The feeling something would inevitably go wrong was something Shiro could not shake.
In the back of his mind, Shiro kept telling himself he only thought what he thought because he was an older brother who fretted over his younger brother's luck so far in making friends. The fact Adam died also plagued his mind, yet he couldn't help thinking Adam would succeed in making sure things would go well even if something did go wrong.
"How are you doing?"
"What?" Shiro startled.
"You've not been in to see me or any of the other grief counselors since your unit died. I've gotten more out of Keith regarding how he feels than I have you."
"I've been worried about Keith."
"Just don't forget Keith worries about you as well."
Shiro attempted smiling at Veronica's comment despite knowing full well he wasn't in a good mood. The sound of an alarm going off made Shiro stiffen slightly. Soon after the garrison made an announcement. "This is not a drill. All cadets must remain in their quarters."
He glanced over at Veronica and saw the look of shock on her face. The patrol they found themselves on quickly became abandoned for checking in on the stay over party. Shiro felt his jaw drop when he saw none of the cadets or their guests were there. "At least Schneider is with them."
The look on Veronica's face said she wasn't sure if that was a good thing either, nor did the thought relieve her anxiety. "Where could they have gone? Actually, I hope they're not the cause of this."
Shiro watched Veronica's face contort in horror. "Oh, please no. My brother would, in fact, be the instigator."
"Are you sure? Because I'm honestly sure that it would be my brother instead."
"Not in the same way."
"We've got to find them." What Shiro said out loud, though, seemed like an impossibility. He found himself taking a deep breath wondering where they should start, yet in the back of his head, he knew they'd be drawn into taking care of whatever incident was going on. The radio crackled alive as if confirming his fears.
"Shiro?"
"Professor Holt?" Shiro swallowed. He didn't want to admit he'd also lost the two Holt children in addition to his and Veronica's family members, plus one significant other of the parties involved.
"Good. You need to head out after the kids."
"Hold on..." Shiro looked at Veronica in confusion. "How do you know the kids have gone missing?"
"I agree with Shiro."
"Oh. Veronica is there as well."
"Professor Holt..."
"Matt contacted us." Mrs. Holt's voice came from the other end.
"Thank goodness."
"Not exactly." Shiro felt relief that Matt was there with the group.
"What do you mean?"
"What my husband means is that Matt contacted us letting us know a certain protocol's been activated."
"What protocol?" Veronica glanced up at Shiro. "This isn't a protocol either one of us know about."
"It's a protocol set in place in case they ever came, but it also involved Keith."
"What do you mean by they and why the hell does it involve Keith?" Shiro felt his throat tighten.
"Get down to the hanger and get a vehicle which will take you out to the desert. Iverson will fill you in when you get there."
The radio crackled off and Shiro looked at Veronica. "You should contact your Aunt."
"That's not going to stop me from going with you."
"I know." Shiro felt betrayed, yet felt the experiments on Keith were more than just simply seeing if he could guess the cards. Iverson looked up at them.
"You two must hurry."
"Why do you have a protocol involving my younger brother set up?"
"It was your father who set this up." Iverson handed Shiro a device. "This will allow you to track their vehicle."
"Why would..."
"The Holt's will contact you and fill you in as you head out there. You must hurry."
"That..." Shiro found himself frustrated with not knowing, but one look at Veronica said she too was frustrated. He got into the vehicle and turned on the engine while Veronica fiddled with the device. After calling her aunt and apprising her of the situation as much as possible she opened up communication with the Holt's as Shiro drove their vehicle out into the desert.
"Professor Holt."
"Did Iverson feel you two in?"
"No, he did not."
Shiro scanned ahead for whatever vehicle Keith and the others took out when his eyes caught sight of what looked like a giant ship. "What is that?"
Veronica leaned forward. "What in the world?"
"Do you see the Castle of Lions yet?"
"Castle of..." Shiro cleared his throat. "What we see isn't a castle. It's a giant spacecraft."
Mrs. Holt came online. "That would be the Galra. You need to get to the location of the Castle of Lions."
"What is the Castle of Lions?" Veronica looked up at the ship. "And what is Galra."
"Galra is an alien race, but the Castle of Lions is the location of Voltron which in turn is the one thing which will stop them."
"Hold on. What?" Shiro swallowed as he looked at the ship which was getting closer to Earth.
"How do you know about all of this? Some form of alien communication.
"It was your father who told us."
"Yes, but what does this have to do with Keith?"
"I don't know the specifics beyond the fact it ties into what you saw in the video."
"What video?"
Shiro swallowed. "Professor Holt was showing Keith cards and he was guessing what they were, but guessing correctly.
"Yes. That video. I don't know the exact details beyond the fact your father knew Keith was key."
"Yeah. But how did he know?"
"That would be your mother." Mrs. Holt piped up. "There were signs your brother inherited her abilities which is why she and your father kept him hidden."
Shiro's eyes opened and closed. "That..."
"She also sent us a message letting us know the Galra were headed towards Earth."
"Wait. Are you actually telling me our mother is an alien?"
"I am presuming that is the case. I, unfortunately, did not meet her before she left Earth."
Shiro shook his head. Everything he thought he knew regarding his parents wasn't true, yet what he was finding out was far from expected. The tracker lead them towards a mountain he remembered taking the hoverbike out to with Keith, yet they always stayed far enough they could simply see the mountain, yet even from the normal distance, Shiro could see something had changed. They drew up closer and saw the vehicle Keith and the others took parked right outside. "What is this?"
"I'm guessing you arrived at the Castle of Lions. I honestly don't know what it is beyond the fact you should enter the place."
Veronica said what Shiro was thinking. "You have got to be kidding me."
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Wings of Home (Voltron: Legendary Defender/One Day at a Time 2017 Crossover)
FanfictionKeith tells Shiro not to get on the flight home, so Shiro instead takes a commercial flight. Upon arriving he learns the plane the rest of his unit were on crashed and there were no survivors, yet he finds himself curious regarding why his younger b...