"You sure this is going to work?"
"Kolivan is coming with me, right? It should be fine."
"Yeah, but the creep hasn't made a move for almost a month. That alone means something is up," Keith scowled. He'd been discharged just the week before and now they were all hiding in "Team Punks" lab.
"Yeah, but we're just going to follow this chicks lead?"
()
Lance licked his lips nervously as he focused on the palm of his hands. Heat filled his cupped hands and soon a glowing white liquid appeared only to evaporate seconds later. He could feel the quintessence in the air and took a deep breath. Focusing again, he drew that dissipated energy back into his body.
Slowly, he began to realize that the ever present feeling of pain- the pins and needles- that he'd been experiencing was diminishing every day. He felt…normal. He could feel and touch things for the first time since he'd been Haggars prisoner. Nervously, he'd even tried to go to sleep on his own.
Of course he would only sleep for an hour or two, but it was REAL! It was real sleep! On his own without a drug! It had been enough to make him cry with joy and shout like a madman. He now enjoyed sleep the way a foodie enjoys delicacies!
He then started to play with an idea that came to him a while ago, but he'd not had the courage to try it out.
Haggar had, like Krolia had said, used him like a refining process. The way she'd simply extracted all the quintessence in him at once made him ill. It had been quick, yet painful, and he couldn't remember it very well.
But Roshak.
He had drawn the quintessence from his body slowly and Lance still remembered that feeling. That spark and pull. The eb and flow.
If he could control it now, then perhaps…
There was a knock on his door and his quickly shoved his hands under his legs out of reflex.
"Yeah?"
The door opened and a woman entered. Her skin was dark, so black it was almost purple. Her eyes were just as dark as she met his and nodded toward him. Her hair was shorn short, but she wore a poka-dot headband and her dress was simple and professional.
She held the door wide open for a moment and then shut it. She walked over to the chair and sat, pulling a book out of her bag and began to read. From what Lance could make out, it was Mystery of some kind.
"Soooo…" Lance gave a quirky smile, then jumped as someone blew on his ear. A giggle came out of empty air as Pidge appeared.
"You're face!"
"You!"
Kolivan appeared behind her and nodded to Lance, whose jaw could've hit the floor.
"How-"
"It took For-Ever! But we finally got the cloaking integrated into our suits," Pidge said taking a seat next to her friend, "and Molly here decided to help."
The woman glanced up, flashed a smiled, and went back to her book.
"Uh, huh," Lance said looking around, "Something happened…"
"Well, yeah, Hunk is Lance-deprived and he's crying himself to sleep every night."
"No he's not."
"You're right, he's not, but he is sad."
"Sorry."
"Not your fault," Pidge shrugged, "Not much you can do when you're knee high to a gnat."
"That hurts, Pidge, especially coming from you."
She chuckled and he grinned, "Now tell me what really happened."
Pidge explain everything that had happened in the hospital room, "we would've reacted a bit better, but we didn't know how you would feel about it…you know. He is still your dad and all, so we hesitated and didn't do anything."
Lance covered his face with his hands and didn't move, resting his elbows on his knees. Pidge looked up at Kolivan who shrugged. It was a long moment before Lance looked up and faced them.
"All of you need to leave Earth."
"…what?"
Lance took a deep breath, "you guys were left the lions, right? All of you need to leave."
"You better explain yourself very fast, Lance, before I hit you."
Lance grinned, "Pidge, think of Haggar and Zarkon, and just how crazy they were. They were insane, right? Now take that level of insanity and remove their goal and drive. My dad will always do what he wants. He has no goal, no motive, I don't care what he told you, its all a lie. He has no emotion and no conscience. If he decides he wants to get drunk for a week straight, he'll do it. If he decides to practice sobriety for three months, he'll do it. If he wants to kill three random people, he'll do it. It doesn't matter what he's told you, everything is up to a whim. Everything is subject to change. Everyone in the 'live' pile could easily be switched to the 'death' pile in a matter of seconds and a change in preference."
Pidge let this digest and felt her mouth go completely dry.
"Truly terrifying," Kolivan replied, "I knew you humans were formidable, but I have yet to have met with a foundationless opponent. Is this common?"
"There are mental illnesses that result in cases like my dad," Lance sighed, "but for the most part they are recognized and they receive the proper help. In my dad's case, it was completely ignored….if not nurtured and encouraged."
"why…why didn't you pick up on it before?" Pidge asked. She didn't blame him, but she was curious as to why the son couldn't pick up on the fathers true nature.
"I really thought he was just a simple farmer," Lance shrugged, "when I told you all about the trouble he'd gotten himself in, I really still thought he was innocent. I also thought he was dead. So I didn't…focus, on the facts. I'd found my target. I'd found Iverson. And I had gotten my revenge. There wasn't any need for me to dig deeper…even though I knew I probably should have. I just wanted to leave and travel around with GG. When Sam called us and told us that Iverson was now a martyr…my instinct told me it was someone close. Maybe even my dad, but I ignored it and dug into the information still thinking he was dead. Then stuff happened and I was out of commission…and that gave my dad enough time to prepare for whatever he wanted. He's done favors for so many people, they owe him and he pulled them. He's doing this for kicks. That's all. He's not upset about me hero worshiping shiro, he's looking forward to the challenge of taking him down. He said what he though would make sense to you all. To get you all to react. He's playing you. Which is only one reason why you all need to leave."
"Only one, huh," Kolivan scowled, "and the second?"
Lance gave a sheepish grin, "Sorry, but this is another very selfish reason."
"Oh, we don't expect anything else from you," pidge said grinning, "spill."
Lance stared at his hands for a while before continuing, "you guys should probably go after Roshak. I know I didn't kill him. I was kind of in a mad rage, so I don't remember everything, but I do know he escaped before I could rip his face off. I won't lie, Pidge, not now….he scares me. Between him and my dad I just feel sick all the time…."
Pidge reached over and hugged him.
"…I broke, Pidge…" Lances voice choked as his hands clenched into fists, "I broke…I can't do that again…i can't be like that again…I can…I can deal with dad, but Roshak…I can't…."
She held him tighter and rested her chin on the top of his head.
"fine, fine," Pidge sighed, not letting go, "I'll talk to the others about it. But don't expect them to leave without saying a few things first."
It was a longs while before Lance had calmed down enough to continue the conversation. He felt ashamed to have shown that side of him to Kolivan. But the galra stood, no judgement on his face.
"So we are to leave?" he asked, "to go after Roshak, how are you going to finish here? Did you not say the man was unstable? What if he kills you?"
Lance actually laughed, "He wont. Not yet, anyway. The press is just starting to get wind of the grand reunion of the long lost McClain family. With all that attention, his hands are tied where I'm concerned. The only way I could see him killing me with all those eyes on us is if he frames one of you for it, which is another reason why you all should leave."
"What happens when we get back?" Pidge asked, "this can't last forever."
"When you guys get back," Lance said, "I promise, If I can't take care of my own mess before you guys get back, I'll need you guys to break me out and put me on a different planet. I refuse to stay on this one if I can't get that stain out."
It wasn't the first time she'd felt her gut pinch and twist. She didn't know how to relate. Hearing someone else talk about their own family like they weren't even human…or a life form…it just didn't seem right. Yet she didn't know what to say about it. She didn't feel she had the right to say anything about it.
"I don't like you staying here by yourself," Kolivan said and Lance scowled, "I shall remain behind."
"When did we get all chummy?" Lance asked, "Did I miss something?"
The galra sighed, "it is simply unwise to send out ALL of ones back up. I believe the word you paladins like to use is 'stupid'."
Pidge snorted and laughed.
"Touche'," Lance sighed, "fine."
There was a tapping sound on the other end of the room and they looked over to see the woman tapping her finger against the book cover, looking at Kolivan as if to say, "excuse me?"
Lance chuckled, "Thanks, Brown, but you guys have stayed alive because you didn't stick your neck out. I'd like to keep it that way if I can."
"You know her?" Pidge asked a little surprised. It had taken her luck and liuck alone to find this woman, and had been slightly suprissed to find it wasn't a man.
"Yeah, Brown and I go back further than I thought," Lance grinned, "she was friends with Veronica and would sleep over some times. It took me until I was looking for Iverson last time I was here to realize that Brown was her!"
"that means, you dad can find her too!" Pidge stressed, suddenly panicking.
"Give me some credit," Lance muttered, insulted, "there are things I can do that my dad can't, you know."
"He said he was going to finish your education, lance," Pidge said, "what-"
"I know when I'm being lied to no matter what language is being spoken," Lance said, cutting her off, "Dad can tell someone is lying by there tone and body language, that's how its normally done. He also has a pretty good instinct about it. But My buddie, here, is mute. She has no tone, and uses her hands and body to communicate on a normal and conscious basis. In other words, she's the only one who is well equipped to lie point blank to my dad."
Molly gave a smug smirk, her nose slightly in the air. Lance mimicked her, looking over at Pidge and Kolivan.
"Ok, ok, that actually explains a lot," Pidge said. Molly had simply walked in and handed over her credentials. Even before she had sought them out she had taken over a few of Rands job at the institution to free him up some. So when he…unexpectedly, came down with a really bad cold that just so happened to turn into bronchitis and maybe pneumonia, she was ready to take all his shifts. There was no suspicion, no sudden developments, nothing out of the ordinary. It was perfectly blended.
"Still, that doesn't mean she should be sloppy," Lance said turning back to her, "dad knows you're here and know who you are. It wont take him long to put two and two together."
Molly shrugged and singed, "bring it."
