ALLURA'S NEW GROOVE - PART 13

“Here they come, Keith,” I glance at my watch. “And right on time.”

“Okay, Dexter. Remember what I told you. Don’t signal for the hose until Lance and I are both halfway across.”

I nod slightly, and Alan and I separate from the rest of the group to walk along with him, coming to a stop at the corner of the pool closest to us. Shannon and Lynne halt at the opposite end with a disgruntled-looking Lance. The rest of the girls are grouped near the fence on that side.

Lynne does a quick head count on us and says something quietly to Shannon. Shannon nods in approval. I look the girls over and notice that they’re not holding to their end of the bargain; Tasia is missing. And I’ll bet any money she’s got that damn powered-down laser pistol with her too. We could be in big trouble.

“Keith,” I say very softly to him, “I think we’re about to be had.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t see Tasia over there. I’ll bet she’s on her way to covering our rear flank.”

“We still have to go through with this to keep them from getting suspicious. Just go back and give the guys a quick warning.”

“Okay, Keith,” Shannon calls. “We’re ready to begin - and remember, you have to start our way at the same time we let him go.”

“Right,” he yells back. “Go relay the message, Dexter,” he adds quietly, then he begins to walk toward the girls. Shannon and Lynne let Lance go and he starts our way.

It doesn’t take as long to reach the far side of the fence as I thought it would. The tricky part will be lifting the latch and opening the gate without making any noise. From where I am I can see the guys collected in a loose group. Keith, Alan and Dexter are toward the front, and the other four are standing by the maintenance shed that holds all the stuff for keeping the pool clean. Keith and his escort start forward, and Dexter whispers something to Keith before doubling back to talk to Hunk and Dunkirk. Pidge moves slightly, and that’s when I see the hose that Dunkirk is holding behind his back. He’s got the high-pressure hose the superintendent uses to wash down the walks around the edge of the pool. Hunk has one hand on the faucet handle. I realize immediately what they’re up to. Those boogers! Well, Tasia’s got something for all of you. Just you wait and see.

I take hold of the latch and lift it fast. It makes a quick little squeak but it’s nothing major. Then I begin to tiptoe toward the far corner of the shed.

“What’s up, Dex?” Hunk seems to pick up on my anxiety pretty quick. He’s nowhere near as thick-skulled as some people make him out to be. “Problem?”

“Yeah, there could be.” I glance back toward the pool. Lance and Keith are almost near the halfway point. “Tasia’s on the loose, and I think she has that buzz gun with her.”

“Yeah, well I read some of the specs on those adjustments while we were waiting to move. There’s supposed to be a direct relation between the size of the target and the length of effect. If that’s true, then I don’t think Dunny and I are gonna have a problem with -”

“Look out!” Pidge blurts suddenly. We all snap our heads around to look in the direction he‘s pointing. Tasia has popped out of cover from the far end of the shed. She pops off a few rapid-fire shots in our direction. The first one barely misses Galen, who collides with Dunkirk as they both attempt to dodge the stun beam. Hunk gets hit right in the chest and gets a wide-eyed look of surprise as he falls. His hand doesn’t release the faucet handle until halfway down, which opens the valve to nearly full blast. Pidge drops to his belly and covers his head with his arms. Dunkirk takes the next hit, which leaves the now rapidly-filling hose without anyone to control it. I dive for it just as the water pressure makes it begin to flail about wildly. I get slapped with a faceful of water that shoots straight up my nose. I wind up stumbling backward, raising my hands to my face, temporarily but completely blinded. A moment later I realize where I am when I lose my balance at the edge of the pool and hit the water.

Lance is quickly coming within grabbing distance, and that’s part of the plan - I have to snag him and then move out of harm’s way as Dunkirk cuts loose with the hose. At the distance calculated, the water won’t hurt the gals but it will give them a good push and they won’t try to get any closer because of it. Then we can rejoin the rest of the guys and prepare for our princess recovery. Simple. But the moment I hear Pidge’s cry of alarm I realize that things are not going to go as planned. The expression on Lance’s face as he looks past my shoulder toward the shed adds weight to my suspicions, and the sudden jet of water that soaks me from head to foot confirms it.

I spin to see what’s going on and see Dexter with his hands clasped to his face, staggering toward the edge of the pool. At the last instant he becomes aware of where he is and teeters on the lip, arms waving wildly, before gravity wins the struggle and sends him into the water with a pretty impressive splash. Lance bursts out laughing and raises his cuffed hands into the air as if he’s holding a judge’s card.

“Five point five!” He crows happily. I frown at him and grab his arm to lead him to safety.

“Pidge!” Galen yells at me. “Pidge, get up! Get the faucet, dude!”

I take my arms away from my head and raise it to look. Tasia is sprawled on her back in the grass, sopping wet and looking pretty stunned. Hunk and Dunkirk are both laid out flat by the shed, groaning and trying to work feeling back into their numbed limbs. So much for Hunk’s theory on size and effect...

Galen yells for me again from my left. He’s wrestling with the hose, digging his heels into the ground as it lurches form side to side and yanks him back and forth. The girls are rushing across the yard to try and recapture Lance and Keith, but Galen manages to wrench the hose around and take aim in their direction. They start screaming en masse at the top of their lungs like a bunch of victims in a teen slasher movie. Oooh, Shanon’s blouse is totally wet and clingy now. Cowabunga.

“Pidge, stop this crazy thing!” Galen is quickly losing his hold; the hose is beginning to buck and lurch like a mechanical bull gone wild. I spring to my feet and dash for the faucet. A stray blast of water sends me tumbling back to the grass. I shake my head clear, get up and try again. Another blast bounces me off the side of the shed as I reach the faucet. I use both hands to turn it off. Galen immediately drops the hose and sits down hard on his butt, huffing a sigh of relief.

“What the heck is going on down there?” A male voice bellows from a balcony high above us. “No swimming in the pool after hours unless I get told first! Now get out of there before I have to call the Voltron Force on you all!”

“We are the Voltron Force!” Lance yells back.

There is a long pause.

“Dang kids. Why aren’t you all back at the castle dealing with robeasts or something? Go ahead and use the pool if you want, but keep it down! It’s twelve o’clock at night, for crying out loud! I need my sleep!” The sliding door shuts with a loud thump. Everyone exchanges glances.

“Okay, folks, the game is over.” Keith puts his hands on his hips. “Where’s the princess?”

“You want her, you come with us,” Shannon says with a defiant fold of her arms.

“Not so fast,” Lance steps forward, looking terribly cocky, even for him. “You want to play swap, let’s swap.” He motions behind him. Dexter steps forward with a laser pistol in one hand and holding a very irritated and soggy Tasia by the arm with the other. She’s wearing Lance’s former handcuffs.

“Now we’ve got the hostage, and the firepower,” Lance continues smugly. “Cough up the princess, sweetheart.”

“Nothing doing, Shanny,” Tasia says. “I can deal with these here menfolk.”

“No, it’s all right. There’s always another time.” She motions to Caro and Leila. They head back into the building and return shortly afterward with Allura. She’s wearing a powder blue blouse, jeans and sandals, and she looks really plastered.

“Hi, guys.” She waves a bottle of chocolate syrup at us. Lance looks around at Keith and grins from ear to ear. Keith smacks his arm hard enough to make him grimace and rub at it. Then he walks over to Allura. She gives him this really cute look, wrinkling her nose and smiling at him. He sighs, gives the gals a stern look, then he motions to Dexter to let Tasia go. Dexter says something quietly to her that makes her bump him with her hip defiantly before she rejoins Shannon.

“Tidy up this area before you go, folks,” Keith says. “Dexter, Alan, Lance - come on. We have to get the princess back to the castle.” He takes her gently by the arm, but she tugs her arm away and stops cold.

“No oral sex?” She asks with a pout. “But that’s what the dessert topping is for!” She waves the bottle at Keith. He freezes in his tracks, then turns to blink at her in surprise. All eyes fasten on him. The silence is deafening.

What happens next is a demonstration of the tremendous control Keith can call up at a moment’s notice. He takes a deep breath, releases it, then he faces the rest of us.

“She’s been drinking,” he says, with amazing calm given the circumstances. “She doesn’t mean it.”

“Yes I do,” Allura insists.

He frowns at her a little. “No you don’t.”

“Yes,” she nods for emphasis, “I do.”

“No...no.” He shakes his head.

“Do too,” she replies with a giggle.

“Don’t.”

“Do.”

Keith turns thoughtful, then he smiles slightly at Allura. “Do.”

“Don’t,” Allura replies without missing a beat.

“Do.” Keith grins a little wider.

“Don’t.” Allura looks smug.

“You sure?”

She nods again. “Yes.”

“Okay, off to the castle with you, then.” He plucks the bottle out of her hands, tosses it to Alan and hooks his arm in hers. It takes her a moment to realize she’s been had. “Hey!”

“Sorry, princess, it’s castle time.” Keith shoos her along gently but firmly. Allura scowls.

“I’ve been tricked! I want my bottle back!”

Keith shakes his head firmly. “Sorry, not tonight. Come along.”

Allura sulks and allows herself to be walked out of the pool area and away. Lance looks disappointed.

“He shouldn’t have gotten out of that so easily,” he mutters as he goes. Galen looks at me.

“Guess that’s the end of that.”

“Yeah, for tonight, anyway. Help me roll up this hose.”

“Right.”

To Allura's New Groove: Part 12

To Allura's New Groove: Part 14