Chapter Text
The once white, sterile halls of Kamino were dark and shaking. Sparks of wires provided the only light as the city collapsed. It shuddered and jolted, providing no clear footholds as the Bad Batch ran for safety.
Crosshair was over Wrecker's shoulder, unconscious from Hunter's stun. Alarms blared as they ran. The only thing Althea could hear over them was Hunter's yells.
"Go! Go!" He cried as they ran. A flash of fire broke in front of them, knocking them back. Sound was reduced to a high ringing as they recovered from the explosion. The floor shifted as the tried to stand and run. Crosshair, having fallen from Wrecker's hold, slid down the floor with Omega, grunting in pain as debris fell on him.
"Hunter!" Omega cried as the squad slid past her, since she was caught by rubble. Sparks flew on either side of the wall and the doors slammed shut.
Hunter reached out for her, but he was too late. "Omega–!" The building shuddered again. He fell to the floor and everything went dark.
•°•°•°•°•°•
"Omega? Omega, wake up!"
The young clone groaned as her eyes opened. A metal hand shook her shoulder. She looked up to see the bright yellow eyes of AZI looking down at her. "AZI?" She asked.
"I do not wish to alarm you, but if you do not vacate this compartment, you will soon perish, and I will be left here on my own!"
Omega took her light and shined it on her surroundings. Water streamed in from multiple leaks in the ceiling, flowing in steadily. The room was already knee deep in water and rubble covered everything. She turned around and found a familiar face, unconscious and trapped under the debris.
Omega gasped and ran to his side. "Crosshair!" She grunted as she tried to move the sheet of metal that covered him, but it didn't even budge. The reality of their situation hit Omega like the debris around her. She took her comm and raised it too her mouth.
"Hunter, do you copy? Tech? Echo? Is anyone there? Wrecker? Thea?" She couldn't hide the panic in her voice, not when the water level was rising.
On the other side of the door, Hunter groaned and pressed his comm. "Yeah, kid. Are you okay?"
"Not really. The room is flooding. And Crosshair's stuck."
Hunter stood and saw the door in front of him. "Get the door open, Tech." He ordered.
The pilot tapped his datapad. "All compromised compartments are sealed to contain the flooding. I cannot override the protocols from here."
"I can." Wrecker grabbed his knife and stabbed it into the door, prying it open. Althea joined him, taking her own blade to use as leverage. Water trickled out slowly, but not enough to drain the room.
Crosshair groaned as he opened his eyes, squinting at the bright light in front of him.
"Greetings, CT-9904." Said AZI. Crosshair tried to get up, but his legs were trapped. "Yes survived the aerial bombardment but are now moments away from drowning."
"Get this off of me!" Crosshair said, his breaths becoming more shallow.
Omega grunted as she tried to lift the metal. The water was to her waist. "AZI, help!"
Once the droid was there lifting the rubble, Omega dove under and tried to lift it. It was no use. She swam back up, coughing. The water was up to Crosshair's chin now, and he was unable to move.
"Go under and use your boosters." Omega ordered AZI. "I'll try to break it free."
The girl took her bow and climbed the rubble above Crosshair, who was now fully submerged, and shot at the metal that trapped him. With AZI pushing from below, they were able to free the sniper. Crosshair coughed as he recovered, but the water waited for no one.
"Come on!" Omega said, tossing her bow to the side. "We have to get the door open." She dove back into the water, swimming to the door. She saw the tips of Wrecker and Althea's knives breaking through. She grabbed on side of the door, pulling as hard as she could. Her lungs screamed for air. She swam back up to the surface only to find that the water was inches away from the ceiling. She inhaled deeply and dove again. She refused to panic. She needed to get Crosshair and AZI out of there.
Finally, the door opened just enough on the others side, causing a vortex that sucked everyone through. Wrecker caught Omega and quickly handed her to Echo, who held her the best he could.
Crosshair slid across the floor, only stopping when Hunter put his foot on his shoulder.
The sniper coughed and stood, peering down at Hunter. "What have you done?"
Althea couldn't hide her disgust. "The Empire opened fire on the city. We weren't gonna leave you behind." She stared up at him, her yellow eyes narrowed to thin slits.
"We don't have time for this." Tech interjected. "We need to get topside before this entire structure submerges."
Hunter looked at Crosshair. "If you want to stay here and die, that's your call."
Crosshair had made it very clear that he was different than them and didn't want to be apart of their squad anymore. Hunter knew he had to respect his brother's descion and backed off, but he wasn't going to let Crosshair slow them down.
Hunter and the others began to run down the broken halls. The Sergeant could hear Crosshair following as they did.
•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•
The tunnel they ran through creaked and shuddered. Omega's hair was still wet from the flooding, which had now reached the cloning facility. They couldn't help but stop to watch was the room where so many clones were created flooded. Althea never had any attachment to Kamino, but it killed her to see Omega looking so broken.
Wrecker pushed up his helmet, looking out at the damage. "Come on, Omega. We have to go!"
The girl nodded before they continued their run. The tunnel groaned and they all slid forward, falling as the ruins shifted again.
"Hold on to something!" Hunter yelled.
Althea yelped at she skidded forward, reaching desperately for something to grab on to. Her hands found a cord and she gripped it for dear life. The tunnel shifted again, throwing them all on to the ground. The dark made it feel much scarier, like the entirety of the ocean was working to suffocate them.
Althea groaned as she sat up, clutching her head. She cursed the Kaminoans for not giving her a helmet all that time ago. "Everyone alright?" She asked as they stood.
They all nodded, humming their confirmation. Omega took AZI, who had gotten caught by the debris, and shook him. He whirred to life. "Omega! Omega, watch out! Oh, you are okay."
"I believe we have landed on the ocean floor." Tech said, his goggles seemed to glow from the light of his datapad. "There is no way to accurately calculate the damage. Most of the facility must be–"
An explosion of water burst through the ceiling, gushing into the tunnel.
"–compromised."
"We need to get to a space that's more secure." Hunter said.
Tech nodded. "Follow me."
They took off running, but Althea felt something was missing. She looked back to see Omega looking at Crosshair. The sniper glanced at them, his eyes cold and hard. Omega turned around and looked up at Althea. She seemed to be silently asking the medic to give Crosshair some grace.
Althea just sighed before running back with the others, Omega on her heels. Crosshair soon followed, for reasons the medic didn't understand why.
•°•°•°•°•
"Ironically, our old barracks is one of the few compartments habitable, albeit temporarily." Tech said as he shone his light around the room.
"This is our room?" Wrecker asked. He let out a groan. "What happened to it?"
"At least the smell's gone." Echo said.
"That smell took forever to cultivate." Althea tried to joke. "It was around longer than you."
"Check it out." Wrecker's grin could be heard through his helmet. "Our board's still here." He shone his light on the wall of tally marks showing each successful mission.
"All those missions together and you threw it away." Crosshair said, gaining everyone's attention.
Hunter walked up to him, his helmet hiding his expression. "We made a choice, and so did you."
Crosshair took a step down, coming closer to his brother. "Soldiers follow orders."
"Blind allegiance makes you a pawn." The Sergeant told him. "A real leader protects his squad."
"Look where that's gotten you." The sniper said with a glare. "They're all going to die here because of your failed leadership."
"No, we're not." Omega said from the window. "Look. We landed on the underwater tunnel. If we use it to reach the base post, we could get back to the Marauder."
"Accessing the tube will be... challenging." Tech said.
"Better than staying here." Echo shrugged.
Omega looked up to them. "We have to try."
"She's calling the shots now?" Crosshair voice dripped with venom.
"You have a better idea?" Hunter shoulder checked the sniper as he walked by. He could handle criticism, but he wouldn't allow Crosshair to put down Omega.
•°•°•°•°•°•
On a maintenance deck atop the tunnel, AZI welded a whole so they could escape.
"My scans indicate the tunnel is directly below this maintenance deck." Said Tech. "AZI says, with a precise weld to maintain an airtight seal, this might work."
Althea raised a brow. "What do you mean, 'might'?"
The perfect circle AZI had cut fell to the floor of the tunnel. Everyone gathered round as the droid floated down into there, checking to see if it was safe. He came up a few moments later, his metal hand bending into a thumbs up. "The tunnel is clear!"
One by one they entered the tunnel, each taking their lights to see what was ahead. All around the cylindrical glass was the dark ocean, a dark, endless void.
Crosshair looked up at the ceiling and saw a hairline fissure starting. "We need to go back. There must be another way."
"That would be unwise." AZI said from the front of the line. "I am afraid this is our best option."
"You done complaining?" Wrecker asked. "You know, if it wasn't for you, we wouldn't be in this mess."
"Something on your tiny mind, Wrecker?" The sniper sneered.
"All that time, you didn't even try to come back." The demo man let out a sigh. "We still would've taken you."
"Let it go, Wrecker." Tech said as he patted his brother's shoulder. "Crosshair has always been severe and unyielding. It is his nature. You cannot change that. He cannot change that."
Crosshair looked at the pilot as Wrecker walked away. "Why are you defending me?"
"I am not. Understanding you does not mean that I agree with you." Tech's tone was perfectly neutral, expressing none of the emotions the sniper had encountered with any of them.
As they walked on, Althea glanced up at the ceiling. Cracks decorated the ceiling, dancing along dangerously. The medic looked at Echo, who gave a light shrug in return.
"AZI, this doesn't look very safe." Omega said worriedly.
The little droid looked to her. "Barring any further complications, this enclosure remains a viable means of transport."
Hunter flashed his light along the walls. "Let's keep moving."
As they walked on, a muffled roar vibrated through the tunnel. Althea looked out the glass. "Uh, I think we have a problem."
"AZI, this tunnels are protected, right?" Omega whispered.
"Only when the power is operational, which it is not."
A dark shadow in the shape of a large fish passed along the wall, roaring again.
"Run!" Hunter yelled.
They ran as fast as they could, trying their best not to fall. The glass cracked under their weight.
"Restoring power should deter the creature." AZI said. "Try to stay alive!" He flew ahead of them, flying up the tunnel as water started to pour in.
Omega climbed up, Althea behind her and Hunter trailing her. The water made it difficult to get a grip as they climbed. The lights flickered on and the creature roared in pain before swimming away, it's jaw having just been locked on the tunnel.
Once everyone had made it up, AZI closed the hatch. Everyone dropped to the floor, dead exhausted from their trek.
AZI regarded them. "It appears I have caused this structure's remaining power to short out. But you have survived the transit. This outcome is satisfactory."
•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•
As they climbed up into another room, Hunter took off his helmet. He had never seen this part of Tipoca City before. "What is this place?"
"Nala Se's private lab." Tech informed him. "Omega says this is where our mutations were manipulated and enhanced."
"How would she know?" Crosshair asked.
"Because she was there. Omega was created before us. Technically, she is older than we are."
"But not me, right?" Althea asked. She was a good three years older physically, so she had to be older still.
They roamed around the room, their lights dancing across the walls.
Wrecker let out a groan from where he stood by Omega, looking out a window. "That's gonna be a problem."
Althea looked out the window to see the tunnel, broken and split from the debris. "That tunnel was our only way to get to the Marauder."
"It would seem that, once again, we are trapped." AZI said. His servos whined and his eyes flickered.
"AZI, what's wrong?" Omega asked her friend.
"My battery cells are depleting. I apologize for any inconvenience." The droid told her.
"Long-range comms are down," Echo announced. "And our oxygen levels will be critical in a few hours."
Althea swallowed thickly. This wasn't how they were supposed to go out.
"This is what happens when you let get a kid call the shots." Said Crosshair.
Omega's gaze dropped. Althea rested her hands on the girl's shoulders, giving her some comfort.
Hunter walked to him, his jaw set. "That kid saved your life, unlike the Empire, who left you for dead."
Crosshair stood from where he leaned against the wall. "That's your problem, Hunter. You take things too personally."
"They destroyed an entire city."
"They did what needed to be done. Kamino, regs, the Republic..." Crosshair named off. "That time is over. The Empire will control the entire galaxy, and I am going to be a part of it. Hunter, you made the wrong choice." He walked off, but Hunter wasn't done.
"Don't fool yourself." The Sergeant said. "All you'll ever be to them is a number."
Crosshair stalked away, taking a seat far from them by a window. Metal groaned in the distance as the remains of the city sunk to the ocean floor.
Althea shifted her weight nervously. She wanted to talk to Crosshair, knock some sense into him. Omega walked over to do just that, but the medic stayed behind.
What would she even say? "Hi, I hate you but I want you to come home."? She shook her head. Crosshair didn't need them anymore. It was just like Tech said, Crosshair was always extreme.
Omega walked back over to them, her face downcast. Althea decided to try her luck with Crosshair. She walked over and leaned against the seat.
"Can't you see I want to be alone?" He asked.
Althea scoffed. "So sorry for treating you the way you treated me. Would you like your life threatened and to be cuffed?"
Crosshair made no response.
"I saw how you treat Omega. You think she isn't one of us because she's new." Althea stared down at him. "I suppose you think Echo doesn't belong, or me. We're a squad. You chose to leave us and you're mad because we stayed a squad. Well, newsflash, buddy: Omega's more family than you ever were"
That got his attention, but Althea had already walked away.
"These medical capsules are our way out of here." Echo said as Wrecker picked up the large glass cylinder.
"If our mass is evenly distributed, the buoyancy of these watertight chambers will bring us to the surface." Tech said.
AZI flew over to them. "Medical capsules have not been tested for such capabilities."
"We won't have directional control." Althea said. "How do we avoid the debris field out there?"
"The droid." Crosshair came up to them. "He can do it."
Hunter turned to the little droid. "AZI, can you guide us to the surface?"
"Barring any extraneous complications, I should be able to complete the task."
Omega looked up at him, worried for her friend. "Won't that be dangerous?"
"Your safety and well-being is my primary mission objective." AZI told her.
•°•°•°•°•
Althea and Omega set charges on the wall as the others readied the capsules.
Wrecker groaned as he crammed himself into a single one. "I barely fit in this thing!"
"Quit complaining." Echo scolded as he squished in with Tech. "At least you're not doubled up."
AZI's eyes flickered again as he shuddered. Omega looked to him. "How's your charge holding up?"
"I have accessed my reserve power." He said. "We must hurry."
Althea and Omega ran over to their capsule, squeezing in together. The medic looked to Hunter. "The explosives are set."
The Sergeant nodded as he doubled up with Crosshair. "Alright. Seal 'em up."
Everyone closed the doors of their capsules, ready to succumb to the ocean. Omega held the detonator in her hand, looking to Hunter for confirmation. The Sergeant nodded, signaling the girl to blow the window.
In an instant the lab was flooded and they were sucked into the ocean. Althea kept her breathing steady, closing her eyes as to not see the dangers around.
"I can't see anything." Wrecker complained.
"That is a good thing." Tech told him.
AZI zoomed overhead, pushing debris out of the way. Omega flashed her light on to him. "You're doing great, AZI."
The capsule jerked and Omega gasped. Althea's eyes snapped open, now seeing the large piece of metal that pushed them down.
AZI went to work, welding the pieces off and pushing them away.
"Omega? Thea? What's happening?" Hunter asked, sounding semi panicked.
Althea raised her gauntlet to her mouth, speaking into her comm. "We got caught on some debris. It's okay. AZI's got us."
The little droid pushed them up with all his power, but it wasn't enough. His eyes flickered, dimming. Omega looked at her friend, the only friend she had for years. "Don't give up. We're nearly there."
"You're path is clear." The droid said as his voice grew distorted. "I have completed my objective...."
"No!"
Althea saw the hurt in Omega's eyes as AZI sunk to the bottom. She made a choice. She raised her comm to her mouth. "We're going after AZI!"
"Don't–!"
Omega hit the button that opened the doors, sucking them into the endless deep. They swam after AZI, gripping on to him and trying their best to swim up. Althea was not a strong swimmer and it showed. She could barely keep up with Omega, and it wasn't long before the two of them couldn't keep up.
Hunter looked over the edge of his capsule, scanning desperately for the girls. The others did the same.
"I don't see them." Echo said.
Hunter shoved his helmet off and grabbed the pack off his back. "I'm going in." Before he could jump, the sound of a rifle clicking reached his ears. He turned to see Crosshair with his blaster, aiming down at the water.
The sniper could see Althea and Omega, stuck on the droid. He squeezed the trigger, firing the grapple shot. He pressed the button to retrieve them.
Hunter leaned over the side, pulling the girls up when they resurfaced. They coughed, hacking their lungs out. Their hair was plastered to their faces. Althea looked like a ghoul with her black locks stuck to her pale skin.
"I've got ya." Hunter said softly, rubbing their backs as they hacked. "I've got ya, kiddo."
Althea groaned and leaned back, her head on Hunter's chest. Omega leaned into his touch, gasping for air. Hunter was sure he saw a single tear run down Althea's face, but with the water it was hard to tell.
Crosshair tossed his rifle to Wrecker, the others having raised their blasters in case he tried something.
Hunter pulled AZI out of the water, glancing back at Crosshair before turning his attention back to the girls.
"I have a visual on the Marauder." said Tech. "I suggest we start paddling."
•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•
The sun rose over the watery horizon as the squad climbed the ladder to the platform. Hunter helped up Omega, lifting her on to the platform as she gave him a soft smile. He helped Althea next, pulling her to him in a quick side hug before letting go. She wouldn't meet his eyes, the days events still fresh in her mind.
One by one they came up the ladder, AZI in Wrecker's arm. They looked out at the smoke rising from the sea, the only sign Tipoca City ever existed.
As Omega walked toward the wreckage, the rest of the squad took of their helmets.
"It's.....all gone." The young clone said sadly.
"We should leave before the Empire's scouts show up." Tech suggested.
Wrecker turned to Crosshair. "You coming with us?"
The sniper looked at them, his eyes cold. "None of this changes anything."
Hunter took a step forward. "You offered us a chance, Crosshair. This is yours."
"I made my decision."
Hunter exhaled softly. "We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean we have to be enemies."
The sniper looked away, ending the exchange.
Althea stood by Omega, her arms folded across her chest. She could hear the others walking off towards the ship, but not before Hunter came and put a kind hand on Omega's shoulder, letting them know it was time to go.
The medic turned to Crosshair, a hard sigh escaping her. She bumped his shoulder as she walked past. It was a harsh it angry gesture, but a kind one. A silent "thank you" that said more than words ever could.
Crosshair glanced at her as she walked to the ship, turning his gaze back to the sea when she passed. When she was on board, Hunter rested a hand on her shoulder before looking back to Omega.
The young blonde was running to the ship when she stopped suddenly.
"What?" Crosshair asked.
"Thank you for saving AZI."
Crosshair looked away. "Consider us even."
Omega pursed her lips. "You're still their brother, Crosshair. You're my brother too." She turned and ran into the Marauder. They closed the ramp and flew away, leaving Crosshair on his own.
Althea slumped in a console chair, too exhausted to even think. Omega sat in the cockpit. Hunter was giving her a blanket, offering her kind words she nodded along to. He nodded and ran his hand through her hair before walking back to Althea.
"How you feeling, kiddo?" He asked, kneeling in front of her.
Althea gave a shuddering breath as a response, wiping her nose as tears threatened to spill.
Hunter sighed, nodding slightly. "I know." He stood up and stay by her, stroking her hair gently, giving her just a bit of comfort as she passed out, her adrenaline giving away.
The only thing that remained in her otherwise still mind was how their family was still split, and would be forever
End of Book 2