True bravery is shown by performing without witnesses what one might be capable of doing before all the world.
-Duc Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Chapter Two
The last place Allura wanted to be was in Voltron's foot. Tears welled up in her eyes but she gritted her teeth, not letting them fall. She held back the memories of Ethan that seemed to flood her mind at once and set her mouth in a straight line. Merla was still a danger and Allura would not allow the Drule to cause anymore pain. She had to stay in control. For Ethan. To do that, she needed to be in the pilot's seat and if she had to fight Jack to get there, she would. It was just a matter of how.
She didn't pay much attention when her seat began to vibrate because it had been doing that for the past few minutes as Voltron fused together. Magic was sharpening her senses, pumping her full of energy, and she wanted to do something about Shadow Voltron. The enemy robot was standing before Voltron, its sword hanging loosely at its side. It seemed to be waiting and she could see that it too was beginning to absorb power from the Core. That did not bode well for them...
Allura blinked and she realized that she was no longer sitting in the Blue's cockpit. Her seat was moving upwards in a darkened tunnel and then she found herself on the other side of a pair of sliding doors.
"Jack?"
Jack turned his head and his gray eyes widened as his aunt, still strapped to her seat, slid forward until she was directly behind him. A control panel rose from the floor right in front of her and she stared at it, not really believing what she was seeing. Jack unstrapped himself so that he could fully see what was happening.
"Could it always do that?" he asked, confused.
"No...but I was thinking that I would like to fly Voltron and here I am."
"If wishes were fishes..."
"Don't be a smartass, Kid."
"I'm not going to let you fly Voltron."
Allura glared at him but he met her gaze unflinchingly.
"I don't think you understand, Jack. I'm not asking you."
"You're going to have to throw me out of this seat, Aunt Allura. Judging by the panel in front of you, you can be co-pilot, but that leaves you with weapons. Voltron is mine to control."
They stared at each other, but their argument was forgotten when they both noticed that it was silent. The screeching had stopped.
"The Defender of the Universe is whole again," Allura murmured.
Jack slid back down his seat and buckled himself in. His hands were barely on the controls when Shadow Voltron lifted its sword.
"Blazing Sword!" Jack exclaimed.
He was bringing it up to block Shadow Voltron's blow before the sword had even fully formed, but it solidified in time. The two swords clashed loudly, sparks flying from the strength of the blows. From inside Voltron's head, Jack could see into Shadow Voltron's cockpit and saw that no one was in the pilot's seat. His lips thinned.
"I've got no control here, Jack," Bethie said.
"We have it in here," Jack said. "Just focus on your magic, Bethie."
"We?"
"Listen to your commander, Bethie," Allura said.
"Mom? How did you...you know what? Nevermind. Magic coming up."
The controls under his hands seemed to lighten and Jack wielded the sword with more ease, barely feeling the stress from pushing against another sword. Shadow Voltron took a step back, giving ground because Voltron forced it to.
In the Red Lion, Bethie had her hands balled into tight fists on her lap, her eyes squeezed shut as she tapped into the raw power of the Core. She felt like a glass being overfilled, but she did what she could to push the magic into Voltron, acting like a router. She thought of the child inside her, of what the magic was doing to it, but she could not stop. They needed her to do this and she was not going to let them down. Ethan's life was tied to Shadow Voltron and she could feel his presence there, as if trapped, and she wanted to free him. Tears fell from her eyes without her knowing and she buried herself deeper into the magic.
Pull back, Bethie.
Her eyes flew open, shocked.
"Ethan?" she whispered.
I'm still here with you. Don't go any further. You're going to lose yourself if you do. Your son can't handle this much.
Her mouth dropped open. It was all too much for her to take, hearing her dead brother's voice and then learning of her son. Her tenuous grip on her powers slipped and it exploded inside her. She screamed, the sound echoing in the cockpit, as she was overwhelmed. She couldn't breathe, couldn't see, and she thought that she was drowning in the magic. Her thoughts had scattered and she could not get a hold of herself long enough to get her control back...but then she felt it all recede and she knew that Ethan had saved her.
I wasn't kidding.
"How are you doing this?"
Magic.
The warm humor in his voice almost broke her and a sob escaped from her lips. She put a hand over her mouth to stifle the sound and when she closed her eyes again, she could feel him nearby almost as if he was standing right behind her.
Trust me, Bethie. I need you to get the robots out of here. The Core is making Merla stronger and I'm having a hard enough time dealing with her as it is. Get the robots back in the sky. I'll get you out of this.
"Ethan...don't go," she said, her voice breaking. "I need you, Little Bro."
I'll always be with you, Bethie. Tell everyone I said goodbye. I love you all.
"Ethan."
But he was gone.
"Jack," she said, wiping her face. "We need to get out of here."
"What?"
"Trust me," she said, echoing her brother's words. "Grab Shadow Voltron if you have to, but just get us back to the surface. The Core is only making Merla more powerful and we need to separate her from it."
"Alright. Here goes nothing."
Jack dissipated the sword and moving fast, he got Shadow Voltron in a tight bear hug. Allura let out a snort behind him.
"I can't get to the thrusters, Aunt Allura," he said. "Get us out of here."
Fingers dancing over her control panel, Allura pushed the thrusters at full and they blasted upwards.
"I found Voltron," Pidge said.
Link ran to his side and watched, shocked, as Voltron burst from the ground, in a clench with a darker version of itself. Both robots were gleaming with a dull pink sheen and as the rocks and debris flew, she could see that there was something else mixed in with them...like sparks.
"It's ilke a nightmare," she breathed.
"Lance," Pidge said into his communicator.
"We see it," Lance said. "Stand by, Pidge."
In Castle Control, they were all gathered behind Lance who was sitting at the main control panel. Keith's hands were white knuckled as he gripped the back of the seat.
The only two not there were Archent and Alana. They were kneeling by Merla's body, glowing white as they sought her out. Archent had picked up her trail by seeking out the same thought pattern that he sensed when he touched her. He instinctively knew what to do and with Alana's power, they were able to get a bead on Merla's spirit.
"Voltron, this is Castle Control. Please respond," Lance said.
"Uncle Lance," Matt said.
"Matty!" Lance exclaimed. "Are you hurt? What's going on?"
"Look at Voltron," Sven said, awed.
They did and saw that the robot was now one piece. There were no more Lion heads for feet and hands, and they were looking at Voltron as it had been conceived by its creators. It was breathtaking.
"Matt," Keith said, tearing his eyes away from the screen. "Allura and my kids..."
"Keith," Allura said.
"Allura."
"Ethan's gone."
A sharp pain seared Keith's heart. He turned away from the console and Lance saw the dead look in his friend's eyes...saw Keith's mouth open before he screamed, the sound ripping through him. Keith fell to his knees, control gone, and he gripped his chest with one hand as if to keep his heart from breaking. None of them had never seen Keith lose control like this and in their shock from the news, from his reaction, none of them made a move towards him. Allura called his name over and over again and it sounded as if she was close to tears. Finally, the others in the room moved to action. Romelle and Sven went to either side of Keith, put their arms around him and helped him stand.
"My boy, Romelle," Keith said hoarsely, looking at her with a lost look in her eye that tore at her. "Merla killed my boy."
Romelle held back a sob and put her arms around his neck, drawing his head down to her shoulder. He hesitated for a moment then she felt his arms go around her waist and he clutched at her, squeezing his eyes shut. She exchanged a look with Sven over Keith's head and Sven put a hand on Keith's back, bowing his head.
Lance went to the console, his lips trembling with the emotions he fought to keep at bay.
"End this, Allura," he said, his eyes on Keith's white face. "Just finish it once and for all."
She didn't answer, but on the screen Voltron pushed Shadow Voltron away. It formed Blazing Sword again and pointed it straight at Shadow Voltron's heart.
We're going to go into Shadow Voltron, Archent sent to her.
I expected we would, she replied. They're no longer in the Core.
Being absorbed into Shadow Voltron was an experience she had not expected and doubted she would like to do again. It was like sliding into a metal coffin, the smooth hull rubbing against her mind with a coldness that chilled her soul. She could sense Voltron's magic and it was as warm as the sun; it hummed with life and all that was Arus. Voltron was a protector of the people, but Shadow Voltron was not and so its power was cold, lifeless. Alana felt like it was poisoning her and she steeled herself against it.
Who's there?
Her brother's familiar voice nearly made her break her concentration. She knew then which one of them she would not see alive again.
Ethan, she said, both happy and sad to find him. It was you.
Lana? Not you too...
She could feel the sorrow coming out of him but it was not for himself and it touched her. She thought about all the years ahead of her, living a life without him, and it hurt like a physical blow.
No...Archent and I are here to help you.
I can handle Merla alone.
Then why is Shadow Voltron still moving?
Silence.
You always were smarter than we ever gave you credit for, he returned dryly. I'm gonna miss you, Lana.
Don't talk about that now. I can't...I can't take it.
I'm sorry. Alright..here's what we're going to do.
