The Difference Between You And Me [Voltron WA 2017]

Lost

"Katie!" Matt screamed, watching the feed from above. The way Shiro shouted her name... It was her. It had to be.

"'Katie'?" Lance asked.

"That's my real name. I made up the name Pidge just to get into the Garrison." She choked, breathing heavily in Shiro's arms. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. "Did I get him?" She asked, and Shiro nodded.

"Yeah, Katie. You got him." Shiro answered softly. The camera drones above moved closer, programmed to catch the quietest of words.

"So the galra have been stopped?" She asked, tears now streaming down her face.

"Not entirely, no. But you're going to make it through this, Katie. You're going to help form Voltron again, and the next time we visit Earth, it will be with your family." Shiro's words were false and she knew it.

"No, it won't." She said softly. "I know where it hit, Shiro. I know what's going to happen." She looked at Shiro's hand. It held her own, his flesh warm against her cool, clammy fingers. "I'm not fond of this ending, but it gives the universe freedom, doesn't-" she stopped, coughing up some blood.

"Please, no..." Keith said, his eyes filling with tears for the first time in years.

"Katie? Katie!"

"I'm here." She whispered, opening her eyes.

"You're going to make it through, Pidge!" Allura said, climbing onto the platform, Coran close behind.

"Glad you could make it." Katie said.

"Katie, she's right. You're going to make it through this, you have to." Shiro said, holding her closer to him for a moment.

"If I were going to make it, you wouldn't be calling me Katie."

--

"Matt, what is it?" His father asked, running up to his son.

"It's Katie..." He sobbed, and Sam looked at the screen. "She... She's a paladin of Voltron... She's... She's..."

"Oh, no." He saw her, cradled in his friend's arms, losing more blood every second. "If she doesn't ​get emergency treatment immediately..."

"They're in the middle of a desert." Matt whispered, burying his face in his father's shirt, something he hadn't done since he was very young.

--

"There are only two things you need to know about me. My name is Shiro, and I'm a paladin of the black lion. Who you really need to know is this girl. This is Katie Holt. Some know her as Pidge Gunderson, the paladin of the green lion, or a member of Voltron or family. She is all of those things, including savior of the universe.

"She wanted to find her father and brother, Matt and Sam Holt. She wanted to find them and bring them home. Instead, she became a paladin of Voltron through inconvenient circumstance and cruel fate. From the day she left Earth, she fought against the galra, who were trying to overtake the universe.

"She was captured by the galra for the past two years of her life, only being rescued a month ago. She trained and regained strength. The galra found us less than twenty four hours ago, and she reacued two of the other paladins, accidentally stranding herself and another on a galra ship. They escaped and came back to form Votlron immediately. Voltron was sent down to earth, where we were again captured by the galra.

"She was chosen to fight Zarkon, and won. In the process, her life was taken. She's here, now, barely with us. She gave so that the universe could be free. So all of you out there, listen. The galra are weakened. Fight back. Do not let Katie Holt's sacrifice be in vain! Fight against the galra.

"Why? Because she just wanted to find her family. And now, her family may not have time to find her." Shiro waited a moment before allowing Hunk to shoot the cameras. They came down with a satisfying thunk.

"That was beautiful." Katie said quietly, her chest barely moving.

"Thank you." Shiro said. His speech wasn't really for anyone else except for her, and she knew it. "Talk to the others, okay?" He stepped aside, letting Keith cut in.

"Hey." He said softly, moving his hand through her hair. "You're a hero now, you know that?"

"I'm glad, I guess." She said, struggling to smile at him. "Are you?"

"No." He shook his head. "I'd rather we all be heroes, and you be alive." He gasped softly. "I didn't mean-"

"It's okay." She giggled, coughing heavily afterwards. Keith moved to let Lance and Hunk in.

"Hey, buddy." Hunk said gently.

"Right back at ya." Katie wheezed, squeezing her eyes closed. "God, it never takes this long in movies." She said.

"Don't talk like that, please." Lance said, crying. "You've saved my life so many times, in more ways than one, so how do I save yours?"

"Simple. Make sure you don't forget me, okay?" Lance nodded, smiling at her through the tears.

"I don't think any of us could ever forget you." He whispered, moving aside for Allura and Coran.

"Hello, Katie." Allura said, smiling bitterly. "It's strange to call you that." Katie smiled at her, then at Coran.

"Hey, Allur-"

--

"Do you want to know the difference between you and me?"

"What difference is there?"

"I lost a friend and you lost a sister. I think that's the only one left at this point."

"I said, what difference is there?"