Prologue
Plot: She is CT-9905, but she's called Vision. Cloned from Omega when Nala Se was attempting to clone Force-sensitivity, Vision is the only success. Not only is she Force-sensitive, but she also has the unique ability to see glimpses of the future when she touches something, or someone. As she grows older, she is assigned to Clone Force 99, forever altering the course of history.
Author's Note: This... is going to be a slow divergence, so don't expect many immediate major changes, though we'll hit that point eventually. Lol. Mostly, I'll just promise that this will have a happy ending. 💖 And I'm trying to be fair to all seven (or is it eight? I guess S3 will answer that xD) Batchers plus their tag-alongs, so... yeah. I promise each of them will get their own time to shine. :P
Also, Vision is... chaotic. But honestly, if you're reading a Bad Batch fanfic, that shouldn't bother you. xD I'll admit I don't know much about bipolar disorder (that's what it's called right?), but I'm quite certain Vision's bipolar. Came out like that completely by accident. xD
I've already drafted half the first season, but still. I wanna say that if anyone has any suggestions, I would really, really like to hear! 💖 Or comments or questions if you're into it enough to ask anything. 💖 Doubt anyone will get that far, but I'm very attached to my OCs, so I want to give out the offer if there's anyone out there.
~ Rivana Rita
PS. This is for the Bad Batch Appreciation Week. Day 6 is Omega. ^-^ Also this is for the Bad Batch Bingo square of "adoption" and the Clone OC Bingo square of "parenting". :)
~ Amina Gila
"Are we... gonna just keep staring at each other?" I ask finally, "'Cuz I think we've been at it for a while."
That finally shakes them out of their trance.
"This is unexpected," Tech says finally, the first to speak directly to me. Not that I blame him. They probably find me pretty weird. I find me weird, too. I was blindly excited when I first realized it was finally time. Now, I'm just... nervous.
Somehow, seeing them in person is different from holos or from afar. I think all the clones were born with perpetual scowls etched on their faces. I'm serious. Hunter looks much like the regs in that way. The skull tattoo on his face just adds to that.
Tech is a little different, his features slightly smoother and less sharp, but still. And something about his goggles makes me feel like I'm being inspected.
Wrecker is just... unnaturally big. He makes me feel tiny even if I'm only about half his height. And the scar on his face, plus his eye – or rather the lack thereof – looks... awful in person. I do not want to know how it must've looked when it first happened. Omega and I snuck in there when he was unconscious afterwards. We couldn't see his face, though, and it was only for a minute before AZI dragged us out. And his entire face was bandaged, so, no, I couldn't get a clear look at him.
And Crosshair is... quite different from the others. Something about his features are smoother than Tech's, and makes me wonder exactly how skinny he is beneath that five-thousand-kilograms of armor they wear or whatever. Not like I know the weight. His hair is gray. I can't stop staring at it. He doesn't have that inborn scowl the others do, but there's an intensity in his eyes that's just as terrifying and entirely makes up for it.
That's finally what snaps the others back to the present.
"You got that right," Wrecker agrees, staring at me, wide-eyed. His left eye is sort of... grayed over and dead-looking, and I internally shudder. What would it be like to be half blind? I can't imagine it. Would I still be able to See with only one eye? I don't know.
Hunter crouches in front of me, so we're closer to eye-level. "What's your name, kid?"
I blink. I could swear Nala Se already told them that. I don't know. I was probably panicking too much and misheard something. To be fair, she did just unexpectedly dump this on all of us. "CT-9905, because they threw me in the line after Crosshair even though I'm not even from the same batch. And my sister 'mega named me Vision, but she calls me Viz."
"Your... sister?" Hunter echoes.
I shrug uncertainly. I know they don't remember Omega but thinking about that hurts. I know how much she cares about them. "Yeah. Omega. It's complicated. And Nala Se doesn't want anyone to know about her, but she's a clone, like us. Sorta. I mean, she ages really slowly, She's, like, twelve now, but about my size." Am I talking too much? I hope not. I wish Omega was with me. At least she doesn't sound like an idiot every time she starts talking.
"And you... know who we are?"
"Of course, I know who you are. I grew up hearing about you." Silently, I'm just grateful that no one comments about how much I don't fit in with them. I'd feel more at home if Omega was here, probably.
"How old are you?"
I shrug. "Six. Nala Se says that's where I am in learning, whatever that means."
"That says very little," Tech replies.
"I know." I'm not really sure what they think about me. I don't want them to feel like I'm intruding, because really, I am. Even if it's not by my choice, because if I could have, I'd have grown up knowing them. I don't think it's fair for them to have to just... accept me. Not that I think I wouldn't fit eventually, but... I don't know. I'm not even sure if they'll like me. Nala Se finds me more annoying than anything else. And I swear I don't even try to annoy her. I do that simply by existing.
"Well," Hunter says finally, "We're being called on another mission now, but... we'll see you around."
"Good luck." I offer them a shy smile. Would now be a good time to... I don't even know. 'Mega and I would high-five each other about now. Is that normal, or...? "Go blow stuff up. I'll be waiting when you get back."
**w**
It turns out to be a little while before they get back. Thirteen rotations – not nearly as long as it could be, but still. That's nearly three weeks, and a painfully long time to wait. Especially when I still have no idea what they think about me.
Hunter and Tech are the ones who come to collect me from Nala Se. I'm nervous to death, almost literally. I've never had to meet people before, and now that I'm suddenly with anyone other than Omega, I feel... lost.
"Nala Se mentioned you were enhanced like we were," Hunter says, leading me down the hall.
"Yeah," I agree, "I am. Sort of. It's not like any of you though. I don't really understand it."
"I am sure I can correct that," Tech volunteers. Not to burst his bubble, but if I don't understand my abilities, I doubt he could.
"Well, I... see stuff."
"See?" Hunter repeats. "Like Crosshair?"
"No. No, no, no, it's far more complicated than that. I mean, I see... future? It's scattered bits, and I can't much control it, but –"
"You see... the future?" Hunter repeats. He doesn't sound skeptical, but I think he is anyway.
I squirm a bit, not looking at either of them. "Yes, I do."
Tech is poking at his datapad from the beeping I hear on it. Yikes. Is he researching me? That is creepy. Me is right here.
"Technically, it is possible," he replies, "That is an ability some Jedi have."
I look up at Hunter again. "Jedi?"
"They're the Generals in the war," he explains. And oh, riggghhhttt. Sometimes, Omega's cluelessness rubs off on me. It's just that the Jedi are so far removed from anything I know that I often forget that they're a real thing.
"Oh, yeah. I remember that. But – wait. How could I have the power Jedi do? That doesn't make any sense."
"Theoretically, if you are Force-sensitive, it could," Tech replies.
"That's possible?" I squeak.
"Well, of course, it is."
How is that an 'of course'? I'm about to ask, but Hunter interrupts us again.
"There's someone else you should meet."
I freeze, looking up at him. "Who?"
"After our last mission, we... have another member," Hunter replies, and we come to a stop outside a doorway.
I blink, then stare at him, wide-eyed. "That's... possible? Never mind. That was a stupid question." I very clearly cannot keep my mouth shut. Well, I already know that. I never stop talking. Omega doesn't mind. I think most people do, though. If I can take Nala Se's word for anything, anyway.
"This is our barracks," Hunter tells me, and the door hisses open.
I suck in a sharp breath, looking around, eyes wide. This... is where they grew up. This is their room, because our brothers have a room. Omega and I had a space in Nala Se's lab where we ate and slept until I started getting older and then, I got a corner off to the side where I could learn the things she and 'mega and the droids couldn't teach me.
It's... big. Really big. And it's cluttered. I immediately want to crawl across every inch, but that doesn't seem fair, because Omega has been waiting for this twice as long as me, and she'll probably never get to come here.
She'll never be allowed to, anyway, but I'll make sure she finds a way. Somehow. Some time. Maybe –
Focus, Vision.
Say something, remember? That's what you're good at.
"It's big," I supply lamely, stepping inside. "It's really big. I didn't know anyone had their own room."
Across the room, Crosshair swings himself off the crate he was sitting on and approaches us. And where's Wrecker?
I look past him though, to the other person in the room. He... his face is the same as the normal clones, though paler, and he's... part machine. Clearly. Cyborg, the term is. His right arm is... not human. And something about the scowl on his face is slightly more pronounced than Hunter's, though he doesn't actually... look unkind, either.
"Hi," I say, suddenly feeling tiny again.
"Vision, this is Echo," Hunter says, stepping inside, "Echo, this is Vision."
"Where's Wrecker?" I ask, looking around, then back up at Hunter.
"I'm right here!" he booms cheerfully, and I yelp, skittering aside to give him room to enter. "And look who I found?"
The others turn to the doorway.
"Sorry to intrude," the blond-haired clone in the doorway says, "But we were on-planet, and we... wanted to see how Echo was settling in." I know clones can have different hair colors, but I still didn't expect to see another blond-haired clone. I'd always thought Omega special for it.
And beside him is... someone else, and the moment I see him, I wonder how I didn't notice his approach.
He's not a clone.
He's... dressed in robes, something that looks suspiciously... Jedi-like? He's taller than the others, and... I can't even explain what it is. But there's something about him that feels like the burning warmth of a fire. I don't even know what fire looks like in real life. But somehow, when I see him, I see streaks of orange tinged with gold, and something about it is burning black around the edges, and when I look harder, closer, I can... See. I can see that fire burning black, drowning with smoke, before it dies out in the slightest, fading out to a soft pale-gold.
"General?" Echo asks, stepping forwards.
"Echo," he replies, and – oh, he is a Jedi, then.
Yikes.
I'm looking at...
What am I supposed to do?!
I barely notice myself retreating until I actually run into someone – Crosshair, I realize, upon looking up. Well, at least it's not Tech. Tech is creepy.
I wouldn't mind interacting with them, probably. It's just. Nala Se told me that I can't draw attention to myself because I'm still an in progress experiment, or something. So yeah. I have to make a good impression, and a fast one, because I can't fail.
Neither of us join in the conversation, at least. I have no idea what's happening, and most of it goes over my head. And that is until... the Jedi, whoever he is, approaches me. Crosshair side-steps to give us space, and it's ridiculous how alone that makes me feel – I don't even know him.
"Hey," he says, crouching in front of me. "What's your name?" His voice is deep, but soft. Firm, but soft to the point of almost un-realness.
"I'm Vision."
"What're you doing here?"
"She was sent here so we could train her," Hunter replies for me, stepping forwards.
He looks back at me appraisingly. "I can see why. She'll never fit in with... the others." He looks back at me. "My name is Anakin Skywalker."
Anakin. It... fits. "Hi," I say finally. I tilt my head, staring closer – I can See the fire again. It's not real though. It's... different.
His eyes are blue. I've never seen blue eyes before. They're... "You're Force-sensitive," he realizes, twitching. Up close, I can see the confusion before it passes. "That's why they don't want you to grow up with the others."
"Tech said something like that, too. Do Jedi... See?"
"Visions?" he inquires. "It's rare. I – I have seen them before." There's a dark note to his voice that I don't understand.
I can't help being excited. I thought I was one of a kind, until right now. "What do you See?"
He reaches out, laying his hand on my shoulder. It feels strangely heavy and hard. It's... not human. It's mechanical. That can happen to Jedi? He closes his eyes, and I feel a strange pinprick of something, and the fire flares hot enough to take my breath away. "Your future is clouded," Anakin says, "The Dark Side... hangs heavily over your future, but there's a bright light that... overshadows everything else." He smiles, though there's something strangely pained about it. "You'll never be alone. Don't take that for granted."
"I won't," I promise, throwing a glance towards the others. I don't know them, but I still care about them, and I... I could never take it for granted that I have them.
He squeezes my shoulder lightly. It's oddly comforting. "Good. Many others... aren't that fortunate."
I look him straight in the eye, immediately thinking of 'mega still stuck back in that lab, unknown to the universe. "I know."
**w**
Over the month I know the Batch, I notice some of the craziest things about them. First of all, they don't believe in hugs. I still find that insulting. The amount of time I spend trying to rope one of them into hugging me is frankly insane. And I miss Omega. At least she was snuggly.
Secondly, introducing tickle attacks was the worst mistake I've ever made. The first time, the level of screaming that ensued was enough to overstimulate Hunter. And Hunter is not pleasant when he's grumpy. Crosshair was brave enough to try it out on Echo once. That wasn't fun. Echo's mostly asleep brain thought it was his apparently favorite but now-dead brother harassing him. So, no, it wasn't funny at all. I think it's just that Crosshair is forever cursed that all his childish pranks (how are pranks childish, Tech?) will end very not-amusingly. Not like Wrecker is much better though. (I'm even worse but we Do Not Speak Of That.)
Anything about the number five makes Echo either look like he wants to cry, or to start glaring at the wall so fiercely I'm certain he's about to start something on fire.
They call Tech the smartest, but I still think he lacks almost all common sense.
Hunter has an insane level of patience. I don't know how he does it. He hasn't even threatened to throw anyone off the landing platform into the ocean. (Crosshair did. I told him to tell me to jump, because I wouldn't mind going for a swim, thanks. I've always wanted to do that.)
Wrecker will do anything you tell him to. And I mean anything. Tech says he has no impulse control whatsoever. I agree.
Walking around backwards in their barracks is the dumbest idea ever. Especially when you're half asleep. It doesn't matter how many credits you were promised. Having a bruised tailbone is not worth it. It still hurts.
Crosshair is... perpetually nervous. I'm not sure he even realizes it. He's just... jittery. Tense. I didn't realize it until I realized after the fact that I spent a full ten minutes biting my fingernails right before meeting the Batch. I couldn't help being freaked out.
On that note, jumping him to wake him up in the morning is a bad idea, too.
Jumping Wrecker is even worse. Crosshair seemed to instantly register me as a threat. Wrecker seemed to mistake me as a second Lula. Which I am not. I'm not that squishy. Crosshair had the audacity to think it was funny. Tech ignored us altogether, and Hunter was already in the 'fresher. And... I have no idea where Echo was. But Wrecker didn't wake up until Crosshair and I were taking what I was entirely certain would be our dying breaths. I don't know why he laughs at my misery when he never smiles otherwise. Or maybe it was his own. I don't know what's worse.
Wrecker's hands are too huge to tickle properly.
Never try to pretend you're asleep. Hunter will always know. He can sense heartbeats. Apparently. Whatever that means.
Echo can be very, very quiet when he wants to be. Even though his legs are metal.
Crosshair will not, under any circumstances, let me use him as a footrest. I've tried. Fifteen times. I'm not about to stop, though. He's more stubborn than Omega. Which is saying something.
Also, when Crosshair talks me into trying to climb a vertical wall, Tech may interject with a three-hour long speech about how "humans don't have something-something sticky pads" on their feet or whatever, but he won't stop us.
Hunter and Echo, however, will.
Wrecker just cheered me on the whole time. He's amazing. I should get sticky boots and try the ceiling next. Even if I think Hunter would kill me for it.
I really want my own comm. And blaster. And knife. Hunter's is cool, okay? But I won't seriously ask because I don't know how to use them, anyway. Maybe it's also a little that I don't want to get a flat-out refusal, either. I don't think puppy eyes would work under these specific circumstances.
Tech has no impulse control, whether he wants to admit it or not. Which he doesn't. I don't even dare mention it. I'd probably be relieved of my head very graphically.
Echo is... grumpy. Really grumpy. I think he misses his old family, even if he never says so.
I'm suspicious Hunter thinks combs are his real mortal enemy. He never uses them. Force knows how he managed to get Wrecker's droid toy tangled in his hair one time. Crosshair spent at least fifteen minutes trying to untangle it. Tech was hovering in the background, offering useless commentary. Wrecker and Echo were ignoring them altogether, and I was just doing my best not to laugh. I haven't been able to take him seriously since. Most of the time.
Hunter and Echo collectively share the brains of the group. Including mine. Actually, I think mine's on loan from Omega. Literally. Heh.
Wrecker seems to think... hitting people is showing affection? I'm not sure what that means of the droids he beats up all the time.
Hunter has a wickedly long scar on his arm. I think. I could be wrong – I saw it so fast I'm not sure if I was dreaming or not, but I intend to get answers someday.
Tech is... not quite as good at balance as the rest of us. Surprisingly. Or not. Everyone has weak points, though I still think his main one is a complete lack of impulse control. I think Hunter robbed that.
If you want to do something stupid, ask Wrecker. Hunter will stop you. So will Echo. Tech will reason enough to make you question if you're capable of spelling your own name, and Crosshair will probably backstab you. Not literally, obviously. And tattle. Or just watch you suffer and laugh.
Wrecker is terrified of heights. I'm not sure why. I love jumping off things... as long as someone catches me. What? Falling is fun.
Someday, I'm gonna jump off the highest thing I can find.
Without going splat.
I mean, why not? Not like anyone can stop me.
**w**
Omega and I were... both nervous about this, but I couldn't not do it, either. They'll be leaving again, and the war is getting worse. They're called Sieges now. That's bad. That means they take a while. And we have no idea when we'll see them again.
Hence why I snuck Omega all the way out to the hangar.
"Hey!" I call cheerfully as we run into the hangar, hand in hand, still panting. "This is my mom, Omega."
"I thought the mother of all clones was the Great Mother Jar," Echo says, a bit distractedly.
"The – what?" Hunter repeats, turning around to look at him like he just grew a second head. Actually, everyone is looking at him, and it's the first time I've seen him even mildly embarrassed.
"That's what F – someone used to call it. Others picked it up from him."
Fives, then? That... hurts. It hurts as much as it is funny.
"Vision said you were going again. I wanted to see you first," Omega says.
They don't know her, but they almost might as well for how much I talk about her. Which is all the time. Hopefully, Nala Se didn't seriously expect me not to mention Omega to our brothers.
"You know who we are?" Hunter asks, and I choke. What? 'Mega knew them long before they knew themselves.
"Hunter, Echo, Tech, Wrecker and Crosshair," she lists off, turning to each of them. "You're Clone Force 99."
"And you... don't have someplace to be?"
"Being a lab assistant gets very boring very quickly," I interject, "I would know. We grew up in Nala Se's lab together."
"You... want to spend time with us?" Tech asks, a bit incredulously, and she nods. "That's never happened before."
Ouch. Spending time with them, I dislike the regs even more. Most of them, anyway.
"I like you," she offers, "You don't fit around here, either."
"I hate to break this up," Echo interjects, stepping forwards, waving his only hand, "But we have a mission to do, and we need to pick up the pace."
Hunter glances back at him, then looks back to us and stands. "We'll be back."
"You better be," I reply, looking past him to the others. I don't know Echo or Tech entirely well enough to approach them, so I move to Wrecker instead. "Try not to get blown up again," I request, reaching up to grab his hand. I know they probably don't understand the meaning of it, but still.
"Don't get in trouble," he replies, patting my head.
"I'll be fine," I assure him brightly, turning to Crosshair.
He has always been a bit... standoffish in a way I can't fully understand, but he's still literally exactly my brand of crazy.
He looks at me, and for an awkward moment, I stand there, uncertain. "You too," I tell him finally, "Make sure you come back so I can continue annoying you."
"Hm. Noted," he says dryly.
"Good. I'm glad I can be sufficiently frustrating."
"Sufficiently," he scoffs.
I bite my lip, holding back a giggle. "Oh, do you need me to up my annoying-ness? I promise I won't paint your barracks green in your absence." Not that I've really seen green before. That's probably the only reason I'm somewhat obsessed with that color. It's just... kinda cool.
"Is that your best offer?"
I huff, hands on my hips. "Nope. I can get much worse. Is that a dare?" I'd repaint his armor out of revenge if Hunter wouldn't kill me for it, and if I could actually get ahold of it. This I must correct someday. Not like I can outright ask what his least favorite color is, or I'd blow my own cover in three seconds, max. Jump-hug-tackling him is always an option. If I can sneak up on him. And snipers are very hard to sneak up on. I've tried it before, and I'm not about to again.
"Consider it one."
Wow, it was that easy? "Good. Then consider it done." Now, what's the best and most annoying thing I could do? I should ask Omega for help on that – actually, never mind. She'll probably talk me down.
I don't know how long they'll be gone, though. Last time, it was a month, and I'm going to miss them all so badly. Somehow, I have the feeling I won't see them again for...
It's going to be a very long time.
And uncaring how childish or sentimental or whatever it is, I bolt forwards, throwing my arms around his waist. Crosshair twitches sharply, like this is the first time someone's ever touched him like that, or maybe it was just so unexpected.
Finally, awkwardly, he reaches back, touching my shoulder. It's hesitant and light and uncertain, but it's just as soft and firm and grounding.
And for just a moment, I See a flicker of something, of... home. Even if I don't know what that means. Just the briefest flash of green and ocean, but so full of life, and laughter. 'Mega's. And I'm leaning against something soft, someone... someone that feels of a misty fog. Crosshair. Even if he's not wearing his armor.
It's gone in a flash, replaced by the dark hangar of Kamino, and I don't know what to think about the strange amount of longing I feel when I finally step back.
I back away towards Omega, and we stand together, watching as they board the Marauder, and the ship takes off.
Next time, I vow silently. Next time, we'll be leaving too.
Even as I hold Omega's hand in mine, and we stand together watching, it... feels like we just lost something we won't be getting back.
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