Beyond

Calling

A woman landed in the lounge and rolled to break her fall.

She stood up, her glowing yellow eyes locking onto Lance.

"Axca." Lance breathed shakily as he stared her down, he didn't know if he felt angry or scared. "I'm not going to fight you."

"Then you'll die." She replied calmly as she drew her sword, the metal making a sharp sound that grated on Lance's ears. "Like a coward."

Lance's eyes narrowed and Blue appeared at his side. "Before you do the grand job of killing me," he licked his lips trying to stay calm, "is the whole universe under Haggar's control?"

"No, there is a dwindling number of those who still fight." Axca spat her purple-ish/blue skin darkening slightly with anger. "Those who think they stand a chance even as Haggar's powers grow."

"And me." Lance noted taking a step forward. "I can stop her."

Axca scoffed.

Lance knew what the other Avengers were doing.

They were all moving into tactical positions while Lance talked. And although this wasn't their fight, he let them.

All he had to do was give a signal and they would attack, taking Axca down without a second thought.

It was nice to know they had his back.

But it actually scared him. This wasn't their fight, they shouldn't be involved here.

"What if it's not my fault?" Lance asked tilting his head, he had to focus on Axca now. "What if just like everyone else Haggar played me like a puppet, and I just happened to slip through her grasp?

"Then you're one slippery pup, like how you evaded my grasp so many times by being carried off by others." Axca sneered spinning her sword to point it at him. "Now you die."

"Tell me this," Lance demanded the emotion pouring into his words causing his voice to crack, "the other paladins... Are they still alive?"

Axca charged.

Steve blocked her sword with his shield just barely stopping Lance from being impaled.

"Guys-"

Natasha fired tasers at her while Hulk roared.

Axca, with agility that Lance almost envied, dodged the blasts and landed a safe distance from them.

She met Lance's gaze before turning and running, she jumped out the broken window, her jetpack taking her across to the next building.

"Lance? Care to tell us what's going on?" Clint asked as Lance took several long strides backwards.

"Lance, don't-"

Lance didn't reply he ran after her and jumped out the now broken window.

His jetpack carried him through the air to the building and then he was running.

He ran after her, feeling Red encouraging him to not stop. He had to know, he needed to know.

Axca rounded a corner and Lance went after her only to be knocked to the floor, they struggled for a moment but Lance managed to knock her sword away.

"Answer me!" He demanded pinning her to the ground, his eyes burned with tears as he hoped, he hoped beyond hope that maybe things were different. "Are they alive?"

"You don't deserve the answer." Axca snarled before headbutting Lance.

The pain that burst from his nose made stars dance in his vision, he stumbled backwards and he knew she ran.

He couldn't see for a few seconds.

A hand caught his arm.

"Lance?" Steve asked.

"I have to catch her." Lance breathed quickly drying his eyes. "Help me."

Steve didn't need to be asked twice he helped Lance up and soon they were in persuing.

Tony flew over their heads with Natasha and Hulk jumped beyond them.

Thor dropped Clint off with them before flying to catch up with the others.

Hulk had blocked Axca's exit, Tony and Natasha on her left, Thor on her right and Steve, Clint and Lance behind.

Lance stepped forwards. "Axca, please. I need to know what has happened." He begged watching her closely.

"You... You left us all, you abandoned us." Axca replied, her voice heavy with regret, maybe guilt. "And I cannot forgive you."

Lance then noticed what she had done, she had fiddled with her gauntlet.

Lance ran towards her but before he reached her she vanished in a flash of blue.

Hulk caught his shoulders to stop him falling off the building. Axca was gone.

The adrenaline left him.

He sank to the ground.

Axca had gotten away.

All the answers were at his fingertips and she was gone.

"Why does the universe hate me?!" Lance shouted at nothing in particular startling the others.

"Little blue loud." Hulk complained.

"I'm angry and upset and I don't know how I'm feeling." Lance admitted each breath coming out shakier. "I don't know what I'm doing or... I don't..."

"It's alright." Natasha whispered rubbing his back. "It's okay, we're going to fix it."

"How?" Lance asked shaking his head. "She's gone."

"Let's get back to the tower, kiddo." Tony decided, kneeling next to him. "Then we'll talk, okay?"

Lance sighed. "Okay."

~~~

"She teleported, the problem is that I can't trace where she came out." Tony admitted as he tapped the glowing blue screens. "Got any ideas, Lance?"

Lance nodded. "She went back to my universe." 

"How can you be sure?"

"I don't know." Lance frowned. "But it makes sense, she came here to kill me."

"So who sent her?" Natasha asked crossing her arms. "Did she come on her own?"

"Haggar most likely sent her." Lance groaned. "And I have no idea if she came alone or not."

But why would she return without a secondary attempt? Black growled as she appeared to sit next to him.

"Because she was outnumbered." Flash offered with a shrug.

All eyes moved to him.

"What?" Miles frowned.

"Lance's cat asked why that purple alien had left without trying again." Flash said gesturing to the black lion that was watching him.

"You can hear her?" Lance breathed watching Flash closely.

"Should I not have?" Flash frowned.

"Black?" Lance asked glancing to the lion.

I am unsure how this has happened. But I feel it is a good thing. She purred.

"She likes me." Flash grinned.

Lance chuckled then sighed. "I wish I could figure this out."

"What the kids sudden ability to talk to your lion?" Clint asked as he crossed his arms.

"No." Lance said shaking his head. "No, I need to know what happened. I remember Haggar, she was messing with me, the dark quintessence and the pain... Then I remember running, and then I was here. So something happened along the way something I can't remember."

"If Axca felt outnumbered," Tony started gaining Lance's attention, "then it's quite probable that she'll return with reinforcements."

Lance nodded. "Then I need to get you guys ready."

"For what?" Thor frowned looking puzzled.

"A Galran attack."