Angel of Death

Chapter 4 - Truth

Author's Note: In which some answers are given. ;)

~ Amina Gila

Anakin's heart is pounding, the Force screaming around him as he skids around the corner so fast that he nearly falls. Something is wrong. Something is wrong, and Palpatine is at the center of it. He thinks he's fortunate that he was here already in the Senate, not to mention on the planet. He can feel a maelstrom of darkness and death on the edge of his senses. It doesn't make sense for someone to have been able to get past security, but...

He uses the Force to push open the doors of the Chancellor's office, entering with trepidation, looking around in a bid to spot the elder man. "Your Excellency?" he calls out hesitantly.

The door slides shut behind him almost of its own accord, and he jumps. But it was just the door. He doesn't sense anyone else here. For that matter, he doesn't sense anything except the Dark Side and a feeling of foreboding that makes him want to run and not look back. The Force is practically screaming at him, telling him to run, but he doesn't. He can't. If Palpatine is in danger, Anakin has to protect him, not only because he's the Chancellor, but because he is his friend. He doesn't abandon his friends.

"Ah, my boy, it is good to see you." Palpatine steps into view, the smile on his face dark and twisted. "I am glad you're here."

Run, screams the Force, but Anakin is frozen to the spot. "Are you... alright?" Anakin asks tentatively, fingers twitching as he considers running. The Force has never led him astray before, but it's warning makes no sense to him. Why would it be warning him about his mentor?

Palpatine chuckles, stepping closer. "Better than alright," he answers glibly. "I have a question for you."

Anakin remains tense, unable to relax in the face of this... strangeness. "What is it?"

"Tell me, Anakin, on Tatooine, if a slave kills their master, how are they punished?"

The Force rips at him, and he jolts backwards with a strangled scream, the office shifting in front of his eyes. Palpatine is lying on the floor, dead, a blaster bolt through his chest. Anakin wants to move, but he's rooted to the spot, denial and uncertainty tearing at him. This is – no, this is wrong. This isn't – this isn't what happened. He wasn't – he didn't –

The truth crashes down on him, and he realizes that Palpatine might as well be dead, for all that his appearance was faked, hiding the true person beneath. He's dreaming, he realizes, and it's not a normal dream. None of this has been, but it's been going on for so long that he no longer knows the difference between fact and fiction. But if he's dreaming, he needs to wake up.

***

Anakin's eyes fly open, and he sees the interior of a cell. He knows this cell. He's been here for so long that he has no idea how much time has passed anymore. It could have been days or weeks or even months; he doesn't know. He might cling to the hope that the Jedi would find him, if only they knew where he was. He doesn't even know. He doesn't know what Sidious wants with him either. He doesn't know if – if his family is still alive.

His mind is fragmented now, scattered, and he's losing track of reality. He has seen... so much death. What was real? What was fake? What was a nightmare? What was a trick of the Sith? He doesn't know. He doesn't know anything, and he hates it. He's gripped by an all-encompassing fear which is devouring him from the inside out.

Force please. I can't continue on like this. But even now, he won't consider giving in. He's chained to the wall like a disobedient animal being punished by its indulgent master. He loathes that more than anything.