Not a Participation Game

Lance Pieces Together a Plan

Lance sat next to Shiro for half an hour before he showed any signs of waking up. Shiro had been writhing in his sleep as if he was experiencing excruciating pain. Lance wanted nothing more than to wake Shiro from his nightmare, but no matter what he did, Shiro stayed unconscious. Lance had no choice but to wait.

Lance glanced at the tablet and turned the audio on. The sounds of playful banter filled the room and Lance couldn't help but smile. He missed his friends.

Suddenly, the view on the screen started to fade. Shiro's thrashing against his restraints increased. Lance heard his friends' voices rise in concern, fading with the view of the Black Lion.

"Shiro!" Lance heard Pidge scream, then he heard nothing but silence. Just as he shifted his gaze from the screen, Shiro jolted awake and gasped.

"Let me go!" Shiro pleaded, "Get me out of here. Let me out!" Shiro pulled on his restraints and cried out. Lance's heart shattered watching his leader-his friend-so helplessly broken.

Lance reached out and took hold of Shiro's left hand. Shiro's head snapped to look up at Lance. "Shiro," Lance said through tears, "Shiro, it's me - it's me, Lance. It's going to be okay."

Shiro's face immediately softened. "Lance," he said, "I'm so sorry, I-"

Lance interrupted him. "I know it wasn't you," he said. Lance started loosening Shiro's restraints. "Come on, it won't be long before Lotor figures out I'm helping you escape."

Lance helped Shiro stand, but then Shiro grimaced and fell back onto the bed. Lance immediately moved to make sure Shiro wouldn't hit his head when he fell.

The screen began to glow and Lance heard the familiar voices of his panicked friends, all yelling for Shiro. Lance watched as the clone said that their mission was hopeless and said it wouldn't be worth it. The real Shiro started writhing in pain, and Lance had no idea what to do except to hold Shiro in his arms in an attempt to comfort him.

"We're not leaving Lance."

Lance looked up at the clone's view. Voltron had broken up and Keith's furious face appeared on the Black Lion's screen. Pidge's face joined Keith's and she said "I found the ship the message was on, and it's definitely Lotor's. It's only a couple minutes away. Even if Lance wasn't there, it would be worth it to see what Lotor's been up to."

Keith had disconnected and started flying in the direction of Lotor's ship. The clone started an exclamation, but the connection was lost and he was interrupted. The real Shiro gasped and woke up, hugging Lance tight.

"They'll be here any minute," Lance whispered. He stroked Shiro's back in an attempt to comfort him. To Lance's surprise, it seemed to be working. Shiro's breathing was becoming more regular. "It's okay Shiro, they're coming," Lance muttered. "It'll be over soon."

Lance looked around the room once more, looking for anything they could use as they escaped. There wasn't anything he could really use, at least nothing that wasn't bolted down. Lance tried to remember if there were any escape pods, but no, they were in the exact center of the ship. There was no quick and easy way out.

Lance pondered for a moment, but his thoughts were interrupted by the ship jolting. Keith?

Shiro started to wake, and  Lance knew he only had a few seconds to figure out a plan.

"Shiro, get back on the bed," Lance said. "I'm gonna make the restraints look like they're working. If anyone comes in, catch them by surprise, Okay?" Lance waited for Shiro to nod, signaling that he understood. Lance then did what he said and locked the door from the inside.

Lance then started running to the main deck. He was about to give the performance of a lifetime.