FW09: Well, if I keep doing this, I might need to put my other stories on temporary hiatus until the Voltron fever dies down. Also, I did have to tweak some events from the episode to fit Eighty-Four in there, but I hope it's not too horrible. And I tried to keep within the characters' personalities, but again, it's hard to do so when we're still in the "action" phase of the story. No time to do character insight while ACTION is happening, LOL, but I can't wait until we can.

Disclaimer: I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender or its sister series, but I do own this story and OC.

Chapter 5

"Plans are worthless, but planning is everything." - Dwight D. Eisenhower, November 14, 1957

(At the Castle of Lions, aboard the Blue Lion...)

'What is this place?' Shiro wondered, his dark grey eyes scanning the image before them. The landscape wasn't much different from the lusher parts of Earth - miles of shimmering, vibrant lake water surrounded by greenery as far as the eye could see - but the castle was something never before seen. Tall white spires, topped with neon blue crystals, and a large runway that fit the Blue Lion warship almost too perfectly. Lance's deduction that this was its home wasn't so far of a stretch anymore.

"Keep your guard up," Shiro warned the cadets, and Pidge looked up in worry.

"Something wrong?"

"My crew was captured by aliens once, I'm not going to let it happen again."

"Okay, then what do we with him?" Lance turned his head to the left, referring to the bound unconscious alien at the back.

Shiro and the rest of them turned to follow Lance's direction. After they'd rescued him, Shiro had managed to quell Keith's protests by binding the unknown alien's hands behind his back. Then, they attempted to wake him for a short time until Lance's lion seemed to get impatient, and started towards the blue planet.

"We're not leaving him in the lion," Keith spoke first, eyes narrowed, "It's one of the five parts of Voltron."

"Seconded," Pidge backed Keith, adjusting his glasses, "But does that mean we're taking him with us? The armor he has on is pretty heavy..."

"We could take the armor off," Lance offered, the brown-haired cadet getting out of his seat, "And...I kinda wanna see his face."

With an eager grin, he took the initiative and knelt by the rescued alien, his sneakers squeaking in the small space. It was the Blue Lion that had told Lance to save the unconscious stranger, and he'd be lying if he said it didn't make him curious. His fingers splayed out over the strange chest plate, noting that it was tough and worn, then moved to hook under the helmet's chin. Everyone waited with bated breath as Lance lifted up, but found the helmet stuck.

"What?" the brunette breathed, then strained against the powerful suction, "Why can't I...it's stuck!"

"Let me try," Keith shoved Lance out of the way and tried it himself, but the outcome was the same, "It won't come off..."

"Leave it alone, then," Shiro approached the body and gave it an experimental pull, testing the weight, "If we're getting any answers, we need to get moving. I can carry him."

However, as Shiro started to sling the alien over his shoulder, Hunk stopped him.

"Whoa, whoa, wait. You saw how he hit that asteroid! He's injured, you can't carry him like that," Hunk took the armored stranger off of Shiro and carried him bridal style instead, "There we go..."

"All right, that settles it. Hunk's carrying him," Lance shrugged, and Hunk made a small reluctant face, "What? You think any of us are capable of carrying him? And Shiro's our leader."

"But...ughhh," he shifted his charge to a more comfortable position, "Fine...just know that if this thing wakes up and starts attacking me - with, I don't know, weird tentacles or something - I'm throwing him at you first, Lance."

"Got it."

In a tight, close-knit group, the five humans and their unconscious captive departed from the lion. Hunk kept his charge close, keeping the head tucked against his right shoulder. He still had a bad feeling about all of this, but holding the body somehow comforted him, in spite of what he said to Lance. What didn't comfort him, however, was the sudden roar that ran up his back like the time Lance blasted him with 114-decibel speakers from the electronics store. That had nearly blown out his hearing, and they were never to return lest they earn the ire of the manager again.

"No, no, I knew it was going to eat us!" Hunk hugged the motionless body to him like a large stuffed animal, then scurried behind Shiro as rumbling echoed behind him. When he saw that it was the door to the castle opening, though, the cadet stopped trembling and peeked over Shiro's shoulder.

"Oh, the door is open," he gave an apologetic shrug to the alien craft above him, "Guess I was wrong about you..."

Shiro and the others gave a raised eyebrow or look of 'really?' before moving on ahead. He frowned, then squeezed the prisoner against him. Man, this guy was really comforting for some reason...like that blankie he had during his kindergarten years. Or the nightlight when he went through his 'the dark scares me and I need light' phase.

"I'm sure if you were awake, you'd be scared, too," he whispered to it glumly, plodding on forward. It almost reminded him of that one movie where a guy went nuts on an island and started talking to a volleyball.

As they headed into the dark castle, Hunk felt the tension ease from his shoulders. He looked around, noticing the absence of dust and cobwebs. As if it were still lived in. That was another factor of comfort for Hunk - he'd seen one too many horror movies to know that abandoned anythings were just bad news. And if there were still people living here...

"Hello?!" he called out, and the others froze in their steps before spinning back to look at him. The looks on their faces shut him up immediately, and he tucked his head into the captive's chest plate, a bit embarrassed.

"From the size of the lion, I expected the size of these steps to be bigger," Pidge took advantage of the broken silence, but the ceiling suddenly turned on.

"Hold for identity scan," a female robotic voice echoed above them as a bright neon blue light covered their bodies.

"Why are we here? What do you want with us?" Shiro demanded as the rest of his team tried not to flail during the scan. Instead of answering him, however, the scan suddenly highlighted Hunk's arms and the body he carried. It blinked once, then twice, then announced:

"Genetic structure verified, access granted."

White flames burst in sequence towards a dark hallway, lighting a path for the five friends. Hunk looked down at the unconscious alien in his arms and then back at the rest of the group.

"...Does this thing...own the castle?" he asked, then tilted his head as he stared at its helmet, "Or maybe he's a key?"

"Could be," Pidge theorized, then observed the flickering white lights, "I guess we're going that way..."

Before he moved onward with the group, he whispered to the armored alien, grinning, "Good job, you. Think you could get us something to eat, too? No? Ah, just a thought..."

For a while, the group continued onward, and Hunk continued to call out in curiosity to see if there were any occupants that would meet them. After all, if the alien prisoner was recognized as a friendly, maybe its allies would, too? A bit hopeful and naive, but Hunk was feeling better and better about his decision to carry the captive. Finally, they reached a circular room with what looked like a control panel in the middle.

"Where are we?" Lance asked as Hunk made one last call.

"It's some kind of control room," Pidge noted the strange symbol in the middle of it, but when Hunk moved closer to see what the boy was staring at, it suddenly came to life. He jolted and hid behind it, squeezing the stranger against him in fear. Sounds of hissing gas and mechanical whirring filled the room as two silhouetted pods slid out of the floor, towering in front of them.

"Are these guys...dead?" Hunk asked, and he felt his stomach curdle again.

Dead people in an abandoned castle. Well, now it was looking more and more like a horror movie by the second. Hunk nearly peed himself when the pod opened, and a dark-skinned woman with pointy ears fell out, gasping for her 'father'. As Lance caught her and talking started, the big cadet breathed a sigh of relief when he checked himself and found his pants dry. However, that wasn't to say something felt wet - and it was against his shoulder.

"Oh no...no, no, no, no, no..." Hunk bent forward to let the alien captive's head roll to the right, and saw the cause: a trail of blood leaking from a crack that beaded out slowly.

Hunk tried to get everyone's attention as they spoke between each other, but his nervousness, his fear of the new aliens caused him to fumble at every attempt. He was hopping from one foot to the other anxiously, like he needed to go use the restroom. He caught snippets of the conversation: something about being Princess Allura, the other alien being a kung-fu master, being asleep for 10,000 years, planets destroyed, Zarkon, and evil Galra. Finally, when they finished talking about Voltron, Shiro looked behind at Hunk and noticed the frantic movements of the larger boy.

"Ah, but before that, we have an injured over here," Shiro moved out of the way so Allura could get a clear line of sight on the body in Hunk's arms, "He was with us earlier, but he hasn't regained consciousness yet."

For a moment, the dark-skinned woman only stared. Her eyes were wide, and Shiro could see her visage twist into a snarl. Coran was in a similar state of shock - how else could he react? There, scratched into its helmet, was something no Altean could forget: the Galra insignia, a symbol hailing Lord Zarkon and the Galra Empire's reign over the known universe.

"It has...Galra markings..." the alien princess spoke in shock, then in anger, "A Galra in our castle?! Coran! Hand me your weapon!"

The older Altean jumped at the sound of his name, but hesitated in reaching for the small laser pistol at his hip.

"Whoa, whoa," Shiro stepped in front of their unconscious prisoner and Hunk, holding his hands up, "Wait, he's not even armed! We even tied him up - you're not going to attack him while he's unconscious, are you?!"

"He is Galra," she narrowed her eyes, bitterness and hate creeping into her voice, "His kind are the reason why Altea is gone! Why my people are gone!"

"But he's not one of them!" Lance moved towards her, "He even fought with us against them!"

Allura stared at Lance coldly, and the skepticism was felt intensely as she pushed him aside to get to her steward. However, he still refused to give her a weapon.

"Princess, I understand what you're feeling - but public execution in front of these...people is not the Altean way!" Coran lowered his eyes sadly, "It is not your father's way."

Crystal blue eyes widened in surprise at Coran's reprimand. In quiet consideration, Allura looked to the humans who had stumbled into her father's...no, now her castle. Shiro and Lance both stood in front of their captive and Hunk, while Pidge remained off to the side. Keith was a little less concerned about the situation, his arms crossed and his eyes half-lidded. Nonetheless, each of them were staring at her with unwavering attention. Did she really want to leave that sort of impression on them? A bloodthirsty princess?

"...Fine," she said finally, though a headache had started to pull at her nerves, "I can't believe I'm saying this...but I'll leave him alone for now."

"He's also hurt!" Hunk spoke up quickly, and the rest of them looked at him in surprise, "I know, I know - Galra, bad guy, takes over galaxies - but when I was carrying him..."

He leaned forward, revealing the mess of dark red blood on his shirt sleeve and shoulder.

"...He needs help. Bad."

"...Galra markings..."

"...Tied him up...going to attack..."

"...Not one of...fought with..."

"...Needs help..."

Eighty-Four's awakening was plagued with a cacophony of voices. They faded in and out, wavering like her consciousness. Her eyelids fluttered open, and she felt something flaky sticking to her lashes. By the smell of it, it was probably her own blood. A gnawing headache, dull and sore, accompanied the smell and hinted at the blunt force trauma she'd endured. She tried to see through the darkness, but her helmet must've been damaged when she was ejected from her cockpit. Completely blind, Eighty-Four took a small breath in and tried to figure out where she was. She certainly wasn't in outer space, and for some reason, she was bound - poorly, if she might add. It wouldn't take much for the Altean to break out, but judging by the voices, it wouldn't be a smart idea to let them know she was awake yet.

"Finally!" she nearly jolted when she heard someone practically shout in her ear, just to her right, "We finally get to see who's under the hood! Hey, are Galra super-ugly, or maybe they've got tentacles for a face?"

"Not funny, Lance."

"What? You were the one who said it might have 'em, Hunk!"

"Not at all, although they do have fangs!" came another voice, this one a bit older and more cheerful, "Oh...I see the problem. Galra space helms tend to lock under emergency circumstances, but if I remember correctly...there's an emergency latch right about...here."

The hiss of her helmet's suction echoed around her, and a bright white halo of light emerged under chin. Eighty-Four closed her eyes and tried to appear as though she were still unconscious...

...He wasn't Galra. That much was clear after they pulled his helmet off.

Coran gasped, and Allura walked forward with an astonished expression on her face. They weren't alone. At least, not as alone as they thought. Shiro and the gang crowded around the body and Hunk in a similar manner.

"...Uhh, isn't he...she...this person the same as you guys? Altean?" Lance looked back at Allura and pointed a finger at the unconscious pilot's face.

The confusion that the cadet expressed was well-justified - although the pointed ears were clearly Altean, the facial features were fairly androgynous. Shiro knelt down beside the bound body and scrutinized their appearance, noting the pale, alabaster skin of their long, oval face. Sharp cheekbones and a strong jaw line made the pilot 'handsome', but their full, peach-colored lips and long white lashes leaned more towards 'flowery'. A delicate brow line suggested feminine, but a sharp chin hinted masculine. Jagged red arrows of Altean markings were striking and bold against their cheeks, but the long, flowing shards of their silver-blue hair tumbled and cascaded like the shine off a waterfall.

Regardless of gender, and the blood that caked their forehead, Shiro could at least say that this Altean was...stunning.

Shiro took a small breath and risked touching them, lifting their chin gently so he could take a peek at their neck. His eyes followed the elegant line down and noted the lack of an Adam's apple.

"I think...it's a 'she'," he put forth tentatively, still unsure since he didn't know much about Altean biology.

"Well, hello there," Lance bounced his eyebrows up suggestively, but Pidge's sharp elbow put an end to that nonsense. Hunk swallowed audibly, sweat forming on his brow and his legs jittering. He'd been squeezing this very attractive woman against him this entire time, treating her like a stuffed animal! Oh...boy...thank God she was unconscious, he wasn't sure he'd be able to explain himself well, and the feeling of guilt would've made him look like a pervert.

"She's not Galra," Allura mumbled in disbelief, "She's not...oh my stars, we're not alone. Coran! We're not alone!"

Relief poured through her body, causing her to fall to her knees at the revelation. In an instance, Coran was at her side, but he too shared her joy.

"M-Maybe...there are others?" she whispered to him, breathless and hopeful, "Maybe some of us survived and escaped! Oh Coran, there could be a whole planet full of our people!"

"P-Princess!" Coran held her hands, thick tears streaming down his face and into his mustache.

Shiro couldn't help but have a little smile at the scene between the princess and her steward. In spite of her anger beforehand, Princess Allura wasn't a bad person. He could see that. She had awakened after 10,000 years, and learned her father, people, and planet were gone - anyone would've been upset.

Looking down, Shiro shook his head. 'Upset' probably didn't even reach the level of grief the alien woman was feeling.

"Uh, guys? She's still bleeding," Pidge pointed out, and Shiro looked up immediately. Breaking out of her own relief, Allura gasped.

"Oh, quickly, we have medical pods!" she scrambled to stand and walk, but stumbled in her over-excitement.

"Princess, you should stay here and rest," Coran got to his feet fluidly and helped her stabilize, "I'll bring our new guest to the med-bay. And I'll have them healed up in a tick!" He motioned to Hunk, who nodded and walked with him to the supposed medical room.

'...Princess?'

Eighty-Four reviewed the information she'd received, unbeknownst to her captors. She knew Shiro was there - she'd heard his voice, and nearly laughed when he had guessed she was female with an uncertain lilt in his voice. Then there was the flirt, "Lance", and the strong one holding her, "Hunk". A child had spoken, but their name and gender were still a mystery. Then there were the two with very identifiable accents, one of them being "Princess" and the other "Coran", and were perhaps Altean themselves.

'There haven't been any Altean royalty since...' she thought, then scoffed mentally, 'It can't be. It's all myth. Legend an' fantasy.'

But...she also saw the Blue Lion, which was supposed to be just as mythical and fictional. If that existed...

...

All this thinking was making her head hurt worse.

...

"And here are the med-pods! The systems might be a bit dated, but our med-pods have always been well-maintained," Coran spoke in front of her, rousing her from her dull-headed pondering, and she felt Hunk shift her to an upright position. She slumped as he pushed her in delicately, one of his hands cradling her head. And her greatest concern, the bonds tying her wrists, were undone immediately with care.

"Phew...all done. You'll be all right, don't worry," Hunk spoke to her softly, and she wanted to raise a brow - did this human create an emotional bond with her already? Hmph. Soft humans. Soft, soft humans.

"You should get back to the others," Coran reassured Hunk, and the large-handed human backed away from her, "Oh, and could you bring this plate of food to the princess? She's been asleep 10,000 years, she must be starving."

The room went silent for a moment, causing Eighty-Four to think Hunk had left.

"You are a good luck charm!" he spoke suddenly, nearly startling her, but she could hear the grin in his voice. Then he really left, Eighty-Four confirming his footsteps.

'...Strange one,' she thought, then shifted her focus to "Coran".

As soon as she heard the telltale beeps of a console being worked on, Eighty-Four chanced a peek and saw "Coran" alone. And as she thought, Altean, of all things. She shook her head, clearing the questions she had - this wasn't the time nor the place, who knew when "Hunk" would come back. Without a sound, she slipped out of the medpod and stalked towards the orange-haired individual.

"All right, let's do a preliminary scan and...hmm? 'No patient found'? That can't be right, we just put her in the - huuk!" Coran's words ended in a strangled squawk as Eighty-Four came from behind, wrapping one arm tight around his neck. The other grabbed his ear, sharp nails just barely piercing the sensitive appendage.

"Scream, an' I'll tear yer ear off," she spoke quietly, eyes narrowed and her nails digging in painfully, "Now tell me: where am I, an' what is this place? An' don't ye dare lie ta me."

"Please, we only mean well!" Coran choked out, his hands coming up to tug at Eighty-Four's arm.

"Answer mah questions," she demanded, "Demands'll be hard ta listen ta outta one ear 'stead o' two, an' I'll keep askin' 'til I get what I want."

"Y-You're safe, at the Castle of Lions - an Altean stronghold!" the ginger steward tried to look back at her, but she kept a tight grip on his ear, "All Alteans know of the Castle of Lions!"

Eighty-Four gave pause at this. More and more of this ridiculous fantasy was piling up on itself, but now she had to really question it: was it fantasy, or reality? The Alteans of old spoke of Voltron, of the Castle of Lions, of the legacies of the Paladins. Of hope that Zarkon would be defeated. Of the war that would come once more - the Last War. And that it would happen when darkness seemed at its strongest. Eighty-Four didn't doubt that the universe was looking grim, maybe even on its last leg. Was it really time? Voltron versus Zarkon? With the freedom of the universe at stake? And where did Shiro fit into all this?

...It was too much to take in. Eighty-Four grimaced and grit her teeth, the pain in her temple throbbing insistently now. She wasn't some adventurous hero or prophetic zealot - she didn't want to face off against impossible odds in some war. She just wanted to take Shiro and get the Pits off this planet, far away from all of it.

But how? Stuck on this planet with her ship out of reach, how was she going to do it? Eighty-Four took a moment to think, then started to formulate a small plan.

"Take me ta yer leader," she ordered firmly, releasing his ear in favor of grabbing the pistol at his side, "The one called 'Princess'."

"...After 10,000 years it might need some work," Princess Allura finished assigning the Lions to their respective Paladins, then turned to see Coran's form stumbling into the control room, "Coran! How is our guest? And...why are you walking like that?"

"P-Princess, I'm so sorry, she just - !"

"Shut it, 'Coran'," the once-unconscious prisoner emerged from behind him, kicking in his knees and forcing him to the floor in a painful crash, "Now hands up, all ya. I ain't gon' ask twice."

The temperature in the room froze into an uncomfortable, crawling chill. Hunk immediately raised his hands, although the look of betrayal was clear on his face, as well as Lance's. Pidge took a step back with his hands up, unsure of what to do, while Keith readied himself into a stance. Shiro and Allura both held their ground and stared at Eighty-Four, then at the pistol she pressed against the back of Coran's head.

"...You don't have to do this, we are friendly - " the princess began, but Eighty-Four merely edged the gun forward.

"What did I jus' say?" the pale Altean twitched her ears, "Sure hope ye remembered, 'cuz I warned ya - I ain't gon' ask twice."

"What are your demands?" Shiro spoke up, holding his hands up to get her attention.

Mismatched eyes switched to the tall human...and he almost thought he caught a glimpse of something in her gaze. It quickly dissipated, however, and she grinned.

"Well, darlin', tha's more like it," she cooed sweetly, and he stiffened at the way she fluttered her eyes sarcastically, "Good ta see ya understand th' situation so quickly, especially 'cuz it's you I'm demandin'."

"What?!" Keith started forward, "You are not taking Shiro!"

"Ah-ah-ah!" the mystery woman grabbed Coran's hair in a painful wrench, then leveled the pistol at Keith, "Down, boy. 'Less ya wanna know what hot laser feels like in yer gut."

"Back off, Keith," Shiro ordered, and the black-haired teen moved away reluctantly, "What do you mean, you're demanding 'me'?"

"I'm a bounty hunter," she grunted as she decided to relocate, getting her back against a wall with Coran still in front of her like a shield, "Though...more like a freelancer righ' now. Tracker 84-2009 is mah designation, but ye can call me good ol' 'Eighty-Four'. Nice ring ta it, huh?"

"Eighty-Four," Allura suddenly shifted the focus to her, and Eighty-Four narrowed her eyes, "By Altean decree, you will release Coran and surrender your weapon. Now."

"..." the paler woman stared at the princess for a moment, then started laughing, "Hmmm...haha...hahahaha...AHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Everyone shifted uncomfortably at the way the princess' face was growing tighter, and Eighty-Four's laughing grew louder.

"Oh...oh..." she wiped a tear away with the gun still in her hand, "Ohhhhh...'decree'. Tha's a good 'un righ' there. Whoo! Ain't heard a word like 'decree' since...huh, never! Ain't you a fancy gal!"

"RELEASE HIM!" Allura yelled, her eyes flashing dangerously, but Eighty-Four brushed it off with a bored look.

"...No," she stated in a plain, low voice, "An' if ya order me 'round again, I ain't gon' take it so funny next time." Eighty-Four made a point of this by spinning Coran around and shoving him down to lie on the ground. She grimaced as she straddled his body, then shoved the gun's muzzle into his mouth, his bushy mustache flexing crazily under his nose from the panic.

"Ya'll get it?!" she roared angrily, and the rest of them backed off with their hands fully in the air, "Ya'll finally understand?! Worse ones woulda shot all ya an' jus' take that boy there with no trouble at all! Maybe even loot this here pretty place fer all its worth! But I ain't gon' do that...I ain't that kinda person. Ye think me horrible, but I ain't even close ta th' real evil that's out there. No siree..."

"You mean...Zarkon?" Shiro asked, and she gave a grim nod.

"An' he'll be crawlin' up our backside any tick now," Eighty-Four eased the gun out of Coran's mouth, letting him breathe properly, "Now, I need me a ship. I know mine's blasted, but this castle oughta have some reserves. An' yer comin' with me, boy."

"You can't!" Allura blurted out, gritting her teeth, "Shiro is the pilot of the Black Lion! Without him, we can't form Voltron! You would be abandoning us to the mercy of the Galra!"

"Then run," Eighty-Four suggested, shrugging nonchalantly, "Tha's what th' rest of us did, back in th' day. In fact...ain't that what yer daddy did? Princess?"

The cold, stinging comment made Allura rear back, then retort back in an equally fiery voice: "When we first saw you, I thought you were an Altean, but...I guess I was wrong. You are nothing more than a coward, Eighty-Four."

"I survive," the pale Altean corrected the princess, frowning, "Besides, even if I didn't take 'Shiro' there, ye still wouldn't be able ta form that weapon - Voltron. Th' Galra searched high an' low fer 'em, and they still ain't been able to find all o' them."

Just as Allura was about to bite back, Shiro stopped her and scrutinized Eighty-Four's words. His eyes widened and he grinned.

"...How do you know that?" he asked, and Eighty-Four raised a brow.

"Ain't no secret th' Galra's been lookin' fer 'em," she sniffed, tossing her head back to clear the hair out of her eyes, "An' they ain't stopped yet, so..."

"No, you said 'they didn't find all of them'," Shiro started to walk closer, and Eighty-Four flinched visibly, "Does that mean the Galra have at least...one of the Lions? Because, as it turns out, there's only one of our Lions that's missing. Location-wise."

A twitch of her eye told Shiro all he needed to know. The rest of the group looked between each other, catching the hint - Eighty-Four could possibly know where the missing Red Lion was. And that maybe there was a way to reason with her, or at least trick her.

"...It don't matter," she tried to brush off the issue, "Th' Galra are trackin' us, an' this Castle of Lions is jus' one big target. We need ta leave!"

"Help us," he pleaded, moving steadily towards her, "Help us find the Red Lion, help us form Voltron - "

"I ain't signed up fer a war!" she yelled at him, her gun hand flying up to point at him...which is when he disarmed her. A quick chop to the wrist sent the gun swinging down and it discharged at his feet, causing everyone to scream. Shiro, on the other hand, took action and snatched the gun off the ground while she was stunned, then kicked her off of Coran. A solid 'oof' left her lips as Shiro's boot planted itself in her mid-section, sending her tumbling back, and Coran scrambled out of the way.

Now, with gun in his hand, Shiro pointed it at Eighty-Four with a hardened look in his eye.

"Looks like you don't have a choice," he stated grimly, and the princess approached the two with a satisfied look on her face. Eighty-Four, on the other hand, was rubbing her wounded belly and keeping her gaze low.

"Now tell us where the Red Lion is."

Log Entry 9212-015

T'day, Shiro was tellin' me how 'is new escape plan shoulda worked. Fool-proof. Best o' th' best.

But it failed - heh, seein' as how he's sittin' inside mah cell again.

An' then 'e asks me - "Eighty-Four, what's yer secret? Ya must've had plans when ye were escapin' yerself. What were they?"

An' I told 'im, the key to any good plan...is improvisin'.

Why? 'Cause 200 years taught me that plans ain't worth th' effort they're built upon.

Ye lay 'em out all pretty like, flesh 'em out piece by piece, but when th' slightest bit o' pressure builds up in th' wrong place, it all comes crashin' down like a poorly-built engine.

When yer caught in an unfavorable position, ye need ta be flexible, loose. Do things th' enemy ain't thought of.

An' ye need a great deal of actin'. Practice in th' mirror, make them "terrified" or "surprised" expressions, too.

'Cause th' best way ta fool anyone is ta look like ya got taken by surprise.

*sound of inhaling smoke*

Rile 'em up, throw 'em off guard, make 'em see red so they don't see straight.

Drop some hints, but don't make 'em too obvious. 'Course, it only works when ye got a smart one in th' bunch.

If ye can put in somethin' real, even better. Makes it easier ta sell.

Then, let 'em put th' puzzle t'gether all by themselves. Let 'em think they're the ones who got it aaaallllll figured out.

...

Shiro said I sounded like a puppeteer, pullin' strings.

*sound of exhaling smoke*

Maybe, but at least it ain't MY strings they pullin! Heheheh!

Eighty-Four, out!

FW09: Hopefully, that last bit explained what scheme Eighty-Four came up with! Again, she's been a bounty hunter for a while, and when brawn doesn't work, the brain has to pick up the pieces. XD

Sorry to all the followers who were expecting Bedtime: Tikki and Plagg, but I think the Voltron fever is still running a bit too strong for me to go back to it at the moment. I will return, don't you worry, but I hope you enjoy Voltron while the fever lasts!

And as for Hunk's little POV part, I just...LOL, I just love Hunk, man. He's my second child, with Lance being my first, and I thought the role of carrier would be good for him. That and he's a strong dude - you see him lugging around that energy cannon? A body shouldn't be anything too strenuous for that kid.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I'll see you in the next one!