Chapter Two

not mine, don't sue

The two Jedi bolted out of the bushes, not making a sound as the Force guided them over fallen branches and puddles of water. They saw everything as if it were moving in slow motion, nothing was a surprise to them. To the observer they would appear to be a blur for inhuman speed was one of the many benefits of being Force sensitive.

They reached the semi-safe position in less than three seconds. Wordlessly, they both activated their lightsabers and plunged them into the metal. The material offered no resistance, it was like a hot knife going through butter. Both worked as one, each cutting in a different direction. Smoke floated up into their nostrils; Obi-Wan fought back the urge to cough as his eyes insisted on watering. Not that it mattered, there wasn't an inch of him that wasn't already soaked.

Anakin felt the heat increase around him as their sabers drew closer together. "Got it," both breathed in unison. They pulled back and Obi-Wan's brow furrowed as he used the force to dislodge the round chunk of metal.

They both slipped through the opening, Anakin needed no prompting as he assisted his Master in lifting the metal slab and reinserting it to its former place just before the camera faced their position.

Sweat mingled with rain brimmed both the men's foreheads. Still wary, they checked the small room. No enemies, just four gray walls lined with shelves, each was stocked with foodstuffs or ammo.

Definitely a storage closet. Completely clear. Anakin closed his eyes and drank in the warmth and dryness of the room. He stretched out his senses and could almost touch the tension in the vicinity. The workers here were afraid, something had them spooked.

"Do you sense that Anakin?"

"They are terrified. Perhaps our resident defector didn't tell us everything," he offered.

Obi-Wan shrugged, "They rarely do."

"Yes, well I just get tired of all the deception. For once it would be nice to actually know what we were getting into," Anakin sighed.

Obi-Wan nodded his agreement. "Well, that was a little too close if you ask me. If anything had gone wrong…" Obi-Wan smiled at his disheveled apprentice. Close, there's an understatement. One slip and…, he shook the thought away while wringing some of the water from his robes.

Anakin was doing the same. "Ahh, but we can't dwell on what ifs can we Master." Needling Obi-Wan was just one of his many unique ways of showing affection. And it was a lot of fun.

"I believe I am still the Master here Anakin," the Master didn't miss a beat.

But neither did the Padawan. " Of course MASTER, just remembering one of your lessons." He shook his boots. Force, I really hate wet shoes.

Obi-Wan watched as his charge attempted to dry his waterlogged shoes. He had to bite his cheek to keep from laughing. Their banter was familiar and welcome. Despite the light exchange he couldn't relax. True, they were in a very hostile situation, but that was nothing unusual. I just have a bad feeling about this place. And it's not just due to our last visit. It's something else.

But there was no time to dwell; the Force was not a nursemaid, as every Jedi was told repeatedly. They had a scientist to rescue.

"Ready to start the hard part?"

Anakin rolled his eyes, "After you."

Obi-Wan gave him one of his many "respect your elders" looks, but said nothing. Instead he approached the only exit and placed his ear to its surface. Waving his apprentice over he used the force to enhance his hearing to see if the hallway was clear.

Anakin choose to stand off to the side and examine what data they had on this place. He punched a few buttons and soon had their location pinpointed on the map. Judging by the information they had, Dr. Kreyu was less than a few minutes walk from them. He blinked in surprise, things were going remarkably well. So why did he still want to crawl out of his skin?

Obi-Wan pushed off the door and leaned around his friend's shoulder to see what he had been working on.

"Good job Anakin. Now we just have to get there without being discovered."

"No problem at all," he tucked the pad in his tunic. He knew where they needed to go from here. Now it was just the problem of actually getting there.

"Silence and speed Anakin." Obi-Wan advised and with a wave of his hand the door opened.

Sliding out into the hallway, Anakin went right, Obi-Wan left. The humming of their lightsabers was the only sound they heard as they headed deeper into the facility.

"How prosaic," Obi-Wan muttered.

Each side of the walkway was lined with room after room. All filled with either equipment to repair their inventions, or the creations themselves. None appeared to be operational. And it was all gray.

" If we happen to run into the decorator, I'll be sure to inform him of your displeasure, Master."

This is way to easy. He glanced at his Master to find the same wariness mirrored on his normally serene face. And where are all the workers?

Obi-Wan followed as Ani turned down a much narrower hallway. This one had a bright red line down the center of the floor. "You are now entering a restricted zone" was written in bold letters just above the room he knew they had to enter. Figures.

"The doctor should be in this room," Anakin gestured towards the restricted sign.

"Only one way to find out,"

Their weapons at the ready, they opened the door and with Obi-Wan in the lead, they entered.

After ten steps Obi-Wan's senses screamed danger. He turned to warn Anakin who was covering the rear. His Padawan had already leapt for the door, lightsaber thrusting forward. But it was too late, the blast doors came down. They were trapped.

"Master, it's a…"

The lights went out.

"Trap."

end chapter two

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