-Present-
***

As he entered through the strange door, the endless darkness seemed to pull him into the center of the room; even though Adam didn't know how big the room was itself, he knew by some gut feeling that he was unexplainably in the middle of it.

He then heard the door shut and watched as the small rectangle of light went out, completing the pressing darkness.

His eyes strained for a speck of light, but there was none to have as he felt himself start to slightly panic. Standing in complete darkness is more then any human being can take, and Adam was no exception.

Just as he felt like he was having trouble breathing from the blackness, the room slowly gained a soft violet glow, the floor lighting up in intricate designs.

It started from the center where he was standing, the lines on the floor coming to life and spiraling out until the whole room was gently glowing.
The walls still remained completely black though and the room contained two small cylinders near him which could function as a table or a chair.

Adam's vision felt like he was slightly underwater as the light he had seemed to turn into a strange fog.

Taking a couple of steps back, he took a defensive stance and looked around rapidly, feeling uncomfortable as to what was happening.

Suddenly Haggar was in front of him, her face looking more human now instead of some strange galran witch. Gesturing toward one of the small podiums, she took the other one, "Take a seat. We'll begin now.", she ordered.

He looked at the seat and back at her before cautiously making his way to the cylinder.

"So why do we have to talk in here?", Adam asked as he sat down and glanced around the room curiously, "Is there any specific reason?"

Haggar nodded, "Yes.. there is human. This room will keep this conversation only in here, in ways more then one, and this place will make it easier for me to find out more about you. It also projects memories and thoughts, making it easier to explain about Voltron."

"Excuse me? Why are you trying to find out about me so much?! What is there to even know?
Also I don't appreciate being brought someplace that can dig around my thoughts!!", he protested standing back up.

"Calm down. There's no reason to act that way.", she said flinging a spark of magic at him and forcing him back down, "Besides, I thought you sought knowledge, you can gain it in here better then out there."

He glared at her as he was forced to sit down and crossed his arms, "I do, but if we are at a crossroads here, I'd appreciate more respect of my own privacy."

"I never said we were at a crossroads human,", she sneered, "I simply am choosing to talk to you almost as my equal. If you didn't present any potential I would have given you to the druids or the arena.
So just be grateful I'm not making your life hell where you sit. I have every right to find out what I want about you Adam Wolf, so it'd be wise if you just accepted that fact."

Haggar then snapped her fingers, a pair of his glasses appearing on his face out of thin air.

He almost fell over from surprise as the frames just came onto his face. Adam had not expected that at all, and the glasses were exactly like the ones he had.
Taking the glasses off, he inspected them quizzically before putting them back on and making his vision resharpen.

"How did you...?"

"The magic of the room.", Haggar answered interrupting him, "It can tell me your health requirements as well. Almost nothing can hide from me in here."

Adam felt himself get more angry, concerned and uncomfortable then he already was.
The alien sitting right across from him had access to things that not even Shiro, who he had thought would share his life with, had or knew.

He immediately tried not to think of everything that he didn't want anyone knowing, but fear overtook him and his thoughts whirled by in quick flashes.

Only then it was Adam realized his memories were literally playing in the purple mist, the pictures rolling before the space witch's eyes.
Adam felt his heart tighten as his stomach dropped to his knees as he watched his memories betray him, practically giving Haggar everything she could possibly want to know and more.

He clenched his teeth and looked away from her and the images, not being able to stand the embarrassment, pain and darker secrets of himself relived all over again.

"No being wishes to share everything... and our secrets are usually darker desires we keep to ourselves because society doesn't count it as acceptable.", Haggar said quietly breaking the silence, "But in here you don't have to worry about judgement, because I don't judge you for what you feel and what you did."

Judgement? JUDGEMENT?!?
Adam felt himself growing angrier, he had HAD it.

Squeezing his arm tightly, he refused to open his eyes, "What are you even doing talking to me? I know you said you're interested in me, but I don't give a damn about all that!!
Are you just fucking around with me?! Is that it!? Am I just another experiment for messing around with the human mind?? If you want to do some voodoo black magic crap on me just do it!!", he yelled violently turning on her, "Because I'm not taking it!! I didn't ask for you not to judge me or to judge me!! I didn't want you to try to see what I think or what I did!!
And if you did it just to find out more about Takashi, well you got it!! I don't know how much use it is to you, but you got it!!", he half laughed incredulously, "Keep me, torture me, kill me... see if I care at this point!! I'd rather die after having someone roam around my head and see everything that I've kept locked away!!"

Tears were now running down his cheeks as he watched the memories flash by as he lay on his knees on the ground; somehow ending up there in his crazed delirium.

He felt like he had completely lost it.

Yet he must not have if he was able to think that... it was more of a breakdown from mental strain then anything else.

It wasn't like him to fall apart so quickly and it definitely wasn't like him at all to give in either.
And cursing he only reserved for dire times... so how had he been pushed to that limit so god damn fast in only a couple of minutes?!

It was unreasonable and ridiculous.

He felt Haggar's eyes cutting into him as he sat there on the floor, one arm on the small podium and the other supporting his forehead.

Adam then held up his hand as she was about to speak, this time cutting her off, "I don't want to hear it. Whatever it is you have to say... I don't want it. I don't need your twisted understanding and I don't need your story.
I'm better off being as far away from you as possible. There's something wrong about this place, about you, that isn't right.", he then looked her straight in the eyes, "But I promise you, whatever you may think I'll present to you, it's not enough to bring back the dead. And you can't twist me into something else for your evil little plots."

The mist twisted and churned as he spoke, seeming to be agitated by his sudden awareness of everything.

He wasn't going to let himself break down like that again, especially not in front of the witch beside him.

Adam glared at her as he stood up slowly, his body still shaking from the emotional release, "Your head has given enough on you for me to know you can't be trusted.", he said darkly, "So whatever you plan on doing now, bring it. I'll fight back, whether I have a weapon on me or not."

Haggar stood up, "You learn fast and observe quickly human. I should've expected nothing less, even though you still remain to do stupid things such as believing you are capable of fighting me."

Adam narrowed his eyes and held up his fists, knowing if he had to fight, brute strength was all he had.

"Maybe not, but I've gotten all I wanted to know from you as well Honerva and so have you, I don't see the point in us trying to be civil any longer.", he said throwing Haggar's real name at her.

An eyebrow slightly raised, Haggar smiled, "So you really did look inside my head..."

"Yeah. I did.", he breathed angrily waiting for her to make the first move, "And I know that you want to turn me against Takashi and Voltron."

"Yes and no. I only want you to acknowledge everything you've kept in all this time.
I can't turn you against Shiro because you've always been. And as for Voltron, I know you already feel jealous and left behind from them as well."

"What the hell you talking about?! No I'm not!!", he fired, backing up a couple of paces to where the door used to be.

She held up her hands in the universal gesture of peace, "I'm only stating what I saw inside you Adam Wolf. You know I'm not lying and you know what I speak of."

He felt his back bump into the wall as he never took his eyes off her, "It doesn't mean I have to give into it though. I can feel these things all I want without ever acting on it."

"But hasn't the majority of your life been on that? Haven't you always kept all your feelings in and never acted on them because you felt like you had to?", she questioned, "Haven't you always been the supportive friend and lover only to have one simple request ignored? Aren't you tired of it?"

Adam felt his throat clench as she spoke.

Everything she stated was true, and he hated it. But he was hating himself most of all for even feeling anything, for caring, for stepping back, for being in the background and living his life with nothing special to show for it.

His arms brushed discretely against the back of the wall as he tried to find the doorway, his body now shaking from more emotional pain.

"Yeah, I was tired of it. So I made myself not care anymore about him... or I tried and failed. But that's why I'm here, to find him and bring him back home. It's my duty.", he said evenly as he shifted to the left, "Besides, if I didn't keep it together like I do now, no one will. I'm human so I can't always control my thoughts, but I can control how I'll react."

"You keep repeating that often. How many times did you have to say that to convince yourself every time Shiro left you behind?", Haggar asked taking a few steps toward him.

"He never left me behind!!", he protested, "Stay away from me!!"

"Oh but he did Adam... he did.", she said walking closer, "Record after record was broken by that brave and foolhardy man, while you watched from the ground below and just became Shiro's worried yet supportive lover.
And even through your childhood, there was a bit of a competition in you both for the best grades and skills. No matter how hard you studied, Shiro somehow almost always came on top. And you were always happy for him and when you felt anything but that, you hated yourself.
But what about you Adam? What about your big moments that were shadowed by Shiro's light? Don't you think you have the right to be angry, to be upset? Has anyone ever really noticed you?"

Adam was now just staring at Haggar, his hand pressed against the wall as her words seemed to drive their way into his head.

Why was everything she said true?! He couldn't even deny it anymore at this point. He knew deep down she was right, but that didn't make it right!! Yet another part of him was so sick of making the right decision without fail.

He shook his head and stared at the floor instead, at a loss for words that wouldn't betray his agreement.

She edged closer, "I see your power, your intelligence and your drive Adam. And I can help you reach the height of it."

"Why...", he said brokenly, "What would I even be able to do. What could you offer me that would make me more then what I am? Unless you can take the pain away, the answer is nothing.
I'm sick of fighting you and fighting myself..."

"Oh but I can take the pain away.", she smiled, "And I see a person who'll be able to do it all once he's given the chance and the tools. It's your time to rise.", she then paused a moment, letting her words sink in, "So, what is it you want?"