I love Hunk in this one. I always thought he was cool. He's not the cookie-cutter type of hero, he's good-natured, and coolest of all, he actually repairs Voltron sometimes. With the bizarre mix of unknowned technology and magic Voltron is, I figure one has to be a genius to do that.
115- Plans, Theories and SketchesWhen the V team came to check on him, hours later, the prisoner was sleeping fitfully. He gave a startled yelp when Allura gently touched his shoulder, and for a second they could all see how frightened he was. Then he was lost in a fit of coughing.
"Serves you right for fighting shadows in the rain," Keith told him. "Kovak is worried about you. He says he'll come visit."
"Great. Now my string of bad luck is complete."
Still, Lotor was grateful his Master would come. Kovak would know what to do. Khiara Masters knew all the legends and some ancient magic. Maybe he could teach him how to protect himself from those... unnameable things.
"Lance told us you had visitors last night."
"I'm not sure who or what," said the pilot, "but something was definitely here and it was not friendly."
"He also said you needed to tell us about it," added Keith.
Lotor gathered himself. The similarity of the two temples was just too great to pass it under silence.
"I dreamed of a replica of the temple you have here at the castle, only it was in castle Doom," he began, trying to keep his voice steady. "But instead of Lions, there were those... I have no name for them. I drew one."
He gestured toward the table and Allura took the drawing. She immediately dropped it with a cry, as if it had burned her.
"Are you all right?" They all asked, each in a different manner.
"Yes, but this... it feels so... wrong."
"Well, said Keith, I know I'm not an ESP."
The commander gingerly took the drawing.
"Well?" Allura asked.
"It feels dreadful. But I can hold it."
He was pale and his hand was trembling a little. They all looked at the frightful beast and Keith put the drawing back on the table. Lotor took a deep breath and continued.
"Before this... exile, when I was still at castle Doom I asked Hagar if there was a way... to restore me to my former self. She said yes and she brought me to that temple. It really does exist. And it felt somewhat the same. They... seem to have spirits linked to them, just like the lions. They too are associated with the five colors. All of them feel evil. But the dark one... They want something from me. They... were in my mind. Light seems to repel them. When the light appeared, they fled."
Lotor hugged himself tighter.
"They were like... dark tendrils slithering in my mind, trying to grab it. Hagar called them Masters, and she said they could grant me whatever I wished. But they felt so repulsive that I refused. I think it angered them. I admit I ran away. Even then, I could still feel them grabbing my mind. I don't know what else to call it. Last night they came again. I could hear them whispering, I saw colored strings of lights and... and they got inside my head somehow..."
His expression was getting hazy as he relived his nightmare.
"Hey," said Lance, "snap out of it! Or do I get to shake you again? He added in mock eagerness."
"Now I really know the meaning of the expression being frightened out of your wits," said Lotor, looking out the window again.
"After a night like this," the princess conceded, "one would be... This was some sort of attack. Whatever they are, they seem to be very powerful. I'll look in our archives and see what I can find."
"We'll help you out," offered the commander.
Allura said thanks, but she was looking the ex-prince worriedly. He didn't notice, for he had curled up and turned to the window again. He coughed softly. Allura reflected that she had never seen him frightened before. He had lived with a despot and a witch and had seen countless monsters. He had done unspeakable things, and yet, the malevolence of these creatures obviously terrified him, and it visibly embarrassed him that they should see him scared. He had nevertheless stepped on his pride to let them know about those... things. On an impulse she discreetly asked for someone to stay with him.
"I don't mind," said Hunk.
All the others filed out to help Allura in her research. Lotor heard them leave and started to shiver again. He turned and was surprised to see the yellow lion pilot seated at his table, rummaging through his drawings. He was so relieved not to be alone, to be in full daylight, that he could have cried if his pride didn't prevent it. His fatigue suddenly weighted him and he returned to bed. The good natured Hunk told the drule to relax and to sleep soundly, that no black tendril thingy was going to come while he was in the vicinity. Lotor smiled a little, let his head fall on the pillow and slept.
Hunk also turned the drawing of the monster face down. He didn't believe he had any sensitivity for those things, but that drawing did feel sinister, even to him. If he reacted to it that way, how would the actual beings feel?
Hunk was usually hot. He could go outside in a t-shirt while any other would have put on a coat. The only exception to this was when he anticipated dire things to happen, and he felt the familiar chill crawl up and down his spine. Whatever they were, it wasn't good. He even opened the curtains all the way. It felt good to see the sunlight flood the small room. Then he ordered breakfast. Nothing dispelled dark thoughts like the smell of bacon and eggs. He ordered two, thinking it wouldn't be polite to let their "guest" eat alone.
While he waited he proceeded to go through all of Lotor's designs and was amazed by this collection of truly ingenious ideas. He looked at the sleeping ex-prince, reflecting that they didn't really know him at all. Some of those tiny machines, made in swarms, could incapacitate even Voltron. He had claimed these were old ideas, why then hadn't he used them?
Hunk saw that Lotor really could have destroyed them. That he had deliberately played a double-edged game, something Allura always suspected.
Just then the breakfast arrived, carried by an annoyed servant. Having breakfast at noon, really... But Hunk never noticed as he had eyes only for the treasures on the platter. He thanked the servant profusely for having gone through that trouble, complimented her and the artists involved in the making of this, and actually made her blush.
She retired with a charmed smile. When Hunk looked at Lotor, golden eyes were staring back at him. The ex-prince was braced on his arm and had an amused expression.
"Are you always this poetic when it comes to food?"
"Well," shrugged the explorer, "you were the one who mentioned there was precious little pleasure in life..."
"I was talking about sleep then, but the creatures of this quadrant seem determined not to let me."
"Well, this creature won't let you skip eating, you look skeletal. Here, do drules eat eggs?"
"We love eggs. Raw, preferably, but I'm just half drule. I like them well cooked. And without the shell."
He got up and went to his cushioned chair, and they ate breakfast while discussing the specifics of those tiny robots. The ex-prince had that idea while viewing what a swarm of insects had devastated on one of their planets. In sufficient numbers, birds, locusts, even ants or mosquitoes always stopped anything and everything. No animal or machine could function once the swarm was on them.
"Why didn't you use such a thing against us?" Asked Hunk.
"Father always dismissed small machines. Not spectacular enough. I was keeping these ideas for my own reign. Now it doesn't look as if I'll come to power anytime soon. Not that I give a damn anymore," he said between two bites.
"I actually think it'd be a bad idea to leave those drawings in the open like this. They could fall in the wrong hands..."
"That's why I never drew them before. Could you just imagine what would have happened if father realized the potential of those things? He still thinks bigger is better, the terror inspired being one of his favorite weapons. Hagar is more subtle."
"What was it like?"
"What?"
"Living with them."
The ex-prince was a little taken aback, but decided the human was just curious. He smiled a little, remembering his own elegant pride as he prowled the castle in the old days. He was vain, but why not? He was handsome then, and his harem actually liked him. They had tried everything imaginable and a few things that weren't. He was so persuaded he was irresistible that the falling of Allura in his arms was just a matter of time. Ah, but he had been naive, thinking the empire was indestructible, and himself as well. As for his relationship with his father and the high court... It had been...
"...Like walking on a foot wide walkway with black emptiness on either side," he said aloud. "I couldn't jump off, but there were advantages. I was heir, any toy I wanted I could have, robeasts, ships, and concubines. If you dismiss the beatings and the insipid discourse of dear father, and the fine, razor sharp line I walked on, it was... filled with an excess of everything. I was free and rich, I could pursue all of my goals. I had beauty and power, and I was confident everything would fall into my hands in due time. Including the princess, of course. I was so irresistible they all came to my arms, except one. It was all so glittery and frightening at the same time. It appeared unbeatable. Hagar's creatures terrorized everyone, but they also made the castle impossible to conquer, or so we thought..."
His expression became closed and guarded.
"After the crash, well, I'd rather not get into that."
"Try the sausages," said Hunk, "they dispel dark thoughts."
Lotor had to smile at that. They fell in a companionable silence as he ate and Hunk continued to rummage through the drawings. The ex-prince had little pride left, but those creations were part of it.
Hunk eventually reached the drawing he had made of Allura, and for the first time he realized that Lotor really did love her. Only loving hands could have caressed the paper like that, and drawn something that was this beautifully alive. He turned to the ex-prince and saw him blush and lower his eyes. He suddenly felt very sorry for him. He knew what it was like not to fit the standard of male beauty. He had always been somewhat bulky, and it made some people dismiss him as if he were a non-entity. But at least he was used to it by now. And he had cool friends and was appreciated by them. Everyone here either feared Lotor or pitied him, save for Rose. That made a rather short list.
There was a knock on the door and Master Kovak entered. Hunk said hello and mentally added him to that list. He then executed a perfect Khiaran salute that left Lotor aghast, and left them alone.
"Maybe we should try to enroll this one as well, my prince."
"I'm not a prince anymore, Master."
"That is a matter of point of view, but we won't get into that. The Commander told me you had a disturbing dream... please tell me of it."
***** ***** *****
Hunk joined the others, smiling as he savored the expression on Lotor's face. Rose had shown him how to salute, and he remembered it with great accuracy. His mind wasn't fast processing like quicksilver, that particular trait was Pidge's, but it retained everything. He loved it when he could surprise people with a little piece of his huge store of information. He used that with parsimony, for he had discovered the advantages of being underestimated. Pidge was on to him of course. That's why the skinny pilot always teased him. And why they made such a great team.
They were well balanced, he decided. He could see why they'd been chosen. He was a down to earth, realistic and solid man. Pidge was complex, and hid his thoughts very well. He reached for the light from the deepness of them, just like a forest. Wood was an element in some cultures. Lance had to be Fire. He was always moving, animated with this fire that was sometimes light and warmth giving, sometimes destructive, but he never quite lost control. Almost. The princess had a way of getting what she wanted by bypassing obstacles or passing right over them when necessary. Just like water. And Keith seemed not to have any flaw he could think of, except maybe a tendency to state the obvious, but he was the closest human to an angel he'd ever met. Air was the element keeping all those others alive. Who could better harness those spirits?
The earth chosen wondered what their opposites were like. If they were associated to the five colors, then they probably represented the same elements too. He suddenly remembered that Green Lion helped Lotor escape once. And when he was in a bad mood or a good one for that matter, the woods always seemed to attract the drule. If the green was drawn to him or vive versa, maybe that dark green spirit wanted him as its representative. Not a bad theory.
He decided to think on it while he walked, but wait, was he bypassing the kitchen? Now that would be a premiere. He retraced his steps and went for his traditional raid of the place. It was a good part of the workers day. They would affect indignation, but always prepared something in plain view and easy to steal. Once, Hunk had decided to stop raiding the kitchen, and a few days later he had received a nice note, signed by all the personnel, that they missed him and would make everything unfit for eating if he didn't come back. Of course he had obliged.
Charged with wonders from the culinary artists, he finally came to the temple, where his four friends were sorting through dusty books and scrolls. Lance was allergic to dust mites, his eyes were red and he definitely seemed in a foul mood. He sneezed violently.
"I've come to take your place, Lance. Here, have a pastry and go breathe some fresh air..."
Lance looked at the princess with longing. She nodded with a kind smile and he fled.
"What about our guest?" Inquired Allura.
"He's with Kovak. He's ok. I made him eat..."
"Food's your answer to everything," teased Pidge.
"Of course it is, it's very efficient. You should try it every now and then," he retorted impishly.
"You're spending too much time with Lance, Hunk."
But Pidge was smiling of course. He reported that so far they had found absolutely nothing, and showed him the pile of dusty scrolls that Lance had been going through. Hunk was a little chagrined that they wolfed down the pastries, but took it in stride and explained his theory while he unrolled the things.
"You see, it's like that Chinese thing, the Yin and the Yang. Everything has an opposite. Light and dark, male and female, and nothing is complete without it. It's a question of balance. My guess is that even the good spirits of Aris have their opposites too. There just may be five spirits waiting for the right persons to find them."
*We're afraid your companion is right*
A choir of voices spoke from out of nowhere. It was like they spoke in their minds.
*When Alfor created the lions, we warned him of such an eventuality. If we were to give him this knowledge, our counterparts would be in turn allowed to give the same knowledge to their own chosen. The situation was dire and he accepted that risk, hoping that our five opposites would never find beings to bond this closely with them, as Alfor and you have bonded with us. The spirits are always seeking. They seduced Hagar with power, and now they try to use her to bring them someone to bind. They have been in Lotor's presence and felt that he is cleverer in mechanics then he let on. They want to use that talent, just like we used King Alfor's, to build themselves shapes to inhabit. Even though he refused them entry, he cannot resist such powerful spirits forever; we are amazed he made it this far. He has to be protected somehow, for were he to become spirit-bound, he would be a threat indeed... That has to be avoided at all costs. The greatest danger comes with the night, for they thrive in obscurity.*
"How can we protect him?" Asked Allura.
*One of you has to stay with him at all times. Our counterparts will not dare come near to anyone of us, and you are our chosen. We are always with you.*
"I... I don't know if I can..." began the princess
"Or even if you should!" Threw in the Commander. "I think the four of us can manage to work something out. I don't really think even Lotor would appreciate it if your rather formidable chaperon escorted you..."
"Keith! Really! Nanny's not that bad!"
The boys looked at her a second before they started to laugh. She sighed in good-humored annoyance.
"I'm sure Lance would have found something infamous to retort to that!" She said.
"Let's find him and work something out," Keith told Hunk and Pidge. "Err, princess... I don't think we should tell our cerillian guest about all this, it's a little hard to appear sane when you begin to speak of spirits."
"I agree," said Allura.
The three looked relieved and Allura smiled. She returned to Coran and Prince Nikolaï, and they went to find Lance. Upon hearing this he smiled wickedly.
"At ALL times? What about the bathroom?" He snickered.
"I don't think we need to go that far, really," Keith answered, amused.
"Think of all the wonderful gossip we could have gathered!"
"You can and will make it up if it suits you," teased Pidge.
"You're no fun. Come on! Let's make him believe we'll have to spy on him even there!"
"I don't know," said Keith in mock seriousness, "with the drules and their curious habits, maybe he'd be delighted..."
Lance played in and looked horrified.
"All right, bad idea."
The giggling quatuor arrived in Lotor's room. Kovak was still there. He held a jar containing a dark liquid in which he dipped a brush. He was painting a small symbol on Lotor's forehead. They could see that his real hand was also covered in faint drule designs.
"Greetings, master Keith," he said amiably. "I hope it won't bother you to see a bit more of our ancient culture?"
Keith frowned.
"As long as it doesn't hurt anybody."
"These are warding symbols," Kovak explained, unfazed. "It should help somewhat, but the forces I sense gathering around our prince are very powerful. It's a pity we do not have a sorcerer among the refugees."
"If I remember correctly," said Pidge, "they didn't accept them on any world."
"That is correct. They were the first to ask refugee status. When Zarcon associated himself with the witches, he dismissed our own mages, as they were unwilling to accept his authority. It was one of the worse massacres of our history. They fled for their lives, and we don't know if any of them found safe haven."
"I'm sorry," said Pidge.
"Zarcon hurt many species, and his own as well, perhaps more then any other. But enough of him," said the Khiara master, smiling again. "This is our symbol for the Wood, he explained, showing them the intricate design on Lotor's forehead."
Given that Doom had been a sterile world, that one must not have been used for decades, they thought.
Lotor was embarrassed at this scrutiny. He looked wan and tired. Kovak took his hand and showed them the Light, the Earth, the Water and the Gathering Spirit, Wind. The ink looked pale and fading. Kovak explained it would disappear, but the protection would remain.
"Of course, we realize that you five are associated with those spirits. Our Writings say each has a destructive potential. We theorized that they could take on physical forms, and I think this is what they are after. We have legends that speak of this; they may be after our prince..."
"Please, Master," said Lotor tiredly. "I'm not a prince anymore."
Kovak just smiled gently, and Lotor looked down. There was just no way to convince his master to stop addressing him as Prince. Maybe Kovak thought it made him feel better. It didn't of course. He watched as the V team explained what they had learned. They decided to trust the Khiaran master and they compared knowledge. Kovak was relieved someone would be watching his prince. He told them to be careful and "don't miss your next lesson, and by the way, master Hunk, should you wish to join..."
"Don't let him talk you into it Hunk," said Keith, smiling. "That guy is Rose's teacher in manipulation!"
"Woah! Now that's what I call mastery," said Hunk in an awed voice.
The drule master took their humorous attitude as a good sign and left. Keith felt almost compelled to tease Lotor by following Lance's idea, but one look at his target made him perish that thought. Hunk also saw that defeated look he had learned to recognize. It was time to dispel those gloomy topics.
"Well, shall we begin on that centipede? I sure could use a hand..."
"Which is a good thing since I only got one," said the prince bitterly. "I'd be delighted to be out of here."
The others gave Hunk grateful looks as he brought Lotor to his lab. It turned out they all could help: Pidge programmed, and Lance sorted out the castle's plan to have the little creature take the shortest route to anywhere via corridors and what seemed to be ancient air conduits. As for Keith, he kept the princess and Nikolaï away from the lab by having their royal guest take a tour of Yellow Lion's desert lair.
***** ***** *****
Allura was enchanted, for she had harbored thoughts that Keith had been avoiding her lately. They were in the pyramid, admiring Yellow Lion. Prince Nikolai seemed ill at ease at first. Keith thought this was strange, for being in a lion's lair always gave him a feeling of peace.
The moment passed, and Nikolaï sweetly smiled as he asked where the others were, as they never seemed to be apart. Was it his imagination, or did the prince just imply something passably scandalous there? Keith decided he really didn't like Nikolaï. The insinuating weasel! He imitated the charming tones of the prince, and explained that Pidge had decided to enlist Hunk and Lance to do some cybernetics, and that he was giving them instructions in the lab.
"I should guess it would take some time," said Nikolaï charmingly. "What about the drule?"
"We don't follow him everywhere around. He loves the forest, he's probably gallivanting through it somewhere..."
"Ah. With that droll little flower girl? Aren't you afraid he might do something, er, regretful? Drules, you know, have notoriously bad ethics."
"We have no indication he's a pederast, if that's what you're implying," Keith said, forcing his voice to keep the same sweet tone as the prince's. "Besides I doubt she's with him now, unless she skipped school..."
"Still, doesn't it frighten you to have to let an enemy relatively free like that? He could do all manner of mischief..."
"Maybe a little," said Keith. "We have the spies to keep an eye on him."
"Ah, your famous spies! How is the count, by the way? Still boasting the best service in this part of the universe? It must be so very reassuring to have such an important place filled by a proper gentleman, isn't it?"
For the first time since he'd arrived on the planet, Allura looked at him askance, but it was so fleeting he missed it. Keith was boiling inside, and suddenly understood why Lotor had lashed out in fury like that. That insufferable, haughty *******! To imply that only nobles should hold important functions, whereas he knew perfectly well the commander had no such pedigree. Still, he congratulated himself on his acting powers as he answered in a syrupy voice, "of course, your Majesty..." and went on with the tour. What he had to go through! That centipede had better be an exceptional machine.
***** ***** *****
Keith later reached the lab in a massacre mood, and was startled out of his wits when something was thrown on his shirt and began crawling. The mechanical insect was happily going toward the commander's head, and Keith could see his own face from below in a giant screen above the smiling Pidge.
"See, no distortion..."
"Please," he said in a long-suffering voice, "do take it off me."
"Bad afternoon?" Asked Lance knowingly, having the little machine crawl on his hand.
"It looks better on you," said Keith with a weary smile.
He looked around. The rest of his team had sure been busy. Three little centipedes were crawling, their undulating path shown in different screens. The sharp black and white images showed every detail, even of places blackened by shadows. Hunk was leaning on plans, Pidge was scrolling through his scripts, Lance was playing with the one spybot he had, making faces at it and looking at his outrageous image on the screen. Lotor was seated with a drawing pad, busily scratching at it with a piece of graphite. Once the plan was drawn, the designer didn't have much to do, so apparently he had been sketching for a while. Many pages were turned. He looked a little feverish and they had given him a blanket.
"Remember your wish to slash the Prince in ribbons?" Keith asked Lotor.
"What of it?"
"Keep a slice for me."
Lotor blinked and Hunk asked what happened. The commander recounted his charming afternoon with the gentry. Lance smirked and congratulated him on his acting.
"That's from spending too much time with you, Lance."
"Yeah, yeah, always put it on Lance's shoulders," mocked the red lion pilot. "One would believe I'm corrupting the whole team!"
"You are," said Pidge, supremely deadpan.
They all laughed and Lotor looked at them with new wonder. This kind of strong friendship was completely alien territory to him. He could only observe and wonder. They teased each other mercilessly, but they obviously had great respect too. How could that be? He looked at them with chagrin and envy. His body chose that ill timing to protest and he sneezed. They all turned to him.
"So, campanule," asked Lance, "what did you draw all this time?"
Lotor unconsciously clutched his drawing pad closer. Of course that prompted the red lion pilot to snatch it. The ex-prince protested in vain as they leafed through. What was a campanule?
"Hey, it's us!" Lance told the others. "Man, this is actually quite good!"
They gathered around to admire the drawings. Lotor looked crestfallen. Among several, there was one of Pidge with his eyes locked on a screen, one close up of a very concentrated Hunk adjusting a fine detail on the artificial insect, and Lance grinning wickedly as he looked at a plan.
"Hey," said Lance, "that was when I found that little air conduit peeking right in Allura's room!"
"Lance!" The pilots chorused.
"Ok ok. There isn't really. It connects to Nikolaï's suite. You wouldn't believe all the mini passageways I found, it's a real labyrinth. They're not true air conduits. It seems whoever built the castle also thought of keeping an eye on the guests..."
"That is excellent," said the commander.
"Those drawings are wicked good, Lotor," said Pidge.
"Would you mind if we kept some?" asked Hunk. "As it is, we have no pictures of us working. We have lots of net stuff, snapshots of us with the lions and such, but never pics of just who we are."
"Yeah, that's true," said Lance, looking serious for once.
"That arrogant smirk sure represents you quite well, Lance," said Pidge.
"And that vacant expression when you stare at a screen..." retorted Lance, "it's perfect."
Pidge scowled, but Hunk said,
"Well, it's true, you do get into lalaland when you're scripting. Makes you look like a little kid. You even stick out your tongue sometimes."
"I do?" He asked in surprise.
They could also see that the drule was lightning fast on rapid sketching, for the last portrayed to perfection Keith's flustered expression when he came in moments ago. There was even some details of his formal uniform, something he hadn't worn in ages, but that Allura had asked him to wear for their royal guest. The only prince that had been visiting Aris before with any regularity was Lotor himself. Keith said so.
"Oh," said Lotor coyly, "is that so? And you wouldn't put formal wear for me?"
"Well, on your numerous visits you never quite gave me the time to change..."
They all laughed again in good humor, and this time the ex-prince even smiled a little.
***** ***** *****
I was determined not to beg for reviews, but with several readers (saw that in my traffic statistics), I would really like a few. My 2 reviews come from the same person. Thanks to my lone reviewer, by the way. With the number of hits, I know I'm not writing in a desert, but it sure feels so! Perhaps a few reviews would also encourage other persons to try out my fic. Pleeease? Ok, begging done.