The Bad Batch: One Shot Collection

To The Death

Author's Note: Took a bit of an unintended break from writing - which frustrated me to death - and then the BB trailer came out and I was hit with this awful, angsty idea. I have no regrets. :D

Also, this is for the square "angst" on the Bad Batch Bingo. ^-^

~ Amina Gila

Tech doesn't fall, and Hemlock doesn't capture Omega on Ord Mantell. Instead, it's Hunter who falls into the Empire's hands. Crosshair never expected to see him again, not like this and not here. They can only try to survive, but then, Hemlock takes Hunter's mind... and erases it. And Crosshair is alone with a brother who would kill him if so ordered. 

When Crosshair sees Hunter, he thinks he's hallucinating it at first. There's no way Hunter can really be here – there is no escape for anyone from here, he knows that. The ray shield lowers and the guards jab a blaster into Hunter's back, shoving him forward. He stumbles inside with a pained cry going down to his knees. The ray shield reactivates, and the guards walk away without another glance, leaving the two alone: Crosshair, struck speechless from worry and shock, and Hunter, injured and in pain, pressing a hand against his bandaged ribs.

Crosshair lets his head thump back against the wall. "Kriff," he says, very eloquently. This isn't a hallucination. Hunter is really here, and he has no idea what in the galaxy he is to do about that. Hunter isn't supposed to be here. He's supposed to be with the others, on the other side of the galaxy, so far in hiding that the Empire could never find him. Did they not get his message? Did –

Hunter straightens, expression pinched with pain as he pushes himself to his feet, wavering for a moment before he moves to the bench, slumping onto it in the corner, as far from Crosshair as he can get. He's walking mostly normally, but he's hiding a limp that Crosshair can see well.

"What happened to you?" Crosshair blurts out. He can't take his eyes off Hunter, can't stop staring at him, searching his face, taking him in. He's here, he's real, he's alive, and by all the stars, Crosshair has missed him. He's missed him so much. He's missed him and Tech and Wrecker – his chest tightens at the thought of him, his twin brother – and even Echo, too.

"There – was a crash," Hunter answers, turning to him. His eyes are shadowed, exhausted. He looks... dead, like someone sucked the life right out of him.

Crosshair looks away, unable to meet that gaze and see how Hunter's changed, doesn't know how to label the tangle of uncomfortable emotions inside him at what he does see. That's not Hunter. He's not – he's not like this. "You crashed the Marauder?" His voice is not even the slightest bit hysterical, thank you very much. But still. The question stands. The Marauder was the only place he ever had to call a home other than their barracks, which no longer exists. He might not live there anymore, but it's still – it's still important to him.

Hunter makes a sound that Crosshair isn't sure how to interpret. Incredulous maybe. Surprised. "No," he answers so quickly that Crosshair knows his own misgivings at the thought were not nearly as hidden as he'd hoped. "No. It – there was a rail car. We had a run-in with the Empire, got sold out by someone we trusted. The rest are fine."

Crosshair feels himself relax a bit at that. It's not ideal, by any means, to have Hunter here, but it could be worse. One of his brothers could have died, or they all could have been captured, so he's far from thrilled that Hunter is here, but – it could be worse.

...

It's worse.

It's much worse.

When the guards come to take Hunter, Crosshair knows where he's going, and he's helpless to do anything but watch.