Obi-Wan awoke to complete and utter darkness and a dull pain piercing his shoulder, but then his awareness returned fully and he reached out frantically ahead of him, shoving stones out of the way that were within his reach, coughing out the dust that had settled in his mouth and throat.
"Padmé!" His voice was hoarse from the debris as he desperately called out her name, but there was no reply.
Moving his hands outward in wide arcs in front of him, he quickly scrambled to his utility belt to activate a glow rod he kept inside one of the pouches.
The dim blue light illuminated the space enough that he could see her booted feet just beyond his reach. With a gasp of pain that he ignored, the knight crawled along the narrow space, bumping his head against the boulder that had ultimately saved their lives by blocking the shower of large stones that would have rained down upon them.
Shuffling along on his stomach and legs, ignoring the now sharp ache that radiated up his left arm, Obi-Wan made it to the motionless body of the young woman trapped with him. He lay the glow rod next to her head and began an attempt to ascertain her injuries. Laying a hand against her skull, he pulled it back abruptly as he discovered a sticky moisture there. The red of Padmé's blood covered his hand and panic seized his heart.
Once again laying his hands upon her face, Obi-Wan felt the Force respond to his call, albeit sluggishly. She had suffered a concussion and there was some internal bleeding, although he could not discern the source.
Almost angrily, he cleared the small rocks off of her petite form and lifted the glow rod to view their stony prison. Once again reaching out along the Force, the shadowy crevices of the rocks piled above them revealed a possible entry point; not for any rescuers, but for much-needed oxygen.
Summoning the energy that he could usually call on with ease, Obi-Wan found difficulty controlling it. It was almost as if something was fighting against him. But he finally managed to relocate several stones above, sending a shower of debris down upon their heads, which he blocked off of Padmé with his own body.
A tiny shaft of light infiltrated the darkness, allowing enough air at least to survive, and Obi-Wan relaxed somewhat, turning his attention back to Padmé. He had to locate the hemorrhage and stop it if at all possible, but his control of the Force was somehow being compromised and for the first time in his life, he doubted his abilities. And for the second time in his life, he knew what it was like to be afraid for someone he loved.
In the hallway outside the gardens, Master Windu stood silent in a light meditation, confused by his reading of the Force. It was muddled and unfocused, like trying to see with someone else's eyeglasses on.
He had felt the dark energy, but could not locate the origin. He would be glad when Master Yoda showed up.
As if on cue, the ancient Master hobbled quickly toward him, the Jedi's large eyes closing in a concentrated effort to make sense of what was occurring.
"Two life forces I feel. One quite faint it is."
"Kenobi?" Mace inquired with concern.
"Knight Kenobi, injured he is. The other with him, more so. Hurry to them, we must."
Mace motioned to several Jedi who had gathered to assist in the rescue; the group consisting mostly of Obi-Wan's agemates and many of the council members; including friends of Obi-Wan's deceased master. One by one they entered the disaster area that was once the Serenity Gardens to begin the removal of the fallen stone structures in an effort to locate Knight Kenobi and the Queen of Naboo.
"The darkness." Mace commented as he noticed the strain on the faces of most of the Jedi who were struggling with the use of the Force. "You feel it, don't you?"
"Yes." Master Yoda confirmed.
"Where is it coming from?"
The large green eyes closed and then momentarily slid open once more to reveal a gaze of despair. "A hold of young Skywalker it has. In much pain he is."
"If Skywalker has been tainted by the Dark, then he must be cast out of the Temple!" Mace insisted firmly.
"No!" Yoda's can rapped firmly on the marble hallway, gaining the notice of several padawan onlookers.
"Still save him we can. And save him we must! The Chosen One he is."
"And if we can't?" The dark-skinned council members continued his argument. Yes, Anakin was a child, but if he had been capable of this, of actually attempting to murder his own Master, he was too dangerous to be kept alive.
Once again, the small Master's face appeared grief-stricken, his crackling voice, softening with emotion.
"Then destroyed he must be."