Chapter Text
Echo leaned back, closing his eyes and stretching out comfortably in the co-pilot’s seat of the Marauder. The ship finally felt like home, the familiar beeps and hums pleasantly reassuring. He breathed deeply, content and relaxed. The Batch was just coming off another successful mission supporting the 187th against an onslaught of Separatist forces. They’d driven the droids back easily, Echo working seamlessly alongside his new squad. He wouldn’t say he was happy, but things were going about as well as he could hope.
Tech made a disgruntled noise beside him. Echo turned his head, cracking his eyes open to inspect his brother. Tech’s eyebrows knit together as he read something on his datapad. He shook his head, then adjusted his goggles and continued to type. Echo looked further over his shoulder to see Hunter laser focused at the navigation desk. His lips pressed into a thin line, eyes narrowed. He must have something on his mind; the sergeant only opted to log coordinates when he needed a distraction.
Before Echo could wonder too much about it, a loud beep rang out and the control panel illuminated with an alert. Tech put his datapad aside and leaned forward to investigate the message.
“Hunter, we have an incoming call from Commander Cody.”
“Cody?!” Wrecker called excitedly from the back of the ship. Echo couldn’t help but share his enthusiasm; he’d held a soft spot for Cody ever since meeting him as a shiny on Rishi.
Hunter stood from the navigation chair and made his way forward. “Patch him through.”
Tech pressed a series of buttons and suddenly a small blue likeness of the commander flickered to life before them. “Hi, boys. It’s been a while.”
“Commander,” Hunter nodded. “What can we do for you?”
“Got a mission that could use your squad’s skillset.”
“All right!” Wrecker shoved in next to Hunter so he could get a clear look at the miniature Cody. “Missions with you are always the best!”
The commander smiled. “Sorry, I won’t be joining you for this one, Wrecker. Need you to track down some intel from a recently vacated Separatist research facility on Ord Radama.”
“What type of intel specifically?” Tech already had his datapad in hand to take notes.
“Well, rumors are some of their experiments were conducted on clone prisoners.”
A weighted silence fell over the cockpit. Echo’s chest constricted painfully. The gaze of each member of the Batch flicked towards him – Crosshair’s scowl, Wrecker’s wide eyes, Tech’s furrowed brow, and Hunter’s frown. He swallowed, sitting up a little straighter. It was fine. He was in a good place now. He could handle this.
“I don’t need to explain to you why we’re concerned about that. We need any research files you can find that explain what was going on there one way or the other.”
Hunter focused back on Cody’s blue form. “You sure we’re the, uh, right squad for this mission, Commander?”
A flush of heat worked its way up Echo’s neck. He knew full well why the sergeant was hesitant. The embarrassment made his insides squirm.
Cody sighed. “I understand this hits a little…close to home, so to speak, but you lot are the best I’ve got to look into this quickly.”
Hunter glanced over again and locked eyes with him. Echo tried to put as much fierce determination into his expression as he could. He would be okay. If there were clones being experimented on, he needed to do everything in his power to help them. The sergeant seemed to get the message.
“We’re on it, sir.”
Cody nodded. “I’ll send you the coordinates and a briefing file with more details. Let me know what you find.”
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“You could stay on the ship, you know. Be our backup if we need a pickup.”
Echo was getting tired of this. He’d already dealt with comments like this from Wrecker, Tech, and Crosshair. You sure you wanna do this? Perhaps you should support this mission remotely. Don’t be an idiot, Reg. He finished wiping down his blaster. “I don’t need to. I’ll be fine.” A hand landed on his shoulder. Echo shrugged him off and rolled his eyes. “Hunter, I’m fine.”
“No one would think less of you if you weren’t. These are pretty exceptional circumstances.”
He let out an exasperated sigh and couldn’t help the agitation sneaking into his voice. “I know that. Look, I appreciate the concern, but I can handle this. I’d tell you if I couldn’t.”
The sergeant cocked an eyebrow, the slightest hint of a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Would you?”
“Yes, Sir. I would.” Echo holstered the blaster and glared at Hunter. He wasn’t in the mood for this; as confident as he was that he’d be okay, the others’ lingering doubt was starting to put him on edge. He didn’t want to think about it anymore. “I kept you apprised of that blaster burn a few weeks ago, unlike someone who kept those bruised ribs to themselves until we got back to the Marauder. So save the lecture about transparency.”
Hunter put his hands up and stepped back, the amusement slowly fading. “Okay, okay. I get it.” He turned to leave, but paused, glancing back once more, his face now serious. “Echo, I only – ”
“Yeah.” There was no irritation to his voice this time. “I know.” He really did understand where the sergeant was coming from, but he wasn’t the same person he’d been right after Skako. Echo was the first to admit that past version of himself might have crumbled at the prospect of this mission. He was stronger now, more resilient. He could do this, and was more than ready to prove it to his squad.
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“The commander’s intel appears to be at least partially accurate.”
Hunter nodded and peered through a pair of binoculars for a better look at the gaping hole in the facility’s west wall. Cody’s report indicated the infrastructure had been badly damaged in the GAR’s recent assault. “Were they right about the clanker patrols too?”
“Still uncertain. We should know in approximately four minutes.”
Hunter hummed in response. Echo crouched behind the row of foliage next to the sergeant, gazing down at the research facility nestled in the clearing. Crosshair shifted on his other side, adjusting the scope of his rifle.
Echo’s eyes raked over the building, his mind drifting as he imagined fellow clones – his brothers – trapped and imprisoned somewhere deep inside. His heart skipped a beat and his breath stuttered. No. He shook himself, forcing the anxiety away. They didn’t know for sure what took place here, and it was highly unlikely any prisoners were still inside. Echo blew out a breath; he wouldn’t let his nerves get the best of him.
The back of his neck prickled. He tensed, hesitantly turning to find Hunter watching him. Echo clenched his jaw and quickly faced the facility again. He didn’t need to give the sergeant any more reason to doubt his capability here – he would be fine.
“Ah. There is the patrol. Right on schedule.” Tech adjusted his goggles. “Indeed, it appears they are not aware the facility was vacated.”
A group of droids marched around the corner of the building, right past the crumbling wall. There was no indication they even noticed the destroyed stonework. The platoon proceeded on, rounding the far corner and disappearing out of sight.
“I don’t get it.” Wrecker commented from Tech’s other side. “How’d they not see that?”
“It is a flaw in the programming. They have been tasked with completing a perimeter check to look for potential intruders outside the facility. They were not tasked with analyzing the facility itself.” He pulled up his datapad and pressed a few buttons. “The intel suggests the interior patrols do not share this flaw, but apparently have not discovered the damage.”
“Then we’ll need to be on alert once we’re inside.” Hunter put away his binoculars and glanced around the squad. “For now, this is a stealth mission. In and out, simple retrieval. Nothing to draw attention. Got it?”
“Sir, yes, sir,” Crosshair quipped. Echo and Tech nodded. Hunter turned to Wrecker, who sighed.
“Yeah, yeah.” His voice was full of disappointment. “Stealth. I got it, Sarge.”
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Getting inside the facility was easy enough; the patrols were spaced far enough apart they could cross the valley and sneak through the wreckage without being seen. Only once they’d navigated their way through a series of corridors did Hunter finally usher them down a side hallway to regroup.
Tech quickly plugged into a data port. “Our best chance at data retrieval will be the main laboratory, located in the northeast corner on the second floor.”
“Patrols?” Hunter spoke in a low voice from the end of the hall where he kept watch.
“Consistent. We should be able to avoid them by utilizing the rear staircase.”
“Lead the way.”
The four of them followed Tech through the maze of corridors, with Hunter only pausing them twice to avoid droids. Echo really should have been paying attention to the route, but he couldn’t keep his mind from wandering. Experiments. Experiments on clones. Did they have their limbs replaced too? Were their minds hooked up to computers? Forced to become someone’s personal algorithm, like he’d been to Wat Tambor?
He stumbled into Crosshair, not realizing the others had stopped moving. Crosshair elbowed him hard in the ribs. “Watch it, Reg.”
“Sorry. I…sorry.” Echo was having trouble finding his voice. He desperately pushed thoughts of Skako Minor out of his head – they were starting to mess with him. He needed to stay focused, concentrate on the job at hand. Hunter was watching him again. Annoyance sent a burning heat through his limbs, but it helped center him. He clenched his blaster in his fist. He was fine. He could handle this.
Tech knelt on the floor in front of a set of double doors. His datapad was plugged into the access panel as he typed furiously. “This security program is more advanced than expected.”
Echo stepped forward, praying his voice wouldn’t shake. “Need a hand?”
“No. I believe I – there.”
The doors flew open and Tech unplugged. Echo rushed in first, quickly scanning the perimeter with his blaster at the ready, but there was no movement. They were alone. His gaze finally fell to the center of the room – and that’s when he saw it.
Echo’s insides lurched. All the air left his lungs. His eyes went wide as he stared at the horribly familiar stasis chamber in front of him.
This wasn’t just any Separatist research facility. This was Techno Union.
Echo staggered back, shaking his head. The room tilted and spun around him, but he couldn’t stop staring at that stasis chamber. He could feel the biting cold of the durasteel, the itch from the plugs connected to the ports in his skin. His heart was hammering, and the rush of blood filling his ears. The few muscles he had left in his legs went weak and he felt himself swaying. Kriff. Maybe he couldn’t handle this.
Someone was gripping his arm tightly. They pressed the release on his helmet and pulled it off.
“Just breathe, Echo. Come on, breathe.”
“He is very pale.”
“Give him some kriffing space.”
“He doesn’t look so good…”
“Echo. Deep, slow breaths.”
He managed to heave in a stuttering breath and the world started to come back into focus. Four familiar faces surrounded him, two with helmets and two without. The stasis chamber loomed threateningly behind them. Faint Skakoan voices buzzed in his ear. He distantly realized he was shaking, and gasped in another breath in a desperate attempt to clear his head.
“Maybe he should go back ‘ta the ship?”
“I do not think it advisable for Echo to be alone right now.”
“Echo.” That voice had a commanding tone. It managed to pull him from his daze. “What do you want to do?”
Echo rubbed sweat from his forehead, panting. What did he want to do? He didn’t want to be here, near that karking thing, that was for sure. He could leave, head to the Marauder, wait for the others while they completed the mission. His stomach turned to ice as he imagined it – sitting in the ship, alone. No brothers, no distractions…just him and those dark thoughts. He shuddered. No. He couldn’t do that. He needed to be with the Batch, with his brothers, even if it meant being in this kriffing place. He swallowed hard. “S-stay. I – I want…stay.”
Hunter’s lips pressed into a thin line, but he nodded. “All right, but we’re not having you scomp into anything here, just in case. Tech?”
“That is not a problem. I can plug in and access any systems as needed.”
“Good. Get connected and find the data Cody needs.” His gaze fell back on Echo. “Let’s make this quick.”
Tech nodded and stood, probably heading off to find an access panel. Echo took another deep breath, willing his racing heart to slow down. Hunter was still watching him closely. “You sure you want to stay? I could take you back to the ship.”
That offer was tempting. For a moment the idea of letting the sergeant cart him back to safety was overwhelmingly appealing – being able to think clearly, take a breath without the crushing weight of haunting and confusing memories. Echo gritted his teeth. The Batch was more than capable, but he wouldn’t abandon his squad mid-mission. He should be able to handle this— he would handle this. Forcing a determined look, he shook his head. “Like you said, let’s…let’s just make it quick.”
Hunter’s brow was creased in skepticism, but he nodded. “Let me know if you change your mind.” The sergeant patted his shoulder, then put his helmet on and headed towards Tech.
Echo blew out a shaking breath and put his own helmet back on. The stasis chamber drew his gaze almost instantly. His heart skipped a beat. He hastily looked away, gulping and glancing around. Tech was positioned in the center of the room, crouched down and plugged into a control panel. Hunter hovered just behind him, hands on his hips and head on a swivel. Wrecker and Crosshair stood together near the door, each clutching their respective weapon and talking quietly. Echo took another deep breath. He was fine. This was fine. He was with the Batch; they wouldn’t let anything happen to him. It’s just a piece of machinery…it’s not running, and he doesn’t have to go anywhere near –
“Echo,” Hunter’s voice sounded loudly through the comm. He jumped, only just realizing he’d been staring at the stasis chamber again, and looked towards the sergeant. Hunter gestured with his head to the far side of the room. “Perimeter check. Let’s go.”
Echo let out a breath and hurried toward him.
“We’ll make sure those patrols are sticking to the schedule. Tech, find that data. Quickly. Comm with any problems.”
“You got it, Sarge!” Wrecker flashed a thumbs-up. Crosshair had already replaced Hunter’s position watching Tech’s back.
Hunter paused briefly as he reached the door. His left hand was held up in a fist, the right hovering over the access panel as his head tilted to the passageway beyond. “Hallway’s clear,” he muttered as he tapped the button. The doors flew open with a whoosh and the two of them stepped into the corridor, blasters at the ready.
It was as though a massive weight was lifted off his lungs. Echo practically forgot what a deep breath was supposed to feel like. Just having a wall between him and that thing made an incredible difference. He was still on edge, pulse too rapid to be normal, but his mind was clear, and that let him fall back into the familiar rhythm of a mission.
Hunter was several steps ahead of him, glancing around as they made their way up the hall. Echo checked the time. “Next patrol shouldn’t be for another fifteen minutes.”
“Yeah,” came Hunter’s rasping growl. “But I’d rather not take any chances.” He cautiously approached the connecting hallway and poked his head around the corner. “Clear.”
Their steps were quiet as they jogged down the corridor, stopping mid-way to take stock. Hunter turned towards the nearest door. “Did the blueprints say what these rooms were? More labs?”
“I can find out.” Echo knelt down and plugged into a scomp port.
“No, don’t – ” Hunter let out an exasperated sigh. “I said I didn’t want you scomping in.”
Echo remembered full well, but he wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity for a task to focus on. He was already scanning for some kind of map or directory. “I don’t think this system is Techno Union. The file structure feels…different.”
“Hm. Well, at least we have that going for us.” He pressed his comm. “Tech, how much longer?”
“I cannot say. This server size is larger than anticipated, and I have no indication where the desired information is stored. I am currently replicating the entire database.”
“Copy that.”
Echo felt a hand on his shoulder and looked around. The sergeant was staring down the hallway, completely still. Echo stopped spinning his scomp and followed his gaze. Waiting.
Hunter suddenly gave Echo two sharp taps. Following the signal, he immediately disconnected. Hunter seized his arm and pulled him behind an alcove. Seconds later a patrol of droids appeared from the adjacent corridor. He quickly spotted another scomp port a few meters away and plugged back in.
The sergeant hovered behind him. “That patrol is early.”
Echo nodded. “There’s an active security alert. I’m not sure what…” He trailed off, trying to make sense of the various alarms in the system. “Ah, kriff. It’s coming from the main lab. That must be where they’re headed.”
Hunter tapped his comm. “Tech, you’ve got clankers inbound. Are you finished?”
“Not remotely.”
“We’ll buy you some time. Keep checking in.” He turned to Echo. “Any ideas?”
He didn’t hesitate. “Plan 64?” Without giving Hunter a chance to object , Echo jumped out into the corridor and fired three shots at the group of droids before darting back out of sight.
“Blaster fire?”
“Intruders!”
“Get them!”
“Well, that’s one way.” Hunter shook his head as he took off away from the oncoming droids, Echo on his heels. They both periodically turned back to fire a blaster, picking off a few of them here and there, but no doubt reinforcements were on the way.
The two of them rounded the corner and hurried down the next hallway. The sergeant found another alcove to duck behind. Echo followed him, just as the sound of running metal footsteps approached.
“Did you see them?”
“They went this way!”
“Fan out!”
“There a part two to this plan?” Hunter whispered. The footsteps grew closer.
“Workin’ on it.” Echo whispered back, eyes scanning the deserted hall for any spark of inspiration. He was off his game, he knew it, the lingering memory of that stasis chamber messing with his head. Kriffing hell. He could come up with a way out of this if he could just think. His eyes fell on the elevator and finally an idea came to him. “I’ve got it. Cover me.”
Not bothering to wait for a reply, Echo raced across the hall, then dropped to a knee next to the elevator access port and jammed his scomp in. He could feel Hunter’s presence behind him a moment later.
“There they are!”
Blaster fire rained down around them. Echo recognized the sound of an electric shockwave – Hunter must be using poppers. The cacophony of stray bolts lessened. His voice crackled over the comm. “Gonna fill me in?”
Echo closed his eyes so he could keep his concentration. The car was two levels below them on the ground floor; he called it upwards, sending it as high as possible. “I’m crashing it. We’ll hide in the shaft. They’ll think we were inside and call off the search.”
There was a slight shuffling sound followed by a click. “Grappling hook’s set.”
The corner of Echo’s mouth twitched. Hunter was always quick on the uptake, the whole Batch was. It wasn’t often you found clones so quick to adapt to any scenario. If they weren’t already a special forces squad, they all could’ve easily been ARC Troopers. Echo’s attention snapped back to the elevator as it reached maximum height. He held it steady, ready to send it crashing down at full speed. “Smoke grenade!”
Hunter reacted instantly and after a few seconds the hallway was filled with thick, grey smoke blocking them from view. Echo braced himself, then released the elevator, sending it careening downwards. There was a low whistle as the durasteel whizzed by, then a deafening crash sounded from below. He forced the doors open before hastily ripping his scomp from the port. They had one chance and limited time to get this right. Dust billowed upwards toward them in a massive cloud. “Go, go, go!” He shouted as he got to his feet and clambered for his grappling hook. Hunter leaned into the opening of the shaft, pointing his own hook upwards and firing. There was a satisfying clunk as the magnet found purchase, then he was lifted out of sight.
Echo followed, practically on autopilot. He was in his element: thinking on his feet in the heat of moment, coming up with some eccentric plan, avoiding certain death by the skin of his teeth. It wasn’t until the grappling hook jerked him to a stop that his jittery nerves made themselves known again. Echo blew out a breath as he hovered just above the sergeant near the top of the shaft. Dust particles from the smashed elevator car floated through the air. The sudden stillness and quiet was jarring after the intensity of the last several minutes.
“They’re doing a scan. Keep quiet.” Hunter’s voice rasped in his ear. It was protocol for the clankers to check for life forms – make sure the intruders didn’t survive the crash. Indistinct mechanical voices wafted towards them, echoing strangely off the walls so Echo couldn’t make out what they were saying. The sound spurred something in his memory; a language he couldn’t understand, garbled speech through a pressure suit, beeps and whines of continuous scans, a shrieking, grinding noise of a tool that sent a shiver down his spine –
Something creaked. Echo’s brow furrowed as he glanced around. Hunter spoke in his ear again. “I think they’re gone. Wait a minute just to be sure.”
Another creak. He could’ve sworn he dropped an inch. Then a low groan. Echo’s eyes went wide as he realized what that sound was. His head snapped up just in time to see the durasteel panel above him rip away from the ceiling.
For one split second he was weightless, hovering in midair as time slowed to a crawl. The panel fell towards him, the cord of the grappling hook starting to curve as the tension left the line. Then he dropped.
There was probably a way to get out of this, something he should try, but in that moment his mind was blank. Once again, he just couldn’t think. It wasn’t like him. He didn’t feel like himself and he was getting tired of it. Maybe it would just be easier to – suddenly his arm was wrenched up, shoulder pulling painfully as he lurched to a stop, swaying in the air. Echo glanced up. Hunter had a hold of his scomp.
Before he could say anything or even gather his thoughts, there was another groan. Of course. If Echo’s weight had been enough to bring down a ceiling panel, their combined weight would bring down another. Sure enough, the sound of ripping durasteel filled the air and then he was falling again. This time the sergeant fell with him as he kept a death grip on Echo.
“Grab on!” Hunter’s shout rang out. Echo’s direction abruptly changed as he was thrust sideways and caught a glimpse of the light flooding in from the open doors they’d just come through. Instinctively, he flailed his arm out and grabbed for the ledge. He felt his hand bruise as it slammed against the floor. The muscles in his fingers strained as he struggled for purchase on the edge. Miraculously, he had come to a stop, now dangling from the open door.
There was a horrible series of clangs and a grunt that could only be his brother crashing into the pile of debris below.