Chapter 10 - We Can't Be Caught, Oh No (1:7)
Author's Note: Yes. I changed a line or two just so Vision could make a stupid joke about it. What of that? I have no regrets. :) xD Also, it feels like this is her first real time to shine and alter stuff/be taken into account, so I'm a shred proud about that. 💖
~ Rivana Rita
'mega and I usually share a carton of Mantell Mix, because we don't need much more than that. We have enough to eat, with the missions we're going on for Cid. It's tight, but we can manage. Cid was not happy about the droid head failure, but she let us stay despite the fit she pitched about it. We owe her now, though, which isn't ideal.
We're on the way back from the mix stand when I feel a prickle of something. I don't know what, but someone's here.
Wrecker enters the parlor first, pausing. I glance up, to where our brothers are gathered by the table, eyes instantly falling on a very familiar white and blue armored clone. His hair's blond, like – is that him?
"Well, look who it is!" Wrecker booms, bouncing down the stairs and scooping Rex into a hug. "Come here, Rex."
I laugh, partly at the disgruntled sound Rex makes, partly at Echo's frantic attempt to keep from smirking. If Rex is here, what happened to Anakin? And his Commander – er, former commander or whatever? Are they alright? (They are. I know they are, because some deepfelt instinct whispers it to me.)
"Good to see you too, Wrecker," Rex wheezes.
"I thought you didn't like the regs?" Omega queries as we approach.
"This is Rex's bestie-brother-something," I inform her, "He's different. It's different if they're cool."
"This one we like," Wrecker agrees, spinning around and setting him down. Rex shoves him back and throws a wary sideways glance at him, and I crack up all over again.
"Omega, this is Rex," Hunter says.
Rex turns to us, 'mega actually, crouching. "I've met many clones in my time, but never one like you." Hunter and Echo exchange glances in the background, while Tech just watches.
"Is it the blonde hair?" I snip, "Or the fact that she's a she, because she's the second sister you've met – okay, whatever. Technically she's the first." Omega is, in fact, my mother, which is weird but like. She's still my sister first so...
"You're a generation one," Omega says, studying his face.
"Now how'd you know that?" Rex queries, slightly amused, maybe slightly weirded out.
"From the lines on your face."
Rex laughs. "Yeah, I guess I've been around."
"Can I ask you somethin'?" I query, shifting from one foot to the other. It's a nervous habit, but I don't even care.
He looks at me expectantly. "What is it, Vision?" He remembers my name. I don't know why that means so much, but it does.
"When... when it happened and – the order, whatever happened. When everything went Dark, I Saw you. You were... somewhere, and there was someone else there. I..." Why does this mean so much to me? I don't really know them. "I'm wondering if she's alright." I can't quite meet his eye, maybe because I know what I'm asking. That was a Jedi.
I can envision his surprise, either way. "We... all make different choices," Rex responds finally, "We parted ways, and I don't know what happened after."
I don't really know what that means. "Do... you know what happened to Anakin?" He's the only Jedi I knew, and he's the only person who Saw things like I can.
Rex looks away, grief flaring in his eyes. "I don't know."
"Sorry," I mumble, half uncertainly. It feels like I should say something anyway.
"It's fine," he assures, standing again. There's a heartbeat of silence. "Where's Crosshair?"
"He got Needs A Knock on the Head Syndrome," I deadpan before anyone else can think too hard into the question. Rex has a right to be curious, too, and I don't want anyone to start spiraling.
"There is no such thing," Tech replies flatly, staring at me like I just sprouted purple and green striped horns.
"Yes, there is. I grew up in a lab. I would know."
"The length of time you spent in a lab has no bearings on your intelligence," he informs me flatly.
I stick my tongue out at him.
Tech just looks at me blankly. He is no fun.
"Tech, I need one of those med patches," Wrecker interjects, groaning quietly, rubbing his head again. He's been doing that, and I don't like it.
"You used the last one," Tech responds, twisting a little to look at him. Thanks to Wrecker for distracting him at least.
"What's wrong?" Rex asks, instantly on high alert. There's something suddenly sharply intense on his face. Omega's eyes are wide and worried.
"Nothing. It's just a headache," Wrecker grumbles after draining a glass he must've snatched up when I was watching Rex.
"Which are becoming more and more frequent," Echo replies, waving his cup in Wrecker's direction. His tone expresses exactly how much that worries him.
"Is that so?" What? Why's Rex so suspicious about something?
"If you're concerned about the so-called inhibitor chips," Tech replies bluntly, shifting forwards and uncrossing his arms, obviously recognizing the growing tension as acutely as I am, "Don't be. Our deviant nature appears to have impeded their functionality." He pauses, adjusting his goggles, while Hunter keeps drinking in slow motion. "Except in Crosshair."
"You're telling me you haven't removed your chips?" ...okay?
"Rex?" Hunter says slowly, stepping in front of Tech and Wrecker, shielding them as Rex slowly reaches for his blaster. My hand shifts towards my own, instantly assessing a threat. If Rex is threatening my brothers, then...
"Those chips make you a threat to everyone around you. Even them," Rex replies tightly, jerking his head towards my sister and me. "You're all ticking time bombs."
"Take it easy, Captain," Hunter says tightly. I can't quite call his voice threatening, though there's a warning note to it. A threat to his brothers is one to him, and if – I don't get what the issue is, exactly. I mean. Crosshair turned on us because of this... thing, but I never really thought about what it'd mean for the regs. Is that the real reason they're all mean? And is that why Rex isn't or something?
"What's in your head is more dangerous than you can imagine. I've seen what happens when the chip activates, and I don't want to bury any more of our brothers. Trust me. It is not something you can control." I see the way Echo and Wrecker exchange glances, obviously remembering their discussion about Crosshair as acutely as I do. Tech glances at Wrecker, and Hunter shuffles back, gaze dropping. "I couldn't. It's a risk you do not want to take."
I watch, mostly numb, and Omega's hand is clinging to mine now, like that could help something. If one of our brothers lost their mind, I'd protect her, but that's not – they haven't already, so why would that change? And it's not like we can't go crazy too. And wait – Rex's chip activated? I guessed that from my vision, but it's different to hear.
Hunter looks at Omega and me, something calculating in his expression before it settles. "How do you suggest we get them out?"
"Good question," Rex replies, hand finally dropping away from his blaster. "I'll be in touch."
**w**
"He wants to cut open my head," Wrecker all but wails.
I pat his arm, even if I don't like that thought any more than he does. "You'll be fine. I'll hug you if that helps."
"All of our heads actually," Tech interjects cheerfully – he can be cheerful? – as he works on his scanner. Or maybe it's just flippant and me misreading because that's spookier than him glaring.
Well, usually, when he's cheerful, it's because he's about to chase me all around our barracks with his datapad and I Do Not Want to sit still.
"Not mine," Omega replies cheerfully, taking the tool Tech hands to her – she's been helping him this entire time, and she's probably far more qualified for it than I am. "I don't have an inhibitor chip."
"Why not?" Wrecker whines. "Now, that's not fair." He crosses his arm and pouts.
I pat his shoulder, then freeze. "Wait. If 'mega's safe, am I? Cuz I'm your... thingy?"
Tech looks up, unreasonably flustered. "Omega is your donor, but that has no bearings on whether you have an inhibitor chip as well."
"No," she replies, a strange note of regret in her voice, "You got one the same time all of our brothers did."
Oh, great. So, my sis put a mind-control thingy in my brain?
Yeah.
Not like our family could get any more screwed up than it already is.
**w**
We meet up with Rex again, and he takes us aboard a cruiser on Bracca. There's a medbay here that should help us, because... someone – and I'm gonna go right off and guess it was his Commander – removed his chip on one of these. Rex seems... tense now that we're back here, and I can only imagine the memories this is bringing back.
Aside from how Wrecker is nearly eaten by an underwater monstrosity, we make it to the medbay fine.
The moment I step inside, something... changes. I don't know what, but the air is humming tensely in anticipation. Wrecker has been abnormally aggressive and snappy this entire time – has been since Corelia now that I think about it. I don't like it.
Wrecker settles on the medtable first, and Omega takes his helmet off while Echo gets the lights up and working.
"Time to get scanned, Wrecker," Tech says, digging his machine out of his backpack which he sets on the floor.
Wrecker is none too appreciative of it. I can relate – I hate medbays, too. I hate being poked and prodded at, and I'd rather not watch as Tech starts scanning Wrecker. Hunter comes over to take Wrecker's backpack, and I just stare when Wrecker outright shoves him back.
He's chaotic and sometimes aggressively affectionate, but this isn't affection. He's acting like he's trying to protect himself, which makes no sense whatsoever. He can't hate medbays that bad, can he? Unless he's been very badly hurt here? Hunter wouldn't've let that happen. Assuming he had a choice. Probably, he didn't.
Omega looks at Wrecker and touches his arm, face pinched with worry, though I hardly see a shred of recognition in his eye.
"Hunter, just because the surgery worked on Rex, doesn't mean it's safe," Omega worries, approaching him as he piles Wrecker's gear up against the wall before taking off his helmet and setting it next to Wrecker's. "This is dangerous."
"Can't be more dangerous than getting it in, right?" I remind, squeezing her shoulder, eyes wandering back to Wrecker. He's the one that really needs help, even if instinct always draws me to 'mega first.
"It's more dangerous to leave their inhibitor chips in," Rex replies firmly, approaching us, too. He's standing beside me now, and I might once've found that uncomfortable, but not now.
"We have to do this," Hunter agrees, shrugging off his backpack, "It's worth the risk."
Omega's eyes dart to me, and she leans closer. "And what if something goes wrong?" she asks quietly, looking at the floor again. "I'll be left here with... no one." The question hangs heavily in the air. Truthfully, I know almost nothing about brain surgeries, though I don't like the thought of getting my head cut open, either. I do know how that could go bad, but it's not something I want to think about. I can't deal with the prospect of my brothers dying. They're all we've had. We can't lose them.
Hunter reaches out, laying a hand on her shoulder. "We're not going anywhere, Omega. You're stuck with us for the long run. Got it?" It's a promise, one I know we'll do our best to keep. I slide my arm around her waist, hugging her tight.
She smiles, though it's weak, and nods.
Omega's taken her bow off, so I shrug off my own, dropping my knife and blaster after a second thought. Don't have need for them right now, right?
Something's burning, humming under my veins as energy gathers around me unbidden. Something's wrong, something –
"I think I found something," Tech calls, his voice snapping my attention away from Omega. I pull back reluctantly, but approach them, because we need that. "Ninety degrees from his right orbital floor, below the parietal and temporal intersection –"
"Get that thing away from me," Wrecker snarls, ripping it off and shoving it at Tech. He stumbles back into Hunter and Rex who immediately move back themselves but catches the scanner anyway.
Wrecker just outright hit him, and I can only stare. That reminds me of how Crosshair was acting, and this isn't him. Wrecker groans, clutching his head – the right side where his chip is.
I approach him hesitantly, reaching up to touch his knee. "You'll be fine," I try soothing. The armor is hard and cold beneath my touch. I want to offer more, but there's nothing to give.
"Something's not right," Omega says worriedly. She looks so scared, and I hate seeing her like that. Wrecker has been... close with her both times, and they've bonded fast. As fast as he did with me.
"We need to speed this up," Rex agrees.
Tech nods to Echo, who gets to work on the machinery. I back away from Wrecker, turning to pace the room as the tension builds. Rex is talking, I think trying to distract us, but it's only going so well. Tech is hovering next to Wrecker, waiting as Echo gets the medical pod thing ready.
Wrecker's groaning now, a sort of desperate snarl-whine thing, and I wish there was something I could do about it, but – stars, there's nothing I can do but keep pacing, which I am. My boots screech slightly on the metal floor as I swing around, pacing the length of the room, breathing in sharply.
Energy is building, buzzing in the air, and I need –
"Relax, this won't hurt a bit," Tech says, and I twist around, pausing, just a few feet from them. I'm not far from Hunter and 'mega, where they're talking to Rex, but they're distracted, aren't really watching. They're too afraid to watch, I think.
Me? I can't help it. I think best in the danger. In the fear.
The energy buzzing in the air is gathering around me, whipping like a whirlwind like it's centering around me, and I can feel a weird tingling in my fingertips. It's like when I'm about to slip into a detailed vision, but something... more.
Tech is about to inject him with what I suspect is a sedative when Wrecker grabs his wrist.
That's it. The – this. Happening. I stand frozen, watching in wide-eyed horror.
Tech makes a quiet gasp, and I see the shock and pain flaring across his face. Wrecker's hurting him and he – what –
Tech, as always, regains himself fast, but I can still see his fear acutely and this is the first time it actually dawns on me that he's only nine. I was so little, I barely remember 'mega at that age. I was three, and we were little then, and I was much shorter than her. His eyes flick to Wrecker's face, which is hidden by his arm so I can't see.
"Wrecker –" I start, but I don't even have time to finish my freaked out order to let him go.
His other hand lifts, wrapping around Tech's neck.
"Wrecker," he gasps, and he sounds so hurt and scared. This is the first time I can ever, ever remember Tech being scared. He was entirely calm even when we were surrounded in the hangar, and Omega and I were panicking. Tech's free hand flies to Wrecker's arm, trying to make him let go and seeing it makes me sick.
"Wrecker, let go of him!" I yell, panicking, darting forwards as if my presence could actually do something to stop him. He's stronger than any of us, and there's nothing I can do to stop him from hurting – why is –
I can only watch with numbing horror as he lifts Tech off his feet. "You're in direct violation of Order 66," Wrecker accuses, and the snarl in his voice isn't him.
That's the same way Crosshair was talking in the prison cell.
Stars.
He roars with virtually non-human fury, flinging Tech across the room into the wall our gear is piled by. He falls to the floor, motionless.
Wrecker reaches for his blaster and helmet, and if it were anyone else, I'd dive forwards to get my own, fire and just... but this is Wrecker, and he's my brother. I can't hurt him.
"Wrecker?" Omega asks, voice shaky and terrified.
My energy bow across the room flies to my hands, firing up, and I jerk it upwards. Wrecker bats it aside, flinging the weapon across the room into one of the lights hard enough to shatter it.
"Vision, get back!" Hunter yells at me, which is what spurs me into motion. I whirl around, ducking into a roll to cover more distance as Wrecker stands, lifting his blaster.
Rex catches my arm and pulls me behind the console where we're taking shelter. Hunter's already there with Omega, and Echo jumps down beside us, ducking and covering his head when Wrecker starts firing at us, roaring something semi-incoherent like "you're all traitors!"
"Thanks," I tell Rex, landing half sprawled in his lap and scrambling up, over to Hunter and 'mega.
"He'll destroy the equipment if we don't get him out of here," Echo says, and Hunter glances from him to Rex.
"We'll draw him out. Vision, Omega, stay with Tech," Hunter orders. I hate to agree, but I nod instinctively because he's our leader, our brother, and he knows what he's doing. He catches some nearby crate-like thingy and swings it at Wrecker. I duck down, shielding my head just in case, and smoke starts flooding my vision, but the other three are running for the door now.
We stay down, unmoving, until Wrecker runs after.
Omega darts to Tech the moment the others are gone. I glance down the hall where Wrecker disappeared to, then follow. She's shaking his shoulder, panicking, nearly in tears.
Tech's not moving. He was hit hard. Wrecker was strangling him, had him up by the neck, and I have no idea if he's alright or not.
I scramble to his side, trying to find a pulse even if touching him is a bit weird.
It's there, firm and steady, and I breathe a sigh of relief. "He's a bit less scary like this," I admit, watching him.
"What do we do?" Omega asks, whirling towards me. "They're still out there, and – and we can't just stay here!"
I look back to the doorway, pulling my hand back from Tech and closing my eyes. I breathing in and out slowly, forcing myself to focus, to feel. To see.
"The vents," I say, half because an image of Omega accidentally knocking out one of the regs with a vent grate materializes in my head. I focus harder, and the image is slowly dragged to mind. "Front. Turn right. Left and... I'll lead 'im to ya."
"You?" Omega squeaks, and I nod firmly.
Too bad I don't have my grappling hook. Tech has one, though, and I snatch it off his belt, fitting it to the end of my blaster. There's a grate here, and 'mega can fit through easily enough. If Tech kills us for it later, well. He's welcome, I guess. "Take my knife," I say, picking it up and passing it to her. "Use it to cut through anything. Imma take the bow." I snatch it, in my other hand, and she takes the knife, hands shaking.
I look up towards the grate, steadying my hands when I hear distant blaster fire, and fire close enough that she can swing through easily.
"Are you sure?" Omega worries, "I've never used a knife before."
"And you've practiced more with the bow, I know," I reply, holding the blaster out to her, "We're weapon swapping. Hurry!" The urgency in my voice snaps her into action.
She takes the line from me, and I watch just to see her beginning her ascent before I take off. There's no time. I don't hear shooting anymore, and that's either very good, or very, very bad. I'm not taking chances. I make the same turns I told Omega to do, skidding to a stop at the end of the hall.
"All clones in violation of Order 66 shall be terminated," Wrecker is snarling, and he has Hunter up against the wall, hands on his throat.
I pull back on the bowstring, intentionally missing, and Wrecker's head whips around towards me.
"That's sweet," I snark at him, and I have no idea why this is the first thing that comes to mind, but I'm good at being super annoying to catch attention. "But what about indirect violation?" I have to make the offer tempting, right?
Then again, who doesn't want to throttle me constantly, anyway?
I fire again, and Wrecker slams Hunter against the wall the same way he did Tech before turning around and lumbering towards me. Hunter hits the floor again, dropping with a dull and sickening thud, the same way Tech did.
I step back, yanking on the bowstring a couple more times. Wrecker ducks to the side of the wall, as if I was actually trying to hurt him. I don't have the sense of mind to think that this is Wrecker right now. Some things hurt too much.
Wrecker lunges unexpectedly, and I spin around and run. I can only hope Omega's already to the grate I told her to go to. I stop just short of it, firing at him a few more times, intentionally going for a near-hit to slow him down.
"Really?" I snip, stepping back. I'm almost under the grate now. I pull back again, the shot flying wild, hitting the wall beside him. "I think I'd do a lot better than that in action."
He snarls at me. I ignore the instinctive fear that shoots through me – he's not himself, and he could kill me with ease if he reached me like he's trying. His hands are huge and I'm so small.
"And you said it yourself," I continue, literally just because I have a very obvious death wish right now. "I saw what happened on Kaller." That's only partly true, but it's true enough. "They didn't directly go against orders."
Wrecker snarls at me. "They failed to execute Order 66."
And as he says it, something in me... changes. It just... makes sense now. I don't really get it, but it doesn't really matter. We're supposed to defend the Republic. The Republic which is now the Empire. And that's – that's not what we're doing. I look up at him, eyes widening. Something in me just... shifts, jolts, changes. Because he's right. He's right – all our brothers, they are traitors. The Jedi were traitors.
They didn't carry it through.
They're traitors.
"All clones in violation of Order 66 shall be terminated."
He lunges at me, and I fire instinctively, though the shot goes wild, thanks to my not-perfect aim and that I wasn't entirely trying. I let out a startled squeal-yelp when he tries to grab me, and duck forwards, skidding between his legs. There's a bang and a crash above and behind, and I roll over, stumbling off-balanced to my feet, left arm still gripping my bow. Wrecker's down. The grate knocked him out.
Omega rolls off it, stumbling to her feet, still holding my knife.
She broke the order, too. She's...
Our brothers are traitors. They betrayed what we fought for, what we were made for, and the rage that floods me is blinding.
"The Dark Side hangs heavily over your future."
The metal is cold in my hands.
"Viz?" 'mega asks, taking a hesitant step forwards. Her blond curls are a mess, sticking across her forehead, and her brown eyes are wide with fear and uncertainty.
My grip tightens farther. "Conspiring with traitors makes you guilty of treason," I accuse. The bow raises, almost of its own. Tears sting my eyes. Did she even care? Did any of them?
"Vision, what are you doing?" The wide-eyed, terrified look on my sister's face is gutting, but I'm angry and I can't think of anything beyond the fierce rage and betrayal pulsing through me.
Omega dives aside when I fire at her, and this time, I'm not so sure the shot would've missed if she hadn't moved.
My gut flips, and I don't know why it upsets me so much. Okay – I do, because she's my sister and we were everything and we had a purpose that not a single one of us has been loyal to. We left Crosshair, and I'm furious about that, too.
"Vision, stop!" she yells, scrambling backwards, still clutching my knife. "This isn't you! It's your inhibitor chip!"
I don't even care what she's saying, because I'm so, so angry. Hurt is burning my heart inside out, and I – I want to hurt her for hurting me. Omega fixes things and has always made things better for me until right now, and I can't help it. My hands readjust over the bow handle, and Omega whirls around, breaking into a run. She darts around the corner, and I fire again, uncaring that the shot hits the wall instead.
I'm just angry.
It's hurting and everything hurts, and I need it to stop. I need to – to finish this.
I really, really just want to cry from sheer frustration and helplessness, which is stupid.
"This is exactly what I am," I snarl, furious at the insinuation. I'm me. This is what I always have been. "If you think anything else, then you don't know me!" I know she's close enough to hear me, even if she's not responding.
I pause at the end of the hall. I don't know where she went, and I'm expecting an attack. It's 'mega, but she betrayed me and she's going to hurt me – already is hurting me – and I just...
Don't know how to deal with it.
I don't want to see her hurt, but I don't have a choice. They made that for me. I hate myself a little that there's even a part of me that wants to protect her because she betrayed me and it's so simple.
"Okay, Omega," I hear her saying distantly, "You have one shot at this."
I don't have time to think that through before she steps out from around the corner, throwing the knife at me.
It hits my bow, spot on, with the screech of cutting metal and a shower of sparks.
I release a hiss of rage, dropping the destroyed bow and pulling my knife out from it. Hunter gave it to me, back when I thought we meant something, and it still means something to me, even if it doesn't to the others.
Omega looks at me, lowering her hands, still scared.
I hate myself for hating to see her like that.
She should be.
I stand, straightening my shoulders and stalking forwards.
Omega steps back, eyes wide. "Viz," she says again, voice desperate and pleading.
I'm too angry to care, to hurt for it to matter. She's using my nickname, driving it home even more that they... "Stop calling me that!" I yell, lunging at her. Omega squeaks, scrambling back and nearly tripping over her own two feet. She knows a little about knives, because I was obsessed with Hunter's, and he taught me some. I taught her some too. Apparently, she's as perfectly capable of throwing them as me, unless she got lucky and simply didn't care if she stabbed me.
Omega catches my wrist, struggling to push the blade away from her. "Please, stop," she pleads, nearly in tears. "You're my sister."
I want to stop, because she's asking me to and I hate seeing her like this, but I don't have a choice, and nothing she says will change it. They didn't give me a choice any more than they did Crosshair. "Good soldiers follow orders," I snap back, eyes narrowing, shoving harder.
A shot rings out from behind me, and I feel it run through me before everything blacks out.
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