The Color of Life is Red

The Soldier

You're gonna want to go around the back, it's less conspicuous that way.

Lance pulled his coat tighter around him, covering his gear. "Roger that, Pidge. Lucifer what's your ETA?"

Two minutes.

The streets were dark and damp. Steam rose from various buildings and drunks stumbled over the sidewalks. Chilly air stung Lance's cheeks. A shiver ran through his arms, causing him to bury his head into his blue scarf.

Keith sounded from his earpiece, This has got to be the most amateur thing I've ever done.

That's why we're doing it. Pidge's snarky voice retorted. No one is gonna expect it. Hellhound, take a right into that alley.

Lance rolled his eyes, "Oh yeah Pidge, I'll just walk right into this creepy alley."

Shut up asswipe. Do what I say.

He turned the corner to find a person standing at the other end. Lance's shoes scraped the dirty concrete as he stopped.

Hello there darling.

A smile formed on Lance's face and he resumed walking, "Hello, my love."

Pidge gagged through the earpiece, You guys are gross.

Lance chuckled at her comment as he finally reached Keith. They gave each other cocky looks and put their masks on. Keith placed a finger on his ear and scanned the alley, "Pidge, where is he now?"

He's gonna be there in about forty-five seconds, so you guys should hide.

Lance took shelter behind a pile of metal and cardboard; Keith crouched behind a dumpster. Keith pulled out a pistol from inside his jacket, "Bring the car around, this will be quick."

Roger that.

They shared a nod as Lance grabbed his own pistol. It wasn't long until he heard the sound of heavy boots enter the alleyway. Lance peeked through the pile of rubbish. The man lit a cigarette and inconspicuously scanned the area. After pacing a few steps, he threw the cigarette down. Keith mouthed 'one, two, three' and they charged him. Lance aimed his gun at him while Keith pulled him back into a headlock, pistol to his temple.

The car pulled up from where Lance had entered. Lance grabbed the man's hands, handcuffed him, and slipped a dark sack over his head. Keith motioned to the car with his head, "Let's go."

They brought the man to a hideout for the interrogation. A bulb dangled over his head; and he sat chained to a rusty chair. Lance pulled a cart of tools across from him. He ripped off the bag to an annoyed expression. Lance spoke behind his mask, "We know you're Galra. We just want to ask you a few questions."

The man locked intense eyes with Lance and Keith. Lance tossed the bag to the side, "What? You look like you wanna say something."

He didn't answer, continuing to stare at them.

"Alright," Lance shrugged and drug a chair across the floor, spinning it around. He sat backwards, crossing his arms over the back. "How about you tell us your name."

His eyes twitched as he lowered them, "Hachi."

"Hachi," Lance repeated. He shared a look with Keith, who shrugged. "Okay," he turned back to Hachi, "You wanna tell us where you guys have been?"

His dusty brown hair framed his face; a few strands fell over his eyes. He kept his mouth shut.

Lance stood with a huff, "So that's how it's going to be." He shoved the chair away and turned around to the cart. His eyes drifted over the various metals. With a flip of the hammer, he turned back to Hachi. "Here's the thing, I'm not patient." He pointed the hammer at Hachi's nose, "Nor am I afraid of hurting you. So, I'm gonna ask you one more time, where have you guys been?"

He stared at the hammer for a moment, then locked eyes with Lance. "Oh, I see." He leaned back, "Look who it is: Lucifer and his puppy."

Lance smirked under his mask when he realized Hachi wasn't going to give an answer. He glanced over at Keith, who continued to watch with his arms crossed and back to the wall. Honestly, Lance didn't want to hurt him. It wasn't fulfilling. If he's going to have to hurt Hachi, then he might as well torture Keith too.

Lance set down the hammer to remove his vest. Ignoring Keith's questioning eyes, he turned back to Hachi. "You see, Hachi," Lance placed his knees on the chair and sat down in Hachi's lap, resting an arm on his shoulder. He held the hammer in his other hand, waving it as he talked. "You seem like a nice guy. I'm thankful."

Hachi's eyes examined Lance's body on him. He gulped and tried not to stare, but failed miserably. Lance felt Keith's eyes burn into his back. He smirked and brought his free hand back to remove his mask. It fell to the floor with a soft thud.

"Hellhound," Keith warned.

Lance ignored him, "Hachi, I need to know what the Galra have been doing all this time."

"I can't," Hachi pried his eyes away from Lance's thighs, "I won't tell you."

Lance shrugged, "Well, that's a shame." He braced himself with a hand on Hachi's shoulder and turned around. Lance swung the hammer into the air and brought it down on Hachi's bound wrist.

Hachi screamed at the pain, throwing his head back. With his chest bound to the back of the chair, his movement was restricted. He launched his chest forward in an attempt to reach Lance.

Lance leaned back with a hyper laugh, "Woah!" Blood from Hachi's hand dropped onto Lance's boot. "You're feisty!" He waited a few seconds to let him calm down, then spoke over his pained gasps. "Where are your friends, Hachi?"

Hachi breathed through his gritted teeth, "Go to hell."

Lance let out a cute giggle, "Again, I guess!" He tossed the hammer to his other hand and crushed Hachi's other wrist. While he wailed, two arms wrapped around Lance's waist and pulled him off the chair.

Keith threw him down away from them and brought a leg up to kick Hachi in the chest. The chair fell back with a screeching thud. Lance held a hand to his chest as he watched Keith crouch over the terrified man. He clutched Hachi's shirt and pulled him up to his face. Lance could tell he was pissed.

Keith spoke through his red bandana, "That's quite enough of checking out my man." His voice was low and sharp. "Tell me where they are before I chop your dick off and choke you with it."

Hachi whimpered with fear and pain, but kept his mouth shut. Keith brought a fist up and punched him hard, "You got the nice one! Now you've got me!"

Hachi took a number of punches as Keith let his frustration out on him. Even through all of that, he still refused to speak. Keith shoved him back down onto the concrete and stood up. "I'm done with this." He pulled his pistol out of the holder on his thigh and pointed it down at him.

"Wait! Wait! I'll talk!" Hachi pleaded with him.

Lance finally stood and brushed himself off. Keith screamed at Hachi, "Where are they?!"

"They're hiding out in a safe house on the coast! Zarkon's been focusing on the drug trade with Panther!"

Lance walked over and crouched down to his side, "Panther? I thought drugs weren't the Galra's forté."

Hachi turned to Lance, "It was the best way to stay hidden."

"What have you been smuggling?"

"Man," he gasped for breath. Blood covered his broken nose. "Everything. Heroin, Weed, Opium, Coke, LSD- even Krokodil."

Keith readjusted his aim at his head, "Thanks for the info-"

Lance stopped him with a hand. They argued with their eyes for a minute until Keith put his gun back into its holder and stepped off of him. He stormed over to the door and waited for Lance with his arms crossed.

Lance turned back to Hachi, "Thank you." He stood and picked up the chair, returning it to an upright position. He knelt down and readjusted the restraints on Hachi's body. "You'll stay here. We're monitoring through cameras, so don't try anything."

"Princess, let's go." Keith's voice was whiny and irritated.

Lance snatched his mask from the ground and walked over to join Keith. As they exited, Keith threw an arm over Lance's shoulder and shot a death glare back at Hachi.