Obi-Wan could still hear the smug voice of the Clone Commander describing what they were going to be doing. Well, that was helped by said clone almost chanting in his ear the whole way.

Looking around, happy that they were on their own, he slammed Cody into the nearest tree. "Do you ever shut up?!" He growled, his hand having an alarming hold on the man's neck.

Cody let out what sounded like a garbled squeak before nodding slowly, feeling the General's hand release pressure from against his neck.

Obi-Wan hid his smirk as he backed away from the clone, watching as Cody subconsciously brought a hand up to rub at his neck.

Cody was thankful his bucket was in place to hide his wide eyes, as for the briefest of moments, he could have sworn he saw flames dance in the Jedi's eyes.

-----

Rex was counting off the different reprimands the General and Commander were getting - and how many he seemed to be away with - by the Jedi Council when he heard the gasps. He'd only just looked up in time to catch the Commander and watch the General fall to his knees, his hand almost digging into his chest.

"A great disturbance, I felt, in the Force," Yoda mused, "darkness has awoken, I sense."

"Obi-Wan," Anakin gasped, "the disturbance... No..."

"Rex, where is Obi-Wan?" Ahsoka whimpered.

"On a mission with Cody, sir," Rex realised, "a scouting mission. It's only the two of them."

"Contact Commander Cody, find out if Master Kenobi is compromised," Mace ordered, staring at Rex.

"Right away, sir," Rex nodded, unable to prize his hand from Ahsoka's trembling grip yet.

He slowly managed to guide the trembling Padawan onto the equally trembling Jedi Knight; Rex opened a comm with Cody, "Cody, come in."

A message flashed over his comm unit, 'I can not talk, please message.'

'Why is that?' Rex typed back, feeling all the stares at the back of his neck.

'I don't want to upset the General again,' came Cody's reply, 'being throw into a tree by your... It hurts.'

Rex shared the worried glances with the Jedi, what had happened to cause the Martial Commander to slip up like that? 'Cody, where did he throw you from? I know you will want to protect him, but don't lie.'

There was a silence that followed, dragging out as no response came from the Commander. Yet no reaction from the Master Padawan duo, so it wasn't Obi-Wan as far as they knew.

'Cody...' Rex started.

'I was held to the tree by my neck,' Cody's response came, 'but don't tell, please, I was winding him up, I had it coming.'

"You are all too loyal sometimes," Anakin muttered seeing the reply.

'Cody, is this something that happens normally?'

'No, vod,' somehow the text seemed to portray the sigh, 'it wasn't bad, he wasn't trying to stop me from breathing.'

'Ok, vod,' Rex typed back.

"Ask whether there was a change, is a change, in Master Kenobi's eye colour," Mace stated.

'One last question before I go,' Rex quickly typed. 'Did General Kenobi's eyes change at all?'

'Why are you asking so many questions?'

'Because I heard that something had happened to General Skywalker and Commander Tano,' Rex lied, 'I wanted to check in with you two, and then the tree thing came up.'

'They had no change happen to them,' Cody lied, knowing that they would have no way to check as his helmet is going to 'accidentally' malfunction and lose its video storage.

The silence was deafening as everyone read the message. There was no eye colour change, so maybe it wasn't the real dark side? Perhaps it was only slight that was magnified by the planet they were on?

-----

Cody stared over at the General as he almost stalked through the forest. He hoped he'd done the right thing when he'd lied like that. It didn't sit right with him, lying to a vod, but at least he wasn't lying to a superior officer and breaking his code.

Anyway, it was probably a once-off. Most likely something to do with the planet the two was on. It would never happen again.

-----

And he was right, for about two rotations.

Soon, Cody found himself spending more and more time by the General's side, pushing others away so that he would be the only shoved around. He could not bear the heart for one of his men to be pinned like that - but he could not tell anyone, because then they would know that he had lied to Rex, his baby brother.

So he was staying put with being thrown into walls, doors, trees, floors and just about anything else with pressure against his neck whenever the General lost control - because Obi-Wan's his superior and because he has too much of an ego to emit when he was wrong. What type of clone does that make him?

He initially took to armouring his neck better, but, that proved counterproductive as his General always found a way around the armour. The armour also restricted his movement, so there was a lot more close calls. So he scrapped that and decided to suck it up to his mistake.

It was only when it happened in a battalion-wide meeting, did he realise that he just might be out of his depth and already sinking alongside his General.

-----

Cody noticed the split difference in his General's body language a moment too late to try and prevent the troopers from seeing it. He didn't have a suggestion about the shinies, and his General didn't like that.

His ears rang as his head crashed into the wall, no bucket to soften the impact this time. He closed his eyes and did not move to remove the hand that held him off his feet by his throat. He waited until his General had his moment, listening to the shocked gasps and murmurs of the watching troopers. As he heard the distinct sound of a blaster's safety being removed, he raised his hand slightly, signalling for the men to stand down.

"Lost for words, Commander?" Obi-Wan's icy tone rang through the hanger.

"Yes, General," Cody apologised, opening his eyes to see the fire dancing in the Jedi's eyes, "sorry, General."

"Do you have a suggestion for where the 'shinies' could go when out on a mission?" Obi-Wan smirked.

"Central," Cody stated, feeling the pressure start to release against his throat and the water start to break through the fire, "less chance for them to break formation."

"See, that wasn't so hard, Cody," Obi-Wan purred.

Cody felt like he'd swallowed a frog as he continued to be suspended for a moment before his General lowered him to the floor and backed away. He sighed silently, adjusting his blacks before turning to face the men like nothing out of the ordinary had happened - in a way, that was true, that suspension was ordinary now.

"As the Commander has stated, the newest members will be stationed central in formation, the rest placed in their regular positions out from there," Obi-Wan instructed.

By the end of the briefing, Cody could not hold any of the men's looks. Instead, he found himself staring off to the side, avoiding all eye contact.

Soon, everyone had disbursed away, and Cody found himself circled by Boil and Waxer before he could follow his General.

"What was that?" Waxer asked, pulling Cody by the arm to stop him from walking away.

Shaking his arm free, Cody grunted, "nothing, I didn't do what I was meant to do."

"He held you by your neck!" Boil stated.

"He was getting the point across," Cody said, squinting his eyes slightly, "he wasn't trying to cut off my air."

"It's not normal," Waxer stated, pulling Cody back by the arm as the Clone Commander started to walk away.

Cody yanked his arm free, growling at the two clones, "you don't know what's normal." Before storming off to find his General, he's already left him alone for too long.

Waxer and Boil gawked as Cody almost made a break for the door towards where the General was heading. This wasn't normal, and they had a feeling this had been happening for way longer than any of them first knew.

"I think we need to call Rex, Waxer, see if he can get through to Cody," Boil stated.

Waxer nodded, sending a priority comm over to Rex, "let's hope he can answer."

-----

Rex was on a gunship with Anakin and Ahsoka when he received a priority call from Waxer.

"Answer it," Anakin nodded.

"Captain Rex, what is the emergency, Waxer?" Rex answered, allowing Anakin and Ahsoka to hear as he had a feeling about what it might have been around.

"Sir, have you heard anything happen between Cody and General Kenobi?" Waxer asked.

Rex shared a glance with Anakin and replied after seeing the man nod, "yes, has something happened again?"

"The General, he-er," Waxer started.

"He lifted Cody by the neck against a wall," Boil's voice came through.

"Did you try and talk to Cody?"

"We did, but he seemed to think he deserved it thanks to not having a response for when the General wanted him to have a response," Boil stated.

"He was almost reprimanding us for questioning it, as well as stating we don't know what normal was when I stated that wasn't normal," Waxer finished.

"It's not the first time I have heard about this," Rex sighed, "that scout mission is where Cody told me himself."

Waxer sounded vaguely ill as he whispered, "it has been going on for that long?"

"Seems to, I've got to go now, sorry," Rex stated, hanging up as they quickly entered the hanger of the Jedi Temple.

"The Jedi Council need to hear of this right away," Anakin instructed, leading the way through the temple straight to the council room.

-----

"What is the meaning for this intrusion, young Skywalker?" Mace asked as he watched the three of them charge into the room and disrupt their meeting.

"Rex just got a comm from Waxer and Boil stating that Obi-Wan lifted Cody by his neck again," Anakin panted.

"And that Commander Cody suggested that it is a normal occurrence now, sirs," Rex added, "and that he deserves it when it happens."

"Do you think it's manipulation?" Mace asked.

"A possibility, it is," Yoda nodded.

"But why would Obi-Wan do something like that?" Anakin asked.

"Because the wars pushed him too much, he's not enjoying living while so many others are falling," Rex muttered.

"Do you have another idea, Captain Rex?" Plo asked.

"Commander Cody is loyal to a fault, too loyal," Rex stated, "and General Kenobi knows this, they work together the whole time, since that scouting mission, they haven't been spotted apart, I don't know whether this was Commander Cody or the General. But the General seems only to throw Commander Cody when something bad has happened, or Commander Cody has not done something."

"The Commander has become to this being how he knows he did something wrong. Almost expecting it, and becoming accustomed to it," Plo stated, "even if the man has 'Sith eyes' he'll still be General Kenobi to him."

"So if the men have to attack Obi-Wan, Cody will fight by Obi-Wan's side," Ahsoka muttered.

"He'll see the vode as traitors," Rex realised, "to him, the battalion will have turned dark... He will return fire, friendly fire, making him a traitor in the eyes of the boys, and solidifying his place at the Generals side."

"If the High General turns, so will the Martial Commander," Mace stated, "we will arrange to bring in Master Kenobi, with or without Commander Cody."

-----

"Bring Obi-Wan Kenobi in for questioning when he lands," Plo said over the comm to Wolffe, "suspected use of the dark side and..."

"Yes, General?" Wolffe asked when Plo went silent.

"And the continued abuse of Commander Cody," Plo stated, knowing suddenly the peaceful ask to follow will now be stun and immobilise. "Be warned, if you attack the General, Commander Cody may retaliate, we believe there might be some manipulation involved so bring him as well if he puts up a fight."

Wolffe didn't answer with words, but with a loud growl and nod before shutting the comm down. He turned on the balls of his feet, charging off to where Wolf Pack was, already preparing the strategy to stop the General before he gets through the front doors.

Soon, Wolf Pack was in the position to surround Obi-Wan the moment he landed in the hanger. A message was sent to warn the 212th (except Cody and Obi-Wan) just what would happen when they landed in the temple hanger. This included a warning that Cody might attack back in confusion.

Cody didn't realise the trap until General Kenobi had reached for his blade and the whole of Wolf Pack showed themselves and how they had surrounded their transport.

All around them, everything went silent as everyone looked at the standoff, Jedi all around them prepared to grab for their blades as well.

"General Kenobi, you are under arrest for questioning," Wolffe stated, "for suspected use of the dark side, and of the abuse of a clone."

A collective gasp rang through the room.

"Surrender," Wolffe ordered, "or we will open fire. You have until the count of three to make your choice."

The room was still except for Wolffe counting to three on his hand before it exploded into action. Stun blasts aimed at Obi-Wan exploded into view from around the room. A bright blue blade dancing in defiance, each stun dissipating on the plasma.

Cody's hand shook as he gripped his blaster; his General was under arrest. But at the same time, they were shooting at his General. He felt relief flood through him as he saw the 212th with raised blasters.

Until he saw where they were aiming.

The 104th and 212th were aiming at his General. A small movement caught his attention; Waxer had flicked his blaster before firing a blot, not a stun, a bolt. It grazed the Jedi by surprise, burning the slight of Obi-Wan's back.

The scream that left his General's mouth from pain and shock caused Cody to jump into action. He worked alongside Obi-Wan in the form of sword and shield for when they are surrounded, clones started to drop before the surrounding Jedi jumped into action.

While Obi-Wan was distracted by the Jedi, Cody felt a blast hit his back. "I'm sorry, ner vod," he heard whispered as he fell into darkness.

The Jedi watched the High General when the Martial Commander dropped, watching his eyes turn from water to fire. That's when they realised they could no longer treat him as a Jedi but as a fallen.

-----

Cody's eyes flew open as pain rushed through his body, building inside his head. He could form no sounds through the onslaught, seeing through crying eyes that General Skywalker and General Windu was using the Force on him.

He fell to his hands and knees gasping for breath as the two Jedi stumbled away from him. He whimpered as his head felt torn apart and violated how his body was screaming at him.

"No," Anakin breathed, his own eyes streaming, "he sees Obi-Wan as his General, not the General, he's under his wing. Even if the Commander doesn't know it."

"With how it happened, it will take nothing short of Kenobi killing him for Commander Cody to realise that Kenobi is not who he used to be," Mace breathed.

"I wouldn't kill him," Obi-Wan growled through his restraints.

"Have we lost them both?" Plo asked.

"I'm afraid we have."

That was the worst fear of the group. Not only have they lost the figurehead of the Jedi side of the war, but the clone side as well.

"We can not be too hasty," Anakin exclaimed, "maybe both can be saved."

"Road to darkness, one way, it is," Yoda stated.

"Commander Cody would need reconditioning," another master spoke up.

Cody's eyes flung wide. They were going to recondition him?! But, but, that's worse than death! He didn't realise he had panicked so much to the point of trying to get away until he felt a pair of arms wrap around him. He tried to fight himself out of the hands, only hearing the echoes of words.

"What's wrong?"

"He's panicking!"

"Panic attack!"

"What triggered it?"

He bit back a whine as he felt a hand cup around his throat softly, another coming around his chest. He could not stop the noise; however, when he felt himself be pulled tight into somebody's chest, legs resting either side of his.

"I got you, Cody," Obi-Wan whispered, "focus on my voice, on my grip. I'm not going anywhere."

Cody felt himself start to centre on the hand, how familiar it had become. How he knew who it was without the need to listen to them.

"Obi-Wan, what's happening?" Anakin asked.

"To a clone, what you just suggested, is worse than death," Obi-Wan said, "they wish for death instead of it."

"Reconditioning?"

"Factory reset," Cody whimpered, "memory goes, number changes, personality is gone."

"One clone goes," Obi-Wan growled, "a different one comes back. It is all their fears and nightmares."

"What would he prefer, death?" Mace asked.

"Anything but reconditioning," Cody whimpered, only just exiting the panic attack properly.

"Well, if reconditioning and death are out of the way," Plo sighed, "what do we have?"

"He could be locked up with Obi-Wan, as I presume he's not going to be killed or set free," Anakin offered.

Yoda glanced at the two, "stay; he does, locked up, he will be. Separated, they will not."

-----

"He's locked up?"

"That's what the Generals all said."

"They also said he had a panic attack."

"They wouldn't be wrong," Cody grunted, "they were going to recondition me."

"Why would they recondition you, Cody?" Rex asked. "They called it manipulation, can't some Force mind healer person help fix it?"

"He would not manipulate me!"

"He is in his head," Waxer muttered.

"What other type of Force voodoo has he done?" Boil muttered back.

"That's not the way the force works, Waxer, Boil," Obi-Wan chuckled moving out from the shadows.

"We know enough," Rex stated, "you tricked and hurt your Commander, our brother."

"I didn't manipulate him using the Force," Obi-Wan stated, "I would not do that to Cody."

"See."

"That proves nothing, Cody," Rex stated, "he's fallen, he'll lie to keep himself in your head."

"He would not lie to me!"

Rex sighed, glancing over at Waxer and Boil, his head shaking.

-----

"Sirs?"

"Sketch?" Cody asked after the sharp whisper.

"Here," Sketch said, pushing a package into the cell.

"What are you doing?"

"You didn't hurt us," Sketch said.

"Even if you turned," Punch then spoke.

"Does this run in your group?" Obi-Wan asked as he pulled the package up to him. He could remember they were from Slick's group.

"Seems to, sir," Sketch stated before tapping Punch on the shoulder and leaving.

"What is in the bag?" Cody asked.

"Yeah! Come on!" Other prisoners called. "Don't leave us hanging!"

"What is the fun in that," Obi-Wan drawled as he opened the bag. "Its clone armour."

"Anti-climatic!"

"Boring!"

"Any weapons?!"

"There doesn't need to be," Cody grinned, "that just got us the way out."

-----

The prisoners watched as the newly dressed and armoured Obi-Wan, and Cody started to hook up their suits to the cell door.

"This should be it," Cody muttered before the wall shut down.

"Alright," Obi-Wan nodded, "we need to be quick. The safety release could be triggered later for a distraction."

"Escapees do tend to demand attention," Cody grinned before heading off.

The pair worked efficiently, getting a distance away before unlocking all the cells. In that distraction and chaos, no one noticed their hasty escape, only that two clones were checking if anyone had gotten to the aircraft already.

-----

"What's someone like you doing here?" A drunk person snarled, forcing Cody to turn away from the bar

"I was just enjoying a drink," Cody grunted.

The person swung his hand out and smashed the drink, "I don't see no drink. Nor do I see your master." The person growled, gripping onto Cody by the arm.

"I would not have done that, if I were you," Cody growled back, "and my associate can be rather, what's the word, possessive."

The man didn't get the chance to ask what Cody meant as he went flying.

Obi-Wan pressed both his lightsabers to the man's throat, standing over the prone man. "Was he bothering you?" He asked Cody.

"I should not be drinking," Cody shrugged, "and that I should be with a master."

"Is that so?" Obi-Wan asked, clipping his deactivated blades across his armoured back.

"You wear the armour of the slave clone army," the man hissed.

Obi-Wan stuck out his hand as if to help the man up, before starting to constrict the man's neck with the Force. "I wear it, but we are not apart of it," Obi-Wan hissed into the man's ear. "Next rounds on him!" He shouted, a cheer running through the room.

"I told you that you should have found something else to wear," Cody muttered as Obi-Wan sat down next to him.

"I'd say it suits me," Obi-Wan purred.

Cody looked thoughtful for a second as his eyes glanced up and down the armour and material that Obi-Wan was wearing, "it certainly does."

"That keeps being your answer," Obi-Wan said smugly, "I don't know why you keep denying yourself."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Cody grunted, flagging down the barrister for another drink.

-----

"I still can not believe you knew what Palpatine was," Anakin sighed, looking over at his old master.

"You thought I would fall for no reason?"

"We thought the war had got to you," Anakin stated.

"Oh, that too," Obi-Wan shrugged off.

"Ani!" Padme shouted, "Leia said her first word!"

Anakin shot to his feet, "coming!" He shouted as he almost skidded into the room.

"Say it for daddy," Padme cooed.

"Ooya!"

"I wonder what she is trying to say?" Anakin asked.

"Its Mama," Padme stated, "say, Mama."

"No, say, Dada," Anakin stated.

"We can have this discussion later; all the clones will be getting impatient if you prevent them from seeing the twins again," Obi-Wan stated as he watched Rex pick up both babies and leave.

"Do they know that Rex has pretty much taken the children from them?" Cody whispered.

"Yes," Obi-Wan whispered back, "they see him like a 24/7 nanny. He's not complaining except when he has to hand them back over to their parents."

"Should we follow?" Cody asked.

"Trust me, you won't want to miss this," Obi-Wan grinned.

-----

Rex hid his smirk as he walked into the room just behind everyone else, knowing what was about to happen.

"Ooya!" Leia shouted the moment she saw all the clones.

"Oya!" The clones and Obi-Wan shouted back in sync.

"You!" Anakin screeched at Rex.

"Yes, me?" Rex blinked.

"You did this!" He screeched again.

"You expect her to be surrounded by clones and Obi-Wan yet not pick up a word or two?" Cody asked.

"But her first?!"

"What language and what does it mean?" Padme asked.

"Mando'a," Rex explained.

"It means," Obi-Wan stated. "To hunt."

3958