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Chapter Text

Staying down is how we die.

-Gladiator, 2000

Zarkon felt sick. Like someone had reached inside of his stomach and twisted his organs. He scowled and turned his face away from the screens scattered around the room. Haggar had instructed her druids, her faceless, shapeless creatures that Zarkon could not tell apart, to pull up and study all the recordings from the battle with the so-called Paladins. They paused video, zoomed in and out of pictures, and typed away on their note screens. 

Coran had lived. Alfor’s daughter had lived. All this time…

On one of the screens towards the back of the room, displayed a picture of the ‘Paladins’  running to the Lions from the castle. Their armor gleamed in the sunlight. Zaekon’s fingers curled into the arms of his chair. Other pictures floated around the room. They focused on the ‘Paladins’, especially of the one that had broken into one of their ships. 

The Earthling had a cocky smile, like he enjoyed the danger. No wonder he is the Red Paladin . Zarkon could not help but think. The boy reminded him of someone from long ago. He was sure he hated him the most. 

There were pictures of the battle, videos of the Lions flying like they never had been put away. Yet, this was all they had. Photos and videos. Nothing identifying besides they were all human Earthlings. 

" Who has my Lion?” Zarkon’s voice boomed in the room filled with typing and the hum of monitors. 

Haggar folded her hands in front of her. “We are working to identify the current owners-“

“Owners?” Zarkon almost laughed. “These Earthlings barely qualify as sentient beings. Voltron doesn’t belong to them! They’re thieves. Voltron is mine. By right.” 

The door slid open and Commander Sendak fell to his knees. Zarkon bid him to rise. Haggar sneered and turned back to her work. 

“Speak, Commander.” Zarkon said, looking back at the pictures. 

“We have an assortment of Robeasts to send after the Paladins of Voltron, thanks to your gracious gift of quintessence.” Sendak said. “They are as powerful as a battalion and depending how you want to go about fighting these whelps will lead to which Robeast we send, but all are more than competent.” 

Zarkon swore he heard Haggar choke at the mention of quintessence. She held her tongue in front of the audience and Zarkon was grateful, but he was sure he would get it ten times worse once they were alone. 

“Your experiments are going well then, Commander?” Zarkon said. 

“Oh, I don’t conduct them, I simply see that…everyone is in their proper place.” Sendak said with a smile. 

The only reason Zarkon tolerated his flattery and fake humility was because Sendak’s words, though honeyed, were the truth. And Zarkon found Sendak was effective. Almost as effective as Zarkon had been at the start of his reign. 

“Haggar,” Zarkon said and his witch turned to him, “How goes your investigation?” 

“Good, my Lord.” she said. “Using our alchemy, we may be able, in time, to separate these Earthlings from-“

“Your magic is an old wives’ tale, witch.” Sendak said. 

Haggar strode up to Sendak. Her robes fluttered around her, giving the appearance that she was flying. 

“ It is alchemy .” she said. Haggar held up her hand and an orb of yellow quintessence glowed in her palm. It pulsed with her own heartbeat. “Your ‘science’ would still be two sticks being rubbed together if it were not for alchemists! And your Robeasts? Do they not move thanks to my art?!” 

“Enough, Haggar.” Zarkon said and his with bowed away. “He was mistaken to question the validity of the True Science, weren’t you, Commander?” Sendak did not seem to hear. He was enamored with what was on the screen, a grin cracked onto his lips, exposing his yellow fangs. “Does something amuse you, Commander?” Zarkon asked. 

Sendak blinked and turned with a small bow. “My apologies, my Lord,” he said. “I have just seen something that has amused me, indeed.” 

Zarkon raised his eyebrow. “Oh?”

Sendak gestured to the screen. It was frozen on the Earthling that had become the Black Paladin. He was deep in concentration as he shoved the controls in place as he flew. He had a scar along the bridge of his nose, a fine cut it had been. Black suited him. 

“You know him?” Zarkon asked. 

“Oh, I know him. I know him well .” Sendak said with a chuckle. “His name is Shiro.”

Chapter Text

The smell was what hit Shiro first: wet, metallic, and cloyingly sweet. The sounds were next. The crowds roared their approval as guts splattered onto the sandy arena floor, and their owner gasped in shock. Shiro could block his eyes, look away, stand to the side, bite his own tongue, but he couldn’t close his nose or his ears. 

The fighting outside was beginning to die down, but the crowd had not. They screamed at the prisoners fighting in the ring, at each other, and also just mindlessly. A beast roared from the arena, wailing over the sure wounds it had taken from the first and second rounds. The prisoners too weak or broken to fight were on body duty. They helped walk those who lived back to the barracks, their feet shuffled along the tunnel grate. Those who were up and walking groaned as they clutched their broken limbs and held in their slippery organs from gouges in their abdomens. Those who weren’t were dragged like limp sacks, their roughspun clothes wishing against the metal grates  and their blood drip, dripping into the sand below. 

Some of the prisoners in line stared out into the light of the arena, to whatever they were going to meet, with glazed eyes. Others cracked their knuckles and took deep breaths. They were either new or had been in the arena for too long. Many more whimpered at the parade of bodies and shivered against the wall as if that would save them. 

A small alien in front of Shiro blinked at the light. Shiro saw his lips moving, but heard no sound. He clasped his trembling hands together and looked to the sky. 

Matt. He had to find Matt. 

The world spun around Shiro, the colors, sounds, and smells blurred together. The line was moving one after the other like a conveyor belt. He didn’t even see some come back, it was an endless pour into the stadium. 

Shiro looked around. He heard Matt crying, begging for help. 

“Don’t hurt me please!” Matt cried. His next words came out in a choked scream. “Why?!” 

Matt. He had to find Matt. 

The line into the arena was getting shorter and the crowd was louder. The people behind him were all faceless; he could not tell one from the other. Somewhere, he could still hear Matt’s cries. 

An arm grabbed Shiro and pulled him towards the opening. Not yet, he had to find-  

When Shiro hit the light he woke up. He sat bolt right up and his chest heaved as he tried to catch his breath. The room he was in was too dark and too quiet and the bed too soft. Shiro moved to wipe at the sweat on his brow and drew his hand away, he had wiped with his metal arm. His metal arm. And then it all came crashing back to Shiro and he felt bile in the back of his throat. He pushed it all away. He didn’t want it. 

He let his head fall to his chest. His blanket was too hot and crackled against his skin; he tore it off of his body and threw it onto the floor. Shiro blinked the tears out of his eyes. He hated it. He hated it, and he took it out on his poor blanket. Shiro groaned.

“Computer,” Shiro said, trying to make his voice strong, the computer beeped as it recognized his voice. “What time is it?” he sighed. 

“It is approximately three hundred hours, Black Paladin.” the computer system said. 

Shiro sighed and reached for his sweatshirt. He might as well train, or plan for training, or something useful to help the team. He knew he was not going to get any more sleep.

Chapter Text

The sun was shining, the birds were singing, it was a beautiful day for sorting through trash. Pidge said so at their daily, team breakfast. 

“Why in the world do you want to do that?” Allura asked, spreading some ‘mefus’ flavored goo on something similar to toast. 

“Because unlike this place, which is beautiful by the way, the Galra have been around and advancing for one thousand years.” Pidge said. “Can you imagine how more up-to-date we can be if I can reverse engineer some Galra tech?” 

Lance snickered. “You can just reverse engineer stuff? Like in a sci-fi movie?” 

“I built my first computer at six and a half and I’ve been piloting a green, frickin Lion for weeks now without being able to read the controls,” Pidge stated, “So, yeah, I think I fit the trope of a sci-fi genius” 

“What do you think, your majesty?” Coran asked. 

The king’s hologram thought for a moment. Allura had set a plate out for him despite not being able to eat. “I would think that the Green Paladin is correct. We should make sure we are on equal footing with the Galra.” 

“Then after breakfast I’ll jet out there to take a look.” Pidge said. 

“Do you need a second set of hands?” Shiro asked. He chugged what had to be his third ‘coffee’ and rubbed his eyes. “I’ll go with you to the wreckage.” 

“Oh, thank you.” Pidge said. Perfect. She had been looking for a way to get Shiro alone for a while now. 

When the dishes were cleared and tasks set for the day, Pidge and Shiro made their way to the wreckage in their Lions. 

“Take your pick, Pidge, I’ll follow you.” Shiro said over the comms.

Pidge scanned the ships scattered in the fields. “Let’s go with…” Her eyes settled on the biggest cruiser, “…that one.” 

The Lions began to swoop down to the shell of the cruiser. The wreckage was deep purple like a starless sky and jagged where the ship had split in half. It looked like a wound on the field. Dirt was still kicked up and in the new shade some flowers had already shriveled. Pidge’s stomach rolled and she smacked a button to get the Green Lion to go a little faster and outpace the Black by a nose. The less time she had to spend looking at the thing, the better. As they drew closer, Pidge saw that some birds had started nests in the nooks and crannies of the ship; some clever ones had even pulled the filaments out of wires to line their homes. Babies opened their mouths as parents shoved worms into them. Dirt had found it’s way into some of the ship’s cavities, there must have been seeds in it because new flowers were starting to sprout. 

“Huh.” Pidge said.

“What’s going on?” Shiro asked. 

“Oh, nothing,” Pidge said, turning her attention back to her controls. They started to come in for their landing on the top deck of the cruiser. “Hey, Shiro?” 

“Hm?”

“On Kerberos-“

Shiro sighed. “Not today, Pidge, please.” 

Every time. Every single time . Pidge huffed and leaned back into her chair. Green rumbled. Don’t give me that attitude . Pidge thought to her Lion. 

“Sorry, I just can’t today.” Shiro said. 

“No. It’s okay.” Pidge bit out. She punched a few last commands into Green. “Let’s just do what we came here to do.” 

Outside, they found a hole that went deep enough that Pidge and Shiro jumped down it, letting the jetpacks on their armor carry them down. Pidge switched on the little computer screen on her forearm, the light glowed throughout the caverns of the ship. Two dots pinged on screen. 

“So, what are we looking for?” Shiro asked. 

Pidge fiddled with her screen to see what was what. “Anything that could be of value. Weapons, big machines, but what I want to know is if the computers on this puppy still work.”

“Why’s that?”

“Maybe I can copy some information.” Pidge said looking down a corridor her own computer pointed her to. “Okay, there’s a data bank down this way. There should be other stuff around it too, let’s check here.” 

They flew into the corridor and landed softly, their jetpacks sputtering to a close. Their steps echoed in the dark and around them the ship creaked. Shiro looked over his shoulder every few feet or so as if to confirm they were alone on the Galra ship. The pings on Pidge’s screen grew louder and steadier. 

“And here we go.” Pidge said as they came upon a room with the door half blown open. She knelt next to the computer data bank that took up three quarters of the room. It came to life in her hands. “Bingo.”  Pidge shoved a USB, or at least what served as a USB for the Alteans, and began to type in translations, and then she started to search for the files she needed. “This might take awhile, do you want to take a walk and see if you can find anything else interesting?” Pidge asked. 

Shiro nodded. “You got it, boss.” 

When Shiro disappeared around the corner, Pidge began to comb through the files. Weapons. No. Flight patterns. No. Personnel. Definitely not. Her eyes scanned the lists until she saw it: Prisoner transportation logs. Pidge looked over her shoulder. Shiro was long gone. There was no easy explanation for what she was about to do.

Pidge clicked the files for prisoners, her palms sweating underneath her armor. Hundreds upon hundreds of names populated. If Pidge hadn’t been so terrified, she would have swore. Instead, she hit download, and watched as the bar creeped up millimeter by millimeter. Rows of names flew by, she stared at them, not even daring to blink, in case she missed their names. 

There was a boom outside, like a jet engine. Pidge glanced out the window and saw a fiery projectile hurtling towards the ground from the atmosphere. Whatever it was, it could not have been good. Pidge looked back at her screen. Not even halfway to downloaded.  There was a sound at the door. Pidge looked over her shoulder and there was Shiro standing behind her. The scrolling names reflected in the visor of his helmet. 

“What do you got?” He asked. 

“I’m downloading it now.” Pidge said as Shiro drew closer. “What is that thing outside?” 

The ground rattled and Shiro raced to the window. “I don’t know, but it’s moving.”

“Yeah, not good.” Sixty-three percent. 

Shiro’s eyebrows stitched together and he looked up at the screen. “Wait, those are prisoner logs!”

Pidge froze. “Yeah, and?” She said, looking at the progress. It was at seventy percent. 

“Where are the schematics we came here for?” Shiro asked. “What are you going to do with this?” 

There was no use lying now. “I’m looking for some people.” 

“Looking for people?” Shiro asked. 

“Some people that are important to me that got abducted.” Pidge said. 

Outside the thing was still moving. Its engines roared to life. 

“Pidge, we gotta go,” Shiro said. 

“No. This is almost done.” 

Shiro stole a glance at the window. “Look, I know this is important, but we don’t know what that thing is, we gotta get back to the other Lions.” 

Shiro reached for the USB and Pidge’s hand flew to her Bayard. “ It’s almost done .”

“What are you doing?!” Shiro asked. “I’m sorry, we don’t have time for this!”

“SAM HOLT IS MY FATHER. MATT HOLT IS MY BROTHER!” Pidge shouted. 

Shiro faltered and the color drained from his face. “Your…” 

Pidge turned back to her computer. “ We have time .” 

The earth rumbled as the thing that had fallen from space started to get its bearings. Electricity coursed through Pidge’s body. The bar was rising as names got dumped into her USB. Shiro was silent, watching the window. 

“I’m sorry!” Shiro said. He wrapped his arm around her middle and flew up and out of the wreckage. 

“WAIT!” 

Pidge reached for the USB, but it was gone, slipped from her fingers. They burst into the sky and Shiro threw Pidge towards the Green Lion. The Green Lion snapped up Pidge in her jaws, and Pidge blinked as she sat up. 

She didn’t have the USB. 

She didn’t have the names. 

“Shiro-!”

The Black Lion surged forward back in the direction of the castle, and without a command Green followed. Pidge pressed against the window, but she could do nothing but watch the destroyed cruiser get smaller and smaller. 

“Shiro!” Pidge screamed. 

The Lions landed in the hangar and Pidge jumped out of her seat even before Green had settled. She was out on the hangar floor, as Black’s doors opened. The other Paladins rushed in demanding to know what the thing from the sky was. Pidge did not bother to answer them. 

Shiro emerged from his Lion, his hands up, his eyes only on Pidge. “Look, I know-“

Pidge shoved Shiro hard. “Why did you do that?! I could’ve found them!” 

“Pidge, I know, but we had no time!” 

Plenty of time. There had been plenty of time. He ran the second things got sticky . 

“ ‘No time’, my ass!” she said. 

Shiro rolled his eyes. “Oh, I’m sorry!” His voice was laced with sarcasm. “ I stopped you from getting blown up! ” Shiro shouted back. 

Pidge could not help the venom seeping into her voice. “You’re a coward! No wonder you’re the only one here!”

Shiro faltered. 

Keith came running. “What’s going on?!” he demanded. 

Shiro sighed. “Nothing.” he said. “The Galra ship was booby-trapped or something. We should get ready to fight whatever that thing is” 

“Do you at least find plans or parts?” Hunk asked. 

Pidge threw her helmet. “We didn’t get anything .” she said. 

Chapter Text

Alarms blared inside the command center. King Alfor stood staring out the window, Allura’s hands flew as she typed away at programs on several screens around her, and Coran seemed to speak in a single breath. 

“-it entered the atmosphere with the speed of a rocket! Now, that can mean it was launched by something or its entirely possible for this to be a natural phenomenon-”

Pidge brushed past Shiro and plopped down into his chair, with a wave of his hands his screens flew into being and he began to run his own diagnostics. Shiro wanted to talk over all that had happened that morning, but Pidge wasn’t even looking at him. It was probably out of self control Pidge wasn’t looking at him; anger radiated off of the Green Paladin in waves. Shiro turned his attention with the other Paladins out the window. On top of it all, there was a thing on their doorstep. 

A creature rose from the dust and debris. The creature was bipedal. It was tall, but a head shorter than Voltron. Like Voltron, it looked to be made of metal. It was large and lumbering, and it moved like its joints had not been well oiled. It moved like every step it took towards the Castle was agony. It looked familiar, like it was a sign Shiro passed on his way home everyday. 

“What is that thing?” Lance asked as the creature plodded its way across the field. 

“Scans show that it is half organic, half inorganic.” Allura said. “Almost as if there is someone inside that thing, part of it .” 

The color had drained from Coran’s face as he typed away on his own screens. “It’s moving slow; nothing else on the surface has been damaged.” 

“It’s only after us?!” Hunk asked. “Why?!” 

“It’s Galra in origin, it has a lot of similar markings to the stuff in the ships.” Pidge said not looking up from his screen.

They were lucky the Galra had not come back sooner. Shiro stared out the window, the creature was large and lumbering, but in its weight was its strength. Sunlight glinted off of the thing’s metal exterior, and its eyes glowed like coals. In its hand was a club with a ball of energy hovering over the end, thrumming with power. 

“We should’ve known they would be back.” Allura growled. 

“Now, now, Allura,” King Alfor’s hologram said, he turned to the Paladins. “Prepare for battle. The Galra now know what we are capable of, they are here for a fight. Give them one.” 

The Paladins ran to the hangar and threw on their suits they had laid out if such an emergency arised. The Lions’ eyes lit up the moment the Paladins entered the hangar. Keith and Lance were the first out, followed by Hunk and Pidge. Shiro sat in his Black, wondering how he knew what that thing was. 

“Shiro, you coming?” Keith’s voice asked in the comms. 

Shiro shook his head. He punched his Lion forward. “On my way!” 

Black leapt out of the hangar and the creature lumbered forward, ever closer to the Castle. 

“What is this thing?” Hunk asked as they circled the creature. 

“Something we don’t like and need to get rid of.” Keith stated. 

“You’re right on that one, Keith.” Shiro said. “Okay, let’s hit this thing with everything we got.” 

The Lions darted around the creature in an angry swarm. Yellow charged the thing and headbuttted it, sending Yellow careening back. Blue tried to lock her jaws around the creature’s throat, but the creature caught the Blue Lion. Lance yelled and commanded his Lion to use her claws. The Blue Lion scratched pitifully at the creature’s chest. While it was distracted by Blue, Pidge and the Green Lion jumped on the creature’s back and closed its jaws around the creature’s neck. The creature grabbed Green by the nape of her neck and tossed her aside. Pidge screamed as he went into a tailspin. The creature ripped Blue off and grabbed the Lion by the front and back legs, beginning to pull. The Lion roared. Lance talked so fast as he tried to break out of the hold, Shiro was not even sure what he was hearing. 

“Shiro!” Keith called as he raced to the creature. 

“I know!” Shiro answered, punching Black forward. 

Red ground to halt and her tail shot around, a laser firing out. It seared a hole into the armor plating on the creature’s one arm. Black rammed into the other arm of the creature. The creature let out a metallic gasp and dropped the Blue Lion. “Thanks!” Lance cried as he turned and fled towards where Hunk and Pidge were. The creature swatted at the Red Lion, but Keith dodged it and was about to charge forward. 

“Keith, go back with the others.” Shiro said. 

There was a fraction of a second when Shiro was not sure if Keith would listen to him, and then he turned and retreated. Shiro doubled back to his Paladins. They floated off away from the creature and closed in around him as he and Black approached. The creature stood without a scratch. Shiro let out a breath. 

“Alright, team!” Shiro called. “Let’s form Voltron!” 

The Paladins said nothing, but they began to fly off into formation. Shiro felt the familiar pull as his Lion switched into muscle memory and took the head of the v formation. The joints of the Lions moved and locked into place and with each connection Shiro felt his team come to him. As if they were opening a door and stepping through after taking through a wall. 

Propelled by the rockets in its feet, Voltron flew forward and hit the creature in the jaw with its fist. The creature staggered, but did not fall. “You’ve gotta be kidding me,” Hunk groaned. Steam jetted out of the creature’s face mask in little puffs, as if it were laughing. 

“Stay alert.” Shiro ordered. “We don’t know what it’ll do.” 

The thing planted its feet, one behind the other, it wound up for a throw of its club. The creature circled its arm like a lasso, the energy ball gained momentum. Shiro’s blood turned to ice, and if the others hadn’t been in control of Voltron, he was sure he would have stalled in flight. “I know what that thing is.” Shiro said, his voice hollow. No one seemed to hear him. The ball of energy’s humming grew louder and more frantic.

“What’s-” Lance began.

Shiro did not let him finish. “ Get down! ” 

Voltron moved solely of Shiro’s accord. It ducked out of the way and the other Paladins cried out at the sudden movement, but Shiro’s grip remained firm on the controls. 

Keith snapped out of it first. “Shiro, what the-” 

“I’ve fought this thing before!” Shiro said. He could feel his pulse beating in his ears. His hands were slippery under his gloves. He flexed his fingers. He had to keep it together. 

“What? When ?” Keith asked as Voltron launched into flight. The energy ball returned to the staff and the creature wound up again. 

“When I was captured by the Galra.” Shiro stated. 

Through the mind link, Shiro felt the despair from his fellow Paladins. He felt their sorrow for him, their anger, their trepidation. Then he smelled it. The iron. The decay. The sand. Somewhere he heard faint crying.

“ I’m not gonna make it. ” A voice behind Shiro said. 

Shiro turned and there was Matt. How did Matt get into his Lion? Didn’t Matt know he was safe here? Why was he grey and shaking? Matt wrapped his arms around himself. He had gotten so skinny over the past few weeks that his red eyes bulged out his skull. 

“Get the prisoners ready. The gladiators are going to put on a good show with this crew.” a guard said, somewhere. 

I don’t want to go back there. Don’t send me back there . Shiro thought. I’ll do anything. I’ll-

The next thing Shiro knew, his hands were on Matt’s neck. His pulse was rabbit-fast beneath his palm. Shiro’s thoughts brushed over the fact his metal arm was gone and was back to normal, but his mind did not linger long. Matt choked on his own scream. “ Why?!” 

Shiro ignored it. He reached back and gave a quick punch to the side of Matt’s knee, he heard something snap, like a rope wound too tight and finally giving out. Matt screamed and nothing could prevent it from ricocheting in the tube. Matt looked up at Shiro, tears spilling onto his cheeks and his mouth trying to form words that would never come. 

Matt. 

Shiro felt sick. 

Matt. 

He had harmed Matt. 

“-iro!”

“Shir-”

He had harmed Matt?

Voltron jerked to the side and Shiro smacked into his control panel. 

“Sorry, everyone, but we have to move!” Keith shouted over the comms. 

Shiro blinked. He was with Keith. In Voltron. With his team. He was safe. Relatively. 

“We can’t take this thing head on!” Lance said. 

“Then we’re getting out of here!” Keith decided and Voltron turned and flew towards the Castle of Lions. 

They flew into the hangar, and Black released Shiro’s seat belt. She rumbled as if to offer her support. Shiro gave her nothing. He marched down Black’s ramp and then he could not help it. He collapsed against the wall of the hanger. Matt. The others were too loud, their voices, so anxious and desperate and worried, sounded too like...like those in the arena. Shiro drew his knees up to his chest and buried his face in his hands. He squeezed his eyes shut so hard he saw white. 

Keith knelt next to him. Where had Keith come from? “Hey, you’re okay. You’re okay.” he said, but he could not hide his own anxiety. His violet eyes were wide. “You’re okay.” Keith desperately insisted.

He was. Couldn’t Keith see that? He just needed some time to himself. Shiro moved to brush Keith away, when Coran stepped forward. 

“Shiro,” Coran said, his voice calm, he rested a hand on Shiro’s shoulder and when Shiro flinched, he did not draw away, only keeping his hand there- gentle and steady, “I know this is hard. I know. But we need to defeat that creature. Anything you can tell us will help immensely.” Coran smiled. Not in the way he was offering sympathy because he had to, but because he knew and had been through it to the other side. Shiro swallowed the lump in his throat.  “We’re right here.” Coran said. “All of us.”

Shiro nodded. “Thank you…” He said it even though it felt like cotton on his tongue. 

His friends needed him. The Galra had come to kill them again . Here he was panicking, like a cadet on their first flight mission all because he saw something he didn’t like. Lives were at stake. The universe was at stake. If they lost, he might get put back out there in the arena. 

Shiro shuddered, and Coran tightened his grip on his shoulder. He felt Keith do the same a second later. “We’re here. You don’t have to do this. We can find another way.” Coran said. 

“No.” Shiro said. “No. I got this. Just...just don’t let me go too far.”

“We won’t.” and Shiro heard the smile in Coran’s voice.

Shiro let himself think of the gladiator arena. He didn’t push it away or run, he let it meet him where he was. Those disgusting smells, the roars of the crowds, the pain...the pain when they clocked him in the face, when they took his arm...that’s not what he needed. Shiro clutched where he knew his stump ended anyway as if that would be a balm.

He needed the fight with the creature with the club. Not after with his reward of a second, generous helping of soup. Not the before with Matt shaking in the tube. Shiro let his eyes slip closed as he recalled everything from inside the arena. 

“We’re right here.” Coran said again. 

And Shiro let himself remember. 

He remembered being in the back of the throng of prisoners with rough weapons shoved into their hands. He remembered the creature throwing his energy ball once and annihilating three prisoners at once. The ball returned and the remaining forces had scattered: every man for themselves. The creature threw again, taking out another sorry handful, their corpses shattered against the stone wall. The crowd was delighted. Shiro swore and ducked beind a rock. The third energy blast came and the rock grew unbearably hot, enough to have probably left a burn. Shiro jumped out from his hiding spot and was helpless to watch as the creature approached. The ball returned to his staff and the creature took a step forward, and then another. It did not even try to strike out. Like it only had three charges. Shiro charged it and sunk his chipping blade into the creature’s skull. 

Shiro opened his eyes and sucked in a breath. The other Paladins peered down at him and Coran clapped him on the shoulder.

“I know what we need to do.” Shiro said. He held up his hand and Keith took it, hauling him to his feet, and then Shiro ran back to his Lion.

Chapter Text

The Lions burst from the hangar, and soared into the sky. They circled the creature. 

“Alright, gang, we all know what we’re doing?” Shiro called over the comms. The Paladins responded with a chorus of affirmatives. “Great, then let’s get this over with. Form Voltron !” 

There was a burst of light and Keith felt his Red become the right hand of Voltron. The creature across the field raised and lowered its shoulders, like it was taking a deep breath. Keith felt the corner of his lip twitch. Let’s see this thing fight now. 

Keith’s hands hovered over his controls and he felt something, like an electric current ghost over his fingers. Keith glanced down. A port that had been dark for a long time on Red’s dashboard glowed red, inviting Keith to mess with it. It was circular and two indents lay deep into the dash, almost like a hole in a lock. Keith squinted, it was almost shaped like…he grabbed his bayard from his belt and held it to the port. It was perfectly bayard shaped. 

“Hey, guys,” Keith said, still looking at the port. “I’m going to do something.” 

Before anyone could answer, Keith shoved his bayard into the port and turned it like a screw. The port’s glow turned into a bright, steady thrum of red light. Outside of Voltron, Keith saw a burst of the same red light. He reached out and felt something in his Lion’s grasp: a broad sword. It was just like his bayard. 

“A sword?” Lance asked. 

“How did you do that?!” Shiro asked, an edge of laughter in his voice. 

“I don’t know!” Keith said. He could not help the delight in his voice. 

The creature faltered, watching the sword. Voltron took a step forward, and swung the sword back. The balance was good. 

“Alright, everyone.” Shiro called. “Let’s finish this!” 

They charged the creature. It drew its club back and when it released its arm, the ball of energy flew forward. Hunk and Lance pushed Voltron up and out of the way into a tumble and then they hopped back up and took off into a run again. The ball returned to the club of the creature. 

“One!” Shiro said. 

The creature threw the ball again. Voltron’s shield flew up and Hunk and Lance braced. 

“That’s two!” Pidge counted as he lowered the shield. 

The creature stumbled backwards as the energy ball returned to it. It geared up again, purely on auto-pilot. 

“Get ready!” Shiro said. They stayed still, waiting for the signal to release. The creature locked on and launched. “ Three !” Shiro yelled as Voltron leapt into the air. 

The creature looked up and if it had been a living thing, it’s eyes might have widened in shock or fear. Instead, it just watched up as the Paladins and Keith brought the sword down, cleaving it’s head in half. Sparks rained to the ground and it’s knees buckled as it collapsed. 

Chapter Text

Shiro had not waited for the fanfare when they came back to the hangar. He gave a curt goodbye to the other Paladins, Allura, Coran, and the king, and he walked as fast as he could without breaking into a run out and back to his room. Shiro let the door slide shut behind him and pressed his back against the wall, he ripped his helmet off and let it clatter to the floor; he slid down savoring the cool air on his skin. His room was dark, the sun was beginning to set on the other side of the Castle, but it was light enough outside that long shadows were cast on his floor. 

He had denied it all before: the memories, the feelings, what if he decided to let it all in? Shiro let his eyes slip closed. He could still smell his sweat on his armor: wet and metallic and nasty. He remembered the sounds of battle: the clash of metal on metal and the screams of his friends.

“ I’m not gonna make it. ” A voice behind Shiro said. 

Shiro turned. Where there should have been a wall, there was Matt like he had always been. His face was grey and clammy, and he held onto himself in the tunnel. Shiro’s heart broke in the present as it did in the past. 

“ Get the prisoners ready. The gladiators are going to put on a good show with this crew .” a guard said, somewhere.

Shiro remembered not wanting to go back there, but he had done it before and he could do it again. He had to find out what happened, for Matt, for Pidge. 

“I’m not going to make it.” Matt sobbed. He looked horrible, like he was already dying. 

He was right. Matt would die if he went into that arena. He barely ever passed the physical sides of his exams. Half the reason he was picked for the Kerberos mission was because his father had been leading it. Matt was going to die. 

Shiro blinked back tears, and then he set his jaw and squared his shoulders. Beside him, those too injured to fight dragged out the bodies. Shiro looked at Matt and hoped he would eventually forgive him.

Shiro cried out and tackled Matt to the ground, a hand on his throat. Matt choked on his own scream. “ Why?!” 

The other prisoners cried out in shock. The guards ordered him to stand down. Shiro ignored it. He had to. He looked down at Matt pinned underneath him. Knees took the longest to heal.

Shiro took a deep breath, reached back, and gave a quick punch to the side of Matt’s knee. He heard the snap. Shiro tried not to wretch at the sound. Matt’s screams ricocheted in the metal tube. Matt looked up at Shiro, tears spilling onto his cheeks and his mouth trying to form words that would never come. Shiro swallowed his own tears. He bent close to Matt, so that his breath ghosted over his ear. 

“ Find your dad. Get out of here .” Shiro whispered. “ I’m so sorry .”

“Wha-”

Guards pried Shiro off of Matt and punched him in the gut. Shiro doubled over and tried to breathe evenly, his lungs burned with every breath. “Calm down, you’ll get your blood soon enough.” a guard said, and he shoved Shiro back in line. 

Shiro opened his bleary eyes and saw Matt being dragged away by two of the prisoners on body duty. Matt clung to his busted knee and he stared at Shiro, his eyes as wide as saucers. Please understand . Shiro thought. Please .

Shiro knew what happened next. So much happened after that. Shiro blinked his eyes open. He saw his armor. His room in the Castle. I saved Matt. The thought came to him before he could even ruminate over his memories. I hurt him, but I saved him. He didn’t die in the arena. He’s out there. And then Shiro thought, I remember. I can remember . 

The memories hurt. Shiro wished he could never remember what had happened, but this time he remembered on purpose. He had called the memories of his own free will, and not had them sneak up on him. He had done it on purpose and here he was still standing, or rather sitting. A laugh bubbled up in Shiro’s throat. His skin was sticky and sweaty from the fight and the stress of what he had just done, but Shiro did not feel more comfortable, more happy. It was like he had found something misplaced, but still wondered how it had even gotten there in the first place. He rested his head against the wall and let himself laugh. 

Matt was alive.

Chapter Text

Pidge was stuffing a backpack with supplies when Coran and Allura found him. He barely looked up to acknowledge the pair when they walked into the hangar. 

“Whatcha doing there, Little Green?” Coran asked.

“I’m getting ready to go back out to examine the wreckage. I couldn’t finish my job this morning for obvious reasons.” Pidge said. “And ‘Little Green’, really?” 

Coran shrugged. Allura clasped her hands in front of her and flashed a smile. “Well, we wanted to come, too!”

Pidge raised an eyebrow. “Why?” The Green Lion’s purr could have been mistaken for laughter. Coran knew that the Lion knew better than to do that to her Paladin; he hoped. 

“We’re curious as to what that robotic beast is.” Coran said. “Besides, don’t you need extra hands to carry stuff back?” 

“Thanks, but one set of extra hands got in the way this morning.” Pidge said. “I don’t know about two.”

“Well, what about five?” 

The doors opened again and in walked Hunk, Lance, and Keith. Pidge’s shoulders slumped and Hunk and Lance beamed. Keith rubbed the back of his neck. 

“Shiro said he wanted to rest,” Keith said. “And we’ll only help you if you want it.”

Hunk smiled at Keith as if to tell him: “Good job!”

Pidge rolled his eyes. “Fine.” he huffed. “Listen and do exactly as I say and don’t get in my way.” He turned to go into his Lion, but paused when he reached the top. “Oh, and, I’m going to be scanning the data banks for prisoner logs...I’m looking for some people the Galra took.” 

“Understood.” Coran said. He was happy Pidge had finally said it after his argument with Shiro that morning. 

The Paladins entered their Lions and Allura and Coran took the shuttle. Pidge ordered them to take anything resembling a weapon or a computer from any of the collapsed ships; meanwhile, Pidge scanned every computer he got his hands on, storing the data for future use. The Paladins bickered about how much they could carry, how much they could bring back to the Castle. They flew back and forth at break-neck speeds, but Coran heard them laughing at each other, urging them to pick up something heavier, to race back. He did not have the heart to tell them to act serious. The Paladins had their Lions to help them move the machinery. Coran just had Allura. Or rather, she had him. 

“Princess, can you use some alchemy?” he asked as he pushed a hard drive about the size of a chair up the shuttle’s ramp. Sweat ran in rivulets down his back and he was sure he would have to change his shirt and pants the moment they got back to the Castle. “I know you’ve made it a point because the Galra have tainted the art beyond recognition, but-” 

“No, Coran.” Allura said as she struggled with a crate of blasters.  

Coran wanted to protest more, but knew it would get him nowhere. The comms beeped and Lance’s voice broke through. “Hey, we’re going to check out the thing from earlier, see what it really is.”

“Alright,” Allura said into her comm, “We’ll be there in a tick.” 

Allura plopped her crate onto the nearest open surface and began to strap herself into her pilot’s seat. “Any day now, Coran!” she called over her shoulder. 

Coran grumbled to himself and shoved the hard drive up the last bit of the ramp and into the main bay of the shuttle. He collapsed into his seat and didn’t even bother to put on his seat belt. Death would be a mercy to him at that point. At the body of the creature, the Lions hovered. Pidge was standing atop it, running scans on his computer. Hunk and Lance were with him, watching as Keith fired a laser from the tail of the Red Lion. The laser cut a hole into the thick plating on the chest of the creature, enough for when it was done the Paladins could open it. 

“What are we looking for in this?” Allura asked, as she and Coran disembarked. 

“Remember how I said this had organic and inorganic traces?” Pidge asked. “What the heck does that mean? Well, we’re going to find out.”

The metal on the creature let out a groan and Keith shut off the laser.The metal plating cracked open and fell away. The Princess and the Paladins recoiled and a stench that was sickeningly sweet filled the air. Hunk’s hands flew to his nose and mouth to try and block out any of it. “What is that?!” He cried. 

Coran looked into the chest cavity and saw a shriveled, little body. It had been dead for some time, the skin had lost all color it had. Flies arrived to buzz around. 

Pidge closed his helmet and peered down at it, his nose still wrinkled. “It was a life form.” He said. “Didn’t Shiro say he fought something that acted like this?” 

Allura backed away from the wreckage. Her hands trembling and skin ashen. “This reeks.” 

“You’re telling me.” Pidge said. 

“No. This reeks of alchemy gone wrong.” Allura said. She blinked and Coran could see the tears in her eyes. “How could they…” Allura had spoken so quietly, he was sure she had not meant to say it outloud. 

Zarkon has done it. Coran thought. He has finally done it while we were asleep. He has combined man and machine in more than just thought and soul. Gwyn help him.  

Chapter Text

Pidge looked at the sunset as it turned the sky orange, purple, and above all pink. Rover beeped evenly as he drifted around her in sleep mode. Pidge absent-mindedly tapped the trackpad on her laptop as the screen dimmed from disuse with the hope of: “Okay, now I’ll start my work!” The code remained untouched and Pidge kicked her feet back and forth over the edge of the balcony. 

The door to the castle opened and Rover sprung to alertness. Pidge blinked the tears out of her eyes and ignored the empty feeling in her chest. “Hey, Shiro!” she said, trying to sound upbeat. 

Shiro smiled. “Mind if I sit?” he asked. 

Yeah, I do . Instead, Pidge shook her head and scooted over to give Shiro some space. He took a seat and looked out over the plains with her. Rover beeped and nudged Shiro. 

“Hey, what’s this thing?” Shiro asked 

“A little floating cube that had Galra sentinel protocols, which I wiped, and reprogrammed him to follow my voice commands.” Pidge explained. “I named him Rover.” 

Shiro nodded as if that was something normal. 

“I didn’t find their names.” Pidge stated. “When we went out again I scanned all the data on all the cruisers. Nothing.” 

Shiro grew quiet and watched the sunset with Pidge. “You always asked me about the Kerberos expedition and what I remembered afterwards.” Shiro finally said. “And I’m sorry I never had the answers for you. Especially today.”

Pidge knew the right thing to do was to tell Shiro it was okay, that she should be the one to apologize to him of all people. She could not find the decency in herself to do it. Instead, Pidge continued to look out at the sunset; when Rover came to a stop beside her, she rested her hand atop his warm back. 

“But,” Shiro said, “I did remember something.” 

Pidge snapped to attention. “You did?” 

“Matt and Sam, they were alive.”

Pidge’s mouth went dry. Electricity coursed through her body. “ Alive ?” her voice was choked on tears. 

“They separated us from Sam, but Matt and I were together.” Shiro explained. He was smiling, like he could not believe what he was saying either. His eyes flashed in the low light. “Sam was a scientist. They knew that. The second the Galra found that out, he was gone, probably to help them in all their experiments. But Matt and I, we were put in the gladiator rings together...I made sure he got sent down to the staff bay, away from the ring.”

A tear slipped down Pidge’s cheek. She took off her glasses to wipe at her eyes and rested them next to Rover. “ They’re alive? ” 

Shiro almost laughed. “Yes. They’re alive.” 

“And you saved Matt?”

“I made sure of it.” 

Pidge threw her arms around Shiro and buried her face in his chest. At first, Shiro was too shocked to move and then he wrapped his arms around her in turn. “ Thank you. ” Pidge sobbed. “ Thank you. Thank you! ” 

Shiro let her cry. He rubbed her shoulders and told her kind, gentle things. And Pidge cried. Her cries came out hoarse and strangled, but loud and body-wracking. She had held them in for too long. 

“I promise you,” Shiro said, “We’ll find them, Katie.”

Pidge pulled away and stared at Shiro. “What did you just say?” 

Shiro’s lips quirked up in a devilish, little grin. “I finally recognize you now that you’ve taken Matt’s glasses off.”

Pidge blinked. She let her shoulders slump and wiped the last of her tears out of her eyes. “I haven’t heard my name in so long,” was all she could say. 

“It’s weird isn’t it?”

Pidge nodded. “How long have you known?” 

Shiro shrugged. “I had my suspicions ever since we met when I came back, but this morning confirmed it.”

Figures . Pidge wiped a smudge on her glasses. “Will you tell the others?” 

“Not until you’re ready. If you’re ever ready.” Shiro said. 

Pidge met his gaze. “Thank you.” she said. 

Shiro nodded and stood. “Get some rest, we can talk more about this later.” 

Shiro turned and began to walk to the door. Pidge slipped back on her glasses. “Shiro!” she called. He looked back at her. “Thanks.” Pidge said. 

Shiro smiled and left, his head held high. Pidge looked out at the sunset and took in its warmth with a smile.