Work Text:
Scorch gasped for air. His lungs burned and there was a terrible pain shooting from his chest through his entire body. It was worse than any pain he thought he’d ever felt before. A quick look down at his abdomen revealed a large metal spike piercing through his chest. Shards of his Katarn armor crumbled to the ground.
He just stood there. Alone. What else could he do? Blood was pouring out of his chest into sloppy puddles on the ground. Everything around him felt dull. The only color was the dark red that kept coming out of him.
He laughed. Tears burned in his eyes. It was not a laugh of joy, nor a laugh of excitement. No, it was a laugh of knowing this is the end. Knowing that there was nothing he could do to prevent the ending of his short life. Knowing that he will never see the only people in the whole cruel world that he actually cared about ever again.
Then he was on his knees. The metal spike was still there. He could tell without even looking. Everything was still dull. A voice crackled through his coms.
“Sev, Fixer, Scorch, do any of you copy?” It was Boss. His brother. Boss who had always been there to direct the squad to success. Boss who allowed him to pursue the art of demolition. Boss who cared about his squad and did everything he could to protect them. Boss.
“Affimative ‘38.” Fixer. Rule abiding and reg reading Fixer. Fixer who pretended not to care. Fixer who seemed cold and serious to everyone but his brothers. Fixer who would patch Scorch up whenever he stood a bit too close to the explosion. Fixer.
“I copy, Boss.” And finally Sev. Psychotic Sev. Brutally violent Sev. Sev who he could always count on to follow through with his dumb ideas. Sev who, once looked past the murderous tendencies, truly loved his brothers.
After hearing all their voices, the realization that this really was the end, had finally dawned on him.
“Scorch, do you copy?”
Each of his brothers' individual personalities and unique traits…
“He’s not responding!”
Despite being clones they were all very different.
“38, his vitals are extremely low.”
The Kaminoans didn’t raise them like this. They raised them to be one in the same. One face, one voice, one object. An object designed to be wasted away at the hands of the Republic. He didn’t care though. The stupids Kaminoans could never truly get them to conform.
“Deltas, track Scorch’s location and meet up there. And hurry! He needs our help.”
Who cared about what the Kaminoans thought? Scorch would do whatever was possible to make the best of the terrible situation they were all born with. He loved his brothers. He loved them so much. He would do anything for them. If in a situation where necessary, he would die for them in an instant.
It was at this moment that the words Boss had said finally processed in his brain. He was asked a question. Everyone had responded but him. He mentally steeled himself for the pain he knew would come to him the second he tried to speak.
“...I-I copy… B-boss.” Scorch clamped his teeth through the pain and wet coughs raked through his tight lungs.
“Scorch! Sitrep!” The response from Delta lead was immediate, and sounded panicked. What was it he had said? Sitrep? What did that mean again? The answer was blanking on Scorch. Sit…Situation? Situation report! That’s what it was! Maybe.
“B-blood. I-I’m bleed-bleeding.” His whole body shook with pain and he was rapidly growing tired just from trying to speak. Breathing was getting harder too. That’s probably not good.
“Scorch. Listen, you’ve got to hang in there. We’re on our way.” That was Boss talking… right? Maybe it was Fix… or Sev. Everyone’s voices sounded the same by now.
“We are almost there, you've got to keep talking to us!” Talking? Scorch could barely think! What could he say? Speaking in incomplete sentences was tiring enough. Maybe he could take a nap first. Yeah. A nap sounded really good. Just a quick one.
“T-tired. Gon-gonna nap.” Talking took up too much energy. Energy he didn’t have. Energy that was wasted by just thinking.
“No! Scorch don’t you dare take a nap! Do you hear me? That’s an order Delta!”
Scorch’s eyes slipped closed and he was embraced by soothing darkness. The pain was numbed. Everything was numb. His body felt cold. It was relaxing. It was calm. If only things could just stay like this forever…
…
Boss ran faster than he ever had. There was no way he would let Scorch, his youngest brother, just die! He was panicking. Scorch again wasn’t answering coms. Tears were subconsciously running down his face underneath his helmet. He just kept running. He ran and ran and ran. Until he suddenly saw Scorch!
Fixer was sitting down next to the uncomfortably still body of Scorch. Scorch’s helmet was set off to the side, and Fixer was scanning Scorch with his data pad.
“Fixer! How is he?” Boss knelt down next to Fixer, trying to avoid looking at the gruesome wound in Scorch’s chest.
“Boss… I’m… I’m not sure if he's going to make it.”
The words hit Boss’s stomach like a bunch of bricks. He was frozen in fear. Scorch was going to die. Scorch was going to die. How could he just let Scorch die?
“I’m doing everything I can Boss… I just… I don’t think it’s gonna be enough. I’ve called for an evac but his vitals are extremely low and he’s lost a lot of blood and-”
“SCORCH!” Sev came rushing into the room, and slid right next to Scorch.
“Scorch! You’ve gotta wake up wiseguy! C’mon you can’t just leave me like this!” No one commented on how broken Sev’s voice sounded. Sev shook Scorch’s shoulders, trying desperately to wake him.
“Please Scorch. You need to wake up.” Sev clutched Scorch’s hand, fingers intertwined. They all sat there in silence. Each silently begging for Scorch to be alright. It was like they were frozen in time. The slight twitch of Scorch’s finger snapped Sev up, and caused the other Commandos to look up as well.
“Scorch?” Scorch’s eyes slowly blinked open. His face was full of fear and pain, and his skin was way too pale.
“S-Sev?” It was barely a mumble. Not even a whisper. Sev’s heart broke at hearing how broken his little brother sounded.
“Everyth-thing hurts.”
“I know Scorch. But you’ll be okay. Just stay awake a bit longer.”
“I’m so tired.”
“I know. Just hang in there.”
Scorch choked out a gasp, and he began struggling to breathe. His lungs closed up and wet coughs shook throughout his body. He groaned in pain at the coughs, and slipped his eyes closed.
“Scorch!” Fixer yelled this time, and if Scorch wasn’t dying Boss and Sev would’ve taken the time to be shocked.
“I l-love you gu-guys.” Sev choked out a hurt laugh at the cheesy lines.
“Scorch c’mon you can’t have your last words be something that stupid.”
Scorch cracked one last smile, weak and pained but still his iconic smile, tears began falling out of his eyes, before his entire body went limp.
…
“Scorch?” Sev instantly shook him, panicked again. Scorch’s body just moved with the motion, his head swaying.
“No! Nononono Scorch wake up! Please. PLEASE.” Sev felt as if his lungs stopped working. His breathing quickened as he gasped for air. Fixer swooped in, feeling desperately for a pulse, a movement, or any sign of life. His fingers pressed against Scorch’s cold neck, and he waited. He silently prayed for the pulse, but prayers can only get you so far. He waited. Nothing.
Fixer began crying, shocked and silent, as he dropped his hand and stared at the lifeless body. He subconsciously shook his head, unable to accept that Scorch was really gone. He couldn’t just… be GONE.
Fixer looked over to where Boss sat, and instead of seeing the brave leader he’d gotten so used to, he saw a little kid. Boss’s body was shaking as tears dripped out of his eyes. It reminded Fixer of back on Kamino after having an intense training session with Walon Vau. Fixer reached over and gently placed a hand on Boss’s shoulder.
“I’m sorry.” He croaked out, “I should’ve tried harder to save him.” Fixer’s voice was soft, yet it broke the silence of before.
“I just… I can’t believe he’s really gone.” Boss spoke in an equally soft voice filled with emotion. The silence continued, Fixer turned back to Sev, who was looking intensely at Scorch, he hand still grasping the limp one.
Suddenly, the sounds of ships landing filled the room. The evac had arrived. Fixer mentally punched himself for not calling it earlier. Maybe that difference could’ve saved Scorch. Maybe.
…
They all slowly stood up to greet the evac. Without saying anything Sev scooped up Scorch’s body and carried it towards the ships. Sev hated the way his limbs unnaturally swung with every step. It hurt. It hurt so bad.
After everything they had been through together, just for Scorch to die like this? He was angry. He was hurt. He didn’t know what to do. How could they just move on from something like this? How would the Kaminoans respond? Probably with a new commando. A simple replacement for the life wasted away. The thought of returning to their barracks and then waking up the next day to go on another mission seemed so difficult.
Sev wanted to punch something. He wanted to punch someone. He wanted to take all his pain out and see someone else suffer for once. He wanted to look down at the body in his arms and see Scorch sleeping soundly after a long mission. He wanted all these things, yet all he could do was slowly trudge his way to the evac. To the one thing that could’ve saved his brother. He wanted to hit something. He needed to.
…
Boss watched as his two brothers stood up. He hadn’t even noticed the evac had arrived. He hadn’t even noticed they were leaving until Fixer muttered something to him. He didn’t even process what he’d said.
Boss had failed his team. He failed his squad. He failed his brothers. He had failed in every aspect of being a leader. Scorch was dead. His brother was dead. Boss knew it wasn’t directly his fault. They were assigned to this mission. Yet the burning, aching part of his heart told him it could’ve ended differently. It told him that in another universe, he would’ve taken Scorch’s place and been the unlucky one. He wished it were true.
Boss didn’t want to die. He didn’t want to leave behind his brothers, especially now when they’re most vulnerable. But deep down the greedy side of him begged to switch places with Scorch. He didn’t want to feel the pain of losing the people he’s supposed to protect. He didn’t want to feel the pain as the trio was introduced to the new demolitions expert here to replace Scorch. He didn’t want any of this to happen. But there was nothing he could do about it now.
They all would have to move on.
Without Scorch.