33A/N: Hello, all! I'm here today with my very FIRST official story on ! I'm so excited! :D
Anyway, here are the facts you need to know for this: One, it's set in season three, after 'Black Site', but before 'The Voltron Show!'. Two, everything is exactly the same except for ONE thing. When Shiro returned, we got the REAL Shiro and not Kuron. Like, seriously, you cannot tell me that it wasn't a clone. With all the subtle stuff in season five, there's no doubting it.
There are no pairings in this story. Anything and everything is going to be purely platonic.
The rating is for violence and some past torture, nothing more. I don't go past that. no icky stuff in my stories. I also don't do language.
And, finally, I will say that unfortunately, I don't own Voltron. Trust me, if I did, there'd be enough Pidge, Matt, and Shiro fluff to choke Zarkon with. XD
Anyway, no more delays! Let's get this intergalactic show on the road!
The halls blurred together as he ran, but it didn't really matter to him because Matthew Holt had only one thing on his mind and that was rescuing his sister. Lance was not far behind him, his weapon ready and his shield raised. Shiro's voice was guiding him through the earpiece he had been given.
Matt was all business when it came to Pidge's protection, and he wasn't going to let that change now or ever.
"You're almost there. Lance, watch his back and guard the way out. Matt, you're about to come to two doors. Take the one on your left. There are a lot of drones at both of them. Keep your weapons ready."
"Copy that," Lance replied, and Matt nodded slightly even though he knew Shiro couldn't see him. His mind was racing; what had become of his sister? To say that the Galra was a friendly species was far from the truth. The Galra were brutal and let nothing stand in their way, and if that meant killing a fifteen-year-old girl to reach their goal…
Matt mentally slapped himself. He couldn't be thinking like that; he needed to stay focused for Pidge's sake. For all he knew her life could be dangling from a thread, or she could already be gone- no! No, no, no. Stop it. Focus.
He rounded a corner and sure enough, there were two doors, and six Galra drones were standing guard. Two almost immediately started firing. Matt ducked and launched himself at them, narrowly dodging a blast before tackling the machines and practically beating the two senseless. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lance take down another two with his Bayard, and dodged a blow from one of the remaining drones. In quick succession Lance also shot the last two, leaving a pile of sparking robotic parts.
Matt felt no remorse for the damage. The Galra had taken countless lives, and this was one of the many victories that the Voltron team would be taking. Well, it would be a victory once Matt had his sister safely back in the Green Lion.
Grim determination set in his features, Matt turned to the door on his left. There was a panel on the wall, meant for identification of fingerprints. Matt frowned.
"Shiro?"
"Fry it."
Matt turned to Lance, who stepped forward and fired a powerful blast at the panel, exploding it and sending sparks flying. Moving to the door, Matt pried the doors open.
There was a long hallway on the inside, cells lining both walls. The walls and floor were all an odd, almost purple sort of metal or stone. But it was a wave of heat that momentarily stunned Matt, sending him stumbling for a few precarious seconds. Lance felt the heat too and recoiled.
"Shiro… it's bad down here. Really, really bad."
The other end of the com was silent for a few seconds, before Shiro answered, quiet with barely controlled fury obvious in his tone.
"What kind of bad?"
Lance swallowed nervously. "We just opened the door and it feels like an oven in there. If Pidge has heatstroke…" The last few words came out shakily. Matt winced, feeling as though he had been struck. No, Pidge was not going to die. Heck knows that if she did, nothing would stop Matt from tearing apart the entire Galra empire by himself.
Shiro's voice was tight and strained over the com. "Get in there, now. We need Pidge out of here ASAP and you've got a group of drones heading straight for you. There aren't too many, but where there are some there are bound to be more."
"On it. Lance, cover me." Lance nodded and barred the doorway as Matt stepped inside, raising his shield and holding his gun ready.
The air was humid and dry, but at the same time sticky. Matt felt dread tugging at him even though he desperately tried to shrug it off.
Quickly, one by one he passed the cells. They were all empty, and the dread grew heavier and heavier. Matt soon stopped and felt panic washing over him. "Shiro, they're all empty. I don't… I don't think…"
"She's there, Matt. Green is practically screaming in my head and that means she's there and she's alive."
Matt took a breath and nodded. "Acknowledged." He began walking again, his posture stiff and his stride brisk. This was it. This was the fateful moment. He was there, and now it was up to him to determine his sister's fate. The gravity of the situation felt like the world was weighing on Matt's shoulders.
The next four cells were empty. It seemed like an eternity but Matt knew it was only seconds when he finally reached the end of the hall.
The cell to his left was devoid of life. The right, however…
Matt's breath caught in his throat but somehow a strangled cry still escaped.
Shiro's voice crackled through the com. "Matt? Matt, what's her condition? Matt!"
He didn't answer. He stood staring into the cell, and the memory of it would haunt him for weeks to come.
The floor of the right cell was stained with what was all too familiar as blood, some stains old and some frighteningly new. But that was not what made Matt's heart lurch and drop into his boots. It was the sight of his little sister, bloodied and broken in the cell.
Pidge was wearing only the ragged garments the Galra had given her, custom for all of the prisoners. Her skin was sickly white but her face was flushed, a fine sheen of sweat coating her forehead and soaking into her hair. There were bruises under both of her eyes and burns on her chin, as well as angry red marks on both sides of her neck. Her right arm and shoulder were in odd positions, twisted in such a manner that was clearly not of the norm. There were cuts crisscrossing around her abdomen, the fabric around them torn and caked with dried blood.
Matt felt bile rising in his throat and he swallowed it down. He was shaking, hands trembling and legs quaking in what he couldn't decipher as anger or fear or worry.
With swift but destructive movements Matt broke the cell door down. He paid it no heed as he lurched inside, instead letting his staff fall to the ground as he kneeled beside Pidge.
Tears blurred his vision as he reached out to his sister, and he let them fall without objection. His hand rested on her mangled right shoulder, but he quickly withdrew it as Pidge let out a soft whimper at the sudden contact.
Guilt gnawed at him and he bitterly chided himself. He crawled around to her other side, before reaching out to her. At the touch Pidge moaned and lurched, only seeming to cause her more pain as she cried out. Matt panicked but he could only sit there, watching helplessly as his sister's thrashing quickly dissipated and she lay there, her breathing labored. Mindfully aware and careful of her right side, Matt gathered her in his arms and held her to his chest.
He could feel the tremors in her figure, could feel her erratic and uneven heartbeats. The heat was pressing down on both of them, but more especially on Pidge. Heat was radiating off of her and Matt knew that she had a fever and it was dangerously spiking. He had to get her out of there.
Numbly, Matt half registered the sound of muffled yells and blasts coming from the other end of the earpiece. After a moment it stopped, and everything was quiet again.
Shiro's voice split through the grave silence and filled the com.
"Matt, what is her condition? Do you have her?"
"I- I have her. She's injured, badly. She needs attention as soon as possible." Matt's voice was hoarse and shaky.
"You have to get out of there, now. The castle is holding on for dear life and Hunk and Allura are getting swarmed-" A muffled crash sounded on the other line and a distant alarm rang.
Matt's eyes widened. "Shiro? Shiro!"
"Get out of there! We can't hold them off for much longer; get to the Lions!"
"Moving now," Matt said, tension building. Balancing on the balls of his feet, he grabbed his staff while still securely holding Pidge to his chest with his right arm. Adrenaline rushed through him and he broke into a sprint down the hallway.
Lance stood guard at the door, and at the sound of approaching footsteps, he turned in anticipation. Relief washed over his face but was doused by the horror that speedily set in.
Matt came to a stop at the door, his body rigid. Lance gaped at the bundle in his arms, his eyes holding a variety of emotions.
"Oh my gosh, is she-?"
Matt shook his head. "We need to leave right now before we get caught-"
And that was the moment when a large squad of drones came bursting forth from an opposite corridor, weapons blazing.
Lance activated his shield and immediately threw himself in front of Matt and Pidge, firing his gun with his other hand and taking down three drones.
Matt clutched Pidge more tightly to his chest. Lance yelled at him over the sound of fires being exchanged.
"Stay behind me! We need to get through the other corridor and back to the Lions!" Matt nodded.
Lance began advancing and darting to the left, Matt following close behind with Pidge. Five more drones were struck down but there was still a large number, and all of them were blasting right at the three of them.
"Move!" Lance yelled, urging Matt on to the corridor not but a few yards away. Matt broke into a sprint, charging for the hallway. Lance was right behind him, shield taking blasts aimed at him and the rebel.
In the midst of all the chaos, Matt realized that he was definitely grateful to have Lance at his back. He held the name sharpshooter better than anyone he'd ever seen and knew that without the Paladin's bravery he'd probably be dead by now.
While he thought this they weaved through the maze of halls, trying to find their way back to Red and Green. Pidge keened softly in Matt's arms at the jostling movements, burying her head in the cloth of his shirt. Matt pressed her further against him and murmured quietly as he ran, speaking reassurances and telling her that everything would be okay.
The quiet words of comfort still tumbled from Matt's lips until they skidded to a stop in front of two monstrous doors. Matt stood there for a moment, merely breathing and letting the relief and hope surge into his heart. The end was near; Pidge would be healed in the castle and they could put all this pain and worry behind them.
Matt watched as Lance strode to the doors and pried them open again. He turned back to the rebel, obvious relief painted on his face as his mouth stretched into a small smile. Matt smiled slightly in return, but it dropped after a moment. They had yet to escape, and though Matt was sure they would there was still that small voice in the back of his mind…
there is no hope, it said. You were too weak to escape on your own, you cannot do it again; much less with a burden in your arms.
She is my burden to bear and I will do so willingly, he countered. That voice was poisonous, and he would not listen to it no matter how tempting it may be.
Strides fast and purposeful, Matt marched into the hangar with Lance not but an arm's length behind him. The Red and Green Lions were waiting, the latter letting out a low growl when they entered. Green stopped, though, when she caught sight of the small bundle in the freedom fighter's arms.
Matt was glad that the Lions were much more intelligent than they seemed. As he approached the Green Lion she opened her maw and let him enter, closing her mouth again as soon as he was safely inside with her Paladin. In the cockpit Matt sat in the pilot's chair, adjusting Pidge so that she was cradled in his lap with her left side to his chest. Tension hanging heavily in the air, Matt grabbed the controls and steered Green forward.
Lance's face suddenly popped up in the top right corner of his screen. He had determination set in his eyes, fierce and at the same time hopeful.
"Let's get out of here. I'd rather not let the Galra lay a hand on Pidge ever again."
A tiny smile twitched at his lips but Matt stayed solemn because he too did not want those filthy creatures harming his sister for as long as he lived.
"Agreed. Time to go."
Instead of hacking into the system to open the hangar doors like they did on the first trip, Lance simply melted the doors, making an easy escape for the two mechanical felines.
They flew back into what was a full-blown war zone. Galra fighters were everywhere, swarming the Blue and Yellow Lions as well as the castle. All three were taking serious damage, and Matt knew they had gotten out with hardly any time left to spare.
He dodged multiple blasts and sent his own, the Green Lion practically doing the work for him. He could feel the anger coming from the vessel as she destroyed clusters of the enemy ships, and Matt was relieved that he was on Voltron's side and not against it.
Suddenly an image of Allura appeared, glitching and the sound scratchy. His heart fluttered for a moment at the sight of her, but Matt knew it was no time for his ridiculous romantic fantasies.
"Thank the skies above! We must leave immediately, Blue cannot stand much more of this."
An image of Hunk opened as well. "Yellow can't take it either. We have to go. We got what we came for and-" a muffled explosion sounded and Hunk grunted. Matching with the visuals and the sound Matt saw five fighters ganging up on the Lion, firing in succession. The anger coming from Green seemed to intensify tenfold as the Lion did of her own will, attacking viciously. Matt let her do her work, watching with the ever-present anticipation hanging in the air.
Shiro's face unexpectedly came up as well, panic rising in his voice as he spoke.
"Retreat! We've taken all we can tolerate. Retreat and bring your Lions in now!" No one replied because it was not needed. They had one task and they were going to complete it.
The four Lions swerved throughout the mayhem, sending attacks as they all sped toward their sanctuary. Pidge's sanctuary.
The Blue Lion entered her hangar and the bay doors closed. One down and three to go. The Yellow Lion disappeared into safety in pursuit, her bay doors closing as well. Then the Red Lion.
Sweat trickled down Matt's face as he hurtled toward the castle. They were so close, they were almost there, just a few more seconds-
A sudden ray of purple light engulfed the Green Lion and she disappeared.
Wow, first chapter and I'm already leaving the readers hanging. Muahahaha!
So, I did some research and found that heat stroke can do actually a lot of serious damage. It can temporarily or permanently affect vital organs such as the heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, and brain. So yeeeaah. Let's see how Pidge holds up…
Opinions? Ideas? Constructive Criticism? I'd love to hear from you!
An alert will let you guys kick some Galra butt, a review will let you do it with whichever Paladin Bayard you prefer. (Yes, I know, I'm kind of ripping off of what Mimbillia does, but she inspired me and I thought what she did was cute and I wanted to try it too.)
And that is the end of this first chapter! I'll (hopefully) see you guys soon! ;D