Chapter Eight
Then the ro-beasts started to come.
"I've got three ro-beasts heading in our direction," she said.
Her hands stilled for a moment when she felt a twinge in her gut, but she pushed it aside and concentrated on the task at hand. In the Blue, Ethan rubbed at the back of his neck, feeling his hair suddenly stand on end. It felt like something was dancing across his skin and he rubbed at his arms.
"Three," Jack said. "They're getting desperate. Form up."
The five Lions began their climb.
"Activate interlocks…dynatherms connected…infracells up…megathrusters are go…" Jack said.
"Form feet and legs," Ethan and Matt said in unison.
"Form arms and torso." Bethie and Jordan.
"And I'll form the head," Jack said, his smile ruthless. "Go Voltron Force."
The first ro-beast reached them in the blink of an eye. A cyclops with powerful arms and fangs dripping with poison, it threw itself at the giant robot. Voltron held him at bay, the Red and Green Lion each taking a hold of its arms.
"Eyebeams."
The twin lasers made contact with the ro-beast's collarbone but it did not stop its forward motion, merely opening its terrible mouth and displaying three layers of sharp, pointed teeth for the Voltron Force to see. Green Lion came up to grip its neck, keeping it from burying its fangs in Voltron's hull. The robot's joints groaned from the pressure as the ro-beast thrashed in its grasp.
"Red Lion, I want to see some Lion torches," Jack called out.
Fire blew out the Red Lion's mouth and onto the ro-beast's captured arm. It immediately recoiled and the Red turned its attention to the ro-beast's face. Its scream vibrated in their cockpits.
"Second ro-beast coming in fast at six o'clock," Matt said, voice tense.
"Lion whip!"
A long golden whip appeared in the Green Lion's mouth and as the Red continued to breathe fire at the first ro-beast, the second found a coil around its neck getting tighter by the second. One quick pull had its head flying off before it could even touch Voltron.
"Form blazing sword!"
"Jack, third ro-beast is up ahead and he's not all happy with what you did with his pal," Matt said.
"Fire missiles. We'll need a second here," Jack said tightly.
Blinded and burned, the first ro-beast was no match for the sword and Voltron surged forward, sword piercing it right through its torso. But Voltron kept right on going, ripping through the ro-beast in a spectacular explosion, charging the last one at full speed.
"That one is much uglier than the others," Bethie muttered.
With narrowed eyes on either side of a wide oval head, the last ro-beast's head resembled a frog's...if not for the row of sharply pointed fangs and thick forked tongue that flicked out of its mouth. Wings with razor tipped feathers beat powerfully at its back and with an easy motion, fired an array of them directly at the approaching robot.
Jack sucked in a breath as he banked Voltron sharply to the left, but the Blue Lion took a direct hit, four feathers embedding in its hull.
"I'm alright," Ethan said. "Let's get rid of this thing. The soldiers look like they need help down there."
Before he could even finish talking, the feathers came flying at them again, and some managed to pierce Voltron's torso. Beyond the ro-beast, Jack could see six more coming in their direction.
"Shit," he cried, slamming a fist on the control panel. "We can't handle this. Disengage and do what you can for the soldiers."
"One last hit, Jack," Jordan said, hands on her controls. "Just one last hit."
Eyes narrowed, Jack steered Voltron beneath more flying feathers, Blazing Sword held out in front of him in a one-handed grip as a whirlwind came out of Green Lion's opened mouth, blowing the feathers back to where they came. The ro-beast was caught off guard and was stabbed by its own feathers and before it could react, Voltron's sword sliced its torso in half.
"Nice work, Jordan," Jack said. "Disengage, team. Let's save some lives down there."
But the Arusians' leader was not about to go down in history as having been defeated by volume.
Lance crouched near the front of the lines as the people behind him dug a trench. He had a grenade in one hand and a rifle in the other, his sharp eyes targeting one robot after the other. Next to him Pidge was lying on his stomach, dirt and blood smudged on his uniform as he pictured the robots' internal system. One bullet took his quarry down.
"Lance," Gwen's voice was garbled in his ear piece. "We're getting overrun. They're almost at our trenches."
Gwen and Archent were posted several meters to his left, but Lance could not seem them over the smoke and sparks floating in the air. He looked out over his own approaching enemy, jaw set.
"Where are the damn Lions?" he asked for anyone to answer.
"Engaging ro-beasts," Archent answered. "But it looks like they're on their way now."
Lance spared a moment to look up in the sky just in time to see the Black swoop down above his head and mow down a succession of robots.
"Ro-beasts are coming," Jack said, coming back on the radio frequency. "How close are you to the next base entrance?"
"Fifty meters," Lance answered.
"Get there, Dad. We won't be able to cover you for much longer."
There was no other way about it.
"GET THERE," Lance yelled for his soldiers.
As one, they streamed out of their trenches, guns firing as they charged the robots. He passed close enough to one of them to drop his grenade into an exhaust port, smiling madly when he felt the explosion on the back of his neck. His finger squeezed the trigger of its own accord even as his free hand was reaching for another grenade. Lance did not feel the burning of his lungs or the ache in his muscles as he ran the final few meters to the entrance. Nor did he feel the laser slice neatly through his calf, but Pidge grabbed him and dragged him the rest of the way. The entrance came up from the ground when Pidge took out the access remote from Lance's pocket and the soldiers ran down the ramp and into the cool air of the base as laser fire continued to be exchanged ahead.
But they were in.
"Dad? Dad? Answer me...Dad?"
Lance winced as he forced himself to stay upright until the last soldier ran past him, one hand on the wall for support.
"We're in, Jack," he said. "Get out of here."
"Are you hurt?"
"It's just a scratch. Get out of here before the ro-beasts catch up with you," Lance said and he looked up even though he could not see the Black. "You did good today, Kid. I'm proud of you."
"Thanks, Dad. Take care."
"You too."
There was the sound of a muted explosion and Lance knew the Lions were gone. Archent came running in and no one was behind him, the entrance disappearing into the ground much the same way it had appeared. The robots didn't follow for the Lions had made sure that none would be left to. Archent stopped when he saw Lance, crouched when he saw the blood pooling at the colonel's feet.
"You're hurt," he said unnecessarily.
"Better wrap me up before I bleed to death," Lance said, sliding down to the floor.
Pidge appeared with his arms full of bandages and Gwen, with a deep gash on her cheek, right at his heels. Around them, soldiers put down their weapons, slumping to the ground in the same way Lance had. There was blood everywhere, but there were also smiles. They had made it. They finally attained a victory.
"One down, five more to go," Lance said right before he passed out.
The five pilots watched and waited for the last Arusian to enter the base. They kept the robots at bay as the base entrance closed and the soldiers were safe once again.
"Let's head home," Jack said.
Suddenly, his computers blared as the Black's sensors picked up a barrage of missiles coming in its direction. He rolled out of the way but the momentum put him directly in front of the winged ro-beast. It flew at him, its wings flinging the sharpened feathers and Jack could only watch as it folded its wings into itself...only to open them up again to reveal a glowing red ball floating between its hands.
"JACK!" Bethie screamed. "Cover him!"
The other four Lions gave all they had but the ro-beast did not pay them any heed, even when it lost half a wing to the assault. With a blast of speed, Jack tried to outrun the ro-beast, but it stayed on his tail and it flung the glowing red ball directly at him. The ball hit the Black's back full-on, directly above Jack's head and he was thrown forward against his restraints, smacking his forehead directly onto the control panel, breaking the skin. The gash bled freely even as more blood trickled from his nose and he had the distinct impression that he had broken it again.
He didn't have his helmet on.
His vision began to gray in the edges but he held on to consciousness long enough to push the Black as fast it would go. He could hear the voices of the rest of the team as they hurried after him, but he could not focus enough to comprehend what they were saying. Landing the Black roughly on the sand, Jack lurched up from his seat and got out of the Lion. All he could think was that the Lotorians were going to find them now because he did not have the strength to take the Black out into space and then come back.
"Jack?"
Olivia had been waiting, having gotten the distress signal from Bethie that Jack was in trouble. She came out of the cavern, her feet sinking in the sand as she ran to him.
He lifted his head to look at her, but could not focus his eyes. Falling to his knees, he pitched forward and fell face first into the sand.
