Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's sixteen of "Not So Far." FN-2187 finally meets Poe and receives his name. I am so happy to have finally done that. This chapter has some dialogue from The Force Awakens. Stay tuned for chapter seventeen.
XXXXX
Chapter 16: Breaking Out/Ashes
The detention block of the Finalizer buzzed with the sterile hum of machinery twenty-two minutes later. FN-2187 stood rather rigid outside the cell holding Poe. He clutched his blaster so tightly that it seemed he was about to break it. The light reflected off his armor. He looked toward the hallway. He could see two stormtroopers walking past it. He listened to their quiet chatter before looking ahead.
FN-2187 hissed in disgust. He hated he had been assigned to guard Poe as he was not used to that. He felt the man's defiance gnawing at him. It was a splinter in the seamless conditioning he'd endured since childhood. He remembered the massacre on Tovi. He felt the gunning down of villagers and workers and their screams filling his mind. He never fired a shot as he couldn't. He knew it was wrong. The order for reconditioning loomed over him like a shadow.
Poe was still strapped to the interrogation chair. His head happened to be tilted back against the headrest, dark eyes glinting with a mix of exhaustion and unyielding resolve. Blood crusted at the corner of his mouth from Vari's earlier mind probe, but his smirk remained intact. He glanced at FN-2187, sizing him up through the haze of pain.
"You're just going stand there all day, buddy?" Poe shouted, his voice hoarse but laced with defiance. "Or do they pay you extra to look menacing?"
FN-2187 shifted his weight, his grip tightening on the rifle. He felt his mind racing, torn between the orders drilled into him and the flicker of something human. It had sparked when he'd hesitated on Tovi. Poe's words from the raid echoed in his skull, 'You don't have to do this. You can choose.' He had pretended he didn't hear it then, but it clung to him like a mynock to a power cable.
The stormtrooper glanced at the control panel by the door. He found the Finalizer was preparing to jump to hyperspace. Its next destination was Tihon according to the chatter he'd overheard. That meant a skeleton crew in the hangar. That gave him a slim window of opportunity. His breath quickened behind the helmet. He knew this was treason, but he didn't care. He considered reconditioning to be a mindless zombie to be far worse than anything else.
"Hey, trooper," Poe said, leaning forward as far as the restraints allowed. "You got a name under all that plastic?"
FN-2187 turned sharply, his helmet tilting toward him. "FN-2187."
"That's not a name. That's a serial number. What do they call you?" Poe asked seriously.
"They don't," FN-2187 snapped and sighed heavily. "They don't call me anything. A few of my fellow stormtroopers have nicknames, though."
Poe stopped smiling and looked away. "Okay, then. I'm Poe Dameron. I'm guessing you're not here to polish my boots."
FN-2187 hesitated, his breathing turning into shudders. He stepped closer, lowering his rifle slightly.
"I need a pilot," FB-2187 said, swallowing hard. "I'm getting you out of here."
"You serious?" Poe asked in much surprise. He felt his heart skip a few beats. "What's the catch?"
"No catch," FN-2187 said, his voice low yet firm. "I can't stay here, not after Tovi. I'm done."
Poe nodded at him. "All right, buddy. You spring me, I'll fly us out. Deal?"
FN-2187 exhaled. "Deal."
FN-2187 slung the rifle over his shoulder and moved to the control panel. He punched in the override code he'd memorized from drills. The restraints hissed open. Poe stumbled forward, catching himself on the chair's arm. FN-2187 grabbed his elbow, steadying him.
"Thanks," Poe said, patting his hand on the trooper's shoulder. "Now let's move before your pals notice."
FN-2187 nodded in agreement. He and Poe went left and proceeded to head down the corridor. Poe limped a little bit, but he was able to keep up. They swallowed hard.
"Have you ever tried to escape captivity?" FN-2187 asked curiously.
"I haven't been captured until now," Poe admitted.
FN-2187 snorted. "Lucky you."
The duo pressed their backs against the wall once they reached the end of the corridor. Two stormtroopers and an officer passed. They peered around the corner.
"What we are doing is crazy," FN-2187 said seriously.
"Sometimes, crazy works," Poe commented with a smirk. He rubbed his hands together rapidly. "Come on."
The duo turned right into another corridor. They spotted two officers coming their way and slipped into an opening in the wall. They pressed their backs against it. FN-2187 peered around the corner, seeing the officers pass. He listened to their chatter. He slinked back in.
"That was close," FN-2187 said, his body shaking quite a bit.
"But no cigar," Poe said with a big smirk on his face.
"This is no time for jokes," FN-2187 said very seriously.
"Hey, I am trying to lighten the mood," Poe responded, giving a shrug.
"We can lighten the mood once we get out of this horrible place," FN-2187 said, narrowing his eyes at him.
"Okay," Poe said, nodding slowly. "We can do that."
"Good," FN-2187 said, a small smile forming on his face. "Let's go."
FN-2187 and Poe peered around the corner of the opening. They moved back inside when it seemed someone was coming. They listened for a minute or two, but they didn't hear anything. They resumed going down it.
"The damn place is like a maze," Poe griped with a roll of his eyes.
"I've seen forests with more twists and turns than this fucking thing," FN-2187 said. "You ever heard of a labyrinth?"
"Yeah. That maze has more twists and turns than anything else does. I have heard labyrinths hold beasts in their centers. They feast on anyone who dares to trespass on their domain," Poe admitted.
"Those beasts are nothing to mess with. That is if they exist," FN-2187 commented.
"How much further?" Poe asked with a somewhat painful groan. "I am aching to get out of here so much."
"Me too," FN-2187 agreed. "It shouldn't be too much further."
"Let's hope we don't end up running in circles," Poe whispered in some uncertainty.
"Don't worry. We won't. I know this place like the back of my hand," FN-2187 responded with a smirk.
"Good," Poe replied in much relief. "Let's keep moving. We don't need to waste any more time."
"I know," FN-2187 said and mumbled inaudible words. "We better not see any more troopers."
"I hope not," Poe muttered in some nervousness. "I hate running into those bastards anywhere."
"Who wouldn't?" FN-2187 asked. "It is—"
The duo spotted a stormtrooper as they reached the end of the corridor. They slipped into another opening in the wall close to the doorway. The stormtrooper turned into the corridor and passed them. They sighed in relief before looking at each other.
"That was too close," FN-2187 said.
"Way too close," Poe chimed and patted the stormtrooper's shoulder.
"Believe me. I have had closer calls than this," FN-2187 pointed out and raised his eyebrows. "Come on."
The duo went to the doorway and headed right. They whispered inaudible words as they picked up their pace a tiny bit.
00000
FN-2187 and Poe headed down another corridor five minutes later. The latter's limp slowed them down, but his sharp eyes darted to every corner in which it mapped their route. They were glad the alarms had not sounded yet. FN-2187's clearance had gotten them this far, but every passing second tightened the noose more.
The duo reached the TIE fighter hangar in which it happened to be a cavernous space echoing with the whine of engines and the shouts of technicians prepping for the hyperspace jump. Two sleek TIEs sat unattended near the launch bay, their black hulls gleaming under the harsh lights. FN-2187 pointed his finger at the first one.
"There. That's our ride," FN-2187 declared.
Poe formed a big smile on his face. "Oh, I like you already. Let's go."
"Let's try not to make any noise," FN-2187 instructed firmly. "We need to move as quickly as possible."
"Good idea," Poe agreed.
FN-21867 gestured with his head. "Let's go."
FN-2187 and Poe sprinted across the hangar, ducking behind crates as a patrol of troopers marched past. FN-2187's heart pounded against his chest, his breath fogging the inside of his helmet. He yanked it off, tossing it aside. He thought its weight felt like a shackle he'd finally shed. His face was sweat-streaked and wide-eyed. He met Poe's gaze for the first time.
"Look at that," Poe said, smirking. "You're human after all."
"Shut up and get in," FN-2187 responded sternly while shoving him toward the TIE's hatch. "Hurry before anyone notices what is happening."
"Okay," Poe agreed with a nod.
"Please," FN-2187 pleaded, his body shaking badly. "Hurry."
Poe climbed into the pilot's seat while FN-2187 squeezed into the gunner's compartment behind him. He started pressing buttons rapidly. The canopy sealed with a hiss, and the engines roared to life.
"Hold on tight," Poe called, flipping switches. "This is going to be rough."
"I have been in rougher situations than this," FN-2187 commented.
Poe raised an eyebrow. "How rough?"
FN-2187 huffed. "You don't want to know."
The TIE lurched forward, blasting out of the hangar just as alarms blared through the Finalizer. Laser cannons swiveled, tracking the duo's escape. However, Poe twisted the fighter into a spiraling dive, evading the first volley. FN-2187 gripped the gunner controls, firing back at the pursuing drones. He managed to hit two of them.
Three drones increased their speed and fired at the spaceship. FN-2187 took shots at them, destroying them in big balls of fire. He did the same with two more drones as they flew at it. They exploded into even bigger fireballs. He formed a big smile on his face. Poe laughed in great delight. He slapped his hand on the ceiling.
"You're a natural!" Poe shouted over the comms. "What do I call you, anyway?"
"FN," FN-2187 said, shaking his head. "Just…call me Finn."
"Finn?" Poe laughed, banking hard to avoid a missile. "All right, Finn. Nice shooting!"
"I bet you have lots of fun shooting at stuff," Finn suggested.
"I do," Poe admitted. "It makes me wonder what target practice was like for you. You were a stormtrooper for a long time."
"It wasn't fun. I can tell you that," Finn commented.
Poe exhaled. "That's not surprise."
"Life is full of surprises," Finn said with a smirk.
"It sure is," Poe agreed. "Now let's get out of here."
Finn sighed in relief. "Finally. I thought I was going to grow roots here."
The Finalizer loomed behind them, its massive silhouette filling the viewport. With a shudder that rattled the TIE's frame, the Star Destroyer's engines flared blue-white. It vanished into hyperspace. The sudden shift destabilized their fighter. Poe yelled in frustration as warning lights flashed across the console.
"Engine's failing!" Poe yelled. "That jump messed us up—hang on!"
"You don't have to tell me twice!" Finn shouted, grabbing the ceiling.
"I am sure you had to be before all this," Poe commented as he took hold of the sides.
"Most people do," Finn murmured with an annoyed groan. "It sucks, but it is part of life."
The TIE spiraled out of control, tumbling toward Plint's green surface. Finn cringed at the planet rushing up to meet him and Poe. It clipped treetops, metal screeching as branches tore at its wings. It slammed into a muddy clearing not far from the smoldering ruins of Tovi. The impact jolted Finn forward, his head smacking the console. Darkness flickered at the edges of his vision, but he shook it off. He coughed as smoke filled the cockpit.
00000
Finn kicked the shattered canopy open three minutes later. He dragged himself out onto the soggy ground. Plint's humid air hit him like a wall. It was thick with the tang of ash from Tovi's ruins half a mile away. Poe stumbled out behind him, clutching his side. His flight jacket was torn and singed. They panted hard, managing to catch their breath.
"You okay?" Finn asked, offering a hand.
"Been better. You?" Poe said, taking it.
"Alive," Finn said, examining the wreckage. He cringed at how much of the TIE was a mangled heap. Its engines spit sparks. "Guess we're not flying out of here."
Poe narrowed his eyes at the horizon. He could see black smoke coiling into the sky from Tovi's remains.
"We're near the settlement or what's left of it. The workers headed for Yalu after I told them to run. This included Paige, Rose, and BB-8. I held off the troopers so they could get out," Poe explained.
"Yalu?" Finn asked, wiping sweat from his brow. "How far?"
"Several miles east through the forest," Poe said, pointing his finger toward a wall of dense, dripping trees. "They were aiming for D'Qar after that. There is a chance they have already gotten off the planet."
Finn nodded, hefting the blaster he'd salvaged from the wreck. "Then let's move. The First Order won't be far behind."
Poe waved his hand toward himself. "Come on."
Poe and Finn headed into the forest. Vines snagged at their legs, and the buzz of insects filled the air. It was punctuated by the distant crackle of Tovi's dying fires. Poe limped but kept pace, his face showing much determination. Finn glanced at him, the weight of his choice settling in. He was aware he had crossed a line with no going back.
"You didn't have to help me," Poe said after a while, ducking under a low branch. "Why'd you do it?"
Finn kept his eyes on the uneven ground. He stepped over a gnarled root before swallowing hard. His heart skipped two beats.
"Tovi. I saw what they did—kids, families, just… gone. I couldn't pull the trigger. I couldn't be part of that anymore," Finn explained.
"That's why you're Finn now, not FN-whatever. You chose," Poe pointed out matter-of-factly.
"Yeah," Finn said, eyeing him closely. "I'm not choosing them again. They can go to hell for all I care."
Poe smacked Finn on the shoulder, a big smile forming on his face. He blinked three times before pointing his finger at him.
"Good. Stick with me, Finn," Poe instructed with much warmth. "We'll make it to Yalu, reunited with the others, and give the First Order hell."
Finn breathed deeply as he and Poe picked up his pace. Rose, Paige, and BB-8 were names he didn't know, but he believed they were faces he saw fleeing the raid. He'd been on the other side then, a faceless trooper in the chaos. He was amazed he was running toward them now.