Disclaimer: If you recognize the characters, not mine. Playing in Dreamworks' sandbox.

Bits of dialogue from the show have been borrowed. Credit those lines to the Voltron team.

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As they took a few minutes to organize, Hunk seized the opportunity of helping Pidge pack her equipment to ask the question.

"So, can I ask why you're being such a dragon over Shiro and Keith?"

She looked up at him with a frown. "Excuse me?"

Hunk waved toward Lance, who was double-checking that all the flashlights they wanted were working. "You almost body-checked Lance the last time he tried to talk to Shiro. I think it would be okay for them to have a conversation with someone besides each other."

She drew breath in and Hunk expected her to bite his head off with a blue streak of profanity and big words. But she paused, considering.

"Um…okay. Maybe I have been overreacting. It's just…that night in the faculty building, when they kidnapped Keith to try and break the bond. I've never heard anyone scream in that much terror before, not even in a movie. I had nightmares about it after, that my diversion didn't work or I was too late. And at the time I didn't even know what I was saving him from. Now I know. And I… I just want to make sure Keith never has to feel that way again."

Hunk blinked. He had not expected this as her reason, but it made a lot of sense. "Wow. I had no idea. But, we're kind of a team now. We shouldn't keep the two of them set apart if we're going to work together and find this Voltron thing."

She nodded. "That's fair. Guess I should apologize to Lance."

"When you get the chance, yeah. We should probably save the planet first." Hunk looked around. "That everything?"

Pidge zipped up her backpack. "That's all my stuff. Is the Voltron Geiger counter ready?"

"Yeah, I just need someone to carry the receiver."

"No problem, I got room."

Outside, Shiro was holding a flashlight for Keith as he double-checked that the hoverbike was charged and ready, with a first-aid kit, a stash of water, and energy bars in the hold.

Shiro looked it over, admiring how the finish shone in the moonlight. "Nice choice."

Keith nodded as he closed and locked the hatch for the battery.

"How did you manage with five of us on it? Must have handled like an elephant in galoshes."

Keith shrugged. "Hunk, the big guy, was sitting up on the tail. Getting him to shift to a side helped a lot."

Lance approached them with an armful of flashlights. "Did he tell you about driving over the cliff with all of us on board?"

Shiro raised his eyebrows at that. Keith shrugged again. "I knew what I was doing. I practiced it after…" He trailed off, seeing Shiro put two and two together. As Shiro looked down at his metal hand, Keith reached over and grabbed it. "Not your fault. I'll say it a thousand times if I have to. Not your fault."

Lance scowled and cleared his throat. "Where do you want these?"

Keith opened the hold under the seat. "Here, with the rest of the supplies. Thanks."

Lance put them in, glancing at Shiro as he did.

"So, are we ready?" Shiro switched off his flashlight to add to the hold, closed it, and clapped Lance on the shoulder.

"Um…if Hunk's got everything of his ready?"

"Keith, is there anything else you need?"

Keith looked down. "I've got everything but I should lock up behind them. Be right back." He strode toward the cabin.

Lance shifted his feet and looked around. Shiro smiled a little and held out his hand.

"Lance, right?"

Lance brightened and Shiro automatically reached out with his right hand. He noticed the briefest of hesitations, but Lance shook with him.

"It's an honor to meet you. I've been following your career since I was like twelve!"

Shiro chuckled at that. "I appreciate it."

"I really didn't want to believe it when they reported that Kerberos was lost. I'm glad you got away and made it back."

Shiro's smile faded. "Yeah."

"I mean, I know 'pilot error' is usually what they say when a mission goes wrong and they're not sure what happened. Gotta trigger the life insurance policies for the families and all. But normally you get some information about what they think could have gone wrong. This time…nothing. Nada. No probes that we knew of. All they did was create a rescue mission for the sims. It kind of bothered people. And then Pidge started running his mouth…um, her mouth every time it came up, keeping the rumors alive. It just felt…off."

Shiro was staring at the ground but looked up when Lance trailed off. "Thanks for telling me."

"Sure thing!" Lance was about to ask about flying across the solar system, but the sound of a door closing echoed behind him and footsteps approached.

"Where do you want us, Keith?" Pidge asked.

Keith looked at the five of them. "Well, since we're not being chased by half the Garrison this time… Hunk, you're behind me. Katie, behind him. Shiro and Lance, on either side of them on a nacelle. That'll be kind of balanced without weighing down the tail."

Katie snickered. "I think he's saying you need to hit the weight room, Lance."

Shiro noticed Lance's scowl and Hunk's facepalm. Lance began, "Look here, you little—"

Okay, this needs to stop now.

"Knock it off, both of you. We have a mission to complete."

Keith drove them toward the caves, then paused at the top of a rise. "Hunk, see if you can get a reading from here. The caves almost surround us at this point."

Katie slipped her backpack off her shoulders and dug out the Voltron Geiger counter and its receiver. They all watched as Hunk switched it on and began swinging it around.

"Down there."

"Okay, hold on!" Keith revved the engine and steered the hoverbike over the drop. The others yelled, holding on for dear life.

Shiro threw an arm around Katie to keep the both of them in place and sent his displeasure along the bond. After a successful and remarkably smooth recovery from the maneuver, Keith looked back and stuck his tongue out at Shiro. I know what I'm doing. Trust me.

As the ride evened out, Hunk began looking at the device and calling directions into Keith's ear. "Left thirty degrees! Back five degrees! Good! Now right another five degrees!"

They zigzagged across the valley toward a cluster of caves and Keith halted the hoverbike. "Can you tell which one?"

Hunk shifted and Katie got off first, grabbing the receiver from him.

"Give us a few minutes."

Lance hopped off his perch. "We can split up, everyone check a different cave."

"No!" Shiro's voice was sharp. "No splitting up. We all stay within eyesight."

Keith recognized a large cave that he had visited frequently, for no good reason he could think of. "I'm putting the bike inside this cave." The others got off the bike.

"Good call." Shiro nodded at him, watching Hunk carefully step into the mouth of the cave on the far right and study the readings, Katie trailing after him.

Keith pulled the hoverbike in about twenty feet from the entrance, then killed the engine, dismounted, and opened the hold. He gathered the flashlights and switched one on. Shiro was at the entrance, keeping an eye on everyone.

Lance had followed him in and paused, looking at the design on the cave wall illuminated by the beam. "Whoa."

Keith glanced at him and swept the flashlight around. "Yeah. These markings are everywhere"

The others appeared at the mouth of the cave. Hunk called out, "This one! Definitely getting the strongest readings in here!"

As Keith handed out the rest of the flashlights, Lance stepped forward, looking at one lion carving in the wall. He reached out and ran a hand across it, blowing dust away. "Hi, Simba."

The outline lit up in an intense, bright blue light and Lance jumped back with a yell.

Keith whirled around. The others gaped as more and more carvings lit up around them in a glowing web of images.

As Keith watched, the threads of light zipped under Lance's feet and the stone began to crumble. He dove forward, trying to grab at his arm or jacket as Lance began falling through the cave floor. He felt Shiro's sudden dread through the bond and a hand scrabbled at his leg.

Then the rest of the floor disintegrated and they were all falling.

Lance could not hold in his shriek as they were suddenly being swept down a waterfall, but he wasn't the only one. Then he was falling through the air before landing in a shallow pool of water. He was buffeted by splashes as Keith and Shiro fell to either side of him, then a huge wave swept over the three of them as Hunk and Pidge crashed down.

Lance pushed himself to his knees, feeling around his head for potential sore spots, then looked up.

And gaped at what had to be the blue lion.

Shiro immediately reached for Keith, sending his concern. You OK?

Keith was already on his feet and grabbed Shiro's hand to pull him up, sending his reassurance back. Yeah, you?

Shiro nodded in response and Keith let him go, taking off for the giant blue lion sitting inside some kind of grid-patterned glowing bubble. A sense of certainty was flowing into him through the bond. Whatever it was that Keith had been feeling, that they had both felt in the last few hours, this seemed to be the source.

Keith had reached the edge of the bubble and ran his hands along it before Shiro could react. When had Keith gotten so impulsive? He let a flare of worry and anger run through the bond. What if that force field was set to harm instead of just block?

He could feel Keith's realization and slightly sheepish acknowledgement come back to him. Sorry. Didn't think our guardian angel would do that. Aloud, Keith murmured, "I wonder how we get through this."

Lance came up to stand beside him. "Maybe you just have to knock."

He followed up his words with action and tapped at the force field. Shiro inhaled sharply as energy shot out from the grid and enveloped Lance's hand. Lance shrieked and stumbled back, then they all backed up as the force field collapsed and the blue lion lifted its head and let out an enormous roar.

And then Shiro was caught up in a vision, equally as strong as the force that had saved him and Keith mere hours before.

Lance knew it was stupid to just waltz up and knock on the bubble surrounding the blue lion. Okay, not colossally stupid—Mullet-Head had just put his hands on it like a good little red-shirt and shown that there were no lethal effects. But still, it was lame of him and if had been anyone else but Keith standing next to him he probably would have waited while they all tried to figure out the situation.

But he knocked and felt a ripple of amusement coming from somewhere. Then he yelled—yes, he yelled, he most certainly did not squeal like a little girl—as blue light wrapped around his hand and something tingled up his arm and into his chest. And whatever it was settled there and Lance had a mental picture of his older sister propping her chin on her hands and giving him the most mischief-filled grin ever.

The force field dropped and the Lion roared, sending a new image into his head…five lion ships soaring into an endless blue sky until they could not be separated by the human eye…and then a massive robot descended to land with an earth-shaking thud.

The name Voltron thundered through his mind as the lion's roar echoed in the cave and for the briefest instant Lance could feel the others, also caught up in the vision. Shiro and Keith were on the defensive and wary, surprised by something. Hunk and Pidge were terrified and close to panicking. That image of his sister was still there, shaking her head over them being frightened.

The lion moved, lowering its head and opening the massive jaws to reveal a ramp. Come on, already, his mind-sister waved at him.

Lance let out a cackle and darted up the ramp.

After the display of fear they had shown (Hunk on his knees and practically cowering) Keith was surprised to see him and Katie follow Lance into the…lion? Ship? He could still feel his guardian angel, but the strength was diminishing and it was tinged with regret. To add to the confusion, he was pretty certain he was getting hit with new sensations that were just a little like his bond with Shiro. They were faint, but there: curiosity, fright, trepidation.

What's going on? I don't understand.

The purring swelled once more and this time Keith had another visual of the five ships. A nudge to look at the others more closely. I am not the one destined for you.

Keith looked at Shiro, who seemed to be trying to remember something. "Do we go in?"

"We'd better. Otherwise one of them is going to find a proton cannon or something and fire it."

Keith chuckled as they went up the ramp. "Are proton cannons even a thing?" He held out a hand to Shiro as he climbed up, trying to figure out where the others had gone.

Shiro took his hand, the bond pulsing steadily at the contact, and pointed with his other hand. "I'm going to say maybe."

Keith looked over his shoulder and his eyes widened. The space where the lion's throat would be going down into the body was filled with a glowing lens, wider than Shiro was tall, that bathed the space in blue light. The metal rim that encircled it shone.

It certainly looked like it could be a proton cannon, if one assumed that such things existed.

Shiro tugged at his hand. "Here, I think this goes up into the ship."

They found themselves in a cockpit, large enough for all of them to stand around the single chair. Lance was poking at the glowing blue holo-panels and a viewscreen rose into place, showing them the dim cavern. Lance had a huge grin on his face and reached for the steering poles.

"Okay, let's see what these do!"

Keith started forward, his free hand out. "Wai—"

And he felt Shiro throw his arms around him, trying to protect them both as the lion took off, sending them to the back of the cockpit.

Ohgodohgodohgoddon'tthrowupohgod…

Hunk held onto the side of the pilot's seat and Lance's arm with all his might. His thrill of victory at discovering the source of the alien energy had collapsed into fear when the cat-ship sat up and roared on its own. Not even the notion of it joining up with four other cat-ships into a giant robot could overcome the fact that it moved on its own.

Lance was twisting the controls in glee, completely free of any constraints in a simulator, and vaulted the ship into the air. He took off for the north and Hunk realized he was intent on buzzing the Garrison compound.

"Dude, don't! We're in enough trouble as it is!"

"Oh, come on! Those jerks deserve it for treating Shiro like that!"

"Hunk's right! We don't need to give them any more reasons to try and shoot us down!" Keith snarled from behind and Hunk felt a hand on his shoulder as Keith pulled himself up behind the pilot's chair.

When Lance showed no sign of changing course, Shiro spoke up. "Lance, if you can control this thing, break off now!"

Lance threw one frustrated glance back, but steered to the east instead.

Then Hunk felt the faintest tug of…something. They needed to go and do something. They had to stop something. But what?

Without warning, the ship rose into the clouds.

Katie had long since given up on trying to bite back her cries. There was no point holding in her yells to score feminism points when Lance had screamed shrilly the first time the lion-ship reacted to him and Hunk was yelling at every shift in position.

Which at least meant he wasn't on the verge of puking. Small mercies and all that. The cockpit began shaking and she seized fistfuls of Lance's jacket.

"Where are you going?" Keith shouted as the ship rattled through the upper atmosphere.

"There's an alien ship coming! I think we're supposed to stop it!" Lance tugged at the steering poles and Katie could see how white his knuckles were with the effort.

"How do you know that?" Shiro demanded, his voice authoritative.

"The lion says so!"

"What did it say, exactly?"

"It's not like words! It's like it's feeding pictures into my brain!"

She noticed Shiro and Keith lock eyes, their expressions shifting minutely as they communicated. Then Lance veered sharply and she nearly landed in his lap while the others clutched any handhold they could find on the back and arms of the pilot's chair.

"Lance, for god's sake!" She shoved herself upright, surprised that he hadn't flinched when her hand landed very near his crotch. But he was staring out the viewscreen. She turned to look.

A very large, dark ship with a pointed and menacing outline was facing them.

Dimly she heard Shiro's anguished whisper. ""It's them. They found me."

Lance's heart was in his throat. What the hell was he supposed to do? They were one small (but awesome) ship against a much larger one. Who was he kidding? He was the reject that got lucky, with only enough talent to be trusted to transport basic cargo, not people. And don't even think about defending those same people…

Something hit him, like a slap to the face. Except it had happened inside his head.

It was followed by a feeling of urgency and a flood of images for which way to maneuver the poles, squeezing a button under his fingers.

He obeyed, and a bright blue beam of energy erupted from the lion's mouth, striking the side of the enemy ship and leaving a line of explosions in its wake. The ship responded with its own laser fire and he dodged, following the lion's lead to evade, and then dove for the hull. He dragged the lion's claws down the opposite side and backed away as more explosions blew.

At the urge to retreat, they took off away from Terra. The enemy ship followed them, damaged sides glowing and fire still burning. He got a pleased sensation, along with a bit of pride.

"Yeah, it's following us! Let's get it away from our planet!"

"Where are we?" Keith asked over his shoulder.

Shiro's answer was tinged with awe. "The edge of the solar system! Look, there's Kerberos."

"It takes us months to get anything out here! And we got here in like five seconds!" Pidge sputtered in his ear.

The spacescape before them shattered as a large circular field materialized in front of them, a swirling vortex of black and purple inside. Lance slowed the ship and that feeling inside his head almost growled at him, then retreated.

"What is that?" Hunk looked over the dashboard from his hunched position.

"Uh, this may seem crazy, but I think the lion wants us to go through there."

Pidge looked at him, her eyes wide. "Where does it go?"

Lance swallowed hard, feeling unexpectedly bereft without that guiding presence. "I…I don't know. Shiro, you're the senior officer here. What should we do?"

Keith watched Shiro as he weighed the options. There was no telling what was on the other side of that portal, if it was even a portal and not some death trap. There was still an enemy ship behind them, full of aliens who had kidnapped the Kerberos team and put his soulmate through a year of hell.

Keith put every ounce of conviction into the bond. They're not getting you again. They're NEVER getting you again!

Shiro's eyes met his. His uncertainty hinged on one question: whether to trust the lion or not.

That presence had guided him and guarded him during his isolation in the desert. It was time to repay.

I trust it.

Shiro pressed his lips together in a thin line, but nodded his agreement.

"Whatever is happening, the lion knows more than we do. I say we trust it, but we're a team now. We should decide together."

Keith glanced at the others, who were also looking around the group. First Katie, then Hunk laid hands on Lance's shoulders. He took a deep breath…and cracked a joke. Of course.

"All right. Guess we're all ditching class tomorrow!"

He steered the blue lion into the vortex.

Notes: Thank you as always for reading, kudos, and comments!