Chapter 4 - Escape
Someone's coming. Hunter senses it suddenly and he knows what it means. He's on his feet instantly, braced for it, as though there's anything he could do to stop them from taking Tech. To stop them from – from – permanently hurting him.
He feels sick.
Tech goes rigid, obviously catching the move. He's scared. Hunter can feel it but there's nothing he can do.
Wrecker growls lowly, moving to as close to the edge of his cage as he can, teeth barred, as though it'll do anything to stop this.
Crosshair is on his feet instantly. He patters out of Wrecker's cage, and starts pacing the room, on edge like he's ready to pounce. That he wants to stop this at least means something. At least the chip's control isn't complete.
The door slides open and several stormtroopers enter. Emerie is there too. A sharp flare of anger runs through him at the sight of her, even if that's not fully fair. But she's just being complicit in this, and –
They take Tech out of the tank. He knocks a few of the guards down with his tail, but doesn't put up enough resistance that they'd actually make Emerie get involved. It would be pointless seeing as she'd just turn him back into a human.
"Crosshair," Emerie says, and he looks up at her, hissing lowly. "The doctor requests that you come."
What?
They want him to be there when they're ripping Tech apart or whatever exactly this entails?
Crosshair hisses at her again, but he follows them out of the room when they take Tech away. And all Hunter can do is watch. Again.
Wrecker sinks to the floor, head resting miserably on his front feet. Hunter wants to say something to him, but he doesn't know what. His heart is pounding erratically, and he doesn't know if he wants to rip out someone's throat more or just straight up cry. But neither will help get them out of this. It's too late.
He has no idea how long it's been when he senses –
Something's off.
He can feel a few flickers of bright pulses of energy, like blaster shots, even though it's too far away for him to hear anything. Something's happening. Is Tech escaping? That doesn't seem quite right, but there's something –
Someone's moving closer to the door, and it opens abruptly, a stormtrooper appearing in the doorway. But he smells familiar. And his electric fields, overwhelming from how mechanical they are, are so familiar.
"Echo?" Hunter demands, jerking against his chain as he moves toward the edge of his cage.
Wait.
How'd he get two hands?
And how did he get here? How did he find them?
"Where's Tech?" Echo asks, moving swiftly across their rooms over to the cages. He deactivates the lock on Hunter's, stepping inside to get the collar off.
Hunter can't resist the impulse to lick Echo's hand the moment he's finally free again. The hand on his right arm is mechanical and looks very droid like up close.
"Didn't mean to take so long," Echo tells him, "I tracked you to Kamino, but I didn't get there in time."
"You were there?" Hunter asks, surprised.
Echo's been with them long enough that he can understand their animal noises to a point. He nods, stepping out of the cage and going over to get Wrecker free. "Where's Tech?"
Probably either about to get his vocal cords clipped or get his tongue cut out and I never asked which, but yeah, if you look for a medbay, he might be there. Not that Hunter can say a word of that.
"They took him," Wrecker replies miserably, "They were gonna – " He can't finish it and Hunter doesn't know how to say it either. How can he even...
"They plan to hurt him. We need to get there now," Hunter replies.
"I brought you clothes," Echo says, "And I located your armor."
At least they'll have help with that this time.
They take off into the hallway, Echo stunning any stormtrooper they come across. They get to a storage area not far away, quickly changing into their armor and it's so relieving to finally be in it again. Hunter doesn't usually mind his wolf form, but he doesn't think he wants to be in it anywhere near the Empire ever again at this point.
They run for the medical wing together. Hopefully they're not too late. They can't be too late or –
There's a group of stormtroopers right outside the door and they stun them, before running inside. There's only two other stormtroopers present, aside from Crosshair. He's back in his armor and his helmet is on, but Hunter can feel how fast his heartbeat is. He's afraid and upset but right now there really isn't anything he can do.
Tech in his mer-creature form is strapped down to an operating table, but they haven't done anything to him just yet. Hunter breathes out a desperate sigh of relief at the sight. There's a medical droid hovering right next to him though, the intention of obvious. They nearly were too late.
Emerie is standing right near him, though not touching him.
There's another man present, too – he must be the doctor Emerie mentioned. He's standing back watching the proceedings, a look of satisfaction on his face. At least until Hunter, Wrecker, and Echo burst in the door.
"Consider your next move carefully," the doctor warns, turning toward them. "One step closer and your squad members here will die." There's something about him that makes Hunter's skin crawl, a sort of mindless coldness that he's never seen in anyone before. He's terrifying. People aren't supposed to feel like that.
The other two stormtroopers in the room automatically shift their blasters, aiming them at Tech.
Hunter stops short, hands tight on his blaster. They'll shoot Tech if they make a wrong move, and –
He doesn't think the doctor would actually risk killing one of them, but he doesn't know that. He has no way to. And he's not going to risk it, but –
They can't fail to escape again. Not a second time.
"What do you want with us?" Hunter demands, mostly to stall for time while he tries to work out some way out of this.
"You and your squad are... fascinating creations," he replies. He's studying him like he is some special lab rat, and Hunter loathes it. He's felt like that enough while he's been chained and caged all this time, only checked in on for sampling. He gestures to one of the stormtroopers. "Warn the rest of the facility."
Ah, great.
The stormtrooper pushes a button on his helmet, relaying the message to send reinforcements to their level. If they're going to make a move, they'll have to move now.
"If your mutations could be replicated, I would very much like to know," the doctor continues.
Tech wiggles a little, out of the corner of Hunter's eye. He turns to him as discreetly as he can, catching Tech's gaze. The meaning is obvious.
He discreetly looks to Wrecker and Echo. When he gives the signal –
It's a risk, but it might be their last chance.
"If you would cooperate – " the doctor goes on.
Hunter fires, and Wrecker does a split second later, the stun blasts cleanly taking down the two guards the same moment Tech twists his tail sharply, using his fins to cut through the restraints on the table and rolling off. He swats the medical droid across the room with his tail, flopping off the operating table on the opposite side Emerie is standing on.
Crosshair doesn't fire at them. He's just standing there, actually.
"Stop your squad – " the doctor warns, jolting a step back.
Tech flies at him. Hunter has no idea how he moved so fast, but he bites the doctor, who tries to jerk free.
"Emerie –"
She jerks, instantly moving forward at the order, fully intending on doing something to stop them.
Crosshair spins around, and suddenly he's shifting back into his cat self, before he flies literally at Hemlock, all claws and teeth snapping as he goes for his throat. The doctor goes down with a yelp as Crosshair sinks his teeth into his throat or – or whatever he just did. Emerie starts forward but Echo fires a stunblast at her. She ducks, and the shot barely misses.
The doctor isn't moving anymore. Crosshair's face is covered in blood as he sits back. It's – very messy. But the maniac is dead, which is really all that matters.
And Crosshair just turned on the Empire. He's got to know that there's no going back from this either and that means – Maybe they don't even have to get his chip out to make him come with them. Maybe.
Emerie freezes when she seems to realize what just happened. She won't stop staring at him. Almost as though she cares for him on the same level Omega seemed to for Nala Se, something Hunter doesn't really understand.
"This is your chance, Emerie," Hunter says, because she does deserve to get this choice even if she's hurt them and he doesn't know how he could ever get that out of his head, "You can stay with the Empire, or you can come with us when we leave."
She finally looks up from the floor, visibly shaken for as little as her expression shows her emotions. She seems hesitant, uncertain.
"We need to go," Echo warns.
Hunter senses a sudden bright pulse of energy a distance off and hears the far-off sound of blaster shots.
Wait.
Why are there blaster shots elsewhere?
Oh no.
"Echo, where's Omega?" Hunter demands. The kid couldn't possibly be the cause of a blaster fight, could she? She barely knows how to use her energy bow. She's hardly trained at all, and if she's in a fight, well –
"She was supposed to wait with the ship," Echo replies, a vague note of alarm in his voice.
"Well, she must not have." They have to move. Now.
"I will come," Emerie says finally.
Hunter can only hope that this is genuine, not – not that she intends to betray them. He doesn't think so, though.
"Crosshair?" he asks.
The cat hisses up at him, mouth still covered in blood.
Well, that's answer enough.
"You need to get back in your armor," Hunter tells them.
Wrecker passes what the continue of armor pieces and clothes for Tech – and an extra set for Crosshair so they can quickly get back into their armor before they run out into the hall, Emerie close behind.
They don't have to go far to find the cause of the disturbance. Something is slithering across the hall, almost like a snake, but it looks more like a vine. Hunter's never seen anything quite so bizarre before. Its electric signature feels weird. Kind of like a plant but it's more... He doesn't even know.
"Uh... what's that?" Wrecker asks dubiously.
Hunter's about to shoot at it anyway, but when they get closer, it's to see there's countless more of these vines and they're wrapping around a group of stormtroopers, smothering them. The stormtroopers are struggling to fight it off, and one of them calls, yelling for reinforcements to stop these things.
He does not want to know what they are, but it doesn't even look like something that ought to exist.
"Looks like it has the stormtroopers handled for us," Echo says dryly.
"Let's move," Hunter orders, and they take off again.
They make it down another hall before Hunter sees a tiny flash of red and blue and blonde.
"Omega?" he calls, and sure enough, the kid darts around the corner, face lighting up when she sees them.
"You're here!" she exclaims.
"I told you to wait with the ship," Echo says, exasperated.
"But you were taking so long, and you said I could be the backup," she protests.
Hunter just motions for them to follow, and they keep running. The floor shakes a little right ahead of them and when they round the corner he sees why – a huge vine is attempting to pry open a door or something. How is it even sentient enough to do that? Or... animate enough to do that?
"What are these things?" Wrecker asks breathlessly.
"I dunno, but I accidentally let them lose," Omega replies.
"You let them lose?" Hunter asks, surprised.
She nods. "But I think it got out of control."
"Well, it's workin'," Wrecker laughs.
Which it is. At least the stormtroopers are a bit too busy with the vines to pay attention to them.
**w**
"What is this place?" Hunter inquires, once they're safely back in the Marauder, flying away from the facility. The Imperials must be too busy dealing with the vines to pursue them through the atmosphere, and they make the jump to hyperspace without resistance. They made it. Somehow. They're finally free.
"It's a secret Imperial facility on Setron," Echo replies, "We were only able to find you because we got a tracker on the shuttle before it left Kamino."
"Thank you," Hunter has to tell them, "We couldn't have made it out without you."
Echo shrugs a little. "You came for me on Skako Minor," he replies, "I did owe you."
Crosshair's still in his cat form, having been stubborn about staying as one. Hunter's guess is it's easier for him, and he certainly doesn't mind. Crosshair probably wasn't comfortable shifting all the time they were apart, and it must be so relieving for him to do it again. It's probably easier for his mind to process how he left the Empire for them like this, too.
"I didn't know I had a sister," Omega interjects, "I mean, I – I thought I remembered a fifth, but I didn't really..."
"Remembered?" Tech queries, "You... remembered us?"
She dips her head in a nod. "Uh-huh. You were brought to Nala Se's lab. There was some sort of accident. Most of your batch was lost, but there were five of you who made it. I thought the four of you were in the same tube."
How Hunter could've come out of the same tube as any of his brothers, he has no idea.
"I thought four of you were shifters, and one was human. I... didn't remember..."
"It would have been me," Emerie answers quietly, "We were all from the same batch. I was the oldest. Nala Se told me of it briefly."
"W-wait," Wrecker protests, "How could you remember us?"
"I was in Nala Se's lab when you were brought down there, and she enhanced your mutations there."
Omega remembers them.
Hunter thought she was five or six.
"I wasn't altered. I don't have the same aging you do."
Gonna need a few moments to wrap his head around that. All that time, Hunter'd been so, so scared about what was happening to the kid and whether she made it out, but all that time, she's his older sister?
And there's two of them?
It's semi unsettling.
Crosshair rubs his head on Hunter's thigh, and he absently pets him.
"Were we born people?" Wrecker asks, "Or creatures?"
"I think AZI might have some recordings," Omega offers slowly, "We got him when we were on Kamino."
Hunter eyes the medical droid. He'll be useful, anyway. Actually, on the note of med droids, he might be able to get Crosshair's chip out. They can talk about it when they're not in front of him, and when he has confirmation of it. He's still not sure how cooperative his little brother would be with such an operation, but it does need to be done. Somehow. AZI is probably the best chance at it they have right now, which is far better than it's been all this time.
He can't believe that the entire being captured fiasco is over. Cid is gonna be so cranky about their disappearance, but now they have seven members, and Emerie to teach, too. He doesn't know what to think of her, period, right now. She's quiet. Withdrawn, and a bit in over her head.
"How far do your animal instincts extend?" Emerie inquires. Everyone instantly looks at her, tensing a bit. "Out of... genuine curiosity," she supplies, looking away.
"It varies," Hutner answers slowly.
"I would not say mine extend," Tech answers, "And Wrecker is characteristically aggressive and loyal, though Hunter's wolf form can be significantly less thoughtful than his human one." Hunter knows that. It didn't bother him when he was little. Then he got a bit older, realized he'd have to be their leader, and he'd struggled with it so much. He's accepted it again, but there was a long, long time that Hunter hated it. He was so wild and thoughtless as a wolf, and when he was seven or so, it just seemed...
It brought out a part of him he couldn't afford to get himself lost in.
"And Crosshair, well, is a cat," Hunter tells her. His little brother snarls at him, trying to bite his hand. He jerks it aside, and Crosshair jumps at him, clawing and hissing. All he can hit is a clawful of Hunter's metal chestplate, and he climbs onto his lap, trying to bite his neck. "Alright," Hunter concedes, gleefully, "This is his general state of being."
Omega's snickering.
Wrecker pushes himself up, scooping Crosshair out of Hunter's lap, and he instantly melts against him. Wrecker is the one person Crosshair alternates between purring and scuffling with. It's so hard to tell what his mood will be.
Crosshair might be a bit rough, especially now, but their devotion to each other is always going to pull them all back to each other. They're made to be one.
Emerie's watching them quietly. She's fidgeting, and Tech's already lost in his datapad again. She keeps watching him. Hunter thinks she wants one of her own.
"What exactly do you do?" she inquires, "I have never lived a life of my own."
"We're mercenaries right now," Echo answers, "We don't have much purpose, but we're trying to keep the kid safe."
"And stay away from the Empire," Hunter amends, "We don't want unwanted attention, though now that Crosshair's back, I don't know." All he knows is that he's relieved to be back, and so are the rest of his squad.
They've all wanted to be back together, and it's so relieving that they finally are. Crosshair's here. Safe. They're safe. They won't have to fight him anymore. He can't even say how relieved that makes him. He left Crosshair behind, and nothing will ever make up for that, but at least he's back.
"You're thinking about fighting?" Echo asks him, a bit surprised.
"No," Hunter answers, "Well, not really. I don't know yet. We all need some time to think this through."
Crosshair purrs again. Omega edges closer, reaching to pet him, touching his head gently. He nuzzles against her hand, rubbing closer into her hand. Omega giggles quietly, pressing closer to him and kissing his head.
Hunter smiles fondly as he watches them together – it's so good to see how close they are after how hostile he was towards their little – big? – sister initially. He knew Crosshair would warm up to her fast enough. He's always been open with people. They all have been, at least when there were people who truly wanted them like the kid does.
"Wanna see recordings of when you were still in Nala Se's lab?" Omega pipes up, "I think AZI should have them stored in his memory."
"Really?" Wrecker asks, instantly curious.
"We don't have anything else to do right now," Hunter concedes. It'll be a long ride through hyperspace and maybe something that ridiculous will help get his mind off everything that just happened. And help to relax Emerie because she's still tense and uncertain about all this. But she seems happy to be with them.
It takes a while, but Tech finally manages to connect AZI's memory storage to a port on their ship so they can display the hologram.
Omega looks a bit gleeful about the recording she pulls up first. It makes Hunter instantly wary.
The hologram is displaying an area off to the side of what must be the lab, where there's four cribs set up side-by-side. Hunter's shape-shifted into a tiny wolf form, and he's crawling around in his crib, still hardly able to move. Must be shortly after they were taken out of their tube.
Tech is in his fish form – he's positively adorable at this age, not that Hunter would dare tell him so – and he's lying on his stomach, eyes eerily intense for a baby. He's watching tiny dragon Wrecker who somehow got out of his crib and is hopping around on the floor with an unreasonable amount of fascination. Wrecker keeps trying to fly, but his wings are tiny, and they look like they might still be wet. Definitely not in a state to be carrying his weight.
Cat-Crosshair is crawling between the cribs somehow, and of course, even as a baby who shouldn't be able to move this much, he's still able to crawl through literally any space. He clamors all the way through Wrecker's crib and then into Tech's, and grabs at his tail, trying to bite it.
Emerie is watching the recording with fascination.
Wrecker laughs and Hunter nearly does, too.
"I should not be surprised that was his first instinct," Tech supplies.
Crosshair hisses at him from the floor.
Omega just giggles. "There's a lot more I can show you," she says cheerfully, as the hologram continues to play. Hologram-Tech is trying and failing to wriggle away from hologram-Crosshair, while hologram-Hunter continues crawling around obviously. Hologram-Wrecker jumps a few steps in the air again, flapping his wings, only to fall back to the floor.
A much smaller Omega very briefly steps into the hologram to pry baby-Crosshair off a yowling Tech, who seems more confused than hurt. She's so tiny – probably two, or actually four if she ages like nat-borns. She's unfairly adorable, too.
Hunter can't help smiling a little as he watches. It makes him think of a time when things were simpler.
But maybe... there's a chance that things can still get better from here. They finally have Crosshair back with them again and he might be pretty feral, but he's here. They just need to convince him to get his chip out, and AZI should hopefully be able to do the surgery. That's probably not a conversation to start having right now, though. He'll save it for a little later... when things start to calm down.
And... if they've found a way to fit Omega into their squad, they should be able to do the same for Emerie if staying here is what she wants.
It's a little hard to imagine they'll really just be fine after everything they've been through, but at the same time, it doesn't seem too far-fetched anymore. Not too much to hope.
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