Chapter Twenty-Seven: Iridescent

In Kylo Ren's fevered flight, he had forgotten a vital detail and neglected to reactivate the code on Rey's door. She discovered the oversight quickly and slipped out into the corridor without pause.

I need a layout terminal first, she thought, scanning the area. This shuttle's big enough to have a few surprises in its berth.

Hope and excitement stirred in her chest, a warmth absent since Ilum. Never mind overanalyzing Kylo Ren and his fractured mental state; this was a moment to seize.

Spying a prospective screen, she didn't realize she was shooting her joy out in brilliant rays, declaring to anything as self-aware, never mind force-sensitive, as a whiskered greeper where she was.

Oblivious, Rey rushed to the display, sending her fingers into a blurred dance as soon as she made contact. Its interface was unfamiliar, but Kylo Ren had lifted his encryptions. She had several levels of access. She eyed a collection of menus before finding the layout maps, and had just opened a blueprint-file when thunderous steps sounded at the end of the wing. They were slow and controlled, no trace of lost composure or hidden wounds. Rey tapped the schematic closed and looked around wildly, hunting for a side passage.

"Don't bother." Kylo Ren's booming call was brusque, filtered through his restored modulator. "You're practically neon."

She spun on her heel, inching back into a corner and descending into a crouch.

"I can see you slinking," he intoned, stopping a few yards away. "Your elation is blindingly bright."

Rey peeked from over her bent knees, noting the return of his mask. "What do you mean? How can you 'see' me?" She ventured, unwilling to tread out into the hall.

Kylo Ren stepped up and examined the terminal she'd awakened, checking its action history with an idle swipe. "Through the Force," he said cryptically.

She scowled. "Guess it doesn't help you remember things like locking doors."

"A rare mistake happens, even for elevated beings."

Rey snorted. "Elevated?"

"You show contempt, when you should feel jealousy."

She craned out from her corner, allowing herself to come into his field of vision. She could refute his claim, hurling them into a new round of repartee, but found herself admittedly curious. If she could lift things like him, or sense his presence, escape would be far easier. "How does the Force work?" She asked.

Kylo Ren folded his hands behind his back. "Are you asking me to teach you?"

Rey blew bangs from her face. "I'm not neon," she huffed.

"Utterly fluorescent," he insisted.

She frowned, but got to her feet. "Stop. Not everything needs to be tied to your master plot. I'm actually asking."

He appraised her, tilting his mask, and she realized she knew the expression he wore beneath it. She thought he would brush her off with more puffed-up bravado, but he surprised her, rubbing his thumb against his fingers.

"It's just lifeforce from living things," Kylo Ren offered. "It can be gathered and harnessed, converted into something new."

His tone was mild, even with the modulator, and Rey thought again of the life he'd lived before Snoke. How he must have felt when first sensing the ripples ebbing in the air.

Rey shook her head. She was doing it again—humanizing someone who no longer acted human. "I'm sure such a natural, organic thing loves being used for coercion and murder," she muttered.

No precipice this time; he remained unfazed. "Needle all you want," he said. "It can do anything. The wielder has complete control."

She met his eye, staring at his visor. "Do they though?"

Kylo Ren opened his hand, and Rey felt a rush of warmth sweep her frame. It curled up in her chest, as soothing as a hug, and the edges of the hall grew soft and muted. She had nothing to worry about. She was as safe and protected as she'd been in her AT-AT on Jakku.

"W-What are you doing?" She asked amid the comforting haze.

"Easing the angst I sense in you."

Rey gave him a long look. He needed to think he was making headway; if she seemed like she was starting down the path he intended for her, he would keep her alive. With a deep breath, she trudged forward. "Fine. Show me."