The Bad Batch: One Shot Collection

Sightless

The door slides shut between us, taking him from view, and the lights flicker again. We're lucky the power's still working. The floor's still shaking.

The facility is being destroyed. I can feel it. I've seen it in my dreams. I hate my curse of visions. Hunter says it's the only reason we've survived this long with Tech on our tail, but it still feels more like a cruse. Not being able to sleep for night after night after night, knowing there's impending doom of our home coming on us isn't something I – I ever want to happen.

But Tech – Tech's still here, so why haven't I dreamed of this before?

I should have.

If my visions are really any good to anybody, I should've seen him staying here, seen what's going to happen to him so I can stop it. Foresight is hell.

The lights go out somewhere on the way back to the lab.

Tech's still in there. He's still in there, and I'm just letting him go. I – I can't. Can't let him die here.

We don't leave our own behind. That's what makes us different than the regs. It's not our mutations. It's not that I have the Force, that Omega's unaltered, that Hunter's senses are insane, Tech's supposed genius-ness that gives him an ego too huge to fit in the same room as any of us, Wrecker's strength or Crosshair's sight. It's that we are everything to each other. I never left them. I was three when Nala Se had me taken from her lab. I remember it vividly. Omega hadn't stopped crying.

Nor had I.

I knew about our brothers though, and I pulled it through every single day of training knowing they'd be there at the end, knowing that I'd have them, and I'd never have to worry about being alone again. I know what that's like. There's nothing I'm more terrified of than that. I can't let him have that. Can't let him die alone.

My brothers accepted me. I can't let anyone take them from me, can't not give the same to them.

"Are we sure the tunnel's still workin'?" Wrecker asks.

"Better be," I mutter darkly, "We're not dyin' today."

"Don't have any other way out," Hunter answers tightly – something's definitely bothering him, but I'll talk to him about it after we make it out of here. If we make it out of here. Gotta be realistic sometimes, y'know?

We skid to a stop in the lab.

Omega heads for the opening, and I wait by the doorway. I can't – can't leave.

I can't leave without Tech, without one of the brothers I grew up knowing about and waiting to meet. I can't live with it if I just let him die. "You go on," I say, backing up, "I'll be right behind ya."

Hunter pauses, helmet turning towards me. I think he's going to argue, but he only gives a brief nod. I feel Crosshair watching me. That makes me feel even worse, but I can't feel anything except a raw, blinding panic and a desperate looping repeat of how Tech is still in there, I can't leave him behind, and I whirl around, running back into the hall the way we came.

It's dark now. I can hear the laser fire. The hallway jolts violently, and I stumble, dark curls flying across my face. I'm not going to be able to make it to the lift. Don't even know if the power's still on. The lift won't work without power, probably. Why didn't he come? Shouldn't he've been right behind us like he always is?

"Tech!" I scream, but the sound and tearing and breaking and melting of metal and duracrate, and the washing way-too-close waves shatters my voice into a million distantly jumbled pieces. The shaking throws me into the wall, and I push myself up, teeth gritted, refusing to be deterred. I can smell melting metal now. This is my brother, and I can't let him die, can't leave him, can't –