036. INVASION OF PRIVACY

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Finn looked around the room in confusion. He could've sworn that he'd been standing in the cargo hold about two seconds ago. However, he clearly wasn't there anymore. He checked his shoulder as an inaudible whisper brushed his ear. He shuddered when there was no one present.

"Hello?" his voice quivered and echoed around the expanse.

As if responding to his voice, a pinprick of light began to glow at what he assumed to be the other end of the room. He took a step forward but tripped on something underneath his feet. His body slammed into the ground, and he placed a hand to his head to help the disoriented feeling fade. He sat up and turned to see what he'd stepped on. His eyes widened as he then realized that he hadn't tripped over anything; instead, something had grabbed him.

His breathing quickened as the light behind him increased and revealed a hand devoid of flesh and muscle. The bones wrapped around his ankle and strengthened their grip as he put in more effort to escape their clutch. He frantically looked around for something that might help him pry free, but that's when he noticed the hand wasn't the only skeleton in the room. Several withered figures began to crawl their way toward him, and he shrieked. He scrambled backward in a frenzy as more hands clawed at him.

The original source of light grew brighter as he drew closer. Seeing the entrance to the other room, he made his way to his feet and sprinted forward. Without hesitation, he closed the door behind him and pressed his back against it to prevent anything else from following him through. After the initial pounding on the other side of the door stopped, he slowly slid down to his knees and pulled them close to his chest, burying his face in them as well.

"I suppose the skeletons in my closet are nastier than others."

Finn looked up, his eyes still wide; however, that's when he noticed the mesh in front of his face that concealed both his identity and the identity of the figure looming overhead. The cloak extended a hand and Finn hesitantly accepted it.

"We have much to discuss," the figure added and gestured for Finn to follow, "This way."

Finn raised an eyebrow but did as instructed and followed the other figure. He was forced to shudder as they passed by several rooms much like the one he'd woken up inside. Although none of them were the same as the others, each room possessed creatures far more horrifying than the next. Finn looked forward and was forced to pick up the pace of his walk as he noticed that whoever the figure leading was pulling ahead with no intention of slowing down. Finn opened his mouth to ask a question but discovered that he was unable make any sound at all. His hands drifted up around his throat as he made an attempt to clear it; however, even then he remained silent. Growing panicked, Finn tried to pull the mesh of the cloak away from his face that remained in place as well.

"You'll have to excuse any inconveniences," the figure explained, "I hadn't realized that the effects of summoning you would be so excruciating. Unfortunately, it seems to have affected you in some regard as well."

Finn nodded his head in agreement and crossed his arms.

"I suppose this will make things difficult," the figure noted and seemed to stroke his chin in thought over the mask, "Especially since we do need to talk... perhaps it would just be easier to show you."

Finn nodded his head again and gestured for the figure to proceed.

The figure opened one of the doors, "Once inside... you may just realize that we aren't all that different."

I don't even know who you are. Finn silently sighed but followed the figure inside. He blinked his eyes quickly to adjust to the sudden change of light, now much brighter than before. The superficial light created by the surrounding machinery was almost blinding. Despite the undesirable circumstances, it didn't take him much longer to gain his bearings. He had no clue where he was, but he was surrounded by crates of some sort.

"Come closer, little one."

Finn froze at the sound of the voice that he'd only heard through recordings prior to this point. He must've been hearing things since he could've sworn that the individual that the voice belonged to was long dead. He tried to look overtop the crates, but it was no use; however, a whimper from behind caused him to turn. In the corner, a child was curled up into a ball, trying his best to cover his heads.

"I said," the voice resonated around the walls, "That it was time to come out."

Without warning, the crates surrounding him and the child were thrust aside as if they were weightless. Finn jumped and turned to face the voice. He felt his throat close up and it became difficult to breathe; however, it was his own doing as he once again panicked at the sight of Supreme Leader Snoke. He'd never been unfortunate enough to meet the Supreme Leader face to face, but he'd heard enough rumors to live in fear of the man. What most failed to note was that he was much larger than anyone had ever described him, and his very presence made everyone else in the room feel insignificant in comparison.

He could hear the child shuffling along the wall behind him, trying to flee but having nowhere to go. Finn wasn't sure whether he stayed put in front of the child because he was too petrified to move or if he'd made the conscious decision to make sure no harm befell the child; however, it was pointless either way as the child was pulled straight through him. Finn gasped and patted himself down as if to make sure he was all there.

The cloaked figure that had led him to the room chuckled from beside him, "It's a memory..." the chuckle turned bitter, "Nothing that can be changed now, no matter how hard one may try."

Finn looked around. There was no way that he could possibly be in the same room as Snoke and still be alive. He felt the color drain from his face as he came to a sudden realization. Am I dead?

"No," the figure shook his head and Finn looked over at him shocked.

"You can hear me?"

"Your thoughts at least," the figure replied, "I found your actions almost admirable despite how annoyed I am with you."

"How long—"

"From the moment you saw Snoke," the figure explained, "Your thoughts are quite loud, but I wouldn't expect anything else when looking back at the conversations we've had... This way now."

"What's with the disguise?"

The figure shrugged, "I suppose even in the furthest reaches of vulnerability within my mind I still prefer privacy."

As he followed the figure, the scenery around them changed. Finn winced as earpiercing screams filled the once dead air. The same boy from before stood chained to a pole where a nearby guard cracked a whip against his back.

"Please..." the boy pleaded between gasps of breath.

Tears streamed down the sides of his face. From the trickles of blood falling from his cheeks, it was evident that the guard lacked accuracy or simply didn't care. Finn tried to turn his head away as the guard wound his arm up to go again; however, the figure placed a hand to the back of his head and made him watch. The boy writhed in agony as his flesh was torn by each strike. Although he couldn't turn his head, Finn could feel the figure behind him flinch and stiffen with each crack of the whip.

"Pl-ease," the boy's voice hitched as he was struck again.

"That's enough," a uniformed officer stepped foot into the room.

"General Hux," the guard saluted.

"Hux? How old is that guy?"

"Not the Hux you know," the figure bitterly retorted, "His father, Brendol. Just as insufferable though."

"The Supreme Leader requests the boy's presence."

"Yes, General."

Without giving him a moment to rest, the boy was dragged away by another pair of guards that entered the room. He released a cry of pain as his open wounds were irritated in the process. The figure released Finn's head and he immediately turned the other way.

"Unpleasant to watch, even more so to experience," the figure took Finn by the shoulder and guided him toward another room.

"Well done," Finn watched as the scene changed again to reveal the boy, now older, standing before Snoke with an ignited red blade, "Again."

"But I did it perfectly," the boy protested, "You said so your—"

"I did not," Snoke interrupted, "It was nowhere near perfect, perhaps mediocre at best. You will practice the sequence again."

"I've already run the sequence a hundred times today," the boy objected.

"And you will run it a thousand more if necessary," Snoke insisted, "It is the only way that you'll ever be ready."

"Ready for what, master?" the boy asked in frustration.

"You are not ready to know that yet."

"When will I be ready?"

"When he tells me."

"He?" the boy's brows knit in confusion and his breathing quickened, "Who is he? Why won't you tell me anything?"

"You're not ready."

"I am!"

"You are not!"

The boy shut his mouth and lowered his eyes to the ground, "I'm sorry, master—I'll run the sequence again."

Snoke shook his head, "I think that's been enough for today... General."

The boy's eyes widened and he quickly shook his head, "I'll go again, I'll do it perfectly! You don't have to do this!"

Snoke waved his hand to dismiss the boy and the General stepped forward. The boy shook his head and frantically looked around the room. He thrust out his arms, but a pair of guards quickly subdued him and took the weapon from his hands.

"When he is more compliant, he may return and try again," Snoke addressed General Hux Sr.

The boy struggled against his restraints as he was led from the room. The boy shouted and pleaded to be heard, "I won't fight anymore! I'll do as you ask!" His shouts faded for a brief moment and there was silence. Finn turned toward the figure, but he held up a hand signaling for him to wait. Less than a minute later a howl of pain echoed through every corridor of the vessel.

"What are they doing to him?"

"Once the whips were no longer effective," the figure explained, "they modified their methods and hired experts that knew how to combine fear and anguish into something much worse."

The figure took Finn by the shoulder once more and led him off toward another scene. Unlike before, they were no longer surrounded by machinery; rather, a forest of vines that wished to swallow them whole. Even though he tried to push back, the figure pressed forward. The only thing familiar about the place was the boy keeping himself warm by the fire. He looked much thinner than before, and his eyes appeared hollower.

"How much longer do we have to be out here?" the boy asked.

"Shh," Finn just about shrieked as the witch stepped out from the underbrush and shushed the boy, "They draw near."

"Who draws near?" he asked.

"You will see," she replied and quieted him once more as rustling in the bushes could be heard once more.

A small group of confused individuals stepped through the undergrowth. The ground shook and they weren't given the opportunity to run as vines wrapped around their ankles and pulled them toward the fire. Finn tried to step forward, but the figure held out an arm and stopped him from proceeding forward. He stopped and watched as the flames cast shadows across their faces and illuminated their fear. The witch urged the boy forward.

He hesitantly looked back, "What am I to do?"

"What you've been taught," her eyes seemed to glow more than they had before.

The boy took a deep breath and faced the small group. He raised his hands, but they shook as he began to practice his training. The creatures twisted and writhed but were unable to escape. Although they may have once been people, their forms quickly became distorted. The boy averted his eyes and almost seemed to look toward Finn for help. Even though he knew he was looking straight through him, Finn couldn't help but wish to reach out to the boy.

The boy's voice wavered, "I... can't do this."

"Yes, you can," the witch encouraged, "You're strong enough. You're ready."

His expression hardened at her words, and he focused on calming his breathing and stilling the shake of his hands. As the life force and energy were drained, only husks of the creatures past selves remained as proof that they once existed. The witch's grin grew softer as she watched the boy look down at his hands in awe. He quickly turned toward the fire and thrust out his hands. The flames slowly died down and eventually extinguished themselves.

"I did it!" He laughed with glee then turned to face the witch with a whisper, "I did it."

"I knew that you could."

He nodded his head before looking around wildly, "I need more."

The witch's expression fell, "You shouldn't move on so quickly—"

"I need more!" he insisted, "Where can I find more?"

She sighed and nodded her head, "Rest tonight, and tomorrow we will search again."

The boy nodded his head in compromise as the witch led him back through the forest toward where Finn could only assume they were staying. The figure stepped forward and watched the two disappear in the growth.

"You're the boy... aren't you?"

The figure nodded his head, "That's correct."

Finn stepped forward, "What does this have to do with me?"

"You still don't get it?" the figure faced Finn, "Then let's take a look at your past, shall we?"

The figure then took hold of Finn's shoulder and dragged him downward. Finn gasped as he was suddenly falling, but unable to see anything. He couldn't tell how long the sensation lasted, but the amount of light available drastically changed once more and he was forced to blink to adjust. He stood and dusted himself off as the figure took a step forward to look over the balcony that they'd landed on.

"So, this is where you're from?" the figure turned back to look at Finn.

"Where exactly are we?" Finn joined him at his side.

"You don't know?" the figure cocked his head and seemed to chuckle, "And yet you still struggle to understand how alike we are?"

Finn silently sighed, "Where too?"

"This is your memory," the figure shrugged, "Not mine."

"Then why can't I speak?"

"Consider it a perk."

Finn rolled his eyes beneath the mask that still covered his face. Before he could mentally retort, something seemed to call out to him. He turned his head and began to walk in the direction.

"You could say something—well, you know what I mean," the figure followed and crossed his arms, "I was kind enough to guide you along the way, you may as well return the favor."

Finn lifted a finger as if to shush him before turning right and descending a pair of stairs before exiting the building.

"If we didn't seem so rushed, I'd suggest we stay and get a closer look at the lavish architecture," the figure whistled in awe, "Unlike anything I've ever seen."

Finn waved his hand to signal for him to catch up as he continued to walk down the paved road. Suddenly, the calling was gone. Finn turned and looked around, trying to find some reason why he'd been drawn to that specific spot. A pair of screams caught his attention. His head whirled until he spotted a First Order trooper hauling away a little girl. A pair of small boys sprinted after the trooper shouting incoherently. The girl reached out toward them, tears streaming down her face. Finn seethed and ran over to the trooper; however, as he prepared to tackle the individual to the ground, he sailed straight through the armor and tumbled to the ground on the other side.

The cloaked figure offered him a hand, "I keep trying to tell you—"

"Memory, can't touch it, I get it," Finn accepted his hand and stood.

"You know those kids?"

"I don't know..."

One of the boys picked a rock up off of the ground and chucked it as hard as he could. It clinked off the trooper's helmet and fell to the ground. The trooper turned, probably more annoyed than anything else. Something was spoken through his commlink, but he quickly yelped out in pain as the other kid had run up and kicked the trooper in the weak point of the armor's shin. The girl was dropped as the trooper grabbed his shin and began to hop on one leg while howling. The boys grabbed the girl by her hands and pulled her forward to her feet. Finn sighed with relief as the three began to run off together. However, just as he thought they'd made it into the clear. The boy who'd been running in the back had been shot. The girl screamed as he collapsed on to the ground. The boy who'd been in the front froze, but ultimately picked the girl up and kept running.

"Nayc! Vi ganar at Gaa'tayl!" the girl screamed, "Kaysh cuyir cuun vod!"

Finn stopped following the two kids and went back to stand overtop the fallen boy. His breath hitched as he watched the boy's chest rise and fall. He'd been stunned. But that wasn't what startled him. No, it was the fact that he was staring at his own face. A trooper bent over, now inches away from Finn and looked the boy over. He waited a minute before scooping the boy up into his arms and joining the other troopers.

"The First Order needed recruits," the trooper stated gruffly.

"You're just bitter that he bruised your shin," the trooper beside him chuckled.

"You'd be bitter too after everything that I just went through."

"What's the little guy doing all the way out here anyway?"

"Who cares? Are we tracking the other two?"

"We lost sight of them after we stunned the kid."

The trooper swore under his breath before handing the kid off to another trooper, "Have him checked out when we get back to the station."

The cloaked figure cocked his head and stepped up beside Finn, "I don't understand... Where were you in this memory?"

Finn simply pointed toward the kid.

"That can't be right?" the figure looked around.

"I'm not sure I understand myself," Finn silently scoffed, "I thought I'd been trained since birth-"

"In the Jedi temple perhaps," the figure began to pace.

Finn raised an eyebrow and slowly turned to face the figure, "You keep referencing things that we've never spoken about and things that I certainly don't understand... who do you think I am?"

The figure tore the mask from his face and Finn immediately recoiled. He'd long begun to assume who'd been beneath the cloak, but seeing his face was entirely different. Seth didn't hesitate. He stormed forward and yanked the mesh hood off of his face and threw it to the ground. His eyes widened in shock before his expression hardened with rage.

"No, no, no!" he shouted toward the sky, "How could this have happened?!"

"You could have taken that off the whole time?!" Finn hollered and his eyes immediately widened at the sound of his own voice. He couldn't help but laugh hysterically, "by force I can speak again... You could have done that in the beginning!"

"I liked it better when you couldn't speak," Seth growled.

"It would have saved you a lot of trouble," Finn protested and crossed his arms before slowly realizing, "You—You thought I was Evangeline."

"No—well yes—my goal was to summon Evangeline," Seth admitted, "You see, I'd hoped to persuade her to reconsider my offer, but now I'm simply stuck here with you."

"Stuck here?" Finn raised an eyebrow, "Get us unstuck then."

"I don't know how," Seth threw out his arms indignantly, "I'd never done this before now. I needed the girl to show me how it was done!"

"Great," Finn turned and muttered to himself, "I'm trapped in the mind of a psychopath."

"Actually," Seth corrected, "You're trapped within your own mind within my mind."

"How is that any less confusing?"

"It's not... but it could prove beneficial."

Finn faced Seth, "What do you mean by that?"

"You've spoken with the witch," Seth explained, "Don't deny it, I noticed how uneasy you grew whenever she first appeared."

"I'm uncomfortable with all of this force... stuff," Finn retorted in exasperation, "I haven't understood a thing that's gone on since Poe dragged me into that escape pod on Jedha."

"We'll see about that," Seth slowly grinned and the scenery began to change again.

"What are you doing?" Finn asked but felt himself grow disoriented.

Suddenly, he was back inside the cargo hold. Finn looked around and noted that he was receiving stares from everyone in the room. His eyes frantically looked around for the cloaked figure that was sure to haunt his nightmares from that point forward.

"Where is he?"

"Who?" Poe raised an eyebrow and looked around, "Are you feeling alright there, buddy?"

"I'm fine," Finn insisted but his eyes continued to shift back and forth.

"Perhaps we should continue this later," Leia said, concern filling her voice.

Finn shook his head, "No, no, don't stop on my account. I'm fine, really."

Leia sighed but nodded her head and the witch cleared her throat, "As I was saying, in order to close the bridge, we'll have to go to the planet Romur. Only there are the materials necessary to enact the spell..."

The witch's voice faded until Finn was unable to hear anything that she was saying. "So... she's heading back to Romur," Seth grinned and stepped out of the shadows, "I suppose you did prove yourself useful after all. Now what did the Admiral say your call sign was... FN-2187? Whatever it is, The First Order commends you for your service."

"Did you forget that you're stuck here with me?" Finn spat, "You said so yourself, we're stuck."

"Or so I thought," Seth chuckled, "It seems that your resistance buddies are rather fond of you after all. They've been pounding on my head for the past hour trying to wake you. Although it only felt like seconds to you, it took much longer than I thought to retrieve that information from your head once you revealed who you were."

"It will kill you," Finn desperately shouted as he could begin to feel himself being pulled away, "It will kill all of you if you don't close it."

Seth chuckled and shook his head, "That's a nice try, but I'm not so gullible as to believe everything that the witch has to say."

Finn eyes opened and he gasped for breath as he quickly sat up. A blanket was thrust around his shoulders and that's when he realized that he was unable to stop shaking nor stop his teeth from chattering.

"How are you doing, buddy?" Poe asked, inches from his face.

Finn quickly pulled him close and held him tight as he tried to calm his breathing.

Poe cleared his throat, "You're uh, holding me a bit tight there, buddy. Are you alright?"

Finn released his grip and pulled the blanket tighter around himself. He looked down and noticed the crate of ice water that he sat in, "W-what?"

"The medics were unable to get you to cool down," Poe explained, "And since most of the more advanced technology was left behind on Crait... well this was a last resort. They were starting to think that you weren't going to pull through."

"W-what h-happened?" Finn stuttered as he shuddered.

"As Evangeline left the room you collapsed," Poe replied, "You wouldn't wake up and your temperature started to rise. It was sort of like you experienced one of her episodes without all the screaming."

Finn turned his head and jumped when the first thing he saw was the witch's face, "It looks like you've seen a ghost... or something far worse." Finn eyed her as if trying to figure out what all she knew. Mischief glinted in her eyes, but she remained unreadable as she backed away and took a seat in the corner of the room.

"How are you feeling?" Rey placed a hand on his shoulder, "We were all quite worried about you."

"W-where's Evangeline now?" Finn asked and noticed that Rey's demeanor seemed to change at the mention of her name.

"Ben said she was sleeping peacefully," she replied, "Or at least he did the last time we saw him."

"How long have I been out?"

"A few hours now," Poe replied, "I think you actually slept through most of the journey."

Finn's eyes widened and he tried to stand, "We can't go to Romur!"

Poe forced him to sit back down, "Hey, everything is going to be alright, we're getting this whole mess sorted out."

Finn shook his head, "You don't understand, everything is not going to be alright because we're not going to be ready for what's waiting for us."

"You're not making any sense, buddy," Poe again forced him to sit.

"Would you stop that?" Finn asked, "I'm fine, just let me up!"

"The medic said to rest," Rey retorted and helped Poe force him to sit down, "So you're going to rest."

"None of this is going to matter if Seth gets there first!" Finn shouted.

"Why would Seth get there first?" Poe raised an eyebrow.

"Because he knows where we're going."

Finn turned his head to face Evangeline who stood in the doorway. The others looked at Finn as if he should contradict her; instead, he nodded his head in agreement, "I've spoken with Seth... he knows that we're going to Romur to close the bridge. He knows that keeping it open could kill everyone involved and he doesn't care."

"Sounds about right," Evangeline scoffed and nodded her head, "We should find another way to close the bridge."

Ben shook his head, "We don't have time to find another way."

The witch nodded in agreement, "He is right about this. Romur is the only way to close the bridge."

"Unlike before," Evangeline quietly added after a moment of silence, "We know that he's either following or will be waiting for us. We can prepare."

Finn shook his head, "I'm not sure anyone can prepare... there's something else." The others raised their eyebrows waiting for him to continue. "He's still hoping you'll reconsider his offer to join him, Evangeline."

"I already know about that," she crossed her arms, "And I've turned him down more than once."

Finn sighed and shook his head again, "He seemed fairly certain that it was inevitable for you to stand by his side... I think he's found a way to make it happen."

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• author's notes •

mando'a translations:
- nayc : no
- vi ganar at gaa'tayl : we have to help
- kaysh cuyir cuun vod : he is our brother

• fin •