Ask Medicine Man

[Darth Invictus]

Ender's eyes couldn't stop twitching no matter how much he tried against it. Black veins gathered around his eyes, his pupils almost changing hue but not completed yet. Ever since exploring the fortress with the others, his mind hadn't been the same since. He had tried to force open a door but it was as if the structure was alive and spoke to him, telling him he had failed before inflicting a poison in his head. Ender hadn't slept in days, he chose to cut off contact with people he knew as he couldn't tell what was real and what wasn't anymore. He didn't even know the planet he was, somehow just arriving there and been walking ever since.

He had thought against it for a while but eventually, he couldn't bear it anymore and had sent a message to Talak. The only thing on it was just the coordinates that he was currently at, this being the first time he managed to stay in one place without wandering off. Time moved to a crawl for him, not even remembering when he had sent the coordinates to the fellow Sith, it could have been days ago or even less, but to him, it felt like it had been weeks since he had heard anything. It was agony and he was sure that he was beginning to lose his mind, making fall back on one solution he think would help.

When he and Talak infiltrated the Hutt's palace, they had to enter a guard's mind to steal information out of him to get their target. Ender was hoping for the same principle. Talak was the only other Sith he had seen that invaded another person's mind and he was hoping for the same thing but instead of trying to find something in his head, he hoped that the Legionnaire would be able to rip something out, permanently. He would have done it himself but he didn't even know where up and down was, too focused on making sure that his mind didn't get spilt in two as kept pacing back and forth.

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak didn't know what he was getting himself into. Ender had sent him coordinates on a world in the Outer Rim, but he didn't know why. Talak had sent a return message but received no reply, which had him on edge. Was this a trap? Did Ender need help?

He pulled back on a lever on the Nomad's console and the ship dropped out of hyperspace with the characteristic lurch as the planet came whooshing into focus. He knew the world because it was the same one that the two had first met on. A large, open, hot world and the coordinates put him near the sea and the nexus that the two had first explored together.

That doesn't speak to a trap, he thought to himself and flipped another switch on the console. The ship's scanner booted up and started giving him a read out of everything near the coordinates. One life form, he read the display. That would be Ender, of course, though the reason for being so cryptic remained a mystery.

With no other vehicles nearby, he took the risk that this wasn't a trap and landed the ship nearby.

Lock the ship down, Artee, and keep an eye on the scanners for me, he said.

Of course, master, as always I'll let you know if I see anything, the sassy droid responded.

Talak made his way down the exit ramp, heading toward Ender and coming to a stop in front of him. He could sense something... different about him than before. It had been there on Nal Hutta as well, but it was much more pronounced now.

Although he knew it wasn't possible, it was almost as if he didn't even realize Talak was here. There was a cold, black that radiated from him in the Force.

Ender? he asked with a frown, keeping a safe distance away. Something about this entire situation felt very off to Talak, and it certainly had him on edge.

 

[Darth Invictus]

Ender felt something coming straight for him, a presence in the force that he could recognize but barely. Was it Talak? Had he finally received the message? How long has it been since he last sent it? That didn't matter now, he was here and he could help and if he couldn't, then he would at least be able to put Ender out of his misery. He tried to calm himself down, nurturing his thoughts but he couldn't keep out the constant aching pain in the temple of his head. When called out Ender's name, he reacted like a cornered animal, panicking as his lightsaber was immediately drawn out, both of the blades activated as he aimed one of them at Talak.

There was still a safe distance between the two of them and the weapon aimed at Talak started shaking slightly, not being held by a steady hand as Ender used his other to dig his fingers into his scalp to distract himself. "Are you real?" With not having slept for the past few days, hallucinations were starting to form and he already met Talak a few times, constantly repeating conversations until he always found out that it was just his imagination again. Ender stared at him with a skeptical gaze, holding it a few moments before starting to speak as his lightsaber deactivated, repeating the conversation anyway even if he wasn't real.

"I need your help. There's something in my head." He pointed to his skull, his eyes shut for a moment as he grimaced, "I can feel it, moving and infecting everything. You need to rip it out of me, any way possible." Desperation filled his eyes to the brim, "Please." It was obvious on his last legs as he rolled up his sleeve to Talak, revealing vertical burn marks neatly placed next to each other up to his arm, the skin still healing the gnarly scars as it was clear the burns were deep and from a lightsaber. "I can't sleep." From his voice, it wasn't like whatever was in his mind was preventing him from doing so, it was Ender doing it himself so he couldn't delve into his head and be stuck there forever. He wouldn't go back to that place again.

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak was definitely caught off guard by Ender's reaction, and leapt backward has his own saber came to hand. Not that he had any intention of attacking someone that he considered to more or less be a friend, but he also wasn't going to let himself be cut down.

But Ender didn't advance, and Talak... well, he didn't relax, but he didn't keep moving for the time being. He held out his empty hand in front of him as if to slow everything down and turned his saber off.

Hey, slow down, he said, trying to manage a soothing voice despite the adrenaline that was now pumping through him at mach 10.

Can you tell me what happened? he asked. Something in his head? A parasite? Some sort of dark spirit? Were they talking physical? Did Talak even know how to deal with something like this? The thoughts cascaded through his mind and his eyes were wide, taking in whatever information he could. The scars on his arm were old, which told Talak that whatever this was hadn't happened a day ago.

Lack of sleep, he thought to himself. He knew what that could do. He spent a great deal of his life avoiding sleep and using the technique known as "Force sustenance" instead. When he grew too exhausted, though, it could catch up to him with dire consequences. It had nearly cost him dearly on Gamorr. If Ender truly hadn't been sleeping for days to weeks, that would only exacerbate the situation. @Orbit

 

[Darth Invictus]

Ender's grip on the lightsaber hilt was tight, his hand shaking from the effort as he continued to pace, his eyes crazily glancing from one place to another, like only he could see an audience that was watching them. "What happened? That dreaded fortress." Shaking his head once more, another grimace formed on his face before looking back to Talak, "Something didn't want us to enter. It did something to me, it did something to my head." The legionnaire would be able to sense the force fluctuate around Ender, up and down like a rollercoaster, one moment burning hotter than the sun and next, colder than the bitterest winters.

"It locked me in my head for so long. You don't understand, it corrupts things." The anger that was flowing through his veins surged, burning like a fever as Ender lashed out with his saber and cut a nearby tree in half. It groaned in pain before simply falling to the side, half it spilling into a nearby pool of water. "HELP ME!" It wasn't just his voice, there were multiple, echoed by the force like it was mocking him for being weak and not being able to last this long. The lightsaber deactivated again as Ender fell to his knees and extended his hands out as he dug his fingers into the dirt.

"Just help..." He was tired, not only was his body dealing with the self-inflicted wounds but lack of sleep, lack of energy, lack of everything was taking its toll and Ender just didn't want to deal with it anymore. The lightsaber in his hand started wobbling again, slowly being dragged back towards himself. He would find his bliss one way or another, all of it had to stop, just one moment of peace would be worth it if he could just be himself again. Talak would be able to see what Ender had in the mind, the legionnaire staring at his weapon as it was started to be tilted towards him.

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak watched with both eyes wide open. Whatever was going on here was... complex, and not something he had dealt with before, but he wasn't going to leave Ender to endure it alone. He was going to do what he could... even if he wasn't sure where to begin.

He could feel the stark contrasts radiating out of Ender. Everything was polarized and seemed to cause its own unique form of agony. He collapsed after a moment and the sabers hit the ground, and Talak saw his opportunity. He reached out and both hilts leapt to his hand. He didn't know if Ender was planning to cut himself or Talak or both, but he hoped the element of surprise would wrench them from his grip in the Force. There was a fair chance this would enrage him, but Talak would rather deal with an unstable and unarmed Ender than an unstable and armed one.

I'll help you, he said quickly and decisively. But we're done cutting up for now, he said. He already had ideas for where to begin, but first he had to see if his old friend was going to promptly start attacking him.

 

[Darth Invictus]

The hilt easily slipped out his fingers like water, Ender too enamored with it at the moment to realize it was about to be taken away. When it landed in Talak's opposite hand, his guess had been right, he would be enraged by losing his weapon. It swept over him like a wave, one that wasn't manmade, it too pure and cultivated by something else that nestled deep within him. The noise drowned out for him as a sort of ringing violently pushed everything away. He couldn't hear Talak's words and with his lightsaber gone, he blamed his fellow sith for inducing ear piercing pain.

When he gazed up to Talak, his eyes were a golden yellow, the black veins more pronounced as something took a hold of him. He flung his hands up and toward the Sith, a blast of the force heading directly for him that would send him flying back through the branches and into a small clearing in the forest behind them. Ender followed through as he leaped towards his friend with the assistance of the force. Ender came at him with ferocious speed and straight towards him, almost tempting him to turn on his blades and cut him in half right there. If he didn't, Talak would get punched right in his cheek with enough force to send him to the ground.

Ender would go to the ground too, tumbling with him before eventually achieving the advantage and getting on top. One of his hands held down Talak while the other was arched back before being launched forward again at the Sith. He didn't even recognize who he was fighting, he was overtaken by pure emotion that he couldn't be controlled. The lightsaber just triggered it and it seemed Ender was trying to kill him because of it.

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak wasn't entirely unprepared for what came next, and that was probably all that saved his life. He anticipated the rage of having his weapon taken away, and it was clear that Ender wasn't thinking clearly. He threw up his hand and let the Force take the brunt of the attack from Ender rather than his own body. It sent him scraping across through the dirt, but not flying as Ender had hoped... if he was even thinking clearly enough to hope.

The temptation to take a limb off was real, but he figured they'd both really rather not go that route. Nevertheless, it didn't mean that Ender wouldn't be a little pissed off at him when this was all done. His own lightsaber flashed on and severed the other pair of hilts in the air as he dropped them from his hand. The crystals were intact, which was the hardest piece to obtain, but the emitters were severed. He couldn't risk Ender getting ahold of them, and he needed his spare hand. He valued his own life above that of a lightsaber.

In one fluid movement that was the result of years of training, the swing continued into a defensive parry. His thumb snapped down on a button on his saber and it changed over to its stun setting. Far less dangerous, but still moderately painful it wouldn't take off a limb at least. More than that, though, it was like having a club in his hand: a useful but not inherently lethal tool.

That same arc allowed the saber to slam into Ender's punching arm on the outside and direct it past Talak's head as he stepped to the side. It would be enough to leave some light burns on the arm and perhaps even send the muscles into spasm for a moment from the impact. Meanwhile, Talak reached out with the Force and fully assaulted Ender's brain and nervous system. If he were fortunate, at this range, Ender's mind would be shattered enough that he would be unprepared and drop like a stone, but if not, Talak would adjust accordingly.

 

[Darth Invictus]

Ender was too wild to account for any of Talak's moves. He at least had rest and could think straight, resulting in him quickly disarming the Legionnaire and dazed on the ground. He would immediately spin around to face Talak once more, ready to launch himself again but his friend already descended upon him, using the force to attack his mind and nervous system that knocked him out pretty much instantly. But it would be different then Talak expected, the moment he touched Ender's mind it was as if something responded, grabbing his invisible hand and dragging him towards it.

There would be nothing that could be done, it was beyond Ender and Talak's control and both of their vision would go black as they crumped to the ground right next to each other. Both would experience a sort of falling sensation, freefalling for what felt like miles. Even if they opened their eyes, they wouldn't be able to see anything except darkness no matter which direction they looked. After a few more moments of this, the pair would hit what felt like solid ground for the first time. It didn't hurt but it felt like they would finally have control of their bodies once more.

Ender opened his eyes slowly, finding both of them in an old bedroom of sorts. None of it was metal, mostly made out of wood and stone and resembling more of a traditional home. There was one window with pale light coming through, barely illuminating the room and if the two of them tried to peer through it, they would just be blinded by it unnaturally. He glanced around to find Talak on the ground as well. "Talak? You're here?" If he woke up and looked at Ender, he would find him appearing like him normal self, the veins and yellow eyes gone and losing the primal crazed look that he had before.

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak hadn't expected... this. He had something of an out of body experience as he was seemingly thrown through time and space into an inky blackness. It seemed to hug him and it was incredibly disorienting and unnerving.

When he hit the "ground" things weren't much better. He didn't land on his feet, but pushed himself up against the blackness of the ground. Then it wasn't a black floor anymore it was a bedroom of some sort. It wasn't anywhere Talak recognized, but he had a very unsettled feeling being here. Like he didn't quite belong.

He turned to see Ender as well and immediately took a step back and prepared for another attack, but he wasn't looking so wild now. He was actually speaking.

Where are we? Are we... in your mind? he asked with a frown. He could only assume that if they were then perhaps he would know what this room was. There was no one better at navigating Ender's mind than Ender... even if they were going to be stalked by some sort of shadow monster... which if Talak knew anything, that was definitely going to happen.

 

[Darth Invictus]

Thankfully, Talak wasn't dead, he was just getting over the effects as well before finally coming to. He asked where they were and Ender sighed before answering, "You could say something like that." He stood up and glanced around the room, somehow remembering different objects throughout but not be able to discern where they come from. "Every time I fell asleep, I came here. You're the first real person I've seen in a while." It was nice to actually talk to someone who could talk back. Well, at least talk back and mean well instead of dealing with his own figment of his imagination or whatever the curse was.

Ender pointed to the nearby window, "I already tried to break it but it's impossible." That left option and he directed his gaze over to the only door, "I don't know what's going to happen but we have to go deeper." When Talak was ready to leave the room, he led the way to the door and grabbed onto the icy cold doorknob before twisting it. The door opened slowly and with a loud creak, it leading into a hallway with just doors lining either side of the hallway. There was only a rug along the entire floor and nothing along the walls, giving no indication of a personal touch. The door shut behind them and locked them out of the room, making Ender glance toward it then Talak, "This is the farthest I got." Last time he barely reached the door.

When they walked down the hallway, one of the doors at the very end opened up. It had the same creak as theirs. There was just a wall of darkness on the other side. The sound of footsteps came from behind it and a figure stepped out from the room before finally turning toward to face the pair. It was Talak but he was different. This one wore a mask, the one that he stole from the vault but it was split down the middle like it had been ripped in half. The eye that was visible was bloodshot red, the flesh around marred, burned and whatever other damage that could be thought of. The copies clothes resembled its face, torn in places and revealing more decaying or minced flesh.

Ender muttered under his breath, "Kriff." This wasn't the first time he dealt with this Talak.

 

[Talak Rand]

This was fundamentally unsettling, but he knew that he couldn't focus on that anymore. He needed to get out of here, and realized that if he didn't he would likely die down here. Or something along those lines.

Hmm, he grunted as they headed for the door. He didn't know what to expect, but the fact that Ender said this was all the farther he had made it didn't seem good. He wondered what awaited them further inside. And he could only hope that deeper inside actually would mean that they could find a way out.

What the... he muttered as he saw a sickly, twisted version of the Arcanist emerge from the far end of the hallway. If the situation weren't so serious, Talak would have made a joke about how he was apparently torturing Ender inside his mind, but this didn't seem like the time.

This brought a whole slew of questions to his mind? What was this? Was this a dark side entity? Was this actually a piece of himself manifested here? Could he dive into the mind of someone else's projection of him? Or was this even Ender's mind? Was this an amalgamation of both of their minds now and this was a piece of Talak himself? The realization that that might be the case was... deeply worrisome.

Can we take him down together? Hold him down and rip into his mind? You go right I'll go left? he asked. Ender knew more about this place than Talak did, having been trapped here. If he knew what they were up against then all the better, but Talak had half a mind to get inside the head of his own... dark side. If that was what this was.

 

[Darth Invictus]

Talak started to ask questions and it was the very ones he asked himself when it was just him locked in here. "No, we can only slow it down. Why do you think it looks like that in the first place?" Ender and the corrupted Arcanist have met quite frequently, no words ever shared, only blades and pain. "You want to rip in its mind? He trapped you here in with me, imagine if you dived into his head." He never tried it but it didn't seem like the best option when he couldn't even escape his own head. How would he navigate some dark entities? The Arcanist started to walk slowly towards them, a saber suddenly appearing in its hand, one that was clearly battle damaged and appeared as if it been dragged through the mud.

As the thing walked toward them, another door behind them opened, the familiar creek echoing through the hallway. When Ender turned around, a version of him walked out that was as just worse for wear as the Arcanist was. The Legionnaire's face was burned badly, the tendons visible in his jaw visible and taunt as he flexed his jaw staring at them. "You want me or yourself?" Ender pulled out his saber, activating both blades as he twirled them in front of him. Before they could decide for themselves, the Arcanist whipped out his hand, the force wrapping around Ender and pulling him towards the entity. He activated his one saber, slashing through the air towards Ender and intending to cut him off. Ender managed to land on his feet however, quickly bringing his blade up to block the strike.

When he got pulled, the Legionnaire launched himself at Talak, activating its weapon, the same as Ender's with two crimson blades, one coming out each end. He landed near Talak before stabbing his saber forward like a spear towards his face. After that, he would take a step closer to Talak and pull his weapon back at the same time, bringing the first blade back and attacking with a slash with the second blade in the same motion. The two would either have to escape or find any other means to get out of this. It was clear the two copies could take a beating and the pair would be drained before they could destroy them.

 

[Talak Rand]

They didn't really seem to have any good options in front of them. Talak had thought that between the two of them they could bring down the evil dopplerganger, but with the appearance of a second made that option nonviable.

Sabers flashed on, and Talak's hand opened at his side. His lightsaber heeded his call and slapped into his palm with a satisfying thud. It lit and the apparitions were attacking. Talak wondered what would happen if he lost. Was he dead in the real world? Was he trapped here forever? Would his body be possessed? Talak wanted to know what exactly had happened to Ender in that Fortress so he could better understand. But none of his questions were answered.

Talak was quick and agile. He'd built an entire fighting style around outmaneuvering his enemies, but he had a feeling even if he landed a blow it wouldn't do anything. He'd be worn out until the end. He evaded the first thrust narrowly and by the time the slashes came, he'd maneuvered out of the reach of one blade and brought his own saber up to parry the other one.

 

[Darth Invictus]

Sabers flashed between the Arcanist and Ender, molten streaks appearing on the wall from the tips of their weapons with the restricted space between them. His energy was already depleting, he's been in countless with battles with these two and he could only hold this up so long. The two entities had a different plan however then continuing the skirmish between them. The Arcanist deactivated his saber before launching a kick under Ender's blade and into his stomach. It knocked him down to the ground and his opponent was quick to use the force to pick him up and pull him into his hand to squeeze his throat. Ender Stared into the bloodshot eye of the Arcanist before he simply threw him towards a door that opened by itself.

The Legionnaire that was still fighting Talak had unnatural strength and with their blades still connected, he pushed Talak's quick into the wall to keep it locked it there for a moment. His hand flashed out with blinding quickness toward his throat as well, picking him off the ground. It stared at him for only a moment before throwing him through the same door that Ender went through. Both of them would experience the same falling sensation as before and in complete and utter darkness like last time. It didn't last as long however and if two looked down, they would see an orange glow that was beginning to get brighter and brighter.

Ender landed on his feet this time but that still didn't mean he landed it, stumbling to the side and landing on his behind as he groaned softly from the impact. The pair were now in some sort of library now, the walls just bookshelves that extended well above twelve feet and probably even further. There was a fireplace in the middle of the wall, lighting the room brightly in an orange glow and burning with a ferocious intensity. The strangest part was that there were six kids sitting in front of the fireplace, dangerously close in fact but when Talak and Ender stood up, they all turned their heads simultaneously to gaze at them, "Who are you?" They murmured in unison.

They all were young, ranging from five to ten years old. Ender couldn't help but stare at them, feeling a tug towards them that hadn't experienced in a long time. He knew them somehow but he couldn't remember where at all. As his eyes scanned the children, he found one that bore a striking resemblance to him, his hair longer than the others and his eyes matching the same as Enders. The real Ender raised his hand and pointed at that child, "That's me." Each of the children was starting to come back in his memory, short spurts of activities they did together at that age. "What's happening Talak?" He was just as confused as his friend, nothing made sense.

 

[Talak Rand]

Things were not going well. Talak's blade was pinned and he felt a vice-like grip around his throat. He couldn't get air in, and he suddenly realized this was going to be the end. He thought of everything he'd done and the horrors he'd committed. The things he hadn't said and the people he had started to care for. She wouldn't even know what had happened to him. It would be like he just walked out.

And then he was thrown through a door and plunging into darkness. He had hated falling through this darkness the first time, but now it was almost a welcome relief that he wasn't dead already.

He could see a glow and slammed into the ground moments later. Really, really creepy children turned to look at him, and Ender seemed as confused as Talak was.

Okay, okay, stop, he said, holding up his hand. He really hoped that this wasn't going to be some sort of "children attacking them" thing, but if Ender's mind had thrown them here, this must have been a region they were "allowed" to be in, right?

We're not gonna brute force our way out of here. Tell me exactly what happened when you were... infected, he said. Minds were often difficult to follow, but there was some sort of rhyme and reason to them. Information was power here. Fighting and overwhelming these things wasn't going to happen. There was something they were supposed to find here, and Talak felt he could figure out what it was if he had enough information.

 

[Darth Invictus]

The children just stared at them, their gaze unwavering and tracking them wherever they moved. It seemed they at least weren't going to attack them but observe them. Ender couldn't tear his gaze away from the group of children but he finally did when Talak asked how he got infected, "I don't know. We barely made it into the fortress. There were Sith symbols all along the wall and I went to lift a rock that was blocking our path with some other Sith and Jedi and before I know it, something is talking to me and invading my head and I can't get out of my own mind now." This was pretty much all he knew, he wasn't holding out anything that would be the secret key to solve this.

The children continued to stare at them again before asking again who they were. What were the pair supposed to do with this? Ender was about to offer a suggestion but suddenly the sound of a door flung open. An old woman walked in, wearing some drabs that looked horrid. Another woman followed behind her, wearing a white lab coat with spectacles over her eyes. Her entire lab coat was pure white except for one thing, an imperial symbol on her shoulder. The old lady spoke first, "Children, line up!" All the kids around the fire got up quickly and in a line.

They all look petrified, the scientist walking back and forth in front of them as she inspected them. She was terrifying looking, her skin pulled back tight enough that it looked like it would be cut open by her cheekbone if she turned her head too much. Two imperial soldiers filled in right behind there, standing guard. The scientist finally spoke, "One of you, is very very special. We need to figure out which one of you it is. Would the special one like to come forward and reveal themselves?" The kids just stood there still as statues.

Ender quietly made his way over to Talak, his eyes still locked on the scene that was unfolding in front of them. "I remember this." He muttered quietly, primarily watching over the younger version of himself now.

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak had hoped that the children might tear their gaze away from him, but they just kept staring with that same creepy intensity. It was deeply unnerving, and no matter where he moved (and he did try to move around the room) they were always staring at one of them.

What is it saying? What does it want? he asked as Ender explained that something was talking to him. That may have been the key itself. If this darkness was of Ender's own making, then it might be able to be sated. If it was from somewhere else - truly a spirit of the Fortress - then the tactic might need adjusting.

The scene was promptly interrupted by a woman who looked like she was half-zombie coming into the room. Her white coat bore Imperial markings, but that didn't fit. Ender wasn't that old? Talak frowned and wondered the significance of that before realizing that he really knew almost nothing about Ender's past.

He heard Ender mutter that he remembered this, and Talak wondered next at the significance of this event. Surely they weren't seeing completely random things, were they?

Who is that? he asked, getting the distinct impression that it was someone unsavory and that whatever was going to happen to Ender was also unpleasant.

 

[Darth Invictus]

Ender slowly turned his gaze to Talak, "It said it wanted death." That's all it wanted and it almost brought him to that breaking point. If his friend hadn't stolen the saber out of his hand, he possibly wouldn't be alive because of his own doing. There may have been other reasons why it was tormenting him but that was the only word he could remember when he was in the fortress. "We never got a name. " We just called her The Lady or The Scientist." They were children so they weren't that creative with the name.

The Scientist continued to stare down at the children as her eyes flicked between, waiting for some immediate sign that would answer her question. "Now, now, we've been through this once already and I know you children don't find it the most pleasant experience." The kids just stared down at the ground, the younger Ender, as well as his hands, were balled into fists, terrified of the situation. But they remained silent, still letting silence be their only answer. "They all knew too." Ender murmured softly, "They didn't say anything." None of them even glanced at the younger Ender, not wanting to risk standing him out.

"Then I guess we'll start the process over again." The Scientist turned and handed the old caretaker a bag of credits for her cooperation. "Bring the children." She clasped her hands before her back as more Imperial soldiers stepped forward and grabbed each kid. All of them started to resist and scream but they were powerless in the situation. As the Scientist was about to exit from the room, she stopped for a second before turning towards the two that were speaking, "Oh, and them too." Both the Arcanist and Legionnaire stepped out from the shadows behind Ender and Talak. Immediately both of them would have the force restrict their movement as it wrapped them around like a snake, constricting until it was almost lethal. The Scientist smiled, "Come now." The two were dragged out with the children and into the darkness of the new door.

Fortunately, there was no falling sensation again but when the darkness disappeared, they both were on a medical table. Lights were fixed above them and shined down, nearly blinding them. It didn't, however, block the machine that directly loomed above them, a variety of utensils on it from scalpels, saws, tweezers and whatever else could dissect flesh. Ender glanced down and found himself restrained by straps. When he looked around and found Talak, he lurched against the restraints before calling out to him, "Talak? Are you alright?" Panic started to rise in his throat, memories swelling to the surface of the horrid things that happened where they were.

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak knew these people weren't real or at least if they were still alive these manifestations of them weren't real, but it felt real. He could sense their fear and anxiety, and it made him sick. He didn't know what this woman did to them in her quest to discover who Ender was, but he knew that he wanted to rip her intestines out through her throat.

Before he knew what was happening, she was selecting the two Sith to be part of the "experiments" and Talak felt the Force constrict around him so tightly he was once again brought to the question of whether this was the end. The Force didn't seem to respond to him in here, and he realized it was because this wasn't real. It was like being unable to run in a dream, but he didn't take that to mean that there wasn't real danger. They were messing with things they didn't understand.

He abruptly found himself on a table with horrible looking things floating above him.

No, he growled in border panic as he fought against the restraints. It brought him back to another time and place that he would have liked to forget. He thought of his own time of helplessness, and for a moment he would have sworn he even saw Zatara. No, she's dead, that's not possible, he reminded himself as he kept pulling against the restraints. This was what he had always fought to make sure never happened again. He tried to calm himself with a deep breath to no avail.

How did you escape?! he asked quickly. Clearly Ender had gotten away from here, but he didn't have much hope that they could use the same means.