The Space In Between

Chaos & Control (Part 1)

"You're all TRAITORS!"

The canister exploded. Wrecker twisted to his knees and coughed the smoke from his lungs. He reared back up as Hunter, Echo and Rex made for the door, and grunted with dissatisfaction as they evaded his aim. From where she hid, Omega watched Wrecker pursue with wicked intent, firing more shots down the hallway before barrelling after them. As soon as he was out of sight, she emerged, scurrying in a low to crouch towards Tech's prone figure.

"Tech?" she whispered urgently, gripping his arm. A metal panel was pinning down his right side. It had broken off its hinges when Tech had slammed against it. The crunching sound it made on impact and the way it was now warped and cratered was a horrific testament to how hard Wrecker had thrown him.

Carefully, Omega pushed it aside, glancing nervously behind her as it scraped none-too-quietly against the floor.

"Tech?" she pleaded again, shaking his shoulder. No response. She swallowed, fighting down the hot, acidic bile that was rising in her throat. Somewhere not far away, the sounds of fighting continued. Yelling. Blaster shots. Metal against metal, plastoid against plastoid.

Stay calm, you can't help him if you panic now.

She pressed her small hand against Tech's jugular furrow, knowing exactly where, and leaned her cheek close to his face. The thrum of his pulse against her fingers was slow and steady, the warm exhales brushing her ear were deep and even; throwing her own fluttering heartbeat and shallow breathing into sharp relief. She had dealt with injured clones before, but not in the field, not in the midst of a firefight, and not by herself.

You can do this.

Setting her face with determination, she moved on autopilot, muscles retracing memories of medical drills practised endlessly on her watery homeworld. She reached over to his far leg and propped it up so that it was bent at the knee. Gripping his blacks, she pulled it towards her and over his other leg, so that Tech rolled onto his hip. Then, she leaned over his chest to grab his arm and heaved, grunting with effort as she shifted him onto his side and into the recovery position. There wasn't any blood.

"It's going to be okay, Tech," she said shakily, reaching to hold his limp hand, more to comfort herself than anyone else. Another loud bang rattled the walls, and Omega jumped, the pulse of adrenaline like a shockwave of electricity. She reached the doorway in three strides, just in time to see Hunter collapse to his knees at the end of the passage. Wrecker stepped forward, grabbed him by the back of his cuirass and hurled him against the wall like a ragdoll. He wrapped both hands around Hunter's neck, enveloping it entirely, and squeezed. Wrecker's blaster was on the ground, not too far away.

"All clones in violation of Order 66 shall be terminated."

She couldn't even see Hunter now, obscured behind Wrecker's hulking form, but she could plainly hear his choked gasps. She pulled the trigger and yelped as the recoil bucked her elbow backwards.

Wrecker's head turned, and his white eye moved menacingly from the smouldering hole in the wall near his head to the smouldering gun in Omega's hands. Without even blinking, he smashed Hunter's head against the wall and let him crumple to the ground. Omega watched him fall, and not get up.

Hunter.

She felt the blood drain from her face as Wrecker stalked towards her, slowly, deliberately, as though she was a mouse he intended to step on. She searched his face, but there was no recognition there. Just cold, black, empty purpose. The hallway swung wildly as she turned to run, feet scrambling just to keep her upright as her centre of gravity pitched forward with vertigo.