Hey peeps! Happy Holidays!

Quick heads up, I might have to go on hiatus for this fic for a little while. This is the fic I still have edited by my editors and once again, one of them is very pregnant and also the holidays are busy. We'll be good for the next update, but the one after is more nebulous.

ANs this chapter might be a little all over the place, as I am very tired and kinda out of it.

Trigger Warnings: Discussion of medical procedures

I don't think we've got any Mando'a.

Onward!

Chapter 5: Who He Is

Phee clenched her fists to keep them from shaking as Omega inputted a code into the safehouse door. She forced herself to walk into the place calmly alongside Wrecker, Omega, and AZI.

Hunter met them, hand on his blaster, but he relaxed when he saw them. He curled an arm around Omega as she rushed to him.

"How is he?" She whispered.

Hunter's brow furrowed.

"He's-"

"He's alive, and that's what matters." Echo had come into the room. "We can worry about everything else once he's stable."

"He's not stable?" Wrecker asked, eyes wide and round.

Hunter shook his head.

"Things have gone downhill fast in the last few hours." He said.

"Then let's get AZI to him now!" Omega said.

Hunter nodded and beckoned to them. They followed him to a small room in the back. A tall, gangly clone was seated next to the bed. He looked up at them. His eyes narrowed as they found Phee and he touched his blaster.

"I thought this was supposed to be a safe house." He said.

"This is Phee, Crosshair." Omega said. "She's the one who brought us to Pabu. We trust her."

Crosshair, because of course this scowling clone was their estranged brother, seemed unconvinced.

Phee didn't care at the moment, as she had finally let herself look at who was in the bed.

He was ashen, eyes half closed and lips moving in an unheard mumble. His face was mottled with scars that weren't there before. He had no goggles and one of his brown eyes wasn't so brown anymore.

But she knew him, and that was enough.

She strode forward quickly, accidentally knocking AZI spiraling out of the way. She was by his side before the droid had recovered. The others stayed back. They seemed- afraid.

"Browneyes." Phee breathed, smoothing back his shortened, silver streaked hair.

"Phee-" Hunter said. "He won't know you."

"I know." Phee said.

She knew and she didn't care. Right now it was enough to feel him, warm and alive. Too warm.

She backed up a little to allow AZI to perform a scan. The funny little droid tutted his way through it. Tech, who had looked at her when she touched him, kept staring at her. His brow was creased in an all too familiar way. He was confused.

"I will need a blood sample." AZI said after a moment.

Tech drew back his hand as AZI attempted to take it.

"No." He mumbled.

"Tech, honey." Phee said. She gently took his wrist. "It's all right."

He glanced at her with glassy eyes. Confusion replaced the fear in his face.

While he was distracted, AZI took the blood sample. Phee waited, still holding his wrist. Omega crept forward and held his other hand. His puzzled gaze fell on her too.

"His blood has a near-lethal level of neurotoxicity." AZI finally announced. "It seems to originate from the coolant found in his cybernetics infecting an open wound."

"So that was his plan." Hunter muttered. "What can we do?"

"His body will cleanse the toxins in time. However, that will put strain on his organs and possibly cause permanent damage." AZI chirped.

"Is there any way to get around that?" Crosshair asked.

Phee was ashamed to realize that she was surprised to see the desperation in Crosshair's eyes. She'd always somewhat doubted Tech's assertion that Crosshair was a good brother. She was glad she had been wrong.

"I can act as a bioartificial liver." AZI said. "Running his blood through me will filter out the toxins without putting strain on his body."

"Why didn't you start with that?" Echo asked. "Go on, get going!"

"How long will it take?" Hunter asked.

"I am only to be used as a bioartificial liver in extreme conditions." AZI said. "I am not optimized for the procedure. Due to this, the process may take one to two days."

"Right." Hunter said. "Let's get settled in, then. Omega, I want you to go back to Pabu-"

"I'm not going." Omega said. "In fact, I'm an ex-medical assistant. If any of us should leave, it's the rest of you."

Phee suppressed a grin.

"She's got a point, boys." She said. "It's two days at most."

"And if he gets aggressive again?" Hunter asked.

Phee's heart twisted to see Omega's eyes darken.

"He might." Omega admitted. She squared her shoulders. "But that's a risk I'm willing to take."

When did your little girl go and grow up, Browneyes?

Hunter seemed to be thinking a similar thing by the way he looked at Omega. He eventually gave a short nod.

"Let's get a watch going." Echo said. "Crosshair, you need a rest."

Crosshair sent them all a venomous look.

"Come on, Cross." Wrecker said. He reached out a large hand and put it on Crosshair's shoulder. "How're you supposed to help him if you're half asleep?"

"I'll take the first watch, anyway." Omega said. "I can help AZI get things set up. Tech's the least likely to attack me now, right?"

Hunter paused.

"I'll watch with her, if that makes you feel better." Phee said.

Crosshair opened his mouth, but Wrecker shook his head.

"We trust her, Crosshair." He rumbled.

Hunter and Echo nodded. It made Phee's heart ache in a strange way. She knew that these men's trust was hard earned after everything they'd been through. She treasured it.

Tech suddenly gave a cry and they all whipped around. AZI had attempted to insert a needle into Tech's arm and he had jerked away.

"Ah. I see he has developed a trauma response to medical procedures." AZI said.

"What do you mean?" Crosshair asked.

"Approximately seventy-three percent of clones have." AZI said. "After particularly traumatic experiences with a medical procedure, they develop adverse reactions to similar processes. CT-1409 has a particularly acute case."

"No kidding." Echo muttered.

"In fact, it is surprising that all the members of Clone Force 99 have not developed such a response." AZI went on. "Particularly CT-9904."

Crosshair frowned.

"Why?" He asked.

"Omega informed me that you went through similar experiences to CT-9902." AZI said. "This, along with the forcible enhancement of your inhibitor chip-"

"What?"

Hunter had said the word aloud, but Phee could see the same sentiment plastered across all of the other clones' faces. Including Crosshair's.

Crosshair felt numb as AZI cocked his head.

"CT-9904 went through a procedure that enhanced the efficacy of the inhibitor chip." The droid said. "Far past the point of any normal CT trooper's chip."

Hunter rounded on Crosshair.

"Did you know?" He demanded.

Crosshair could only stare at him.

Enhanced. His kriffing chip had been enhanced. Of course it had. They had taken him and when he had woken up, the idea of murdering his squad had been suddenly palatable. It had just made sense. The traitors had needed to die.

Why hadn't he put it together earlier?

"Of course he didn't know!" Wrecker said, but Crosshair only half heard him. "Don't you think he'd have told us when he came back?"

Omega was taking this well, Crosshair realized faintly. She had beckoned to AZI and was employing the stranger's help in distracting Tech from the procedure.

"Stop yelling." The woman, Phee, said. "Can you have this discussion somewhere else?"

Crosshair felt someone push him through the door, his brothers right behind.

"Kriff, this explains a few things." Echo said.

"I'm sorry, Crosshair." Hunter said. "I'm so sorry."

Crosshair blinked and looked at Hunter. His brother had a hand to his head, distressed.

"You were right to leave me behind." Crosshair found himself rasping. "I stayed with the Empire, even without the chip."

"No, I wasn't." Hunter said. "I should have never let them take you. Kriff, we were just all so confused- I didn't know what to do."

Crosshair had never heard Hunter admit to anything like this. The closest he'd even gotten to an admission of a mistake was 'we'll debate my decisions later.' Later never happened, of course.

Crosshair found that he really didn't want to hear it.

Luckily, Wrecker suddenly pulled them both into a bone crushing hug.

"Doesn't matter right now." Wrecker said. "You're here now, Cross, and we gotta focus on getting Tech better."

Crosshair was so grateful that Wrecker was shutting down this conversation before Hunter really started blaming himself, that he let his brother hug him for a few seconds longer than he usually did.

Hunter was still frowning when Crosshair pushed away, but Crosshair wouldn't let him stew in this for long.

"Wrecker is right." He said. "Forget about it. What's done is done. Tech is our priority."

He glared at Echo, who was looking at him with sympathetic eyes.

"If you say one word about knowing what it's like, I'm selling you for parts."

"Hunter's beat you to it." Echo said.

"You're never going to let me live that down, are you?" Hunter muttered.

Wrecker laughed nervously, but Crosshair just looked away. His insides, already in turmoil from Tech's condition, were tying themselves into knots. Did this absolve him from what he did with the chip in? Or did it make what he did without it worse?

"Omega, are you okay?"

Omega didn't look at Phee.

"We're going to have to restrain him." She said instead. "We don't have enough sedatives to keep him out the entire time."

"I know." Phee said. "I heard AZI."

She took Omega's hand. Omega didn't want to look at her.

"Sweetheart, it's all right to be upset." Phee murmured.

Omega sniffled. She didn't want to be upset. She wanted to work to help Tech. Tears pricked at her eyes.

"Poor Crosshair." She mumbled. "We left him behind."

A few tears dribbled down her cheeks. She touched Tech's shoulder.

"Poor Tech." She said. "What did they do to you?"

Phee pulled Omega into a gentle hug without agitating her wrist or shoulder.

"Poor all of you." She said. "Omega, it's been a hard time for your whole squad. Let yourself feel sad."

Omega hiccupped.

"I've been sad." She said. "On Pabu. Tech needs me now."

Still, she let Phee hold her for a moment longer before pushing away.

"Look at me, Tech." She said. They only had enough seds to keep him out while AZI set things up. Besides, AZI had said that sedatives might have a bad reaction if too much mixed with the toxins in his blood. They just needed to be able to get the seds in in the first place. She took his hand. "Come on, look at me."

He slowly turned his head from watching AZI. His brow scrunched with confusion again. Omega blinked as he pulled his hand from hers and lifted it to her face. His fingers hovered over the bruise he'd caused.

"It's okay." Omega said. "I know you didn't mean it."

She at least hoped he hadn't. And- was that sadness in his face?

His eyes slid shut and Omega noticed AZI begin his work. Within a few minutes, Tech's blood was filtering through the droid. Phee settled into the chair next to his bed and began stroking his hair.

Omega wanted to join her and hold Tech's hand, but now that the work was done- she was scared again.

He was drugged, delirious, and unconscious and there was still a tiny part of her that was afraid of him. Her shoulder throbbed and her wrist ached. Phee hadn't had to see Tech so awful and cruel. He was calm now, but what happened when he got better?

"Come here, Omega." Phee said.

Omega approached carefully. Phee pulled her close.

"He's in there." Phee said. "He's still in there, see? You can see it."

Omega looked at him and saw what Phee did. Asleep and sick, he looked more like himself. Omega touched his face.

But Phee hadn't seen.

"He hurt me." Omega mumbled. She wanted so badly to be optimistic, but in that moment it was hard. "You weren't there, Phee. He hated us."

Phee sighed.

"I wasn't. But I can imagine how different he'd have to be to do that to you." She said. "He'd never hurt you. And that fact scares me. But he's in there, I promise."

"He doesn't know that." Omega said. "He doesn't even know who he's supposed to be anymore."

Phee put her hand on Omega's

"Then tell him." She said. "He might not remember, but you do. When he wakes up, you tell him everything."

Omega nodded slowly. It- made sense. She could teach him who he was.

"99! 99!"

9902 followed his brothers as they raced down the maintenance tunnel below the training rooms. 99 was at the end, carrying an overflowing box of damaged training helmets. Wrecker took the box from him. They were only four standard years old, but Wrecker was stronger than a majority of adults, especially 99.

"Thank you, Wrecker." 99 said, wiping at his head. 'Now what's the fuss, 01?"

"I'm not 01 anymore!" 9901, Hunter now, said.

Even 9902 could see how excited Hunter was. It was very different from how reserved he normally acted.

99 gave a soft gasp.

"Your name?" He asked. "You found it?"

Hunter nodded, his longer hair flopping.

"I'm Hunter!" He said. "We learned about them in flash training today."

99 laughed.

"That's a perfect name!" He said, just like he'd said when Wrecker and Crosshair had found theirs.

9902 very much wanted to hear 99 say it to him.

The others chattered about the name for a few minutes. 9902 was happy for Hunter and he had plenty of information about hunters he could share, but for once he did not feel like speaking.

"Now we just need 02 to find his!" Wrecker said, clapping 9902 on the back with his free hand.

9902 tried to look excited too. It did not work.

"Don't worry, 02." 99 said. "You have a name, just like every clone."

9902 looked down at his feet.

"You do not." He mumbled. "And I am not like every clone."

"99 is my name." 99 said. "Some clones name themselves after their number. I chose it to be my name."

The words came out before 9902 could stop them.

"You say that every clone has a name and that they just need to find it." He was frustrated to feel the prick of tears at his eyes. "You also say that we choose our names. Can we not choose the wrong name? Which is it?"

"There's no such thing as the wrong name." 99 said. "Every clone has a name, but we choose what it is."

"That does not make any sense!" 9902 complained.

"It's like-" Wrecker said slowly. "It's like when they do our medical records. There's places for our weight and stuff, but there's not really a right answer, you know?"

9902 blinked. That- did make sense. It was not often that Wrecker was able to explain something to him.

"But we do not know that for certain." He said. "I cannot see the place where my name should go."

"You'll find it." Crosshair said. "The regs all do!"

"That is the point!" 9902 cried. "I am not like the regs. My social aptitude is abysmal! Names are a social construct! You say that I will find my name, but the data does not support that conclusion!"

He was close to crying again and it made him angry.

99 put his hands on 9902's shoulders. 9902 pulled away. 99 should know he did not wish to be touched.

"Some clones don't find their name until they're grown." 99 said. "Keep searching. There's not a time limit. You don't have all the data yet."

99's words helped a little, but 9902 still felt miserable. But he knew that this was not an acceptable reason to be upset. He straightened.

"I will." He said.

99 smiled.

"Atta boy, '02." He said. "And don't forget. Our names are to help others know who we are, but we already know ourselves. Even without your name yet, you're still you. That's the important thing."

9902 cocked his head.

"How would I not be 'me?'" He asked. "It sounds like that would be far more difficult than just existing as myself."

99 laughed, though 9902 did not know why.

"I don't think that'll be a problem with you, 02." He said.

The conversation turned back to Hunter's name. 9902 found, as he provided a fact about Hunter's namesakes, that 99 had made him feel better. He could be himself. And 99 promised that was a good thing.

An hour later when they had carefully restrained Tech's arms and his eyes slid open, Omega was ready.

"Tech." She said. He looked at her, eyes fogged over. "You may not know who you are right now, but I- we can help with that. I'm going to show you, so listen carefully."

His brow furrowed. Omega took a deep breath and clicked on his datapad.

"This is the day you first met me. Or- when you first remember meeting me, anyway."

"Are you all right, Echo?"

Echo looked up. Commander Tano had given them some privacy when Wrecker, Omega, and Phee had arrived. She joined them in the living room now. Wrecker shot her a suspicious glance but went back to watching Crosshair on the couch to make sure he stayed asleep. Hunter was just sitting, hunched and his clasped hands pressed to his forehead.

Every instinct told Echo to brush Commander Tano off and say he was fine. But something about the concern in her eyes and the fact that she was alive let him say more.

"How much did Rex tell you about what happened to me?" He asked.

Commander Tano moved to sit with Echo on the dusty couch.

"You'd been a prisoner for years and that they'd done- modifications." She said. "The Batch helped rescue you and then took you in."

Echo nodded.
"Leaves out a few details though." He said. "Let me tell you the whole thing."

He swallowed. He needed to get this out, though it would be bile to speak.

"I was left for dead. No, don't look like that, it's what you had to do." Echo said. "It's just what happened. But the Techno Union got their hands on me. There were a few other clones there, but I was the one that survived."

Commander Tano had so much sorrow in her eyes that Echo had to look away.

"You can see what they did to me." He said. "And it allowed them to access my mind and use me and my knowledge of Rex's plans against the Republic. Thousands of my brothers died because of me."

He felt her hand on his shoulder.

"A clone, left for dead after trying to save his brothers, found by the enemy and then twisted to try and destroy the brothers he loved." Echo said. He felt an unwanted tear run down his face. "Sound familiar?"

"Oh, Echo." Commander Tano said. "It's not your fault."

"Maybe not." Echo said. "But I still left him behind."

Commander Tano paused, and he looked up. She had closed her eyes.

"Tell me about him." She said. "Not what he'd do, but who he was. How he felt."

Echo blinked.

"He was-" Echo searched for a word that described Tech. "He was brilliant. Smartest clone I knew, smartest sentient. He was stubborn and straightforward. His focus was unlike anything I've seen. He was blunt- but he cared. Just a little differently."

He smiled wistfully.

"Don' forget that he was always lookin' for new things to learn." Wrecker broke in.

"And he was an insane pilot." Hunter added.

Echo glanced over to them. Wrecker was looking at them with an open, sad expression. Hunter was staring at his feet. Crosshair, by some miracle, was still asleep.

"What a wonderful brother." Commander Tano murmured. "I think that's still there. Buried and shattered. But your brother is there."

Echo stared at her.

"You- you can feel him?" He asked.

"Feel him?" Wrecker asked. "What-"

"She's a Jedi, Wrecker." Echo said quickly. "Commander, you can feel him?"

Commander Tano took his hand in hers.

"He's been through a lot, Echo." She said. "I could only sense slivers of what you said. But there's hope."

Echo stared at her, her words sinking in.

Hope.

Commander Tano cocked her head and a slight smile appeared on her lips.

"That little girl is already helping." She said. "Your sister, right?"

"Yes." Hunter said. His voice was splintering. "They were close."

Commander Tano nodded.

"I think a part of him remembers that."

Echo smiled for the first time since he'd seen Tech's state. Did Commander Tano know how the gift she'd just given them?

The hug she gave him seemed to say that she did.

Omega had fallen asleep. She had shown Tech recordings for three hours. Phee had listened, enraptured. She heard moments of his life that he'd never told her. She hadn't known the extent to which Wrecker's chip went off, about their deserter brother Cut, or the little Jedi padawan they had run into and saved.

Did you want to tell me, Browneyes? Did we just not have enough time? Or did he not trust her enough? It was hard to tell, since he'd told her about Crosshair.

The datapad was still playing.

"Omega, come here." The sound of his voice made Phee's heart ache. He sounded alive, excited. "I have found the plant you asked about earlier."

"Oh!" Omega sounded so much younger, though it couldn't have been more than one or two years ago. "What is it?"

"A Mantellian ficus. The leaves you noticed are-"

Phee clicked the datapad off. Tech reacted for the first time since Omega started showing him the recordings. He looked over at Phee with a glassy gaze.

"Why do I know you?"

It made Phee jump. It sounded like him- but something was missing. It took her a moment to realize what he had said.

"You- know me?" She asked.

Tech nodded slowly.

"I know you." He repeated. "I should not."

"Why not?" Phee asked.

He was quiet for a moment.

"There is only the mission." He said. "You are not part of the mission. I should not know you."

Phee approached him. She reached hesitantly for his hands.
"But you do." She breathed. "Tech-"

He pulled sharply away from her.

"I should not know you." He said harshly.

For the first time Phee heard the sharpness the others had described in his voice. He glared at her with a sudden hardness. Phee wanted to take a step back.

"Now, don't look like that." She said instead. "I knew you couldn't really forget me."

He didn't reply. She saw him practically shut down. He stared straight ahead, an expression as stony and blank as a cliffside on his face.

Phee faltered. She never faltered. She prided herself on it. But- she didn't know if she had helped or hurt. She was saved from deciding what to do next by the rest of the Batch slipping in.

Crosshair took one look at Omega's slumped form and crossed the room to her in a few steps. Phee saw the scowl on his face soften in a way she hadn't thought possible as he lifted his sister and carried her from the room.

"Is Tech still here?" Phee heard Omega mumble. "It wasn't a dream?"

"He's here." Crosshair murmured. "But your watch is over."

Phee had definitely misjudged him. Made enough sense, she'd misjudged most of the Batch when she'd first met them. Except Tech. But then she'd misunderstood his response to her flirting as a rude dismissal. Apparently she had to get the wrong idea from all of them at some point.

It seemed Crosshair was a good brother and at least had the makings of a good person. Phee didn't think it was possible for any bad person to love Omega.

"You can take a break now, Phee." Hunter said quietly. He put a hand on her shoulder, which surprised her a bit. Damn, she hadn't realized they were that close. "Thank you."

"You know I've got your back." Phee told him.

Hunter smirked.

"That's hard to come by." He said. He paused, looking uncomfortable. "Can I have a word?"

Phee raised an eyebrow, but followed him out of the room into the hall. Hunter took a deep breath.

"I- know how you feel about him. Or, I guess, felt-"

"Feel." Phee said firmly. "Present tense."

Hunter looked down, looking pained.

"Feel, then. But- it can't be easy for you to be here." He said. "You don't have to be. We can handle-"

"I guess you don't know how I feel about him." Phee said. "Because then you'd know that I have to be here."

"And if he doesn't get better?" Hunter asked.

The idea felt like a blaster bolt to her chest. She shook it off, like she'd shaken off lasers before.

"He remembers me." She said. Hunter's eyes widened. "He doesn't know from where or why, but he knows me. Do you think I could leave after that?"

Hunter paused before shaking his head.

"It's probably better that you're here then." He said. "But you do need a break. Mind the Jedi."

From the top!

This chapter is just a bunch of angsty conversations and interactions that I craved.

We don't talk enough about how Crosshair did not know his chip was enhanced. They don't mention it in front of him, and I doubt they would have told him what the procedures were for. Poor bean.

I firmly believe both Crosshair and Hunter owe the other an apology. Neither is fully in the right and neither is fully in the wrong.

Oops my hand slipped and I projected my own insecurities as an Autistic person onto Tech.

The idea of Echo of all people having to leave a brother for dead is DEVASTATING.

To make it clear, Tech recognizes the Batch because he was briefed on them. Phee wasn't part of that, so that's why he's so confused why he knows her.

Okay, I hope that's everything. I'm going to go pass out now.

Stay safe, remember to review, and have a great few weeks!