Chapter 2 - Drowning

Author's Note: Hunter is having a very rough time. Like that's a surprise. :') And Crosshair shows up. :D

~ Amina Gila

Omega directs them to Nala Se's private landing platform which she apparently knows about. Hunter didn't even know it existed, and neither did Tech. She knows a lot about this, which is definitely a good thing, considering they're sneaking onto Kamino. That half the fleet isn't even here strikes Hunter as even weirder. Something's off, and he doesn't know what. It's definitely a trap, though why they're taking Wrecker here, Hunter doesn't know. Can't imagine. All he does know is that he's scared. He's terrified to know where this might lead back to, to who it might lead back to, and Hunter isn't ready to see him again.

Omega's definitely unhappy about being here, and Hunter tries his best not to drown under the crushing failure he feels. He should've seen it coming on Ryloth, should have gotten out. He never asked what happened there after he – but he isn't ready to talk about it. Doubts Echo is, either.

Did they even get Hera's parents out?

If he'd been here, Wrecker would be safe right now.

Omega takes them through the underwater tube system to Nala Se's lab, where they run into a medical droid who Omega apparently used to know or was friends with. Or something. Hunter doesn't ask. Doesn't care. He just wants to find Wrecker and get out of here. This is a trap, and there's no way it's not going to go downhill fast even if they all somehow make it out.

Actually, his mind is still reeling from the "Your mutations were enhanced in this room. Experimental Unit 99 began right here. I was there" because it makes perfect sense, but also none at all.

That's why Omega cares about them so much. He thought it was for... well, Hunter actually never really thought about it. He thought it wasn't for anything, but of course, it was. She knew them. That's why she seemed so, so familiar.

"All clone troopers were reassigned and transferred off-world, with the exception of CT-9904," AZI says, and Hunter stops breathing.

He can't breathe at all.

It feels like air froze in his lungs and the lab is freezing and his hands are numb and he can't – can't –

Force.

Crosshair's here. Crosshair has Wrecker, and Hunter has no idea if they're trying to find a corpse or not or if Crosshair hurt him or if – he's going to walk right into a blaster shot again here, isn't he?

He wants to cry again. Feels it building in his chest.

"Crosshair's here," he breathes.

That changes – oh, Force, Crosshair's here what are they supposed to do they can't just go in there he'll kill them –

People are talking and he's shaking and it feels like he'll fall but he can't because he has to be strong for them and he doesn't know what to do.

Not now.

Not now.

Focus.

Stay.

Focus.

AZI's currents are flickering and flowing, maybe not as charged as he ought to be. Omega's at his left. Echo is at his right. Tech is behind him. The blaster Hunter took from their stray stash is charged. Its holster feels too big for him. Its power cell is pulsing.

The room smells like a lab – cold and stinging and chemical, burning his lungs.

"Hunter," Tech reports, walking up to him, "Wrecker's comm is pinging from the central platform."

Oh, yeah, because that's where Crosshair is, waiting to shoot them all, and Wrecker's gonna hafta see that? No. "Take us there," Hunter sighs. He wants to cry. He feels shaky and distant and fading.

He felt the burning through his heart, saw the smoking of Crosshair's rifle, felt it through falling smoke and embers and ash as his little brother burned away his heart. That was his life what makes him special because Hunter's abilities come from his heart as much as his brain – they're more than enhanced senses, something about how his electric signature lets everything else in.

He doesn't want to go. Doesn't want to – anything, actually, except cry and just – have some time to process, but who is he kidding? That's not something Hunter ever has been given time for, and that won't change just because he's well, tiny. "We need to know where they are before we can plan a surprise attack."

Tech nods, and they make for the door.

"Come on, AZI. You're with us," Omega says, grabbing the droid's hand and follows.

**w**

Apparently, the Empire is phasing out the clones now, aside from decommissioning the facilities on Kamino. Hutner doesn't know what that means, but he has a very, very bad feeling about it. Echo tells them on the way to the training room that on Daro, the reg they were rescuing was being held there to train natborns.

They're replacing the clones.

Crosshair's squad wasn't just one of a kind.

They're doing it everywhere, and Hunter – well, he doesn't want to get too carried away brooding about this.

They're about to see Crosshair again. And they need to get Wrecker fast and get out. Before something – Hunter can deal with having been injured. He can deal with having died and been brought back, but he can't – can't let that happen to one of his brothers. Not again. They just need to get out of here.

He doesn't want to see Crosshair again. Not so soon.

He can still feel the burning of the blaster shot through his heart. Assuming he still has one.

"According to the comm signal," Tech reports, "Wrecker is directly above us."

Oh, great. The training room?

"The training room?" Echo echoes, "That's open ground. If Crosshair's waiting, he'll pick us off."

"If?" Hunter can't help muttering. Yes, he's being bitter, but he thinks he has a right to be. Crosshair shot him. He wants to cry. To scream. To – something. He's not ready for this. "We'll need a diversion. We'll have to distract them. He won't be alone."

"The training droids?" Omega suggests, pointing to the area where the droids are stored.

If Wrecker is in there, Hunter's only worry is that he'll be defenseless, and... it'd be better if they could get a location layout, but that's not going to be possible without alerting Crosshair. "That will work," Hunter agrees, "Tech get them ready. Wait here. Omega and I –" Yes, he knows this is extremely risky, but he doesn't know any other option right now. "– will go in through the towers to check it out. Wait here. I don't know if he'll be waiting down there or in the lookout."

If he's up there and they come in from behind, they'll have the chance to see him and fall back, unless – unless it turns out just like Ryloth and he shoots Hunter before he even has a chance to react.

That's what he's most afraid of.

He doesn't want to die again, and he doesn't want to know how Omega would take seeing that. She reacts badly whenever one of them is injured.

And Wrecker, too, if he's in there? He might not recognize Hunter, which – yeah, that's their only benefit.

Hunter has no idea what Crosshair has in store for them, and he's terrified to find out, but waiting will give him more time to hurt Wrecker and – and it'll only prolong the inevitable. They can't leave Wrecker here, even if that would be...

It wouldn't be easier, but it also would be because then he wouldn't have to face Crosshair again and what is wrong with him why is he even thinking about this he's not going to abandon his little brother just because he's scared.

That doesn't slow the pounding of his heart, though, or remind him that he does, in fact, have perfectly usable lungs again.

Hunter has his blaster out, and Omega has her energy bow fired up, just in case – he's not going to ask if she actually plans to shoot Crosshair if he's there, because he doesn't want to know. Doesn't matter.

Yes, it does.

It definitely matters if Omega's going to randomly go on a killing spree, too, when she'd been so upset over having killed some of the regs earlier. It – all of it matters.

Crosshair tried to kill her, too, and Hunter couldn't even blame her for – she doesn't know him like he does and she's not responsible for him and Hunter wants to sink into someone's arms and let the world around him fade away, to let someone carry him. He's so tired of standing alone.

"Just – stay behind me," Hunter requests, because he's not going to risk something happening to Omega. He remembers Crosshair's icy, uncaring "aim for the kid" vividly enough that it still makes him sick. That was Crosshair, and he was gonna kill their sister. Their kid.

He's not himself, and he shot Hunter without a second thought. Hunter knew Crosshair was willing to hurt them from the moment he shot Wrecker when the entire thing up until then had been about him and Hunter. It'd just been between them, and Echo and Tech only stepped in when it was getting too... bad. Wrecker hadn't been involved in their conflict, but he's still the one who took the worst of it.

Hunter had still been in slight denial that he could actually kill one of them, but it – it happened.

Stop brooding. They have to move.

Obsessive depression seems to be getting much harder to deal with, though. It's drowning, and he's terrified.

The door opens way, way too loudly, and Hunter peaks over the edge, keeping low for cover.

With the droids moving around, he can feel and hear the shooting – it's so, so loud without his helmet. He feels vulnerable and exposed without his armor.

Crosshair's in the center of the room with Wrecker.

"You're clear," Hunter whispers into Omega's comm, because he doesn't have his own anymore, either. "The lift's clear. Mind the droids, though."

He waits until the others are down to start firing. AZI is with him and Omega, hovering behind, though there's no way he can actually offer help.

Hunter joins in shooting the last of the droids – Crosshair's squad or whoever exactly they are get taken down awfully fast, and he thinks one of them might've made it to the door, but it doesn't really matter.

Crosshair is the threat after the droids are destroyed.

Not them.

Crosshair is the one who – who knows them, who's a danger and a risk and hurt him and Hunter has no idea how he's dealing with what he did, either.

Is he himself enough to regret it?

That's not a risk Hunter's willing to take, though. He's not going to gamble with his siblings' lives.

He really, really misses his knife. And his armor. And his normal size, thank you very much – it's so hard to fight when he's this small. Hard to get a proper shot from this distance, too.

He stuns Crosshair as soon as the last of the droids is down. He's not going to risk him hurting the others. And he's not ready to face him again when all he can remember is that last moment on Ryloth, and he has no idea how Crosshair will react to seeing him again. Not that he'd recognize him at first sight.

At least Hunter doesn't think he will, but if he'd recognize Hunter at this age because of his sight, he doesn't know. He – he doesn't want to know, either. Hunter shoves his blaster back into its holster, trying to ignore how badly his hands are shaking, how he still feels like he'll... like he's falling while standing. The ground is smooth. He's been here before. He's not going to – he's not going to die again. Not now.

Crosshair's here. Crosshair's here and nothing else matters, and he should be focusing on Wrecker but all he can think about is Crosshair's now motionless body.

Hunter shot first this time. He's not going to make the same mistake again.

Wrecker freed himself from the stun cuffs somewhere during the fight, and he turns to the others when they approach. Hunter doesn't think he'd have been able to look away from Crosshair if Tech hadn't started talking – and to be fair, he actually doesn't look away from Crosshair.

Can't.

He's still wearing the black, feelingless helmet that he was on Ryloth, when –

Yeah.

That.

Can't hear what Tech is saying, either.

At least he didn't hurt Wrecker. Or Hunter doesn't think he did. He's – he looks dead and empty and dark, but he's still breathing, and he's moving, fine, so...

"Wrecker!" Omega cries, slinging her bow onto her back and running down the slightly slanted part of the area to Wrecker who instantly scoops her up. She throws her arms around his neck and buries her face in his shoulder.

"Hey, kid," he says, squeezing her tightly. He looks at Hunter, half confused, half lost, and Tech steps up to him.

"I cannot explain how this happened," he says, "But Hunter has... been brought back."

"Th – that's Hunter?" Wrecker splutters out, staring at him, eyes wide. He looks like he's about to cry, actually, and Hunter is, too. Can feel the warmth in his eyes, the tightness in his throat, the heaviness in his chest and come on, not again.

"Yeah," Hunter whispers. His hands feel freezing. Everything is freezing, but he doesn't care and Wrecker's here, and maybe it's the childishness of his mind now, but it doesn't matter. Wrecker sets Omega down, and Hunter half runs to him. Wrecker scoops him up, clinging to him with all the desperation and grief Hunter knows he must feel.

This is Wrecker, and there's a million things he should say, something, anything to make this better, but there's no way to wash away what happened.

"Are you okay?" he settles on instead because he needs to know if – if Crosshair hurt him, not that it's something Wrecker would even be able to talk about.

"Yeah," he says, but Hunter doesn't think that's the truth. There's no way he could be, so his question was pretty stupid in the first place.

Wrecker sets him down, but he's crouching in front of him, anyway – Wrecker's enormous. He never looked that big when Hunter wasn't so small. "I'm okay," Hunter promises, hand sliding forwards and up to touch Wrecker's cheek. "We're okay."

Wrecker's crying now. Hunter gives him a what-feels-totally-fake smile, but he feels the tears spilling down his own face, too.

"We're okay," he whispers again, trying to convince himself of that. Doesn't help.

Wrecker's here, though. He's here, and Hunter can feel his warmth and his flickering heartbeat. He smells sooty, like he's been near a series of recent explosions. That's probably true, considering Daro.

"Hunter, three Venators are descending on the city. We need to leave, now," Tech interjects, stepping forward.

W – oh no.

The Empire is going to destroy Kamino, and they're still on it. They need to get out of here, and – stars, Crosshair is still down here. The Empire's just going to leave him here? Who is he kidding? They're phasing out the clones – of course, they'd do that.

"We – we'll have to get Crosshair somewhere safe," Hunter says, looking up at Wrecker, even if it's the last thing in the galaxy he wants to say. He doesn't want to do this. The thought of being anywhere near Crosshair right now sends a violent surge of icy fear jolting through him. "We'll have to take him with us."

"Hunter," Echo objects, stepping forwards, "I know you want to protect him, but the truth is, you're not responsible for him anymore."

Hunter looks down at Crosshair's motionless form again. Leaving him here to die, not even telling him that Hunter's still alive, letting him keep believing he killed him makes his gut roll even harder. "We can't leave him. Wrecker?" He's uncertain about asking Wrecker to do this, but he has to, and – and they need to move. There's no time to argue.

Hunter doesn't think Echo's very happy about it, but well – there's no other choice.

Echo takes Crosshair's rifle, which Hunter can't blame him for – he'd been standing right there when It happened, and Tech takes his blaster.

Wrecker picks up Crosshair, and they run. They'll have to be fast if they're going to get out of here before this gets any worse.

**w**

They do not, in fact, get far before the Empire opens fire. The city is collapsing around them, going underwater, and Hunter's beyond frustrated that he's so tiny. It takes him forever to get anywhere, and he has to run twice as fast as usual to keep up with his brothers. Or – at least it feels like he does. Being here at this size makes it hurt even more because it's – it's familiar. He remembers doing this. A lifetime ago. Before they lost Crosshair.

At least the momentary rush of adrenaline from the fact that they're about to die is keeping his mind off how Crosshair is right next to him – even though he's presently unconscious. He won't be forever, and Hunter is not ready for that.

He never will be.

The floor rapidly tilts and suddenly they're all falling. There's nothing he can do to slow their fall, and several of the others fall through what was once a doorway below him, which promptly slams shut before he can get through. That's the last Hunter sees before a falling piece of debris hits him, and everything goes dark.

"CT-9901?" a droid's panicked voice filters in, and Hunter blinks a few times in the darkness – except for the light from AZI's eyes that's shining right on his face. He still hates waking up to bright lights, small or no. At least something hasn't changed. "Wake up," the droid urges, "I do not wish to alarm you, but if you do not vacate this compartment, you will soon perish, and I will be left here on my own!"

Hunter pushes himself up, head pounding. He can hear water pouring into the room, hitting the floor not far from him. The electric circuits around him are going wild – as what's left of the building must be collapsing. The power is mostly out, and what's left of it is flickering in sparks, being washed out and deafened by the water. But what he instantly notices next is the heartbeat not far away, still in this room.

Crosshair.

Stars, no, not now he can't deal with this right now doesn't want to be alone with him, but no one else is in here, and he's – what's he supposed to do?

Hunter scrambles backward, heart hammering. He feels dizzy. Faint. Distant. His boot splashes in the water rapidly flooding the room and – Crosshair's still unconscious. Unmoving. Stars, he can't he needs to get out of here what does he –

Hunter tries to inhale deeply, to focus his breathing and think. He needs to get the door open so he can get out of here. They won't have long. Crosshair's stuck under some debris, and – and Hunter will have to get him out. He's the only one here, and he doesn't have a comm. He doesn't have his knife, either, so there's no way for him to open the door from the inside.

The water's tricking in a rapid, steady stream through the ceiling.

Hunter scrambles over the debris to Crosshair, yanking on it. It stubbornly doesn't budge.

Ugh.

He isn't strong enough to move it, so he'll have to – break it up.

The room is dark, and Hunter has to shine his flashlight a bit to figure out what's where – he's admittedly afraid of what'll happen once he's free, but he can't let Crosshair die.

Hunter pulls his blaster out, willing his hands to stop their shaking – come on it's just Crosshair he has nothing to be so afraid of – and fires. It takes a few shots to rip the beam free, and Hunter reholsters his blaster.

Crosshair's awake now. He shoves the debris off himself, scrambling up the tilted floor area to avoid the rapidly flooding water. Crosshair is looking at him, and Hunter tries not to shiver.

He doesn't want to be alone here right now.

He wants to cry.

Hunter looks away from him, shining the flashlight at the door. Wrecker's cutting through. He can see it, and there's nothing they can do but wait.

"Why did you help me?" Crosshair asks, staring at him.

"We weren't gonna leave you to die." Hunter hopes the slight tremor in his voice is hidden enough that Crosshair doesn't guess, doesn't wonder, because if he – if he tried to hurt him, there wouldn't be anything he could do.

He thinks Crosshair's about to say something, but Hunter doesn't let him – doesn't want to have a conversation with him or anyone right now. He just wants to – to get out of here, and for things to start making sense again, because right now, he's just lost.

"We have to get the door open," Hunter says, jumping off the debris pile into the water that's flooded the lower half of the room already, "Come on."

He's too small to do any good at that. Doesn't stop him from trying, though.

It takes way, way too long, but finally, Wrecker manages to pry the door open enough that they make it through – more like are washed through in a nearly drowning wave of water. Wrecker catches him and shoves him at Echo before moving to help Tech get the door reclosed and sealed. It feels so, so weird to be carried like this.

Omega runs to him again, yanking him into a hug, ignoring how he's dripping wet. His clothes are soaked, and his hair is sticking to his face and neck in a way that's annoyingly itchy and makes him simultaneously hot and cold at once. Basically, it's unpleasant.

"You're collecting kids now?" Crosshair asks, and oh – he must not have recognized Hunter yet. The comment still hurts. So does hearing his voice.

Hunter flinches, and Omega pulls him tighter against her side. It feels weird. Wrong.

"Not everyone is that easy to kill, Crosshair," he has to say, anyway. Hunter isn't going to outright tell him who he is, but he can... get close enough. He – has to tell him. Doesn't want to, though. He's afraid to. Terrified to know what'll happen when Crosshair does finally figure it out, because he doesn't want to look his little brother in the eye again as he shoots him. Once was hard enough.

"What did you do now?" Crosshair demands, looking around the dark halls.

"Stow it," Echo snaps at him, which is a far more polite – not really – way of telling him to shut up. "The Empire opened fire on Kamino. Hunter didn't want you left behind."

Crosshair falls quiet at that, and Hunter looks away from him. He still has his helmet on. The same feelingless green visor. The last thing Hunter saw.

Hunter can't look at him. He doesn't – can't deal with this.

"We need to get topside before this entire structure submerges," Tech says, stepping up to him.

Hunter nods to him, stepping back. He needs – to say something. They need to go but Crosshair's still standing there, and he has no idea what to say to him. They took his weapons, and there's nothing he has to kill them with, so no, it's not too dangerous to turn his back on him, but that doesn't stop Hunter from being terrified of doing it.

"Try to find somewhere safe," Hunter says, pulling back from Omega, because he can't – can't be weak right now. He's more afraid of showing vulnerability than anything else. "We'll have to try to find what's left of the tube system. If anything's left." He could swear he didn't used to talk so much when he was... older? Sort of older. Doesn't matter.

Tech nods to him again, moving off. Echo follows without looking back. Wrecker shoves past Crosshair, and Hunter doesn't blame him for that in the slightest, but it still hurts. Wrecker is often aggressively affectionate with his brothers, but that's not what this is. There's nothing affectionate about that. There's not even supposed to be.

Somehow, that just makes the gaping emptiness in Hunter's heart worse.

Omega glances back at Crosshair before following the others, though she pauses a bit down the hall. She's not looking at him, though – she's watching Hunter. Waiting for him.

Not like before, when she was so itchy to run off into danger, no matter what he said to try and stop her.

If they hadn't gone to Ryloth, if she hadn't been so insistent, they help Hera, then –

Yeah.

But that wasn't Omega's fault, she couldn't have known, she –

Crosshair is watching him. Hunter can't see his face, but he's just standing there, his posture unreadable but...

He doesn't look like him.

He looks exhausted somehow, completely worn, and Hunter's hand clenches over the flashlight he's still carrying.

Words fail him, but he doesn't want to just walk away, leaving Crosshair here, and... he wants him to come. He still cares about him. He still – still wants him here. Hunter doesn't want to leave him. He wants him back.

Tears prick his eyes, but Hunter doesn't know what to say to him. "Come on," he whispers finally, voice raw, turning away and heading after the others.

He wishes he could stop feeling so empty.

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