Flying Through the Flames || Poe Dameron [The Force Awakens + the Last Jedi]

Resist

Nyssa's POV

I could feel both of them coming before I could hear Ren's deliberate steps down the hall toward my cell. Then I listened to the whoosh of the cell door opposite mine slide open. Someone shoved Poe inside, and then the door hissed shut, the guard inside with him.

I could feel Ren's ilk of a presence slink away like crude oil on water, retreating like the coward he was.

I bit back the urge to call out to Poe, ask if he was alright, and then sent a spool of my power through his cell door; a probe to feel his level of distress.

Distressed, certainly, but uninjured. A small mercy.

We couldn't talk to each other, that much I knew, a stormtrooper would somehow force me into silence if I tried to speak to Poe. I wouldn't risk any of them understanding what we said to each other, either. We couldn't communicate.

At least not with words.

Then I remembered the birdsongs we used to talk, as a secret way of communicating through whistling, hoping that the day would never come where we would actually have to use it. I grinned, despite the horrible situation I was still unsure how we'd get out of.

I took a breath, pursing my lips before I let out a sharp whistle; the call of the Scarlet Tanager. It was my signal that I was there, or to get someone's attention.

I held my breath as I waited for a response, but one finally came, a short, clipped few notes that confirmed he was okay. My heart soared.

I wasn't sure what Kylo's plans were for us; if he'd try and torture the information out of us or what. I knew I was safe, but I knew I couldn't say the same for Poe. He couldn't fight back if Kylo tried to get into his mind, I knew he didn't have the same resistance to it. Even though he was force-sensitive, it wouldn't be enough to stop Ren.

His cell door opened again, but it wasn't Ren who walked in. Instead, it was a stormtrooper or some official from the First Order, I couldn't tell.

Poe's stress spiked, no doubt a result of whatever the person said. I was sure Poe was about to be 'questioned' like Kylo had tried to do with me, but with more mundane methods. Ren knew not to try them with me. That would've been a waste of resources and Ren knew it.

He wouldn't break. He couldn't. He had to resist. I knew he could.

I let out another whistle. It meant one thing: resist.

*

I was proud of Poe. He hadn't cracked, and the brutal questioning had gone on for hours. I was sure they had hurt him, but I wasn't sure how. Regardless of how he presented to whoever was questioning him, I knew he was terrified. His heartbeat pulsed terror. But he didn't crack and I was so proud. I wished I could tell him it was going to be okay, but in all honesty, I didn't know that was true.

What I did know was that I was going to fight as hard as I could to get us out. Even if it killed me. It would be worth it if that's what it costed.

The hair on the back of my neck stood on end a minute later, and I tilted my head. I felt Ren coming back. My breath caught in my throat as I heard him enter Poe's cell and I heard my heartbeat in my ears. Poe's distress tripled. His fear tainted the air all the way into my cell.

It was like the nightmare I had all over again. I could do nothing but listen, and barely even that. I could only feel vaguely what was going on, but the pieces were easy to put together. My stomach dropped as Poe's pain mixed with the fear. I did not have hope Poe could stand against Ren if he invaded his mind and took the information by force.

The roar of my best friend split the air in my cell, and I gripped the sides of the chair I was strapped to. Blazing rage grew in my chest, licking my fingertips and begging for release, each second of Poe's scream stoking the fire. I was going to kill Ren. I was going to destroy him.

I knew Ren had gotten what he wanted when Poe went quiet and a little piece of my heart cracked.