To Heal Poignancy ■ TECH - The Bad Batch ■

The Successful Kidnapping of Adla Klenn

Happy Holidays and New Years to all who celebrate!!

TW: There is slight gore and death. If this makes you uncomfortable please proceed with caution.

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Everyone froze as the haunting bell continued to ring throughout the city and the many miles surrounding Theed. Everyone was now in the kitchen. Clone Force 99 stood by the entrance of the living room; Sola, Adla, and the children stood by the counter and stove.

Ryoo turned to her mother. "Mommy, is Daddy still in the city?"

Sola only managed to look at her daughter and gape like a fish, horror evidently ran through her veins.

The bell still rang out. Its call for inevitable danger caused everyone who heard it to remain rooted to the ground in fear.

The first one to actually move their feet was Adla.

Her comlink, which had already been in her hand, chirped a few times before the same haunting tune emitted from it.

She ran past everyone and up the stairs. She flung open her childhood bedroom door and made her way over to her small nightstand. She yanked open the only drawer and withdrew a holster and two Naboo blasters.

She tied the holster around her waist and clipped the two blasters on. At lightning speed, she raced down the stairs and tried to pass everyone when her sister called out to her. Reluctantly, Adla stopped and turned around. She spotted Omega, and with a quick split-second decision, walked over to her.

Carefully, she took off her comlink and held it out for the young clone. "I need you to keep this safe, okay? Important information for you and your siblings resides on this comlink."

Omega nodded and clutched the comlink close to her chest without a word.

Sola interrogated Adla, "What is happening? You seem to be the only one that knows what's going on."

Adla silently stared at Sola. The words took a few moments to process. Her head just repeated that she had to get back to the city. The noise of the bell and that thought caused Adla's adrenaline to spike.

"All of you must stay here," she breathlessly spoke. "It is not safe for you outside of this house."

At Adla's words, Omega made her way back over to Hunter. She sandwiched herself between Crosshair and Hunter while she gently grabbed Hunter's shirt.

Sola gave a huff of annoyance. "That doesn't answer my question, Adla. What does that alarm mean? I had never heard it before."

Adla's mouth went dry. She knew what she was about to reveal would anger Sola immensely. She wanted to just run out of the house and make her way to the city without glancing back, but the way her sister stared at her caused her to pause in her tracks.

"That's because we... Queen Apailana and I... It's a message..."

Sola's face twisted in confusion. "A message? Adla, you have to be more specific than that."

"We came up with it soon after my induction... The Empire, they're coming."

Everyone's faces paled at the senator's words.

"Why would the Empire be on their way here?" Wrecker questioned.

The reality of what the bell meant settled in Adla's chest. They knew, the Empire knew. Her heart clenched and her throat closed up. Tears sprouted to the edge of her eyes. "Queen Apailana isn't safe. The refugees aren't safe."

Surprise now flickered across Sola's face like a burning candle. Her eyebrows shot up to her hairline, and her lips parted slightly. "The refugees? What do the refugees have to do with the Empire?"