Chapter Text
Everyone exchanged glances. Hunk fell back into a sitting position, his food goo sloshing all over him. Pidge reached forward and touched his hand.
“Lance? It’s me. It’s Pidge. I’m Pidge.”
“Pidge.” He repeated. “I don’t know-- I don’t understand-- I don’t-- I don’t-- Lotor?” He reached forward, at no one in particular, and then collapsed, into Shiro’s unprepared but able arms.
“What’s wrong with him?” Pidge wailed.
“I don’t know.” Coran said, his eyebrows furrowing. “The pod didn’t register any abnormal brain activity. Let me see what--” He was cut off by an incoming alert from the bridge. Shiro picked Lance up bridal style and they all ran to see what was be doing a happen.
“You have something that does not belong to you.” A voice filtered through the castles audio system, filling the teams ears. Lance stirred in Shiro’s arms.
“Gandek!” Keith hissed.
“He is not yours, you bitch.” Coran said, and the author wants to make sure you read that in his accent. If you didn’t, please go back and do so.
“I would like him back.” The bitch said.
“That sucks.” Pidge leaned in toward the outgoing audio microphone thing. “You know, there are some things I would like back. LIKE MY BROTHER AND MY DAD!”
“Pidge, can you track this, do you think? Otherwise we’re cutting it.”
“No, not audio links. Can’t believe I haven’t tried to figure that out yet. Sorry Shiro.”
“It’s alright. Keith?”
“In the words of a really annoying guy we all know and love, Hasta La Later, BITCH!” Keith cut the transmission.
“Allura, sorry to interrupt this very strange but oddly touching moment, but what’s going on with him?”
“I- I’m not sure. Lance? Shiro, where did you put Lance?”
“Um.” There was no Lance in sight.
“Here we go again. Pidge, could you please pull up the castle security feed?”
“Yup. Looks like he’s in… the bathroom.”
“Ew, there’s cameras in there!?!” Keith shouted.
“No, but there’s cameras in the hallway showing that the door is locked. What are you so afraid of?”
“Nothing. I just like privacy.”
“Obviously, you lived in a shack in the desert for like a year.”
“Oh yeah? Well, uh, um. Uh.”
“Solid comeback.” Hunk smirked.
“Can we get back to the more pressing conflict here?” Shiro intervened. “We just retrieved Lance from a Galra prison vessel and we know nothing about what happened to him there, and now he doesn’t remember us.”
“Do you think they erased his memory on purpose?”
“It’s difficult to say.” Allura said, a bit distractedly. “He was seemingly perfectly fine until he got out of the healing pod, but like Coran said, the pod didn’t pick up any abnormal brain activity. Coran, would you go prepare a few standard physical tests in the Med Bay for him?”
“Of course, Princess. Hunk, would you come along? I could use some extra hands.”
“Sure. You guys’ll take care of him until we’re ready, right?” He demanded it more than asked it, but then, he did already know they would. Keith watched him and Coran leave, then followed their progress toward the Med Bay on the security feed while Allura continued,
“Of course, I’d like to try to narrow down the issue. Anything that happens inside the pods can be reversed, but… If it was caused by the… unfortunate incident… I wouldn’t know how to fix it. Human anatomy is very foreign to me. I don’t suppose any of you know all that much about human biology?” She turned to Shiro, hoping he would have a concrete answer for her.
He shook his head.
“Um, Princess, if it helps, I’m pretty sure Matt took a few AP Bio classes? He probably has some useful information.”
“That is fantastic news, Pidge. Would you go find him please? We’ll meet you two in the Med Bay with Lance, yes?”
“Okay.” Just then, Lance entered the room.
“Hi.” He said, shyly. “Look, I’m sorry, I don’t know you, but could you please maybe point me toward home? I have no clue where I am.”
“Lance,” Keith put his hand on the other boy’s shoulder, “this is going to be a lot to take in, okay?”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“I’ll simplify, okay? You know us, we’re a team, but you got taken by the other side, the bad guys, because of me, and I’m really sorry, and now, you don’t remember us, and we don’t know why.” His voice broke up and he blinked hard.
“Hey, whatever happened, I’m sure it wasn’t your fault, you seem much to sweet to let something bad happen to anyone.”
Shiro looked at Keith pointedly, as he’s been trying to drive that point into him sense Lance had run away. He did a dumb thing, but it was nobody’s fault Lance had been captured. Just the Galra.
“Let’s take you down to the… Keith, what’s the human word for a med bay?”
“Hospital.”
“Lance, let’s take you down to the hospital to make sure everything is alright. Does that sound okay?”
“Yeah, I guess. Could you maybe tell me what.. This is? Like, what kind of team are we? And I’m sorry, but I didn’t catch your names. Also where am I?”
“Yes for sure, but first, let me talk to Allura real quick. This is Allura, by the way, and I’m Keith.”
“Got it. Hi. I’m Lance. But I’m going to assume you know that.”
Keith gave him a sad smile and nodded.