Chapter Text
Simulation Failed.
"Way to go, tailor." "Yeah, nice work, TAILOR."
The words flashed brightly as a red glow lit up the flight simulator's interior. I could already hear the oncoming criticisms from our classmates and Commander Iverson as we slowly piled out. I held back a wince at all the judgement in the stares being shot at our team, wrapping a hand around the strap of my first aid kit to ground me. As someone from the medical department at the Garrison, we weren't usually supposed to be mixed in with the pilots but a new curriculum change happened the summer before a friend and I had joined the Garrison.
"Roll out, donkeys!"
I sighed, already dreading what was coming. I could feel Commander Iverson's judgemental stare on us as he spoke, turning towards the other cadets. Judgement wasn't something I was new to, having faced it multiple times back home before I had left for the Garrison.
"Well, let's see if we can't use this complete failure of a lesson for the rest of you students. Can anyone point out the mistakes these four so-called cadets made in the simulator?" Commander Iverson spoke, his figure tall and, well, commanding as he looked over at the rest of the class. Several people raised their hands and voiced their observations.
"The engineer puked in the main gearbox!"
"Yes, as everyone knows, vomit is not an approved lubricant for the engine systems. What else?"
"The com-spec removed his safety harness,"
"The medic hesitated and didn't react fast enough,"
"The pilot crashed!"
"Correct," Iverson spoke curtly. "And worst of all, the whole jump, they we're arguing with each other! Heck, if you're going to be this bad individually, you'd better at least be able to work as a team! Galaxy Garrison exists to turn young cadets like you into the next generation of elite astroexplorers, or in your case, Reyes, field medical professionals," I held back a wince as my grip on my kit tightened while Iverson continued. "But these kinds of mental mistakes are exactly what cost the lives of the men on the Kerberos mission."
I bit the inside of my cheek at that, the memory of a kind face and wise teachings from one Takashi Shirogane flashing through my head along with a messy head of black hair and a fiery temperament. The man had come a bit later into your life, seemingly acting as your friend's guardian and mentor and becoming an older brother figure to both of you. He acted and felt more like family to me than the people who I had shared a home with prior to the Garrison.
"That's not true, sir!" My eyes snapped to Pidge as he snapped at Iverson, fists clenched at his sides. I figured the Kerberos mission was a sensitive topic with Pidge after the numerous times he seemed bothered by the mention of it. "What did you say?" Iverson's tone meant trouble, anyone could tell as almost the entire class shuddered and took a half step back.
Thankfully, Lance came to the rescue with a hand clasped over Pidge's mouth. "S-Sorry, sir. I think he hit his head when he fell out of his chair. But, point taken."
The commander seemed to have calmed down from his growing lividity, but he wasn't going to let Lance slip away without digging into him himself. "I hope I don't have to remind you that the only reason you're here is that the best pilot in your class had a discipline issue and flunked out."
I tensed, averting my eyes to the floor. It seemed he was done with Lance as he let him off with a, "Don't follow in his footsteps."
"Next!"
He called the next team up as we stepped away. I placed a hand on Lance's shoulder, noticing the look on his face from Iverson's words towards him. I gave him a small, reassuring smile which he returned with a small smile and a nod of gratitude.
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If there was one thing I enjoyed at the Garrison, it was the night sky that you could see clearly from the rooftop. It was a stark difference from the night sky back in Gotham, barely visible from the light pollution of the city. It was also quiet. A different quiet from the silence inside the cold halls of a place that was supposedly 'home'. The quiet where you could whisper to yourself all you wanted and the only person who could hear you would be yourself and the stars. A silent peace that gave a cold yet warm hug as I sat there, staring up at the starts as I took a break from making notes and drawings for my med classes.
The silence was broken with the creak of the door and I quickly turned, my heart dropping at the thought of being out past curfew. I was relieved when Pidge's figure registered in my mind and let out a sigh. "Oh hey, Pidge."
Pidge looked shocked that someone else was up here, most likely expecting to be alone in whatever he was planning to do. I shrugged in response, turning back to the dim screen of my tablet as I tapped the pen against my knee. I could hear the ruffling of clothes and a bag being opened, glancing over to watch Pidge unpack the peculiar tech that definitely didn't belong to the Garrison.
It was quiet again once he had gotten comfortable, Pidge fiddling with his tech and I gave up completely on my notes in favor of watching him and the tech. The tech was odd. Nothing I'd seen back home or around the Garrison and seemed to be scanning something. What? I wasn't sure.
"You guys come up here to rock out?"
I jumped, letting out a small yelp and snapping my head towards Lance so fast that I was sure I heard a crack. Pidge seemed equally as surprised, headphones falling to rest around his neck. "Lance, Hunk! A little heads up next time. I think I just grew another white hair when my soul nearly left my body." I exhaled deeply, a hand to my chest before gesturing to the few white hairs on my head that had developed from stress. I just treated them like they were highlights most of the time.
"Oh, Lance, Hunk. No, um, just looking at the stars." Pidge replied, looking up at the two. The Cuban male peeked at the tech, brows scrunching. "Where'd you get this stuff? It doesn't look like Garrison tech."
"I built it." The shorter male responded proudly, grinning smugly. "You built all of this?" Hunk asked as he creeped closer to the tech, a finger most likely about to poke at it before promptly getting smacked away by Pidge.
"Stop it!" he hissed before turning back to Lance. "With this thing, I can scan all the way to the edge of the solar system."
"That's pretty impressive, Pidge." I said, putting all of my things away into my bag as I found no use for them now and would probably not get any more work done. "Thanks, Kaia."
"That right? All the way to Kerberos?" Lance asked skeptically. Pidge's smile dropped and he looked away, clearly bothered by the mention of Pluto's moon. "You go ballistic every time the instructor's bring it up. What's your deal?" "Lance." I hissed as Lance asked while Hunk took to inspecting the little satellite dish on Pidge's tech.
"Second warning, Hunk!" the smaller male half-yelled as the bigger male groaned in disappointment. Lance then spoke up, "Look, Pidge, if we're going to bond as a team, we can't have any secrets."
"Fine. The world as you know it is about to change." Pidge said, tone as serious as the look on their face. I shifted a bit closer out of curiosity. "The Kerberos Mission wasn't lost because of some malfunction or crew mistake. Stop touching my equipment!" he yelled at Hunk who groaned in disappointment once again. "Maybe you can ask about it later, Hunk." I chuckled, patting the big guy on the shoulder before turning my attention back onto Pidge.
"So, I've been scanning the system and picking up alien radio chatter." My brows furrowed at that, a look of confusion on my face. While aliens weren't new, what with Superman and Martian Manhunter existing, it was still surprising to hear as they weren't exactly common visitors to the planet.
"Whoa, what? Aliens?"
"Okay. So, you're insane. Got it."
"Are you sure, Pidge?"
"I'm serious. They keep repeating one word, 'Voltron'." Pidge said seriously, turning to look at all three of us. He pulled up a notepad with a colorful sketch of what looked to be a robot with a sword? and the word Voltron above it. I took it into my hands to get a closer look as Pidge continued. "And tonight, it's going crazier than I have ever heard it."
"How crazy?"
Just then, the PA suddenly turned on. "Attention, students. This is not a drill. We are on lockdown! Security situation Zulu Niner." Iverson, spoke, voice coming from the PA system. "Repeat: all students are to remain in barracks until further notice."
"What's going on? Is that a meteor?" Hunk asked as he got up, pointing at a bright ball that seemed to be hurtling down towards Earth. I got up, slinging my messenger bag across my body. "A very, very big meteor?"
"It's a ship." Pidge said, looking through a pair of binoculars before yelping as Lance pulled them towards him. "Holy crow! I can't believe what I'm seeing! That's not one of ours." he said, lowering the binoculars from his face. "No, it's one of theirs. I said, my eyes trailing the falling ship as it got closer to the ground.
"So, wait. There are other aliens out there?" Hunk asked worriedly as we all watched as the ship crashed not too far from the Garrison. Not long after was the Garrison on their way to the crash site in numerous cars.
"We've got to see that ship!" "Hunk, Kaia, come on!" Pidge and Lance both ran towards the door as I quickly followed behind them, adjusting my pastel purple cardigan. "Oh, this is the worst team-building exercise ever."
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We found a hidden spot not too far from the tent the Garrison had set up. Pidge had set up his equipment again while Lance, Hunk and I scoped out the tent. "Whoa, what the heck is that thing?" Lance asked as he looked through the binoculars. "And who the heck is she?"
"Lance!" Pidge hissed, smacking the male. Lance yelped in pain as I shook my head. "Lance, focus." I mumbled, glancing at him for a brief moment before turning back to the situation on the ground. "Right, alien ship."
"Man, we'll never get past all of those guards to get a look." Lance lowered the binoculars as he complained. I took the binoculars from him, assessing the situation myself while listening to my friends speak behind me.
The Justice League or some other heroes must have been informed by now or will be informed once they get back to the Garrison. Hopefully, he won't respond first. I thought, lowering the binoculars from my eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I guess there's nothing to do but head back to the barracks, right?" Hunk said, beginning to walk away before Pidge spoke up.
"Wait. They set up a camera in there and I grabbed its feed. Look!" We all got closer to look at the feed on Pidge's screen. The sight wrought shock, worry and confusion through us all.
"Shiro?" I gasped quietly. He's alive? What happened to him?
"Hey! What are you doing?" He laid there and frantically struggled against the binds that had him strapped to the table. "Calm down, Shiro." Iverson's voice left the feed as he told the man to calm down while they ran some tests. Shiro didn't seem to calm down, only speaking up once more.
"You have to listen to me!" he demanded, the people inside the tent with him paying no attention to his words. "They destroy worlds! Aliens are coming!"
"That's Shiro! The pilot of the Kerberos Mission!" Lance exclaimed, pointing at the screen. "That guy's my hero!"
"Guess he's not dead in space after all," Hunk said. "He looks rough." I said.
"But where's the rest of his crew?" Pidge asked.
"Do you know how long you've been gone?" Iverson asked. "I don't know. Months? Years?" He's clearly disoriented and confused. Not to mention distressed. "Look, there's no time. Aliens are coming here for a weapon. They're probably on their way. They'll destroy us. We have to find Voltron."
"Voltron!" Pidge gasped as we all shared a look before turning back to the feed. "Sir, take a look at this." A man inside the tent uttered, inspecting the prosthetic arm Shiro had.
"Put him under until we know what that thing can do." Iverson order. My brows furrowed worriedly as Shiro got increasingly distressed and struggled harder against the binds.
"They didn't ask about the rest of the crew." Pidge said, raising a brow. "What are they doing? He's a legend. They're not even gonna listen to him?" Lance asked, indignant at their treatment of the man. "We have to get him out." Pidge said, a determined look on his face.
"Uh, I hate to be the voice of reason right now, but weren't we watching on TV because there was no way to get past the guards?" Hunk asked, to which I followed up with, "Normally, I'd agree with Hunk but if the Garrison won't listen to him now, will they even listen to him later? When it's too late and what he's said is true?" I glanced at the screen, an unconscious Shiro on display. The Garrison was ruthless, that's for sure.
"Kaia's right." Pidge nodded as he and Lance turned towards Hunk. "That was before we were properly motivated." Lance said, "We've just got to think. Could we tunnel in?"
"Tunnel? Got a convenient drill in there, Batman?" I raised a brow, voice laced in sarcasm. Immediately regretting it as memory of a tall, imposing figure clad in black with an indifferent look on his face flashed in my mind.
"Haha, very funny," Lance responded just as sarcastically before going silent as he brainstormed. "Maybe we could get hazmat suits and sneak in like med techs." Pidge offered. It wasn't a bad idea by any means but where would we even get unused hazmat suits without getting caught?
"Or we dress up like cooks, head back to the dorms, sneak into the commissary--little late night snack." I patted Hunk on the leg, understanding his want to return to the barracks but he was outnumbered on this one. "No, what we need is a distraction." I said, looking towards the tent.
As if on cue, loud booms echoed as explosions went off in the distance causing all of us to scream in surprise. I could feel Hunk gripping my arm as we watched the explosions in the distance. "Is that the aliens? Is that the aliens? Are they here? They got here so quick!" he asked worriedly, ducking behind me.
"No, those explosions were a distraction, for him." Pidge said, pointing at a figure on a bike quickly approaching the tent. "The Garrison's headed toward the blast and he's sneaking in from the other side."
"Clever." I mumbled, a bit impressed at the strategy.
"No way!" Lance exclaimed as he looked through the binoculars, "Oh, he is not going to beat us there! That guy is always trying to one up me!" he complained as he rushed down from where we were.
"Who is it?"
"Keith!"
"Keith? Are you sure?" I asked, quickly getting up along with Pidge and following after Lance. I could hear Hunk also asking Lance if he was sure as he followed after me while Pidge asked in confusion, not knowing who he was. "Oh, I'd recognize that mullet anywhere!"
My heart pounded in my ears as we hurried down. I hadn't heard anything about him since he left the Garrison. Memories of classes and lunches with the black-haired male flashed in my head. Has he been out here all this time? What has he been doing?
We quickly slid down from the ledge we were on. I stumbled a bit as we hit the ground, quickly catching up to Lance as he hurried into the room Shiro was in while Pidge and Hunk stayed in the doorway.
"Nope. No, you-- No, no, no. No, you don't. I'm saving Shiro." Lance interrupted as he took hold of Shiro's other arm.
"Who are you?" the black-haired male asked confused.
So, it is Keith. I thought, taking note of the features that had changed slightly over the years but were still familiar. I quickly focused on Shiro, taking a step forward and addressing both men. "Be careful. He may be under sedatives, but any injuries he has could get worse." My voice had Keith turning towards me, our eyes meeting. I gave a small wave and nod, a nod which he returned as he seemed to recognize me before turning towards Lance as the Cuban male spoke.
"Who am I? Uh, the name's Lance." Keith didn't seem to recognize Lance, though. "We were in the same class at the Garrison."
"Really? Are you an engineer?" I snorted quietly, earning an offended look from Lance. While Lance considered Keith his rival, Keith hadn't even registered Lance in his head at all.
"No, I'm a pilot! We we're like rivals. You know, Lance and Keith, neck and neck." It seemed that clicked in Keith's head as the mullet head responded. "Oh wait, I remember you. You're a cargo pilot."
"Well, not anymore. I'm a fighter class now, thanks to you washing out." Lance huffed.
"Well, congratulations," Keith replied flatly before they proceeded with carrying Shiro out to Keith's hoverbike. I followed behind to make sure Shiro's condition stayed stable. I spotted Pidge and Hunk by the entrance, calling them over as we hurried to the hoverbike.
"Uh, do you mind if we catch a ride with you? "Hunk asked while getting onto the back of the bike with Pidge. I helped Lance position Shiro onto the bike before getting on, sitting in front of the unconscious male and behind Keith. I yelped as the bike tilted back from Hunk's weight, holding onto the seat.
"Is this thing going to be big enough for all of us?" Pidge asked, helping me hold Shiro up with a struggle.
"No." Keith exclaimed as before taking off. I bit back a yelp at the sudden take off, Shiro falling back onto Pidge who held onto him as best he could. "Lance, help Pidge!" I shouted over the wind, turning my head back towards the two as I helped position Shiro's legs onto either side of the bike.
"Why am I holding this guy?" "Hey, we did all fit." "Can't this thing go any faster?" Lance shouted, the Garrison cars slowly catching up to us with the distance shrinking every minute.
"We could toss out some non-essential weight."
"Oh, right!" Lance looked around, causing me to chuckle as he hadn't seemed to get that it was an insult before it dawned on him. "Okay, that was an insult. I get it."
"Big man, lean left!" Keith told Hunk, the hoverbike tilting as he did as instructed. My hands flew to Keith's jacket for stability, quickly apologizing but not letting go as I could hear the Garrison cars crash behind us with Hunk commentating on it.
"Big man, lean right!"
The hoverbike flew over a large rift in the ground, landing onto the other side a bit roughly. My grip on Keith's jacket tightened a scream got trapped in my throat. I looked up to see where Keith was headed, eyes widening at the sight of a cliff ahead.
"Guys, is that a cliff ahead?" Hunk stammered as I gulped.
"Oh no, no, no!"
"Yup," Keith replied smugly and sped up causing me to bury my face in the back of his jacket. We, with the exception of the driver, screamed as the hoverbike flew of the cliff.
"Putang ina*, Keith, I swear! If this kills us, I'll kill you!" I screamed, face buried in his back as I felt my stomach drop. I felt nauseous and found it hard to breathe for a moment as the air rushed around me. Suddenly, I felt the hoverbike tilt and fall slowly before coming to a stop. I took a deep breath, feeling lightheaded and pulled away.
When we had finally arrived at the destination, a lonely shack in the middle of the desert, it was probably around 1 am, almost 2. I dismounted the bike, shaking my head to get rid of the dizziness before turning to help with Shiro. I could hear everyone talking about the ride as we carried him inside, Keith smirking with pride.
Once inside, I helped lay Shiro down on the couch before kneeling next to it. I took off my bag and opened it, grabbing some medical equipment before setting it aside. Keith then left us to our own devices, taking that as a sign to get comfortable. I turned towards Lance, Hunk and Pidge.
"You guys get some rest. I still need to look over Shiro and check his vitals. See if he needs patching up." I offered, turning to stick a pulse oximeter onto his normal finger before grabbing a temperature gun. They looked at me in doubt but I shook them off, reassuring them it was fine.
It had gone silent, save for Hunk's snoring. I glanced at them and the corners of my lips turned up at the sight of them all huddled together, finding the sight heartwarming. I turned back to Shiro as the temperature gun beeped, taking note of his normal temperature with relief. I continued, checking his eyes and ears and checking for any signs of injury before taking off the oximeter. I sighed with relief as Shiro's vitals were normal, save for a mild concussion but that wasn't anything to worry about and some weight loss, sitting back after putting everything away.
"How is he?" A voice quietly asked, causing me to jump at the sudden noise. I relaxed when I saw Keith standing there, two blankets in his hands and brows furrowed in concern. I gave him a reassuring smile, standing up and grabbing one of the blankets to lay over Shiro.
"His vitals are all steady and normal. He has a mild concussion and looks like he lost some weight but that's about the worst of it. He needs some rest but overall, he's fine." I answered, stepping back and turning towards the mullet head.
Keith nodded, the both of us standing in silence for a bit before nudging the other blanket towards me. I took it, looking at it with a raised brow before looking at Keith who had turned away. "It gets really cold here at night."
"Thanks." I huffed quietly, feeling a bit warmed at the gesture. A small smile grew on my face as I unfurled the blanket and wrapped it around myself. "So, um, how have you been?" I asked, looking at him. Keith looked a bit taken aback when I asked before cooling his expression. "Good. Uh, you?" Gods, this was awkward. I thought, shrugging. "Been better but doing fine." He nodded, the both of us falling into silence before he turned away again.
"Be sure to get some sleep. Good night." He said as he left the room. "Night, Keith." I uttered softly in return before joining Lance, Hunk and Pidge's huddle, leaning against Hunk's side as I settled next to Pidge and shifted to face the couch.
I closed my eyes, the warmth of my friends and the blanket comforting as I slowly drifted off. Despite the crazy situation we were certainly in, this warmth was much better than the coldness of a manor that stood over a city of darkness and a family that was nothing but a memory now.