Shit is gonna go down this chapter, and the story is really gonna kick into full gear. Constructive criticism is always welcome in the reviews and feel free to message me as well. I've been feeling like I may need more realistic dialogue, so let me know if you agree.

It had been at least 12 hours, and Lance had not yet received a response to his distress signal. He was considering talking to the security team about Turan's plans, but he had to consider that they might've been in on it as well. Although he had felt like he'd earned Morgan's trust, he was still, essentially, a hired gun. Now, more than ever, Lance missed the rest of team Voltron. He knew that at this point, maybe even without the lions, the team would've already come up with a plan to deal with both a delusional tycoon and a potential invasion from another reality. He had been hoping that someone would respond, be it the garrison itself or even just someone like Hunk or Keith.

His eyelids slowly began to fall; he hadn't slept for over 16 hours, and it was beginning to take a toll on him. Lance hadn't wanted to sleep; he didn't know what was going to happen, and he wanted to be ready at a moment's notice. He had gotten quite good at suppressing his urge to sleep over the past few years. The dreams – and nightmares – were often painful, and he always reached a point where the insomnia didn't even affect him anymore. But this time felt different, as if a supernatural force was pushing his eyes shut. Lance struggled with it, but it began to feel futile. It was out of his control somehow.

Sleep hit him, yet at the same time it did not. He was completely lucid in his dreams, which was highly unusual. The dreamlike haze he was in reminded him that it was not at all real – yet it felt realer than most of his life.

Then she came. Allura. It was hardly a surprise to Lance, as she had been a constant feature of his dreams for the past three years. Lance both loved and hated it, relishing the image of her in his head, but hating that it could never be real again. The pain in his chest only grew as she floated closer to him, closing in over the ethereal landscape. She seemed… different. So, so close to the real Allura, but not quite there. It made his longing even more painful, the sad smile that spread across his face hurt even more.

"Lance…" she said softly, lightly brushing her hand across his cheek. He stayed silent, hoping to relish the moment as long as he could. "Oh, Lance…" she whispered, her voice brimming with sympathy and sadness "You don't know how much I've missed you."

"I've missed you too, Allura." He responded, tears beginning to stream down his face. "I've missed you so much."

"Lance, I'll always be with you. You know that."

"Yes, but… why can't you be here? With me? Why?"

Before he could answer he was rocked awake by a massive shift throughout the ship.

(-)

Lance was still stuck in a haze as he wandered through the ship towards the bridge. He ignored the panicked actions of the crew around him, moving straight forward as he struggled to regain consciousness. The ship shook again as Lance reached the bridge. "What's going on?" he let out. The startled looks on the faces of both Jack and Morgan let him know that they weren't sure either. From the front screens, they could see the protrusion of what looked to be a massive cannon.

"Shit." Lance exclaimed. The cannon was aimed towards what looked vaguely like a planetary mass nearby, but it was unlike anything Lance had ever seen. He would've said it was a star cluster, but it was morphing into various forms and shapes, something that no normal star cluster could do. "It must be the last planetary mass! He told me he was gonna do this!"

"Wait, he told you? What's he doing?" Morgan exclaimed, his voice betraying a hint of anger. "He thinks that this place is actually an interdimensional wormhole! He wants to destroy it!"

"That can't be true! Can it"

"He definitely thinks it's true! He thinks that this reality will be invaded!"

"Let him do it." Jack's voice suddenly entered the conversation. "He'll do no harm if he's wrong, and he'll help if he's right."

Both Lance and Morgan looked at Jack with skepticism. Lance had considered this point of view that Jack was expressing, but also doubted Turan's sanity. Morgan, on the other hand, agreed with Jack rather quickly. "Yes sir. We'll see where this goes."

The first blast from the cannon was accompanied by Turan's entrance. "Ah! Now you see my masterwork! The dangers that face our universe will be wiped out by this wonderful machine, and Turan Technology will keep every world safe from extradimensional dangers! What I have seen from the void will be eradicated!"

"Alright, I'll go along but only because you're payin' me. But you need to explain what in the fresh hell you're talking about." Jack inserted, interrupting Turan's monologue. "Our friend Lance knows, Jack. Did he not tell you? We're saving the universe! And you haven't even seen the true power of this ship!"

Turan pressed a button on his wrist, and the previously ineffective beam emitting from the cannon dulled its roar to a high-pitched whine. The beam thinned from a wide pink to a dull green as it began to slowly stretch towards the cluster. As soon as it impacted the cluster, a split-second blast of lightning spread out through it before the cluster began to contort and twist much faster than it had previously.

"What the hell is going on, Turan?" Morgan asked, his voice getting slightly threatening.

"That beam is my masterwork. That beam will contract all energy and quintessence from the wormhole and trap it in a much smaller, more controllable form. The wormhole will be gone, the threats will be gone, the world will be safe, and the amount of energy and power that I have to boost this company will be immeasurable! Don't you see? It's perfect!"

As Turan continued, Lance could barely believe what he was hearing. Was that even possible? Then, he saw the cluster. The contortions and stretches had only continued, and now they formed a shape that looked distinctly… humanoid. The figure began to write around, as if in pain. The "hair" of the figure took a shape that Lance knew all too well. He drew his sidearm.

"Shut it off, Turan." Lance's tone left no room for argument. "I said, shut it off." His sidearm was pointed directly at Turan, leading Jack to quickly target Lance in return. Lance scoffed.

"Listen, I'll shoot him. I'm willing to make a sacrifice. I honestly don't care what happens to me at this point. But what he's doing, its wrong. There's something there. Something alive. Shut it off, Martin."

"You foolish man. Don't you see the enormity of this venture?"

"I really don't care."

"I cannot shut it off! Not once it has started! You can't ruin my vision like this!"

"I think I can."

"The cluster is unstable!" Morgan quickly snapped all three out of their standoff. Too little, too late. A massive flash of light exploded in front of the ship, and then the ship shook violently. "No! It's overloading!" were Turan's last words before the ship's main window shattered.

(-)

Turan, Jack, and Morgan had all been able to activate protective suits and were trying to fly back on to the ship, which appeared to be drifting in and out of a powered state. Lance wasn't so lucky. He hadn't brought a suit after he woke up. Drifting in the vacuum, losing consciousness, Lance thought that maybe it was his time. Maybe this was it. He just wished he'd been able to see all of his friends one last time. Maybe he was now delirious, but he thought he saw another figure floating towards the ship. Who was that… All of a sudden Lance heard a roar that he was intimately familiar with. He chuckled inside. He should've known that red would never let him die.