5 Months Later

(Y/N) wandered around her lab on Tantis, a depressed sigh escaping her as she continued her repetitive routine—one she hated as much as she did the empire. Snap should have been happy, even hopeful Omega had escaped the secret scientific base with Crosshair, but instead, she felt the opposite: terrified. The empire had discovered how valuable the young clone was and would hunt her down as if she were their prey.

"We have a new subject for you," came a demanding voice from behind (Y/N), the voice of a female scientist. Snap hadn't bothered to learn her name, as she hadn't expected to be there for so long. The plan was to get as much information as possible within a four-week period, and then she'd be extracted. (Y/N) turned, nodding silently, before retrieving her datapad, if only to find out who the poor soul she had been charged with tormenting this time was. She preyed on the maker. It wasn't another clone she knew, a prayer that was quickly rejected as her heart sank the moment her saddened eyes found the identification number. CC-3636.

"Wolffe," quickly whispered Snap, as her voice became trapped in her tightening throat and the familiar anxious feelings of the walls closing in around her and being trapped reared its head again. She'd hoped to see the Commander again, but not like this. She still hadn't forgiven herself for turning Tech into a Shadow, one of the many operatives at the empire's beck and call. She knew Wolffe wouldn't be as terrible, but it wouldn't be easier either. He was a friend, a brother to her, and now she was tasked with turning him into another of the empire's shadow assassins.

(Y/N) soon left her quiet lab, and with dread clouding her mind, she headed toward the large round room reserved for the reconditioning she was to put all shadow operatives through. The torture room as she had unceremoniously labeled it. Ever since Omega and Crosshair had escaped, security had been far tighter; Mistress Nala Se had been locked away in a cell as punishment for her part in the breakout. Where as Emerie Carr had been promoted to head scientist of Project Necromancer. The base seemed colder and grew colder the more the empire strangled the wider galaxy.

The moment Snap entered the rounded room, she was met with silence. Two TK Troopers stood guard over Wolffe as if he were a dangerous criminal; the Commander himself at least seemed peaceful. There was little doubt in (Y/N)'s mind that he'd been dosed with something before being transported to the secretive scientific base.

"You may leave," spoke Snap, her voice cold and sharp as it cut through the silence and ricocheted off the durasteel walls. Both plastid-clad men seemed confused by her dismissal of them, sharing a glance before turning their attention back to her.

"Negative, Ma'am," replied the taller of the two, shaking his head as if to convey the message quicker. "We have orders to stay for your safety. The clone is a dangerous insurgent," he uttered; the unnamed soldier had expected to see fear flash across (Y/N) features. Instead, her expression remained neutral, even more so as she buried the truth she knew. Wolffe wouldn't hurt her, although she'd admit she was terrified he was there. She questioned whether Tarkin had figured out where Wolffe's loyalty truly lay or if the commander had done something to earn the wrath of the empire.

"That was not a request," replied (Y/N), her bottled-up anger and self-hatred slipping through ever so slightly. "If you wish to stand guard, then do so outside the room. Being within will only distract me from my work," she added, turning her attention back to the datapad as she walked over to the small office and storage area, retrieving the medical supplies needed to complete the first of many tasks.

Wolffe seemed to regain consciousness as Snap went about the assessment. His sight blurry as he glanced around the room, but as it began to focus, the commander panicked, even more so upon becoming aware he was in an unknown place, a laboratory of some kind, restrained by the wrists, ankles, and several other areas, including his head. He'd been able to yell out to be let free of the restraint demand even when (Y/N) came into view, reaching to release the restraint around his head and loosening those around his torso and wrists.

Although some relief had washed over his clouded mind, it was quickly overcome with concern. (Y/N) was before him now but far different than he'd observed her to be in the past. There was no warmth to her now; she had closed herself off completely as if to protect herself and what remained of her fractured heart. Her touch was still gentle but didn't have the same comfort as before. It was as if the empire had broken her down and molded what remained into something else. As they did with his slowly disappearing brothers.

"(Y/N)," whispered Wolffe, wanting to reach out to her but found it impossible with the restraints. "Snap," he called, thankful that she had turned her attention to him. She quickly moved to wipe away the stray tear running down her cheek as if rubbing away any sign of weakness the empire could exploit. But despite her best efforts, she couldn't suppress her true self when someone called her by the affectionate nickname.

"They want to repurpose you," whispered (Y/N), a ragged sigh escaping her as she tried to recompose herself long enough to explain what she was tasked with doing. "I'm supposed to recondition you and ensure you're loyal to the empire. You'll become a shadow like Tech and Cody," she added, unsure how to feel when Wolffe had understood so quickly what that meant, what he'd be put through to achieve the goal.

"Were they successful?" questioned Wolffe, digging for even the littlest shred of hope. (Y/N) only nodded, Cody had been one of the first she'd succeeded with, he stopped fighting after she took over from Rampart. Tech had been successful, too, although his deviant nature had yielded some interesting results and a slither of hope. "Remember Wabani?" asked the commander, resigning himself to the fate ahead. He would have fought tooth and nail to escape if it were anyone else. He would have made things as difficult as possible. Snap was different. Only now did it truly resonate with Wolffe the meaning behind Gregor's words. Snap was the weapon the empire had against the clones.

"Forgive me," voiced Snap, gently squeezing his hand before the interrogation droid floated closer. Just like with Cody and Tech, she intended to botch the reconditioning, if only so it could be reversed. However, it didn't bring her any comfort, knowing each of them would remember the torture, the agonizing pain, and the scary after-effects of it all. Like Crosshair did, although (Y/N) wondered if the sniper had realized he was the key to finding the secret scientific base.

The reconditioning had only partially worked on Crosshair; his deviant and defiant nature had prevented most of it from sticking. Although the torture had left its mark, the nerve damage was a constant reminder, as were the flashbacks and nightmares. Upon realizing nothing wouldn't permanently stick with the sniper, Snap had taken a leap of faith, implanting a small microchip with the information she'd recovered and the coordinates of the base. Crosshair had everything, even if unknowingly. Even if she were caught, her mission would succeed the moment those fighting against the empire recovered the information.

"Mistress," voiced CX-2 from beneath his helmet, his voice mechanical and unrecognizable via it. With his return, Snap knew he had successfully retrieved Omega. The civvi medic knew why he'd come to her. All Shadow troopers knew to find her upon return to undergo a medical evaluation.

"Are the others okay?" questioned Snap, adverting her eyes away from Wolffe's torture. His screams and howls of pain would haunt her, just like the others before had. CX-2 could only nod, moving to block her view of the interrogation droid and Wolffe helplessly strapped down to the operating table. As if shades of his old self shone through, the shadow operative reached for her datapad, turned off the droid with little hesitation, and completed the actions that Snap was paralyzed to do.

Carefully, he nudged her to the small lift, the round observation tower servicing as her medical bay for all the Shadow Operatives. Upon perching on the end of the examination table, he removed the black helmet, placing it at his side, his vision turning blurry now, only outlines of objects and shadows moving across the room. (Y/N)'s presence being the clearest thing there.

"Your injuries are almost healed," spoke Snap, her voice calmer now as her gentle hand traced the scars scattering his face and neck. "Is there any pain? Your eye, neck, or cybernetics?" she asked, detecting Tech's inner struggle. His deviant nature had prevented the reconditioning from permanently sticking but had resulted in what was equal to two worlds colliding within his head, essentially doubling his suffering and pain. "The migraines, are they any better?"

"Anyone else would have deemed me a lost cause," Tech commented in response, focusing his blurred vision on her. His miss-matched eyes were similar to Wolffe's now. One is golden brown, and the other is a cold, clouded silver. "There is little you can do to fix my vision, Cyare. My goggles shattered the way they did, and the shards from the train did more damage than I care to admit."

"And I did further damage with the reconditioning," replied (Y/N), stepping back in an attempt to regain her slipping composure. She'd reached her limit weeks ago but forced all her feelings into a little box and buried them at the back of her mind to try and fix those she was forced to break. She did this to pull off a facade of confidence and hide the true terrified little girl she truly was inside.

"CX-2," called Hemlock the moment he entered the tinted room. As per usual, he had a calm and reserved aura about him, yet his eyes glistered with anger, even malice—an unusual sight, to say the least. "Take her into custody. Ensure she's properly secured in a cell," he ordered, ignoring the confusion and fear appearing across Snap's features. Instead, Hemlock's attention turned to Wolffe, helplessly strapped to a table, in and out of consciousness as he tried to order his scrambled thoughts and senses. The recent call with Tarkin only proved to shake Hemlock's trust in those around him, even more so if the admiral's theory was correct. (Y/N) was working with the tormented commander and against the empire.

"It's only until my investigation is complete. Admiral Tarkin brought a concerning theory to my attention," reported Hemlock, cluing the civvi medic in and alerting her to her dire situation, even more so when it dawned on her that her time for escape and rescue had passed. The only way she was likely to leave the facility was if the empire wanted her to.