herdingspacecats | The Champion

The Champion has returned.

He has a mission this time. He isn't merely for sport, fighting for entertainment. He's a soldier now, an assassin, designed to fight and to destroy Voltron. Enhanced further with Galra witchcraft and a hint of quintessence, whatever past the Champion has no longer exists. His life as a human, as a paladin, as a fighter pilot on Earth, it's all gone, replaced by the need to serve and fulfill his existence. He is a weapon and nothing more.

A few well-placed rumors ensure that Voltron will come to him. It's not his plan, of course. The Champion is no general. He is valued for his strength and the appearance that apparently is so tantalizing to Voltron, and nothing more. They will try to trick him, he's told. They will tell him he is one of them, that since he is human he must also be a paladin, but it is a lie. Killing them is his objective.

They are weak when they leave their lions. The Champion waits, watching the paladins foolishly land and exit. How stupid of them. They're defenseless without the Lions, and he knows this fight will go quickly.

He straightens from his hiding place. They come for him, crying out a name that means nothing to him. He does not smile. He does not move.

He waits.

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Good. They did something to me.

[He's just going to keep playing into that innocence. Stupid kid.]

Tell me, then. What happened?

[That's the problem. Lance is too desperate now to help him, that the possibility of being duped isn't even remotely entering his mind.]

[The Champion starts to explain, but is cut off by Keith bursting in the room, looking rather out of breath. Shit, Lance is talking to him!

Keith grabs Lance by the arm, practically dragging him out and away.]

What are you doing?!

Wha--

[He's baffled when Keith is dragging him away, and tries to yank his arm out of his grasp. The other paladin is stronger, though, and he's pulled straight out of the room.]

What do you mean, what am I doing?! I'm trying to figure out what happened to him!

That isn't Shiro!

[He hisses it out, as though he's afraid their Shiro lookalike might hear him.]

He's trying to trick you, don't even talk to him!

What the quiznak do you mean? Of course that's Shiro!

[He doesn't understand. He looks like Shiro, sounds like Shiro... Unless Shiro has a secret evil twin, there's no way it can't be Shiro.]

No, Lance, it's not. Everyone has been running all these scans on his biometrics and shit to figure out what's wrong, and the problem is that isn't Shiro.

[HE's speaking very fast, which is unusual for Keith. He's pretty shaken up by all this.]

I... I don't get it. How could it not be him?

[It isn't sinking in yet. But Keith is definitely off, not that he wouldn't be, considering the situation, but....]

It's...his DNA. It's like it was fabricated. Like it was replicated.

[He pauses a moment.] Lance, this is a Shiro clone.

[What.

Lance just stares at him for a while, baffled. A clone?]

But how... You're really saying that that's just... How is it even...?

Coran says it's always been possible in theory and with the resources the Galra have... I mean, humans have been able to clone before, you know?

Yeah, but... Shiro? They'd really do that?

[The more and more he thinks about it, though, the more and more it makes sense. Not only why the Galra would do it, but why this Shiro has acted the way he has. Lance groans and rubs at his eyes.]

What now, then?

I mean, the Galra had him for ages before Voltron. They could have been working on it before he even escaped, I don't know.

[He watches Lance with some anxiety.] No idea. Does he even know he's a clone?

I don't think so. Honestly, I don't think he knows much of anything except his mission.

[His eyes wander a bit, eventually glancing back at the door they came from.]

Even if he is a clone... Clones are still people.

Uh, people who are trying to kill us! He's as bad as one of them. We should treat him like a prisoner.

But think about it! If all he knows is his mission, then that's not really his fault, is it? He'd be like a kid who never got taught to know any better!

He almost killed us! [Keith is not willing to take this risk. This not-Shiro is painful just to be around, and honestly, he wants nothing more to do with him.]

We should space him and be done with it. He's a danger to us that that's it.

Keith, no. We don't just space people. I won't let you. And as your right hand man, I'm telling you that you're being too hasty about this.

[It isn't as if Lance hasn't killed before; not every enemy he's taken down has been a droid, after all. But there's something more personal about this, even if he's technically only just met the man inside the cell.]

[There Lance goes, invoking that...right hand man thing, which of course makes Keith pause and frown. He has to listen when Lance says that and it's very not fair.

He runs a hand through his hair and sighs.]

...Okay, fine. No spacing, for now. But he's staying in his cell like a prisoner until we figure out what to do with him.

[It is too very fair. The whole point of being in this role is to get Keith to listen, because he's still prone to making too many impulsive decisions. Lance knows that he can grow into a good leader but he's still shaky right now.]

Fine. But I still want to talk to him again soon. Maybe I can find out something from him.

If you're right and all he knows is trying to kill us, I doubt it. [Keith folds his arms over his chest.] I don't want anything to do with him. He's your problem now.

[It hurts too much to deal with.]

I know. ...I'm sorry, Keith. I know this is hard on you. It's hard on all of us, but I know...

[He trails off.]

Shiro's like your big bro. So I understand. I'll take charge of the situation.

[Keith nods tightly and looks away before glancing back at Lance.]

...Thanks. [His voice is softer than usual.] I'll be on the training deck if you need me.

Don't push yourself too hard.

[A pause, and he steps forward, pulling Keith into a hug.]

I mean it, okay? And if you need someone to talk to, my door's always open.

[He stiffens a bit at the hug initially, surprised, but after a moment, he relaxes into it. No one's hugged him but Shiro, and he's surprised to find he misses that contact.]

...Yeah. I uh...thank you.

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the_tailor - 2017-09-21 05:43 (UTC) - Expand