I have literally only seen a quarter of a doctor who episode, but I'm on tumblr enough lol. I do have a bag I call the Tardis!

Anyways, here I am with another chapter and more stupidity! From here on out the chapter upload schedule will get... wonky. College starts next week and I not ready...

But at least the topics are fun! Environmental Policy, Weather and Climate, and Intro to Environment! Plus a Comtemp lit class for my English minor ^^

Content Warnings: Anxiety and language.

"No, nothing's wrong," I said. You know, like a liar.

Hunter set down the glass and held my gaze. He said nothing, one brow slowly raising.

"I'm serious!"

He continued to hold my gaze steadily, still not saying a word. Brown eyes slowly narrowed. Oh man… not the LookTM.

"Seriously, nothing's wrong…"

"I would believe you," he said slowly. "If it weren't for the cortisol flowing off you."

My eyes widened. Busted: Part 2 . "Oh… right. You're part bloodhound."

"Not sure what a bloodhound is. But you can ask me a question, I don't mind."

I blinked in surprise. How did he…?

"I've worked with anxious individuals before enough to know when they've got a question on their mind but are hesitant to ask," he explained.

"I should have figured," I grumbled. "You are the leader of Clone Force Ninety-Nine. Makes sense you'd be good at readin' people."

Hunter remained silent for a moment. "So… what is it you want to ask?" he pressed before taking another sip of his drink.

Just ask… tell anxiety and the horse it rode in on to piss off.

Easier said than done.

But I took a deep breath and hesitantly asked, cheeks burning, "Could… could I see your helmet?"

Hunter clearly didn't expect that to be my question. "My... helmet?" He glanced at it then back to me. "Why?"

"I've always wondered what clone trooper buckets look like on the inside." I cursed my curiosity as I stumbled over my words. "I mean… if you wouldn't mind… I understand if it's a no, I mean after all I could be an agent and tamper with it, so I get it completely if you don't feel comfortable letting me hold it. I understand and I'm sorry if I'm annoying you with this…"

Something flickered across his face and Hunter slid it across the table to me. "Just be careful with it."

My face lit up as I reached for the helmet. "Don't worry, I will!" Scooping it off the table, I was surprised. Heavier than I thought!

Hunter, slowly drinking his juice, watched as I turned the helmet back and forth. "Never seen someone other than Tech look over a helmet so enthusiastically." He sounded amused.

"Hey, never know if I'll ever get a chance to hold one of these again," I said. Staring at the skull painted on the front once more, I lightly trace the outline with my finger. I wondered how often he had to reapply paint. It no doubt got scuffed during missions.

I glanced up at Hunter's tattoo, aiming to see how closely the two matched. Brown eyes were watching me intently, and while I knew he would be making sure I didn't tamper with it, it still caught me off guard.

The corner of his mouth turned up, a gesture I was coming to know as a sign he was amused. "So? Is it what you imagined a helmet to be like?"

"More or less," I replied, turning it over and peering inside. It was either Star Wars Gambit or Star Wars Stealth I had read all those years ago that described what the inside was like, but I'd forgotten all of it.

Damn it, now I wanted to put it on. To avoid putting myself in that position of temptation, I went to set the helmet back on the table.

When I did, however, Hunter put his hand on the other side and gave it a small push back in my direction. "You can put it on for a minute if you'd like."

Surprised, I slowly picked it back up. "You sure?"

He nodded.

A smile spread across my face. "Thanks, Sergeant!" Taking care not to poke something I shouldn't, I slowly slipped it over my head.

Ok, it was definitely heavier than it looked. "Uh Sarge what do these blinky lights mean?" I asked, voice bouncing around inside the helmet. I sounded weird with this thing on. "I'm not gonna damage something am I?"

"The comm only goes to my squad, and the HUD is not active right now."

Suddenly a beep made me jump before a familiar voice rasped, "We're on our way back. Is the foul mouthed furball awake yet?"

"Hunter how do I respond to the comm?"

Swallowing his laugh, Hunter reached over and pressed his fingers against the side of the helmet and nodded to me.

"The foul mouthed furball is right here, you miserable coat hanger."

Silence stretched out for a few moments before Wrecker's laughter came through the comm. "Mornin', Haran'ika! "

Crosshair's voice came soon after. "Where's Hunter?" he demanded.

"Relax, Twiggs. He's sittin' across from me right now." I slipped the helmet off and passed it back to Hunter.

Hunter slid the helmet on. "Meet us in the lobby by the library." Once he finished the call, he pulled the helmet back off. "Coat hanger?"

"He's spindly," I shrugged, then rubbed my neck. "Y'all must have some strong necks to constantly keep your head upright with that."

"You get used to it after a month or two."

"How long have-" I cut myself off with a wince. "Ah, Sorry. Shouldn't ask that…"

"How long have we been off that stormy cesspool Kamino?" Hunter asked.

I shrank into myself, certain I heard agitation in his tone. Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. Either way, the effect was the same. Ever wonder what it's like to have social anxiety? Second guess every single social cue and tone shift. Every single one. Even a shift in texting punctuation could set it off. In short, it was a royal pain in the ass. "Didn't mean to overstep, sorry Sergeant."

He remained quiet, no doubt watching as my face grew red yet again. "Stop that," he finally said after a few moments ticked by. "You didn't overstep."

"You sure?" I asked uncertainly, eyes darting between his.

"Positive." His hand twitched, almost as if he was about to reach out but stopped himself before his hand could move. "I told you, I don't mind you asking. As long as it's not about military secrets."

I laughed softly at the joking tone, still certain I overstepped and now he hated me.

"You don't believe me, do you?" Hunter asked, leaning back in his chair.

"No no, I do!"

An eyebrow slowly raised, but Hunter's expression was anything but critical. No, he looked… sympathetic. Or was I misreading social cues again? Or was it facial cues in this case?

Fuck society… why it gotta be so damn finicky? This is why I prefer to be a hermit in my room. My Freddy Funko Pop and Psychedelic Snowman don't play this ring around the rosie.

"Shadow."

"Fine… I don't…" I admitted. "But damage is done now I guess."

"Kark, you're bad as Crosshair when it comes to beating yourself up for no reason," Hunter groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Bad as Crosshair ? I frowned, cocking my head to the side. He's got the same issue? Wouldn't think it from that sandpaper exterior. Then again… easier to attack someone first and act mean than let them get the upper hand and attack you first. Ah, self protection mechanisms. Equally useful and sabotaging. "That's the second time I've been likened to Crosshair, not sure how I feel about that," I replied.

"You don't hate him."

Not a question, a statement.

"Well… no. I don't. He's just a prickly murder twig."

A small, wry smile crept across Hunter's tattooed face. "You've got more in common than you think."

I frowned. " Really not sure how to feel about that one."

Hunter shook his head in amusement before he said, "We've been causing chaos and being a thorn in the clanker army's collective tin can ass for around six months. After the Separatists tried to take Kamino, Commander Cody said us "different" clones deserved a second chance. We owe him our freedom." He looked down at his armor. "Well, partial freedom. He got us off that damp hunk of space rock and gave us the designation Clone Force Ninety-Nine after a brother who fell in the fight while trying to get them more ammo."

"Ninety nine..." I murmured softly. "A soldier in the end."

Hunter looked at me, somewhat surprised. "You know of him? He was a maintenance clone, I didn't think his name would leave Kamino. Especially since the longnecks saw him as a failure."

"Fuck those self righteous tapeworms and everything they stand for," I spat, white hot rage rippling through me. "None of you are failures. Not a single one. You aren't products or experiments or assets . You're men and deserve to be treated as such."

"Hmm, not many in the galaxy think like that," Hunter remarked in a matter of fact way. Yet he almost sounded… resigned to that. Like he knew there was nothing that could ever change their mind.

That only made me madder. "Then they can fuck themselves with a rusty chainsaw," I hissed.

Hunter chuckled and raised his glass in a half joking manner. "I'll drink to that."

I nodded firmly and raised my glass towards his as well. "Cheers to the deaths of the tapeworms."

"Cheers."

Just as we finished off the last of the juice, a knock at the door startled me. As per usual, the years of training kicked in on instinct and I raised my hands in readiness to fight. Hunter had grabbed his knife, already halfway out of his chair, when we turned and looked at each other.

A voice from the other side caused an identical scowl on both our faces. "Shads!"

Trevor was back.

Lovely.

"Door's presumably unlocked," I grumbled, lowering my hands as Hunter slowly sat back down.

The door opened and in strolled Trevor, a grin on his face as usual.

How this man could be cheery at this hour, I had no idea.

But once I laid eyes on the pack in his hands, everything else immediately vanished from my mind.

"No way…" I gasped, stumbling out of my chair and over to Trevor.

He laughed. "Figured you'd recognize it!"

"Are you kiddin'?!" I exclaimed, snatching it from him. "How could I not recognize my magical Tardis bag?"

"Your what ?" Hunter asked, standing back up and walking over.

"My Tardis!" I may have only seen a grand total of a quarter of a single Doctor Who episode, but I knew the Tardis. Bigger on the inside than it looks on the outside.

I had a bag I called the Tardis in real life, as well as a bigger "Super Tardis" that served as my computer bag, but this was special.

For it really was bigger on the inside. Not just bigger, but endless . No matter how much you put in, you never ran out of room. Then, when you needed an item, all you had to do was name the item and reach in.

It had been an invaluable resource in the Tintin fandom but now? Oh boy it was perfect.

"Watch this!" I said, grabbing my smaller pack. Opening the top of my Tardis, revealing a dark void, I picked up the first pack and dropped it in. It vanished in an instant.

Hunter's eyes widened. "An endless pack?!"

"Yep!"

"Packed it full of everything you'll need," Trevor assures me. "Med kits, parachute cord, rain gear, extra clothes, sleeping bags, bug spray, nutrition bars, the works. Plus! I threw in the map plus a copy in case you get separated in the tunnels."

I looked up sharply. Oh fuck. That was not good. "If?" I asked hesitantly.

Trevor shrugged. "Never know."

My eyes narrowed. "You do, mister Prophecy."

Hunter jerked his head towards Trevor. " Prophecy ?"

Trevor flashed a grin at him. "Yep! Say, where'd you get that nice tattoo? Really looks good on you."

Hunter's head jerked backwards. "Excuse me?"

"Trev, stop flirtin' with Hunter,," I muttered, rolling my eyes. "Don't think he swings that way."

"You think the big guy does?" Trevor asked, laughing when I glared at him. He held up his hands in surrender. "Ok ok… what about the matchstick?"

"Now that I'd like to see. Crosshair would beat your ass," I laughed dryly.

"Back up, he has the ability to see the future ?" Hunter demanded, pointing to Trevor.

"Bits of it, yeah." At least, if he were a normal Rageryan. Trevor's just overpowered. Why didn't I call him Gary Stu? He's got the power-level for it...

Hunter narrowed his eyes at Trevor. "You knew then that our first meeting with Shadow would go wrong."

"One doesn't need to be a prophetic fella to see that! She doesn't give in easily at all," Trevor laughed. "But in all seriousness-"

"You, serious? This outta be good," I snorted.

"Oh it is, Shads." He looked off to the side, humor fading from his face.

A chill ran down my spine at that. Trevor may have been as goofy and laid back as they came but… he wasn't an idiot. That's not how I created him to be. When a situation was legitimately serious, that cheerful naivety vanished. Just like now.

"Trev… what's going on?"

Green eyes found mine once more. "James vanished in the middle of the night. Then I checked the transmission records… he's called in a battalion of droids. They'll be here in three days."

Oh… fuck. Shit. Ass. That was less than desirable. Just a bit. An entire battalion? At least I'm with a four man army… "Well well well, if it ain't the consequences of my own actions coming to bite me in the ass," I grumbled, sighing heavily. "Joyous."

"You are surprisingly calm for someone who just got told they may be the target of a battalion of clankers," Hunter remarked, crossing his arms.

"You kiddin'?" I said with a dry laugh, raising an eyebrow at the sergeant. "I'm with Clone Force 99 . Y'all are your own little army. An army with a one hundred percent success rate at that. I ain't worried 'bout no droids. If Jamie wants to dance, then I'm ready to tango." I frowned. "Or something like that. I don't know man, it's early and my brain is on the fritz from hardly any sleep."

"I get the sentiment," Hunter snorted, heading towards the door and scooping his helmet off the table as he went. "Come on, we'll grab some food to eat on the way and just shove it in your Tarkis."

"Tardis."

"Whatever."

"Hold it, mate," I called. "I'm gonna grab some firepower for myself."

"Recommend Kindness and Tommy!" Trevor called as I left for the stash. "I packed ammo for those two from the armory."

The fuck? We got an armory? Why wasn't I informed sooner?! I could have made out like a bandit!

Trevor continued, "I also added some fun-powder for you as well!"

"Tannerite?" I asked hopefully, a grin spreading across my face.

The hybrid laughed. "Tannerite!"

"Yas!" I loved that stuff. Even with my .22, that stuff could make a pretty big bang. Put a bag of dry ice on top, shoot the jar, and KA-BOOM . There was a smile on my face and a new hole in my uncle's yard.

Reminds me… I should try to find my phone. See if it's got that quirk again of endless power and mysterious Wi-Fi no matter where I go.

"Be right back, Hunter!" I called over my shoulder. "This won't take but a second!"

Yes, I blew a hole in my uncles yard.
Yes, I have the video.
I was 14 and regret nothing! :D