Keith ducked his hand at once under the shelter of the cold floor and shuffled in through, the other groups were sitting down. Time enough later to worry about what he'd say when they came face to face as he and his friends have to deal with another problem on how to escape this prison.
But luckily, there was such commotion inside, thanks to The chief responded to the news about the Daemon severing to everybody and the fate of his grandson.
Then when the guards were not watching, very carefully. Keith and Stats got the chance to slipped out of the prison, quickly he dragged a locker to the corner, stood on it, and pushed at the ceiling. The panel lifted, just as Hunk's niece said it was and climb into space beyond, on his way to rescue Shiro
Elsewhere, Shiro stood near in one of the base's guest rooms, deep in discussion, with the nurse. "You should be happy, Mr. Shirogane" Sister Mira circled him slowly. "You just witness the verge of discovering!"
But Shiro didn't speak, he was too mortified at the site that was laid before him. He did however spoke to her "I know, it's great?" Shiro lied for Mira's sake.
"Of course, it's amazing it was the best thing that could possibly be" she rested his hands on Shiro's shoulder
Shiro kept staring straight ahead, not acknowledging her, she wasn't the best person to trust, since she was part of the army, the army that Adam and Sendak run. but she still had treated him decently during his stay here.
"Now if you excuse me," she said, "I am needed for the rest of the day!"
"Of course." He waited until the door was shut, locked, and locked again until he permitted himself to collapse against the bed's soft pillows as the absence of time, Shiro refuses to believe it has been a minute for the next time the door open again. As an afterthought, he took his sword from underneath the pillows.
"Man I sure hope he's okay, him and the others," Shiro thought as he was so worried about Keith and the others. He resolved to escape, he resolves to fight.
Just in, the panel in his room opened, shooking him as he expects a team to storm in, arm with guns.
But instead, he was relieved to see a certain glowing figure, "Stats!" He said. "It's so good to see you!"
"It's so good to see you," Keith said as he strolled up to the bed.
"Keith," Shiro said as he went to hug him, looks on with delighted that unexpected went to a hug. so much in fact that Shiro throws his full weight against him and squeezes him tight.
Keith sighs as his back hits the floor, Shiro crushing against him, his arms tight around Keith's shoulders.
Keith chuckles, a hand lifting to pat the back of Shiro's head.
"Okay not expecting a hug, but getting used to!" Keith sighs and then hugs Shiro tight. It isn't all bad. He can figure this all out. Hugging isn't the worst expected thing, after all, and it feels so nice to be in Shiro's arms.
"I'm so relieved that you're okay," Shiro said, letting go of the hug.
"Yeah, are you hurt!" Keith told Shiro.
Shiro's smile turn into a glum frown and said, "no but I'm, I saw-it was too horrible to describe!"
"Let me guess, the Deamon severing!" Keith said.
"How are you know", Shiro said.
Then Keith turned to Stats, "Stats saw the whole thing!"
"Stats"
Then suddenly, Keith said, "that's not all, Sendak has returned!"
He looked at him and said to Keith, "We need to get out of here now, especially if Sendak is here! He might find out about us, and about me!"
"Don't worry, we just pretend to be stupid until the plan gets underway" Keith told him since because Keith and Shiro now realized if he hadn't done had to get to him before, that all the fear in their nature was drawn to Sendak as a compass needle is drawn to the base.
All the other things they'd heard of or seen of the hideous cruelty of the intercession, they could cope with; each of them was strong enough but the thought of that psychopathic of Sendak's entire being was enough to melt their stomachs and make anyone pale and nauseated.
But still, the chance of escape, think of that. Think of their friends and don't give yourself away, Shiro thought.
"So what's the plan," Shiro said.
Elsewhere, back in the prison cell, people were liming up to get a drink of water. Some of them still sitting down in circles. Their talk was all of the battleships and it's a passenger.
"It was him, giant arm and all." A man with a Golden retriever deamon
"Definitely him, he never told us people being killed!" A woman with Mockingjay deamon
"Well that's Galra for you, they are the worst!" Another man with a groundhog daemon
"That guy is the worst, he caught my Karissa and nearly killed her, I could feel all weak..." Another woman with a Persian cat Daemon.
They were as frightened as the group was. Lance found Hunk's mother and the others and sat down.
"Listen," he said, "can you keep a secret?"
"Yeah!"
The five faces turned to him, vivid with expectation. "There is a plan to escape", Lance said quickly. "But we're going to need your help to do it as soon as the signal is ready?"
"What signal?" Hunk's mother demanded.
"The fire bell, like this afternoon. It's all organized. All the people need to know and none of the Galra, especially not him".
The eyes were gleaming with uncertainty and all through the prison room the message was being passed around, the group could tell that atmosphere had changed. Although, hope can be fragile.
Outside of the prison, Shiro, Keith, and Stats started to walk through the open doorway, but carefully avoiding the guards, because there were Galra voices coming and then Adam himself was briefly visible, looking in and smiled sinisterly at the hopeless prisoners with limited use of water, so cold and horribly treated. Respect ran along instantaneously through the whole canteen and every guard was still and silent, staring at him.
Adam salute and passed on without a word. Little by little the talk started again.
Keith said, "Where do they go to talk?"
"Probably the conference room," said Shiro. "They took me there once" he added, meaning that Adam took him there once, "there were about twenty Galra scientists there and one of em even ask me if I was a d-user and see how far I can go without my daemon!"
"You didn't tell him that I was your daemon!" Keith said.
"No, I didn't but I bet they're scared of him, same as we are..." Shiro said.
For the rest of the day, Shiro and Keith stayed together, remaining inconspicuous sneaking around. There was an exercise in the room, filled with weights and treadmills for the Galra and a lounge: a big shabby room with card games and a few tattered books and a table-tennis table. At some point, Shiro and Keith because aware that there was some kind of subdued emergency going on because the soldiers were looking for Shiro or at least that being guessed.
But he didn't see Adam or Sendak, which was a relief. When it was time for bed, they knew it was the perfect time to start their plan but first things first.
"Listen," he said. "most of the base's personnel are sentries"
"So!" Keith said.
"When I was with Adam, I timed their pattern". Shiro said
"Do you remember it?" Keith said.
"Let's finding out!" Shiro said.
"Yeah, but what is it we get caught!" Keith said, concerningly
Stats were starting to look at the two, they were obviously at odds by concern but at the same time, they are still in sync with each other, on the whole, so Stats know that Keith would do as Shiro said about.
With no hesitation, Shiro and Keith listened at the door to make sure no one was coming. Jumped up on the locker, pushed up the panel, and hauled Stats through.
"Go find the others, bud" Shiro whispered up to Stats who was in the vents, watching. Then Shiro dropped the panel gently back into place and looked around.
Then Shiro and Keith left the room and into the hallway where the channel supported in a framework of Integrated circuit design so much, in fact, it almost looks like an electric ship from space, so some light came up from below and in the faint gleam that Shiro and Keith could see this narrow hallway that is guarded by robotic sentries.
Extending in all directions around them. It was crowded in fact but luckily Shiro knew his way around them and it would be easy to get along with others. But provided they kept quiet as possible so they should be able to go from one end of the station to the other.
"It's just like in the Garrison" Shiro whispered as he started to remember back on Earth again.
"What do you mean, Shiro" Keith whispered back.
"I always a habit of sneaking out," Shiro said. "When I wanted to get away from the work that I've been doing!"
"Well, on that cheery note, we've arrived". Keith said as they got the bearings, working out approximately which direction the conference room was in. It wasn't a far from an easy journey with sentries guarding the place
Also, they had to make sure there were any guards guarding the doors as it was the possible exit they could hope for. As of last, they came to the area where the conference room should be, according to Shiro's calculation; should be empty.
Luckily it was, free from many people making it the perfect opportunity to sneak on under the tables. Just in four people appeared, they thought. including Sendak and Adam's, the other two were scientists. They seemed to be discussing the testing and the attempt to undermine the prisoners.
"Looks like the testing was a success!" Sendak's darken voice said.
"Well sort of, we still need to make sure the patient is conscious during treatment!" A scientist said. "Ever since the last time you were here, non survive!"
"Mostly due to the new separator!" Another scientist said.
"But thanks to the invasion of the deamon explorers, we have new test subjects for you to study with!" Adam explain.
"Yes, Zarkon was most pleased about that?" Sendak said.
"Thanks, who knew that one of my ideas work!" Adam said.
Shiro stood in shocked and surprise, that attack on the Daemon explorers, it was all Adam's doing
"Yes, but don't get celebrated yet, these are still one item left to discuss!" Sendak said.
"Don't worry, Takashi Shirogane might have some information on the crystal, so trust me on that! I can get it out" Adam told him.
"I see," said Sendak coldly. "In that case, we have to make sure he's contained, trust me I made that mistake a while back?"
"Ok, in another news, dr. Rallyo, has updates on the separation machine!"
Shiro and Keith felt a thrill of fear. There was only one thing this could mean
"Oh, yes we're making sure that might have an easier survival, rate," Dr. Rallyo said. "But there's a real advance. With the first model, we are gathering quintessence in feet that we never considered possible but the patient is still dying but we're improved on that with no end"
"The druids did it better by hand", said Sendak, "Centuries of practice but simple tearing was the only option for some time, however distressing that was to the operator that started it all".
"Ah, If you remember, we had to discharge quite a number for reasons of stress-related anxiety. But the first big breakthrough was the use of anesthesia combined with the quintessence Crystal. They were able to reduce death from operative shock to below five percent". A scientist said
"And the updates on the instrument?" Said Adam.
Shiro was trembling. The blood was pounding in his ears and Keith was pressing him from against his side and whispering, "it's okay Shiro, they won't do it, we won't let them do it".
"Yes, it was a curious discovery by Sokka himself that gave us the key to the new method. He discovered that a Property of Luxite and titanium has the property of insulating body from daemon" said Dr. Rallyo
"True, too bad that traitor saw his work bee to a reality! But your new instrument, Doctor. How does it work?" Sendak said, smoothly.
"The new instrument is still being updated as you know, we're still investigating the bugs but we developed some sort of guillotine, I suppose you could say. The blade is luxite and titanium alloy and she or he is placed in a compartment, like a cabin of a luxite, with the daemon in a similar compartment connecting with it. While there is a connection, of course, the link remains. Then the blade is brought down between them, severing the link at once. They are then separate entities".
"I should like to see it", Sendak said
"Soon, I hope. But I'm tired now. I think I'll go to bed. I want to see all the prisoners tomorrow to sure that there's a spark of rebellion that is over! Don't you agree" Adam said
There was the sound of chairs being pushed back, polite expression, a door closing. Then Shiro and Keith heard under the table as Adam and Dr. Rallyo were the only ones left and go on talking but more quietly.
"I thought that would be tough!" Adam said. "But I totally handled it!"
"You are right about the updates!" Dr. Rallyo said, "Do you think he'll make an unfavorable report to him?"
"What, to Zarkon, I know he's the Lord of the empire but still!" Adam said. "His attitude worries me."
"Well, Sendak that for you! You should have seen the first experients when he was so keen to see them pulled apart".
Shiro couldn't help it: a little cry escaped him and at the same time he tensed and shivered and his foot knocked against a chair foot.
"What was that!"
"It's under the table, quickly"
The sound of chairs being thrown aside, feet running, table pulled across from floor, Shiro and Keith tried to scramble away, but there was so little space and before they could move more than a few yards back, they were already caught by The scientist and Adam.
"A prisoner," he said as he was as started as they were, seize Keith's arm.
"Don't let him go-" Adam said.
Keith sank his teeth into his large hand. Adam cried out, but he did let go, even when he drew blood.
"Let's get out of here," Shiro said. quickly into the hallway behind the conference room. Moments later, Adam and Dr. Realio followed. They raced to the end of the hall, which split in two directions.
"Where'd they go?" Adam said to Dr. Rallyo, then he said "We need to find out where they're heading? Put everything on lockdown!"
"No need!" Sendak said. His voice was eerily calm. "I know exactly what they're going to do!"
Their hearts pounding, Shiro and Keith run down the side of the hallway. "Okay, we got to get out of here today!" Keith said as they were heading towards the prison, however, it was guarded by the sentries.
Keith and Shiro barely had time to turn in the opposite direction when Sendak stepped into the hall, his cold eyes settling immediately on the two of them.
Shiro spun and unleashed a hit from a fist, temporarily blocking Sendak's path. But he didn't waste a single second thought as Sendak grab his hand and throw it to the ground.
And suddenly all the strength went out of him when Sendak wanted his giant hand at him, it was as if an alien hand had hit him hard where no hand had a right to be mad wrenched at something deep and precious.
He felt faint, dizzy, sick, disgusted, limp with shock. One of the guards was holding Keith but not only that, Sendak had seized Stats his Galra hands and poor Stats was shaking, nearly out of his mind with horror and disgust. His glow skin now dull with weakness, now sparking glints of alarm...he curved toward his Shiro as he reached with both hands for him.
They fell still. They were captured.
Shiro felt those hands...It wasn't allowed...not supposed to touch... Wrong.
"Repair the indecision, it's time we set an example!" Sendak told Dr. Rallyo
"Yes sir!" Said Dr. Rallyo.
Sendak who seemed to be in charge, the man who wasn't holding either Shiro or Keith, tapped his teeth with a thumbnail. His eyes were never still; they flicked and slid and darted this way and that. Finally, he nodded.
"Make sure the machine is ready," he said, savoring the fear he'd heard in Shiro's heart "it's time that we destroyed the samurai, forever"
Shiro and Keith couldn't speak. They could hardly breathe. They had to let themselves be carried through with station, away from the prison along black empty corridors to the place where the operation was known as indecision.
The fear he felt was almost similar to the woman who got her daemon pulled out of her as they pulled Keith and Stats over towards a large cage of pale silver mesh, above which a great black blade hung poised to separate them forever and ever.
"Keith, Stats" Shiro screamed as he found a voice at last, and witnessed the scene like before. The sound echoed loudly off the shiny surface, but the heavy door had shut; he could scream no forever, and not a sound would escape.
But Keith, in answer, had twisted free of those hateful hands, he was like a lion punching all those enemies at once; he tore at them with like twisted talons of a big hawk, beat wildly and powerful, darting, snarling, slashing a succession of attacks too quick to register and all the time leaping, flying dodging from one spot to another as their clumsy hands failed and snatched at the empty air.
But the Galra still have the numbers, of course. It wasn't one against three or six, it was one against Sendak. He intent to pin Keith down, and Shiro was crying to him. "Please don't do this!"
And he kicked and bit more passionately than ever until Dr. Rallyo holding him gasped and let go for a moment and he was free and Keith sprang toward him like a spark of lightning.
"Why are you doing this, Adam won't want this!" Shiro thought as he looking around the room for Adam.
But they fell on them again, three big brutal Galra men and Shiro was already more shocked and terrified; and they tore Keith away, and threw him into one side of the cage of mesh and carried him, struggling still, around to the other of him, they were still joining. For a second or so more, he was still his own dear soul to him.
"Make sure the Intercession instantly kills him!"
A chill ran through Shiro as the doctor operate the best of switches, under Sendak's orders, somewhere in the room, The other two looked up and the great Black blade was rising slowly, catching the brilliant light just inches from his face. The last moment in her complete life was going to be the worst by far.
"Do something, Shiro!?" Keith shouted.
"Get that door shut, We don't want to fritz the Anbar-magnetic system now, do we?" Dr. Rallyo said calmly. "Intercession primed".
"What about Adam, he won't want this!" Shiro shouted but Sendak wouldn't listen instead he allowed this just as Adam had a allowed to been done to the poor woman.
He winced and squeezed his eyes shut. This was it. They were going to cut Keith away from him. The blade tightened, but then something change.
"What is going on here?" Adam said as everything stopped. "What are you doing? And what did I tell you! Don't star in any decision without me"
"You don't understand!" Sendak told him.
"Understand what!" Adam said as he didn't compare Sendak's actions, because in that instant recognized Shiro in the black guillotine, with Keith and Stats.
"Adam, Adam" Shiro shouted as he saw him.
Adam's face grew in a moment of haggard and horror-struck. "Takashi!" He shouted as he orders the guards to shut down the machine and free them.
After that, Adam took Shiro, Keith, and Stats to his room and laid him gently on the bed of his room with homely scent in the air, soft light. Shiro's arm was so tight around Keith and Stats who knocked out by the shock of being severed, that he was trembling the force of it.
So much in fact, that he moaned and trembled uncontrollably just as if he had been pulled out of the water so cold that his heart had nearly frozen. Keith and Stats simply lay against his bare skin. Loving him back to himself, but aware all the time of Adam, busy preparing a drink of something.
"Sit up and drink this," said Adam, and his gentle arm slipped around Shiro's back and lifted him.
Shiro clenched himself, but relaxing almost at once as Keith thought to him: "We're only safe as long as we pretend"
He opened his eyes and found that they'd been contacting tears and to his surprise and shame he sobbed and sobbed, shedding his professional image.
"Hey, it's over now," Adam said and Shiro determined to stop as soon as he possibly could. He struggled to hold back the tears, he pressed his lips together, he choked down the sobs that still shook his chest.
Stats played the same game: fool them. He acted like a mouse and crept away from Shiro's hand to float away, timidly at the drink in Adam's clutch.
It was innocuous: an infusion of green tea, nothing more. He crept back to Shiro's shoulder.
"Your Daemon doesn't trust me, If I was trying to drug you there are many other means to do so other than a drink," Adam said.
He sat up and took the hot cup in both hands, alternately sipping and blowing to cool it. He kept his eyes down. He must pretend harder then he'd ever done in life.
"Takashi" Adam murmured, stroking his hair, "you know, you surprise me out there!"
"Yeah, I did" Shiro whispered. "You can guess the first question" Slowly, he told Adam, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Why?" he asked brokenly.
"Takashi, I wanted to keep you out of this as long as I could". Adam said as Keith regains consciousness. "But now you know the truth, please, forgive me".
"Explain the truth! You attacked an innocent village!" Shiro said.
"But, these people, these D-users, they are the key to taking this home" Adam explained. "They're part of the world! But with Sendak, we can return to our world, is that what you want!"
"I do, but they were about to cut Keith from me, Out of me," Shiro said, with every second that went past, with every sentence he spoke, he felt a little strength flowing back. And now that he was doing something difficult and familiar and never quite be the same again with the same sense of complexity and control that his time with Keith and the friends that he made.
He had to be careful not to say anything obviously impossible, he had to be vague in some places and invent plausible details in others; he had to be an artist, in short.
"How long did they have you?" Shiro said. "Why are you going after magic!"
"Not very long, but magic it's extremely powerful and humans here are infected so deeply that makes them so powerful!" Adam explain. "This is for a better future for the empire!"
"Better future, you called this a better future, All the prisoners are afraid of what happens in there and no one knows, but it's horrible. It's worse than anything...Why are they doing that, Adam? Why are they so cruel?" Shiro said.
"There, there... you're safe, Takashi. They won't ever do it to you even. As long as I am here you will be you're safe, you'll never be in danger again".
"But they do it to other people! To Hunk's people?" Shiro said
"Every boundary in experimental theology requires the sacrifice of the few for the many". Adam explained to Shiro, "Once we've ironed out, the teething problems, this will change the world".
Shiro thought of little Roy, Hunk's nephew. He leaned forward suddenly and retched. Adam moved back and let go.
"Are you all right, Takashi? Do you need to go to the bathroom!"
Shiro swallowed hard and brushed his eyes. "You don't have to be a part of this", he, said, "We can fix this, we can find a way home without the Galra!"
Adam was shaking his and smiling a sad wise smile. "Takashi," he said, "there's no other choice, Sendak said this is the only way we can restore peace and instability to this world, humans are not meant to have Daemons, it makes them too powerful, that's why the empire is doing what it needs to be done!"
Oh, the wicked lie, oh the shameless untruths Adam was telling! And even if Shiro hadn't known them to be lies (Roy, that woman) he would have hated it with serious fashion. His dear soul, his best friend, to cut away and reduced to energy for the Galra empire? Shiro nearly blazed with hatred and Keith wanted to attack Adam
But Shiro said nothing as he held Keith tight and let Adam stroke his hair.
"Drink up your tea," said Adam softly. "I'll take you back to your dorm! If you want to!"
"I would want that!" Shiro said. "But I want you to keep your word! Make sure my friend not harmed harm!"
"Of course, but Sendak needs something in return, and I'm sure you know what it is!"
Shiro's eyes grew glassy and cold as he took the Crystal from his shoe and giving it to Adam.
"No!" Keith gasped in disbelief. He watched Shiro draw the quintessence Crystal onto Adam's.
Adam tensed himself as he sees the Crystal for the first time. "Wow, so this thing was in your body! It's pretty! Just wait when I tell Sendak, he's going to be so impressed" he said as he smiled, pleased with Shiro's choice.
Shiro took one long look at Keith and Stats and then turned to her father. "I'm sorry, Adam" he whispered sadly as he Suddenly grabs a teapot and his eyes widened in surprise as the pot struck him. He dropped to the floor, unconscious.
Shiro didn't hesitate to do that, realizing that, Keith and Stats for the door and he was after them at once and he tore it open and raced away faster than he had ever run in his life.
"Fire alarm!" Keith shrieked, as he flew ahead of him. Shiro sees a button on the next corner and smashed the glass with his desperate kick. He ran on, heading toward the dormitories, smashed another alarm and another, and then people began to come out into the corridor, looking up and down for the fire.
By this time, Shiro and Keith return Shiro's room to get his sword underneath the pillows.
Meanwhile, in the prison room, "that's the signal!" Lance said. "Now", under his command, people begin to riots for the word escape had got around. Thanks to Hunk and the others.
"Get their weapons" the Chief ordered his men as they attacking the guards, grabbing their weapons to fight back and making sure that the women, the children, and those who can't fight back were making their way out the room.
Through it all Shiro, Keith, and Stats darted like fish, making always for the entrance, and just as they reached it, the women and the children were already changing clothes, getting out of their prison clothes.
"Shiro, Keith!" Romelle said, already out of her prison suit into her Altean suit.
"Romelle" Shiro said as She rushed into his's arms.
"I see that you got the signal!" Keith said.
"Yeah, Are you all right?" she asked, concerned.
"I'm fine. It's just so good to see you." Shiro said
"Hate to break up your reunion, but escape now!" Pidge interjected.
"Right," Shiro said. "We need to figure out away! Sendak that will probably have a plan!"
"You probably right, What will you two do?" Romelle considered.
"What I'm best at," Keith said, "cause some chaos."
With that all the way. Shiro and Keith made it to the other side of the room, where, the men's clothes were kept and luckily the room was empty. Shiro opens the locker where his old clothes were kept.
"Faster, Shiro. We haven't the time!" Keith said as he quickly changing off his prison clothes into his regular clothes. "We get to that intercession room and we destroy that machine!"
By after that time, Shiro and Keith were near the intercision room, "The doctor said if you leave, the doors open, the system gets fritzed, right?" Keith said.
"So let's fritz it," Shiro said with determination, a moment later, he had turned on all the switches and levers. "Come on, come on"
Then at a moment notice, the machine Thrums and Cracking as the metal reacts to the magnets of the machine.
"That thing sounds like it's going to blow," Keith said. "Come on, Shiro, we have to go!"
Shiro and Keith then ran out and on as fast as they got away from the explosion that Crushing the machine, shooking the building, so much and back that alerted the enemies.
"What just happened," Adam said, awaken from his head.
"It started!" Sendak said. Looking at Adam and getting him up. It has started.