Disclaimer: Read the first chappy legal peeps. Too lazy to repeat :)
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Chapter Fourteen: Of Long Hours
Anakin's feet were heavy, like someone had hidden lead in the bottom of his boots. They'd been searching for over five hours and Qui-Gon's original lead abruptly disappeared about fifty metres from its appearance.
Mace Windu approached Qui-Gon with silent footsteps, face shadowed by the dim lighting, "Qui-Gon, maybe it's time to consider that whatever got Obi-Wan has left this building."
"He hasn't left."
"How do you know this?"
"I just do."
"Does the Force tell you this, or your stubborn-ness?"
Qui-Gon stopped short. "You doubt my abilities?"
"I know you."
"The Force tells me, Mace."
Anakin ignored the urge to roll his eyes and walked off, intent of going back outside, when he stopped. Darkness swelled and pulsed not far away, whilst Qui-Gon and Windu muttered away among themselves, Anakin stared fixedly at the end of the poorly lit corridor.
Intrigued, he changed heading, and if he hadn't been so focused he would've missed it, so dismal was the area and the figure that walked from one side to the other. Not even a muffled footfall reached Anakin's perked ears.
And as much as Anakin was annoyed by Obi-Wan Kenobi, disliked him, hated him even, there wasn't much the older Jedi could do to beat him, the Chosen One, was there?
Besides…. Kenobi wasn't the only one missing.
And if he, Anakin, the Important Padawan, solved the mystery of their whereabouts, he would be even more famous.
Incredibly wizard.
"Master, I think I've found something!"
Qui-Gon and Mace hurried over in rustle of cloaks, hope written on both their faces but pride included in the formers.
"Where, Anakin?" said Qui-Gon.
Anakin led them down to where he saw the cloaked figure appeared from, but did not mention what he had seen, rather,
"I can feel something from down here, Master. I think it might be something to do with the missing Jedi."
Mace placed his hands over the wall, barely able to see his hands in front of his face it was a feat to know where the wall began, and felt along it softly.
"I think your young Padawan has something, but what I feel now…"
"Can't be the missing Jedi." Qui-Gon agreed, "It's what took them."
"There's definitely a door here, I can feel the edges."
"Well where's the lock?" Qui-Gon murmured, joining the Council member in his search-by-feel.
Anakin liked this kind of question; he could answer this kind of question without even trying. Casting out his senses he knew exactly what he was looking for before he bothered to find it. Locks were something he was well accustomed with -Wattle used them a lot in the mechanical sense, and he used them a lot in the mental sense. He did live with a whole Temple full of telepaths after all -he needed to keep his secrets secret.
"I've got it, Masters."
Anakin reached out a hand to the wall, some metre or so from where the older Jedi stood and only at waist height. One press and a slight manipulation with the Force later and it was done.
He'd saved the day!
"The Dark side seems to permeate everything in here," Mace observed solemnly.
"Well we wouldn't know, thanks to these wonderful pieces." Anakin jumped at the voice, Kenobi's voice, having not sensed it. Why hadn't he sensed it? Palpatine said very few Jedi knew how to do that -and Kenobi was not that good.
"Obi-Wan!"
Qui-Gon rushed forward to burn through the bars that kept the Knight enclosed, and Mace started on the next nearest cell, belonging to Padawan Yana. Anakin, having expected some form of reward, even exultation, for getting them here, was left standing alone in the shadows.
That was not how he liked it. That was not how this was supposed to go. They were supposed to praise him.
Windu spared him a quick glance but little more before issuing him an order, "Skywalker, come help us free them."
Well he couldn't exactly refuse, especially with Qui-Gon in the same room, so begrudgingly; Anakin trudged over to another cell and hid his scowl under a faithfully blank expression.
"I'll have you out in no time, Padawan Nal-Exan." He said lightly, igniting his lightsaber and relaxing into the comfortable glow.
The rest were freed in short order, the inhibitors thrown aside in disgust, and with no 'well done' from anyone, Anakin felt well and truly annoyed. Did they not appreciate what he had done for them?
"We're all perfectly fine, Master Windu," Knight Cad-I-Lin was explaining, "The man that captured us just said he was looking for something." She and Kenobi shared a look, deciding on some matter between them. "He was particularly interested in Obi-Wan."
"Oh?" Qui-Gon finished up with the comm. unit and joined the conversation with interest.
"That's because I know who he was." Obi-Wan threw Cad-I-Lin's lightsaber to her and picked up his own things but said nothing more.
"And?" Windu prompted.
"He was the Master Sith."
Unintentionally, Anakin snorted. Cad-I-Lin gave him a sharp look, causing him to quickly smother it into his tunic sleeve with a cough.
"How do you know this?" Windu questioned, hastening them all from the very high-tech makeshift prison and through the rundown lowest levels of the buildings as fast as possible; over thirteen hours had passed since Padawan Yiiy had first been reported missing.
"I am certain of it."
"That is not what I asked, Master Kenobi."
Kenobi let out a long sigh, and switched on his comm.. "I would prefer to discuss such things…"
Windu cut him off with a nod, "Understood -I will call Council meeting as soon as possible: we need to discuss this matter a great deal, Kenobi."
"Yes Master…" Obi-Wan trailed off, reading a message he must've received intently, "Masters could we hurry? Ashden's been unconscious for hours."
Nodding, Windu broke into a jog with Obi-Wan -Qui-Gon followed suit as did the others. Reluctantly, Anakin forced his aching legs to do the same and hated every second of it.
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Author's Notes: Eh heh. Have had a very hard time writing this, and I'm still not entirely happy with how it's come out, but it makes sense and i got to where I needed to! So, a thousand sorrys? Or do i need to run a galaxy far far away? -runs out as soon as she's posted to avoid any angry reviews-
Review Thank Yous and Replies to...
Knight Kenobi of Eryn Lasgalen: Heheee your pager has been on an awful long time now...
Kynstar: Yea-up I decided to give Obi his sense of humour back, 'cause it seemed to disappear in the movies between Ep1 and Ep2 :)
Hebe: Okay i felt soooo guilty when i re-read your review just now....
Walking Through Shadows: Ok, forgot that you called me a 2 year old until just now. You wait 'til we get back to school missy :P Don't worry it's nothing serious, I'll explain it (briefly) in the next chappy.
MistiWhitesun: Vent away :D Computers are very evil -mines got a weird process that takes up LOADS of RAM but doesn't do anything, so i cancel it every single time i logon :rolls eyes:
" "This was the Master of the Apprentice from four years ago."… I'm not making the connection," ": It refers to the Sith on Naboo that Obi-Wan killed -sorry it wasn't very clear, it's just Kenobi's thinking :lol:
Yup the indentations are now gone for good -lovely ff decided they were obviously evil :snork:
Hmmmm, I didn't notice that until you pointed it out, so I'm going to go back and edit it a little at some point hopefully (it's on my 'to do' list, right after 'art' and 'media' and 'party' LOL, it will get done. It will!) so yes, very grateful for that. I think i meant for around an hour or half hour to have passed. not much time. Aida: Oooo an army of Obi-Wan's.... :drool:
nikki: Okay... making me feel guilty too :P
Dha-Gal: :stares at the longest review she's ever received and does a re-take and collapses in hysterics: aww man! Hilarious!
Janna Hawkins: Think you might be right, i do. What's revenge of the sith?
Nate: :ahem's and runs out the door:
Snow-Glory: Aaaa so many questions, so many answers.... what did you garner from this one? I don't want to give anything away that you don't already have :lol:
Kusco: I think both the supervillan and I are rather evil super villans. No fighting this time... but i really want to have Obi at least kick SOMEone's ass!
Audreidi: Yup he was indeed... it took a rather long time in coming, didn't it?
Cravings: First, WICKED name :D Oooo i have an addict? Awww man that is soooo cool!
Naire: Hay if i have you hooked I'm happy!
Snow-Glory: LOL!
Author's Notes 2: :pops back in with her Obi muse and Sirius muse and Harry muse and Chris muse and Harper muse to guard her: Originally the next chapter was going to be the last (:GASP!:) however i think i might extend it for a few more, since I really want to have Obi kick some ass.