Tethered

3: The Light in the Dark

Kylo Ren couldn't sleep.

Not that this wasn't common for him aboard the Supremacy, but it still bothered him. It was only here, in his bed on the capital ship, that something kept him awake. He could feel it calling to him as it had for years.

He'd been with Snoke for three years now, and he never had this trouble when they were off-ship training. It was only here.

He could feel something calling him through the Force. It was loud and it drowned out everything else. He'd never felt something as strong as this and it only grew stronger with each passing day.

He turned over in his bed, yanking the sheets up to cover his torso. A frustrated huff fell from his lips as he squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out the cries. Whatever it was, it was in pain. He could feel its pain growing stronger with every second. He covered his head with his pillow, willing his mind to block it out. He needed to silence it.

But it persisted.

Kylo groaned and threw back the covers, letting the cold air bite at his bare torso. He gave up on sleep. It wasn't going to come to him no matter how hard he tried.

He paced the length of his room, the fire crackling in the fireplace the only sound. Aside from the crying, that is. It was maddening. He would've thought that, after three years of this, he would've gotten used to it. He thought that he could tune it out.

But no, it seemed that he was doomed to never sleep.

A louder wail-a scream, it seemed-shook him from his pacing and he slowed to a stop. It was in pain and the Force was reacting to it. Kylo grit his teeth as he turned to the flames in the room. He needed it to stop. He had to find it. Three years had driven him insane and he had to find this beacon and silence it. He had to do something.

He sat down before the flames, letting the gentle noise tug at his mind. Crossing his legs, he relaxed his body, falling into his meditating position. His eyes fluttered shut and he took in a deep breath through his nose. Falling into darkness, he called out to the Force, urging it to show him what was calling him. It couldn't be anything bad. The beacon only called to him on this ship and he knew that nothing that meant him harm could be here. Snoke and his reputation had made sure of that.

So then what was it? He was tired of not knowing.

Deep breaths filled his lungs as he focused in on the call. Nothing else mattered except for tracking the being that called to him. He fell into the embrace of the Force, listening to its whispers, urging it to show him what both he and it wanted him to see.

He was taken out of his chambers, down the hall, to the right. A left, followed by a right and two more lefts, led him to the elevator and the elevator led him down. The further he traveled from his chambers, the stronger the force pulling at him became. He could feel it gripping him tightly, urging him to hurry, begging for the contact.

He stayed in the elevator for a long time, falling deep into the hull of the Supremacy. Kylo didn't recognize the floor number he stopped on, but it didn't take him long to realize why: this was the cell floor-only used to hold prisoners of the First Order. It was rarely occupied. He didn't understand why the Force pulled him here, but it continued to tug at him. It was then that he caught a glimpse of what was calling to him.

Towards the end of the corridor, on the right side of the hall, shone a light. It was faint but bright enough to be abnormal. He could feel the warmth coming from it as well as the energy that pulled him. He let it carry him down the long corridor until it slowed just outside a barred door that read "LX-117".

The pull stopped at the cell door, freezing him in place. He tried peering into the small room through the bars, but the picture wouldn't focus. He could just barely make out a figure shrouded in light sitting in the corner. The figure, a woman from the looks of it, sat with her knees pulled to her chest and her head down but that was all he could make out. The energy and light coming from her, however, reached for him, clawing onto him desperately. The glow grew brighter the longer he was there.

He tried to force his way through to get a better look, but something stopped him at the bars. He couldn't pass, not even with all his might and concentration. If he wanted to see who was calling him, he realized, he'd have to go in person.

Opening his eyes, he was back in his chambers. The fire was still crackling before him, though a bit quieter as it died down. The call, however, was still as loud as ever. It was deafening now, loud enough to drown out everything else.

He climbed to his feet and made quick steps to his closet to yank open the door. He grabbed a shirt, a tunic, and his cloak, deeming them to be enough to cover him. His helmet sat on the dresser beside his door. He grabbed that too, pulling it onto his head as he slammed his hand on the control pad beside his door. It slid open with a hiss and he was released from his chambers.

He followed the path he'd traveled not moments before, his long legs making the journey swift. He hardly came upon anything living-just the random First Order officer or sanitation droid working in the night-leaving him on his journey alone.

He came to the elevator and took it down all the way to the cell floor. Through his helmet, he could see the floor numbers rapidly declining. His foot tapped impatiently. The call was growing stronger, latching onto his physical form and pulling him. He could feel the Force flowing through his body, weaving its tendrils through its limbs and finding a home in his chest. It clung to his life and hummed with satisfaction.

He let it. He let it pull him to where it wanted him to go.

When the elevator doors slid open, he made wide and swift steps down the hall. He searched for the blinding light that had drawn him before, but he saw nothing. There was no light other than what was provided by the lanterns above.

Kylo proceeded down the hall, his head turned to the right, searching for the number he'd been shown earlier.

LX-117.

It had to be here somewhere. He just needed to find it.

His eyes scanned the numbers until, at last, he found it. The tugging at his heart had stopped, the Force satisfied with his proximity. He slowed to a stop outside the cell and peered in. It was then that he got a good look at the cell's occupant.

It was a woman alright, small and frail and terrified. He could feel the fear rolling off her in waves. She wasn't glowing anymore, but he could still feel the warmth of the Force shrouding her. It was comforting in an odd sort of way.

He watched the figure with curious eyes. She sat so still he would've sworn that she was carved from stone. Her face stayed planted on her knees, her hands locked tight around them. She was frozen.

Questions flowed through Kylo's mind. Who was she? What was she doing here? Why was she calling him? How was she calling him?

All these and more he wanted to ask her. But he never got the chance.

As if sensing his presence outside her cell, her head snapped up and her eyes captured him with a smoldering intensity. Her face was unreadable, but the air around her shifted greatly towards fear. Her lips parted and there was a sharp intake of breath.

For a moment, neither of them moved. Kylo was too entrapped to even shift a muscle. She was too paralyzed by the sheer mass of him to do anything.

He wanted to speak, to ask her what was going on, but she beat him to the punch. And when he heard her voice, he faltered a bit.

She shied away from him, and in the smallest of voices, she begged, "Please don't hurt me."