Summary: "He wakes up in the middle of the night clawing at his eyes, breaks down into sobs as he realizes that whatever nightmares he faces are his reality." Omega's always been watching them- watching him- even if they did not yet know of her existence. Even if he would never know the whole truth. One-shot.

Shattering The Unscathable

Nala Se's angry with her, but Omega doesn't understand why.

She tells her that the young clone she had met is different than the rest- that his memory is stronger. Omega doesn't understand why it's a problem.

But she learns the clone's number.

CT-9907.

The first clone she's ever laid eyes on herself.

Her curiosity gets the better of her. When Nala Se is away, she goes digging into the holograms and the written file reports of the clone.

She finds files about other clones too. But CT-9907, he's not the only one that's different. There's three other different clones, but none of them are the same.

CT-9907's intelligence and memory have been enhanced. He's of leaner build than the average clone, and is expected to grow to be taller too.

CT-9904's eyesight picks up more than any other living being. His body is expected to be similar to that of his younger brother's.

CT-9903's strength is said that it will one day rival that of young Rancor- perhaps even a Mudhorn. He's nearly twice the size of a clone his age already, and is expected to be the tallest, most muscular of them all.

CT-9901's senses can pick up movement from across Tipoca City. His looks resemble that of the average clone more than the others do, though his shoulders are a tad wider.

But there's something about CT-9907 that interests her a little more than the others.

He seeks out Nala Se's approval of him, though it's obvious that he knows he will never truly gain a Kaminoan's affection. But he seeks to impress, seeks to learn and be better.

When he's locked in his room- Nala Se doesn't just have cameras for the private halls nearby her lab, but for each of the separate rooms of the lab itself too- he's constantly sitting on his bunk, vigorously reading to keep his hyperactive mind busy with new information. At one point, the camera's microphone even picks up his voice trying to pronounce some words from another language.

Nala Se refuses to let him try the machinery in the lab, despite his eagerness and intelligence, and he's always frowning a little as he settles down at the workstation by the decanter to go through the mental exercises she's assigned him.

It's only a couple of years before he's taller than she was when she first laid eyes upon him.

"Nala Se, you say that there are others outside of the lab. Am I ever going to get to meet any of them?" He asks, unable to focus properly on his lesson.

"Perhaps, once the Prime Minister decides that you are ready."

"When will that be? Soon?"

She doesn't answer, and his head lowers in understanding of what it means.

.

He watches her decant a new batch of infants.

"Was I in one of those, once?" He wonders aloud.

"All clones undergo this process at the beginning of their lives." Nala Se explains.

"Why can't I remember it?"

"One cannot be expected to remember events from that early in their life, even with memory such as your own."

"...So, I am different from the other clones, then?" CT-9907 realizes quietly.

"Yes." The Kaminoan tells him. "Your memory storage has been enhanced so that you can hold more knowledge."

"You say that as if I am a droid."

"But you understand, don't you?"

"Yes."

.

When he's finally allowed to leave the lab, he's clearly more uneasy than excited.

"Come, CT-9907." Nala Se patiently insists.

"But, Nala Se, where are we going?" He asks.

"We are going to perform an operation that will make you be able to see better." She tells him.

"See better? But I can see just fine." He frowns. "Besides, isn't an operation like that dangerous?"

"Come along." The Kaminoan repeats.

He follows, sighing.

Omega does not expect Nala Se to come back to the lab for her, especially with CT-9907 out of her grasp. She barely shuts off the hologram before the Kaminoan flows in and requests- orders, really- her to accompany her down to a medical room.

"But, why?" She asks.

"If you are to be my medical assistant, you need to learn to perform operations."

Omega feels sick. She doesn't want to assist in an operation on CT-9907. Because if it goes sideways...She shudders. She doesn't want to think about it, either.

He looks so vulnerable when he's unconscious. It reminds her of their first meeting, though he's easily more than doubled in his height since then. He looks so much younger than he is.

She doesn't want to help operate on him.

Why does she have the feeling that something is going to go wrong?

The lead doctor, a Kaminoan she's never met named Lon To, messes up. He messes up.

She notices it almost immediately, because she has done the studies that Nala Se's been assigning her. But he heeds her no mind, as if he's certain that he's right.

But he's not right, and she knows it.

And he doesn't listen.

She almost does get sick this time.

Who assigned him as the lead doctor anyway?

It's a question she already knows the answer to. Nala Se.

She's forced to watch through a one-sided window as he wakes up.

And he doesn't take it well.

It hurts to see him in such a mess. Because he's not like that. She's seen enough recordings to understand that very little phases him, that the galaxy is such an interesting thing to him, that he's happy with what he has.

But now- now he's desperately rubbing at his eyes. His breath is heavy, hitching audibly as he comes to terms with what's happened to him. He spits out panicked words when he can. "No, no, no- No! I told them it was a bad idea! I- Can't you put me under again? There has to be some way to fix them!"

Lon To doesn't even try to console him.

And Omega can only watch as CT-9907 falls apart after an operation that she helped in.

She knows she'll never forgive herself for not trying harder, for not doing more to sway Lon To's decision.

Because CT-9907 never deserved this.

It takes her a while to convince herself to start looking in on the recordings again.

She notices that he's quieter, more reserved. Unhappy.

And she knows that it's her fault.

The regs don't help, once Lama Su and Nala Se begin letting him out.

He wakes up in the middle of the night clawing at his eyes, breaks down into sobs as he realizes that whatever nightmares he faces are his reality.

Then he meets CT-9901, who's taken up the name of Hunter. And Hunter knows exactly how to help him.

And Omega's guilt evaporates, just a little.