Well, it worked. I got lots of reviews!! But i won't do that again....soon.
Kitty: Please don't jinx me! I have enough bad luck in my life already!!!
Annabellea: Well, i've read only one book. Fell asleep in the movies. I don't really like SW but i like the fanfics about them. All your questions will be answered! (sounds mysterious huh?) The devices are made-up, i don't think they're in the books or movie. Oh, the terminator is.....but, ok. I"m getting myself confused....Just read on!
Culf: Aww, thanks! *wipes her eyes* Its because of reviews that i keep going. That's all.
Uh oh. I just finished putting this chapter together and i've realised that there's another cliffhanger. Uhm....sorry? It's got Obi-toture to make up for it!! Sort of....
****Like a circle in a spiral
Like a wheel within a wheel
Never ending or beginning
On an ever spinning wheel
- The Windmills Of Your Mind
****Billy's eyes widened as she saw Obi-Wan fall and heard his hiss of pain. Almost simultaneously, klaxons started blaring cutting through the night air.
(No! What happened?? What's the matter? What did we do wrong??)
Searchlights appeared in the distant factory and they started sweeping the grounds and air. At the moment, Billy and Obi-Wan were too far away from the factory to worry about that. As her thoughts turned to Obi-Wan she quickly knelt beside him and tried to turn him over onto his back.
Obi-Wan resisted fiercely, pain like he had never felt before was exploding behind his head, making him arch his back and gasp for relief. He opened his eyes and to his surprise he saw Billy kneeling over him with a concerned expression on her face. After about 5 seconds where Obi-Wan tried to get control of his screaming nerves he realized that Billy was speaking to him. Her eyes were wide with panic.
"456! 456! What's wrong? What's going on? This wasn't on the mainframe was it? What is this? What triggered this? They didn't know what was happening before. What's wrong with you???" She was breathing quickly, almost hyperventilating and with a flash of insight Obi-Wan knew exactly what had happened. He could dimly hear the klaxons screaming as his mind struggled to come to terms with the waves of pain washing through his thin body.
"B-billy. T-tell me……exactly…….what h-happened," Obi-Wan ground out through clenched teeth as the pain continued to scream up his spine like white-hot acid. "This is I-I-important…….w-what h-happened?"
Billy gulped down a breath then with a quavering voice replied, "I was running when I felt this strange sensation on my skin. I stopped, wondering what it was and then decided to wait for you. I saw you coming and suddenly you fell to the ground and instantly at the same time the sirens and searchlights went on. What's going on 456?"
"A t-tingling f-feeling?" Obi-Wan was starting to get his body back under control again. He was getting used the severe pain.
"Yes. Did you feel it to?"
"Yes."
"What going on???" Billy's breathing hitched even higher.
"I-I-I t-think……that I s-set off a boundary."
"Why you? Why not me?" Billy didn't understand.
Obi-Wan took a deep breath, to give him control over the pain as well as to give him courage; Billy would have to know, "W-when I was in the m-mainframe I a-accessed our files and d-declared you dead. I d-disabled all your implants so the f-force field doesn't recognize you. To it, you are not a slave…….." he bit back a cry as the pain got a bit worst.
"Then what about you? How come----"
Billy was cut off as Obi-Wan let the words stumble out quickly through his mouth, "I-I didn't g-get time t-to disable mine. That was w-when I was detected. All I managed to do was d-disable the t-t-terminator. Billy, you h-have to leave. You have to go now." On that urging Obi-Wan's voice grew stronger.
"No!!" Billy was shocked at what she was hearing, "I will NOT leave you! Not now!! I can carry you and since you don't have a terminator everything will be fine. 456, everything will be fine." Billy was outright sobbing, her fingers desperately trying to drag Obi-Wan with her.
"Listen to me!" Obi-Wan's voice cracked like a whip. "I can't go with you, I can hardly walk and the locator implant would give us both away. Y-you have to go. Please go, just go!! There is no point of both of us being caught, what good what that do? P-please!! Just go!"
"NO!!" Billy was becoming hysterical and nothing that Obi-Wan would say would sink in. She was beyond common sense.
"No", Obi-Wan breathed softly, (Then we're both going to die.) "Go, you c-can still make it." Obi-Wan gave a short cry and curled in on himself as another wave of crippling pain lanced through him.
"456! 456! Please don't make me go! I can't. I can't leave you. I won't leave you!"
Something stirred in Obi-Wan's mind. (What the---?) The boy was startled as a thing uncurled itself in his mind. As he mentally watched it, it turned around and moved jerkily – like a snake that had just woken up. Suddenly, Obi-Wan knew what to do. He mentally grabbed the snake, and threw it like a spear into Billy's mind.
"You will leave and stow yourself away on the shuttle departing at 1am. You will leave now." Obi-Wan's voice held a steely quality and the spear smashed through any type of natural shields that Billy might've had erected. Billy's face turned blank and she repeated the instructions.
"I will leave and stow myself away on the shuttle departing at 1am. I will leave now." She then abruptly turned away from Obi-Wan and ran off into the dark forest.
Obi-Wan gave a sigh. (How did I do that? What is wrong with me? I'm a freak.) The boy lay twitching on the forest floor when the bursts of pain got too much for his weakened body.
****"Sir! Sir! We've got a breach!"
"What?!? Another one??? Have you even found the reason behind the one 2 days ago?" The senior guard glared at the younger one who was bringing the bad news.
"Not a computer security breach. A physical breach in the boundary."
"Very well then. You know what to do. Activate the klaxons, turn on the spotlights, send out the guards and release the juanks. Has its pain inflector turned on?"
"Yes sir. The inflector has activated itself on the passing of the boundary and it's beacon show's us that it's stable. I have also done all that too sir, the only problem is……."
"Yes man? Out with it!" The older man looked up with irritation at the younger guard who shifted about nervously on his feet.
"Uhm, Sir, I think you better come and see this."
"Fine!" The man ungracefully pulled himself to his feet, "This had better be good." The warning tone in the mans voice had the younger guard scared.
The younger man led him to the computer; "You know that the boundary can tell you who has crossed it because of the implants in the slaves bodi----"
"I know this man! Don't tell me you got me all the way up here to give a lesson that I learnt years before you??" The man's tone was contempous.
"U-uh, no sir," the guard licked his lips nervously as he continued on, "Well, according to the computer the slave that's escaped is 456." He paused.
"SO????" The older guard was getting angry.
"According to the computer 456 is dead."
"WHAT???" The older guard couldn't believe his ears, "Well, he obviously ISN'T. If he was then he wouldn't be OUT THERE would he!! How can that be possible?"
"I-I'm not sure sir."
"Get that slave back. I want to know how he did this. NOW!! Don't just stand there! I gave you an order, DO IT!" The younger man gave a curt bow and left almost at a run.
Another guard ran up to him, as he was quickly getting ready to go out, "Sir, the juanks have been released. They will find him."
"Good. I don't care how badly the slave is hurt in the retrieval process but we need him alive. Understand?"
"Yes sir." The guard bowed and left.
"I look forward to questioning this living dead slave." The guard murmured and an evil smile touched his face. (It's about my turn for fun…….)
****Juanks. Obi-Wan could hear them. Their snarling and their smell floated to him on the wind. (They'll catch Billy!) The thought struck him like a sledgehammer. He couldn't let them get Billy.
He heard the snarls getting closer and he forced himself up onto his feet. The pain made him double up and his vision blurred as spots danced about in front of him. Closing his eyes offered no comfort; the spots still remained – dancing on the back of his eyelids. Every step felt like he was twisting a knife within him. (A knife……..a knife. I need a knife…….). Obi-Wan's breath came in short gasps and he had to be careful that he didn't bite the tip of his tongue off, when he clenched his teeth together. (Knife, I need…….a knife.) The boy's thoughts were getting hazy, confusion spreading through his body. With a supreme effort he cleared his head and tried to find the magic switch to turn off his burning nerves. He drew himself upright and allowed his face to screw up every time the pain grew bad.
He obviously didn't have a knife so something sharp would have to do. (Thorns! Bushes have thorns. There are rocks on the ground.) He bent down and his questing fingers searched the ground until he struck a particularly sharp rock. (It's sharp alright.) Obi-Wan sucked his fingers where he had run them across the edge giving them a light cut. He picked up the rock with trembling fingers and looked at it in the waning moonlight.
(It'll have to do.) Before his courage could desert him, he quickly bent down and holding the rock like a knife he sliced open his leg. He bit his lip at the stinging that it caused but compared to the other pain, it was a relief. He took off his sandals that he had been given to wear and smothered them in the blood that was free flowing from his self-inflicted wounds. He dropped them on the ground then turned to his other leg. This one also he gave several deep cuts and watched, with satisfaction, as it began bleeding profusely.
He needed blood. Lots of it. Without thinking he held up his arms and gave them deep cuts, then several cuts to his hands. (Don't hit an artery, don't cut open an artery, or else you won't live to distract the juanks.) He chanted in his head as he watched the red life-blood well up and drip off him.
A snarl cut the air and Obi-Wan stumbled, dropping the rock (No time! No time! GO!!). He could almost smell them, they were so close. Adrenaline pumped through his system and before he even had time to register the pain, he had sprinted off in the totally opposite direction that Billy had taken. As he ran, the rocks cut his feet leaving bloody footprints, and the cuts on his legs smeared their trail on the bushes that Obi-Wan brushed past. He used his hands to push away from trees when he almost ran into them and made sure that he left lots of blood. (Follow me! Follow me you bastard juanks. Follow my trail!)
The juanks had indeed followed Obi-Wan's trail. They were excellent tracking animals and could find almost anything but their only problem was their blood-lust. They went crazy over the smell of blood. If drove them to a frenzy making them forget everything. This is what Obi-Wan had been counting on. If he left enough blood, then the juanks would forget about Billy's trail and just follow him.
The juanks howled in anticipation as they sensed themselves closing in on the runaway slave. Obi-Wan was tiring, the loss of blood was making him dizzy and as the adrenaline was beginning to wear off the pain was striking at him anew.
(Keep going, just keep going.) The boy was stumbling frequently now, leaving messy red smears on the ground where he fell. He understood dimly what was happening. The juanks were herding him back to the compound. (That's fine. I'm fine with that, as long as it's just me).
So far the jaunks had been hidden out of sight, but as they grew closer the smell of blood drove them closer. As Obi-Wan ran he could see red eyes watching from the undergrowth. He redoubled his efforts until he felt like his legs would drop off, but no matter how fast he ran, the red eyes kept up with him. He was nearing the edge of the forest when a black being flashed past him, making him trip suddenly. He got up shakily but when nothing jumped out, he forced his leaden legs to keep running.
He knew that as soon as he burst from the leafy cover of the forest that he was as good as dead.
(So, this is my life. No, this was my life. 6 months of being a slave. No family. No memories.) As the forest grew thinner, Obi-Wan thought of all the things he had done in his life.
(I stood in the rain, I ate a piece of fruit, I smelled a flower, I watched a butterfly, I saw beautiful sunsets, I felt the warmth of the sun, I felt the wind ruffle my hair, I watched the birds fly high above, I watched lightning and felt the vibrations of thunder, I saw the stars twinkle at night, I met Billy.) Everything he listed was undoubtedly simple and free pleasures but also the most beautiful. He slowed down, his breath coming ragged. He had almost fallen to a walk when the beasts lunged out of the undergrowth and snapped at his heels.
Obi-Wan's eyes opened wide with terror as the primeval instinct of self-preservation took over and his legs forced themselves to run. He flew out of the forest at a dead run and stopped suddenly as a spotlight was instantly trained on him. Dimly he heard a voice as his pupils painfully contracted, trying to deal with the sudden onslaught of the harsh light.
Stand still or you will be terminated.
Before Obi-Wan had the chance to do anything, something barrelled into him, striking him solidly in the back, knocking him over and forcing the air out of already spasmsing lungs. The boy tried to turn over and let go a shriek when jaws painfully clenched down onto his shoulder, breaking the skin, letting more blood flow and coming dangerously close to crushing the bone. He struggled, trying to make the Juank let go but the beast just tightened its grip and tried to fling the boy around, like a dog worrying a bone. Obi-Wan almost screamed as he audibly heard his collarbone snap as the Juanks worried him.
The Juanks gathered around, excited by the smell of blood and cries of their victim. Another one grabbed one of the boy's legs and tugged viciously. Obi-Wan moaned as he thought he was going to be pulled apart.
(There is no pain……..there is only the F--)
His thoughts were cut off as another Juank lunged at him and sunk it's teeth deep into the boy's side. Obi-Wan truly did scream this time, his cry echoing the night sky. He could feel the beast's teeth scraping along his ribs and cried out as the pressure on his lungs became unbearable.
(There is no death…….there is only the For--)
His world was narrowing once again. The colours were fading. The boy's system was being overridden with pain and Obi-Wan turned his head to face the grass. He stared unblinkingly at the grass and dirt beside his head and watched without actually seeing the bugs crawling to get their fair share of his blood. He realized slowly that the dark puddle around him was his blood and dimly thought that he shouldn't have that much in him. To be precise, he thought he shouldn't have had that much seeping out of him.
(Is this death?)
The guard who had been enjoying the spectacular sight of Juanks bringing down a boy allowed his grin to fade. He had to get this one alive. If he didn't, his life didn't stand a chance. He wondered if he should just let the boy die and then blame it on the Juanks but decided against it. The guard pulled out a whistle and blew it sharply, signalling the Juanks to back down. Nothing happened. If anything the Juanks were getting more excited. (Shit. Not good).
Obi-Wan allowed his eyes to drift upwards to the night sky, where the constellations seemed to beckon to the severely injured boy. (I a-always……wanted to go……to the s-stars.) The stars twinkled down on him and Obi-Wan closed his eyes. (I wondered if I had a family up there). Another juank grabbed the boy around the hip and tried to drag him off. Obi-Wan didn't even acknowledge the pain; his body was too far-gone for that. He flapped his hand weakly (I…..hope…….B-billy…..got…..away). Obi-Wan opened his eyes once more, but even the pale moonlight seemed to hurt. A Juank placed it's forepaw on the boy's chest and Obi-Wan struggled weakly to pull in a breath. The Juank bent it's head down and growled in the boy's face. Obi-Wan didn't even flinch. In fact, he wasn't quite conscious of his surroundings anymore. The Juank opened its mouth and revealed a fearful set of teeth, which started to descend towards the boy's exposed throat.
Obi-Wan knew the end was near. His eyes took in the stars flickering above him and he felt the scrape of the teeth on his neck.
Obi-Wan closed his eyes, (T-there..is…no death, t-t-there is…only….the…F-force.) A blast echoed throughout the clearing and the boy lay still.
****Sorry, another cliffy...Tell me how much you hate them! Also give me a review and tell me how sorry you feel for poor young Obi!
Also, i ordered in The Rising Force at the library. God, I felt stupid doing that. I guess i should read it.....Is it good?