"Pidge, scan the download from the ship," Shiro ordered as soon as they walked into the brig. "Find out where Zarkon's central command is."

   "On it!" Pidge replied, already sitting in her chair and typing rapidly away.

   "What happened? Where's Allura? Where's Ember?" Coran asked, rushing over to Shiro. 

   "They captured them. Allura sacrificed herself to save me and the information. Ember stayed behind to protect Allura. I didn't have a choice."

   "How is that possible?"  Coran demanded. 

   "Coran, I'm sorry things didn't go as planned, but we can't focus on what went wrong. We've got to figure out how to make it right. Pidge, anything?" 

    "Guys, look at this," Pidge shared to image she gotten to the big screen, showing the paladins and Coran the size of Zarkon's central command.

   "Look at the size of it!" Coran gasped in astonishment. 

   "I think we should go in right away." Pidge suggested.  "Every minute we waste gives Zarkon time to prepare for us."

   "I agree. We form Voltron, fly in, fly out, dust off our hands, and walk away." Lance nodded. 

   "Um, do you guys not remember the Balmera? We could barely take out one fleet," Hunk pointed out. "But this. . .A base this size could hold a thousand fleets!"

   "Or maybe we shouldn't go on this mission at all. Think about it. We'll be delivering the universe's only hope to the universe's biggest enemy." Keith said. 

   "Keith, that's cold, even for you." Hunk stated, everyone else just staring at him in shock. "What if it was one of us? What if it was me? You wouldn't leave me, would you? Would you?"

    "I'm not saying I like the idea. I'm just thinking like a paladin." Keith defended himself. 

   "No, you're thinking of yourself because you're too scared to do what's right!" Lance retorted. "We both know that if it was you getting captured by Zarkon, Ember would fly in right away."

   "Okay, we're all upset because we lost Ember and Allura-"

   "No, Shiro lost Allura and Ember!" Coran snapped.

   "Okay, okay! This isn't helping!" Hunk intervened. "We can't just sit here and bicker like this."

   "Lets focus. How are we going to get Allura and Ember?"

▬ ✦✧✦ ▬

Ember didn't know how long she kept the shield up around her and Allura. Sweat was dripping off her face as she tried to hardest to keep the shield up around the two of them. Every hit the sentries took, trying to get the dome down, caused her to flinch. 

   "A-Allura," Ember panted, sweat trickling down the side of her face. "I don't know how much longer I-I can keep this up."

   "You're doing fine," Allura assured the younger girl, placing her hand on Ember's shoulder. She was giving energy to the Majesdanian, but it was up to Ember to keep the shield up. "You've kept the shield up this long, you got this."

   "I feel like I'm burning from the inside," Ember cried, hands wavering.

   "You're just not use to holding something up like this for so long," Allura explained. "Just hold on for a bit longer, I'm sure they're thinking of a plan to come and get us right now."

   "This is the problem you soldiers reported?" A voice croaked out with as scoff. "Pathetic." 

Ember looked away from Allura and up to the new figure that joined the sentries. She wore a dark purple cloak that hid her face, all but her glowing yellow eyes. Long white hair draped her shoulders and stopped just above her waist. 

   "She barely looks strong enough to make her skin glow, and you guys are having problems getting the shield down?" 

The woman raised her hand towards the shield and dark lightning hit the shield. Ember let out a strangled cry, trying to keep the shield up to protect her and Allura. 

   "A-Allura!" Ember cried. 

   "Ember!" 

The shield shattered into a million rainbow pieces and the dark lightning hit Ember straight in the chest. She let out a wheeze as she went flying away, hitting the ground hard and her vision going out. 

   "Take her to a holding cell," The woman ordered, Ember's eyes falling shut from exhaustion.  "Get her set up for interrogation. Someone alert Commander Mjör as well, he'll want to be there."

   "Ember!! Let me go!"

   "A-Allura," Ember slurred, letting the darkness overcome her. 

*Mention of self-harm. Skip ahead to the page breaker if you're not comfortable.

Ember didn't know how long she was passed out. Couple days, a few hours? She couldn't tell you. What she could tell you, though, was that she woke up to the sound of a blade being sharpen.  

She didn't open her eyes, she didn't dare to breathe but she managed to make it seem like she was still asleep. Her arms were above her head, metal shackles wrapping tightly around her wrist and her legs dangled beneath her. Some advance race, she thought, having prisoners just hanging here.

The sound stopped. 

   "Don't think I am dumb, child, I know you are awake." The blade noise started back up again. "Open your eyes."

Not knowing what else to do, Ember slowly opened her eyes. She was met with a plain gray room with pink lighting. The only other thing in the room was a chair, where a figure sat. 

He looked human - she thought he was human - until she realized that his skin wasn't pink from the light. It was naturally pink - a sherbet pink. She guessed his hair was black, he had a buzz cut that gave him a mean military look. When he finally looked up at her, she studied his features. Silver eyes that seem to glow in the dim light. Scars ran across his face, and he looked pretty young. 

   "Half-breed is finally awake," He greeted with a sneer. "Have a nice nap?"

   "Where am I?" Ember muttered, shaking the shackles. She narrowed her eyes, trying to summon anything into her hand, but nothing happened. 

   "Those metal cuffs stop your powers, only thing in the universe that can," The man called out casually, pushing himself from the chair and walking towards Ember. "Nothing you can do about it."

   "Where am I?" Ember asked in a harder tone, making the man laugh. 

   "You've got some guts talking to me like that, kid," He grinned, moving his hand in front of her face. "Although, it's one of the many things we have in common." His hand lit up into the rainbow haze that she could do as well. It glittered and shimmered before dying away. "Commander Mjör, at your service."

   "Y-You're a-"

   "Majesdanian? Of course I am," He grinned arrogantly. "Don't look so shocked, we have a whole squad of us working for Lord Zarkon." He sighed, tossing his sword from hand to hand. "Well, we had a lot more a couple thousand years ago, but traitors get whats coming to them."

Mjör hummed a random tune to himself as he took the point of the sword and dragged it along Ember's arm. He paused at the deep scars on her wrist and chuckled a bit. "Ah, I see you've fought in a war before. In the mind, yes, but that's still a war. Did you come out victorious?" 

Ember didn't answer, biting her tongue to keep from saying something. Mjör frowned, pressing his sword into her arm until blood ran down her arm. "Lets get one thing straight," He started. "I will be asking you questions. Questions that you probably don't want to answer; but answer them you will! Or. . ." He trailed, dragging the sword down her arm. A shallow but long gash appeared on her arm as he brought the sword back to him.

   "Why cut something I've already sliced open too many times to count?" Ember asked simply, not bothering by the cut on her arm. She has had worse. 

   "Cheeky," Mjör grunted, rearing a fist back and punching her across the face. "Reminds me of someone I knew. I don't like it."

   "Just kill me," Ember muttered. "Get it over with. Don't drag it out, make it quick."

   "What planet are you from?" Mjör asked absentmindedly. "You're species looks familiar." At Ember's confused look, he grinned. "I was only of the few that got to beat The Champion down in the ring. Human, right?"

When Ember didn't reply, he shoved the sword roughly against her thigh, twisting it a little to pierce her skin more. "Right?"

   "Right," Ember spat, glaring at Mjör. "Earth, in case you forgot."

   "Earth," Mjör exclaimed in reminisce. "Ah, I've been there before. Ugly planet, thank god we'll be taking it over soon." He hummed, licking his lips. "The women though. . ."

   "You're disgusting!" Ember yelled, flinching when the older Majesdanian swiped the sword at her cheek. A thin line of blood appeared just below her eye. 

   "I'd keep that mouth shut if I were you," He snarled. "Now you just. . .hang there while I get some more tools." His grin turned sadistic. "We're going to have lots of fun together." 

With that, Mjör walked out of the room whistling an unknown tune. 

▬ ✦✧✦ ▬

Ember almost cried in happiness as Hunk and Allura burst into her holding cell. She knew they were here - the explosions kinda gave that away - but she didn't know if they would come for her. 

   "Hunk! Allura!" 

   "Head down!" Hunk called, shooting the shackles suspending Ember in the air when she ducked her head. She fell to the ground with a thud, but was quick to get up. 

   "Are you hurt?" Allura asked as they started to head out of the room and down the hall. 

   "A few scratches, but I'm okay," Ember responded, tugging at her cuffs that were still wrapped around her wrist. "These things won't let me use my powers!"

   "We have something at the Castle to cut them off, don't worry," Allura assured her as they arrived in a huge room. "But we have to help Shiro first!" 

   "Which one's the real one?" Hunk asked, holding his bayard up and ready to shoot. Allura scanned the crowd of duplicates before pointing at the one going for Shiro. 

   "Hunk, there! Fire!" Allura pointed and Hunk complied. The witch threw her hand up to block it and let out a frustrated scream. When she disappeared, so did her clones, and all that was left was Shiro. 

   "Shiro!" Ember exclaimed, rushing towards the Black Paladin. 

   "We've got to get out of here!" Allura exclaimed. 

   "Where's the scary lady?" Hunk asked. 

   "Hunk!"

   "Oh, right."

Shiro let out a grunt of pain as Allura and Ember helped him down the hallway and towards his lion. 

   "When we get to the lion, I'm going to look at your wound and you are going to let me!" Ember demanded. Shiro simple grunted, Hunk letting Allura go into the Yellow Lion while Shiro and Ember continued for the Black Lion.

When they finally got into the Black Lion, Shiro went to pilot while Ember started to look for her mini medical pack. She kept one in each lion just in case something like this happened. After finally finding it, she rushed to the control room and slid next to Shiro. 

   "Aw, shit!" Ember hissed. "They took my armor!" 

   "We'll have to worry about that later," Shiro responded, blind-siding Zarkon and swooping in to pick the Red Lion up. "I got you, buddy!" 

The three teammates flew into the brig where the lions rested, standing by and waiting for Allura to give the signal. Shiro set the coms to speak in the pit for Ember's benefit. 

   "All right. Paladins, time to get out of here!" She declared. 

   "Hello? What's going on? I don't see a wormhole." Hunk rushed out. 

   "The Galra barrier is jamming our ability to create one!" Coran explained. "They have us completely surrounded!"

Ember let out a groan, slumping her shoulders. "Can't we get a break?"

Like that was the magic words, the barrier suddenly disappeared around them. 

   "What just happened?" Pidge asked. 

   "Did Ember just magicked us out of here?" Lance added. 

   "Who cares? Wormhole!"

 Ember felt the ship go through the wormhole, but just as they went completely through, the ship started shaking violently. 

   "Coran, what's happening?" Shiro asked, keeping a hand on Ember's shoulder just in case. 

   "The integrity of the wormhole has been compromised." Coran answered. "It's breaking down!"

    "What does that mean?" 

    "It means we're just flying where ever gravity wants us to go!" Ember exclaimed. She let out a squeal of surprise as she started getting thrown everywhere, the Black Lion getting shoved out of the hangar. Shiro grabbed the younger girl and curled around her, trying to protect her as they were knocked out of the wormhole - into a place they didn't know.