Dying

Hello, everyone. This prompt was suggested by The Generic Ficer. ENjoy.

"No! Omega!" Hunter exclaimed.

Wrecker looked and saw Hunter cradling Omega in his arms. He was putting pressure on a wound on her chest. Omega whimpered weakly, and a tear fell from her eye. Hunter ripped off his helmet and Wrecker could see that he was crying.

"Just hold on, kid. Wrecker, get help! We need help!" Hunter shouted fearfully. Wrecker called for back up and then he knelt in front of Hunter and Omega. "It's ok, Omega. You're gonna be ok. You're gonna be just fine." Omega looked up at Hunter and then closed her eyes. "No! Omega, stay with me, kid. Just stay with me a little longer. Omega, open your eyes." Omega opened her eyes and started gasping for air. She coughed and blood splattered on her lips. Hunter started sobbing and whispering to himself as he tried to stop the bleeding. Omega reached up and wiped the tears from Hunter's eyes. Hunter looked down at Omega as she took her last breathe. "Omega?! NO!"

Hunter frantically tried to check Omega's vitals and keep her alive, but she was gone. Wrecker looked at Hunter and then Omega. He reached out and placed a hand on Omega's neck. He couldn't believe she was gone. This couldn't be real. It couldn't be.

Hunter woke with a start. Something had pulled him out of a very painful nightmare. A scream, Hunter realized. He looked around and then he saw it. Wrecker was tossing and turning in his bunk.

"No!" Wrecker exclaimed. "This... this can't be real!"

Hunter jumped out of his chair and rushed over to Wrecker.

"Wrecker, it's ok. Come on, Wrecker." Hunter hushed as he pulled Wrecker into his arms. Hunter winced as Wrecker thrashed in his arms. Several times, Wrecker hit Hunter and those hits were not gentle. Hunter started rocking back and forth and shushing Wrecker who eventually calmed down. "It's alright, Wrecker."

"I...I... Where's Omega? Is she alright? I have to see her?" Wrecker panicked. Hunter looked and Wrecker and kept him as still as possible.

"She's fine. She's sleeping, Wrecker. She's sleeping, ok?"

"O...ok. Can I... I need to see her. I won't wake her."

"Come on."

Hunter and Wrecker stood up and walked over to the gunner's nest. Wrecker opened the curtain and looked at Omega who somehow was still sleep. Wrecker gently caressed Omega's forehead and Omega moaned and wiggled. Wrecker smiled and relaxed. Hunter turned and saw his brothers standing and watching them. Wrecker closed the curtain and sat down on his bunk. His brother gathered around looking at him in confusion and worry.

"Wrecker, what happened?" Hunter wondered.

"I... I had this nightmare." Wrecker answered.

"We know that." Crosshair scoffed. Hunter shot Crosshair a glare and shook his head. Crosshair stood straighter and Hunter looked back at Wrecker.

"Omega had been hit bad. You were holding her, Hunter. You... you were crying a lot and Omega... she was dying. I called for help, but they were too late. Omega died in your arms in front of me. I... couldn't believe it." Wrecker explained shamefully. "I'm sorry."

"What for?" Echo asked.

"I woke you all up. I'm not supposed to have these nightmares anymore."

"Is that what the Kaminoans told you?" Tech questioned.

"Yeah." Wrecker sighed.

"What would they know? They can't even guarantee a 100% successful experiment. What would they know about full-grown clones and nightmares? Wrecker, all of us have nightmares. It's normal. Think about Crosshair and Echo."

"Yeah, but they went through something horrible. I haven't."

"Wrecker, we've all been something horrible. It's a miracle we can even sleep. Heck, I wonder how much sleep we're really getting. Wrecker, you've had one nightmare. Just one. That's nothing to be ashamed of." Hunter assured.

"I've had more nightmares, but... this one was bad." Wrecker admitted.

"Were they all about Omega dying?"

"No. Some were about you and Crosshair and Tech and Echo. One was even about Rex and Cody. I've had more nightmares about Omega dying. I know I'm the only one."

"No, you're not." Crosshair stated. Everyone looked to Crosshair who shrugged his shoulders. "I have nightmares about all of us dying, but most of them have been about the kid dying. They're rare, but... enough."

"Same here. I have a nightmare about Omega dying after every rough mission." Echo explained.

"I'm with Echo. In fact, I have a rough time sleeping after a mission where she could have been hurt or worse." Tech admitted.

"What about you Hunter?" Wrecker wondered.

"Not a sleep cycle goes by where I don't have a nightmare about one of you dying. I've always been like that. You all know this. But since Omega joined us, I seem to have a nightmare of her dying aft every assignment. Good or bad. Now that I think about it, I have one every other night." Hunter explained. "Omega's our sister. We'd do anything and everything for her. I think this is normal."

They all looked to Tech who looked at them.

"Well, Tech. I know you looked it up. Is it normal for siblings to have nightmares about the others dying?" Echo questioned.

"Yes, it is normal. Especially when the sibling is younger or more naive or innocent. But the kind of nightmares we've all been having about Omega lean more towards paternal instinct. If you think about it, we are all fathers to her. We all perform a role as her father. Echo and Hunter nurture Omega. Echo a little more than Echo. Hunter protects Omega and keeps her safe. Crosshair is the disciplinarian. He gives Omega what's called tough love. I pass on my knowledge. You, Wrecker, you spoil her. You're in a way the fun dad." Tech explained.

"It sounds weird, but I guess it's true," Hunter admitted.

"See, Wrecker, you're not alone. Just remember, you can turn to any of us. We'll listen if you need someone to listen to you. We'll sit with you while you sleep if you need us to. You can even cry on our shoulder if you need to." Echo stated.

"After all we've been through, we need each other now more than ever. If we let these nightmares get to us, it could cause many problems. We can't let that happen."

Wrecker nodded and the brothers cramped into the bunk with Wrecker. Wrecker grabbed Crosshair who yelped and then groaned as Wrecker hugged him like he would Lula. Wrecker looked at his brothers and smiled. He felt better now. He felt safe and understood and comforted. He felt Crosshair wrap an arm around Wrecker and he chuckled slightly. They all heard little footsteps and saw Omega walk over with her trooper and Lula.

"Room for one more?" Omega wondered.

"Yeah, kid. COme here." Wrecker chuckled. Omega climbed onto Wrecker's lap and curled up on his lap.

"I brought Lula. I figured you could use her."

"Lula's a lot of help, but you all are a much greater help."

Echo grabbed the blanket that had fallen off the bunk and laid it over all of them. It wasn't long before Wrecker and Omega were asleep, followed by Tech, Echo, Crosshair, and lastly Hunter. The next morning, they all woke up sore and stiff, but it was well worth it. They all felt more rested and relaxed. After that, Wrecker knew that when he had a nightmare, he could count on his family to help. Many times, he would sit with one of his brothers till they both fell asleep. It was a great help to Wrecker and it helped keep his nightmares at bay.

THE END