THE MASKED SNIPPER - A Bad Batch AU

please be ok

Song is still: Experience by Ludovico Einaudi

          They all awoke, jumping out of their skin when someone entered the dimly lit waiting room. Letting in bright white lights. 

"Sorry to wake you, the names Needles, I'll be taking charge of your brothers treatment and recovery. I have some updates for you all on his current condition. If you'll please follow me, you may visit him, though he is not awake yet. And I ask you all to be as quiet as possible." The brothers all nodded their heads and stood stiffly to follow the medic. As they walked each of them got more and more nervous. 

The tension was building until you could cut it with a vibro blade. "So you said you wanted to update us on his condition? Is there anything you can tell us now?" Hunter tried to release some of the tension by finding out more details on their injured brother. 

Needles seemed to look conflicted until his expression turned stoic and unreadable "His burns were the easiest to treat and the Bacta you applied had already started to heal the wounds...." Wrecker held his head a little bit higher "We did our best to remove the toxin from his lungs and to provide him with oxygen...." 

As they entered Crosshairs room, the first thing they noticed was that Crosshair is on a respirator. His skin ever so pale, his oxygen mask fogging with each breath. Tech seemed most shaken up and leaned against Hunter, who was closest to the Medic as Wrecker now sat by Crosshairs bed. Tech had gone pale and Hunter looked to him for some sort of explanation. But Tech looked right past him to the Medic. 

Eyes wide he asked with a shaky voice "He'll have to be on oxygen for the rest of his life won't he?" Tech looked back at his brother halfway through his question, tears welling in his eyes. The Medic looked away somberly then back up at Tech "Yes, he won't survive in unfiltered air anymore without the help of an oxygen tank." 

The three brothers could almost feel the world fall from beneath them. Tech stumbled over to Crosshairs side, pulled up a chair, and laid his head on his twins arm. Hunter looked back to the Medic "Is there anything we can do? What will this mean for him on future missions?" 

The Medic looked away, not wanting to deliver the final blow. But eventually he returned the stoic look to his face and looked the Sergeant in the eye. "His helmet should provide some sort of filtration, but even that wouldn't be enough and would slowly kill him. We just don't have the technology for this severe of a condition. Usually we aren't on the receiving end of our own bombardment." 

Hunter frowned and opened his mouth to speak again, but Tech stood up abruptly. "I think, I think I can do it. I can make a mask that can continuously filter the air, be small enough to not be inconvenient, and he would no longer require an oxygen tank. I believe I can have it done in 3 to 4 days." Tech never once took his eyes off Crosshair. 

He wouldn't let his brother be decommissioned. Nor would he let this measly condition take his brother out of the fight forever. Especially when Tech was almost certain he could remedy the issue. And especially not when it was his fault this happened. If Tech had been faster, more vigilant, they wouldn't have gotten caught in the blast. His brother wouldn't be sick, with a now lifelong condition. 

He startled out of his head when Hunter approached and put a hand in his shoulder. This was the main way his older brother comforted them and showed affection. Tech pulled Crosshairs hand into his own and tapped on it in Morse code. Something they had done since they were cadets. Everything's going to be ok, please be ok. I'm sorry. With that Tech turned back to Needles. "Can you assist me in writing up the schematics for the mask so that they fit his condition?" The medic nodded and they both turned to walk out the door. Tech giving one last nod to his brothers before departing.