I need you //klance

Part two

Lance was forced out of his dream- like state but a strange smell. He immediately noticed the blindfold like object over his eyes and the uncomfortable position his hands were tied in behind his back.
He could feel people around but couldn't make out any scents other than the one shoved into his face.
"Wait, where am I? Why am I blindfolded? Is this a game? I hate games!"
Lance didn't hate games but he did hate being in the dark and the blindfold was making him feel horribly claustrophobic.

Thankfully, they ripped the blindfold off to reveal what seemed to be three merpeople but either their faces looked like octopuses or they were wearing some sort of sea creatures on them like masks. And now Lance had the uncomfortable feeling that he was being held for ransom.
"It's okay. You were mind-swished, but now we want to"-
"KILL ME!? Think again."
Lance backed away from them, banging his head into a wall in the process, grunting he kicked off and fired up his boosters to propel himself past them and into another section of the cave system. At each turn he had to come to an abrupt halt more than once, as various sharp objects and weapons protruded from a variety of angles.
'Dios, do they want me to impale myself.'

Eventually he found a smaller more peaceful cave filled with fascinating sea creatures.
He'd always loved the sea. Pidge found a way to download various shows and movies from earth, the first thing he asked for was a marine life documentary series. She thought it was weird but obliged. Coran and Allura found it fascinating and asked to borrow it a few times. One of his fondest memories was the time Keith randomly joined him to watch it and got overly invested in which animals would survive and ended up betting on them. Lance was proud to say he won more than Keith did.

He swam slowly towards the creatures. They looked kinda cute until they blew up to an enormous side.
Startled, Lance hurried backwards away from them right into his kidnappers. He squeaked when he noticed them and backed up.
"Don't hurt me!" Seriously I need to find Hunk and the others.
"Please, We're not here to hurt you. We brought you here to ask for your help. I am Plaxum."
"Blumflump."
"Swirn."
"Are you saying names or is this some kind of spell you're putting on me?" Alien names are weird.

"We believe you are our savior."
"You guys think I'm your savior. What do you want with me?"

"The queen is mind-swishing everyone, controlling their thoughts. We believe you can stop her."
The Blue paladin couldn't tell if they were lying or not as he couldn't see their faces. And how can he trust, them they kidnapped him.

They began leading him back to the cave he woke up in.
"Wait. Wait a minute. Okay. You're trying to tell me the queen is brainwashing people? But she's so...safe and warm."
The more impatient mermaid spoke up, "What do you remember from yesterday?"
"I remember we crashed, saw the mermaids and the village, then we had dinner, and then, uh we, uh."
"You can't remember because you were under her control."
It checks out. Maybe he should.... trust them. They knew where Hunk was so it seemed like he'd have to go along with it.

The larger merman spoke next, "Our theory is, the queen controls minds by using her voice to strike certain head switches in your ear pan."
"And her magnetic stare locks on to your eye-to-brain pathway plug." Plaxum he thought her name was.

"Plus, her mind-control sonar is always broadcasting through the waters. Bong! Bong! Bong!" He was starting to realize why there are so few of them, although they seem like good crack.

"And She trains her people to use hypnotic movements to lull you under her control."

"I do remember a dancer!", he replied enthusiastically.

"Good, because I haven't finished my picture for that one." Blumfump began gathering all his drawings, "But you see, she was infecting your brain!"

"Holy crow! I had a mind-controlling brain infection!" Okay. Yeah, he was definately starting to believe them.

Plaxum brought him towards a large clam which she opened and then pushed him towards, "Sit." She commanded.

Swirn began measuring his head while Blumfump explained the situation.

"The entire village is under the Queen's mind control. The only reason we aren't is because we wear these jellyfish that hide our brains from her powers. It's like we have no brains whatsoever. You can't control what doesn't exist."

"Right. Of course."

"Our heads are completely empty."

"Yeah, I get it."

'Your head will always be empty or at least that's what your teammates think.'

"Many years ago, the Queen froze over the surface by blocking the thermal vents. She forced everyone to the depths, where she began to brainwash them. They became her prisoners."

"What size?" -Plaxum
"Eight and seven-eighths aquameters." -Swirn

"But what's the point?"
'To living. Why carry on?'
"Why mind control the mermaids?"

"To kill them!"
"Really?"
"Well, we don't know that for sure, but hundreds of mermaids have disappeared and never come back."

That would make sense. But why?

"We've tried to take out the Queen, but failed several times. And every attempt depletes our numbers. Now, there are only three of us left. Without you, there is no hope."- Swirn

"Found one." Plaxum
"What do you want from me?"
'Hunk would have been a better choice.'
"We saw the mer-cat you came in. We think it can stand up against the Queen and her forces. But first, you'll need one of these." Blumfump gestures towards one of the jellyfish-like creatures.

'They don't want you. They want Blue. Just like your so called friends.'

"Now they sting pretty bad and don't smell great." Plaxum said as she floated ready to put it on him.
"If my theory is correct, the smelliest ones block the most mind-control rays." Blumfump said, with a similar curious tone to the one Pidge has whenever she tells us about one of her ideas.
"Are you a scientist?" He asked, mildly curious about what kind of energy they would use to power their technology.
"No."

'Okay. Pidge, I'm sorry, I'll never compare you to a crazy merperson again.'

"Also, they can sometimes make your face swell, and you might experience hearing loss."

'I'm gonna die here.'

"Would you just put on already?" He was not appreciating all the anticipation.

As soon as it touched his head, a strong burning sensation covered his face.
"It burns!"
"That means it's working!"
He could already feel the swelling.

'Dios, I hope this is worth it.'

"So what's the plan?"