Echo's plan was devious. Delta seemed to be extremely pleased with the plan. Delta had worked with Fives and Echo before, so when Cody called them for help to get Fives back they were very enthusiastic. Still Rex worried. He couldn't shake the bad feeling that was sinking in his gut. Rex clenched his jaw as he listened to Delta Squad and Echo over the comms. Something didn't feel right at all. Rex was in his position, waiting on Echo's signal when a sniper round sounded off causing people to curse over his comms.
"Sev! Stun not kill! That's a brother out there," one of the commandos hissed over the comms as Rex scanned the area that the sniper round had hit.
"It was a warning shot. I have my eyes on him," the commando sniper answered over the comms his voice rough and irritated.
Rex's gut clenched as he eyed the area not spotting his ARC. Where was he? Rex opened his mouth to ask the question aloud, but he was cut off by a low growl. Sev. The sniper.
"Never mind it's a hologram. He's smart. I get why Echo called us," the sniper called over the comms causing Rex to drop his head in frustration.
"He knows we're here then. Fives is smart, but Rogue uses it to play around with his—"
Rex was cut off by the butt of a rifle slamming into the back of his head. The Captain cursed as he used his body weight to throw off his opponent, but froze when he stared at his opponent. Fives. Only it wasn't Fives, it was Rogue. Rogue who looked enraged and filled with grief. His yellow eyes burned straight into Rex trying to scorch the Captain alive with just a stare.
"Rogue," Rex growled lowly narrowing his eyes remembering the last time he had been alone with the corrupted ARC.
"You're going to die for that. You will pay for that. You killed him. I'm gonna skin you alive," the corrupted ARC snarled his yellow eyes flickering gold slightly as he barred his teeth.
Rex's eyes flickered to the gold that was fighting against the yellow in Rogue's eyes. It was like watching Fives lose Echo again only Fives was an enemy. The Captain's jaw clenched as he watched Rogue's anger dissipate into complete grief and insanity. Rex swallowed as he dodged Rogue who slashed at him with a rusted knife that was covered in dry blood. The corrupted ARC's movements were erratic and wild driven by grief and pain.
"Fives I know you're in there. Fight this," Rex tried as he saw gold flicker in Rogue's eyes again nearly getting hit by the blade.
"Your little ARC can't help you, Captain. I'm going to kill you slowly so that he can watch you die. So he can feel my pain," Rogue snarled tackling Rex to the ground and raising his blade up before trying to slam it down into the blonde's neck.
Rex brought his arms up into a cross as he pushed against the corrupted ARC's wrists keeping the knife away from his throat. The blonde gritted his teeth as he glanced between the knife and Rogue. The corrupted ARC roared in anger as he slashed to the left nicking the blonde's hand and wrist. Rex hissed as blood splashed across his armor from the gash. Rogue barred his teeth as he brought up his knife again to try and get it closer to Rex's throat, but he was knocked back by a blaster bolt slamming into the corrupted ARC's chest.
Panic seized the Captain as he rolled over to look over at where the shot came from, and relaxed when he realized that the shot had been from Sev.
"You okay there Captain," the sniper asked over the comms as Rex crawled over to Rogue kneeling over him.
The shot had hit the ARC in the shoulder an echo of when the Captain had gotten shot by the commando droid. Rex's fingers ghosted over the blackened scorch mark as he swallowed down old fear.
"Yeah. Yeah. Thanks for the save. Lets bring him home," Rex nodded as he gazed up the sniper's scope giving a thumbs up.
/—/—/
Fives threw a right cross as he snapped up in the medical bed. He could hear voices, but he couldn't distinguish who was talking. Fives' heart was pounding in his skull thundering against his rib cage. Someone grabbed his wrists and Fives desperately tried to yank his hands back, his eyes still unfocused to what was going on around and his hearing drowned out by his thundering heart.
He could smell bacta, and he could feel the bandages around his mid section and head. His first fear was they had lost Echo on the battlefield. Then he remembered. Echo wasn't on their side. Something was wrong. His next fear was Kamino. Medical bay of Kamino just like back with Tup. They were going to recondition him. Experiment on him. Kill him. The Republic would be lost. He would never be able to keep his promise he made to Rex so long ago. His third fear was that everything he had just experienced was a lie. That he wasn't with brothers that understood. That he was back in a medbay after being shot by Fox.
Something touched him and he threw another punch adrenaline coursing through him. He needed to get out. Needed to escape. His fist contacted with something and a low curse in mando'a was heard as he tumbled out of the medical bed and on to the floor. Fear and instinct took over all his training as he stood up and pressed himself up against a wall for a defensive position still gasping for air.
"Fives!"
The ARC froze at the yell flinching lightly as he zeroed in on the voice grounding himself slowly. Rogue. Being trapped in his own head. Losing his free-will. Echo. Echo being alive. Rex. Nearly killing Rex. The ARC swallowed heavily as he gripped at the arms that seemed to swallow him up in a desperate hug.
"Rex?"
Fives flinched at the sound if his own voice. It was hoarse and raspy. His throat was scratchy as if he had been screaming for hours on end. He remembered trying to claw his way out of the corner of his mind and screaming at Rogue, but he didn't think it would gave carried over physically like this. He honestly didn't think he would coming back.
"I'm right here. I'm right here, cyare. I've got you. Just breathe. Just breathe, I've got you. You're safe," Rex whispered cascading a hand through the ARC's hair as he held him tight.
Fives' vision cane back to him slowly as he blinked away tears that he didn't know that he was shedding. The ARC buried his head in Rex's neck before wrapping his arms around the older clone's middle.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I tried to fight him. I tried to—," Fives cut himself off as he choked on a his words his throat not letting him speak as much as he wanted to.
"Shh. It's okay. I could see you were fighting. It's okay. We got you back. We got you both back. You're safe now," Rex whispered reassuringly pressing light kisses to the ARC's temple.
Fives nodded absentmindedly nuzzling into the older male's shoulder before it hit him. Both? Fives must have said that out loud because Rex chuckled lightly and pulled away from him so that Fives could see for himself. Echo. Echo was standing right there. Grinning at him. He had a few cybernetic limbs and there a burn scar running up from his chest and collar bone up to his eye, but it was Echo all the same.
"Echo," Fives asked his voice cracking as he stared at his brother-by-choice tears welling up in his eyes again.
"It's me, ner vod. I'm real," Echo smiled stepping over to him, and Fives launched himself at the other ARC startling everyone in the room.
"Yeah I'm glad you're back with the land of the living, Fives, but try not to punch Sev anymore," a voice cut through the ARC's hazed mind forcing him to turn his head to see Delta squad in the room.
Sev had a bruise forming along his cheek bone and a irritated scowl touching at his lips. Fives stared for a moment highly confused as to why Scorch would say that and then he remembered. He had actually hit someone.
"Sorry, Sev," Fives spoke his voice still foreign to his ears.
"S'fine," the commando grumbled sourly turning his gaze away from the two.
Fives wouldn't let go of Echo for a while, and even when he did he never let the other ARC out of his line of sight. He hovered near Rex and Echo the whole time as if afraid that he was in a dream and that he would wake up any minute. Rex hovered as well always keeping a hand on the ARC. Whether it be on the shoulder, the arm, the waist, the hand, the neck. Fives and Rex were always touching in some way. Echo noticed it. Rex knew that Echo noticed it.
The two had a silent battle over the ARC. Which both lost when Kix said that Fives needed to stay in medbay the whole night. There was a jealousy problem there. No one wanted deal with that after what they just went through. Not yet at least.
/—/—/
Woop! Everyone is back! I hope you guys have enjoyed this story so far! Now all that is left is the chip ARC and then it's the rebellion era. I think I'm going to keep this in The Clone Wars though.
By the way, if you guys want me to read your stories or if you wanna give me story suggestions hit up my inbox! I don't bite! I swear!
Love you guys!
Glogirl out!