Chill (Klance Warmth series Book 2 of +4)

7: A-maze-ing Temerity

He could hear the steady thrum of power through the tunnel walls. Even with his armor on, the embedded crystals glowing the soft turquoise he'd come to find soothing, he could feel the subtle vibrations as the Castle's power increased. Something was happening. Whatever it was, it couldn't be good.

But was it worth the risk of asking for help? What if it got worse? What if 'worse' was actually too late? What if 'worse' wasn't too late and he ended up giving away his position in the Castle? Right now, he had the element of surprise on his side. If he asked for help, he would very likely lose that secret weapon.

So again, was it worth the risk?

Shit. Yeah, it was.

"Shiro," he said softly into his communicator. "Keith. Can you hear me? A-"

"Pidge!" came Keith's startled reply. "Frell! Is that you?"

"Pidge," Shiro said. "Where are you?"

"I'm inside the Castle," Pidge said. "Where are you guys? You were supposed to be with Lance."

There was a faint keening sound over the communicator that Pidge vaguely recognized as Keith. That's right. Keith and Lance were mates. Pidge would bet money Keith wasn't handling the situation very well.

"We're outside," Shiro said. "The Galra attacked the Arusian village."

"It was a trap, wasn't it?" Pidge grumbled.

"Yeah," Shiro said, sounding vaguely put out. "We can't get back in. The Galra have infiltrated the Castle. They raised the particle barrier."

"They did more than that," Pidge said, glancing at Rover hovering loyally by his shoulder. "They got Lance." Keith's keening came through Pidge's speaker again and he winced. "I take it Keith's not doing too well right now."

"None of us are," came Allura's voice morosely.

"Al-" Nope. Can't use her name. If the Galra could hear this transmission, then it was best to use a cover name. Shit. Oh well. Hopefully Shiro would catch on. "Katie!" Pidge said. "Are you with Shiro and Keith?"

"Katie?"  the princess repeated in confusion.

"Yes she is!" Shiro said over Allura. Pidge let out a huge breath in relief. "We're all here. Looks like you're the only one inside."

"R-right," Allura said. "We're hiding out right now. From the sound of it, the Galra are trying to launch the Castle."

"Is that what they're doing?" Pidge asked. "I wasn't sure."

"Listen, Pidge," Allura said. "If they are planning to take off, then we have to stop them before they finish powering up the primary turbine. I need you to get down to the main engine room and disconnect the primary the turbine from the crystal chamber. If you do that, then it'll force the Galra to reset to system by hand. That should buy us some time to figure out a way back in and fix this situation."

"Gotcha. I'm in an air vent right now," Pidge said, glancing at his surroundings. "I'm not 100% familiar with the vent tunnels."

"That's fine," Allura said. "Lance and I used to play in them. I know them better than he does. I can guide you. How did you get to where you are right now?"

"I got in from the vent in the hallway between the lounge and the emergency stairs by the lift to the pod hangar bay," Pidge said.

"Was the vent closer to the lift or closer to the lounge?"