Blood Tied (Galtean Klance)

- SEVENTEEN -

Keith's POV

Keith ducked behind a statue, hiding himself in the shadow of the twisting horns. His ears twitched, honing in on the sound of the passing guard's footsteps. Crouching low, he burst across the lawn and rolled into the laboratory building. He let out a long sigh and leaned against a wall.

Well, Lance? Was it worth it for me to agree to go on this mission?

Keith shook his head.

Concentrate, Keith. Complete the mission. Talking to Lance in your head won't get the job done, and you know he can't answer you. Grab the containers, get out.

Slowly, he stalked down the hallway, counting doors, until he got to the fourth on his right. The sign next to the door read: "Self-generating Power Sources -- Warning! Many substances are volatile, exercise caution when handling. Lab clearance D4 required." The doorknob, however, was plain and without a lock or security card scanner. 

Glancing down the hallway once more, Keith opened the door and stepped into the lab. Glass cases lined the wall, holding glowing canisters. There were four lab tables in the center of the room, placed around a large display dome. A chain of numbers cycled across the screen, faintly lighting the room. Keith scanned the shelves, reading the labels and observing the colours of the glowing substances. 

'Self-generating power sources'... that almost sounds like Voltron or our bayards. What is Melvark planning on doing?

Keith stopped in front of a shelf holding four canisters -- one pink, one yellow, and two blue. The colours glowed and pulsed, resembling a heartbeat. Mesmerized, Keith placed a hand on the glass. An outline around his hand glowed red, and the words "HANDPRINT NOT RECOGNIZED -- LAB CLEARANCE D4 REQUIRED" flashed on the glass. 

Keith cursed under his breath. Holding a hand to the com in his ear, he spoke rapidly. "Slight complications on this end -- we're going to have to speed this up."

"Roger that." A gruff voice came from the com. "Ready at pick-up."

Spinning around, Keith lashed out, breaking the glass with a kick. Red lights flashed, and an alarm blared. Keith grabbed the four containers and shoved them into his bag. He sprinted for the door, and into the hallway. 

"Breach in Lab L7 -- breach in L7!" In the hallway, the alarm was louder, accompanied by a robotic voice spouting commands. Keith cringed, ears flattening in an effort to block the noise. He sped down the hallway, searching for a door that led to the stairs.

After going through the halls twice, Keith could find no sign of any doors indicating the presence of stairs.

"Quiznack," Keith muttered under his breath. "This isn't going to be easy."

Keith skidded to a halt outside of the lab, kicking up the grass. Gritting his teeth, he spun to face the square building. Ignoring the shouts from the guards, he leapt onto the face of the wall, digging his claws in. With a grunt, Keith began to scale the lab wall in leaps and bounds.

Galran blood really comes in handy sometimes.

With one last jump, Keith was on the roof of the building. 

"Package ready for retrieval." He spoke into the com.

The clouds parted as a space ship grew close. A ramp unfolded, leading into the ship's cargo hold. Keith leapt in, leaving behind a small crowd of confused scientists and guards.