Rey's head was throbbing. Hard. That's the first thing she noticed when she awoke. She reached up to touch her temple, but her arm wouldn't move. She tried to sit up, but she met cold metal restraints.

She groggily opened her eyes.

The room was dim and cold, with buzzing fluorescent lights and shiny metal walls. She was strapped to what could have been a sort of examiners table, but it was tilted at such an angle that it was almost vertical. She strained against her bonds, but to no avail. She couldn't break through metal with her bare hands, and she probably would've been too weak to break through any other material. Her entire body was aching, her head pulsing, and she was almost glad that she was strapped onto this thing, because had she been standing on her own, her knees would've buckled.

She allowed her head to flop back, groaning in pain as she did. She was afraid, but she tried not to be. There was nothing she could do in this situation that would do her any good, so she fixated on the panels of the ceiling above her, letting her mind go blank.

The door clicked open.

Her head snapped up and she stared at the figure stepping through the vault-like entrance. He was dressed in all black and had his mask on, making him seem less than human. She shivered, but quickly tried to conceal it, fixing her eyes on him with rage.

"Where am I?" She asked, her voice cracking. She was touching her thumb to each of her fingers on her left hand, slowly, but then faster and faster. Her jaw was clenched, and a thin layer of sweat gleamed on her forehead.

If he took notice of her apparent anxiety, he didn't show it.

His metallic voice sounded amused when he spoke. He crouched before her.

"You are my guest."

She shrunk back as far as her restraints allowed.

"Where are the others?"

She had meant her voice to sound sharp and demanding, but her question came out as a whimper, fear taking over her.

"Those murderers, traitors, and thieves you call friends?" His voice was cold and remorseless, breaking through the air. She looked like she was ready to spit fire at him. He paused, softening almost imperceptibly.

"You'll be relieved to know I have no idea."

She exhaled, keeping her eyes fixed on him as he approached.

"You still want to kill me?"

He spoke quietly, and though it was worded as a question, it wasn't, not really. She could feel the fury building within her every time he spoke.

"That's what happens when you're being hunted by a creature in a mask," she said venomously, unsure of why she worded it that way. She didn't think she cared about whether he was human underneath his armor- he was evil, so it didn't matter. Still, she felt as if she was asking something of him, but what, she didn't know.

He did.

Reaching up to the side of his head, he pressed a button, and the face of the mask protruded with a hiss. He lifted it off of his head, tossing it carelessly to the floor.

Not mask, she thought. Helmet.

His appearance startled her. He had dark hair that curled slightly, and a hook nose. His chin was pointed and his eyes were inky, almost black, matching his hair. He looked, she decided, like a raven. She realized that it did matter to her that he was human. It mattered far too much. He picked up on this, and the corners of his mouth turned down.

"The map, Rey."

She thought his voice was gentle, but she didn't dare believe herself. It wouldn't make sense- none of this would make any sense- so all she could do was the most logical thing. Her eyes narrowed, her face contorting into a scowl. No, she thought. I will not do this.

He heard her thoughts, and he looked annoyed. He had expected this to happen, she knew that. But she also knew that he would get the map, whether she let him or not. She knew he was determined in a terrifying way, a way that she had never seen before. He needed the map to prove himself, to feel stronger, to protect his own life. He needed it to ensure balance. He let on that he only needed it for power, but it was so much more than that.

It was all self preservation.

She realized this with a pang of pity, and unfortunately for her, he felt it. As they locked eyes, she felt something nudge her brain. It circled her forehead, then moved to her temples and reunited at the nape of her neck. Pressure increased, along with shooting pains through her skull, and she heard whispering. There were gentle murmurs and flashes of landscape and color, and wave after wave of emotion coursed through her as new images surfaced. They fizzled out as quickly as they came, like static on a radio.

Memories.

He was attempting to break into her mind and coax them out of her, and she felt a searing pain as the one he was looking for surfaced- the map. She hissed, sweat clinging to her face, and tried to push it down. In her mind, a wave of darkness engulfed them- all the images, all the feelings and flashing lights sunk to the bottom of her. She pushed back against him, pressing whatever this strange power was against his mind, and he broke away, tense now, coiled within himself, ready to strike again.

A smirk danced across his lips, and he advanced, but she did not shrink back. "I saw the island," he mused. "The one surrounded by the ocean? It's a beautiful ocean, Rey." He was next to her face now; she could feel his eyes slide over her as she cast her gaze to the ceiling, counting tiles.

1, 2.

"I always get what I want," he breathed. He was so close. Her breath caught in her throat, like shards of broken glass. She could hear his thoughts creeping in.

Don't be afraid. You're so lonely- I feel it too. She inhaled, trying to fight him.

3,4.

She could feel him pushing against her again, harder this time, as if her head was caught in a vice, or maybe several. She gritted her teeth.

5-

He pushed harder, and this time, she pushed back. She was forcing him out somehow, winning some sort of mental arm wrestling match that she didn't know she'd be participating in. He was strained; she felt his frustration as he tried to get back in and find the stupid map. She also felt his fear of being bested, and his anger at her for resisting. Most surprisingly, she felt his remorse. He didn't want to do this, and as she advanced further into him, she realized that it was only for her. He didn't want to do this to her, her specifically. She pressed as hard as she could.

678910.

She gasped as his mind flooded hers. He clamped down, trying to force her out, but not before a flash of emotion passed from him to her. "You're afraid," She gasped, drained. "You're afraid you'll never be as strong as Darth Vader."

With that, he severed their connection, snarling. With a flip of his cape, he replaced his helmet and strode out of the room, slamming the door on his way out.