I've decided to go back to updating three times a week (So Monday, Wednesday and Saturday) Instead of just twice (Wednesday and Saturday). I have at least 4 chapters written so there is no point waiting ages to update again. So here ya go, enjoy.
Anakin jumped out of the ship and into the hole created in the ground. Melanie, rolling her eyes at the show-off, waited for the troopers to throw their rope down.
"Would you like to go first?" One of the troopers asked.
"Why thank you." She replied with a grin before launching herself down the rope.
Melanie arrived next to Anakin and grabbed her staff from her belt, pressing the button to make it grow into full size.
"You still have it," Anakin remarked. He had originally given the staff to her before the beginning of the Clone Wars. She gave him a little smile.
"It's quiet in here." She remarked as another trooper landed next to her.
"Looks like Ahsoka's distraction is working. Come on." Anakin answered. He started running down the hall until they came to a blast door. Through the glass panels, she could see a number of droids and Padme and Jar Jar, who were tied up. Anakin used his lightsaber to cut a hole in the door.
"Padme!" He called once he got through.
"Take another step and your friends die." A strange, unsavoury guy wearing a glass helmet called out. He must be Dr Vindi. As if to demonstrate, he pressed a switch and Melanie's two friends were electrocuted. "Drop your weapons."
"Wait," Anakin ordered a trooper who was about to fire. "Do as he says."
The troopers and Melanie did as he said and were instantly surrounded by droids. They collected their weapons and put them on the opposite side of the room.
"I realise I won't be able to hold you for long, Jedi. That is why I am giving you a choice." Continued the doctor.
"Fine with me as long as one of the options is killing you," Anakin replied.
"How about capture me or save your friends." He once again hit the switch to start electrocuting Padme and Jar Jar before running away. Anakin called his weapon using the force and started fighting the droids. Melanie and the troopers did their best in hand to hand combat. She turned around just in time to see Anakin and Padme have a little moment.
"It's good to see you both safe, but Anakin, you have someone you're supposed to be catching right now?" Melanie reminded him as she helped Jar Jar to his feat.
"Right. Grab your blasters. We need to find that Doctor." Anakin shook his head and jumped to action. Padme playfully narrowed her eyes at her friend.
When they were all ready, they ran out of the room and after the doctor.
"Anakin, I'm guessing you didn't capture that doctor?" Obi-Wan's voice came from Anakin's arm.
"I'm working on it. Do you have the bombs?"
"I'm working on it. Dr Vindi has remotely activated the bombs. They're counting down."
"That's great."
"And on top of that, one of them seems missing!"
"It's down here somewhere..." He ended the communication with Obiwan and started one with Ahsoka. "Ahsoka, we've got another situation. Send all the clones to search the facility. We've got a missing-"
However, he was cut off when the group ran into Ahsokas group.
"Master?" Ahsoka said in surprise.
"We've got a missing bomb and a trigger happy mad doctor on the loose."
"Missing bomb?" Padme asked. "I saw doctor Vindi give a little droid a bomb."
"You guys split up. Find that droid," ordered Anakin before disappearing off. Padme, Jar Jar and Melanie stayed behind knowing they would be better searching for the bomb than fighting the scientist.
"You heard him. Let's move." Ahsoka's ran off too.
"I guess we better help out, ay," Melanie said as she set off in a jog, going down a hallway that nobody had gone down.
They were running down a hall when Jar Jar caught the scent of something.
"Oh! Something smells good in here!" He said as he entered the room. It was full of little plant things on tables. Melanie and Padme looked at each other, both thinking that now was not the time for Jar Jar to be thinking about food.
However, Padme caught sight of something and leaned under the table. The little droid sat holding the bomb close to its chest. She crouched down to try and calm the little guy down.
"Hey, there, little guy. How about you hand that over to me?" She reached out her hand and it yelled at her, causing all three of them to scream. It made a break for the door but Jar Jar grabbed its leg and Melanie hit the bomb out of its hands with her staff. The bomb flew across the room but luckily Padme caught it in time.
"Ahsoka, I found the last bomb," Padme said using a small handheld com-link.
"Stay there, I'll get the bomb squad." Came the reply.
Melanie stood out the door and ushered them in as they arrived. The troopers got straight to work, pulling the bomb apart and cutting a wire.
"Deactivated. Plenty of time to spare." The trooper said once his work was done. Everyone let go of the breath they were holding and Melanie laughed in relief.
"Ahsoka are you there?" Anakin said over the com-link.
"I'm here, master. The bomb has been deactivated. Did you find Vindi?"
"Deactivated as well. Have you seen Padme?"
"She's right next to me. I'm okay too, thanks for asking." Answered Ahsoka. Melanie cracked a smile at their interaction. It reminded her of Obiwan and Anakin's conversations.
Everyone set about, doing some hunting for information and just a general clean up. Ahsoka left to attend to something else leaving Padme, Jar Jar and Melanie.
"Senator, you should see this. It's one of the Virus bombs." A trooper showed the trio the bomb.
"It looks like the Chamber that holds the virus is missing!" Melanie gasped.
"That little droid must have taken it."
"Sound the alarm!" Padme cried. Just when she thought everything would be okay...
The sound of the alarm filled the complex and Melanie's heart began to race. She hoped that Obiwan and Anakin were safely above ground and out of reach of the bomb. A few minutes passed before she heard a huge explosion.
"Oh no..." she groaned knowing exactly what had happened. The door at the entrance of the plant room sealed, hopefully holding out the virus. The three of them managed to find some protective suits, near the back of the room. However, Jar Jar had misplaced his helmet somewhere and was running around wildly.
"Anakin, can you hear me? Anakin?" Padme called into her com-link.
"Padme, I'm here. Are you alright?" came Anakin's reply. He was above the surface currently with Obiwan and Dr Vindi. Both Obi-Wan and Anakin felt a huge amount of stress for the people below the surface, but mainly for Padme, Melanie and Ahsoka.
"Yes for the time being. Jar Jar, Melanie and I were in a safety chamber when the alarm went off. We're wearing protective suits." She connected her eyes with Melanie across the room.
"The Virus is loose, but Ahsoka has sealed off the entire facility."
"Yes but any remaining droid will try to break out." Now it was Melanie's turn to talk. There were a number of droids will be stuck in the lab. The virus would not affect them but they would try to get to the surface. "We'll do what we can to stop them. We can not let the virus escape."
"Be careful," Anakin replied.
"Come on Jar Jar, put this on," Melanie told the stressed Gungan, holding out his helmet which she found on the floor for him. The trio and a few troopers left the safe room.
They encountered a few droids not 2 metres out of their room. Melanie smacked one in the head with her staff while Jar Jar tackled the other.
"Nice work!" She complimented.
"Is anyone out there? Can anyone hear..." Padme tried contacting anyone else that was stuck in the lab through her com-link.
"Senator Amidala, we're trapped in the safe room at the end of complex B." Came Ahsokas tired voice.
"We'll be right there. Are you contaminated?"
"I'm afraid so..." Melanie felt a cold hand grip her heart.
The group continued down the hall until they heard droid voices. They huddled up behind a wall and watched the droids walk passed in a nearby hallway.
"All the doors are locked, how are we going to get out?" One of them said.
"It's not our problem." The other answered.
"Boy, that's a relief."
Their voices disappeared down another hallway and the group moved forward. Melanie felt like they were running out of time for Ahsoka and her men. She barely knew this girl but she already wanted to keep her safe, despite the fact that she was probably a lot better at looking after herself in dangerous situations than Melanie.
"Senator Amidala, where are you?" came Ahsokas voice.
"We're right outside your safety room," Padme responded.
"Can you get the door open?"
"Go ahead, Jar Jar." Resigned Padme. Jarjar pressed a button and the door slid open. A number of the men inside were coughing, a bad sign.
"I'm sorry, Ahsoka." Padme put her hand on Ahsokas shoulder in solitude.
"Don't worry about us, Senator. We still have a job to do."
"There aren't very many droids left. We saw some heading towards the south entrance and we also disposed of some near the room we were in." Said Melanie.
"As long as we're able. We'll help you destroy those droids before they breach the compound."
"Okay. You take the north corridor, and well take the south." declare Padme as she accepted a gun from a trooper.
"I'll go with Ahsoka." Melanie decided as they left the room.
They arrived just in time to see the droids congregating around a hatch. Melanie swung her staff at the nearest droid, denting his chest plate in and frying his circuits. She caught sight of Ahsoka swing her lightsaber and taking down two droids at a time. That young girl was an excellent fighter. They meet Padmes group under a hatch ladder that a droid was attempting to escape through.
"Stop!" One trooper yelled at a droid that had climbed up the ladder.
"Don't open that hatch!" Cried Padme.
"Ha! Too late." Replied the Droid. He fired at the hatch to unseal it but it just ricocheted and shot him down.
Melanie shrugged at Ahsoka before the group headed off down a corridor. At least that was one less droid to destroy.