Don't Ask About My Demons

Lance McClain, Sharpshooter

Just as Lance slid the door to his room open, another door slid open from further down the corridor. Thinking fast, Lance ducked into his room and watched from around the corner as Hagne stepped out and tiptoed down the hall.

"Where are you off to so early?" Lance wondered aloud. He waited until she was a good distance away before he pushed himself off the wall and moved to follow. It didn't take long for Lance to realize that she was retracing the exact steps he took earlier. Hagne slid open the door to the dungeon and stepped inside. Lance furrowed his brow but dove in before the door closed.

She paused. Lance froze. "Mind telling me why you're following me?" She asked.

"Mind telling me why you're sneaking around?" He retorted.

"I'm simply checking on the Red Paladin." She continued walking with Lance trailing behind.

"Yeah, right." He muttered.

It wasn't long before they came upon the cell. Her face fell. "Where is he?" Hagne demanded, turning to Lance. "I know you had something to do with this! He went to the escape pods, didn't he?"

"I don't--wait! Stop!" Lance chased after her as she ran to the escape pods. "He's not--listen! Wait!" He tried to pull her back by her trailing cloak but his efforts barely slowed her down.

Lance felt his heartbeat leap into his throat as they came to the escape pod hangar. Hagne looked this way and that, surveying the area for the Red Paladin. "HE'S GONE!" She screamed in fury. She whipped around, glaring at Lance. "WHERE IS HE!" Her face turned from red to a light shade of purple in anger. "You helped him escape, didn't you?" She demanded.

Lance held his hands up in mock defeat. He couldn't hold back a proud grin at the thought of Keith getting away. "Oh no, of course not. I would never!"

"I know you're lying!" She seized him by the collar and spun around to shove him against the wall. The impact caused stars to dance across Lance's vision. He grimaced and tried in vain to loosen her steel grip. "Where is he! Where is the Red Paladin!"

The shout caused his ears to ring. "I wish I knew," he said through gritted teeth. "Now would you please let go of my jacket? I'd rather keep it wrinkle free."

"You insolent boy!" She slapped him across the face, causing Lance's head to snap to the side. He held a hand to his reddened cheek. "You know where he is. And you will tell me one way or another." She stared into Lance's eyes. "After all, you wouldn't want me to be upset, would you?" Her tone took on an air of sweetness.

Lance watched her, transfixed. His hand fell to his side as he met her eyes in admiration.

"You will tell me where he is, won't you?" She asked sweetly.

He blinked and shook his head, as if snapping out of a daydream. He smiled. "You can try," he said with feigned sweetness. Hagne frowned slightly. "I mean, your charm may have fooled everyone else," Lance continued. "But I can see you for what you really are."

"Oh?" She mused. "What am I, then? A monster?" She laughed.

"My lion told me about you. It made no sense at first. You were so perfect. You even tricked Hunk into trusting you."

"I'm flattered," she said with fading patience.

"...But one word has played over and over in my head. I realized that it must have been a name; Haggar. That's your true name, isn't it?"

Haggar's eyes widened with shock but recovered herself quickly. Her grin sent a shiver down Lance's spine. "Clever boy."

"Now I have a question to ask you and you will answer me truthfully." Lance challenged.

"Are you sure you're in position to do that, boy?" She hissed.

"What do you want with Keith?"

"You expect me to answer that?" She scoffed. "I could kill you now and be done with it. One less Paladin is no skin off my nose."

"Then why don't you?" He asked. Despite the situation, Lance found himself more curious than afraid. Haggar was evil. She never hesitated to carry out Zarkon's orders before. But now, facing one unarmed Paladin, she hesitated.

Haggar cocked her head. She seemed to be considering his question.

"You can but you won't." Lance answered for her.

"Your death would mean nothing to me!" She threw him to the ground. Lance groaned in pain as his face slammed against the floor. He moved to sit up. A thin line of blood trickled from his nose. "You'd cause more trouble dead than alive," she said with disgust. "If i killed you now, I'd have your whole team after me in an instant... which would be terribly inconvenient," she added.

"What, can't Zarkon come to your rescue?" Lance mocked. "You two always seem to be all buddy-buddy."

"Don't mistake alliance for friendship! If it came down to either him or me, he'd let me die to save his own skin." She replied darkly.

Lance's eyes widened in shock. "What? Then why do you work for him?"

"Why do you work for Voltron?"

"I--it's for the greater good! We're helping people!"

"This isn't your fight, boy."

"It is now. If you want Keith, you're gonna have to go through me."

Haggar laughed. "Look at you! You think you can challenge me?" She crouched until she was eye level with him and forced his chin up to look at her.

"I could tell the others. You're outnumbered, Haggar."

She snorted. "I have powers that you can't imagine. So go ahead, tell your team about me. It won't do much good. People see what they want to see. They'll lie to themselves and each other just to spare their feelings."

Lance rose to his feet and stepped back. "Then I'll make them see the truth. I know they'll believe me!"

"Are you so sure about that?" She asked.

"I..." his face fell. "Of course I'm sure! They'll listen!"

"You're a terrible liar, Lance. They won't listen. You're a clown. Who could ever take you seriously?"

"Stop it!" Lance held his hands over his ears, refusing to hear more.

"What? You don't like the truth? Hunk is a skilled engineer. Pidge is a fantastic hacker. Keith fights with the ferocity of a Galra soldier. But what do you contribute to the team? You're just a clown. Your efforts are the punchline."

Lance swallowed. "I... they... need me." He looked as though he was about to cry. Was he really as useless as Haggar said? No. He shook his head. He would never accept it.

"No," he said quietly.

"Excuse me?"

"No!" He raised his voice, glaring daggers into her eyes. "None of that matters now! I don't care if I'm a clown! I know who I am and I know what I am to the team! I'm not useless!" He looked over his shoulder to the alarm button along the wall by the door. "I'm The Tailor!" He took a step back, gradually closing the distance between himself and the alert system. "I'm a leg!" He took another step. "I'm a Paladin of Voltron!" He took another step back, his fingers hovering over the alarm. "I'm Lance McClain, sharpshooter!" With that, he slapped his palm against the button.