The Bad Batch: Silent as a Mouse

Chapter 2: Back Together Again

Mouse fiddled with her helmet, adjusting it to hiss with the pressure seal. It was always a little finnicky, never wanting to just slide into place. Just another reason she kept her hair short. She made a mental note to ask Nova about it. 

She focused down at her datapad, reading as she walked and swerving around the other clones in the hallway. Cody once told her it was skill. He always looked for the moment when she tripped. So far, it'd only happened a handful of times. Mainly if she was reading an interesting holo-book and she wasn't paying enough attention to her surroundings. 

Now, she was reading a file she'd read thousands of times before. The words filtered in as she sidestepped.

Sergeant and tracking expert: CT-9901. Hunter, her knowledge supplied.

Engineer: CT-9902. Tech.

Demolitions expert: CT-9903. Wrecker.

Sniper: CT-9904. Crosshair.

Clone Force 99. Her brother's squadron. They had always talked about being a squad together. Mouse was always included in that plan to be their stealth expert and backup. 

Ship engines roared to a stop as she approached the hanger doors. It must be them. Cody had said they'd be here by the morning. She glanced at the time displayed at the top of her pad. 0730. Thirty minutes past when Cody wanted her there. Perfect. The door slid open.

There they were. All four of them. They had their helmets off, grinning at the conversation they were having with Cody. She got a quick glance before she snapped her head back down to her pad. She continued walking, sidestepping the other clones walking around the hanger. 

"Ah, there you are. Was wondering where you got off to." Cody said, as she stopped when her feet were in line with his at her side. 

"I was reviewing the files you sent me." Mouse responded. It wasn't technically a lie. This was the file Cody sent and she was reviewing it. He just didn't need to know it wasn't the first time she'd looked over the file. She powered down the pad, tucking it away in an open pocket of her belt. 

"Boys, this is Corporal Mouse. She's the clone you'll be completing the mission with." Cody said, introducing her. Mouse took a moment to take her helmet off, resting it against her hip. 

"Nice to meet you, Sergeant." Mouse said, extending her hand out to for a handshake. She noticed the half skull tattoo on his face. Intimidating, but nice. Hunter clasped her hand, shaking it once with a nod.

"You too." He replied, his voice gruff. Much deeper than when they were kids. 

"You talk funny." Wrecker laughed. He bumped her shoulder good naturedly. It was cute that he still did that, even years later. He had a large scar across the left side of his head with a few scar lines reaching to his face and his left eye was white in contrast to the brown of his right eye. Mouse chuckled softly at his jab to her accent.

"I get that a lot, actually. It was better when I was younger. More...," She paused as she thought of the right word, "inconspicuous." Mouse explained, adjusting her helmet from where it had dislodged from her grip when Wrecker hit her shoulder. She looked to the other two. Tech held his datapad close to his face, glancing up at her every few seconds. Crosshair, on the other hand, was just staring. He had a crosshair tattoo over his right eye. Fitting, especially to conversations lost in the barracks about tattoos. The toothpick he had shifted from one side of his mouth to the other. She tilted her head to the side in curiosity. He smirked  and scoffed with a huff before turning to Cody.

"So, what's the mission?" Crosshair's voice held a grit to it and was deep like Hunter's but with more drawl.

"Right, follow me." Cody said, leading the way to the briefing room.