The Galra Boy [discontinued?]

Alfa-532: Part I

TRIGGER WARNING: This chapter contains gore.

It was a simple mission. Dangerous, possibly deadly, but simple. All Keith had to do was get into a prison, hack into the computer, search the database for Commander Tian's cell, and break her out. If it had been Krolia's choice, he wouldn't have been allowed to go on another mission for the next ten deca-phoebs, but the higher-ups had graciously given him a chance to redeem himself from the epic failure that was his last mission.

The prison was part of Alfa-532, a facility on an asteroid belt. Keith hid his cruiser behind a small asteroid nearby, climbed out, and waited. Then, a small supply ship approached. As it passed his cruiser, he used his rocket boots to bolt to its side, and, activating magnets in the gloves and boots of his suit, stuck to the metal exterior. He crawled up to the top of the ship and laid low. The ship parked itself in a back docking room, and some robots exited a side door and began unloading cargo. Keith slipped down the opposite side and hid behind some boxes. He watched for when their backs were turned, and sneaked in.

He had done his homework for this mission; he knew where every security camera was, and where their blind spots were. The back entrance he had chosen had little security, making it the easiest part. The slightly harder part was climbing up into the air vents and crawling to the security room through the claustrophobic tunnels. Keith didn't have a fear of small spaces; he liked them, in fact. What he didn't like was crawling on his hands and knees on hard metal, scooting his way up vertical passageways, falling down vertical passageways, all the while resisting chilling drafts that blasted through the tunnels.

Eventually, though, he made it to the security room. He silently removed the duct from the vent and climbed down to the floor in a cat-like manner. Stealthily, he approached the security guard from behind and pinched a pressure point on his neck.

The moment Keith touched him, though, a chill ran down his spine. The security guard was cold and hard, like his body had turned to ice, and Keith's touch seemed to have no effect on him. In fact, there seemed to be no reaction at all to Keith's presence. The guard sat eerily still. Keith removed his hand with a jolt and pulled out his blade. Still, there was no movement from the guard.

"What the-?" Keith murmured to himself, though, a part of him already knew.

He put a hand on the back of the chair and turned it around.

The guard's body sat still and stiff, his lifeless eyes still slightly open. A huge hole in his chest indicated that the cause of death was a laser gun.

"GAGH!" Keith jumped back from the sight as dread and disgust seeped through his veins. What the hell was going on? He looked at the computer screen to see the security footage. The black and white feed showed empty halls and flickering lights. Looking closer, though, Keith noticed someone lying on the ground. Another corpse. He noticed another, then two more, until all he could see was dead bodies scattered throughout the building. It suddenly dawned on him; everyone in this facility was dead.

Alfa-532 had been completely abandoned.

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Lance sat in his room, eyes fixated on his TV, game controller in hand. Ever since Keith had left, there was this persistent feeling of depression that wouldn't leave him alone. Most of the time, he managed it by focusing on his missions, but today, there was nothing to do. The only thing he could think of to fill the void was video games.

A gentle knock came from his door.

"Yeah?" he responded.

"Lance?" Pidge's voice came from the other side of the door. "You wanna hang out with Hunk and me? We were going to go to the swap moon, look at some stuff, try stuff on, get lunch, you know?"

"Uh-huh," Lance answered.

"You... wanna come?" Pidge asked.

Lance hesitated. It really did sound like fun, and he wanted to be with his friends, but he just felt so heavy. If it wasn't to save the galaxy, he didn't really have much motivation to leave his room.

"Sorry... maybe later." he said. He heard a sigh.

"Alright, later..." Pidge's voice sounded a little sad. Lance listened to the sound of her footsteps getting more distant, and sighed.

"Later..." he echoed.

Just then, a beeping sound came from his helmet.

"Huh?" he paused his game and pressed the answer button.

"Hello?" he said into the microphone.

"Lance!" a shaking voice answered. A jolt of energy went through Lance.

"Keith!" he shouted.

"Lance- I- I need you- there's... There's something really wrong here- everyone's dead and-" Keith's voice was quiet and shaking.

"Woah, hey, slow down. Are you in danger?"

"I- I don't know, I might be? I just- I need-" his breathing was fast and uneven.

"Okay, okay, where are you?"

"Facility.... Facility Alfa-532."

"Alright, just sit tight, I'm coming."

Within seconds, Lance's armor was on and he was darting down the hall. Pidge heard him coming up behind her, and turned in surprise.

"Lance? What's going on?" She asked.

"Change of plans! Keith needs me!" Lance shouted as he zipped past her.

Pidge shook her head. "What's his gay ass getting into this time?" she asked herself.

Lance ran to Blue, who, sensing his energy, sparked to life as he approached her. Soon, they were out of the castle and racing to Alfa-532.

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A.N.: SpOoOoOoOkY! I'm so glad to finally have some of my writing mojo back! I won't give spoilers, but you better get ready for some klangst! Thank you to all of everyone who waited through my rough patch, you rock!