The Bad Batch – Big Sister
Omega, a young clone girl, is charged with looking after her brand new, just out of the cloning tank, baby brothers.
Set roughly around bby-29
Chapter 1 - 9901
Omega stared up at the tanks. She was five years old and she was finally, Finally old enough to help Kaminoan Scientist, Nala Se instead of being cared for by a nanny droid. The blonde clone girl smiled as she looked up at the Cloning Tank that contained her brothers.
She was so giddy she could hardly contain herself. She tugged on her long blond hair in excitement. Nala Se had told her that the first of the 99 experiments were going to be taken out of the tank today. Omega wondered which one it was going to be, there were four of them that had made it this far.
Looking to the tall Kaminoan, Omega watched as Nala Se pressed buttons on the control panel before the first tank on the right began to drain of its bluish liquid. Nala Se moved in front of the tank and blocked Omega's view as the tank opened and the Kaminoan reached inside.
Omega held her breath as the room was silent for one long beat before a high pitched wail filled the room.
After nearly jumping out of her skin, Omega was rooted in spot as Nala Se turned around with the newborn clone in her hands. Bald and naked the baby clone wailed in the Kaminoan's arms. Omega had never seen Nala Se look hesitant before, but at that moment she seemed lost.
Her dark eyes locked onto Omega's and before the five year old Clone girl could think, Nala Se had placed the baby into Omega's small arms. The Kaminoan picked up a med-scanner and ran it over the baby as he cried.
Omega shifted his tiny body, he was slick and slippery and she had to hold him against her chest. After a moment the baby's cries subsided into small whimpers.
Nala Se looked at the med scanner results and merely cocked her small head to the side on her long neck, "Interesting." She said, "There is nothing wrong with him."
"So, he's just noisy," Omega asked as she held the baby.
"So it would seem." Nala Se said as she set down the Med Scanner and took the baby form Omegas arms. "CT-9901 clearly has adequate lungs."
Omega missed the contact instantly, even if she was now wet with the tank liquid. The moment CT-9901 left her arms he started wailing again, Loud and Clear.
Omega covered her ears with her hands and looked to Nala Se, "Why is he crying?"
"Babies Cry, Omega." Nala Se told her. "Although, none of the clones before ever wailed like this one…" She looked down at him and placed him on the med table and motioned to the nanny droid to dry the baby off.
Omega watched as the baby cried even more as the droid dried the baby off before floating back and allowing Nala Se to run a more comprehensive scan.
"Maybe he's cold." Omega said as she lowered her hands form her ears, the baby wasn't crying as loudly as before, whimpering and looking so sad.
"Unlikely." Nala Se said, "The tanks were calibrated to simulate a womb and I have set this room to emulate that so there was no shock." She said as her long fingers pressed buttons on her data pad ignoring the baby's cries.
"Maybe he misses his brothers?" Omega asked as she came to the side of the med-table and stood on her tiptoes to look at CT-9901.
Nala Se blinked at Omega as if trying to figure out how the young clone could come to such a strange conclusion. She watched with eyes narrowed as Omega reached out and tried to touch the baby flailing hands. Before she could tell Omega to step back the baby's small hand caught a hold of Omega's finger and clung to it.
He also stopped crying his lungs out.
Nala Se stared at the interaction and she cocked her head to the side. "Humans are a pack animal." She said, "Maybe he is craving human contact." She looked at the scans she had run and nodded her head. "I have run the base level tests." She said and motioned for the droid to come and get the baby.
Despite holding onto Omegas finger the baby started to cry when the droid came near.
Nala Se frowned, "Interesting." She made a note in her data pad before looking at Blonde clone girl, "Omega."
Looking up Omega stared wide eyed at Nala Se.
"I have a job for you."
"Really?" Omega asked as her eyes lit up with joy.
"You will care for 9901 in the nursery. The Droid Nanny will be in charge of feeding and changing but to his other needs, you will see to them." The Kaminoan saw no problem in assigning a five year old child to take care of a newborn.
Omega, having been raised by the Kaminoan, Nala Se in particular, Saw no reason to even question her. She just smiled, happy to be given a big job like this and she was even more than happy that she would be able to spend time with her little brother more.
"You understand Omega?" Nala Se asked, "This is a big responsibility."
"I understand." Omega grinned up at her, "I can do it."
The Kaminoan nodded her head slightly before reaching out and taking 9901 form the examination table where he cried and fussed, and handed him to Omega. Once in her arms 9901 settled and eventually stopped crying, stopped whimpering even.
Nala Se nodded her head confident in her decision.
Normally she would not bother to be concerned with a young clone's emotional well being, but she knew form past experience that one could not ignore the cries of a baby. It was their only form of communication they had at this stage, and as annoying as it was the information was important to her research.
9901 was the first of Nala Se's enhanced clones, she still had others growing in there tanks.
She looked over the half dozen tanks that were ment for the experiments she was conducting, only four had made it this far. Only four that had lived past the first stages of life, 9901 was the first to make it this far, developed enough to live outside the tank.
The dangers however, had not diminished for 9901 just because he past the fist hurtle. No, if anything, there was a high chance that 9901 would fail like the others before him.
Nala Se looked to Omega as she held the baby in her hands. She had cared for Omega in her early stages, sitting and singing to her in their old tongue. But Omega had been an accident, an anomaly, and despite the fact that the girl was nothing special compared to billons of other clones out there she had come to mean something to Nala Se.
Looking to 9901, Nala Se knew she could not get attached to this one, or any of the other Clones, they would be tested and sent to battle even if there enhancements were nothing more than minor. She could not let her feelings get in the way of her experiments.
There had been no need for Nala Se to set bounties with Omega, at least not at first.
Omega stared down at 9901's cute little face as he looked up at her with big brown eyes. He looked confused but trusting, Omega wondered if he recognized her form in the tank. She had spent long hours with her face plastered against the glass of his and his brothers tanks, talking to them and watching them grow.
As Omega remembered how she had pressed her face up to the glass she giggled, maybe she looked weird to him now.
But he seemed very contented right then, happy even…well, maybe, it was hard to tell with the confused look in his eyes but he wasn't crying, so that was good. Omega looked up at Nala Se, she had gone back to the computers and was pressing buttons.
"Are you going to let the others out?" She asked as she held 9901 against her chest.
Nala Se looked back at Omega, "Not yet." She said, "Their biological signs have not yet reached safe zones."
"Oh." Omega said, "Well…"
"You will have your hands full with 9901 for now Omega. Do not concern yourself with the others until they are ready." The Kanimoan moved away from her data terminal and nodded to Omega, "Let us get him settled." She said and motioned for the young girl to follow.
Feeling like a grown up with an important job, Omega smiled and carried 9901 to the nursery, which was separate form the other nursery. 9901 was Nala Se's special project. She did not trust others with the safety of her research.
Omega felt very proud that Nala Se trusted her.
The little girl might feel differently if she knew that Nala Se didn't exactly trust her, Omega was a child herself after all. Wilful in a way the other clones were not. The Kaminoan did, however, know that Omega would do her best and be too busy to get into trouble if she thought she had a job, Even if the Nanny Droid was doing most of the work.
Nala Se lead Omega to the nursery, it was mostly empty with only the essentials. A crib shaped like an egg sat in the center of the room, a changing table and a storage unit for nappies and other necessities was off to the side. There was also a chair by the window; Omega thought it would be a great place to cuddle with 9901.
"You will stay here with CT-9901; a cot will be bought in for you to sleep." Nala Se told Omega.
This made her smile because it meant she got to be here all the time. Better than being alone in her own room off of Nala Se's lab. There was a door on the opposite side of the window and Omega thought that it was the refresher. She could have been wrong but it was a room almost identical to all the other rooms that were set up for living.
"Omega put 9901 in his cot." Nala Se told him. "He will be very sleepy and do very little in the first few days."
Omega nodded her head and gently lay baby 9901 in his cot and smiled down at him. He was looking up at her with his big brown eyes. She reached down and put her finger in his hand which he squeezed and tried to put in his mouth. He made a face and stuck his tongue out as if he didn't know what to think of the taste of her finger. But he tried again to put her finger in his mouth and Omega smiled down at him.
"I think he's hungry."
"He is merely ascertaining the flavor of your finger." Nala Se said to the clone girl. "When he is hungry he will cry, when he is in need of changing he will cry…" the longneck motioned to the door and a Droid came floating in, "This is the nanny droid I have assigned to monitor the situation." She said.
The droid held up a three finger metal hand, "Hello, I am AZ3-" The droid then rattled off so many numbers Omegas head was spinning. "I am a medical droid programmed to care for premature clones."
"Hi AZ." She smiled at the droid forgoing his long name for something easier, she then cocked her head to the side, "9901 is premature?" She knew form listening to Nala Se that premature babies could not be taken out of their tanks. Why then was he taken out his tank?
"He is fully developed." Nala Se told her, "But there is a danger because he is smaller than average."
"Oh, I'll be extra careful with him." She smiled down at 9901 and couldn't help but think him so cute when he yawned.
Nala Se cocked her head to the side on her long neck and nodded. "I expect you to." She said as she turned away, "Everything you need is here Omega; there is no reason to go wandering… I expect no trouble."
Omega nodded her head and wondered then if she had been given the very important job just to stop her from wandering around Tipoca city. But honestly she didn't care. She had a baby brother to look after.
She had never been more excited and happy in her young life.
Omega covered her ears with her pillow but that did not stop the crying form breaking through. She was tired and cranky and really AZ was no help because every time he went to change of feed 9901 he would cry even Louder!
She sighed heavily and pushed herself up from her bed, AZ had assured her that 9901 did not need feeding, he was not wet and he, AZ, had stationed himself as far from the sensitive baby as he could be and still be in the room.
She resisted the urge to feel angry at 9901, he was only trying to tell her what was wrong, and she just didn't know how to understand him. Going over to his crib she looked down at him, his face was blotchy and his eyes were a waterfall of tears.
"Come on… Everything's okay, AZ's not even near you." She reached down and placed her small hand on his stomach gently rubbing his belly. He quieted a little but his face was still scrunched up and unhappy.
It was the middle of the night and other then a storm outside nothing was going on at the city. Sometimes when a ship came in to land, Omega was sure 9901 would start crying. But looking out the window she saw no ships, just the occasional flash of lightning.
"Maybe you're just lonely." Omega said softly as she reached down and carefully picked him up. She was trying to follow how AZ told her to do it, holding the head and making sure to tuck him against her so he felt secure.
Omega felt his little hands grab onto her nightshirt as she held him against her chest. She carried him to the Kaminoan designed chair and crawled up into it. If one wanted to lounge it was a good seat to do so in. Leaning into its carved back Omega lounged with 9901 in her arms as she watched the storm outside.
It wasn't the most violent storm she had witnessed, she would count the seconds of silence after a flash before the sound of thunder, trying to guage how far away the lightning was.
9901 lay in her arms against her chest but even he was not fully settled, just before lighting would flash he would jerk just a little as it scared him.
Hating seeing him so terrified she held him and she began to hum, not really of anything but hopefully the sound would lure him back to sleep.
Eventually the lightning moved off away from the city and 9901 drifted back to sleep in her arms. Grateful for the silence she was almost asleep herself when she realized she had to wake up and put 9901 back in his cot.
Trying not to wake him she climbed down from her chair and attempted to put him in the cot only to find one of his little hands balled into a fist around her shoulder length hair. She winched as it pulled and she had a feeling she wasn't getting that hair back.
"AZ…" Omega whispered.
AZ sensitive to the urgency in Omegas desperate plea drifted over but not close enough to disturb 9901.
"How may I be of assistance Omega?" the droid asked.
"I-I need you to cut my hair?" She had liked her long hair but now, clearly it had to go.
The droid spun itself around wail keeping its head looking at her, "I will use my lazar scapula…"
"No!" Omega hissed, "He hates lazars, he just went to sleep…" She winched. "Find me a pair of scissors or …or a knife."
"I will comply" AZ said and drifted to the storage cabinet and began scanning the shelves for Scissors.
Omega sighed as she waited; looking down at 9901 she couldn't help but think he looked peaceful now with a lock of her hair in his fist as he sucked on his other fist. AZ returned shortly and Omega winched as 9901 scrunched up his face unhappily but did not, thankfully, start crying.
Taking the scissors form the droid AZ moved off allowing 9901 to relax again. Sighing with relief that he did not wake up, Omega proceeded to cut the lock of hair. Finally free Omega stood up and sighed, she was still tried and with 9901 finally asleep she headed straight to her bed and fell into it.
She was asleep almost instantly, dreaming of 9901.
Over the next few days, Omega and 9901 got into a routine together. Omega rubbed a hand over the back of her neck and up to her short haircut. It took some getting used to but after hacking off a portion of it to let 9901 sleep Nala Se had instructed AZ to cut it properly.
There really wasn't anything AZ could not do… Well, other than sneak up on 9901.
Even deep in sleep, 9901 could tell when AZ came to check on him. After the froth time 9901 woke up and started crying Omega had asked AZ to keep his distance and let her check on 9901, Because honestly 9901 cried enough for other reasons.
Omega didn't mind the feeding really, but she was daunted by the nappy changing. So since 9901 was crying anyway she let AZ handle that.
Right then 9901 was in her lap happily sucking on a bottle as he stared up at her with his big brown eyes. He had grown, put on weight, and was starting to move around instead of just laying there.
There wasn't really much to this baby thing in Omegas mind, he ate, napped, pooped, napped and ate again…and pooped again. And Despite being tried and having to take care of 9901 all the time Omega loved her brother. She thought him so cute when he slept.
Like other clones, his development was fast, he might still be small but his mobility had taken off as soon as he figured out how. Mostly at first it was just rolling around form side to side but once he got onto his stomach he was able to tummy crawl forwards kicking his feet behind as if he was swimming.
Omega grinned as she watched her brother scoot across the floor on his stomach. He avoided AZ's corner, but he had made his way into the refresher once when Omega had been dozing, thinking 9901 was also taking a nap.
After that she tried to be more vigilant but it was hard, he was starting to try and go new places, see new things. When the hallway door opened he would stare at the wide world beyond.
One afternoon, Omega had put 9901 down for a nap and instructed AZ to take care things while she had a much needed bath. He had spit up on her shirt, as well as had a bit of wee when she had tried to change 9901's nappy by herself because she hated it when he cried.
She had no idea a boy could do that…
But now she really needed a bath. So shut up in the Refresher she didn't hear when 9901 began to fuss. AZ as diligent as ever, crept closer to the baby even though he didn't like the droid.
The droid studied the pitch and volume of 9901 cry and was able to determine that the baby clone wanted out of his cot. Always cognizant of a clone's needs, even one as young as 9901, AZ extended his arms, keeping his main body as far from the baby as possible then lifted him up and set him down on the floor.
9901 fussed just a little but once he was on the floor he looked around himself. There was still nothing in the nursery that interested him. Nothing to play with or go investigate, but he had seen a whole wide world beyond the sliding door…
With no fear, the baby clone 9901 crawled his way to the door and pressed his hands against the cold panel. It didn't open and this frustrated 9901, he really wanted out there…
Just as he was growing frustrated he suddenly fell down on his rump when the door opened. Being a baby 9901 didn't stop to think why the door opened or the fact that an old deformed clone wheeled a cleaning cart inside, 9901 took off threw the open doorway.
The old deformed clone, 99 had received a clean up call for the nursery. He had not been here before but from what he could see it was a nursery. He set about cleaning up the puddle on the floor and emptying the trash.
Outside in the hallway 9901 stared at his new world. There wasn't anyone in the hallways, they would have noticed the baby in the orange jumper otherwise. If asked, 9901 wouldn't have been able to explain it to anyone, being a baby and all. He just knew he wanted to go somewhere and he knew just were to go.
99 was just finishing up his duties when Omega came out of the refresher with a clean shirt and a towel around her short hair.
"99!" She said happily seeing him. 99, he was kind but funny looking, not that it was his fault he looked like that, something had gone wrong when he had been cloned and instead of getting rid of him the kaminoans put him to use.
"Oh! Omega, it's so good to see you." He said as he set his mop back into the cart. "I didn't know this was your …room." He looked around a little confused.
"I'm looking after my new brother 9901." She said proudly and hurried over to the cot were she had put him down for a nap.
She blinked seeing the cot empty. "W-Where is he!?"
99's eyes widened, "I…I did not see him."
"Oh no, oh no, ohno." Omega wanted to pull at her hair but it was short now. "AZ! Where did 9901 go?" She demanded of the Droid.
AZ blinked, "9901 wished to be out of his cot so I complied." He said, "He left through the doorway when 99 came inside."
The young girl and the old man stared at each other for a split second before Omega dashed to the door. 99 was slower with his limping gate but followed and they both peered out the door and down the hallway.
Omega danced on the spot terrified. Old 99 placed a hand on her shoulder to calm her down.
"I'll help you find him." He told her and looked to AZ, "Go with Omega down to the left, I'll head right."
Omega nodded her head and reached out grabbing AZ hand and pulling him out the door.
Meanwhile 9901 was on a mission. Crawling as fast as his little hands and knees could take him. More people began to fill in the hallway but most didn't notice the little baby under foot because 9901 was avoiding them.
9901 never been anywhere but his room with Omega before, he knew in his little mind that there was a more out there.
So determined to go and explore he didn't notice the pair of boots that crept up behind him and reached down to pick him up.
"Huh, what are you doing out here." The clone trooper said as he lifted the baby up into his arms.
"Cut, we are going to be late for deployment." One of the Troopers brothers said their faces obscured under their shiny new helmets.
"We got time." Cut said as he held the 9901 in one arm and pulled off his trooper helmet. His reddish hair stood out among his brothers, not to many of the first gen clones had variants like that, and most had the tall tail dark hair that came from Jango Fett.
Cut's squad brothers snorted and left the soft hearted brother to deal with the baby.
"So…you're new here huh?" Cut said with a hint of a smile, bad joke but what did a baby know?
9901 looked up at Cut with his big brown clone eyes and reached out his little hands to pat at Cuts face. The clone trooper chuckled and looked around wondering where the baby had come from. The nurseries weren't anywhere near here…
Most clones didn't really know what to do with their little brothers at this age, they seemed so fragile and the Kanmions were very particular about how young clones were handled. It was only when they became official cadets did they interact with their older brothers in any way.
But Cut seemed to be at ease with the baby in his arms. He looked down at the little brother and smiled seeing the big brown eyes staring back at him. The Trooper couldn't help but feel warmth settled inside his chest that he never felt before, like some how he had found his calling. Cut was a good solder, but he always wondered if there was something else he could be doing.
That warmth suddenly became wet and Cut pulled the baby to arms length looked at him. He pressed his lips together as he realized he had just been peed on. 9901 gave an unhappy whimper and the Trooper looked around in desperation. There was a refresher not far away and he made a mad dash for it.
"Well…That's one way to christen my new armor." He laughed as he wiped down the front of his no longer shiny new armor. "How about we not tell anyone about this?" He asked the baby.
Looking at the wet jumper Cut was thankful that it was made out of the same material that their Troopers Body Glove was made out of; with a quick rinse it should be as good as new. With gentleness that most clone troopers didn't exhibit, Cut got the jumper off. After a quick rinse he set it aside to dry and looked down at the nappy. With a sigh he set about the task with determination. Luckily it was only wet, and like the body glove; he gave it a rinse as well.
Looking down at the naked baby he sighed, "Well, I'm Cut." He said even though the baby probably did not understand him. "You wouldn't have a name yet…" He looked at the drying jumper and cocked his head to the side seeing a 99 on one sleeve and a 01 on the other.
"Well at least I don't have to run a scanner over you." Cut chuckled, thinking of how he had to scan out his equipment for the first time.
"9901…" He cocked his head to the side, "Not much of a name huh? Oh well you will get one when you're ready." The red haired clone trooper reached out and felt the jumper and nappy. The body glove material was already dry.
9901 didn't even squirm as Cut got him back into his nappy and jumper. Picking up the now dry baby clone brother, Cut chuckled softly, "There, good as new…"
Hearing the chuckle, 9901 reached out with his tiny hands and patted Cut's lips and grabbed the Troopers' nose.
"What? Do you like my nose?" Cut asked, his voice distorted making 9901 eyes widen. "You're going to have one just like it."
9901 stared at him before patting his face again.
Cut just grinned, he couldn't help it, the kid was cute.
Holding him close to his chest Cut stepped out of the refresher and made his way to the nursery. 9901 yawned and snuggled up against Cut's shinny new armor as the clone walked down the hallway. He was almost to the nursery when he heard the halting gate of a familiar old clone.
Cut looked over his shoulder and saw old 99 hobbling down the hallway. The old clone's eyes light up when he saw Cut and who he had in his arms.
"Thank goodness!" The old clone hurried over to him as fast as he could. "You found him…"
Cut blinked and looked down at the baby in his arms. "Oh, yeah…I was just taking him back to the nursery, you know him?"
"Ah, well no but it's kind of my fault the little one escaped." Old 99 rubbed the back of his bald head embarrassed. "I need to get him back…"
"Oh the nurseries just-" Cut pointed but the old clone shock his head.
"No no he's not in with them." 99 sighed, "he's um… special…"
Cut blinked and looked down at the little clone before nodding his head slowly, "I see…"
Just as Cut was going to offer to carry the baby back for 99 his com-link came to life.
"Cut, where are you?" his squad mate's voice came through. "We are leaving with or without you…"
"Damn," Cut pressed his com-link, "I'm almost there, I promise!" He lied, and reluctantly handed the baby over to 99.
The old clone held 9901 as Cut hurried off, he gave a backwards glace at 99 and a little wave to 9901.
"Well," 99 sighed looking down at 9901, "You've had an adventure…" He smiled, "Let's get you back to Omega before anything else happens."
Omega couldn't have been happier when she saw 99 showed up with 9901 in his arms. She had looked all over and had not found her brother. She had been on a verge of a meltdown.
She now sat in their room with 9901 in her lap; he seemed tired and was content to sleep.
"I think he's bored…" 99 said as he looked around the empty room. "Babies tend to like to play with things…" He smiled. "I can bring him some."
Omega grinned as she stroked 9901's soft patch of hair coming in.
"Maybe some toys will keep you out of trouble." She said softly to her brother before looking at 99, "Thank you for finding him…"
99 smiled and patted her hand, "I should get back to work." He told her and pushed his cart back out into the hallway.
The next day when Nala Se visited, Omega broached the subject on toys for 9901. Eventually she had to tell the Kaminoan how 9901 had escaped and then the scientist seemed to take her more seriously.
Finely Nala Se gave her small head a nod and agreed that toys would be bought in. To help with mental and physical development Nala Se had insisted calling the toys 'Educational Material.'
The 'Educational materials' were all laid out on a play mat in the middle of the room. It was the only colorful spot in the room, bright and contrasting.
Omega loved it.
She smiled at old 99 as he had dragged everything up here for 9901 and laid it all out. She would have helped but right then she had 9901 in her arms as she fed him his bottle.
"There you go, Omega." The old clone smiled at her with his lopsided face. "I'm sure the little one will love it."
Omega smiled back at the old clone, "I hope so, all he does now is sit by the door." She bit her lip, "I told AZ he can't extend his arms to pick 9901 up anymore, so he just cries."
"Oh a sensitive little felly," 99 chuckled.
"Yeah I guess he is." She smiled.
Looking down at 9901 she saw that he had finished, so she set the bottle aside and lifted him to her shoulder to burp. She had learned early on to put a cloth on her shoulder when doing that.
After a little burp escaped 9901, Omega smiled and looked to 99. The old clone had softness to him that the other clones didn't have, she knew he wished he could be like them, a soldier, but he was special, like Omega.
"May I?" the old Clone asked after a moment.
Omega blinked, not expecting him to ask to hold 9901 but she smiled, glad to hand over her burden just for a little while. Actually, this was good, because she kind of wanted to use the refresher.
She handed over 9901 to old 99 and made a b-line to the refresher.
Holding 9901 in his arms 99 smiled down at him with his big brown eyes.
"I bought some stuff for you." 99 said to the baby, even though it was unlikely he understood the old clone's words. But he was wise and loved his younger clone brothers.
"Do you want to see?" He asked even though 9901 just stared up at him with wide eyes. Not deterred, 99 carried 9901 over to the mat of toys and set him down in the middle of the toys.
9901 looked at the colorful toys around him and then back up at 99. The old clone cocked his head to the side but smiled and eased himself down onto the mat beside the little clone.
Omega finally came out of the refresher, she hadn't intended to take long but she had tried to enjoy that moment of silence.
She smiled when she saw 9901 sitting among the toys with 99, The old clone looked at her and gave her a kind smile. Sitting down with the two she held out a toy block to 9901 and grinned when he took it before trying to stick it in his mouth. He made a face and Omega laughed at him. Despite the face he made, he still mouthed the block as he looked around at all the toys.
As they sat and watched 9901 explore his new world, slowly, carefully, testing each toy, mostly by sticking them in his mouth.
Omega began to feel sleepy, she was only a child herself and she had been keeping herself going for 9901. She leaned against the old clone and 99 patted her head.
Omega didn't know when she fell asleep but the next thing she knew she was waking up in her bed with the sheets tucked up under her chin.
Pushing herself up in bed she rubbed her eyes and looked over to old 99 and 9901, still sitting on the play mat. As she watched she saw old 99 take something in his hand, put it behind his back then bring it out before 9901. The baby leaned forwards and reached for one hand and 99 opened it to show a communication rod in his hand.
Rubbing her eyes Omega joined them on the floor. "What you doing?" she asked 99.
99 chuckled and held up the com-link, it had the shape of a small rod that fit into his hand, "Watch." He said showing her and 9901 his hands; he had just a plain plastic rod of simpler size in one hand and a com-link in the other. He placed them behind his back and a moment later he bought his hands back out to show 9901.
The baby clone seemed to know what he was doing as he reached for what she had assumed was the hand was the plastic rod. When 99 opened his palm it held the com-link in it.
"He's found the com-link each time." 99 told her, "I even put it behind my back once and held my hands out for him to choose from, but he wouldn't pick, he kept looking behind my back."
"Wow." Omega grinned, "That's really amazing." She said. "How can he do that?"
99 chuckled shaking his head, "I don't know." He said, "But he knows."
Omega grinned. "Let me try." She said and 99 handed over the fake rod and the real one, put them behind her back and slide the com-link into her back pocket. Her hands weren't big enough to hold the other rod without it showing so she got up and moved to the toys, crouching down in one spot and hiding the plastic rod and then moving over to another spot and mimicking the same.
She then sat down in her spot and held her hands out to 9901. He looked at her with his big brown eyes and started to crawl her way. He was mobile enough to make it to her and she waited patiently but wasn't surpassed that he found the real rod in her pocket.
Omega and 99 played this game with 9901 for quite a while, each one taking in turns to either hide the rod or to slip it into their pocket but each time 9901 found it as easily, even when Omega had slipped it into her sock.
"He's amazing." Omega said with awe.
99 nodded his head. "He really is a little hunter."
Omega looked up at 99, "Hunter." She said, "That's his Name."
99 chuckled, "It suits him."
"How 'bout it Hunter?" Omega asked him, "Do you like your name?"
9901, no, Hunter looked up at her with his big brown eyes and opened his mouth giving a baby squeal of happiness.
Omega grinned as she pulled Hunter into her lap and gave him a kiss on top of his soft dark hair. She loved her brother so much.
TBC