Out Of Reach

11: Splinters

The rift was huge.

Lance stared at the black abyss for longer than he wanted to, it's glowing edge glistened as it expanded further and further.

They were going in that.

And it was his idea.

He was an idiot.

"The lions are pure energy." Coran reminded through the coms. "They will be able to withstand the energy forces as you pass through."

"That's reassuring." Lance mumbled spinning his Bayard.

Red purred in his mind, it soothed the mild panic within him. "Thanks girl."

"We might lose communication with the Atlas and when we enter." Pidge explained as Laura returned with her passenger.

"Any words of wisdom before we go?" Lance asked gripping his controls. He wanted to get this over with.

"Be brave." André answered steadily and Lance had to blink his eyes clear. "We'll be here waiting for you all when you get back."

"Be careful." Iverson added.

"We will." Keith assured.

"And we'll be back before you know it." Shiro added with a chuckle. "You want to call it?"

"Nah, I think it should be you." Keith answered.

"I never get to say it." Hunk said making Lance laugh.

"How about all together?" Allura requested.

"Alright team," Keith nudged the black lion forward the others pulling into position.

"Form Voltron!"

~~~

At first there was only the blinding light as Voltron smashed through the barrier between worlds.

Tendrils of darkness twisted and spliced through the light, trying to coil around Voltron like a snake.

Lance inserted his Bayard and his sword formed along with Pidge's shield before Keith could even make the call.

Then they were moving.

Voltron's wings grew as a cannon formed on its shoulder.

They were coming in with full force.

"Haggar is progressing towards the centre, keep following it."

"It's dark quintessence isn't it?" Lance asked slashing one eager tendril away.

"Yes." Allura answered. "And we must destroy it before it breaks free of this place."

"Why is Haggar here?" Shiro asked.

"The more quintessence she absorbs the more powerful she becomes." Lotor informed. "She must be looking for the source, a way to gain even more."

"That would end badly, let's beat her there." Lance suggested.

"Used the cannon to blast a way clear, then when we're close enough we'll disband and attack in unison."

"I like the plan." Pidge almost laughed. "Let's do this!"

The cannon sent round after round of blue blasts into anything that got too close. They plowed forwards gaining speed and momentum.

They were getting further and further away from the rift and further from everything they knew and loved.

But there was nothing they could do.

And focusing on the things behind them would only slow them down. Lotor's generals, the MFE pilots, the Atlas crew and the paladins families would know what to do, they would be ready to fight if push came to shove.

But that was out there, this was the here and now.

Lance grit his teeth and almost held his breath waiting for Keith to make the call.

Just as the tendrils seemed to close in around them to create some sort of cage Keith's face appeared on their screens.

"Split up!"

The split was instantaneous and the lions darted out of the gaps, weaving swiftly through the lattice of dark quintessence.

They still had speed and they weren't slowing, racing towards the source.

They were going to end this.

Lance could feel the adrenaline humming in his veins, the excitement crawling through him.

Allura then cried out.

"Allura!" Pidge shouted.

Darkness had grabbed ahold of the blue lion, locking it within its grasp.

"We're alright." Allura responded. "But I... I'm losing control."

Lance doubled back.

"Lance don't. You need to stop Haggar."

"Not without you two." Lance argued.

The other lions were coming back too.

But there was too much of the darkness. It caught Keith in the black lion.

Then Lance.

Then Pidge.

Hunk managed a few good shots before the tendrils caught him too.

"No!" Lance shouted as his screen went black, Red's familiar glow shutting down. Then a bolt of pain went through him and he collapsed into darkness.

~~~

When he woke he could hear whispers, voices of people from the past and present. Pins and needles crawled across his skin as he slowly came to his senses.

At first he could see nothing.

But as his hands began to explode he found himself enclosed.

Caged within and sphere.

A sphere made of dark quintessence itself.

He punched it, as hard as he could.

It didn't yield but it cleared slightly.

He threw his shoulder into it, then kicked it with his metal leg.

A patch cleared enough for him to see the others, all of them trapped within the bubbles too.

"G-guys!"