A/N: Well, I have no side note for this really... Surprisingly, it has some... fluff in it. Strange. But hey, it is what it is. And it is a nice temporary break from Cody's torment... Enjoy!
The water had risen, and the fire had died out, leaving the man in darkness. What was left of his armor blocked out some of the cold, but it wasn't enough. Cody sighed, and even the sound was weaker than it should have been. He stood on the ledge, his head back against the cold metal wall. The water was to his neck. He still had the helmet, but if he slipped, he would still drown.
His legs ached, shaking despite the water taking some of his weight. He had fallen on the limbs, and he didn't know from what height. And if he fell this time, he wasn't sure he would regain his ground.
"Promise you'll stay, and I'll end this all…"
The commander didn't give a reply. He turned, looking for something to grasp to help him stay standing. It was getting harder to breathe with every passing moment – the helmet still kept out the smoke from the burned out fire. The helmet was his life. There was too much smoke to breathe the air on his own.
He grit his teeth, the sound filling his ears. The frigid water seeped in through his broken armor, stealing whatever warmth his body had left. Still, he held his ground. Just as he always did.
I did my job.
And there it was again; the mantra. This time he pushed it away. Of course he had done his job, as all his brothers did. He had lived, fought, and would die for the Republic. Doing his job was nothing special, only a certainty and a promise, an oath and a life. That was what it was to him. And that was what it would stay.
He slipped, making a sound halfway between a gasp and a grunt. He caught his weight, keeping his head above the freezing water. His legs trembled, and now so did his arms as they held onto ridges of the wall. He breathed in, and breathed out, and counted the breaths.
One,
Two,
Three…
"I will save you. They will not."
Four,
Five,
Six…
Brown eyes slid shut. His breathing sounded strained, echoing inside the helmet.
Seven,
Eight…
Eight…
He shook his head. He retraced his steps.
Seven,
Eight,
Nine.
His knees tried to give way. His fingers tightened around the small ledges on the wall. There was still a chance of someone coming, and he wouldn't make their trip a waste.
But if they didn't come, he was prepared to die. He had served the Republic. And, yes, he had done his job.
MEMORY ~ The long, white hallways stretched on before him. Daunting. He didn't care. The child puffed his chest – he was a brave soldier. He was going to be an ARC trooper someday. Or a Captain. Today he was young, and tomorrow he would be older, and in a month he would understand, and in three months he would be wise, and in four he would be strong.
2224 crept down the winding corridor. He wasn't really supposed to be wandering the halls, but he wouldn't be missed for a little while. The orange clothes he wore were stark against the building's white interior. He frowned. It would be hard to stay unnoticed. But he liked orange.
He turned the corner a little too quickly, glancing over his shoulder as he did so. Something slammed against him – or perhaps it was the other way around. He looked forward with a cringe, guilt flashing over his young face. He accepted whatever punishment they would give him.
He came face-to-face with brown and white robes. He craned his neck up, the child wore a confused frown for an expression. It seemed the feeling was reciprocated – the tall, robed man looked back down at him in curiosity. He swallowed hard, but held his ground. Soldiers didn't back down.
"Hello there, little one." The accent was foreign. The clone tilted his head. It was one of the Jedi. The guilt came back with a vengeance. He was going to be in a terrible amount of trouble…
Wide amber eyes continued to stare up. He needed to say something; a clone was never supposed to freeze. "Hi."
A soft smile grew on the bearded Jedi's face. 2224 watched as he swept his robes back with his arms and kneeled, blue eyes meeting his gaze. "And who might you be?" His voice was gentle and curious. And different. There was an air about him that was much different from the clones, and from anyone on Kamino he'd ever met.
"2224, sir. Are you a Jedi, sir?"
"Yes. That I am."
Brown eyes lit up. "I heard you can read thoughts. Can you?" The child seemed to not be able to wait a second longer for an answer, "Can you, sir?"
The Jedi laughed quietly. "I won't read yours, young one."
The child looked awed. "Do you have a lightsaber?" His voice shrank to a whisper, as though he spoke of some forbidden thing.
"I do." The man's eyes gleamed. The young clone's face lit up with a smile. "I am Obi-Wan Kenobi," The Jedi – Obi-Wan – held out a hand. 2224 took the hand with a firm grip of his own.
"Good to meet you, sir."
"Ah, the pleasure is mine. Should you be out at this hour?"
Shame flashed across 2224's face. "No, sir. I'm sorry, sir."
"Oh, it's quite all right. Let's just get you back to your quarters, shall we?"
"Yeah. My brothers will be waiting for me." The child seemed crestfallen. He gave a look of surprise as the Jedi pulled him off of the ground and into his arms. The man pushed the child's head against his chest. The brief surprise went away as quickly as it had come. Small arms wrapped around the adult's neck. "I'm not tired, sir."
"Oh, but you need to rest."
"I am going to be a Captain when I'm older."
"Oh? A Captain? Why not a Commander?"
2224 beamed. "A Commander?"
"Oh, yes. I sense great things of you, little one."
Cody was pulled out of the memory as he plunged beneath the water. He was too weary. His legs refused to obey him. Water found its way inside of the helmet, stealing away what little heat he had left. He shivered, gasping for air. He needed to hold his breath. But it was cold, and he was too tired...
The water began flooding away into the floor. He couldn't hold on any longer. Darkness engulfed him, swallowing him, black tendrils wrapping around his mind and tugging him deeper into unconsciousness.