The Bad Batch: One Shot Collection

Sightless

I bite my lip, wanting to say something, anything, but the floor shakes again, and I know we don't have time.

Crosshair catches my arm, his grip cold and sharp and firm, jerking me forwards, and I run.

The floor shudders again. I have the sinking suspicion I know what's happening and panic is clawing its way up in my chest, icy and firm.

The lights flicker, and my heart skips a beat.

"Get to the lift," Hunter orders – I get the feeling he knows a lot more of what's happening than he's saying. Don't know what happened when he and Tech were alone. He hasn't had time to tell us, and I don't know if it's something he could talk about, anyway. I know he just wants to get out of here, to get all of us out of here, because that's just what he does.

It's what all of us do, had done until Order 66 happened, and I joined and went into action with the brothers I heard from Omega about when we were little. I knew where I'd end up for years, but that didn't make me ready for meeting them when the Kaminoans finally let me in action.

The Kaminoans who are all either dead or being held captive, according to AZI, and I don't have time to process any of that.

That or that Tech asked us to rejoin the Empire.

Crosshair told him he was an idiot.

I'm still so proud of him.

Omega's gripping my hand and Crosshair moves to the side of the lift, Wrecker pressing in on my other side. I turn back to the hall, heart pounding – something's changing something's dying we need to get out of here I should've seen this coming of course the Empire's planning an even fancier way to kill us all.

Tech's in the doorway. His helmet's off. I can see his face for the first time since this started. He looks – the same.

Don't know why I expected anything different. Tears prick my eyes suddenly, and I jolt forwards, wanting to reach out, to – to something.

I expect him to come on, too, like he ought to because we're still family, no matter what's happened, and we're supposed to stay together. Everything's fine if we're together. Always has been. Omega – ever since I left Omega, loneliness has been eating me inside out and then I got our brothers back, and all I care about is – is getting out. Is protecting them, keeping us together. That means Tech, too, no matter how stubborn he's being about it.

Something coils up inside my chest, dark and foreboding, and in that moment, I just know. I don't want to think of it, to accept it, but I know.

I look up, meeting his gaze, right hand clenched firmly over 'mega's. There's a knowing in his eyes.

This isn't a reunion.

This is goodbye.

It's meant to be.

I want to think he followed us because he wanted to come, no matter what's happened between us – "we do not leave each other" he had said, and he was angry. Is angry. He's going to die if he stays.

Wrecker had asked him to come back. He'd been desperate, nearly begged because we all missed him, and I hate myself for how often I argued with Tech. I shouldn't've. He didn't – he's angry and he's hurt, and I know what it felt like there. We've been so lost without him.

It feels like I can't breathe.

Crosshair makes a quiet sound beside me. Starts moving forwards. I feel frozen. I want to say something. I need to.