Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

On this normal day, a day like any other, the sky was blue. It seemed like an obvious thing to notice, but to Obi-Wan Kenobi, it represented hope for a better tomorrow.


Of course, that better tomorrow never showed up, but that’s not the point.
Every time that he would look up, he thought to himself, They can never take the colour of the sky. They can take everything else, but nobody could take this. The ancient engine of his old, rusty pickup stuttered noisily as the turquoise truck hit a bump in the road, causing the whole thing to lurch up uncomfortably.

He drove on, continuing along the narrow, rocky path to the tiny town that everyone knew as Naboo. Nobody was quite sure how the isolated place got its unusual-sounding name, but to Obi-Wan, it was just like every other settlement in America.

It lost its unique charm shortly after the massacre.

Every once in a while, he would make his way up the long mountain road to visit the closest thing that he had to family that was left. Although the house where that family lived was the place in which he spent the most time in one go (if we’re not counting his truck), he couldn’t call it his home. Once he reached the tiny town and drove into the neighbourhood cautiously, he parked in front of one of the only houses that didn’t look like it was plucked straight out of a horror film. The two on either side of it were dark and dismal-looking, with barbed wire fences encompassing the perimeter. What at one point was a nice pale yellow is now splattered with a dark grey coat of paint, blocking out the brightness of a time before.

Padmé’s home, sandwiched in between the two high-security fortresses, was a light in the dark. Even before, she had always wanted to make her house seem safe and happy, not only for her children but for herself as well. She’d had complications in childbirth many years prior; it was a miracle that she was still alive. She always needed a little joy in her life so her mental health wouldn’t suffer. Obi-Wan came to check on her and his niece and nephew every two months. Sure, he was a little late (by a week and a half), but on his way there, there was a family that wanted help improving their defences in case the clones came back. He couldn’t say no to them. Sure, there hadn’t been as many attacks recently, but that was mainly because more people than ever had given up the fight and let Empire triumph over them. It still wasn’t safe, though, and Obi-Wan was starting to think that it never would be.

When he tentatively knocked on the door, nobody answered. It wasn’t that unusual to wait for a bit and feel out your surroundings before opening, but after 10 minutes, Obi-Wan was starting to fear the worst. He paced back and forth between the door and his truck, trying to calm his nerves. He was beginning to feel sick.

“If you’re looking for Amidala, she said that she took the kids to see her parents on the other side of town!” An old, wrinkled man who couldn’t have been older than 50 called out from the house beside Padmé’s. Between his crusty lips, there was an old cigarette that looked like it had been plucked from the ground. However, his eyes sparkled brightly with kindness. Obi-Wan found it tragic that a man who had so clearly been happy and young could age so badly in this era. He wondered what horrors the man had seen to turn his hair grey and add years worth of wrinkles to his face.

Obi-Wan shouted a quick “thank you!” before rushing to his truck and slamming the door shut. He wasn’t convinced that the old man couldn’t hear his heavy breathing and sheer sobs of relief. Padmé wasn’t here, but she was safe. He hadn’t failed to protect them.
He knew that he had no clue where Padmé’s family lived and that even if he did know, it was rude to interrupt a visit like that. He decided that he could hunt in the forest outside of town to kill the time, as well as hopefully kill what would be his lunch. He put his keys in the ignition and left Naboo behind him, heading to a large forest that he had spotted about 6 miles away.

————-

The dark hues of the forest were soothing for Obi-Wan. It had been a while since he’d come here. The tall trees welcomed him, towering over him as if they were protecting him from the terror that was outside. It had been a while since he’d come out to the woodlands; Obi-Wan had been raiding deserted houses for a few months now. The vast emptiness was the same in both locations, but at least in the forest, he was out in the fresh air.

A twitch in the bushes caused Obi-Wan to sharply turn, his hair gently flopping over his eyes. He raised his rifle in the general direction, but nothing arose from the brush. It was a still, quiet day, and nothing was available to hunt. Secretly, this brought Obi-Wan great joy; it meant that he didn’t need to pull the trigger on some helpless animal.

Although he had killed both animals and humans before, it never got any easier for him to stomach. Even before, Obi-Wan could never understand how people would be able to just... bam. Life over. He knew that he was a hypocrite considering that he was hunting right now, but this was different. This meat could feed a family that doesn’t have the heart or resources to raid other people. It could give a person some much-needed protein before their body starts to fail.

After Empire took over, it was always either killing a human or an animal, and Obi-Wan would always choose animal if it allowed other people to live.

Obi-Wan didn’t induce it, but eventually his eyes instinctively closed, his breathing becoming more deliberate, like it was being completely controlled and not just something that the body does naturally. He’d always had hightened senses, ever since he was a child. He was the one who always yelled at his father when he left dinner in the oven for too long. He was the one who got praised by the optician at the end of every yearly eye test. He was the one who told his mother that two of the neighbours were having a secret affair.

He stood in silence, observing his surroundings with the utmost care. He was one with the forest, and it rewarded him with all of its knowledge. Obi-Wan could see a squirrel leaping from one branch to another, carefully climbing like the nimble creature it was. He could hear the sound of a mother bird feeding her chicks, keeping them alive through the harsh autumn weather. He could feel another human presence just to his right.

Slowly, he stalked closer and closer to where the other person was. Alarm bells were ringing in his head, but, as usual, his curiosity won.
Once again, that very curiousity was his downfall. Literally.

Before Obi-Wan even had time to think, he was tumbling down a small hill with a heavy weight on top of him. He couldn’t make out the individual parts of the forest as he rolled down; the constant swirling was beginning to make him nauseous. He could only register the feeling of the coarse ground below him and the unknown mass pinning him down as he fell.

Waking up was always hard when you live on a ruined planet, but the throbbing pain in his arm and his probable concussion made it significantly worse than usual. Obi-Wan wasn’t sure how long he was out for or who his attacker was, but as he looked over at the unconscious body beside him, he realised that the stranger’s fall was just as brutal as his. He poorly stumbled back onto his feet and slowly walked over to study the other man.

As he leaned over to examine the guy, Obi-Wan came to some very important realisations. The first thing that he noticed was that the person was not a civilian, but a clone. His tan skin and muscular body were just like all of Empire’s soldiers. Why a clone was in the middle of the forest near the small mountain town of Naboo was a question that he desperately required an answer to. Was this clone a danger to Naboo? The second thing that he noticed was the array of scars that covered both of his arms. He knew what they meant. He had worn them himself many times before.

The third thing that Obi-Wan noticed was how pretty the clone was.

He didn’t want to think about the last thing, and, as it turned out, he didn’t have the time to either. The clone sprang upright, a feral yet determined look in his eyes as he glared at Obi-Wan intently. He had the same dark eyes and even darker hair as his brothers, but he wasn’t totally identical. This nonconformity was starkly displayed in a long, winding scar that travelled from the top of his forehead down to the beginning of his cheek. He’s quite good-looking, Obi-Wan thought before he was snapped back into reality by the cool press of a knife against his throat.

The harsh, scratchy breathing that came from the clone instantly told Obi-Wan that he hadn’t spoken in a while. Whether that was by choice on his part or due the perils that he faced in Empire, he didn’t know.
Obi-Wan made his move.

Despite being heavily concussed, Obi-Wan swung himself in a way that landed both him and the clone on the floor of the forest. For Obi-Wan, that was the easy part. He still had to get the blade, as well as defend himself against any physical blows that the unpredictable machine of a man might attempt.

Or, at least, that was the plan before said man promptly passed out on the ground.

Against his better judgement, Obi-Wan instinctively collapsed on top of his unconscious opponent. He sighed with relief, partially from the fact that he wasn’t going to die, but mostly because he didn’t have to kill anyone.

When he brought his hand to his face to wipe any dust that got into his eyes in the fight, he could feel a warm liquid being smeared onto his face. Sure enough, when he took a look at his hand, he noticed that it was completely covered in blood.

His stomach dropped and his nerves tensed at the thought of being injured, and for a brief second, his rational thinking was compromised. When he finally calmed down enough to think, Obi-Wan realised that this wasn’t his blood.

He’d managed to completely ignore the fresh blood stain spreading rapidly through the other man’s clothing. Obi-Wan heard a soft groan coming from the body. He guessed that clones aren’t that easily killed after all. It would be so easy to just leave him here, alone in the forest, bleeding to death. But as Obi-Wan stood up to head back to Naboo, something deep inside of him made him halt. The clone was a war machine, but maybe he was still a person. He didn’t want to think about the scars scattered across his skin. He would die if he was left outside in the middle of nowhere to rot. Just before this started, he made himself a promise that he had intended to keep. He had broken it once before; the consequences were devastating, not just to him but to the whole world.

He turned around, gazed at the now completely still man who was sleeping on the forest floor, and walked back towards him.

———-

Dragging the body back to the truck was an issue. It took the rest of Obi-Wan’s strength to slowly drag the clone out of the rough forest terrain and throw him in the backseat. What now? He couldn’t exactly stay at Padmé’s house while tending to the wounds of someone with the potential to be a brutal killing machine. Without even realising that he was doing it, he had placed the keys in the ignition and started to drive away.

One of the very few similarities between the old world and the new one is that change is a very rare thing to happen in a daily routine. The only way to thrive in both worlds is to plan the day off of normalcy. People go and do their jobs, finish the day, and repeat the cycle, day in and day out. The job in question is just... different now. The stakes are higher, and the survival rates are lower. The difference is that a major change in the old world would mean relocating across the country as soon as possible or being fired out of the blue when your kid just got into the most expensive college. Now, the slightest change could alter the way you conduct yourself at all times. It could also mean that Death has come for you in the form of an angry mob or a clone that took it too far. Usually, even after the end of civilization, you don’t find yourself in a situation involving an injured soldier behind you when you’re driving to one of your many, many hideouts.

Especially when that soldier is one of the ones that caused the end of civilization.
But, as Obi-Wan constantly reminded himself, he was the biggest catalyst of all.
At first glance, the situation wasn’t great.

Little did either the driver or the passenger know, but Obi-Wan’s decision that day changed the future of civilization.

Chapter Text

He couldn’t move. That was his first thought when CC-2224 (Cody to his friends) slowly opened his eyes to find himself in a poorly lit room. Chairs in the corner cast winding shadows across faded wallpaper. He was also pretty sure that there was a large patch of mould growing in one of the unlit corners. He could feel a scratchy rope around each of his wrists, pulling him tightly to the headboard of an ancient bed that he was connected to. How did he get here?

The last thing that he remembered was looking up at the dark green canopy of the woods in the middle of nowhere and the deep blue eyes of the person who he now assumed was his captor.

He shimmied until he was sitting up straighter and could just about look down to see bandages where he had been wounded when he fought. Strange. The man must’ve patched him up.

The blurry shapes in front of him morphed as he adjusted to the light some more. Everything was aching for him, and he could feel each individual cut and bruise that was hammered into his skin. Nothing new though; he’d had a lot worse.

“Why were you in the forest?”

A clear, elegant-sounding voice filled his ears, even through the ringing that he had been constantly hearing as he had woken up. Sure enough, when he looked up, he could make out the vague outline of the man who had brought him here. As his eyes began to focus, he could make out the concerned yet fierce look in his face.

“I’ll ask you again.” He said calmly. “Why were you in the forest? Were you travelling to Naboo to enforce Empire’s reign of bullshit?”

Cody wanted to speak, but every time he opened his mouth, no words came to him. He seldom talked; in Empire, there wasn't really anything to say. For the clone army, talking was usually exclusively among his brothers, and all of them had cut Cody out after Rex.

So, like always, Cody said nothing.

The man was glaring at him now, his piercing eyes trying to get a reading of his intentions. Cody tried to think of an answer, but his memories of before the forest near… Naboo? Were blurry. He remembered trudging through the mud in the cold weather and crouching down to hide in the brush when he heard another’s footsteps. He remembered the crashing sound of when he tackled the man who was now his captor to the ground, as well as the pain that he felt when he fell onto the particularly sharp rock during the fight.

He also remembered being dragged back and placed in what must’ve been this man’s truck. Did this man really single-handedly bring him out of the forest, tend to his wounds, and tie him to bedposts, all while Cody was unconscious?

If the situation were different, he would deeply respect this traveller.

The man stared at Cody a while longer, before sighing in resignation.

“Will you at least tell me your name?”

Cody was stunned. Who was this person? Cody, or CC-2224, as he was better known by Empire, had been told his entire life that his name, his identity- didn’t matter. And his entire life, he believed them. He never said it to Rex, but he still did. The only reason that he had the name Cody was because Rex had insisted when they were small. “Why should I memorise the number of every single one of my brothers when they can just have names? Most of them already do!” Cody smiled fondly, thinking about his brother. Of all of the people with whom he had interacted throughout his life (mostly other clones), Rex was by far his favourite.

When they were small, his little brother had always stuck by him in an almost annoying fashion. To Cody, Rex was a reminder of why they did what they had to do. If they didn’t, they would merely be decommissioned or, even worse, be sent to reconditioning.

***

Sometimes, on those days when they had to do something truly horrible, Cody would think about giving up. The guilt would build, and that little voice in his head would make him pick up the tiny knife that he had stuffed in his boot. He always cried through it, but he needed to wash away his suffering somehow, and this was the only way that he knew how. When Rex found out, the knife was thrown away instantly. There were always a lot of tears, but that night, a road to recovery was paved out. Rex was his lifeline, his saviour, his brother.

***

Suddenly, Cody was snapped out of his haze of emotions from remembering the past. He still wasn’t sure if he could talk; he rarely did, even around Rex. His brother just knew, and understood him completely. It had been a while since he met someone and needed to talk. But if he didn’t, he might be seen as uncooperative, or even as the worst thing that Cody could imagine: a soulless robot.

He made his decision.

———-

Obi-Wan wasn’t sure what he was expecting from this interrogation. It made perfect sense that the clones wouldn’t speak to anyone about their unsavoury intentions, much less to a man who had tied him to an abandoned bed in the first house that he came across on the journey away from Naboo.

Again, he turned towards the clone, who had been making as much movement as he could muster from his seating position. He had been doing this periodically every little while, as if each new attempt would be exactly the same as before. This time, however, Obi-Wan knew that something was different.

Sure enough, the clone used his head to gesture for him to come closer. Cautiously, Obi-Wan stalked closer, not entirely convinced that the other man wasn’t planning to bite off his nose in retaliation for what they had both realised by now was technically an abduction. The irritated-looking clone gestured to one of his hands, which was still firmly tied to the bedpost. Obi-Wan knew what a bad idea it was, but he still had a little bit of optimism that the clone could have some emotion inside of him, even if he was one of the ones partially responsible for ending the world.

Obi-Wan didn’t realise how much his hands were shaking when he reached up to untie the man. To be honest, he half expected a punch thrown in his direction. He definitely didn’t think that all the clone would do was gently take his hand and lightly trace letters into his palm.

“C-o-d-y. Your name is Cody!” Obi-Wan couldn’t help but smile when he got the clone’s name. Cody. Cody. It was a nice name. Obi-Wan still didn’t understand why Cody didn’t just tell him in the first place, though.

“You could’ve just said that, you know.” Obi-Wan told him, thinking out loud.

“But I did.” Was the spelled-out response.

“I mean out loud, Cody.”

The other man shot up, his eyes growing wider when he heard his name. If Obi-Wan had been more observant in this moment, he would’ve noticed that tears were spouting from Cody’s eyes at the word. Still, he took a deep breath before spelling, “I don’t talk”. He looked up, as if trying to work out what Obi-Wan's response would be. He simply nodded and gave Cody a small smile.

He didn’t expect that Cody would smile back.

‘I’m…” he trailed off mid-sentence, suddenly remembering the damage that could be done if his name made its way to the higher ups, or one of them in particular. Obi-Wan was quite a distinctive name; he’s not entirely sure where his parents got it from. The point is, there weren’t too many people walking around, so if Cody found his way back to Empire, then he would be completely, utterly fucked.

“Ben. My name is Ben.” It was the most common name he could think of on the spot. Cody seemed to accept it, either not noticing the hesitation that he took or choosing to ignore it.

Now that he had established that Cody wasn’t a mindless machine, Obi-Wan wasn’t sure what to do with him. The other man was his prisoner, even if that thought now made Obi-Wan want to retch. Why did he think that this was a good idea? Cody was observing, watching him intently as he paced around the room, growing gradually more concerned.

Killing Cody was out of the question now (he wasn’t sure if he would’ve been able to go through with it anyway). Obi-Wan’s brain started moving a mile a minute as he attempted to think of a solution that gave Cody freedom but didn’t put his, or more importantly, Padmé’s, safety in jeopardy.

Maybe he could let Cody go? But then, if the clone reported what happened, it could lead to an influx of Empire cronies looking for him. If Cody was still loyal to Empire then he would also mention Naboo, causing an invasion of that tiny settlement free from the terror of this leadership.

Another option was to hand Cody over to one of the many clans that took prisoners. They could stop him from ever going back to Empire to tell them about Naboo, and any blood spilled wouldn’t even touch Obi-Wan’s hands. However, those groups were known to be violent, and he wasn’t sure if Cody would be protected there or if he would be treated not unlike how the clones torment innocent people.

Then, a thought struck him like lightning. The chances that Cody would agree were slim at best, but it was probably the best option, and was definitely worth a shot.

“You could travel with me!” He blurted out.

Cody just gave him a confused stare. It was at this moment that Obi-Wan really noticed just how crazy his idea sounded. Him, traveling the country with a mute clone, while also trying to help people, when said clone might still be loyal to Empire and therefore destroy any chance that he has to help those who need it.

“I mean- only if you want to, of course. No pressure, but the only other options don’t look too good for you, and I can’t just let you go back to Empire, you’d tell them about Naboo. Probably my fault for mentioning it in the first place, but-”

Realising that he was rambling, Obi-Wan remembered that Cody was in the room. and turned to face him, visibly concerned about his possible responses. The man’s face was oddly calm; he seemed to have accepted his fate. Obi-Wan almost missed the tiny nod of agreement that Cody gave him.

———-

Cody didn’t know why the man in front of him was being so awkward. He wasn’t the one tied to a bedpost. The logical, soldier part of him was saying that agreeing to travel with this Ben fellow was purely his survival instincts (finally) showing themselves. Although he had been sheltered by Empire for a large part of his life, particularly after Rex disappeared, he was no stranger to how clones are received by civvies. He had also heard horror stories about what some of his brothers had endured at the hands of certain organisations run by uncaring leaders. But he had only interacted with these stories when he absolutely had to, mainly when Rex would drag him into conversations with the others.

This way, if he travels with Ben, he could hitch a ride to somewhere that was closer to Empire, and find a way to break free from his strange captor. It was just the right course of action.

He tried to squash down the human part of him that wanted to go with Ben- the part of him that didn’t want to be by himself any longer.

Ben loudly clapped his hands together, causing Cody to startle. He was growing more and more worried that what he had taken for nerves might be more of a sign that this man was more unstable than he appeared on the outside.

Now that Cody was thinking about it, Ben did look more tidy than most people who were roughing it in the landscape. This might not have said much since many people (the smart people, Cody had always been told) had relocated to official Empire terrain. Although technically all of America was Empire’s, these special areas were protected from the crime and lawlessness associated with the lack of enforcement. Cody spent most of his time there, compared with many others.

Ben’s hair was neat; it looked like it was brushed every day, or it gave the illusion that it was. His clothing had… minimal blood stains, but Cody assumed that some of the blood that was currently on him might have been from patching both of them up after the fight. While some people had greying hairs and prominent frown lines from the added stress of life after Empire, Ben had barely a few strands of hair that were naturally turning white, and his smile lines stood out above all other marks on his face. Cody thought that he was naturally pretty.

“How are we going to do this?” Ben asked, his brow furrowed in a puzzled expression. “I’m not comfortable with letting you walk around completely untied yet, but you’ll need to get to my truck somehow.”

Any normal person would hear these words and start concocting an intricate, ingenious escape plan. Cody, on the other hand, couldn’t stop thinking about how he had said yet, not only like Cody was going to be with him for a while, but also like they could form even the littlest bit of trust between them.

He didn’t know why, but he felt a little giddy at the thought.

Ben leaned over to cautiously untie Cody, firmly gripping his shoulder as if he thought that Cody would make a break for the door as soon as he was given the opportunity. Once the knots were undone, Ben guided him through the door of what he assumed was one of many abandoned houses. They stopped in front of one of the oldest trucks that Cody had ever seen. The turquoise paint was starting to peel off, and there was a sad-looking crack in the windshield. It was a miracle that the junk on wheels was still functional.

Ben didn’t seem to need Cody to speak to understand his feelings about the truck. “Yeah, I know. It probably needs a few repairs.”

Cody shot him a look which he hoped said, “just a few”?

“Well, I don’t exactly have access to the best materials for this after you and Empire decided to wipe out so much of the country, and probably a good chunk of mechanics who could check it!”

Cody involuntarily flinched at that. Yes, Empire’s methods to save the world by taking control were a bit- brutal, but it was also Ben’s fault for not going to one of the towns that had more power and respect for Empire and therefore had more resources as well. He shoved the feeling of hurt and guilt deep down inside of him and began to climb into the passenger seat of the car.

But before he could get in, Ben pulled him back and held up cable ties instead of rope this time. He firmly tied Cody’s wrists together, not knowing that Cody had taught himself how to break free from them at quite an early age. He’d humour him though; it stopped any more drastic measures from being taken.

This time, Cody wasn’t stopped from entering the vehicle, and his travelling partner slammed his door shut before going into the other side.

They drove away from the empty house, and although neither would admit it, it felt nice not to be alone anymore.

Chapter Text

It was a two hour drive to Ryloth.

Obi-Wan had put on an old rock CD that he’d found in a house a few months prior. He didn’t listen to it that much, for fear that he’d grow sick of it too soon. However, that day he needed something to ease the heavy tension hanging in the air.

This time of year, the weather was mediocre. The roads beneath them were dry, and the sky was cloudless. Obi-Wan didn't realise just how much time he had spent with Cody in that house; it was almost dusk, and the horizon ahead of them was a soothing orange.

Every few songs, Obi-Wan would glance over at Cody. At one point, Obi-Wan noticed Cody’s head nodding along in time with the music. He didn't know why, but it made him smile. That moment didn't last long though, because as soon as Cody noticed Obi-Wan’s stare, he straightened up in his seat and gazed straight ahead, his eyes empty once more.

When they arrived at the great city, Obi-Wan shuddered. He remembered about the times he had spent here before, Anakin and Ahsoka always within an arm’s length of him. Now, instead of the smiling city of just a few years ago, there was nobody. The streets stayed empty. Animals ruled the gardens. Aside from a few clones and other enforcers, the city’s population was next to nothing.

Usually, when Obi-Wan had to loot houses, he would observe for a while to see which homes were occupied before going in and sometimes squatting for the night. In Ryloth, he could just select one from any neighbourhood and assume that it was deserted.

His eyes stopped at a house in one of the wealthier suburbs. It was the least dilapidated, implying that it had been abandoned recently. Obi-Wan didn’t want to think about what happened to cause the previous owners to leave. The garden wasn’t as overgrown as others, and surprisingly, the windows were intact. Obi-Wan could almost picture how it looked before the End, picket fence and all. He exited the truck and walked up the overgrown path, expecting Cody to follow behind.

He waited for a few seconds before walking those few steps back to his vehicle and peeking inside to see his travel partner filled to the brim with an emotion that Obi-Wan just couldn’t place. He knew that Cody felt a lot of it, but that was all he could tell just by looking at him.

I’ll learn to read him better as we spend more time together. Obi-Wan thought, before remembering that this man could turn on him at any moment. Cody could very easily act compliant, before stabbing him in the back and running back to Empire. Despite how much he wanted this arrangement to work, Obi-Wan had to be careful going forward.

“Cody, you can get out now.” Obi-Wan said, unsure why the unreadable clone didn’t take his cue the first time around. That question became less relevant once Cody set foot on the pavement.

For some reason, Obi-Wan then made a decision that could have ended his life right then. Wordlessly, he took out one of his knives, and slashed the cable ties around his companion’s wrists. He wasn’t sure why he did it, and judging from the look on Cody’s face, the other man didn't know either.

But Cody didn’t kill him on the spot, and it didn’t matter. Wordlessly, the two travellers made their way to the once charming home.

———-

As always, when he entered the house, Obi-Wan headed straight to the kitchen. It was the most practical move, but also the most tedious. Four times out of five, the cupboards would be bare, or the remaining food would be rotten. It was better to get the disappointment over with early, before seeing if there were any other interesting things that you would take with you on your travels. Things that people tended to leave behind because there was no use for them in a world that was out to get them. Obi-Wan couldn’t count how many items he had scavenged that didn’t feed or protect him, but just brought him a little extra joy in a world that had crumbled around him.

To his instant delight, Obi-Wan opened the cupboard doors to a few items. There were a couple of tins, and a medium-sized bag of uncooked pasta. It would keep him alive for at least a week.

Less than a week; Cody needs food too, he remembered as he looked around for the clone. At first glance, Cody was nowhere to be found, but Obi-Wan decided not to panic just yet. He might’ve just wandered off upstairs. Or, if he did try and escape, he couldn’t have gotten far.

As he sprinted up the winding staircase and kicked open all the doors, Obi-Wan was glad to realise that it was the first of the possibilities.

———-

While Ben was checking downstairs, Cody decided not to use this opportunity to escape, but to explore. As he walked upstairs bursting with curiosity; his eyes wandered across the abstract wallpaper and framed artworks that he assumed were drawn either by children or artists that had a certain childlike, whimsical style.

He found himself immersed in the idea of what this house’s people could’ve done before they left. Did they eat dinner together every night while a dog rested its head on the lap of the child who always fed him? Did the children go to school in the morning, leaving the parents to worry about how they fared without them?

After Empire won, did the parents tuck the kids in at night promising to protect them against the monsters that were outside? Cody’s stomach dropped when it struck him. Clones were beings that parents would protect their children from.

He was overwhelmed with a sickening feeling. How many families had been wrecked, their lives uprooted, because of Empire? He had always known that they weren’t perfect— far from it. Empire was still the only place for him that he knew of, though. It was his home, and he was its soldier.

A single door at the end of the hall was ajar. Cody stalked towards it, his head telling him that there was nothing there, but his soul telling him that no matter what, he should be worried if he enters.

The pale pink wallpaper was a shock at first, the burst of colour conforming with the rest of the bedroom. The carpet, although covered with so many items and clothes that it was almost invisible, was purple and clashed with the wall, but in just the right way.

There was a desk in the corner, and a large amount of miscellaneous bits and pieces were scattered on top of it. Colouring pencils were thrown together in the corner of the desk, and there was a small stuffed dog at the back, its small beady eyes glaring up at Cody, judging him for his crimes. Pages and pages of unfinished drawings were spread out, covering almost every inch of the surface, pen angrily scribbled on the page of a few. It was clear that before this kid left this house, they were a budding artist.

He was drawn to a picture frame lurking on a nightstand. The family inside grinned through the glass. The parents’ arms were wrapped tightly around their little girl, but not in the protective, fearful way that families do now. There was only unconditional love.

The photo had captured a moment in time where the world wasn’t in fear of Empire. Back when Empire was just that company the newspapers would mention every now and then. Water dripped down onto Cody’s cheeks as he stared; maybe the house wasn’t as good as they thought if there was already a hole in the ceiling.

Only, when he looked up, there was no leak.

“Cody.” Ben’s voice from behind him startled him as he hastily slammed the frame back on the table, rubbing his eyes before turning around. If the other man saw his tears, he would be considered too weak. His utility would be called into question.
“I just wanted to tell you that I’ll take the first watch if you want to get some sleep.”

Cody was baffled. To the other man, he was nothing more than a prisoner. Possibly even a bargaining chip to somebody who wasn’t the biggest fan of clones. They would take great pleasure in killing him. He had expected Ben to make him stay up every night and keep watch while the man would sleep soundly.

But then he realised how stupid that sounded. Why would Ben trust Cody, a complete stranger who happened to be a member of the Empire, albeit merely one of the soldiers? For all he knew, Cody was just waiting for a way to escape, or to call for backup.

Ben didn’t trust him at all. Rightly so. The only thing stopping him from escape was the fact that he needed a ride closer to Empire occupied land.

Or, at least, that is what he kept telling himself.

Hiding the disappointment in the fact that Ben didn’t think he was safe around him, he just nodded, and walked back down to the ground floor.

While Cody stood there awkwardly, Ben quickly went around gathering blankets from his truck, and the house. Cody didn’t know what he was supposed to be doing, so once again he waited for the other man to give him instructions.

After about 5 minutes of silence, the makeshift bed was complete. Neither men liked the idea of sleeping upstairs; it was easier for hostile people to sneak up on them, and it was harder to escape.

True to his word, Ben sat away from the blankets, and gestured for Cody to lie down and rest.

Hesitantly, Cody obeyed. He thought that sleeping would be next to impossible— there was a stranger who hated his kind watching beside him, and he was still technically a prisoner. But when he closed his eyes, all he wanted to do was rest. Against all odds, and against all common sense, the clone actually felt safe knowing that the strange man, who was now his travelling partner, was protecting them both.

———

After a rest and a small breakfast, they headed out once more. On the drive to the neighborhood the day before, Obi-Wan had spotted an old sign for a nearby shopping mall. Although it had probably already been looted, he knew that there was no harm in checking it out.

The tension between the two men had eased a little after both of them woke up alive that morning. Obi-Wan, true to his word, had stayed up most of the night on watch. Unfortunately, it left him exhausted, and he probably wasn’t in the best shape to drive, but he had no other option. Besides, it was worth it to let Cody rest.

Obi-Wan wasn’t sure why he couldn’t just hate Cody. Clones were said to be mindless soldiers, not that far off from a hive mind. Cities and towns were no match to the strength of Empire’s vast army. That is how the world fell.

But when Obi-Wan gazed at Cody, all the stories he heard over the years seemed wrong. Obviously Empire was evil, but did that mean the clones were as well?

They gathered the few things that had been brought in from the truck, and left the old house that was abandoned once more.

The drive was the same as before. Cody didn’t talk, and proceeded to vacantly stare out the window the entire journey, not daring to meet the other man’s eyes. Obi-Wan even tried putting a different CD in, hoping that Cody would have some sort of reaction to the music, like the day before.

But the clone ignored it.

After approximately 15 minutes (although to Obi-Wan it seemed like an eternity), they arrived. The vast expanse of a parking lot greeted them. The white lines had long faded, and the only cars were so grimy that you couldn’t make out the original shade if you tried. Green shoots of grass poked out in the cracks in the pavement giving the area its only splash of colour.

Both men exited the car. The slam of the car door echoed, before eventually dissolving into pure noiselessness. They stood there for a second, basking in the peace. Before The End, Obi-Wan couldn’t remember the last time he had a moment of complete and utter silence. Now, he faced the quiet every day. It crept up on him, suffocating him when he least expected it.

With most of the world in ruins, Obi-Wan had nothing to do except survive.

Then, the silence was broken.

———

A scream rippled across the parking lot. Before Cody could move, Ben had already sprung into action, grabbing a rifle that Cody did not know was under the driver’s seat, and sprinting across the lot towards the shriek.

But then he remembered that the truck’s keys were still in the ignition.

Cody knew that the correct thing to do would be to run in the opposite direction, even possibly to steal Ben’s truck. He was left unattended, and had the means to roam across the country to one of Empire’s great cities. Hell, if he was conscientious about the fuel levels, he could probably make it all the way to Coruscant.

But when he thought about the plan, and about betraying Ben, who had been nothing but kind to him, he felt like a monster.

His legs were following after the other man before his mind was decided. The screaming was still deafening, but his ears were numb. All he could hear was his heartbeat, banging in his ribcage like bullets from a gun.

He didn’t need to run far, and after slotting himself between a barricade of long forgotten cars, he found the source of the cries.

The man, who couldn’t be over 30, was clutching a small child. Both had tears streaming down their faces, and the parts of skin that Cody could see were littered with cuts and bruises, both old and recent.

A clone was towering over them both, a mean snarl on his lips. The regulation blaster was in his hand, which he was slowly raising.

Cody didn’t understand. He knew that the scene in front of him was like an execution,

but Empire wasn’t bad.

All his life he had been taught to enforce the law, but never harm anyone

unless it was necessary and they were going against Empire.

But the family of two didn’t seem like a threat. Out of the corner of his eye, Cody could see a makeshift tent. It would have been completely hidden from anyone who wasn’t looking for a fight. It was clear that man and child weren’t the ones seeking violence.

Ben hastily approached them, trying to get between attacker and victims. His gun was raised, and his finger was resting on the trigger.

It all happened so fast.

Cody at least expected Ben to try and reason with the clone; Ben seemed like the kind of person to diffuse the situation through negotiation. Afterall, Cody ended up begrudgingly travelling with him across the country and neither had attempted to kill the other thus far.

But Ben didn’t hesitate before raising the gun and pulling the trigger.

The sound of the shot rang in his ears. Blood coated the ground and the clone lay face down in it. In the blur Cody saw the family thanking Ben profusely before running away, traumatized from what they had just witnessed.

Ben was still, and he wasn’t speaking. Cody couldn’t even hear his steady breathing that would have been a comfort to him just a few hours ago. Although he knew that there was no other option, that the clone had to be stopped, a small part of him still felt a burning hatred for Ben- the man who took the action and pulled the trigger. Cody had never met the clone, but he was still his brother.

After the ordeal, neither Ben nor Cody felt like exploring the area. There was probably nothing good anyway. Cody couldn’t stop thinking about the gunshot, the clone, or the terrifying reality of what would have happened if Ben hadn’t arrived when he did.

Ben didn’t talk to him, and Cody didn’t press.

His view on Empire was forever altered.

The truck sat silently where they left it less than an hour ago. Cody opened the passenger door, but his eyes fell upon the other man, who couldn’t even look at him. Instead of clambering in and continuing on with their journey, Cody picked up a small rock and began to messily write on the ground.

He could feel Ben’s eyes glued to him as he scrawled his question, like a carefree child writing on the pavement, which only would happen in the world before Empire.

He wrote it rather large but it didn't take long before he stood up once more, and turned to Ben, eyes pleading for the answer.

Why?

Cody put all of his emotion, internal conflict and confusion into the simple question. A part of him expected Ben to not respond, to just leave it and silently drive away with Cody right beside him.

But instead, the other man answered, his voice laced with scorn.

“Because that’s what you mindless clones do. All of you. Don’t you see that Empire takes and takes until we are left with this empty world, and pointless existence.”

Cody, like always, was silent as his companion continued to rant.

“My entire life— no, everyone’s lives, were all ruined the second that Empire sunk its claws into society. And the clones, your people, are part of the problem. If you just used your instinct, or free thinking, then you would know that hurting innocent people for your precious dictatorship was wrong. You are all monsters.”

Cody didn’t know why, but Ben’s words cut deep, adding to the turmoil in his soul. The worst part was that Cody always knew, deep, deep down, that it was all true. He also knew that Ben was thinking it, but he chose not to dwell on it.

He didn’t know what to think anymore. Empire was terrible, but so was he. He turned to the ground again, hastily writing more.
But we followed orders. Empire was supposed to be good.
Cody wasn’t trying to defend, more attempting to get the man who he had begun to consider a friend to understand. He was following orders, but when he did he always felt… detached. Like he wasn’t a clone, but a weapon. He was numb even to cuts, and silent in a different way than usual. He was clawing in his mind, trying to overcome the sense of dissociation.
Cody wished that he could put this into words, to try and share his perspective. But he couldn’t.
Ben read his words and shot him a glare. Cody knew that they could never go back to how it was before.
———
Obi-Wan was seething. He turned his back on his clone companion, choosing instead to go around to his side of the truck to store his rifle under the seat once more, making sure that any leftover ammo was out of the barrel. It was still warm, like it had come to life from the act of killing. After securing the gun, he paused.

Years prior, a situation like the one he had just come across would be something out of a horror novel. Stephen King himself couldn’t have imagined the true, broken down state humanity was now in. Cody didn’t understand; he had never experienced life before the fall, instead being raised with the others, trained to overthrow.

Cody was one of them, one of the clones that wrecked civilization.

And yet, he was different, somehow.

Cody seemed genuinely hurt, and surprised by his brother’s actions, even going so far as to question his government's authority. In the few days they had spent together, Obi-Wan had come to understand clones in a way he never had before. Cody seemed oblivious to the real world. Since he was merely a child he had probably been taught only to obey Empire. He couldn’t help how he saw the world, since before the incident that day, he never had anything to compare with what he knew.

But then Obi-Wan channeled his rage towards Empire, and projected it at Cody.

Regret coursed through his veins; Cody didn’t deserve the brunt of his anger just because he was a clone.

Obi-Wan looked up, eyes searching for the other man. But Cody was gone. There were no screams like before, nor sounds of the other man’s steady breathing.

For the first time in what felt like forever, Obi-Wan was alone.

Cody might’ve ditched him. Obi-Wan had clearly let his emotions get the better of him, so he let his guard down. there was a likely chance that Cody was disgusted by the brutality of Obi-Wan dealing with the clone, jumping straight to murder.

Or, there was the possibility that Cody was affected by what Obi-Wan said, causing him to go away, feeling unwanted.

Obi-Wan knew that the final possibility was far-fetched. Cody had left of his own volition, silently so Obi-Wan wouldn’t notice. All the evidence pointed to Cody escaping, leaving him to wallow in his own rage. It was clear to Obi-Wan that Cody didn’t want to be chased after.

Obi-Wan knew that he should respect that. It would be the decent thing to do.

But Obi-Wan needed to know the reason. If he just talked to Cody, convinced him to travel with him once more, then they could go back to how things were the day before.

He wouldn’t go days at a time without uttering a word.

He wouldn’t have to sleep in more dangerous areas knowing that there was nobody there to watch his back.

He had Padme and her family, but they stayed in Naboo whilst Obi-Wan journeyed cross country. They would never know if he died, or how, or where. Despite Padmé’s invitation to stay, he never felt like he belonged there, instead opting to travel with the loneliness that he felt he deserved.

When the world ended, Obi-Wan didn’t feel. A part of him knew it was coming, but he didn’t want to believe it. Ever since then he was just drifting along.

He was surviving, but was he living?

With another person in the car beside him, he felt more human. Even with just a couple of days, Obi-Wan felt happier than when he was left alone with his thoughts.

He knew it was selfish to chase after Cody. He had said some truly terrible things. But if he managed to get Cody back again, he might slowly, over a long amount of time, feel alive once more.

After making his decision, he got into the truck, and drove out of the parking lot.