Reaper growled lowly as he listened to the battle down in the streets. It wouldn't be long until one of the other Jedi found where he was. The black clad clone turned his head to the commando droid at the door and gave the signal to spread out. He had to survive this battle for ten more minutes. Ten more minutes and then he had his evac. Ten more minutes and then he could rip the droid commander a new one for allowing The Republic to even get this close.

"You don't have to do this. Please, stop this," the torgruta Jedi pleaded again grabbing Reaper's attention.

The clone stared at the Jedi and flicked his gaze to the clone he had shot. They all knew he was a clone now. He had made the mistake of speaking, and now all of them were angry and afraid. All but the Jedi that is. She just seemed concerned.

Reaper tore his eyes away from them and stared out the window. He had other things to worry about than this group he had captured. The clone rolled his eyes and picked up his sniper and grabbed his blaster pistol.

"Keep them here. Kill the injured one if they try to escape," Reaper ordered the commando droids in the room before heading to the roof.

If you want something done right. You have to do it yourself.

/—/—/

Fives eyed the wave of droids heading their way. They could hold the line until they found Commander Tano. The problem was getting around Echo. Echo knew their strategies like the back of his hand, because he had studied that damn algorithm Rex had given them a life time ago. What felt like a life time ago.

"Tell Jesse to hold the line for as long as he can. I'll handle the insurrection leader," Fives ordered turning to the shiny beside him.

The shiny nodded and went to run towards Jesse when a sniper blast hit the shiny in the back. Fives ducked cursing internally. He dragged the shiny to a medic before moving to find the sniper, but he didn't need to spot the sniper. The sniper was standing tall on a building.

"Echo," Fives whispered as he looked up at the other black clad trooper through the sniper scope.

The ARC removed his helmet and looked up at Echo. He could visibly see the other ARC tense and anger bunching up in his shoulders. Fives swallowed as he watched Echo tighten his grip on the sniper.

"Hello Fives. Glad to know you weren't swallowed up by the flames," the voice of Echo crackled over the ARC's wrist-com.

"Echo why are you doing this," Fives pleaded taking a step toward the building and freezing up when Echo fired a shot next to the ARC's feet.

"Tell me Fives did you go back for me?"

The ARC swallowed tightly as he opened his mouth to try and reason with his brother-by-choice only to be cut off by a ship flying overhead. It was a Separatist ship.

"No. You didn't. Don't worry though. I won't hold it against you. Just the Jedi. There's a reason while all my shots have been ones that maim not kill. By the way, Krell offered me a lot of information on you during his little experiment on you. Stand down ARC-5555," Echo seemed to sneer at Fives as he stepped on to the ship that came to pick him up.

Stand down ARC-5555.

The words seemed to trigger something in Fives' mind because that was the last thing he remembered before his knees buckled and he was hitting the ground.

/—/—/

Rex paced back and forth outside the door of the medbay trying to come to terms with the reports he had read. Fives had just dropped. No shot was fired. No explosive. Nothing. Yet the ARC had dropped as if he had been shot straight through the heart. It was like nothing he had ever seem before.

Then there was Echo. Echo who's eyes had been yellow. Yellow like a sith's. He had talked to Commander Tano about it, and she had said that it was possible that Echo had been corrupted through old sith magic. Rex ran a hand through his hair letting a frustrated growl erupt from him.

"Rex. You're gonna wanna see this," Kix's voice cut through his thoughts forcing the blonde to turn to the medbay doors where Kix was standing.

The Chief Medical officer looked concerned. Very concerned and very afraid. That was never good.

"What is it," Rex asked through a hoarse voice as he followed the medic to Fives' bed.

The ARC was still unconscious, but he also looked only half alive. The look scared the captain. It also seemed to scare Kix.

"So I tried to give him some adrenaline to wake him up, and nothing happened. The reason I did that was because his heart rate was all over the place. Like he was awake, but… not awake. There's also this," Kix swallowed as he grabbed the data pad beside the ARC's bed gesturing to the data he had before setting it down and moving over the ARC's eyes.

Rex's veins turned to ice as he stared at Fives' eyes. They were changing. They weren't their normal golden amber. They had lightened to a gold, and soon they would be yellow. Yellow like Echo's. Whatever Echo had down to Fives. Someone had done it to the other ARC.

"How long do you think he has," Rex finally got out his voice raw and conflicted.

"A few hours. Maybe a day," Kix whispered glancing up at the blonde.

"Oh god's Fives."

/—/—/

"Are you sure doing that was the best idea," a voice cut through the darkness of Reaper's ship.

"You already have one ARC trooper working with you. Imagine two," Reaper smirked not even glancing over his shoulder at the figure.

"You're mind works in very dangerous ways Reaper," the voice seemed to gleam at him.

"As it should."

"Yes as it should," Dooku repeated as he stepped into the light patiently waiting for his knew toy to awake.

Erasing the first ARC's memories had been easy. Now with his partner the Republic would fall even quicker. Krell's experiment had done well.

/—/—/

I said it had been for plot reasons. I have been planning this since Umbara. Sorry for those I confused I'm using Echo for The Republic's point of view and Reaper for the Separatist's point of view.

Anyways I hope you enjoy! Happy May the 4th! I'm going to start working on the ficlet for the rest of the day.

Love you guys! Glogirl out!