Hard Core Langst (Mostly)

Chapter 2 Part 2

Continued of the last chapter.

"Well get him out of there." Hunk said, looking forward to see his best friend again.
"Is his lion there?"
"It might be in the cargo hold. Hunk, go check it out. Coran, prepare a healing pod." Shiro said. He fireman carried Lance into Black.
*Back in the Castle*
Lance was only in the pod for an hour. He didn't have any major injuries, just a concussion from hitting his head on the console. Once he was out, he explained what had happened over a plate of food goo.
"They had had me as hostage, anticipating any attack you guys staged. What they forgot was I had my bayard. I just sort a pow pow pow" he mimicked laser guns " ed my way out. I loaded blue into a cargo ship so I could be relatively undetected, and I just flew into space, hoping to find you guys."
"An impressive but of luck." Shiro said. "None the less, we're glad to have you back."
"Glad to be back." His face split into a smile.
"You should probably get some rest; being a Gulra prisoner is no light thing." Shiro said, concerned.
"I think I will." Lance said, getting up.
The others looked at each other, confused, as Lance went to his room. He usually protested.
*Next day bc I'm still lazy*
"Morning everybody." Lance said as he entered the training room.
"Hey Lance."
"Morning"
"How'd you sleep?"
Lance shrugged. "Not bad, all things considered."
Keith looked at him, the furrowed his eyebrows. Did no one else notice the wierd way he was speaking? How the end was clipped rather than easy breezy? Or how his movements were less cat like and more robotic? Keith didn't want to bring it up, because he just got back, and he didn't want the others to assume anything.
"So what are we doing today?" Lance asked, full of his usual enthusiasm.
"Team bonding. I heard of this Earth game called Two Truths One Lie!" Allura said over the speaker.
Everyone groaned about the sleepover game. "Again, Allura?" Pidge said. Last time it was truth or dare. She was still finding peanuts in the bathrooms.
"Yes, really. Now, we're going in color order, So it's Shiro, Keith, Hunk, Pidge, then Lance. Have fun, paladins!" The speakers cut out.
"Um... Two Truths one lie... I sometimes watch Disney Movie Marathons, I can't stand cotton candy, and I have never photobombed someone."
"Cotton candy."
"The second one"
"Yeah you can't hate cotton candy."
"Nope. I hate it. It's so wierd. And too sweet. I haven't photobombed a single picture intentionally."
Keith admits he has never really liked being in pictures. Hunk is self conscious about his weight. Pidge hates peanuts.
"Um. Sharks are pretty cool, but shark week scares me, I've drank alcohol, or I hate most hats."
"You aren't scared of shark week."
"Yeah"
"Totally"
"I agree."
Lance smirked. "Nope. I've never had alcoholic beverages."
There it was again. Keith knew there was something off with Lance. The end of his sentences cut off just a half syllable too early, as if he wasn't fully in control of his vocal cords. He would have to keep watch. Who knows what Lotor did while he was there.
The bonding exercise ended, and they were all going thier separate ways. Keith caught up to Lance. "You ok?" He asked.
Lance looked up, and pasted a huge grin on his face. "Yup! Never better!"
Keith put a hand in his shoulder. "Are you sure?"
Lance sighed. "No. But I really don't know why. They didn't even do anything to me. I was held in a cell. And I escaped. That all I really remember." Lance shook his head. "It's over now. That's all that really matters. See ya later, Keith." Lance walked away, leaving Keith to wonder what the hell was going in with the Blue Paladin. He had sounded exhausted, strained, and confused. That was out of character. Keith decided to go ask Pidge to keep an eye on him through the security feeds.
He walked into the security center, aka Pidge's room. "Hey Pidge."
She looked up. "Hey Keith, what's up?"
"Have you noticed Lance has been acting different ever since he got back?" He asked.
"How so?"
"His voice isn't as smooth, the end of his sentences are more clipped. He's been moving more stiffly, almost robotically."
She thought about it for a second. "Yeah, I suppose. Is there anything else?"
"I had talked to him after training. He had acted... Strained. Exhausted. Confused. Then he put on another smile and went on his way."
"That's out of character." Pidge said. "Let me guess: want me to keep an eye on him through the security feed?"
"Yeah. No one knows what Lotor did to him."
Pidge pulled up some of the feed. It showed Lance in his room, under a blanket, shaking slightly. They looked at each other.
"Let's keep this a secret for now." Pidge decided. Keith nodded.
"Tell me if anything odd happens." Keith said, going to his room.
Minutes later he got a text.
P-Dog: He just left his room and went towards the control room.
You: what's he doing?
P-Dog: he's talking to Coran
P-Dog: Coran left he didn't
P-Dog: he's messing with the Crystal
That's all Keith needed to know. He grabbed his bayard. He ran to the control room. Lance was standing there, fiddling with some wires.
"What the hell do you think your doing?" Keith yelled.
"Rigging a bomb." His voice had turned hollow, face expressionless. His eyes, however, spelt panic.
Keith lunged, activating his bayard. He hit Lance with the flat of the blade, as to not hurt him. Lance jerked into action, almost like a puppet on strings. He leapt back, and his fingers were still flying over the bomb.
"Lance, snap out of it." Keith was positive this want the Lance they've come to love.
Lance's eyes seemed to scream in frustration and fear and panic. Keith's heart stopped for a second. He recognized that look. It's the same look he saw when Lance had walked away earlier.
"Pidge! I need back up!" Keith yelled.
Shiro burst into the room.
"He's not himself. I have no clue what Lotor did." He said through gritted teeth. Lance's makeshift bomb looked like it was almost complete.
Shiro sprang into the action, trying to grab the bomb to disarm it. After a few minutes, Shiro had the bomb.
"Pidge, how do I disarm it?" He asked.
"Cut the yellow and black wires. In that order."
The bomb was successfully deactivated.
"Lance, come on, snap out of it." Keith said.
Suddenly he fell to one knee, clutching his head. "I- I can't." Lance panted. "Not me- Lotor- don't trust-" he collasped onto the floor, twitching.
"Lance!" Keith said. Lance was convulsing, eyes rolling into thier sockets. Suddenly he stopped. Keith hesitantly came forward.
"Lance?" He said softly. He felt as if it were the calm before the storm.
"I- I" he retched. "I can't hold him off." Lance looked like he was in excruciating pain. His stomach heaved. "Don't trust me- I - I'm sorry." He said, sweating profusely. "Lotor is- he's making me- I can see it- can't stop it- I'm sorry." He winced.
"Lance, don't stop fighting, we'll get you out of this." Shiro promised.
"I'm I'm so sorry... I should have- been a better paladin. I should- I should've trained harder-"
"Lance, shut up. You were a great paladin. Just concentrate on staying with us."
"He's strong." Lance whispered, his blue eyes pained and panicked.
"You're stronger." Keith said with absolute certainty.
"No- I'm - I'm the weakest paladin, I can't I can't" Keith could see him slipping.
"Lance stay with us." Shiro said.
"I- I" his eyelids fluttered, like a butterfly trying to keep the beautiful blue insides shown. "I don't think, I can't fight, hes right, he-he"
"Lance. Lotor is the enemy. He will do and say anything to try to get you." Shiro said. Lance didn't seem to hear him.
"I'm weak, I'm useless..." Lance muttered, eyelids slowing down. "I can't do this, I'm an embarrassing piece of hardware, I need replaced, I'm not- I'm not good enough." His mutterings were interrupted by small breaths in. He was slipping fast.
"Lance, don't listen to him." Shiro said. The others came running in.
Lance was dead to the world. His eyes, once the only thing linked to the real Lance, were staring forward, unseeing, two beautiful glassy blue orbs horribly shattered.
"Lance..." Keith said, now knowing he couldn't hear him.
"Im- I'm not worth it. They- they won't come back. Im- I'm just the goofball. They don't- I'm not- useless. Forgotten." Lance's mutterings suddenly made sense. He thought he was still in his cell. In a way, your own mind is the worst cell to be locked in.
His eyes looked forward, unblinking, and they formed tears.
The air was still, only interrupted by Lance's mad mutterings and quiet sobs.

Oh boy part two I have to do a part three as I want to get this out