The New Paladin

44: Under Attack

Lance jolted awake in the night when a loud bang echoed through the halls causing the room to tremble.

He was on his feet in seconds his metal foot slipping on the smooth floor.

He knew that sound didn't come from an outside attack, someone was onboard the castle.

He opened the door of his room to see a blur of Keith race past.

Okay, good.

He grabbed his hand blaster and went after him, hoping that Keith knew where he was going and maybe what was going on.

When he caught up with said paladin it was in the brig, Sendak was gone.

"This is not good." Lance admitted as Keith punched the wall next to him. "Keith? You okay?"

"No." He growled. "This is on me."

"How is this your fault?!" Lance asked.

"Sendak made a comment about someone coming to get him, I told Shiro to ignore it." Keith explained shaking his head. "We need to find him."

"We will." Lance promised. "But you've got to clear that head of yours. We need you samurai."

"Samurai?"

"I'll explain later." Lance said grabbing his arm.

~~~

Shiro wasn't asleep when the sound thundered through the castle, but he had been slow to react.

He was tired and had just come around from a nightmare from his painful past.

He saw Keith and Lance running through the corridor but he couldn't get himself to follow.

The nightmare still lingered in his consciousness making his Galran prosthetic heavier then usual.

Allura was then there, by his side with a anxious look. "We cannot get into the control room."

He let her lead him towards the heavy doors where Coran was waiting, he was tapping the controls angrily as if that would help at this point.

Pidge was then there, she dismantled the control pad and was quickly pulling out wires in a heap.

"Where's Lance and Keith?" Hunk asked looking around their group.

Shiro's mind sort of came back to him as he realised. "They were going towards the brig."

"You think this has something to do with Sendak?"

"He mentioned an escape." Shiro said blinking his thoughts into control.

"Why didn't you mention this to us? We could have prevented this." Allura said sharply.

"I didn't see how it was possible." Shiro said looking back down the corridor, he wondered what was going through Keith's thoughts right now. He really hoped he wasn't beating himself up.

"Well we need to go and help them." Hunk said urgently. "You coming Shiro?"

Shiro nodded. "Yeah."

~~~

Keith hasn't expected to find Sendak, nor had he expected a fight.

He had hoped that the pods effects would tire Sendak out and the battle would be easy.

But Sendak still seemed to have completel control of his senses and he wasn't holding back.

His metal glowing hand shot past Keith's side burning through the under-suit leaving a burning slash across his side.

Sendak smirked about to strike again when Lance slid next to Keith lifting his shield to block it.

Then he fired a blast at Sendak forcing the bionic Galran back.

"You're a fool to come against me boy." Sendak growled. "You're a nuisance to the Galran empire."

Keith couldn't believe his eyes when a smirk came to Lance's face. He could have sworn the boy was completely mad.

"I'd rather be a nuisance then a coward."

Lance fired three more blasts but Sendak evaded. Then his metal arm launched latching onto Lance's metal leg.

The sound of metal tearing and warping filled the hangar and Keith could do nothing as he watched Lance's leg twist like splintering glass, like it was made of paper, then Lance's scream ripped through.

It was a haunting sound and it hit a deep set dread in Keith's stomach.

Lance collapsed to the floor eyes bleary and tear rimmed as he was gathered up by unconsciousness his eyes falling closed as his body slumped in a heap on the floor.

His eyes turned instantly on Sendak who grinned brightly as another Galran stood close behind him.

"Come along Sendak, we must leave." He said as they turned towards the Galran ship.

Keith threw his sword towards Sendak but the Galran caught it dropping in heavily to the floor.

"Goodbye paladins." Sendak grinned before he too disappeared on board the ship.

Hunk arrived blasting it with his cannon but the ship was already gone. Too far out of range to be reached by them now.

"Coran?" Keith asked, as Shiro helped him up. "The cannons?"

"We cannot yet reach the control room." Allura explained over the coms. "Who screamed?"

"Lance!" Hunk said sharply as he knelt next to Lance.

"What happened?" Shiro asked.

"Sendak did something to his leg." Keith explained with a wince. "I don't know how."

"You both need pods." Hunk said anxiously. "Come on, we'll get you to the medical bay."

Keith grunted as he leaned into Shiro, his side throbbed with pain but Lance's leg was half missing and the organic part of his leg was dripping with blood.

It was an ugly sight really.

"I'm sorry." Keith whispered making Shiro glance his way. "I didn't believe him and-"

"Hey now." Shiro said gently shaking his head. "This isn't your fault, I didn't believe him either."

Keith looked away, he wasn't completely convinced.

"W-well," Hunk said, his voice shaking slightly as he drew attention back to himself and Lance, "at least I have enough parts to rebuild his leg."

Keith nodded. "What are we going to do about Sendak?"

"We'll figure it out." Shiro promised. "Pidge is going to try and track them. Does anyone know who it was he came with?"

"No." Keith said quietly. "I've never seen him before."

Coran was at the medical room waiting, he had already set up two pods.

"What about Lance's leg?" Keith winced.

"We will just have to be here to catch him when he wakes." Coran said gently. "You just focus on getting better yourself, let us worry about Lance, okay?"

Keith nodded. He could work with that.

So he stepped inside the pod letting it take him under.