Obi-Wan's eyes flew open and he struggled to catch his breath. Panic washed over him, and his mind screamed with the knowledge of what had just occurred. Dream or no, he had just killed the one man who meant the world to him. Eyes wide and panting softly, he looked round him. He was back in the Sith's prison. The droids had returned while he had been unconscious. One stooped over him checking vital signs while the other dexterously scanned a datapad. They had been careless with their captive, thinking him not a threat. Beyond them the door to the cell lay wide open. Obi-Wan didn't bother with considering whether or not he should or where he would go. An unrelenting desire to get away from this dreadful place suddenly hit him like a blaster shot. He saw a chance at freedom and in his panicked state it seemed so crazy that it just might work. He glanced back up at the droids above him. They continued to work not noticing that the object of their attention had suddenly awoke.

One minute, the Padawan was lying pliable in the hands of the enemy. The next, he was up, ramming into the droids, knocking them from their feet and bolting through the open doorway. His legs, weak from disuse, screamed at him to stop, but his mind- his conscience- wouldn't allow it. He ran from himself, and the terrible thing he thought he had done. He passed a view port and was halfway down the curiously deserted corridor before he felt a stinging pain coming from his leg. Stopping, he quickly searched for the cause. The offender was in the form of a small syringe, imbedded along his upper thigh. One of the droids had been successful in thwarting his attempt to escape. So intent on making it out of the cell, he had not even felt it pierce the skin. Cursing his own stupidity, he bent over and quickly plucked it out, wincing as he did so and threw it to the ground. Another look over the shoulder showed that his lead was still intact. It didn't last. As he rounded the next corridor, cries of pursuit rose from behind him spurring him on in his efforts. His mind raced. They would expect to find him moving aimlessly about the station, drugged beyond capability, but maybe they wouldn't expect him to hide so soon. Then he might possibly be able to slip by them. Deciding that concealment was his best option, he turned a corner and palmed the lock on the nearest door, nearly falling inside when it opened so quickly. His eyes took in an enormous storage bay. The room was dark and stacked from floor to ceiling with large crates. Biting his lip against the pain in his leg, he limped forward to hastily duck behind a massive crate containing life support packs. He wiped at his eyes and attempted to control his breathing. Even so, it still took him some time to notice that his leg was almost numb where the syringe had been. In fact, the feeling seemed to be spreading in a deliberate pattern from his thigh to his pelvis. What in Sith hells had they injected him with this time? Groaning, he brought a hand to his forehead, which had grown damp with perspiration.

"Master, " he whispered brokenly, burying his head in his hands as Qui-Gon's face appeared before him. His mind again replayed the awful scene where the Sith cut Qui-Gon down, but this time before the blade hit its mark Maul's face was replaced with Obi-Wan's own. He saw a flash and the glow of his blue saber as it ran his Master through. Something warm and sticky was on his hands. Eyes flying open, he brought them in front of him only to gasp in horror at the sight of them soaked with blood -blood which he knew without a doubt belonged to Qui-Gon. Blood that was even now running in rivulets down each side of his face where his hands had been. Frantically, he wiped them on his leggings, seeking to clean them. All he succeeded in doing was turning them a brilliant pink. He shook his head to clear it and when he brought them up again they were spotless, so were his leggings, as if it had never happened. Which he now realized it had not. Sliding to the cold floor, and wrapping his arms around his legs, Obi-Wan slowly rocked back and forth

"Force, not real. Wasn't real. Nooooooo." Though whether he was talking about the previous vision or this one he did not know.

A little voice in the back of his mind said: It didn't have to be real did it? All that matters is that you killed him. In your mind, you killed your precious Master. You wanted him dead...

"Qui-Gon," he muttered miserably. "I would never have hurt you. Oh Gods, please. I loved you. This is the drug, just the drug."

Keep telling yourself that little Padawan.

With a sound that was more like a high pitched wail, Obi-Wan leaned over and pulled at his hair while he continued to rock back and forth in anguish. His braid slapping lightly against his chest with the movement. Past began to intermingle with the present and Obi-Wan heard the words Qui-Gon had uttered years ago when he was still trying to convince Obi-Wan he would never take on another Padawan:

"There is too much risk he will turn to the dark side." Qui-Gon had said many a time.

I'm going mad. I must be. Am I turning to the dark side?

"Force, what's real and what isn't? I don't think I know anymore," he murmured to himself.

As a child, Obi-Wan had constantly struggled to control his anger and fear. As an adult, that anger and fear had become the cause of his Master's downfall. He had been angry at Qui-Gon for pushing him away, for being so cold to him, and treating him like a child. He had then feared he would never be able to tell the elder Jedi how he felt about him, and racked his brain the entire trip from Tatooine to Naboo on how to tell his Master how he felt. He had been distracted by the fact that he still hadn't been able to bring it to the front before the fight with Darth Maul. He had been careless and let his emotions get in the way. His love had killed the one person he had loved more than life itself. With that revelation, came a small sob as Obi-Wan accepted that he truly was responsible for the death of Qui-Gon Jinn.

It was at that moment, he began to feel extremely weak and dizzy. The numbness had spread from his pelvis to his stomach.

Sith! He cursed inwardly, slumping back against the crate. No, not now!

No doubt this other drug would soon render him unconscious yet again, but he'd be damned if he was going down without a fight. His body had other ideas though as the room suddenly began to spin wildly about him. The spasm finally passed and he could think clearly again.

What did he think he was he doing? There was no way to escape the Sith. The only thing he was going to accomplish was invoking Maul's anger to no end and maybe a beating which the Sith had yet to do, but he had been unable to think past anything else except getting free. Taking a deep breath, he concentrated on trying to find his center. Being unable to call upon the Force was wearing him down, it was one of the worst things he had ever felt in his life. The Force had been a part of him for so long he was completely lost at the lack of its presence. He could not remember a time it had not been there. Yet, now here he was blind to the one thing that might have been able to help him out of this predicament. He finally gave up and looked around the room. It was nearly pitch dark, but he could tell the area was well stocked. Supplies were stacked from floor to ceiling. Shifting position, his arm bumped a small box beside him. He squinted in the darkness just making out the small insignia on the side. It was the Corellian Trade Guild's mark. That meant there had to be a docking bay nearby...and a docking bay meant escape. It was slim, but there was a chance he could make it to a ship. For the first time since he had been dragged out of the Generator room on Naboo, Obi-Wan Kenobi felt hope. He leaned against the cool crate, trying to prepare himself for the trial ahead, crying out when without warning a massive cramp hit him causing him to lurch over clutching his stomach. He was so hungry! Though they had been taught at the temple how to survive for long periods of time without food, he had rarely put the tactics learned to use.

Sith! with the way he was feeling right now, Obi-Wan wasn't entirely sure he could pilot a ship successfully. But one thing at a time, he would worry about that when he got to it. He had to get there first. He had just started to get gingerly to his feet when the door to the storage room opened and Darth Maul entered. Quickly, Obi-Wan ducked down, biting off a moan as his entire body protested the move. Had Maul seen him? The Padawan didn't think so. Biting his lower lip nervously, he wondered why the Sith was here. Had someone seen him come in? No, if they had they would not have waited this long to retrieve him. There hadn't been anyone in the corridor when he entered the storage room. So why out of all the rooms in this section had the Sith chosen this one? Or was he systematically checking each room? That was crazy, Obi-Wan thought Maul would have no reason to think he had ducked into a room this close to his small prison when Obi-Wan could just as easily be several levels above or below Maul by now. Obi-Wan you idiot! He silently berated himself suddenly comprehending that the absence of guards along the corridor likely meant they were stationed in other sectors and had probably reported he had not come that way yet. He would have kicked himself if he'd been able to do so.

"Obi-Wan."

The Padawan started violently at the sudden soft whisper of his name. The disembodied voice sounded like it had come from right behind him, but he knew the Sith could not be more than a few meters inside the entrance.

"I know you're in here, Jedi." Maul insisted. "Come out, come out, wherever you are."

Obi-Wan pressed his back as flat against the crate as possible.

He could hear the Sith's footfalls as he moved further into the darkened room.

"Did you think to escape me, Jedi?"

The voice came from somewhere off to Obi-Wan's right.

"Or did you just want to play?"

Maul's laughter echoed all around him, taunting.

Swallowing hard, Obi-Wan attempted to calm his breathing, but nothing could stop the hammering of his heart.

"Fine, We'll play. You cannot use the Force. I won't use it to find you again, fair enough?" he cackled.

You're lying. Obi-Wan thought. You don't know I'm in here. You can't sense me either.

Even so, he nearly jumped out of his skin when something fell with a clatter to the floor.

"You shouldn't have run, Jedi. More's the worse for you. Though I'm surprised you had the strength to move at all. Must be that Jedi training kicking in...By the way, how are you feeling now?" Maul asked, voice dripping with mock concern.

Sweat was running down Obi-Wan's back and his hair was plastered to his face. He didn't dare wipe at it for fear that any small noise would draw the Sith's attention. The numbness that had originated in his thigh was now taking over his entire lower torso, making it take all his effort just to keep standing, but he wasn't going to tell Maul that. Whatever drug this latest one he'd been given was, it worked agonizingly slow on its host. In fact, he was sweating so much, that a small puddle began to form at his feet.

"I can smell you, Jedi. Smell your fear."

Obi-Wan had awakened from one nightmare only to find himself transported into another. Would he ever be free of this creature? He wasn't going to last much longer -knew he had to get out of there. Struggling to place one foot in front of the other, he began moving, keeping the crates at his back, in the direction of the door. He would not give in -could not. It was either escape now or lose his sanity altogether - succumb to madness. He was stopped short and nearly toppled over on his weak leg when he heard another crash closer behind him. It took another loud crash for Obi-Wan to understand that the Sith was pulling out the crates one by one, searching the room methodically. That was the noise he had heard earlier, and that meant the Sith was getting entirely too close for comfort. Another meter or so and he would be parallel with the crate Obi-Wan had first slipped behind. Desperately, he looked around for something that could help him when he noticed a large cargo net in the next crate. Maybe he could use it on Maul, trapping him long enough to give Obi-Wan the few seconds he needed to reach the docking bay. Back protesting as he leaned over the top of the crate, he reached in and pulled it out.

"I'm going to fuck you, Jedi. You know that, don't you? And you're going to want it."

Obi-Wan was glad Maul had chosen that exact moment to knock aside another crate, yet again causing a loud crash that covered his very audible gasp at the Sith's words. His blood turned to ice at the idea and the subsequent image it placed in his head. Another bout of dizziness hit him, this time accompanied by nausea, making him almost give up and lay down in the floor right then and there. He was becoming more and more disoriented by the moment, and losing his control over his limbs. Obi-Wan knew he was going to have to make a move now or surrender to the drug. He refused to give in. Straightening to his full height, he cautiously glanced over the top of the crate. Maul was certainly getting closer, in fact; all he had to do was turn around and he would see Obi-Wan immediately. Obi-Wan nervously fingered the large net in his hands. How was he going to get it over the Sith's head before Maul could see him? Inspiration struck when he noticed that Maul was in an area where the crates were precariously stacked on top of one another. One good shove at the right angle would bring the entire section crashing down. Calculating quickly in his head, Obi-Wan's eyes lit upon the crate that would instigate the landslide. Licking his lips, he edged forward, simultaneously dropping the netting, he no longer needed, to the floor.

He waited until Maul moved into the dark corner, then with a strength he didn't know he possessed, crossed the distance between them in three huge steps, lunging with all his might and throwing himself into the crate nearest the Sith, propelling it into the others

The effect was immediate. The crates collapsed inwardly on each other just as Maul turned with a cry of dismay. Furious yellow eyes met gray-blue before Darth Maul was buried beneath a mountain of supplies.

Relief washed over Obi-Wan as his enemy disappeared from sight. Triumphantly, he gave one last glance over his shoulder then turned to flee from the room and was promptly tripped by something unseen, knocking the air out of his lungs as he landed hard on the floor. His foot had tangled in the dropped netting. Nearly screaming with frustration, he raced to free himself. That proved to be impossible. The entire right side of his body had now gone numb and he was only able to place one hand on the netting to pull at it. He stared in disbelief at his limp right hand. This could not be happening! Not now! He was so close. Panic set in, as he realized the rest of his body was subsequently beginning to feel the same way. Abandoning attempts to free himself he started crawling on hands and knees for the doorway. He didn't even think about how he would get the door open. His body felt so heavy and cold. The coldness spread across his shoulder blades into, down into his lower back into his left thigh, making the hair on his body stand on end. Then the cold began seeping into his neck, stiffening it until he could no longer turn it to either side. It went into his jaw as he gasped, sealing it shut. Next thing he knew, he felt it in both hands, balling them up like the flesh of a withered corpse. He flopped over onto his back and stared helplessly up at the ceiling, seeing only his chest move with the rise and fall of his breath. A noise came from the direction where Darth Maul had been buried. The Sith had finally freed himself.

"Well, well," Maul said, coming over to stand above the immobile Padawan, dusting himself off.

"That was unexpected. You have such a flair for the unusual, young Kenobi."

Obi-Wan could say nothing, watching silently as Maul crouched over him, pulling the cursed netting from his leg.

The Sith rolled his eyes. "You do know that was completely pointless don't you? Running from your cell, and trying to bury me alive? Fool."

He leaned forward to within inches of Obi-Wan's nose, a wide smile spreading across his face.

"Excruciating isn't it? Being able to see and hear everything around you, but being unable to do anything about it? Unable to even move a muscle, outside of your eyes of course. "

If Obi-Wan had been able to, he would have spit in the Sith's face.

"Though it's interesting how long the drug took to finally subdue you." He frowned. "It usually affects a person much quicker."

Maul rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Still you are a Jedi."

The soft-gloved hand moved to stroke Obi-Wan's cheek.

"A Jedi...that's completely at my mercy."

The hand slid from his cheek down his chest to the tie at his leggings, sliding under them to cup the warm flesh beneath.

Obi-Wan's eyes widened and he glared daggers at the Sith. Maddened by Maul's repulsive touch and being unable to do a thing about it.

Maul only smiled at him in return, saying with a hitch to his voice, "Nice, but not yet. I think a punishment is in order for your little escapade this morning."

It was morning? Obi-Wan wondered how many days that made that he had been the Sith's captive. To him, it seemed like forever.

"Come little Jedi, " Maul said as he slid arms beneath the Padawan's knees and back, pulling him into his arms. "It's my turn for games now."

The Sith's teeth shone even in the half-light of the storage room.

TBC.....

No movies starring original trilogy actors, who try to kill their wives by giving them paralyzing drugs and then placing them in a tub full of water to drown, were copied during this story. We all know 'What Lies Beneath'.