Crosshair The Bad Batch - Tumblr Posts

Febuwhump Day 4: Knife to the throat

Fandom: Star wars

Timeline: The Bad Batch

Warning violence

Crosshair perched in the tree. He waited and waited for one of his brothers to arrive, maybe even for his little sister. Today he righted the wrong of letting the rogue clones live in the first place, today he picked them off one by one.

    Hunter walked carefully through the woods. He listened for his family and for any unfriendlies. The clone kept he's eyes peeled, every hair was on its end. Something wasn't right but no matter what he did, he simply couldn't put his finger on it. No matter what he could have done nothing prepared Hunter for what was next.

    Crosshair eyed his target. After fighting alongside Hunter his whole life he knew exactly how his brother would act. The soldier grabbed a puck and threw it to a nearby tree.

    Hunter spotted the shine of the puck. He swiftly moved from his spot out in the open, well as open as the woods could be to a spot behind a tree. Hunter was exactly where Crosshair wanted him. He pulled his gun and tried to find Cross. He wasn't sure how the sniper had managed to get past him. Unless... Crosshair had planned this.

    Crosshair shot the puck . He watched the surprise on the others face as the bullet hit his gun. Slightly angling his rifle differently he proceeded to almost immediately shoot his beloved brother in the left kneecap.

     Hunter cried out as the bullet hit his knee. He leaned against the tree then slid down to sit. Hunter reached for one of his vibro-knifes but quickly remembered they had been left of the ship. He had been cleaning them previously and simply forgot to put them back. Echo had even reminded him. Hunter knew Crosshair hadn't missed, he never misses so what did he want?

    Crosshair climbed down from his hide out and walked towards Hunter.

    Pulling his arm up, Hunter touched his comm.

    "I wouldn't" Crosshair spat.

    Hunter moved his arm to his knee "so, what do you want?"

    "Smart." As soon as Crosshair got close enough Hunter attempted to kick him with his uninjured leg. Crosshair took one step closer and kicked in Hunter's other knee. He screeched with pain, tears welling in his eyes. Hunter  wondering what in the hell Crosshair wanted from him. Could he?  No. Hunter hoped Crosshair wouldn't do that to him. If Crosshair was going to kill him he'd at least let it be quick right?

    Crosshair kneeled down to Hunter's level, pushing his vibro-knife to the others throat. Hunter flinched thinking Crosshair was going in for the kill. "Listen here Hunter" Crossing hissed "I'm here to fix my mistakes. He pushed the knife into Hunter's skin. "I'll start with you."

    "Crosshair please." Hunter's voice was shaky and faint. Crosshair looked his brother in the eyes. He hadn't seen Hunter so scared in quite some time.

    Hunter was shaking. The agony in his legs made him wish he were Echo. If the knife went any further he would die. He grabbed Crosshair's arm and pulled the knife away from his throat. Curling his hand into a fist he hit Crosshair.

    Crosshair pulled his arm out of the others grip and slowly stood. Hunter attempted to stand only to be met with stabbing pain. Unable to do much else to protect himself Hunter defensively set his arms in front of him.

    "Good soldiers follow orders." Snarled Crosshair.

    "Then I'm not a good soldier."

    Crosshair moved his arm back ready to throw the knife to take his brother's life. Hunter drew into himself, preparing himself to meet the Domino squad.

    Suddenly Crosshair fell to the ground. Hunter lifted his head to see Echo. "Are you okay?" Echo walked over to his brother.

    Hunter shook his head yes before once more making the decision to try to stand. He yelped as he put the slightest amount of pressure on his legs

    "Stop Hunter, sit down." Echo spoke calmly. "Let me look."

    Before Echo got the chance Hunter explained what had happened.

    "Let's get you back to the ship okay?"

    "Alright. What are we going to do about Crosshair?" Despite everything Hunter still cared for his brother. He grew up beside him, how could he not.

    "He'll be fine." Echo gently picked Hunter up. Together the two headed to the Marauder where the rest of the batch would meet soon.

Febuwhump Day 7: Forced to watch

Fandom: Star Wars

Timeline: The Bad Batch

Warning: graphics depictions of violence

Hunter had been sitting in an empty room for a while now. The cold metal cuffed his wrist like tight bracelets. Short chains attached him to the wall. The mans knees ache and his legs felt numb and cold from sitting on them. He wished to move but he wore a matching set of anklets that kept his feet to the floor.

    The batch had been contacted by Rex to extract one of his clone contacts from the empire. Chex had been found out and he wasn't able to pick him up. The batch complied and left for Coruscant. They were able to grab him but Hunter had been separated from his family and cornered. He instructed them to leave and they reluctantly obeyed.

    "We gotta stop leaving people behind" Echo spoke. He had joined them for the mission and would now help with freeing his younger brother. "I'll contact Rex and let him know what happened."

    Omega uncomfortably shifted "Echo's right."

    Tech turned to the girl, "we couldn't have done anything Omega. We had to leave for our safety and for Chex's."

    "I'm sure Hunter's fine!" Wrecker chimed in. "He probably would have yelled at us had we gone to get him anyway!"

    That was true. Everyone at that point knew Hunter held the others life before his. That seemed to be a trait most clones had, most Jedi too.

    "I didn't mean to cause such a problem for y'all. Sorry." Chex held his hands behind his back, rubbing his fingers together nervously.

    "Na it's fine!" Wrecker slammed his hand on the regs back.

    "Your brother got captured! I can help you get him back if you need?"

    Tech sighed and turned around to face the others "We will be fine. It's not safe for you to go back to Coruscant and it would be a shame if we rescued you just for you to die." With that Tech turned back to piloting the ship.

    Chex opened his mouth to argue but decided he could convince them anyway.

    Crosshair walked into the room that held his former sargent.

    "Hello Crosshair."

    "You're working with the rebels I see" he began. "Such a shame."

    "Only this once" he stated. This wasn't true, they were working for Rex but no matter how hard Hunter might try the sniper wouldn't believe him.

    "I knew you couldn't stay out of trouble." Crosshair antagonized.

    "So why am I alive? Don't you kill traitors?"

    "I need information, I just have to wait a little longer."

    "Longer? What are you waiting for? You have your vibro-knife and I'm sure you can find other methods around here." Hunter pressed, hoping to take Cross off guard. It wasn't that he really minded not being tortured but the sooner it began the sooner it was over. He'd hoped Crosshair wouldn't do that to him but you don't always get what you hoped for, do you.

    "No amount of physical torment will get you to talk." This stuck fear into Hunter and the soldier saw it. No matter how hard his brother may try to hide it, his eyes betrayed him. "I just need the rest of your squad."

    "Crosshair what are you gonna do to them?" His voice wavered.

    "You'll just have to see." Hate, that's all Hunter heard in his brother's voice. He misses the slight caring sound that Crosshair's voice used to be laced with when he was with them. The door closed and Hunter was once more alone with his cruel mind.

    Crosshair was right, of course the batch came back for Hunter. They dropped Chex and Omega off with Rex. Rex didn't mind babysitting for he knew how dangerous infiltrating the empire was and didn't want the kid to get hurt. Omega attempted to argue but was shut down quickly by the harsh reality of the situation. The three 'adults' rushed back to Coruscant. They fell right into Crosshair's uncaring hands.

    Crosshair forced Tech into the cell Hunter occupied. He pushed the mercenary to he's knees in front of Hunter. Stepping on the others legs Crosshair placed two strong, half circle magnets over Tech's ankles and activated them.

    Attempting to free himself Tech tried to pull his leg up. He came to the conclusion that only Wrecker would be able to lift the magnets.

    "Tech" Hunter assessed his brother to find any injuries. He began to breathe again when he saw he was uninjured. "Where's-" Tech cut him off.

    "I'm not sure. I only know where Omega is and she's safe off world."

    Hunter sighed in relief. Now he just had to figure out how to get the others to safety.

    Crosshair pulled his vibro-knife out and stared into Hunter's eyes. "I'll give you one chance before I harm him."

    Hunter looked at Tech. Tech of course shook his head no. The leader looked back to Crosshair who sighed and stepped behind Tech. The clone prepared himself for the burning pain that came with knives. The knife easily slid over the victim's chest. He gasped and looked away from Hunter.

    Both understood what was happening, the batch had been trained to withstand large amounts of pain. Out of the two, Hunter had the bigger heart and would break before Tech would.

    "Hunter." Tech looked back up at him. Hunter met his eyes. "Don't tell him anything."

    Hunter nodded. From their it only got worse. Crosshair knew how to inflict unbearable pain. It used to work in their favor. None of them ever thought their brother could hurt them the way he hurt strangers. Now they seemed to be strangers with memories.

    The knife wasn't the only method of torment Crosshair had brought. Electricity would course though the mans body. Hunter could do nothing other than watch as his brother tore apart his other brother. As he continued Hunter started to fight against the chains. Despite to get help Tech he pulled and pulled, tiring himself. Warm blood ran over his hands from his wrist. Hunter didn't even know.

    Tech's screams shattered Hunter's heart. He would open his mouth to speak but Tech would stop him with a look or verbally if he could. He knew what was coming for him if this continued but he also knew the empire could never know that Rex was alive.

   Hunter once more opened his mouth. "No" Tech breathed. "It won't matter anyway." He struggled to speak but he knew he had to tell Hunter. "I'll... die anyway." Tech's voice was always sort of monotone. Hearing so much emotion and pain slip though his mouth scared them both. 

    Crosshair spoke over Tech's sobs and Hunter's soft crying, "you like taking Tech, you always have." He moved from his position next to Tech to behind him. Hunter fought the chains harder, not that he hasn't been fighting as hard as he could.

    Crosshair took the knife to a little bit under Tech's right tear duct and angled it at around seven o'clock. He slowly dragged the knife down until it retched the bottom of his face. The wound ran over his lips making it difficult but not impossible to speak.

    Tech's head was spinning, it had been for a while. The wounds he has received could not hurt him as much as the hopeless feeling that came with them. He hated that Hunter must be feeling the same way. Forced to watch as he slowly died, unable to help him. Somewhere in Hunter's brain he needed to protect them.

    "Tech!" Hunter had been calling for his brother for almost a minute now. Crosshair rose the knife again. "Wait" Hunter yelled. He looked at Tech who looked out of it. His breathing had become labored and blood ran down his face and body. "I'll tell you just please stop, you're gonna kill him!"

    The leaders broken screams pleased Crosshair. He'd won. "Go on."

    "Omega's" Tech coughed "with" his voice drifted. The clone used his last bit of energy trying to keep his little sister safe. He collapsed.

    "Tech!" Hunter stared at his brother helplessly.

    Crosshair kicked Tech to the side and kneeled down in front of Hunter. He grabbed his face and forced him to look him to the eyes, "look what you've done." He hissed.

    "No." Hunter whispered. "Is he?"

    "He is and it's your fault."

    The soft cry became a full sob. He was forced to watch his brother die. He couldn't save him. That helpless feeling made him sick.

    Crosshair stood and walked out the door, leaving Hunter to deal with his mind once more.

    Rex, Omega, and Chex knew something wasn't right. When Phee and Cid agreed they decided to contact Trevor, another informant of Rex's. Soon after the five would depart from Ord Mentell.

    Arriving the group located the brothers and snuck to break them out. Finding the cell block they stopped Infront of Wreckers cell. Omega went to open the door but Rex reached out his arm out, stopping her. "Be careful, I'm not sure what we're gonna find." Cautiously Omega opened the door.

    Wrecker looked up at his found family and smiled, "good to see ya!"

    "Not so loud!" Cid whisper yelled.   

    "Wrecker!" Omega ran to the large man and hugged him.

    "Hey kid" he spoke softly. "Let's go get the others."

    Walking down the hall the band kept the same cautiousness as before when opening the door. When Echo greeted them with a thankful smile, Rex let himself relax a little. Yes he cared for all of them but none of them fought beside him as long as Echo had. The two were close and Rex wasn't sure what he'd do if he lost Echo again.

    Now seven the group quickly moved to the cell Tech was supposed to occupy. Opening the door to not find him scared them.

    "Where's Tech? He's supposed to be here." Omega turned back to Rex. Rex looked at the adults, all assuming the worst.

    Echo kneeled down to Omega, resting a hand on her little shoulder. "I'm sure we'll find him." The group walked to Hunter's cell and paused. Phee pushed the combination into the panel and the door slid open.

    Inside Hunter leaned against the wall softly crying. Tech rested on the cold floor. The noise startled the leader and he looked up.

    Rushing into the room Omega ran to Hunter to release him of the heavy chains. The others spread across the room as Echo dropped to check on Tech. As eyes landed to Tech feelings rose. Anger, sadness, fear, everything.

    As soon as Hunter was free he attended to stand. His numb legs failed him and he collapsed. Phee caught him and gently placed him back on the ground. "Careful dark and broody, take your time. You're safe." Her soft voice took Hunter off guard and he leaned into her.

    "He wasn't. I failed him Phee. I could have saved him and now-" He couldn't say it.

    Phee ran her hands over his head and looked to the others. Was brown eyes dead?

    Echo checked Tech for a pulse. "He's got a pulse! It's weak but it's there!"

    Hunter quickly sat up and looked over to the others "Crosshair told me" he smiled softly"he's okay?"

    "Far from okay but yeah he's definitely alive." Cid shook her head.

    "It'll take more than that to kill Tech! He's too stubborn to die!" Wrecker walked over to Tech and picked him up, "now let's get out of here!"

    Hunter tried to stand again, some feeling in his legs had returned but he still wobbled. "Here" Phee grabbed the sergeant, "I gotta."

    The team made their way out of the cell block. Once outside the building Phhe set Hunter down. "Thanks." The clone felt somewhat embarrassed by Phee carrying him the whole way out but being close to someone was nice. He tried to get her to set him down a few times but she wouldn't budge.

    The group ran to the Marauder and headed back to Ord Mantell. Tech would be fine. When he'd wake up Hunter apologized profusely. Of course Tech wasn't even upset. He would have to get used to the mark across his face but that was miner. It would always remind Hunter of his failure to protect his brother. For Tech it was a reminder of the monster Crosshair had become.

    Hunter always hated that helpless feeling when he could help anyone, he always would. Being forced to watch what he thought was his brother's demise stayed with him, hunting his dreams forever.

Febuwhump Day 9: Voice loss.

Fandom: Star Wars

Timeline: The Bad Batch

Screaming. Hunter had been doing a lot of that. His voice had become hoarse and his throat throbbed. Some imperial soldiers had brought him in. Since then the torture had been endless. They wanted information on the rebels. No matter how many times Hunter said he didn't know they just kept harming him. The interrogator also wanted the location of the rest of the batch. Hunter knew that; Echo was with Rex and the rest of them were on Ord Mantell, But that he would never tell.

    Soon the hoarse yelling became no noise at all. Hunter continued attempting to tell the clone that he didn't know. Nothing came out. "What, cat got your tongue or something?" Crank antagonized.

    Hunter had asked for the soldier's name when he had entered, hoping the gesture would help him out a little and because asking a clone for their name was meaningful; well to most of them. Though Crank had seemed pleasantly surprised it was no use.

    The mercenary opened him mouth to argue but just closed it again.

    The door slid open to reveal Crosshair. "Hello Hunter" he hissed. Then the clone actually looked at his brother. Hunter saw the surprise and worry in his eyes for a brief second.

    'hello Crosshair' Hunter mouthed. The sniper was able to read lips, his mutation helped him immensely with this.

    "Use your voice Hunter."

    'I can't.'

    "Why?" Crosshair whispered low enough for only his brother to hear.

    'Maybe Cross still cares after all' Hunter though. "Screaming took it."

    Crosshair turned to the reg, "You do know we can't use him if he can't speak right? Idiot. I'll take care of him."

    Crank shrugged and left the room.

    It hurt Crosshair to see Hunter like this. The man was bloody and bruised. He'd seen him like this before but that was when he was on his side. Now he was on the side hurting him.

    "I'll find you something for your throat." Crosshair softened.

    Crosshair was never really outwardly kind. It meant a lot to Hunter knowing despite everything; despite every time they left him, the fact that in his eyes they betrayed him, for not trusting him; that Crosshair still cared.

    The door closed and Hunter was alone. For the first time he assessed his injuries. They consisted of deep cuts, colorful bruises, burn marks from electricity, broken bones, and his raw throat. His throat burned. He needed to be able to speak, how else could he lead his family? How could he comfort them or protect them? He couldn't warn them of harm if he couldn't speak. The rest of the injuries didn't really concern him, just the voice loss.

    Crosshair would come back later with a cup of tea. How he managed to obtain the tea confused Hunter but he was thankful. His wrists were freed and he shakingly grabbed the cup. Giving his brother a nod to thank him he took a sip. It was somehow his favorite. This made the man smile. The gesture helped his heart more than it helped his throat.

    Footsteps. Familiar footsteps. The door opened and the batch spilled into the room. Surprisingly blaster fire did not follow. "We're here too... Ummm what?" Wrecker stood bewildered.

    The scene unraveling in front of him was certainly far from expected. Crosshair was helping Hunter. He sat beside Hunter with his hand slightly under the cup, ready to grab it if it fell.

    Echo still held his gun to the soldier. The others had lowered theirs. "Are you sure that's not poisoned." Echo was suspicious and for good reason. Crosshair was an imperial soldier after all. Crosshair gave Echo a death glare.

    Hunter looked past Crosshair and nodded, signaling Echo to lower his weapon. He complied.

    "We need to get out of here. It won't be long before the empire notices we are here." Tech said.

    Hunter tried to stand. His legs gave out on him and he started to fell. Crosshair caught him and lowered him back to the ground. "Wrecker come here" but of course no sound came out.

    "Hunter I think you forgot something there" Omega joked.

    Crosshair had sat beside Hunter once more. "He can't talk."

    "Why not?" Wrecker respond.

    "Likely the torture. Your vocal cords can only handle so much stress before you cannot talk. He should be fine." Tech answered.

    Omega looked worried. Hunter gave her a soft smile which calmed he fears slightly. Wrecker walked over to his injured brother and picked him up. Hunter winced.

    "Sorry." Wrecker had nothing to apologize for and he knew it. However it made him feel a little bit better about any necessary pain he caused.

    "Do you hear anyone?" Echo asked. Hunter shook his head and turned to face Crosshair. He pulled his arm out and offered his hand to Crosshair. He looked tempted. "No. My place is here, your place should be here."

    "We don't see eye to eye on that." Wrecker sighed, "we miss you though."

    "We can't fight for something we don't believe in." Echo spoke. Crosshair nodded.

    "If you ever need us try to let us know okay?" Omega hugged her brother, and then they left.

    Crosshair grabbed the tea cup from the floor and softly smiled. He made the right choice letting them leave over and over. Maybe he'd let them take him one day.

Febuwhump Day 13: Forced to Hurt a Loved One

Fandom: Star Wars

Timeline: The Bad Batch

Simple supply runs could never be simple. Ever since the empire had found out they were alive it seemed all they did was run. The worst part was having to look out for Crosshair's precise shots. 

    The city was beautiful; the large buildings loomed over the small people, the sunset covered in gorgeous reds, pinks, purples, and oranges. The clouds reflected the colors perfectly. The street was busy with a variety of different people walking about their business.

    Hunter heard the sniper running on the roofs as the five of them ran on the pavement below. Crosshair wouldn't shoot them unless he had a good shot. If he shot a civilian he'd be a murderer, not that he wasn't already but still.

The chase was nearing the end of the city limits. A small clearing was in front of them. If they entered that clearing none of them would ever leave it.

    "Any ideas Hunter?" Echo ran beside him.

    "We need to stay in the city" he stared. "He's gotta come down here before we can do much against him. He'll get frustrated, just give it time."

    It didn't take long before Crosshair proved Hunter right. He knew what his targets were doing. He lived with them for most of his life so he knew how they thought. He'd play into their game and he would win. He had to.

    The batch came to a stop when Hunter confirmed Crosshair had left the roof. "Alright, split up. Everyone get to the Marauder, I'll try to get Crosshair off our tail." The others nodded. Tech and Omega stayed together while the other two went off on their own.

    The plan didn't work. Echo ended up being Crosshair's prey first. The two raced through the streets. Hunter tried to find Crosshair. He knew Echo could handle himself but something didn't feel right.

    Turning the corner Echo relieved it was a dead end. He pulled his blaster but it was quickly shot out of his hand. He looked down at it briefly then back to Crosshair. "I'll give you one chance Echo, come back with me or die."

    The cyborg stared at Crosshair. No matter what he wouldn't join the empire. He hated it with every fiber of his being, it would go against everything he believed in. He'd have to stall. One of his siblings had to be close right?

    "What's so great about the empire?" Echo knew that he was in dangerous territory by asking but he was already in danger so did that really matter. Maybe he could help Crosshair see a little clearer.

    Crosshair gave no answer. He crept forward. Hunter turned the corner. He made no sudden movements. Neither knew he was there. He heard the movement of the guns trigger. It wasn't fast. It was like Crosshair was hesitant to kill his brother. Sure Echo and Crosshair hadn't been together for all that long but with Echo it was impossible to dislike him. He grew on everyone quickly.

    Hunter knew the sound right before the gun would go off. He'd heard it too many times, the slight sound the trigger made as it inched back that no one else would hear. This time a shot wouldn't follow, at least not from his gun.

    Hunter shot Crosshair in the left shoulder. He hated it but he had to. Shooting the man he grew up with, his brother hurt him deeply. Corsshair leaving had hurt him deeply. There was no time to change the setting to stun. Echo would've died and Hunter would just have to live with his decision.

    Crosshair fell to the ground with a yelp. Echo ran up and slid the gun away from the imperial. Crosshair sat up and looked at Hunter. A mix of physical and mental pain was reflected on his face.

    Hunter ran over to his brother and kneeled down. He wasn't sure how to help him or if Crosshair would even let him but he had to try. Echo seemed to be on the same page.

    "Get away from me" Crosshair hissed. Echo moved, Hunter didn't.

    "No."

    "You shot me." The man had a fair point.

    "I had too. You didn't leave me a choice." Frustration and concern laced Hunter's voice. 

    The three heard other clones approaching their location. "Hunter we gotta go." Echo stood behind his brother.

    Hunter sighed and got up. He started walking the exit of the alley. He stopped and looked back, trying to decide what to do. Crosshair looked angry. Despite everything he nodded, signaling for Hunter to leave.

    Hunter nodded and left. With everyone now on the Marauder they left the planet, the mission a success.

    Hunter got lost in his thoughts. They'd left Crosshair behind again. He felt terrible. His brother would never see him the same. He had every right to hate him. He had to shoot him and he just hoped Crosshair would see it that way eventually.

Febuwhump Day 14: Captivity

Fandom: Star Wars

Timeline: The Bad Batch

  The floor was cold. That's the first thing Tech noticed when he woke up. He sat up and looked around. The cell was completely empty other than him. The man's googles had been cracked on the right side, making it somewhat difficult to see.

    Tech had simply been walking back to Cid's bar when he was captured. Omega had been having a bad day so he went to go get her some Mantell mix. Walking past a dark alley he heard what seemed to be a child crying. The clone's first mistake was not notifying someone he was into an alley. He was skeptical but walked down the alley anyway. Once deemed far enough in some soldiers cornered and stunned him.

    It would be a while before anyone would pay Tech a visit. He walked around the cell attempting to find a way out. Nothing.

    The room was deadly silent. 'There has to be something I can do' thought Tech. Something finally came to mind. Hide behind the door and wait for someone to enter. When someone enters sneek out. From there he needed to find his armor, find his weapons, and find his way out.

    Plans however don't always work the way they are supposed to. Despite Tech's best effort he was not able to escape. As soon as the soldiers noticed the mercenary wasn't in the cell they turned around and ran after him. Other troops were not too far away and stopped him. He was dragged back to the cell to be interrogated.

    Back in the cell he was chained to the wall. Fighting against the metal was practically useless. In the end it would just hurt him and make him tired. The torment was inevitable once he was chained so what was the point?

    "Where are the rest of ya?" Asked the interrogator.

    "I'll never tell." Tech stared at the other. The man appeared to be a clone.

    "What were you doing on Ord Mantell? Working for the rebels?".

    "I was on Ord Mantell for a mercenary mission." Technically he wasn't really wrong. He was a mercenary on a mission. That mission however was just to make his sister's day a bit better.

    The interrogator didn't believe him. The torture would begin. The batch had been trained to hold up under torture. Though it wasn't pleasant training Tech was glad he had it right now.

    Time passed and finally the interrogator let up. The man unchained Tech and he fell to the floor. His body ached and his breathing was labored. Speaks of color distorted his vision. They would go away soon now that he could breathe again. The doors shut and he was alone.

    Tech pulled himself against the wall and assessed his injuries. Large deep cuts were scattered across his body. Bruises were beginning to form all across him; the largest being around his neck. Small electrical burns could be found but not many. The man worked to get his breathing back under his control.

    Crosshair learned of what was done to his brother. He knew that they wouldn't be working with the rebels, they had a child to protect after all. For the first time he really seemed to question the empire. He roamed the dark halls deep in thought. The sniper didn't want Tech to die. Despite everything he still loved him. One thought led to another and now he found himself standing in front of Tech's cell.

    Inside Tech had gotten his breathing back under control. He had torn the sleeves off his shirt and tied them around the injuries he could. When Crosshair entered Tech was trying to do the same to the ends of his pants.

    Of all the people Tech would have thought to rescue him he never expected Crosshair to be the one too. When he saw his brother he thought the torture was about to continue. What Crosshair didn't expect was for Tech to draw into himself, arms slightly out in defiance.

    Now Crosshair was mad. Mad at the empire and mad at himself for letting it go this far. "Hello. I'm not here to hurt you, relax." He stated as softly as he could.

    Tech raised his head and looked at his brother. If he wasn't there to harm him, why was he there?

    "Can you stand?"

    The clone slowly stood. Walking proved to be harder. "Why are you here?" Tech asked.

    "I'm rescuing you."

    "But I'm a traitor. You work for the empire don't you?"

    "You're my brother and not anymore." Crosshair admitted.

    "Ah okay. Why the change?" Tech was curious. Crosshair had been loyal to a fault.

    "A moment of realization. Now stop asking questions. We need to leave." With that the two would leave the cell block. When Tech could no longer walk Crosshair would carry him the rest of the way. He stole a small imperial shuttle and left for Ord Mantell. On the ship the deserter would take care of his brother's injuries the best he could.

    Back on Ord Mantell the family was gathered at the bar thinking of a plan to find Tech. They weren't sure where he had gone or who had taken him. What they didn't expect was for Tech to walk in, being assisted by Crosshair.

    Everyone was happy to see both of them. After talking Crosshair was allowed to stay. They were back together again. Now the six would create new stories together as a family and not as enemies. 

Febuwhump Day 19: "You Deserve This."

Fandom: Star Wars

Timeline: The Bad Batch

    Caleb ran through the crowd of people. Behind him chased Crosshair. Watch its and move it kids were thrown at him constantly as he tried to make his way to the woods. In the woods he could hide, he could be safe. If need be he could draw his lightsaber in the woods. He couldn't hear, not anymore.

    Crosshair finally had the chance to right his brother's wrong. The Jedi that ran in front of him would be dead by the end of the day.

    Once at the woods the child jumped into the trees. It would be harder to find him this way. Hopefully he could lose Crosshair and make it back to the town on the other side of the woods.

    The soldier didn't take his eyes of Caleb. He wanted him jump from tree to pink tree. The forest was beautiful; unfortunately neither had the time to really enjoy the rare beauty of nature.

    When Caleb's foot slipped on the branch everything felt over. He hit the ground hard and laid still for a moment. Crosshair ran over, ready to kill the little boy if he wasn't already gone. Scrambling the Jedi went for his lightsaber.

    Crosshair didn't shoot.  Something felt off so he waited. After all he had the time.

    The boy whimpered as he pulled himself against a tree. Tears allowed him to express the pain and terror that gathered in his heart and head. Was this it? With the arm in the least amount of pain Caleb lifted his lightsaber and ignited it in front of himself. "Why are you doing this?" he cried.

    "You deserve this" Crosshair hissed.

    "Deserve this?" Pain and betrayal laced Caleb's voice, "what did I do to deserve this?!"

    "Your acts of treason" The clone answered.

    "Treason? I didn't commit an act of treason!"

    "There is no need to lie. The Jedi betrayed the republic."

    "What? Well what did they do?" Now curiosity took over. If he was gonna die he should at least know why.

    Crosshair was quiet. What did they do? "It doesn't matter! You're a traitor and traitors need to be dealt with."

    "I'm not going to die for something I didn't do!" Caleb started attempting to stand, "I won't let my life be cut short! My mom saved me I won't let it be for nothing! There are still people who I need to help, places I need to go! I want to live to see peace! Take your shoot Crosshair! Take it!" The boy stood as steady as he could. The tree provided enough support for him to use both arms for his lightsaber.

    The pain the child was in was evident. Crosshair could see it written all over his face. Did he deserve this? 'Yes he's a traitor. No he's just a kid, he couldn't have known.' the sniper argued with himself. It made his head hurt. Throwing his rifle Crosshair walked over to Caleb. "Put that down for a minute."

    It took a moment but Caleb complied. Grabbing the little medical equipment he had the clone rapped what he could. Both were confused by the others actions. When Crosshair walked back over to his rifle the humming of a lightsaber greeted him. "Relax. Cut it up; make it a crutch." Crosshair loved that rifle but with everything he had done to this boy letting him use it was a small way to help.

    Caleb grabbed it and cut it to fit his body. Walking was still difficult but slightly less painful. "Thank you."

    Crosshair just stared at him before walking away. This kid didn't deserve to have to grow up in such a dangerous galaxy, he didn't deserve to lose everything he had. Now Crosshair was thinking. The empire hated people who think for themselves. Things started to fall in place and the man finally realized he was the bad guy. The empire was the separatist but worse. Worse in the way that they made people believe they were good.

    Crosshair wasn't sure what to do next. All he really knew is whatever awful things he may face, he deserved it.

Febuwhump Day 20: Knife Wound

Fandom: Star Wars

Timeline: The Bad Batch

The vibro-knife glided through Hunter's fingers. It flew directly into the victim's lower chest. The man hit the ground with a yelp. Crosshair grabbed at the wound. It hurt, it hurt like hell.

    Wrecker weighed his opinions. He could run back to Crosshair and help him or he could stay with the others. He knew the decision may cost him his life but he wasn't going to let Hunter's decision cost Crosshair his.

    "Tech! Hold on!" Wrecker yelled. The two slide behind some large rocks and Wrecker snatched some medical supplies from his brother's pouches.

    "Wrecker what are you doing?" Tech looked at the man confused.

    "Go ahead I'll be right there." With that Wrecker took off back to where Crosshair lay.

    "Wrecker!" Tech stepped from behind the rock and faced him. Rather he didn't hear him or ignored him, Tech didn't know. He ran to join back with the group.

    "Wrecker we need to go! He'll be fine." Hunter spoke of over the comm. Once more Wrecker ignored the others.

    Crosshair's head was spinning. The knife wound was deep. No blood escaped the wound as the heat element to the vibro-knife cauterized the gash immediately. He could hear someone talking to him but the voice was slightly hazy. The man's mind raced. He wondered what was next for him, if this was the end. He wondered if his family hated him or if somewhere they still cared. When he finally made out the voice he knew at least one of them did.

    Wrecker moved Crosshair somewhere slightly safer and hopefully somewhere the imperials wouldn't find them. Removing the knife was the tricky part. Grabbing the handle he pulled it out of the man's flesh quickly. Crosshair cried out as the knife left his body. "I know" Wrecker attempted to soothe his brother.

    Little amounts of blood leaked from the injury. Wrecker did what he could for Crosshair. He finished by rapping some bandages around the wound and sat with him for a minute to make sure he did everything right.

    Crosshair went from angry to confused; from Hunter will pay for stabbing me to why was Wrecker helping me? It took tell his brother was done for him to realize there was no cruel joke. He wondered what would happen now. Would Wrecker save him from the hell that was the empire or would he leave him again? Would once more Crosshair have to watch his family leave without him, leaving him no choice but to stay with an army that saw him as a number?

    Wrecker wasn't comfortable leaving Crosshair. The wound was deep and extremely dangerous. Yes the knife was gone but would he be okay?

    As soldiers came closer Crosshair looked at Wrecker, "go."

    "Will you be okay?" The normally bright and cheery man was so worried it hurt his stomach. It hurt Crosshair to see him this way. He missed Wrecker's positivity even if it was a little much sometimes.

    As soon as he nodded Wrecker started standing. "I love you Cross. Stay safe!" The man booked it out of there. Some regs followed him but others simply didn't see the point. He'd get away, they always do.

    A scar that should have been a reminder of how much his family hated him became a reminder of the love they still had. Yes the wound had been given to him by Hunter but it was cared for by Wrecker. He risked capture or worse death to help Cross. He took that chance and waited until he had to leave. Somehow he was glad he was stabbed. At Least now he knew someone still cared about him.

Febuwhump Master List!

So I'm not quite done yet so I'll add them when I finish the last 6 when completed!

Warnings will be at the beginning of each story. The fandoms will also be at the top of the stories! My favorites will be in green! Let me know yours if you read them which is yours!

Day 1: Touch Starved

Day 2: Flinching

Day 3: Muzzled

Day 4: Knife to the Throat

Day 5: That's Gonna Scar

Day 6: Secrets Revealed

Day 7: Forced to Watch

Day 8: Panic

Day 9: Voice Loss

Day 10: Difficulty Breathing

Day 11: Fever

Day 12: "Can You Hear Me?"

Day 13: Forced to Hurt a Loved One

Day 14: Captivity

Day 15: Self Sacrifice

Day 16: Semi-conscious

Day 17: Silent Tears

Day 18: Can't Stay Awake

Day 19: "You Deserve This."

Day 20: Knife Wound

Day 21: Inferno (Alt prompt)

Day 22: Can't Scream

Day 23: "You'll Have to go Through Me."

Day 24: Bloody Clothes

Day 25: Assumed Dead

Day 26: Forced to Choose

Day 27: Survivor's Guilt

Day 28: "You're Safe Now."

This was such a fun challenge and I look forward to next year! Hopefully I'll finish that one on time lol! (The final finish date is March 13th)

Febuwhump Day 23: "You'll Have to go Through me."

Fandom: Star Wars

Timeline: The Bad Batch

Warning: Major character death

Tech laid on the ground. Trying to pull his self back up to fight he looked up at Crosshair. "Finished?" The sniper antagonized.

    The mercenary's hand slipped in the mud as he fell again. Crosshair walked closer as Tech thought of a plan. For once in his life he didn't know what to do.

    The two had found each other by chance. Both had been on their own mission. Tech was instructed to extract some information from an old separatist base while Crosshair was there to assist some commandos with rounding up some civilians. A child had escaped so the clone had gone to find her.

    When the two met they quickly managed to disarm each other. Vibro-knifes and guns fell to the ground, both knowing the other was too dangerous armed. Hand-to-hand combat is not Tech's strong suit. Though Crosshair was the sniper he found pleasure in hand-to-hand combat so he spent a lot of his free time learning. It didn't take long for the brothers to get where they were now.

    Tech started at his brother who had gone to pick up a vibro-knife. Why he chose the knife instead of his rifle confused Tech. His weapon of choice had always been his rifle so most likely it was to antagonize him.

    Omega ran out to where the two had fought. She slipped slightly in the mid then planted her feet in front of her older brother and glared at the other. "You'll have to go through me if you wanna get to him!" She flung her arms out to take up more space.

    "Omega" Tech struggled to sit up. Crosshair, at least like this, wouldn't hesitate to kill her. Being her older brother meant he had to protect her not the other way. Again his arm gave out from under him and he slipped.

    "Brave girl. If you want to protect him then you shall die with him."

    Omega stood firm. She never wavered. Tech kept trying to get up, injuring himself more in the process. He'd never felt so helpless before. Omega was going to die and it was his fault.

    Crosshair walked up to her until he was uncomfortably close to her. The girl just looked up at him. Her eyes met his and something changed. The sniper had never seen Omega so angry. Hate filled her eyes the same way it filled his.

    The child pushed Crosshair away from her and looked around. Her eyes laid on one of Tech's blasters. Not wanting to leave Tech defenseless she walked towards her imperial brother. Unconsciously Crosshair moved back. This gave her the space she needed. Sprinting over to the gun Omega purposely slid to grab it. Right after she checked quickly to make sure the gun was set to stun.

    Tech was so proud of his little sister. She used her surroundings to her advantage. Not only that the kid managed to take Crosshair off guard, something few people could do.

    Omega wouldn't get the chance to shoot before Crosshair's knife sunk into her chest. The mud around her lifeless body splashed as she hit the ground. Tech could do nothing but watch, knowing she died for him.

     Crosshair turned back to his brother. "She said I'd have to go through her so I did." Tech tried to find anything that may hint to any regret or remorse his brother may have for killing their sister. Nothing. Had Crosshair really become so cold? Was the man in front of him, the man that was about to kill him, the man that just killed a little girl, the man he grew up with. He'd seen Cross eat glue before, to think he was capable of killing his family stung. It didn't more than sting it hurt. The pain carved into Tech's heart and made itself at home.

    Crosshair walked over to the child's body and removed the knife from her chest. He slowly walked back to Tech to finish what he started. Dropping to his knees he grabbed Tech's face.

    Tears leaked into the man's googles as he started at the monster in front of him. "Murderer" he hissed.

    "I know." The imperial pulled his former team mate into a sitting position and looked him dead in his eyes. Neither recognized the other's gaze anymore. Crosshair's eyes once had a hidden softness. Now they only reflected hate. Technalways had a sort of deadpan look in his and now they reflected the pain of loss.

    "Goodbye Tech." Tech closed his eyes. Omega's sacrifice wouldn't be for nothing. From behind Echo stunned Crosshair. He collapsed into the reddish mud. Tech fell with him.

    Echo rushed to his brother's side. "Tech, are you alright?" Kneeling down to the other side of him he put pressure on a large wound with his only hand. Seeing the water in Tech's googles he pulled them off.

    Hunter and Wrecker joined the others in the field. Hunter looked around to learn more about their surroundings. That's when he saw her. With no explanation the sargent rushed over to the little girl. As soon as he saw the location of her wound he knew she was gone. Hunter checked for a pulse anyway. Feeling her skin already growing cold startled him.

    Wrecker grabbed Tech and walked over to the other two. Echo followed. "Is she?" Wrecker already knew the answer. The lack of an effort to tend to Omega's wound and the sound of soft crying spoke the words Hunter couldn't say. Carefully Hunter grabbed his little sister and stood. He nodded and they left.

    Back on the Marauder the men mourned their sister. Once Tech had the strength he explained to them what happened. No matter how hard the three tried to explain it wasn't his fault, it was Crosshair's, he wouldn't see it that way. Omega made the decision to save his life. Tech would have to come to accept her decision. Even though he wanted to there was no way to switch places with her. After all he should be the one the family buried deep in the dirt of Kashyyyk.

Febuwhump Day 26: Forced to Choose

Fandom: Star Wars

Timeline: The Bad Batch

    The Bad Batch had finally been caught. All that needed to happen was for them to be executed for their crimes. Crosshair walked from the command deck where the orders were given. The empire would give the clones a little less than a day to reveal any secrets that could potentially save their lives.

    As the family's time ran out, Crosshair debated going to see them. It would be the last time he could after all. If not for anything he decided to go for closer. Why the man wanted closer he wasn't really sure but he needed it.

    Only a few minutes were left for the batch to spill some secrets when Crosshair arrived at the cell. The electric shield prevented the family from escaping. Hunter sat on the floor holding a crying Omega. Tech sat on the hanging bench bouncing his leg. His elbow rested on the other knee as he tried to think of a way out. Wrecker sat near Hunter and Omega making sure both were okay and Echo sat over with Tech trying to help him with a plan. All but Omega looked up at Crosshair as he cleared his throat. "Hello."

    "What do you want Crosshair?" Tech asked.

    Crosshair took in the sight. It saddened his to see them this way but is what traitors deserve, right? "Just came to see if you had any information" he hissed.

    "No we don't. We aren't working for any rebel groups Crosshair. We don't have anything." Hunter held Omega tighter.

    The sniper looked down at the little girl. She was terrified. Looking at the others he could see just how scared they were. Most couldn't tell but he could, he knew the looks on their faces. Though he had only seen it a few times during the war it struck some form of fear into his heart.

    "Even if we had information they'd kill us anyway so there's no point." Tech informed the soldier. That was true; no matter what they were screwed.

    "If that's all I'll be leaving." Crosshair started walking away. Behind him he heard Hunter trying to comfort Omega. As the man approached the end of the hall he stopped. Soldiers entered the other side of the hall to execute his batch mates.

    Now he had to make a choice. Does he go back, destroy everything he worked for in the Empire. After all Crosshair thought he agreed with the ideals of the system. He'd already killed so many people for them. Sure the Republic had him snipe a few people but not nearly as many as the Empire.  But could he let his family die? He grew up with three of them and had become rather fond of the other two. The five soldiers had protected each other no matter the cost to themselves. They had fought side by side for so long. Omega had barely gotten to live yet. He would have drowned if it wasn't for her. He would be dead if it wasn't for any of them. Forced to choose between his head or heart; between stability or love, he chose love.

    "Alright it's time" one of the stormtroopers spoke. Hunter grabbed Omega as tight as he could to protect her or at least to comfort her. The others stood ready to at least try to escape their fates. Tech stood on his own while Wrecker and Echo stood close together. Both were fans of physical touch so being so close was comforting. None of them really expected to survive but they couldn't just sit there and wait.

    Crosshair sighed and turned around. Running down the hall he grabbed his blaster and shot. The stormtroopers fell to the ground. The batch looked at each other surprised. The killer skidded to a stop in front of the cell. Echo had gone over to inform Hunter and Omega they were safe. The girl had been buried in Hunter's chest and he only had his eyes on her. The gun shots had scared the two thinking time had run out for them.

    Omega and Hunter stood slowly. The man looked around then looked at Crosshair. "Alright. We need to find our weapons. I assume you know where they are?" He smiled softly.

    Crosshair nodded and the family, now whole again, ran to find the weaponry. From the weaponry they went for a ship. The Marauder had been left on the planet they had come from. Once off world Crosshair looked around at his family fondly. Seeing them all back on the same side made him smile. Still the deserter wasn't sure if he'd made the right choice.

    Back on the Marauder the group greeted Gonky and Wrecker gave Lula a big hug. Finally everyone was able to relax a little. Sitting down, Crosshair watched them interact with each other. Now he knew he'd made the right choice. No one really knew what was next but whatever it was, Crosshair was just happy to be home.

A Month of Whump Master list

Fandoms: Star wars The Clone Wars/The Bad Batch

Summaries and warnings will be at the top of every story.

Day 1: Environmental

Day 2: Captivity

Day 3: Spy/Military

Day 4: Fantasy

Day 5: Sickfic

Day 6: Team Dynamic

Day 7: Angst

This was definitely a fun challenge! I'll say the hardest one to come up with was fantasy! I'll be participating in the Whumpril challenge next so look out for that!

Whumpril Day 5: Defiance/Dragged/Stifled Scream

Fandom: Star Wars The Bad Batch

Note: Later parts of season 2 explain the context.

Summary: Crosshair's down with the empire and their experiments.

  Crosshair hated his cell, he hated the doctors, and he hated himself. After all it was his fault he was here. They should have killed him for what he did to that baster of a lieutenant. But no, now he lived in misery.

    Two stormtroopers stood in front of the cell door and after a few seconds they entered. Instead of just getting up to go with them, this time Crosshair decided he was done being compliant. Even if this killed him, he didn't care anymore.

    The clone sat down and stared at the two "What?" He snarled. The troopers looked at each other then shrugged and grabbed him. Crosshair probably should have expected that. He fought back. It hurt but nothing physically hurt more than that damn droid. He kicked at the others feet and thrashed to get out of their grip.

    When they got him to the door he tried to stand so he could fight them better. Almost escaping the left bucket head slammed his gun over Crosshair's head. He fell and the troopers put a pair of handcuffs on him.

    This time the clone didn't fight. He didn't comply either. Instead he just let them drag him. Every now and again he would try to pull his arm to his side but it never worked.

    Crosshair was thrown into the room he hated the most. If he ever had it his way he would blow up this Kriff forsaken facility. Not only for himself but for his imprisoned brothers as well. Why he cared for the regs, the clone didn't know.

    Hemlock entered the room with Emory close behind. "I see you're being defiant again? Bad decision really."

     Crosshair looked over at the man. The hum of the imperial prob came into earshot and Crosshair attempted to stay calm. As the prob got closer he started to panic.

    The droids needle stabbed into his flesh. A cold, poisonous liquid was released into Crosshair's body. It hurt, it hurt like hell. The dose had been increased to show the clone why he better comply. Imperial property can't be fighting against the very thing that owns it after all. 

    The pain took over his body. Screams started to escape Crosshair's mouth but he tried to stop them. Showing the pain he was in would only satisfy the mad scientist. Muffling a scream tears ran from his eyes.

    Hemlock smiled. He was wining; Crosshair was breaking. A while later the torture would end and Crosshair would be dragged back to his cell.

    The other clones on the hall began fighting as well soon after seeing Crosshair defy. Maybe there was hope for them after all. They followed in their brother's footsteps by refusing to leave their cells or by denying Hemlock the pleasure of seeing them express their pain. As irritating as it was the scientist was impressed.

    Time passed and the clones never backed down. They were created to fight so why not fight? If they got dragged down to hell because of it they would go with a smile, waiting to see their lost brothers. That was an ending they could live with.

Whumpril Day 8: Forgiveness (Alt prompt 5)

Fandom: Star Wars The Bad Batch

Note: implied season 2 spoilers

Summary: Crosshair is rescued by the batch.

  Crosshair woke up on the Marauder. The last thing he had seen was Hemlock so how had he gotten here? Was this another cruel dream? Would he talk to his brother's again, finally feel alive again, only to be woken up from a wonderful dream to face the harsh reality that he would never see them again? That the way it needed to be.

    But no, this time he knew he was safe as pain rushed in. Never had Crosshair been so happy to be in a senseless amount of pain. Echo walked over to his brother and checked on him. "He's awake" he spoke softly.

    "Good." Hunter sounded tired. Crosshair had heard him tired before but this, this was a new kind of tired.

    Wrecker walked to Crosshair's side, "hey Cross, how do you feel?" The tone of Wrecker's voice startled the clone. Never before had he sounded so sad, so done.

    "I'm... I'm okay." Crosshair mustered the strength to speak. "Where's Omega" he whispered.

    "Resting" Echo answered the question softly.

    "Tech?" The looks on everyone's faces answered the question for him.

    "He died a little while ago." Hunter sighed, "around three months."

    Crosshair did his best to give them a nod. Three months was about the time Omega had been captured and taken to Mount Tantus. The two advents likely connected somewhere but Crosshair would wait to ask. 

    Time would go by and Crosshair would heal. Walking around with his family he wondered why they never talked about what he had done, why they forgave him so easily? Eventually the burning question had to be asked.

    Everyone sat around a table on Pabu. Echo had come to visit them and the five had been invited to have dinner with Phee, Shep, and Lyana. It was a warm and beautiful day. Everyone sat down to enjoy their time together and some good food.

    "Why?" Crosshair asked. He knew now wasn't the time but there may never be a time and he needed to know.

    "What?" Omega looked over at her brother confused.

    "Why did you forgive me so quickly?"

    The others stared at the man for a moment. "It wasn't you" Wrecker started.

    "Part of it was."

    "And you regret that part" Echo knew this would come; he knew at some point Crosshair would ask. The answer that lay in the back of their minds was that they had already lost one brother, they weren't going to lose another. Tech would want them to forgive him.

    "That doesn't change what I did."

    "Crosshair, we know that. You're our brother and we care about you. You did some awful things that you regret and have learned from them. You're not some tearable person killing people for fun. When you did hurt people you thought it was for a greater and better cause. The empire manipulated you and once you saw that you did something about it" Hunter insured his brother.

    Crosshair looked at Hunter for a moment before continuing, "I got Tech killed. You came there for me."

    "Gerrera got Tech killed, not you." Echo set his drink down.

    "He wanted you safe, all of us safe. Tech's decision was his own to make." Hunter put a hand on Crosshair's shoulder.

    "And you weren't even there! It couldn't be your fault!" Omega walked over to Crosshair, who moved his chair back slightly. "We forgave you because we understood. When you figured out you were wrong you did something about it and then instead of trying to leave Tantus you warned us." The girl wrapped her arms around the man.

    "That doesn't mean you should forgive me!" Placing his hands on her shoulders, Crosshair shoved Omega off of him. She stumbled and fell back into Wrecker.

    "Why are you trying to find reasons for us to hate you?" Echo moved over behind Hunter, who sat beside Crosshair. The three non-clones tried to figure out how to help. Unsure of what to do Shep and Lyana quietly exited, deciding they should leave it to the family. As much as they wanted to help it was best for them to work though it.

    "Because you should!" The sniper stood quickly, slamming his hands on the table. "I'm a horrible person! I don't deserve this! I don't deserve your forgiveness and I don't deserve the peace of Padu!"

    "No you're not!" Omega and Wrecker shot back.

   "You are not a horrible person Crosshair. We already told you that." Hunter stood and rested his hand on his brother's shoulder again.

    "Crosshair, you need to forgive yourself." Everyone turned to face Phee. "You can't keep blaming yourself for things out of your control and you have to acknowledge your growth" she walked closer to the clone. " If you don't it'll kill ya."

    The ex-imperial stood there stunned. "She's right" Hunter removed his hand from its resting position and laid it at his side.

    Instead of arguing Crosshair started to leave. He put one foot in front of the other and left them. Despite their calls for him he left. Tears welled in his eyes as he thought. Their love, their time, their kindness; it was all wasted on him. He didn't deserve their forgiveness and he didn't deserve Tech's. In his eyes, he never would.

@whumpril

Whumptober Day 1: "How Many Fingers Am I Holding Up?"

Fandom: The Bad Batch

Summary: Crosshair is blinded by an explosion.

Boom. Explosions come with fire and fire comes with bright lights. Bright lights are blinding, expectantly to someone with strengthened eyes.

Suddenly Crosshair couldn't see. The world just went black. He fell to the ground, grabbing his face. He felt around trying to find his gun.

The clone's eyes burned. They were watery and sore, and now he had a headache. It was the first time he really realized just how loud a battle field could be. Having no sight made Crosshair pay more attention to his other senses.

He felt the strangely warm ground under him and how it shook when the bombs went off. He felt the sweat and grim on his skin. The terrible smell of iron and smoke filled his nostrils and feld into his lungs. The battle was loud. Far louder then he had ever noticed before. Yelling, explosions, blaster fire, droids, and the screams of the regs he swore not to care about.

Hunter looked around him. No one was there. There was no one to cover him.

But that didn't matter. Regardless, he rushed over to Crosshair to retrieve him from the field.

"Crosshair! Can you stand." He knelt beside him. "Are you okay?"

"I can't see!" He yelled.

Hunter's blood ran cold as panic flowed through his veins. "It's okay!" He grabbed his and took him behind a nearby rock.

He placed him carefully behind the rock and grabbed his blaster with his right hand.

"How many fingers am I holding up?" The sergeant held up 4 fingers.

"Hunter I can't fucking see! I don't know!"

"Okay. It's alright."

"Why the hell would you ask that?! I told you I can't see!"

"I'm sorry! I didn't know what kind of 'can't see'!"

Crosshair was shaking. What was he if not his sight? It was the reason he was created, his one use in the war was to be a soldier; to be a sniper.

"Is it getting any better?"

"No." Crosshair just about whispered.

"It's alright." Hunter looked around. He peaked behind the rock to see how far the droids had advanced. It was more than he would have liked. He shot a few then turned back to Crosshair. Now he just needed to figure out how to get out of there alive.

"What's going on?" Crosshair asked.

"It's okay. We just need to move."

"And where?"

"I'm working on that."

The woods weren't too far away. Maybe he could pull them there? Hunter could hear the air support flying in. He grabbed his brother's hand and pulled him to his feet. "Come on."

Hunter started running. Crosshair has no idea where they were going. But even so, he trusted his brother to get him to safely. Then Cross heard the air support. Moving made more sense now. Had they been behind the rock, they likely would have been blown up by there own team.

As the bombs were released Hunter pulled his brother to the ground, covering him. As his ears rang, he pulled him back to his feet and got them into the woods.

Crosshair didn't know what was happening. "Hunter! Hunter what is going on?!"

A few trees deep into the woods, Hunter pulled them to the ground. "It's okay."

"Where are we?"

"The woods. We'll wait here until reinforcements get here. It's okay." He pulled his arm up and as he went to comm his brothers, Wreckers voice came over the device.

"Where are you?" His voice shook with a sense of uncertainty that neither had heard his a while.

"The woods. Cross and I got pushed back."

"We will be there shortly." Tech chimed in.

"Crosshair can't see. I don't know if it's permanent or not."

"Alright. We will get it sorted out."

"Thanks Tech." Hunter turned off the device and looked at Crosshair. He looked unsure, almost like he was scared. Because he was.

Crosshair was terrified. "What happens if it's permanent?"

The question took Hunter off guard. "I'm not sure. But it'll be okay. Is it getting any better?"

"A little."

"See, it'll be okay."

"Yeah, it'll be okay."

Soon the rest of the batch would be there. They would take a half blind sniper back to a medic and keep fighting until the battle was won. And when they returned to see how their brother was, Crosshair had never been so happy to see them

Merry Whumpmas Day 4: Chills

Fandom: Star Wars The Bad Batch

Summary: As Crosshair reunites with his family he notices that someone is not there.

Seeing his brothers again was a lot for Crosshair. He thought he had told them not to come, to leave him behind like they had before. Even if understood why now, it still hurt. The scar was still a scab.

But then he noticed, Tech was missing. His body shook with a chilling realization. It felt like his whole body went cold and he almost froze in place. It was the only reason he wouldn't be there. Tech had to be dead.

Fear gripped his heart and squeezed. It was almost painful. But maybe he was wrong. Maybe Crosshair was wrong. It wouldn't be the first time.

He wanted to ask but the fear and uncertainty left him speechless. Instead he put one foot in front of the other. He followed the rest of his family outside of this awful place that had broken him. They led him to the light he had long forgotten.

Hope.

Still, Crosshair couldn't be happy. As they walked he realized there was no way Tech could be with them. Was he hurt? Could he be with the Marauder? Why did they look so, nervous.

When they did get to the Marauder, Rex was waiting. Warm blood was replaced with ice water. He was gone. That's why they were nervous; why Omega hadn't said anything when he asked about them. She didn't know how to tell him.

The water froze him. He stood still, staring at the Marauder. He thought about every memory that he had with Tech in it. There was no way he was gone. Not without saying goodbye right?

But hadn't they already? Was their last encounter supposed to give him closer? Was he supposed to be okay? Could he move? Did moving mean excepting?

Hunter put a hand on Crosshair's shoulder and tried to move him along. "We need to go."

"He's not there, is he?"

An icicle plunged into the man's heart. "No. Tech's not there."

Crosshair wanted to cry. The only thing that stood in his way was dehydration.

"We have to go Crosshair" Hunter shook. He put slight pressure on his brother's back, trying to move forward.

Slowly Crosshair moved, Hunter's hand generating enough heat to move his frozen body forward. He was finally home.

Home was different than he remembered. First of all there was room for Omega. Then Tech's bunk had been left untouched. His blanket was still folded over.

Crosshair looked at his own. It had been made. He knew he hadn't made it. He moved the blanket to find a small letter. A chill went up his spine as he grabbed it.

It was from Tech. He gently opened it with shaky hands. He pulled the letter out of the envelope and unfolded it.

It read, "Dear Crosshair, I didn't know what would happen. In truth I didn't expect the mission to go well. But I knew we had to go. If not for anything, to make up for the damage we had done to you. That is not to say you didn't hurt us as well. I hope I will retrieve this letter once I am on the ship. If not, I was told it is best to not leave words unsaid. You were a good brother Crosshair. I was grateful to have you."

Crosshair held the letter to his chest. That was the most affection Tech had ever shown to him. He laid on his bed and let out a sigh. This was going to be hard.

Winter Whumperland Day 5: Ebenezer Scrooge (Time Loop)

Fandom: Star Wars The Bad Batch

Warnings: Multiple character deaths as well as suicide.

Summary: After being killed by the empire, Tech finds himself stuck in a time loop.

It had been six months after the end of the war. Tech had been with his family when the empire came to Ord Mantell.

Sitting at Cid's bar, clone troopers in gray and white armor entered. Then Crosshair had. His armor was no longer its familiar red and black.

Wrecker was the one to go down first. He pulled his gun, ready to shoot. Then he was gone. Omega leaned in closer to Tech who grabbed her unconsciously.

Echo was next. Then Hunter. Everything happened too fast. Before Tech could react he was on the floor, trying to protect Omega. Then she was gone. He had been shot in the side.

Tech looked up at

But when he opened his eyes it was morning again. He listened to the sound of Wrecker laughing and Echo telling him "don't do that! Hunter and Tech are still asleep."

That wasn't possible. They had just died didn't they? Was it all just a twisted nightmare.

What Tech knew for sure was that he needed to get up. It had all felt so real. But that was impossible. Or at least that's what Tech thought.

As the family went though their day, the clone slowly got more and more nervous. He wasn't able to shake the feeling of the nightmare. No matter what he did, even when the day seemed to be over, Tech couldn't calm down.

That was until it happened again. The clone reacted differently this time. As soon as the door opened and he heard the footsteps, he told them they needed to go. They needed to leave.

But it was too late. This time Tech had grabbed Omega sooner. He tried to get her behind the bar. As Wrecker was killed, Tech pushed Omega behind him. If anything he wouldn't let her die.

Hunter tried to move to Echo's side. He ordered Tech to take Omega and get her out of the bar.

"I'm trying" Tech shot back.

Echo shot a few of the troopers down before he was killed. As his body fell, Hunter instinctively tried to catch him. He didn't even know why he tried to. He knew he was gone.

For a moment time seemed too slow for them. Hunter sat on the ground, stunned. Then they shot him.

Tech had gotten Omega out the back door. He looked down at his comm to see what time it was. It seemed so insignificant, yet like something he should do. 2100 hours.

As the two turned the corner, Crosshair was waiting for them. Tech grabbed Omega and tried to get her out of the line of fire. Once more his efforts were in vain.

She hadn't been killed immediately. This time, Tech couldn't do anything but watch as she died. He held herz trying to figure out what to do. Crosshair had paused his attack, realizing the girl was still alive.

What was maybe thirty seconds felt like hours. Tech has never been good with the dieing. But he held her. He looked at Crosshair when she had stopped breathing and went to stand. A bullet met his skull.

Then he woke up. He didn't understand what was happening or why it was happening to him. Wrecker was laughing again.

"Don't do that! Hunter and Tech are still asleep." He heard Echo say.

It was morning again.

Tech remembered the time that the attack happened. Unnerved, he went to find Omega. When he found her he just pulled her into a hug. He only held her for a moment but she was still confused.

"Are you feeling okay Tech?" Echo asked.

"Yes" Tech answered quickly. He then walked back to his bed. What did he do about this? The day seemed to be repeated. Every time he died, the day started over. He walked back to the others.

"How about we, go somewhere" Tech proposed.

"And where should we go Tech?" Hunter asked.

"Somewhere."

"Are you sure you're okay? You're acting kinda funny?" Wrecker stood to walk over to him.

"Yes I am."

"We could explore more of Ord Mantell?" Omega said excitedly.

"No!" Tech said loudly. "How about the, near by moon?"

The others looked at each other. "how about we do that tomorrow?" Echo said.

"No. We should go now."

"How about we go see if Cid needs something?" Hunter suggested.

"Fine" Tech answered. Then the group left the Marauder. Cid told them to run a few on world errands for her and despite Tech's protests, they did.

2100 hours came around quickly. For an hour before that, Tech has been trying to get them to leave the bar. But Wrecker was having fun talking to someone, Echo and Hunter were throwing darts, and Omega had been talking to Cid until a few minutes ago.

When Tech hears the footsteps, he pulled his gun, ready. As soon as he could confirm it was the empire, he started shooting. It helped this time.

They got to Cids office before they started to die. Tech couldn't remember what happened when he woke up.

"Don't do that! Hunter and Tech are still asleep." Echo sounded annoyed as he tried to get Wrecker to stop whatever he had been doing.

Over and over Tech tried to stop them from dying. Over and over he failed them. It felt like fighting a fire with matches. As he grew tired he tried to find different ways to deal with the attacks. He tried almost every angle he could to get them off Ord Mantell. No matter what they seemed to stay.

It had been so long. Why had he been chosen for this? What even could cause such a time loop and why were they so important? It had to be something like the will of the force but why were they the ones to live?

"Don't do that! Hunter and Tech are still asleep."

Tech didn't get up this time. He had tried and tried and tried. After a few hours of trying to come up with a plan, he walked out to the others. He tried to get them to listen to him. He tried to get them off world. But they were still at the damn bar by 2100 hours.

Before the others knew it, they were going out the back door. The fight was taken to the streets. One by one, they fell. First Wrecker, then Echo, then Hunter, then Omega. It was just him and Crosshair.

Diving behind some building Tech, with shacking hands pulled his gun to his head. Every memory of every attempt flooded his head. Before Crosshair got the chance to take him out once more, he shot.

He woke up on the Marauder as he knew he would. He fell asleep for a while.

Hours after he was supposed to wake up, he walked to the cockpit. He made sure everyone was in the ship before simply taking off. He didn't care when they asked where he was taking them.

When Cid commed the group to warn them to not go back to Ord Mantell, the batch asked Tech how he had known and asked why he didn't just tell them. Tech shook. Even though he wanted to explain, it all sounded too crazy.

Instead he walked back to his bed and laid down. He tossed his gun to the other side of the room, trying to find the strength to not circum to the memories of something that no longer existed.

The batch watched him carefully for a while. Slowly Tech tried to recover. He felt like he had.

Now he was hanging off of a rail car. As he realized what he had to do, Tech thought of the cruel irony of the situation. He had saved them so many times by dying. It was time to do it again.

But something told him he wouldn't be waking up again. This was it. Tech had saved them all so many times just to die one final time.

As he shot the only part of the car that held the other on to the rail, he sighed. Maybe he would just get to rest this time.

Whump The Musical Day 1: Cats (Second Chance)

Fandom: The Bad Batch

Summary: After everything, Crosshair still doesn't know what to say to his brothers when he sees them again.

Note: This story takes place at the end of Season 3 episode 4, A Different Approach

There the Marauder was. What now, Crosshair thought to himself. What does he say to them? Will they even want him back? Not knowing how his brothers would react to seeing him again, was unsettling.

As Crosshair landed the ship, Omega ran towards the door. She was so ready to see them again. They were her family. The men were also his family. Yet he had hurt them, over and over. Some of it was his chose, some not.

That didn't matter. A million things ran through his head. With nothing to say, the clone walked towards the door. It's now or never.

With every step, his fears started to invade him. What if they didn't give his a second chance? They had betrayed each other. They left wounds that didn't heal easily on each other's hearts. Some were scarred while others were still bleeding.

He could hear them now. Even if Crosshair couldn't understand what they were saying, he knew they were happy to have Omega back.

Batcher stood beside him. She rubbed up against his leg, trying to provide a sense of comfort to him. The hound walked out with him onto the ramp.

Watching his brothers tense up at the sight of him, hurt. It hurt more then it should have. There was a time where he wouldn't have cared; where he may have even smiled. Now it felt like someone had grabbed his heart and lungs and held them hostage.

Once apon a time, Crosshair had tried to give them a second chance. He offered them a way into the empire, a place he once believed in. He didn't expect to be forgiven.

"Crosshair." There was so much distrust in Hunter's voice. It looked like he froze, like he was faced with an enemy he didn't know how to defeat.

Wrecker didn't say anything at first. Instead, he looked him up and down. It looked like had been though a lot. Of course he already knew about the burn scar on the side of his head. But it was more then that. He looked tired. The man watched as Crosshair's hand shook. He took note of the fact that he looked sick and had lost weight since Kamino. Even through all the clothes, Wrecker knew.

After everything that had happened, everything they had put each other though, maybe it was time to bury that hatchet. The man looked back at Hunter and shook his head gently. Hunter did always have a difficult time trusting people.

With everything they had lost, losing Crosshair wouldn't help them. They had already lost one brother, he wouldn't do it again. In the end, Wrecker had always loved him, even when he was shooting at them.

Turning back to Crosshair, Wrecker started to speak. "Hey" he said. The sniper didn't say anything.

Unsure if what to say, Crosshair just stood there. Wrecker looked deal in thought and Hunter looked as if he may kill him.

Crosshair and Wrecker made eye contact. Neither man broke it. They both saw the fear and pain the other carried.

"I believe in second chances." Wrecker smiled softly. "I want to give you one. You're my brother, Cross. If you'll take us, I'd be happy to have you back."

The man stood there. For the first time in a while, he took a step towards them. Crosshair felt like he was going to cry. After everything he had done to them, to the people around him, Wrecker was so ready to take him back. He wanted to give him the second chance he didn't think he deserved.

No he knew he didn't deserve it. Crosshair had killed innocent people. He had done terrible things. He didn't deserve the kindness that Wrecker looked at him with or the sympathy he had in his eyes.

Their oldest brother sighed, "alright." Unclenching his fist, Hunter tilted his head towards the Marauder. "Come on. We have your gear in the ship."

"Most of your toothpicks too!" Wrecker joked.

Crosshair walked up to him. Standing in front of Wrecker, his eyes started to water. Without enough time to stop him, the man wrapped his arms around his big brother. He sobbed into his chest, holding him as tight, if not tighter, then when they would hold each other in the worst moments of the war.

Surprised, Wrecker held him. Hunter, who had been walking back to the ship, snapped his head up. It wasn't often that Crosshair cried. Some of the anger that had built in his heart, dissolved.

"Let's, give them a moment" Hunter said as he stopped Omega from running over to the others. Batcher ran up to her and Hunter just looked at her. As they walked to the ship he said, "tell me about the hound."

Minutes went by. Wrecker just held him. Every now and again he would whisper something reassuring.

"I don't deserve this" Crosshair finally made at words though his sobs.

"It think you do. You didn't deserve what happened to you, even if I don't know what it is. But, let us help you heal."

As Crosshair started to breathe easier, he loosened his grip on his brother. Looking at him, he sighed. "Where did you learn that?" he half joked.

"Echo actually" Wrecker kind of chuckled. "Welcome home Cross."

@whumpthemusical

Whump: The Musical Day 3: Jesus Christ Superstar (betrayed)

Fandom: The Bad Batch

Summary: Crosshair turns Cody in when he suspects he is going to desert.

Cody loved Crosshair, but right now he hated him. Right now he hated him more than he hated himself, which was a lot. When during their last conversation he may have implied he was done with the empire, he didn't expect Crosshair to turn him in for suspected desertion.

But as he grabbed him armor and his blaster to leave, there was a knock at the door. It was more of an accident than anything. The door opened. A few men came in, Crosshair one of them.

"What are you doing here Crosshair? It's 0200. What's going on?"

"I could ask you the same question."

Cody put down his helmet. He looked at Crosshair, betrayed. "Oh."

"Arrest him."

Reaching for his gun, Cody kicked one of the men away. Then he stunned the other. Picking his helmet back up, he pushed past Crosshair who shot at him with live rounds. He knew his brother doesn't miss without a reason but Cody didn't want to stay long enough to figure out what that reason was.

Turning the corner, the commander tripped over his feet and hit the wall. Pushing himself off the wall, he kept running down the hall. There was no way he was going to get taken by the empire. He knew what happened and while there was a chance he would deserve a fate as cruel as the other captives, he also knew he didn't want it.

It was hard to believe that Crosshair had turned him in. They had been so close during the war. He was the only one he told about his private life other than Obi-wan and Rex. At least the deeper parts of his private life. The parts that no one but them needed to know.

Crosshair was the last one alive. The death of Nova, Wyler, and the governor of Desix were Cody's last straw. He needed to know why the clones killed the Jedi, why they followed every order like droids.

Running down the hall, Cody tried to ignore every thought he was having. At the time, he didn't have the time to be angry with Crosshair or himself. Right now, he needed to focus on getting out of the building and off world. From there, the man didn't know. It was a start.

There were troopers at the door. Cody stunned them and slammed the doors open. He avoided hurting the men that laid on the ground. Crosshair turned the corner and ran after him. Outside, Cody realized that the sniper had caught up to him.

The Battle Memorial was always lit up. At least for now. With the way the empire treated the clones, it would have surprised Cody if when the lights started to die, the empire wouldn't replace them. As he ran past it, a bullet met the back of the man's left knee. He fell to the ground and turned to face Crosshair.

"I'll give you a chance to fix this, commander."

"Do you really think you're doing a good thing?"

"I'm following orders."

"But we are more than just orders. We are living people. Yet we keep acting like we don't know right from wrong! I'm done following orders when I know they are wrong."

Crosshair was silent, like he didn't know what to say. Either way, he was going to see this though.

"Out of everyone, I thought you would understand. I guess I was wrong."

Other troopers came to assist Crosshair. "Grab him and take him to a cell."

"It's not too late to change your mind Cross. Do what's right. See through your orders, before it gets you killed."

Without saying a word, Crosshair stunned Cody. He felt betrayed. After his batch had already left him, the only reg he liked had to go and try to desert. The men took Cody to a cell.

Even if Cody had become a traitor, Crosshair still watched him closely. But one day he disappeared. He was quietly transferred somewhere. When the sniper tried to learn more, there was no information to be found. Hopefully he was okay.

Whump: The Musical Day 6: Newsies (Chronic Pain)

Fandom: The Bad Batch

Summary: Crosshair finally does something about his hand.

  Crosshair hated Hemlock. Never before had he hated someone so much. As he watched his hand shake, he knew that if he ever saw the scientist again, he would shoot his in the stomach and drive his rifle into the wound. He would make him feel as helpless and as awful as he felt.

    It wasn't just the shaking. His arm had been in pain for months. There was nothing he could do. Pain medicine made it bearable, sometimes it even kept it from hurting, but like a river, the dam could only stop it for so long.

    So, Crosshair started to think there was nothing he could do. It had been months.

    Tech would have known. But, Tech was dead. Az should know but he didn't have the technology he needed. Crosshair was too nervous to go to the hospital on Pabu. He knew he shouldn't wait, but he wanted someone to go with him and he wasn't going to take the kid. Hunter would be his best opinion but he couldn't face him yet.

    This morning, Crosshair grabbed the last of his stolen pain meds and put them in his mouth. The bitter taste lingered on his tongue as he swallowed the pills. But the pain wouldn't leave him alone.

    As the day went on, Crosshair seemed detached. It appeared that he was always thinking about something. The batch didn't know rather to give him space or if they should talk to him.

    "I'm going to talk to him" Hunter finally said. 

    "Normally Cross doesn't like to talk to us about these kinds of things unless he comes to us." It wasn't that Wrecker didn't want to talk to his brother, he just didn't want to make anything worse.

    "He's in pain, I can tell. I don't want him to hide that from us."

    "Okay."

    So Hunter went to find his brother. Crosshair was in tears when he found him. Holding his wrist, the sniper tried not to look at him.

    "What's wrong?" Hunter came to sit beside Crosshair.

    "I'm fine" he scowled.

    "You're crying."

    "I said I'm fine."

    "What's going on?" Hunter sounded so calm. He talked to him with all the patients he had, maybe more.

    "My hand" Crosshair sighed, "my hand was messed up at Tantiss . It hurts Hunter." The man looked over at his brother, tired. "It hurts all the time and I'm out of pain meds."

    It took a moment before Hunter said anything. "okay. Let's take you to the hospital. They might be able to do something for you." Seeing Hunter reach out to him, helped. It almost felt like nothing happened.

    The two walked to the hospital together. Hunter went in first and whispered something to the nurse at the front desk that Crosshair couldn't hear. The sniper followed his brother inside. After a while, the two were called back.

    "So the nurse tells me that your wrist has been bothering you."

    "Yes."

    "Alright, lets take a look." The doctor took Crosshair's hand into her own. After talking for a while, the doctor ordered a few tests. She was determined to get to the source of Crosshair's pain.

    A NCV showed that the man had nerve damage.

    "Unfortunately, we would have to operate. Even then the pain and the damage will never completely heal. I'm sorry but you'll need a brace to help steady your hand and we'll put you on pain medicine for the chronic pain."

    "That's it?" Crosshair sighed. "How soon can you do the surgery and how soon can I have those meds?"

"Soon and soon. I'll get everything scheduled. About once a month you'll come here to pick up your medication. After your surgery we'll put you in physical therapy to help with the recovery."

"Okay."

"Thank you doc." Hunter stood.

The brothers walked outside. "It's a start" the older of the two said.

Crosshair looked at his hand. He took two of the Gabapentin pills. Then he put his dark gray brace on. "Okay."

Whump: The Musical Day 8: Hades Town (Deals)

Fandom: The bad Batch

Summary: When Hemlock shows his face while the batch are on a mission for Rex, Hunter and Crosshair have to deal with him. However, when he catches them, he offers a deal to Crosshair. One that will change the brothers relationship for their whole lives.

    It wasn't like Crosshair wanted to hurt Hunter.

    The two weren't sure how they ended up together. What they were sure of was if they wanted to survive, they had to get into the city. When the mission they had begrudgingly taken for Rex began, Crosshair was supposed to go off on his own. However the sniper had a different plan.

    So maybe Crosshair did know how they ended up like this. His brother however, had no clue why Crosshair had been so insistent so when he almost shot him for appearing next to him, the first thing that came to mind was to curse him out. However, he didn't.

    "Fine" he had said, "you can stay."

    Crosshair didn't say a word. Instead, he just started walking.

    Slowly they settled into each other's company. They talked a little bit about what had happened between them and worked though smaller problems that still lingered between them. Then, they made small talk about the past, sharing memories that stayed between the batch and the forest.

    Almost forgetting the last years, they laughed as they recalled the time that they hid plastic ducks around General Kenobi's Venator and how every time they saw him, he always had one to hand back to them.  

    As they snickered, soldiers started to creep up on them. "Hold on" Hunter said, reaching a hand out to stop Crosshair. "Feel them?"

    Grabbing his rifle, Crosshair nodded his head. They needed to get out of there before it came down to violence. Quietly, the two men started to move forward.

    The two drew their weapons as soon as the first shot missed them. They returned fire and quickly realized that they needed to lose the soldiers before they caught up with them. It wouldn't end well if they didn't. Running, they tried to stay close to each other, knowing it would be easy to get lost in the forest. Blue and purple trees blended in with the dark skies. The dark blue bark didn't help.

       The woods were thick but the city was thicker. The brothers never were fans of the cities. Crosshair would rather be in the mountains where he could get the best vantage point and Hunter would prefer to be in the forest. It was a less overwhelming environment.

    As they approached the city, both men felt themselves become more nervous then before. It was the smell that hit Hunter first. Alcohol and sewage had a disturbing smell to them. While alcohol wasn't common, sewage sure was.

    The bright lights threw off both Hunter and Crosshair. Still, they ran forward. "This way" Hunter told Crosshair, waving for him to follow his. They ran into an alley and then they ran up a fire escape.

    After a while of running, they finally came down from the rooftops. Helping Crosshair down, Hunter took his hand and steadied him. They walked, cautiously through the neon streets. That's why everything smells like alcohol, body odor, and cheap perfume.

    Before Hunter could say a word, he was pulled into a back alley. At first, he thought it was some random bar goer or a trafficker, but when he realized it was a clone, he felt his heart drop. Crosshair came into the alley, gun pulled and ready to shoot.

    "I wouldn't." A familiar voice ran in Crosshair's ears. Hemlock. "Lower your weapon." Hunter kept fighting against the clone commando that held him in  place.

    Nervously, Crosshair lowered his weapon. Then Hemlock walked over to the man. The older of the brothers panicked as the scientist advanced towards his younger brother. "Don't touch him!" He yelled.

    The imperial looked deep in thought for just a moment. Then he spoke, "Ct-9904, I have a, proposition."

    Hunter looked personally offended by the use of Crosshair's CT number. Had it been any other case, he would have said something.

    Fear sank into the experiments skin, then to through his muscles and bones. It spread until it was in his heart. "Let him go" he scowled.

    "I will not be releasing him, however-" When Hemlock said however, Hunter started to feel the already existing lump in his chest grow. Something bad was about to happen, and he got the feeling it would only be to him. Hunter was okay with that.

    "I have a proposition, so please, listen." Crosshair, without realizing it, started to pull his rifle closer to himself for comfort. It had been a few months since the two had seen each other. The time that had gone by, should have been a lifetime.

    Now Hemlock stood only a maybe four feet in front of Crosshair. "I will let you leave, however, you can not fight for him. If you sacrifice your brother, you can leave."

    "What?"

    "I'm giving you a chance to leave" Hemlock closed the gap between Crosshair and him, standing maybe a foot away from him. Pushing his to his knees, the scientist grabbed his face. "you don't want to go back, do you Crosshair?"

    The sniper thought he might cry. There was no way he would survive Tantiss. But could he really not fight for Hunter? The weight of the fear Crosshair carried, started to multiply. As soon as Hemlock had touched him, he had frozen. The fear made it hard to realize that commandos had grabbed him and that Hunter was screaming at them to release him.

    Hunter wanted to murder Hemlock. He needed to get Crosshair away from the commandos and away from the man who had hurt him. The man tried everything. No amount of kicking, struggling, or even trying to bite the commando who held him so tightly, mattered.

    "All you have to do, is leave. Stay quiet about all of this, and you'll never return to my facility. Unless" Hemlock smoothed his thumb over Crosshair's face. "You feel you should return."

    That's when Hunter lost it. "Get the fuck away from him!" Failing to protect Crosshair, his youngest brother, was not an option.

    The clone hated actually thinking about his opinions. After a moment, he knew he had his answers. Crosshair couldn't go back. With tears in his eyes, he looked Hemlock in the eyes for a moment before looking away. Shaking, he said "okay."

    The words ran through Hunter's head. 'Okay.' He was going through with the deal. Hunter was defenseless. Hemlock removed his hand for Crosshair's face and nodded. Watching, Hunter felt betrayed. While he understood, it hurt more than he expected it to.

    As soon as Crosshair was allowed to stand, he did. Hunter saw him trying to fight the fear. Still, he was hurt. The betrayal dug deep into his heart. But, he couldn't blame him.

    Not being able to tell the rest, Crosshair was already trying to figure out how he was going to explain to the batch that they couldn't find him. As Hunter continued to fight, the commandos started to drag him away from the ally.

    Crosshair and Hunter made eye contact. The betrayal and hurt in Hunter's eyes met with the pain and fear in Crosshair's. He looked sorry.

    When Hunter was out of sight, Crosshair started to question his decision. But for now he needed to get back to the Marauder.

Part two: