Allegiance | Kylo Ren

LXV

I was woken up early the next morning by a rough hand shaking my shoulder. I jolted awake, meeting the eyes of a guard standing above me.

"Come with me." He whispered so as to avoid waking the other troopers.

I blinked sleepily at him, unsure of why I was being woken so early. Instead of asking questions, though, I nodded, instinctively reaching for my case of armor. He stopped me with a shake of his head.

"You don't need that. Follow me."

I cast an uneasy glance over my shoulder as we left, wishing someone would tell me what was going on. I followed him silently down the halls towards the training room. The entire facility seemed to be asleep; the lights were dimmed, and the corridors were eerily silent. We stopped when we reached the door of the training room. The guard swiped his access card, and then stood aside to let me enter. I gave him a glance as I passed him, entering the dark training room. The door slid shut behind me.

Rough hands grabbed me from behind, forcing me to the floor. I let out a yelp of surprise as I felt my hands being tied behind my back and a gag being forced into my mouth. I was yanked to my feet and shoved across the dark room until I hit a wall, where I was forced down onto my knees, facing the center of the training room.

The lights flickered on, illuminating the elongated room. I glanced around, my heart pounding. A guard stood on either side of me with stony expressions on their faces, refusing to meet my frightened gaze. On the other side of one of the guards, only feet away from me, was another figure bound and gagged, their head hanging weakly.

My heart plummeted. It was Mason.

I made a horrified sound through my gag, and his head snapped up, his eyes widening as they met mine. He tried to speak, but a swift smack from one of the guards shut him up. Instead, he stared at me with fear-filled eyes, just as clueless as I was as to why we were here and what was going on.

The doors at the end of the room opened, revealing General Hux. He strode forward with his hands clasped behind his back. A few moments later, a familiar cloaked figure followed. Kylo.

"Your final training assessment has been divided into two segments." Hux was explaining to Kylo, who hadn't yet noticed either of us kneeling at the end of the room. He was staring at the ground as they walked, clearly trying to concentrate. "This is your first task."

A quiet moan left my mouth, and Kylo's head shot up. He stared at me through his mask, his expression unreadable. Slowly he turned his head and examined Mason, who shifted uncomfortably under the gaze of the mask's black eyes.

"The Supreme Leader has noticed that you have formed a close bond with one of your troopers." Hux's voice was cold. "And it worries him. Friendships are not a part of the Dark Side; bonds with others only weaken us and make us soft. You must be able to prove that you are not affected by the feelings of others, especially those closest to you."

Kylo had yet to speak. He was facing Hux, awaiting clarifications of what exactly he was to do.

Hux continued. "To do this, Supreme Leader Snoke has ordered the execution of your friend's lover. You will perform the execution, and CL-1823 will watch as you do it, to prove that her emotions do not and will not interfere with your actions."

Hot tears streamed down my cheeks, blurring my vision. I tried to scream but the gag limited my voice to a loud squeak. Mason's eyes widened, and he fell back, instinctively trying to put as much distance as possible between himself and Kylo.

I shook my head as hard as I could, desperately trying to gain Kylo's attention. When it didn't work, I lunged towards Mason, but one of the guards grabbed me and shoved me backwards.

My chest was heaving, and panic was making my head spin. This couldn't be happening. Kylo wouldn't kill Mason—would he? I watched with wide eyes as Mason's guards grabbed him by the shoulders of his shirt and dragged him to the center of the room, directly in front of Kylo.

Mason turned his head so he could look at me. His face was filled with sadness as he regarded me from afar, his shoulders slumped in defeat.

Kylo lit his lightsaber. The red glare of the saber reflected in the metal of his mask, turning his face into a demonic disfigurement.

I let out another muffled scream, feeling terrified sobs wrack through my body. I turned my head away, feeling tears stream down my face. One of the guards grabbed my face and forced it forward so I would watch. I squeezed my eyes shut, refusing to see my boyfriend die.

There was a whir as the lightsaber cut through the air, and a muffled thud as Mason's body hit the floor.

My stomach was on fire from my sobbing. I fell to the ground, a long scream escaping my lungs.

"Well done." Hux praised. "The Supreme Leader will be pleased to hear that you have passed the first section of your assessment."

I heard the sound of footsteps as Hux departed. The guards followed, the sound of something dragging alerting me that they were taking Mason with them. My shoulders shook with silent sobs, my throat raw.

Quiet footsteps echoed through the room as Kylo approached me. He gently removed my hand ties and my gag, sitting on the floor next to me. He pulled off his mask, revealing his pale face.

I stared at him with tear-burned eyes, crawling reflexively away from him as fast as I could. I couldn't speak; my throat wouldn't produce words, and even if it would, I wasn't sure what I would say.

Kylo's eyes dropped from my face to the ground, and he pulled his knees to his chest. He ran his fingers through his hair before burying his face in his hands, his shoulders slumped.

We sat in silence, the only sound being the ragged breaths that escaped my mouth as I stared sightlessly at the ground, grief overtaking every one of my senses.

After what seemed like eternity, I found my voice. "I hate you."

He spoke through his hands. "I know."

******

A/N:  I'm sorry.