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Keith grunted as he got slammed into the wall. The limited amount of padding in his suit does next to nothing when a powered criminal throws him into a wall. He didn’t hear any cracks so he hoped that his ribs were intact.
He was pretty sure Pidge would kill him if that happened again.
(It was not his fault that someone had a metal bat and their partner had telekinesis. Keith was pretty sure he got off lucky from that one, even managing to tie them up for the barely competent police force.)
He groaned as he rolled to his feet. Tonight he had been pushing it. The previous night had left him black and blue and tonight wasn’t going much better for him. Luckily for him, his mask stayed firmly planted on his face.
“For the guy who’s supposed to be so talented and brave for being a vigilante, you’re pretty weak.”
Under his mask, Keith mocked him silently. The guy could not have been more basic. In his ear he could hear his friend repeat his thoughts. “Give me a break, can’t these guys have more creative lines?”
Keith held back a snort as he was pretty sure the other guy wouldn’t be pleased about it. He cracked his neck as he raised his fists again, taking people down without harming them too much would hopefully keep him from being hounded by inefficient police.
He was confident in his abilities as well as Pidge’s to keep them off their trail, but he honestly just didn’t want to deal with it. Dealing with the cops would take away their time from looking into far more pressing matters.
“I’m having a shitty night and you are just the latest in a long list of assholes I’ve met,” Keith said, already done with the man. He wasn’t too sure why this specific guy thought he was so high and mighty since Keith was currently standing across from him in one of the most run down convenience stores he’s ever seen.
It was mildly embarrassing to be struggling against a guy who he caught failing to open a cash register. It just proved that even if people had powers, it wasn’t guaranteed that they would have brains they knew how to use.
Before the guy could respond either with an attack or another cliched line, Keith darted forwards and before the guy knew what was coming, his foot connected with his jaw. The guy crumpled, hand going up to clutch his jaw.
Apparently, super strength didn’t come with resistance. It only took a few more seconds for him to be thoroughly knocked out. Sighing, Keith dragged the oaf to the front of the store and tied him to a support beam just in case he woke up before the police arrived.
“Is there anywhere else I need to be tonight?” he asked, knowing he would look weird talking to himself if anyone walked by.
Keith pushed open the door to the store into the night. The street lights flickered around him. It felt like they were minutes away from turning off for good. The street was silent and empty, very few people would be walking around in this part of town when it was this late at night.
In the distance he could hear cars honking at each other despite the late hour. Some people just never slept, people like Pidge.
But speak of the devil and they shall arrive. “Not that I can see,” they informed him, Keith trusted them. If they couldn’t see that anything was up, then the city was most likely safe for now. “Besides you should get back, you wanted to go on a raid but you’re pretty banged up. It would be a good idea to take the night off.”
Keith rolled his eyes. “Pot. Kettle.” Pidge mimicked him in a ridiculously high pitched voice. He just sighed, well used to their antics.
Regardless of Pidge doing their best to annoy him, Keith turned to head back to the little apartment he and Pidge shared.
Keith hadn’t known Pidge for very long. The two of them had only known each other for a few months but Keith couldn’t imagine he would be able to do the things he did without them.
The decision to share an apartment together had just seemed obvious. For Pidge, it was an escape from the unnatural emptiness of their house with their mom. The disappearance of their dad and brother hit them hard and despite their mother not wanting them to look into it, they still did.
That was how they met. Two people that were barely adults looking into things way above their (non-existent) pay grade.
Keith scrambled up a fire escape, keeping his movements as silent as well as he could. The public’s opinion of his vigilante alter ego depended on the day. It drifted from positive to negative seemingly on a whim. Even though it tends to be more positive these days, he wasn’t going to test it. Getting jumped by civilians was not on his to do list.
(That had happened before. It was a pain as he didn’t actually want to hurt them, but they were asking for it. Mostly.)
He scowled as he saw the tallest, and brightest, tower in the city. No matter where you were you could most likely see it.
“Did you know they hadn’t taken down that giant billboard on the side of the tower?” he asked, mildly disturbed.
Pidge breathed deeply. “I doubt they will anytime soon. It’s nearing a year. Maybe they’ve forgotten.”
Keith frowned, gazing at the figure on the sign. Even from a distance he could easily tell who it was. Paladin was recognizable anywhere, but what else would you expect from one of the top heroes. Most people knew either from his rise through the ranks as a non-powered hero or through his disappearance.
Paladin was dressed in his regular suit, white with black outer protections on the shoulders and knees mainly. In one hand he held his sword with what looked like a calm grip, but speaking from experience, Keith knew he could swing it fast and with immense strength in an instant. In his other hand, his shield was lit up, the blue glow somehow still standing out against the rest of the lit up billboard.
Keith thought it was a bit insensitive to leave them up. Everyone knew about the disappearance, no one had seen the three of them in ages, and it only rubbed salt into the wounds of those closest to them.
With a brief moment of hesitation he continued his run across the rooftops of the city. Even with his back towards it, it felt like Paladin’s gaze was following him.
Luckily for him, Pidge was eager to move on from the subject. “Have you given more thought into my idea?”
Keith sighed. “It’s reckless. Altea is known for its security.”
“I’ve beat their security before.”
He shook his head. “And then you got kicked out, who’s to say they won’t know it’s you immediately?” Keith trusted Pidge’s abilities almost more than he trusted his own. However, the idea of Pidge trying to use a false identity to get a job at the tower where the heroes operated filled him with anxiety. “Why are you so insistent on going for the job?” he asked. They’ve had many conversations about Pidge doing it and Keith wasn’t too eager on rehashing old arguments.
Pidge was silent for a moment before they spoke up again. “Altea’s cyber security is top notch. I would have more luck on it doing it from the inside. Plus, who knows what I could find out since I wouldn’t be a trainee. I’d go through the tech department. No one knows me there.”
Keith knew that it could work. Hero trainees didn’t operate in the tower, it would be rare for Pidge to run into someone that knew them.
“It still feels risky. If we get caught, it’s game over. They aren’t easy on vigilantes and those that help them.” Keith felt this was a bit hypocritical as many of the original heroes that created Altea started as vigilantes.
“It might be worth the risk though. If I have access to the labs it will make our lives much easier, we would know more going in. You are going to get seriously hurt if we keep going in blind.”
Keith hated it when Pidge made good points. It didn’t help that they were very good at arguing, their arguments hard to pick out flaws in. It was amazing to see it in action, as long as it wasn’t against him.
“We can talk about it again when I get back, which will be soon.”
Pidge stayed quiet as Keith finished his trek back to their shared apartment. The unit they were in was ideal as it was towards the top of the building, in a corner and had easy access to the fire escape. It made getting out of the building unseen much easier.
As he jumped across to the rickety fire escape, he glanced back towards the Altea tower. It held many secrets, secrets that would be incredibly helpful to know.
The window used as his entrance and exit was in their shared bedroom, two twin beds across from each other. Sitting on their desk chair in the corner, Pidge was just shutting down their computer system, the most expensive part of the apartment.
As soon as he was inside, Keith removed the jacket he wore on top of his minimal armour he wore when he went out.
(Decent gear was hard to come by and it wasn’t exactly like they were swimming in cash.)
The dark reds and blacks were barely seen, covered by the dust and dirt he had been coated in from getting tossed around empty stores and alleys. Pidge wrinkled their nose underneath their glasses. Keith just rolled his eyes at his friend.
“So about the job,” they started slyly. Keith sighed and collapsed on top of his bed. “I think it’s a good idea.”
Keith stared at Pidge blankly. “Pidge, no.”
They grinned wickedly. “Pidge, yes.”
Keith narrowed his eyes. “No.”
“Yes.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“Pidge no-” Keith closed his mouth at Pidge’s pout. “Fine, but if we get caught, I’m throwing you under the bus.”
“Oh good, I already sent my application in.”
“PIDGE!” Keith exclaimed, shooting up so he could look at them in their eyes.
“Oops, too late.” They didn’t sound sorry at all. “Don’t worry, I won’t get caught. Do you have no faith in me? I’m better than that.”
Keith groaned, dropping his face into his hands. Pidge was a danger to society. He was pretty sure his friend could take over the world barely breaking a sweat.
Pidge wrinkled their nose again when Keith looked back up at them. “You stink,” they abruptly got up to exit into the hall.
Despite his annoyance at his closet, and really his only friend, he did agree with them that calling it quits earlier in the night would be more beneficial. Now if only they listened to their own advice, but that was like trying to argue with a brick wall. Keith did not want to pick that fight, Pidge would win.
Somewhat reluctantly, he got cleaned up. It was nice to get the grime off but it allowed the exhaustion to set in quicker.
His friend had made a frustratingly good point earlier that night, he had been pushing himself harder than he normally did. Almost every single night was spent with him in the vigilante gear as he continued to search the city from top to bottom. It had paid off though. Most of the Galra crime empire’s regular supply routes had been delicately mapped out as well as the locations of some of their smaller bases.
The raid he was doing the next wasn’t anything too big, but it was the first decently sized hit against the Galra he would achieve. They were annoyingly slippery, but with that came complacency. The Altean heroes were too busy to do menial tasks like going after small deals and public appearances, but Keith didn’t have those obligations.
As he was passing through the kitchen to pass out on his bed for at least a few hours, he noticed Pidge perched on the corner of the kitchen counter, scrolling on their phone. Their eyes were filled with sadness as they mindlessly scrolled.
With a frown, Keith sat next to his friend. Pidge had seen him at some of his lowest points, it was only fair for him to return the favour.
He waited for Pidge to speak first. From his experience, waiting for Pidge to speak first was better when they’re down.
“Do you think we’ll find them?” they asked, their tone filled with melancholy. This wasn’t a thought process the two of them addressed out loud normally. To Keith, it felt like admitting that this was a near impossible task. There were only two of them, they could only do so much.
Keith bit his lip, not quite enough to draw blood but enough to sting. “I think that we’re doing as much as we can,” Keith said quietly. Pidge dropped their phone into their lap as they looked at him. “If anyone can find them, you can. We just have to keep trying. Something’s gotta break eventually.” Keith believed that. Pidge was a force to be reckoned with. Barely anything can stop them when they’re on a warpath.
“Matt is gonna owe me so much coffee after this,” they said weakly.
Keith snorted and Pidge gave him a small smile.
“Alright, tomorrow night is gonna be busy so let’s go. Sleep before we kick some criminal ass,” Pidge said, determination back at full force.
Keith rolled his eyes fondly. “You have to sleep as well, Pidge.”
His friend glared at him. “Sleep is for the weak.” Keith pushed them off the counter.
At some point, Pidge must have gone to sleep as they were passed out on top of their covers when he woke up in the morning. He had no doubt that they had stayed up longer as they were still in their sweater and sweatpants from the previous day.
Keith rolled his eyes fondly as he began to move around. Getting Pidge to sleep was like trying to pull teeth. Even when they knew they needed to sleep they were always certain they could put it off for a bit longer. Keith had found them passed out on their desk or the floor numerous times.
The morning was quiet with the only sounds being his own movements and those of the city outside. The noise of the city was easily tuned out as he had a small breakfast. Like every morning after a patrol, Keith scrolled through the news from the city.
It was rarely interesting, and when it was, it was rarely correct. The only reason he does it was to see if there were any new rumours about himself, the Kerberos trio, or Altea itself. Most of the time it was just free entertainment while he was eating breakfast.
As usual it was the normal stuff the news sites spewed. There was an article or two about the heroes spotted on patrol the previous night as well as matching advertisements for the latest merchandise based off of the city’s famed defenders.
In the months Keith had been working as a vigilante, the notices on reporting vigilante activity had gone up. It was hard not to feel amused. Vigilantes didn’t tend to last long before Altea caught up with them. It was a small source of pride for him to be considered annoying enough for the heroes to actually put out warnings about him.
Pidge ambled into the kitchen eventually, the coffee maker being their first stop. As soon as they made their cup of highly caffeinated liquid, they turned to face Keith.
“Have they come up with another idiotic name for you yet?” they asked, smirk firmly in place before taking a sip of the coffee. Keith rolled his eyes. The media had no idea what to call him since vigilantes never lasted long enough for them to be recognized by the public truly and Altea’s media department released official names.
The most memorable names they had attempted to stick with them were all ridiculous. Their first attempt had to be the stupidest thing he’d ever heard. Keith scoffed whenever Pidge brought up Dark Mystery. They had found it hilarious, it just made Keith want to bang his head against a wall.
“I hate to inform you that they have not given you anymore free ammunition,” he responded, his voice as dead-panned as he could make it. Pidge sighed in an attempt to look forlorn. Keith just went back to his phone.
After Pidge ate a small breakfast and grabbed a handful of snacks, the two of them sat at their small dining table with numerous maps and plans laid on top of it. With their mapping of all of the supply routes, the two of them had narrowed down on a smaller, but still decently guarded facility that Keith was going to take out.
Pidge had their laptop set up on the edge of the table, scrolling through the scraps of information they had collected. The Galra Syndicate was unknowingly well hidden. While their existence was an open secret, finding irrefutable proof was hard.
Keith grabbed one of their pens and the blueprints of the building that Pidge had gotten out of the city’s servers. He began to mark out possible entrances and exits, trying to find the best way in. In a different colour he marked the spots where he was sure some guards would be placed.
Pidge eventually looked up at him. “Are you bringing the swords tonight?” Their tone was light but Keith could hear the undercurrent of worry.
“I think so. Have you gotten the modifications on the bayard yet?”
Pidge nodded. “No one should be able to connect it to Altea. And I’ve double checked it for trackers.”
Keith nodded. He didn’t bring out the swords everytime he went out. The one that was all he had from his mom was off putting, the purple glow reminding him of the Galra whenever he came across them. His bayard from his time during the training program for Altea at the Garrison felt more dangerous to take out. He was pretty sure he was supposed to have given it back after being kicked out due to ‘disciplinary issues’ but no one had stopped him. However, he didn’t want to risk it getting connected back to him.
Pidge stayed silent as Keith circled the spots where he knew there were security cameras.
“Are you still coming tonight?” he asked despite knowing the answer likely hadn’t changed.
Pidge nodded, attention back on their computer. “It’s like they exist on a purely separate network from everyone and I can’t find a way in, connecting to it directly is going to be the best way for us to do this.”
Keith sighed. Pidge didn’t typically go out on his patrols with him, preferring to stay and help from behind the scenes where they felt more comfortable. The only times they joined him was when they were struggling to access things remotely. Their connection to technology and their ability to manipulate it when near it allowed them to later access it again from their computers in their apartment.
Pidge had their own bayard from their brief time at the Garrison as well. Unlike his which adopted the form of a sword, theirs transformed into a whip like weapon.
Throughout the rest of the day, Keith felt like his nerves were forever on edge. The anticipation for finally striking against the Galra had been building since they had begun planning days ago.
Despite this, it simultaneously felt like the day had dragged on and no time had passed at all when he started his trek towards the warehouse area in his suit.
Pidge was a few steps behind him, dark forest green hoodie and black cargo pants acting as their suit.
(They didn’t bother trying to make a proper one since they didn’t go out as much despite Keith’s insistence for some basic level of protection.)
The two of them had left soon after the sun fully set, it was dark enough so that they wouldn’t be as easily spotted but early enough that they weren’t on too much of a time limit.
The area where the warehouse was is not too far away. The twenty minutes of travel time allowed him to calm his nerves and keep his thoughts rational. Pidge also remained silent and Keith had no desire to try to figure out what his friend was thinking about.
Once they reached the building the two of them slowed to a stop. Keith glanced over the building. Its empty appearance made it look just like an ordinary storage place, nothing sinister about it. Any lights that would show out of the exterior windows were turned off, furthering the illusion.
He turned to look at Pidge who was squinting at the building intently.
“There’s a lot of tech in that building that I have no idea what it’s supposed to be,” they started, sounding intrigued yet cautious. Keith bit the inside of his lip. Unknown technology was never good, especially in the hands of the Galra. It was also concerning that Pidge didn’t know what it was. “However I can sense the security cameras, by the time you get over there I’ll have a basic loop playing so you can get through.”
Step one of their plan. With Pidge maintaining a loop of clips of the blank street through the security cameras, it will allow him to neutralise the guards near the entrances and monitoring stations so Pidge can follow him.
Keith quietly worked his way down to the ground and made his way towards the window next to the back alley he would be entering through. With a quick glance he saw the room was empty so he got to work opening it up.
This was one of the riskier parts of the plan. They had no idea if the windows were connected to a security system and if Keith opening it would set off any alarms. The two of them were hoping that the Galra’s arrogance would blind them to such a simple flaw.
It didn’t take long for it to open up to him, allowing him to slip inside. The silence unnerved him. Reasonably, he knew that it was likely to be quiet as the Galra were trying to keep it quiet, but he had figured there would have been some sort of noise.
The window he had entered through left him in a small closet type room adjacent to the main part of the warehouse. It was left empty of everything besides some leftover mops and empty boxes. The handles on the two doors were covered in a layer of dust that stuck to his gloves.
Slowly, Keith swung open the door leading towards the front part of the warehouse.
The first guard he came across was barely paying attention. He was knocked out on the floor by the hilt of his bayard within seconds.
Keith briefly checked the front of the building before returning to the storage area. The front was empty, some desks left behind and a dead plant in the corner were all that was left in the space.
Lights shone underneath the door leading to the main part of the warehouse. Instead of opening the door, Keith turned sharply to quietly scramble up the stairs. The upstairs area was similarly barren to the room below. Another door leading to the storage area had been left on the second floor, it gave him easy access to the rafters where he could hide in the shadows.
Since it was a smaller base, the amount of guards roaming was small. The trio of them were wandering through the shelves filled with boxes of which Keith could only guess the contents.
Up in his shadowed perch, he activated his bayard. The familiar hilt of his sword materialised in his hand. The red that coloured the sword originally during his time in the Garrison had been darkened by Pidge, they had also removed the detailing which revealed it as a weapon of the Garrison and Altea. The only way others should be able to see it as a bayard like the pro heroes was if they actually got their hands on it. Well, that was the hope at least.
Keith dropped down, practically on top of the guard that had distanced himself from the others. The resulting sound of the one underneath him hitting the floor was loud enough for the others to take notice as Keith rolled to his feet.
Using his momentum, Keith sprung quickly at the guard who rounded the corner. The guard barely managed to screech “Intruder!” before Keith slashed at his knees, essentially crippling him. As the guard made a move to reach for the gun tucked to the side of his leg in a holster, Keith quickly targeted the shoulder of the arm, the injury leaving it unable to bring the gun up in any meaningful way. In the brief moment before the last guard approached, Keith let the one injured next to him drop into unconsciousness with the hilt of his bayard.
The last guard rushed to meet him, a sword not completely unlike his own unsheathed with the blade looking unnervingly sharp as if it had just been sharpened. Keith dropped into a defensive stance.
While Keith preferred a more aggressive style, he knew he would be easily parried by the other guy, the other's strength and size much larger than his own. This time he would just rely on speed then brute strength.
After easily blocking the first strike which sent shivers up his arms with the strength behind it, Keith easily slipped into the easy familiarity of the sword within his hands and an opponent across from him.
Despite the guard having an advantage over him with their larger stature and strength, Keith found the gaps in his technique without difficulty. Keith disarmed him as the guard bellowed in rage due to the damage Keith had left on his sword armour and a bit of his upper chest.
Unexpectedly, which was really on Keith, the guard tackled him to the ground, fist quickly raised for a blow to Keith’s face. Keith barely managed to shift out of the way of a possible broken nose.
With his lower back screaming at him from landing harshly on the concrete floor, Keith rolled out from under the guard. He aimed a kick at the guard's sternum. His foot made contact, knocking out a large breath from the guard. Keith was only able to take a moment's breath before an arm came flying towards him once again. The blow landed on his side from where he barely managed to dance away from it striking his stomach.
Keith swung his sword with his other arm to make another light slash across the guard’s chest. The guard stumbled back which Keith used to his advantage, kicking the guy onto the floor before quickly knocking him out with a blow from the hilt of his sword.
Grimacing, Keith holstered his bayard which reverted into its inactive form. From the other side of his belt he brought out the short range transmitter which he used to signal Pidge that it was good to approach.
Rolling out his shoulders, Keith made his way to where he had spotted the small computer set up in the corner. It didn’t take long for Pidge to show up, immediately pushing past him, making themselves at home at the desk.
He watched as Pidge used both their powers and natural skills to access the computer. It was a few moments before the system completely bypassed the password and opened to the files contained within. Pidge briefly flicked through them before addressing him.
“Most of it is basically an inventory, mostly chemicals,” their frown noticeable within their voice despite him not seeing his friend’s face. “I have no idea what they could be doing with them, they seem so random.” Keith registered it in his mind as he marched away to restrain the guards before they woke up and decided to cause problems.
As Keith finished dragging the guards over, Pidge started talking again. “Their tech seems like it’s based off of magic almost, it shouldn’t be functioning. Half of their codes and parts used are missing,” the intrigue in their voice almost overrode Keith’s worry with fondness for his friend's curiosity.
While binding the guards hands, Pidge began to type hurriedly behind him. He approached them, leaning over the chair only to see code rapidly flying across the screen.
Frowning, Keith moved around the chair to look at the screen closer despite knowing it would still be foreign to him.
“There are some highly encrypted files here. I’m not gonna have enough time to crack it before the police get here,” his friend mumbled hurriedly. Keith just nodded, moving to get ready to leave as soon as Pidge gave the signal. He knew they would just download the information and create a pathway for them to be able to access this part of the Galra’s system again remotely.
Pidge followed Keith as he left through the window he had entered through, police sirens that were distant at the moment started to arrive into his hearing range. Keith and Pidge watched on the roof across the street as the warehouse was swarmed by cop cars with their lights and sirens blaring. Pidge’s tipoff to them would hopefully keep them distracted for a bit so they wouldn’t be chasing the two of them around for at least a few days.
//
Believe it or not, Lance loved gossip. Normally the Garrison was not the place for it, to many kids with big dreams and enormous weight on their shoulders, but that morning was different. From the moment Hunk dragged him out of their shared dorm for breakfast, Lance had noticed the odd air around the place.
The hushed whispers of “Did you hear?” and “I wonder who it is?” with “They seem dangerous, why haven’t they caught them yet?” filled the halls. The murmurs came from various students that ranged in ages from people a few years younger than Lance, the prodigies, and the ones that were a few years older than him, the seniors who would become full fledged heroes once they were done with the current classes.
Being out of the loop was odd for Lance. He loved to talk, to make himself seen and not be overshadowed by the rest of his family for once.
(Coming from a big family meant the attention had to be split between all of them. Lance loved all of his siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, and everyone in between, but sometimes he wanted to be seen for himself for more than a few scant minutes at a time.)
The urge to keep up with the gossip powered him through breakfast and straight to the first part of his day.
The regular school curriculum was still taught, as it was mandatory and a majority of the students at the Garrison were still students, yet it was still less focused on. Their combat training, negotiating and diplomacy practice, and courses on the basics of engineering and coding made up the majority of their schedule.
Luckily for him, Hunk had been roped into his engineering class despite not being on the hero track at the Garrison. Normally, the scientists, doctors specially for heroes, and the hero trainees themselves were trained separately.
Hunk had somehow slipped into Lance’s class yet he was not complaining. Lance was smart, not anything extreme but he knew he had an above average intelligence. He was decent at mechanics, but nowhere near as good at them as his best friend.
The whispers continued as soon as they noticed the not unusual absence of their teacher. The smaller enclosed space made it easier for Lance to overhear some of those conversations.
“I heard there was a gun fight!” someone exclaimed in the row a few over from him. His eyebrows jumped.
Someone else scoffed before one of the others interrupted “No, it was a sword fight. There was no sounds of gunfire, which you would know if-“
The rest of the conversation by someone dropping into the chair next to Lance with a loud sigh.
“Hey beautiful, how are you on this fine day?” he asked, a wide grin on his face.
Next to him, Allura rolled her eyes. She was another one of the people he hung around the most. His flirting never affected her and he had quickly gotten over the crush he had when he first met her.
Despite her appearance of having a no-nonsense attitude, Allura had an insatiable need to gossip and she was also willing to sneak out to go buy hoards of chocolate.
(It took surprisingly little convincing for her to sneak out with himself and Hunk. She was also probably the reason they didn’t get caught sneaking back in.)
If anyone would know what was going on, it was probably Allura. She had a way of knowing everything, Lance still wasn’t convinced that she couldn’t talk to animals.
Luckily for him, Allura knew him so well that she immediately got the gleam in her eye that was always present when she told him a new rumour. Her blue eyes shining with mischief that others rarely saw. Lance sighed at the knowledge that Allura was going to hold the fact that she knew first about whatever was going on over his head for at least a few weeks.
Hunk glanced at them briefly before warily looking around the room. Their teacher hadn’t shown up yet, which wasn’t too abnormal, and the rest of the class was whispering not so quietly to each other.
Allura also knew to not sugarcoat or hesitate with things. “They took down a Galra storehouse last night,” she said, excitement barely concealed within her tone. Both Lance and Hunk’s jaws dropped. Her voice dropped down to a whisper in the next moment to say “It wasn’t any of the heroes or police. It was that vigilante that has been running them around in circles.”
Hunk frowned. “Did they catch him? Were there any casualties? What else do you know?” he asked, questions spewing quickly.
Allura only had to hold up a hand for him to quiet. “No to the first two,” she said, eyes alight with mirth. Lance leaned in, intrigued. “A few Galra members were taken to a hospital for light injuries. Reportedly from a sword.”
Lance frowned. “I thought they didn’t use weapons.”
Allura shook her head. “They never have before,” she began quietly, and as Lance opened his mouth she continued, “but someone got a photo from near the scene.” With that she pulled out her phone, tapping quickly before turning it so Lance and Hunk could see.
The photo on the screen was blurry but still distinguishable. It matched the previous photos of the vigilante yet it was slightly more clear, whatever phone or camera used to take it provided a better quality then the local street security cameras.
With the darkness of the night, the details and colours were off but Lance could see it was mainly black and a dark red. The barest amount of detailing he could see made it seem like leather, or a fabric similar. A jacket laid on top of what Lance assumed was a long-sleeve t-shirt. The lighting made the shape of what appeared to be either pockets or holsters appear on the legs of the figure that was jumping over the edge of a roof, presumably onto the next one.
Lance smirked. “Looks like the heroes, and us, have some competition.”