Marked For Death | klangst

Twenty-Four.

Lance opened his eyes to nothingness. It was completely black all around him -- underneath his feet, above his head, to left and right. He tried to call out, but he was mute. His voice would not cooperate. He tried to scream and shout, but still, no sound emanated. Even his sobs were silent, yet still so painful.

He was alone with nowhere to go, nowhere to turn. He had no idea how he got there, no previous recollection of anything but the basics in his life: he was Lance McClain. He has two best friends, Hunk and Pidge. He has an idol, Shiro. He has two wonderful alien friends, Allura and Coran. And he has a rival... No, he has a love. Kieth Kogane.

That name alone made his heart flutter. How he wished Keith was there with him now, helping him through whatever the hell was going on.

He knew he was a Paladin of Voltron, the defender of the universe, the most powerful robot any world has ever seen. He piloted the Blue Lion, and she was a brilliant and intuitive and caring companion. He knew she was self-sacrificing and beyond courageous.

As he was recalling his past, a light sputtered to life several hundred feet in front of him. Lance looked at it with wide eyes before sprinting there with all of his might. Was this the way out? Could that light help him get back home? To his friends, his family... to Keith?

He ran like he had never ran before. His limbs felt like dead weight, and liquid metal ran through his veins, but he would not give up. He ran, and ran, and ran. Push off of one foot, and then the other.

The light was getting closer, but not quick enough. Any second now, Lance's body would fail him. His muscles would refuse to carry his weight any longer, his heart fail to provide oxygen to his body. It was only a matter of minutes.

"C'mon. You can't fail at this, too. Not another mistake, another regret," Lance told himself within the confines of his mind. He was beginning to lose feeling in his fingers and legs. Any second now, he would fall to the ground in failure.

But the impossible happened. The light, originally still tens of feet in front on him, was instantly right in front of his eyes. And at that moment, he wished he'd never tried to run towards the light at all.

It wasn't just a light. It was a projection, of sorts, showing footage of the outside world. He saw his friends... He saw Keith. But something was wrong. They looked frightened, terrified. They were talking, pleading, with someone, but again, everything was silent.

At that moment, Lance knew he was looking through his own eyes. Except, they weren't his. Someone had possessed him, and this was what they were seeing. Everyone else was pleading with this perverted version of himself. They were terrified of him.

"Please!" he tried screaming into the void, but it was fruitless. Nothing happened. "Stop this, now! Let me help them!"

As if some unknown entity heard him, the projection moved. Lance saw his own -- no, not his own -- fist swing up and across, making contact with the closest person to him. That person happened to be Keith. Lance whimpered and begged for the anguish to stop. Nothing changed.

Keith was propelled backwards, like his fist was charged with extra force and power. Lance watched in horror as his back hit the far wall, and he crumpled to the ground in a heap. He then turned on Shiro. The Black Paladin was more prepared for his strike, but not prepared enough. A swift yet strong kick landed on Shiro's abdomen, knocking him over and stomping on his Galra prosthetic for evil good measure. The others were slowly backing away from Lance's possessed body, but Lance knew in his mind that they, too, did not stand a chance. And it broke his heart.

A hand grabbed Pidge's neck and lifted her off the ground. Pidge clawed at his hand, her throat, but to no avail. He had a tight grip on her. Lance could tell she was screaming. And then she fell silent. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head, and her head lolled to one side. The hand released her, and she fell to the ground, unconscious.

Tears ceaselessly flowed out of Lance's eyes. He couldn't bear this torture. He was watching his friends get overpowered by this possessed form. It was killing them -- he was killing them.

Allura and Coran tried for the doors, but they were far too late. Coran shielded the princess with his body in a futile attempt to protect her. Lance merely swept him aside with the flick of his finger. Apparently, whoever possessed him had magical capabilities as well.

Lance could see Allura crying. Her sparkling blue and purple and pink eyes shined with fear and confusion. He could read what her irises were trying to portray: Why was he doing this? What was the matter? And then, she too was flicked aside. Her head hit the wall, and collapsed on the floor.

Why was he doing this? What did he have to gain by hurting all of his friends, and forcing Lance through such emotional trauma?

He tried to call out again, hoping that somebody or something -- anything -- would hear his cry for help and come to him. But nothing ever did. No one ever heard because there was nothing to be heard -- no cry, no plea, no voice, no Lance. There was just nothingness.

Lance watched the vision play out. His body moved methodically throughout the castle, looking for something... or someone.

Hunk. Hunk was still in there, safe for the time being. But what if that's who they were trying to find? To finally rid of all the problems in the castle?

Hunk was in the kitchen -- presumably -- and from where Lance's body was taking him, it was no where near the kitchen. That was good. At least Hunk was safe. He'll find the others and help them. They'll be okay.

Where was he going, though? He turned down many hallways, took too many different turns, and all the while, nothing crossed his path. When he passed the airlock doors, he realized where he was, and where his body was taking him. He was trying to get to the hangars. He was trying to get Voltron.

When the realization hit Lance, a surge of determination coursed through him. He needed to get out of this place of nothingness. He needed to stop whoever had taken control of his body. He needed to help his friends.

He pounded on the vision-scape. Ripples radiated from his punches like he was hitting water. Maybe if he hit just the right place with just the right force... Maybe he'd be able to break free. Just maybe.

He hit the vision with all his might. He thought of Pidge and Allura, unconscious because of him. He thought of Shiro and Coran, easily overpowered and left helpless because of him. But most importantly, he thought of Keith, who was left betrayed and hurt and confused and worried because of him. Not his Keith, not his mullet. Not now, not ever.

He punched it one more time, channeling all of his emotion into it, praying it would be enough. And it was. The barrier crumbled. Tiny slivers broke off, and then large pieces. Soon enough, the whole thing was collapsing and shattering.

The last thing he could remember before walking through the broken vision-scape was hoping that he wasn't too late.