Two days since the last update and I'm back already?
Well yes, but actually no.

I start college back tomorrow and since I'll have to completely relearn how to pace myself learn how to do virtual classes plus manage work loads and everything else, I'll have to take a break from writing Adventures of an Idiot until I get a good rhythm with school.
Could be a week, could be two, could be three!
I'm really not sure.
I'm no fool. I know I'll probably lose readers over the hiatus but it do be like that.
Thanks for sticking with me this long!
Ooof that sounds like a goodbye, ew.

I wanted to at least post this chapter before I left so I don't get caught up and don't have time to post it. So you get rougher quality than usual.

Content Warning: Talk of anxiety, ghosting, and emotional baggage because writing is my therapy so y'all learning way more about me than you EVER cared to.

The more Hunter talked to that woman, the more confused he became. How could she know 99? Even more, she seemed to know him well. How ? Hunter himself had only met 99 a few times, and that was because of Tech. The two had been quite close, and the maintenance clone's death hit Tech the hardest out of them all. It was also Tech who preferred to refer to themselves as Clone Force 99, while Hunter, Crosshair, and Wrecker preferred "Bad Batch".

Did she visit Kamino once? No, she couldn't have. Hunter felt certain that if she had… they would have heard about a wild half-animal, half-human woman slaughtering longnecks. She clearly did not like them any more than Hunter or the rest of his team, and he certainly did not put it past her to murder them on sight.

While she was quite… volatile when woken up, Hunter enjoyed her playfully sarcastic personality and dry witty humor. A welcome change from Wrecker's explosive enthusiasm, Crosshair's downright cynicism, and Tech's taking everything literally. Being around her was like a breath of fresh air after breathing through the helmet's filters all day.

She'd looked… good in his helmet. The Sergeant was glad he let her try it on, especially since she got a jab in at Crosshair. It was funny seeing her best the sniper again and again, although Hunter could have done without the incident earlier.

They didn't hate each other. That was perhaps what shocked Hunter the most about how Shadow dealt with Crosshair. She didn't hate him.

Most strangers would immediately be rubbed the wrong way by Crosshair and try to cut him with a knife or cruel words. But there was a difference in the way Shadow went after him. They weren't fighting . They were sparring with words.

Crosshair could deny it all he wanted, but Hunter knew he respected her. Grudgingly perhaps, but it was still there. Respect was a start, a step towards…

Towards what?

Friendship?

Maybe. They were quite alike. In more ways than one. Maybe with a little nudging they'd come to tolerate each other's presence.

They'll grow on each other eventually, given how often they'll be around one another .

He started to follow her, intent on seeing which gun was which, but Trevor stopped him with a hand blocking his path. "Woah, Sergeant. She's comin' right back."

"I understand that," he grumbled, pushing the Halfblood's hand away. Trevor, not counting his almost crazy personality, unnerved Hunter. He was definitely more dangerous than he looked and acted. That was not even taking into account his lightning powers. Something about him just set Hunter's instincts off.

"You know, if you want her to trust you, you need to show you trust her ." Trevor's voice lowered. "Words don't cut it, she needs actions as proof."

She really is similar to Crosshair . "Does she always act like she's committed a crime when asking people questions?" Hunter asked, lowering his voice as well. Maybe Trevor would give him some answers as to her sudden mood shift, or confirm it was just anxiety.

Trevor glanced towards the hallway. "Sometimes. See… she's been ghosted before."

"Ghosted?" Hunter echoed.

"Ghosted is a term used when someone suddenly ceases all contact with you and vanishes from your life without a word."

"Why'd the person do that to her?" Hunter asked incredulously. When the mission was over, Hunter fully intended to keep Shadow as a contact for future reference. A shapeshifting elemental with weapons experience and hand to hand combat skills, not to mention the ability to match his men stride for stride, would definitely come in handy later. But not only that… Hunter truly enjoyed being around her. It'd been less than a standard day, but he couldn't imagine cutting all contact with her.

"Not one person. Three ."

Hunter stared at Trevor. " Three ?" he echoed softly.

Trevor nodded. "They were close friends too. When someone who you not only cared about but valued the opinion of suddenly ceases all contact without explanation, you're left to blame yourself. It can… mess with you. You begin to rethink every little signal from a person, and everything you yourself say, because in your mind, you never know what will cause someone to abandon you like others before them."

No shit it can mess with you. "She shouldn't be attached to us, she's known us hardly a day," Hunter said with a shake of his head. Even as he said it, Hunter knew she wasn't the only one who'd formed an attachment.

"She's known of you for longer. She really likes you guys. You're misfits, like her. You show that being different isn't a bad thing."

Hunter never would have thought he or the others would be seen as inspiration of all things. They were examples of the bad way to do things. The dirty way. The faulty way. The wrong way.

Shadow really was full of surprises.

"But that's why she acts funny when asking questions?" Hunter asked the Halfblood. "She's been ghosted?"

"Yeah. Her brain will tell her out of nowhere she's a burden to everyone around her. So whatever you do, do not tell her she is. Or even hint to that in your words. Because I promise you." Trevor's eyes flashed brighter for a moment. "It will come back and bite you."

Was that just a warning or… was Trevor saying he'd seen that happen in the current future? "I don't find belittling people helpful," Hunter growled. "What are you getting at?"

"All I'm saying is this. Break someone's heart, don't be surprised when they try to break your neck."

Now Trevor really was being unnerving. "Her heart ? Shadow doesn't care about us like that."

"We'll see. A lot can happen over five days."

Hunter did not care for Trevor's ominous warnings. "If I did come to care about her like that, I especially would not tell her that."

"Oh, I'm not talking about you ." There was no humor or lightheartedness in the hybrid's tone.

"Are you implying one of my men will break her heart?"

"Just be ready. But know this. Shadow will only attack if she feels threatened."

"What-"

"One more thing," Trevor continued. His eyes met Hunter's, and the sergeant felt a chill run through him. "The ability to see the future… it can be a real nightmare at times."

Hunter, ready to yell at Trevor to either tell what he knew or shut up, stopped himself when he saw Shadow reemerge from the hallway. He tried to hide his agitation and unease, but Shadow immediately picked up on it.

"Ok I also pack my lightsa- Hunter, you ok? You look spooked."

"Fine."

She raised an eyebrow and glanced at Trevor. "The fuck did you do?"

"Me? I didn't do anything!" Trevor said, spreading his hands in front of him.

"Yeah, and I love wearin' a dress. Spill."

She doesn't like dresses? I'm sure she'd look nice in one…

Why was he even thinking about that?

A rough nudge from Trevor saved his thoughts from spiraling.

"Oh, I was just givin' the sergeant some advice for the trail!" Trevor said breezily, his joking manner on display once more.

"Yeah," Hunter said with a nod, wanting to shove the ominous warnings to the back of his mind for now. "Just advice."

Shadow's eyes narrowed. For all her talk of him having a "Soul Stare", hers wasn't half bad. Hold on… were her eyes shifting colors? He swore they were now more green than they'd been a minute ago. It wasn't as if he hadn't heard of people's eyes shifting shades depending on their mood, but it still made him want to fidget.

You will not fidget. You're trained better than that. You're an officer! "It was nothing more. Are you ready to go or not, Ice?"

"Ice?" Trevor echoed, looking from him to Shadow. "You told him about what Tom used to call you?"

That's why she acted funny! One of the sailors called her that! But why? Hunter knew why he called her that. Her ice comment yesterday would always stick with him even after they parted ways. But what reason did the sailors have to call her that? Or had she made the comment with them as well?

After all, from what she said they hadn't exactly been friendly with each other at the start.

"I did not," Shadow replied, ears twitching.

Hunter couldn't help but stare as they moved. Her face was so animated when she got talking. It also aided Hunter in better guessing what she was thinking. He'd come to recognize the quicker back and forth movements as unease. Straight back and staying there seemed to happen both when she was offended, agitated, and angry. Only one ear meant she was listening to something, since her head often turned as well.

Hunter was definitely beginning to understand why Tech liked to study different species.

"Then…" Realization lit up Trevor's face. "Ah! The ice comment yesterday?"

There went the ears straight back. "Aye."

Trevor laughed. "Well, it was pretty funny."

"This is my amused face." Deadpan, she glared at Trevor. "See how amused I am? See me keelin' over from mirth?"

"Why yes, that I do," Trevor teased. "Oh! Speaking of advice, I have some for you!"

"Joy."

Hunter stifled a snort of laughter.

"May want to go ahead and switch to Beta mode, it'll be handier."

Hunter's head jerked, his attention fully on Shadow now. Beta mode? What was that ?

"Really? Is this an omen or just a general suggestion?" Shadow sighed, sliding the pack off her shoulders.

"General suggestion."

Hunter felt his beat faster as it had yesterday when she powered up and kicked James' ass. What would the transformation look like? How would she look after?

You're turning into Tech, Hunter scolded himself.

"Well, guess I may as well," Shadow sighed, closing her eyes. A faint layer of mist or smoke, Hunter was unsure as it had no odor, covered Shadow and when it dissipated, Hunter couldn't help but stare.

Shadow was now only an inch or so shorter than himself, not counting the furry feline ears that had replaced her human ones. Her lower legs were now covered in fur bearing the same pattern as the feline from last night and a thick tail swished back and forth behind her longer legs.

Guess this is Beta fo-… wow .

So that was why the sailors called her 'Ice'. Instead of human eyes, he found himself staring into the eyes of the animal from last night. No white could be seen, and he swore her pupil had narrowed slightly to cope with the light.

She caught him staring. "Sarge?" Her teeth definitely looked sharper now.

"You're taller." The moment the dumb comment left of his lips, he cursed himself.

What was in that juice I drank?!

"Aye." Her ears wiggled, but Hunter was unsure now what emotion that was in response to. "If I shifted up again into Alpha, I'd be even taller. I'm not full grown yet, or I could rival Wrecker."

Keeping his eyes at a reasonable size was harder than it should have been. "Rival Wrecker?"

"If Trevor was an adult he may be over seven feet tall."

When she said they were warrior species… she was not kidding. A semi-horrible thought sprang into his head. What did non-humanoid predators look like on their planet?

"Oh," was all he said.

Shadow laughed and picked up her bag. Slinging it onto her shoulder, she walked over and Hunter realized she could basically look him in the eyes.

Tech would not be happy at being the shortest once again.

"Well, Sarge. Shall we go down and meet your men?"

See y'all later! Will stop in and out of tumblr some for worldbuilding and Shadows Saturday Doodle Dump ^^

Also! Since people asked, the video mentioned in the last chapter with "Fun Powder" is on my tumblr!