Criminal

Chapter 19

Keith hit Sendak like a cannonball, kicking and punching. Sendak barely seemed to notice him, completely intent on strangling Shiro.

No, no, no!

Keith had barely managed to reach the taser in time. He'd been on the verge of passing out when his foot had found the taser, and he'd kicked it as hard as he could into Shiro's feet. The shock had jolted him enough that he'd dropped Keith, and Keith had managed to grab the taser and zap him.

They'd come up with the plan to make it look like Shiro was still under the mind-control and trick Sendak and Zarkon. And it had worked. Mostly. It hadn't gone quite how they'd planned: Keith had thought that Romelle would succeed, and he hadn't thought that Allura would be there—he'd figured she'd get the prisoners to safety.

But now—all of the planning was coming unraveled. Lance had the taser. Sendak didn't seem like he was going to drop Shiro any time soon.

Keith tugged on Sendak's arm as Shiro's face turned blue, but the behemoth man didn't seem to budge an inch. So Keith resorted to dirty fighting.

He bit Sendak's hand.

Hard.

That got his attention.

He dropped Shiro with a howl, turning his full attention on Keith. Keith gulped. Whoops. He sucker-punched Sendak in the stomach, then darted away. On the floor, Shiro coughed and gasped in air, and Sendak turned back towards him.

Keith threw the chair Lance had been tied to at Sendak. "HEY! I think I'm a bigger problem!"

Sendak turned back towards him. "Are you in such a hurry to get hurt?"

Keith ducked as the big man grabbed for him and headbutted him in the stomach. "Yah!" He backed up again. If Sendak hit him, it was game over. He was huge, and a solid punch would probably knock Keith out cold. He'd have to settle for quick punches until Shiro could join back in the fight.

Sendak charged towards him, swinging his right fist. Keith dodged to the left, and Sendak's left fist caught him in the side. Little starbursts of pain shot through his ribs, and he heard a little cracking noise. He skidded to the ground, holding his side.

That was such an easy feint, too.

Sendak came in for another hit, and Keith scrambled backwards until his back hit a wall.

Not good.

He lunged to the side, barely avoiding a vicious kick.

Bigger opponent, what do I do?!

Sendak lunged, and Keith rolled, going right through Sendak's legs and coming out the other side. He grabbed a heavy paperweight off of Zarkon's desk and slammed it into Sendak's head as hard as he could, hard enough to make his fingers hurt. He dropped the paperweight, shaking his hand.

Sendak stumbled back, dazed, his good eye unfocused. Keith backed away, his legs wobbling. He couldn't keep moving like this for much longer.

Shiro seemed to be recovering, his face returning to a normal color. Keith edged away from him, still keeping himself in-between Shiro and Sendak.

"You... rat..." Sendak growled, holding a hand to his head. "I..." He growled, suddenly seeming very gorilla-like.

On the ground, Pidge stirred, looking up in confusion. "Oh," she said simply, "The records—he has AB positive blood." She drooped back down to the floor.

Sendak picked up the desk, which had to weigh at least fifty pounds—it was a solid wooden desk. "I was the first to receive genetic changes," he snarled, "You—can't—defeat me!"