A/N: *TRIGGER WARNING* there is depiction of violence to women. I wanted to give this heads up just in case any of my followers are sensitive to that subject. It happens between the fifth and sixth break.
Other than that enjoy!
Chapter 14 : Eye of the Storm
Bazine Netal sat across from one of her kidnappers in an A-A5 speeder truck, with blacked-out windows, after being dragged out of the cantina.
'Important client it is' she thought to herself as she was thrown in.
Bazine tried everything to get a reaction from the stoic men. She used all of best her tricks. Seduction, mania, threats, screaming, annoyance.
Nothing from them.
She received no emotion, no reaction, no twitch. Even when she tried to touch them. Only to be elbowed in the face by the lighter skin-toned of the two men. It was like trying to get a reaction from a permacrete wall.
"Oh come on boys. Ever had fun before?" She cooed as the blood dripped from her nose to her chest. Bazine seductively took her forefinger, dipped into the blood above her lip, spread it across her bottom lip, and sucked her finger. Still no reaction from the pale one. He just stared at her with his empty eyes. Staring eyes of a man mindlessly obeying his orders.
"What's a girl gotta do to get a hello?" she gave up, crosses her arms and leaned back against the seat.
The truck halted abruptly. Bazine's body jerked forward, face landing between the man's knees.
She looked up, placing her cheek on his left knee and winked. The man stared straight into her eyes and smirked.
"Now we're talking." She winked again. With an unexpected and swift motion, he jammed a syringe deep into the open side of her neck. "Ooh"
She placed her hand on her neck and her body immediately slumped to the floor. The blood inside rushed with heat, then it was freezing cold. Her vision became blurry, her eyes began to roll, and eyelids were heavy. Bazine couldn't hold her neck up any longer and dropped like a toy without stuffing. Her world became black.
Kailin stalked the halls for his prey. He scraped his giant sword against the walls, sparks following its path.
"Where are you, girlie?" The alarms blared through-out the base. Red-lights furiously flashed against the walls.
"I can't feel her, Kai," Mortathi said.
"Trust me, she's here" he reassured his brother.
"Where else could she be?"
They continued to stride down the hallways searching for Rey when Kailin saw shadows shift down the hall.
"Oh, we have a first." Kailin had a little hop to his step as he walked toward the end of the hall. They turned the corridor to see nothing.
"Can you feel it, brother?" Mortathi joyfully smacked Kaitlin's chest with the back of his hand and pointed toward a door with the other.
Kailin lowered his sword and nodded. Mortathi crept toward the door with Killstreak twirling in hand. With a turn to his left, he balanced the modified vanguard on his forearm and shot at the keypad, opening the door to a utility closet. There sat two Resistant members cowering in the back corner.
"Hello" Mortathi's voice dripped with a false sense of sweetness. He bowed with a hand to the woman with the arm sling. She hesitantly looked to her friend not wanting to leave her side.
"Hey, Rose." Finn wrapped his arm around her shoulders and placed a chaste kiss on her temple.
"Hi" Rose blushed while grabbing the hand around her.
"Aw, aren't you two cute" teased Cova
All of a sudden the lights to the bunker flickered and turned red. Followed by the booming sound of the alarm going off.
"WHAT'S GOING ON?" yelled Rose, covering her ears from the sound and looking at Finn. His face was blank and serious. His years of being a Stormtrooper began to override his thinking.
"I don't know" he mouthed. Without hesitation, he began barking out orders. "Connix, get Poe over the coms and tell him to get here quickly." He bellowed.
"Yes, sir!" screamed Kaydel. She climbed the ladder to a cockpit and closed the hatch.
"YOU TWO" He pointed to C'Ai and Cova Nell "GO TO THE AMORY ON LEVEL 10. GET WHAT YOU CAN CARRY"
They both nodded. C'Ai hopped out of the cockpit and ran for the turbo lifts, Cova Nell following his heel.
"BB-8, LINK TO THE STATION AND SEE WHAT'S GOING ON"
BB-8 gave Finn some excited beeps and rolled to a wall console.
"ROSE, YOU STAY BY MY SIDE"
"WHAT?!" Finn grabbed her hand and pulled her to the turbo-lift.
"Oh dear! Oh dear!" C-3PO panicked. "We have been found, General."
"Calm down 3-PO. This is an old station." Leia lied. She felt the dark energy of the Force swarming the base like a heavy cloud. She sensed the familiar entities, ones she had remembered as young padawans. Leia closed her eyes and inhaled.
'Rey' she felt through the Force . 'Rey' Leia continued to try and reach her, but to no avail. Leila's hands shook with fear.
"3-PO, try to connect to Rey's quarters, please."
"Yes, ma'am." C-3PO shuffled his gold-plated feet to console, by the door. After a couple of seconds, he was able to connect to Rey.
"Rey? Can you hear me?"
"Affirmative." She responded hastily
"They're here for you. Please, be careful" Leia warned.
"I know. I'm getting as far away from here as possible." Rey's voice came in and out.
"If they find you…" Leila's words choked.
"Don't worry about me. I'll be ok. Just make sure everybody else is safe." Rey paused. "I'll see you soon."
"May the Force…" the connection to Rey's room cut off.
"Oh dear!" C-3PO muttered
"Take that stupid face off your face 3-PO" she ran her fingers through her hair. "and try to find Poe or Kaydel."
Verza looked over to Eryn with dread in her eyes. Eryn gave her a reassuring nod while holding back her tears. Verza's hand faltered as she grabbed Mortathi's leather-clad hand.
"There we go," he said calmly "I won't hurt you, my pretty dear" Mortathi smirked under his mask.
Kailin leaned against the wall next to the tall man. Mortathi gently guided Verza out to the hallway. Through a swirl of sickening fears came Kailin's voice, casual and light.
"Tell us.Where is the Scavenger?"
Verza looked over to him and her fear coursed through her veins but never made it to her facial muscles or skin. Her complexion remained pale and matt but her eyes were where her uneasiness showed.
"Let me ask again" Kailin annoyed but never looking at her. "Where is the Scavenger?"
"I…" she stuttered, her eyes moving to Eryn.
Mortathi lifted his vanguard to her chin and moved her face toward his.
"Answer him" he said with that false sweetness.
"I don't..." Verza began to cry. Mortathi tilted his head to the Heavy.
'Shall I?' He asked
"Do it." No emotion to Kailin's voice.
Mortathi, once again, balanced Killstreak over his forearm, aimed and shot Verza in the face. Like millions of red flowers blooming, her blood splattered the walls and her body fell to the floor.
Eryn screamed with her whole body. Her eyes wide with horror, mouth rigid and open, her chalky face gaunt and immobile, fists clenched with blanched knuckles and nails digging deeply into her hand. Then after her initial shock, she vocally screamed, closing her eyes to block the sight before her.
"Oh shut it." Kailin ran out of patience and punched her in the face. He took his hand and hovered it over her to probe her mind. He saw her as a child playing on the hills of Chandrila, then quickly swirled to her escaping D'Qar, then to the open field where they were attacked by the gorax. He rolled his eye under the mask.
"She knows nothing." Eryn violently awoke screaming in pain. "Shoot her" he ordered.
The Rogue aimed the vanguard and shot Eryn in the chest.
"Shall we continue?" he asked
"Lets" Kailin stepped over Verza's body and continued down the hall.
Rey doubled checked her rucksack to make sure she had everything, including the texts and broken sabers. slung her bag and staff over her shoulder and ran out the of room. She immediately bumped into Talohn.
"Oh thank the Maker," he said. "We're being attacked. The entrance to the base has been blown up." he with bated breath. He noticed Rey's bag and took a step back. "Are… you leaving us?"
"I'm so sorry, Talohn" Nausea churned ferociously in Rey's stomach. Her head swam with half-formed regrets. Her heart felt as if her blood were tar as it fought to keep a steady beat.
"You're abandoning us now?" His eyes filled with anger and hatred.
"I'm not…" she pleaded with him "It's not what you think"
"That's what they always say " He fumbled with his leg holster as he reached for his blaster. "You're a traitor to the Resistance and everything we believe in."
Before he could take the blaster out, Rey used the Force and threw him against the wall. She felt extremely guilty for having to her gift on the innocent man. Rey used all her physical strength to pull him into the room. She locked the door behind her and ran.
The red lighting of the alarms continued to reflect on the walls, giving the shadows a more ominous tone. The hallways felt like an endless labyrinth to the exit. With every turn, she could feel the Knights dark energy looming around her. She feared what was to come. Rey listened to Kylo and was using all her energy to close herself off from the Force .
'Maker, I hate this place .' she continued down the hall. Her heart raced, her mind dizzied from the alarm filling the hallway.
Rey felt the sweat drench her skin, the throbbing of her own eyes, the thumping of my heart against my chest, and the sound of ringing screams through the halls. Her fingers curled into a fist, nails digging into the palm. Rey's feet pumped faster, closer to the sound beyond the alarm.
Left, left, straight, right, left, right. Rey turned and turned. She felt like the base was mocking her. Taunting her for leaving her friends behind. Until she realized.
Rey stopped in her tracks. "This isn't real" The sounds around her were silent. Rey could only hear the echoes of her blood rushing in ears.
'She's finally figured it out. ' the deep voice crept into the cavities of her mind.
'Took her long enough' a bored voice chimed in.
'Let's have some fun, shall we?'