Chapter Text
The whole post-cryo freeze wasn't what he had been expecting. The cold, sure, but not the constant muscle aches that came with it. Or the way his senses had been dulled while also hypersensitive at the same time.
It was like he was underwater with a giant speaker screaming at him. The lights were no better, but that was probably because everything was just so bright.
The Garrison had stayed the same in many ways, and it had changed in others. The Garrison had always been a clean and bright place that kept everyone under a tight hand, but it had been a place of education before it was a military base.
The hallways had always been full of bright talent that wanted to be nourished and seen. He couldn't say the same for the halls that he walked now.
While the Garrison itself might have been bright, its inhabitants sure weren't. Don't get him wrong, the talent in this place was enough to put him to shame.
It was the constant burning rage and jealousy that filled the halls bright enough to tear the whole place down. There had always been friendly competition at the Garrison, or well, not exactly friendly if you had been asking Lance.
But over time, it seemed like the Garrison had realized the benefits of competition. They had figured out a way to get the best of the best and all their replacements for when the best eventually failed. According to the Garrison, a star only burns for so long before it falls.
The Next Generation Project is what they called it, or the Gen Class for short. It had been a simple thing with a major outcome. Gather the best of the youth from all over the galaxy and train them under one roof.
They got top facilities, equipment, and specific classes. Everyone wanted to be like them, treasured in such a way that they were held above all.
He would be lying if he said that he didn't see a point to the whole thing. He wasn't naive enough to blame the Garrison for preparing for the need of Voltron once again. After all, a part of him was always somewhat ready to be thrown back into battle.
That constant fog in the back of his head had been why he had agreed to this in the first place. If Voltron were to ever be needed again, then they would need someone to guide them since Allura was no longer here.
He had agreed that he would be that for them if the time had ever arisen. And well, it appears that the moment was quickly approaching, not that many people were aware of it. The Garrison had been very strict about who they informed about the updates they had been given.
A mysterious virus had been spreading throughout planets as it drained and supposedly consumed the quintessence of the land and people. The virus hadn't reached Earth yet, and they hoped to understand it before that happened.
"Professor Shirogane!"
A deep breath that was supposed to be calming and a prayer to whatever was listening. Or, well maybe he shouldn't do that, you never did truly know who was listening. Either way, his name being yelled like that from down the hall by a high-pitched teenager was never a good sign.
Blinking open his eyes fully, he turned on his foot to look down the hall. He didn't truly recognize the student besides the fact that they were in his class, but he was still learning names in his defence. "ye-"
"Fight in the class!"
He was bewildered as the student ran off before they could even finish their sentence. No doubt wanting to see how the fight ended for themselves. In his moment of pause, his eyes quickly widened in realization as he stumbled into a sprint.
The thing about fights in the Garrison was that they got dangerous real quick. You couldn't really expect a bunch of hormonal teenagers not to fight, especially if they were trained to do so.
"Okay, break it up!" The words left his mouth before he had even fully made it inside the door.
He gently pushed aside the few students who refused to step aside from the crowd. His eyes immediately settled on two teens fighting on the floor. Well, he wouldn't really call it a fight, but rather a beating.
His hands grabbed the girl under the arms as he pulled her off the bloody boy. He held her in the air like a cat as he looked down at the boy. A deep sigh left his mouth as he prepared himself for the additional report he was going to have to type up. Well, this was his life now. At least for now anyway.