The Bad Batch

An Unlikely Encounter

Hunter awoke laying on a bed of strange plants. The sun shined overhead, giving off an almost purple hue. He sat up. Around him was one of the strangest environments he had ever seen. That was saying quite a bit, considering all the planets he'd been to.

There were grassy plants and purple flowers, and there were giant fungi that reached pompously towards the sky. What? How did I get here?

A light breeze whistled through the slightly bluish grass, and yellow ferns swayed in the wind. Weird plants with blue orbs and brain-like crests were scattered about, and the faint sound of birds echoed through the air.

Hunter got to his feet, brushing off his armor. He had to find a way out of here. A sudden thought raced through his head. Omega! Where is she? And where is everyone else? Slightly panicked, Hunter ran out of his little mound of shrubbery.

"Omega!" He called, concern evident in his tone. "Omega, where are you?" No reply.

So, Hunter started walking. The dry grass crunched underfoot, and the breeze continued to blow. Hunter's senses were overwhelmed in this place. It was almost like the environment was screaming that he didn't belong, but Hunter knew that was ridiculous. Yet, he was still on edge. Every new smell made him twitch, and every noise made him jump. Hunter couldn't help but feel that something was going to leap out on him at any second.

An odd sound to his left just about made him jump out of his skin. Hunter turned to see a very odd little creature staring at him. It had four short, stubby legs and a large body. It's face was a mix of hideousness and adorableness that didn't quite mix. It had two large googly eyes, a sort of light bulb hanging from its forehead, and a set very large sharp teeth protruding from its jaw that certainly did not belong there. Lastly, it's tongue lolled out of its mouth, slobber dribbling down its chin.

Hunter blinked at the creature, then slowly backed away. It barked, then trotted the other way. Hunter let out a sigh of relief. He didn't really want to tangle with the things of this world. He just wanted to find his brothers and get off this rock.

He didn't have to wait long.

"Hunter?" Said clone whipped around. Tech emerged from the bushes, pushing the plants aside. Hunter ran over to help him. "Tech! You're ok! What happened? Where are we?" Tech tapped the scanner on his helmet. "I'm not quite sure. My scanner indicates the presence of many life forms. This planet is full of organisms on another level."

"Hmm. This place doesn't feel too friendly either."

Tech nodded. "I picked up on that as well." He held his data pad to the sky. "It's peculiar..." Tech mumbled, then started to walk off.

Hunter interrupted his brother's train of thought. "Hey, have you seen Omega? Or anyone else?" Tech shook his head. "No, but I suggest we find them soon." Hunter silently agreed. He knew that Tech could probably feel the worry coming off him in waves. Especially for Omega. As much as he hated to admit it, the young girl won't last long against a large predator. So, the two clones set off, carefully picking their way through this strange environment.

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Omega had been wandering for a little while now, awed by this strange place. Despite the beauty of this area, Omega felt vulnerable without her brothers nearby. The bow strapped to her back was slightly comforting; at least she had a way to defend herself. However, Omega had no desire to become something's snack, so she called out for her brothers continuously as she wandered through this odd world.

She was about 20 minutes in when she heard it: the sharp snap of a stick behind her. Omega froze, fear creeping its way into her veins.

"Grrrrrrrrr..."