"Stop fidgeting, Echo." Kix chided. "I can't do this if you keep moving around."

Echo didn't want to be here in the cramped mini-medbay. "How many more samples do you need? I'm not showing any symptoms anymore."

"This isn't just about you, Echo. The data we collect from you could help others."

Damn Kix for always putting everything in perspective.

Echo sighed again.

"Fives said he'd collect our kit," Kix expertly capped a vial and reached for another.

"It's not the same. The last time we got new armor was when we became ARC troopers."

"That was less than a year ago! I've had my kit since Kamino."

"It's... it's still a big deal to get new armor."

"And, you'll get it. You're still off-duty for a few more days, Echo. It gives you plenty of time to paint it and get used to it."

"I have my medical clearance!"

"Fives wrote that flimsiwork. The only truth on it is likely your name and CT number."

Echo smirked. "He does have a good imagination." He watched Kix reach for another vial. "Leave some for me, yeah? Come on, Kix, the 501st started back in training this morning. We should be there."

"You're not ready." Kix offered Echo a suitably sympathetic look and then went back to his blood collection. "I'm sorry you're missing it."

"I'm sorry, too," Echo grumbled, although his inherent good nature wouldn't allow him to stay annoyed for long. "So, what are we doing here, other than draining all my blood like a Vjun Mist Bat?"

Kix snorted at the analogy to the mysterious creatures purported to drain the life forces of those unlucky enough to encounter them. "I'm not that bad."

"You are," Echo bared his teeth like vampire fangs.

Kix laughed. "Fine. This is the last one, then. I should have enough here to conduct my research. In simplest terms, there's something odd going on and we need to investigate it more."

"Oh, that's some deep science, brother."

Kix snorted again, capped the final vial and set it down next to the others. He pulled his datapad from his belt and set it down flat on the workbench so they could both easily see it. "We need to figure out what's different about you."

"Other than my super intellect and stunning good looks?"

Kix raised up an eyebrow in response, but his eyes sparkled. He was happy to see Echo awake and back to himself. "Yes, other than that, brother."

"This is about that anomaly in my head." Echo had seen the scans- albeit briefly- before they'd fled ArmyMed. He flipped through the scans, zooming in on them carefully. "Why does it look so distorted and destroyed?"

"Ah, you see, that is what's different about you. This same anomaly has been discovered in other clones, but yours is different in appearance."

"Why?"

"Not sure," Kix admitted, closing up the small wound with a small micro-cauterizer, "but I have some theories."

"Shouldn't you be looking at my head, then, and not my blood? Or, your head? Or Fives' head? Although, there's not much there in Fives' head, so maybe another brother."

Kix smiled in amusement. "You are feeling better." He packed up the blood vials for transport. "In answer to your question, we have enough scans of your head, although that's a good idea about getting scans for the rest of us. Wouldn't be the same resolution, though. We're prohibited from doing high-level scans."

"Why can't you do high-level scans?"

Kix shrugged. "Kaminoan rules. It was just something that was drilled into us at medic's training from the beginning," he said softly.

"But, why?"

Kix frowned. "I don't know. I never thought to ask that question. I was still in training on Kamino."

"But, we're not on Kamino anymore. So, we're allowed to ask questions. Well, some questions anyway. So, why don't the Kaminoans want us doing high-level scans on our brains?" Echo tapped his head. "What's in here that they don't want us to see? I have an anomaly. It made me sick. According to you, my body did a thing and fought it off. Now, I'm better. Other clones had it, too. What happened to them?"

"They died."

"That's not encouraging, Kix."

"They were all head trauma patients, Echo, usually with multiple other battle injuries. Different circumstances."

"You said other medics were working on this, too."

"Just one that I know of- the Chief Medic of the 212th."

"Ah, Cavil. He's a great brother. Saved my life a few times."

"He didn't make it, Echo."

Echo's face fell. "Oh, I hadn't heard. Keen must be devasted."

"He didn't make it either."

"Shab. The 212th lost both their top medics. I've really been out of it."

"Well, you've had a lot going on. Yeah, big loss for the 212th."

Echo squeezed Kix's shoulder. "Don't know what we'd do if we lost you, brother."

Kix gave a thin smile. "Let's hope you never have to find out."

He didn't offer up any promises, though. They both knew how quickly you could lose a brother in battle.

"How did he find these things-" Echo pointed vaguely at his head "if medics can't do high-level scans?"

Kix shrugged. "He must have found a workaround."

"Some way to make the equipment do things it is not supposed to do," Echo murmured thoughtfully.

"I have no idea how that would be done. Cavil always was better with the technical aspects of medicine. If anyone could get the equipment to do something it's not supposed to do, it would've been him."

"Then, that's what we're going to do."

Kix raised an eyebrow at Echo again. "What you're talking about is highly against regs."

"So is rescuing two Legions on our own and yet we did it anyway. Puts things in perspective, doesn't it?" He gestured toward the blood vials. He checked his chrono and then looked around the micromedbay. "This place has a spectroanalyzer, yeah? Let's see what might be different about my blood."

# # #

"How's it look, Iron?" Wolffe knelt down next to Cody and supported his head. OK, he tried to look like he was supporting his head. It was more like cradling his head.

There was still smoke wisping off the giant hole in Cody's midsection.

It was bad.

Clones didn't survive gut shots.

If there was one thing clones were good at; it was killing. But, they didn't kill other clones. Why had Cody's XO shot him? No brother in his right mind would do such a thing and that only left the disturbing possibility that he was not in his right mind. The blank look in Ko's eyes right after the shooting was haunting.

"Get his chest plate off. I won't know anything until I get a better look." Iron was brusque, almost to the point of being rude. But, he was the best fekkin' medic Wolffe had ever encountered and he knew he was lucky to have him. "You- Captain- get off his shoulder plates, vambraces, anything on the upper body and get his upper bodysuit open. I need access to his chest and I'll probably have to jam a lot of shots and tubes into him. I don't want anything in the way."

He was ordering both Wolffe and Rex around like they were rookies, but neither of them objected. Iron could just have easily sent them away and there was no place they wanted to be right now except by Cody's side.

Rex's hands shook as he worked at the latches. "Fekkin' phase II," he grumbled, "if this was Phase 1, he'd be stripped to his vatling suit by now." He tore off his helmet to get a better look at the latches.

Wolffe simply grunted, struggling with armor releases that were both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. He hissed out a long breath of frustration and then also pulled off his helmet so he could get a better look at the armor. The new Phase 2 was just enough different to trip him up.

"Take your time, officers," Iron's voice was dripping with sarcasm, "the Commander obviously has all day." He didn't look up from where he was methodically laying out supplies from his grey medpack emblazoned with the Wolfpack logo.

Rex shot him.

"Don't," Wolffe muttered to Rex. Now was not the time to confront the medic. He'd talk to Iron about his attitude later. Not that it would do any good. He'd been a thorn in Wolffe's side since he'd joined the pack. It was part of what Wolffe liked about him.

His kidney and chest plate were fused together. He held up the two pieces to Rex and the two exchanged a worried look before quickly returning their attention to stripping Cody of the rest of his upper kit.

If the shot had destroyed his armor, what had it done to his insides?

Finally. Thank the brothers beyond.

Cody was stripped bare from the waist up and all of the frustrating armor bits were off to the side.

Iron studied the wound carefully as he switched out his field gloves for a pair of steri-gloves. He tugged on a pair of surgical-magnifiers and leaned in, giving the wound a careful scrutiny. He leaned back and made a sound low in his throat.

Wolffe didn't like that sound. When Iron made that sound, it meant Wolffe was losing a member of his pack.

He wanted to exchange a look with Rex but didn't dare. He needed to be strong right now and if he looked at Rex, he just might lose it. Rex had to be wrecked right now.

The 501st's new pansy of a commander, Appo, was shepherding troopers away. He was good for something, at least. Something other than getting troopers killed.

Wolffe caught Comet's eye. "Make a barricade around us. We don't need an audience."

Comet nodded and took charge of every available 104th member. There were a few 212th troopers who'd refused to go off with Appo, and Comet set them to work, too. They quickly created a mountain of training materials, blocking the critically-injured officer from prying eyes.

"Talk to me, Iron."

Iron ignored him so long Wolffe thought he wasn't going to respond. He finally inhaled sharply and gave his prognosis. "If we try to treat him here, he won't make it. He needs a full surgical suite. The nearest one is ArmyMed."

Someone had tried to kill Cody down on Corrie. Bringing him back there was a terrible idea.

"He doesn't have much time," Iron urged, "he needs to get into surgery STAT and it's the closest critical-care military facility."

Rex nodded. There wasn't any choice. Not if Cody were to live.

Iron barked orders into his wrist comm, opening up a channel to the other medics nearby.

Wolffe gave Cody one final look, squeezing his unconscious brother's shoulder in support. "Rex, we can't do any more here other than get in the way."

Rex nodded. "Hey Codes, hang in there, alright?" He leaned in and gently brushed his forehead against Cody before quickly getting back out of the way of Iron.

Wolffe gestured to Rex to walk a few steps away with him. They stood over by the barricade erected by the Wolfpack.

"What the fek happened?" Rex asked quietly under his breath. Most clones had been cleared away, but it wouldn't do any good to feed the gossip mill anymore than necessary.

"Ko turned on him. Shot him point-blank in the chest. He would have shot him a second time if we hadn't stopped him."

Rex was shaking with anger. "Where is he now?"

"Holding cell."

Rex nodded approvingly. "Ko served with Cody for over two years. Why would he turn on him?"

Wolffe scrubbed at his face and jaw. "I don't know. None of this makes any sense."

A clattering of booted feet signaled the arrival of more medics from the other side of the hangar. Coric, Digger and Glitch slid in beside Iron and they worked together, speaking in low tones, in an orchestrated flurry of administering hypos, checking vitals, and packing the chest wound for transport.

Nothing about it looked hopeful.

"Commander," Sinker came up to Wolffe and handed him a discarded helmet. "This belonged to Captain Ko. Some of the other clones said he was having problems with his kit. They think maybe it was the bucket."

Wolffe inspected the helmet inside and out and then handed it over to Rex.

Rex turned on his helmet lamp and peered inside the bucket. "I tore my Phase II apart so I could create a better helmet. I learned the wiring of these things. This one looks norm-" He stopped and then tapped his finger against an extra wire by the ear. "No, wait. This shouldn't be here."

Wolffe stared into the bucket. "You saying someone tampered with his bucket?"

"I don't know. But, we're both Captains and the wiring in our helmets should be identical. His bucket has a wire that mine does not."

"Could he have added that wire himself?"

"Possibly. It's worth looking into. Although, hard to see how a bad wiring job could cause..." Rex's jaw tightened and he gestured to Cody's fallen form and the medics clustered around him.

"Sinker, you and Boost check this over in the Wolflab. But, be discreet."

Sinker looked affronted as if he would be anything but discreet.

Wolffe rolled his eyes and continued. "We have an entire Legion who is being outfitted with this new gear. We don't want to cause any undue alarm. And, keep this quiet. Imply we think it was all an accident and Cody probably won't make it."

Rex shot Wolffe a sharp look. "That better not come true, brother."

Wolffe sighed. "Cody's stubborn, but it's bad, Rex." He turned his attention back to Sinker and Boost. "Keep this quiet." Wolffe stressed again. "If you hear any scuttlebutt, redirect it. We can't do a proper investigation if those involved start covering their tracks." He pressed the helmet back into Sinker's hands. "Go. Use the nearest empty room, closet or storage space you can find and tear that thing apart."

A medstretcher, loaded up with Cody and with medics on either side, whisked by them. They both watched in grim silence as the medics ran for a nearby evac, waiting with the engines running. All four medics ran aboard at full-tilt, propelling the stretcher between them.
He wanted to be on that ship with Cody.

But, Wolffe was right. They needed to keep a lid on this situation. At least a dozen troopers had witnessed what had happened. He needed to talk to all of them. Better yet, he and Wolffe needed to talk to them together and make them fear the wrath of... well, angry Rex and Wolffe. If they didn't keep them quiet, it would be all the entire Legion was talking about by midmeal and word of it would surely leak off the ship.

Cody- shot by one of his own...

Rex winced as the lingering smell of melted plastoid and scorched flesh filled his nose. He'd have to tell the Jedi… something. Almost certainly not the truth.

A heavy feeling settled in his gut as the LAAT disappeared through the shimmering force shield and descended out of sight toward the planet below.

# # #