A Reylo Romance: "Don't be Afraid, I Feel it Too"

Breaking Out - Part 2

We walk through the narrow passage lined with pipes and electrical wires. Finn leads the way to the ship's core. My strength has returned now and Mom seems a lot better too. We move fast, the heat of the core reactor reaching down through the long passageway to us. I wipe the sweat off my brow.

"Almost there," Finn says in a loud whisper over his shoulder. I'm grateful to him. He knows the layout of the service areas on the ship that I'm unfamiliar with. We've avoided all the guards above and will come out at the warp core, at the bottom of the drop from the throne room.

Finn steps into the core reactor chamber first. He wipes his forehead, the bright light from the reactor bathing him in white. I squint ahead. The warp core is massive. I look up and see the pathway bridge between the throne and the entrance up high. It's impossible to hear anything over the loud hum of the warp core.

Finn waves his hand at me, trying to get my attention. He points to a metal ladder leading upwards. I rush over and start to climb.

The ladder goes up so far that I can't even see to the top of it. I look down again. Finn is making his way up after me. I jump off to the side. He gives me a questioning look. I point up. "You go first," I say, although I don't think he can hear me, but he gets what I'm saying. BB-8 bumps my leg. I lean down and scoop her up into my arms. "Can you hold onto me?" I ask her.

She nods and extends some clasps from her doors, then clips the fabric of my shirt tight. Finn is already far up ahead. I grasp the ladder with both hands and start to climb. Mom follows after me and we continue on in silence, my heart beating faster with each rung I climb. Rey has to be okay, she has to be.

Finn slows near the top, looking over his shoulder at the throne room entrance. We are directly beneath the passageway. He gives me the quiet signal with his hand. As I near him at the top I begin to hear voices.

"We tried, Your Supreme Leadership..." Hux says.

"It's made of stone is it not?" Snoke asks. "Then open it!"

BB-8 weighs heavy on me as I hang onto the ladder, waiting. I can feel the dark blue crystal energies again. There's more up there somewhere.

"Don't say anything," I whisper to BB-8.

"We tried everything," Hux says from above. "It's under some kind of spell."

"And Skywalker?"

"He wasn't there."

"Enough!" Snoke yells, then begins to cough. "Must I do everything? How soon before the crystal beam reaches Ahch-To?"

"About two days, Your Supreme Leadership. Had we known the sword was there-"

"It's enough time."

I look up, past Finn, but I can't see Snoke's throne because of the bridge right above us.

"Girl..." he snarls. "Tell me how I can get the red light saber out of the tomb."

"I don't know." It's Rey. She speaks with much effort, sounding weak. She's alive and she's still up there.

"Shall I search your thoughts further?" Snoke says.

"You won't find the answer," Rey replies. "All I know is that it was sealed by the Force and can only be opened using the Force."

"Then I'll do it myself."

I take deep breaths as I wait, my palms sweating. I look down to see how Mom is doing. She's holding on.

"Go!" Snoke commands in a loud voice. "Prepare my ship." He's now speaking from halfway across the bridge and I hear the shuffle of his walk.

"What about her?" Hux says.