Death's Choice
By Ammie Hawk
Disclaimer: Still no.
AN: This chapter gave me fits, and then expanded on itself. Anyway, here it is. Enjoy.
Chapter 6: Confrontations
Jango was beyond frustrated. It had been over a month since his conversation with Kote, and he was no closer to finding the identity of the elusive tooka than he had been then. In fact, since that day, sightings of the so called tooka had spread rapidly as a running joke through the rest of the clones. From cadets all the way up to among some of the trainers, everyone was using the excuse for everything, from missed training to things as insignificant as spilled food. And it was impossible to parse out the truth from the lies.
Though, maybe that wasn't what he should be focusing on. He was such an idiot! He shouldn't be chasing whispers and rumors, he needed to go for the root of the problem, trace it back to the source.
Boba had been the first, but after his initial blunder he had clammed up. And no amount of cajoling, wheedling, or even outright demanding and threats had gotten the boy to crack. While frustrating, he couldn't help but be proud of his son for learning his lessons so well.
Okay, next had been Alpha. And while he hadn't brought it up, he definitely knew something. However, getting any information he did not want to give was an effort in futility. He had trained the alphas himself on how to withstand torture.
That brought him to Kote. The CC had brought up the tooka on his own. And while he knew Kote was one of Alpha's favorites, he also knew that the older clone would not have brought it up unless it directly involved him. And Boba had limited contact with the older clones, except the alphas, so while not impossible for him to have heard about it from the kid, it was unlikely. Which meant Kote knew and was involved somehow.
If Kote knew, it was likely that the rest of Echo Squad knew, but not a definite. Unfortunately, they would be only marginally easier to crack than the alphas. They had to be, they were supposed to be the leaders of this army after all. But who outside of his squad would he trust? A few alphas, maybe. Ninety Nine. Jango wasn't gonna touch that one with a ten foot pole. Ninety Nine may feel indebted to him for saving his life, but his loyalty to the vod'e was unwavering. He would rather die than betray their trust. But there had to be at least one person outside that select group that Kote confided in. One person who…
Wait. He had his answer. Rex. Those two had been inseparable ever since they were cadets. The only reason they weren't on the same training squad was by his own interference. It wasn't that he believed the blond to be incapable in any way, quite the opposite actually. He had actually split them to be able to keep them together. When it came time to divide the troops into battalions he had ensured that Rex would be Kote's second.
All that aside, though, this was a point he could use in his favor. Kote and Rex were a soft spot for one another. Not a weakness, per se, but more of a pressure point. If he could speak with them, either individually or together, he would lean on their bond a little bit and probably get more information pertaining to his current obsess… conundrum. Though, he didn't want to threaten either one of them, so maybe calling them in together would probably be better.
With that thought in mind, he checked the time and activated his comm. He sent a message to each of their current respective trainers requesting the pair be sent to his quarters. It was getting late and training was almost done for the day, so his pulling them should not negatively affect them. Of course, that also meant Boba should be back soon from his most recent adventure with this 'tooka.' Hopefully, he'd manage to get some of his questions answered before that happened. Though, having his son there might not be a bad thing. If all three of them were in on this secret, bringing them together might cause one of them, specifically Boba, to slip. Maybe he should keep them through late-meal, to relax them and actually give them that opportunity.
On that note, he made his way to the kitchen to see what he had on hand. He didn't have much, he'd have to go on a supply run soon, but even his meager stores would make something better than that mush they served in the mess. As he waited for his 'guests' to arrive, he began throwing things together.
He was about halfway through his preparations when the chime on his door sounded, indicating they had arrived. Without pausing his work, he hit a button under the counter and opened the door.
"Come in," he called as the door closed once more.
He heard the sounds of footsteps as the two men made their way into the apartment. With a sigh, he glanced up and motioned them closer when he noticed them hesitate in the doorway.
"At ease, soldiers," he commanded as they came to a stop on the opposite side of the counter.
The pair immediately fell into parade rest.
"I have a few questions for the two of you," Jango continued, deciding that pleasantries would not be appreciated given the circumstances. "Kote, do you have any more information on that tooka you claim to have seen?"
"No, sir," the younger brunet answered.
"Very well," he frowned slightly. "Rex, do you know anything about the tooka supposedly running around Tipoca City?"
The other regarded him for a moment, "Only what Alpha-17 has told me, sir."
Ah, so he was right. Rex was involved in all this, "And what exactly did Seventeen tell you?"
"Only that there have been reports of a tooka being spotted," the blond replied calmly. "And that he suspects its name is Boba."
That cheeky little bastard! He was trying to play him. He always knew he liked Rex. But that statement in and of itself was very telling. If Alpha had given him Boba's name, it meant Rex knew the cadet in question. And he was being reassured that the cadet was safe when he was running off. However, the slight clenching of Kote's jaw meant he hadn't been privy to this information.
This actually made more sense though. Rex found the kid and took him under his wing. And of course he brought Kote in, because that's what he does. By extension, Kote had brought in Alpha and it had just expanded from there. Rex was the root. But there was still something he was missing. Some element he couldn't put his finger on was keeping these men from confiding in him about this matter.
"I see," the older male replied. "Well, perhaps you can lay that accusation at his feet when he arrives. In the meantime, you are both aware it is against regulations to adopt the cadets, correct?"
"Yes, sir," they answered in tandem.
"Then why am I getting the impression that you have done so?" a dark brow rose in challenge.
"Neither of us have adopted a cadet, sir," Kote straightened his shoulders.
Jango's eyes narrowed slightly, he wasn't lying. They hadn't taken in a cadet, yet there was a child running around that the two of them were protecting.
"Have the Kaminoans been conducting experiments on you that I have not been made aware of?" He really hoped this wasn't the case, but he wouldn't put it past those fucking long necks.
"Sir?" the blond frowned in obvious confusion.
"Have they somehow made it possible for the clones to reproduce among themselves?" he elaborated.
"Not that we're aware of, sir," the other mirrored the confusion. "Is that something we should be on the lookout for?"
"No," the older male ran his hand through his hair, finally giving into his frustration. "Look, we all know there are no tooka on Kamino!"
He was cut off by the sound of the door opening. All three men turned as Boba rounded the corner. The boy paused in the entrance to the room as his eyes darted rapidly between them before landing on his father.
"Dad," he frowned in confusion, "what are they doing here?"
"I called them here to discuss a few things," Jango shook his head, putting the final touches on the meal he'd made. "But first, you're going to wash up and set the table. These two will be joining us for late-meal."
"Sir, with all due respect," Kote said quietly, "I think it would be best if we returned to the mess."
"Hmm," the older male hummed thoughtfully. "I disagree. Besides, this discussion is not over. Now sit."
He motioned to the small table where Boba was already setting out dishes. The pair shared a barely perceptible look before moving to do as told.
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Harry entered the mess hall with Ninety Nine. It wasn't an uncommon occurrence, there were many times that Rex and Kote were unable to come get him for late-meal because of their training. And when he was with the older man he tended to go unnoticed, as Ninety Nine got overlooked the majority of the time. Though, there was something off this time. He couldn't put his finger on what it was, but he didn't like it.
As they made their way further into the room, where Echo and Gamma Squad usually waited for the trade off, his eyes began darting around, searching for the cause of his unease. It wasn't until they reached the table in the far corner where the majority of both squads were seated that he realized what was wrong. Neither Rex nor Kote were there.
Now, it wasn't unusual for one of them to be missing from a meal, things did come up after all, as they had explained numerous times. But both of them had never been gone at the same time, especially not for late-meal. So where were they?
"Where's Rex and Kote?" he asked quietly as he slid into his usual spot next to the wall.
"They were each pulled out of training early," Wolffe answered from his right, the spot usually occupied by Kote or Rex.
"Why?" he frowned as a plate was placed in front of him by Kix.
"We're not sure," Ponds cut in from Wolffe's other side. "We suspect some sort of meeting."
"Oh," he bowed his head and began fiddling with his food.
He could feel the unease coming off all of them, and some of them were downright scared. That, coupled with his own anxiety, made his tummy hurt and he wasn't even able to pretend to force himself to eat. Were Rex and Kote in trouble? Had someone found out about him that wasn't supposed to and were they being punished for taking him in? Or… or maybe they had decided he wasn't worth it any more. What if they had gone to figure out how to get rid of him and the others were just afraid to tell him?
Tears began to fill his eyes as his thoughts continued to spiral. He tried to keep them contained but he could tell he wasn't succeeding. He was finally brought out of his inner turmoil, an indeterminate time later, by a large hand on his shoulder.
"Come on, kid," Wolffe gave him a small, almost reassuring smile. "You can stay with me tonight. How's that sound?"
Panic filled the watery green orbs as he scrambled out of his seat and away from the man. He didn't want to stay with Wolffe. He wasn't bad, but he wasn't Rex or Kote. And right now, he didn't want to be with Echo Squad at all. He wanted Rex! With that thought filling his mind, he turned to make a mad dash for the door.
A loud CRACK filled the mess, causing all the clones present to lurch to their feet, ready for an attack. The members of Echo and Gamma Squads were not excluded from this. At the sound, both Wolffe and Kix dove for Harry, while the others formed a protective barrier around them. Only, the boy they were supposed to be protecting wasn't there. As this fact began to register, eight sets of eyes stared uncomprehendingly at the spot their charge should have been.
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Rex wasn't sure what was going on with Prime. Alpha had warned him that their template was suspicious about Harry, but this went beyond that. This was more of an obsession, and if he was anything like those created in his image, which he suspected he was actually worse, he would not be giving up any time soon. Though, he really hoped, after the meal, he would let it rest for the night or Harry was likely to be inconsolable. The boy hated it when only one of them was late or missed late-meal, to have both of them gone was only going to end in disaster.
And, of course, Rex had to go and put his foot in it. He thought he had been rather clever, using Alpha's words against him and implicating the man's own son. But that had backfired and Prime was even more determined to get some sort of information out of the two of them.
"So," the older male's eyes locked with his, as he began passing out the food, "Rex, I believe there was something you had to say to Boba."
"What?" the boy asked, obviously confused. "Why? I ain't done nothing to him."
He held Prime's gaze for a moment longer before turning his attention to the older, younger clone, "Boba, I was given some rather reliable information about the tooka that is supposedly terrorizing Tipoca City."
"Oh yeah?" Boba gave him a disbelievingly challenging look. "Like what?"
He couldn't exactly blame the boy for the look. If he and Harry were spending as much time together as they suspected, it would've come up who was actually taking care of him. And Boba wasn't stupid, he obviously knew Rex wasn't going to give up any true information to his father, so he was just waiting to see where this would go.
"I was told the tooka's name was Boba," he replied succinctly.
"No," the boy snorted indignantly. "His name is Nehutyc."
After the initial tensing at Boba's willingness to give a name, he couldn't help bringing his hand up to hide the amusement he couldn't quite keep off his face. It was fitting. Harry was definitely feisty.
Beside him, Kote seemed to be in a similar state, with his head down, seemingly focused on the food in front of him, only the twitching at the corners of his lips giving him away. Prime, however, was studying each of them in turn, a calculating look in his eyes.
"Nehutyc?" a dark brow rose in question. "And you have seen this tooka, Kote?"
"We established that before, sir," the younger brunet had managed to school his features.
"And recently?"
"You ordered me to report any further sightings, sir," Kote hedged slightly.
"And have you?" Prime pressed.
Before he could formulate an appropriate response, a loud CRACK filled the room. All four occupants were on their feet in an instant. Prime pulled Boba behind him as a blaster seemed to materialize in his hand. Rex and Kote whirled around to face the disturbance. It took less than a moment for them to find the source and for their instincts to take over. Rex fell to his knees and wrapped around the child that his brain was insisting couldn't logically be there. Kote moved to stand protectively between the pair on the floor and the raised weapon.
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Jango stared at the two men across from him in mounting confusion. He hadn't seen what exactly had caused the disturbance, but the clones' reaction had not been what he had expected. They seemed to be protecting whatever it was.
"Stand down, 2224," he frowned.
The younger male flinched slightly at the use of his designation, "No, sir. Lower your weapon."
"Stand down and I'll lower my weapon," he countered.
"Lower your weapon and I'll stand down. Sir."
This argument was getting them nowhere. More to the point it was ridiculous. Kote didn't even have a weapon. And while yes the clones were enhanced, he wouldn't even be able to clear the table before he was shot. Both of them knew this, but the younger male still refused to back down. This wasn't making any sense. And until he knew more he could not make a decision one way or the other.
With that in mind, he shifted subtly so he could lay eyes on the blond, who was still kneeling on the floor. He could hear him muttering something but couldn't make out the words. Though, now that he thought about it, that made sense. If Rex had been hurt by whatever that was, Kote would do everything in his power to keep him safe until help arrived.
His thoughts were interrupted by the quiet, incessant beeping of a comm device. His finger twitched against the trigger as his gaze snapped back to the other brunet. Kote's eyes locked with his as he slowly reached down and removed a small device from his belt. It was innocuous enough, even though it looked handmade, that it would be overlooked even with the most intense inspection, unless one was specifically looking for it.
He just as slowly raised the device to his face, "Report."
~He's gone!~ one of the clones answered, though if pressed Jango would not be able to tell which one, their voice frantic. ~Kote, he disappeared! He was here one minute and now he's gone!~
"Stand down," the younger brunet projected calm through his voice. "He's here."
"Dad!" Boba grabbed the arm with the blaster.
Jango's confused gaze turned to his son, as the blaster lowered a fraction. What was the boy thinking? He knew better than to interfere.
"Dad, please," there were tears filling the young eyes. "It's Nehutyc!"
He wasn't sure why, whether it was the look on his son's face or the sheer absurdity of the situation, but he lowered his arm in compliance. As soon as the threat was gone, Kote whirled around and knelt down beside his blond counterpart.
"Harry, are you alright?" the brunet's voice was low but still discernable unlike Rex's. "What happened?"
"You… were… gone…" a choked sob filled the room. "I… didn't… They… weren't… Had… to… find… you…"
Both clones shared a look, showing they had no more understanding of the words than the other two occupants of the room.
"Harry, shh," the blond shifted into an actual seated position and pulled the now visible youngling onto his lap. "I've got you. You're safe now. Nothing's going to hurt you."
"Harry, you need to calm down," Kote began running his fingers through the unruly black locks. "We don't understand what you're saying and we need to know what happened."
This continued for several long minutes until the sobs finally abated. Jango had kept Boba back while the two men calmed his friend down, not wanting to aggravate the situation.
"Is he asleep?" the older male asked, knowing it was a possibility from when Boba was younger.
The pair on the floor stiffened at the sound of his voice. They had obviously forgotten he was there in their desperation to calm the boy. Not necessarily a bad thing, but something they should work on in the future.
"No, sir," Kote sighed quietly.
With a slight nod, he made his way across the room. As soon as he started moving, Boba darted around him and made a beeline for the other boy. Instead of landing on the floor like everyone expected, he plopped unceremoniously onto Kote's lap. Jango couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him at his son's antics and the incredulous look on the other's face as he joined them all on the floor.
"Hey, Nehutyc," Boba placed a hand on the smaller boy's back.
The head of messy black hair lifted slightly from where it rested against Rex's chest, "Boba?"
"Yep," the older boy grinned. "You okay now?"
The other nodded but didn't say anything further. Jango wasn't sure if that was because he couldn't communicate in their language, though he seemed to understand it just fine, or that he just didn't want to. He shook his head, there were more important things to deal with now. He finally cleared his throat, hoping to bring the topic back to the actual matter at hand.
Three sets of identical brown eyes turned to him, as well as one set of wide emerald green. The elder male took a moment to study the youngling, taking in the pale, unfamiliar features.
"He's not a clone," he said in slight disbelief.
"No, sir," Kote tensed, ready to take action at any perceived threat.
"And he's obviously not a tooka," he sent a pointed look at his son, who squirmed uncomfortably on the older brunet's lap. "Explain. Now."
The two men shared a look at the command. They knew they couldn't really refuse, but they were definitely considering it. After a tense moment, they began their tale, with Jango interrupting if he had questions or wanted clarification. When they were finished, he gave them each a considering look.
"Let me see him," he held out his hands for the boy.
"No," Harry leaned back into the blond's chest. "Rex doesn't want to."
"Rex doesn't want to?" a dark brow rose incredulously.
"Un uh," he shook his head. "He's scared you'll take me away."
"Is that so?" Jango's gaze shifted to the blond, who was looking at the boy in mild surprise. Obviously he was spot on.
"Uh huh," the kid nodded. "Kote is too. So, I'll stay here, thank you."
"Can you do that with everyone?" the older male's eyes narrowed in thought. "Tell what they're feeling?"
"I guess," he shrugged. "You're suspicious."
"I see."
"What's going on?" Rex cut in, wrapping his arms more securely around Harry. "I don't understand."
"We'll deal with that later," Jango waved the question aside. "We have other things to deal with first. Where are your parents, kid?"
"We told you," Kote scowled, "he doesn't…"
"They're dead," the boy answered quietly, his brow drawn together in concentration. "They were killed protecting me."
"Hmm," a dark look entered the older male's eyes at the words. "Well, we will have to continue where they left off. Kote, Rex, are you prepared to continue protecting this boy, no matter the cost?"
"Yes, sir," they chorused solemnly.
"Not just here on Kamino, but once the war starts as well? No matter the enemy?"
"To the best of our abilities, sir," the blond met and held his gaze.
"If they're gonna do that," Boba chimed in, "they should just adopt him."
Two very confused gazes shifted to the older boy. Jango had to admit it wasn't a very good look on his face. Though, the younger boy's look had turned curious as he tilted his head to the side. He had to admit, it wasn't a completely bad idea.
"What'd ya say, kid?" a gentle smile crossed his lips. "You want these two to be your dads?"
Green eyes widened at the question, before leaning forward slightly to look anxiously between Rex and Kote. The pair shared a look and then glanced down at the boy. Harry must have seen or felt something from them because he nodded.
"But, sir…" Kote began.
"Look, it makes sense, Kote," his son turned to glare at the older brunet. "His parents are dead. He needs someone to look after him. And he's your foundling. You… you have to. Besides, he wants you to."
"He's right," Jango held up his hand to forestall any further protests. "You know the words, say them. You have both proven yourselves, and he has agreed."
"See," Boba's expression turned smug. "Dad agrees with me. Now, you have to."
"Just know," he shook his head fondly at his son, "that you will have my full support in this, as well as those of the Cuy'val Dar you trust. Though, I do suggest you continue to keep his presence from the long necks, and in the future, the wider galaxy as well."
Ammie: So, there it is. Jango has finally found the rouge tooka, and Harry's magic has been revealed. So the first scene where Jango corners the clones was one of the first ones that developed for this fic, after Rex and Kote decided to hijack Harry from the original track he was on. Anyway, hope you enjoy, and please let me know what you think.
