The loss of a paladin

Pidge

I hear the clicking of my keyboard in my head as my thoughts swarm around. I've been getting closer and closer, so much that the codes and symbols are starting to look familiar. My fingers keep hitting the keys as my eyes are glancing all around the huge screen. Then I zone out a little and hear the presence of a person coming up behind me. I'm so tired but my instincts kick in as I turn around. I grab my green bayard as I feel the electricity pulse through my hand. My blurry vision sees a figure as I run up and push my weapon right up againsts it's neck.
"Pidge, bro! What the heck!"
I immediatly recognize the voice of my comrade as I set down my bayard on the desk and get back to typing.
"Hello Lance, I'm a little busy at the moment." I shrugg, not bothering to turn around.
"Pidge, you haven't come out in days, except to use the little girls room!" I turn my head to look at him and glare at him. Then I get back to typing. I have never been closer to finding my brother and I'm just a couple of hacks away.
"You haven't been eating, which by the way has been quite the insult to Hunk, you haven't even slept in such a long time." I turned right around to face him and pushed up my glasses.
"I have noticed my performance has been lacking, but I asure you that I am just fine. I just need to find him."
"And we will find Mathew, but as a Paladin we need you at your best. And to rescue your brother you need to be at your best. But right now, you are at anything but your best. Just promise me that we will see you at dinner."
I see the concern on his face and I nodded. I then hear him walk out the door as I turn back to my computer. I had about an hour till dinner. I thought about what he said as I started to type on the screen again.
I typed and went through about every code and language I knew. I had tried every single code I knew and still had no inforamation on Matt. The frustation builds up inside of me.
I am the tech guy, I am the guy who can crack any code. Yet, I can't even find my own brother. I yell as I turn around and start walking towards the door. Then I trip and fall as I feel the ground hit my face. I don't even care about the pain I feel on my face. My emotions are building up inside of me until I just let it out. I start to feel tears falling down my face, but I can only think of Matt. He is probably terrified some where and I'm just sitting there unable to do the one thing I can do.
I slowly start to get up and relized that I'm already late for dinner. I'm here, kneeling on the ground, a crying mess and I already failed more people.
"Pidge! If you don't get your sorry ass... Pidge?" I heard Lance come in. He ran over to me and kneeled down next to me. "It's nothing, absolutly nothing." I said as I wiped away a tear.
"Bud, you are obviously not okay. Pidge, if this is about your brother..."
I felt more emotions building up.
"I'm the tech guy Lance! And I can't even break a stupid code and hacking job! Now who am I, cause I can't ask my brother! He could even be... be..." I start to cry again. I never had thought about Lance as a care giver, more as a cheerful companion. I bury my face into his green jacket. I try to take some deep breaths as I feel a tear drop from Lance's face. I guess we all have families we left behind. I can also see why he would feel out of place. I look up at his face.
"Lance, thanks for being our sharpshooter."