Chapter 3

                                    

                                          
It'd been four days since Pidge had sacrificed herself for the paladins and everyone was trying their best to keep it together. 
                          
They had lost the Galra ship to a worm hole but no one had lost hope for their small friend. 
                          
"Are you sure it's them?" Shiro asked Allura for what seemed like the millionth time, Coran had managed to get in contact with the ship before they'd disappeared through the worm hole. He couldn't track the ship but he could try to speak with them, it was our main hope at this point. Maybe if they accepted our call we'd be able to know if Pidge was ok. 
                          
"Yes Shiro," she snapped, "there was no other ship nearby, of course it's the galra ship!"
                          
"Ah, maybe if we- wait someone's answering!" Coran yelped. "Allura, get the paladins in here, quickly now!"
                          
The paladins rushed into the room seconds after she made the announcement. 
                          
"What happened?" Keith demanded, out of breath after having to sprint there from the training room. 
                          
"Did you find Pidge?" Hunk and Lance asked desperately, wanting nothing more than to get their best friend back once more. 
                          
"No, but we've gotten contact with the-" Allura began to say, but a video showed upfront, causing everyone's attention to it.
                          
"Paladins of Voltron." A raspy voice spoke through the speakers, the well known hooded woman appearing on screen. "I'm here to offer you a trade, for your teammate."
                          
"What do you want in return?" Keith spoke up, his fists clenched. 
                          
"The lions, all of them. If you value your teammates life you'll take this offer."
                          
"D-don't you dare take the t-trade." A weak voice spoke up, cracking slightly but the sound of the familiar voice lifted the paladins hearts. 
                          
"Pidge! Are you ok, buddy?" Lance yelled, rushing closer to the screen. 
                          
"Let us see her!" Shiro growled, Haggar stepped to the side without hesitation and revealed the gory state behind her. 
                          
Strapped vertically to a table, Pidge hung half conscious and bleeding. Around her wrists and ankles were bad burns and cuts where her bounds dug into her. Where she'd been shot four days ago was a very infected looking wound. No one could see her face due to her bangs shadowing them but there were obvious tears that had fallen at some point. 
                          
"Don't take the fucking trade or a swear to god when I get there none of you will have kneecap-" Her back arched off of the table as a purple light hit her. A scream escaped her mouth and when the light died down she continued yelling. "Don't give them the lions!"
                          
"P-Pidge..." Hunk croaked out, his face was slightly green. 
                          
"If you value me as a teammate, don't-" this time a small dagger was thrown her way, digging deeply into the knee of her infected leg. Blood began flowing from the wound instantly, her entire body shook, her shoulders heaving up and down as she stared at the wound in shock. 
                          
"Give us the lions or she dies." Haggar smirked but the response she got was not one she expected. 
                          
"No." Allura managed to say, shutting down the call immediately, staring at her feet in shame as the paladins shocked glares burned into the back of her head. 
                          
---
                          
Everything was a blurry haze of pain, few things managed to stick to my brain. 
                          
"- can't have her die." One voice said. "Too much valuable information-"
                          
"-waste of material-" another said. 
                          
"- have to-" the first voice said. "Use cheap-"
                          
I felt like I was floating underwater in my own mind, until a burning pain reached my leg. I tried to scream but my body wouldn't respond, I wanted to scream but my lips wouldn't so much as twitch. 
                          
It was one of the scariest experiences I'd ever had, my entire body was on fire yet I couldn't do anything but defend myself. 
                          
I don't even remember being drugged, I just remember hours of pain after the call with my friends ended because I tried to stop it.  
                          
It terrified my what pain could do to a person, it terrified me that the pain they inflicted pain me had made me even think about telling them all the information they wanted!