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Au where the Garrison manipulates Keith into becoming the Atlas's new power core, saying it would help Shiro.
But it's all a lie and Keith almost dies
But it's all a lie and Keith almost dies
"Can You Feel My Heart"
#sheith | heavy angst | post s8 | manipulation | the Garrison are the bad guys here | mentions of Shiro and Curtis | heavy angst | near death | body horror | happy ending
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"What do you mean Atlas is draining Shiro? He retired..."
#sheith | heavy angst | post s8 | manipulation | the Garrison are the bad guys here | mentions of Shiro and Curtis | heavy angst | near death | body horror | happy ending
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"What do you mean Atlas is draining Shiro? He retired..."
Keith crossed his arms, standing with Sanda and other higher up Garrison officials at the core of the Atlas, glaring at them.
"We need a stronger core so Atlas will stop trying to connect with Shirogane." Sanda glared back. "We've heard your Quintessence is the strongest."
"We need a stronger core so Atlas will stop trying to connect with Shirogane." Sanda glared back. "We've heard your Quintessence is the strongest."
Keith's frown deepened, but if the Atlas was still trying to connect with Shiro, it would make his life harder. He was retired, wanting a quiet life now with his....husband.
"I...what do I need to do- hey!"
The other officers swarmed him, yanking him towards the core as the
"I...what do I need to do- hey!"
The other officers swarmed him, yanking him towards the core as the
Atlas buzzed in the back of Keith's mind. Danger. Something was wrong-
"Wait- I can't go in there-" Keith's eyes widened as they pushed him towards the core.
"It's the only way." Sanda stepped forward, a tube with a thick needle at the end of it. "We just need a sample."
"Wait- I can't go in there-" Keith's eyes widened as they pushed him towards the core.
"It's the only way." Sanda stepped forward, a tube with a thick needle at the end of it. "We just need a sample."
"I don't know, this isn't-"
"I'm done wasting time, Galra." Sanda grabbed him by the hair, yanking his head forward and plunging the needle into the back of Keith's neck. He spasmed in her grip, eyes wide and nose bleeding at the sudden influx of Quintessence.
"I'm done wasting time, Galra." Sanda grabbed him by the hair, yanking his head forward and plunging the needle into the back of Keith's neck. He spasmed in her grip, eyes wide and nose bleeding at the sudden influx of Quintessence.
Sanda shoved Keith into the core, scowling. "Atlas, assimilate the new power source."
The Atlas groaned around them, like she was refusing.
"What is it doing?" An officer raised an eyebrow, watching Keith shake and violently spasm within the core. "Is it rejecting the Galra?"
The Atlas groaned around them, like she was refusing.
"What is it doing?" An officer raised an eyebrow, watching Keith shake and violently spasm within the core. "Is it rejecting the Galra?"
"No." Sanda growled, stepping to the core and grabbing the wires and shoving them into Keith's limbs and torso. "The Atlas /will/ accept the new core, or it will be shut down."
Atlas shuddered under their feet, reluctantly digging the wires she needed into Keith, trying her best
Atlas shuddered under their feet, reluctantly digging the wires she needed into Keith, trying her best
To be gentle with him. This isn't what she had meant when she had told her maintain crew she needed more power. She wanted her /pilot/, her comrade. The surge of agony and sorrow coming from Keith made her want to launch itno space.
The officers left, leaving the core room. Atlas tried to soothe Keith's pain, his agony and raw terror.
Keith choked on blood, muscles pulled so tight he thought his bones would snap. He tried to scream, tried to rip out the wires, but he couldn't move. He would die here.
----
Keith choked on blood, muscles pulled so tight he thought his bones would snap. He tried to scream, tried to rip out the wires, but he couldn't move. He would die here.
----
Atlas backed up her primary memory systems to one of the Holt's computers without Sanda knowing, tired of being used to conquer planets in the name of Earth. The Garrison was slowly breaking apart the Coalition her Paladin and his friends worked so hard to create.
She was going to give Keith full control, let him do what he wished. Maybe it would get her Paladin back, or Voltron to notice something was wrong. Her plan was set into motion when Keith took her over and brought Allura back.
His sorrow grew whenever her Paladin brought his husband on board, whenever they were alone together in bed. She knew that Curtis was a decent human, unknowing of the Garrison's plans, but she also knew that her Paladin didn't truly love this man.
Shiro's true love was trapped within her core, dying and being reborn whenever she was activated and moving. Keith wouldn't last much longer, growing alarmingly weaker as the years went. She set her plan into motion when Shiro and the other Paladins boarded for their vacation.
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Shiro frowned, walking through the halls of the Atlas. She felt, off. She had been ignoring Shiro and everyone else for a few years now. He thought she would come around when he and Curtis got divorced, but..
He ghosted his hand over the console, trying to contact her.
Shiro frowned, walking through the halls of the Atlas. She felt, off. She had been ignoring Shiro and everyone else for a few years now. He thought she would come around when he and Curtis got divorced, but..
He ghosted his hand over the console, trying to contact her.
He almost fell to his knees at the sudden waves of agony and fear and despair. Shiro gripped the console, the other Paladins being drown out in a high pitched noise in his ears. The control room was bathed in red light, screens popped up on every side.
*YOU LEFT ME*
*STOP TOUCHING ME*
*IT HURTS WHAT DID I DO*
Shiro almost couldn't read them with how fast they were popping up.
"Atlas, what's wrong-"
*NOTMYNAMENOTMYNAME*
*FORGOT ME*
*IT HURTS*
*KILL ME*
The Atlas shuddered under their feet before stopping completely.
*STOP TOUCHING ME*
*IT HURTS WHAT DID I DO*
Shiro almost couldn't read them with how fast they were popping up.
"Atlas, what's wrong-"
*NOTMYNAMENOTMYNAME*
*FORGOT ME*
*IT HURTS*
*KILL ME*
The Atlas shuddered under their feet before stopping completely.
*I LOVED YOU*
*WHY DO I STILL LOVE YOU*
*YOU LET THEM HURT ME*
*WHY DON'T I GET A HAPPY ENDING*
Shiro blinked, frowning. Atlas wasn't making any sense. Part of him wished Keith were here, helping him figure out why the ship was acting this way.
*WHY DO I STILL LOVE YOU*
*YOU LET THEM HURT ME*
*WHY DON'T I GET A HAPPY ENDING*
Shiro blinked, frowning. Atlas wasn't making any sense. Part of him wished Keith were here, helping him figure out why the ship was acting this way.
Keith had been missing for years, just gone without a trace. The Blades couldn't find him, which was why Shiro came back in the first place, and why his marriage ended. Curtis was nice, but he couldn't give Shiro what he needed.
He missed Keith now more than ever.
He missed Keith now more than ever.
Shiro's brow furrowed when another error message popped up.
*CORE UNSTABLE - FIX HIM*
Him? Shiro was confused, Atlas usually preferred female pronouns. She told him herself. But where was the core? Atlas had told him many times that her core was as stable as he was.
*CORE UNSTABLE - FIX HIM*
Him? Shiro was confused, Atlas usually preferred female pronouns. She told him herself. But where was the core? Atlas had told him many times that her core was as stable as he was.
Her core....
'Atlas- what's happening-'
*GET OUT OF MY HEAD*
*LET ME GO*
*PLEASE LET ME GO*
Shiro didn't know he was running down the hall until he was half way to the core room, he knew the others were calling him, but the howling in his mind drown them out.
'Atlas- what's happening-'
*GET OUT OF MY HEAD*
*LET ME GO*
*PLEASE LET ME GO*
Shiro didn't know he was running down the hall until he was half way to the core room, he knew the others were calling him, but the howling in his mind drown them out.
Shiro opened the door, looking around at all the wires and tubes within the room. The suffocating feeling of agony was overwhelming, but he managed to tap the at the control pad to lift the outer shell, and immediately recoil onto the floor.
"St-stars..."
"St-stars..."
Twisted in wires and flesh, was Keith. He spasmed within the Quintessence of the core, bleeding, being torn apart and put back together.
He didn't even look human anymore.
"K..Keith...h-how..." Shiro got to his feet, reaching out to touch the core.
He didn't even look human anymore.
"K..Keith...h-how..." Shiro got to his feet, reaching out to touch the core.
"Shiro!" Allura grabbed his hand, looking at Keith and turning an interesting shade of green. "Stop, it could kill him."
"I...he was here...he-" Shiro felt the bile rise in his throat. "He's been- he's been here...."
"We can save him," Allura was quick to look over the core,
"I...he was here...he-" Shiro felt the bile rise in his throat. "He's been- he's been here...."
"We can save him," Allura was quick to look over the core,
Trying to find a way to unhook him from the wires.
"I.." Shiro stood there, thinking back on how he just stood there while Keith was being dangled over a volcano, almost died in front of him. This wasn't going to happen again. He reached out with his prosthetic, ignoring Allura.
"I.." Shiro stood there, thinking back on how he just stood there while Keith was being dangled over a volcano, almost died in front of him. This wasn't going to happen again. He reached out with his prosthetic, ignoring Allura.
(( I uhh ...feeling awful. Gonna go get some sleep... ))
Keith's mouth dropped open in a soundless scream when the prosthetic breached the core's main wall, and the Atlas groaned around them. Shiro almost gave up when a familiar energy tickled the back of his mind.
'Welcome home, my Paladin.'
'Welcome home, my Paladin.'
Shiro felt the pull in his veins, that pull he had been missing, his connection with Atlas. She carefully extracted the wires from Keith, lowering him slowly into Shiro's arms. Keith seized, blood bubbling passed his lips as the missing parts of his body tried to reform.
Allura was quick to place her hands on him, speeding the process up so he wouldn't bleed out. The only wire left in him was the one in the base of his skull, Quintessence glowing within it.
Shiro tried his best to snap Keith out of it, tried to calm the seizing as best he could.
Shiro tried his best to snap Keith out of it, tried to calm the seizing as best he could.
Keith's body snapped into an arch when Allura pulled out the tube in his neck, going limp and breathing weakly. Shiro scooped him up just as the Atlas powered back on, running down the halls and to the infirmary.
