Here's your handy-dandy warning that there will be injuries and blood and possibly minor torture or at least mention of torture in this chapter.
You have been warned!!

Lance carefully propped up a semi-conscious Keith against the wall next to him, wincing when he groaned softly and stiffened.

"Sorry," Lance apologized, "but I gotta get a good look at your side." He said, before carefully peeling away the shirt of the prison rags Keith was wearing, the coarse and dirty fabric sticky with blood.

Keith's stomach was covered in large dark and angry bruises, and his side from the bottom of his ribs down to his hip was haphazardly wrapped with the poor excuse for bandages they'd made out of lances own prison shirt to try and stop the bleeding from the large gash, and to try and keep it from getting infected. They'd been soaked through with blood, but the bleeding seemed to slowly be stopping, thankfully. He'd gotten the wound the day before when they'd been captured and Keith had taken a shot meant for Lance. Had it been the day before though? There was no way to tell the time, so he wasn't quite sure.

They'd been trying to free a planet from Galra control, and had been winning, when a second wave of troops hit and over powered them, the others busy fighting of their own troops and protecting the natives to come as back up, although Lance was pretty sure Hunk would try and send a warning each time he saw troops headed in their direction, he couldn't quite remember all the details, most of the fight was a blur now that he tried to remember it.

He and Keith had been taken to the main fleet, to the command ship even, and had been stripped of their armor, helmets, and bayards, shoved into a cell, and tossed a couple of tattered shirts and pants to wear while they waited for a few druids to show up so they could start their inevitable interrogation. That's what the galra did. They took you and only kept you alive if you were valuable or had information. So it wasn't likely they'd kill them, but they weren't going to keep them comfortable.

Lance gently began peeling the makeshift bandages away, gently shushing Keith as he groaned and subconsciously tried to push his hands away. "I know it hurts but I need to see how bad it is." He said softly.

Keith had been conscious for a good portion of the day -had it been a day? A few hours? Or maybe more than a day?- and had only really gotten worse after they'd been taken out and separated for interrogation. It seems the galra had learned a bit about humans and how they were much more fragile than galra -Lance didn't want to think about how they learned but knew it must have been from Shiro, Matt, and Mr.Holt- since they didn't use the same brutal methods they'd seen and heard of them using to other prisoners in the past. That doesn't mean they were any less painful, just not as lethal.

Lance wasn't quite sure what had happened to Keith, but Lance had been given an electric shock each time he either didn't answer a question or they saw threw him lying, and he still felt jittery, sore, and one of his arms or legs would spasm occasionally. Keith had barely been conscious when he'd been dragged and tossed back into the cell, and had only grunted out something about getting beaten, which would explain the harsh bruises that covered his torso and stuck out on his pale skin in sharp contrast.

Lance carefully inspected the wound, doing his best to not touch it or the area around it, and deemed it non-life threatening. It looked shallow, which Lance assumed was good, and the blood had begun to clot. They just needed to make sure an infection didn't form. He had very little medical training, since he'd only just begun the first aid class at the garrison when they left earth, and the castle had the pods so they hadn't needed to really know until that point. That's probably something he and the others should work on...

He carefully re-wrapped the bandages around Keith's side, apologizing when Keith hiss and flinched while muttering curses, before lowering his shirt again. He gently moved Keith so that he was leaning against his shoulder, telling him to sleep for now and that he'd wake him up soon, deciding that they shouldn't both sleep at the same time in case someone came into their cell.

Keith glared at him, muttering something about being fine and being able to stay awake, but didn't move from where Lance had settled him, slowly nodding off a few minutes later much to Lances relief -or finally submitting to unconsciousness, but Lance shoved that thought away.

Lance sat there in silence, the only sounds being his breathing, Keith's breathing -which was a bit shallow, but to be honest so was Lances- and the guards patrolling on the other side of their door. There was only a small grated window in the door that was almost too tall for Lance to look through, and only let in minimal light, so there wasn't much he could do except sit and think as they waited for the next round of interrogation that was bound to happen.

He couldn't tell if time had passed slowly or quickly, but it seemed all to soon when their door was opened and several guards walked in, snatching up Keith and dragging him away. In the process he'd woken up, and Lance could see him kicking and trashing as best he could as he was dragged in the opposite direction, spitting out curses. Lance also struggled, but quickly gave up as their grips on his arms tightened painfully, no doubt leaving bruises.

He was taken back to the room he'd been in before, and strapped to the same device that had electrocuted him earlier. He gulped and tried to mentally prepare himself. He wasn't allowed to break. He couldn't tell them anything.

-

Lance was drifting in and out of consciousness, his vision fading between black and blurry. He didn't even realize he was back in their cell until Keith was thrown in after him a few minutes later. Everything hurt. He felt like he couldn't breath, like he'd been scorched from the inside out. His skin tingled painfully and felt too tight in some areas, and was incredibly sensitive yet numb at the same time. They'd used stronger shocks this time, and they had lasted longer as well. He was sure he had passed out at some point and was just drifting between now.

He let out a choked whimper when someone grabbed his arm and seemingly struggled to sit him up, only realizing after a few long seconds that it was keith.

He forced his eyes open wider and tried to take in what new damage Keith had despite his blurry vision. He had a large bruise on his face that was already turning an ugly black and blue. His lip looked busted, and he had a gash on the side of his head, it was bleeding a lot and Lance couldn't see how big it actually was. It looked like there was more blood on his shirt than their had been earlier as well, which worried Lance. He opened his mouth to say something when his vision faded again, and he only managed to groan as he leaned heavily against the wall.

".....yo...ther....lanc.....he....don...all...eep.....you............LANC-"

Lance had been drifting off into the darkness, hearing and ignoring the muffled voice, it felt like his head was under water, and he had finally let the darkness engulf him when his face suddenly flared with pain and his eyes shot open.

Kieth was in front of him, a worried look on his face. Lances cheek stung, and he sluggishly raised a hand to touch the stinging skin. "...keith?" He mumbled softly.

Keith seemed to sag slightly. "You with me Lance?" He asked.

"What?" He asked, glancing around to try and figure out why his cheek suddenly hurt.

"Sorry," keith muttered, "I needed to keep you awake." He said, before grunting softly as he moved to sit next to Lance. "I didn't slap you too bad did I?"

"You slapped me?" Lance asked as he turned to look at him, his hand still cupping his stinging cheek.

"Yeah I did," Keith said, "they really did a number on you didn't they." He added.

Lance hummed in response and moved to lean against Keith's shoulder.

"Hey, no falling asleep now, I don't know if that'll make it worse." Keith said as he gently shook lances shoulder, getting a soft groan in return.

He must have managed to doze off at some point despite Keith's constant nagging, because the next thing he knew he was laying on the floor of their cell, alone.

His head hurt, and his body was still incredibly sore, but he could move around a bit better, and managed to sit up just fine. He didn't know how long it had been or how long keith had been gone for, and silently cursed himself for falling asleep.

He sat there, staring at the door while he waited for them to bring Keith back.

How long had it been? Were their friends looking for them? Of course they were, they wouldn't just abandon them. But then why was it taking so long? Or had it not been that much time at all and it just felt like forever?

Lance couldn't tell if his stomach was hurting because he was hungry, or if it was just from the interrogations.

How long had he been asleep for? They had no way to tell time so Lance wasn't able to know if he'd been asleep for a few minutes or a few hours. What about days?

What were they doing to Keith? Did they just now take him and that's why he woke up? Did they take him a while ago and he didn't wake up when they did? Were they interrogating him for longer since they weren't interrogating Lance right now? Had they decided to keep them in separate cells from now on? The possibilities were endless and Lance couldn't stop himself from coming up with more and more, each one more horrible than the last.

He was broken from his spiraling thoughts when something clicked outside and the door was opened to reveal two guards holding a limp Keith between them. They tossed him inside the cell before slamming the door closed again and locking it.

Lance quickly crawled to Keith's side and brushed the hair out of his face, before moving to check for a pulse, Keith's stillness making the knot of worry in his stomach tighten. He thankfully found one, but it looked like he was having a bit of trouble breathing.

He didn't show any signs of waking up as Lance moved him so that his head was cradled in his lap, which was worrying, so he continued to check him over to see what all was wrong with him.

He had a few more bruises, and the skin around his wrists and ankles had been rubbed raw. One or two of his ribs seemed to be cracked if not broken, and the makeshift bandages had been removed, leaving his side wound open and unprotected. Lance also found a few more cuts and gashes underneath Keith's shirt, none of them were still bleeding though.

He sat there, gently running his fingers through his hair -staying away from the no longer bleeding gash on the side of his head- while waiting for him to wake up and hoping that he wasn't taken for his interrogation.

-

Lance didn't know how much time had passed, but at some point he had zoned out, but was snapped back to attention by a small groan.

He looked down and saw that Keith's face was scrunched up slightly, and a spark of hope and relief kindled inside of him.

"You waking up Mullet?" Lance asked softly as he pushed the hair out of Keith's face.

Keith groaned again and Lance watched as he sluggishly blinked his eyes open. "Wha?"

"Hey buddy," Lance said softly. "You scared me there for a while." He said as he helped Keith to sit up.

"Sorry." Keith muttered. "How long has it been."

Lance shrugged. "I don't know." He admitted before sagging slightly with a sigh. "Are you okay? I was...I was worried when you weren't here." He added softly, not looking over at Keith.

"I'm fine." Keith said, but Lance could see him wince when he shifted a bit. "Are you okay? Did they take you at some point?"

"No I've just been in here," Lance said with a small shrug. "I woke up and I just...I didn't know where you were, or how long it had been, or if you were dead or just in a different cell or something," He said as he leaned back against the wall with a sigh. "I just...I panicked a little..." he sighed again before closing his eyes, trailing off.

Keith frowned and shifted awkwardly. "Sorry." He said, not looking at him.

"Oh you don't need to apologize," Lance said with a sad laugh, "it's not like you chose to leave."

"I actually did." Keith muttered.

"I'm sorry, what?"

Keith shifted slightly, seeming hesitant, before turning to look at lance. "They came and were going take both of us even though you were unconscious, so I socked one of them in the face and fought them off a bit, but then more showed up and overpowered me," He said, "I had seen them close and lock the door behind us, so I thought they'd left you and only took me." He admitted.

"...I don't know whether or not to smack you or to thank you." Lance said.

"A 'thank you' would be much more appreciated than a smack, I'm still a bit sore." Keith said with a small shrug and a weak smile, trying to awkwardly lighten the mood and failing.

There was a small moment of silence between them, before Lance sighed softly.

"We need to figure out how to get out of here." Keith said, turning to face Lance.

"I'm sure the others are on their way to get us." Lance said as he looked up at him.

"We can't wait around for them to find us," Keith countered, "we need to try and escape."

"How are we supposed to do that? We're weaponless and injured, surrounded by soldiers and sentries." Lance said.

"We jump the guards when they come here next," Keith says, "we'll steal their weapons."

"How are we supposed to fight them in our condition?"

"I don't know, trick them or something," Keith said, "make them come to us first and then attack when they don't expect it, try to knock them out before they can call for back up." Keith said with a shrug. "Literally anything other than just sitting here waiting to die or get rescued."

Lance stayed quiet for a few seconds, before sighing somewhat dramatically. "If we die I'm going to haunt your ass." He said, shooting Keith a small glare that had no heat to it.

Keith scoffed and rolled his eyes, "like you'd be able to haunt someone."

"Hey I'd be great at haunting people!" Lance defended with a huff.

"Sure you would, but let's not find out quite yet" Keith said, "for now we need to finish this plan if we ever want to escape."

Lance, despite wanting to continue arguing -since it had seemed to lighten the mood a bit and gave him a small twinge of familiarity in his gut- nodded. "You're right," He said.

-

Lance banged against the metal door with his fists and occasionally gave it a hard kick, causing as large a ruckus as he could to try and attract the attention of the guards, before jumping up to put his head near the grate, yelling through the small cracks.

"Hey! My friend won't wake up!" He yelled, his voice panicked as he kicked the door some more as he continued yelling. "He's barely breathing!!"

It had been a while before they were able to put their plan into action, since a group of guards had taken them for more interrogation this time. Luckily for Lance his interrogation wasn't electrocution this time, but instead they promised him food and a better cell and clothes if he told them anything. He obviously refused, despite his stomach protesting the decision. He didn't know how long it had been, but he was very hungry and thirsty. They'd given both him and Keith a small portion of water before they'd dragged them out for interrogating this time, but that was it.

Keith hadn't been so lucky, since he was still beaten, and even though he didn't say it, Lance had his suspicions that they'd electrocuted him too, if Keith's occasional twitching and muscle spasms said anything.

Lance kicked and slammed against the door some more as he continued yelling, trying to be as noisy and annoying as he could be while calling out for help for his friend. All the movement did hurt, but at least he wasn't as bad off as Keith.

Keith was laying on the ground behind him, pretending to be unconscious. His injuries were piling up and getting worse though. His breathing was shallow, probably due to whatever was wrong with his ribs, and the wound on his side has begun to form patches of puss and this yellow hunk in some areas, which was concerning since they didn't need Keith getting sick from an infection. He had more bruising and cuts and gashes, and something was wrong with his ankle and one of his wrists, but Keith had insisted that'd he'd still be able to walk and run.

Lance was about to kick the door again when he heard the sound of heavy footsteps coming towards the door, and he quickly backed away when he heard the door being unlocked, standing off to the side as it swung open.

A single guard stood there, which was perfect since they probably wouldn't be able to handle more than one in the state they were in without weapons.

The guard walked into the room, shooting Lance a warning glance they said he'd be in for a world of hurt if he tried to leave through the open door.

He moved to kneel next to Keith, and put to fingers to his pulse point to check and see if his heart was still bleeding.

Keith suddenly snapped his hand up and gripped the guards wrist, before twisting and slamming his other fist into the guards face, while Lance quickly ducked behind the guard and grabbed a pair of cuffs the guard had hooked to his belt, quickly clipping one side to the wrist that Keith was still holding, only to be elbowed in the gut and knocked backwards.

The guard wrenched his hand free from Keith's grip and stood up as he pulled out his gun, only for Lance to slam into him from behind, wrapping his arms around his neck and his legs around the guards torso before throwing his weight backwards to throw off the guards balance while also chocking him a bit.

The guard did stumble, and even flailed a bit as he began to roar out a call for help to any nearby guards, but then Keith was getting up and kicking the gun out of his hand, which he quickly scooped up and began to assess for any damage done to it.

The guard, angry now, purposefully slammed Lance back against the wall, crushing him between the guards body and the metal platting of the wall. He repeated this a few times before Keith finally shot a warning shot near the Galra's head, which made him stop.

Lance quickly slid off the guard back and pulled his arms backward, where he finished cuffing his wrists together. He then pulled the small taser off of the guards belt and pressed it against the guards neck before turning it on, watching the guard twitch a bit before collapsing to the ground.

The two of them stared at the guard, panting softly as they waisted to see if he'd get up. When he didn't love they both quickly rushed forwards o check do anything else the guard had as a weapon. Unfortunately they didn't find anything else, so they only had the taser and the gun for now.

"Come on, we'd better get-" Keith was cut off by the sudden sound of heavy footsteps running towards them, easily more then five sets.

"We gotta go." Keith said and then the two of them were running out of the cell and down the hall away from the group of guards chasing them.

"Do you remember the layout of the ship from the diagram allies showed us?" Lance asked as they turned down a sharp corner.

"Vaguely," Keith said, "if we can find where we are I can guide us towards where the hangar and escape pods are." they quickly went down a flight of stairs. "If this is the same model." He added with a small grunt.

They could still hear the guards running and yelling after them, which was soon accompanied by the sound of a wailing alarm and flashing red lights.

"Trade you." Lance said as he held out the taser to Keith, who quickly nodded and took the taser before tossing Lance the laser gun. The taser was close combat, so Keith would have an easier time using t if they needed to, and Lance was a better shot than Keith when it came to guns.

Lance paused at the next corner and turned to shoot a few lasers back at the guards, nailing a few of them before running after Keith.

"They'll start shoring ag is when we get into a straight portion of the hallway, there's too many corners in this area and they're not close enough to attempt a good shot." Lance said as he ran next to Keith.

"Okay, what do we do when we get to a straighter area?" He asked.

"Run faster."

They continued to run down the hallway, and unfortunately ran into another group of guards, so they were forced down another set of stairs, although now the guards were shooting at them.

"How close do you think we are to the hangar?" Lance asked as they ducked into a side corridor, although that might have been a bad choice since it was a long hallway with no corners to hide behind.

"From what I've gathered it's on the floor below us, or the floor below that." Keith said, "we're getting close but we need more time."

"I don't think that's something we have, look." Lance said as he pointed ahead of them.

At the end of the hallway, which was still decently far away, a large door was lowering down from the ceiling, aiming to cut them off from the rest of the ship and box them in.

"We won't make it to that in time." Keith said as the two of them tried to run faster."

"Maybe there's another way, or a panel you could open." Lance said as he turned to shoot at the guards again while still running. It made his shot a bit more sloppy, but it was better than nothing.

"If there's not then we're trapped." Keith said as Lance turned back around.

"Let's hope that there-" Lance was cut off with a sharp oof as a bola was thrown from behind them and wrapped around lances body, causing him to crash to the ground with his legs wrapped and his arms pinned to his sides.

Keith slid to a stop, and quickly moved to untie him when Lance suddenly cried out and his body spasmed and Keith snapped his hands back.

Electricity crackled across Lance's body from the bola, and Lance writhed on the ground in pain before going limp with a small groan as the electricity stopped.

"Lance, you gotta stay with me." Keith said as he rolled Lance over onto his back to see if he was still conscious. His eyes were barely open, and he seemed pretty dazed and out of it. But the guards were catching up and almost upon them, they didn't have time for this.

Keith quickly weighed his options: carry Lance and keep running; stand and fight to protect Lance and try and fend off the guards; leave lan- no. He wouldn't abandon him.

Keith growled angrily and snatched up the gun before moving to stand over Lance protectively before firing at the guards, trying to take as many of them out as he could with the gun before he had to actually fight them hand to hand. But his aim wasn't as good as lances, especially with the state they were in. Thankfully the heavy dose of adrenaline coursing through him helped to fend off the pain from his injuries, but that wouldn't last forever and they didn't have much time.

He let out a string of growled curses as the gun was shot out of his hands and he quickly readied the taser instead.

But it was pretty useless. He only managed to knocked out a few guards before he was quickly over powered and pinned to the ground roughly before being electrocuted himself, his body spasming with a yell due to the high voltage before limply falling back to the ground as his vision faded and he was left struggling to breath in the after shocks and muscle spasms.

He felt hands left him up and begin to drag him somewhere, but his vision was swimming and fading between black and blurry so he couldn't really tell what exactly was happening. Everything hurt and it was hard to breath, and he could feel his heart hammering in his chest wildly.

He didn't know how much time had passed, but he soon found himself being tossed into a cell, the door quickly slamming and locking behind him as he panted heavily to try and get some much needed oxygen into his lungs.

He didn't know how long he laid there for, every nerve flaring with pain at the slightest movements, but he eventually managed to sit up and look around a big, trying to get his vision to stop swimming.

"Lance, you okay?" He groaned softly as he lifted s hand to his head, which was throbbing painfully.

He eventually peeled his eyes open, not having realized he'd closed them, and looked around again when he didn't hear a response.

"Lance?"

Keith's eyes scanned the room. There was nothing in the room. Just a plain metal box with a locked door with only a small window for light. There was no lance.

He was alone.