A/N: Not my favorite, but it's all I've got for now. To those of you who need sympathy on filler chapters...? I sympathize.

Chapter 11: Aboard the Justifier

"Well, well...looky here..."

Omega scrunched her eyes against the sudden glare of a dull red light that bled through her eyelids. She didn't recall losing consciousness, but she definitely remembered that thick, low, nasally voice.

Omega foced herself to her feet, legs wobbling from the effects of the stun blast, her balance further thrown off by the pair of electrobinders that was clamped firmly about her wrists.

Omega opened her eyes, squinted, but kept her gaze on the tall blue alien who lounged against the wall outside...

The cell. Omega was a prisoner, and had no idea where the others members of the Bad Batch were. She remembered seeing hazy forms hovering about Hunter's prone figure...

Omega was scared. And being scared made her angry.

She bit her lip and raised bound hands to brush away her sweaty bangs.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

The bounty hunter flicked casually at his wide-brimmed hat. "Cad Bane, at your service." He saluted her with a toothpick and stuck it in his teeth.

Omega didn't see how imprisoning her did any service to anyone but Cad Bane, and she resisted the urge to stomp her foot in defiance.

"Where are you taking me?"

Bane rolled the toothpick along his lips as if considering, then tilted his head over one shoulder.

"Seems that clone's decided to wake up," he drawled.

Omega leaned forward as close to the ray shield as she could without electrocuting herself, trying to peer around the corner of the cell where Cad Bane now stood staring down.

"Good morning," Bane droned to someone on the floor.

Omega started as memories came flooding back. "Tech!" she squeaked.

"Poor fellow hit his head chargin' in like he did," Bane hummed. "It never pays to be hasty."

He bent down and, a moment later, Tech was dragged into view.

Omega couldn't help herself. "Don't take him away," she blurted out.

Bane punched the shield control and slung Tech into the cell with Omega.

"Kid," he sighed, "I'm not takin' anyone anywhere yet. You sit tight and keep quiet."

The shield was reactivated and Bane somehow managed to saunter up the ladder to the bridge, hollering,

"Todo! Punch in the coordinates for the Lido system!"

A wavering, mechanical voice called hesitantly back. "Right away; but, Mr. Bane, what about my booster?"

Omega knelt down and placed her hands on Tech's shoulder guard, giving him a gentle shake.

"Tech!" she hissed. "Tech, wake up!"

"I am quite awake, Omega," said Tech flatly. His eyes remained closed.

"Tech, are you okay?"

"No."

"Are you hurt?"

"Yes."

"Where?"

"Both my head and my professional pride have received significant blows, but I shall recover in time."

Omega smothered a giggle, then smiled sadly. "Thanks for coming after me, Tech," she said.

"Not at all." Tech grunted as he heaved himself into a sitting position. His eyebrows twotched behind the goggles' frame and he blinked vacantly at Omega for a long moment. The silence dragged on for a significant number of seconds.

"We should get out of here," said Omega.

Tech's expression altered not a jot. "Excellent -" he replied, coherent as always despite the very obvious fact that his brain was whirring at a hundred miles a minute and not at all considering what Omega had just said.

Tech looked away abruptly. "I've got it!"

Omega held her breath.

"The control panel!"

Omega exhaled like an exploding hurricane. "Tech, the panel is outside the shield."

"Panels have to be inserted into the walls, Omega," said Tech, a rather smug smile growing on his face.

Omega's eyes widened in understanding. "Just like a door!"

"Two points of entry, exactly," Tech nodded. "Let's get to work."

Omega's eagerness melted away once more. "But, Tech, Cad Bane took your vambrace computer and our comms!"

"So? We don't need those to break into a wall."

Omega leaned forward briefly to peer into Tech's eyes. No, no concussion. "Didn't he take your tools, too?"

Tech cocked his head. "Some, but not all." He hopped to one knee and wrestled the cuff of his right pant leg out of his boot. A probe and cutter slid easily into his fingers. He held the tools up in front of Omega's face before setting to work picking the lock on her cuffs.

"Not all of them..."

"Tech, hurry up!" Omega urged.

Todo and Bane were still arguing on the bridge - or rather, Todo was showering all manner of compliments and reasons for Bane to fix Todo's broken booster on the bounty hunter, and Bane was replying with varying levels of volume in phrases such as "Shut up, you stupid droid!" and "I should have had your vocabulator removed the last time I took you in for repairs!" - but there was no telling how much time was left before one or the other came down.

Omega chewed her lip and glanced about nervously, looking for...something that would aid their escape. Nothing useful was in sight.

She jerked her head up towards the bridge. The bounty hunter's and the droid's respective voices had swelled again in volume. Todo seemed to be losing his control.

"I don't care what you think, Bane!" the droid squeaked. "I will go repair it myself if you have decided to be so difficult!"

"Well, I haven't decided!" Bane snapped back. "Sit down, Todo, we're nearly there."

Omega gulped down a jolt of panic. "Hurry, Tech," she urged, hopping slowly up and down in apprehension.

"Your persistent nagging is proving to be most distracting," said Tech. "Ah. That should do it."

The ray shield flickered and died.

"Let's get our comms," Omega whispered.

"An excellent idea," said Tech.

He picked up his tools and followed Omega out of the cell.

Omega pointed to one of several storage compartment doors that lined the walls. It had a promising look. "Let's try that one!"

Tech made his way to the door indicated.He hefted the probe and jabbed it delicately into the lock. Within seconds, the door slid upwards to reveal nothing but eating utensils and various food supplies.

Tech flashed Omega a hooded glance. "I'm picking the next one," he said.

Door number two slid open and Omega could barely contain the squeal of excitement at the sight of their comms tucked into a box on a shelf.

Tech grasped the devices and thrust them into Omega's hands before scooting her back towards their cell.

"Get those hidden," he ordered.

Omega obeyed, stuffing the devices in one corner of the barren cell and sitting in front of them.

Tech moved easily about the room, closing and locking the two storage compartments he'd broken into, and then stepped inside the cell, hastily reactivating the ray shield that blocked the entrance.

"What are you doing?" Omega hissed. "I thought we were escaping!"

"We are," said Tech.He pushed the cutter and probe into his boot, then tucked his pant cuff back down again. "But now is not the right time. Bane will come down shortly, and if this is to work, nothing can appear amiss."

"Oh," said Omega in a small voice. "Then will we get out?"

"Yes," said Tech, crouching in front of her to loosely fasten her cuffs about her wrists again. "Yes, we will."

"How are my prisoners doing?" Bane called. Omega could hear his heeled boots clicking ominously down the metal rungs of the ladder.

"Not very well!" she hollered back, ignoring Tech's shushing motions. "I'm bored! Couldn't you have at least given us some games to play?"

Cad Bane sauntered to a halt in front of the cell and looked Omega up and down. He cast a mildly appealing glance at Tech.

"I never understood why kids today are so spoiled," the bounty hunter sighed.

"I have a few theories about your upbringing, Bane," Tech retorted. "Would you care to hear them?"

"Some other time, sonny," Bane groaned. "It's almost time for me to lose you two for some hefty credits, so just keep behaving and things'll turn out fine."

"I had assumed that whoever hired you wanted only Omega," said Tech.

"Yes, Omega chimed in. "Why can't you let Tech go?"

"Two reasons, kid," said Bane. "He interfered, and he can make me a profit."

"How?" Omega snapped.

"Because he's a rogue clone, dummy." Bane cast the most world-weary attitude about himself and strolled away.

Tech cocked his head. "Curious. Let's see where we are."

He slipped the cuffs.from his wrists, pulled his vambrace out from behind Omega and flipping the screen up, began tapping away at a furious rate.

"Scan's in progress," he muttered as Omega sidled up alongside him to peek at his screen. "Hm. Well, now..."

"What is it?" Omega asked.

"We are entering the atmosphere of Bora Vio, a planet little is known about. What would Bane want to bring us here for?"

Tech and Omega sat in silence. Tech was thinking, and Omega was trying not to.

It was some minutes later that Omega felt the ship touch down.

Tech reopened their cell and removed both of their cuffs. He handed Crosshair's old comm device to Omega (Omega knew it was now hers, but she would return it to Crosshair the instant he returned to them) and the two of them slipped from the cell.

Tech paused on the threshold. "I require my pack," he stated.

Omega stabbed her forefinger towards one unexplored cabinet, and Tech picked the lock in short order. The insides of the compartment held Tech's pack, unopened and perfectly intact.

Omega could not smother that grin.

Tech reached for his pack and slung it about his shoulders. "Let's go, Omega."

Omega twisted her comm to rest more securely on her arm before she followed Tech towards the back ramp of the ship.

Cad Bane would be so mad.