Chap 5

Keith was exhilarated.

This is the closest he had been to flying sense he was taken. It wasn't exactly the same, not only because he now couldn't see, but flying Red had never been the same as flying a ship. It was like someone else in charge. But he still felt the same excitement, the same thrill he did when he piloted.

So as he flew toward the battle, he grinned widely. He could hear Shiro's questioning voice over the comms, and all he responded with was "I can see!"

Maybe not the best choice of words considering, but Keith wasn't really thinking as he said them. It wasn't like he could see, see. It was more like he could sense what was around him, like he could feel what Red felt.

The others did not follow that same train of thought, though, because now even more confused voices came through the comms. "Not see, see." he explained as he reached the other paladins, still grinning. Shiro quickly understood that Keith had connected with Red, and soon enough the others did too.

Then, for the first time in three weeks, they formed Voltron.

It felt so good to finally feel like he could do something. He had spent the last few days doing nothing but walking around and learning braille. Which was harder than it looked. Seemed. Whatever. But now? Now he was fighting, helping. And forming voltron was as exhilarating as ever, especially after weeks not being able to.

It seemed that his teammates felt the same, Keith noticed, as he heard whoops and cheers over the comms.

"Yeah!" Lance shouted, as thrilled as Keith.

"Ohh, that was amazing," Hunk sighed. Murmurs of agreement again over the comms were clearly heard, and all of team voltron felt determined and trilled as ever.

"Alright team, let's take these Galra out!" Shiro shouted, and was quickly responded by several 'Yeah!'s from all of them.

After that, taking down the Galra ships was a landslide. Voltron was huge, nearly impenetrable, and had unlimited weapons. They were practically undefeated when they worked as one. The battle was over in a matter of minutes, one ship completely destroyed and two retreating quickly.

They were just about to deform when another ship came into their line of vision.

"We don't know who they are, do not attack yet!" Shiro said over the comms, ever the confidant leader they all needed. "Keep defences at the ready. Pidge, set up a line and call them. They haven't shown any sign of attacking, so let's see what they want."

Pidge, as always, did so in a matter of seconds, and soon a line was connected. Keith couldn't see who it was, but he could hear him speak.

"Greetings. I am Alrag. Is this the mighty Voltron I have heard of?"

Shiro was always the one who spoke, being the leader. "We are the Paladins of Voltron," he said calmly, giving Keith no indication of if this Alrag was friend or foe.

Over the comms that connected only to the team, he heard Lance speak. "He's a Galra," he whispered as if afraid the stranger would hear their conversation.

Keith could practically hear Pidge's eyes roll. "Yeah, Lance, we can see that." then he heard a sharp intake of breath. "Oh, quiznack, Keith. Sorry-"

Keith smirked, more amused than offended. "It's fine, Pidge. If he's Galra, why isn't he attacking? Is he a member of the Blade?"

"Shh!" Hunk quieted the group, and they listened back into the conversation.

The man- Alrag- spoke. "I am a member of the Blade of Marmora," he said, and Keith heard a 'Keith guessed it,' from Lance. "I heard some radioactivity in this direction and saw signs of battle, and I hoped to come aid against the Galra. It seems as if you handled it, though."

"We have heard of the Blade," Shiro said, still formal. "You have all been a great help in our fight against the Galra."

There was silence, then Along talked again. "If I may, I might have some helpful information for you and your team. Maybe we can be of help to each other."

More silence, Keith now assumed Shiro nodded. "I think that would be great." he said, slightly less formal and more trusting.

Keith had a.. Weird feeling about this. His instincts were almost always on point, and right now, he felt like he couldn't trust this Alrag. Something about him seemed familiar, something in his voice that reminded Keith of something. He had a sick feeling, like the feeling of cold water in his veins, the feeling of fear and pain. He didn't know why, but he couldn't help but feel like Alrag couldn't be trusted. Then a thought rung deep through his head. What if Alrag had something to do with his torture?

Suddenly Keith lost all focus on everything else. What if this man had been one of his kidnappers, one who took away his sight and hearing, one who caused him so much pain? Keith couldn't see him now, and it's not like he got a clear view of this torturers' faces. None of the soldiers talked much either. Keith could feel himself panicking, suddenly lightheaded as he took quick and short breaths, feeling like he couldn't get air and desperate for it. He gripped onto Red's controls, trying to stop himself from going into a full blown panic attack.

"Keith?" Lance's voice broke through his thoughts. "Keith, are you okay?"

"I-" he started, voice shaking, still trying to get some air. "I- I think I'm about to have a panic attack." Or maybe he was already. He couldn't tell. He started feeling like he was back there, back on the Galra ship. Feeling hurt and pain and not knowing what was happening next. Images flashed through his head, memories flooding and replaying like a broken record. He felt like he was plunged in ice, and he couldn't breathe.

"Keith!" He could hear the other's distantly shout, and he could feel Red moving, taking control. Soon, they had landed and Keith assumed they had returned to the Castle. He could feel himself start to relax at the familiar movement of Red as she made it to the hanger, and he started getting control of his breathing. Only seconds later, he could hear his teammates enter Red.

"Keith? Are you okay? What happened?" Hearing Shiro's voice and feeling his hand touch Keith's shoulder, he relaxed almost completely.

"I'm not sure." He said slowly, still shaking a little bit. "Something about Alrag-" he stopped, not sure how to explain. Now that he was thinking reasonably, he realized it was pretty unlikely Alrag was one of his torturer's. It was more likely that because Alrag was a Galra, it just freaked him out. "I- i was probably thinking unreasonably, but-"

Shiro seemed to understand before he even said anything. "Seeing- well, being in the presence of- a Galra just days after being tortured by them made you panic, yeah?"

Keith nodded, glad he didn't have to say it out loud. The others in the room hadn't said anything yet, for which he was glad because if they had all come in talking, it might have overwhelmed him. Now, though, he was just glad they were there.

Only a few minutes later he and the team were waiting for Alrag, all tensely standing by the hanger door.

"Keith, are you sure your okay? You don't have to-" Lance tried to say, but Keith interrupted him.

"I'm fine." he said, now trying to keep a little of his dignity. Keith was kind of embarrassed. He was literally about to have a panic attack just because there was a Galra there. Luckily, the team didn't seem to want to make fun of him for it. He didn't really think they would, but it was still embarrassing.

But when he heard Alrag walk in, he tensed up. He could feel someone's arm- probably Shiro's- grip his own, helping keep him relaxed. He didn't pay attention to the conversation, he was just trying to keep his breathing steady. This really sucked. Who knew panic attacks were racist.

It wasn't too long before he could hear Alrag and some of the team leave the room. He turned in the direction of Shiro, whose arm was still on his. "What did he say? I kind of wasn't paying attention.." he trailed off, trying to make it seem like it was no big deal.

Shiro sighed. "He says he wants to help us out and join the mission."

Keith nodded, assuming it was something along those lines. "Okay, well, the Blade are already on our side, so nothing new, right?" Good thing they were on their side but not directly working with them. Keith definitely wasn't ready for that, even if he pretended it was fine.

"Not quite.." Shiro said, and Keith frowned. "He is going to stay on the Castle, and help us directly. He thinks he'll be more of help that way."

"And.. you said yes?"

"We decided it would be a good idea for more backup, so we agreed. But Keith, if you're not-"

"No," Keith said, shaking his head. "You're right, it would be smart to have backup, and he probably has a lot of information for us anyway. It's fine."

It wasn't fine.

He couldn't say that though, Shiro and the others would probably just think he did because of his kidnapping. But he still didn't fully trust Alrag, even though it was probably crazy. But he felt like there was something wrong with the whole situation, and not just because Keith had been tortured by the Galra. No, his instincts were telling him something was off, and he was going to find out what.

A few hours later, Keith was looking around the Castle to look for Shiro again. After the conversation in the hanger, Keith needed a break. He also needed to re-wrap his wound from when he grabbed the knife, it had opened up during the battle. It took a while to find the bandages, and by then Hunk had found him and helped him.

After that, he tried to teach himself how to maneuver around the castle, figuring he probably needed to learn. As he got more comfortable with that, he remembered his fears from earlier that day. Not the almost panic attack, but the hidden fears of how the blindness is affecting him. That he couldn't remember what his friends looked like, that he wouldn't be able to fly ever again.

And pretty soon after that, he came up with a sort of solution. To the first one, at least. It might not even work, but it might be worth a try.

The only thing was, it might be kind of awkward. So that was why he was now looking around for Shiro. Allura saw him and told him he was in the training room. Keith was now at least a little more comfortable going around the castle. Soon enough, he made it to the right room.

"Um, Shiro?" Keith called out. "Where-"

"Hey, Keith," Shiro spoke, and Keith turned and tried to walk in that direction. "What's up?"

Distantly, he heard Shiro ending his training sequence and walk towards him. When Keith said nothing, Shiro asked again. "Keith?"

Finally, he spoke. "I, uh, wanted to ask you something."

Shiro waited a couple for a couple seconds before saying "What is it?"

Keith hesitated. "I can't," he sighed, dropping his head. "I can't….remember what all of you look like. Not completely, anyway. It's been too long since i've seen your faces, so when i try to imagine you, it- it's fuzzy and unclear. I-" he rambled, "I'm afraid that one day, I might not even remember at all."

Shiro said nothing. Not in a shocked, angry way, but in a sympathetic way. Keith knew that if he could see his face, it would be full of understanding. That was how Shiro comforted people, he let them do the talking.

So Keith continued. "So, I… I was wondering if I could..'look' at your face."

He could sense Shiro's confusion, so he explained, "I think that if I.. felt your face I might get a clearer image." He felt the heat rising in his face, embarrassed. He still wasn't used to touching people, or visa versa. It sometimes made him uncomfortable too. But since he had been rescued, it was different. Like he needed touch to connect him to the world around him. But that didn't make this less awkward for him. "I mean, if you don't want-"

"Of course, Keith." Shiro walked closer to him. "I understand, and it's fine. You don't have to be embarrassed."

Keith breathed, relieved. "Okay." Of course Shiro would be fine with it, they had known each other for years now. Even though Shiro was seven years older than Keith, he was his closest friend. Before Voltron, he had been his only friend. To Keith, Shiro was his brother.

So he Tentatively raised his hands to where he thought Shiro was, but felt Shiro's hands grab his and pull them a slightly different direction.

Soon, he felt Shiro's face, and he started feeling around it. He started around his nose, clearly feeling his scar. It was thicker than he had remembered, and he wondered what the color looked like again. He moved his hand downward, feeling to the tip of Shiro's nose. It wasn't as long as his own, and it was more round than pointed. Then he felt his cheekbones down to his jawline, then the sharp line to his chin. He had a more square chin than the others, he remembered, and just above the chin were thin lips. He felt upward towards his forehead and then back to the eyes, careful not to touch them directly. His eyes were small and long, revealing his Japanese characteristics.

Keith finished, and dropped his arm by his side. It still wasn't perfectly clear or exact, but he had a better mental image of his closest friend. "Thanks," He said, smiling.

"It's no problem, Keith."

Asked all the others too, Pidge and Hunk first. He figured that they wouldn't be awkward about it, and they weren't. He asked Allura and Coran next, both of them just as fine with it as all the others were. He asked Lance last. Not for any real reason, except Lance would be most likely to tease him for asking. He hadn't though, and Keith now had a clearer memory of what his teammates looked like. He felt better than he had in weeks, he felt like things were finally getting better.

Of course, that didn't last long.

He was going around the Castle again, still needing some practice on moving around. Then he heard Alrag. He had almost forgotten about him, distracted by what else had happened that day. When he heard him, he was about to turn away and go another direction. But then he heard what he was saying.

"The Paladins of Voltron have integrated me into their team, and believed everything I told them. The plan continues to be a success."

When Keith heard that, he stopped walking immediately, and hid where he thought Alrag wouldn't see him. Who was he talking to? What plan?

And then he heard the voice he would be happy to never hear again.

"Good, commander Alrag." Spoke Haggar over some kind of comm. "Lord Zarkon will be very pleased with this news. They continue to suspect nothing?"

"Yes," Alrag said, almost smugly. "They think they are one step ahead, unaware they are many steps behind. They didn't even consider that we let the Paladin of Red be rescued purposefully, that he is only back with them because we want him there."

Keith's stomach dropped. He is only here because they want him to be. That sentence rung around over and over again in his head, his breath quickening. He would've fallen over if he hadn't caught himself on the wall.

His instincts had been right. He knew that there was something about Alrag that felt off. Now he knew that this was a double-cross, that Alrag was sent by Haggar to trap them or kill them or capture them. Whatever it was, it definitely wasn't good. Not only that, but he had thought that he was safe, finally safe after weeks of pain and torture. But he hadn't been safe, he wasn't safe.

He needed to find Shiro, or anyone and warn them. As soon as he did, Alrag would be screwed and he knew it, because no one can stop team voltron. He took a deep breath, and felt the wall to get up as quickly as he could.

But someone grabbed his arm shoulder so hard it pulled him back.

"Where do you think you're going?: Alrag's voice rang through Keith's ears, sending chills down his spine. He tried to pull free, but that only succeeded in Alrag gripping him harder, and slamming him against the wall. Keith grunted in pain, dropping his head.

"I asked you a question, boy." The Galra general growled menacingly. "What did you hear?" Keith pressed his lips together, not saying anything in response.

If he could see, he would've seen Alrag sneer down at him. "You will not say a word."

Keith lifted his head, as if looking at him in defiance. "Why wouldn't?" He knew he hit a nerve. No matter what this Galra did to him, he would find his team and warn them, and then they would stop Alrag and Haggar, and then this whole thing would finally be over. For real this time.

And if Alrag killed him, it'd be pretty obvious to the team. Keith smirked. Even Lance would be able to tell it was the only other person on the ship that wasn't on team Voltron.

Alrag;s growl deepened. "Because if you do, I will kill all of them."

Keith glared. "How are you supposed to do that? It'd be 7 against one, not to mention we have the Lions of Voltron on our side." Alrag could threaten him all he want, but Keith knew he had him cornered.

But then Alrag chuckled, a deep, rumbling sound that almost made Keith's heart stop. "You always were defiant. Too confident in yourself and your team."

Keith frowned. What?

"Isee you don't remember be, Paladin." Now Keith was a little confused. What was the Galra general talking about?

"I've tortured many people. Killers, innocents, prisoners of war. But I must say, you were the most fun to break." Alrag spoke darkly, and his words made Keith stop breathing.

His instincts had been right from the beginning. Alrag had been one of the people who tortured him. One of the people to take his sight away.

Keith took in a ragged, shaky breath. He couldn't say anything, he was too focused on trying to calm himself down. He needed to calm down. Breath, the told himself.

But then Alrag spoke again. "It took a while, too. But everyone breaks eventually, even you." His tone was smug and proud. Then, it was back to a threatening growl. "So don't even think that I couldn't kill you or your friends anytime I wanted. In fact, I already put precautions in place. Would you risk it? Would you put your friends life's in danger, even with good reason?"

Keith said nothing, his breath quickening. Suddenly it felt like earlier that day, when he had been on the verge of a panic attack.

Voice shaking, he asked "w-what precautions?"

Alrag laughed again. "Do you think I Would tell you? That would just take the fun out of it."

Keith swallowed and tried to regain his breath, but he couldn't stop shaking. Then he lifted his head in Alrag's direction again with a new surge of confidence, because one thing he had said didn't make sense. "Why don't you just kill us now? You said you could kill us whenever you wanted. Why not get rid of all of Voltron? Isn't that what you want?"

"You Paladins think the universe revolves around you. Our plan is bigger than just Voltron."

"So you need us alive?" He asked. If the Galra needed Voltron alive, then Alrag couldn't just kill them. Right?

"No. You being alive just makes the plan easier. Don't think I won't kill them, Paladin. Give the slightest hint of speaking a single word, and I will kill them all."

A/N sorry i totally forgot to post yesterday... i also probably wont be able to post next tuesday because i am super busy with this school trip thing. Please let me know if you liked it