A/N: Hey everyone! This chapter is pretty short but hopefully, you will enjoy it. My second semester of Junior year in Nursing school begins soon so I will not be updating until May unless I find a little bit of time to write. I hope you all enjoy the chapter!
Season 5, Episode 1: "The Prisoner"
She stares at the healing pod, waiting for a sign. She feels the weight of fear, entering her chest again. She senses something coming, something is going to happen. She wants something to tell her that she will wake up. Allura sighs with disappointment as she watches Linna's chest move up and down. Her long white hair braided passed her shoulders after Allura and Pidge changed her clothes to the white uniform so they could get the blood out of her clothes from that day. They wiped her nose and the rest of her body so she felt clean when Linna would awaken from her slumber.
Linna has been in the healing pod for several days now. Allura lost track after day three since she would never leave the room. A blanket and pillow are set up in the corner of the room for her sleep when she can but most of the time she stares at the pod, at her friend. Allura watches the marks one by one glow upon Linna's skin which makes Allura's nerves grow each day Linna is still asleep.
Coran and the other paladins enter the room at different times to see if there is any progress in her healing but nothing has changed since Allura placed Linna in the healing pod. She stares at the markings hoping they would tell her something but she does not know what they mean. Allura places her head on her palms with frustration in herself. She holds the urge to cry out and scream at the glass, hoping that would open Linna's eyes. The weight in her stomach pulls harder on her chest as the tears form in her eyes. She stares at the pod with her lips starting to quiver because she is afraid that she was too late in putting her friend in the pod.
"Why Linna? Why would you do this?" Allura whispers to the pod, waiting for a response.
"She cares for us..." Keith's voice appears in the quiet empty room besides Allura and Linna.
Allura looks up to see Keith standing in the entryway with his arms across his chest. He has been appearing pretty often now because he wants Linna to be alright. He also wants to be here when Linna opens her eyes so that she knows that he is still here. Keith wants to tell her those two powerful words that she wants to say to him. Allura stares at Keith as she sighs, wiping her tears to hide them.
"I know she cares but..." "She would do it again even after knowing that it about killed her." Keith interrupts Allura with a smirk.
He walks over to the table next to Allura as he leans against the tabletop. He crosses his arm as a defensive mechanism to keep his emotions in check. He can feel that weighted pit in his chest because he feels just as guilty as Allura. He blames himself for pushing Linna into aiding Voltron.
"I want her to awake," Allura whispers to Keith as she turns her eyes back to Linna.
"I do too..." Keith replies back to her with a little bit of sadness creeping into his voice. He takes a moment before changing the topic. "So, I hear that Lotor is helping out."
"Yeah," Allura shrugs at the mention of the help that Lotor has been doing for Voltron. "He wants to speak with Linna but I can not let him see her in this condition. I will not let him know that he has won by breaking her down."
"I would not let him in here either. Not unless she wakes up and wants to see him," Keith agrees with Allura's decision.
He remembers the argument that she had with Shiro about the issue. He wanted to show Linna to Lotor just to scare him or something along those lines. Keith sighs at the thought. He has noticed that Shiro has been acting weird lately but he does not think that he has the right to say anything. He did leave the team basically without them realizing it. Linna was the one that helped him with that decision. He remembers what she wanted him to think about for her.
"I want you to think about what would happen if Voltron didn't form? I want you to think about the universe just like Shiro did before you bond with one another."
Keith takes a deep breath when he remembers that. He remembers when he became the black paladin. Linna showed so much happiness. She would continue to ask him if he thought about that same question. Keith looks at her motionless body within the pod as he wonders if she ever thought the same question.
Voltron would not be possible without her aiding them. Without her power that she provides for the paladins. Keith wonders if Linna realizes the role that she plays in their lives is even bigger than each of the paladins. Keith turns to Allura, staring at Linna just like him.
"Are you going to talk to Lotor today?" Keith wonders to Allura, finally breaking the silence.
Allura continues to stare at Linna, hoping the name Lotor would awaken her but nothing. Allura lowers her eyes to the ground with a sigh before speaking. "Yeah, Shiro thinks it is time for the next step."
"You guys did take down a big target today and it was because of his help."
"I am just worried," Allura looks up to Linna again. "I am worried that he is going to stab us in the back."
"I know what you mean," Keith replies to her. He takes a sigh before telling her something that only Shiro really knew about. "You know..." Keith chuckles at the thought now. "I use to not trust Linna."
"Really?" Allura turns to face Keith with confusion on her face.
"Yeah," Keith shrugs at her. "I mean, she showed up at random. She had all this knowledge but would not share anything with us. She was very secretive. I did not like her."
"What changed your mind?" Allura wonders to Keith.
"When I went to Linna after she hid in her room for those few days. She opened the door to me for no reason. She did not have to. I knew that she understood my concern towards her. But she still trusted me to help her. She trusted me into her world for a few hours to help her. Also..." Keith lowers his voice towards this part. "That cube that Shiro was given to give to Linna. Lance and I watched it."
"What was on it?" Allura wonders why Keith had lowered his voice for that last part.
"It was Ryner's son..." Keith looks up to Linna. "Linna and he were Lotor's prisoners. Abe, Ryner's son, knew that Linna was going to get him out of the prison somehow. But Abe did not want her to die before finding the lions. So he helped Linna find one of the lions with the machine that they built but then it exploded. It killed Abe and Linna survived." Keith takes a deep breath. "He told her 'Thank you' even though she could not save him."
"That is terrible," Allura says with tears forming again in her eyes.
Keith slowly bounces off the tabletop and places his hand on Linna's pod. He lays his head on the glass hoping that she can sense his presence in front of her. Allura follows in his footsteps and does the same, hoping. They stand there for a little while before Coran walks into the room.
"Princess..." Coran whispers to her. "It is time."
Allura sighs and looks at Linna one more time before walking away from the pod. She smiles at Coran as he walks the rest of the way into the room as he sits in the chair where Allura was sitting just moments ago. Keith looks at Coran as Allura disappears.
"Where is she going?" Keith wonders to Coran.
"Shiro and she are going to talk with Lotor," Coran answers Keith as he stares at Linna.
Keith can see the dark circles under his eyes as he smirks at Keith. He is trying to hide the pain that he feels. Keith remembers that day so clearly. He remembers what Coran told him in the mics.
"The Paladins are in danger. Linna is going to try something but Keith," Coran stops speaking for a moment. "I don't think she will be able to do it without getting herself killed."
Keith looks at Coran and knows that he blames himself more than anyone. Coran was the one that was with Linna. He allowed her to enter the circle and allowed her to lock herself within it so he could not stop her.
Keith turns to face Linna before whispering, "You need to wake up soon. We all are worried."
Keith lifts his head from the glass and says bye to Coran before leaving the room. He walks down the hall and enters the hangar where the lions stand tall. He can see their eyes light up when he enters but stop when he shakes his head. He can feel their disappointment. He can sense their emotions and how they are feeling about Linna's condition. Keith gets into his ship and heads back to the Blades base.
End of the episode: (Everything happens)
Zarkon appears before the paladins on the Teledav's screens. Everyone stares at his presence before them.
"Paladins of Voltron," Zarkon speaks over the coms.
"Zarkon..." Shiro whispers with anger.
"I am making a one-time offer. I have someone of value to you." Zarkon tells the paladins as he moves to the side to reveal Pidge's and Matt's dad.
"Dad!" Pidge yells to the screen.
"I will hand him over, and in exchange, you give me Linna and my son Lotor," Zarkon orders the paladins.
"We do not have Linna," Allura yells at Zarkon with anger growing as her fists curl.
Zarkon chuckles at Allura's statement. "I know you have her. My witch sensed her power on your ship."
"How about we just give you Lotor?" Shiro tries to negotiate with Zarkon.
"No! The trade is Linna and Lotor for this prisoner." Zarkon answers back at Shiro. "If I do not get both, then I will not provide this prisoner."
The screen goes black in front of everyone. Allura stares at the screen as anger still grows in her stomach. Pidge and Matt are on their feet with just as much anger.
"How did Hagar figure out Linna was on the ship?" Lance and Hunk ask everyone at the same time.
"She probably sensed her magic when she popped on the ship," Coran states to them. "Linna was radiating a lot of magic off her."
"We can't give him Linna..." Allura answers them.
"We can't let him keep our dad!" Pidge yells back at Allura.
Allura lowers her head. "I wish Linna was awake. She would know what to do."
The alarms start to go off in the main hangar as Coran runs to the screen. He types something on the computer to show the room of the healing pods. Everyone stares at the pod that should be holding Linna, but it is completely empty. Allura darts out of the room and runs to the pods. She stares at the pod to see that it was not opened. She types something into the computer as everyone runs into the room. A video appears in front of Allura as she sees Linna motionless in her pod then suddenly disappears after a flash of light appears.
"Where is she!" Allura screams in panic. "Where is Linna!"