KathDMD - Glad to hear the Daniel/Keith scene went over so well. Hopefully you'll fall for this episode, as Kerza learns more about himself.
cubbieBlueMako - KA is indeed a great team. It's good to hear that Daniel is becoming more and more Keith-like.
Author's Note - Without my muse, I am nothing.
Theme Music : "The Heart Wants What It Wants" by Selena Gomez
Disclaimer - Voltron and all associated characters are the property of WEP. Space Marshall Lenora Hawkins and associated characters are the property of KathDMD. Admiral Lysette Fabrere and associated characters are the property of selena devargo.
Episode 113 : "Circle of Fate"
John's eyes fluttered, and he felt himself in a daze. He heard a voice from behind him, pushing him forward.
"Go to her," the voice said. "She has the answers you seek. Make her yours, and she will ease your burden." He walked forward slowly, heading towards the figure of a woman in the short distance. Upon seeing him, the woman gasped.
"It can't be!" she said.
"Oh but it is, child!" the cackling voice came from behind him. "The very same man you feel in love with! The very same man who will stop you and the Voltron Force once and for all!" His confusion intensified.
"Let him go, Haggar!" she shouted, her voltcom glowing bright yellow, ready to strike.
"You wouldn't dare strike against your own betrothed, would you?" Haggar taunted. He shook his head, more puzzled now than ever. "Surely you care enough about him to not try to attack me while he is here. After all, the young man has many questions! And I promised he would have answers!" He approached her slowly.
"No," she said cautiously, "stay back!"
"You don't understand," he said, "you are the only one that can tell me! I see you every night in my dreams, and I don't know why! I see you in my head, driven to the point of madness! Now you are here, just as the old woman said you would be! Please tell me who you are and why you torment me!"
"Enough!" Haggar shouted. "Take her! Take her as your own, and all of your questions will be answered! You can live your life in peace!" He looked at her, and she looked back into his eyes. A spark appeared in them….something Haggar didn't notice.
I….remember…
"You can't make someone love you," he said, still staring into the young woman's eyes. "You can't fight for something that doesn't want you. It's pointless."
"What in the name of everything are you talking about?" Haggar asked.
"YOU did this to me!" he said, turning towards Haggar. "I remember alright….I remember EVERYTHING!"
"No!" Haggar yelled. "How can my spell be broken!"
"By a power stronger than yours, Haggar!" the young woman shouted.
"Your grandmother can't protect you forever!" Haggar shouted. "One day she won't be there, and you will become a memory to all of history! But today, you will remember as the day your beloved was turned to dust!" She spun her hands and launched a wall of flames at John. The young woman covered her eyes in horror. John held up his arm in front of his face, and the wave of flame passed through him, leaving him unharmed. After a brief silence, the young woman opened her eyes.
"You're…..alive?" she asked.
"How is this possible?" Haggar asked.
"You created a monster when you brought me here, Haggar!" he said. "I don't belong in this universe. Your magic has no affect on me." Haggar screeched and waved her wand, disappearing before their eyes before they could react. He stood there, and she ran to him, throwing her arms around him.
"I can't believe you're alive!" she said, sobbing into his shoulder. "You saved us all."
"I remember everything," he said, pushing her back a little so he could look into her teary eyes. "Just like you don't belong there, I don't belong here. Now I'll never know….because you're not her." She stared back into his eyes.
"I didn't love you any less than her," she replied. "This isn't the end, you know?" He saw a strange jet land nearby.
"It looks like the end to me," he said with a defeated sigh.
"What will you do?" she asked. "Where will you go?"
"I don't know," he replied. "I lied about one thing. The spell isn't broken. It was the only magic that affected me, since the Haggar of the other realm cursed me with it. The moment I leave you, I'll forget everything again." He sighed and turned away. "Maybe it's better I forget. Then it won't be so painful to remember you…us…..everything." She placed a hand on his shoulder.
"No," she replied. "It's not. You need to remember. You HAVE to." She reached into her pocket and pulled something out. She put her hand up to her lips as if kissing it, but softly whispered something into her hand. "This will help you remember. Promise me you'll always keep it with you." He took it from her, then looked in his hand. He smiled, but a single tear fell down his cheek.
"As long as I hold it," he replied, "I'll never forget." She hugged him one last time, then he turned and walked away.
Haggar walked into the main laboratory, and carefully looked up at her robeast….her ultimate creation. She looked over at Malva, who was being strapped into an exoskeleton in preparation for being inserted into the robeast.
"I want our main fleet to be ready to take off within the hour," she said.
"Most of our squadrons have left with Lord Kanji," the guard said.
"Then gather whomever we have left," she sneered. "We need to attack Arus now, and put an end to Voltron once and for all!" She looked over at Malva, and walked up to her. "And to you, my young apprentice. I want nothing more than to see you succeed."
"I want nothing more than to destroy Voltron, Your Excellency!" she shouted. Haggar nodded.
"The nexus implanted in the beast, as you know will not be enough," Haggar said. "The young man that defeated the Predator….I feel a power within him I have not felt in centuries. We must not allow ourselves to underestimate him and the Voltron Force." She pulled a syringe. Malva looked on as the glowing purple liquid oozed from the tip of the needle. "It is a hefty amount….to some, enough to kill." Malva looked her dead in the eye, then tilted her head.
"I welcome it, Your Excellency!" she shouted. Haggar grinned and cackled. She came closer, and stuck the needle in Malva's neck. Malva winced as it pierced her skin, entering her vein, and Haggar slowly pushed down on the plunger.
"The power that the quasar has given me, my creations, and those whose blood teems with it, is simply incredible." She pulled the needle from her neck, and a small trickle of blood oozed down her neck. Malva could no longer feel it. She only felt the rage the haggarium in her veins was making her feel, and a surge of power, capable to incinerating a mountain. Haggar smiled as the exoskeleton was hoisted into the air, and inserted into the robeast.
"Soon, Arus, and the entire galaxy, will feel my power," Haggar said, "and the secret of Voltron will be mine once again!"
Alarms begin to go off in the Castle of Lions, and everyone comes running into Castle Control.
"What's going on?" Daniel asked.
"A Drule fleet has entered Arus' atmosphere," Pidge replied. "The fleet itself is not huge, but the cargo in that robeast coffin….let's just say I was able to detect the power levels of that thing before it even reached the system!"
"Then we need to mobilize," Daniel demanded. "Get to the lions, and ascertain the threat. Once we know what we're dealing with, we can come up with a plan of attack." Keith couldn't help but smile at the prospect of Daniel talking strategy. Allura gently placed a hand on his shoulder, enjoying this bonding moment.
"I will go too," John said walking into the room.
"You're too weak right now," Allura said. "Besides, we could use you on the castle defenses."
"You don't understand, your Highness," he replied, "I have to go. Something out there is calling to me. One way or another, I have to get to the bottom of what's keeping me from remembering. Whatever it is….it's in that coffin. If Haggar really is the one suppressing my memories, then I need to face it head on to get them back." There was a moment of silence, then Keith nodded.
"Alright," Keith said. "You ride with Daniel. Pidge and I will keep an eye on things from here."
"We all will," Lance said, walking in.
"What are you doing up here, Lance?" Keith asked.
"On the job training, Admiral," Lance said with a slight laugh. "I brought some of our best and brightest up to help on castle defenses."
"And he brought one of the most awesome pilots in the Alliance to keep them all in line," Ginger said with a grin. Allura nodded.
"Very well, " she said. "You take forward positions. Keith and I will gather the remaining guards and cover the rear."
"And the rest of us will get to the lions!" Daniel shouted. The others followed suit and ran for the chutes.
"There they are," Daniel said.
"And here we go!" Larmina shouted, swooping in to fire on some of the drone ships.
"Be careful, Larmina," Daniel said. "If Pidge is right about that robeast coffin, we might be biting off more than the lions can handle."
"You telling ME to be careful?" Larmina laughed. "That's a switch if I ever heard one!"
"Let's just keep our eyes peeled," Marina said. "Do you want us to fire on the command ship?"
"Stick to the drones," Daniel replied. "If there is a robeast attack, I want the castle and Voltron to have as few targets as possible to have to deal with." The Lions continued to circle the battlefield, taking out the drones escorting the ship. Moments later, the robeast coffin touched down, and when it opened, a flash of purple light emanated from it, and the robeast emerged at full size and strength, letting out a mighty roar.
"Is that it?" Hunk asked. "Doesn't look so tough."
"I can't even begin to describe the power level of that thing," Vince said, his eyes widening.
"Scatter!" Daniel shouted as it fired several missiles at them. One turned and followed Black, the other followed Red.
"It's following us!" Marina shouted.
"Circle around and head for my position," Daniel said. Red and Black headed for one another, then dodged at the last moment. The missiles crashed into one another and exploded.
"Thanks, Daniel," Marina said.
"The robeast is the main threat," Daniel said. "We need to take that out first. Ready to form Voltron!" The lions moved into position. "Activate interlocks! Dynothems connected! Infracells up! Megathrusters are go!"
"Let's go Voltron Force!" they all shouted. The lions flew into the air, and the energy field took hold. The lions began to reconfigure.
"Form feet and legs!" Daniel shouted. "Form arms and body! And I'll form the head!" Voltron's eyes lit up. He crossed his arms, and each lion let out a mighty roar as Voltron powered up.
"Let's see how strong it is," Daniel said as Voltron landed. He pushed the controls forward hard, and Voltron ran at the robeast, prepared to tackle it. The beast managed to catch Voltron, and they pushed against one another, struggling.
"It's taking everything we have to hold it back!" Larmina shouted.
"It it haggarium powered?" Daniel asked.
"Worse than that," Vince said. "I sense a staggering amount of haggarium, but I am also picking up a humanoid life form….a Drule!"
"Inside the robeast?" Daniel asked. The robeast directed Voltron's momentum and threw him to the side. Voltron rolled to its feet.
"How is that possible?" Larmina asked.
"The amount of haggarium you say is in there would…." Daniel started to say.
"Be enough to kill you?" Vince finished. "Yeah. That's what scares me. Whoever or whatever is piloting that thing has more haggarium energy coursing through them than a purely Dark Nexus."
"That's a bad thing, right?" Hunk asked.
"Remember Daniel's infection?" Vince asked. "Ten times worse." The robeast came at them again, but Voltron turned to block. The beast leaped back and fired several missiles that exploded on impact, pushing Voltron backwards.
"We're taking damage here," Daniel said. "Time to change up the strategy. It wants to get tough, let's give 'em tough. Hunk, you ready?"
"Let's rock this robeast!" Hunk shouted.
"Form Yellow Center!" Daniel shouted. Voltron reconfigured, Yellow forming the head.
"Rock Wrecking Maces!" Hunk shouted as the maces formed in Voltron's hands.
"We'll need to shatter the core," Vince said, "and whoever is containing it. Aim for the chest cavity. I'm going to try and power up your shots." Vince locked in, and his eyes went white. The maces glowed yellow with power.
"It's clobbering time!" Hunk shouted.
"Tell me you didn't just say that," Larmina snarked. Voltron ran at the robeasts and began hitting it square on with lefts and rights, trying to break through the armor plating. The robeast tried to back off and counter, but Voltron was able to push forward, puncturing the plating.
"It's working, Hunk!" Daniel said excitedly. Suddenly, John took off his harness and went to leave.
"Where are you going?" Daniel asked.
"It's in there," he replied.
"What is?" Daniel asked. He looked him dead in the eye
"My memories," he replied. He exited the cockpit. Moments later, Black's mouth opened, and John ran out and headed for the robeast. Voltron locked up with it again.
"We've stopped hitting it," Marina said. "What gives?"
"John's out there," Daniel replied.
"What the heck for?" Marina shouted.
"I don't know," he replied, "but we gotta buy him some time."
"I don't know how much time we have left," Vince said, his voice straining. "This thing's haggarium levels are so high….I don't know how much longer I can shield Voltron from it."
John leaped onto the leg of the robeast and shimmied his way, climbing up to where Voltron had damaged its armor. As he climbed inside, he could hear a female voice shouting.
"You're power is no match for the will of the Old Ones!" she shouted. He could hear the rage in her Voice as the robeast began to push Voltron back.
"I know you have it!" John shouted. "I won't let you use the power of my memories to destroy what I hold dear!"
"Who is here?" she shouted, her voice raspy and rage filled. "I will kill you where you stand!"
"I remember what I am," he shouted. "And I know what I was meant to do! Give me back my memories of her!" A part of Malva became confused, and the robeast lost footing, allowing Voltron to land one critical blow, sending the robeast backwards. Vince collapsed.
"Vince!" Daniel shouted. He could no longer hear Vince's straining in his mind from the telepathic link. "Vince is out. Marina, we need to compensate."
"Understood," she replied with a nod.
"I don't want to hurt John," Daniel said, "but we gotta stop this thing at all costs. Form, Black Center!" Voltron reconfigured, Black forming the head. "Form Blazing Sword!" Red and Green clanked together and pulled apart, forming the Blazing Sword. Voltron held it back, Green letting out a mighty roar.
"Leave now before I have to destroy you!" Malva shouted.
"I refuse to let you die!" he shouted. He caught sight of her left hand, the ring adorning her finger sparked the feeling in him he had had in the dream. "I refuse to let my memories die!"
"NOOOO!" she shouted as he ran at her. She reached out and tried to blast him with fire, but the flames danced around him and did not burn him. He grabbed her arms and legs and tore them out of the exoskeleton. She thrashed, and in her rage, slammed her head into the bulkhead and was knocked unconscious. As he picked her up, the cold metal of the ring brushed his skin, and for a split second, he remembered everything.
"No, Malva," he said with a whisper, "This is what she meant…..this is what she wanted." He climbed out of the robeast with her over his shoulder, and ran from the battlefield.
"He's got her!" Larmina shouted.
"Then let's finish this!" Daniel said. The robeast got up and tried to fire more missiles, but Daniel jerked the controls, avoided the blast, leaped into the air and came down with the Blazing Sword, slicing the robeast in half. The halves fell apart and came to the ground with a crash and exploded.
"Malva and the robeast have failed!" Haggar shouted in anger. "All that power, wasted!" A communication came in.
"Haggar," the officer said, "Lord Kanji requested you to return to Castle Doom, as he will be leaving on urgent business. He states that regardless of your failure….everything you have done has aided his success." She sighed with relief, and the command ship fled.
"I don't think that's the last we'll see of Haggar," Daniel said, "but at least we stopped her robeast."
John sat at the bedside next to Malva. Keith and Daniel walked into the infirmary.
"How is she doing?" Keith asked.
"She is stable for now," he replied, "but the infection seems to be worsening."
"Pidge said that she was given a lethal dose of haggarium," Keith said. "It's a miracle she's still alive."
"A miracle indeed," John replied, looking down at the ring on her finger, the only thing that didn't have that awful purple glow. "Admiral, I need to go to Earth."
"What for?" Keith asked.
"The woman in my dreams," he replied. "If there is any hope of saving Malva's life, it is with that woman. The ring on her finger, my memories, and that woman are all connected somehow. My destiny is within reach….I need to find her and fix what's broken." The alarms went off. Keith and Daniel ran from the room, John close behind. When they ran into the control room, a communication came in from Coran.
"Admiral," Coran said, "the situation on Earth has reached terrible proportions."
"What's going on?" Keith asked.
"The Space Marshall has been outed by the High Council," he replied. "Something terrible is…." The signal cut out, and after some static, another transmission came in on all frequencies and channels.
"Greetings, members of the Galaxy Alliance," Wade said. "Or should I say…future slaves of the New Drule Empire!"