bakerstreet | OH BABY, IT'S A LONG WAY DOWN TO THE BOTTOM OF THE RIVER

Kylo prepared himself, reaching deep into the Force. He could feel the unusual presence, but couldn't place it. It was less of a mind and more of a feeling of something left behind. He took a small step away from the door and dropped into a more offensive stance.

"Ready." he nodded at Hux.

"Ready sir." multiple troopers had their blasters up, just in case.

When the door opened, a frozen burst of air shot past Hux. Kylo's hands jerked. His lightsaber fell. A wraith-like spirit lunged and it took considerable effort just to hold it at bay. A remnant of an ancient presence here, released by something (likely Snoke) and left to starve - it was more than eager to devour his soul from the inside out. And were Kylo Ren any less skilled in telekenesis, it would have already done so.

The troopers looked blankly at each other as the Lord Enforcer struggled with something they couldn't even see.

"A trap..." Kylo growled, "Can't... I can't tear it apart!"

And at the moment, he couldn't risk taking his mind off of this one to determine if anything else was coming through that door.

Truthfully, Hux himself could only barely make the thing out, seeing it as some sort of heat-haze shimmer from some angles and some kind of shadow from others, and the disconnect between the two was giving him a headache again.

He did, however, have enough presence of mind to yank the door shut again, jamming the lock just in case there were others, though he doubted it or they would have made a break for it as well. Even as he did so he was running through risk-reward analysis over a half dozen plans without even thinking about it, it was reflex to do so, and to do so quickly.

Any plan had a high risk ratio, and trying to relay orders increased that risk while reducing any potential reward, which was why he simply charged past Kylo, all but throwing himself at the energy well beneath the spire, dropping his usual masking as he did so, knowing that he'd present a more tempting target and hoping that Kylo would have the presence of mind to be able to rip the thing apart once he was no longer distracted just by holding it off.

"Hux! No!" Kylo roared as his comrade dashed, uncloaked, into the ring. If there was one constant in this citadel, it was power. The funnel of Force energy poured over Hux, and the newfound surge made him quite the sttractive target indeed.

Kylo's struggle to hold onto the malevolent entity was matched only with his need to protect the only man who ever did the same for him.

"Hux!" He shouted again, frantic eyes pleading for him to just get out of there.

When those pleas were ignored, panic led to anger. Fury only deepened Kylo's own connection with the Force, giving him exactly what he needed to crush the specter. Perhaps that had been Hux's plan all along...

He was mostly trying to catch his breath, that wellspring of energy had hit him like too-strong caf on an empty stomach, making him itch, feeling more than a little jittery, as if his pulse was going just too fast and his skin was just too tight.

He also realized, belatedly as he stepped away from the circle, that his nose was bleeding again and he just swiped at it with the back of his hand, "It would have taken too long to explain." He said, "Would have distracted you." Both of which, he was sure, would have led to Kylo's demise, and as much as Kylo wanted -needed- to keep him alive, the same went for Hux, he wasn't about to let Kylo go easily, and definitely wasn't going to be the direct cause of his death that way.

It was a clever strategy, one that banked on how well Hux could read Kylo Ren and anticipate his actions. While a part of him was angry that his emperor would risk himself against a creature that he certainly could not fight off, he couldn't ignore the fact that Hux was absolutely right.

Distracting him instead of the wraith would have let it slip inside of him - and from what he knew of Sith lore, his mind would no longer be his own.

"There may be more of them in the citadel. Remnants of enemies, prisoners..." While holding onto the wraith, he got a vague impression of memories in his mind. "...Former Knights of Ren who failed live up to Snoke's standards while they were alive."

Another quick swipe at his nose, mostly just to make sure that the flow of blood was slowing again -it was- and also to clean the smear already there away as best he could, "Well now that we know what they feel like, we know what to look out for."

He doubted that there were any more of them in the same chamber, he couldn't be sure, of course, but he instinctively felt that they wouldn't be able to stand each other's company, sort of like audio frequencies that were at odds with each other and ended up cancelling each other out.

Kylo glanced the other way as Hux wiped any remaining blood from under his nose. He retrieved his lightsaber and ignited it again, inspecting the door and the space behind it for anything suspicious. Hux's instinct would prove correct.

"Let's go."

The hallway behind the door was short, leading to a dark stairwell. Kylo's lightsaber bathed everything in a sinister red glow. It paired well with the faint stench of death, which only seemed to get stronger as they made their way down the spiraling steps.

When they reached the bottom, it appeared Hux had been right about something else as well. The citadel did have a detention level, so to speak, that Kylo Ren didn't know about. It took the form of a long hallway with many doors. All but one was tightly shut, and the vast majority of them had that hungry presence crying out on the other side. The one they encountered earlier must have escaped, and Kylo secretly hoped it wasn't something the others were capable of. There were far too many here to fend off at once.

The fact that, had their attack on Snoke gone differently, this would have likely been their fate as well, was not lost on Kylo Ren. But he couldn't afford to dwell on it - especially not here.

"We'll have to go through." he pointed to the doorway at the other end of the long hall with his lightsaber. "But if those doors swing open, we're as good as dead."

"Then we'll have to make sure that there's nothing on this side of the door that they want." He replied, tone level, not as clipped and not as cold as it sometimes was, but careful, controlled, keeping his own unease down.

"Hold still a moment." He steadied himself with three slow breaths, not so much masking their presence in the Force as actually dimming it, finding that the veritable power surge he'd subjected himself to upstairs was good for that at least, even despite the way it was still making him jittery.

He knew that he was probably going to be as good as comatose for at least eight hours once they knew they were safe enough to rest, but for the moment he likewise knew that they had to push on if they were going to get to that point. He nodded finally, voice having dipped, little more than a murmur so as not to draw attention, "Go, I'm right behind you."

It was moments like this where Kylo Ren was in awe of Hux's natural talent with the Force. His sense of Hux and even of himself, started to fade, but that of the vengeful wraiths remained strong. After a few moments, that too started to diminish. They were actually losing interest!

Kylo nodded when Hux gave the okay, and carefully made his way into the hallway.

When this was over, he swore to himself, he would return and selectively tear each spirit apart.

The whole corridor was a glorified oubliette, and Hux could appreciate the design and the simplicity of it, he could also acknowledge the fact that had things gone differently he would be well on his way to joining the rest of the shapeless starving things behind their doors.

He could acknowledge it, yes, but he wasn't going to think about it too hard, either, as if doing so might yet pull that fate down on them.

The fact that even their footfalls seemed too quiet in the rough-hewn stone of the corridor put him a little on edge, but he was keeping control of that reaction as well if only through a singleminded determination of focus in keeping them both essentially invisible.

Kylo walked slowly and intentionally, making sure Hux was directly behind him at all times. The closer he was, the better the illusion that there was nothing worth devouring on the outside.

It was a blessing that when they reached the far end of the hallway, nothing had happened. Kylo was just about to let out a sigh of relief when he felt a stone give way under his foot. His head jerked up in just enough time to spot a large stone rattling in the doorway. Instinctively, he seized Hux by the arm.

"Door!!"

By the time the word left his lips, he was ducking and sliding under the quickly falling slab of stone, violently pulling Hux with him.

Stormtroopers without such Force-enhanced reflexes were on their own.

Hux dove, rolling easily after Kylo, letting his partner's instinct and momentum carry them both through. He ended up in an awkward sprawl on the stone floor, but picked himself up after a moment, making sure everything was still intact.

The fact that none of the troopers were on this side of the slab was something that probably should have concerned him, at least a little, but he couldn't quite muster the actual concern.

"Well." It was all he really had to say on the matter, they'd have to find another way back, but he was sure that they would, one way or another.

Kylo, meanwhile, skidded to a stop on his knees. His right hand was outstretched, keeping the lightsaber pointed into the darkness. It was a graceful landing, considering the circumstances.

Behind the door, he could make out the sound of blaster fire and muffled shouting. They were either trying to get through, or were suddenly forced to defend themsleves. He hoped it was the former, but he couldn't hide the sudden chill that ran up his spine.

"Well, indeed." Kylo echoed, climbing to his feet. "We're on our own."

He glanced around, both at the room itself and at the floor. It was small, but spacious. Broken pieces of shelves lined one of the walls. Although it had clearly been empty for quite some time, it was likely once a storage area. A stairwell could be seen on the other side.

"Phasma's going to be quite upset if we've lost another squad." He added, rolling easily to his feet. He could hope that the noise was simply an attempt at a rescue, but he didn't truly believe that it was.

He also couldn't quite bring himself to care, either he was too tired -which was likely- or he knew that new troopers, even for one of Phasma's elite squads, would be easy enough to train, likely there were already some in process.

He gave the room a once-over himself, nose wrinkled just a little, mostly just to see if any small detail stood out to him, even as he asked: "Do you see anything else that's likely to try killing us if we go any further? I have to say I don't think my reflexes are up to another surprise like this last one."

This was a part of the citadel, Kylo reminded Hux, that was completely off-limits to him during his training with Snoke. Whatever was down here was forbidden for a reason, and would no doubt be strongly protected by more than just the Supreme Leader's orders.

"Keep part of your mind attuned to the Force." He warned as much as he encouraged. "Your reflexes will thank you."

The sounds of battle raged behind the stone, but Kylo pressed forward. His steps were light, even cautious, but thankfully, there were no more traps to spring in an empty storeroom. He glanced back at Hux, waiting for a nod of agreement, before venturing even farther into the depths.

Hux followed easily, just as silent as he'd been on the walkways above the throne room during their coup, finding it easier to fall back on that habit while he relegated what was left of his attention to tracking the flow of the Force through the room, at least as best he could given its sometimes unpredictable eddies.

He would, in time, come to learn that those whorls and blips that seemed to have no reason or cause did, in fact, have such, and often were a warning of danger, but sometimes just a signal of importance, that something needed to be paid attention to.

For the moment, however, he had no such knowledge or insight, he just did his beset even despite the exhaustion starting to dig in at the edges of his mind.

The stairs narrowed as they descended, forcing one in front of the other. Kylo took the lead, but made certain Hux was directly behind him at all times. He was slow, almost methodical in his path, his senses attuned to what was around him.

"There's a disturbance in the Force. Something unnatural." He warned, but couldn't quite identify it. It felt like Snoke. But at the same time, it also felt completely alien to him.

The stairs curved around several times. The farther they descended, the greater the disturbance became. A faint chemical smell hung on the stone. Kylo wrinkled his nose - thoughts of his recent stint in thie Finalizer's medbay immediately came to mind.

"Do you smell that?" He whispered, swinging his saber slowly over the stone to check for any ventilation grates. If they were about to be poisoned, he was determined to find the source. Unfortunately, ther was nothing there.

That chemical tang, apparently seeped into the stone itself, was enough to sting Hux's nose, not quite enough to make him sneeze, but enough to make him want to, as if that would make the sensation stop.

He nodded at the question, "It's almost like bacta." He replied, brow creasing a little as he shook his head, "But more intense, almost like the more concentrated stuff they use on extensive plasma burns."

"Some place for a medbay." Kylo scoffed.

If there was such a thing here, he'd never been privy to it. If he or one of the other knights fell ill or was injured during training, they were left to their own devices. Even after the events of Starkiller Base, which nearly killed him, Kylo hadn't been offered any kind of healing once he arrived at the citadel. At least, nothing besides time and whatever natural remedies he could forage for.

As they descended farther, the smell grew more pungent and noxious. Eventually, faint light could be seen through the cracks in the wall. They were nearly to the bottom.

He felt a menacing presence touch the edge of his mind.

"Whatever's down here... I think it knows we're here."

"I could try to mask us again, but I don't know how long it would hold." It was as close as he was going to get to actually admitting that he was running on empty at that point, probably had been for a while even with the borrowed energy from the wellspring under the spire, in the throne room.

He was used to using his powers, of course, but only for limited abilities at a low level all the time, not multiple abilities, some he wasn't even trained on, for extended periods, it was probably a wonder he hadn't burned himself out completely at that point, though it was likely he was going to before long if he kept at it.

Kylo caught the meaning behind Hux's warning, and he spared him a concerned glance. "Then conserve your power until we need it the most."

Each step now felt like an eternity. Kylo was fastidious in searching for possible traps, but there was nothing there. It was almost as if whatever was down there actually wanted them to make it the rest of the way undisturbed.

The stairwell curved. The bottom was now in sight. A yellowish light bathed the wall where the stairs ended. The stench of chemicals was pungent enough to mask death itself. The faint sound of machinery echoed in what must have been a fairly large chamber. If not a medbay, then... a lab of some sort?

Kylo had a really bad feeling about this place.

Hux kept close, likewise on the lookout for anything that could be a further trap, even though the chemical smell was stinging his throat and the inside of his nose every time he breathed, strong enough now that it was making his eyes water. It wasn't yet enough to make him dizzy, but it was enough that he felt like he had to sneeze, or cough, enough to make it feel like he couldn't quite get a full breath.

He was still concerned as to what they were going to find, though perhaps not as unsettled as Kylo was, something that in and of itself concerned Hux, he hadn't ever seen the other man quite this rattled and he didn't like it.

When they finally reached the bottom, a disturbing sight lay before them. It was a lab of some sort, built not only for experimentation, but also preservation. All the chemicals and machines were connected in some way to the large tank in the middle of the room - containing what Kylo Ren could only define as "Snoke."

Never had he felt such a disturbance in the Force.

"Kriff..." he muttered under his breath, ignoring the acidic tang at the back of his throat.

This was their enemy. This had been their enemy all along. The one on the surface was merely a container, a shell for the shapeless, timeless essence that lingered in this underground laboratory.

Kylo could sense Snoke watching them, studying them. There was no fear, only great expectations of what was about to unfold. And the only reason Kylo didn't charge headfirst into the room and slash everything to pieces was the intent he gleamed through the Force.

"It's debating." he hissed. "Between us. It wants one of us. It needs a new host..."

At the same time, familiar footsteps could be heard on the stairs. The stormtroopers had made it out of the detention block and had finally caught up to their leaders.

He turned his head just slightly, not enough to take his eyes off of Kylo or the lab, but enough to be heard by the troopers on the stairs as he barked: "Stay back!" There was no sense in giving the thing any more options than it already had.

He also doubted that the trick he'd used upstairs, masking them both and moving slowly would work, if only because he knew his own energy wouldn't last long if he tried, and would likely leave them exposed at the worst possible moment.

"We could always just set everything on fire and seal the door." He commented mildly, only half-serious.

Kylo missed Hux's quip. He was too focused on the laughter he sensed inside his head, the feeling that Snoke already had an advantage that they didn't know about and the footsteps of the Stormtrooper unit...

Footsteps. The troopers heard Hux's order, but completely ignored it.

A familiar chill crept down Kylo's spine and he glimpsed a vision through the Force. Hands in white armor. A body, perhaps his own, strapped to a table. A mouth pried open in a silent scream. A kiss of death where everything fades to black.

He immediately thrust his lightsaber toward the approaching unit. The vengeful spirits in the detention block had found new homes - and Snoke was determined to be next.

"Those aren't our troopers!" he shouted, keeping himself between the Stormtroopers and his new Emperor. "If any in the squad are missing, contact Phasma. She needs to know!"

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