A/N: I am so sorry for the wait! For those of you who didn't see my note in the last chapter, my phone broke and I couldn't access my more recent chapters which I hadn't backed up yet. After about four hours of trying different things, I finally got it to work and uploaded the chapters to my computer. But after that I didn't really feel like writing, so I pushed this back another day. So, I apologise for the wait. Hopefully this longer chapter will make it worthwhile.

Thursday, 5:57pm; Industrial Estate.

Anakin awoke to his hands being roughly untied. Raising his head, he glared at Marius. The man ignored him and continued untying his bonds.

"What's going on?" Anakin asked. He hadn't seen Marius since the man had given him food earlier. It had seemed like days, but Anakin had learnt quickly that his judgement of time was askew ever since he'd been taken. Some minutes stretched on for decades, some hours feeling like they passed in the blink of an eye. Moments when he was in pain, like now, were the worst, where he wasn't tired enough to sleep but didn't want to aggravate his injuries, so was left staring at nothing, his mind swirling with thoughts he'd rather keep buried. As the week had progressed it had got harder and harder to stay positive.

Then there was the question which kept bugging him. Where was Obi-Wan? After admitting to Marius that he'd given up hope, Anakin had broken down completely. Most of the remaining hope flooded out of him, as he thought it would, when he had said out loud that he didn't think Obi-Wan was coming. At least Marius had consented to let him dwell on his thoughts alone. The man hadn't touched him since they'd sent the last message. It did mean, however, he was stuck with his self-depreciating thoughts for far longer than he'd ever though he would be. And still Obi-Wan hadn't shown up.

"Your friends finally pieced it together." Marius replied. Anakin felt his heart leap. He wasn't quite ready to hope, not yet, but for the first time in a while he allowed himself to think a little brighter.

"You - You mean the Jedi are coming?" Anakin asked. Maybe Obi-Wan cared a bit...

"Who else would I mean?" Marius said. Anakin quickly suppressed a smile that was growing steadily on his face. Even though he'd only been wallowing in his fears for a few hours, it was an experience he never wanted to go through again. For a while, a while which had seemed like an age, Marius actually had him believe no one cared. He actually thought that they had abandoned him.

"Quickly." Marius said, yanking Anakin to his feet. Anakin stumbled, almost falling forward. It was his first time properly moving in days.

"If you wanted me to move quickly, maybe you shouldn't have broken my leg." Anakin muttered angrily. Thankfully he didn't hear, Anakin had rotten into more than enough trouble for his remarks already. But every movement jarred him and his injuries: his back, his arms, his leg. His body protested as Marius tugged him into a brisk walk, his grip painful on Anakin's wrist. Anakin struggled against it. "Are you actually going to run from the Jedi? How stupid are you?" He asked. Marius stopped and turned to face him, tightening his grip until Anakin had to force back a whimper.

"Do you actually think I hadn't planned for this?"

Anakin grimaced. He'd thought Marius would probably have a plan, over the week he'd come to appreciate that the man was smart. It was pretty obvious (though Anakin hadn't thought so at the time) the Jedi would come. Marius knew exactly what he was doing.

"What plan do you have that can fight off the Jedi?" Anakin asked. Marius began walking again, pulling Anakin along.

"The element of surprise is not to be underestimated." Marius said. "Now, hurry up."

Anakin struggled against the grip on his wrist.

"Why do we have to go fast? Or is your master plan running away?" Anakin asked scornfully. Marius glanced back.

"Let's just say we don't want to be in the near vicinity." He replied. Anakin scowled.

"Can I have some context, maybe?"

"Later." Marius replied. Anakin took a moment to think. Then planted his feet and stopped walking. He couldn't resist Marius fully, but he tried to make it as hard as he could for Marius to move forward. Marius attempted to pull him, but Anakin held onto a door frame with his uninjured arm.

"Will you quit it?" Marius growled.

"Tell me what is happening." Anakin demanded.

"You're in no position to make demands." Marius said, folding his arms.

"And, from your apparent rush, you don't have time for me to resist." Anakin said, mirroring Marius's stance.

Marius glared at him, before sighing.

"This is an old power distribution plant. Gave power to industrial estates this side of Coruscant, before they moved it North." Marius said quickly.

"Your friend used to live in a powerplant?" Anakin asked, remembering their conversation from before.

"Yes. Not important." Marius answered. He glanced at the watch on his wrist. "The building has some... Look, we don't have time for this. We need to move."

Anakin didn't unfold his arms. He was sure it probably looked quite ridiculous, a teenager staring Marius down, but he wanted to know what was going to happen. If it was a trap, he might be able to warn Obi-Wan somehow.

"The building has some..." He prompted. Marius let out a growl.

"I'm going to blow up the building." He admitted. Anakin felt his stomach drop. Oh my god. Obi-Wan.

Marius took advantage of his shock, and pulled Anakin forward. Anakin struggled more now, desperately trying to think of some way he'd be able to warn Obi-Wan.

"Let me go!" He yelled. Marius didn't reply. Anakin did everything he could to deter the man from his path forward, but Marius, realising he'd probably made a mistake in telling Anakin what was going to happen, used his superior strength the force Anakin down the corridor. Anakin yelled angrily at him, but he kept moving. Even if he wasn't injured, Marius would've been too strong for him. With a broken leg, an arm which was covered with gashes, and uncountable other injuries, he had no chance.

Anakin felt his heart begin to speed up. If he couldn't find a way to warn them, then the explosion might kill the Jedi.

"You're going to kill them!" Anakin yelled at Marius. He didn't think it would make much difference, and he was right. The man's stony exterior remained rock solid.

"Possibly. But I think not. I've rigged it so they will have enough time to get out. I don't want Kenobi to die just yet." He shrugged. Anakin fought to escape. He didn't share Marius faith in his plan. What if he'd calculated it wrong? What if the explosion was larger than he expected? What if there was some unforseen difficulty? "Stop squirming. Do you want to be here when the roof collapses?"

"If it warns them, then yes!" Anakin said fiercely. Marius looked at him, with something akin to admiration. Anakin scowled back.

But Marius didn't stop moving. He kept pushing them forward, further and further away from where Anakin wanted to be. They were approaching the staircase when Marius looked at his watch and cursed.

"Great. Thanks to you, we're out of time."

"Should've planned for it." Anakin defended. Marius shushed him and stopped walking. He kept a firm grip on Anakin's wrist, but pulled out his keys. Anakin leaned on the wall, waiting impatiently. He was still terrified that either him, Obi-Wan or both of them would get trapped under a building. Then he heard movement upstairs.

His body reacted before his mind did. He jerked, Marius turning to see what had happened.

"Obi-Wan!" He yelled. The movement, the footsteps, paused. He opened his mouth to warn them, to tell them about the trap. But Marius clapped his hand around Anakin's mouth, the other hand pinning Anakin's arms behind his back. Anakin fought back, kicking and struggling to free his arms. He heard a distant yell, not Obi-Wan's voice. It sounded familiar, but Anakin couldn't place it. Then he heard a distinct cry of "Anakin!" Obi-Wan. Anakin struggled to call back, to warn Obi-Wan, and whoever else was there. But Marius held him in a tight grip, and gave the door a hard kick. It swung open, and Anakin was half-dragged half-carried up some stairs. Dimly he realised that if only he'd checked the doors he could've escaped earlier.

He didn't know if Obi-Wan got his warning. So, while Marius pulled him along, he concentrated on bypassing the inhibitor. It was harder to do while he was running for his life, but also marginally easier now he knew about the chip. He knew where to focus his energy; he had figured out the chip was in his left shoulder when he seen the mark there. He knew that the last time he'd tried to reach for the Force it had almost killed him, as Marius said. But this was for Obi-Wan. If Anakin did nothing, he would forever feel like his Master's blood was on his hands.

It was just as hard as he remembered it, the Force slipping out of reach. It was as close as it ever was, but it was like swimming through a school of fish. Where he moved, it moved away, gone before he could catch it. It also felt foggy, a strange grey sheen seemed to have settled over it. Anakin hadn't dare reach out after he'd tried the first time. He was scared that, if he did again, he might really die. And he didn't want to die. But this was for someone else. It was no longer a plea for help, but a warning. Making it even more vital that he bypassed the inhibitor. Stretching out his feelings, barely aware anymore that he was being pulled along and running as fast as he could, he closed his eyes. Trusting that he wouldn't fall. Gathering his strength, he reached out.

A loud rumbling reached his ears, and he quickly realised that he had stopped running, and was instead laying on his front, coughing on dust. He was overwhelmed by pain, both physical and mental. But, with a sharp jolt, he threw off the invisible chains holding him back and felt the Force flood into him. It was burning, searing. Pain so much worse than before when combined with his aching body. But he could feel it, feel the Force in all it's bright glory, for the first time in a week. He'd forgotten what it was like, to feel all the life around, all the energy. He focused on the fact it was back, he could sense it. Not on the fact that he wanted to scream from the pain in his body, the electric feeling coursing through his veins. Broadening his mind, he bit down hard on his tongue to stop himself screaming. It hurt. He wasn't sure why, but figured it was probably because it took a while for the inhibitor to fully deactivate.

He was just starting to reach out when he felt Obi-Wan latch onto his presence. Joy and relief filled Anakin. His Master made it out. Mingling with Obi-Wan's terror and concern, Anakin saw his Master's shields were still partly up. He only did that if he was concentrating (which he obviously wasn't doing now) or to hide his injuries. So he's out. Just not necessarily unhurt. Anakin tried to put his up to hide all his pain, but he wasn't strong enough. Obi-Wan must've felt Anakin trying to block him out, because panic began mingling with the worry. Anakin gave up, his pain flowing unchecked through their bond. Anakin wasn't quite sure why his Master was still so scared. Obi-Wan began trying to convey something to him, but Anakin didn't understand. Why was his Master broadcasting something so desperately?

Then he realised. As far as Obi-Wan knew he was still in the building. He was in the building that had just exploded. Finally Anakin understood why his Master was panicking. Because, to Obi-Wan, it was Anakin's final moments. The last moments before he died. Anakin tried to say something through their bond, tried to yell over Obi-Wan's radiating concern. Master, I'm f-

He saw a boot fly towards his head, and everything went black.

Thursday, 9:34pm; Lower Levels.

Anakin groaned, shifting uncomfortably. His body and head ached, and his leg was being jostled painfully. There was some overhead noise, and he winced as it clashed with his slowly building headache. Opening his eyes, he brought a hand up to cover them when he saw that there was a fluorescent light above his head, a purple one. He groaned and sank back down into a lying position. He tried to remember what had happened, but his mind pulled a blank from after the building collapsed. The hand covering his eyes came away with a small amount of blood, and Anakin concluded that he must've been knocked out. For how long he didn't know, but the last remaining light that had been there when Obi-Wan had come to rescue him had long since faded, the sky was an inky black.

Anakin wondered if Obi-Wan had managed to get his message. If he didn't, then Anakin would be in big trouble. If everyone thought him dead to the world, then the only person he'd be able to rely on would be himself. He didn't know if he'd be able to escape without any outside help at all. But he had a bad feeling that he'd been cut off before Obi-Wan was able to get the message. It was all slightly hazy, as you'd expect from someone who had been blasted in an explosion and kicked in the face. Anakin hoped that Obi-Wan had managed to figure it out, because if his Master thought he was dead, it would damage them both. Anakin would struggle to stay alive, and he knew his Master would struggle with guilt. Or, he presumed Obi-Wan would feel guilty.

Sitting up and stretching, he looked around, taking in his situation. He had been laying in the back of a speeder. Part of his discomfort was caused by the fact his leg was tied, in a hurried looking knot, to the door. He tugged experimentally, but it didn't budge. The speeder wasn't moving, and instead was parked on the side of a street. Anakin peered upwards, past the metal grating and glaring lights. He could barely see the sky, just a small strip of black. The street around was empty, so Anakin figured they must be nearer one of the lowest Levels. Almost all of the streets were buzzing with people at all hours of the week. Except the bottom ones, where the streets were crawling with Spice dealers.

He looked to the front of the speeder, where Marius was sitting on the hood idly.

"What's going on now?" Anakin asked. Marius jumped slightly, turning around. Anakin cursed at his mistake. He might have been able to escape if he had known Marius didn't know he was awake.

"We're waiting." Marius said. Anakin huffed.

"Obviously. What for?" He asked. Marius held up a hand, signaling Anakin to be silent. Two men passed by them on the street, before wandering off into a side street. Anakin debated whether he should cry out, but he had a feeling his situation wouldn't be much better if he was rescued by them. They didn't seem like the kind of people who would happily drop him off at the Temple.

"It's best not to attract too much attention down here." Marius said, in explanation of his silencing gesture.

Anakin nodded in agreement. Looking again to his bound leg, he slowly reached out to see if he could untie himself.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Marius said, holding up a small silver activator. Anakin recognised it as the one which caused him to be electrocuted. With a sigh, he lay back down, staring at the little sky that he could see. They waited for ten minutes, a stretch of time which would've once bored Anakin, but now felt like it passed in seconds. Suddenly Marius stood, sliding off the speeder. He came around to the back, and took a knife from his belt. Anakin flinched back.

"Do you always have one of them?!" Anakin asked. Marius glared at him.

"Yes, I carry it around in my daily life." He replied sarcastically.

"You have a life?" Anakin mumbled quietly, but thankfully not so loud that Marius heard him.

Marius cut through the rope, then pulled Anakin to his feet. Anakin stumbled slightly, something he'd been doing a lot more. No matter how little he moved, his leg never seemed to heal. It worried him, legs were meant to at least start to heal within a week, right? But his felt just as painful as when it first happened. Marius caught him before he fell, but Anakin shook off the hand, giving him a cold glare. Marius gestured to a door on the other side of the road. Anakin started walking warily.

"Where are we going?" He asked nervously. Marius sighed slightly. They reached the door and he stopped outside.

"Listen kid. Keep your mouth shut. No matter what happens in here, no matter how shocked or against it you are, don't say anything. These people would kill you without a second thought." He said.

"What do you mean? What's going on? Are you getting rid of me?" Anakin asked. His heart started thumping. If Marius got rid of him, the Jedi would have next to zero leads. Marius was pretty much the only thing they could use to connect what was happening.

"As far as Coruscant knows, you're dead. I can't have you tagging along where I'm going. I can't have you running along to the Jedi. It's either this or I kill you. I presume you have a preference." Marius said. Anakin looked at him, biting his lower lip. But Marius's one moment of empathy quickly passed, and his face morphed into one of determination.

Pushing Anakin inside, he followed quickly. Anakin finally realised what was about to happen, and he felt the anger rise inside him. Slavers. He could tell by the two men's demeanour, the way they stood, the confident look. He'd seen enough times in his childhood. He opened his mouth to yell at them, perhaps scream at them. Slaver scum. You're dead.

But he remembered Marius's warning. He remembered that he was in no position to be making demands. He shut his mouth, glaring at the two men in front of him.

"Took you long enough." The man said. Marius didn't give an answer. The man moved towards Anakin. Anakin forced himself to stay still. His hands twitched at his sides, desperate to punch the man in front of him. "I was surprised when I got your call. Never seemed like someone to agree with my business." The man said. Marius looked sideways guiltily.

"I don't. But I don't have a choice." He said. Sure you do. You're just too focused on your revenge plan to care about what happens to me. Anakin thought. He bit his tongue to stop himself saying it aloud.

"He's quite pretty. Could find him a -"

"No. He's a kid. I draw the line there." Marius said, an element of disgust in his voice. Anakin was about to correct him, given that he was pretty sure he had turned eighteen sometime while he was captive, but stopped himself. Marius was right, Anakin would rather not end up in that line of work. The man in front of him raised his hands in surrender.

"I'm just shooting out ideas." He said defensively. Anakin bit down harder on his tongue, until he tasted the tangy metal of blood. He knew that he had no power while he was in the hands of slavers, and it was better to keep silent. Maybe I'll be able to escape if I get away from Marius. Anakin thought. He felt a flicker of hope. When he was nine he'd had no chance of escaping the slavers, but he was pretty certain that if he applied some of his training he could find a way out.

Yes. Maybe I should be counting this as a good thing rather than a bad thing. Anakin thought.

"I'll take the amount we agreed on. Then I'm out."

"Certainly. Hope your little vendetta goes well. Try not to die. All that kriff. I'll have the credits transfered to your account. Presuming you still use the same one...?"

Marius nodded. "See you later then." The slaver said forcefully. Marius took that as his cue to leave, and with a last nod and a brief look at Anakin, he left. Anakin was definitely happy to see him disappear. Whatever the slavers threw at him, he knew he'd be able to take it. Marius, however, Marius just confused him.

A/N: Anakin's not dead! Biggest suprise ever! (That was sarcastic in case you couldn't tell.)

I couldn't find a convenient place to stop. I didn't want a whole extra chapter with the slavers but I didn't really want a long chapter. Feel free to review if you enjoyed, and thanks to my reviewers from last chapter!