Chapter 5 - Dangerous Affairs (2/2)

- ”FN-2187”- said a cold and strong voice behind him.

He turned to the voice in sw in horror that Captain Phasma was right there watching him with a blaster rifle in her hands. 2187 knew that she would kill him if he did any surprising move so he just lowered his head signaling his submission.

- ”Submit your blaster for inspection”- she said with a calm voice as if she knew she had the absolute control over 2187.

- ”Yes, Captain!”- replied 2187 trying to sound as natural as possible and begging so that Phasma did not guess his defection plans.

Just when Phasma seems to be on her way, she turned around and saw him again with a questioning gaze. 2187 gulped and knew immediately that something was wrong.

- ”And who gave you permission to remove that helmet”- she asked calmly but 2187 knew that it was a serious matter. He only had permission to remove his armor in the barracks after returning the pieces to the store room.

- ”I'm sorry, Captain”- he said trying to calm down his racing heart and his trembling. He had comitted a serious brea in the protocol and he did not need more problems than the ones he already had.

- ”Report to my division at once!”- Phasma said and then she just turned around and went away.

- ”Damn!”- 2187 sweared knowing that he was in big trouble.

The last time he had gone to the FN division was after he had disobeyed her orders. The FN division had multiple areas which include a medical and psychogical wings. There was a conference room where the FN corps discussed the strategy and tactics to use before a mission. The last time, 2187 had been checked physically and tested psychologically and he had been interrogated and questioned by an inspector who tried to make him notice the gravity of his actions and encouraged him to rectify himself and to make use of his talents in the name of the peace and order.

- ”Welcome, FN-2187”- said a female nurse who received the people in the division- ”please change your clothes in that room and prepare for the physical and psychological tests and please leave your blaster with me.”

2187 could only nod and gave his blaster to the nurse. After that he removed his armor, took a shower and changed his clothes and passedfor the tests. It was similar of what he experienced the last time, but this time he noticed that something was wrong. Staring from the attitude of the female nurse who took his blaster, she was very professional and composed and she even smiled to him, but her eyes were not smiling. They were showing contempt and even disgust and it was the same with the rest of staff that attended him. 2187 was very worried and his instinct was crying out in alarm, especially when the inspector did not show the same passion about using his talents for the First Order and gave him a short and apathetic counseling before letting him go.

- ”Do your best”- he had just said but his tone showed very clearly that he did not really meant it.

He knew that they should have confirmed that he had made shots to destroy the starfighter turbines so his blaster would show those shots so there should be no problems but he knew that Phasma had been monitoring so she knew he had not shot the villagers. He could not sleep that night trying to think in a way to escape.

- ”I need to do it in the next mission”- he thought while rolling on his bed being incapable of sleeping- ”I have to run as soon as I get out of the transporter. I still have time... I need to create a good plan... I still have time...”

”The subject will be sent to reconditioning the day of tomorrow at 1700 hours, please be present at that time to start with the process.”

2187 gritted his teeth and knew that he had to escape now or he would just be erased. Reconditioning did not sound like something dangerous but 2187 knew better and he knew that that term was just a nice word that camouflaged the reality. When they said reconditioning meant that would play and reestructure his brain and conscience. They would brainwash him and break his spirit until he was a blank canvas where they could overwrite whatever they wanted to write. It was a long and dangerous process which made sure that the subject would become a perfect soldier that did not disobey orders under no circunstances, but the process would diminish the abilities of the subject which would have the same thinking process of a AD-W4 droid which was the reason why the First Order preferred not to do it.

- ”It seems they have given up on me”- 2187 said while sweating and feeling that he had been condemned to death- ”I have no time... I must act now!”

2187 got up and went to the armory to get an combat armor and a blaster. He was terrified and worried but he was trained to act under pressure and to take decisions in the heat of the moment. He would not go to the slaughter house like a ship, he would fight and for this he needed someone to help.

- ”I need a pilot”- he thought while getting out to the hall in direction of the prison area- ”and I know where to find one.”

”...”

Poe dameron had been interrogated and tortured for hours since he had been captured. He tasted the blood in his mouth and felt the blood also running down his face. He had not been fed and the lack of sleep had weakened him greatly. However, he did not say a thing. This was not his first dance and definitely he had had it worse in other ocassions... so much that he could say these people interrogating him could be considered cute. He was a veteran and he was a hard bone to chew. He had fainted in the last interrogation session but he was forced to wake up and he saw a tall and intimidating person dressed in black with a metallic helmet that made him even more threatening.

- ”I didn't know we had one of the best pilots in the Resistance on board”- said Kylo Ren who used a very calm and deep voice which sounded robotic under the modulation of the helmet. Poe breathed deeply and prepared himself knowing that this interrogator would be more challenging that the others- ”comfortable?”

- ”Not really”- Poe said using his more apathetic voice and trying to collect his strenght. Never show weakness and never give the opponent the psychological upper hand.

- ”I'm impressed...”- said Kylo Ren advancing slowly to Poe with a very relaxed but firm stance and Poe felt a huge pressure coming from the man- ”nobody has been able to get it out of you.”

Poe had dealt with many dangerous people including gangsters and even crazy murderers but none had given him this pressure before. Just who the hell was this guy and how could he threaten him so much with just his mere presence?

- ”What did you do with the map?”- Kylo Ren asked casually and his tone showed great confidence like a king who had asked a question to a commoner who was bound to answer.

Poe felt a great dėsɨrė to speak... he was panicking inside. Why was he starting to think in telling him everything he knew even before asking? What was happening to him? Poe did not let anything in his face to show his great concern and he saw Kylo Ren into the eye.

- ”You might want to rethink your technique”- he said using his most sarcastic tone. He needed to show that he was stronger than the man in front of him and made him believe he had the control. There was nothing he could do to him that made him talk.

However, when Poe thought that he had regained control, Kylo Ren quietly raised his hand. Poe thought he was going to punch him but he just kept it in the air. Kylo Ren showed no anger nor violence and he kept his calm demeanor as if trying to say that Poe's tricks were of no use against him and that he would talk.

- ”What is he...”- thought Poe before feeling something strange. He did not know what was happening at the beginning and he just felt this nauseating sensation that was increasing gradually.

It started as a small disconfort that extended all over his body, then it started to concentrate into his head as if something was trying to enter in his brain... soon after the feeling grew stronger and Poe felt a terrible headache that was increasing by the second. Poe did not know what was happening but he knew he had to resist somehow.

- ”You will not enter into my head, monster”- he thought and Kylo Ren let a small ”humph” out as if he could read what he was thinking and Poe had the horrible idea that he was really reading his thoughts.

Kylo Ren pushed his hand and Poe's head tilted back without being touched and it was as if the last trace of resistance had gone away. Poe felt his mind recalling memories without his permission and he saw Kylo Ren who calmly stood there slowly moving his hand as if passing the page of an interesting novel. It was then that Poe understood that his mind was an open book for Kylo Ren and he would get the information without touching him... torture? Interrogation? get away with fancy words? skill? What a joke! It was all meaningless in front of the magical power that Kylo Ren possesed.

- ”Where is it?”- said Kylo Ren with a bored voice. It was obvious that he was just trying to make Poe recall the information by reaction.

- ”NO!”- thought Poe trying to recal useless information about other missions and false plans he had studied to resist interrogation- ”The resistance will not be intimidated by you!”

Kylo Ren did not say anything but Poe could swear he could see him mockingly smiling under the helmet and then he felt the terrible feeling increase in intensity and now he felt as if someone was using a drill directly in his brain and then he felt something break and he knew that he could not hide anything from Kylo Ren anymore.

- ”Where... is it?”- repeated Kylo Ren and the memories that he had stubbornly tried to protect appeared in his mind against his will and Poe that Kylo Ren could also see it.

- ”AHHHHHHHHHH!”- Poe roared in rage and frustration trying to resist one last time but the information ran in his head as the water that flowed out of a broken dam.

”...”

Soon after Kylo Ren got out from the cell and found General Armitage Hux who as usual showed a cold and sharp conduct proper of militar officers. He just waited for Kylo Ren's news as if he knew that the information was already theirs. He knew none could resist Kylo Ren's interrogation methods.

- ”It's in a droid”- he said in his typical an collected behaviour- ”a BB unit of orange color.”

- ”Well then”- Hux said not impressed while thinking in the orders he would give next. He did not like to waste time and was always thinking in advance- ”If it is still in Jakku, we will soon have it.”

- ”I leave that to you, General”- said Kylo Ren who spoke to Hux with the same superior tone that he used with Poe- ”Just let me me know of your success.”

And without more words he walked out of the area in the same relaxed and confident manner as if he knew that all would go according to his plans and that there was nothing that could stop him. Hux secretly looked at him with contempt but he was careful of showing this even in his thoughts. After all, Kylo Ren could read his mind and Hux knew that if this dark lord wanted, he would not last even enough to say the word ”monster.”