The Bad Batch: Flash Forward

The Bad Batch: Flash Forward pt 3

Hunter and Aguilla hastily made their way to the auction room, as did everyone else. The party crowds were flooding the top floors and filling every other seating boxes.
"I'm glad this place isn't absolutely enormous." Aguilla said quietly to Hunter.
"That's a joke right?" Hunter looked around.
"I've been to bigger."
"You never really talk about your time with Janik." Aguilla stayed quiet. Hunter glanced at the small twilek.
"Are you really older than you look?" Hunter asked curiously, remembering the conversation with Metla.
"Well, how old do I look?" Aguilla asked sarcastically. She's always looked quite young because of her size and it was pride diminishing but her small fangs and wit made up for it.
Hunter took a step to the side but continued to walk. He looked up and down at Aguilla, who was staring back. Hunter decided not to say anything, instead he just cleared his throat and stepped back beside her. She bumped him back to the side.
"What? What did I do?" Hunter said holding his arms out. Aguilla just patted her dress down and began walking a little faster.
She walked away from Hunter and all he could do was follow her. He sighed, 'I could so easily kill her and she doesn't even care- no- she knows I wouldn't.'
Hunter didn't know how wrong he was. Aguilla knew Hunter's strength; that's why she challenged him so much. She knew he could easily kill her. A scary thought it was. Her best strength was pretending she wasn't afraid; like she could take anything. She felt the need to trust him most of the time; especially seeing how he treated the rest of the batch. He was kind and open minded and always protected his family.
'He could've killed me once- no he wasn't supposed to or he wouldn't get paid- UGH'
Aguilla's thoughts usually swarmed and she never knew what was right. Hunter always did. She could rely on him.
'I can't stand him- why can't I just-'
She discreetly took a deep breath. She had a problem of constantly remembering her late night thoughts at all the wrong times. She could be so happy one moment and questioning her life in the next. "I hate this." She whispered. She cleared her face of emotion before Hunter caught up.

"Is this it?" Hunter asked. Aguilla looked up surprised. She almost forgot she was on a mission.
"Um- yeah, this is it." She breathed in deeply. "Let's go in through the back and meet with the auctioneer."
"We're together on this."
"What?" The twilek shifted her attention to Hunter.
"Don't push me away; right now we need each other." He said rather sincerely, for a soldier, or at least, that's what Aguilla thought. No- that's what she wanted to think. But she had always found something about him that she liked. His loyalty and his kindness. The way he talked about his family and his feelings seemed so genuine. Aguilla wanted to think of him as a brute and forgettable; but now he was telling her not to. How could she ingore him?
"A-all right!" She whispered. She was always the one running away and hiding and he was always here helping her. She didn't want to be scared anymore.
She wanted to be brave. At least, that was the best she could do.
Hunter and Aguilla pushed their way through the crowds and managed to make their way up to the auction room. Aguilla was amazed to see Janik and Metla sitting so close together- and smiling.
"It looks like it worked out after all." Aguilla giggled and gestured her eyes to them.
"An odd couple, really, but then again what do I know?" Hunter said sarcastically but rather humorously. A small smile came upon her face and she looked up at Hunter.
She wasn't sure why he had the look, but she wasn't going to question it. She looked at his and he face was just attractive. Like- really attractive. "Ahem." The Twi continued walking through the crowd of people trying to find their seats.
"We're here now." The pair found the back of the room. Aguilla walked up to the auctioneer and put her hand on her chest, "l am Yani Mekova. Miss Giorin informed you that I was coming to pick up a case that she sold to me."
"Yani Mekova? Hmm." The auctioneer seemed suspicious. Hunter and Aguilla held their breath until he spoke again.
"Ahh, yes. I remember. Please follow me, I'll take you to your treasure." He smiled and began walking through a hallway to a back room. The auctioneer was wearing a golden robe and his long brown hair tied up.
"Here are the cases you inquired for." He said gently. Aguilla walked up beside him as he placed the boxes on a table and opened them to show the goodies inside.
"Oh, yes. Lovely." Aguilla nodded rather tentatively. She turned around and faced Hunter as they shared a grin.
"Shall I have someone carry these for you?" The auctioneer asked.
"That's alright, thank you."
The golden-robed man smiled, closed the boxes, and escorted them out of the room. Hunter carried the three large cases out a different way than they came in.
Once they were far away from the crowds, far into the giant building, they were ready for pickup.
"Hunter, your com." Aguilla said. Hunter just shrugged because he had his hands full.
"Oh yeah- uh-"
"It's on my belt, under the tunic."
"Okie dokes." Aguilla was happy, things were going good. She moved toward him as he opened his arms away from his torso and she lifted the tunic just a bit. Hunter jerked himself back a bit. Felt weird. She searched for his com but didn't feel it anywhere.
"On the back?" She asked and without waiting for an answer she moved her hands around and felt for it.
"WOAH-HO!" Hunter jerked back and forth uncomfortably.
"What are you doing- stop it! That's weird." Aguilla moved away.
"No- it's not there. It's in the front."
"I didn't feel it." She began checking the front again. "Hunter, it's not there." She said worriedly.
"It has to be." Hunter groaned. "Lift it up all the way and look."
Aguilla bent down and lifted the tunic and looked. Again, Hunter jerked.
"Hunter- it's not there!"
Hunter finally gave up.
"Come on- here." They walked into a maintenance closet, closed the door, and Hunter set down the cases near the janitorial supplies.
Hunter began the frustrating process of removing the tunic. He grumbled everytime it got stuck. Then it got really stuck.
"If I have to rip this thing-"
"Don't do that- let me help." Aguilla reached out and began unbuckling.
"Woah- you really messed this up."
"You're the one who tied it."
"I tied it right!" Aguilla always had to defend herself.
"Just-"
"No-"
"It's not-"
"Don't-"
They kept getting louder without realizing it. "I'm gonna rip it." Hunter finally gave up.
"No- I can get it-" Aguilla said, focused on a buckle. She began pulling hard but with no luck.
She let out an exhausted sigh.
"Wait-" Aguilla looked at the fabric belt over the tunic. "Aha- I feel stupid." She grabbed the belt to lift it.
"Don't bother, it's sewed on." Hunter groaned.
"Okay- maybe I am stupid." Aguilla shrugged backward and stared at the tunic.
"This is taking too long-" Hunter whispered and gripped the belt of the tunic. Aguilla just watched because there was no stopping Hunter when he was desperate.
He ripped it off almost effortlessly to both their surprise. He quickly lifted it up past his belly and checked for the com.
"No..." Aguilla whispered, losing hope.
Hunter turned around and Aguilla checked the back.
"Hunter, it's gone!" Aguilla said at full volume.
"SHHH!" Hunter covered her mouth and it pushed her against the wall of the small closet.
"What was that?" They heard muffled voices from the hallway.
"It sounded close."
Hunter and Aguilla stayed silent but listened closely. After about a minute, Hunter let go of Aguilla's mouth but still had her pressed. He just gave her a look of disappointment. Aguilla was humiliated. "Well, I'm sorry-" Hunter slapped his hand over her mouth again but it was too late.

The door opened and two men stood and stared. Aguilla stopped Hunter's hand from reaching up and grabbing them, and it was a good thing too.
"Oh!" One of the men exclaimed. "Got a little carried away, did ya? Well, you shouldn't do that here; this is off limits to guests."
Now Hunter realized what it looked like.
Aguilla just nodded to the man, turned her body away from him and said awkwardly, "Could you give us a moment?"
"Oh sure, just don't get caught again." The guy smirked and waved to his friend for both of them to leave.
"Um- Aguilla?" Hunter felt very nervous. His body went numb. "I don't know what you're thinking but we need to go- Aguilla? Are you listening?" Her head was still turned and her shoulders lifted to her face. She didn't say anything.
"Aguilla," He waited for an answer. "Hey- I um- if you said that so we could really- you know-" Hunter was moving his head side to side awkwardly trying to find the words to not make this situation so weird. And then he just said it.
"We can do this another time, really, I'd love to spend time with you like this but right now we really have to go and find that com."
"Are you being sarcastic?" Aguilla finally turned to him, geniunly surprised. Hunter didn't say anything, he just stared. "That's the first time you've ever been sarcastic isn't it? Haha! That was actually a little funny."
Hunter's heart sunk a little.
Then it sunk a lot when he remembered the seriousness of the situation.
"AGUILLA- WE HAVE TO GET THAT COM."
"I know!" She whispered harshly. "This place is way too big, we'll never find it before the auction ends and Metla realizes this is all fake."
They both thought for a moment. Aguilla looked up. "We could make them notice us." She said almost inquisitively.
"Yeah, and the whole party too."
"Okay, yeesh. Just trying to help."