Chapter Text
The insistent ringing in Lance's ears increased in pitch and volume, forcing the boy back into the world of the awake. The blue paladin groaned, the pounding in his head distracting him from everything around him momentarily.
He took in a deep, shuddering breath and his eyes slowly focused onto the world around him. There was next to no light, but whatever he was lying on was freezing, and felt like metal.
Blue!
He was in blue. He suddenly remembered the painfully bright flash of light, and then the burning.
He forced himself to his feet, using the ridges in the cockpit's wall to pull himself up. A loud groan escaped him, and the ringing in his ear quieted momentarily.
"Oh thank god," he slurred out, vision swimming.
This however, only caused the ringing to come back at twice the volume. He became very aware of the feeling of something moving down the side of his face, and he was suddenly certain that it was blood.
It was almost completely dark and his eyes seemed unable to focus, making him rely solely on memory to pick his way through the wreckage of blue's cockpit to the pilot's seat. His knees gave out as he reached the chair, causing him to throw his body at the back in an effort to keep himself on his feet. A cry slipped past his lips as a sharp pain halted his movement, originating from his chest.
His ribs seemed to be broken, and breathing just got a whole lot harder. His ears rang, not only from the noises over his helmet, but also from the panic that built up in him.
"Blue?" He called, his voice pain riddled. "Can you hear me girl?"
He got no response from Blue, and it took everything he had to keep from collapsing right there and then.
"Shiro? Hunk?" He called out to the air.
He received no response through the comms, but the ringing increased.
"Keith? Pidge? Allura?" He tried again, hearing his own voice grow more desperate.
"Coran?" His called, his voice cracking.
The ringing grew even louder, threatening to deafen him.
He whipped his head trying to get away from the noise, but that only resulted in jostling his chest against the chair.
His breathing grew heavy as pain coursed through him and spots appeared in the darkness before him.
He raised his hands in an attempt to get his helmet off. The comms weren't working and the noise wouldn't go away. He had to get it off.
His body stilled, his breath hitching in his throat. He looked down at his side where his left arm lay limply, not responding to his commands.
His arm was broken. He couldn't take off his helmet.
Panic set in again.
His arm was broken, his ribs were broken, he was ready to pass out and he was slowly filling his helmet with blood.
This was very bad, and that was all he knew of.
"Okay. Up we go. We can do this," he mumbled to himself, squeezing his eyes shut as he used his shoulders to push himself off the chair.
He couldn't just sit around. The team had no idea where he was, and Blue was severely crippled. He wasn't going to wait for something to come get them.