Warning: A bit of violence and implications.
Rey awoke from a dreamless sleep, her left hip giving her blinding pain. A tug was felt on her right shoulder and she came to find her arms above her head, chained to the ceiling. The chains and the mechanism looked complicated, something she couldn't focus on with her ability. Not that she didn't attempt. Her feet barely touched the ground.
After several moments of struggling against the chains, Rey looked at her surroundings. Her grunts echoed in a circular dark room. She searched for air vents, even a door. No windows, just dark columns with mirrors in between them. Taking in her appearance, she looked as well as she felt.
The feeling of eyes watching her crawled over her skin.
One of the mirrors behind her slide up, a specialized door that probably moved. A stormtrooper strolled in carrying a mace like weapon.
Rey smirked to herself.
Hadn't they learned the last time they left a stormtrooper with me? I know my power now.
"You will loosen these restraints."
Rey spoke clearly and strongly, confident as ever. The stormtrooper circled her, still holding the mace that now sparked with electricity.
"I will loosen the restraints."
He spoke clearly and robotic to her, but didn't move.
Rey stared at him, confused.
"I said-"
Suddenly, the stormtrooper removed his helmet reveling a scared face, where a blonde, blue-eyed handsome man use to be. He had four identical scars marked down his face. His eyes blazed with hate at Rey. Sweat was coming down his face.
"You wouldn't remember me, would you? Scum?"
"You are the trooper...from before?"
"FN-007. I paid heavily for what you did. I lost my rank, my friends, and they did this to me. You did this!" He pointed to his face, looking almost animalistic.
Rey must have shown a remorseful face because he started to laugh in a sinister way. She had compelled him before to release her from her restraints.
"Poor little sand trash. Playing with things she doesn't understand. They fixed me. They fixed me, so that you can't...so you can't get in my mind."
Rey tensed up. The two shared eye contact for about a minute. FN007 became very still. It unnerved Rey, but she centered herself. Closing her eyes, she summoned the force as best she could. The pain in her side distracting her.
Reciting the Jedi code to herself in her mind allowed Rey to not feel the first strike against her stomach. The fifth strike to her shoulder, causing it to dislocate snapped her mediation. Her scream made the stormtrooper chuckled.
The First Order had driven this man insane. He connected the mace to Rey's face, snapping her face. She tasted blood in her mouth. An attempt to twist away from him was thrown off due to her right shoulder being twisted, which felt like it was on fire.
FN-007 snapped his foot into her left hip, creating a pulse of pain rippling through Rey. Her grunt didn't satisfy him enough, so he smacked the mace against it.
As time went on, Rey couldn't tell if she was in pain anymore, or simply felt a stream of pain that had numbed her body. Her screams had turned to heavy breathing, no longer able to find the strength to yell out. FN-007 was sweating, breathing hard when he decided to stop. Her silence had given him what he wanted. He straightened up, smoothing his hair back. He strolled gingerly around her.
"I think that is enough for today."
Picking up his helmet, he glanced at Rey.
Her labored breathing ceased as she whispered.
"Why not kill me?"
He strolled close to her face.
"I'm just here to humble you."
Rey surprised the both of them and laughed. Her right eye was so swollen she could barely see straight, but she had made him come close. She spit blood in his face, lifting her right leg quickly, kicking it into his stomach.
The trooper slammed back into the wall across from her with a grunt. His eyes raged. He slammed his helmet into face, blood smearing on it.
"Insolent Girl."
"That is quite enough, FN-007. 6 hours of this gets boring, even for me."
A steely, yet overly confident voice sounded through the room. Rey couldn't turn herself towards the voice, but it was new. She had sensed something similar in passing once on the snowy base, but she didn't sense a Force-Sensitive being. She sensed greed and power.
Her eyes blurred from blood, her right eye truly shut. Her head was aching.
"Oh, now...see you've blinded her for the time being. That ruins my initial plan."
The smugness of his tone told Rey that he wasn't truly unhappy with her state. FN-007 remained silent, but she could tell that this pretentious creature was his superior officer. The tension of the room spoke volumes to her.
"What is your name, sand rat?"
Rey remained silent. This was a power-play, and she wasn't going to submit to him. She could hear a grinding of teeth, a seething grunt.
"I will not ask again."
Rey stayed perfectly still, except to raise her head to stare defiantly in the general direction of the voice. She was unsure of where his face was, due to her lack of vision...but she could tell by his sniff that she had made her point.
"Well, I see that FN-007 needs to work with you for the rest of the week."
She heard the two leaving her cell, but not without overhearing the smug one request that FN-007 keep clear of her face for the week. As soon as she felt their presence gone, Rey felt tears flood her face, but the energy to sob was not there. Silent tears. Her left hip felt like a swollen mess, much more drastic than her face. Her right shoulder needed to be popped in, the feeling in her hand was gone.
Mediation was a struggle, but Rey let Luke's dying words to her be a mantra in her mind. Her head escaping past the cell walls, into space. The cosmic visuals of moons, stars, and burning gases were captivating in her mind. With a resounding pop, Rey felt herself find the strength to pop her shoulder back in. Her shout startled her, but the pain had subsided in her arm, feeling pulsing back into.
Sleep hit her instantly, amazed as she felt herself drift in such an uncomfortable position.
The sound of a whooshing door startled her awake. The feeling of a boot hitting her back almost felt good. It had cracked her back, after being in the same position for sometime.
"That's enough sleep, Rebel scum."
If Rey could roll her eyes, she would have done so right there. FN-007 was back. It had been 3 days of the same routine. His appearance, his torture, and her screams. She was sick of his voice and her own.
He came into her view, now much clearer on her left side. Her right eye was still swollen. He stared at her face, looking a bit unsure. The steely glare she must have been giving him made him uneasy. His mace was soon out, and the mixture of strikes and 1st degree burns returned.
Rey didn't yell out. She willed herself to stay as silent as possible. A thought had occurred to her as she stared him down. It was her turn to play with his mind. Again.
Make him tired. Make him give up.
After an hour of him attempting to get a rise from her with blows, he spoke to her again. Her mind on a different level, reaching out around her.
"You think your silence will make me stop?"
Rey took her time answering him.
"No. Do you think this job was giving to you for only one purpose?"
The trooper stepped back from her, removing his helmet. His eyes were questioning her.
"You know why I'm here, scum."
"Yes, I do. But do you know why you are here?"
"To humble you. Break you."
Rey chuckled. Glancing at the mirror to her left, smiling at it in an unsettling way. Her mind had found two entities behind the glass watching during her hour of torture. Their faces unseen, but Rey knew who was standing there. Kylo Ren and that smug superior figure from before. Her mind had felt them.
The days before she had missed it. Her emotions swept up in fear, anger, and distracted by pain. Pain was becoming normal, so she willed her mind away. That's when she noticed it today. The mirror. The meaning behind this torture.
"You couldn't break me with all the weapons in the world. I know that. They know that."
She motioned towards the double-sided mirror, the one they thought she wouldn't notice.
This unsettled FN-007 even more. Her tone. Her stillness. Her confidence.
"They sent you in here to bait me."
"Bait you? Bait you to escape..?"
Rey looked him through and simply stated "No, to kill you."
FN-007 blinked, looking from Rey to the mirror, then to the floor. His mind connecting the dots.
"Jedi don't kill, not unless they have to. They are pushing you to push me into doing the unjust thing."
FN-007's hand tightened on his mace.
"Unjust?"
Rey looked at him, a voice she didn't know leaving her. It scared her.
"Unjustly shoving that mace through your skull."
With that, FN-007 moved so quickly it startled Rey. He dashed by her, exiting the room before another word was said. There was a moment of shock, but Rey took the chance to get back at the First Order.
The laughter that came from Rey's chest made her cringe in pain, but it was worth it.
Her mind pressed behind the glass, all she could feel was their heavy anger and frustration. A yellowish gas began to fill the room making Rey sway a bit against her chains. She screamed in her mind to fight but she succumbed to the sensation.
Rey awoke to find herself staring at the ceiling of a medical bay. A droid shining a light in her eyes, checking her pupils. She blinked and felt her body relaxed. It had felt like decades since she last laid down.
Shooting up, Rey glanced around an empty medical bay, except for a couple of droids. Rey felt her face, finding that her right side still had swelling. Her sight was nearly back to normal. Her shoulders felt tingly as she felt ice pads on them, probably to ease the swelling of having her arms above her head for days. Her wrists had minor marks from the chains. Rey looked down at her left hip. She was wearing a white hospital scrub top, with white hospital scrub pants.
There was a a device hooked up to her hip, stitched into her pants. Glancing over it, she noticed that it was giving her medication, reconnecting blood flow to parts of her pelvis by infusion. It was the size of a small backpack.
It was the most advance medical equipment she had ever seen. Twisting her bod over the bed reminded her of all the aches and pain that came with torture. She groaned softly, having her body re-adjust to moving.
Steadily, she stood up, glancing around for guards. The droid who tended to here whirled away, beeping away at the other droids. They all moved out of the room, through a blast door.
Limping slowly, Rey moved barefoot toward the door. Her mind pressing out into the hallway, sensing for anyone. There was no one.
Tapping the door key, she stepped out into the hallway. Slowly, her left hip still not even 75% better. The hallways of this ship...or base..or whatever...were massive. Dark walls, with piercing light. The structure similar to the At-Ats she use to live in on Jakku.
The hallway curved, splitting in two directions as she rounded cautiously. There was no noise in this structure, putting Rey on high alert.
"Something is so wrong here." she whispered. There was a split in the hallway, leading two different directions.
A large door appeared on right, it had red markings on it. This was the bridge of the ship. A force whispered to her to enter. It tickled at her mind.
Shaking her head, wondering to herself what the hell she was doing, she made her way through the door.
The noise of the room struck her instantly.
The whirling of computer panels, the hurried voices, and the flashing alarms startled her. Officers of the First Order rushed around the room, merely glancing at her, but continuing with their work. Voices raised, communicating effectively.
The room was not in panic, just working. Rey stepped further into the room, tip-toeing. She expected an Officer to grab her, call for guards, or even just shoot her right there. They seemed on strict orders to leave her be. Stealing glances when they could though.
The stormtroopers lining the walls did not budge, making Rey unease.
The bridge ahead of her separated two sides of the ship's operating team. At the end of the room, she saw a large window looking out into the sky. Kylo Ren and a pale, red-headed man were standing with their backs to her. Her curiosity was going to be the death of her.
Rey made her way carefully down the bridge, standing steps behind them. Her focus on the backs of their heads.
The sudden shattering light in space deflected her attention. There was a massive space battle outside the ship. The Finalizer, that is where I am.
The ship was lingering away from a massive space battle, just outside of a planet she didn't recognize. Deploying fleet after fleet of fighters and bombers.
Rey found herself gripping the windows edge, intently staring out at the battle. Her mind reaching out, trying to sense Poe or Finn.
This was the last of the Resistance. Her soul felt it.
X-Wings crashing into their own ships. A rebellion medical ship attempting to flee the planet was struck by a larger cannon of The Finalizer. The surge of the battle made Rey feel utterly helpless.
She willed herself to wake up from this nightmare. Time seemed to speed up and stand still all at once.
The battle was over. A silence stilled in the room. Rey held her breath, suddenly very aware where she was. Who she was with.
The room erupted in cheers, so similar to the ones she experienced with the Resistance.
The red-headed man glanced at Rey, he was the closest to her left. His smug smile piercing her. He raised his hand, turning to the room. His voice boomed.
"Today, will be a day that you will never forget. The day the First Order took its first step in restoring order to the dysfunction of the galaxy. The filth of the universe is not quite wiped away."
He glanced back at Rey, a gleam in his eye.
"But as always the First Order will find success."
The room clapped loudly, and began to return to their normal routine. An upbeat energy flowing. It made Rey sick.
The General turned back to face her.
"Hello, Rey."
Rage consumed Rey, but before she could move, she felt the a force wrap around her. Her body stuck. Curses flew out of her mouth and thoughts of murder along with them. A robotic voice gritting out to her.
"I would rethink your actions, girl."
Rey felt the force loosen, and she turned to find herself looking up at a towering Kylo Ren.
"What for? Isn't that what you wanted? Murder. If I die trying to kill you or him, why does it matter? I have nothing to live for." her voiced filled with spite.
He didn't shift under her gaze, his mask covering an hints.
"Oh, you know thats not true. You would have died in that cell on the first day. You've been fighting for life every day since landing in Jakku."
His truth stung her a bit, but she didn't falter to show it. She spit venom out at him.
"You know nothing."
Rey turned back to see that the General had stepped closer to her. His eyes wandering around her. His eyes lingering a little too long for her taste.
Her hand reared back, slapping him hard across his face. The sound pausing the room. Fear swirled around her from the crew.
The General didn't move his head from where she had slapped him. His eyes closed, he took a ragged breath. His tone shaking with murder.
"Kylo Ren, could you please remove this feisty creature from my sight...before I do something I truly regret."
She felt Kylo Ren grab her left arm pulling her in the direction the exit. Rey pulled away, annoyed by his willingness to touch her at all, moving with him.
"I can walk on my own."
Rey and the General looked back at one another. Her glare tore holes into his. He seemed more amused and intrigued than angry now. The victory of the day slipping into his face, he turned back to look out into space.
Rey made her way slowly out of the command center, her hip creating a problem for walking. Kylo Ren pacing behind her, almost impatiently.
Once the blast doors to the hallway were sealed, Rey stopped walking, staring at him. Her voice serious.
"When are you going to kill me?"
The mask stared back at her, making her curious to why he bothered with it. His face with that scar was much more intimidating now.
His voice was steady, unemotional. "Do you truly wish death?"
"I wish to know my fate. The waiting is..."
"Unbearable."
Rey glared at him, hearing amusement in his voice.
He motioned her to press ahead of him, down a different hallway. The silence was thick between them, her emotions a whirl of confusion.
Kylo Ren stopped her in front of a door, motioning her inside it.
Rey stepped into a beautifully decorated living quarter. The furniture was modern, in shades of gray, black, and hints of red. A long couch surrounded by bookshelves, a fireplace, and a table for six people took up most of the main area. A refresher was off to the left side, Rey noting the bath tub from her angle. The main area had a large window, from ceiling to floor, looking out into space. Debris from the battle floated by, making Rey shutter. Off to the right of the main living space was a bedroom. The bed with dark fixings, and more bookshelves.
She spun to face Kylo Ren, who was now taking his helmet off. He placed it down on the table.
"What is this?" it came out as a growl.
"My quarters."
Rey became more frustrated by his non-answers. Her fists clenched. He looked up at her with his dark eyes, the scar shining at her. Her damage. He noted her fists.
"There is so much rage in you. The power you could hav-"
"I don't want it. I don't want any of it. I didn't even want to be a Jedi."
Rey confessed a thought that had crossed her mind a few times in the past year. Her true feelings. She looked away from him.
Kylo Ren's face tilted in satisfaction. A secret he now knew.
"That is very interesting. Yet here you are. A prisoner of war...or soon to be declared..former prisoner of war. You are powerful, you thrive under pressure. To survive. The perfect makeup for a Sith Lord."
Rey glanced back at him. She wished she could read his thoughts like he seemed to read hers.
"You could have that power too." his steely eyes focused on hers.
"My mind is not your playground."
"The game is over, little girl. The First Order has won. You must see your true path." His voice grew in annoyance. He invaded her space, grasping her arm.
Rey stumbled back a bit, pushing him off of her. She retreated to the large window, suddenly very weary. Her voice came out more tired than it should have. Her mind thinking of Finn, wishing he was there with her.
"What will you do with me?"
Kylo Ren seemed to compose himself, trying to reign in his control. "I will take you to my Master, he will in turn make you his apprentice."
"If I refuse him?" Rey stared out into space, asking the question.
"You already know the answer to that." Rey closed her eyes. Death.
"Time is on your side to make the right choice. It takes a week to return to my Master. Even in this style of a ship." Rey watched the stars for some time, waiting for the ship to jump to hyperspace.
She turned back to see Kylo Ren, sitting on his couch, staring at her. He had removed his robe, looking only slightly more relaxed in dress. His face unreadable, piercing her.
"When do I go back to my cell?"
He nodded at the question.
"You are allowed to return to the cell, if you choose, or you can stay here."
Rey shook her head.
"No, I'd prefer the cell."
Kylo Ren laughed.
"A cell, that anyone can have access to. A legion of fighters, fresh off the victory of their worst enemies."
He stood up, cornering Rey against the window.
"You know what they say about bloodlust? It creates many kinds of lust."
Rey scowled at what he was implying.
Kylo Ren pushed back a piece of Rey's hair. He pushed into her space more, without touching each other.
"I can protect you, Rey. From all the monsters you think you see. I can share with you what I have."
Rey softly spoke now. Her strength dwindling in their position.
"I will not share anything with you."
He seemed unimpressed, a bit comical in fact as he shrugged. He turned away from her, leaving her feeling cold suddenly. She never was so thankfully for the cold before.
"Your cell is being cleaned at the moment. You made a bit of the mess when you were down there. It should be ready in an hour. I will take you back then."
He moved toward the door, locking it with a quick motion. He swiftly picked up his helmet, and moved towards his bedroom. He spoke sharp and unemotional towards her.
"I shall be mediating in the other room. You can join me or you can stay here. Choose quickly, and do not disturb me."
Kylo Ren was out of sight before she could decide. Rey turned back to the large window staring out into space. Slowly, she slipped down to the floor, laying on her good side. Her body was so tired all of sudden. Her eyes slowly drifting, the cool floor lulling her to sleep. Her only view was the freedom she could no longer have.