Where caged Wolves lie - Part I

[Darth Vader]

The chrome, colourless elevator doors retracted with a ding as the lift reached it's set destination. The two soldiers clad in white stepped out of the elevator with some impatient haste in their strides. The stark, darkly-clothed figure of Jon Snow skulked out soon after them, walking with much less liveliness than they did, though still making an effort to keep up with them none the less.

The area around Jon was just another maze of corridors, hallways and purposefully placed rooms, though this part of the complex admittedly felt much more cozy and welcoming to Jon than the holding-dungeon beneath them had. The lights above then didn't flicker or falter every so often, and the walls were coated with a much brighter colour and shading of paint; a tint of beige that complimented the place much nicer. Unlike on the floor below, every room they passed now had a clear glass window you could peer through. They passed by interrogation rooms, visiting areas, medical infirmaries...

"Prisoner Jon Snow is being signed out" one of the troopers informed the receptionist as they passed by the counter. Jon barely had time to glance back over his shoulder, they were in that much of an apparent hurry. The receptionist heeded the soldier's words, and began typing something down furiously.

Jon followed the troopers outside the Corucsant jail doors, and was greeted with a breath of fresh air...

And a view of the entire top-tier city.

Now that Jon had more of a chance to and felt less fatigued and confused, he took some time to absorb in his surroundings as he walked. The city of Corucsant was truly amazing, he had to admit. A marvel to the eyes of many. Tall glass towers and buildings dotted the horizons, reaching up far into the sky beyond. Mechanical boxes of a sort flied and whooshed about, circling from one area to the next. They were almost akin to carriages and wagons, Jon noted, though they were being pulled by no horse, and carriages couldn't fly where he hailed from. Big screens hung bolted from building-tops, illuminating with a piercing glow as the frames moved quickly, the board broadcasting news, reality shows, retail advertisements and the like.

As Jon and his small party reached the end of a ledge, they naturally came to a halt. One of the Stormtroopers peered up, scanning about for... something... as cars hovered and speeded past them.

And suddenly, a static noise sung from the radio strapped at the Troopers chest.

"Reading you loud and clear, Commander Hammond" the soldier tilted his head downward, arching his neck to the side to have his face closer to the radio's microphone. "Mhmm... copy that, we'll bring him through" the trooper gave a few nods to nobody in particular, before the static cut out to silence, the man's posture straightening back up.

Jon opened his mouth to speak... but then closed it again immediately after. What was is they were truly planning for him...?

Jon had a feeling that whatever it was, he wouldn't completely like it.

As they waited, and Snow became more and more distracted in his thoughts, the bastard turned his attention to one of the nearby broadcasting screens, the glass flashing as though it were about to change..

And it did.

It suddenly flashed to a rather peculiar scene. To Jon, at least. Two men stood opposite from each other in a dark, almost pitch black setting. They were dressed from head to toe in some strange gear. Headbands, sweat bands, black belts... a gong sounded out, and the two men paced from the shadows and moved closer toward one another. They were close enough to touch, at this point. They both pushed balled hands against their chests, bowing their heads to one another in some kind of initiation ritual or tradition.

They both threw up their fists to be in a fighting stance and posture, taking a few strides away from one another to give each other some distance. Some sort of build up music was audible in the background of things, the volume of it going up and becoming louder as the face-off being shown became more intense and suspenseful. (<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAwWPadFsOA_">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAwWPadFsOA_</a><!-- m -->)

"FIGHT" a deep, gravelly voice demanded from out of nowhere. The two combatants began to advance on one another. One readied his fists, whilst the other threw up his palms in front of him. The one on the offensive threw a series of well-timed punches at his opponents face, yet each of his punches were blocked away by nothing more than his foes bare hands. As the attacker began to tire, the defender took his opportunity, Jumping up and planting an upward kick at his opponents jaw, flipping and landing away from him in an over-exaggerated fashion. The scene cut right onto his face, zooming into it slightly. A triumphant smirk formed amongst his many features.

He watched closely as his opponent recovered and bounced back to the balls of his feet, retaking his fighting stance as he returned the grin. The victor of the last brief engagement did the same, rushing toward his opponent, twisting his hips slightly as he swung his leg around for a roundhouse kick. His target narrowly avoided the leg by ducking, gripping his arms around the upper part of his attackers leg as he, quite literally, heaved him up tossed him over his shoulder.

The other fighter slid across the floor in defeat. It took some moments for him to roll over and recover, but by the time he did, it was already too late... his foe was on him, leaping up into the air with a clenched fist, ready to end this...

The scene slowed...

And cut out.

DANTE'S ABYSS the words now read out on the screen, large and bold enough for all to see. Are you strong enough to survive? was the tagline that accompanied it. Jon squinted a tad, trying to mentally fathom what it is he just saw and what meaning it exactly had, turning away from the screen and back to the two Stormtroopers that stood waiting patiently in front of him.

The one on his left suddenly raised his palm up as a different kind of hover car flew into view. It's colour was a tinted yellow, and the word CAB was written in a bold black colour on the car's door. The driver brought his vehicle to a pause as he stopped the Stormtroopers gesture, peering toward him, his arm resting lazily against the doors top frame, driving with one hand.

"Ya be needin' a ride, right, sir?" the cab driver inquired, tilting his head slightly. The Stormtrooper silently nodded. "Yes. Take us to the gate" the armoured man spoke in response. With a slight chuckle, the driver hit a button, the doors shifting open to allow them passage onward. "Hop right in, then!" the driver ushered them on. The more talkative of the two Stormtroopers was the first to board. Jon was shoved onward to be next by the other, settling down into a back seat between them.

"Buckle up" one of the Troopers nodded to Jon as he did his own seatbelt. Jon's brow raised, not really getting his meaning at first. The bastard quickly caught on, however, reaching behind him as he pulled free his seatbelt - a black webbing strap. The glanced around for the buckle to attach it to... and was clearly having some trouble with finding it.

"Allow me.." the Trooper said with a sigh. Snatching his seatbelt from his hands, he leaned across Jon, slotting the clip into the buckle with ease. The cab driver regarded the Lord Commander with a strange glare, taking a moment to absorb the bastard's appearance in before turning back around, pressing his foot against the pedal and zooming off once the Trooper would be properly seated once more.

The feelings that entered Jon Snow as the vehicle began it's motion was indescribable, to put it lightly. They soared through the air at good speed, the breezy, refreshing winds dragging Jon's long, curly locks around and across his face. They passed everything from here; the tall skyscrapers, the big screens, the glass windows and the other cars. You could peer down and see a whole other city beneath you; a whole other tier. It felt simply amazing, but Jon did a well and good job at hiding his enthusiasm. He could almost compare the feeling to flying as a free as a bird, if he wasn't being squashed by the shoulders of two well-built white-armoured men sitting at either side of him.

It didn't take a long time for them to hit their destination - the gate. The hover cab slowed as it lowered it's frame slightly downward, docking up against the ledge. The door opened, allowing them an exit. The Stormtroopers quickly unfastened their seatbelts and moved to stand, Jon following their own demonstrations. Pressing his gloved thumb against the buckles button, it quickly unfastened itself, the seatbelt flinging off from him.

He joined the Stormtroopers in standing, and the three moved off from the cab. The doors closed once more as they disboarded, the cab flying off elsewhere.

Jon squinted somewhat as he peered about his surroundings. He had expected to see a retinue of Stormtroopers awaiting him, but to his own surprise there was... nobody. Nobody that took extreme notice of his newlyfound presence here, anyway. The white-clad men on either side of him seemed to give not much care, either, marching on for the gate.

"Where are they?" Jon finally asked. "Not here" the trooper didn't even grace him with a look as he quickly responded. "Our orders have... changed slightly. We're taking you to the outpost in the Nexus, instead. There is where you'll meet Arnold Hammond".

Jon's brow raised slight. The... Nexus? Where and what was that?

Only then did he recognise the gate that was in front of them, and remembered where it was they were heading. The white void that was devoid of colouring and life and the fountain where he had awoke the day prior still stuck out clearly in his mind.

There and back again, it seems... Jon sighed mentally, bracing himself as they moved through the gate, a bright light flashing behind them as they moved on to the verse beyond...