The terse thought echoed inside Hunk's head as he studied the control panel. He could do this, there had to be a rhyme or reason to those squiggly lines inscribed on the disks. He now noticed there were precisely five disks and slots, was that number significant, somehow?

He rubbed his forehead tiredly- thinking like this was hard work, but then again, he had never minded working hard for something or someone he believed in and cared about. He set his hands upon the console, bracing his body with his arms as he stared intently at the hieroglyphs.

The wavy lines had to mean something, but what? They were a code, had to fit together…like pieces of a puzzle-

That was it! It was a puzzle. Maybe if the lines were joined, they would form a picture of the code needed to close the bridge. That could be the answer, but what- just then, an unpleasant chortle outside caught his attention.

"At last I have you, my princess, you are soon to be mine! How clever of me to wait until the bridge had opened; that imbecile at the controls will never figure out how to close it in time. Too bad for you, Allura, that your precious Captain isn't here instead of that lowly, ignorant grunt!" The harsh voice of the Evil One delivered the taunt with great relish.

Grating maniacal laughter and the jeers of his enemy disturbed the Yellow Lion pilot's train of thought, a result that the sneering Prince was clearly attempting to achieve.

Hunk felt his simmering rage quickly turning up a notch, and struggled mightily to suppress it; going off on the Doom Prince had gotten him nowhere in the past, right now what he needed was to outsmart the pompous bastard! Lotor always liked to make big speeches before he went for the capture, and liked to gloat before gutting his victims.

He also desperately wanted to make an impression on the Princess.

~One of the reasons the fool never succeeds in his objective!~ Hunk thought with grim humor.

Instead of tending to business and getting things done, the conceited Prince had a need to grandstand, to be the center of attention, not caring one iota if his audience was fascinated, or filled with seething revulsion. The Evil One viewed it as a huge game, one at which he constantly cheated.

One thing was for sure, Lotor's overconfident bragging and huge ego always resulted in his downfall, and allowed the Voltron force to kick his big ass all the way back to his daddy.

The creep's need for affirmation of his prowess was his biggest weakness.

Suddenly Hunk smiled. Maybe being a lowly 'grunt' had its good points. For one thing, enemies would tend to underestimate you. He studied the panel calmly, mentally putting the lines together, trying to form an image. When the solution finally popped into his head, he was amazed; of course, why hadn't he seen it before?

Working swiftly, he grabbed each disk and inserted them in a particular order. As he did so, a small screen on the console flickered to life. He watched as the lines appeared one by one on the blue field, hoping the start up procedure wouldn't take more than a minute; Lotor was still yapping about his plans for the Princess, but soon time would run out.

One by one, the lines converged, in perfect order. As the last line flipped into position, one giant hieroglyph was revealed- the figure of a yellow lion.

A smooth humming from beneath the bridge reached his ears, and Hunk grinned happily. He had done it! Now…if Lotor would just keep on talking…things would fall into place.

He hurried outside the gatehouse to check on the jet; yes, it was still hovering in place. Lotor, still entranced with his little monologue, hadn't even noticed the asphalt and steel section that was sliding out from under this side of the bridge.

Steadily the mechanism continued to move the missing piece. Just a little bit more and-

A horrible screeching sound, and the sickening crunch of an object being violently smashed, filled the air. Hunk could see the bat-winged helmet swiveling wildly from side to side, as the back of the jet was propelled forward and upward against the other half of the bridge.

Hunk turned away, not wanting to watch his enemy crushed, at least not in the physical sense. He wondered what Allura was feeling right now…relief? Joy? No, if he knew her at all, he would bet that she was horrified at the terrible type of demise her stalker was experiencing.

The jet continued to collapse, and Lotor's frantic screams penetrated directly through Hunk's skin, sinking into his bones. The end was almost here - please, let it be quick. His eyes squeezed shut.

The humming stopped abruptly.

He cautiously peeked, noticing that although the spacecraft had been compacted, Lotor's cockpit was still in one piece, albeit reduced from a luxury cruiser to a compact in proportions. The ship had jammed the mechanical system of the bridge, but Lotor still was nullified, as he was unable to open his hatch, due to it being pinned by the immense asphalt slab.

Hunk strode toward the scrap pile, and started to scale it. He cursed savagely as a jagged piece of steel sliced into his hand, but was not slowed in his determination to get around the obstacle and get the Princess to safety. There was a chance that Lotor could free himself. Danger was still imminent.

He now had a clear view of Lotor trapped within the Plexiglas bubble, and chuckled. The irate Prince of Doom was cussing up a storm, and beating his fists on the hatch. Climbing over the wreckage, Hunk made sure he placed his now filthy feet directly over Lotor's upturned, furiously shouting face, wiping them with enjoyment, before moving on to the waiting Princess.

"Hunk, I knew you could do it," she exclaimed, throwing her arms around him.

"Aw, it wasn't anything any other brilliant and talented Space Explorer couldn't have done," he replied jokingly, returning her fierce hug.

"Maybe so, but it was you that did it, not just 'anyone'. Give yourself credit. You are a man of hidden talents!" The Princess' glowing blue orbs gazed at him in admiration, then faded away, along with the rest of her.

"W-wha-" he sputtered, his arms dropping to his sides. His eyes widened in shock.

In her place sat a lion, proud and stern. As the mists vanished, its amber coat began to glisten brightly in the rays of sunlight that shot down from the cerulean sky.

Hunk sank to his knees out of respect. ~It's Yellow Lion!~

Yellow Lion was here! That could only mean one thing…

Words spoken in a deep, solemn tone thundered from the jaws of the magnificent creature, as he held out a sparkling chain, dangling from a massive paw.

"Hunk, I have found you worthy of this stone. You have felt you have no assets but the gift of physical strength. Here you have realized that strength can take many forms, such as self-control, mental discipline, and determination. You are the foundation of the team, both in strength of character, and because you fly Yellow Lion, the mighty left leg of Voltron. Do not forget that. Your skills are needed. " The lion hesitated slightly, before continuing. "You have an inborn gift that this amulet will enhance greatly, but it's yet to be discovered. Remember not to abuse it when it makes itself known."

"Thank you, oh thank you!" Hunk blurted out, as the amulet flew from the lion's outstretched paw, to his own trembling hands. He gazed down in wonder at the exquisite imperial topaz stone, with the lion's head crest at its center. "I will always remember this day…I will never remove this amulet from my neck."

"You are the rock, Hunk." The lion repeated, its golden eyes aglow. "Remember…"