate. My captain. Why…why shouldn't I be worried?"
Keith closed his eyes. The feelings of love radiating from her made him unable to concentrate. He swallowed hard. It felt so good. "That happened a long time ago," he whispered to her.
Allura didn't answer back. She concentrated on the closeness of his lips to hers that she hadn't heard his last words.
"Altair," he called to her. "I want to kiss you."
Those words she heard. They left her speechless.
Moving even closer to her, Keith whispered as he opened his eyes and looked deep into her blue gaze, "I'm going to kiss you now. Will you allow it?"
She didn't say yes. But, she didn't say no either.
That was enough of an answer for Keith. Taking her into his arms, he leaned in and kissed her passionately. And to his surprise, Allura wrapped her arms around his neck. Without any reservations, she kissed him back just as passionately as he did.
XXXXXXXXXX
"Allura, is everything alright?"
She hadn't heard anything or anyone other than her groans of ecstasy as she continued kissing her true love. Never had she thought she'd experience such bliss again. Keith deepened the kiss, his hands caressed her body. Allura couldn't control herself any longer. She gave up control. Gave it all to him.
"Allura, can you hear me?"
She ran her hands through Keith's hair, enjoying the feel of him against her. He also opened up his heart and she felt an overwhelming power. A love like none other. The feeling coming from him hit her hard.
"Allura?"
Reasoning suddenly took over. She loved a killer. A liar. A man who had no boundaries. This man let her down, let down her team. Her family. Her. This couldn't happen. This man. This man. No!
"Allura?" the voice called out a fourth time. This time she heard it.
Altair immediately detached from Keith, quickly composed herself before answering, "I'm fine, Darrell. Just…just checking manual systems before disembarking. I'm sorry. We didn't hear you."
"Alright," the man answered, somewhat unconvinced. "We're all here in the conference room ready for debrief."
Allura looked at Keith, who was just as disheveled as her. He appeared just as shocked. "We'll be right in." Putting her comm. unit away, she told him firmly, "That can't happen again."
Keith didn't say anything, just nodded in agreement.
"We're over," she continued, but the tone felt like she was trying to convince herself more than him.
"I know," he replied with a heavy sigh.
"I have someone else in my life," Allura looked at him. "Sam's who I am with!"
"I know, Allura."
"You can't come back into our lives after what you did and expect things to be the same. People to be the same. Feelings to be the same," she shook her head. "You destroyed us!"
Her tone, the manner in which she spoke, her anger made him suddenly look at her. And, for the first time, since his return, Allura saw anger in his eyes toward her, even though he tried to control it. She wanted to say something. Heavens, she even thought of apologizing to him immediately, but his words came out before hers did.
"I know what I did to all of you, Allura," he replied. "I've lived with that decision for a very long time." Walking past her, Keith opened the latch and disembarked the cruiser, leaving her behind.
XXXXXXXXXX
As he walked in to the conference room for debriefing, Keith found the team, plus Coran and Mosley, waiting expectantly for him. As Keith sat down, Coran noticed the look of anger that radiated from the captain, but he blamed it on the interaction with the prince earlier. The advisor was about to ask a question when Lance beat him to it.
"Where's Allura?"
"I'm right here," she said as she walked in. "Sorry," was the only explanation she gave.
"So what are we going to do about this bastard?" Lance was the first one to speak.
"What else?" Hunk shrugged, "We get rid of him."
"Yeah?" Darrell chuckled sarcastically, "How?"
"It's not going to be easy. He knows more about us than we know about him," Keith said as his gaze fell on Darrell. "He came here to taunt us and to make sure we know how confident he is when it comes to beating us. He's cocky, but very smart. And, if he was able to access our military files, then we have to deduce one of two things."
"Either he has incredible hackers or he has someone working on the inside," Darrell offered.
"Exactly," Keith replied. "We need to work fast, Darrell. He already knows that you are hacking into his system so you either figure out how to get in without him knowing or just stay away until you do."
Darrell didn't like that one bit, but he nodded, knowing that what Keith said was right. He'd need to work on another way to get in.
"I need someone on Korrinth sooner than later," Keith directed his gaze to Coran.
"I understand," the advisor nodded.
"Earlier this morning, I sent you a follow up on the plan. Read it over. Let me know if you agree."
"I will, Captain," Coran nodded once again.
"This brings another question to mind," Keith stopped and took a deep breath. "Haggar."
Suddenly, Allura looked up, "What about her?"
"She's playing a role in this," Keith said as he shook his head. "I don't know how, but she's involved."
"But how?" Hunk asked. "That witch hasn't been seen or heard of in decades."
"Out of sight, doesn't mean out of mind," Lance sighed. "That's a problem."
Keith took a deep breath and gathered his thoughts before answering, "I have been working with someone. I've worked with him in the past when I've needed information. He can help…for the right price."
"The right price?" Lance suddenly interjected. "Who have you been working with?"
Keith stayed quiet for a moment before answering, "I'm not at liberty to say."
"This is bull!" Lance suddenly became defensive. He laughed sarcastically as he shook his head, "What do you mean you can't tell us? How' that for trust?"
"I can't tell you my sources," Keith tried to explain, but he couldn't get a word out before Lance dominated the conversation.
"You bastard!" he slammed Keith with his words. Standing up and walking toward him, Lance yelled, "Isn't it enough that you made a mockery out of this team? That you tainted our name and what we worked for all these years, that you disrespected our friendship? And now, you work with our enemy?"
"It's not like that!" Keith's voice rose, anger heightening. "I'm not working for anyone, Lance! My allegiance has always been to Arus and to this team."
"Well, you have a funny way of showing it!" Lance replied with equal wrath. "You broke this team, you hurt Allura, and us in the process. Hell, the worst of us who suffered from your so called allegiance was Romelle. You destroyed her hopes, dreams for a family. You killed the only man she ever loved! You murdering piece of —"
Lance didn't finish the sentence when he felt a fist land against his face. The room went wild with Keith and Lance going off against each other.
"Lance, stop it!" Allura yelled.
"Stand down!" Coran tried to hold off Keith.
But the men, didn't listen. Instead, they punched each other, fighting like caged birds. Darrell pushed Kirian out of the way, while Hunk and Allura tried to stop Keith and Lance. The few minutes of the altercation felt endless until Hunk pulled Lance away from Keith as Coran and Allura pushed Keith back.
"Stop this!" Allura yelled. "Both of you! Stop!"
Both men fought against their restraints.
"You pathetic loser!" Lance yelled.
"You're one to talk, you cowering son of a—"
Suddenly the entire team stopped when they heard the roar of all five lions coming from a few rooms away. Their thunderous roars shook the room.
Coran's eyes widened. He left Keith and Allura's side and rushed to the vidscreen to pull up visuals to the lion's chambers. Mosley left Darrell's side and followed Coran.
Keith relaxed against Allura's hold. Speaking to no one in particular, he whispered to himself, "I know, I shouldn't have."
Allura caught the apology. She knew it wasn't offered to any of them, but to another group. And, she dared to believe that Keith directed his apology to the lions. Observing the room, Allura watched as Hunk and Darrell tried to calm Lance, who kept arguing despite the sounds the lions continued making. Coran ordered Mosley to the lion's chamber as he studied the behaviors of the lions on screen.
Allura's attention stayed with Keith, who, for the moment, looked far away. Forgetting what was occurring in the room, Keith nodded and shook his head slightly. Quickly, Allura noticed how the captain's attention came back to the room. It amazed her how he suddenly composed himself. He was calm, the tension in his body somewhat lessened. His eyes full of regret, probably from his sudden lapse of control. Looking at Lance, whose eyes still held wildness on them, Keith took command of the room. The lions calmed down. "My apologies, Lance. I shouldn't have hit you. It was inappropriate."
The mere statement startled the Red lion pilot.
Then, stepping away from Allura, Keith directed his next comments to the rest of the room, "I'm very sorry for my actions. This shouldn't have happened. I allowed my feelings to get the best of me." Taking deep breath, he continued, "I think we all need to clear our heads. Let's resume tomorrow after practice." With that, he turned around and left the room, leaving Lance shocked, and Allura wondering just what the lions said to him.