Project Voltron 2.0 – Part Four: Problem Solver

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The Earth shines like a blue marble against a sea of blackness in the window of a dark space vessel. The moderately sized object glides stealthily amongst the void with an occasional glint of light reflecting off its shiny black hull. The occupants in the unknown ship remained as silent as the space outside the safety of the hull. Two of the three crew members were intently watching scanners which displayed no data whatsoever. Both of them were bored out of their minds. But none of their black helmets moved an inch revealing their disinterest at the task at hand. The pilot and crew seemed to sit very still at all times. Quietly they sat as the pilots continued on their mission, as if they were aboard a submarine surrounded by the intermittent monotone of sonar.
“How much lazon did you say was transported?” The pilot spoke up sitting in the back seat of the ship.”
“Supposedly a whole crate, Zed… It was approximately 10 kilograms.” The pilot at the front replied. “10 kilograms is a lot.” The Zed assumed. “The kind of energy output from that much lazon… could you imagine?” The pilot in the middle seemed indifferent about the conversation at hand as he continued to sit quietly but listen intently.
“You said it was stolen right from under the noses of the mine security, Krall?” Zed asked.
“I can’t see how one whole crate can get past five levels of security without as much as the blink of an eye without being noticed.” Zed said, the confusion grew as he spoke.
“It was as if they had already known how to access the mines before they started.” The pilot in the middle added.

“The whole thing could be a disguise, Rai.” Krall replied in thought.

“I have heard rumor that some of the guards willingly gave the stolen lazon up.” Rai replied back. “It was as if…” The control panel lit up and beeped at Rai. “Sir, there’s a Doom ship heading straight for us.”
“They can’t detect us; we have the tracking beacon off. But just to be sure, bring us to a full stop.” Krall assured. The three pilots sat quietly waiting for the Doom ship to pass them by. It was as if they felt they were in a submarine being detected by sonar. Within a minute the ship had passed. The three breathed a sigh of relief.
“I hope we weren’t detected, stealing a Doom ship will get us killed. Zarkon would have our heads…” Rai replied. “Especially if he knew we were Drules, not Doominites!”
“Our commander told us that we had to find out if Doom is actually trying to get Earth on its side. I’d rather die than go back to the mines.”
“We would still be in the mines now had it not been for Throk.” Krall added. “We have to make the most of the freedom he almost gave his life for. We have to find out.”
“He would make a good leader, if he survives.” They again sat silently for a brief moment, almost in reverence. This was cut short by another beeping sound. This time, the beeping came from the console in front of Zed.
“Krall, It looks like they dropped off a present for the humans. I am detecting small traces of radiation resembling it. We just caught Doom in an act of deception!” Zed nearly shouted.
“Rai, get a fix on where that lazon may have been dropped off.” Krall commanded.
“I’m already on it…” Rai replied eagerly looking over the information he was receiving from the console.
“It’s a small shipment from what information I’m getting,” Zed added. “It’s small, but highly concentrated. It must be enhanced lazon.”
“That’s what we’re looking for!” Krall proclaimed.
“I’ve got it…” Rai exclaimed and then seemed eerily uncertain.
“What is it?” Zed asked looking at Rai puzzled.
“It’s inside the Garrison campus.” Rai replied quietly.
“So? We can still get it without being seen.” Krall replied back taking note that his statement didn’t seem to calm Rai at any level.
“The shipment was placed in the lab compound.” Rai replied. Rai’s voice took on a very ominous tone. “The Alliance may already be conspiring against us, they have to be.”
“We don’t know that yet, let’s not jump to conclusions,” Krall reminded Rai. “There are spies on all sides of the battle you know.”
“But the word was that they weren’t going to allow any lazon research to take place in their territory. This makes them liars.” Rai claimed. His voice began to rise in volume with the frustration that Krall was willing to let that fact slide.
“How do you know that for certain?” Krall asked bluntly. “We haven’t even gone down there to even look at the evidence.”
“Krall’s right. We should take a look before we can be certain of anything the Alliance does. We need them if we are going to gain our independence.” Zed interjected before Rai could argue back. Now Rai was in a minority and sat in his chair quietly resigning to that fact. But Rai still held his opinion intact, just in case he needed to be ready to defend himself. Krall set the ship’s co-ordinates to land near the lab complex. The technology of the Doom ship would cloak them as they descended. The bright blue and green orb called Earth dramatically increased in size as they began their entry into Earth airspace.
“It’s not a bad looking place at all… not at all like what many of us would think back home.” Zed said as he looked at the wondrous planet he would soon be landing on.
“Looks can be deceiving Zed.” Rai reminded, his mistrust still keeping him on guard. Krall began inputting the final descent commands into the flight computer and turned to face Zed and Rai.
“We are to check the perimeter of the lab complex, get in and find the lazon and return it back to Drule.
“The front door would not be a good idea.” Zed replied with a chuckle.
“As we do that, we also need to assess the amount of security the complex has.” Krall began again ignoring the out of the blue observation from Zed. “As you know, expect the unexpected. And, whatever you do…” Krall then looked straight at Rai. “Don’t blow our cover by making a scene.”
“Yes, sir” Zed and Rai replied. The ship landed softly in the back lot of the lab complex. All three quickly exited the craft when the door opened.
“Okay, so how do we get in?” Rai sniped at Krall noting the negative expression that crossed his face. All three looked at the impressive wall of the lab in front of them.
Krall produced a small, flat device from a pouch that he had brought with him off the spacecraft.
“Where did you get that?” Rai asked in amazement.
“I stole it from the machine shops when the guards weren’t looking.” Krall replied with a proud smile.
“A laser cutter? I didn’t know they were that small.” Rai said about to grab the device when Krall pulled it away shaking his head.
“Nah-ah, I don’t trust you with this thing.” Krall rejected. “This isn’t a toy.” Zed backed off looking like he had been deprived.
“So where should we start? I mean, we don’t exactly know how thick the walls are. All we know is the lazon is close by.
“We landed here, and from the info the sensors on the ship gave me, it should be right in front of us.” Krall assumed even though he gave the impression that even he wasn’t sure.
“Well standing here is not going to help us any. We should get started before the lazon is used.”
All three of them approached the wall and huddled against it. Krall pointed the device at the wall and began cutting it with the laser cutter.

Inside the lab complex Dr. Strasburg is high on a ladder leaning inside the chest of a huge red robot. The insignia alpha was emblazoned on its limbs, chest and head in a shining white. The alpha robot was flanked by a black one on the left, and a half completed blue one on the right. No insignias had been placed on them but it seemed obvious that one of them would be beta and the other gamma. Dr. Strasburg stood leaning into robot alpha. Every so often he would remove a component, look at it and then suddenly toss it behind him taking no interest in it anymore. Any component that he thought could be used again he placed on a tray latched to the right side of the top rung. Sometimes the ladder wobbled unsteadily as he pulled out the robot’s innards. After about a half hour of the crude surgery, Dr. Strasburg produced a device from his lab coat pocket and placed it inside on the top of the newly formed cavity he had made inside the robot. The device was placed and held against the highest point in the top of the cavity. A bright red laser light beamed out of the end as soon as it clicked into place. In an instant it clicked off. Dr, Strasburg sighed, removed the device, studied its findings and typed the measured results into another tablet like portable computer.
“Now then…” Dr. Strasburg started speaking to the robot like it was a child of his own. …all I need to do is…” Dr. Strasburg stopped in mid-sentence noting that he did not have the lazon at hand to install into the robot. Looking down at the bottom of the ladder he noticed the crate. A box-like device lay next to it. Its metallic outer shell sparkled with brilliantly blinking red and yellow lights. It looked to be just the right size to fit in the cavity provided by the Doctor’s pre-installation efforts. Sighing with exasperation, Dr. Strasburg descended the ladder. Once at the bottom he quickly picked up the device, looked at it, glanced down at the crate of enhanced lazon, then back at the device and finally up the ladder to his previous destination. With a brief huff he proceeded to climb the ladder carefully being that the ladder wobbled more with the added weight of the device. Once atop the ladder again he hefted the blinking box. The doctor slid the box into the cavity of the robot very gently noting that he made sure he put the side with the connection ports on the back end inward. With a small, final push, the box clicked and rested into its final position.

Doctor Loran and Debbie looked at the chalkboard inquisitively. Dr Loran quickly scrawling and erasing complex computations, all the while Debbie would interrupt and check his work. In every effort to figure out the mystery equation the question seemed to be flawed, causing the answer to be wrong.
“I don’t get it!” Dr. Loran shouted at the chalkboard with frustration. “Why isn’t this working?” Debbie just looked puzzled for a moment, tilted her head slightly and pointed to a section of equation.
“You missed the elimination.” Debbie replied absently.
“What?” the doctor snapped back. Considering his frustration, he was growing weary of the criticism of his protégé. In turn, Debbie strode forward and put her finger on the missed element of the ponderous alphanumerical monstrosity.
“Here.” Debbie pointed. You forgot to reflect the two to the other side of the equation.
“Fine.” Dr. Loran struck the chalk to the board angrily and scrawled corrections into the computation. After a few minutes, he came to another dead end.
“Ugh!” Dr. Loran gasped then walked over to a nearby chair and plopped into it. “I have been standing at the board for hours now, and I still haven’t solved that damned thing!”
Debbie walked over to where the doctor was sitting and patted him on the back. “Take a break.” She replied softly. “It’s not easy trying to calculate how a brain works.”
“There are just too many variables and not enough constants. The thing keeps morphing into a completely new equation every time I place that chalk onto the board! I feel I am so close, but just one error puts you miles away from the correct answer.” The doctor replied painfully rubbing his head. “I think I am starting to get a headache.”
“Just relax, you’ll get it figured out in due time.” Debbie said reassuringly, although the doctor was still far from reassured.
“I clocked the robot, I included reply times of each and every part, impulse, switch, calculation, response… nothing! All lead to nothing but anomaly!” The doctor’s frustration was clearly visible in a furrowed brow and perspiration. He just stared at the board looking over the equation over and over in his mind. He couldn’t keep away from it. It had to be solved and the doctor knew that when he figured it out he would be kicking himself for not noticing earlier. Dr Loran was beginning to note a growing ache in his head.
“My head hurts.” Dr. Loran announced weakly.
“I’m not surprised.” Debbie replied seeing the pain that crossed the doctor’s face as he began rubbing his temples.
“I wish King Alfor were here, I could use his help right about now.” Dr Loran sighed. After a few moments of sulking in a chair, Dr Loran popped up out of the seat and proceeded to the chalkboard. Debbie rolled her eyes. “You are a glutton for punishment.”
“Isn’t it wonderful?” Dr. Loran sniped in a sarcastic tone.
“Why can’t you just let it go?” Debbie asked in exasperation but she stood at the board with him watching as he continued to scrawl out more trial and error on the equation, it was all he had left after he had tried conventional methods. The doctor’s writing seemed to go faster as she watched. She began to shiver a bit as coldness seemed to descend upon her suddenly and she began looking around as if she felt another presence around them. A small breeze past by her making her shiver a little more.
“Doctor?” Debbie quivered, the chill was affecting her.
“Do you feel like you’re being watched?” Debbie continued looking around the lab. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the old book that Dr. Loran checked out of the library. Its pages began to turn quickly. She looked at the doctor only to find him continuing to write quick corrections to the board. Slowly, Debbie turned and began approaching the book. Although the scene looked creepy, and she was afraid, she wasn’t terrified. Something seemed to be calming her at the same time. The pages continued to turn quickly as if it were a flipbook and watching it seemed to have an almost hypnotic effect on her. She was now standing directly in front of the book. She began to reach her hand toward the flipping pages. As soon as her fingers touched the edge of a page the book violently snapped shut with a loud ‘thunk’ snapping Debbie out of her trance. Debbie pulled he hand away quickly as she jumped away from the book turning toward Dr. Loran.
“Doctor did you see…” Debbie stopped in mid-sentence to absorb what she was seeing. The Doctor stood there looking at her in shock. “Doctor… What happened to the equation?” Debbie asked as she noted that half of the chalkboard had been cleared of all of its alphanumeric jargon. The doctor didn’t move.
“Doctor?” Debbie asked again. Slowly the Doctor pulled himself back from the board. Only half the equation was there and at the bottom was a big number 15 circled many times. Debbie scanned the equation again, some of the variables were different and a lot of unknowns were answered with numbers that seemed to have come from out of the blue.
“There were too many unknowns…” The doctor said very quietly.
“How did you get those numbers? Debbie asked approaching the doctor un-aware that she was no longer cold and shivering.
“I don’t know, but the equation is solid. I feel it.”
“Amazing…” Debbie said quietly. Both of them turned to the board and stared at the equation. It all seemed so simple now.
“Do you know what this means?!” Doctor Loran quickly turned toward Debbie his face suddenly jubilant. The Doctor placed his hands on her shoulders and shook her as he said the next words.
“We did it! It’s solved! My Voltron will LIVE!” Tears were beginning to well up in the doctor’s eyes. It was a dream that he had always wanted and it was finally given to him. The doctor began an odd jig around Debbie. Coming out of her shock, all she could do was watch and giggle as the doctor made a fool out of himself. He made two revolutions around Debbie and suddenly stopped once he was facing the chalkbord again.

"Wait a minute." Dr Loran said quietly as he slowly crept up to the board as if it were about to attack him. "I think I see something on here that may not be good."

"What do you mean?" Debbie asked. Her voice became quiet, like the Doctor's.

"This..." Near the center of the equation, Dr. Loran circled a number with his finger. "Do you know what this is?"

"Not exactly. What is it?" Debbie asked feeling a coldness in the doctor's voice as he continued.
"Hold on a second!" Dr. Loran replied quickly and grabbed a stick of chalk and began scribbling more numbers next to the equation starting with the number he circled. He then added another two numbers to the equation and assigned them variables. Debbie quickly recognized the two. One was the speed of light. The other was the speed of sound.

"Do you know the properties of matter, light and sound?" Dr Loran asked Debbie quizically.

"Well considering the fact that you are using speed as parts of your new problem, it has to be about how these things travel..." Debbie guessed.

"Yes... and?" Dr. Loran encouraged her to continue.

"Sound and light travel in a wave, but light can also act like a particle as matter does." Debbie continued. "But what does all this have to do with all..."
"This is how inert matter moves." Dr. Loran began. "Imagine, for example..." the Doctor began to look for an object and found the chair he had been sitting in earlier. "This chair! Imagine growing another two legs, and walking out the door. This is what makes all of that a reality! This is what makes things... happen. Physical manipulation of matter and sound and light all together."
"I don't understand..." Debbie said quietly.
"I didn't either. I still don't know if I do." Dr. Loran continued. "There is an element out there, a piece of matter, that can emulate any sound frequency including frequencies that none of us can measure, detect or produce with even the most advanced sound equipment. This stuff can play a B flat of a B flat of a B flat, and even more precise than that. It is the ultimate tuning fork!"
"What is it?" Debbie asked quickly.
"Believe it or not, this is the atomic weight of lazon. This must be the reason why the Garrison won't touch it!" Dr. Loran guessed.
"You can't be serious... why is lazon so dangerous?" Debbie asked.
"Each compound, molecule, atom, whatever... Each of them have specific frequencies that they operate at. Protons, Neutrons, quarks, leptons, all have a note to play. When you combine them all together the result is a little number we call matter... or to be exact, matter noise. Now, what happens when we take a frequency and play the exact opposite phase of it..."
"They cancel each other out!" Debbie interjected.
"Complete silence!" Dr. Loran confirmed. "Imagine doing that to matter. You can cancel out the frequencies of matter, you create a matter void..."
"A black hole?" Debbie asked with a little fear.
"Not if you can't cancel out all of the matter frequencies, you can't make a complete void, but it is possible and you can make a black hole in the process." Dr. Loran replied quickly. "It can happen in localized areas, large and small, of the universe where all of the matter frequencies match conversely and create a matter void."
"But why doesn't it destroy everything?" Debbie asked.
"There is a lot of matter noise, even in a vaccum, light travels in a wave with a frequency. The cancellations of waves from everywhere and everything can only be in one area before they go back into phase." Dr. Loran replied. "But you can also change matter noise of a object. What happens when you play a noise really loud?"
"It hurts my ears." Debbie said jokingly.
"Yes! Because your eardrums move too much, stretching them and affecting the nerve fibers around them. You can also shift and knock things over." Dr. Loran continued. "You can also change a frequency of matter by shifting it's composition, making it play a new note. It is really common in everything, it is why matter moves. It is constantly changing frequencies. The same note is very rarely played twice because of the infinte number of frequencies and combinations of. But the more matter you have in the same spot, the more frequencies there are, and the more likely there is the chance for small cancellations and small voids. An atractive force so to speak. Maybe it can be in gravity, or magnetism."
"So basically you can change anything into something else?" Debbie surmised.
"Provided that you play the unique notes and their alterations exactly? Yes, you can."
"So what does this have to do with the robot?" Debbie asked.
"Lazon is the only power source with those qualities that will power the entire robot." Dr. Loran replied. "Voltron needs a power source that it can think with. It would be like having the ultimate battery plus the ultimate processor in one. Unfortunately, since that substance is banned, I have to find another way of powering the robot.
"But you just said..." Debbie interrupted.
"I know, the highest power source available is nuclear fusion. Which although very powerful, can only power the robot partially. Nuclear fusion is powerful, but not as flexible, you can't adjust it, it's either on or off, at least at our level of technology.
"This robot may not live now, but when the time is right and the technology is available..." Dr. Loran trailed off.
"Your not disappointed about it?" Debbie asked with surprise. All this time Dr. Loran had been jumping for joy that his creation will live, but also comfortable about it not living.
"No, it has the potential. That's all I need to know." Dr. Loran replied softly ending the sentence with a gentle sigh. The doctor went back to the chair he been wracking his brain over the erroneous equation earlier and plopped into it causing it to abruptly move back a few inches. "I think I need a break, how about you Debbie?"
"I wouldn't mind one." Debbie replied with an exhaustive sigh.
"How about that little coffee shop in front of the command spaceship... err... building?" Dr. Loran asked, quickly correcting himself.
"That sounds good, but I'm not paying this time, you better bring your wallet." Debbie replied with a giggle.
"I have some finishing up to do around here, so why don't you go ahead and go. I'll meet you there." Dr. Loran replied.
"Okay, but don't take too long." Debbie said quickly, but just as she was about to turn around Dr. Loran stopped her.
"Debbie, before you go..." Dr. Loran said as he reached out and grabbed her gently. "I want you to take this."
Dr Loran went to a nearby computer and started working with it. After a couple of minutes, a data disk emerged from the computer. Dr. Loran, put the disk in a paper jacket and handed it to her. "This contains all of the data on my research and visual scans of the book."
"But..." Debbie started to kindly protest.
"I want you to know what I know. This way you can help me better." Dr. Loran interrupted her. "Plus, I also want you to know that I trust you."
Debbie felt a myriad of emotions welling up in her ranging from glee to pride. She could not believe that she was trusted by the most respected scientist and robotics specialist in the Galaxy Alliance with his most sacred project.
"I also want you to know that with that disk, comes a great responsibility. You must keep that data safe. No one else can see it." Dr. Loran contunued with a serious tone putting his hands on her shoulders and moving her closer so he could lower the volume of his voice. "You are my assistant, I want you to learn everything. Besides, I can't live forever. Who would take care of Voltron after I die?"
"I will keep this safe, always." Debbie replied about to burst with happiness, but that soon subsided and was replaced with a question. "But what if Voltron needs to be repaired?"
"There may be a time when the data may be needed. I don't want this information to be abused. It could have disasterous consequences. So no one must see it until the time is right." Dr. Loran answered not completely cutting off the opportunity for the data to be released.
"I will keep it safe." Debbie restated. Dr. Loran patted her right shoulder gently. "Good. I knew I could trust you."
They both paused for a moment.
"I'm going to head on down to the coffee shop now." Debbie said quietly.
"Okay, I'll finish up around here and meet you there later." Dr. Loran added walking away from her backwards.
"How long?" Debbie asked meekly.
"Oh, um, I'd say about an hour." Dr. Loran answered.
"Okay, I'll see you then." Debbie replied back.
"Okay... see you then." Dr. Loran repeated.
Debbie walked out the door feeling strange. It wasn't a bad kind of strange, but an exuberant one. She was once an intern and now she's a respected assistant of a top level scientist. It all happened so suddenly and something more.

TO BE CONTINUED...

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VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE all versions 1 (Vehicle Voltron), 2 (Gladiator Voltron), and 3 (Lion Voltron) and GALAXY GARRISON ( name of page ), as well as all the characters in the series are the property of World Events Productions and Toei Animation. Please see Acknowledgements for proper acreditation. If any information stated is incorrect or if there is missing information, please let me know and I will correct it as soon as possible.