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It was just a simple mission, nothing was going to go wrong. If this was the case then why did Lance feel like something was going to go horribly wrong. Lance shrugged off the feeling and focused instead on flying to the correct destination. If he overshot even a little the whole mission could fail.
Currently Lance and the rest of the paladins were on the planet Anahita, which was a planet that had 99 percent water and only 1 percent land. This was why Lance had to focus on the destination. They needed the minerals that lay in the caves under the surface of the water there. However Lance had missed the part of why they were important.
“Lance, you should reach your destination in the next 2 minutes,” came Allura’s voice from over the comms.
“Got it,” Lance replied confidently. Him and the rest of the team knew that the blue lion was specially equipped for water so that was why he had been sent to do this specific task.
Lance slowed down as the destination popped up on the navigational system. A minute later he fully slowed to a stop. “I’m here guys,” Lance relayed over the comms.
Looking down towards the ocean Lance saw what was waiting for him. The ocean was a dark midnight blue and looked as solid as an island would. The water was also completely still, unnaturally so. Lance could also see dark shapes swimming around below the surface of the ocean.
Lance gulped, this might not be as easy as he thought it would be. He had to be cautious; he didn’t want to disturb the residents of this habitat.
“Lance,” Coran’s voice said, “you’re looking for a black speckled purple crystal. Oh, and it will most likely be glowing. We need about a dozen of the little things”
“Thanks Coran,” Lance replied, still watching the water, “I’ll get on that.”
Lance slowly pointed his lion down towards the water and entered the water. Blue’s cabin got colder and Lance shivered even as he went deeper into the water. The only sounds were from Lance’s own breathing and the faint sound of Blue moving through the water.
“-nce, Lance?-re you there. -ance, Lance?” Lance couldn’t tell what they were saying. The water must have been jamming the signal. Lance was only slightly worried though, nothing would go wrong. This was just a simple in and out mission, right?
Lance tried to clear the signal not quite to the cave yet. Nothing worked though and all he got was static. Lance frowned, it looked like he was on his own.
Blue stopped suddenly causing Lance to look up. There in front of him was the largest underwater cave Lance had ever seen. The entrance was at least 30 feet tall and 20 feet wide. The cave was only black and Lance couldn’t see what lay inside.
Lance walked to the mouth of his lion, helmet on his head and a bag for the crystals in his hands. Blue opened her mouth and Lance swam out towards the cave, turning his headlamp on for some light.
The cave seemed even bigger on the inside but just 20 feet in, the cave turned sharply left. Lance could see something glowing in the tunnel up ahead. Knowing he was in the right place Lance swam towards the glowing.
Lance grinned when he saw what that glowing came from. The back wall was covered in glowing purple crystals with black speckles across them. Lance swam towards the crystals opening his bag as he did so.
How many had Coran said they needed? 10? 12? Lance grabbed 12 just to be safe. Then he closed the bag securing the crystals inside.
With the crystals safely in the bag Lance turned to swim out of the cave. The problem came once he was outside back in the open water. His lion, Blue, was gone. She was nowhere in sight. Lance wondered how a giant metal lion just disappeared.
“Keith, Pidge, Coran?” Lance called out for his team hoping that someone would hear him and come get him from the watery depths of this planet. Nobody answered and only static came through.
They would notice him not responding and coming to get him though. Hopefully soon because the water was cold and despite his suit protecting him from the worst of it, he could still feel it.
Suddenly something in the water moved, stirring up some bubbles. Lance whipped his head in the direction from which the movement came from. Nothing was there.
There was silence for a few minutes and Lance moved around a bit trying to get some warmth back into himself. Then something slammed into him from behind sending him spinning through the water. Another thing slammed into his head and it jerked backwards with a small crack as his neck popped with the force.
Red sensors started going off in his helmet. Lance looked at the warning with fear in his eyes. The warning was about his helmet. It had been cracked with the impact and was losing oxygen quickly.
Lance was doomed; he was going to die here. Lance clutched the bag of crystals tighter and frantically kicked upwards, towards the surface of the water just as the first stream of water entered his helmet.
Lance started to panic. No matter how much or how hard he kicked he seemed to be getting nowhere. He forced himself to be calm though because he needed to conserve the remaining air in his helmet. Once Lance made sure he had his breathing out of control he started kicking again this time less panicked.
Water still was coming into his helmet with a steady stream of water. The display within his helmet flashed signaling that only 2 minutes remained before he would be completely out of air. If Lance didn’t reach the surface before that 2 minutes was up he would drown. With this thought in mind Lance sped up his kicks slightly. The surface was still nowhere in sight though so Lance just felt like stopping and giving up.
The warning light flashed again signaling one minute. Lance kicked his legs harder feeling himself grow tired. Lights flared brightly in his eyes and Lance squinted to avoid being blinded. Wait, lights? Was he near the surface? Lance looked up seeing that no, he had not reached the surface.
No, the lights didn’t come from the sun above the surface. They came from a lion. Not the blue lion but the red one. Keith! Keith had come. He had come to save Lance.
Suddenly Lance couldn’t breathe. He had run out of air. His helmet no longer was providing him with the air he needed to live. Lance tore off his helmet in a moment of desperation, forgetting that he was still in a huge ocean that was, of course, filled with water.
Lance’s body, against his judgment, inhaled flooding his lungs and with water instead of air. The lights of the red lion were right next to him now and Lance’s lungs burned. There was too much water and not enough oxygen. Lance shut his eyes tight fearing that he would die. That Keith would be too late. That he had been so close to being saved yet so far all at the same time.
Lance could feel as bubbles floated past him from a movement made by the red lion. Then he felt the air. The sweet, sweet, air. Lance choked on the sudden rush of air. He tried to inhale but there was nowhere for the air to go. Lance coughed and a rush of water spewed out of his mouth. He tried to inhale again but there was still nowhere for the air to go. He tried to cough again but that made his head hurt. Tears rolled down Lance’s face as he tried again and again in vain to take a breath.
A door opened and closed somewhere “Lance!” It was Keith.
Keith came to kneel beside Lance. “Lance, breathe, it’s okay.” Keith instructed.
Finally, with the encouragement and one more spew of water, Lance breathed. Lance breathed and it felt like the greatest thing in the world. In the whole universe.
Lance looked up at Keith to say thank you only to be enveloped by the red paladin in a giant hug.
“We were so worried when you didn’t answer.” Keith said into Lance’s shoulder.
“Well I’m okay now and I still got the crystals,” Lance said with laughter in his voice, “so I think that this whole thing was pretty successful.
Keith pulled back to look at Lance’s face, “even in the worst times you still somehow manage to crack a joke.”
“I know, don't I?” Lance said his nose scrunching up slightly.
Instead of answering Keith simply hugged him again. “Let’s get back to the castle, I’m sure everyone will be excited to see you.”
Then Keith helped Lance up and they went to the cabin of the red lion. This reminded Lance of blue. Where had she gone? Was she still under water?
“Hey Keith,” Lance asked, “Where’s Blue?”
Keith turned back around to answer Lance, “she returned to the castle not long before I set out to come find you. She’s fine.”
Lance sighed in relief before following Keith once again. He was exhausted after nearly drowning today. He couldn’t wait to get to the castle and go to sleep. Lance settled into the seat right behind Keith as the red lion shot out of the water and into the sky. They were going home. A little wet but otherwise perfectly okay.