Author's Note: This is a sequel to Keith finds friends.
Keith fingered his pendant as he thought about his parents. He wished that he could meet them and finally get a chance to be a family. Especially now that Shiro was going on the Kerberos mission in April. While they hadn't known each other very long, Keith was still very attached to him. Nona had explained that it was part of his Galran heritage coming through and completely normal, as he was part of Keith's small pack.
He wished that Shiro could have stuck around longer to see him through his first year before going on a mission. But Keith could tell that Shiro was excited about it and didn't want to spoil it for him, so he just stayed quiet. When he heard squeaking, Keith looked at the rail on his bed where he saw his secret little buddies: Joy, a small pink mouse with green eyes, Gus, a chubby blue mouse, with soft purple eyes, Toast, a chubby mouse that reminded him of smores, Minnie, a tiny light purple mouse with blue eyes, and Panda, a mouse with a panda fur pattern.
His mom had rescued them from being experimented on further and they had accompanied her on her trip to earth. Ever since Keith could remember, they had stayed by his side, no matter where he went. "Hey guys. Are you here to tell me to go and eat?" He hoped that they weren't, if he were to talk to the others right now, they would know that something was up. The mice shook their heads, and Keith could feel them about to talk to him telepathically. "We just want to make sure you're okay." Joy told him.
"Yeah, you have been feeling blue ever since you learned about the mission." Toast added.
"He isn't blue, he's the same colors as always." Gus pointed out, confused. The mice argued for a bit, which Keith always found amusing. Never did a day go by that they didn't make him smile, even if it was by getting into a silly argument. By the time they had finished, Keith was feeling much better and ready to talk to the others. "I'm okay guys, really. But I am a little hungry, so I'll go get some dinner." He told them before putting his pendent on and tucking it under his shirt.
Keith climbed down quickly and was soon out the door, he could smell that Hunk had been busy in the kitchen and must have finished his homework fairly quickly. Upon entering the kitchen, he found that the others were just sitting down for dinner as well. The boys soon got talking about their days and Hunk surprised them all with why he had so much time to cook. "What do you mean you got suspended?!" Lance nearly shouted.
"I got into a fight with Professor Zackory over whether or not Keith will be booted once Shiro leaves. They said that I could stay for dinner, but I have to be out before curfew." Hunk explained, shifting uncomfortably.
"I know how he feels about me Hunk, and I know for a fact that nothing will change his mind. Some people are just like that, so next time just tell one of the other adults about it." Keith told Hunk, not wanting to be the cause of his friend being suspended again. Before Hunk could reply, there was a loud knock at the door, causing everyone to freeze. Matt recovered first and went to answer the door, revealing a gruff looking commander. "Where is Cadet Knight!" He barked, making Keith want to hide.
"He's here, we were just having dinner." Matt replied looking the man in the eye, ready to defend his friend if needed. The commander pushed passed Matt and strode over to Keith and grabbed him by the shoulders.
"Admiral Sanda would like to have a word with you. Come with me, she does not like to be kept waiting." All Keith could do was gulp as the man practically dragged him away. Behind him, his friends exchanged worried looks but knew that there was nothing they could do. They just hoped that he would be okay.
Keith nervously tried to keep track of his surroundings, just in case he needed to make an escape. He was now in a section of the Garrison that he hadn't even known of its existence. Keith was getting scared because he was obviously in some kind of secret lab and hadn't seen anyone he recognized for a while now. "Here we are. The kit is here, Admerial." The commander said as he opened a door and shoved Keith inside. Keith heard a telepathic snarl from somewhere in the distance and couldn't help but wonder where it was coming from, even though he was scared about what was going on.
"Excellent, he is in perfect condition too. The boss will be very pleased." Sanda made a creepy grin and then looked Keith in the eyes. "You wanted to go to space? We are about to grant you're wish and in doing so, we are getting paid a lot of money." Realizing that he was in danger, Keith tried to get away, but the commander grabbed him and slung the boy over his shoulder.
"Let me go!" He yelled, instinctually extending claws that he had forgotten about and digging them into the man's back. No matter how hard he tried, Keith couldn't squirm free, even though the man was getting very scratched up. But then, he felt a needle in his neck and everything went black. When he came to, Keith found himself in a bedroom that had pictures of a blue lion scattered all over the walls and looked like a cave.
Becoming more aware of his surroundings, he noticed that everything on the bed was his, even the blanket was his favorite one. He then sat up slowly and noticed that everything else he had with him at the dorm was there as well. Keith knew that if they were here then he must have been rescued. But by who? Keith was about to lay back down because he was a little dizzy when the door opened revealing Lance's older brother Marco.
He brought over a tray of food and placed it on the nightstand for Keith. "I brought you some dinner since you didn't get to finish before Sanda tried to send you away." Marco told him gently. Keith shuddered a little at the memory and clutched his stuffed animals for comfort. "I know that it's scary but you're safe now, and we will keep you safe. If there is anything you need, just tell one of us."
"How long have I been out?" Keith asked reaching for the food but nearly falling over in doing so.
"Careful, here I'll hand you the tray, just tell me if you need me to help you." Keith tried to stay sitting up but instantly fell backwards when Marco let go.
"I… I can't keep myself upright, can you hold me up so I can eat?"
"Of course, here you go." With Marco's help Keith managed to finish his dinner before having to lie back down. "I'll give you a check-up in the morning, to see how you're doing and from there we can see what we will do next." Marco told the sleepy boy as he carried the tray out of the room. Keith soon fell asleep soon after that, exhausted from what he had just gone through. The next morning, he couldn't remember where he was at first, but when he did remember, Keith slowly sat up to get a better look at the room.
He noticed a wheelchair beside the bed and figured that was to help him move around if he was still too weak. Realizing that he needed to use the bathroom, Keith crawled towards the chair and discovered that his legs were actually still weak from the injection. What in the world did they use on me? He couldn't help but wonder. When he had finished, Keith pulled himself back into bed and grabbed a book to read while he waited for Marco to return.
Normally, Keith would have tried to leave the room to find some breakfast, but he knew that he was in no condition to try. He didn't even know what was beyond the bedroom door, let alone the way to the kitchen. Keith didn't have long to wait, as Marco soon came with a cart filled with good things to eat and his medical bag. Keith scooted over to grab what he wanted, hoping that he could have something to eat before the check-up. "Hang on, I just want to do this really quick, and the rest can wait until you've eaten." Marco said gently grabbing the boy's arm and putting a device up to the pit of his arm and got some sort of reading.
"What are you doing?"
"Just getting some readings on your blood, this Olkari tech gets more acerate results than what we have here on earth. And they even managed to find a way that doesn't hurt." Marco then let go of Keith's arm before continuing. "That wasn't so bad, was it? Go ahead and eat all you want; we have plenty of time." He did not have to tell Keith twice, he was soon chowing down on everything, except the slice of coconut bread. The food did not last long, and Marco wasted no more time starting by looking at the injection site, which was marked with a lavender spot the size of a pea, he wasn't sure if it was a bruise, scar, or something else yet, but he wanted to keep an eye on it.
Once he was sure that there were no problems there, Marco had Keith take off his shirt to check on a similar mark over one of the boy's ribs that he had seen on his initial check-up, and to make sure that no more had appeared. Marco was dismayed when he found two more spots, one in the center of Keith's chest and one on his spine. He needed to look into this more to make sure that this wasn't dangerous. Marco knew from experience that some Galra hybrids gained markings due to some kind of trigger and were normally harmless.
He soon moved on from that and completed the check-up, then telling Keith that he would have another visitor today before taking everything back out. Keith put his shirt back on and wondered what was worrying the young medic as he watched him leave. As far as he was concerned, Keith thought he was perfectly fine and just waiting for the drug's effects to completely wear off. He smiled when the mice ran up to him, happy to see that they had managed to find him. "Are you okay?" Joy asked.
"You aren't going to turn into a baby, are you?" Gus added, earning him some looks from the others.
"That isn't possible, besides he's still the same age." Minnie retorted.
"Shh, let him answer." Panda scolded, before turning back to Keith.
"I'm fine guys, really." Keith told them, trying to believe it himself.
"On the outside sure, but we all know that you want to go home." Toast replied, scurrying closer to wipe away the tears that came, when Keith lay down and started to cry. For it was true, no matter how brave he wanted to be, Keith just wanted to be in the safety of the only home he had ever known. Sure, there had been a few foster families, but Nona soon put a stop to that when she thought that it was going to get too overwhelming. And Keith was confident that she had been right, after all, if it weren't for his friends, the Garrison would have been too much for him.
Now Keith didn't want to go back, not with Sanda there. Not even his dream of going to space was enough for that and that was one of his most cherished dreams. He was just too scared, as soon as he could, Keith wanted to just go home, nothing else mattered at the moment. Except if somehow his mom were to magically appear, now that he needed her more than ever.
Keith didn't know how long he had been crying, but he looked up when he heard a knock on the door. "Come in." He said still sniffling. When the door opened, Keith was surprised at the sight of a man with light blue skin that had some striking patterns, webbed wings, a tail and elflike ears. For some reason he reminded him of Lance, but he had no idea why. "I hope you are comfortable; we tried to make it feel as much like home as possible. There is much for you to learn and little time before we have to take action." This confused Keith because he couldn't think of anything that would limit their time in any way, but he had no idea of what to say. Besides, earlier Marco had said that they had plenty of time.
"I know this is confusing for you, but you must listen." The man continued, reading Keith's face. "No matter where you go on Earth you will always be in danger, and it wouldn't be fair for you to never see the light of day again. This is why we are sending you to Blade HQ, where you will be safe, and you will meet your mother. Lance, Marco, and Veronica have volunteered to go with you, but I must stay here to look after the blue lion."
"Is that why there are so many pictures of a blue lion in here? Wait, is she the same one that Mom was protecting?"
"Yes, I am her paladin, and I have been training Lance to one day take my place. It is an honor to know that my son has been chosen to succeed me, and I know that his mom would have been proud." Keith's mouth dropped open when he heard this, he couldn't believe that this man was Lance's dad. He had never expected him to be anything more than a security guard at the Garison. "Yes, I know this is quite a shock, but we mustn't dwell on that, because we need to sneak you out to the ship that I have prepared, by tomorrow morning, or else it will be too late."
"What do you mean too late?" Keith asked getting scared again and wasn't trying to hide it anymore.
"If you do not leave the atmosphere by tomorrow morning, you will be trapped here by a planetary forcefield, that will only let certified ships through. No one will be able to get in, and no one will be able to get out, without Sanda knowing. Tech like this must have been provided by her benefactor and if she is left unattended, she will rule the entire planet in a few years. Blue and I will take care of her to the best of our ability, but my first priority is to get you out of here." He continued on for a while, explaining the plans and when he was finished, he gave Keith a little bit of candy to cheer him up and then left saying that Keith should try to get some rest.
But Keith wasn't hungry, and he certainly wasn't going to be able to sleep anytime soon. If anything, he was feeling sick, scared and alone. The mice did their best to comfort him, but there was little they could do. Eventually, Keith cried himself to sleep and did not wake up for a long time. When he did, he found himself being secured in a ship, along with the others. Even though, he wasn't ready, the boy knew that he had to start the adventure now, no matter how much it hurt to leave everything he had ever known behind.