Hi all—

Here is the next chapter. Already editing the next one…

Guest: Thank you. Yes, trying to finish it. Almost done. Yeii!

LibAkilah: You know, first, thank you for your comments on "my Allura" in this fic. I agree with you a 100% on your thoughts as they were mine. As far as Blue having a talk…we'll see. ;). What Allura saw…we'll that will be revealed later and if you want to edit…heck! I wouldn't oppose it. LOL! Thank you for reading it.

Guest: LOL! I'm so glad you like it. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

Guest: Romelle's secret…well, It's a chapter away. A mom is a mom.

Guest: Well, the Colosseum can't last forever! LOL! And, I really have to see GoT….

Guest: I believe in happy ending and Keith is my favorite character (You should read the other stories…). Hope you like this next installment.

SnyperLady: Feel free to share your thoughts! I'm really interested in knowing where your brain is going with this. Ha ha!

Mertz: THANK YOU! THANK YOU! I'm sending you a bottle of Vodka for the next chapters you'll edit.

GoPinkLion: Oh! I made your day…Yeii! I'm going as fast as I can with this fic…But it's almost done.

Playlist

Hans Zimmer—Dust (partial)

Fearful Odds-M83

After the Reckoning-Full Tilt

Chapter 30

Allura opened her eyes as feelings of pain radiated all over her body. She found herself at MedTech, even though she previously felt she was in a cold dark place, somewhere unknown. Unable to understand how she was back on Arus, she looked around the room before noticing the pain slowly diminishing.

"She's awake," she heard someone say aloud. "I'll go get Gorma."

She watched as Hunk walked out of the room just as Lance came into view, "Take it easy, Altair. How are you feeling?"

"Like I was hit with a bulldozer," she answered groggily. The pain resurfaced as Allura pushed herself up. Cringing as she tried to control it, she asked, "Where's Keith?"

"You need to stop fidgeting. That's why you're in pain," Lance replied as he gently lay Allura down on the bed, unable to understand what her pain meant.

She was not having any of it, "Where is he? What happened? And, where's Sam?" A sudden panic rose within her, "Lance? Where are they?"

Sighing, he said, "I'll tell you, but you have to relax. You suffered a concussion and the last thing I need is to be down another pilot. You need to rest."

His words told her that he had taken command, which meant that Keith wasn't there, "Fine," she answered, frustrated. She lay down, looking tired but with a challenging stare, Allura ordered, "Speak."

Lance controlled rolling his eyes. When Allura got that way, she could be impossible to deal with. "After the base exploded, it took about ten minutes to find you. You were almost buried alive in all that sand. We had more Drule fighters coming in and I had to act fast. I dove in and got you out."

"What about the others?"

"We tried looking for Sam," he continued, ignoring her tone. "I promise you we did, Allura. We couldn't find him and we had to get out."

"You left him there!" Her blue eyes widened with shock.

"I had no choice!" he raised his voice. "It was bad, Allura. After the explosion… More enemy fighters appeared literally out of nowhere, visibility was compromised…I had orders. Keith told me that as soon as I located you, I was to get out."

"So, you left him there too?"

"He never made it out of the base!" He looked sad and worn out. Allura could tell the decision to leave them behind was weighing heavily on Lance.

She looked away from Lance and breathed hard. A sudden chill went up her spine and once again, pain overwhelmed her.

"What's wrong?" he leaned toward her. "Where do you hurt?"

She shook her head, "It's not me. He's still alive."

With a surprised and hopeful voice, Lance asked, "What? Keith?"

She nodded, trying to better understand what she felt, "He's in pain, but alive."

"You can connect with him?" Lance asked. A glimmer of what looked like hope set in his eyes. "Allura, can you tell where he is?"

"No," she shook her head quickly as she looked back at him. "He's shut me out. I can't tell, but whatever pain he's in…he can't block that or maybe he's not even aware that he's not blocking it. I'm not sure." Immediately, getting up from the bed, Altair walked over to the closet to get a robe. The days of patients wearing hospital gowns were over decades before. Now, patients wore garments that looked like scrubs. Velcro straps around the sides allowed for easy access to the patient's body should an emergency occur.

"Where are you going?" Lance immediately followed her.

She looked at him in disbelief, "Where do you think? I'm going to go get him."

"Have you gone out of your mind?" Lance's voice almost boomed around the room. "I know that impulse is your middle name, but this is beyond crazy, Altair!"

"Lower your damn voice!" Allura replied as she put on her robe. "My head hurts. I don't need you making it worse."

"Well, don't force me to," he gently grabbed her arm and led her back to the bed. "Sit."

"Lance−"

"Damn it, Allura, sit down!"

Forcefully, she sat, "What?"

"You almost died, Allura. Get that through your thick skull. You're lucky you're sitting down to listen to me put some sense in that head of yours," Lance said, controlling the anger he felt. Altair was truly impossible, especially when it came to Keith. Some things had not changed. "You are not going. Keith would not want you there and if he wanted you out badly enough for him to stay there…then he must have been extremely concerned and motivated to get you out. Sam…he gave up his life for you, Allura. You want to go back? Don't you dare let him die in vain."

"I'm not…" she reasoned as tears emerged. "I just can't let Keith die too. They both gave up everything for me. Lance, if it would have been Sam, I would have gone back too. For either, for both…I would have gone back. Understand that. I want and need to grieve for Sam, but I can't do that knowing that Keith is still out there…suffering. I can't let that continue to happen."

A knock on the door interrupted Lance from his reply. It was Gorma and as he came in, the two could see the dissatisfaction in his features, "I take it you are already out of bed, Lieutenant Altair."

"I'm fine, Doctor," she answered as she wiped the tears away of her eyes.

"I'll be the judge of that," the older man replied as he took out his data pad from his coat pocket. "Mild concussion, elevated blood pressure," He walked closer to her and examined her features, "Glassy eyes, pale features …yeah, you're wonderful, Lieutenant."

Ignoring his statement, Allura said to Lance, "I need to get out of here."

"By the way you look, you need to stay a day or two in MedTech," the doctor answered with his usual hint of sarcasm.

"Too bad you won't get your way, Doctor," she replied, getting up and passing between the two men, who stood in front of her, "I'm leaving and that's final."

"You're not going anywhere," Lance grabbed her by the arms and turned her around, "At least, not for now. First, you need to try to contact Keith and find out where he is. What's the point of going there if you have no idea how to find him?"

"And I told you that I can't tell where he is," she replied in frustration. "At least not here. Maybe if I get closer to Korrinth, I'll be able to connect to him."

The doctor followed the conversation without a word, not really knowing what the two spoke of, "Can one of you tell me what is going on?"

About to answer, Lance was again interrupted, "Lance, come in."

Tapping the comlink located in his ear, he answered, "Darrell, can't talk right now."

"Well, you better make time," the man replied quickly, afraid to get cut-off, "Black is acting up."

"What do you mean, acting up?"

"What is he saying?" Allura asked as Lance held up his hand.

"The lions started growling a few minutes ago, Black's leading the pack," he said, "I called Hunk and he came over to observe. Just know, Black wanted out of his cylinder and now…damn it Lance, just come down!" Darrell cut-off communication leaving Lance wondering what in fact was happening at the lair.

"What did he say?" Allura asked.

"The lions," he said, "They're acting up."

"Acting up?"

"Yeah," Lance nodded. "I think I might know what's going on. Come on. I'm going to need you to come with me."

"Sorry Doc," Allura hollered at Gorma, who was still trying to catch up on the events as the two walked out, "I promise, I'll be back."

XXXXXXXXXX

When they got down, the lions paced around the lair, growling softly. Black's eyes shined brightly and stared at the entrance doors, as if waiting for someone to appear, a specific someone.

Allura, mesmerized, gasped, "How is this possible?"

"Allura!" Coran walked toward his niece, "What are you doing out of bed? You shouldn't−"

"I'm fine," she reassured him, "Really." Looking over at the lions again, she asked, "Have any of you ever seen this behavior from them?"

"Once," Darrell answered as he studied the computer in front of him. "Their power energy is off the roof. I've never seen this type of energy. It's even different from when they're in combat."

Allura sighed, "One thing at a time, what do you mean once?"

"They sort of did the same thing when you went missing," Hunk said as he walked toward them. "I think this is their way of communicating to us. I think Black, in particular, wants to tell us something."

"He wants to communicate with Allura," Lance replied. When she looked at him with questionable eyes, he continued, "When you went missing, Blue communicated with Keith. She knew where you were and how to get to you. Maybe, Black will be able to tell you where to find him."

"How do I communicate with him?" she asked.

Lance shrugged, "I'm not sure. When Keith did it, he walked straight to the lion and touched its snout. I want to say that they communicated telepathically."

"You think that's going to work for me?" Allura asked looking skeptically at him.

"I can't think of anything else we can do at this time. If it worked for Keith, logic states it will work for you," Hunk answered.

"Try Allura," Coran encouraged.

Nodding, Altair walked toward Black. He looked at her expectantly, his eyes glowing as he waited for her contact. Allura raised her hand slowly as the lion lowered its head to meet her. Then suddenly with a quickness that startled her, he pulled back. Looking at her, he growled, shook it's head and took two steps back.

"What…what happened?" Allura turned and looked at her peers. "What did I do?"

"Nothing," Lance answered in shock. "I wasn't expecting that."

Looking at the computer screen, Darrell said, "Black's energy signatures have increased." He laughed humorlessly, "It's like he is…"

"What?" Altair asked.

The younger man shrugged, "I don't know…mad, frustrated…he's not happy. That's for sure."

"It feels your weakness," Coran suddenly realized. "Black senses you're not strong enough to communicate with him."

"Then, how will we be able to save Keith?" She looked back at the lion, "If not me, then who?"

Black turned to the red lion and roared. The red lion stepped forward. Looking right at Lance, it roared loudly, beckoning him to step forward. Lance's eyes widened. His lion looked straight at him, calling for action.

"It's you," Allura said. "It's you it wants to communicate with."

"I…I don't understand," Lance shook his head. "Why?"

"Allura is injured," Hunk recognized, "She can't go where they want to go. Black chose you and Red is telling you to go."

Stepping back, Allura walked over to Lance, "You have to do this."

"Why would they want me?" He asked surprised.

"Maybe they know more than you realize," Coran answered. "You're a team, Lance. Keith wouldn't hesitate to do it for you if the roles were reversed."

Sighing, Lance nodded. "You're right." Walking over to Black, Lance raised his hand as Black stepped forward and lowered its snout. Its eyes glowing even brighter, Lance closed his eyes as images of horror entered his mind.

VVVVVVVVVVV

"What did you see?" Allura immediately asked.

Lance's face paled considerably. Whatever he saw frightened him, "He's being tortured. It's…it's bad."

Allura sighed painfully, "How much time do we have?"

"Not long," he replied. "I…I felt him growing weaker. That's probably why you were able to feel what you felt earlier. He can't control his mental block."

"Do you know where he is?" Darrell asked.

Nodding, he answered, "The castle. Black showed me how to get there and what routes to take. He dumped every bit of information in my mind. I know exactly where to go, what do expect, and what to do. It gave me a plan. This...it's freaking amazing."

"You can continue being amazed later," Allura interjected. "You need to go. Now."

"Right," he replied. "Black wants Red to go. I can control Red better and Black is…he's using his strength to keep Keith alive. It's the only way I'll be able to break into that area of the castle."

"When do you want to leave?" Coran asked.

"The sooner the better," he replied as he tapped his head. "While it's still in here."

"I'll get weapons ready," Darrell replied as he turned to the weaponry unit of the lair.

VVVVVVVVVV

The temperature in the room dropped from the last time he woke. Keith had no idea how long he had been out from the last session that knocked him out. He ached all over and truly didn't know how much longer he could last, but he felt Black's presence within him. As long as he felt Black, he'd keep fighting.

Keith knew he'd die at some point. The lion couldn't keep fighting for him forever. This was his end and he accepted it. But he couldn't die just yet. Somehow, he needed to make sure Black would relay all that he knew to the team before his demise. It would be the only way the team would stand a chance for what was to come. He underestimated Lotor. The bastard was smarter than he thought.

Looking up, he noticed his enemy watching him silently from the dark areas of the torture room, "How?" Keith asked, his voice was rough and hoarse. He hadn't been given water in hours.

"How what?" Lotor asked calmly.

"He's not real," Keith continued. "He's dead. You can't bring someone back from the dead."

Lotor laughed a little, "You're right, Captain. He's not real. A figment of your imagination, really."

"Knocked…me out in one…punch," Keith replied fighting the dizziness that he felt. "Not…a figment."

"He is something," the prince agreed, "Not who you think you saw, but a creation that can become anything or anyone I command it be. And soon, he will be the destruction of your precious Arus. There's nothing you can do about it."

"How?" Keith gasped. "How are you going to destroy Arus…with that abomination?"

Lotor smiled.

"You're going to kill…me anyway," Keith managed a grim smile. "What's the harm…in taking your…secret…to the grave?"

Lotor eyed him curiously for what seemed like hours to Keith. Then, the without a word, he picked up the baton and walked up him, "It's time for our next session."

VVVVVVVVVV

Allura had no choice than to return to MedTech after Lance left with Red on the rescue mission. She still felt tired and her head ached tremendously. However, as she lay in bed, her thoughts jumped from Keith to Sam. She still felt Keith and that, to a certain extent, kept her from losing her mind. She was afraid she'd lose the connection at any point and she wouldn't be able to stand that if she did. It would only mean one thing and the thought sickened her.

Then, there was Sam. When she thought of him, she cried. She loved him. She did. Allura couldn't deny it. She wouldn't have stayed so long with him if she hadn't loved him. There was love. She just wasn't in love with him. For Allura now realized how she hindered his life. She had stopped him from living and now…

A knock at the door had her sit up in the bed.

"Come…come in," she hollered, wiping her tears away.

As the door opened, Allura watched her cousin run in and embrace her, "Allura! Oh thank goodness you're alright!"

"I'm good. I'm fine, Romelle," she answered, trying to calm her cousin down.

"Really? Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" the older looking woman asked as she checked over the younger one, who continued wiping away her tears.

"I'm fine," Allura nodded. "It's just that…Sam's gone."

Romelle already heard most of the news from Lance before he left. She too grieved for her friend, but seeing Allura grieving in front of her, brought all those feelings back. It didn't take long for Romelle's own tears to run down her cheeks, "I'm so sorry. Sam was a good man and he loved you, Allura."

"I can't…I can't believe he's gone," she cried. "And it's all my fault, Romelle. I did him wrong, you know. I should have loved him more."

Hugging her cousin, Romelle couldn't help telling her, "You loved him, Allura. You loved him with everything that was in your power, and deep down, I'm sure he knew that. Don't do this to yourself. You both knew what you truly felt for each other."

"I lied to him," she whispered.

"No," Romelle shook her head, "He lied to himself. I think deep down, he also knew that. You might have led him on to a certain extent, but, he wasn't ignorant or blind. He knew you loved Keith. Deep down, he's always known."

"You seem so sure of this," Allura laughed humorlessly.

Romelle smiled sadly, "Comfort is a funny thing, Allura. It makes us feel safe, but it doesn't allow us to live. You felt comfort with Sam and he with you, but did you really live?"

Allura remained quiet for a moment before she finally looked at her cousin, "If he dies…I don't think I can live."

Then, Romelle thought of Lance, flying to Korrinth on his own. It was very possible that he too could die trying to save Keith, "I can only imagine," she lied.

VVVVVVVVVV

The first hour flight had been quiet. Not that Lance expected anything to happen. For one, he doubted that Lotor or his army expected retaliation so soon, or that such retaliation would come from one lion. Red had been quiet also. Whatever behaviors he displayed at the lair, seized the moment Lance entered the cockpit.

"So, you won't speak to me now?" Lance asked, not really expecting an answer. As far as he was concerned, all lions would only speak to Keith or apparently, when the bastard was in trouble. "Why him?" he asked again.

"Why him what?"

The answer literally made him jump out of his seat, but almost as soon, he realized that it wasn't the lion speaking, but Darrell who had opened the communication lines.

"What the hell, Darrell?" Lance yelled. "Ever heard of a concept called privacy?"

"I'm not the one talking to myself, Lance," Darrell replied sarcastically as he appeared on the vidscreen. "Who were you talking to anyway?"

Lance shook his head feeling a little embarrassed, "No one. Just thinking out loud."

The younger man rolled his eyes, "Aha. Anyways, what's your ETA?"

"About twenty minutes," he replied. "I'll put Red on stealth mode to avoid their radar once I'm closer."

"Good," he replied. "To tell you the truth, I'm a bit worried. I haven't tested stealth mode on the lions or on your suit. You better think of a plan if either or both modes betray you once you're there."

"I'm not worried," Lance replied, feeling confident. "From what Black showed me, I think the plan will work. Honestly, I think he will make it work."

"What do you mean?" Darrell asked, perplexed by Lance's tone of confidence on a plan created based on a vision and nothing else. "Lance, you're going in blind."

"I think it's going to work," he answered again. "I just have this feeling, man. It will work."

"Has Red shared anything else with you?"

"No," Lance replied. "He's kept quiet the entire flight. It's as if he will only speak when he needs to…or wants to. Damned if I know."

"You sound jealous," Darrell laughed.

"My lion and he won't speak to me," he shook his head. "Seems to care more about Keith than…whatever."

"Ever thought of the why?" he asked in a serious fashion.

"That's what I was asking before I was rudely interrupted," Lance smiled sarcastically. "Listen, from what Allura said earlier, Keith seems to be able to speak to all of them, not sure how, but once he's back, I'm going to ask him."

"You sure you're going to get him back?"

"I'm not entirely sure," Lance confessed, "But, what I am sure about is that this lion is not going back home without him."

VVVVVVVVVV

A splash of cold water had him gasping as Keith woke up.

"No, no, no!" Lotor yelled. "You don't get away from me that easily."

Keith glared at him. At this point, his face throbbed and blood trailed down from his lip. He coughed violently. Was that blood he was coughing up?

Yet, Keith could see the dark prince standing in front of him laughing and enjoying his pain. Lotor made sure that neither of his eyes were hurt or swelled shut, probably to make sure he watched very clearly his own demise.

"Kogane, I've been waiting for this moment for twenty years," Lotor shook his head, "There's no way you're going to sleep and miss your end. I want you wide awake when I deliver the last strike. I want you to watch the happiness, the satisfaction, I'll have when I see that I've brought justice to my family. I want you to see my vengeance and my wrath."

Red. Keith felt him as if the beast stood right next to him. His eyes slightly widened at the realization that the lion was coming for him. No, don't. Go back! He tried telling him, but Keith felt the lion's angry answer.

I will not! I am coming for you.

The prince must have realized something. Staring at Keith with a curious gaze, he asked, "Captain? What are you thinking? Are you pondering your escape? Have you found a way to escape?"

Lotor saw a change in him. However, he misread Keith's actions. The captain, however, derailed him from further studying and laughed, "No, I just realized…something," he said then coughed. Yep, blood, he tasted it. "This is your way to…avenge them…Zarkon would have done…worse. He had…imagination," he paused. "You're just a cheap knockoff."

Wrath steaming out of him, Lotor took the baton and slammed it in the water. A massive scream came out of Keith as the prince increased the intensity of the charges, "You die now!"

VVVVVVVVVV

The northwest end of the compound didn't know what hit them. Upon coming closer to the Korrinth, Red immediately placed itself in to stealth mode. Lance no longer controlling the mecha, could only watch as his lion flew in without detection from any of the Drule radar systems and slammed into the compound with a powerful force that almost threw him out of the chair. Upon wreaking havoc around the area, the drules ran, taking refuge or gathering their weaponry to counter attack their opponent's actions.

Knowing it was time to partake in the action, Lance quickly placed his suit into stealth mode, got out of the cockpit and ran to the north end of the compound heading to the room where Keith was held. Whoever was on his way never knew what punched, pushed, or pounded them. Lance was the invisible man, and no one was going to stop him.

VVVVVVVVVV

The baton hit him in the stomach this time. Keith groaned once the initial yelling subsided, fully slumped, his entire weight held up by the manacles shackled around his wrists. Blood dripped from his nostrils, bruises pulsed all over his body; deep angry purple hematomas penetrated his skin. Half-dead, he moaned and shivered from the pain.

"Captain, you're not dead. Perhaps, it's insanity that will claim you."

Lotor walked over to him and raised Keith's head by his chin, "Oh no, Captain, I'm not done with you yet. You mocked me. I'm not going to allow you to succumb to the darkness, not now. Not when you've angered me." He let go of the captain's chin. Keith's head lolled back and forth, listless, defeated. His vision blurred, yet he tried to refuse the blackness enclosing him. Red was here. He had to convince him to go. There was no saving him, the lion had to accept that. He noticed Lotor approach him, the baton in hand. "Let's start again, shall we?"

"No…g-" Keith slurred his word. He couldn't connect to the lion. Maybe he just didn't have any more strength. "No...g-" he had to get Red out of there before leaving the world of the living.

"What Captain, you don't feel like playing any longer?" Lotor tilted his head, "How about this?" he asked as he drew closer to Keith, "I won't use this on any part of your body." He then raised the baton to Keith's face, "I'll just shove it in down your mouth."

Keith did not know what threw him off at that point; maybe insanity had in fact claimed him. The insane usually had strength unbeknownst to most; much less believed, until it suddenly exploded. Maybe that's what happened to Keith, or maybe the need to save Red was all he needed. For at that moment, he used the little strength he had left and lifted his legs up, and kicked Lotor away from him.

"No!"

The newly crowned prince fell on his back hard on top of his torture machine. The hit suckered him so hard that he lost his grip of the baton; it fell and rolled to the farther end of the dungeon, back into the darkness.

"That took me by surprise!" Lotor yelled, feeling true anger and loss of patience. The unexpected created a sense of embarrassment. "Didn't know you had it in you, Captain. But, the game is over. Now, it's really the time for you to die!"

Keith shivered. His body was failing, the last bits of strength he had in, gone. He added his name to the list of those who perished in the room. The lion's soul would make it back to the lion and wait for the next destined soul to possess it. He prayed his last message would reach Red and he'd go back home. Keith closed his eyes and waited for his end.

Suddenly, he heard the door to the room blast open, "Guess again, sucker!" Lance's voice boomed in the room before taking out his blaster and shooting Lotor with a powerful beam. The prince's body slammed to the wall before hitting the floor. He instantly lost consciousness.

Lance went to Keith, whose eyes began to seal shut, "No! Don't you dare bail out on me! I didn't come all this way to carry a corpse back to base."

A small smile from Keith emerged despite the constant shakes his body now began to induce. "Wh…what the…took…you so…long?"

"Traffic. You're going into shock."

Keith fought to stay awake, "Get…Red…out."

Lance began to undo the manacles and Keith slipped into the tank. "I think my lion is having too much fun at the moment. Come on, we have to hurry." Helping him out of the tank, Lance noticed that Keith couldn't support himself, "I ran out of fire power trying to come in here. And the suit won't protect us both. Lotor is only temporarily out of commission, we need to leave before he wakes up."

Supporting Keith as they ran out of the room, he carried most of the captain's weight. The effort was slowing them down, "Damn it!" Lance said, "I don't think we can make it to the lion." He hadn't finished the sentence when the side wall exploded a few feet away from them and Red Lion's snout appeared. The lion had gotten to them.

Lance and Keith entered Red, and Keith took a seat in one of the side chairs. He was shaking violently now. He turned to Lance, who looked only to the front, ignoring the captain. Keith knew. He managed still to convey his gratitude, "Th…ank…y…ou."

Lance didn't look back, "This hasn't changed anything. It was a mission, I treated it as such."

Keith didn't muster a word, that was a confirmation of Lance's feelings in his declaration. He laid back on the chair and closed his eyes. Thank you, Red.

The lion roared as it took off.

VVVVVVVVVV

Running into the chamber, Cossack found Lotor on the floor moaning as he came to. He ran toward him, "Your Highness, are you alright? Are you hurt?"

Dismissing the concern, Lotor rose and asked, "Did you stop them?'

Awkwardly, Cossack answered, 'No sire, they escaped. I don't know how that happened. Radar didn't detect…"

"Damn it! Save the excuses," he answered. "I wanted to see him die."

"We can go after them."

Lotor shook his head, "No need. The captain won't last long either way."

"I don't understand?" Cossack replied, confused. "Were the wounds fatal?"

The prince smiled faintly. He hurt all over, but once the captain was nothing but a distant memory, he'd take care of the lieutenant for ruining his party. And, soon after, he would reclaim his princess. "I've poisoned him. The shocks that I administered awoke the dormant poison in his body."

Cossack smiled with satisfaction. "It won't be long then."

"He is as good as dead."

VVVVVVVVVV

The ride back to Arus was nothing if not silent. Neither of the men spoke for the entire trip, but Lance was in no mood for talking. He also figured Keith was in no mood to listen. Outwardly, the lieutenant looked colder than a glacier, but he noticed that Keith had no particular interest in noticing.

Every now and then, he watched his former friend and didn't like the way he looked. Keith wasn't just pale, he was whiter than snow and his breathing was labored. Toward the last hour of flight, he wouldn't even answer Lance's questions, and was completely unresponsive. Lance worried, but he'd be damned if he let Keith know it. He had contacted MedTech earlier and spoke to Gorma's assistant, since the doctor was in surgery and told him of Keith's symptoms. This way, the MedTech team would be ready for him.

As soon as they reached Arus' airspace, he called in control. "This is Lieutenant McClain. Permission to land at base."

He heard a young woman's voice, "Permission granted, Lieutenant. Please land at base point 011."

"I'll need medical help. Is MedTech crew on standby?"

"Affirmative, Lieutenant. MedTech is on standby at base point 011. Over and out."

Moments later, he landed Red Lion on the point allowed, turned around to find Keith, head tilted to the left, passed out.

"Hey, sleeping beauty," Lance began as he stated the words more like a mockery than a term of endearment. He heard no reply. A snort escaped Lance as he continued speaking, "We're here. Can you manage to at least stand by yourself? I have MedTech downstairs so your walk is not a long one."

Again no reaction, not even a sigh of frustration, "Hey, Keith. We're here, wake up." Lance finally turned around to find Keith slumped to the side, out cold.

Standing, Lance went over to see him. Concern filled him when he thought he saw a tinge of blue on Keith's lips. "Keith, wake up."

"It's okay, Red, I'm…fine, fi…ne," he whispered before opening his eyes slowing. Keith looked around for a moment. He had no recollection of where he was.

"Hey, we're back on Arus. You're going have to have MedTech check you out." Lance told him. "Can you get up?"

Keith nodded as he forced himself to stand. As they disembarked the lion, Lance noticed that Keith's breathing became more and more labored. By the time they reached the railings, Keith was practically gasping.

"What's wrong?"

"I can't…I can't…"the gasping became even stronger and Keith let go of the railing as he unconsciously put his hand on his chest. Losing control of his equilibrium, he almost plummeted down the stairs. Fortunately, Lance caught him.

Members of MedTech ran up the stairs to help.

"What's wrong with him?" Lance asked as helped the rest of the crew take Keith down.

"You said he had been tortured with shock waves?" A young man questioned.

"Yeah," Lance nodded.

"My guess on sight…some type of airway constriction." Lance recognized him as Gorma's physician assistant. "Give him some oxygen," he ordered one of the nurses on the crew as they put him on the gurney. Turning to Lance, he told him, "I'll take him in and have Gorma look at him immediately." Dismissing Lance, he looked back at his patient. "Increase oxygen levels. Captain, try to calm down, try to let the air in." he told him as they rushed inside the base.

Lance stood alone for a moment pondering. Part of him wanted to rush in and find out what was wrong, but another part couldn't allow himself to do it. The traitor didn't deserve any type of sympathy.

Moments later, both Hunk and Darrell walked toward him. With curious eyes, Lance deduced they had questions, he could only offer some answers, "I'm not sure what's wrong with him," he began.

"Are you alright?" Hunk asked after he nodded to Lance's statement.

"Yes. Are the lion upgrades completed? I'm sure it won't take long for Lotor to attack again."

"Everything is working fine. The lions are more subdued, but they're still restless," Darrell replied as he looked up at Red lion, who growled in a low tone. "I think he wants to go back in the lair."

"I'll fly back now," Lance nodded, noticing his own lion's restlessness. "How's Allura?"

"She self-discharged out of Medtech a little while after you left, but Romelle just called and said she's heading back now," Hunk answered.

"Alright, Keith will probably be out of commission for a day or two. Let's get Red back in and show me the upgrades so I can provide him a status report."

"Don't you want to rest up first?" Hunk asked, looking at his friend with concern.

Shaking his head, Lance answered, "Let's see the upgrades first, then I'll clean up. Let's go."

"Shouldn't we at least check to see if he's alright?" Hunk asked, trying to understand Lance's bitterness.

Lance shrugged, "I've seen him go through worse. Gorma's assistant said it's airway constriction. I'll check on him later."

Walking past them, Lance called out, "I'm taking Red back. Meet me at the lair. Don't make me wait for you."

Looking at each other with question and concern, Hunk and Darrell walked back into the compound. Lance was in no mood to be questioned.