The current flowing through the spear embedded in Obi-Wan's shoulder and chest finally ran its course. But it was several minutes before he could make sense of what was happening and why he was in so much pain. His muscles ached from the violent spasms they were subjected too, and the spear was gradually ripping a larger hole in him as gravity was pulling his body downward. Then he heard a noise.

Clank. Clank. Clank. Clank.

Footsteps? Obi-Wan strained his ears and listened to the heavy metallic footsteps that were approaching on the platform above him.

Clank. Clank. Clank.

A large being had walked to the edge and was peering down at him. Obi-Wan heard a maniacal laugh followed by a choking cough. The Good General has come to welcome me personally, he thought.

"General Kenobi! So good to see you again!" exclaimed Grievous from above. "How do you like my new toys?"

"They're. Just. Wonderful," grunted Obi-Wan agonizingly, with a raspy voice that barely resembled his own. He was clutching at the spear embedded in his body, hoping that if he was able to pull himself up, he could relieve some of the strain on the terrible wound. His efforts made little to no difference.

"I'm glad you think so! You have had only just sampled the yields of my new factory but you will see more shortly," stated Grievous before his tone darkened. "Your sniveling, sanctimonious scum friends escaped. Once again you have impeded my promotion within the Separatist organization, Kenobi, and for that I would kill you where you pathetically hang. Lucky for you, the Count wants you for himself."

Count Dooku? Not optimal circumstances, thought Obi-Wan, but at least Anakin and the group were able to escape! A small bit of pride for Anakin, Ahsoka and Aayla swelled within him and a weary smile creased his lips.

Enraged to see Obi-Wan smiling, Grievous reached down with a long clawed hand and slowly twisted the shaft of the spear embedded in him. Obi-Wan's smile was quickly contorted with torment. He desperately tried to hold the spear in place but it was no use, he didn't have the strength to counter Grievous' torque.

"Not smiling now, are you?" said Grievous with a cough. "The Count may not even recognize you by the time he arrives."

What to do, what to do, thought Obi-Wan trying to reach out with his senses and explore his options. I can't stay here like this and I certainly don't want to accompany Grievous. How high up am I? Will the fall kill me? If I do end up dying, it may be a better fate. Think, Kenobi, think… what would Anakin do? What would Qui-Gon have done?

Suddenly, Obi-Wan made up his mind and sprung into action. Grievous was still cruelly rotating the spear shaft, but instead of trying to counter the torque, Obi-Wan rotated his hands and enhanced it while pressing it outwardly. The combined forces were enough for Obi-Wan to pull the spearhead out of the wall and out of his flesh.

The maneuver only took a split second, and before Grievous recovered from his surprise and realized what had happened, The Negotiator was already falling swiftly away from him down toward the floor of the factory below.

"After him!" snarled Grievous, enraged. "Find him and bring him to me. He won't get far. I want him alive!"

Coughing and hacking, the droid general sauntered back into the shadows of his compound to let his minions do his dirty work. Several droids immediately began traveling downward to retrieve the prisoner who had temporarily evaded them.

Meanwhile, Obi-Wan was falling. Down, down, down he went. Ten meters, twenty meters thirty meters, he lost track but he knew he would need to conjure up some semblance of a landing. Gathering the Force, he tried to angle his body toward a platform of scaffolding that was closer than the floor. He was able to get the upper half of his body to hit the platform. But his head and chest crashed against the metal surface, leaving him dazed, breathless and unable to hang on. He slid off the platform and again descended to the floor beneath. He landed badly. As his legs crumpled beneath him, his head hit the floor and he blacked out.

After a few moments, Obi-Wan blearily came to, and immediately almost wished he hadn't. The fall had left him such excruciating pain that he was unable to think or to summon the Force to his aid.

Another moment went by and his ability to focus began returning slightly. He took basic inventory of his injuries. His head swam and his vision blurred. It felt like there were daggers sticking the bones of his leg but couldn't tell which leg or which bones. As he rolled over onto his stomach to try to rise, his ribs protested. He tried to raise his shoulders and use the wall to rise up, but the one with the gaping hole in it would not budge more than an inch, making it impossible for him to stand and walk away from this. But I can still crawl.

As quickly as he could manage, Obi-Wan half crawled and half dragged himself toward a hiding place the he had not yet decided on. How badly he needed respite. How badly he just wanted to close his eyes and lay down. But Obi-Wan knew that if he lay down now, he would not be getting up again. Ever.

He distracted himself from his pains by pondering what sort of hiding spot he would need. The factory was vast and full of plenty of places to visually conceal a human being. The hiding place would need to be shielded with metal or chemicals because Grievous had retained his impeccable sense of smell from his pre-cyborg days as a fierce warrior. It also needed to be near a source of heat so that if droids were using thermal imaging to find him, his body heat would blend in.

Once in hiding, his options were limited. If droids weren't able to find him for a long time, he could wait idly until he was able to heal himself enough to put up a fight. But the healing process could take weeks and would be near impossible without water or nourishment and proper care. His best bet was to hole up for now and either attempt an escape in a few hours, or wait for a Force sensitive being to sense his presence and extract him. Whether the first Force sensitive being to find him would be a fellow Jedi or Count Dooku, Obi-Wan could not be certain. But these were the best odds could make for himself.

After a painful few minutes that seemed like hours, Obi-Wan hid behind a steam shaft inside the mold of a Super Battle Droid chest plate. With agony and great difficulty, he hoisted and rolled himself inside the metal casing. Before he could even consider healing, he promptly slid deeply into oblivion.