As my eyes finished left the last word on my phone screen, my ears were suddenly aware of the silence that was Keith.

"Uhh, hello?" I spoke into the comm, but I was met with more silence. I started freaking out. Did he die? Was he in a coma? What?

He is fine. Red's reassuring purr echoed in my head. He is asleep.

"Oh." Relief overflowed my mind. He was safe, for now. And now I can figure out how to get out of here.

Er, somehow.

A small, bottle shaped bulb hanging a little over the door to the bay caught my eye. I tapped my helmet visor, and the tiny bottle thing was magnified. I could see that it as peppered in little holes.

What the hell…and then another voice burst to life.

"Lance! Lance, are you there?!"

Shiro was practically yelling into my ear. I slapped my hands down over both sides of my helmet (a pretty stupid move, considering it wouldn't do anything).

"Jesus Shiro, you're gonna take out my hearing." I hissed, though I was kind of ready to cry with happiness. Yay, help!

Except help was in the form of the dadliest mom-friend ever. I could practically smell the paternal disappointment from here. Ladies and gentlemen, brace for impact.

Impact didn't come. I guess it's thanks to the fact that I was stuck on an enemy ship with an injured friend without my lion? But Shiro seemed to be more relieved then angry when his reply again.

"Thank the stars. Lance, what is your position? Is Keith okay? Have you guys been captured?"

"Position is stuck, Keith is stable, and no." I answered Shiro's frantic questions. "Right now Keith is, uh, sleeping in his lion, and I'm in Pidge mode."

Even from here I heard the muffled 'hey' that was Pidge. My visor lit up blue, and Pidge's nerdy hacking icon swam in front of my eyes. They were trying to access the viewing system in my helmet, but usually it didn't require any hacking assistance. Something was wrong.

"Hey Pidge, something's up. Why haven't you guys started using my camera yet?"

"There's interference. Also, what did you mean by 'Pidge mode'?"

"It means I'm hiding in an air vent. I can't really go anywhere else but out, and out is in front of a bunch of mean people. By the way, I have a question."

"Fire away."

"What the heck is this?" I sent the image of the weird bulb thing. The clicking of Pidge's keyboard told me they were running a search.

"That's a fire extinguisher." Shiro's voice cut in again. "If it's activated, it fills the room with foam. You activate it with intense heat or smoke."

"So basically, it's the opposite of a bath bomb." I muttered to myself, now staring at the fire extinguisher with new interest. Activated by fire instead of water, and causes more grief then fun. Perfect for a couple of Galran troops.

"Lance, whatever you're thinking about, don't do it." Here it was. The play-it-safe Hunk. Wondering when he'd show up.

"What's that buddy? I suddenly can't read anymore. Come again?" I used my p-reply, nicknamed so because it always pissed off everyone within hearing range. As I did so, I pulled out my bayard and took aim.

"Lance, I swear to god I will-" But the rest of his words we cut off by the sound of my blaster shot, and then a loud explosion and phssshhh as the entire bay was filled with a grayish foam. I could hear the wondrous sound of Galran droids bumping around and tripping.

"Oh Lance, don't tell me…" Exasperation filled Shiro's reply, but I was too busy scootching out of the vent to care.

"Sorry Shiro." I landed right in front of a tottering droid and broke it's neck with a swift smash from my gun. "It was too tempting."

Three minutes later, every Galra droid was fit for scrap metal. And I had approximately thirty seconds before another troop of these guys marched through the door. Which meant I had thirty seconds to get Keith out and get the hell outta here.

I rushed to the red sphere surrounding Red and started tapping away. "Hey Red, can you hear me? It's time to go."

No reply.

"Red, didja hear me? It's time to go."

Still nothing. I could hear metal feet pounding my way. I fired a shot at the door mechanism and shut it, but that wouldn't hold against a troop of Galran soldiers. Meanwhile, Red was still silent and unmoving.

"RED! Open up, okay!? Come on, we have to get out of here!"

BANG. BANG. BANG. Large craters appeared on the metal door. We couldn't stay, not now. But Red was no more then a metal statue.

"Red. Listen. I'm NOT you're paladin. I'm not Keith. You shouldn't have to open up to me, I know, but right now we have to go. For Keith's sake." A low moan came from my comm, and I identified it as my unconscious buddy. My heartbeat quickened and skipped a beat.

"RED YOU STUPID SHIT OPEN UP." I screamed finally, slamming my fists against the unyielding red light. I was frustrated and scared, for myself and for Keith. I didn't know how much longer we had until that door behind me opened, and I certainly didn't want to find out.

At last, a hole appeared in the force field just big enough for me to push through, and I squeezed in just as the door finally came down and a purple laser burst against the shimmering redness right next to my head.

Red's chrome jaw dropped open for me to walk in. I hurried inside, even as more Galran dudes aimed and shot at the reactivated force field, creating a dull thudding background noise. Inside, I saw Keith's silhouette propped against his seat.

"Keith." I breathed out. I felt ecstatic and ready to pass out, but I stumbled forward. Only to stop and step back.

There was something off about him. I couldn't see him properly, not in the dim red light, but something was wrong. Standing behind him, I couldn't place it, but his shadow was misshapen ever so slightly, and there was a different sensation in the air, a sensation I only once experience before. When I was Sendak's prisoner during his short control of the castle.

Dread filled me, but I ignored it. I stepped forward to the front, to look at Keith dead in the face. His helmet had fallen off, and a thin trickle of blood ran down his face from his scalp. But that wasn't the most shocking change.

Sprouting from his head were a pair of large, fluffy ears, dark purple in color, and his skin was a lighter shade of lilac. And under his half closed eyelids, I saw a gleam of yellow.

The realization hit me harder then any punch ever landed on me. The person sitting before me, with it's ragged breathing and rasped breath, was my love interest and rival Keith.

This person before me was Galran.

I was afraid of truths that shouldn't be told

I was afraid of the pain that would follow if I told them

So I hid like a turtle, afraid of everything

I was afraid that if I spoke,

If I talked,

If I interacted,

All the words would spill like a waterfall,

No control or thought,

And everyone would leave me and cast me away

I don't know how I hid

I don't know how I was human

But after I realized I was one of them

I was afraid

I was afraid no longer of being detained as a freak,

A monster in a lab

Now I was afraid of being regarded as an enemy

As something hated

As something to be shot and thrown away

I was mostly afraid of you

I was afraid you wouldn't look at me,

Wouldn't laugh with me,

Wouldn't talk with me

I was afraid you wouldn't be happy

You would be cruel

You would be a rival

So I hid myself in a cocoon

Fought the hardest to avoid suspicion

And acted the most aware to gain trust

I don't want to lose that trust

I don't want to be a monster

I am afraid of it

I am afraid of me

I am afraid