Forgive Me (Echo x Medic Reader)

Part 24

Setting up a new secluded and hidden base after the attack on Teth was anything but easy. The new direction had forced all other priorities to be put on the back burner. The Senators slowly coming together would be fine under the watchful eye of Riyo Chuchi; the same couldn't be said for (Y/N), whose extract was long overdue. Despite the best efforts of Echo and Gregor to focus on getting her and Wolffe out, something else that needed their immediate attention popped up. Something always prevented the pair from seriously sitting down to plan the finer details.

"Umm! That's not good," worded Gregor, the weight of the latest intel crashing down on him. Quickly, he scribbled down what the contact within the Empire was telling him on a piece of flimsi. Wolffe had been compromised and sent to Tantis to be questioned and interrogated. If (Y/N) had been in danger before, then she would be in dire straights now, even more so if Hemlock was as smart as Crosshair had claimed.

"What's up?" asked Rex, appearing behind Gregor and creeping along through the shadows of their latest base. No matter how hard the Commando tried, he found it difficult to hide the concern swimming through his golden eyes, even more so when his gaze landed on Howzer and Echo. "How bad is it?" sighed the former Captain, wiping a hand down his features before pinching the bridge of his nose and mentally preparing himself for the terrible news he was about to be hit with.

"Our contact confirmed Wolffe has been compromised," spoke Gregor, trying his hardest to keep his voice even despite the urge to scream out in frustration, despite wanting nothing more than to charge into Tantis and pull both (Y/N) and Wolffe from the fingers of the empire. "He was sent to Tantis for interrogation days ago."

"And Snap?" questioned Rex, suspecting Wolffe being arrested was just scratching the surface of the bad news to come. Briefly, the great captain turned to where Echo slouched over a makeshift table, a bowl of soup and datapad before him. Howzer was close by, trying to set up the communication table; every now and again, he'd swear about something not going right and wish Nemec and Fireball were there to help.

"Our source says (Y/N) was taken into custody, and the Dark Trooper project has been put on hold until an internal investigation is complete. They mentioned something about CX-2 but couldn't make it out," replied Gregor, his words whispered now as if he attempted to hide the truth from Echo and save him the crushing guilt and regret for not getting (Y/N) out sooner. "On other news, though, Devika is back within the senate; I hear she's quite the sneaky one," he laughed, attempting to lighten the mood, as he handed over a piece of flimsi with scribbled notes on it. "Message from Devika, all the senators that may pose a future risk against anyone who speaks out against the empire."

"Call Hunter and the boys," replied Rex, patting Gregor on the shoulder as if to convey silent comfort before walking away with the scribbled list. The idea was clear enough; the batch was intending to get to Tantis to rescue Omega, no matter the cost of doing so. The four there would be targeting the facility soon enough; it was better to work with each other rather than get in the other's way. They had a common goal, and working together would get them there faster.

With a heavy sigh, Gregor got to work on sending a quiet message to the boys of the Bad Batch, or at least what remained of them. He understood his goal loud and clear: keep Echo in the dark for now until they could be sure about Snap's position. Despite the urge to go into Tantis guns blazing, they didn't know for sure if the news of Snap was true or an elaborate trap designed to pull in rogue clones who'd attempt a rescue.

"Echo," called Rex, setting himself up to deliver the bad news. Upon gaining the Arc Troopers' attention, the captain gestured him to follow to the quiet corner shrouded in shadow not too far from their position. Already, Rex dreaded the response, dreaded giving the news of uncertainty. "Intel suggests Snap may have been compromised. She's being detained at Tantis," the captain said slowly, feeling the dread build in his stomach and his confidence begin to dwindle. The horror etching itself on Echo's features did little in the way of comfort. Instead only brought more guilt.