My goodness, thank you everyone for all the amazing reviews. I have no comments to speak of for this chapter, so please enjoy and don't forget to review :)

With all the chaos after the explosion at Galaxy Garrison, Lotor had managed to make his way out the back exit leading into the officer's parking garage. He breathed deeply and relished his new freedom. Wade had left specific instructions for Lotor to get him off the planet. He fingered the ship activator in his pocket as he took the stairs two at a time until he arrived at the open top of the garage. Scanning quickly, he found the small cruiser that Wade had left for him. It would not get him very far into the stratosphere, but Wade had sworn that a more appropriate space vessel would be waiting for him.

Lotor grimaced. He hated trusting anyone, much less a two-headed snake like Wade. He had, so far at least, kept to his word. The Voltron Force was on the run, and Lotor was now free. Inserting the activation key into the console, he started the cruiser's engine, foregoint all of the necessary pre-flight checks. He was itching to get to his destination. Soon he would have his army back along with the abandoned Voltron. When he was finished with Arus, he would return and destroy Earth and all of its worthless humans. And he would come for Wade. The colonel may want to keep his word to Lotor, but the prince had no such obligations. Once he had Voltron, he would be unstoppable. He would rise as the new ruler of the Drule Empire, and the universe would cower at his feet.

The stars were shining brightly now, reflecting like candle flames into the dark water. Keith sat cross-legged on edge of the lake, staring up at the twinkling lights, attempting in vain to clear his head. He remembered when his team had first landed on Arus. That first night had been so clear that he could count the individual stars. Being raised in the city, the view of the sky was always intruded upon by the tall buildings and the city lights, but from where the Castle of Lions stood tall overlooking the valley there was absolutely no obstruciton of the sky. Now, sitting on the soft grass, he could almost imagine that he was back on Arus. On Arus, it seemed to be almost second nature to find answers to even the most heinous problems. After years of dealing with Lotor and Zarkon, his leadership abilities had been forged in fire. On Arus, he was confident in his decisions. Now, being back on Earth, his supposed home, he felt lost. He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. Clearing his mind, he willed himself to find an answer to their current predicament.

Lost in his own thoughts, he began to hear voices. One voice, actually. It was calling his name.

Inside the cabin, things had settled down for the most part. Hunk and Pidge had found solice raiding the refridgerator. Pidge knew that his friend always turned to food when he was feeling out of sorts, and he knew that right now, Hunk was thinking about Rebecca. He had promised her that he would be back in less than a week, but now they had no idea if they would make it back to Arus at all. The prospect was waying heavily on them all. As he watched Hunk shove another handful of chips in his mouth and his face grow more somber by the moment, Pidge decided to take his mind off of the love of his life for a moment.

"I can't believe you punched Jeff." said Pidge, reaching across the table for the bag of pretzels. "He's going to be gunning for your ass."

Hunk grunted as he reached for more chips. "No way. He knew I was going to take a swing at him. He wanted me to."

"Why?"

The big guy shrugged. "To keep him from being implicated." He grinned. "And, he left me a little gift."

Lance sat in a corner, his pistols in pieces on the floor in front of him. He found it strangely relaxing to clean his weapons. There were times when they felt like an extension of himself – always able to keep him one step away from his last breath. Two things he could always rely on in his life: his team and his aim.

"Keith?"

Lance's ears perked up at the sound of his commander's name. Without thought to the pieces of his pistols, he leaped off the floor and bolted to the coffee table where Keith's communicator had been abandoned earlier. He picked it, hoping that his ears weren't playing some kind of cruel joke on him as Hunk and Pidge raced into the room. "Allura!" he shouted.

"Lance?"

"Sweet Jesus, girl, that is the sweetest sound I have ever heard!" Lance felt the tension in his back ease slightly. "Where the hell are you?"

Before she could answer, the back door banged open. Keith flew across the room, snatching the comm out of Lance's hand. "Allura."

"Keith!" His name sounded more like a relieved sigh than anything else.

"Is Deirdre with you? Are you two okay?"

"Yes," she answered, "we're both fine."

Keith looked up at the group now crowded around the comm and nodded. "Where are you?"

Deirdre answered. "We're in the Argenta District." Keith and Lance exchanged glances. The Argenta District was notorious for being an unsavory part of Freetown. "We kind of had a run in with the law and had to ditch the Hummer."

"My Hummer?" Richie returned to the living room, drying his hair with a towel.

"Richie? What the hell?"

Keith shook his head. "Long story, Deirdre."

"Oh, well, yeah, your Hummer, Richie. Sorry."

Richie breathed deeply, running a hand through his wet hair. He glanced at Lance who almost seemed to be smiling. Richie narrowed his eyes threateningly. "We'll talk about it later, Dee."

Keith ignored them both. "Can you get to a safe place until we can get to you?"

"Yeah, we can do that."

"Alright, then. Sit tight. Keep your communicators on. I'll have Pidge track your coordinates."

"You got it, Keith." said Allura. The comm clicked twice indicating that the communication had ended.

There was a collective sigh of relief in the living room. Nobody had wanted to come out and say it, but having Allura and Deirdre MIA for so long had begun to wear on everyone. Now they could focus on getting out of there.

Keith felt a surge of energy return. Everything seemed so clear to him now. "Okay, I've got a plan." he announced.

"About freaking time." Lance chimed in. He was ignored.

"Richie," Keith turned to the outsider of the group. "I need a favor."

Richie snorted. "Oh, that's rich, Keith. Really? You want me to – how did Lance put it – save the day?"

Lance saw an expression cross Keith's face that he instantly recognized. Mostly because it was all to often directed at him. It was definitly Keith's patented I'm-not-taking-any-more-of-your-shit look. He almost smiled as Keith stalked across the room to stand toe to toe with Richie, who incidently towered about six inches over him. But after years spent going to head to head with the ten foot tall Lotor, Lance doubted that any man could intimidate the commander of the Voltron Force.

Keith narrowed his eyes as he looked up at Richie. When he spoke, his words were low and threatening. "We can do this with or without you. And we will, if need be. But it would be alot easier if we had your help. If you care as much about Deirdre as you claim to, that is. Or is that just a bunch of bullshit?"

Now, Lance had known Keith for a long time, and he instantly recognized what was taking place. To the untrained ear, Keith was simply asking Richie for help. But anyone who had been under his command, knew that when the shit hit, Keith did not ask – he ordered.

To his credit, Richie seemed to get the clue. "Alright, fine. Whatever."

Satisfied that he had made his point, Keith took a step back. "We need to get to Allura and Deirdre. That means going back into Freetown." He glanced back at Sven and Romelle. "Can you get Sven and Romelle off the planet and back to Pollux?"

"We're not leaving!" Romelle jumped up. "I'm not going to abandon my cousin!"

"I agree with Romelle." Sven interjected. "No man left behind, Keith."

"Sven," Lance cut in, "you can barely walk, bro. You need to get somewhere and get patched up."

"Lance is right." said Keith. "Seriously, Sven, you know that there's nothing you can do with a bum leg." Sven seemed to think it over before nodding. Now that was settled, Keith turned back to Richie. "Well?"

"Yeah, sure. I'll do whatever I can."

"Don't worry, Richie," quipped Lance, "you've got the easy job."

Richie's eyes shot daggers in his direction. "Fuck you, McClain! You just make sure you get her back safe. You owe her that much."

For reasons that Lance wasn't aware of at that time, he launched himself at the bigger man. He was stopped short, however, when Keith grabbed his arm and jerked him back with force. Richie was already in motion as well but halted suddenly when someone blocked his way. This time it was Hunk who stood just as tall and was just as wide. And Hunk had no intention of letting him go any farther.

Now being off balance, Lance was dragged out of the living room into the kitchen. Keith threw him hard against the counter. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Come on, Keith, the guy's a douche bag!"

Keith narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms. "You were the one who was baiting him, Lance."

"What are you talking about?"

Keith was thoughtful for a moment before he spoke again, "He and Deirdre seem to be really close. Does that bother you?"

Lance frowned at him. Of course Deirdre and Richie's relationship had crossed his mind, only not in the way that Keith concluded. But he would deal with that next time he saw her. "Oh no. No, you don't, Keith. Do not make this about me and Deirdre. You know that he's been trying to get a rise outta me since he got here."

"I never said anything about you and Deirdre." Keith paused to allow his comment resonate with Lance. He had neither the time nor the patience to deal with two kids bullying each other in the school yard. Especially over a girl.

The comment apparently took Lance aback for a moment, and he seemed to be without anything to say. That was rare for him.

"Lance, you know that in any other situation, I would have your back. Hell, I'd even get in a few punches myself" Keith lowered his voice, " but right now, I don't give a damn if you and Richie hate each other's guts. We need his help, and I need you to behave like my second in command. Are we clear?"

Lance crossed his arms and scowled. He hated it when Keith was right.

"Are – we – clear?"

"Crystal." Lance stated simply.

"Good. Then let's try to figure out how to get everyone off this rock in one piece."

Without waiting for Lance to respond, Keith turned on his heel and walked back into the living room. There was no one in the world that he would want to be his second. Lance might be hot tempered and juvinile at times, but he was one of the most competent officers that Keith had ever met. As a team, they complimented each other perfectly. Keith was methodical in his plans of action. He liked having order. But when push came to shove and they needed to improvise, Lance never let them down. And for all the guff that Lance gave him, he knew that Lance respected him as a leader. And no leader could ask for more than the respect of his men.

When he arrived back in the living room, Richie immediately moved to stand in front of him. Keith mentally prepared himself for another confrontation. But Richie suprised him.

"I am ready to do whatever I can to help, Keith." His attitude had changed considerably, and he seemed geniune in his offer.

"Thank you." answered Keith. And with that, a mutual agreement was struck.

"I'm going to need a ship."

Hunk jumped in. "I think I can help with that." He reached in his pocket and pulled out a ship activator. He tossed it to Richie.

"What's that?" asked Keith.

The big man grinned. "It's Jeff's personal rig. He dropped them in my pocket during his lame attempt to arrest me. A set up, of course."

Pidge rubbed his chin. "Yeah, flying the personal craft of a highly decorated officer, you should have no problem getting spacebound." Silence among the group prompted him to go on. "Keith, how are we going to get in and out of Freetown without getting caught? I mean, they've got to have military and local police canvacing the city looking for us. And even if we do find Allura and Deirdre, how the hell are we going to get off of the planet?"

There was no denying that Pidge was the smartest of the group, technologically speaking, but he was also a stickler for the details – not always able to look at the big picture in terms of logistics. Lance smiled at the young man's uneasy questions as he sauntered into the living room. He placed a hand on Pidge's shoulder.

"Don't worry, kid, I'm sure our fearless leader has a plan." He nodded to Keith, an unspoken statement that he was ready to back his commander up.

Keith returned the nod. "Right, as a matter of fact, I do have a plan."

The Argenta District was not an area of town that most would want to find themselves alone during the day – even less so after dark. Some of the most seedy establishments in Freetown resided within the ten block radius of Argenta. Gangs were rampant in the area, mostly run by drug lords who lined the pockets of politicians and police chiefs to keep there business running smoothly.

Allura and Deirdre found themselves sans vehicle at the outer rim of the Argenta District where where the streets intersected with the more lawful area of the city, several bars and strip clubs littered the neighborhood for the general population. Unlike Downtown Freetown which boasted a higher concentration of more upscale establishments, and as a result a more populated area at night, Argenta presented a more omnious environment. That, however, did not stop a few brave souls, from venturing out.

The two women stayed in the shadows keeping their heads down as they walked down the sidewalk. Since their adventure had began together, Allura had steadily been acclaimating herself to the shadier side of Freetown. She was still haveing problems, however, getting used the to catcalls that they recieved every now and then from a drunk pedestrian. They made her even more self-conscious in her skimpy maid's uniform than she already was.

They finally stopped in front of a door in the middle of the block. The doorway was dark even with the one streetlight and neon advertisments on the windows. On either side, the spaces that look as if they use to be businesses on their own, stood empty and boarded up. Just above the door, another neon sign screamed at her in bright pink The Emerald City.

"What is this place?" asked Allura as she followed Deirdre up the few steps to the door.

"It's a strip club." Deirdre said matter of factly as if it was the most natural place in the world for them to be."

Allura wrinkled her nose. Of course, spending five years with four young (very male) pilots, she had heard of such places. Lance made no bones about patronizing this type of establishment every now and then. The idea of women taking their clothes off for money certainly boggled Allura's imagination. "Why here?"

"Well, it's dark, fairly quiet, and they don't really like law enforcement in these kinds of places." Deirdre gave her a wan smile. "And I know the guy who runs the place."

Allura grunted. Why was she not suprised? It was becoming more and more clear that Deirdre walked a very thin line between being a lawful citizen and an all out criminal. Deirdre sauntered up to the counter just to the right of the door. A large man in a black t-shirt, which did nothing to hide the faded tatoos that covered his arms, eyed them for a moment. It occurred to Allura that they must be quite a sight.

"I need to see, Sonny." Deirdre declared, refusing to be intimidated by the man.

He smiled sardonically at her, clearing patronizing them. "And whom shall I say is calling?"

"Just tell him Dee is here. He'll know exactly who your are talking about."

"Oh, yes, yes, of course." His voice dripped sarcasm. "Please, have a seat inside and I'll send him right over to your table."

Deirdre narrowed her eyes at him before returning the patronizing grin. "Thank you."

As they wove through the maze of bar tables that surrounded a stage that protruded into the middle of the room, with runways on three side, Allura was better able to get a look around through the smokey haze. A upbeat, exotic sounding song was being pumped into the room while a young girl danced around on the stage while the men stared, every now and again throwing money at her feet. As the girl grinded her hips at the men, Allura was reminded of the few times that she had been on Doom, both as a child with her father trying to negotiate peace, then later as Zarkon's prisoner. The King and his dispicable son, Lotor, had often surrounded themselves with girls who pranced around in skimpy outfits, gyrating their hips for the pleasure of men just as this young girl was doing. But the ladies on Doom had been slaves. Allura wondered what could possibly make this particular girl want to make a living taking her clothes off for men's pleasure.

They finally found themselves in a dark booth in the corner of the room. It felt safe. Safer, at least. They had barely settled in when three men approached them, each with a beer in their hand. To Allura they looked to be in their early twenties – no older than her team was when they had first fallen on her doorstep. The man in the middle was the tallest and obviously the alpha of the group. He was clean cut and blond. The faux silk shirt that he wore clung to his solid body. The other two looked as if they wanted to be carbon copies of him, but had accepted the fact that it was an unrealistic expectation. So, they chose to follow behind, picking up his scraps.

He leaned in close so that Allura got a whiff of the booze on his breath. "Well, hello, ladies," he crooned with just a hint of an intoxicated accent. "My name's Colin. Mind if we join you?"

"Take a hike." Deired scowled at him.

He straightened up with a decidedly indignant expression. Aparently, he was not used to being turned down. "That's not a very polite way to talk to a guest in your establishment."

"You are a guest in my establishment. And I would appreciate it if you would leave these fine ladies alone."

They all turned to see a well manicured man in an expensive suit and slightly graying temples standing beside the booth. Behind him, the mountain of a man that had been at the door just minutes earlier towered over them, arms firmly across his chest making his muscles appear even larger than they actually were. The frown that he wore immediately concluded that he was not in the mood for some drunk punks to mess with him. Colin's confident demeaner fell as he stepped back so quickly that he nearly knocked over his companions.

"Oh, sorry, sir," He glanced back at the ladies in the booth. "I thought they were...well, you know..."

The suited man frowned. "Assuming is a very fast track to getting your ass kicked. Now, I suggest that you and your buddies find seats of your own and enjoy the rest of the show."

Colin gulped visibly. "Yes, sir." He turned quickly and pushed his friends in another direction. "Let's go."

But the suited man wasn't finished. "One more thing, gentleman," The young men turned back to him. "if I ever see you trying to force yourselves on any of my girls...well, let's just say that Max here doesn't like anyone messing with my girls." To make his point, the large man grunted and cracked his knuckles loudly. It was a little over dramatic, but effective. The young men nodded obediently and hustled back to the other side of the stage.

"Keep an eye on them." The man said to Max who nodded and made his way back to the door as another group of men walked through the door. He turned his attention back to Deirdre and Allura.

"You always bring trouble. Don't you?"

"Nice to see you too, Sonny." Deirdre sneered, but held a hand out as an invitation for him to sit down.

Sonny crossed his arms but made no move to sit. "What do you want?"

"We need a place to hide out. Just for a couple of hours."

He nodded. "Yeah, I saw that you got yourself in a mess of trouble, girl. I don't need any of that in my place."

"Trust me, making trouble is the last thing we want to do right now. But we need a place to crash that isn't crawling with cops." She watched him closely, but was unable to read his expression. "Just for a couple of hours." she repeated.

The tension was palpable as Allura waited for his answer. Thus far, they had been very lucky to stay out of custody, but that could always change at any moment. Sonny might not be the most reputable of business men, but that didn't mean that he wouldn't turn them in just for spite. She wondered how long it would take for Keith and others arrive and get them out of there.

Sonny rubbed his stubbled chin. "Nobody sits in my place without paying."

"How much?" Deirdre narrowed her eyes.

"500 bucks."

The red head scoffed. "Are you joking?"

"Look, Red," Sonny leaned down until he was nose to nose with her. Allura bristled unconsiously and casually reached into her bag, gripping her pistol tightly. "You're taking space reserved for paying customers. Either pay, or hit the streets."

Deirdre gazed at him, apparently unfazed by his close vicinity. "We can't use our credits, our cards have been flagged by now. And we don't have that kind of cash."

Sonny straightened back up. "Well, there is another way you can pay me." They followed his gaze toward the dance floor.

While Deirdre seemed to automatically get his meaning, Allura was not quite sure what he was alluding to. "You want me to dance." Deirdre finally concluded.

"You could fill in for one of my girls. I won't have to pay her, and I keep all your tips."

"No way, my pictures been plastered all over the news. I'll be made as soon as I walk on that stage."

There was a sudden silence as the weight of their circumstances began to hang heavy.

"I'll do it." Allura announced suddenly.

While Deirdre stared at her, Sonny was already raking his eyes over her from her black pixie wig to her flats, stopping to linger the whole way down. Allura suddenly felt like a piece of meat at the butcher waiting to be wrapped up. He shrugged. "I suppose you could..."

"No, no way..." Deirdre shook her head vehemently.

Allura put her hand on the woman's arm to calm her. "It's okay, I can do it."

Deirdre blinked as he looked from Allura to Sonny and back again. Their choices were very limited at the moment. They could not go back out on the street. Not only were the police combing every inch of Freetown looking for them, but staying out at the hour that it was in the Argenta District, in the clothes that they were wearing, was a sure fire way of attracting the wrong kind of attention. She sighed heavily. "Fine. But she's not taking her clothes off, Sonny."

Sonny frowned. "Now you must be joking."

"Look at her, Sonny," Deirdre motioned to Allura. "just watching her will get your guys so revved up that they'll be fighting each other to get your girls in the back room." He seemed to consider her observation. "Come on, Sonny, we've known each other for a long time. Cut me some slack."

"Fine. But only because you've been very useful to me over the years. CANDY!" He watched them as a beautiful young woman in a very skimpy outfit wandered over from a table full of roudy men. She traced a finger up his sleeve before resting her arm on her shoulder. She blinked at him with doe eyes. "Candy, dear, this young lady is going to be making her debut with us tonight." He observed Allura again. "The outfit is okay. Touch up her makeup, get her some new shoes, and give a few pointers."

Candy grinned at Allura. "Of course, Sonny." She lifted to her tip toes and licked his ear seductively. "Come on, dear. Let's get you fixed up."

Allura nodded before sliding out of the booth. Deirdre was going to follow, but was stopped by Sonny. "Uh-uh, only dancers in the dressing room."

She locked eyes with Allura who could only force a smile. "I'll be alright."

Deirdre sat back and watched Candy lead the princess away. She ran a hand through her hair and let out a long sigh. "The guys are going to kill me."

The mood at the cabin was somber to say the least as the men of the Voltron Force prepared for their inevitable departure to Freetown. They had decided that a bit of camoflage would be helpful so they had raided Richie's closet. Unfortunately, the only one of them that actually fit into Richie's clothes was Hunk. His clothes hung off of Keith and Lance like little boys trying on their father's suits. When Richie told them that Deirdre kept a closet full of clothes in the spare bedroom, Lance bristled, but opted for one of her old band t-shirts that he found hanging in the closet. She tended to wear her t-shirts big, so it fit him quite nicely. He pulled one of Richie's baseball caps, also too big, over his hair and looked at himself in the bathroom mirror. Well, it could most certainly be worse.

Keith had also found a t-shirt that fit and had dawned a skull cap, that, unlike Lance's hat, fit his head almost perfectly. Pidge had decided that he would benefit more, mobility wise, to stay in his own clothes. Romelle and Sven had no real reason to discuise themselves. Jeff kept his ship outside of Freetown, so there was no need to be as worried.

While the rest prepared to complete their objective, Richie walked into his bedroom and closed the door. He got a glance of himself in the side mirror over his night stand and quickly ran a hand through his mussed hair. Deirdre needed his help, and even knowing that she would never expect, or hold any animosity toward him, she would be very disappointed if he were to turn down the chance to do some good. But even Deirdre could not stop him from wondering if getting involved in the current scandel would be worth it. After all, he had a life on Earth. He owned his own home. He had friends. He had his life just the way he wanted it. If he were to be implicated in the mess that the Voltron Force had gotten themselves into, everything that he had worked so hard for would be ruined.

It was those last thoughts on his mind that prompted his next action. He picked up his wireless phone and punched a number. His heart raced as the rings echoed in his ear. Time seemed to stretch out as he waited for someone to pick up. Finally a woman answered.

"Freetown police department."

Richie took a deep breath. "Yeah, my name is Richie Vanderlough. I have some information on the location of the Voltron Force."

"What kind of information?"

"I've been in contact with them." Swallowing hard, Richie willed himself to continue. "I can tell you where they are going next."

Hope you enjoyed. Please R&R! :)