Jedi Go Home
Part 5
The kidnapping was set for the night before Rixi wanted to celebrate Ben�s birthday. Ben was paired with another shooter, to stun the Getter bodyguards and anybody else who might get in the way, and protect the third man while he grabbed the kid. Wylan would be patrolling in one of the police cars, ready to drive up at a certain time and whisk the kidnapper and the child to the location that he had chosen.They approached the estate cautiously, and when Ben was close enough, he used a slingshot to take out first one security camera and then the other. Leaping over the wall, they raced across the lawn to the house. The back door was locked, of course, but they�d reckoned with that. Quickly pasting several pieces of paper to one of the windows until it was completely covered, the other shooter then hit it with the butt of his blaster. Instead of shattering loudly, the window fell apart with only a dull crunch, and they were easily able to push the paper-covered glass out of the way. Hoisting himself inside first, Ben scanned the room, making sure they had not been discovered, then motioned for the others to follow. The kidnapper and the other shooter climbed over the sill, and then they moved quickly through the house, looking for the boy.
It was a large house, and the search took several minutes, but at last the men found the right room and the kidnapper emerged from it holding the small Getter whelp, who yawned once and snuggled up against his shoulder in a touching gesture of trust. Grinning at the others, the man moved as quickly and yet as softly as he could, trying to keep him asleep, or at least quiet. The other shooter taped the ransom note to the door as they began their escape.
They ran into the bodyguards after they had come down the stairs and were on the ground floor again. Turning his head, Ben felt an energy bolt whizz by where his hair had been, and fired back at the moving shadows. As the other shooter led the way to the nearest exit, the humans picked up the pace. Ben swept the area from behind, but they got out of the house and even managed to reach the garden wall without difficulties.
"We�re here,�called the sentry from the other side.�All clear at the moment. Send the kid over first. We�re signalling the car now.�
Ben and the other shooter, standing on the wooden box they�d brought with them for just this purpose, heaved the still sleeping child up to the top of the brick fixture where the sentry on the other side caught him. He could hear the police car approaching and slowing down as the kidnapper scrambled over, and then the sound of opening and closing doors. It moved away, and he and the other shooter prepared to follow. Then the sentry called out suddenly,�Stay where you are! Getter patrol! Distraction plan!�
The distraction plan called for the two sentries to lead the patrol in one direction, and for Ben and the other shooter to count to fifty before climbing over the wall into the street and heading the other way.
"There�s someone coming out of the house,�the other shooter hissed as Ben began to count.�It�s the Jedi!�
Horrified, Ben looked towards the house and saw a very tall, menacing figure in a dark cloak advancing towards them, holding a green glowing sword.
"It�s him or the patrol, take your pick!�the other shooter snorted.
The Jedi was definitely more frightening for Ben than a three-man Getter patrol. Scrambling hastily over the top of the wall, he landed hard on the other side in time to see the Getters shooting at the two sentries, who were splitting up at the far corner, one rounding it on his bicycle, the other pedalling straight ahead. As yet, the Getters hadn�t noticed him, and he jogged across the street to where he�d left his own bicycle, leaning casually against the tree in front of one of the houses as though it belonged there. Swinging his leg over the saddle, he pushed off in the opposite direction.
He�d pedalled about three times when suddenly the bicycle stopped, jammed, and he fell over out of sheer momentum, crashing painfully to the asphalt--right in the path of a second Getter patrol. Every instinct told him to push the bike aside and get up and run, but although he tried to thrust the metal frame away, he could not. It seemed to be stuck to his leg, and he groaned with embarrassment when he realised what the problem was. To make things worse, he�d dropped the blaster when he�d fallen and it now lay out of reach.
The Getter patrol already had their weapons pointed at him, and Ben raised his hands immediately, his heart pounding with fear. One of them said,�Move away from the bicycle and kneel down.�
"I can�t!�he retorted, feeling not only fear but also anger at the incredibly silly predicament he found himself in.�My pants are stuck in the chain!�
Laughter rippled through the unit, and the leader gestured to one of his men.�Cut him free.�
The Getter knelt down, pulled out a knife, and sliced the fabric free of the chain, managing to draw blood at the same time. Then he got up and lifted the bicycle away, and the third Getter told Ben to kneel, then cuffed his hands together behind his back and gave him a hefty kick in the leg for good measure. The leader was calling on his radio for a transport, which arrived only a few seconds later along with an entire squadron of Getters.
"The Internal Security Force reported the loss of two surveillance cameras and one infrared sensor. They were going to check on it, but have not reported back since. We suspect Nen activity inside the estate,�Ben heard one Getter report to the other. Nen? he thought, confused, then realised it was the Getter abbreviation for Theosnens.�We saw two Nens on their bicycles going that way, and managed to catch this one trying to ride away from the Estate. He had a police blaster.�
"Have the estate evacuated and send in the droids to check for bombs. Take him to Interrogation immediately.�
They hauled Ben to his feet and one of them struck him in the face with his fist, hard enough to make him see stars and stagger a few steps. Then they led him to the back of the transporter and lifted him up, seating him close to the cab with a guard on either side of him. After a few minutes, two more guards joined them, supporting the unconscious body of the other shooter between them, and then the door was shut and the engine started.
During the ride, Ben realised that the Getters did not know--yet--that the Mayor�s son had been kidnapped. They would probably find the ransom note soon, but it had given Wylan more than enough time to get away. Wylan would know soon enough, however, that his two shooters were missing. He�d have to assume that they�d been captured and were being tortured. That meant he�d be taking the child somewhere else to keep him safe, someplace that only he knew about. Ben didn�t think he�d reveal the new hiding place to more than two or three other members of the Resistance. That way, there was less chance of betrayal. Suddenly, Ben was glad that Dr. Maethum had not been part of the attempt, or Rixi. She�d wanted to come, just to watch, but both Ben and Dr. Maethum had been against it, and after giving Ben a quick kiss for luck, she�d pretended to stomp off to her room and sulk. Ben had known that she�d only been worried, however. He still remembered the feeling of her lips against his, but it was slight consolation now that he�d been caught by the Getters. He tried not to think about the fact that they wouldn�t be celebrating the birthday party they�d planned for him for the next day, telling himself he didn�t know what he�d be missing. But he really had been looking forward to it, if only for the promised cake and ice cream.
After about twenty minutes, they reached the prison, and Ben both heard and felt the transporter drive through three different gates before the guards finally opened up the back and everybody got out.
"This one�s awake, he can go straight to Interrogation. Take the other to the holding cells.�
There was nothing to see in the bright lights of the courtyard except metal walls, and no time for more than a brief glimpse. Three guards pushed Ben inside, the door booming solidly shut behind them, and guided him first to an office, where his handcuffs were removed and he was told to empty his pockets. He produced his identity disc and his wallet, both of which were immediately confiscated. After being photographed, fingerprinted, and blood-tested, he was led down the hall to a tiled-lined room which seemed to hold only two metal poles, each with a manacle on a chain hanging from it. One of the guards told him,�Strip yourself naked or we�ll do it for you.�
Ben found that his fingers were trembling slightly with fear as he undressed, and his eyes darted automatically to the open door. His claws extended, the Getter guard slapped him across the face, leaving scratches that smarted, and Ben kept his eyes on the floor after that, hastily shedding the rest of his clothing. One of the guards gathered it up and took it away, while the other two positioned him between the poles and fastened the manacles around his wrists.
After they had gone out and shut the door, there was only a moment�s pause, and then cascades of icy water descended from the ceiling. Ben shouted in surprise, trying to dodge the freezing waterfall, but the many showerheads had been positioned to allow him no escape, no matter which way he pulled. The deluge continued for several minutes until he was thoroughly chilled and his teeth chattering from the cold, and then, quite suddenly, it stopped.
When the guards returned, they released his arms only to handcuff them behind his back again, and then they marched him, soaked and shivering, farther down the hall to a different room. This one was almost empty, and they forced him to kneel on the floor. It seemed like an eternity until another Getter entered the room and came around to stand in front of Ben, staring down at him with a stern, faintly disgusted expression on his face. After a moment, he consulted the data pad that he held, and said,�Your identity disc is a forgery. What is your real name, and what were you doing on the mayor�s estate?�
Ben regarded him warily, but did not answer. Turning to the cabinet that was the only piece of furniture in the room, the Getter removed something from the top shelf that looked vaguely like two blaster-type weapons welded together, one on top of the other, and plugged the cord into an electrical outlet in the middle of that wall. Then he reached into a small box and loaded something into the top of the weapon, pointed it at Ben and fired.
The projectile entered his shoulder just below his collarbone and he cried out in pain and surprise, glancing down to see what looked like a metal insect embedded in his skin, six metal legs attached to a three-piece body. A second one struck his other shoulder, making him shout again, and the third one hit him in the stomach to form a rough triangle. Shifting his grip on the weapon from the top to the bottom, the Getter pointed it at him again.
The insects formed a red-hot field within the triangle, burning him until he couldn�t help a scream, and then the Getter removed his finger from the trigger and the agony faded.
Ben was amazed to see that his chest was not black and smoking, or even bright red, but retained its original colour.
"Artificial neuro-transmitters. We call them ants, and they transmit pain. Oh, they won�t damage you permanently--not at this level,�the Getter said, catching his look of astonishment.�But the longer you resist, the more pain they will cause and eventually, there will be damage. Tell me your name, and then you can explain what you were doing on the mayor�s estate.�
Ben swallowed, trying to get rid of the sickening metallic taste of fear that had suddenly overwhelmed him, but kept his mouth shut anyway, determined to say nothing.
"Stubborn, huh? I�ll turn it up a level.�
Adjusting something on the weapon, the officer pointed it at him again. This time, the burning sensation was so intense that he found himself trying to scoot backwards, away from the device, as he shrieked with the agony. One of the guards standing behind him stepped on his bare foot, preventing him from moving any further by grinding the bones into the floor with most of his weight.
It was about half an hour later when the door opened and a young Getter came in, hastily saluting and handing over another data pad. The interrogation officer read it hastily, then held the pad in both hands and smacked Ben in the face with it, hard enough to make his nose bleed.�Well, now we know what you were doing on the mayor�s estate, you stinking, filthy Nen! Kidnapping his son, his four-year-old son! Where is he? Where have you hidden him?�
Ben still refused to answer, knowing he�d be betraying the people that he looked on as family and friends if he did so.
And so it went, hour after hour. The Getter officer shot one ant after another into him; his arms, his legs, his back, even into the soles of his feet and the back of his head. The pain enveloped his entire body now, and the agony was incredible. Sometimes it was as though he was being burned alive, and sometimes it was a different torment, more intense, like the twisting of a broken bone, but amplified many times. Ben was no longer able to kneel, and lay curled on his side on the floor, screaming until his throat was raw. The agony no longer ceased when the officer lowered the weapon each time; instead, it lingered in his nervous system, aching dully and flaring up if he made even the slightest movement. It hurt to breathe. He was breaking. He knew it. He didn�t know how much longer he�d be able to stand it, but he knew it wasn�t going to be much longer.
*****
Mayor Ech-to-tha picked listlessly at the breakfast food he�d put on his plate.�Why is the interrogation taking so long? I want my son back now!�
Qui-Gon searched for an answer which would neither patronise nor inflame the Get-tro-wen, but before he could say anything, there was a knock at the door, and a guard came in with a data pad. Reaching for it eagerly, Ech-to-tha scanned the report, then slumped back into his chair.
"It seems they found something,�he sighed,�just not my son.�
"What did they find?�
"Your missing apprentice. He was the Nen they caught outside the estate.�
Feeling sick with disbelief, Qui-Gon reached for the data pad and read it. The genetic code from the blood sample which they�d taken from the Theosnen prisoner had corresponded exactly to the genetic code that was on Obi-Wan�s identity disc. Force! He�d done it. He�d really done it. Obi-Wan had left the Order, for reasons still unknown, and had joined up with the Theosnen resistance, and this was the proof. Obi-Wan had probably even used his knowledge of the estate to sneak in and grab the mayor�s son right out from under everybody�s noses, including his own. Qui-Gon remembered seeing the vaguely familiar outline of a young man going over the wall and snorted to himself. Of course Obi-Wan would have got out of there as fast as possible. He wouldn�t have wanted to meet up with his former master.
Qui-Gon felt his disbelief turn rapidly to anger, and tried to calm himself, but realised it would take more effort than he was willing to put into it just at the moment. Obi-Wan had not bothered to speak to him beforehand, had not even given him a clue that something was wrong, that he�d lost his objectivity, that he felt sympathetic towards the Theosnens. He�d simply waited for the first opportunity and run off, leaving everything behind him, even his light saber. He�d even put his shields up to keep Qui-Gon from finding him; he obviously hadn�t expected to get arrested.
"It seems that both of my advisors were correct, after all,�Ech-to-tha said.
"Both?�Qui-Gon asked.
"Your apprentice did join the resistance.�
"It appears that way, yes. But appearances can often be deceiving,�Qui-Gon stated, but more to remind himself of the old Jedi saying than to instruct Mayor Ech-to-tha.
"The only question is, did he do it voluntarily, or was he forced into it?�
Forced into it? The question confused Qui-Gon until he remembered Ech-to-tha reporting to him the theory that one of his advisors had had; that the Theosnens had kidnapped Obi-Wan and brainwashed him into helping them. Using only the limited technology that the Theosnens had available, Qui-Gon had not thought it would be possible for them to force any Jedi into doing anything he didn�t want to do. Now he wondered if there weren�t a grain of truth in the idea he had previously thought absurd. Obi-Wan was stubborn and headstrong, that was true, but he also had a burning sense of justice that made him want to right wrongs in any way possible. After Melida/Daan, he�d tried hard not to get personally involved in conflicts, but Qui-Gon knew that the wish to do so would always accompany his apprentice. If the Theosnens really had kidnapped him--which he could not rule out, unlikely though it seemed--they might have been able to exploit that desire and actually succeed in convincing Obi-Wan to help them.
It was--just--possible. But it didn�t explain why Obi-Wan�s shields had been tightly in place since his disappearance. Surely he would have tried to communicate through the bond with his master if he�d been kidnapped? It didn�t explain why he was still refusing to tell the Get-tro-wens where the Mayor�s son was hidden, although they had been interrogating him since the early morning hours. He wouldn�t have held out so long if he hadn�t been perfectly convinced that what he was doing was the right thing. No. Qui-Gon had to believe that. Obi-Wan had betrayed him. Again. He had turned away from the Jedi, from Qui-Gon, and let his heart lead him elsewhere. The pain of betrayal was sharp. And it made him angry, not only at Obi-Wan for hurting him like that, but at himself for convincing himself that it could never happen again, for letting down his guard, for not seeing it coming. Surely there had been signs leading up to this decision, and he�d completely missed them all. Even in retrospect, he still could not recognise them.
"I would like to see him,�he said at length,�if it can be permitted.�
"I will take you there myself.�