Beyond

On the edge

"Tick, tick boom!" Clint called as an arrow exploded.

"Nice shot!" Keith called as he cut through an LMD.

"Pidge, Hunk, shadow them." Shiro instructed punching his fist through an LMD's chest.

"They're fighting well as a group." Fury noted watching the battle happening beneath them.

"Indeed." Coran agreed.

"I think Lance is enjoying it." Natasha smirked as she watched the blue paladin run across the training deck with a smile on his face.

Lance skidded past an LMD and turned to blast it in the chest. "We're on fire!" He cheered.

"This is probably the quickest we'll ever have cleared the SIM." Tony admitted sounding oddly proud.

Lance smiled at him and went to talk when a blast hit his arm knocking his gauntlet off.

It rolled away causing the shield to activate.

"Ah!" Lance shouted running for it.

Vision blasted the LMD between Lance and the gauntlet with the thing in his head as Wanda landed by him.

"I don't need help." Lance reminded as he stopped his Bayard shifted into his other hand as his shield formed on the other side. "Let's rock!"

The LMD's around him fell quickly as Wanda and Lance worked to clear the area around them.

"Nice work you two." Steve called.

"Training SIM complete." Friday informed blankly.

Lance sighed and turned to Wanda offering a fistbump and getting one in return.

He collected his gauntlet when a shimmering circle of orange appeared in the room and Dr Stephen Strange stepped into the training room.

His eyes instantly locked with Lance's and darkened. "What have you done?!"

"Hello to you too." Lance smiled as he locked his gauntlet on. "And I don't know, what have I done?"

"What did I tell you last time?" Dr Strange frowned.

"That me being here weakens the walls between our worlds." Lance answered automatically. "I didn't know I was coming back."

"Dr, what's going on?" Steve asked crossing his arms.

"Lance should not be here." Dr Strange explained firmly. "It weakens the walls between dimensions and means it may be easier for things to enter our world."

"And by things he means people from my world." Lance explained before he looked back to the Dr. "What do you want me to do about it?"

"You need to go back to your world." Dr Strange answered firmly.

"And how do I do that?" Lance asked. "I can't teleport between universes."

"You've done it twice actually." Pidge cut in from where she was talking to Thor.

"Neither time conscious." Lance reminded shaking his head before he met Dr Strange's gaze again. "I don't know how to do it."

Dr Strange sighed. "Then I shall figure out a way to open a portal." He placed his hand on Lance's shoulder only to pull back stating at his hand as if he had been burned.

"Are you okay?" Hunk asked as they all stared at him.

Lance frowned at him, something was wrong and he wasn't sure if he wanted to know. Too many things had happened recently and Lance didn't want anything else to change.

Not right now.

"Lance," Dr Strange frowned, "come with me."

Lance's eyes narrowed at him. "Why?"

"I need to speak with you."

Lance didn't like this. "About?" He said slowly.

The doctor frowned, his hands moved and suddenly Lance was falling through the floor.

He landed on his feet inside his own room and shot a glare at Dr Strange. "Seriously dude, what is wrong with you? I get you're angry about me being here but-"

Dr strange stepped closer to him leaning over Lance with a serious look of fear. "You're dying."

Lance blinked at him as his heart twisted sharply in his chest. "What?"

"You're dying."

"What do you mean I'm dying?" Lance snapped. "What is this? Some kind of a joke to get me to-"

"Your life force if barely hanging on." Dr Strange explained gripping his shoulders.

Lance felt like he was floating, no longer connected to the floor or even emotions. He couldn't feel anything.

"But-"

"If we do not figure this out soon you will die."

"I-"

"I cannot stress this enough, no more training, no more fighting, no more being a paladin until I grasp the situation."

Lance shrugged his hands off and slowly sat at the foot of his bed. "This isn't happening."

"Lance-"

"I don't believe you."

"You know-"

"I don't want this!" Lance cried, his hands lifting to twist in his hair. "This isn't true!"

Dr Strange slowly knelt in front of him.

"This isn't true, tell me it isn't true." Lance begged in barely a whisper. "Please, please tell me this isn't true."

A hand gently took hold of his wrist and offered a squeeze. "I wish I could, but that would be a lie and a grave one at that."

"What am I gonna do?" Lance whispered staring up at him. "What am I ment to do now?"

"Look after yourself." Dr strange encouraged. "Let me figure the rest out."

"But-"

"I know it won't be easy, and some days it will feel impossible." The doctor continued. "But you have good people around you, and a heart more powerful than anything I have ever encountered."

"That hasn't helped me this far." Lance whimpered his bottom lip trembling. "I don't want this."

"I will do everything in my power to find a way to reverse this, to correct it."

"Next you're going to tell me that Haggar's followed me here?" Lance mumbled rubbing his eyes, he desperatly wanted something to distract him. To wake up?

"Well..." The doctor frowned his shoulders dropping. "Not yet anyway, who do you want here with you?"

"Hunk." Lance whispered. "I want Hunk."

The room was quiet for a moment.

"I will speak with the others." He explained as he got up.

Lance closed his eyes and hugged himself. He was tired.

Something warm wrapped around him and a quick glance made him smile. The doctors floating coat thingy was around his shoulders.

"Thanks." He mumbled.

Dr Strange drew a circle with his hands then stepped through it.

A moment or so later Hunk was there lifting Lance into his arms.

Hunk hugged him tightly. "He said something was wrong, what's wrong?"

Lance hid his face in Hunk's chest, he didn't think he could get the words out. He just hugged Hunk as right as he could hoping that he could just hold on by sheer determination.

"I've got you." Hunk confirmed softly as he hugged Lance tighter. "I'm right here, I'm not leaving you."

"But I might leave you." Lance realised faintly.

"What do you mean Lance? What's going on?"

Lance shook his head. He felt numb. "I'm dying."