The Bad Batch: One Shot Collection

Sightless

Author's Note: Don't judge this was based off a dream I had okay? O.O Secondly, if anyone thinks Vision's even the slightest bit cool, she's a Bad Batcher OC from my other fic Vision, which details her story in the Canon-ish universe. Dunno why I turned into her in my dream though. o.O Or why Echo wasn't there.

For Febuwhump Day Twenty-Seven: Left For Dead

~ Rivana Rita

The one thing that has always made them different is that they never leave their own behind. Until Tech's chip activates on Kaller, and they do. Except that's not the last time. Except in this universe, in Echo's stead, their fifth member is a Force-sensitive female clone, fully new to action.

Nerves are crawling under my skin, nipping and burning and whispering. Something's wrong. The rest of the squad is down, and Tech – I don't think it could be Tech. It's somethin' else, something more and bigger and worse, something I should actually be scared of.

The floor jolts under my feet, and I gasp, arms flailing to balance myself. Kamino doesn't have earthquakes. That's not what this is – it's something worse.

"Uh, what's that?" Wrecker asks, pushing his helmet up.

Tech reholsters his blaster, and after casting another wary look his direction, so do I. My bow's still strapped to my back, but I don't want to use it after what happened on Bracca. My – I know it wasn't my fault. It's not Tech's either, but he still tried to kill the rest of us.

That's the one thing we have in common. I know why he's doing this. I know why he's hurting us. I know it's not his fault, and I don't want him to have to sit it out alone. Crosshair'd been the one to stun me, and I think we need to do the same to Tech – we're close enough to the medbay, but something's happening and I can see blue fire flickering and burning in the back of my mind.

Hunter pauses, turning for the door. "We have to go," he snaps, something dark and angry in his voice. Something's been different about him since his capture on Daro, and I still think he was hurt, even if he's doing his best to hide it. He always does. Stars above, I hope Tech didn't actually hurt him. I don't think he would do that, but Bracca and – he shot at us in the hangar. It wouldn't be the first time – difference between in battle and being tortured, though.

I glance at Wrecker and Crosshair and Omega before bolting after. The doors open automatically, and I hear Crosshair and Omega pausing behind me. Feel the silvery gray fog and bright yellow floweriness stopping, and I skid to a stop, boots screeching on the duracrete floor, looking back. The black armor Tech's wearing looks so, so wrong on him.

"We do not leave our own behind," Tech had said to us, just minutes ago. "We do not leave each other, until you left me on Kamino. I know we may not always agree, but I am giving you another chance. You will be safe with the Empire."

"You don't get who we are," Hunter had thrown back, a gutted, rolling hurt in his voice. "Do you?"

"Our skills are based on each other's Hunter," Tech had thrown back, voice sharp and cutting, "And there will be a time you need me, and I won't be there to help you. You knew the dangers of leaving. What makes us different from the regs, is that we have each other."

"You're the one who tried to kill us," I'd thrown back.

He tried to take Omega from us, too – he was going to have her taken away because she's not a soldier, and I don't think I can ever forgive him for that.

I wanted him. I wanted all of them, thought there'd be a day we could all be together, thought – I thought a lot of things. Mostly wrong.

But this is Tech. And ahead of anything else, he's still my brother.