Hey everyone!

Sorry for such the long wait. College applications had taken over my life leading up to the early action deadline of November 1st and because of technical issues, I wasn't able to get everything figured out til yesterday. FUN FACT: Applying to a program that requires a creative supplement practically doubles your work load to apply and makes 3 billion things more stressful. Not recommend. (Although, for real, if any of y'all are looking into colleges for screen acting, hit me up. I could save you YEARS of research.)

My next deadline isn't until November 30th, so hopefully between that and no-school November, I'll have more time to write and be able to update faster. That being said, if I ever do disappear without explanation like that, you're always welcome to message me and I can explain what's going on and hypothetically how long the wait will be. Regardless of that, you never have to worry about me discontinuing a story, though. Being an avid fanfic reader myself, I definitely know the pain of discontinued fics. With that in mind, I've actually set up a system to make sure that never happens. Before I allow myself to post a new story, I have to already know how it's going to end. That way, even if I get insane writer's block, I always have something to work towards. It also makes the actual writing of the chapters less stressful in my opinion.

Also, have I mentioned how wonderful you guys are? You've really blown my mind with all of your kindness and I hope you know each and every one of you is extremely appreciated! As usual, I've responded to reviews in DM's.

To the guest:
I'm not sure if you'll see this, but I hope you do because your review made me feel so special! It's super nice to know that people are so engaged in my stories. I hope you continue to enjoy it! Thanks!

WARNINGS:
Some description of blood
Basic first aid
Potentially not great first aid cause I'm not a doctor, but I tried.

Edit: This chapter has been revised.


The next time Pidge woke she found a cast on her wrist. The knowledge that they had again done something to her while unconscious made her skin crawl. There was no doubt now that the sleep was unnatural. In addition to already being a light sleeper, she was certain she would have awakened when they started moving her injured wrist.

Speaking of which, why would they bother wrapping a fractured wrist? The guards clearly had no qualms hurting them and the injury was by no means serious.

She glanced behind her to see if they had wrapped Lance's injury, but all conscious thought was lost at what she saw. Lance's face was beaded with sweat as Shiro pushed his human hand against the wound. Shiro's face was full of guilt and sorrow, his mouth moving in what Pidge was guessing were apologies. Hunk and Keith stood nearby, working to tear a strip of Hunk's sleeve off. Both kept shooting worried glances at Lance.

But none of that was what horrified Pidge. No, what horrified her was the blood. While logically she knew that it wasn't a dangerous amount - not yet, at least - she wasn't prepared for the blood splattered on the ground and oozing between Shiro's fingers. Lance's blood. She couldn't tear her eyes away from it no matter how badly she wanted to.

It was becoming real to her. Of course it was terrifying before, but this? This showed her where it was going. How bad it could get. Soon all of her friends' blood would be on the ground and there was nothing she could do about it.

She was pulled out of the terrible idea by the hitching of her breath. She hadn't noticed how physically affected she had become, but it took all her will to not give in to the panic. Heart pounding in her ears, Pidge knew she needed to calm down. Remembering an exercise Matt used to guide her through, Pidge took a deep breath, held it for a second, and then let it out slowly.

Panicking would only make things worse. No, she had to push her emotional reactions down and think about this logically.

First things first. They clearly intended for her to be able to see the other paladins. Was that part of a plan or was it just some sadistic pleasure for them? Try to prove how helpless she currently was?

Or perhaps it had something to do with the injections they have given her. A slight nausea came over her at remembering the unknown substance flowing in her veins, but she pushed that away too.

The most likely explanation for the injections would probably be experimentation. Letting out another slow breath, she tried to look at the positive side. The fact that she hadn't started feeling strange yet was a good sign and maybe if they didn't notice any clear impact, they would give up.

Yeah, sure. Or they'd give her stronger injections. Or try it on one of the others.

Okay, so that speculation wasn't helping. Pidge would just have to accept she didn't have that answer yet and not dwell on it.

What else was there to figure out... Why was she the only one taken? They said something about doses and bonds but she wasn't quite sure why they wouldn't just test it on everyone. Unless if they were short on supplies? That could explain the lowest dose thing.

Motion caught her eye and she turned to see the door to the other cell open. Shiro, Hunk, and Keith all jumped to their feet, ready to defend. Pidge felt herself doing the same, but something stopped her from getting closer to the clear wall. Looking down, she realised her feet had been chained to the wall. How had she not noticed that? Wait, she wasn't shackled last time she woke up...

Shaking her head, Pidge turned back to the others. She could analyse the chains later.

The guards all entered, one gun pointed at each of the paladins, including Lance. Pidge felt her muscles tense, wanting to get closer, to be able to make a difference, but forced herself to stand still at the end of the length of the chain. No need to over-react. They hadn't done anything yet. It all depended on who walked through those doors next.

To her surprise, the last guard didn't come in with a weapon. Instead, he had two bowls and four liquid packs in his arms. Were they dropping off food? She supposed if they were going to keep torturing them, they would have to feed them too. As morbid as the thought was, Pidge was relieved. Lance's body would need nutrition to fight off infection.

The guards left soon after and Pidge immediately turned her attention back to Lance. He definitely wasn't looking great, but the temporary wrap seemed to be stopping the bleeding well enough.

Steps came to her door and she couldn't help the slight flinch as it swung open. Only one guard and the Galra bringing the food and water came in. Pidge huffed, wondering if she should be offended at the lack of security. She supposed there wasn't really much she could do chained like this anyway, though.

The guards brought in with them two water pouches and a bowl full to the brim. Her eyes narrowed as she studied the guard. "Why don't they get these portions?" She demanded, gesturing towards the clear wall, where Hunk was using some of his water to wet another strip of his shirt and holding it against Lance's sweaty forehead.

The Galra smirked slightly, walking over and squatting in front of her like she was a child. It took everything she had to not spit in his face.

"You're special." He said with a condescending smile.

That was it. She couldn't resist and before she knew it, she had spat straight at the guard. The guard quickly leapt to his feet, raising a hand to hit her. "Why you little-"

"Tarmok." The other guard said forcefully, grabbing his arm before he made contact. "Remember your orders." The guards turned to face each other and Pidge couldn't tell if they were having a staring contest or a battle of wills. She supposed it could be both. Eventually, the guard who she had spat on broke the eye contact, instead sending a glare at Pidge. He glanced down at the food and kicked it closer to her with a sneer, quickly turning to follow the other guard out of the cell.

Realizing that it was her last chance to get the others more food, Pidge screamed the first thing that came to mind.

"I won't eat it!" She cried desperately.

The others needed more and it was obvious they were using her for something. Her health mattered to them. She lowered her voice, trying to appear calm. The guards turned back to her, any amusement gone and Pidge let her face take on a smirk of her own. "Not unless you give the others this same amount. Per person." When the guards hesitated, she added "And don't think you can give them any less without me noticing. I'll be watching." She gestured towards the clear wall, a challenging smile on her face. It felt good to use their sadistic game against them.

The guard stood silent for a moment before turning and leaving without another word. While Pidge hoped he was getting the others more food, the look on his face made her think otherwise. Fine. Then she'd just prove their bluff. They'd have to accept her terms eventually if they were going to experiment further on her, right?

Actually, the more Pidge thought about that, the more she realised what a trump card she had. They needed her. Even being the one in chains, she was the one with power. And as long as she used it carefully, she may be able to help the others after all.

Setting her jaw, she glared at the offending food on the ground and sat back against the wall.


Alright! That's it for this chapter! I hope to get the next one out much faster. Things really start to escalate soon, so be on a lookout for that! In the meantime, be sure to review, fave, and follow if you like what you've read. Thank you all so much!