Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars.
AN: Here's chapter 15! Enjoy and thanks for all the great reviews!
Forever Destined
Chapter 15: Love Will Find a Way
Garret's men dragged Anakin into the room and placed him in the center. They raised his shackled arms above his head and secured them before stepping back.
Garret paced calmly in front of him.
"What do you want?" Anakin asked. Garret was silent, as he was busy wrapping a leather belt around his hand. Garret gave him a menacing glare, before hitting him across the side of the face with his belted hand. Anakin yelped in pain and felt a trickle of blood slide down his cheek. He looked back up at Garret with a glare.
"I'll be asking the questions," Garret replied.
"Now, are you or are you not, Siri Tachi's brother?" Garret asked. Anakin looked at him strangely.
"I'm not," Anakin replied. Garret was silent for a moment before backhanding the young man across the face with his belted hand. Another trickle of blood slid down his face. Garret glared at him and belted him across and belted him across the mouth, causing his lip to bleed.
"I'm telling the truth!" Anakin insisted, glaring defiantly at the man.
"Really? Then why did she tell me that you were her brother?" Garret asked.
"I don't know. She's obviously lying to you. You should be smart enough to figure that out by now," Anakin retorted. Garret smirked, before he wound up and hit Anakin on the side of the face, near his temple. Anakin's legs gave out, but the shackles prevented him from falling to the floor. As he hung there, Garret hit him again in the jaw and then backhanded him angrily. Seething, Garret grabbed a fist full of Anakin's hair and dragged him to his feet.
"You have one hell of a bad attitude, pretty boy. Even if you're not her brother, you're still a Jedi. Now, I want to know everything you know about my operation," Garret demanded.
"I don't know anything! I may be a Jedi, but this was not information I was privy to," Anakin replied sternly. Garret belted him across the mouth again and blood pooled from his busted lip.
"I saw you looking at her data pad. She stole information from me. Now tell me what you saw!" Garret demanded.
"Nothing! The files were encrypted!" Anakin yelled. Garret glared at him.
"Get the girl and take her to my bed chambers. She's going to be paying for her boyfriend's lack of cooperation...with her body," Garret ordered.
"Noooo! I'm telling you the truth! Do whatever you want to me, but leave her alone!" Anakin pleaded. Garret thought for a moment, realizing that there was the possibility that the boy was being truthful. If what he said was true, then he and his girl were just in the wrong place at the wrong time or Siri was using them to cover her tracks. It was possible that she didn't give a damn about either of them...but they could still be very useful. He needed to find out who this boy really was. Garret approached Anakin again and plucked a strand of hair from his head.
"My scientist has a very sophisticated database and with a sample of your DNA, he'll be able to tell me exactly who you are and we'll see how useful you can really be," Garret said, as he stepped up to him, bringing his face closer to the younger man's.
"If I find out you're lying about anything, I'll pass her around to my men like a common whore and then I'll make you watch as I rape her myself, before I finally use this vibro blade to slit her throat and the last thing she will see is her blood spraying across your face," Garret threatened, as he walked behind Anakin.
"And if you don't think I'm cruel enough to do it, this should give you a small taste of what I'm capable of," Garret said, as he sliced Anakin's shirt open and cut it off his body. Garret held his hand out and one of his men handed him what Anakin recognized to be an electro whip. Padme had been whispering comforting words to him through their bond until now, but he didn't want her to feel this at all.
"Close your mind to me Padme," he told her, still not exactly sure how they could even communicate since he was cut off from the Force.
"I won't," she refused.
"Padme please," Anakin pleaded, but was cut off by a painful scream, as Garret lashed his back. A shock of electricity surged painfully through his body. The spot where he'd been lashed left a painful, burning mark.
"Angel...please, you shouldn't have to..." he was cut off by another intense wave of pain, as the whip lashed him again.
"Your pain is my pain. I'm here Ani and I love you...so much," she whispered to him.
"Angel..." Anakin cried to her, as a third lash was spent on his back.
"I'm here my love," she replied soothingly. Garret spent two more lashes, before he finally stopped. He took a syringe out of his jacket pocket and injected Anakin with more Ysalamir serum.
"Take him back to his cell and leave a first aid kit, so the girl can clean him up. He may still be useful to me, so we can't have his wounds getting infected," Garret said, as he left to deliver the boy's DNA sample to his scientist. The guards released his shackles and each grabbed an arm. They dragged him back to the cell and threw him in. Padme rushed to his side and examined his back, horror and disbelief marring her features. Five red, burned welts scarred his back. There was blood and cuts on his face as well.
"Oh Gods, what did they do to you?" Padme cried.
"Here...clean him up," one of the guards said roughly, as he tossed in a satchel full of medical equipment. He turned the electric bars on and both men left.
"Uhh...Padme?" he groaned painfully.
"I'm here Ani. Lay still baby and let me clean your wounds," she said softly. He whimpered painfully in response. She began digging through the satchel and found the long bacta strips she was looking for and the bacta salve for the burns. Padme stroked his face gently.
"Ani, I have to put bacta salve on these whip burns and it's going to sting. But the painkillers should start to work very soon," Padme said. Anakin nodded in response. Gingerly, she began to rub the salve on the first wound. Anakin hissed sharply and cried out a bit.
"I'm so sorry Ani," she said, hating to see him in so much pain. Once she had rubbed it in all the wounds, the pain killers began to kick in and he became more coherent. She placed the bandaged over the wounds and once she was done, he carefully rolled over.
"Careful," Padme warned. He looked up at her and she stroked his bloodied face. She dabbed a cloth with the container of water in the satchel and cleaned the blood from his face.
"You're never going to believe why they abducted us," Anakin said.
"Why?" she asked.
"Siri told him I was her brother. We have her to thank for this," Anakin said. Padme was stunned.
"Why would she tell him that?" Padme asked.
"I don't know. He kept asking me what I knew, but it don't know anything except that it was Siri's mission. All other information is classified and only available to Council members," Anakin replied.
"Just wait until I get my hands on her," Padme growled.
"I thought Senator Amidala doesn't advocate violence as a way of solving things," Anakin teased.
"Senator Amidala does not, but Padme Naberrie does when the man she loves has been tortured, because of someone else's careless mistakes," Padme said, as she finished cleaning the blood off his face. Anakin took her hands in his own and kissed them.
"I don't think I've ever heard you call yourself Padme Naberrie before," Anakin mentioned.
"Well, I usually don't like to. The name Amidala gave me independence from a tradition that would have had me married off to Palo at sixteen," Padme replied.
"Well, you could always go by Padme Skywalker," Anakin suggested. Padme looked down at him.
"Ani..are you proposing to me?" she asked.
"Well unofficially, because this is certainly not where or how I want to do it. And I don't have a ring yet, but when I get us out of here...then I'd like to make it official," he replied. She smiled warmly.
"I'd like that too, but you don't have to get me a ring. That's a Nabooan tradition," she replied.
"No, I want to give you a ring and put it on your beautiful finger, so all with know that I'm forever yours and your forever mine," he replied. Padme wiped a tear away, as it escaped her glistening eyes.
"I want that too," she replied, as she leaned down and pressed her lips softly to his, careful not to hurt his swollen cut lips.
"Besides, a wedding just makes it legal in the eyes of the law. As far as the Force is concerned, we were married the night the Force joined not only our bodies, but our hearts, minds and souls as well," Anakin told her.
"That night in the meadow was so amazing. But then again, all the times you've ever made love to me have been amazing as well," she said, as she snuggled against his chest and covered them with his long black cloak.
"I'm going to get us out of this Padme. And if I can't, my family will find a way. Grandfather has infinite resources at his fingertips and I know he'll find us," Anakin promised her.
"I know. I love you," Padme replied.
"And I love you angel," he replied, as they snuggled together, using Anakin's cloak and their own body heat for warmth. Feeling safe in each other's arms, they slowly drifted to sleep.
At first light, Qui-Gon and Dooku set out to investigate the club where Anakin and Padme were abducted from. When they arrived, the club was dark and closed. They trekked around back and found the bodies of two men.
"They were killed by saber strike," Qui-Gon said.
"Definitely looks like Anakin's work," Dooku said.
"Do you think he was overpowered?" Qui-Gon asked.
"Mr. Wells knows enough about Jedi to administer Ysalamir serum, so it's likely that he knows overpowering one is not easy," Dooku said, as he searched the ground.
"Ah..." he said, as he found what he was looking for.
"A sleep dart?" Qui-Gon asked, as his father picked up a small, blue dart.
"It appears so," Dooku said, as he took a cloth from his pocket and wrapped the dark in it.
"Here's another one. He must have used it on Padme too," Qui-Gon said. They searched for more clues, but found none. It seemed that Garret Wells was very smart.
As Dooku flew the speeder back to the temple, Qui-Gon sat quietly, trying to accept the fact that they had no concrete leads.
"Blast it," Qui-Gon said angrily.
"Son, we will find them. Both Anakin and Padme are very resourceful as well. We must have faith that the Force will guide us all, even if Anakin cannot feel its presence around him," Dooku said calmly.
"You're right...we must trust in the Force," Qui-Gon said, as he reached deeply into he Force to calm himself.
A few hours later, Anakin and Padme were awakened by one of the guards that had brought them meal rations. As they ate the very small meal, they talked quietly.
"It's strange that we're able to even communicate thought the Force with each other," Anakin mentioned.
"Why do you say that?" Padme asked.
"Because I shouldn't be able to feel it at all and I can't, except through you," Anakin replied.
"What do you think it means?" Padme asked.
"I think it means that our love is strong enough to overcome anything," Anakin replied. Padme smiled, as his lips descended on hers.
"I think so too," Padme said, as she contemplated what else it could mean.
"Ani...what if you're not feeling the Force through me necessary, but maybe because of me," Padme replied.
"What are you getting at?" he asked.
"I'm saying that if this drug is supposed to cut you off from the Force completely, then in reality, it should have cut me off too, because I feel the Force through you. I've heard your grandfather say what a strong Force presence you have. What if the drug isn't strong enough to suppress you fully? It would only be a matter of time before you became immune to it," Padme said. Anakin looked at her in amazement.
"You're brilliant," Anakin said, his eyes wide with hope. Before she could react, he crushed his lips against hers in a searing, passionate kiss. Though their bond, he opened himself to the Force. He could feel the battle between the drug and the midichlorians in his blood, as his whole body was tingling. He kept himself open, as long as he could before the drug managed to close him off. Anakin broke the kiss and looked into her eyes.
"My body is fighting it. You were right. My midichlorians will eventually win and I'll become immune to it," Anakin said. Padme grinned, throwing her arms around him and hugging him tightly.
"We're going to get out of this angel," he promised, as he hugged her back tightly.
Feelings of renewed hope vibrated through the Council room. A few moments ago, this hand not been the case. Sadness and despair had been in the place of hope, as they were not any closer to finding Anakin and Padme. Until just a few minutes ago, when Anakin's presence in the Force returned. It had sprung forth strongly, like a beacon of hope, before it was severely repressed by some other Force. But he was still there, even if they could barely feel him now.
"Assuming that Anakin was given the Ysalamir serum, we shouldn't be able to feel him at all," Mace said.
"Master Windu is correct. What do you think this means?" Shaak Ti asked.
"Perhaps they have forgotten to give him another dosage?" Adi Gallia suggested.
"No, if that were the case, we wouldn't be able to feel him at all right now. His Force presence is just suppressed so much that only Qui-Gon, Ben, and myself can sense him. It means that Anakin's body is fighting the drug," Dooku concluded.
"But how is that possible? I thought the Ysalamir serum completely cuts a Jedi off from the Force," Kit Fisto said.
"Yes, any Jedi with the average midichlorian count given the average sized dosage," Dooku said, letting the rest process exactly what he meant.
"Even with Anakin's above average midichlorian count, I still don't see how it would be possible for him to overcome repeated doses of the serum," Adi said. Dooku glanced at Master Yoda and Master Windu.
"We will keep investigating this lead. This meeting is dismissed," Mace announced. All the Council members filed out with the exception of Yoda, Mace, Qui-Gon, Dooku, Shaak Ti, and Obi-Wan. Those left in the room knew the truth about Anakin's above average midichlorian count. It was known only to them that Anakin's midichlorian was the highest recorded of any Jedi in history. It was a secret that they had carefully guarded all of Anakin's life to keep him from being a target and allowing him to live a normal life. Anakin knew his midichlorian count was high, but not even he was aware that it was the highest of any Jedi ever.
"If Anakin was given a normal sized dosage of the serum, then that would explain why his body is beginning to over power the drug. It shouldn't be long before he becomes immune to it," Dooku said.
"Immune to it? Is that possible?" Mace asked.
"Grandfather is right. Bant explained it to me once. She said that when a Jedi is injected with the drug, the midichlorians in the blood begin to fight it. The drug usually overwhelms the midichlorians in the bloodstream and cuts them off from the Force. But with a count as high as Anakin's, the drug simply can't fight off all the midichlorians attacking it. Once Anakin's body conquers the drug, he should become immune to it," Obi-Wan explained.
"Amazing," Shaak Ti mentioned.
"All right...did Anakin give you any indication of where he was when he broke through the drug's effects?" Mace asked.
"We sensed that both he and Padme were okay and that Anakin believed they were in hyperspace," Qui-Gon said.
"I'm sure Anakin will try to learn their location once one is chosen," Obi-Wan said.
"My informants tell me that Garret has outposts all over the outer rim. He could be taking them to any number of places," Dooku said.
"Hope we must have, that Anakin will break through the effects of the serum, we do," Yoda concluded.
Garret walked into the lab where his scientist was hard at work.
"What do you have to report?" Garret asked. The old man smiled and handed his employer a datapad.
"It's all here. I think you'll find the identity of this boy very interesting," the scientist said. Garret began reading the information.
"Anakin Skywalker...born Anakin Skywalker-Jinn Dooku," Garret paused, trying to remember why the name Dooku rang a bell.
"Dooku...as in Count Dooku?" Garret asked. The scientist chuckled.
"Yes...the extremely wealthy Count of Serenno," the man replied. Garret smiled evilly.
"Good work...you can expect a bonus in your wages this month," Garret replied, as he left with the information.
"I wonder how much the good Count would be willing to pay for the safe return of his grandson and his little girlfriend..." Garret wondered aloud, as he headed for the detention cell where his captives were being held...