Anakin Skywalker AU Romance

Chapter Eighteen

"That would certainly not be preferable." She said.

"Yeah, but what if trying to get it off, sets it off?" Echo asked and Kix nodded.

"Do you have any EMP bullets on you?" Kix asked, looking hopeful.

"No, but I bet you Hevy will. He's got every type of amo." He said and ducked out of the room, coming back moments later with a blaster round in his hand. "Got it." He said victoriously.

"Right, so we work to get it off, and if we somehow set it off while doing so, we keep this close by and trigger it to kill the collar." He said and Echo nodded.

"Why not trigger it now? Kill the power preemptively." She suggested.

"Just in case it has a security measure that sets it off when an EMP is used to try and disable it." He said.

Kyah ran a hand over her eyes, "Is that a thing?" She asked, feeling less and less confident about this plan.

"Not necessarily." He shook his head. "Are you ready?" He asked, and Kyah took a deep breath then nodded.

"Right, let's start by lying you down." He instructed and moved his med kit out of her way.

Kyah lay down on the bed, flinching when the cut on her shoulder pressed against the mattress.

"I'm getting blood all over this sheet." She noticed.

"Don't worry about it, we'll get the sheet out of the other room once we're done and swap this one out."

She nodded and watched Echo pull out a small lazer cutter, it was normally used to cut through metal wall paneling and reach access pads and controls inside. He tested it a few times in the air to make sure it was working properly, then knelt down on the floor beside the bed.

"Right." He said, looking overwhelmed, "Could you turn your head up and away so I can get a good view of this beast." He instructed and Kyah did as he ask.

Kix sat on the edge of the bed beside her, the EMP primed in his hands just in case, "Take a deep breath, and on the exhale we'll begin." He talked her through it.

Kyah took a deep breath, feeling her ribs protest as her lungs filled, then exhaled and heard the laser switch on.

"Try to hold as still as you can, and let me know if you feel anything." Echo said quietly as he touched his tool to the collar and it started to slowly cut through the metal.

Long moments passed with no sign of the collar triggering, and Kyah had just started to think that maybe it would be fine, when she heard a small click on the other side of the device.

Her heart dropped and she shoved Echo hard off of her and into the wall behind him, before the collar switched on and strands of electricity branched out from it. She clenched her teeth to muffle her scream, but even on the lower setting, it was unbearable against her already seared skin.

"Damn it!" Kix exclaimed as he tried to reach his hand in to activate the EMP but was zapped by a stray volt from the collar, making his hand spasm until he dropped the blaster pod.

The door slid open and Hevy rushed inside, with three other clones looking in from behind him, "What the hell is happening?" He asked as he saw Kyah shaking on the bed, strands of lightning shooting from her neck as she tried not to scream.

Echo and Kix were both scrambling on the floor trying to find the EMP in the mess of discarded armour. "I can't find the EMP!" Echo yelled, and Hevy realized what they needed the bullet for.

He reached into a pouch on his belt and pulled out a second bullet, priming is as he rushed forward and without hesitation reached through the electricity and activated the EMP. He growled in pain as the voltage shot up his arm painfully, but refused to move until he saw the light along the collar die completely.