Paladins of the Elements

Chapter 16: Comet Trail and A Second Shiro(?)

The Paladins were on a mission, infiltrating a Galran base. Lance was currently perched on a ledge of the facility. His bayard already activated as a sniper gun.

"Alright, team, I've got my eye on the targets." The Blue Paladin said as he aimed his gun at the Galra droids. "I'll cover you from up – Hey, Keith, I had that guy!" Lance said annoyed as Keith barged into the shot and stared slashing at the bots.

"They're still coming!" Hunk shouted. Lance then aimed his sniper at the facility door and shot the lock, causing the door to close, result in one of the droids that was coming through to get cut in half. Hunk laughs and gives Lance a thumbs up. Lance then turned his attention to Shiro who was surrounded by at least five bots.

Shiro used his new bo staff to channel the wind and send it at the droids, knocking some back, and slicing others. For the last bot, he jumped into the air and used his staff to slash the bot into two.

"Whoa! Awesome Shiro!" Lance complimented. The Paladins were then pushed back to the control panel, with Pidge trying to shut down the place, Keith and Shiro had their shields up and Hunk was blasting the droids with his machine gun.

"Pidge, could you maybe hurry it up a little?" Hunk asked.

"Give me some time!" Pidge snapped back as she continued to hack the control.

"Oh, right!" Hunk said and stomped his foot and raised his arm, causing part of the floor break apart and rise up creating a wall. He had been practicing his metal bending and had been getting really good.

"Nice one Hunk!" Shiro praised and Hunk smiled.

"Almost..." Pidge muttered as the panel beeped. "There!" She said as the control panel shut down and all the lights and droids turned off as well. Lance came down as the others put away their bayards.

"Great job Pidge." Shiro congratulated the small, but feisty, Paladin.

"That should be the last outpost in this quadrant." Keith said. "We should call the Blade of Marmora, and let them know this base is cleared." He added.

Later the Paladins were all back on the Castle, and Shiro was outside a room holding a certain person.

"You're really going to do this?" Keith asked from beside him. "We don't know who this guys is. It could be some shapeshifter, maybe a spy for the Galra." He suggested.

"I know, but I want some answers." Shiro replied and turned to the Paladin he considers a brother. "It's okay, I can do this. You should head up to the others." He said. Keith was hesitant, but trusted the older man and left leaving his fellow Paladin to himself. Figuratively and literally.

The Black Paladin took a breath and walked into the room, where his mysterious doppelganger was sitting up on the bed. It was still jarring how similar they were.

"You're up." Shiro said as he walked over to the look-a-like, who snapped his attention to him.

"Shiro?" The double said as he starred. "I... Is it really you?" He asked hesitantly.

"Yes. It's me." He replied. "But, who are you? And how do you know me? More importantly, why do you look like me?" He asks. The double looks down solemnly.

"Y-you may not believe me, but I'm your clone." The man answered and Shiro's eyes widen. "It was Haggar. She took your DNA and made me, I don't know what for, something called "Operation Kuron", but there was something wrong with me. I was, self-aware. I knew that, I wasn't a real person. I knew, I was a clone. I tried so many times to get to you, but never made it, the Galra always caught me. Eventually Haggar deemed me a failure and I was put away. Somehow, I managed to escape and have been trying to get to Voltron because I heard you were with them." He finished. To say Shiro was stocked was an underestimate.