"Tech!" exclaimed Echo, his breath getting caught in his throat. How could it be? He saw Tech fall and heard Tech utter Plan 99 and his final words. When do we ever follow orders?
For a moment everything else seem to be lost to Echo, it barely registered that Tech held (Y/N), nor that Wrecker had two other brothers thrown over his shoulders. Wolffe had been the one to call out to Snap, whereas Hunter had spoken up regarding everything that happened and how it would be difficult to process all at once. Tech was CX-2, (Y/N) had been tortured for god knows how long, Cody was another CX trooper and Fives, Fives was alive.
"I'll keep an eye on Cody," volunteered Wolffe, offering to keep watch over Cody and Comet until Rex was contacted. The battle-worn commander accepted; Tech wouldn't be giving (Y/N) up for now. She was safe with him, at least, and he was just as devoted to protecting her.
"We've got Fives," spoke Omega. Her words seemingly broke the trance Echo had been lost in. His pale eyes widened upon hearing the name of his long-lost brother. Fives was dead, killed during the war. Like with Tech, Echo struggled to comprehend the how. Both had been killed. One he'd seen for himself, the other he'd been told of by someone who had been there that day.
"So where are we going?" asked the trooper; Omega had released from the cells less than an hour beforehand. Orion was his name. He'd served with the 187th regiment during the war.
"Somewhere, the Empire won't find us," replied Hunter, relieved that their battle was over but also dreading what was coming. (Y/N)'s road to recovery was uncertain and would be anything but easy. Tech, Comet, Dogma, and Cody would have to undergo some process to reverse what was done to them. And Fives, who knows what was done to him while in the stasis chamber? Who knows what the plan was for him? Hemlock wasn't above being cruel or using others to force his target to suffer further.
"Will she be okay?" called Wolffe, a heavy breath of fear following his words. He didn't need to be told she'd suffered nor that things were worse than they looked. He could see it. The way Snap drifted in and out of consciousness, her confusion and barely audible words. "Will she recover?" he asked to correct his previous question. Of course, she wasn't okay; someone had hurt her. If that person still lived, they'd regret it when he got hold of them.
"Give her to me," voiced Echo, stepping over to Tech, sitting on the floor, and leaning against one of the control panels with (Y/N) in his arms. He kept her in a secure grip, her back against his chest as her head rested on his shoulder. Tech held one of her hands in a gentle grip. As if to remind her someone was there.
"You lied," whispered Tech, only moving to tighten his hold. "You promised to protect her. But when she needed you most, you weren't there."
Echo was surprised by the accusing tone of the words. Did Tech blame him, and did others, too? The ship had fallen awkwardly silent after that, as if all the joy of success had been sucked from the room or icy cold water had been thrown over all of them.
"We all failed in some way, Tech," said Crosshair, defending Echo in a way, even if there was some mutual feeling. Echo had chosen to put the rebellion over everything else and, in doing so, unintentionally abandoned those who needed him.
"He didn't," replied Tech, his voice blending with the changer of his helmet, giving off an eery feeling. Wolffe, on the other hand, seemed confused by Tech's assertion. Believing the enhanced clone to be wrong. He had failed (Y/N); like Echo, he hadn't been there when she needed him most. "He got caught trying to find her and was put through the reconditioning because he stayed loyal."
"Fives…" mumbled (Y/N), seamlessly breaking up the awkward tension to settle over the cargo hold. "Dark Trooper…" she added, "Reverse … Necklace … Rex."
"Snap," warmly spoke Wolffe, a shadow of a grin appearing across his lips as he quickly figured out what she meant. "She uploaded the Dark Trooper project to her necklace. Fives' programming can be reversed with help from Rex," added Wolffe, as if he understood her, much like Tech appeared to earlier in the circular room.
"Plan … Plan 99," replied (Y/N), showing she could still understand those around her, even if she couldn't communicate with them properly.
"You're not getting away from us that easily," said Hunter. "Your fight is over now, (Y/N). It's time we took care of you."
"Devika," spoke Echo, remembering Snap's little sister, the only family she had left. She was in the Senate, bravely standing against the Empire, fighting for what was right along with a few others, like Riyo Chuchi, Mon Mothma, and Bail Organa. "Someone needs to inform her, we found (Y/N), some needs to tell her …"
"I'll do that when we get home," replied Wrecker from his position near Omega and Fives. Crosshair had since moved to Echo's side, offering the silent comfort the Arc Trooper needed. Even more so when it was so clear, he struggled to understand everything. Not only was Tech alive, but so was Fives, and Snap had been tortured and committed the same plan Tech had. The feelings were overwhelming.
"We'll take care of her," worded Crosshair, her voice a little over a whisper. His words meant to be encouraging, but came out as anything but. Echo was going through so much; the people he thought lost were here, the ones he tried to protect, were suffering. The maker had been cruel to him, colder than normal, and forced him to choose with the intention of losing either way. If he chose Snap, then the rebellion Echo believed in would likely fail; if he chose the growing rebellion, then Snap suffered.
"Will she heal?" asked Wolffe, sitting across from Tech, Cody leaning against one shoulder while Comet lay across his lap, both of them peaceful for now, until the long road of recovery started. "Will she be how she was?" he added, almost afraid of the answer. Expecting the worst, more so from his own experiences, trauma like hers changed people, scarred them for life, and most of the time, there was no going back after experiencing something like that.
"No," stammered Tech in response, ignoring the responses he got. "She won't remember most of this; depending on how bad it was, she may not remember the war or us. She'll most likely have to relearn most things," he continued, delivering the news no one wanted to hear but had to in order to prepare for what was to come. The best-case scenario wasn't much better than the worst, but still, they had to hope. For now, they just had to wait until her mind settled; then, they could figure out how to help.
"Gregor … we're going to need Gregor," mumbled Echo. He hoped she remembered something of the war, even if it was just the beginning. Wolffe and the 104th, Fox, Thorn and Thire, Gregor and his endless playful flirting. Her army of brothers.
"If she doesn't remember anything," started Omega, horror written across her face. "How will she know what happened to her family, the war's end? We can't keep things like that hidden," wisely spoke the young clone, sorrow appearing in her voice. Snap had always been kind to her at Tantis, keeping her hope alive and telling her stories when they spent the little time they could together. It was (Y/N) who gave her Crosshair's location and cell number.
"We'll all help her, Omega; we owe her that much," voiced Crosshair, suspecting Tech wouldn't leave (Y/N)'s side any time soon. She may have turned each into the troopers they had become, but she had also saved them and prevented their needless deaths in a battle set to torment all of them further.
"How's Phee going to react to all this?" asked Wrecker, knowing there were many who had felt Tech's sudden death, the people of Pabu, Phee, all those who called him friend and brother. They'd each grieved in their own way, now they would have to relive all the feelings, all the pain. Accept he wasn't gone but before them again.
"Cody… Obi-Wan …"
"General Kenobi was killed on Utapau during the purge," spoke Orion, at least knowing that much. "Cody ordered a strike after Order 66 was sent out."
"Comet … Wolffe … 79's … Plo …" breathlessly whispered (Y/N), as exhaustion began to take hold again. Trying her best to give the things needed to reverse what she had done. To free those she had turned into CX troopers from their torment. "Tech …"
"I'm here (Y/N)."
"Tech … Bad Batch … Omega … Goggles … Gonky," she added with struggling breaths, not seeing the confusion or bewilderment she received in response to her muddled words. "Dark Trooper … Scarif … Omega … Databank … Necklace … Not over."
"Not helping to settle the nerves, Snap," replied Wolffe, attempting to lighten the mood just a little bit.
"We're almost there," spoke Hunter upon hearing the familiar beeping to alert them they were approaching their destination. Pabu. If Emerie had succeeded in escaping, then she and the children would be there too, the people there helping to welcome them. "However this ends, she's staying with us. She deserves peace, regardless of whether she remembers anything."
"And I have a choice to make," commented Echo, sadness and grief ringing through his otherwise whispered voice. Fives (Y/N) and the rebellion needed him. Clones across the galaxy did, too, as they fought for freedom. How was he supposed to juggle all of them without repeating past mistakes? Even worse, he had to make those decisions knowing there was a chance (Y/N) didn't remember him; if that was the case, he'd have to help her relearn what she already knew of him. And be faced with another cruel choice. Continue fighting with the hope she remembered him or let her go and be whomever she was going to be now.
