Warning notes: Graphic violence this chapter, please proceed with caution if you are triggered by blood, torture and descriptive imagery.
As Color Fades Away
Chapter Twenty-Two
"You've grown quiet, boy. Lose your tongue?" A chuckle. "I don't recall removing it but I can make arrangements."
Lance barely heard the taunt over the roaring in his ears as he fought down the taste of acid bile and blood at the scent that was curdling his stomach.
Burnt flesh apparently did that.
He was almost grateful Haggar had taken his sight again so he did not have to bear witness to what his already mangled feet looked like now. This was nothing like what Haggar had done when he was restrained on the table, little spots of heat.
This was...
He couldn't even describe it.
He sensed the heat of the metal rod the Galran was using warm the bottom of his right foot and he futilely tried to pull it towards him.
He had to get away.
It was no use though. Theodek had restrained him once Haggar had left; his wrists shackled together and attached to the floor and his ankles had received the same treatment. He didn't know why the Galran had bothered. He had no strength left to even attempt escape.
Even though he knew this would be his last chance.
His family was going to be so close. They were going to be here.
How could he give up now?
He lost the thought as the burning rod made contact once more with his foot, stabbing into what was maybe once his heel. He had no idea. All he knew was that it hurt and a high keen of pain made its way past his lips as he buried his face against his shoulder.
Would it ever end?
No.
He knew it wouldn't.
Break him Haggar had ordered.
He was pretty sure he was beyond broken now.
Theodek had spared no expense in the command. Lance could not even begin to count the number of burns that covered him, the slices and cuts and stabs that knives had made into his flesh, the number of times the shock collar had dug into his flesh as lightning erupted around his neck.
And of course the drowning.
The heat and fire was broken up with icy cold water as his head was routinely shoved under every several minutes, held down until he went limp. Twice he had gone unconscious, his body giving up the fight.
Both times he'd been brought back with a combination of the adrenaline drug Theodek was so fond of and more shocks of the collar. He could feel it being burned into his flesh, skin melting around the hot metal.
He gagged.
"You need a matching set, I think," Theodek rumbled from behind him. There was no other warning as the heated rod was laid flush against Lance's other foot.
He wailed, body fighting to pull the injured limb away, but Theodek held it fast. This time Lance's stomach lost the fight and he choked whatever water he hadn't yet expelled and the last remains of his stomach bile. The smell of scalded flesh filled the room once more filled the room. Lance dry-heaved, sobbing.
Break him.
He barely felt the thump as Theodek finally released it, in too much agony to single out an individual strike. He whimpered, dragging his feet towards him as though that could protect them.
Hot tears burned his eyes. Who was he trying to fool? He couldn't protect anyone, let alone himself.
A rough hand clamped then about his hair and dragged his head up. "I was serious about the tongue," Theodek chuckled and Lance could only flinch back as dark heat warmed his cheek. "But," a sigh, "lucky for you the witch needs you still able to speak. Pity."
He couldn't tell how long Haggar had been gone. A few minutes? Hours? Time was a blur of just torture upon torture. Had his team arrived yet? Was she conducting the fake trade?
Was it already over?
"Tell me, boy," Theodek growled, voice reverberating right behind his ear. "Do you think yourself strong now?"
Lance didn't answer.
He didn't know.
Well, he knew.
He just didn't want to admit it.
"Answer me," he snarled, yanking harder on Lance's abused hair and eliciting a soft moan but no words.
That was his answer, more than any words could say.
A pathetic moan. Because he was pathetic too.
No matter what he said to Haggar in his mindscape, he was useless here. He couldn't prevent her from doing anything. He was all bark and no bite.
He was weak after all.
"Nothing to say?" Theodek asked. "It's because you're just a weak child." Lance winced, the words just as painful as the torture. "You think yourself a Paladin? Of someone worthy of that title?" He shook Lance like a ragdoll. "You never were."
He dropped him to the floor and activated the shock collar for another round.
Lance choked out a sob and waited for it to end.
It wouldn't be long now. Each time he woke up more disoriented than the last, only to be forcefully reminded as some new torture was enacted upon him, coming out of the pitch darkness like he imagined all nightmares did. Would being able to see help alleviate even some of the terror? Maybe. Or maybe it'd make it worse, to see it coming and knowing he could do nothing to stop it.
As if to emphasize that point he found himself letting out a raw shriek as something stabbed into his left hand, directly into the earlier wound. His cry grew in volume as the grating sound of metal on metal echoed in the room.
The knife was embedded in the floor.
His hand was pinned.
Just like at the Kri Za Kri.
Break him.
Theodek picked up his mangled right wrist, the appendage so swollen and battered if it hadn't been for the pain he'd have thought it was no longer connected.
He tried to brace himself for the feeling of a knife to spear his palm, a renactment of before.
It did not come.
Instead, Theodek dug claws into the inflicted cut Lance had made in an attempt to end his life.
With a sick squelching tear he pulled the flesh apart at the seam.
Lance's scream didn't sound human.
"This," Theodek growled, shaking the limb and sending blood splattering across the floor, "was a terrible mistake, boy. Do you know why?"
Lance could only whimper.
Dios.
Let it end.
"If" – Theodek punctuated his speech with another vicious rip – "you had died" – more blood splatter – "I would have been held responsible."
Even blind Lance felt his vision going dark.
He wondered how his arm was still attached.
"Now" – another rip of his flesh – "You will truly learn regret."
Was this the end?
Lance could feel everything going hazy, a different sort of darkness.
He recognized this feeling. It had happened several times now.
And now he was staring at death for what may be the final time.
Was he all right with this?
He didn't know.
Did it really even matter?
He had no choice anymore.
If Theodek killed him then his quintessence, somehow to be weaponized, was kept out of Haggar's hands. But the Galra would still have the Black Lion. The universe was still ruined.
If Theodek didn't kill him then Haggar would have his quintessence and the Galra would still have the Black Lion.
One was the lesser of two evils.
Both were awful.
Both were his fault.
Theodek was talking again but Lance could not hear him.
He was fading. Nothingness was wrapping around him now and he welcomed it, welcomed the escape from both his thoughts and the pain.
It would all be over soon.
And then agony. Burning, aching, blistering, scorching agony.
He wasn't aware it was possible for a human to make that noise, but he somehow managed an otherworldly scream as fire sang through his body and he was ripped away from the comforting nothingness.
He must have lost consciousness as he awoke to what felt like a mass of burned, distorted lump of pain that had no beginning and no end except that it existed and he thought it might have once been his arm.
"Wasn't that kind of me?" Theodek chuckled, his voice sounding like it was hovering just over him. "I just saved your pitiful life."
Lance wished he'd ended it instead. Salty tears were stinging unseeing eyes and he could only lie motionless in the face of such misery, his heart beating out a ragged tempo to match the symphony of his whimpers.
"That's one," Theodek said. "Let's make sure you truly know the meaning of regret."
Unseeing eyes widened in horror and Lance shook at the implication. Theodek's hand alighted on the hilt of the dagger to pull it out so he could then rip and burn Lance's other arm.
No.
No.
Please, no. Dios no.
He couldn't go through that again.
Please, no—
The blade was ripped free and a clawed hand descended on his wrist before he could even think to pull it back.
No.
Not again. Please not again.
Anything. Anything else.
And salvation came in the sound of Haggar's voice an apparent speaker system.
Lance tried not to dwell too much on that thought.
"We are about to make contact with the Paladins," Haggar's voice crackled over the speaker.
Lance's breath caught.
It hadn't happened yet.
Haggar's soft laughter sounded. "Listen well, my Lance. I yearn to hear your despair."
Lance swallowed thickly.
To the Galran Haggar ordered, "Commander, make certain he is listening. The transmission will be incoming once we intercept their signal."
The intercom clicked off with a short burst of static.
Theodek growled and dropped his right wrist, clearly put out by the command.
Lance couldn't spare him any more thought.
They were here. They were actually here.
They were here to trade the Black Lion for what they thought was him and once it happened the universe's last hope for peace fell.
He couldn't let them do it.
He had to stop the trade.
He had to let them know he was here.
If... if they still wanted him.
He grit his teeth. No. He couldn't think like that. Maybe... maybe they would no longer allow him to be a Paladin but surely, surely they wanted to free him of this torture. They would if they could. If they knew.
If he didn't do something now then he truly was as weak as Haggar claimed. But if he could do this...
He'd show them he was strong.
And for his best chance... he needed to be able to see.
He pushed past the sick feeling that the plea made him feel. There was no room for pride here. Not when his family's lives, the universe's fate, was on the line.
"Pl-please," he mumbled against the blood-soaked floor. "Please."
No light returned.
And he remembered, stomach plummeting, that Haggar said there was another word this time.
He had no idea what it was.
He didn't have time to find out.
"What was that, boy?" Theodek rumbled. "Finally have something to say?"
Lance didn't answer him.
What did he do?
What did he do what did he do what did he do?
He needed to break free. Needed to escape the room. Needed to find a transmission hub.
All while blind.
Dios. It was impossible.
He couldn't do anything.
It hurt too much to think, to move.
What did he do?
He had to do something.
Could he feign unconsciousness? Haggar wanted him to listen, right? Theodek would have to come over then and...
And he was going to then what, headbutt him? Because that would get him so far, chained up and mutilated and blind.
Lance let out a muffled sob.
Pathetic.
His last chance to save the universe and he could do nothing.
Weak.
He really was just a child.
The intercom crackled and claws descended once more into his hair, dragging his head off the ground.
"Listening?" came Theodek's growl, breath hot on his face.
Lance whimpered.
There was another crackle as the transmission connected and this time the voice on the other end was so wonderfully and terribly familiar and Lance let out another sob.
It was a trap.
And he had lost his chance.
"We are here to trade the Black Lion for the Blue Paladin," Shiro sounded, voice strong and confident and so perfectly Shiro. "Return Lance. Now."
"Not until we have the Black Lion," Haggar responded, a sneer in her voice. "Those are the terms."
Lance could almost hear Shiro's jaw clench. "Let us see him."
Haggar chuckled. "Of course."
There was a few seconds of painful silence and then the sound of gasping across various mics and he heard Hunk – Hunk, Dios, he sounded so scared – murmur out his name.
That wasn't him.
It wasn't him.
They had to see it. They had to be able to tell.
"You have seen the Blue Paladin, now surrender the Black Lion," Haggar ordered.
"Pidge?" came Shiro's inquiry, a breathless quality to it now.
Dios, they thought it was him.
"All scans... all scans show..." Pidge broke off with a quiet sob. "God, Shiro, that's Lance."
Hunk let out a moan and a sob.
"No," Lance whispered, shaking. "N-no."
They were being tricked.
That wasn't him.
"I'm coming down with the Black Lion now," Shiro's voice was hard, unforgiving. "If you even think about touching him again..."
"He is all yours."
"That's n-not me," Lance cried, voice cracking. He flailed in the iron grip. "Shiro!"
He knew Shiro couldn't hear him.
He knew that.
But he could do nothing else.
"Quiet," Theodek barked, cuffing him upside the head.
There was silence then as Shiro and the Black Lion likely descended. This was confirmed a few ticks later as Shiro's voice came back. "I'm exiting out of the Black Lion now."
"The particle barrier was not part of our agreement," Haggar responded, clearly frowning.
"There wasn't any stipulation against it either."
"Shiro, please," Lance begged. "Por favor. That's not me!"
Shiro of course did not respond.
Blue!
Lance threw his consciousness forward seeking any hint of his Lion. She would know. She could find him.
There wasn't even a whisper.
No.
No.
This couldn't be happening.
"I've got Lance," Shiro said, voice choked. "We're coming up."
"No!" Lance screamed, thrashing under Theodek's grip. "Shiro! H-hunk! Please!"
"It was a pleasure doing business with you," Haggar said smugly.
"That's not m-me!"
"Yellow's got the shuttle," Hunk said, tears clogging his words. "We're ready to go."
"Hunk, n-no," Lance pleaded, his voice barely above a whisper now as he sagged limply in the Galran's grip. "Please… don't leave me…"
There was only silence.
They were gone.
He'd failed.
"Come back. he whispered, desperate. "No me dejes. Por f-favor. "
Nothing.
A few ticks went by before the communications crackled to life one again. "The Paladins have left and the Black Lion is in our possession," Haggar said, sounds of cheering coming from behind her. "Commander, I will be returning shortly."
"Understood."
Lance let out a strangled sob.
No.
Please no.
Theodek released his hair and he hit the ground with a thump and a dull clink of rattled chains. The pain as every wound flared with new life didn't even register.
It had nothing on his shattered heart.
He'd failed. He'd failed, so, so, so badly. The Galrans had the Black Lion now. Haggar had him. They would never know that he was still here.
And it was all his fault.
"Lo siento," he whispered, the words tasting as bitter as they should. "Lo siento mucho. Shiro. H-hunk. Mamá. Lo siento..."
Theodek was content for the moment to watch the human break apart, each cry a balm to his own soul that still ached at the loss of his brother.
His brother, who had been so young. He had not deserved such a fate. And the fact that this child had been the one to take his life made it worse. This pathetic, weeping child had snuffed out his brother's life. It made his blood boil. His brother had had his whole life in front of him, a life dedicated to helping Theodek continue to advance in the ranks, to be at his side when he was given his own batallion.
And that life had been ended by the cowardly actions of the Blue Paladin.
He would see him bleed. He would see him suffer for all eternity until the Druid had had her fill, until there was nothing left of this boy.
And then he would kill him. He would leave not a shred of flesh untouched, make his last moments mirror the torment and pain that ravaged his soul.
The door to the cell opened with a soft hiss and Haggar entered even more quietly, a smirk playing over her features. She inclined her head towards the hall and Theodek roused himself to follow, leaving the blood splattered cell and broken boy behind.
"It looks like you enjoyed yourself," Haggar said as the door closed behind them with a loud beep, keypad glowing bright. Security measures had been increased at the boy's cell in preparation for the Paladins arrival. Haggar was not beyond thinking they would still attempt some foolish rescue attempt and now not even her Shiro's arm would be able to break through. The only way in was her own magic signature and such a thing could not be replicated.
It was foolproof. The only one getting into her Lance's cell was Haggar herself and those she allowed with her permission.
Theodek grinned sharply. "I did."
"And?" she asked. "What of the transmission?"
"He believes it to be true."
The two shared matching dark smiles.
"The Paladins should be arriving in the next three varga for our deadline," Haggar said. "If they make it, of course. You are to report to the bridge and maintain control of the body I have prepared."
The Paladins had seen the commander several times now with her Lance. He would be the perfect piece to complete the ruse. Haggar was not fond of the idea of entrusting the guarding of her Lance to other Galrans, not after what had happened that led to his escape, but it was something she had no choice but to do. She was needed as well on the bridge to support her lord and ensure the trade went according to their design.
Theodek gave a short nod. "It will be done."
Once the commander had vacated the hall, Haggar let herself back into the cell, a fond smile crossing her face at the sight of her Lance, curled up now as much as he could against the chains and the most delightful whimpers coming from his trembling form.
She crouched down next to him and pressed her hand against his exposed cheek.
He gave the barest of flinches.
"Shh," she soothed, rubbing her thumb over the tear-streaked skin. "It is all right. I'm here now."
She bent her head down, lips descending on the top of his head. "I will always be here for you."
He whimpered.
Haggar stretched her magic out, sensing the wall that her Lance had built. It was the thinnest veneer of ice now, full of cracks and lines and just waiting to crumble down.
She decided to give it a little push.
Her Lance's true weakness was his weaker human body; unable to physically endure the trauma. When that broke... his mind would soon follow, too weak to withstand her onslaught, and then his quintessence would be hers.
She nearly laughed with delight.
Haggar waved her hand, using her magic to open up her space pocket, and retrieved a vial of saliidda she had stored there earlier.
A little something for her Lance to enjoy while she had to be away.
She attached one of the needles the commander had not used in his own syringes and then emptied the entire vial directly into his neck.
The result of the saliidda was instantaneous. Her Lance's body grew rigid and his gasps, which had been quieting, became harsh. A soft, high keening sound broke free of his lips and Haggar basked in it.
"There there," she murmured, running her hand through his hair again, sending pleasure receptors tingling even as the rest of his body was under a tortuous agony from the wounds.
A tear trekked down his cheek from beneath tightly closed eyes.
Her heart clenched.
He was beautiful.
He belonged to her.
And once this farce of a trade was finished...
So too would his quintessence. And then...
Then he would all hers. Body, mind and soul.
Her Lance.
She smiled.
She loved him so.
Author's Notes:
I ultimately decided that not updating for a week and a half was beyond cruel. So here we go; the last update before season three. Dun dun dun...
... And *now* I broke him. I'm so sorry, Lance. That transmission and his (lack of) ability to free himself and warn them finally did him in. The future certainly isn't looking too good. But there's still that one last tiny bit of light he's clinging too, even though it's rapidly dwindling. Good thing Haggar can't actually hang around right now.
The real rescue is getting ready to commence! Hopefully it goes a little better for Lance than Haggar's fake one. Can't be worse, right? Right? In any case, this was sort of my "whump finale", for now at least. We went out in a blaze of glory!
Thank you to the lovely reviewers! I really appreciate the time you take to leave a comment, no matter how short or long. Every single one always encourages me to keep writing. So thank you!
Shout outs to: galacticgallows, Alexa, LishaChan, Jennyfish26, PaintedWings45, Guest, vickydd, PurpleSkyHorizons, DoctorMerlinReid, Sparkle9510, dragoscilvio, wingedflower, Violinworld, Gemini, Guest, Melody, Guest, Purplehood, luminoslight1313, GryffindorkofOz, cookiebook322, TheLastFlyingGrayson3, StrawberryFever3, sally3015, Merlin's Knight, Jadegem02, SamTheShortyMan, FanaticFangirl2602, MisteryMaiden, Lasagna, and The-Angst-Chronicles.
I've got a pretty long week (work, ugh) ahead of me, so if you're up for brightening my day please do leave a review below. Thank you!