Stolen Dreams

Author's Note: This is for the Bad Batch Appreciation Week. Day 3 is Tech. :D

PS. This is for the Bad Batch Bingo square of "Dreams". ^-^

~ Amina Gila


The hardest part is the waiting. For five years, he's become accustomed to the waiting, but sometimes, staring at the top of his bunk and just waiting for his brothers to appear is still unnerving.

He always wonders if the others will come, but they always have, so there's never a reason to think that tonight, this time will be different. But it's hard to say, because he doesn't know what this is, what this means, or if they're anything more than dreams.

9902 is usually here first, and a distant shuffling from the bunk on his row lets him know that 9901 is already here, too. It's quiet, faint, but present, and he hears the distant breathing. Neither of them talks, not yet. They're used to the brief waiting for the others to arrive.

9904 appears across from him. He blinks into existence, the same way he does every night, curled up on his bunk, directly across from 9902. He turns over a bit, propping himself up on his elbow. "Hey," he whispers.

"9903's not here yet," 9901 says from his bunk, out of 9902's line of sight. 9903 sleeps across from 9901, the same way 9904's across from him.

They need names. He'd feel a little more pressured about that if he actually knew they were real. They seem so real, but he's never met them. No one ever talks about them. He doesn't know. And this connection doesn't make sense, anyway. That doesn't happen. If it does, no one talks about it anymore than 9902 himself does. His brothers – his real brothers, the ones that actually matter – are right here in this room, and why would he want to share that with anyone?

But he wants to know, to stop just wondering and theorizing. He's going to look. He'll try to find them, but if they are, he doesn't know if this… connection will break when they meet. No one knows anything about it.

Not that 9902 ever asked, to be fair.

He's going to look tomorrow. And if – if they are, he can only hope the connection won't break. They wouldn't have made it this far without each other, real or no.

But he needs to know. Which – this could be their last night together.

He doesn't want to think about what that means.

9903 appears on his bunk a few minutes later and pushes himself upright instantly. "I saw somthin' cool!" he announces, jumping up. 9904 pushes himself upright, and 9902 stands now that the others are here.

It's a habit as much as anything else, because 9903 is too childish and simply has too much energy to stay focused on things. They usually spend at least half the night with 9902 trying to massively simplify whatever it was they learned during the day, unless it involves weapons or explosives. Those are the only things that seem able to hold his attention.

"It's weird though," he adds, "It said it was… our sister?"

What?! "There are no female clones," 9902 argues. "At least not that I've ever heard." It's not theoretically impossible, but he's never heard of that happening. Their genetic host was male, and all the clones were meant to be, too.

"What's her number?" This, he's almost more curious about than his brothers.

"Uh… I didn't ask," he answers awkwardly. "She said her name's Omega."

"That's weird," 9901 supplies, and he still hasn't moved himself from his bunk. 9902 moves closer to the center of the room, swinging himself onto the bench in front of the table in their phantom barracks, and glances over. 990 is sprawled on his back, waving a hand in front of his face, and normally, 9902 wouldn't even question such irrational behavior, but it's his older brother, not the younger two, so it's… weird. "Today is just getting weirder and weirder," he decides finally.

"What happened?" 9904 prompts.

"I met a reg I don't want to punch."

For a moment, they all freeze.

"You – what?" splutters 9903.

"That's never happened before," 9902 supplies, finally finding his voice again. It hasn't. The regs don't like them. Everyone knows that.

"Yeah," 9901 agrees, "His name's Cody."

"Where'd you see him?" 9904 queries, sliding onto the bench across from 9902.

"He's teaching me with vibroblades," 9901 replies, "I kinda like him."

It's… weird, but it's not as though regs can't be friendly. They just choose not to be. Not that 9902 is bothered by it, anyway, because he doesn't want to be like them. He doesn't mind being different. Even if it's lonely sometimes, if he was normal, he wouldn't have his brothers.

9903 perks up. "Vibroblades?"

"Yeah." 9901 swings himself upright. He slides onto the bench at the table by 9904. "It's pretty fun."

9904 is resting his chin on his hand, elbow propped on the table. He looks tired, even if he's not saying anything about it. He's scanning the room for something.

9902 wishes his datapad into existence – he questions how this works, but nothing in this dream-world makes any scientific sense. They're all used to it, though.

He needs to know if they're real. He needs to hack into the database tomorrow.

9904's going to be a sniper – he's already learning, and his eyesight gives him an advantage.

(9902 was planning to make a rifle for him. A small one, to match his size. Something he could practice with. Just – he'd have to make it in person before materializing it. He doesn't know if it's true for just him, for all of them, or if this is anything beyond his own mind at all, but he can't make things real here unless he's seen them. It makes him wonder if Lula – the tooka doll 9904 made for 9903 – exists somewhere. And 9902 wouldn't have the ability, or place, to keep something like that. Clones don't have things, anyway. They don't need to.)

He doesn't want to be somewhere his brothers aren't, and doesn't want the same for them, either. That's part of why he's so determined to find them.

He's mostly just watching as the others talk. 9901 materializes a knife to show off with, and he's halfway to standing when 9904 suddenly grabs his wrist. "What happened to your hand?" he asks, slightly freaked out.

"It's nothing," 9901 insists, pulling away and standing. "I just cut myself. Injuries can't be wished away here."

"We already knew that," 9902 reminds bluntly – they did. That's part of what made him start questioning if this is more than a dream, if there's something real to it. But 9901's hand is – it's not bleeding anymore, but it looks pretty deep, and unpleasant.

And that's part of it, too, because he shouldn't be so worried about something, if it's no more than a part of his own mind.

"I'll be fine."

"Of course, you will be," 9902 agrees – it's not lethal or anything. They're soldiers or will be. They'll be hurt worse.

9904 trails 9901, anyway.

What if this will be the last night they're here?

He doesn't want to think like that. They shouldn't have to be anywhere without each other.

"Hey," 9903 says, patting his shoulder, and it's sudden enough to nearly make him jump. "What's with you?"

The question catches him off-guard – he genuinely never expected anyone would notice. Especially not 9903.

"Nothing," he replies shortly, because that's easier than trying to explain the detailed truth.

He can't admit that he's going to do something that could… break this connection. Potentially. It's not a guarantee, and he has no way to know.

9903 doesn't stop looking worried, though. "Sure?" he prods.

9902's gaze jumps to where his older brother and their youngest are bickering about 9901's knife-throwing abilities, which, for the record, are virtually nonexistent. It fills him with a strange sense of desperate longing. He doesn't know that anything about this will change, or that there is even a logical reason to be concerned, but he still is. "Yes," he replies firmly.

The hand on his shoulder is warm and strangely comforting, anyway, though. 9902 leans into it just a bit.

He doesn't… want this to be their last night.

Unsurprisingly, 9903 isn't the only one who notices something is wrong. He feels their youngest's eyes on him, but he never asks.

It's 9901, instead, of course, who approaches him. "Hey," he says, sliding onto the bench now that the other two are squabbling about something in the background and are presently distracted. "You okay? You seem distracted."

"It's nothing," 9902 replies a bit briskly, because he doesn't want to explain. He doesn't want to talk about how he's terrified this will be their last night together.

"Talk to me," he requests, touching his shoulder.

The touch is comforting and grounding, and he leans into it the slightest bit, desperately hoping this won't be their last moments together. He survives without them in waking hours, but it's his brothers that keep him up and moving. It's true for them all, if they're real. "I will explain later," 9902 offers at last. It isn't much, but it's something, and it's enough to somewhat soothe his older brother, at least. He hovers a few minutes before pulling back, concern still written on his face, but he turns away like he was asked.

Hopefully, there will be something to tell. If they're not real, it isn't something he wants to face, either.

**w**

9904 noticed by the end. 9902 thinks they all noticed it, but they didn't really… pressure.

He's been mapping out more of the facility bit at a time. Hacking into the network is… easy enough.

They're real. They… are. 9904 is in the facility right next to him. They're real, and that means they could see each other if they wanted to. In person, not just through dreams. Through more than scattered glimpses.

That night, their dream is the same. As is the next.

There's something thrilling about sneaking into the next facility. This is where 9904 is. He's close, and 9902… wants to see him. For real. Living. (They're alive. All his brothers are alive, and it's almost ridiculous how happy he feels about that.)

He leaves the rifle he made for 9904 somewhere he'll be able to find it, before retreating to his own facility before he's discovered. And then, all he can do is wait.

Night comes agonizingly slowly. 9902 almost wishes they could've scheduled nap time like they once tried to, but it never really worked out. 9903 very rarely was able to show up, because he always got too excited, and then frustrated, and then couldn't sleep at all. And it was hardly fair for the other three to be there without him, so they had to settle for only meeting at night again, for as exhausting as the wait sometimes gets.

9902 appears almost the same moment 9903 does tonight – the other two are already here, and maybe it's because he was so impatient to fall asleep. It… was not helping.

9904 looks distinctly happier than 9902 ever remembers him being, at least in a while. "My name's Crosshair," he announces.

9902 stares at him, then pushes himself up. "You… have a name?"

He looks excited, almost hyper. "Yeah."

"How'd you get it?" 9901 inquires. He's sitting on his bunk still – they all are.

"I… was target practicing?" he supplies, "And I hit someone. Not blaster bolts," Crosshair adds before their oldest can panic. "He looked like the regs, but he was older. And he had a lot of scars. It was weird, but he called me that."

"It fits," 9901 agrees. 9903 makes a cheerful sound of agreement, hopping off his bunk and scooping 9 – Crosshair into a hug, ignoring his yelp.

"There are no regs like that," 9902 interjects, still slightly confused. And this is real, so there's no way it's something that his mind made up. It's something else. "It may have been our genetic host," he points out.

"Put me down before you break my ribs," Crosshair yelps, flailing, and 9903 drops their now-grumpy little brother onto his bunk.

This means he got it, that it's real. And that's almost more important than their names.

9901 stands, pacing the length of the room. "With our names, you can go first."

9902 has no ideas of his own. He's thought about it on occasion, but never… it would be more meaningful if someone else gave it to him.

"I'll be Boom," 9903 announces.

The others stare at him.

"I refuse to call my brother Boom," 9902 argues fiercely.

Crosshair shudders violently in over-dramatic agreement. "I'll die first."

"What?" 9903 protests.

"What about Wrecker?" 9901 suggests, before they can start squabbling.

9903 brightens. "Yes!"

"That is an accurate description," 9902 agrees dryly.

"What about yours?" 9901 inquires, turning to him.

"Technobabble jargon," Crosshair supplies.

"I can't pronounce that!" yelps Wrecker, because that's his primary concern before the ridiculousness of that being a name in the first place.

"That is not a name," 9902 informs Crosshair, flatly, "And nor will it be mine."

"Can be," he shoots back, smirking.

"What about… Tech?" Wrecker objects.

"That…" Doesn't actually sound so bad, after all. Besides, he'd rather pick something before Crosshair comes up with another even more outlandish suggestion. "…works," 9902 – Tech – finishes.

"And I'll be Hunter," 9901 supplies.

They're named now. They're real. 9 – Tech has been waiting for this for a long time now, waiting to tell them, and he's not fully sure how or where to start. Instead, he finds himself thinking of how Crosshair got his name in the first place, and he can only imagine.

Tech… did give Crosshair a rifle for that.

It takes a moment to picture it again in detail, but he materializes an identical copy – one he hasn't made before.

Crosshair looks at him, eyes wide. "How'd you know what it looks like?"

"I made it for you," Tech answers bluntly. "I took it to your barracks." He crosses the room, holding it out to him.

"You," Crosshair echoes, staring. He looks stunned and touched at once.

"It's yours."

"You gave it to him?" Hunter asks quietly. Probing, no doubt.

"Yes," Tech replies, "A day ago. After verifying his location, and that we were all recorded."

Wrecker is staring at him now. Actually, they all are.

"You're real," Crosshair repeats, staring.

Tech's known it for longer, but it still feels like it's sinking in. The excitement certainly hasn't worn off. "Yes. I already verified what facilities each of us are in."

"We could… meet?" Hunter asks.

"Let's do it!" Wrecker yells unnecessarily loudly, jumping up.

Tech can relate, though. "It is possible, yes," he confirms.

"Do… you know what caused this connection in the first place?" Hunter queries.

"… No." He has no idea. It's unheard of, and it doesn't make sense.

"Do… you think that would break it, whatever this is?" Hunter dares to voice.

It's somewhat relieving to know he's not the only one who's been repeatedly asking that question. "Considering how this is entirely unheard of, I have no way of knowing." He wants to do it, anyway, but he's not stupid enough to risk it, not when they can't know each other short of sneaking out to see each other, not when… they have no way of knowing if the connection will be broken.

"Yeah," Crosshair agrees quietly.

Tech doesn't want to risk losing them. They're – they're his brothers. They're important. They mean… everything. A lot. He could never… have it any other way.

Even if the choices they have to make are hard.

**w**

They… don't. They don't see each other until they're seven, when Nala Se, of all people, calls them together. They're being assigned to start specialized training, to start preparing together as a squad.

Trying not to stare at the others is very, very hard. Seeing them in person is…

It's…

They talked about this, but seeing it is different. (Why is he suddenly nervous? That is ridiculous.)

She directs them to their barracks before leaving.

It looks exactly the same as the one in their dreams. Almost as though they grew up here together, like Tech always wished they had. It even has the window overlooking Kamino on the side, and their bunks are in the same places, and… even if they've specialized their dream-room throughout the years, this still has the same… exterior. Without the drawings and scribbles and knife marks on the walls.

He's still staring when Wrecker hug-tackles him.

Tech yelps a bit ungracefully, though he supposes he should've anticipated that. Wrecker is, well, Wrecker, and he will always have very little impulse control.

"It's just like our dreams," Wrecker says, clearly just as blown away by it.

"Yes," Tech agrees – wheezes, more accurately – "And this is entirely uncalled for." Even if he can't say he actually… minds. He's been waiting this day for so long, and he didn't know if it would ever happen.

Finally, Wrecker puts him down, moving on to try pouncing Hunter while Tech turns to look back at their room. They can make it look just like their dreams now if they want to. And it's thrilling.

The others are chattering in the background, and he busies himself with studying every available inch of the room, just to see if it's really exactly the same. And he doesn't see anything different, short of the things they've altered themselves.

A sudden, unexpected tapping on the door snaps him out of it, and they all freeze.

"Uh," Wrecker says slowly, "Is someone supposed to be here?"

Hunter turns, staring at the door, a sudden recognition flashing across his face. "Not that I know of." He opens the door, anyway.

It's… the girl. Omega. She's a little older than when Tech last saw her watching him from afar – all four of them have, on multiple occasions, seen her following Nala Se like a silent shadow, always watching. What is she doing here?

"Hello," she offers a bit shyly, waving.

"Hey, kid," Hunter replies, smiling.

"My name's Omega,"

"Wrecker told us," he responds, glancing at the brother in question.

"You remembered me?" She looks so happy and hopeful about it.

"That is correct," Tech supplies. Presumedly, as Nala Se's assistant – if that is what she is, and she is at least her ward, which is very unusual – she knows about all of them, and always has. Nala Se watched them all very closely, and now, he understands why.

"I wanted to see if you were okay," she confesses, "I know you just met, and you used to be together when you were younger."

That is something Tech… knew, but didn't fully realize, either, because while it was obvious they were from the same batch, he didn't know that they were together long enough to be notable. As long as he remembers, he's always been with the regs.

"It's fine," Hunter promises, "We've always known each other." And Tech doesn't know why they're telling her this when they don't know her at all, except maybe that she's the first person who seemed to genuinely care about them, and it's… it's strange, but he trusts her.

Her eyes widen a bit, and she looks between them. "How?" she queries, "I thought… I thought they were keeping you apart."

"They were," Tech confirms.

"Dreams," Crosshair supplies, "We talk every night."

"Oh." Omega looks mind-blown and curious at once. "How do you do that?"

"It just happens," Wrecker supplies.

"We always saw our barracks here," Hunter adds. "How do you know about us?"

Omega hesitates for only a moment. "I was there when you were created. Nala Se kept you in her lab to watch your mutations until she knew how it would affect you. That's when you were sent to be with the other regs."

She knew them when they were babies and even before they were born? That is… fascinating. "When were we separated?" Tech asks. He doesn't remember anything of a time before being with the regs, but sometimes, thinking about it now, he almost wonders if he has impressions from it.

"You were a few months old."

The conversation is interrupted when Nala Se herself appears in the doorway. "Come along, Omega," she says, putting a hand on her shoulder. "There is work to do."

Omega looks as disappointed as they all do, but she follows the Kaminoan, pausing briefly to wave before the door closes.

For a few moments, they just stand there.

The silence is broken when Crosshair – somewhat awkwardly – requests Tech to come with him to get… his things.

And on hindsight, Tech should not be as surprised as he is that Crosshair apparently made Lula for Wrecker for real, too.

Wrecker hug-tackles him the moment Crosshair returns with her.

Hunter is watching them almost wistfully. "I wonder what it would've been like if we did grow up here," he admits at last.

Tech does, too. He's thought about it so many times, once he first started questioning if they were more than figments of his imagination. Even though it's not as if wondering will ever change that they didn't. "Different," he responds, looking back to where Wrecker and Crosshair are practically scuffling for no reason now, "But we wouldn't be where we are now."

Hunter looks peaceful for maybe the first time when he smiles. "True."

Wrecker still hasn't let go of Crosshair, who he's now dragged onto the floor, though he's clutching Lula just as fiercely in his other arm. For once, Crosshair isn't complaining about it.

Tech sits down next to Crosshair – he won't sit on Wrecker's other side and risk being squashed – and Hunter joins on the far end beside Tech. They used to curl up together sometimes when they were young, and now that they're together, they have no reason to be any different.

He feels… contented here. It's a strange feeling, and for the first time, one he's not afraid of losing. They're together, and why would he need to worry about that?

Hunter wraps an arm around Tech's waist, reaching over to grab Crosshair's hand, who takes it instantly.

Their breathing calms, evening out a bit, though they don't fall asleep for a long time. There's too much to say, and maybe they're just a bit too afraid to sleep, uncertain of what it will mean.

It happens anyway, far too close to sunrise, but it happens.

And it's the first time Tech has actually slept, to the best of his memory. It's… a strange sensation.

Final Notes: Reviews are always appreciated! ^-^

Come hang out on Discord (delete spaces), discord . gg / nqSxuz2 or find us on tumblr at fanfictasia (our more serious blog which does have controversial posts on it; I won't be offended if you choose to block it, promise), and disastertriowriting (which is our fun blog with crack posts or incorrect SW quotes)

We've got a YT channel for tributes! (delete the spaces) youtube channel / UC_g1M5rSCxJUzQCRS29B6pA

ALSO: We have SW gift request forms for General, Anakin-Clones-centric, and Bad Batch fics. :D (delete spaces) bit . ly / CourtesyTrefflinFicRequests