halo 'n horns [klance au]

20. Allies & Enemies pt.2

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Keith

3 guns, all trained on me.

1 dangerous older brother.

1 incapacitated angel, unconscious across the room.

1 hidden angel behind the door.

2 more dangerous generals somewhere else in the building.

I guess this would be a good time to say that the odds weren't in my favor. I had four options.

1) Try shooting both of the generals and Lotor before they can fire back.

2) Beg for my life and grovel.

3) Pretend to pass out and see what happens.

4) Don't move and have a weird standoff with Lotor until he makes a move and I most likely die.

None of which were favorable. However, before I had time to decide, I saw movement in my periphery. I didn't hesitate to pull my trigger. As I did, I watched, as if in slow motion, as two other darts passed dangerously close to me from behind, striking the two generals in their chests. My own dart hit Lotor in the exact center of his ribs, and he stumbled backward, caught off guard.

The two women started firing at me desperately, but the sedative had already taken hold of them, so their movements were predictable and easy to dodge. A normal dart would take at least 5 minutes to start kicking in, but Pidge had gotten all nerdy on the way to the building, explaining how the extensive research used into keeping the SAL nonlethal had brought the Legion into an age of the fastest reacting tranquilizers ever known. Of course, the weapons were never shared with the public, but it was the best, non-lethal alternative that Missus allowed.

The two generals' eyes closed quickly as the sedative worked into their systems and, thankfully, Lotor slowed too, looking increasingly aggravated and angry as his body didn't respond. For a second, I felt bad for him but then realized that this was a good thing. This was the mission. Carefully, I crouched beside where he lay, struggling to keep his eyes open as he fought sleep.

"I'm not sorry, big brother," I told him quietly, "Best of luck to you."

Lotor's eyes fluttered shut. Straightening, I turned back to see who had come to my rescue. Pidge, who I'd expected, but another woman as well. She looked to be in her early twenties and had a graceful beauty about her. She had dark, indigo hair that was cut above her shoulders and was carrying one of the SAL's tranquilizer guns. Behind her stood Rover, who looked a little baffled at having his weapon taken by a complete stranger, just for her to use it against her supposed former allies.

"Sorry, who are you?" I asked, stepping back towards the woman and Pidge.

"Acxa. I'm one of Lotor's generals." Acxa looked over my shoulder to Lotor, who lay peacefully on the carpeted floor. "I'd been wanting to do that for a while," she sighed, a hint of relief washing over her features. "Ever since he sent Narti away, I knew that the whole operation was just a trick to lure you in. I didn't want to be a part of that."

Pidge raised an eyebrow. "Narti?"

Acxa nodded, handing Rover back his tranquilizer. "Yes. She was the fourth general." She pointed at the muscled woman who had the shotgun, "That's Zethrid," and then at the slim woman with the pink hair, "and Ezor." Acxa looked away. "We're like sisters. But when Lotor got suspicious of Narti and sent her away, something broke between the two of us. I've been meaning to get out of here since."

I looked at the two unconscious generals with pity. They'd just been doing what was asked of them. Unfortunately, their commander seemed to be a sack of shit- I didn't blame Acxa for wanting to get out of the situation.

"Was it true?" I asked Acxa, referring to the whole brother thing.

She nodded gravely. "Yes. Lotor was your father's first son. But, somehow, he gained an unhealthy amount of greed as he grew up, so your father disowned him. When the Twins came to the Midworld, Lotor was able to corrupt them and turn them against their guides. That caused a rift between the Upper- and Underworlds, which Lotor figured would weaken your father. He didn't anticipate your arrival as well, though.

"It was foolish of you to be naive of the power of your enemies," I looked away, embarrassed, "but you didn't know any better, so it wasn't your fault. I suggest that you have a serious talk with your father once you get home. Until he can come to collect Lotor," Acxa lightly kicked Lotor's foot with the toe of her boot, "I can keep him secured here. Don't take too long, though, it's not going to be easy to babysit him."

I nodded solemnly. "Thank you, Acxa, really. This... is a lot to take in, but I'm glad I know. It feels nice to have another ally."

Acxa nodded once.

Speaking of angels... I turned towards Lance, striding across the room to where he lay, slouched against the wall. Sinking to my knees beside him, I untied the blindfold and the gag from behind his head, wincing at the sizable bruise forming on his jaw. Lance's eyelashes fluttered gently and slowly, he opened his eyes.

"Hey, are you okay?" I asked him quietly.

"Ha..." he laughed weakly, then smiled faintly, "We are a good team." Seconds later, his eyes closed again and he began snoring lightly. Rolling my eyes, I reluctantly scooped him up in my arms, unsure of how I felt about how close he was to me.

Getting used to his weight, I walked slowly across the room to where Pidge and Rover stood, talking quietly to Acxa. Rover nodded to me as I approached them. "We gotta go," he informed me, "The CCTVs are going to start working again soon, and Acxa is still the only ally we have in this place. Let's go."

I thanked Acxa one last time before following Rover and Pidge out and down the hallway, taking the elevator down to ground level and exiting the building as quietly as we could. Just as we were pulling out of the parking lot, the alarms began to blare. Rover slammed on the gas, and we left the Zarkon corporation with the sound of screeching tires and loud alarms.

While Rover and Pidge had taken the front seat, I stayed in back with Lance, who was sleeping peacefully, his head in my lap. Over and over, I heard his voice in my head, his kind eyes searching mine, the tired smile on his lips.

We are a good team.

...

hey guyyyys.

wow, four updates in one weekend. what a historical moment lolol. I guess I was just in a writing mood this weekend, which is lucky for you guys. I'm not sure when i'll be able to update again, I'm afraid- I have a busy week and weekend approaching, but I'll try my best to get something out next sunday. 

anyways, I hope you guys are doing well <33 you don't know how much your comments brighten my days :)

(also, the music was the same from both parts bc 1) I think it fits the mood well and 2) it's from one of my fav netflix shows, devilman crybaby. it's pretty(very) gory and dark, but a really good show if you're not bothered by that)

qotd: you're stranded on a desert island. what three things do you bring?

have a super good week guys! love you!