Chapter 4 - Saleucami
Author's Note: In other words, what happens when the dad isn't around to babysit the million kids :D
I've got a few things to say about this chapter. Well actually, this is technically about the previous chapter. :P I was thinking about it, and someone mentioned it, so I thought I might as well explain a bit of why I made Hunter react exactly the way he did in the hangar. For one, I thought that he, as their Sergeant, would feel far more protective of them than Crosshair did in Canon, hence he'd be fighting harder, trying to get them to stand down so he didn't have to hurt them.
Secondly, he was going after Echo and Crosshair most because Crosshair's the sniper and therefore, the most dangerous, and Echo is the one who's been fighting their orders tooth and nail from the time it started. Hunter was hoping if he stopped Echo, the others might be more willing to listen to him. Which. Is obviously untrue, but he had a legitimate reason for thinking it. I suppose subconsciously, there might've been a teeny part of his mind more willing to hurt Echo than the others because he didn't grow up with him, especially since Echo's the oldest of them, and therefore, Hunter would feel... a little less protective of him. (Plus Wrecker and Crosshair hero-worship him, and he'd feel really, really bad about hurting them.)
And I wrote it with the intention of Hunter's chip behaving slightly different than Crosshair's, yes. It's less active, and Hunter has far more self-control whereas Crosshair is far more emotion-driven, and therefore, Hunter's much more self-aware that everything isn't entirely his own doing than Crosshair was. Not as though there's anything he can do about it, anyway though.
Third... well. I've decided to make Doomsday into a series. :D Doomsday itself covers the entire first season, and the entire main, initial plotline is closed up in here. The other books/parts are... bonus things I wanted to do in the universe anyway. Lol. So. If anyone has any suggestions/thoughts/scenes/whatnot they think would be cool to happen in the second season, let me know! :D I have the second season mostly planned, but I'd still like to know if anyone has anything to say about it. 💖 I can still alter/fit things in rn.
PS: I know you don't know what happens in the first book yet, but still. ;-; xD And take your time, I won't be ready to start those parts for a while.
~ Rivana Rita
Omega spends the next hours crawling across the whole ship. Crosshair would've spent it trying to sleep if not for that. Not that he could've anyway. It's hard to think about anything except what just happened. His oldest – second oldest – brother is gone. When Echo joined them, Rex had said... Echo was somewhat codependent on his brother Fives, who... had died. Echo hadn't taken it well when he found out. Crosshair never really understood the meaning of that term until right now.
Everyone in Clone Force 99 is dependent solely on each other, but still, he just... wishes it had been someone other than Hunter, so they'd at least have some sort of purpose or destination, or something in mind. Right now? They have nothing.
But thinking about him at all hurts too much, so it's relieving when Tech tells them that they're arriving at Saleucami.
It's Omega's first time off Kamino. He hadn't realized that before, but from how she pauses when she steps off the ship, blinking at the sun and trees and dirt with a wide-eyed awe, it's obvious. She drops to her knees right after stepping off the ramp, running her hands through the dirt. "What is this?"
Crosshair just watches her, not entirely sure how to answer, not even knowing if he needs to. But she lived on Kamino her whole life, on a water planet – how could she know, if she's never been off it before?
"That would be dirt," Tech informs her bluntly.
Omega stands, jumping in it, giggling gleefully as she kicks it up around her. "It's amazing!"
Some of the tightness in Echo's expression smooths over a bit, softening. (Crosshair has no doubt that Hunter would be watching with much the same look if he were here.)
She's laughing, smiling, and Crosshair hasn't... seen children with this lightheartedness since they were last on Saleucami – with Shaeeah and Jek, who they're about to see again.
"We should go," Tech says after a few minutes of watching her, leading the way down the path. They're surrounded by plants taller than them, and Omega looks nearly two seconds from taking off to see more, to see more of the farm. He understands that – it is a beautiful place.
"So, what's this friend of yours doing all the way out here?" Echo inquires.
"Hiding," Tech answers indifferently, "That's what deserters do."
"And you trust a deserter?"
"Why not?" he replies, "We're all deserters now."
**w**
Cut and Suu find them shortly after in the forest and take them back to the house. "I see a few new faces," Cut remarks as they approach the house.
"Echo and Omega," Tech replies.
"Where's Hunter?" Cut queries, and the tense silence returns. In some ways, talking to other people makes it even harder. Hunter used to do all the talking for them. Tech specializes in machines. Crosshair's role as a sniper made him learn to stay quiet for extended periods, and he's never had a reason to do otherwise. Wrecker is always, well, Wrecker, and Echo just met them on top of being quiet by nature.
"Well," Tech replies, "When the executive Order 66 came through, Hunter was the only one willing to carry it through. He... chose the Empire."
"Rex told us about the clone troopers turning against the Jedi," Cut answers.
Rex?! He, at least, is alright. That realization sends a surprising amount of relief surging through Crosshair – Rex was one of the only other people they know and can trust.
Echo jolts forwards at the mention of his former captain. "You talked to Rex? When?"
"Well, he passed through yesterday."
"Where'd he go?"
"Didn't ask. He was going on about some behavioral implant."
"He must mean the inhibitor chip," Omega says, suddenly materializing next to them. "The Kaminoans implanted them in the clones to modify their behavior."
Her words make Crosshair feel strangely empty and numb. Tech had mentioned... something of that nature, but he never explained how it worked. They had suspected that's what was causing it, but he hasn't been able to think about it since Kamino. They don't... know that. What if that's not what caused it? None of the others reacted to it. How do they know that's what happened?
How can they know that – that Hunter didn't do it of his own choice?
If he wasn't, it means they left him there for nothing.
If he was, it means everything they lived was a lie.
Either way, it – it doesn't change what happened. It doesn't change that he hurt and tried to kill them, or that Crosshair will never be able to look at his older brother the same again without remembering it.
The moment is interrupted when the children run into the house. "Mom, Dad! There's a ship outside!" the elder calls.
"Shaeeah, Jek!" Wrecker greets them excitedly. "Remember me?"
"Uncle Wrecker!" they chorus, running to him.
Crosshair watches them, leaning against the doorway – he would cross his arms if he could, but he can't put pressure on the blaster wound right now. Shaeeah and Jek take Omega outside, pausing only by him.
"Hi, Uncle Crosshair," they offer in a chorus, smiling. They look so... happy. He doesn't even know what that means. And the only family he's ever had are his brothers, not... but they're so innocent, and he doesn't know them well, but he smiles slightly at them, and they take off outside to play or whatever it is nat-borns do.
Crosshair doesn't know how old they are – never asked. It never mattered. All he knows is that he and his brothers are nine, except Echo, who's eleven, but these children couldn't be much younger. He can't even imagine what it would be like to live or be like that. It seems so... purposeless, but these were the people all the clones – both them and the regs – were made to fight for.
The whole concept of being nat-born instead of, well, growing in a tube is... strange. The whole idea of having someone inside you is extremely unnerving – not that it matters. And the idea of raising children together – or whatever it is Cut and Suu are doing – seems pointless, not that it matters, but he and his brothers had better figure it out fast, because they have to do something with Omega.
It's not like the clones were ever told how to handle children.
But if they can handle Wrecker –
"What's with the girl?" he hears Cut asking, and finally looks away from the kids to his brothers.
"She is a defective clone, like us," Tech answers.
"Not exactly," Cut replies.
"Meaning?" Echo prods.
"The Kaminoans don't create without a purpose. You all have one, so what's hers?"
"She was Nala Se's lab assistant, before she left Kamino with us," Tech answers.
"Battling droids was easy compared to raising a child," Cut warns, despite his obvious amusement. "You have no idea what you're in for."
Hunter would've known, a part of Crosshair's mind whispers, and he forces that aside. Hunter wouldn't have known any more than the rest of them. Echo would know best. But still, it feels like... they're lost. Maybe they are.
"We couldn't leave her on Kamino," Echo says, standing and approaching them. They're near the doorway, close enough to see outside.
"Technically," Tech interjects, "We didn't intend to take her with us. We went back, were accused of treason, and Omega helped us escape."
"Saleucami isn't safe anymore either," Cut tells them, "Rex warned us of the storm that's coming. Clone troopers have already started showing up. I'm heading into town to book us a transport off-world."
"Couldn't we take you to where you need to go?" Crosshair asks finally.
Cut shakes his head. "Too risky. You're wanted men. I have to do what's best for them." He's watching his children outside, and the others follow his gaze.
**w**
Cut goes to town alone. It's not as if any of them have a reason to go with him, or much of a way to – none of them could blend in with the population. "Hmm. It appears all public transport is now restricted without chain codes," Tech says, tapping on his datapad.
"How predictable," Crosshair mutters – because of course, with this new Empire, they're going to do something to make this worse. Of course, it can get worse.
"Which Cut can't sign up for. He'll be arrested when they discover he's a deserter," Suu explains.
"The next shuttle leaves in a few hours. Codes or no codes, we need to be on it," Cut says firmly.
"Mom!" Shaeeah yells, running inside. "Mom, it's Omega. She went out past the fence."
That instantly spurs everyone into action. Crosshair pulls on his helmet and draws his rifle from where it's been on his back practically since the hangar fight – he hasn't taken the time to clean it or anything yet, mostly because he can't right now – and runs outside, Suu one step behind. They climb into the roof together, and the sheer intensity of the moment makes the very real knowledge that he shouldn't be doing this yet fade from mind.
The nexu was approaching her slowly until Omega finally whirls and takes off running. Crosshair fires at it, and the creature lurches back, snarling. On a normal day, he'd have hit it straight through its head, but holding a rifle is hard, and he knows from before that Cut and Suu didn't like their children seeing dead creatures because... something. He doesn't know why it'd matter. Apparently, that's a thing that bothers nat-borns.
Suu fires a moment later, and Crosshair shoots at it again, the shot hitting its front leg. Snarling again, the nexu takes off.
"I got her," Wrecker calls unnecessarily loud, lifting Omega and carrying her back inside the safety of the fence.
The danger was averted almost easier than he anticipated, and with the fading of the sudden surge of adrenaline, the pain sets in. It's not too bad, though, so he ignores it – probably would've, anyway. He doesn't want to think about it or Hunter or any of that right now.
By the time they climb back down from the roof, everyone's gathered around Omega. Cut is crouched in front of her, talking to her with the same gentleness that he does his own children.
"I'm sorry," Omega says finally, shakily. She's scared. "I was just trying to get the ball. I didn't know."
"You're safe," Cut assures, "That's all that matters."
Watching this is so... strange. Crosshair can't remember the last time he was genuinely shaken up by something – minus when they nearly lost Wrecker, and... what just happened on Kamino. And throughout all that, he never... panicked like Omega did. He was trained for this. She clearly wasn't.
How are they going to... What, more accurately, are they going to do with her? Omega wasn't raised for this life.
"I..." She looks up, shaking slightly.
Shaeeah takes the ball from her, though she still sticks close.
"I want to be alone for a little while," she says finally, shakily. "If... that's alright."
"Alright," Cut says, lifting her into his arms and moving for the ship.
They watch in silence until she disappears. "All in all, I would say that could've gone much worse," Tech states.
Echo sighs. "What are we going to do with her?"
Tech and Crosshair just look at him – the look on Tech's face says everything that Crosshair himself feels about it. He has no idea. Hunter might have, but this is far beyond their scope of knowledge.
"What does that mean?" Wrecker asks finally.
"We are entirely untrained in the art of raising a child," Tech replies bluntly.
"Well... maybe we should figure it out."
"It's not that simple," Echo answers, eyeing Wrecker. "I – I have seen some of that before, but the situation was entirely different. The – the Commander was a Jedi. Omega's a medical assistant. She doesn't know anything about our kind of life."
Wrecker looks back to the Marauder's door. "She seems to understand it to me."
Crosshair scoffs. Can't help it. (If Hunter was here – he cuts that off there.)
"Well," Tech replies, "Seeing as she crossed the fence line and was nearly consumed by a nexu, I believe your theory to be incorrect."
"She wanted to stay," Crosshair reminds them. He still remembers that was what she had asked Hunter, back on Kamino, and... she's looked out for them. Of course, she's staying. She wanted to, and they... owe her. He could never be opposed to having another member to their squad so long as it's someone who actually... fits, and Omega certainly does.
Echo sighs. He looks tired, worn. "Yes," he agrees, "But she'll have to learn fast to keep her out of trouble. That is, if she's really staying."
"Children will always find ways of getting into trouble," Suu tells them, approaching, "It's what they do. Protecting them is what we do."
"She appears to be a fast learner," Tech points out. "She can learn."
"Ask her what she wants," Cut advises, having returned from the ship, "She needs to feel like a part of you."
They exchange glances again. "We'll manage," Tech replies.
"I was going to ask about the chain codes," Cut says, "If you can forge some..."
"I only learned of them moments ago, but yes," he assures.
**w**
Omega has seen – been through – many things, and she knew something like this could happen when she finally found her brothers again, but she wasn't expecting to – to nearly get killed.
She's sitting up in the gunner's mount of the Marauder, of the ship that is her brothers' home.
All of them, minus Hunter, and she may not have known him, but she can still feel his loss.
She's not... used to having to be afraid. Not like this. She isn't ready for it. Doesn't entirely know what she's doing. Doesn't really know what she's doing at all.
Omega only remembers vague bits and pieces, flashes of before first seeing her brothers. She was three, but she still remembers the thrill of what it was to not be alone down there. She still remembers seeing them, watching them grow and holding them and... taking care of them. But that's the only life she's ever known, even if she's dreamed of a different life, even if she's always wanted more.
Hesitantly, she reaches up, pulling off the pendant she wears, letting her short hair fall forwards across her forehead. It's... similar to how Hunter used to have it. She had to keep it back, Nala Se had said, to keep it from getting into her work.
Somehow, she never realized she would have to sacrifice the feeling of safety if it meant not being alone. If – if she wants to fit in here, she'll have to give up everything about the life she once knew.
Nala Se knew of Omega's constant dreams to find her brothers again. She – she always warned her against it, that she'd be a liability because she didn't understand this life, and that her presence would only... endanger her brothers more. That it was selfish for her to try.
But this doesn't... feel selfish.
She wipes her eyes on her hand, taking a few more moments to calm herself before finally sliding off the chair. Shaken up as she may still be, Omega still feels... like more.
She wishes Hunter was here. So much. She watched them every moment she could from afar, and she knows how gentle and protective he was with his brothers. She... wants that.
But maybe – maybe they can talk about that after they help these people.
It's been a few minutes before she hears Echo and Tech come in. Omega doesn't move from the seat in the gunner's mount, just staring outside.
"Omega?" Echo's voice asks quietly as he climbs in.
"Yeah?" she asks uncertainly, hesitantly.
He moves to stand beside her, a bit awkwardly, and she settles back, looking up at him. "I don't know these people well," he confesses, "But they're a good family. They'd take care of you, better than we could."
Her heart skips a beat. "I wanna stay with you," Omega protests.
"We're soldiers," Echo objects. "Our life is dangerous. It's no place for a child."
Her fingers curl around the pendant a bit, not because she wants it, more because she doesn't. She wants to be one of them. That's all Omega's ever cared about. "Is this about the – the creature?" she asks quietly, shakily.
"No," he promises, reaching out to squeeze her shoulder. "Not at all. But when I saw how Cut talked to you after... we've never taken care of a child before, Omega."
"That's okay," she insists, blinking back tears of raw desperation. "This is where I wanna be. It's –" I want to go home, to be with my brothers again, that's all I've cared about for years.
"Your life will be in constant danger," he points out, "And I can't promise we'll always be able to protect you."
"That's okay," Omega insists, because it is. That's not what matters. She belongs here – with them, with her brothers, with all she's ever had and wanted, and she used to care for them, too. "I'm ready."
He doesn't look certain, but he pulls back, nodding. "Alright. Tech and I will be in the back."
She nods, and he rounds the chair again, disappearing from sight.
She can hear them working at the computers in the room – at least she thinks they are. Crosshair is leaning against the doorway, watching, his helmet in his right arm. He's being so quiet; she didn't hear him come in, though she knew he was here. "Where are we going to find the data for these chain codes?" Echo asks, "And the disks?"
"Already thought of that. Clones now control the spaceport. There we can tap into their network and replicate the codes," Tech explains.
"Then what?"
"Well," Tech replies, "If they're tagging ships inside their impound facility. That is our way in."
"You're suggesting we call the authorities and have them seize our ship?" Echo inquires incredulously.
"That is exactly what I am saying."
"I guess if they think it's abandoned, that just might work," Echo sighs.
"We need a plan," Crosshair interjects finally.
"Hm? I just told you one."
"Sending our ship to the Empire is not a plan –"
"Do you have a better one?" Tech replies, smirking.
"How will we get the chain codes to Cut?" Echo interrupts before they can start squabbling.
"I can take them!" Omega volunteers.
"It's dangerous," Echo warns.
"She can do it," Crosshair says, and everyone's gaze snaps to him. "Children go unnoticed, most of the time."
"Now, we need to explain the plan to Wrecker," Tech declares.
That part, at least, isn't complicated, all things considered. Wrecker takes it fine, though he grumbles about it a bit, mostly irked by the stealth part and that he'll have to stay with Cut. Shaeeah and Jek pause to give Crosshair a goodbye hug, which he looks pretty freaked out about.
Omega can't help giggling, and he glares at her. She's instantly hit by an image of a certain, tiny, gray-haired child, long before he ever had the name Crosshair – or a name at all – glowering at Wrecker, who was already twice his size back then, and she only giggles harder.
It's hard, and she nearly gets caught a few times, but Omega does eventually make it to Cut and Suu, gives them the chain codes, and makes it back. Wrecker drops by to help her out once, but they get aboard the Havoc Marauder and into space before Echo, Tech, and Crosshair can get overwhelmed by the other clones that spotted them.
Omega climbs into the co-pilot seat again, watching as they streak away into the safety of hyperspace. And no, they're not all safe or all together, but this is – it's so much better than she thought it could be.
**w**
"Wrecker," Crosshair calls, and Omega looks up from the datapad she was looking at as she leans against Gonky. He's entering the hold from the cockpit and tosses what must be a ration bar at his brother before passing one to Omega.
"Ah, finally!" he exclaims, grabbing it and cramming it down in two bites. "Hit me again?"
"Rations are low," Crosshair replies shortly, snapping the container closed and moving to take it elsewhere. "Stop being voracious."
"What does that mean?"
"You wouldn't be so hungry if you hadn't thrown your tray at that reg on Kamino."
Omega turns her ration bar over in her hand. Her brothers have faster metabolism than her, because of their age, and Wrecker has always needed to eat more than the others. She can wait. "You can have mine," she offers, holding it out to him.
Wrecker brightens and snatches it. Crosshair shakes his head and disappears from the room to the side-storage room. He returns with another ration bar, anyway, and breaks it in half, tossing one half to Omega. "Eat," he tells her, sitting in one of the chairs in the room to eat the other half.
"Isn't it yours?" she objects hesitantly.
"Hm. Not anymore."
"But..."
"It's fine, kid." She's still hesitant, but he's probably not hungry. He's hurting, in more ways than one, and it's natural to have a very low appetite when you're in pain. She smiles up at him instead, looking back to her datapad.
Suddenly, the lights dip, something in the ceiling sparking.
"Echo," Crosshair calls, "These lights don't look fixed."
"Yeah, add it to the list," the cyborg calls from the cockpit, voice laced with irritation as he moves back to the co-pilot seat, "The ship got hit hard when we fled Saleucami. Several systems have been glitching ever since. Repairs would go faster if I had some help."
"As soon as I finish building this scanner," Tech replies flippantly, "Testing the functionality of our inhibitor chips takes precedence."
"But I thought you said they were defective," Echo argues.
"A theory this device will be able to prove. Besides, the ship-wide diagnostic report indicated no critical systems were compromised."
A sudden rumbling sounds, and the ship jolts, throwing Omega sideways a bit. She pushes herself to her feet, looking up. The blue-white hyperspace glow in the cockpit is gone.
"Being thrown out of hyperspace isn't critical?" Crosshair asks dryly, standing and entering the cockpit.
"It's not affecting life support. We're fine," Tech assures.
"The power capacitor's blown. We need to land immediately," Echo warns.
Omega watches, already picking up on the sudden shift in atmosphere. Everyone looks... scared, or at least nervous, and she doesn't like it. Her brothers are soldiers. They're strong.
"Get ready for your first crash landing," Wrecker tells her, barely managing to keep his balance with how hard the ship is shaking.
"Crash?" Omega echoes, wide-eyed. They're going to... crash?
Wrecker shoos her to one of the passenger seats and straps her in before climbing into the seat next to her and strapping himself in, never mind that the mechanism that is supposed to hold them in place looks way too small for him.
They are crashing. She can feel it, and everything is moving too fast. Something is smoking. Is the ship burning? Can ships burn in space? The gravity is shifting fast enough that Gonky tips over altogether and slides forwards into the cockpit, and she can only watch and practically wait for them to hit the ground or the whole ship to start on fire or –
"We're gonna die, we're gonna die, we're gonna –" Wrecker freezes when he sees her looking up at him in wide-eyed horror. She knows her brothers live with their lives at stake constantly but what if – "Be fine," he finishes lamely. "We're gonna be fine!"
Omega is entirely certain he finds it as fake as she does, but then the whole ship jolts violently again as they hit the ground. Her fingers clench tightly over the cold metal mechanism holding her there, and she waits and wonders what it would feel like to die. Would it hurt?
But it's so strangely quiet and dark and – this isn't what it's like to be dead, is it?
There's a quiet Crosshair-like grunt from the cockpit, followed by a thud. "Everybody dead?"
"Is it over?" Omega asks shakily, pulling her eyes open again.
"Yes, it is," Tech replies, the first to shake off the rush of adrenaline. Omega just feels cold, and her heart is still pounding even if there's probably not anything more to scared of. Hopefully that won't be happening on a regular basis. "Now, we need to assess the damage."
**w**
She doesn't understand much about the workings of the ship, but the damage it has is bad. One of their... capacitors was damaged, and Echo and Tech go outside to replace it with the last spare they have.
Meanwhile, Omega is perfectly content with hiding up here in the cockpit. Now that she's no longer scared, she's just exhausted. She can't help them repair the ship very well, so she alternates between watching out the viewport and playing with a spare breathing mask like the ones that Echo and Tech had been wearing when they went outside.
And then something huge hits the viewport, and Omega instinctively jerks back with a shriek. It's huge, and its sort of glowing green in some places, and it's holding an object that looks like the capacitor that they'd dug out of somewhere. "Look!" she yells, jumping up.
Wrecker is the first to the cockpit, the others crowding a few steps behind. "What?" he asks.
"Some kind of creature, about this big," she says, waving her hands to demonstrate, "With a long tail. It ran off with the part."
Echo moves forwards, powering up the ship. "She's right," he says, studying the small hologram display of the ship, parts of which are flashing. "The capacitor's gone. And that was our last one."
"The creature is most likely an Ordo Moon Dragon. A species that feeds on raw energy. It was probably drawn to the capacitor's electric charge," Tech offers.
"Well, that would've been good to know beforehand, Tech," Echo replies, voice laced with irritation. Beside them, Wrecker turns away, rubbing his head. Echo sighs, though he's still visibly frustrated. Omega's never really seen that change. "Tech and I can get the ship working, but how will we find the part?"
"Leave that to me," Crosshair replies.
Echo and Tech glance at each other, then at him.
"And me," Wrecker offers, even though he's still rubbing his head. Omega recalls, vaguely, that he might've hit it in the crash, though she was so scared she hardly could register anything but the crash.
"No. I'll go alone," Crosshair replies, picking up one of the masks.
Omega instantly thinks of Hunter, and of how they just lost him, and of how that giant creature is still out there. And almost as much as that, she's itching to feel like one of them, to belong. "I'll go with you," she objects, stepping forwards.
Crosshair looks at her, then to Echo and Tech. None of them object. "Stay close," he replies instead, turning for the door.
Omega puts the mask on herself – it's cool to wear, really – and follows him outside.
Wrecker stays behind, though he sounds grumpy about it, but he was hurt. It could be serious, but the moment she steps outside, her worries about that evaporate, being replaced by that nervousness that's been gnawing at her this entire time. It's cold out here, and windy. The air feels... strange against her hands and face. And that creature is still out here. It could attack them at any moment.
Crosshair looks through the scope of his rifle a few times, then lowers it, frowning. He is moving though, albeit slowly.
"How can you track it?" Omega asks, looking up at him curiously. It's been years, and she never fully understood the details of her brother's enhancements, if this is an enhancement at all.
"I see it's footprints," Crosshair answers. The mask muffles his voice.
"I don't see anything," she says, shining the flashlight she's holding at the ground. It just looks like rock to her. What would it be like to see so much? She can't imagine it. Is it still overwhelming for him? But Omega doesn't want to ask those questions, doesn't know if he'd be comfortable with it, or how they would think of her if they knew she... everything about her, really. It's not important anyway. And she remembers, from before, that Crosshair can see fine in the dark. It's no wonder he didn't even bring a flashlight out – though Omega needs one to see much of anything here. She doesn't like it. It's so, so dark, and anything could jump out at them at any moment.
He doesn't answer, and they keep moving, but something about the look on his face, something about the way he's moving says everything she needs to know. "Are you okay?" she asks quietly.
"Hunter used to have this role," he answers, not looking at her.
She pauses. "He... could see it too?"
"No. Hunter could... track the part's energy signature."
"It's not his fault," she finds herself saying finally, because they need to understand. She can't blame them for being upset, of course – they don't understand, but it wasn't Hunter's fault either. "He can't help it. You shouldn't be angry at him."
"Hm" is all he says in response. She's not quite sure what to make of that.
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