His Rival

A Desperate Plea

Hello everyone, Jess here!

This chapter is somewhat longer than the last few (41.3 pages/14625 words) so be sure to take breaks as needed.

If you have any questions or comments about this chapter, let me know; I'd like to hear from you!

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

*Trigger warning: General themes of self harm and suicide are present throughout this chapter*

In the dead of night, you arrived at your destination, slowing the Garrison vehicle to a crawl behind a rock formation. The final revving of the engine and the closing of the door was barely audible over the pounding of your chest as you exited, the others fast on your tail. As soon as you peered over the edge, your heart sunk to your boots at the sight of the ravaged facility ahead. Large chunks of the rocky structure had been mauled away while other segments were left charred and jagged, as if it had been hit by heavy artillery shells.

It was one thing to witness the devastation of the military bases back on that deserted planet, but this was the first time you had seen the Galra target a freaking hospital! To attack those who were already at their lowest, most vulnerable state was truly the lowest of the low, and this was exactly why you had to do whatever it takes to liberate your home.

"Are you sure this is the place?" Lance gasped, his and the rest of your team's expressions just as hard-lined as yours.

"I'm positive" you asserted while pulling up the satellite imaging on your wrist nodule, showing that these coordinates lined up exactly with the address that Keith provided.

"It resembles the photo of this place that I found through my data searches on this location" Pidge observed. "Or at least, before the Galra got to it."

"Could anyone have survived the attack?" Hunk faltered while holding in a breath.

"It's not all reduced to rubble, so perhaps" you hoped, noting how a couple of the wings were largely unscathed. "The damage doesn't seem all too recent, so any survivors would've escaped by now. Although, we can't confirm anything until we step inside." You took Keith's hand in yours, giving it a reassuring squeeze as you approached the nearest open window.

Entering the dim labyrinth was enough to send an icy tremor down your spine, the agony of what transpired here fresh in your mind. The flickering lights ahead, peeling yellow paint, and the crusty sterile environment were all straight out of a horror movie; it didn't feel all too different from when you explored the abandoned Altean ship caught in your side of that space rift.

Just as it had been back then, the silence that filled the halls was just as chilling as the pristine condition, it was like you had stepped into a different world! No papers were scattered all over the floor and only a thin coating of dust and shrapnel lined the floors, far better than you had expected.

"Well, this is odd" Hunk remarked. "how's come we aren't seeing any signs of struggle?"

"This is where I had my introductory screening, it looks just as I left it" Keith denoted as he glanced into an adjacent room. "It's as if everyone suddenly packed up and walked out long before the Galra came." So, was there an evacuation here, or was it something else entirely? Either way, you had to find some sort of data hub to get to the bottom of this.

"Keith, do you remember where the nearest map is?" you beseeched as he led you into the nearest room.

"It should be in here." Once he spotted it on the wall, he ran a gloved finger across the infrastructure until it came upon a large central space. "There's the main office, which would be our best bet for finding out what went down here." By the time you made it there, the five of you were relying on the beams of light from your wrist nodules as you moved farther and farther away from the exterior windows.