Beyond

Hopes

"Oh no." Shiro frowned as he followed her gaze something turned cold in his chest.

At the end of the hall two glowing yellow eyes were watching them.

"A Galran?" Coran frowned.

"No." Allura breathed covering her mouth. "A lion."

"Huh?" Pidge frowned.

The lion moved forwards, a shimmering blue coat on an almost translucent lion. She growled and paced slightly while never taking her eyes off them.

"Is that..." Hunk whispered almost unable to say it.

"It's the blue lion, she has unlocked a new form." Allura breathed kneeling before her. "Easy girl, I can sense your agitation, let us help you then we can-"

As her hand brushed through Blue's fur, pain burst through her mind. "Ahh!" She cried her body stiffening as it forcibly accepted the pain.

"Allura?" Coran gasped pulling her away from Blue. "Are you alright? What happened?"

"Lance... He's... I've never felt such pain."

Blue growled low and deep her eyes flashing yellow as she started pacing again.

"We have to go and get him." Keith said turning to Shiro. "Right now."

"Yeah, Blue can you show us where Lance is." Shiro requested kneeling in front of the blue lion.

Blue gave a faint pur her eyes flashing again before everything around them warped.

Suddenly they were deeper into Haggar's ship.

"Did we just teleport?" Keith asked spinning around.

"Lance must have unlocked the blue lion's abilities." Allura explained gently brushing her fingers through Blues glowing fur to calm her. "Along with this form, it's incredible."

"And we haven't tripped any alarms." Shiro noted. "That could be useful."

Pidge started tapping into the closest console. "I can't see Lance down as a prisoner here, but maybe they haven't listed him."

"We'll have to search for him then." Keith decided.

"Lotor?" Pidge breathed gripping the console. "Why is he a prisoner?"

"Maybe that is something we should look into." Coran said urgently. "After all he is technically the rightful heir to the Galran throne."

"He too fell off the grid." Hunk frowned. "Do you think he ended up with Lance?"

"Possibly." Allura mumbled. "Come on, let's go get him, he may know where Lance is on this maze of a ship."

They moved almost silently through the ship with Blue moving with them.

They reached Lotor's cell and Shiro used his arm to open it.

Keith was forcibly slammed into the wall behind him.

"Axca wait!" Lotor ordered stepping out of the shadows. "Do you not recognise the paladins?"

Axca instantly stepped back, her dark eyes wide with awe. "You're alive. And you have the blue lion."

"Yeah, we need to find Lance."

"Haggar has him." Axca answered with a shiver. "He won't last long."

"You've seen Lance?" Keith asked watching Axca closely.

"I was sent to kill him, Haggar infected my mind with dark quintessence and I almost bought him to her." Axca admitted quietly. "But Lance saved me. I want to help you save him."

"Hey Blue? Can you take us to Lance?" Hunk asked kneeling by her.

Blue gave a high whine and curled up on the floor her paws covering her head.

"We're going to have to do this search ourselves." Coran explained patting Blue's back. "We will find him."

"We'll split up, but stay in pairs to keep each other safe." Shiro said moving past them. "If you find Lance we'll come to you." He turned back to them. "Allura, come with me, Keith with Lotor, Axca with Coran, Pidge with Hunk. Okay?"

"Let's do this." Pidge nodded.

So there they split, heading off in every direction hoping to find Lance as quickly as they could.

"How come you could hear Lance and I couldn't?" Pidge asked softly as she glanced around a corner.

Hunk turned to her with a frown. "What do you mean?"

"You said you sensed Lance, you heard him." Pidge reminded. "And Keith actually heard his voice... How come I didn't? What did I ever do?"

Hunk caught her shoulder. "You haven't done anything. Pidge, when I sensed Lance it was like he was dying. He... It felt like he was slipping through my fingers and- I've never been so scared about something I don't know."

"But I was Lance's friend too, why wouldn't he reach out to me?"

Hunk sighed. "I don't think it works that way, I heard Lance when he was almost dying. Keith said that Lance felt terror, like real terror. We don't want him to go through things like that, not just so we can hear him."

Pidge looked away. "I guess I just wanted to know he was alive, for definite, you know."

"Yeah I know, and I-" Hunk fell quiet as Pidge readied her staff.

The doors of a room opened and two guards dragged someone out.

The door closed making the hallway go dark again. The prisoner put up no resistance as he was dragged.

"Not yet." Pidge whispered catching Hunk's arm. "Not so close to that door."

Hunk willed himself to stay still. Pidge was right and he knew it, but just the mere sight...

"Now?"

"No."

"Now?"

"Yes." Pidge breathed as she ran forwards

Hunk lifted his blaster quickly taking the guards out and Pidge managed catch the collapsing prisoner.

Lance.

"Lance?" She asked slowly guiding him to sit down and lean against the wall.

He was injured.

Badly too.

"Oh Lance." Pidge breathed hovering uncertaintly.

"Mmnhngh..." Lance was mumbling his eyes open but unseeing.

"We found Lance." Hunk explained over the coms as he examined the gash on the side of his head. "I don't have a clue what he's saying."

"We're coming to you." Coran assured.

"Lance please." Pidge whispered cupping his face. "We're here, we're here to help you."

"... Nngh..." Lance's eyes dropped, his head lulling to one side.

"No, no, no." Pidge breathed. "Please Lance, stay awake, we're getting you out of here."

"Guys!" Keith's voice called out as the others arrived at their location.

Galran's were beginning to come down the hallways after them.

Coran knelt next to her and tipped Lance's head up. "We need to get him off this ship and somewhere safe and fast."

Hunk took ahold of Lance's arm cautious of any unseen injuries and moved with the intent of lifting him, but it was getting too cramped.

Too many Galran's and paladins, they were running out of room.

"Blue." Lance barely mumbled as the blue lion appeared.

Blue's eyes glowed brightly her fur glimmering with energy.

"Blue, no wait-" Allura attempted before everything warped.