Safe and Sound (Star Wars: The Bad Batch AU)

Chapter 19

Her eyes were heavy and her head was pounding from getting knocked out. Her limbs felt weak. She forced herself up, loosing her balance and hit the wall. She hissed. She held her head in one hand, the other supporting her. When the buzzing faded, she tried to look around. There was a bright light on the ground. She squinted, blinking a few times until she realized it was her flashlight. She took a deep breath and left the wall. Her head throbbed some more, not helping the dizziness she felt. She lost her balance as she grabbed the flashlight.

She held the flashlight, sitting on her bum, head in her hand. Her thoughts were sluggish- she couldn't think straight. Fox... Omega... I... find them...no time...

A bright light hit her eyes. She ignored it.. When it wouldn't go away, she looked to the source and shielded her eyes. It was from the end of the hallway.
"Rafa!" a familiar voice called.

Before she knew it, Hunter was there.
He put his flashlight on the ground and cupped her face with his right hand, "Rafa, what happened? Are you okay?"
She felt the familiar touch, her face getting warm, distracting her.

She scrunched her face, trying to remember what had happened."I... followed him around the corners... He must've snucked behind me and knocked me out," she said, still a little slow.
"You got hit pretty bad. Let's-"
Rafa tried to get up. Hunter stopped her, "You need to rest until you can stand up straight."
"No," Rafa said, "We need to find Omega."
"The others are currently going after them. They'll find her."
"Like how they would find her back at the house?"
Hunter said nothing. What could he say? It wasn't fair to his brothers, but he felt the same way. They had a simple job and they screwed it up.
He pulled out a small reusable water bottle from one of his many pockets and handed it to her. "Here, sip this. Once you're better, I'll help you out of here."
She took it and sipped. "Do you think something happend to Omega?"
"I don't know," Hunter sighed, "But I do know this- Omega's strong. She's quick on her feet. Knowing her, she probably found a way to escape."
"How do you know?"
Hunter was silent for a moment. It was all speculation. He had no idea where Omega could be. Or how they would find her if she did escape. "I- I don't. But Tarkin has no reason to kill her. If anything, she's in one of the vans or she somehow ran away."
"Vans..?" Rafa thought for a moment, "The vans outside? Why would she be-?"
"I don't know- maybe incase they thought we would scam them." Hunter buried his face in his hands.
They stayed silent, Hunter glancing back at Rafa. He knew how dangerous head injuries could be. He already lost her once...

"I think I can walk now." Rafa said, handing the bottle back to Hunter. He took it and helped her up, putting her arm around his neck and hugged her side, walking beside her. They walked in silence for a bit, only talking when there were obstacles coming their way.

They got outside, the daylight blinding them for a second. Hunter's earpiece crackled. He stopped.
"Tarkin never had her. She escaped earlier this morning," Crosshair reported.