We are the Warriors ~ Voltron Next Gen (Book 1)

Quick Question: HOW THE QUIZNACK DO WE FORM VOLTRON?!?!

The Lions blasted their way out of the giant cruiser. Fighters started launching, and Kendall muttered, "Here comes the parade."

"Let's split up guys!" I ordered, "Thin out the fighters!" We started blasting apart fighters as the cruisers joined in by firing their laser cannons at us.

"Oh, that's a lot of fighters!" Karter shouted as his lion blasted away two more, "Sky, should we stay or run?!"

"We could hide out on Vazerix again," Alyssa said.

"NO!" all of the adults except for my Dad, Aunt Jessie and Aunt Romelle yelled at once, "DO NOT GO TO VAZERIX!"

"Ok, geez," Alyssa said as her lion swerved to avoid a laser.

"Wait, what's Vazerix?" Dad interjected, "And when did we go there?"

"Oh, you wouldn't know Honey, that was when you were dead," Mom told him, "And we almost died too thanks to Keith."

Uncle Keith, who was in Kendall's lion, groaned, "You're never gonna let that go, are you?"

"Wait, Dad died?!" I asked in bewilderment.

"Long story," Mom and Dad said at the same time.

I looked around at the cruisers closed in on us and launched yet more fighters. "Either way, I don't think these guys are set on letting us go!"

"Guess we gotta take out as many as we can then and try to slip past!" Kendall said. The Aqua Lion sliced through a line of fighters with its claws. 

"Sounds good to me," I said, "Shay, you and I have gotta go for the laser cannons cause our lions are strongest. Alyssa and Karter, draw their fire while Max and Kendall take out the reinforcements!"

Everyone shouted back their affirmative answers and raced off to do their assignments. 

The Yellow Lion rammed into the side of a cruiser, crushing one of its cannons as my Lion blasted away the power generators.

"On your left!" Dad shouted as I jerked Black's controls, "And get that Ion cannon!"

Mom smacked his arm. "Takashi! Quit back seat piloting her!"

"Yeah, Dad," I chimed in, "No one likes a back seat pilot!" I had Black crush a fighter in her jaws, then throw it into another one of the ships' cannons. 

I almost laughed cause Mom used Dad's first name. She's the only person in the universe who calls him by his first name, and only on occasion. Mostly it's when she's getting to the end of her rope or being serious with him.

"I'm just trying to help!" Dad said.

"You can help by not back seat Lion driving your daughter," Mom told him sternly.

"Mom! Dad!" I shouted, "You can both help by not arguing like an old married couple!"

"Alright, sorry," they both apologized, and I turned my attention back to the fight. 

Max was being chased by three fighters. Black blasted away two of them, then Max got the third. He thanked me and we ran to help Kendall, who was taking down the cruiser that still had the Atlas trapped in a tractor beam.

Once the huge ship was free, its shields went up and started returning fire at the cruisers. 

We all heard a very familiar Altean whooping with delight, "CORRAN ATTACK! ITS BEEN 15 YEARS SINCE I'VE HAD THIS MUCH FUN!"

Dad laughed, and Mom chuckled, "Classic Corran."

"Uh, guys," Alyssa said, "A little help!" The medium-sized cruiser had her caught in a tractor beam.

"I've got her!" Shay shouted, and the Yellow Lion headbutted the Blue Lion out of the tractor beam's grasp.

We were actually doing pretty good, but it was still no use. The Shift's weren't ready to give up, and apparently had their hearts set on catching us.

My Lion got hit with an Ion Cannon, and Black shook so hard I almost got thrown out of my seat.

"Guys, how are we gonna get out of here?" Karter asked as Red blasted down four more fighters.

"Uhhhh........" I wasn't sure what to do. I was actually pretty confused. If Voltron was supposed to be the most powerful weapon in the universe, then how come we were getting our butts kicked by just a few cruisers? "I don't know. These six lions are supposed to be the most powerful weapon in the universe."

"Oh, yeah!" exclaimed Uncle Lance, "You have to Form Voltron, it's not very powerful when it's split up."

"Huh?" All my friends and I said in unison.

"Your Lions can rearrange themselves to form a huge robot guy with lasers, a shield, and this wicked cool sword!"

I could almost hear crickets chirping over the laser blasts and explosions behind us. 

Aunt Allura groaned, and I could hear her smack her forehead. "Lance that was a terrible explanation, you just confused them more."

"I'll explain Lance," Mom told him with a sigh, "Listen kids, if you focus hard enough, the Lions can combine together and make a bigger, stronger weapon. The Yellow and Blue lions make the legs, Red and Green the arms, Aqua make the wings and shoulders, then Black forms the head. But it won't work unless you focus on forming Voltron, and nothing else."

I said, "Ok, but how we supposed to do that? We're just a bunch of kids who don't know what they're doing." 

"Yes, you do," Dad said, "You were born to lead Voltron Sky. And Your friends were born to form Voltron with you. We've known since you were just babies."

I asked, "How do you know-" I was cut off as our lions were scooped up by a tractor beam. I fired up Black's boosters, and so did everyone else's Lions, but they were completely useless.

My whole world shook, my friends were shouting in distress, the Atlas was having its own problems, I had no idea what to do. 

Then the craziest thing happened. I felt the same energy that had lead me to Black on Arus and that I had felt when I first entered my lion's cockpit, but stronger and fiercer. There was a low growl from Black, and felt braver than I ever had in the last five days. 

I felt Black starting to move, rearrange herself as the world around me fell silent. There was nothing but me, Black, and the bond of confidence, loyalty, and leadership between us.

I took a deep breath and adjusted my grip on Black's controls. "Come on, guys!" I shouted to my friends, "We can do this!" 

Then the world fell silent again, and I relaxed. The shaking had stopped, and I didn't even have to look to know that we were no longer caught in the tractor beam.