I’m so excited to share this one with you guys! It took me awhile to complete and the ending was a bit rushed but it’s at least half decent. I know I’m breaking the no spoiler week. Sorry. Anyways I hope you enjoy!
-Avi
It felt like nothing and everything at once. He knew there was colorful light everywhere, but couldn’t see it. He was floating and standing on solid ground all at once. The air felt syrupy. It made movement sluggish and taxing. But breathing was easy. Was this a physical place? He could feel his lion in the void, but it felt like the times he connected with his lion’s conscience. He was alive, that much was true. It was comforting and painful all at once.
He spent his lonely exile in contemplation. What could he have done better? The plan was risky, yes, but they were strong. They had to have succeeded. Was someone piloting? Or were they dead in space? He couldn’t tell.
Slowly, he started to feel more things around his “body.” Something told him someone was flying the Black Lion.That means they won. Unless this was not one of his friends. Maybe it was a Garlra general, or maybe even Zarkon himself. No, he had to have faith in his team. A team cannot function without faith in each other.
He started to feel more aware. This pilot was no enemy. They couldn’t be. Some instinct told him. He wanted to know who this was. He couldn’t speak to them directly but maybe he could get the Black Lion to be a translator of sorts. If he could restrengthen their bond, then he could possibly get a message to his team. Determination filled him. He had to do this.
In his growing awareness he could feel two connections flitting about. One was the ancient consciousness of the Black Lion. What could only be described as the frayed end of a rope that was completely cut through came from it and came within his grasp. The other was a small string that even if he could reach out, was too far and too hard to grasp. He tried moving his “arm” to grab the rope of the Lion. His muscles shook with the effort. He tried for as long as he could until the fatigue consumed him. He had moved maybe an inch. It was a start.
He started a cycle. He’d move him arm as far and long as he could until he couldn’t do it anymore. Then he rested until he had the same amount of strength as the last time. The routine made the void a bit more bearable. The worst part was the points of rest. That was when doubts and fear crept in. What if he couldn’t make it? What if he was doomed to this for eternity? What if he did touch it and nothing happened?
Inch by inch, he made his way to the rope and finally he felt it with the tips of his fingers. A small victory, but a victory all the same. He felt some other elation alongside his own. The Black Lion was happy about something. Suddenly he felt that he was flying through space towards something. It was small and contained something that the Lion felt was familiar. Then the rope barely drifted, but it was far enough that he wasn’t touching it anymore. He couldn’t move anymore, he had to rest.
A memory pulled him in. He was sitting in his old room. It was the night of his tenth birthday and was trying out his new telescope. He wasn’t interested in what was happening on the ground. The stars shown down on him, whispering promises and dreams. He looked through the lens. He was trying to find Orion’s belt. It was the first constellation that he was able to clearly pick out. His father had pointed it out to him as often as he could, and ever since he’d look for it. It was like reading his first book in the way that once he could do it, he wanted to do it over and over just because it was an accomplishment. On sleepless nights back home, he’d look through a telescope and try to find it. It wasn’t always able to be seen, but he knew it was still looking down on him. He wondered how far away it was. If he was freed from the void he planned on checking.
When his strength came back, he was surprised to find the rope had barely moved from when he stopped. With effort he started to curl his fingers around it. The more contact he had with it the easier it was to move. He felt the Lion’s confusion. The tighter the grasp he got, the confusion was replaced with doubt and then an assured unacceptance. He could “see” the pilot. They looked and felt almost exactly like him, but with the knowledge that it was not, the pilot was clearly manufactured to be that way. It felt like there was a spot of dark corruption that would grow and fester. The Black Lion denied the “Shiro” in her cockpit.
“Shiro” left and his awareness dampened. He couldn’t “see” anymore. He vaguely felt what was happening around and inside the Lion. He was tired. A vaguely familiar pilot took the fake’s place.
The new pilot took them into battle. He felt the firing of the of the Galran ships. The graceful yet impatient movement flight. The Black Lion fought somewhat recklessly in the hands of the pilot. Then he felt more. He felt the other lions come closer. New connections appeared in the void, a larger one paired with a smaller. A thin web grew and connected the larger ones together. The web strengthened and formed something more powerful than the individuals. He knew it was Voltron.
A small amount of power leaked to him. He felt the frayed rope mend a bit. Then the web was gone. He was back with only the Black Lion and the familiar pilot. He still didn’t let go. He tried to send a message, but to no avail. This would be a game of patience.
The paladins engaged in another battle. They were protecting a convoy. The adrenaline even got to him. He felt a blast graze the Lion’s side. They flew by an asteroid for quick cover. Then they barreled towards the cruiser. This was not something they could win with the individuals. The pilot clearly felt the same when the web came back. He had been saving his strength for this. More power flooded through than before and he “saw” things again. The battlefield was being littered with broken ships. Voltron’s sword was a drawn. He had seen this on other his other tries.
He imagined reaching inside himself to look at his heart. If it could, sweat would have gathered on his forehead. A blast his Voltron’s leg. Lance or whoever was in the Blue Lion was jostled. He could feel it. The right arm swung the sword at the attacker. The slice was clean. He looked out upon space. They had won, but at a cost. One of the convoy ships had been destroyed. Then he was launched back into darkness. He was getting frustrated. He wanted to help, but he was stuck int the dark and bright hell. If only he could at least send them a signal. If only he could warn them about the fake.
Another day another battle. This time they were attacking what looked like a supply ship. They were doing well for a time. Then reinforcements showed up. This was another chance. He gripped the rope tighter, it felt stronger. Still frayed, but it had mended a great deal. He pulled and he was in the eyes of the warrior.
The battles was not going ideally, but he couldn’t focus on that right now. He blocked out everything but the feeling from Voltron. He reached inside again. He “saw” the cockpit again. Inside was Keith, fighting as hard as usual. He felt doubt coming from him. Keith had little faith in himself. In spite of that, he was leading well.
He reached to Keith. He was the best candidate right? They had known each other longer than the others. He was getting tired, but still tried. This was it. Hope filled him. The effort was getting to him. He wouldn’t give up. Then he hit a wall. He shoved again with the last of his strength. Still nothing.
He fell back into the darkness. No. No. No. No. NO. NO. This couldn’t be happening. He should have been able to do it. What had he done to deserve this? He was good. He studied. He turn things in. Even in the arena he tried his best. When he was back home after a year of hell, he didn’t complain. Hell, he joined a team and fought for worlds that weren’t even his own. He fought and bled time and time again, and did he complain? No. He held his tongue. He told himself that it was fine. He did his job and more. So why was he the one being punished? Why must it be him that suffers? Why? WHY? What mistake did he make?
The Black Lion tried sending comfort, but the battle was more pressing. He wanted to go back to a simpler time. Back when war was distant. The stuff of the past or far from his home. When space was a kinder dream. When the Garrison was the hardest part of his life. His mind went blank and he floated.
His connection with the Black Lion continued to grow. Even after his failure he still couldn’t seem to give up hope. He still held on. To his dismay, Keith left the team. He didn’t know the reason, but he had faith that it was a good one. Keith wasn’t the type to just give up on the people that he cared about. Just look at what he did when the Kerberos team was lost.
He despised the fact that the feeling of “Shiro” taking control of the Black Lion was becoming familiar. Every time it brought up what ifs. What if he was feeding crucial information to the Galra? What if he was breaking the team down person by person? What if he was going to start killing them when they least expected it? The longer the battle lasted the more what ifs rose to the surface. The Black Lion flew through the forest dodging laser after laser. The others had already been called to help.
The web wove together in desperation. Worry coursed through it. Voltron dodged and fought but couldn’t make a dent. A shot caught their leg. Then the other one. Then the arms. A casing of vines grew around them. Panic grew among them. What could they do? What could he do?
He felt the paladins consciousness strengthen. If felt like they were there right next to him. He forced his “eyes” open. The void was indeed vibrant. He turned around to his team. They were already leaving. This was his chance to at least warn them. He had to hurry. Only Lance was left. It took more effort than he thought it would to speak.
“Lance! Lance, listen to me!”