Lance landed softly. He had crawled through what seemed like miles of ventilation duct to get to the boiler room in the heart of the Doom ship.

"Where do I go now, Pidge?" he whispered into his comm link.

In the Green Lion not too far away, Pidge looked at the small grid on his control panel. He had given Lance a small device that scanned an area and mapped about two miles radius from where it was situated. Pidge studied the shapes that began to appear.

"When you exit that room, turn left," he replied. "There is a collection of rooms nearby. It would be a good guess that those rooms are cells. They might be keeping Keith there."

Lance stealthily moved down the corridor in the direction Pidge had suggested and found himself in the main prison area. There were no guards posted. He saw that one of the doors was ajar. His eyes flickered from side to side before he moved on. He stood at the doorway of the cell. At his feet was a blue-skinned guard, his head twisted all the way around. Lance grimaced.

"Keith escaped," he said to Pidge. "I found evidence of his handiwork."

He knelt next to the body, searching for anything that might help him find his friend.

His hand closed around a small transmitter. At the next second, footsteps could be heard coming down the corridor. Lance grabbed the small remote control that would open the door and closed it. The footsteps faded away minutes later. He counted from one to one hundred before opening the door. A careful glance told him that no one was around.

"I found a transmitter. The frequency is 866z48."

"Got it," Pidge said. He listened to the orders flying between the guards and officers on the ship, his eyes widening.

"Where to now, Pidge?"

"There should be an elevator nearby. Find it and go to the third floor."

Lance found the elevator easily enough, but it wasn't on his floor. He pried the doors open and saw the elevator car beneath him. He jumped on top of it, as silent as a shadow, and pressed his ear to the top. When he was certain there was no one in it, he lifted the trap door and jumped inside.

"Where am I going?" he whispered.

"You're going to Keith. They're after him."

Keith shot every guard that tried to stop him. The sudden savageness that had now taken over his otherwise reasonable nature and all care he had over his life was forgotten. His skills did not let him down as he shot the guards down one by one, making his way to Lotor's chambers. He had gleaned the information after hacking into the computer system. A sickening feeling in his stomach told him that Allura would be there as well.

He marched down the corridor, the armor he had taken from one fallen guard protecting him from the shots that were fired at him. Each guard could only fire one shot at him before he fired a shot at them…perfectly between the eyes. The only vulnerable spot that they had.

A hand shot out and pulled him into an adjacent corridor. His hand shot out to punch the living daylights out of his attacker, but it was blocked.

"Keith," Lance hissed. "It's me."

Keith stopped, the gleam leaving his eyes. He suddenly looked very, very tired.

"Lance," he said weakly. "What took you so long?"

"We couldn't find a way to get in," Lance explained. "Explain to me what the hell you're doing. You're going to get yourself killed."

Keith regarded his friend with a level stare. "I have to find her."

"Yes, you do. But you're not going to do that if you're lying in a pool of your own blood."

"I made it this far. I'm two steps away from her. I can feel it."

Lance put a hand on his shoulder and looked into his eyes. He could see the desperation that Keith was trying so hard to hide. They both knew that Lotor had already gotten to the Princess. He shook his head and sighed. He pulled his friend into a tight hug.

"I'll cover you," he said. "Find her."

Keith pulled away and with a tight smile turned back to the corridor. Lance fired at the guards that were advancing. One clean shot broke a pillar away from the wall and it fell over a whole line of them. He grinned.

"Take that," he muttered.