Save Me

2-The Phone Call

No words could describe my disbelief, so I did what any normal person would do...I dropped my communicator...again.

For me, it had only been 1 deca-phoeb since the Galran Empire was brought down...Who killed them? What had happened? When did everything go so wrong? Where was I (the future me) when everything went batcrap crazy? Why did it happen? How could this be?

I thought I couldn't cry anymore tears, but I felt them falling down my face. I am so glad I decided to sound proof my room. I heard frustrated yelling, but I didn't know where it was coming from.

"LANCE!" I heard a shout. The noise stopped, and I realised that the yelling had been me...oops...

"You need to calm down and listen, okay? I know this is hard for you to understand, but you need to put Allura behind you and reach out to those people who are still there."

I am quiet, but I listen.

"Lance," Lance 2.0 says, "I need your help."

I am stunned. He is the future me...and he is asking for my help...what the quiznak? Shouldn't it be the other way 'round?

"What can I do?" I ask in disbelief, "I should be the one asking you for help."

I hear silence on the other end...and another sound that suspiciously sounds like a palm to the forehead...

"Are you kidding me?" Other me asks, "don't answer that...I am asking for your help because you are the only one who hasn't moved on. You need to reach out to the other paladins. I don't want you to end up like me" he said sadly...or Hagar (that was left unsaid).

I contemplated what he was saying, but for me, his truth was like a dagger to my heart. It hurt, but I knew Lance 2.0 said it from a good place. I also knew that if I didn't speak to someone about my experiences and feelings, then the future me would remain as he had become. So I decided to ask a difficult question.

"How did everyone die?" Other questions I had remained unasked, but I knew I wouldn't really need to ask them.

"It all started with the civil unrest on new Daibazaal. With the help of the Blade, it had become a happy place, but we didn't realise that there were still many Galra who supported the ideals of the Galran Empire, Zarkon, Lotor, and Hagar. They began to build up their own rebellion, and soon enough there was a civil war.

"Keith and the Blade of Marmora did all that they could to help the people be safe. But soon the Blade was caught up in the war too, and they had to return to their old ways to defend new Galra, from those who sought to oppress the civilians. The casualties increased, Keith's mother being one among many.

"The civil war became a universal one. You might say that the rebel leaders blamed the previous paladins of Voltron for ruining Zarkon's Empire. We were leaders among our people and the universes, but it soon became clear that we had targets painted on our backs.

"While Keith was travelling to earth, he came to New Altea. He encountered some rebel Galra en route and they shot out his hyperdrive and wormhole tech. So, Coran and I fixed it up for him, and from there he sent a distress signal to the other paladins.

I was becoming irritated by Lance 2.0, so in classic Lance fashion, I politely interrupted him.

"Everyone responded almost immediately to the-"

"Why are you taking so long to explain this?! You haven't even answered my question!" I asked impatiently.

"Well, I wanted you to know why they killed my....your...UGH!...our friends," he said.

"You could have easily said that there were leftovers from the galactic war, and they wanted to restore their old ways by conquering their home planet, then moving on to blame and kill the paladins of Voltron," I said.

There was silence on the other end of the phone, and then a sad laugh.

"Keith rubbed off on me too much," Lance 2.0 said. He said something else, but I didn't hear what he mumbled.

"What was that mumbling about?" I asked.

Lance 2.0 coughed as if to say, 'I am secretly hoping you didn't catch the words I just said, so I'm going to cough and make it seem like my throat needed to be cleared'.