FW09: Can...can I just keep writing just for this story? I know I shouldn't and should commit to at least finishing other chapters first, but I'm just feeling so good on this Voltron roll. Ugh.
Just a note, which may be more for myself, Eighty-Four was inspired by several characters - Meg from Hercules, Faye Valentine from Cowboy Bebop, Jinx from League of Legends, Han Solo from Star Wars, and Riddick from Chronicles of Riddick. LOL it seems weird, but I like to keep these character comparisons in mind when I write, so I can keep my OC in character.
Uhh...wow, these bits from me at the beginning are getting shorter as I stop finding stuff out about the series. I haven't started on the second season yet because I want to at least try and finish this freaking introduction arc, but the temptation is so great!
HOWEVER. I do want to just say...that Lance being Cuban...is an awesome tidbit. Bruh, I want to see your backstory. I already know you have a massive family, now SHOW ME PRE-VOLTRON LANCE FAMILY MOMENTS. Also, I've been watching Season 1 YouTube crack videos about Voltron, and there are so many moments that have gay crack pairings between Keith and Lance, I can't stop laughing. And I can't stop laughing because it's kind of...like yeah, if they were gay, they'd be all over each other. The other thing that's common is Shiro's badassness, with lots of screaming or sexy songs in the background and...yes. Just yes.
Disclaimer: I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender or its sister series, but I do own this story and my OC(s).
Chapter 4
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend." - Unknown, 1884
Log Entry 8022-015
*sound of exhaling smoke*
...I thought that was th' end of it. Found th' bounty. Secured th' bounty.
Point A ta Point B.
Simple, right?
...
Well, I guess nothin's simple with tha' amount o' money.
(In the middle of Sector 54-X55...)
Silence.
Save for the mechanical purr of the Cutting Edge's engine and the occasional pop of space debris against her light barrier, the cockpit was locked in deafening silence. Eighty-Four flicked a switch meant for cruise control and sat back in her seat, sighing. This was usually how it went with most bounties. Either they threatened to kill or maim her in some way if she didn't let them go, or they sat in a dark corner of the cell and remained silent.
...At least he wasn't crying. Stars above, the ones that cried irked her. And it wasn't because of some sympathetic notion - rather, the ones who cried also tended to wet themselves, or bawled to the point where their mugs were messes indistinguishable from their asses.
And considering the 5-hour long trip they had ahead of themselves, Eighty-Four would prefer not having to clean anything up. Damn Galra - taking all the good hyperspace tech.
"Mmmm," she moaned as she stretched in her pilot chair. A few clicks broke the quiet, and she felt a wave of immense relief travel along her spine. She was used to long space rides, but today, something just felt off. Was it that it was too easy? Maybe. Or was it Mylar's warning?
...Nah. Eighty-Four grinned to herself, biting her lip as she remembered the way he offered himself to her. If anything, the only thing bothering her was the thought of Mylar's -
"Hey."
The pleasant fantasy flitted from her mind, frightened away by the Champion's voice.
"What?" she replied grumpily, refusing to turn her chair around.
"Did you even know them?" the alien prisoner's footsteps echoed in increasing volume, "All those things you said...were any of them true?"
Ah. The phony phone conversation. Eighty-Four lifted one of her legs to notch her ankle against her knee, propping her chin up on the palm of her hand. So he was worried about his little friend, too. Was it related to the bounty in some way? They seemed to be the same, at least biology-wise.
"Hey, answer me! Are they really dying?!" she could hear him pound against the frame of the cell.
"Well, maybe...maybe not," Eighty-Four swiveled her chair around finally, a small teasing smile on her lips, "Tell ya what. This here trip's gonna take a while. Why don't we play a game?"
"...Game..." the bounty stated in a deadpan voice, "A game?!"
"Mhmm," she stood up and started walking towards him. The prison cell was of a Mfaxian slaver design - simple, rectangular, 7 x 10 x 11 feet, and made of a transparent mineral called Revlem that repelled force at varying degrees, from half to 15 times the force received. It also had the basic amenities, such as a toilet and a bed...and no, the toilet wasn't covered.
She'd found out long ago that some aliens believed bathroom privileges were opportunities for escape. Little did they know that she had a laser-filtration system for waste.
...It didn't end well, for anyone.
"Jus' a li'l game," she leaned against the wall of the cell, keeping her back to him, "Ain't hard ta figure out. Y'see, if I ask you a question, you give me an answer - a truthful one. An' then you can ask me a question, an' I'll do th' same. Got it, scum?"
"...It's Shiro," he grumbled, clenching his fists at his sides, "...And yeah, I got it."
"Good," Eighty-Four gave a toothy grin.
To anyone who knew the pale bounty hunter, they'd tell you one thing: she was an opportunist, first and foremost. And her philosophy? Survival equaled knowledge. So, when combined, the scales were often level when it came to her life and her curiosity. In this particular case, the amount of GAC* for this creature was exorbitant, but she still wasn't seeing it. Why? Why this one? It was almost as baffling as his win against Myzax. Logic, odds, and stats were all against him. And yet he still managed to triumph. What was his secret? All of these little scattered bits of thought swarmed in her mind, processing each fragment in tandem with the other.
Licking her lips, the Altean turned her head to look at him sideways, "Now...what's yer species' name?"
"Human," he replied automatically. The Altean cocked her head, her lips pursing together as she considered the word.
"Hyuuumaaaannn," she mouthed, trying to get the pronunciation right, "OK. Now it's ye're turn."
"My crew," his hands went up against the cell wall, a low buzzing warning him to avoid hitting it, "Are they still alive?"
"Would if I could, but I can't tell ya," Eighty-Four could only snicker at the way his face fell, then grew in anger. She only had past information, not current, so she really didn't know.
"You said you'd answer me truthfully!"
"An' I am! You jus' need ta answer th' right questions," she raised her arms above her head, stretching languidly against the Revlem, "Now, mah turn. What was Myzax's weakness?"
This "human" was too easy to tease, and a little naive. It was almost cute, if not for the murderous glare in his eyes.
"...His weapon," he sighed after he took a few deep breaths, calming himself, "If you count his strikes, you can attack him after the third strike while he has to recharge it. Now tell me! Please! Do you know anything about my crew?!"
"Yep," she uttered one word and let her lips fall closed again. Shiro stared at her in disbelief, then grimaced.
"...Why are you doing this?"
"Doing what?"
"THIS!" he yelled at her, and he slammed a fist against the Revlem, causing it to activate. A look of surprise and pain crossed his handsome features as an invisible fist rebounded into his abdomen, pushing a winded grunt out of him. He then fell to his knees, coughing lightly. It wasn't extremely painful, but it did catch him off-guard. Eighty-Four sighed and turned around.
"Because I can," she stated simply, her voice light and disinterested. The Champion looked up at her, his face a mix of shock and bubbling anger.
"...You're a monster."
"..."
Eighty-Four remained silent for a few moments, which prompted the prisoner to look up at her. And for a second, Shiro swore that her face changed. No smugness. No hidden smirk in her eyes or upturned corner of her lips. Just a half-lidded stare. And a frown. But in an instant, she went back to the same shit-eating grin she usually sported...or at least, a semblance of it.
"...Oh, was tha' supposed ta bother me? Name-callin'?" she raised her eyebrows in lazy amusement, chuckling softly.
Dark boots squealed as she knelt down to his level, her metallic hair falling over the right-side of her face as she reached behind herself. The human tensed, but she only scoffed at the reaction: it was just her Q-fumes, black cigarette-like cylinders that shot refined Quintessence straight into the consumer's lungs and the bloodstream. She patted the box with the heel of her palm, and popped one out. The smile hadn't dropped from her face, and it was starting to get a little unnerving.
"Darlin'...you think I'm a monster?" Eighty-Four flicked the tip of the Q-fume with her thumbnail, sparking it, "Myzax slaughtered hunn'eds in that ther' dome, an' broken thousands in mind, body, an' soul. 'E earned his reputation through brutality, an' his name? Soaked in their blood."
She stuck the Q-fume into her mouth, sucking it slow. Eerie yellow light glowed from the end of it, and when she pulled the stick away to exhale, a thick stream of purple smoke smothered the surface of the cell. Shiro could only make out her silhouette and that bright neon glow of her Q-fume. Not that he cared to see her face at the moment...that smile of hers was starting to make his stomach twist in on itself.
The uneasiness reminded him of all the other aliens who'd stared at him after the gladiator match. Some of them were too far from human to recognize what emotions they displayed, but he remembered the gray one with the antennae. The one who had helped Matt when Shiro had thrown the boy to the side, fake-screaming for blood.
He was terrified. They all were.
"An' you beat 'im..." she let the words hang in the space between them, "Myzax...th' Murderer."
Eighty-Four leaned in close, blowing away the smoke so that her face could be seen. Her heterochromatic eyes peered at him darkly, making his heart drop and insides squirm unpleasantly.
"Wonder what tha' makes you...Shiro?"
...
...
...
She waited for him to respond, but the creature seemed to have shrunk inwards on himself.
"...What? Nothin' ta say?" she drawled, taking another hit from the cylinder perched on her lips, "Ye were so chatty before. C'mon. Tell me...freak...wha's mah name?" All humor had left her voice, and her words were spoken like a Corvanian snake, ready to strike.
"..." the human remained quiet, his eyes refusing to meet hers. Eighty-Four pulled away, a mildly dissatisfied and bored look on her face.
"...Pathetic," she stood up, flicked the Q-fume at the cell wall, and walked back to her chair, ignoring the way his shoulders twitched at her insult.
(Two hours later...)
The long-standing tension was palpable between the bounty hunter and her bounty. Ever since she shut him down, Eighty-Four dominated the space and could silence him with one sharp look. Even the slightest bit of rebellion or anger was snuffed out when she flicked those mismatched eyes at him.
And it surprised her.
Eighty-Four wasn't the type to be riled up often. She'd been called worse names than 'monster', by people who ranged from innocent to the worst trash in the galaxy. But something about this human pissed her off. And the anger took root in her was something to fear. The hunter couldn't quite put her finger on it, but it probably had something to do with that holier-than-thou attitude he kept. Still, it wasn't like her to keep hold of a grudge for this long with no reason, and even she was starting to feel the strain of being so stiff and cold.
"...Scum," she spoke finally, eyes half-lidded, "I'm - "
Warning. Warning. Lock-on detected. Lock-on detected.
Her head snapped up, blue lights flashing in tandem with the ship's warning system.
"What's happening?!" It was like the Champion had woken up from a bad dream, his senses all focusing on the alarms.
"Nothin' good," Eighty-Four strapped herself in and thrust the ship's throttle forward, "Might want ta sit down, this might get bumpy."
The Cutting Edge shot forward in a burst of crystal propulsion, barely missing the large, wicked harpoon-like projectile that whizzed past the tail fin. Just as quickly as it had shot forward, however, it was drawn back with terrific speed towards another ship, one that had been previously cloaked. Eighty-Four spied the deep red and green colors as she turned her ship around, noting the familiar painted skull on the enemy craft's cockpit visor.
The Lurking Bane. Without a second to lose, she hailed the ship for communication, and came face-to-face with an old acquaintance.
"Vlaaaxxx," she called out, slipping back into a comfortable grin, "Good ta see ya. Missed ya at th' Gussy earlier. Now, ta what do I owe this treachery?"
The other party, an old grizzled Vhobian soldier of fortune named Vlax, flexed a nonchalant smirk at her. His face was reminiscent of a red, bearded turtle, with yellow pupil-less eyes and jutting chin. A thin scar ran up the left side of his chin to the eyebrow crest, like a crack in a dinner plate.
"It ain't you I'm pickin' a fight with," his eyes moved behind her at the bounty, "It's him."
Eighty-Four glanced behind her with a raised eyebrow before focusing on Vlax again.
"This prisoner ain't even been in th' system fer a month, an' he's causin' ya trouble?" She gave a little half-lidded smirk, "Puh-lease. We've known each otha fer a while now, Vlax. Ya can be honest with me! Ye're innit fer th' reward, aren't ya?"
"...Part of it," he admitted, tilting his head in acknowledgement, "But 'e did cause me trouble! By defeatin' Myzax!"
"Oh no...ya didn't..." Eighty-Four sighed, shaking her head. Vlax had a bit of a...gambling problem. And by bit, Eighty-Four really meant 1.4 million credits deep in loan sharks and Galran servitude.
At least, that's as far as he'd been in last time.
Vlax was able to pull himself out of the hole often by running a few bounties and missions for the Galra Empire, but that didn't stop him from continuing his old habits. Usually, his favorite place to hole up was the Ghorinian Gussy, where gambling and alcohol went hand-in-hand, and made him a great drinking buddy. Eighty-Four liked to pester him playfully on his wins and losses, especially when he lost more than he could afford - and he liked to complain affectionately that she was like a nagging wife.
"Vlax...what did ya even bet on? Myzax's always th' favorite," Eighty-Four leaned on her armrest, drumming her fingers.
"...Th' seconds it'd take ta kill 'em," Vlax mumbled glumly, one of his reptilian hands scratching the side of his face.
"'Them'..." she repeated in a deadpan voice, "...As in...ya bet on more than one fight...?"
"Hey, I had a chance! 'Til that thing took 'em from me!" He jabbed a sharp claw in the bounty's direction, and Eighty-Four sighed again, "All seven of 'em, includin' th' one 'e injured in th' beginning!"
"...An' ye're lookin' to bring his hide in as even," Eighty-Four nodded, making an understanding face, "Well, t'day might be yer lucky day. I ain't lookin' fer a fight, an' I don't need th' money. Plus...he's gettin' on mah nerves."
Behind her, the Champion cast his eyes downward and leaned against the bed. Vlax made a perplexed face, and she had half a mind to ask him if he understood what she was proposing.
"So...ye'll give 'im to me?" His tongue, dark purple and swollen, darted out to lick one of the various, sharp prongs that showed when he opened his mouth.
"Ah! If ya hadn't tried ta tag me, maybe," she wagged her finger, as if she were scolding a child, "But now, I think we go in t'gether. Ya can have th' money, but I get th' credit. Not everyday ya get ta bag yerself a bounty that defeated Myzax."
"..."
"C'mon Vlax, ain't a bad deal," the Altean jerked her head towards the prisoner, "Ye'll still see 'im get dragged away, all while settlin' th' debt he owes."
"..."
"An'...we can share a nice relaxin' time at th' Gussy, jus' as always," she softened her grin into a glowing smile. And she didn't give those out often.
"Vlax...Vlaaaxxxx~," Eighty-Four called to him, "We friends...ain't we?"
Her buttery words and smiles soon turned the hardened veteran into a goofy-grinning turtle, and all was right with the world. Shiro watched the exchange in equal parts fascination and disbelief. A few minutes ago, the enemy was about to skewer the both of them, and now they were acting like the best of friends.
"Heh, I guess," he pushed forward on his controls, angling his ship to run parallel with hers, "Why didn't ya say all that in th' first place?"
"Uhh...ye're th' one who tried ta stick a harpoon up mah ass, ya quiznak."
(One hour later...)
Shiro sat on the bed, gripping the edge of it tightly as he watched the two bounty hunters gab and talk, ignoring him. As if he wasn't in the room, or that he wasn't the "bounty" they were talking about. It was maddening.
"So, how much're ya gonna have after this?" Eighty-Four, the woman, asked.
"Heh, luckily, Galra military pays well," Vlax, the turtle, replied smugly, shaking his beard pompously, "I could pay off everythin' I owe an' still have enough fer my vices."
"I'd say it might be betta ta keep yerself away from th' gamblin' circuit fer a while, but..." the female shrugged, her pointed ears bobbing beyond the chair, "Tha's like tryin' ta stop a dying star from explodin'!"
The turtle roared in laughter, ending in a few coughs and wheezes.
"Ya know me too well, babe!" Vlax grinned, then sighed, "...But it ain't too late fer you, Eighty-Four."
"...What?"
"I mean...we've known each otha fer a while," he looked uncomfortable, but determined, "Ye're like a daughter ta me. An' I'm sayin' th' same things I'd say if I had any kin of mah own...left..."
Sadness permeated the small space of Eighty-Four's ship, and Shiro felt a twinge of pity. Despite the predicament he was in, he could tell that the two aliens talking weren't completely lost. And Eighty-Four, especially, wasn't as cold as she seemed. He had crossed a line earlier, one that had set her off and caused such a strong response - it left him questioning himself. Of course, he still hadn't forgotten it, but seeing her talk to the other alien made him see her in a new light. Not necessarily all positive, but enough to know she wasn't as inhuman as the "Galra".
"Vlax..." she whispered uncertainly.
"Th' Galra Empire's all but forgotten 'bout ya. Ya ain't owin' 'em nothin', an' ya ain't owin' to nobody else 'cept yerself," Vlax huffed, pushing a hot puff of air out of his tall nostrils, "Jus'...git yerself away. Don't go do nothin' stupid, like joinin' them rebel forces or anythin'...an' jus' live yer life out there. Settle down, have a family, or at least someone ta keep ya warm at night."
"Well, I have you fer that, Vlax~," Eighty-Four seemed to be trying to play off the emotion and atmosphere, but even Shiro could tell the old alien was being serious.
"Shut it, ya twerp," he gave a small smirk, but quickly reverted back to his grim expression, "...I mean it. No more playin' th' field like ya've been doin', or doin' dirty jobs like we've been doin'. I taught ya a lot 'bout th' business an' how ta survive in this universe, but...th' only thing worth havin' in this miserable life is a family ta belong ta. Promise me. No matta what happens, ye'll find that."
Shiro stared at the two of them, and noticed Eighty-Four's shoulders pinch together.
"...Why? Ye're talkin' like yer goin' ta die or somethin'..."
"Nah, but mah Vhobian gut worm is actin' up," Vlax straightened his posture, "An' I've learned ta trust mah worm."
"Heh, you an' yer worm," she shook her head, flashes of her steel-blue hair jostling around the edges of her chair, "But...I understand. I'll...give mah word. When I'm good an' done with all this...I'll find a family. Maybe even a few kids."
Vlax gave a small smile, which then turned into a great big grin. "Oh yeah? Ya gonna birth 'em or adopt?"
"Feh, depends on who I get," Eighty-Four leaned forward and flipped a few switches, "Haven't been leanin' any which way more than th' otha, so..."
"Thought ye were sweet on that there Mylar boy?" the turtle looked right, then left, "Or was it that Swindy gal from th' Sphere?"
Shiro couldn't help but flush a little at the implication. It wasn't as though those types of relationships were uncommon on Earth, but hearing it as eavesdrop felt strange. Sexual orientation was something private, one that you revealed only when you felt comfortable, and Shiro was fairly sure Eighty-Four was far from being a friend.
"Like I said, haven't decided," she smirked, unaware of Shiro's squirming, "What can I say, I'm irresistible.~"
"Ye're a flirt, an' boys an' girls alike ought ta stay away from ya."
"Keep sayin' that, an' I won't let ya see mah kids."
(Two clicks outside the Ghorinian Gussy...)
Finally, both the Cutting Edge and the Lurking Bane pulled into relatively near air space to the Gussy. Eighty-Four slowed her craft down and scanned the asteroids for signs of the Galra Military folk she'd signed with. And sure enough, Raxx was waiting for them, sitting on a boulder outcropping and waving. The rest of his squad was standing at attention, facing outwards.
"Well, lookit that," Eighty-Four grinned, her bounty's face dismal, "Ain't you lucky? A whole escort, jus' fer you."
"...Please," the human pleaded, though he didn't seem to hold much hope, "Just tell me...are my crew members all right? Are they still alive? I need to know...I haven't seen them in a month, and I can't have escaped for nothing..."
Eighty-Four slowed her ship just a bit, considering his plea. With a flip of her hair, she shook her head.
"Then ye never should've escaped at all," she reasoned, shrugging her shoulders.
"...Fine. Then, at least...I want you to know that I didn't escape just to insult you, either," the Altean blinked in surprise at the Champion's words, "I'm sorry I called you a monster. Figured I might as well tell you...before they take me away."
Well. That was unexpected.
In all of her years of hunting, never had Eighty-Four received an apology like that before. Sure, there were the crying ones who begged forgiveness, and the ones who said it in nasty sarcasm before she blew their brains out, but...hmm. Never had she heard an apology made just because a bounty thought they'd hurt her feelings of all things. It just didn't plain make sense to her. To what end did apologizing serve, when she was about to drag him off for capital punishment? Eighty-Four frowned, and scratched the back of her head.
Hmm. Hmmmm...
This was bothering her more than it should. And she didn't like it. Eighty-Four groaned inwardly, knowing that what she was doing went against her own code of ethics (or what little ethics she had), but it wasn't like she was going to see the kid again...right? And who knows, maybe the Champion would go on to bigger and better things - as the old saying went, 'connections, connections, connections'.
"Yer crew's...alive," she spoke up finally, quiet and low, "At least, as far as I know. Th' older one got shipped out ta the crystal mines, an' th' younger one went ta th' metal mines."
"So they're not dead?!" he jumped up and put his hands to the cell wall, surprised that she answered at all.
"Las' I heard...no," Eighty-Four turned her head around finally, her eyes half-lidded, "If yer crew's alive, they're at them mines. Provided they didn't do nothin' stupid, they're probably fine."
"...Thank you," he slid down, his head pressed against the glass-like substance in breathless relief, "Thank you...thank you..."
"Don't thank me yet," Eighty-Four shook her head, "Ye're still gonna be handed over. Vlax's a good friend, I ain't aimin' ta make 'im mad. An' if ya speak one word o' this conversation outside this ship, I'll climb in that dome an' kill ya m'self. Got it, scum?"
"Yeah," Shiro sighed, then looked up, "Wait...why bother telling me anything? I thought you hated me?"
"Puh," she scoffed in disappointment - more with herself than anything, "We ain't known each otha long enough ta 'hate'. An' we ain't gon' know each otha fer much longer."
"...You still didn't answer my first quest - "
"And ya ain't gonna git one," she hissed, preferring Vlax's gut worm chewing her tongue off than admitting that his apology might have possibly affected her in any way or shape. The frowning bounty hunter glanced at him from the corner of her eyes, watching him retreat back to the bed with a shrug and a smile. And to her mild surprise, she smiled, too.
In spite of the moment, however, Eighty-Four was still intent on following through with the deed. She was a bounty hunter, after all, and this was her job. She landed her ship shortly, letting it settle on the expanse of rock in front of the Gussy rather than parking it in the lower hangers. She then proceeded to march the human out in handcuffs, dressed up in the spacesuit equivalent of a straight jacket. Vlax had landed beside her, and Shiro managed to get an eye-full of the grizzled veteran fully - the closest comparison he could make would be a red leatherback sea turtle, his body hulking and intimidating. Swathed in dark green armor from head to toe, his club-like arms wielded a massive, overloaded shotgun and what looked like a battle-axe laid across the shell on his back.
"Time fer payback, ya quiznak," Vlax guffawed triumphantly, pumping the gun once and priming it.
Eighty-Four ignored the exchange as she stared at Raxx and the soldiers in front of her. Something was wrong here...why weren't they getting up to take the bounty off her hands? Raxx was still sitting on a rock outcropping nearby, waving his hand, and the soldiers were so stiff and still, it looked like a strong breeze could knock them over.
That's when she saw the dark liquid beading at a hole where Raxx's temple should have been, the gravity-less space keeping the blood from dripping down properly. Turns out Vlax's gut worm wasn't acting up for nothing.
"...Come out!" Eighty-Four kept hold of her human captive with one hand, and drew a gun with her other, "I know ye're there!"
Raxx's arm stopped waving slowly, then fell limply against his side. At the same time, another alien emerged from behind the soldier's body, now presumed corpse, and shoved it aside. Similarly, other aliens came out from behind the stiff bodies of the other soldiers and let them drift without a care. Vlax tensed and held his shotgun carefully, aimed in a wide spread against the increasing number of strangers, who were dressed in dark robes.
"Druids..." he whispered to his companion, and Eighty-Four narrowed her eyes.
"Tracker 84-2009," spoke the leader of the group, the one who had been holding Raxx's body, "How good to see you again."
Her mouth twitched into a slight frown. The feeling wasn't mutual.
"As you can see, these soldiers have had a little accident, so they won't be able to pay you properly. We, on the other hand, are more than willing to compensate you for your troubles and any grievances this may have caused you," the cursed Galra raised his hand and pointed at the bounty, "As long as you hand over the Champion."
Vlax started to lower his gun slowly, but the Altean bounty hunter tapped her gun's barrel against his arm. He glanced at her and she raised a brow pointedly, showing skepticism at the situation. This was just a show, and she knew it - after all, Druids didn't need guns to kill. A small twitch of her lips hinted to Vlax the plan she had in store, and she eased into a comfortable grin.
"All right," Eighty-Four walked the bounty in front of her, keeping him close, "One Galra faction's as good as th' otha."
She leaned in close behind Shiro, whispering to him as she slipped her pistol between his arm and his torso. The feel of it made him stiffen, but she squeezed his bound wrists firmly.
"Don't worry," the Altean kept her half-lidded eyes trained on the leader's outstretched hand, "This ain't fer you. I'll keep ya safe...jus' stay still."
Step by step, Eighty-Four guided her bounty closer to the "Druid", until they were only a few feet from each other.
"Tell me...how's Velmar?" she asked suddenly, and the robed figure twitched, "She doin' well?"
"Yes, fine, she's with Haggar at the moment," he said hurriedly, his tone a little less reserved and a little more anxious, "Not all Druids have time to deal with bounty hunters, especially ones as slow as you."
"...Ye sure? 'Cause Velmar's th' name o' mah first bounty," Eighty-Four smirked, and Vlax aimed down the sights of his shotgun at the fake Druids, "An' he died 40 years ago, in Max-Pris."
For a brief moment, both parties froze...then all hell broke loose. Before the head of the group could draw, she fired her pistol, causing Shiro to cry out as he felt the blast firmly against his side. The leader took a nice-sized slug to the chest, flinging him backwards, while Vlax fired off two well-placed spreads, catching a few in the legs and stomach. Pulling off their robes, the group revealed themselves as rival bounty hunters - and if she were the poetic type, she'd say she saw the GAC in their eyes as clear as a Xanthorium crystal. Recognizing that they were outgunned and outnumbered, Eighty-Four and Vlax gave each other cover fire as they hauled themselves to a nearby rock outcropping. Once situated, they sandwiching Shiro between them and each took a side to defend. Eighty-Four smirked at Vlax - this certainly wasn't the first time it'd been a few against many in her days, and having Vlax near only made the fight more fun.
"How astute!" the head hunter grunted loudly, revealing himself as a traitorous Hraxian toad named Vimbluuk, "Then again, you'd know the difference between a real Druid and fake, wouldn't you? Pet?"
Eighty-Four sneered and withdrew her pistol from her prisoner's side. She pushed down on the boy's head, keeping her charge low as she peeked over the boulder.
"Anyone coulda guessed that," she narrowed her eyes as she counted the enemies - 12 still standing, "Druids ain't th' portly type!"
"Why you little - fire! And avoid hitting the Champion!" Vimbluuk stood up slowly, his arm clutching the dented armor on his chest, "He's useless to us dead!"
Mercilessly, the other bounty hunters fired upon their little shelter, and caged them in. Dust and bits of their rocky outcropping kicked up in the deadly barrage, and clouded the veteran hunters' visions.
"So...'bout tha' plan ya cooked up?" Vlax grunted when a stray laser ricocheted off the rock face...which wasn't very far from his own face. Their little shelter was getting smaller by the tick, and flanking was becoming easier for their enemies.
"C'mon, ain't ya never been in a shootout before?!" Eighty-Four grinned, her red eye flashing peculiarly under the circumstances.
"Shootout, yeah!" he huffed as a flanking hunter took a potshot at him, and promptly delivered several rounds of pump-action into their face, "But I ain't never faced twenty-two guns ta three!"
Eighty-Four gave an insane whoop when she threw a small device over the tallest edge of the boulders, and a few agonized screams joined the sound of an explosion shortly after.
"Make that..." she glanced backwards as body parts flew up and over their heads, "Eighteen ta three!"
Suddenly, all the shooting stopped, and the pair stared at each other. Vlax grinned victoriously, shouldering his shotgun.
"Heh. Ya think they might've - !"
*SLAM*
"...V-Vlax?"
Eighty-Four's eyes were wide as she saw a small, but wicked-looking harpoon jutting from Vlax's shoulder, through the stone. It wasn't unlike the Lurking Bane's own, but much smaller in size, and she followed the line to Vimbluuk. He gave a cruel smirk, and jerked the line, causing Vlax to cry out in severe, choking pain. Struggling, he tried to rip free from the sharp object, but it hooked him firmly to the rock - trapping him. Moreover, it had torn a good-sized hole in his shoulder and suit. If he moved any more, he'd let in the cold space air, and freeze to death.
"Stop movin'!" she ordered immediately, scrambling to stop the turtle from thrashing about, "MORON, STOP IT!"
"I-I can't help it!" he whined, though he managed to tone it down to shaking, "Quiznak, it hurts!" Long years of youthful victory had built a solid reputation for the old warrior, but in his old age, he'd grown accustomed to drink and comfort. Now, faced with pain once more, Eighty-Four could see that Vlax had lost his trained tolerance and fortitude.
"Gettin' stabbed usually hurts!" Eighty-Four took some adhesive gel from her belt and slathered it on, ignoring Vlax's hissing, "There...oughta buy us some time. But we need ya somewhere safe before we can git a good look at it."
The pale hunter looked to the right, at the Gussy, and knew that he'd at least be safe from exposure if he could reach it. Which meant winning this little battle now.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk," the slimy toad clicked his tongue, "It's such a shame. People used to quiver at the name of 'Vlax', one of the last Vhobians alive - who carried with him a rage that was equivalent to a thousand dying suns! Now...he's just a drunk, and a pathetic one at that. Barely worth the credit of killing him, like putting an old mutt out of his misery."
"You shut yer filthy mouth, toad!" Eighty-Four roared at him, focusing on keeping Vlax still, "When th' Galra find out 'bout ya killin' their kin, they'll gut ye like th' coward ya are!"
"Ooohh, I'm so scared," he mocked, raising his hands and twiddling his fingers, "Dear me, whatever shall I do? Oh, but wait! It wasn't me, officers! It was that dirty Altean dog...biting the hand that fed her. Ten thousand years later, and they still carry such hatred for the Galra race! Better put her down before she goes rabid!"
Her temper rose and snapped the thin layer of calm she'd managed to keep, and Eighty-Four began to rise from Vlax, fully intending on planting one of her beautiful bullets in between those sideways eyes. However, when she reached for her right-hand gun, she found it missing.
"...What the quiznak...?" she searched herself, but it was nowhere to be found. That's when she realized she hadn't been paying attention to the very thing that had started this whole fight - the Champion. Eighty-Four looked around and saw a pair of broken handcuffs on the ground beside her. Then, a slight movement caught her eye, allowing her to spot him hiding under the landing ramp of her ship. He was trying to escape!
'That dirty little...' Eighty-Four cursed herself, 'He's stealin' mah ship!'
Before she could call him out, though, the bounty did something unthinkable - he stepped out towards the enemy bounty hunters and held her pistol to his head.
"Enough! Leave them alone," he ground out, and kept the gun firmly pressed to his head, "Or I'll shoot and you'll get nothing."
"...Heh," Vimbluuk and the other hunters stared at the human, nervous, "You couldn't possibly..."
"You think I'd let myself be captured by the Galra again?!" the Champion yelled, startling Vimbluuk, "I'd rather die than go back!"
Eighty-Four blinked in confusion. Her impression, as she had gathered, was that he was a fighter, and a smart one at that. 'Live to fight another day' type of guy. And moreover, dying would mean leaving his crew behind, and she knew he valued them over all else.
"N-Now take it easy," the Hraxian toad held his hands up, trying to calm the crazy prisoner.
"No! I'll do it!" the Champion growled, letting his finger go into the trigger hold, "So back...off..."
They did as he was told, and that's when Eighty-Four noticed what position they were in - right in front of the high beam conduits on her ship. Formulating a plan, she took Vlax's shotgun and switched it from 'lethal' to 'stun', praying that the old function worked. Then, she took out a small remote and held it ready, waving her hand to the human to gain his attention. When she got it, she put a hand over her eyes, signaling him to close them.
"We'll do whatever you want," Vimbluuk pleaded, desperate, "Just don't kill yourself! The money you're worth is enough to live my lifetime four times over, comfortably!"
"Then...you better not blink," the Champion spoke lowly, confusing Vimbluuk when the human ducked his head into his arms, "Now!"
Eighty-Four switched the remote on, covering her own eyes as her lights turned on and blinded the rest of the hunters. With Vlax's shotgun in tow, she charged for her enemies, and fired - resulting in both a stun blast that hit the entire group, and the old weapon exploding in her hands. The female hunter was blown back by the force, her hands tingling and raw from the energy that had come undone and practically melted the metal of the shotgun out of her hands.
"...Ughhh..." she groaned as she struggled to stand upright, "Quiznak..."
However, even at the cost of her arms, the battle had been won. Vimbluuk and his cronies all were knocked out cold, yellow electricity arcing from their forms and tethering them to the Gussy's asteroid. She turned to look for the priso-...ahem, Shiro...and found herself staring down the barrel of her own gun.
...Heh. Ballsy kid.
"Take me to my crew," he demanded, although his tough demeanor faltered when Eighty-Four's hands were still smoking from the shotgun's demise, "...After we take care of your wounds."
"...Hahahhahahahaaa," she started laughing, a sort of bubbling raw laughter that was almost too innocent for a bloodthirsty bounty hunter. Here he was - prime opportunity to get rid of his last pair of enemies, and he was choosing to save them rather than send them off to the great abyss beyond. Don't that just beat all?
"You...hit your head, didn't you?" Shiro asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Naw. Jus'...baffled," Eighty-Four sighed, leaning her head back and closing her eyes, "Yer a strange one. Anyone ever tell ya that?"
"Depends on who you ask."
"Mmmm-hhahaha...if we weren't in space, I'd kiss ya fer all yer worth, kid," she gave a little smile, which turned sultry, "Which's...a lot if yer wonderin'..."
Surprised, the compliment and...offer caught him off-guard. Which is what Eighty-Four was anticipating, and allowed her to launch a roundhouse kick to his temple. With the air being frictionless, Shiro's head careened into the rock just behind Vlax, and the wounded warrior grunted when he felt the boy's impact into the rock face. A soft groan emanated from the human, and Eighty-Four kneeled by him, watching his eyes go in and out of focus.
"Told ya girls an' boys should stay away from ya," Vlax chuckled breathlessly, having finally stopped struggling, "Dangerous flirt that ya are."
"Hey, he was th' one with th' gun, remember?" Eighty-Four started moving her arms gingerly, the feeling slowly creeping back into them, "Now c'mon...let's get ya some help there..." Her arms were still raw, but she could fight through the pain, her enormous, stubborn pride being a strength more than a weakness at the moment.
Using her reclaimed pistol, she shot the back end of the harpoon, causing a new flash of pain to run through Vlax.
"Gah!" he kept tight hold of the harpoon, grimacing, "Couldn't have warned me?"
"Then ya would've tensed," she pat his non-wounded shoulder nonchalantly, "Would've caused th' wound ta bleed more."
While Vlax tried to work out if what she said was correct, Eighty-Four went back and used her foot to float his body upwards. Woozily, he tried to resist, but she just wheeled him towards the Gussy effortlessly, following a limping Vlax. The Altean woman looked down at his face, his eyes closing blearily as he fought the urge to slip into unconsciousness.
"...I still can't let ya go, scum," Eighty-Four told him quietly, her expression serious for once, "But...I owe ya a debt. I can teach ya somethin', but ya can't tell nobody - even mah friend here."
He gave an unsteady glance at Vlax, but managed to nod.
"Galran sentries ain't that hard ta avoid," she continued pushing, whispering to him as she put a finger on his chest, "Used ta use this trick ta avoid sentries when I used ta break out m'self."
"...You...?" he asked, and she grinned.
"Ain't ya heard?" Eighty-Four raised her eyes, her ears lowering as she gave a solemn frown, "The Galra Empire rules most galaxies nowadays, an' fer longer than anyone's lived, 'cept for Lord Zarkon. As it stands now...no one's born free...not anymore."
Shiro sobered up from the hit greatly after that statement. It sounded so dismal, but her tone was...plain, if anything. As if it were the norm. And maybe that made it all the more sad.
"Anyway, th' key's rhythm," she started tapping in ticks, counting up to 8, "Time between patrols might be different than it was when I was in, but theory oughta work th' same. Jus' tap in time with their steps. Easy as tha'."
"...Thank you," Shiro spoke softly.
"Feh, don't. I don't like owing favors, an' I ain't yer friend," she slipped back into a sour disposition, "An' don't let me catch ya in these mid-sectors again. I ain't bailin' ya out next time."
"...So, just aim for mid-sectors. Got it."
"...Wait, whuh? No, no, no - I jus' told ya - grrrrhhhhh..." Eighty-Four massaged the area between her eyes, groaning. The kid was already learning tricks.
She knew she'd regret this...
Log Entry 8022-015
So...me an' Vlax turned him over, got our respective rewards, an' celebrated at the Gussy.
I tell ya, humans mus' be one amazin' breed o' alien. They ain't big or nothin', but what they lack, they make up fer in guts.
Too bad this was th' last time I got ta see him.
...
Eighty-Four. Out.
FW09: Wrrrruuughhhh, so I gave into temptation and watched some of the second season - and it was worth it. Some of this chapter used to be COMPLETELY different, but upon learning some of the information that was in the second season, I had to change it. Mostly because it would've deviated from the source material. Also, interesting note: present day currency in Voltron is called GAC. Probably stands for "Galra _something_ Currency or Cash", I think? Well, in any case, now I actually have a proper term for money. XD Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you in the next one! Promise, we'll have more current stuff next time!