The New Paladin

45: Connections

Lance fell at a rather awkward angle.

It was as he only when he was leaning against someone that he realised that the reason he couldn't stand up was because his leg was gone.

"Hey Lance." Hunk smiled. "You okay?"

Lance gave a weak nod. "Yeah, what happened?"

"Sendak escaped." Pidge informed.

"Oh, yeah." He remembered now.

He remembered chasing after him with Keith, remembered the almost overpowering dread that still made his stomach turn slightly.

His gaze flickered around to realise that there was no one else around.

Which was peculiar considering that Hunk and Pidge both seemed so tense.

"Your leg's almost finished by the way." Pidge explained tapping away on her tablet as she glared at it.

Lance was slowly lowered to the floor to sit next to her watching her as she worked.

It then occurred to him that the others were still all in their armour. That meant that, either they didn't feel safe or that someone they weren't too sure of was on board the castle.

Lance had to edge his bets a little bit, seeing as both Hunk and Pidge were with him instead of Coran probably meant that Allura was in a meeting and wanted Coran present.

If this meeting had to happen before all of the paladins were available then that was saying something too.

"So what's going on?" Lance asked rubbing the tiredness out of his eyes. He could do with a nap. "Who needs our help now?"

Pidge paused her tapping and lifted her gaze to meet his. "How did you know someone needed our help?"

"Coran is usually the one to help me out of the pod, sometimes you're all here. Also there's two of you here, not just one and you're both still in your armour." Lance shrugged. "Just made a guess."

"It's a good guess." Hunk said as he knelt next to him revealing a new leg. "What do you think?"

Lance smiled tracing the metal panels of his new leg. It looked amazing.

But he never expected anything less when Hunk and Pidge put their minds to something.

"It's awesome." Lance grinned. "Is this part gonna hurt?"

"It might." Hunk nodded. "I've made sure it matches the dock and all but I... Yeah I don't honestly know."

Lance nodded planting his hands behind his back as he waited for Hunk to connect it up.

As the leg pressed into the dock pain shot through him.

He saw masked Galrans, lots of rudimentary tools and equipment. Painful things. Clawed hands and restraints that kept him still as they tore into his broken body.

Lance gasped eyes weakly opening to find he was on the floor with Hunk and Pidge watching him.

"Ow." He mumbled as he closed his eyes.

"Are you okay?" Pidge asked softly.

Lance weakly nodded and opened his eyes again allowing Hunk to help him sit up. "Yeah, I just um... I wasn't really prepared for it to hurt like that."

"Sorry." Hunk mumbled looking all sheepish and sad almost.

Lance offered a warm smile. "Hey it's no biggy, it doesn't hurt anymore and I'm fine."

"Come on then." Pidge said as she got up. "The others will be glad to see you're awake."

Lance beamed at that.