The test starts out fine, just as it had originally. They fall into the standard formation positions, with Hevy taking point as usual. The first set of orders are received, and Fives relaxes into the familiarity of the trigger beneath his finger and the soft recoil of his gun.
The test is easy, compared to the things he'd faced as an ARC trooper. Echo looks similarly at ease, even standing at one point and flat-out dodging a few straight laser bolts while he mows down a column of droids. Fives gives him a warning look after, though. Rookies aren't skilled enough to pull off stunts like that.. They'd had little time to discuss their situation before they'd been called to arms, but the general consensus had been to wait to ensure the validity of their dreams before they speak of it to anyone else..
Hevy is forging ahead. Fives feels a surge of annoyance at that before he can suppress it. Hevy's actions here would likely get him killed on a real battlefield. Captain Rex would have never stood for it. Droidbait and Cutup are working hard, trying to hold the team together, but Fives can sense that they aren't working as coherently as they had when they passed the first time.
It's only to be expected, after all. Fives gets a glance at Hevy's face—his expression is twisted into a snarl, and that's all Fives needs to see to understand why Hevy has all but abandoned them.
This is personal to him. Fives understands.
"Move up!" Echo shouts to him, and Fives obeys without thinking, trusting his brother instantly. He darts to the next barricade, throwing himself into a roll at the last second to avoid the stream of laserfire that streaks after him. He comes out of it next to Cutup, who shoots him a grin.
"This bringing back old memories?" he asks. Fives snorts.
"Plenty," he answers.
Across the room, he can see Echo, who's been pinned behind his own barricade. Hevy is next to him, while Droidbait hangs behind, occasionally poking his head up in an attempt to draw the droid's fire.
"So, what's the plan?" Cutup grunts. "Same as last time?"
Fives doesn't respond, because across the field a pair of battle droids have been deposited right behind Droidbait and Echo. Echo sees it, and raises his gun, but Droidbait takes a second too long to notice. The droids lift their weapons to fire—
Fives moves on autopilot, firing two pinpoint accurate shots that streak over Echo's shoulder and narrowly miss Droidbait's head. It's the kind of impressive aim developed from years of serving with the 501st, where Rex drills them at the range until their eyes blurr and they can't stand straight. Echo is used to it, but Cutup and Droidbait cry out in shock, and even Hevy glances back at them.
"How'd you do that!" Cutup demands. "Fives, that was crazy!"
Echo is staring at him accusingly, and Fives shrugs at him.
A path is slowly starting to open as the droids are eliminated one by one. Fives watches Cutup take out one of the turrets before slapping him across the back.
"Let's go!" he shouts, and dives out into the open.
This, this is familiar. Brothers at his back, and clankers in front of him. He wonders if it means something that he's more comfortable with being in a firefight than he is dealing with their… dreams.
They're charging the Citadel. Non-lethal lasers streak past him, and Echo takes up a position at his shoulder. Hevy is on his other side, heavy Z-6 whining as it spits out laserbolts.
Even though they aren't working together as well as they can, Fives knows they're going to pass.
Naturally, the second he thinks that is the second things go wrong.
A panel to their left retracts, and deposits more droids onto the floor. Fives turns his weapon on them automatically before he even realizes what they are, and once he does, he checks his aim and fires more carefully, because they're commando droids, tougher to take down than the rest.
Then, he realizes he's running alone, and Echo is shouting at him.
"Fives, Fives! Help me!"
Fives disobeys his instincts and whirls around, putting his back to the commandos.
Echo is shoving Droidbait behind cover, desperately trying to defend them both from the droid's counterattack. Fives sprints back, vaulting over the top of the barricade to join them. At first, he doesn't understand what's going on, and looks frantically at Echo for direction.
Echo takes his helmet off, and his eyes are hard. He reaches for Droidbait, still half-sprawled on the ground, and tears their brother's helmet off, too. It's only then that Fives realizes what's happening.
Droidbait is gasping for air, eyes wide and unseeing as he stares blankly into space. He's shaking, and he'd lost his grip on his gun somewhere along the way.
Fives swears.
Droidbait had been killed by commando droids. No wonder the sight of them is enough to trigger a panic attack.
Echo crouches in front of their terrified squadmate, grabbing his limp hands gently. Without taking his eyes off of Droidbait, he speaks.
"Fives, I'll stay with him. Take the other two and get to that flag."
Fives nods, determinedly tearing his gaze away from them and turning his attention back to the battlefield.
Fortunately, Hevy and Cutup had been smart enough to take cover once they realized they were down three men. Fives meets Hevy's impatient gaze and almost signs something with ARC signals, but then with a burst of frustration he realizes that Hevy won't understand him. He grits his teeth in annoyance.
The first thing he's doing once they get out of training is teaching them the ARC signs.
Screw it, he thinks, and leaps into open space.
He's pulled crazier stunts.
For a heartbeat, he stands alone against the citadel and the commando droids. He isn't afraid (he had never known true fear until Umbara, anyway), but he's tense, because if he gets hit he doubts Hevy and Cutup will be able to take the citadel alone.
Fortunately, Hevy's not one to stand by and watch a good fight. Hevy and Cutup flank him as he charges forward, firing, and suddenly Fives' heart clenches.
He'd never imagined he'd be able to fight with his original squadmates again. He'd forgotten what it felt like. Fives was ejected from his growth pod alongside these men. He knows them in a way he knows no other. He knows how they think, how they act. It's the kind of teamwork that had taken the 501st years to develop, and even then their progress had been stunted by the constant loss of brothers.
He refuses to fail them all again.
It's with that in mind that he switches mindsets, removing himself from the rookie level and bumping it up a few hundred notches. He's dimly aware that their trainers and Shaak Ti are watching them, and will notice something is different—but he doesn't care.
He's still not convinced this is real. Even if it is, the chances they'll be able to change anything… well, he's not optimistic about it.
But Echo had seemed so determined, so excited to have a second chance. So relieved to be free of whatever horrors the Seps had put him through after the Citadel.
Fives doesn't believe in the dreams—not yet, but Echo does, and that's enough for now. It's enough for Fives to try.
Everything flashes by so quickly, after that. Hevy and Cutup fall into step behind him, and in no time at all they're at the base of the Citadel. There are a few droid stragglers, and Fives picks them off easily as Hevy and Cutup scale the tower—headshots, every single one of them, and he tries not to be proud because he knows he'll get questions for it later, but he's kriffing proud.
He's not an ARC for nothing.
Hevy and Cutup grab the flag together, lifting it high, and it flashes green. Just like that, it's over. They've passed.
None of them cheer this time.
Fives picks his way through the piles of immobilized droids, making his way back to where Echo and Droidbait had taken refuge. He doesn't like what he sees when he gets there. Droidbait is still taking deep, gasping breaths, clutching onto Echo as if the other ARC is his only lifeline. His eyes are squeezed shut now, instead of staring blankly ahead.
Fives retrieves Droidbait's gun from a few feet away and presses it gently into their panicking brother's hand. Then he kneels at Echo's side. Droidbait clenches his fist around the weapon, and his shaking eases slightly. He opens his eyes slowly, and shudders when he sees Echo and Fives staring at him.
"I—I'm sorry," he whispers. "I don't know what—I don't know why I panicked, I couldn't, I couldn't—"
"It's alright," Echo soothes. "It's alright, just breathe. You don't have to worry. We've got your back."
"Sithspit," Droidbait gasps out numbly. "Sithspit. I saw the droid and I couldn't move." He closes his eyes. "I'm going to die again."
Fives jolts.
"Not if I have anything to kriffing say about it," he snaps. "You're not going to die, you dramatic son of a hutt."
"We're not letting you go again," Echo says, tightening his embrace on their brother. "Listen to me. It's not your fault. I know you. You're me. You can get past this. We'll help you. You aren't going to die. Not this time."
Droidbait nods weakly. He tries to pull away from Echo, but Echo doesn't let him.
"Did we… did we pass?" Droidbait whispers in a weak attempt to change the subject, and Fives grins. He's not cured, but he'll be alright for now.
"You kriffin' bet we did," Hevy chimes in as he and Cutup join them. Wordlessly Echo and Fives shift, making room to include their squadmates into their little circle, surrounding Droidbait in safety. From the loudspeakers above, Shaak Ti's steady voice fills the large room.
"Ninety-nine, would you please send a cleanup crew to the training grounds?"
She sounds calm as ever, but Fives doubts his ARC stunts have gone unnoticed. Instead of dwelling on that fact, Fives offers a hand to help pull Droidbait to his feet. The rest of them stand as well, and they begin the slow walk out of the arena.
"They're gonna ask why he and Echo stayed behind, you know," Cutup points out quietly, Droidbait winces guiltily, but before he can apologize again Echo slugs Cutup in the shoulder.
"Doesn't matter," Echo says boldly. "We'll figure out. Just like we've always done, right boys?"
"Of course," Hevy agrees instantly. "And look at it this way—we passed, first time. Now, we can start fixing things." He casts a heavy look at Echo and Fives. "Right, guys?"
"Right," Fives says unconvincingly, on autopilot. Echo gives him a strange look, but then he turns his attention back to Droidbait.
"We could blame it on a fall," Cutup suggests, putting a hand on Droidbait's shoulder apologetically. "A concussion, even. That would be enough to stop him from fighting."
"Yeah, but then they'd expect to see symptoms of a concussion in him," Hevy counters. "Also, I'm pretty sure they record every test. If they watch it too closely, they'll see… well, they won't see a concussion."
Droidbait takes a deep breath. He seems mostly recovered by now—he's walking shoulder-to-shoulder with Echo, almost too close, but that's to be expected.
"We'll have to take the chance that they won't check the recordings," Droidbait says. "What other option do we have?" They reach the lift that will take them back to the main bunker. As they step on, Droidbait sighs.
"Someone punch me," he says. They begin to descend.
Fives understands immediately. So do the others, but Fives raises an eyebrow when all four of his squadmates turn to look at him expectantly.
"What's that supposed to mean?" he asks gruffly. "Hevy's the one who always goes looking for a fight! Cutup defies authority at every kriffing opportunity! Why am I the go-to for punching people?"
Echo snorts. "You're the big, bad ARC trooper," he says in amusement.
"So are you!" Fives points out incredulously. Cutup chuckles.
"You're the one who just took out more than half of those clankers without even working up a sweat," he says. "Besides, Echo's too nice to punch someone unless they're asking for it."
Now it's Fives' turn to snort.
"That's not true," he says immediately. Echo doesn't even bother denying it, he just shrugs, and completely fails to hide the smug grin that flashes across his face.
Droidbait huffs.
"Running out of time, here," he reminds them impatiently. "There are no cameras in the lift, but there will be once we get off. It's now or never."
Fives groans.
"Fine," he hisses as Droidbait turns to face him. "But remember, you asked for it!"
Droidbait swears at him after the hit lands, reeling backwards. It was a good punch, expertly placed. Fives had been taught by the best, after all.
Droidbait stumbles on his feet, dazed. Despite that, he flashes Fives a lopsided grin.
"Thankss," he slurs. Hevy grabs him by the arm when he tilts again, steady support.
The lift stops. Hevy nudges Droidbait off the platform.
"I'm taking this idiot to medical," he says loudly. "You guys coming?"
"Of course!" Echo says. "No man left behind, and all that. Let's go!"
Fives glances at his fellow Rishi survivor. Despite Echo's cheerful words, there's a hint of darkness in his tone that Fives only recognizes because they've served together for so long. When he catches Echo's gaze, he recoils a little at the terrifying expression on his squadmate's face.
Echo looks determined. Not the good kind of determined. The bad kind, the kind that gets brothers killed. Echo looks ready for revenge. On who, Fives isn't quite sure.
"We can fix it," he reminds Echo softly. "We can change it. That's what you think, right?"
Echo blinks, and the darkness is gone. Suddenly there's a fire in his eyes—hope.
"Yes," he confirms. "Yes, that's what I think." He gazes at Fives curiously. "I know you don't think so."
"I didn't say that," Fives says. "I just… don't want to get my hopes up."
Echo stops. Stops dead, right in the middle of the hallway. It surprises Fives so much that he nearly stumbles. Then Echo rounds on him furiously.
"If you can't do that, then you didn't learn a thing last time we lived," Echo snarls, stepping closer so their chestplates nearly touch. "We survived because of hope. Don't tell me you've forgotten already."
"We didn't survive!" Fives hisses, and it's so, so hard to keep his voice down. "We died, Echo. You were tortured!" All of his frustration is bubbling to the surface, like a geyser seconds from erupting. "I thought you had died, and then there was no point in hope! Then there was the chips—!"
He manages to cut himself off, because this is not the time or place to discuss that.
Echo is staring at him. Fives is shocked to see pity in his best friend's gaze.
"Yes, I was tortured," Echo says. "Yes, you died. But Fives, we can stop that from happening now. We know everything."
Fives grits his teeth.
Not everything, he wants to say, but he doesn't. He has to keep quiet about the chips for a little longer.
Echo continues. "We can save our brothers," he whispers. "We can destroy the separatists. We can get revenge." The darkness is back. It flares briefly before disappearing once more. "Come on, Fives. What do we have to lose?"
Fives swallows.
"We're just clones," he says weakly. "Just clones." He remembers Umbara, remembers Krell barking out his serial number like he was a droid. He remembers Captain Rex, for all his military achievements and experience, being brushed aside like bantha fodder. He remembers being hunted like an animal through the streets of Coruscant.
Hevy scoffs, from behind him. Fives jumps. He'd nearly forgotten his other teammates were there. He's so used to just Echo that he hadn't even realized they'd stopped with them, and were doing their best to shield the quarreling ARCs from the stray clones walking the halls.
"You're really gonna let that stop you?" Hevy asks scornfully, and Fives' last barriers crumple.
"No," he forces out. He stands up straighter. "No, I'm… I'm not."
Fives will never again be just a clone. Neither will his siblings, if he can help it.
"We can do this," he says hesitantly. Echo's grin is brilliant.
"He's right, boys," he says to their squad. "We can do this. Now… let's get Droidbait to medical. That bruise is starting to look pretty ugly."
Cutup and Hevy laugh, and even Droidbait flashes a weak thumbs-up.
Fives clenches his fists to stop them from trembling as they resume the long walk down to medical.
Hope is a terrifying thing.
A/N: I was surprised that this story received such a warm welcome. I'd expected it to get minimal attention, but several have demanded me for more, so I shall oblige! In the interest of updating more often, the chapters of this particular story will be shorter than my usual chapter lengths. Hopefully that won't bug you readers too much. Also, Droidbait is the most underappreciated member of Domino squad. He's rarely even mentioned along with the other four, and sure, he dies off really quick, but that's no excuse to forget he exists!
Thank you for the kind comments, hope you enjoyed this chapter!