The Rising

Frame job

Dooku almost glided down the hallway as he walked. 

His hands held fingertip to fingertip, their usual manner, as his eyes scanned the hallway intersection not fifty feet from him. 

He waited a moment before he pulled a strange card from his pocket and scanned it near a seemingly blank wall. 

After a second the wall shifted back then to the side revealing a secret passageway. Dooku glanced at the hallway once more before he slipped inside, his breath formed in front of him as he slipped down the dark and cramped hallway. 

The hallway itself was not as protected from the harsh cold of the seafloor but it still provided him a convenient way for him to get around the base unseen. 

He smiled slightly to himself before coming to a halt not too long after entering the secret passageway. 

He could hear the soft muffled sounds of droids patrolling the corridor on the other side of the secret door, their steady clanking sounds almost made his head spin as he reached for the access card that was still in his pocket. 

As the sounds faded away Dooku pulled the card out and quickly scanned it into the hidden slot, refusing to even notice his shaking hands while he did so, the door in front of him on the other hand slid open as easily as the previous one before he stepped through. 

He glanced down both sides of the hallway before dusting himself free of the dirt and dust he had picked up in the hidden passage. 

Dooku for the most part still looked as prim and popper as he usually did, despite the fact his heart was beating a hundred miles an hour in his chest. 

His mind wandered slightly to when he caught snippets of a conversation between the Sith lord Sidius and lord Gorr as he calmly walked down the hallway to the experiment rooms.

"He is far too old to do your bidding master, let me take his place, I alone can make your empire grow to-"

Gorr was cut off by Sidius's harsh and raspy voice "No, you will not replace him. I have someone far better to replace my loyal count. But do not fret, you will have plenty of test subjects for you to play with". 

Dooku shuddered as he remembered the conversation, he had always figured on taking over Sidius's role before being killed either in battle or even by his own master. 

His attention was brought back to reality when he almost ran face-first into the door of his target. He shook his head as he steadied himself, the door itself was heavily secured with multiple layer encryption that was only rivaled by the heavy metal door. 

Dooku had to resist the urge to smirk as he scanned the second card he had in his pocket before the large heavy door slid open. 

Inside the room, Dooku could see vials, bottles, and large tanks full of experimental objects and fluids that made even his skin crawl. Dooku shook off the feeling before he walked over to one of the workstations. He gazed at the table full of vials feeling slightly overwhelmed before he finally found what he was looking for. 

It was small but it glowed blue and as he picked it up he felt as though something warm was washing over him. 

He shook his head trying to rid himself of the feeling before he pocketed the vial and swiftly turned around leaving the room as fast as he came in. 

The heavy door barely slid shut behind him before he was off again, this time his trip was to just a couple of yards down the hall. 

And he heard people's and droid's voices on the other side of this door.