White Noize
"What… What happened?"
Disoriented, scared, bewildered, he can only stumble forward.
"Where am I? Where is everybody?"
All around him is darkness, endless and encapsulating. How he got here is irrelevant as he flees from this vast prison.
"Jo! Sara! Anyone? Where are you!"
A vision of his reptilian son Stanley rises from the ether as he runs.
Why are you yelling for them, Dad? What about us? I thought you came to save us.
Squishy keeps running even as Stan withers into a deformed, miserable husk. From his left appears his daughter Sally.
It's like we're not important to him, like he doesn't care. Almost like he wants us dead or something.
The phantom lets out a cackle that twists into a hideous gurgle as scales and muscle melt from her form, but Squishy doesn't stop. His other son, the robe-clad Richter, confronts him.
Wouldn't be a surprise if that was true. He was a failure of a father. And especially of a husband.
Those last words are spoken as he erupts into flames within the cloak, becoming ash upon finishing. Squishy's panic is beyond palpable; he can barely focus as he runs harder.
"Why is this happening? What's going on!"
Squishy is practically doubled-over with despair and confusion at every harried step, bringing him closer to tripping and a brutal collapse. But then something catches his eye that makes him slow down. Frantic running eases into tired walking before halting completely, allowing him to gaze at the figure before him: Sylvia, his beloved Ssi-Ruu. Her slitted gaze raises slowly from the ground and into the eyes of the awed Jawa.
Squishy…
Her silent address accompanies an outreaching claw, to which Squishy reaches out a small hand to touch. But right as the two limbs are on the verge of contact, Squishy stops in horror as he sees the flesh around Sylvia's claw blow away like sand. Scales become dust as the flesh blows off the arm and other limbs, as by a scorching wind. Squishy withdraws his arm instantly as he watches his beautiful Sylvia turn into a disintegrating skeleton. The sight makes Squishy let out a blood-curdling cry of anguish and fear that matches the piercing pitch of the droning noise that had been following him up to that point, and has finally overtaken him.
Sara: Squishy!
(Squishy opens his eyes to see the concerned faces of some of his friends looking down on him, then realizes he's lying on his back. Sitting up, he looks around to see the other Jedi standing close by, and that they're still in the Exhibitionist's chamber)
Sara: (Relieved sigh) Thank goodness. You were really conked out.
Will: Bout time you woke up. Had any good dreams?
Squishy:...No. Just a really messed-up one. (Looking around) What happened?
Anna: You got your a** kicked, pretty hard. But so did everyone else, so don't worry about it.
(Cope walks in rubbing his head, grumbling)
Cope: I still have a headache.
(Squishy's eyes widen as he recalls what happened after defeating Ex)
Squishy: That guy! Where'd he—?
Anna: He disintegrated. Probably burned himself out in laying us flat.
Squishy: Oh, yeah, that did happen.
Anna: And while everyone got to enjoy a nice little nap, I was focused on unsticking myself from the wall. A real lucky bunch you all are.
Cope: You're more than welcome to take my sores and bruises.
Sara: Anna checked on us and helped pull Alex out of the ground. Everybody else woke up around the same time, but you were still unconscious, so we've been waiting.
Jo: Tried Force Healing you a bit, but even then you stayed passed out. I was beginning to think you had gone into a coma, so it's good to see you back up on your midget butt.
(A pause as Squishy stares for a moment)
Squishy: That guy… he called himself a "fading memory."
Cope: We know: Anna told us.
Anna: Which gives weight to the whole "burned himself out" theory.
Squishy: But, what was that about? What was he trying to do, if he was going to fade away? Why stop to fight us?
(Group shrug)
Will: But you feeling alright, Squish? No aches or pain or any of that?
Squishy: No, I'm alright, surprisingly enough. Rather well-rested, in fact.
(He gets up on his feet and pats his robe)
Jo: Soooooo, random encounter aside, (claps hands) we got more Embodiment a**es to kick.
(He moves on and the rest follow, making for the door opposite the one they came in from)
(The Jedi's departure is being observed closely on one of several dozen monitor screens rigged over a wide button-laden console in a dark room. A number of shadowy figures are there, and the one seated at the console makes a disappointed sigh as he leans back in his chair)
?1: Curses, nearly had him.
?2: You don't sound too upset about it.
?1: Because it means we still get to eliminate him the traditional way. ^_^
?3: There was a pleasant air of surrender about his person whilst he slept.
?1: Yes, and it would've become full-blown crippling insanity if he had stayed asleep for another ten seconds or so. I doubt there'll be another opportunity for an easy victory like that.
?4: Who was he, anyway?
?3: An old acquaintance from long ago. A dear memory of the Master's, finally put to rest.
?5: Pretty showy way of going out. Sucks he didn't finish them off while he had the chance..
?1: At least he had the courtesy to resolve himself, and thereby save us from additional hassle.
?2: If that guy was a memory, how did he get out of the Memory Bank? And what was with all those Xemnas powers?
?1: I'm curious about that as well. Perhaps it should be looked into at a later time, so as to prevent future such occurrences. (One of them starts to leave) Where do you think you're going?
?5: To do my job, frillypants. It's a lot better than listening to you exposit over pointless s***. (Leaves the room)
?1: Ah, right right! Places, everybody! There are still intruders who are very much intact and in need of fending off, and we certainly don't want to disappoint them with our absences. Now chop-chop! (All leave but him, as he resumes viewing the monitors) And so the game continues, fair figments...
