Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Hunter had watched as Crosshair looked out of the ship at the Tantiss base hangar. Had saw how he gazed across the room, eyes suddenly narrowing as he noticed something out of place. He’d watched as Crosshair gestured to Echo to join him in checking it out.

As he sat in the cabin, letting one of the rescued clones tend to his injuries, he watched Omega and Wrecker talking to each other, faces beaming. He was so incredibly relieved to see Omega again, and from what he could tell, she seemed unharmed aside from recent pin pricks on the back of her hands from blood drawings.

Her smile seemed to wipe away the heavy cloud that had been hanging over his head since she’d been taken away.

They had rescued about a dozen clones alongside Omega and were about to retreat to Pabu.

When the clone medic, Scatter, finished tending to his injuries and had turned to check over everyone else, Hunter sat up and looked out of the ship, trying to see what had held up Crosshair and Echo.

As far as he knew, everyone was on board, so why weren’t they on and ready to leave? He didn’t want to be here any longer.

He heard the sound of shuffling and stood to look out at them, stopping short at the sight that appeared before him.

It couldn’t be. Could it?

There, in front of his very eyes was Tech, unconscious and being held up and carried in by Echo and Crosshair.

He met their eyes and felt the urgency and concern they were feeling, which jolted him out of his own shock. He stepped back and looked around for Scatter, calling him over to help. No one else was seriously injured so the clone came quickly, not sparing a second thought when he saw Tech and helping them bring him in and onto a long, low crate serving as a table.

Once Tech was lying down, Echo and Crosshair stood back, letting Scatter look him over with a medical scanner. He noticed the cannula still in his hand as well as the pale sheen of his face.

Hunter looked Tech over from a distance, still reeling from the sight. His face was gaunt and scarred. A long deep scar running from his left brow, just around his eye and down to his lip. Other small scars dotted around his eyes and nose.

His left leg from just below the knee down was replaced by a prosthetic, the two outer fingers of his right hand were misshapen, scars running down his hand and wrist. His fingers and thumb were also purple and red with bruises.

This didn’t seem real.

Tech was dead, he’d watched him fall from the rail car through the foggy sky of Eriadu. But he’d never really seen him die did he? He’d never truly had confirmation.

Either way he’d left him behind. His own little brother. He had no choice, they were under attack and Omega was hurt and there was no way Tech could have survived the fall no way he could- Crosshair held his forearm and spun him around to look at him.

“Hunter.”

He remembered to breathe, gasping for a moment before blinking hard.

Crosshair continued to hold his forearms, frowning in concern.

“I know Hunter, I know. But he’s here, really. We all are.”

Those last three words had his knees trembling and Crosshair guided him to sit on a crate nearby.

They were all here. All of them. All damaged and mismatched and hurt, but together.

Hunter looked up as Omega and Wrecker approached and caught sight of the shock on their faces. He reached out to hold Omega’s hand, asking if she was ok with his expression. She nodded with a tight smile, her eyes glistening.

Echo had gone up to the cockpit with another clone to take off, and they were now entering hyperspace with a jolt. Hunter took one last deep breath to ground himself before standing and approaching the medic.

“Is he ok?”

The clone sighed and turned.

“He’s been drugged with something to keep him awake, I don’t know how long for but it must have been a while. He won’t be waking up any time soon.” He gestured to Tech’s limp form. “He doesn’t have any serious injuries, but the scanner showed some inflammation in his gut which may be an issue. Oh and the bite marks on his hand don’t look good. Nothing’s broken but I’m concerned about it becoming infected.”

Hunter frowned as he listened. Nothing serious right now which was good but there were certainly multiple points of concern.

“Wait, bite marks? Where? From what?”

The medic lifted Tech’s hand.

“Here, around the base of his index finger and thumb, human bites.”

Hunter and Crosshair looked at the marks, red and dark and certainly painful. Once he’d looked them over himself, Hunter figured where they’d come from.

Scatter noticed something change in his expression.

“Do you know who did this?”

“Yes. It was Tech.” Hunter explained, his voice low. “He’s done this a couple of times before when he became very overwhelmed. Though I’ve never seen it this bad before.”

Crosshair nodded along, looking like he was restraining himself from hurting somebody. “Something bad happened to push him way past his limit, someone made him to this to himself.”

The medic frowned but offered a short nod in acknowledgment of the new information.

“He’s probably going to feel overwhelmed when he wakes up then with whatever happened to him recently on top of the drugs wearing off. I’ll get a saline drip in him and some bacta on these wounds for now. Hopefully we’ll have him situated on Pabu by the time he wakes.” With that the he turned to prepare a drip and the bacta while Hunter and Crosshair turned to Omega and Wrecker who were sitting amongst the clones nearby.

Wrecker had been trying to keep Omega occupied and she’d nodded and smiled along to his stories and light hearted comments, but she kept looking over at Tech. And honestly, Wrecker kept checking on him too as he tried to keep Omega and some of the rescued clones distracted from the stress of the days events.

But when Hunter and Crosshair wandered over, his current story about Pabu petered out.

Omega hesitated before speaking up.

“How is he?”

“He’s out cold right now, but he doesn’t have any serious injuries. Looks like he just really needs rest right now.” Hunter reassured.

Omega looked thoughtful for a moment before smiling brightly.

“We’ll take care of him.”

Hunter couldn’t help but smile in return at her optimism. They certainly would take care of him. Hunter intended to give Tech everything he needed to recover. The same went for Omega and Crosshair too.

He sat down by Wrecker and Omega and Crosshair followed suit. Together they shared stories with the rescued clones, unwinding and relishing in each other’s company as they spoke.

Soon they would be on Pabu where they could take their time to heal. But even now, on this ship together, their recovery had already started.

Chapter Text

Tech woke up to sunlight shining through a window on his right, the wooden blinds half drawn down to reduce the glare. Despite the blinds, he still squinted at the light, noticing that his face was bare of glasses. He also noticed that his right hand had been bandaged. His body felt fuzzy and his thoughts were slow, so he took his time to gaze around the room.

He was in a bed tucked into the corner by the large window, the walls and floor were made of shiny wooden panels and the ceiling was made of a darker wood, lined with bamboo trimming.

Down past the end of the bed was a small wardrobe and dresser, a little round mirror and two large shells sat on top of it. Looking to his left down the end of the room was a door, left just slightly ajar with warm light streaming through, and he could just make out distant conversation through the haze.

Tech took his time to register each blurry detail before finally turning his head to his left. There was a small bedside table with a lamp and his glasses, and there past it against the wall was a chair where Crosshair sat, dozing.

He watched him for a moment, battling the feelings of disbelief, relief and sorrow. He was here. How long had it been since he last saw him? He’d thought he would never see his brother again. He was here! He seemed ok… He was missing a hand.

His thoughts sped up as his awareness increased, and he missed when Crosshair woke and stood up to come and kneel by his bed.

“Tech?” Crosshair prompted gently, holding his left hand. When Tech didn’t answer, he picked up his glasses and carefully placed them on his nose.

Tech blinked at the sudden focus, looking up at Crosshair.

“Hello.”

Crosshair smiled, though his brows were pinched in concern.

“Hi. How are you feeling? You looked half dead when we found you.”

Tech took a deep breath, noticing how heavy his body felt.

“I am tired. But I think I am ok. How did you find me? I don’t remember-“ He stopped, trying to recall what had happened before he passed out, but Crosshair spoke up to fill him in.

“We were in the hangar on Tantiss about to take off when I saw you fall, you were lucky you were wearing those shoddy glasses, I saw them glint and it got my attention.” Crosshair’s eyes narrowed further and he looked at Tech sharply. “If I didn’t see you, we would’ve missed you. We would’ve left without you.”

Tech stared back. He had been aware of that as he was passing out. He’d watched as each member of his squad as well as the rescued clones had stepped aboard the ship. He’d more or less accepted being left behind, because as much as it was scary to be denied an opportunity to escape, he mostly just wanted to be assured that they got out safely. That was all that mattered when he called plan 99 and that was all that mattered now.

“Yes, I remember now, I thought I saw everyone make it on the ship. I tried to stay awake but I was pleased to see you all make it to safety.”

Crosshair scoffed and drew back as if struck.

“So what? It doesn’t matter? We nearly left you! We nearly left you behind on that blazing heap of hell to die! Do you realise that?”

Tech flinched at the outburst, his head aching, but tried to pick apart the words.

“Not intentionally. Whether or not you saw me would have been no personal fault of your own-“

“That’s not the point, don’t try and spin this on me Tech.” Crosshair jabbed a finger at him. “This is about you.”

Tech leaned away from the jab, feeling the room spin at the movement, before looking up at Crosshair, trying to decipher his words. He’d never been good at interpreting emotions. He knew Crosshair was stressed and angry, and he’d assumed it was because he was blaming himself for the possibility of leaving Tech behind. And maybe he was. But clearly there was more at play here that he was missing.

He opened his mouth to reply but faltered, not knowing what to say and really just wishing his vision would stop swaying and that the buzzing sound would go away.

Crosshair snorted at his hesitation and his shoulders slumped.

“You don’t even know what the problem is do you?”

Tech remained silent, not willing to attempt to speak again and certainly not willing to shake his head. Instead he fidgeted lightly with his shaking fingers. He hadn’t meant to upset Crosshair. He’d been happy to see him, but the warming feelings had been switched with apprehension and frustration. Tech didn’t like upsetting his brothers, and he didn’t like not knowing things, especially things that seemed obvious to them. It was always jarring.

This along with the bright sun and dizziness and lingering buzzing sound made his heart flutter. He’d been awake for five minutes and he was already overwhelmed.

He heard Crosshair sigh as he knelt back down, reaching to take a shaking hand into his own. Tech allowed it, clenching the blanket with his free hand.

“I’m sorry.” Crosshair grumbled.

Silence sat heavy between them for a moment.

“I’m glad you’re here Tech. I- I missed you.”

Tech took a breath and closed his eyes.

“I missed you too. I always missed you.” He admitted quietly. Crosshair had been on the back of his mind ever since he left, particularly after the events on Kamino.

Crosshair squeezed his hand once and then stood.

“I’ll tell the others you’re awake. Be back in a sec.” And with that he left Tech in the quiet of the room.

Tech leaned back against the headboard and now that it was quiet again he could make out the sound of waves. They were on Pabu he had gathered already, but something about that sound really cemented it in his mind. He was out of Tantiss. He was free. He was no longer subject to Dr Hemlock’s demands. No longer doing his bidding just to keep Omega safe.

That had been the deal they’d come to. Tech would be strapped to a chair for days on end and fitted with a headset for that allowed him to review schematics, notes, prisoner vitals and anything else that Hemlock wanted to make sure they were accurate and efficient. He could make notes to correct or suggest changes, but he didn’t have access to any of the headset’s settings.

That was a precaution that Hemlock had took. He could have given Tech a data pad to do the same work, but that would have given Tech access to the software on the data pad as well as the hardware of the device itself, both of which would have given him tools to escape and rescue Omega and Hemlock wasn’t taking any chances.

He’d also been subject to Hemlock’s tests, personal ones that he hadn’t been using on the rest of the prisoners. He’d taken a special interest in Tech’s brain. He hadn’t deemed him a fit for the CX program, but he’d seen a use for his quick thinking and vast knowledge of science and engineering. He also took an interest in his behaviour and how it differed to the other clones. The memory of it had him feeling tense so he took a deep breath and tried to will the thoughts away.

Hemlock was dead. He saw it himself. And now he was free and back with his family.

What happened was now in the past. He wanted no more to do with it. Clearly he wasn’t the only one under stress right now if his interaction with Crosshair had said anything. After all, until… recently, he wasn’t sure yet how long he’d been out, Omega had also been held prisoner.

She didn’t need to see him struggling. None of them needed to worry about him, not when they already had their own problems to deal with. So he determined to put the feelings aside for them.

It wouldn’t be a problem, after all, he was excellent at staying calm in high stress situations.

Outside of the room he heard footsteps approaching, one pair quicker than the others. He smoothed out his tense frown into something more neutral and looked up at the door, bracing himself for his family to come in.

Tech was back, and he was determined to find his place among them again.

Chapter Text

It was late morning and Hunter was in the kitchen of their house on Pabu preparing lunch. Wrecker and Omega had returned from fishing about an hour ago with enough fish for them all for a meal, so while Echo watched the fillets on the grill, Hunter prepared a salad to go with it. His own injuries weren’t serious, but they hurt, so he decided to keep meals simple for now. Not that anyone would complain.

Since they arrived early yesterday morning they’d all taken shifts sitting in Crosshair’s room watching over him. As soon as they’d arrived, Crosshair had directed the medic, Scatter, to put Tech in his bed until they got him one of his own.

Scatter had assured everyone that Tech wasn’t in any immediate danger, but that he’d need time to rest and wouldn’t be waking up for a while. Even still, everyone had agreed without discussion to take turns waiting for him to wake up, not wanting to risk him waking up alone.

As the hours ticked by, Hunter tried not to worry, but Tech had been unconscious without so much as a twitch for more than 24 hours now.

He kept his ears alert for any sound that came from Crosshair’s room as he prepared lunch while he talked to Omega and Wrecker about their morning fishing trip.

As he and Echo finished up and were putting food out on the table, Hunter caught hint of a sound coming from down the hall. He strained to listen, not making it obvious in case it was a false alarm.

He did look up when he heard Crosshair snarl, trying to make out what he was saying. Tech must be awake, but why was Crosshair sounding so harsh? What had happened? He waited a moment until it went quiet. He wouldn’t rush in. If there was something wrong, Crosshair would come and get somebody.

He recalled what Scatter had said, warning that Tech may feel overwhelmed when he awoke, so he didn’t want to crowd him right after waking up. Besides, he and Crosshair needed to catch up as they had been separated the longest of them all.

Omega and Wrecker were now at the table looking more than ready to dig in, so Hunter sat and they started eating. He left a plate aside for Crosshair.

They were about half way through when Crosshair entered and he offered Hunter a glance, asking if he’d heard that Tech had woken up. Hunter nodded once, gesturing to the plate of food left for him.

As Crosshair sat down, Omega perked up.

“Morning Crosshair! Me and Wrecker went fishing this morning and we caught lunch.” She beamed at him, looking proud. Wrecker looked equally pleased with their catch.

“I see that.” Crosshair replied shortly but not unkindly. He’d gone off of fish for a while. After Tipoca City fell and he was left on Kamino, he’d lived off of fish for a time and for a long while afterwards just looking at fish made him feel sick.

But it was different here, maybe it was the warm domestic atmosphere of sharing a freshly cooked meal with his brothers.

He took a few bites of the fish before looking across the table.

“Tech’s awake.”

All conversation halted and he was met with four pairs of eyes locked onto his.

“Really?” Omega asked, standing from her seat. Hunter put out a hand and asked her to sit back down to which she complied.

“But he’s awake Hunter! I want to go see him!”

“I know and you will, we all will. But let’s at least give him a moment to wake up before we rush in there ok?” He assured.
“As soon as you’re finished eating we’ll go.”

Echo shook his head and smiled, knowing what was about to happen. Sure enough, Omega shovelled the last few bites of food into her mouth and quickly stood back up and away from the table, looking back and waiting for everyone to follow.

Echo looked at Hunter to see if he caught his own mistake. Hunter rolled his eyes at him. He did say when she finished they’d go. So they stood and started making their way to Crosshair’s room.

Omega ran ahead but the rest of them held back, not wanting to swarm Tech.

“How is he?”

Crosshair shrugged.

“He was a little out of it for a bit, but we talked.” He glanced away for a beat. “I snapped at him. He looked like he couldn’t handle it.”

“Do you think he’ll be ok with us seeing him at once?” Hunter asked, ready to pull back if needed.

“I think so, as long as we’re quiet. He seemed sensitive to light and sound. But I don’t think avoiding him will really help.”

Hunter nodded, and Echo and Wrecker nodded too, having got the message.

They entered the room behind Omega who had carefully walked up to Tech and greeted him. Hunter’s heart warmed when he saw his little brother smile up at Omega and his heart nearly burst when Omega leaned down for a hug that he quickly returned.

As Omega drew away, swiping at her happy tears before they could fall, he caught his eye.

“Hi Tech, how are you?”

Tech nodded once.

“I am well.”

They all took turns greeting him and checking how he was doing, which soon shifted to Omega telling him about some of the things he’d missed, with the others chipping in as well. Tech listened attentively, happy to listen and absorb all the information they had to give. After some time Hunter heard a knock at the door and left to see who it was.

He opened the door and was met with Scatter and he welcomed the medic in.

“Hey Hunter how are you? Has Tech woken up yet?”

“We’re doing alright. He woke up just recently, the others are in there now.”

As Hunter walked him in they chatted briefly about how the rescued clones were settling in. It had only been a day and in that time Scatter had been very busy checking on everyone and making sure they were cared for. Thankfully, the residents of Pabu were very welcoming and the clones all had places to stay until they figured out what to do with themselves.

When they got to Crosshair’s room, Hunter called out for everyone to get out and give them some space. Omega gave Tech another brief hug and promised to come back later. Echo gave him a nod and a warm smile and Wrecker clapped his shoulder gently. Crosshair didn’t keep them waiting and left with a short nod.

Once they were out, Hunter closed the door behind him and Scatter.

“Tech this is Scatter, a medic we rescued from Tantiss. He treated you when we found you in the hangar.” He gestured to Scatter who stepped forward to greet Tech.

“Hi Tech, glad to see you awake, how are you feeling?”

Tech glanced at Hunter briefly before replying.

“Tired I suppose. But otherwise well.”

“That’s good. You were out for a full day so you’re probably hungry and thirsty. I had you on a drip until mid last night since I figured you’d be waking up today. Do you know when you last ate?” Scatter asked, offering him a glass of water.

“Hmm, I think I last ate about 3 days ago, I had a small bowl of rice and a bowl of soup.” Tech said before taking the water, appreciating having a drink after so long. He’d been given fluids intravenously but that did nothing for his parched throat like a glass of cold water did.

Scatter thought that over.
“Was your diet like that consistently? Long periods without and mostly liquid food?”

Tech nodded, he’d mostly been fed various soups, sometimes with a little bread or rice.

Hunter frowned as he listened to them talk a little about Tech’s treatment. While he wanted to know what it was like for Tech while he was prisoner on Tantiss, some part of him was afraid to find out. What he’d learnt so far from Crosshair, Omega and the smaller things he’d heard from the other clones, had made him feel sick. Clones had been treated as no more than objects, which wasn’t entirely an unusual experience, having lived most of their lives on Kamino. But Hemlock had taken it even further, stripping them of their identities, their status as human beings. They were stock for experiments and nothing else.

Thinking back on how thin Crosshair had looked when they had reunited with him and Omega and looking at Tech now in a similar state, oh how he wished to go kill Hemlock again. But Crosshair had never said anything about being denied food for multiple day periods or about a mostly liquid diet. The prisoners seemed to have all been given food not dissimilar to cafeteria boxes. And they’d gotten food everyday, even though the portions were small enough to cause many to lose weight.

He was drawn from his thoughts as he watched Scatter help Tech sit up, moving to put his feet on the ground.

“Careful, don’t move too quickly.”

Hunter’s heart clenched as he watched Tech shuffle around to sit on the edge of the bed, his prosthetic clunking against the ground. He was so weak. And he had so many new scars now, heck he was missing half a limb. The Clone Wars were over and yet Tech had been more injured now than he’d ever been in the war.

Even still, Tech didn’t seem put off. He looked up at Scatter and followed his directions, frowning in concentration as was helped to stand.

He moved out the way to let Scatter guide Tech to the refresher and went to get some fresh clothes for Tech. He went through Crosshair’s dresser knowing there was a small selection of outfits there that would fit him as Tech and Crosshair were the same height, and Cross wouldn’t mind offering some clothes until they could get Tech his own.

Once he’d picked out a soft long sleeve brown shirt and long blue pants and underwear he took them to the refresher and knocked on the door.

Scatter opened the door and took the clothes with a thanks.

Meanwhile, Hunter went back into Crosshair’s room and looked around, seeing if there was anything else he could do to make Tech comfortable. None of them really owned much, only ever having a few personal items as well as their usual gear and a lot of that had been destroyed on the Marauder. Even still they’d all tried to make this house into a home, accepting gifts from the residents and allowing themselves to take bits and pieces that they liked to display.

Crosshair had two shells on his dresser from two days he’d spent at the beach with Omega and Batcher. When he’d brought the first one home he’d looked a little awkward, Omega grinning and telling him to put in on show somewhere. After that, a few days later, he’d brought one home on his own and hadn’t said a word as he placed it by the first shell. Omega had an incredible influence on him.

Behind him he heard the refresher door open and went to go and see if they needed a hand. When he got there he saw Tech dressed and looking much more comfortable, but as he stood he looked like he was struggling to hold himself up. Hunter reached out to help but Tech straightened and dismissed him.

“I am fine, I just need to sit down soon.”

Hunter faltered slightly but stepped out the way and watched as Scatter guided him back to Crosshair’s room, this time sitting him in the chair in the corner. Hunter sat on the edge of the bed next to him.

Once he was sitting, Scatter pulled a few items out of his belt pouch and knelt in front of Tech, holding out a hand to him.

Tech watched him, looking confused. Scatter, realising the problem spoke up.

“Let’s take a look at that hand.”

Tech looked down at his hands and raised his brow slightly as if surprised. Right, the bites, he’d forgotten about them. He almost imperceptibly glanced at Hunter before holding out his hand for Scatter to take.

Scatter hummed as he turned his hand over and Tech watched from the corner of his eye as Hunter stared, his shoulders rising ever so slightly.

“These look better than they did a day ago, but they’re still quite bruised. I’ll put some more bacta on and rewrap them for now.” He informed before moving ahead and carefully rubbing bacta onto the wounds.

Hunter looked up at Tech, noticing how he looked away from his hand and stared at the floor, he didn’t look back until his hand was wrapped and the bites were hidden from sight. As soon as Scatter let him go he drew it back to his lap and held it with his other hand.

Scatter stood and turned to Hunter.

“Everything looks to be healing well but there is one thing I want to discuss before I leave. Considering Tech’s diet over the last six months, it’d be best to ease him into eating more frequent, solid meals. Try to stick to small amounts twice a day for a few days and then ease him into more. Liquid food is fine and will be a necessary part of the process but ultimately we want him to be used to eating solid food three meals a day again.” He looked between them as they both nodded their understanding and with that he wished them well and left.

Silence sat between them for a moment after Scatter left and Hunter wracked his brain for what to say.

The most pressing thing ended up coming out first.

“Tech- What happened, to you I mean. After you- after you fell?” He winced at the stuttered question and the startled look that flashed across Tech’s face before it smoothed out again.

Tech thought for a moment before looking at him.

“Once I was sure the cable car you were all on was moving, I readjusted the trajectory of my fall. I let the car fall beneath me and used panels to catch the wind and allow me to glide down.” He paused as he considered how much to say next. “I didn’t have time to slow down enough to land safely. I hit a few trees before I ended up on the ground, resulting in multiple serious injuries. I was in and out of consciousness for some time before I was found, but was out before they could relocate me. I didn’t wake up until I was on Tantiss.”

Hunter shook his head at the recount. What a terrible thing to experience and what an incredible sacrifice. Tech had endured that and what was to follow for them, for his family. But it ate at him. Knowing that Tech was alive and that he’d left him behind. Hunter knew fundamentally that going back wasn’t an option, they were all injured and the Empire on Erdiadu was fully aware of their presence, making returning impossible. For the longest time none of them even believed him to be alive. How could he have survived a fall like that? And even if they had gone back would they have found Tech before Hemlock had gotten a hold of him?

Still, he felt terrible for doubting Tech’s ability to make the most of a bad situation. For assuming without question that he was gone. For stupidly believing Hemlock when he said that Tech’s goggles were the only thing recoverable.

“Tech.” He reached for his uninjured hand and held it tightly. “I am so sorry we left you behind.”

Tech sat up sharply and opened his mouth to retort but Hunter cut him off.

“I know we couldn’t have gone back, I get that but- we didn’t just leave you behind on Eriadu Tech- we moved on. We didn’t even consider the fact that you might’ve survived and we just tried to get on with it. Hemlock gave us your broken goggles and said that was all that could be recovered and-“ Hunter squeezed his hand and shook his head harshly before looking at him directly “I believed him Tech. I believed him because by then I’d already accepted that you were gone. And I am so sorry.”

Tech stared as he processed what Hunter had just told him. And Hunter bowed his head as he waited for Tech to reply. Eventually Tech squeezed his hand, prompting Hunter to look at him again.

“You do not have to apologise. I called for plan 99 and I knew the consequences of such a call. I expected you all to leave and escape, to get to safety, which is exactly what you did. Not only did I not expect you to come back for me but I also knew you had no reason to believe I had survived.”
Tech said firmly.

“All evidence pointed to the contrary. I fell from a very great height and even if I had not died on impact, I would have succumbed to my wounds soon afterwards without intervention. You had no reason to believe that I had been found let alone rescued within that short period of time.”

Hunter thought that over. It was true and Tech was really just confirming what he already knew.

“Maybe not then. But when Hemlock showed us your goggles I knew then that he’d found you. There was a chance even if it was small that he found you alive. I should’ve realised that. I should’ve looked for you too.”

“No.” Tech replied immediately.

“You would only have put yourself at risk. In the end you came to Tantiss for Omega. It was an achievement that you, Omega and the other subjects made it out. Had you have known I was there your mission may have been compromised as you would have split up to find me, putting all of you at greater risk than you already were.” Tech was firm in his statement leaving no room for argument. But afterwards he spoke just a little softer.

“As for you all moving on, I am pleased to hear that you tried to. Holding onto my supposed death would have only caused you more stress.”

Hunter sighed.

“It it still doesn’t feel right. You’re our brother Tech, we shouldn’t have been so quick to assume you were gone and we shouldn’t have accepted it so quickly either. It hasn’t been the same without you.”

Silence fell as they both looked back on their last six months apart. It had been hard and lonely for all of them. Hard for Hunter, Wrecker, Echo and Omega for all that time thinking Tech was dead and not knowing how to find Crosshair. And difficult for Tech who had never been separated from his brothers for such a long time before.

And now that they were together again, there was a difficulty in facing the time they’d lost.

“Well I am here now.” Tech shrugged and Hunter was met with a smile. He was here now, so they should make the most of it.

“Right, you are.” Hunter stood. “Scatter said you need to have a couple of small meals a day, would you like something to eat now?”

Tech nodded. He was starving.

“Alright, I’ll go and chop up some fruit. You can have a little bit of that and see how it sits. I’ll be back soon.” Hunter said as he walked to the door. “And Tech? I’m glad you’re here.”

Tech nodded. “I’m glad too.”

Hunter smiled and left for the kitchen, leaving Tech alone once more.

Chapter Text

The rest of the afternoon passed by uneventfully. After he ate a little bit of chopped fruit, Tech found that he was feeling quite exhausted. He was still recovering from being awake and working for three days after all. Omega came in and sat with him sometime in the afternoon to talk and catch up and he found her company kept him awake and occupied.

He was very happy to see her looking well and enjoyed hearing how she and the other children escaped from Tantiss. He wasn’t surprised by her clever thinking and leadership skills in the slightest, she had grown so much since they met her and he was proud of her.

She also told him about her first escape with Crosshair and Batcher, which was quite a tumultuous story. Tech found that he also wasn’t surprised by Omega getting through to Crosshair and convincing him to return, if anyone could do it of course it would be her.

“Oh yeah! You haven’t met Batcher yet have you?”

“Not yet no.”

Omega grinned and jumped up from the side of the bed “I’ll go and get her, she’s really sweet, I think you’ll love her!” And ran to go and find the lurca hound.

Soon enough Omega came back in with Batcher on her heels, as soon as the hound spotted him she ran and jumped up at him, reaching up to lick his face.

“Batcher! Get down!” Omega pulled at her and told her to sit. “Sorry Tech, she just likes to say hello that way.”

Tech wiped at his cheek with his sleeve, knocking his glasses askew.

“That’s alright. She is certainly… friendly.” He grimaced at the feel of slobber dried on his face and looked down at Batcher who seemed to be grinning, tongue lolling out the side of her mouth.

“She is. She was pretty shy when I met her, which is understandable. But eventually after she learnt to trust me she changed. I think she just needed a little kindness you know?” Omega scratched her neck and the hound tilted her head into her hand.

“She really likes Crosshair too, they go to the beach first thing every morning. Batcher found both of those shells and brought them to him.” She pointed to the shells on the dresser.

Tech would never have imagined Crosshair to have an animal companion, but it seemed to be doing him good. It was nice to know that he had her for company. Speaking of Crosshair-

“This is Crosshair’s bedroom correct?”

“Yeah, why’s that?”

Tech looked around.

“This is where I was put when we arrived here yesterday but there is only one bed. So where has Crosshair been sleeping?”

“He slept on the couch a little I think, but mostly he was in here watching over you waiting for you to wake up. I think he and Hunter are getting a bed for you and they’re going to put it in here, so you and Crosshair can share a room.” Omega shrugged.

Eventually Batcher started getting excited and ran outside and Omega laughed saying that it was her dinner time. She followed her out, promising that Tech would be brought some dinner soon too, to which he thanked her.

Tech sat in the quiet for a while, looking out the window at the view over Pabu. Their house seemed to be situated in the upper part of lower Pabu, with a nice clear view over the docks and surrounding beaches. The sun was setting, washing the sky in orange and indigo.

Tech looked up when he heard someone approach and saw Echo enter with two bowls of soup. He sat and passed one to Tech, telling him that Hunter had made it.

“Omega tells me that Hunter cooks meals most often. Does he enjoy cooking?” Tech asked as he tasted the soup, it was salty and a little sweet, made from pumpkin and potato.

“Yeah he took up cooking a while ago. I think he was cooking out of necessity for a while, but eventually he started getting creative. Turns out he’s got a knack for flavours. The rest of us help out sometimes too, it’s fun. But Hunter is our top chef.” He sipped at his soup too, enjoying the spices that Hunter had thoughtfully added. It had been nice to see him try something out of his comfort zone and discover a hidden talent.

They’d all slowly discovered parts of themselves they never would have before since coming to Pabu, without the routine of war guiding their everyday lives. Hunter liked to cook, Wrecker enjoyed fishing and working on the docks, Crosshair liked to wander along the beach with Batcher and Omega loved spending time with Lyana and Stak, Mox and Deke.

They ate in comfortable silence for a while, enjoying their meal before Echo nodded at Tech’s leg.

“How’s that prosthetic working for you?”

Tech grimaced and tilted his foot back and forth. “It functions. It is sized and fitted correctly but I still experience some pain. I believe that to be from a lack of use. When I spent time in my cell I tried to exercise it by walking and shifting weight on and off of it, but I didn’t get much time to do that before I had to sleep. And then when I woke up again I was usually sent back to work.”

Echo hummed.

“You remember not long after we got off Skako Minor? It took me a while to get the hang of it too, and you’re right that underusing it doesn’t help. We could try and make a routine if you like, light exercises to start off with to get things moving again?” He offered.

Tech nodded appreciatively. He’d much rather have full mobility again and the sooner the better. And it would be nice to spend time with Echo over something they had in common.

Tech had often been the one to help Echo exercise and maintain his own prosthetics after they rescued him, and it soon became a habit to work on them together, so it would be nice to have Echo do the same in return. They both had worked well together not just with Echo’s mechanics but also working on the Marauder too. Making adjustments and replacing parts, keeping their ship in good condition. Tech had taken great pride in the work he’d performed on the shuttle and didn’t let just anyone have access to its customisations and inner workings. But he’d entrusted it to Echo fully. He imagined Echo must have taken good care of the ship in his absence.

“How is the Marauder? Once I am fit to move around independently, I would like to work on it again.”

Echo’s eyes widened and he paused from stacking their bowls to take them to be washed.

“Oh Tech, did no one tell you? The Marauder was destroyed by that CX trooper when he attacked Pabu, right before Omega was taken back to Tantiss. It was completely unsalvageable, I’m sorry.”

Tech didn’t reply immediately, but eventually nodded shortly.

“I see. So long as no one was injured…”

Echo winced and sighed.

“Well, Wrecker got caught in the blast but- no lasting damage anyway… but hey, if it means anything, I’d appreciate your help on my own ship anytime.” He offered with a sad smile.

“Of course.”

As Echo picked up the bowls, Tech stifled a yawn and Echo chuckled in response.

“It’s been a big day and it’s getting late. You should get some rest.” He gestured to the bed as he left.

Tech hesitated, despite his exhaustion he found that he didn’t want to fall asleep. But he knew he had to and that putting it off wouldn’t do him any good so he pushed himself up and over to the bed. Once he was settled in, the blanket over his legs, he leaned back against the pillows and tried to relax.

He thought back on his conversations with Omega and Echo. He’d really missed a lot hadn’t he? Their ship was destroyed and they all had a home here on Pabu instead. They had discovered new interests and hobbies and their dynamic had changed with their new lifestyle. It was strange.

Tech looked out the window again at the stars scattered across the sky. When was the last time he saw the stars? Neither his cell nor the room he worked in had windows. He had no way of keeping track of time in his cell, only having access to a clock when he had a headset on to work.

He was drugged to keep him awake and alert while he worked, until it was cut off and he was led to his cell to eat and sleep. Eventually he woke up, was given a small meal and was sent back to work. Every few days or so Hemlock would check in on his progress.

He lay there for a while, fighting against the drooping of his eyes. Some irrational part of him feared that if he fell asleep here he would wake up back on Tantiss. That he’d be sent back to work, exhausted and overwhelmed and constantly being watched by Hemlock.

The work itself hadn’t been the worst part. While he didn’t enjoy assisting the projects conducted on the base, it did keep his mind busy. Either way he had to do as he was told to ensure that Omega was not mistreated, but if he’d been left in that blank cell alone for all that time- he didn’t want to wonder how he would’ve handled the lack of stimulation. Unfortunately the work he was forced to do had the opposite effect at times, leaving him overwhelmed.

That had caught Hemlock’s interest. Just a few days after being put to work on Tantiss, he had found himself being pushed too far for comfort, in pain and under stress with Omega’s wellbeing at risk. He tried to stay calm but couldn’t hold back the anxious energy that made him rock his leg left and right and his hands clench into fists open and closed. By the time he caught himself the damage had been done. Hemlock had seen and was intrigued.

A few times after that day he had seemed to make it his personal project to find ways to push Tech to his limit, just to see what would happen. His currently bandaged hand was an indication of one of those moments. It made him sick thinking about it, about being reduced to an experiment and having his behaviour observed and scrutinised. About being pushed beyond what he could handle because of someone else’s curiosity.

And so now, despite being in a comfortable bed, with a clear view of the stars, his stomach full and surrounded by his family, he was afraid to fall asleep.

‘This is ridiculous, sleep is a normal and necessary function, you can’t avoid it forever. This is the safest place you could be. You are on Pabu and you will still be here when you wake up.’ He scolded himself.

Eventually tiredness won out and by the time Hunter had come in to check on him and wish him goodnight, he was fast asleep. Hunter took his glasses and placed them on the bedside table, pulling the blanket over him. He switched the light off and left the door ajar.

“Goodnight Tech. Sleep well.”

Chapter Text

Tech walked down a long poorly lit hallway deep within Tantiss, the walls lined with solid sealed doors. He didn’t know where he was going or where he had come from but he knew he had to keep walking.

The air was heavy and still and silent and he felt out of place.

Occasionally a feeling of being watched settled heavily over him and he looked over his shoulder, but each time he was met with an endless darkness.

The floor rippled and the walls shifted. The lights dulled ever so slightly.

He walked faster, hoping he would reach his destination soon. Maybe if he got to the end of this hall he’d remember why he was here and what he was supposed to be doing.

Behind him the darkness seemed to come closer and the floor beneath him shifted sharply to the side, making him stumble.

He stretched out his hands to balance himself but another shift sent him tumbling against a door. Suddenly it slid open and he was falling through the sky of Eriadu.

His heart stuttered and he looked around, already making a plan. He desperately searched for something to help slow his fall, but it was just him in the sky.

He looked down, or what he thought was down, as he fell into the thick, dark fog. The roaring wind was deafening and left him dizzy. Completely disoriented now, he closed his eyes tight and continued to fall.

Tech stopped suddenly and his eyes shot open only to be met with a familiar display. He was sitting on a chair and a headset was strapped to his head, filling his vision with reels of data.

He tried to read it as it scrolled on and on but couldn’t make out the words. Charts and graphs popped up and disappeared before he could decipher them. He tried to reach up to pull the headset off but found that he couldn’t move.

His head ached as he looked back and forth at the reels of flickering data.

A voice sounded from somewhere behind him, Hemlock’s voice.

“I need results Tech. Remember, Omega’s stay here doesn’t have to be a comfortable one. If you want her to be safe you have to work for it.”

Tech growled under his breath. He was trying! But the words didn’t make sense and the equations didn’t add up. Every figure he looked at whisked by before he could make anything of it. His heart beat loudly in his ears and the screen brightened, hurting his eyes. He jolted in his seat as he tried to reach for the headset again.

No, he had to figure this out. Omega’s wellbeing was at stake. He had to focus. He could stay calm and find a solution. He wouldn’t fail her. If he could just have a moment to ground himself-

A sharp pain appeared below his left knee and he cried out. He barely had a moment to process what had caused it before another pain shot through his abdomen. He gasped and shook with the force of it.

“You’re running out of time Tech.”

No. He could do this. He could be calm. He could focus. Pain could be put aside. He was a soldier. He could-

He couldn’t. He couldn’t!

It was too much. The flickering lights, the pounding of his heart, the pain, the weight of being watched and the pressing time limit overwhelmed him.

He was falling again, but in another way, his heart jolting and stomach dropping. He pulled hard against invisible restraints and barely recognised that his hands were suddenly free.

He grasped and tugged at the headset, struggling to pull it off. With an aborted sob it was off and he threw it away, drawing his legs up to his chest and burying his face in his knees.

His hands shook and he grasped his short curly hair tightly, beginning to rock back and forth as he gasped for breath.

His head buzzed and he felt almost seperate from his body. He could feel himself rocking and heard himself hyperventilating, but it was muffled.

An indeterminate amount of time passed as the rushing energy settled, leaving a heavy weight behind. He dropped his hands and wrapped them loosely around his legs, slowing down to a stop.

He stayed like that for a while, waiting for his heart to stop racing and for enough strength to return to move.

When he finally raised his head, he found himself on his bed in Crosshair’s room. It was still night time and it was completely silent aside from the distant sound of waves. A low warm light peaked through the door.

Tech stared at the light, blinking slowly. The sight of it drawing him away from his nightmare and away from Tantiss. But it also made him wonder. Someone must be up. It was late at night, so who would be up at this time?

Eventually curiosity moved him up and out of bed, that and an unwillingness to go back to sleep right now. He waved his hands around for his glasses as he stood on unsteady legs and made his way to the door.

Peaking out he noticed a closed door across from him, and an open door on his left leading to the refresher he had used earlier. On his right, down the hall were two more doors opposite to each other and further down still was the source of the light, the main room and kitchen.

Tech crept down the hall slowly, wanting to see who was up without being noticed. When he got to the end of the hall he saw a large couch on the right beside a sliding door leading to a balcony patio, on the left was a door leading to what he assumed was the front of the house. And straight ahead was a wide table and chairs in front of the kitchen.

At one end sat Wrecker and Crosshair, both speaking lowly with each other. Wrecker had a sandwich in one hand and two more on his plate while Crosshair had a steaming mug in his hand. They were both smiling and Wrecker said something that made Crosshair huff a quiet laugh.

Tech suddenly felt the urge to be with them, longing to hear them both laugh from a little closer, but something held him back. If he went out there they would wonder why he was up, and he would have to admit that he’d had a nightmare and that he couldn’t, or rather wouldn’t, sleep. Except he couldn’t tell them because he couldn’t speak. After being so thoroughly overwhelmed he had lost his voice and when he went out there and failed to answer their greetings and questions, not only would they know something was wrong, they would know that it was bad.

His going out to them would ruin the mood. They looked peaceful right now and he didn’t want them to worry, not after everything they’d been through.

So for now he leaned against the wall and watched as they talked until Crosshair’s mug was empty and Wrecker’s plate held nothing but crumbs. By then he was half asleep and woke up when he heard Wrecker’s chair push back as he stood.

Tech stepped back and quietly made his way back to bed, careful not to be seen or heard. As he tucked himself back into bed and put his glasses aside he heard Wrecker enter the room next to him, the door closing behind him with a quiet snick. Soon afterwards the dining room light switched off, Crosshair must have gone back to the couch to sleep, and Tech was left in the dark again.

Although he had calmed down from his nightmare, the darkness and silence brought back some of that anxiety. He closed his eyes and envisioned himself watching Wrecker and Crosshair sitting at the table again. The calm comfortable setting easing some of the anxiety.

But even that recent memory began to be overshadowed by loneliness and opening his eyes brought him back to the dark room again.

Tech sighed and rolled onto his side, tapping his fingers against the mattress. He wanted to get up and go find one of his brothers. They used to sleep in the same room, and when one of them had a bad night they wouldn’t hesitate to find someone to comfort them and share a bed with for the rest of the night. But Tech couldn’t do that.

Things were different now. They all had their own rooms and their own routines. Until he learnt how they now lived their lives, he couldn’t interfere. He didn’t want to be more of a hinderance than he already was.

This would pass. The sun would come back up and his brothers would be with him again. He would be able to observe them and learn about their new habits and find his way into fitting in again. He just had to be patient.

So Tech tossed and turned for the rest of the night, until the first rays of dawn washed across the sky and he finally succumbed to exhaustion and fell asleep.

Chapter Text

Crosshair sat at the table while Hunter was in the kitchen making pancakes with Omega. He’d just gotten back from the beach with Batcher who was now laying next to him panting happily.

He looked down the hall where Echo had gone to wake up Tech, thinking about last night.

He and Wrecker had stayed up late after everyone else had gone to bed to play a card game until Wrecker got bored and decided he was hungry, which had Crosshair pestering him for a mug of tea since he was heading into the kitchen.

They’d then sat for a while longer, chatting over their midnight snack. Somewhere during that time, Crosshair had caught movement in the corner of his eye. Without drawing attention away from Wrecker’s story he made out Tech leaning against the wall past the hallway entrance. He watched for a while as Tech stood there, waiting for him to come out and sit with them, but he never did.

Eventually Wrecker had finished eating and his own mug was empty and Crosshair noticed with interest as Tech startled when Wrecker stood, as if he was woken up from dozing. His interest turned to concern when Tech carefully yet clumsily drew away back to his room, obviously not intending to be seen. But why? What made him come out to them and what made him stop half way?

He narrowed his eyes at Echo and Tech as they walked in, watching Tech stifle a yawn and blink rapidly to wake himself. Oh he clearly hadn’t slept. Something had happened last night and so help him he was going to drag that information out of him if he had to. But for now he held his tongue, he would give Tech the chance to talk in his own time.

Once everyone was seated, Omega proudly brought a tall stack of pancakes to the table while Hunter brought in a pot of hot berry sauce and a bowl of chopped fruit to put on top.

Wrecker grinned at the pancakes as everyone started dishing up.

“Wow! Did you make all these yourself?”

“Yeah! The first one turned out a little weird though so I saved it for Batcher.” She picked up a pale misshapen pancake and handed it to Batcher who accepted it gratefully. “The first one always looks funny, I don’t know why.”

Wrecker laughed. “I dunno either, the rest of em look perfect. Hey Tech!”

Tech looked up from his plate where he was poking at his single pancake with his fork.

“Why is the first pancake always weird huh?”

Tech sat for a moment, tiredly registering the question.

“It is likely because the pan wasn’t evenly heated through before the batter was poured, this causes the batter to cook unevenly leaving it with mismatched textures and colours.”

“So next time I make pancakes do I just wait for the pan to heat up for longer?” Omega asked.

Tech nodded. “Yes, you need to heat it though more than you would initially think because the heat needs time to be evenly distributed, also the cooler batter will lower the surface temperature slightly when it’s poured.”

“Huh. Cool.” Omega thanked him and tucked into her breakfast.

Everyone ate quietly after that, enjoying the fresh fruit and pancakes with the prospect of another sunny day ahead of them. As they finished up, they began talking to each other about their plans for the day, Hunter saying that he was going to go and help out Scatter with checking on the other clones.

Omega told them about her and Lyana’s plans to hang out for the day and offered to come and help Hunter, which he refused with a smile, telling her to go have fun with her friend instead. She put her plate on the kitchen bench and gave them all a wave as she left, which they all returned with goodbyes.

“Echo? Wrecker? What are you two planning on doing today?” Hunter asked them. Echo spoke up as he stacked some empty plates.

“Well me and Tech were going to have a look at making an exercise routine, something a bit like mine to help adjust to the prosthetic.”

Hunter nodded approvingly and Wrecker raised a hand.

“Do you want to join me outside? I’m making a workout area out there. We can exercise together.”

Echo smiled at the offer. “Sure, does that sound alright with you Tech?”

When Tech didn’t answer, still picking through his fruit, he asked his name again.

“Pardon?” Tech looked up between them all.

“Wrecker offered his workout area for us to make an exercise routine if you still feel up to it. Nothing strenuous though, we’ll keep it light.” He assured with a wave of his hand.

“Very well.”

Crosshair huffed and Hunter shot him a confused glance. Meanwhile Wrecker cheered and went and pulled Tech up from his seat, inviting him and Echo outside.

Hunter watched them leave and turned to Crosshair who was openly glaring daggers at them.

“Ok, what’s up with you?”

Crosshair took his eyes off the now closed door and looked to Hunter.

“What’s up with me? You mean what’s up with Tech.” He snorted. Batcher whined when she sensed his annoyance.

“Well he looks tired, sure, but that’s not exactly surprising. I told you what he and Scatter talked about, how Tech hadn’t been fed enough.” Hunter said as he took the last dishes away.

Crosshair stood and sneered.

“Well yes but- if he’s so tired why didn’t he sleep last night?” He looked back at the door and lowered his voice.

“Me and Wrecker were up late last night and I spotted Tech out of his room but he just- watched us, for ages. He stayed quiet and out of the way and when Wrecker stood he left, like he didn’t want us to see him. I thought he would say something this morning but he didn’t.” Crosshair paused and took a breath. “I think he’s hiding something.”

Hunter thought that over, as well as the interactions he’d had with Tech recently and found himself beginning to agree.

“I- think you may be right. When I was with him and Scatter he kept glancing at me. Not obviously but I still noticed, though I don’t know why.” He shook his head. “And when I spoke to him yesterday about- about the fall, he just kept reassuring me that it was fine, that we did everything we could so there wasn’t anything to worry about, he was just happy we got out ok. Echo says he got the same impression when he told Tech about the Marauder.”

“How so?”

“He said Tech didn’t really respond except to say he was glad no one got seriously hurt, otherwise he didn’t seem put off.”

Crosshair’s shoulders raised as he replied. “This is what I mean. When he woke up I told him how lucky he was I saw him, that if I hadn’t been there at the right time we would’ve left him behind and we wouldn’t have known it.”

Hunter’s eyes widened, he had yet to even consider that fact, but before he could think more of it Crosshair continued.

“And he didn’t even care. He said he saw everyone get on the ship and that he was happy everyone else was safe, but he didn’t care that he could’ve been left behind.”

Hunter sighed at the information but thought back to yesterday morning.

“That’s why you snapped at him.”

Crosshair tensed further for a moment before letting his shoulders lower as he nodded.

“It’s like he’s stuck in self-sacrifice mode.”

They both thought in silence as that statement hung heavily in the air. Eventually Hunter sighed deeply and took a breath.

“He’ll open up eventually, I think he just needs some space for now. We’ll do things to help him relax and settle in and hopefully that will encourage him to talk.”

“How long do you think that’ll take? I’m not willing to wait very long.” Crosshair raised a brow.

“Cross you can’t force him to talk, besides, it took you a while to open up, you need to offer him the same courtesy.”

“Yes but this is Tech and Tech not talking is out of character. I’ll wait, and I’ll help. But if he doesn’t show any signs of getting out of his head I’m stepping in.”

Hunter went to argue again but gave in, he didn’t want to push Tech but he couldn’t deny that he was worried too. Crosshair was right, Tech was undoubtedly thinking hard and whatever he was thinking about couldn’t be good if he was isolating himself. So he silently agreed. For now they would try and help Tech relax and feel comfortable enough to talk, but if he didn’t respond then they would have to try a more direct approach.

“Alright, we’ll give him some time and if nothing changes we’ll try something else. Anyway, I’m going to go see Scatter and the other clones, did you want to join me?”

Crosshair nodded, interested in meeting with some his fellow former prisoners and seeing how they were settling in. So together they left to find Scatter.

Meanwhile outside, Echo and Tech sat on a bench, with Echo methodically flexing his feet up and down in a rhythm while Tech watched.

“I found this helpful for the finer movements, just moving the ankle joint up and down and around slowly.”

Tech followed along, noting the stiffness in his left leg easing after each set of rotations. Afterwards they worked down to the toes, flexing them up and down to get the artificial joints to loosen up.

Wrecker watched as he moved sets of weights into one corner to work with later. It didn’t take him long to do the heavy lifting and so he pulled up a crate and sat with them while they exercised.

“Is the stretching and stuff helping Tech?” He asked.

“It is working well, yes. My range of motion has noticeably increased. However there is something catching in the ankle joint that I will need to have a closer look at.”

Echo stopped stretching and watched Tech move his foot, spotting the subtle restriction in movement.

“Hmm, I can get my tools and we can have a look at that, hopefully it just needs oiling. I’ll be back in a second.”

As Echo stood and went inside, Tech pulled his foot up over his right knee and rolled up his pant leg, trying to find where it was attached to his prosthetic to disconnect it.

Wrecker looked from the jagged scars littered across Tech’s face to the tight scars around the connection piece on his leg and winced. “How did that happen anyway?” He asked Tech softly, gesturing to his leg. He figured he lost his leg when he fell, but otherwise he didn’t know what else took place.

Tech found the catch for his leg and disconnected it as Echo came back outside to sit beside him, a bag of tools in hand.

“I don’t remember exactly. I was told my tibia and fibula had both shattered from a blunt force injury and that the entire lower leg had to be amputated. But I don’t know if the break was caused by impact with a tree branch or the rocks I finally landed on.” He shrugged.

Both Wrecker and Echo stilled at that, silently shocked by what had happened and by Tech’s nonchalance on what was clearly a very painful traumatic incident.

When neither of them said anything for a moment, Tech looked up.

“What is it?”

Wrecker rubbed the back of his head as he thought of how to respond.

“It’s just, that sounds really terrible. I mean, me and Echo, we’ve both had some bad things happen to us yeah? So we get it.” Echo nodded in agreement.
“So if you wanna talk about it, we’ll listen. Cuz we know how bad it is to get hurt like that, we’ll understand.”

“Yeah, that and everything else that happened afterwards, we’re here for you Tech.”

Tech looked between them as he fidgeted with the foot of his prosthetic.

“Ok. Thank you.” He said curtly before looking down and trying to work out what was causing it to catch, asking Echo for something to lever a panel up out of the way.

Echo shared one last glance with Wrecker before he rifled through his bag for the right tool, allowing the conversation to drop.

Tech lifted the panel, finding a misplaced piece of metal that was getting caught in the joint. Echo handed him a pair of pliers to move it into its correct place but Tech couldn’t get a grip on the tool. His hand was still bandaged making it slip and the two outer fingers were slightly misshapen and weak, making it hard to squeeze the handles down.

He hunched over the leg, adjusting his position to try and keep it levered open while he tried to get a hold of the loose metal, his glasses slipping down his nose. He squinted past them, deep in focus.

Wrecker noticed his glasses slipping and reached out to gently push them back up but pulled his hand back when Tech flinched at the touch, looking up at him as if surprised he was there.

“Sorry Tech, didn’t mean to scare ya.”

Tech’s expression relaxed and he let go of the pliers to adjust his glasses, looking back down at the prosthetic and the pliers as if they were a puzzle to be solved.

Echo shifted in his seat to catch Tech’s attention before he picked up the tool and offered to help.

“How about this, you hold the panel up and I’ll readjust the loose piece inside. Sound good?”

Tech leaned out the way in response, giving Echo room to see inside while he kept the panel levered open. Echo reached in and pushed the piece around into place and smiled at the click of it settling.

“There we go. Try that.”

Tech put the leg down and reconnected it, waiting for the artificial nerves to activate before he moved it. He pulled the pant leg down and rolled his ankle waiting for the click of it catching but feeling nothing out of place. It rolled smoothly.

“It’s fixed. Thank you for your assistance Echo.”

“No problem, anytime.”

With that, Wrecker stood, announcing that Hunter would probably be back soon to make lunch if they wanted to come inside and wait for him.

They all got up, Tech testing his weight briefly, before heading inside just in time to hear a knock at the front door.

Echo walked past them to the door, opening it to be greeted warmly by Phee, who smiled brightly, her eyes shining when she caught sight of Tech.

“Hey brown eyes. Good to see you again.”

Chapter Text

Tech felt his heart warm when Phee greeted him. He had thought about her a few times while he was on Tantiss, often recalling their last conversation which had been… stunted, to say the least.

She had expected him to say goodbye before leaving and he hadn’t deemed it necessary. But when he woke up after his fall, severely injured and held captive in an impenetrable fortress, he knew he’d made a mistake. He’d realised very quickly that he may very well never see her again and that he owed her a proper goodbye he’d never get to give.

Yet here she was, the same keen eyes and confident posture that he remembered so well.

“Hello Phee, it is good to see you too.” He said, with a tilt of his head and a smile.

Echo invited her in to sit with them at the table, saying that Hunter would be back soon if she’d like to stay for lunch.

“‘Course I’ll stay if you’ll have me, we’ve got some catching up to do.”

She sat at the table across from Tech and Wrecker while Echo went into the kitchen for a pitcher of water and some glasses.

“I caught up with Hunter and Crosshair this morning out on the island, they been treating you alright?” She asked Tech.

He raised a brow at her question.

“Of course they have. Why do you ask?” He’d found it useful to prompt further explanation when he suspected some other meaning behind a question. Phee didn’t often ask clear questions or give straightforward answers.

“Oh you know, Crosshair seemed grouchy is all, though I guess that’s not exactly a phenomenon is it?”

“Crosshair’s demeanour often comes across as cold or even harsh, but that does not mean he intends harm, that’s just how he presents himself.” Phee smirked at Tech’s cool defence of his brother. “He has been quite generous actually. He offered his bed to me when we arrived and stayed with me during the night waiting for me to awaken.”

Echo listened as he put out the water, and paused when the conversation reminded him of something.

“Oh yeah, he and Hunter were thinking about looking to get you a bed today Tech, to put in Crosshair’s room. They might’ve found one while they were out.”

Omega told him yesterday that they were planning on getting him a bed so he could share the room with Crosshair, but he didn’t think it could happen so soon. Part of him wanted it, to be able to share the space with Crosshair would bring a sense of comfort and familiarity, especially after being so isolated and alone for six months. He wanted to be around his brothers very much, Crosshair in particular because of their extended time apart. But another part of him was more than a little apprehensive.

Last night he’d woken up completely unaware of his surroundings, hyperventilating in panic and rocking to try and calm down and bring himself back to reality. At least then he’d had the prospect of privacy, but if he shared the room then there would be no way to hide it if, or rather when, it happened again.

He didn’t want Crosshair to see him in such a state. He didn’t want to come back and uproot the personalised space Crosshair had made for himself and then keep him up at night with his distress.

But he also couldn’t keep Crosshair out of his own room. It wasn’t fair to expect him to keep sleeping on the couch while Tech slept in a bed. Either way, if he and Hunter decided to get him a bed, then he would get a bed, there wasn’t much he could do to argue. If anything he should be grateful that they were getting him one instead of having him sleep on the couch instead.

“I’m sure they’ll find something soon enough, there are plenty of wood workers on Pabu who could put together a bed frame in no time. You’ll be roommates again before you know it.” Phee assured.

They talked a little more about what they’d been up to, Phee pulling a small rusty red statue out of her bag to show Tech from one of the adventures she’d had a month or so ago.

“This one was real tricky to find. I got a source about a statue made from sandstone that was used for an alter in an ancient desert city, but when I got there it was missing. So I did some digging, literally, and found some carvings that shed a little light on the problem. Turns out, the statue wasn’t in the desert at all.”

Tech leaned forward, intrigued.

“I had to travel to the other side of the continent to find a rainforest, because these ancients would take the statue there, believing it would collect power from the rain. Then they’d take it back home and put on the alter, bringing rain to their parched city. Pretty cool huh?”

“Fascinating. How frequently did they take the statue to the rainforest? And how long did they leave it there? Did they expect it to last a certain period of time before it needed to be ‘recharged’ again or did they only take it when they noticed a significant lack of rainfall?”

Phee chuckled at his enthusiasm and handed him the statue to look at.

“Well that’s something we’ll have to go figure out sometime. The carvings were well hidden but they took up entire walls, so I couldn’t exactly take them home with me without ruining the ruins even more. What do you say? Should we take a trip there someday?” She asked, leaning forward on folded arms.

Tech thought that over. A trip? With Phee? With the sole purpose of research? That sounded… good.

“I would like that.” He agreed, catching her eye for a moment before averting his gaze and handing the statue back to her.

She brushed his hand as she took it, putting it safely back in her bag, smirking when she caught Echo and Wrecker’s intrigued expressions in the corner of her eye. Tech on the other hand had folded his hands in front of him, eyes still averted.

The spell was broken when Hunter opened the door and he, Crosshair and Omega and Lyana came in.

“Hello again boys, long time no see, and hey girls. Did you have a good morning?” Phee turned in her seat to greet them.

Omega and Lyana looked at each other, out of breath holding back a laugh.

“A moonyo took Lyana’s bag and we had to chase it all over the island to get it back.” Omega laughed. “Eventually we found out it just wanted the fruit she’d packed.”

“Yeah! So we went and got some fruit to trade it for my bag, but it turns out moonyos don’t like apples, only bananas, so we had to make up for trying to give it apples by finding more bananas! It took all morning.” She huffed good-naturedly before presenting her returned bag.

Everyone smiled at their story and Hunter encouraged them inside to sit at the table while he made lunch, asking Echo and Crosshair for help.

They all talked amongst themselves for a little longer, Omega and Lyana laughing again as told stories about some of their misadventures on the island, Wrecker laughed particularly hard at a story he personally remembered, involving a mishap with their fishing rods getting tangled.

Tech watched them laugh, feeling his heart swell.

It was undeniably good to be here with his family and friends laughing and smiling and enjoying each-other’s company.

But still, he wasn’t used to having this many people around him at once anymore, and the laughter and bright chatter filling the air was as loud as it was pleasing to hear.

In the kitchen, the sounds of chopping and frying and clinking bowls added to the noise.

Hunter called out from the kitchen, asking for some suggestions to put in the burgers they were making. The kids called out at the same time, suggesting sauces, and Wrecker excitedly requested bacon and eggs.

Crosshair whipped his head around at Wrecker from his place at the stove.

“We’re already packing these with meat. You want bacon AND eggs too?”

“Yeah! Obviously. C’mon Cross it’ll be delicious!” Wrecker boomed.

Tech barely hid a flinch as Wrecker shouted in his ear, his folded hands tightening. His chest began to tighten at the noises and movement around him and he started to worry how much more he could take.

‘They’ll settle in a moment, lunch won’t take long to make, they will quiet once we’re eating, they’re just happy.’ He reassured himself, shoving down the discomfort.

Thankfully, everyone was too caught up in conversation to notice how he’d tensed, so he had time to take a breath and forcefully relax his shoulders.

The room smelt delicious once Hunter and Crosshair had finished cooking and Echo helped them bring all the food out onto the table. A plate of burger patties, bread buns, two bowls of different salads and various sauces were put out for everyone to reach and dish up. And of course a plate of bacon and eggs that Crosshair pointedly placed near Wrecker who rolled his eyes, though he didn’t hold back his grin.

As everyone started making their burgers, Hunter brought Tech a bowl of soup, as he wouldn’t be able to eat what everyone else was eating.

“What’s wrong brown eyes, not a burger kinda guy?”

Tech shook his head.

“No I do enjoy them. But I have to limit the amount of solid food I eat for the time being.”

Phee passed along the salad as her face fell.

“Oh, why’s that? Are you alright?”

“I am fine. I’m just no longer used to having frequent meals with solid food. So I need to slowly reintegrate it into my diet.” He was quick to reassure.

Phee still looked concerned, especially since she understood the implications, despite how lightly he put it. He’d been underfed, and now his body couldn’t tolerate a normal amount of food. But to hear that he had a plan to get well again put her at ease, so she put the thought aside.

Sure enough, it did grow quieter as everyone ate, aside from intermittent conversation. The tension didn’t disappear entirely.

Echo nudged Tech, who looked up to see that Hunter was talking to him and Echo.

“While we were out we found a bed for you Tech, the frame just needs to be fixed but otherwise it’s in good condition, we’ll go and get it and set it up tomorrow.”

Tech thanked him with a nod. So that was it, tomorrow night he would share the room with Crosshair. There was nothing he could do about it, so there was no point worrying about it. It was likely he would end up waking Crosshair during the night eventually and he would simply have to deal with it when it happened.

He looked at Crosshair who was also listening in, he seemed happy enough with the announcement, which was a good sign. It was likely he also wanted to share his room with someone after being away from them for so long, a good portion of that time being in a cell too. Maybe if he had company then he wouldn’t view being woken up as too much of a bother…

Soon enough, everyone had finished eating, although Tech found he couldn’t stomach an entire bowl of soup right now. When he got up to help Wrecker clear the dishes, he was pleasantly surprised to find they fell into a comfortable rhythm. Hunter and Crosshair had cooked, Echo had helped them set out food and drinks and now he and Wrecker cleaned up. Everyone had a share in the meal and he fit into the routine like perfectly sized cog. He was slowly but surely fitting back into place, just as he wanted.

Once they’d packed up, Omega and Lyana said they were heading to the beach for the afternoon and bid everyone goodbye, Echo gave them canteens of water and some snacks to take with them and they giggled, thinking about the moonyo from earlier.

Once they left, Phee thanked them for lunch and promised to visit again soon, then she turned to Tech and reached into her bag, pulling out the little desert statue and placing it in his hands.

“You take care of this for me ok? We’ll go on that trip and find answers to all the questions you can come up with about it, after you’ve settled in and gotten back on your feet of course.” She winked.

Tech looked down at her hands cupped around his as he held the statue. He looked forward to the trip already, although-

“I am currently on my feet right now.” He stated.

She just laughed lightly as she drew her hands away, he missed the touch immediately, and put them on her hips.

“I mean once you’re feeling better, you know, found your rhythm again. For now you need to rest, and don’t argue, I could see how sleepy you looked as soon as I walked in.”

With one last goodbye to everyone she turned and left, leaving Tech with the statue, a little promise for the future.

Chapter Text

Tech looked closer at the statue as he sat on the couch, turning it over in his hand, taking note of the fine sparkling flecks in the polished sandstone. It was an ancient thing but it was in excellent condition. He would have to keep it somewhere safe for Phee until he could return it to her.

Tech jolted out of his thoughts when Wrecker sat heavily next to him, wrapping an arm around his shoulder.

“Phee is really into you. Did you see her? Wow!” He laughed. “You guys even have a date planned!”

Echo, standing in front of them was grinning too, and he leaned over to nudge Tech.

“Now it is not a date, merely an expedition. A pursuit of knowledge.” Tech argued.

He could feel his face warm and wondered if maybe it could be labeled as a ‘date.’ He would have to ask Phee if that was what she intended. He didn’t think so, but if it was then that would change things, wouldn’t it?

Echo noticed Tech frown in thought and huffed.

“Hey, don’t read into it so much. If it’s a date then great! And if not that’s great too! Either way you two will have a good time.”

Tech hummed.

“Yes. I do look forward to it, but for now I have to keep this somewhere safe.” He gestured to the statue.

“I’m sure you could put it in Crosshair’s room or your room. Both of you guys’s room? Yeah- anyway. Just put it in the dresser or something.” Wrecker suggested.

That was true, he would be sharing the room with Crosshair by tomorrow so that meant he would have free access to part of the space. He looked around the room and spotted Crosshair who was making himself a mug of tea in the kitchen and called out to him.

“Crosshair, may I put this away in your dresser?”

“Yeah of course. You can have the left half. Put whatever you want in there.” He shrugged. “And you can use the wardrobe too. Just don’t touch my stuff.”

Excellent, he could put this away now then. He stood quickly but paused when his vision swam around the edges, making him off balance. His sleepless night was catching up to him. Echo put out a hand when he swayed and was about to ask if he was alright, but Tech straightened and ducked past him into the hall.

Crosshair frowned over his mug from the kitchen.

In his room Tech pulled out a draw on the left side and tucked the statue away in the back corner. He closed the drawer when he was happy that it would be safe there.

While he was in here, he pulled out the other two drawers on the left side, noting that they were all empty which meant that either Crosshair had already moved his things, or he never had anything in them to begin with.

He went over to the wardrobe and opened it to find a jacket hanging up on a rail and the Firepuncher leaning against the right side. It didn’t seem to have its case anymore so the attachments were all in a box leaning beside it.

‘I should make a new case for it.’ Tech thought, itching to sketch out a plan and start assembling it. Because although he’d only been consciously here for a day and a half and had barely slept last night, he longed to get back to making things. Working on his prosthetic had only fuelled that desire.

Being able to work on projects again would also bring a sense of familiarity. If he could slip back into the routine of planning and making things again he believed it would be easier to adjust to living on Pabu.

And now that he officially had some storage space, he could start bringing in parts and tools to use. As for where to source those parts, it was likely that the Marauder had scraps that he could use.

Tech tapped his fingers against his thigh. He had mixed feelings about that. While the loss of their ship brought a certain weight to his chest, the prospect of using what was left to create washed over that weight with an excited energy.

The conflicting emotions made his head swim. He tried to push them down but found that he was just too tired for it. So he stood in the center of the room, tapping his fingers and slowly shifting his weight on his feet, letting the buzz of energy pass.

When he was able to compose himself again, he left the room, searching for Hunter. He would most likely know where the remains of the ship were and if any of it could be used by him for his own projects.

When he entered the main room, he spotted Echo following Hunter out the front door. He started to follow them but stopped when Crosshair grabbed his arm.

“Where are you going?” He asked, letting go when Tech turned to look at him.

Tech looked between Crosshair and the closed front door.

“I want to ask Hunter where the remains of the Marauder are. I would like to see what can be salvaged and reused for personal projects.”

“Hunter and Echo are busy. Besides, I could tell you where the parts are.” Crosshair folded his arms.

“Alright. Where is the ship?”

Crosshair stared at him for a moment, looking him over.

“I will tell you. But first you have to answer me, honestly.” He bit out the last word.

Tech tilted his head slightly, why did he feel this information needed to be traded? What was he getting at? He suddenly felt the need to tread lightly.

“Very well, what is your question?”

“How did you sleep last night?”

Tech stilled. It was a seemingly innocuous question, but he wouldn’t be asking it with such persistence unless he was looking for a specific answer. Did Crosshair know that he’d had a nightmare, or that he had been up? How would he respond if he admitted to it? Tech quickly replayed the question in his head. He asked for an honest answer, but not a comprehensive one. He could work with that.

“Not particularly well to begin with. I eventually did sleep however, and from that point on I slept well.” It was simple and it was honest. Hopefully that would suffice and they could move on with the conversation.

“Why didn’t you sleep well? Did something wake you up?” Crosshair asked immediately, clearly not impressed with the answer, but also clearly expecting it.

“Well- yes, I was woken up by a bad dream but I did not suffer any further nightmares after that-“

“And what did you do when it woke you up?”

Tech tensed at the interruption. Did he know how bad it had gotten? Why was he pushing if he already knew? Why did he want Tech to admit it? The interrogation was already making Tech uncomfortable but something about that point, that push for him to admit what had happened made his throat tighten. His legs suddenly felt weak and he swallowed hard.

He didn’t want to admit it, it reminded him of Tantiss, of Dr Hemlock. How he would observe him as he broke, watching with cold piercing eyes until he either got a hold of himself or stopped out of exhaustion. How Hemlock would question him, making him recount what he had just done, making him record each detail of how he’d rocked and hyperventilated and bitten-

His legs buckled and he started to fall, caught by Crosshair who lowered him to the ground with wide eyes.

He heard himself gasp and slapped a hand over his mouth, trying to quiet himself. He couldn’t panic now, Crosshair was right there. But he didn’t want to be watched. He didn’t want to be questioned. He felt the bubbling energy from before pushing hard in his chest, nearly tipping him over the edge.

He took a deep breath and held it tight for a moment, steadied by Crosshair’s firm hand on his shoulder, and exhaled slowly, drawing his hand away from his face.

He could feel himself shivering and his head was now pounding. But he got a hold of himself just in time before he lost control completely.

“Tech? Tech. What happened?” Crosshair asked quietly after a moment.

Tech breathed again, steadying himself to answer. Did he mean now? Or last night? He was originally asking about last night so he must still want him to explain what happened.

“I don’t know what you want me to say. I had a nightmare, I didn’t- I didn’t handle it well I-“ He paused and tried again, this time speaking directly and methodically like he had with Dr Hemlock.

“I had a nightmare and woke up unaware of my surroundings and engaging in self soothing behaviour such as rocking and pulling my hair. Once I came back to awareness I did not feel comfortable going back to sleep. I noticed someone was up because the light was on so I got up to see who it was and when I saw you and Wrecker were having a conversation, I did not want to interrupt. So I stayed out of sight, hoping you wouldn’t notice. Then I went back to bed and tried to go back to sleep. It took some time but I did eventually.”

Crosshair watched him, brows creasing as he explained himself, and shook his head slightly when he was finished. He didn’t answer straight away and Tech fidgeted under his gaze, uncertain if he gave a good enough answer.

“I- do not recall the specifics of my dream, but I will recount it to the best of my ability if you would like?” He asked.

Crosshair shook his head harder.

“No. No Tech you don’t have to tell me. Unless you want to that is. I’m just- I’m sorry I pushed you I wasn’t trying to upset you I was- I wanted to help.”

Tech looked up at him then, noticing the undertone of panic in his face. He’d said something wrong. He wanted to ask what he’d said wrong but Crosshair continued.

“I saw you up last night, watching us. And I noticed how quiet and out of character you’ve been. The others have noticed too. It worries me how reserved you’re being.” He admitted. “Hunter said you needed space and that you would talk eventually but I was impatient. I don’t want you to isolate yourself. It’s not like you. Plus I know from experience that it isn’t the best option.” He tacked on that last bit, but still said it firmly because he meant it.

Tech thought that over. Crosshair saw him when he was up, he shouldn’t be surprised, he had keen eyesight and could spot subtle details in the lowest light. He definitely would’ve seen Tech stumble through the hallway. And he’d mentioned that everyone had picked up on his behaviour being different, which meant his attempts to appear adjusted were not coming across as well as he thought.

Tech sighed. He’d hoped that he would be able to adjust and fit back in as smoothly as possible, but how possible was that really? He had been away for so long and so much had happened to all of them in that time. He just wanted to move on. But it wasn’t that simple was it?

“Why didn’t you come to us last night? After your nightmare?” Crosshair asked carefully.

Tech shifted to sit more comfortably before he answered.

“Because I didn’t want to bother you.” He muttered.

Crosshair barely held back a scoff but softened to ask him why he thought coming out would be a bother.

“Because you and Wrecker looked happy and peaceful. If I’d come out and told you what had happened it would have ruined it. All of you have been through a lot, and me coming here- I feel out of place. I do not wish to burden any of you with my problems.”

“You are not a burden.” Crosshair growled. “Don’t ever say that again, got it? If you need anything, even if it’s something you deem ‘unimportant’ you can ask for it anyway. You can talk to us about what happened, in as much or as little detail as you like and we will listen. Just because we have our own issues does not invalidate your own experiences.” He looked Tech in the eye. “You deserve to heal too.”

Tech was stunned. He could only sit and stare as he played the speech in his mind over and over.

Since the day he fell he had put his own thoughts and feelings entirely aside for his family. He didn’t hesitate to shoot the cable connection and fall if it meant they lived. He didn’t argue with Hemlock about being subject to harsh work and experimentation if it meant Omega was cared for. The relief of seeing everyone get on the ship outweighed the fear of being left behind. And after he woke up he repeatedly refused help from his family in fear of disrupting them and making them uncomfortable.

But they didn’t care about that. They wanted him to heal. And healing was not a comfortable process.

And that was just it wasn’t it? He was hurt and he needed to heal. He couldn’t ignore what had happened. Everything around him was different now but he was different too.

As much as he wanted to put the past behind him he couldn’t. Because the past was apart of his present. He had been hurt and now he had to deal with the consequences.

“I’m broken Crosshair.” He whispered unevenly, not really meaning to say anything at all. But it came out anyway.

“I was hurt badly. Not just from the fall. I was trapped and mistreated and I- everything is too much now.” His head dropped and an aborted sob escaped him.

“It’s too much.” He rasped.

Without a word Crosshair pulled him forward into a hug as everything crashed down around him.

He had pushed and shoved at his emotions for so long. Needing them to be put aside so he could focus on the work he was subject to, making sure that he met the quota that Hemlock set each day. Breaking every now and then under the pressure especially since it had been Hemlock’s personal goal to do so.

And even now that he was home, he wasn’t quite free. He was still in this mind set of putting himself aside to protect his family, even though they didn’t need protecting right now.

He had fallen, and spent months being abused, and now he was back but nothing was the same and he just didn’t fit in anymore. All of it was too hard to comprehend when he hadn’t been allowed the space to breathe. And the cacophony of thoughts and feelings was hitting him at once now, in the safety of his brother’s arms.

He shook with harsh stuttered sobs now as Crosshair held him, rocking them both side to side slowly. At first Tech was surprised by the tears that streamed down his face, rarely ever did he openly cry. But he couldn’t deny that, beneath the hurt, it felt strangely good to be held as he let everything out.

As he cried, he felt the weight in his chest begin to lighten, giving him room to finally breathe a full breath of air. With that breath he sobbed harder, pressing himself into Crosshair’s chest, who responded by holding him tighter and resting his chin his head.

They stayed that way for a while until eventually his sobs and whines died down into sniffles. Tech tilted his head, eyes closed, listening to the steady beat of Crosshair’s heart.

He really was safe now. He and Crosshair and Omega and everyone else were safe and free. He didn’t need to protect them right now. Instead, in this moment, Crosshair seemed to be protecting him, holding him tightly so that he could break apart without losing himself entirely.

“Are you ok?”

Tech felt himself starting to fall asleep when Crosshair shifted. With great effort he leaned back out of the hug and nodded.

Crosshair looked him over again, searching for any hint that he was hiding his true feelings but found that he was being honest.

“Alright come on, let’s at least sit on the couch.” He said as he pulled them up, guiding Tech over to sit. He went into the kitchen and brought back a glass of water, saying that he’d just cried every drop of moisture in his body and needed to replace it.

Tech’s brow twitched at the clear exaggeration, but he accepted the water gratefully. Crosshair took his empty glass as Tech reached up under his glasses to wipe the last of his tears away.

“Parts of the Marauder’s hull were used to rebuild boats and things after the attack. Everything else was put into one of the caves to use later.”

Tech turned to look at Crosshair, surprised. He’d forgotten about that. But clearly Crosshair hadn’t.

“I don’t think Hunter will care if you want to use the scraps.”

Tech nodded. It made sense that part of it had been used to rebuild and he was glad to hear it had been put to use helping the people of Pabu. But he did hope there was still something in good condition for him to use.

Hopefully there would be enough hardware in tact that he could rebuild things like his data pad and recorder. Hunter had mentioned that they’d been given his goggles, though he couldn’t imagine they were still usable as he clearly remembered them shattering when a branch hit his face, nearly damaging his eyes. But maybe the recorder, or at least part of it, had survived.

“I can feel you thinking.” Crosshair smirked from where he sat beside him. “If anything can make you feel better it’s the chance to plan something.”

Tech considered asking where his goggles ended up and if the recorder had still been attached and usable with it. But he was tired and barely had the energy to plan much further than that let alone speak.

Crosshair, seeing him slowly sink into the couch pushed him over onto his side, ignoring his startled flail as he told him to stay there while he got up and walked away. A moment later he came back with a dark red and black blanket and threw it over him, loosely tucking him in and taking his glasses that had fallen off his face.

“Sleep.”

Tech had no wish to argue, but also found he had no fear to sleep, comforted by Crosshair’s presence back on the couch.

He fell asleep almost immediately and slept soundly for the rest of the afternoon.

Chapter Text

Hunter happily accepted Echo’s invite to go make contact with Rex. They now had all these misplaced clones looking for a new purpose and many of them were interested in joining Rex’s efforts to find and free more of their brothers.

He looked forward to hearing from Rex again and getting these clones in contact with him, however now that Wrecker had left to help Shep with some construction work, he was a little hesitant to leave the house with just Crosshair and Tech at home.

He shouldn’t worry, he’d told himself. Crosshair had agreed to wait, to give Tech space before pushing anything, if it even came to that. But a worried Crosshair was an impatient one and he knew how worried Crosshair was, he was too.

But they’d only be gone an hour or so, and hopefully nothing drastic would happen in that time.

Returning home two hours later to Tech bundled up on the couch asleep and Crosshair sitting next to him, face pinched and arms crossed, told him that that may have been wishful thinking.

When he caught his eye, he raised a brow and gestured for him to come outside. Crosshair looked over at Tech and sighed, rising to follow him stiffly out the door.

He shut the door behind them and faced Crosshair.

“What happened?”

“I’m great thanks for asking.”

“Crosshair-“ Hunter warned, frowning.

“I did exactly what you said not to do. I pushed.” He sneered back. “But I don’t regret it. Much.”

Ok now that was interesting. He could see from Crosshair’s posture that he was trying to be firm in defending his actions, but even if he hadn’t admitted it, the tension in his shoulders was enough to show that he felt guilty.

Hunter sighed.

“Ok look, just, tell me what happened from the start.”

Crosshair explained how he had seen Tech brush off Echo’s concern when we got up to put the statue away. That, paired with the distant behaviour that he’d seen, along with what everyone else had noted was making him concerned. Tech had plenty of opportunities all day to open up and talk and had remained quiet and reserved so when he came in asking about the remains of the Marauder, Crosshair pulled him aside and questioned him.

“I just asked him about last night.” He insisted. “I saw him up and I knew something had happened, that he either couldn’t sleep or had a nightmare or something and I just wanted him to be honest.”

“And he told you?”

“Yes. He admitted that he had a bad dream. I asked him what he did when woke up, hoping he would explain why he came out of my room but didn’t come to me and Wrecker and he- freaked out.” He winced, still trying to figure out what exactly happened.

Hunter looked openly worried now.

“What do you mean? Freaked out how?”

“He just dropped, struggling to breathe. I caught him and we sat down. Eventually he was able to talk clearly again but-“ Crosshair frowned deeply as he recalled earlier. “He told me what happened when he woke up before he came out, that he had a meltdown and then couldn’t go back to sleep, but he told me in detail like he was giving a report, it was… unsettling.”

Crosshair went on to explain that he told Tech that he saw he was up last night and that he was worried about him.

“Since he was talking now, I asked him why he didn’t come out to us. He said he didn’t want to bother us, that he didn’t want to be a burden.”

“What? Why would he think that? He’s not a burden on anyone, we’re glad he’s here.” Hunter startled at that, eyes shining with sincerity. He was unbelievably relieved that Tech was back, they all were.

“I know that! And I made sure he knew it too. I told him he could ask for anything or talk about anything and we would listen to him.” Crosshair scoffed, his fists clenched. “Just because we’re all messed up doesn’t mean we won’t help him.”

“Of course not.” Hunter shook his head and his eyes widened when he realised something. “You were right. When you said he’s stuck in self-sacrifice mode.”

Crosshair nodded. His talk with Tech had confirmed that. But he was confident he got through to him, a thought he shared with Hunter.

“He cried. I haven’t seen him cry like that in a long time.” He whispered.

He was still shocked by it all. It was so out of character for Tech to cry like that. In the rare times when he did, it was usually tears that never fell or a few broken sobs, as a result of pain or distress. Even during the worst meltdowns he didn’t cry so openly. This breakdown was so strong it seemed as though he was literally falling apart.

And Tech had felt the same hadn’t he? He’d explicitly said that he was broken. That he was hurt. That everything was too much.

What had happened to him on Tantiss to weigh him down so heavily? That made him react so strongly to being questioned? Both of them considered questions like these silently.

“No wonder he’s asleep now, he must be exhausted.” Hunter commented.

After breaking down like that, after a distressing and sleepless night, after months of imprisonment, it wasn’t surprising.

Hunter’s shoulder hung heavily, weighed down by what he’d been told. He was still unhappy that Crosshair had pushed Tech, but what’s done is done. At least now that Tech had opened up to Crosshair, he might be less inclined to isolate himself. And now that Hunter knew a bit more about what Tech had been thinking and feeling, he could keep an eye out for indications that he was holding back again. Because clearly that was unhealthy, and Hunter wanted to help prevent another breakdown if he could.

Hunter took a breath and put a hand on Crosshair’s arm.

“When he wakes up I’ll tell him I’d like him to talk about what happened while he was away. I don’t mind who he talks to, as long as he isn’t holding everything in anymore.”

Crosshair nodded in agreement.

They talked a little more, Hunter telling him that he and Echo got some clones in contact with Rex and that Echo would take them to him in a few days. Only a couple had ended up wanting to stay on Pabu, including Scatter.

“Speaking of, he wanted to come over later and check on Tech’s hand again. He said it should be fine to unwrap now but he wanted to see for himself.”

As they walked inside, they both looked over to the couch to see that Tech was still asleep, his bandaged hand sticking out from the blanket beside his face.

He’d bitten himself, he knew that. It had happened before when he was in the midst of a meltdown. After hearing that he’d had one last night, it made him worry that Tech might have done something similar.

Hunter turned to Crosshair as he went back to sitting on the couch.

“When he told you about last night, did he say if he hurt himself?” He asked quietly.

Crosshair shook his head.

“He said he pulled his hair and rocked. That’s all.” He didn’t look overly concerned. While hair pulling wasn’t harmless, it wasn’t nearly as damaging as hitting or biting, so all in all it wasn’t serious.

Hunter nodded his thanks and left to use the fresher before making dinner, which gave him time to figure out how best to approach the topic of conversation with Tech.

He looked back on how Crosshair had adjusted after coming back to them. Although his situation was different, there were certainly some similarities. Both of them were off kilter. They’d been physically and emotionally hurt and that made them prone to withdrawing and isolating.

For Crosshair it meant wandering off without telling anyone so he could be alone, but at least he had Batcher who was often glued to his side. Eventually as Crosshair settled in, Batcher started branching out and could often be found playing with Omega or the other kids on the island. He still needed space to himself, but he had a routine of going to the beach each morning with Batcher that prepared him for the day.

But for Tech, isolating meant keeping his true thoughts and feelings hidden, only talking about what happened when asked and only saying enough to inform without going into details. He never outright lied. But he was skilled at omission. But even this skill had been thrown off balance. It was obvious when he was deflecting, trying to lighten the information he gave or switch to reassurance to draw attention away from himself.

Crosshair also had Omega, who had an incredible ability to make people feel welcome and open up. He saw the way Crosshair looked out for her, how he couldn’t always hide his smiles at seeing her antics. Hunter was proud of him, he’d come such a long way. And he was proud of Omega and thankful to her for helping bring his brother back to them.

He knew that Tech loved Omega deeply as well. It had taken longer for them to connect when Omega left Kamino with them, but it was clear through Tech’s actions that he cared. He would accept her company when he was working on a project, inviting her to assist him. And he’d given her flying lessons, taking note of her ability to learn quickly. He’d eventually opened up to her a little in the mines, explaining how his way of processing things was different but assuring her that he cared about her a lot, even if he didn’t show it the same way as her or everyone else.

He’d noticed how they were closer after that day, Omega looking less confused by his bluntness and less put off by his lack of physical affection. Not that he never showed it. He would kneel down to speak to her at eye level, or put a hand on her arm to comfort her. And he always accepted a hug from her, even if his posture was a little stiff at times. He just didn’t initiate contact as often as Hunter or Wrecker did, who would pick her up and hug her tightly.

And his biggest act of love was of course sacrificing himself for their lives.

But he didn’t want Tech to feel like he had to put everyone else first anymore. And even more so he didn’t want Tech to hide things. For as long as they knew each other, Hunter had always made sure to maintain openness and honesty in his squad. If there was something wrong, they would tell somebody. Wrecker had the least problem hiding things and Crosshair had always been the worst while Tech fell somewhere in the middle. He would have to remind Tech of these values.

By the time he got to the kitchen it was late afternoon, nearing evening. He put together a roast that would take a few hours to cook and planned to use the salad from lunch with it. Once the roast was in the oven, Tech had woken up and was sleepily sitting up looking for his glasses, which Crosshair handed to him with a greeting.

Not long later, Wrecker got back with Omega who had both caught up with each other on the way home. They said they saw Echo who was still with the other clones and would be home later.

He watched as Omega and Wrecker sat on the couch next to Tech and Crosshair, catching up with each other. Tech still looked sleepy, but comfortable. A subtle smile on his face as he listened. That was good, at least he wasn’t too shaken from earlier.

Knowing that Scatter would be over soon, he called out to Omega to go get ready washed up and ready for dinner, then he asked Wrecker to come help him get dinner out.

Sure enough, as soon as Omega left there was a knock at the door and Crosshair opened it for the medic, stepping aside to let him in.

He greeted them all before heading over to Tech, asking how his day went. Hunter perked at the question, waiting for his response.

He didn’t answer immediately and when he did it was hesitant.

“It was good for the most part. But I didn’t sleep well last night and this afternoon I was- upset.” He looked like he wanted to say more but stopped.

Scatter frowned sympathetically.

“I’m sorry to hear that. What kept you up last night? Any pain or discomfort?”

Tech shook his head.

“No. I had a nightmare. It- caused me to have a meltdown. I couldn’t sleep after that for a few hours.”

Wrecker looked up from where he was getting plates and looked from Tech to Hunter, offering him a concerned, questioning glance. Hunter just nodded in confirmation.

“Nightmares are very common Tech, everyone who’s come out of Tantiss is going to have them, myself included. But you have support, so make sure to rely on that, it will help you a lot.” He assured. “But if they continue to impact your quality of sleep too much, let me know, we can have a look at options to help improve things.”

Tech did seem reassured by that fact and Hunter made a mental note to thank Scatter for his words. He was sure that what he’d said would encourage Tech to accept help later.

After that Scatter went on to check how his food was sitting, which was going well, and then moved on to ask about his prosthetic, which Tech was happy to share that he and Echo had worked on it, fixing a minor issue and making it much more comfortable.

“Glad to hear it. I’ll have a look at your hand now and be on my way.”

Tech’s face pinched and he held his hand out slowly, letting Scatter take the bandages off to examine it, but keeping his own eyes averted. He’d done the same yesterday, Hunter recalled.

Scatter looked it over and hummed.

“It’s healing well. I don’t think it needs to be wrapped anymore, but I’ll leave you with some bacta to apply to it twice a day until it’s healed.”

He pulled a small tin out of his belt pocket and before he could hand it to Tech, Crosshair leaned in and asked how to apply it.

Scatter wasn’t perturbed and told him how much to apply, saying that it should be put on first thing in the morning and last thing at night, which Crosshair nodded along to.

Hunter thought that was a good idea on his part to help Tech with this, since clearly it was something he wasn’t dealing with well at all. It concerned him, since Tech was usually very capable at handling injuries and was more often known to treat himself without asking for help, confident in handling it himself. But now he wouldn’t even look at his hand. At least he was letting Crosshair take it, allowing him to carefully rub bacta over his hand.

He would bring it up later. Right now he was accepting help and Hunter was happy with that.

Scatter left the tin with Crosshair and offered for them to contact him if they needed anything, wishing them a good evening as he left, offering Omega a small wave as she came in for dinner.

Dinner went smoothly, although Hunter noticed when Omega caught sight of Tech’s hand, her face dropping when she recognised the injury. She hadn’t seen it yet, he realised, it had been wrapped up since the ship and she hadn’t seen it then either. Thankfully she didn’t say anything but she did look at him, brows creased in worry, and he gave her a small smile to assure her he was ok.

Echo came home part way through, with news that he would be taking 6 clones to Rex in two days. He looked excited to see Rex again, and happy to have a part in helping the rescued clones.

After dinner, they all went their seperate ways, going about their routines for the evening. Hunter took the opportunity to talk to Tech, who was looking ready to fall back to sleep already.

“Crosshair told me about what happened earlier. Are you alright?”

“I think so. Though I apologise for worrying you.” He said after a moment.

“Don’t be sorry, I’m gonna worry about you either way. Look, I know things have been difficult, that’s understatement I know, but please don’t feel like you have to hold back or hide things from us. We’re a team, a family, we help each other no matter what.” He looked Tech in the eye as he spoke, making sure the message got across. “It worries me more when you isolate yourself. I don’t want to push you, but it’s important that you express yourself freely, whether you talk to me or Crosshair or Wrecker or Echo, anyone you feel comfortable with.”

“I understand. I want to talk about what I went through but-“ Tech fidgeted for a moment and Hunter allowed him to think before he continued. “I don’t want it to be like a test, where I am interrogated and then observed and judged based on my response. I know that is not any of your intention, and it wasn’t Crosshair’s intention when he spoke to me. But that is what it felt like.” He admitted.

The admission shed more light on what Hunter knew about Tantiss. All of the clones had undergone tests and experimentation, so it stood to reason that Tech went through that as well.

“We’ll keep it casual and we can go at your pace. When you want to stop, you can stop, no questions asked. The reason we want to know what happened is so that we can help you heal, that’s all.”

Tech nodded, and his shoulders relaxed as Hunter spoke. He thought the offer over before making a decision.

“Can I tell you about it tomorrow?”

Hunter nodded straight away.

“Of course, if you want to. Do you want anyone else to sit in?”

“Crosshair.”

Hunter agreed and offered to invite Crosshair to join them tomorrow to talk. Tech yawned part way through and Hunter smiled.

“Alright, time for bed. Go wash up and I’ll get you a spare set of clothes. We really need to get you a few pairs…” Hunter said as they stood.

Tech wavered and Hunter steadied him, Tech stiffening briefly before relaxing and turning to thank him softly.

Hunter waved it off with a hand, but smiled at the progression, letting him go while he went and got some clothes.

The rest of the evening was quiet. Tech went straight to bed and Omega was tuckered out from a busy day. Wrecker had plans to go fishing early in the morning so he bid everyone goodnight as well. Echo stayed up with Hunter and Crosshair for a while to finalise plans for the other clones but that didn’t take long.

“I spoke to Tech and he wants to talk about his time on Tantiss, he asked for me and Crosshair to talk to him.”

Echo raised a brow.

“So soon? It’s only been a couple of days, and he clearly went through a lot, I mean he was there for six months.”

“I know. He doesn’t have to tell us everything, but I think if he wants to talk now then I won’t discourage him. The sooner he talks to someone the easier it’ll be to work through it.”

Crosshair nodded beside him, silently agreeing to join Hunter tomorrow.

Echo eventually nodded along to Hunter’s statement, since he made a valid point.

“Well I hope it goes well with you. I’ll see if Omega wants to join me tomorrow so you guys have the house to yourselves.”

Hunter thanked him and they all started heading for bed.

‘We’re making progress’ Hunter thought as he lay in bed.

He tried not to worry about tomorrow, opting to put it aside until it came. It would likely be a tense conversation, but an important one, and Hunter wanted to provide support and encouragement as well as he could. The best he could do right now was get some sleep.

He rolled over and tucked himself in, pulling his bandana over his eyes. He kept the door ajar, just in case Tech woke in the night so he could hear him, but everyone slept through the night.

Chapter Text

The next morning, everyone was up early. Wrecker had already left for fishing and Echo and Omega were getting ready to spend the day with the other clones. Echo had recruited Omega and Lyana and the cadet boys to make some things for the clones to take, to remind them of Pabu, which Omega had excitedly agreed to.

Hunter waved them goodbye as he made a few mugs of tea, deciding to forego the caf for today. It gave him a buzz sure, but he felt like he needed something to soothe his nerves rather than fire them up. The same went for Crosshair and Tech who were on the couch, Crosshair tending to Tech’s hand.

He brought the mugs and a plate of chopped fruit and put them on the small table in front of the couch, settling in on the other side of Crosshair, facing Tech.

They sat and chatted lightly for a bit, letting Tech take the lead in the conversation, before Tech stilled and sighed softly.

“I thought about how I would tell you. I figured I would begin with what I remember upon waking up and go from there.”

Hunter nodded and smiled encouragingly, gesturing for him to continue when he was ready but Crosshair interrupted with a question.

“Is it alright to ask for clarification at any point? Or would you rather we shut up and listen?”

Tech smirked briefly at the wording.

“You can ask questions, but please allow me time to answer.”

Crosshair silently agreed to the condition and leaned back, arms crossed loosely in front of him, waiting for Tech to speak again.

Tech settled and folded his hands.

“I woke up approximately one week after the fall in a cell. My injuries had been treated and I was informed that I had spent 3 days in a bacta tank. My lower left leg was irreparable and replaced with a prosthetic, and my wrist and part of my right hand was strapped, as it had been crushed at some point as well. I was only awake for a short time before he came in-“

-

The door to the dark cell slid open with a quiet woosh and a silhouette walked in. Tech could barely make out the figure’s features, his vision blurry without his goggles.

“Hello CT-9902, or should I call you Tech? My doctors assure me that you are recovering well despite the severity of your injuries.” The figure spoke as he approached. “The chance of your survival was slim. Some might call it luck. But I would call it ingenuity.”

Tech looked up from his position where he was strapped on the slab, making out some of the details of the figure’s face. He had seen him before. But he couldn’t place who he was yet.

“No one could have survived a fall from that height, they would’ve died immediately, completely crushed by the velocity of the fall and the force of the impact. But you didn’t die. You used parts of the cable car to slow down your fall and adjust your angle. If it hadn’t been for the thick cloud cover blocking your view I believe you could’ve walked away relatively unscathed.” The man stood tall above him, his hands held behind his back and cold blue eyes glinting. “That’s quite remarkable.”

He went on to list his injuries and the treatments that were given.

Tech took note of the dull pains in his side and leg as he blinked groggily up at him, trying to identify him.

“Ah, where are my manners. I’m Dr Royce Hemlock, chief scientist of this base and the projects that are run here.”

That’s right. He remembered now. He must be on Tantiss. That was not ideal. But if he was here, he may have a chance at finding Crosshair. He tilted his hands in his cuffs, feeling the shape and size, trying to determine if he’d come across the model before as that would help him break out.

Hemlock smiled.

“If you are thinking about escaping you would do well to note that this base is impenetrable. It is heavily guarded inside and out and is a well kept secret.”

He went on to give details about the high level of security the base had, enough to intimidate but not enough for Tech to use to help him escape.

The door opened and a clone trooper entered. Sadly he wasn’t surprised to see that there were clones working here willingly.

“Sir, you have been requested for a meeting, it’s urgent.”

Hemlock didn’t seem bothered by the interruption, aside from a barely perceptible shift in his posture.

“I will give you two days to adjust to your environment. When I return, I will decide where you will be of most use.”

With that, he turned and left, and Tech’s bound limbs were uncuffed as the door slid shut and locked.

He lay there for a moment, processing the interaction before sitting up slowly. Looking around the small cell didn’t offer much. There was a door in the center of one wall and his slab of a bed off to the right wall. The left wall had a basin and toilet. Apart from that the room was blank, with dark panels making up the walls and ceiling, with a single round light in the centre that barely lit up the small space.

Up in the corner of the room above the basin was a camera that faced the door and bed, a small red light shone within it indicating that it was active.

As he sat there waking up, his thoughts raced.

What happened to the others after he shot the cable connection? Did they make it out? It had been about a week so he was told, so much could have happened in that time.

Where in Tantiss was he? Where was Crosshair? He knew there would be somewhere to hold prisoners and undoubtedly many laboratories, where were they and what was the layout?

And then there was the matter of escape. At this point in time it seemed nearly impossible, but Tech wasn’t willing to accept that as the case until he had more data. His gaze around the room confirmed that there was a blind spot beneath the camera, though that didn’t offer much.

Outside, a guard had walked past, peering briefly into his cell before moving on. He vaguely recalled seeing a guard about 10 minutes prior which he took note of. If another passed in 10 minutes then he suspected that was the guard routine, which was important to know.

He looked down at his hands. His right hand was wrapped up and his fingers ached. His face felt different too with points around his eyes and cheek feeling stiff as he looked around. Then of course was his leg.

He tilted his new foot left and right, but it felt heavy and out of place. He looked at it for a while as he moved it until the fact caught up to him that he had lost half of his leg.

The realisation jolted him fully awake, now completely aware of how dire this situation was.

He had nearly died and now he was a prisoner on a highly secure base with no contact with his squad.

He sat for a long time, thinking everything over. The severity of the situation making him tense. But panicking wouldn’t do any good, so with practiced ease, he put that aside.

He had to find a way out of this cell. Then he would find a terminal and try and access floor plans and prisoner logs to locate Crosshair as well as potential exits. Depending on what he found he would go from there. All of it was unsure and very high risk, but he was adaptable. As long as he started somewhere he would be able to work with what he had.

As the next guard passed he moved to stand, leaning against the wall to steady himself. He was aware he was being watched, but he considered pacing and getting used to his prosthetic to be nothing suspicious. As he shifted his weight and moved across the room, he got a feel for the new leg while also carefully putting himself in the blind spot. He felt against the wall panels, tapping them to test their material and width, finding that there was empty space behind one of them.

He looked at the door and listened to confirm he was alone before he felt around the panel- there! He dug his fingers in between the panels and pulled back, happy to find that the panel lifted ever so slightly, he pressed it back down and stepped back.

Not wanting to be in the blind spot too long, he moved away and wandered back across the room to his bed and sat down, looking around the room again.

He’d moved back to his bed to lower suspicion, but he really did need to sit. He was dizzy from the moment he woke up, but the movement and just the situation he was in made it worse. It also worsened the pain in his gut.

After another 10 minutes he got up and walked around again, pulling at the panel as soon as he was back out of sight. It opened with some force and he peered into the tight dark space. It was connected to ventilation system, but it must have been blocked off to prevent people using it to break out, not that it was working very well he thought.

He ducked inside and pulled the panel back into place, turning to face where he knew the hallway was and moving that way. It was difficult to move while kneeling down on unsteady legs, the pain and dizziness worsening, making him nauseous.

He made a right turn at the end of the shaft and wandered parallel to the hallway, peering through the occasional slated vent. The whole floor was quiet. Most of the cells were empty aside from two that had seriously injured clones on tables in them. He didn’t recognise them, but he wanted to climb out and free them. But he couldn’t do that, not yet. He had to find Crosshair and get out of here first. They would come back for these clones later. He hesitated just a second longer before moving on.

At the end of the hall was a larger vent shaft panel. He looked down the hall, finding it still empty, but just nearby was a terminal so he pushed the panel open just slightly and looked up and around for cameras.

He was out of sight but only just, so he squeezed through the panel and closed it quickly and quietly. At the terminal he opened up a basic directory which was accessible without clearance. It only showed the level he was on with minimal information, labelling the level as a medical ward.

He tried to gain access to the other levels but was denied. Knowing he was running out of time he pulled up whatever information he could access, which wasn’t much. One more attempt to open a file unauthorised made the screen flash red and he knew he was out of time. He turned back to the vent panel and knelt down to open it but stumbled, his leg giving out and his stomach clenching. He fell against the panel and tugged it open to pull himself inside.

Behind him the floor shook with footsteps fast approaching.

“Hey! Stop right there!” A voice shouted.

Tech pulled himself into the space as fast as he could but he just wasn’t quick enough to miss a hand grabbing his ankle and roughly pulling him out.

He was shoved against the ground, his face hitting the floor, and his arms were cuffed behind his back. He could barely fight back before he was immobilised.

Then suddenly he was up on his feet and his vision swam so quickly he gagged, closing his eyes against the motion.

Slowly he opened his eyes and his heart dropped when he met the gaze of Hemlock, who was watching him intently with a cold smile.

For a long pause he didn’t say a thing.

“I figured you would attempt to escape eventually but I didn’t think you’d try something so soon. I’m not sure if that was the case of smart, quick thinking or just stupid and impulsive. I do hope it was the former, that would make things much more interesting.”

He gestured for the trooper to take Tech back to his cell, this time strapping him back down on the slab bed, then he sent to trooper to go and organise fixing the wall.

“As for what to do with you I’ve made a decision already. Your blood work showed nothing of use and your current state of health makes you no good for many of the experiments ongoing here, not that we are short on subjects.” Tech tensed at that, disgusted. “No. Instead you will help with research by reviewing reports and making notes of any inconsistencies you find. And you will do so willingly and honestly.”

Tech frowned.

“What makes you think I will assist in furthering your research.” He croaked.

Hemlock just smiled a self assured smile.

“Because if you don’t, I won’t have any reason to guarantee Omega’s safety.”

-

Both Hunter and Crosshair’s eyes were wide as they glanced at each other.

As he listened, Hunter had figured that by the time Tech woke up, Omega had been captured, but he didn’t know that Hemlock had used her against him. Meanwhile, Crosshair was both shocked and touched that Tech had taken the first opportunity given to him to not only escape, but to find Crosshair and take him with him. Though he shouldn’t have been surprised. He knew that Tech wouldn’t have left without him if he managed to escape.

Now though they were both angry on both Tech and Omega’s behalf that Hemlock would threaten Omega’s safety for Tech’s cooperation, knowing before he could continue that Tech would do anything for Omega.

“I agreed. But only on the condition that the research I provided would not cause any direct harm to anyone. Hemlock agreed to that term and the next day I was escorted to another cell on a lower level, which was attached to a series of laboratories.” Tech went on the explain. “I was strapped to a chair and fitted with a headset that allowed visual access to files designated to me to review. My hands had a short range of motion that allowed me to make notes on anything I saw needed to be adjusted.”

Hunter raised a brow.

“Why didn’t he just give you a data pad with the notes? This seems excessive.”

Crosshair huffed at that. Everything in that place was excessive, why not make a big deal out of note taking too? But it still had him curious and concerned.

“He did not trust me to have a data pad, believing I would gain access to the network or alter the software and use it to escape. The headset was separated from the rest of the Tantiss systems and the files I was to review were uploaded before it was given to me. I had no connection to anything outside of the room that way. He even placed physical guards on me since he couldn’t monitor me through the headset, disconnected as it was.”

The level of security and forethought was unsettling. Though Hemlock was right not to underestimate Tech, because in the end he did escape as far as the hangar by himself.

Hunter imagined himself in such a situation and shuddered. It seemed absolutely hopeless and he admired Tech for holding out all this time. From what he’d heard from Crosshair, he had lost hope soon after arriving. Only thanks to Omega’s persistence did he even try to escape. Crosshair was thinking the same thing, eyes distant as he recalled how miserable and numbing that period of time had been before Omega got through to him.

Already, things were looking bad for Tech, but Hunter knew that this was just the start of it. He’d only been told a week’s worth of information so there was still the remaining six months to go.

Hunter and Crosshair were pulled out of their thoughts when Tech continued on to tell them about the work he was subject to, something that made them hate Hemlock even more.

Chapter Text

The first day he was put to work he was given a small meal consisting of soup and some vegetables.

Then he was set up in the chair while Hemlock explained the use of the headset. As a scientist put it on him, he pointed out features of the UI that Tech could see, instructing him to access the first file he had uploaded.

Tech squinted at the sudden brightness as he adjusted, then opened the file to find a long list of vitals from about 20 clones. He frowned as he scrolled through it. Most of them had normal vitals but there was a handful that looked like they needed attention. Heartbeats too fast or too slow and oxygen levels too far out of range for comfort, for example.

“Are these vitals current? Some of these people need medical attention, this one here is at risk of cardiac arrest if-“

“Your job is not to direct my doctors on how to do their jobs.” Hemlock stopped him. “Please open the next file and compare the information between each list. Point out any inconsistencies you see.”

Tech hesitated, looking at the log for the clone for a moment longer, frustrated that he couldn’t do anything to help. He had agreed not to do anything that would directly harm anyone, but ignoring a threat to someone’s life felt too close to sitting within the parameters of ‘direct harm.’

He opened the next file.

Inside showed a similar list of vitals, dated ten minutes after the previous list. He scrolled through to the log for the clone he was looking at and stilled at what he saw. Sure enough the clone’s condition had worsened. He knew that if he had not been treated in the exact moment these vitals were recorded he would not have lived.

His jaw clenched and he scrolled back up the list, comparing the two and noting information that didn’t match up or seemed concerning. He was sure that only part of the information he gave would be used, and it would not be the notes he made on the current wellbeing of certain clones. When he was done he verbally confirmed so and Hemlock ordered him to move on to the next set of files, this time a stock log for medical equipment.

He went through and made notes of equipment that was not up to standard or had reached the end of its useful life. He also noticed that some equipment had been used or moved without being logged correctly, so he made a note of that too.

This process continued for an hour or so until he completed the last file.

After that, the head set was removed and he blinked at the shift in view, the removal of the bright screen in his face making the room darker and blurrier than it already was.

Beside him, the scientist handed the headset to Hemlock, who was sitting in front of him on a stool. He took the headset and plugged into his data pad, reading through the notes Tech had made.

Tech sat quietly, waiting.

Then the headset was handed back and Hemlock stood.

“Excellent job. Everything looks accurate and you pointed out things that everyone else had missed. I will look into the medical equipment log and see if the inconsistency is a case of mis-logging or if it has been stolen.”

Tech continued to frown as he waited for what was to come next. This had seemed too simple. He was at Hemlock’s complete mercy and he’d only had him do basic tasks.

“I suspected this wouldn’t take long so I have prepared another set of files for your review. If you have any troubles, speak to the scientist here in charge of supervising you. When you are finished you will be escorted back to your quarters and we will continue tomorrow.” He instructed as he left.

The headset was put back on and he blinked again at the bright light. He didn’t waste any time opening the new file and skimming over it. It was a blueprint for a generator. Interesting.

Attached to the file were instructions for him to make notes on any changes needed to improve efficiency and power output. Very interesting indeed.

He knew the blueprint would be looked over before or if it was implemented, but maybe he could work this in his favour. Perhaps he could suggest changes that would follow the directions while also secretly sabotaging it… it was doable.

He looked over the blueprint and got familiar with its parts. Following lines and figuring out where the power was increased or redirected or stored.

‘An adjustment here would boost its power, but this section here wouldn’t be able to handle it. If I change it like this, it will seem like I have accounted for the increase in power but really I have diverted it over here-‘

He took his time to make it work, and a few hours later he had an almost entirely reworked blueprint of a highly efficient generator, with a twist. All the power it stored would read normally until it got high enough. Then it would slowly divert power elsewhere until it was too late. The next time it was connected to a grid it would overload itself and shut down, sending a surge through the entire grid it was attached to. It would take time and would be unnoticeable. It was perfect.

He looked it over once more and confirmed it was done before moving on to the next file.

By the end of the day he was exhausted. His head pounded and his stomach ached and he could barely make out the words on the screen. He hadn’t healed enough to reliably do this and he’d spent so much energy into the generator blueprint he didn’t have enough to finish the rest.

The screen was too bright and his ears buzzed.

“I- I am finished.” He spoke up.

A moment later the headset was removed and the scientist put it aside without saying a word.

He closed his eyes as he waited to be let out of the chair. Soon enough a guard came in and the restraints were opened and he was pulled to his feet. Immediately he tipped forward, having been unprepared for the movement. The guard caught him and pulled him back up straight, this time letting him find his balance before pushing him forward.

He didn’t take much notice of the hallway as he stumbled through, only really becoming aware again as he sat on his bed.

‘I should be paying attention to my surroundings.’ He scolded himself.

He sat for a moment, but took a breath and woke himself up before he could fall asleep.

He stood up and looked out at the hall, trying to gage what time of day it was and if anyone else would come to his cell before end of the day. He’d only eaten once and only used the bathroom once and it didn’t help how he was feeling. At least one of these problems could be solved here but as for food, he was reliant on whatever was given to him.

He also made sure to drink water from the basin with cupped hands, as he hadn’t been given water or even a cup to use. But dehydration was a risk and he wanted to avoid that as well as he could.

After sitting on the bed and staying awake a little longer, he eventually drifted off, too drained to stay awake anymore.

-

As he finished the recount of his first full day of work, Hunter raised a couple of questions.

“Did anyone notice what you did to the generator blueprints? And what about the work you didn’t finish?”

Tech shook his head.

“As far as I know the generator’s true purpose went unnoticed. I did follow the instructions and increased its efficiency well beyond what was asked. If it ever went into production, they will find out what I did eventually.” He smirked.

Crosshair huffed a laughed and his eyes shone.

“As soon as Hemlock turned his back you sabotaged them.” He said proudly.

Tech nodded and smiled. Of course he did.

As for Hunter’s other question-

“Because I did not complete all the work assigned to me, I was punished the next day by having food withheld from me.”

Crosshair’s smile dropped immediately and he went back to scowling, wishing he could see Hemlock die a second death.

“He restated that I must complete all the work assigned to me before I be moved back to my cell. The next day, he returned in the afternoon to check on my progress.”

-

It had been a long day. He was hungry and tired and sore and he really didn’t want to be doing this. This was a waste of time. He should be using his energy to plan a way out of here. He still had to find Crosshair and now he also had to find Omega.

He was worried about them. The last he saw of Omega was when the cable car she was on had jolted into movement and sped away, taking her, Wrecker and Hunter with it.

She shouldn’t be here. If she had been captured, what did that mean for Hunter and Wrecker? Were they ok? Were they even alive?

How was he supposed to find Crosshair and Omega when he couldn’t move, when he couldn’t see, when he was so so tired?

He’d finished the work he’d missed the day before and had completed most of what was assigned to him for today, but again the rest was becoming a blur.

He was no stranger to long hours invested in a project, but those times had been on his terms, when he hadn’t just nearly died and had the lives of his squad to worry about. And when he did overwork himself, he always had someone to watch out for him and make sure he got adequate rest.

There was so much to think about, but he had to focus on the work he was given. Hemlock had ‘generously’ punished him by withholding a meal, but he was very pointedly informed that if he failed again there would be greater consequences, either to him or to Omega. And that was all the motivation he needed to get this done. Him being punished was one thing but he would not allow harm to befall Omega if he could help it.

He heard the door to the cell open and paused from where he was reviewing another blueprint.

A moment later the headset was removed and he squinted at the figure in front of him.

“Let’s have a look at your progress. I hope you are on schedule, for Omega’s sake of course.” Hemlock said as he plugged in the headset to his data pad again, shooting Tech a pointed glance.

Tech took a breath, pushing against the swirling anxiety. He hadn’t finished, but he was close. Maybe that would be enough.

The silence stretched and Tech subconsciously started to bounce his leg, which clunked against the restraint. He stopped short, unable to move his leg, but couldn’t stay still under the anxious energy in his chest. He clenched his hands open and shut instead.

He stilled when Hemlock finally looked up.

“Everything looks to be on track and your level of performance remains up to par.” Hemlock smiled. “I see you haven’t finished everything but I didn’t expect you to be just yet. I’ll wait here until you’re done.” He passed the headset back to the scientist who set it back up.

It seems Omega was safe for now.

Tech looked over the remaining files, there were three left to go through. He finished the blueprint quickly, picking up where he left off, and moved on to the next item.

He tried to focus, putting the worry about his family aside. Right now this was the best way to help them. But even with his thoughts in focus, he still had to battle against the weariness and lingering anxiety.

The bright screen burned and his ears buzzed again.

“Are you almost finished? I don’t have all day.”

Hemlock’s voice jolted him out of focus and his chest felt tight.

“Almost. I am comparing a list of test results which won’t take long, then I will complete the last task.”

The test results were long and complicated, but he found a few things of interest and made notes as best as he could, tapping his fingers against the chair as he looked through them.

As soon as he was finished he opened the last file with a sense of urgency.

He had barely skimmed over it when a loud beep sounded beside him and he tried to cover his ears, but his restraints stopped him. He held his breath and listened, trying to make out what it was, his ears ringing.

Suddenly the headset was pulled off and he looked up at Hemlock who had taken it off and was looking down at him with a skeptical look.

He stared for a moment, wondering why he was watching him like that. Then he realised that when he couldn’t pull his hands to his ears, he had started knocking his knuckles against the arm rests of the chair with a repetitive tapping. His right leg was also tilting left and right, since he was unable to bounce it like he normally would to burn off anxious energy.

When he recognised these things he stilled and looked down, trying to relax his tense posture.

Hemlock shifted and Tech looked up at him again.

“You have displayed many differences between yourself and the other clones. Most notably in the way you think and speak. I’ve read your files. You are a defective clone created with intelligence in mind, able to learn quicker than other clones and make calculations quicker than even a droid.” He looked Tech over. “But it seems that was not the only difference made to your brain. Your response to stimulation and methods of self regulation are unusual, but intriguing.”

Tech held his gaze, not liking the way he looked at him. Like he was a test whose results defied hypothesis. He knew he was different from other clones, as was the case for all of clone force 99. Not every mutation was something the Kaminoans described as a desirable enhancement and he’d had his fair share of judgement from them on Kamino as a cadet. He had grown up under scrutiny, working hard to prove the benefits of his enhancements outweighed his weaknesses. One being the way he responded to stimulus.

Hemlock stared him down a moment more before taking the headset aside and calling for a guard to escort him back to his cell.

“But I haven’t finished yet. I have one more task left.” Tech spoke up, not wanting his unfinished work to cause any trouble.

“I know. You will finish it tomorrow. And don’t worry, you won’t be punished and neither will Omega. Not this time.” Then he stepped aside and let the guard pull Tech to his feet, guiding him out of the room.

Tech watched him as he passed, trying to get a read on him and figure out why he had changed his mind. Hemlock simply stared back before turning away and walking calmly down the opposite hall.

Tech thought over the interaction on his way back to his cell, stumbling against his bed when he was pushed inside.

Now he had another thing to worry him. Hemlock’s unpredictability and his sudden interest in his behaviour. He sighed heavily and got ready to sleep again the same way he had yesterday, quickly adapting to the new routine.

Before he fell asleep he made a goal of taking notice of anything in the halls that could tell him more about where he was on the base. He would find another opening to escape eventually, and when he did he wouldn’t fail.

And in the meantime he would do his best to keep Omega safe by doing the work he was asked, he would find out what became of Hunter and Wrecker after Crosshair and Omega were free. Because at this point, that was all he could do.

-

Hunter shook his head. All three of them who grew up with Tech, plus Echo who joined them later, were familiar with Tech’s habits. Just like none of them judged Hunter when he got a migraine from his enhanced senses being overwhelmed, or Wrecker who never got over his fear of heights no matter how many times he faced it, they didn’t judge Tech when he would self regulate in a different way to them.

But they all knew that other people, especially many of the regs, did not take kindly to things they considered different or strange. So they had all become quite protective of each other, quick to defend and protect when one was being bullied and scoffed at or even when someone received a particularly critical stare.

There had been a few occasions when one of them had taken Tech aside so he could regulate freely. Though as they grew, Tech got better at hiding it, pushing aside discomfort until it got the best of him later. Training grounds and cafeteria halls were a bad place to draw unwanted attention to yourself, and unfortunately he’d had to learn to repress himself to stay out of the Kaminoan’s watchful eyes. If they were not seen as fit for battle they were at risk of being decommissioned.

But on Tantiss Tech simply didn’t have the chance to keep hiding it. He was teetering at his limit all the time with no reprieve.

Hunter looked at Tech’s hand as he thought back on when he had been brought unconscious onto the ship. He had been pushed well past his limit not long before he’d escaped, and as Tech went on to tell his story, it became less and less surprising that that had been the result.

“Each day repeated in a similar way for a while. I would be given a small meal before being sent to work where I would complete all of my tasks, even if it took all day, and then I was sent back to my cell.” Tech continued. “But occasionally Hemlock would come in and- provoke me.”

Hunter and Crosshair glanced at each other, but stayed quiet, allowing Tech to elaborate.

“Sometimes he would give me time limits to complete the work to increase stress. Other times he would increase or decrease the temperature of the room to make me uncomfortable.” He explained quietly. “Everything added up overtime until eventually it was just- too much.”

He stopped talking then, taking a moment to breathe. Crosshair reached out and gently took his hand, squeezing it gently. Tech looked up to see his face was tight with worry, but he smiled lightly to reassure him he was ok, then continuing on.

-

The last few weeks had finally caught up with him and Hemlocks efforts to push him were certainly working. The headset was too bright, the room was too hot and his clothes were damp with sweat. There was machinery running loudly nearby and the hum had slowly turned into a roar in his ears.

He needed a break. He needed space. He needed to get out.

He closed his eyes tight but it didn’t stop the screen from searing through his eyelids. He pulled hard on his restraints, wishing he could just cover his ears so he could think clearly again. He just wanted a quiet dark place to curl up and recover.

He tugged again, this time rocking back and forth as far as his restraints would allow. But he was too well restrained for it to help at all and the lack of movement only made him more frustrated, increasing the building tension throughout his body.

He was vaguely aware that he was hyperventilating now, but all too aware that Hemlock was still in the room with him, which really only made him feel worse.

He tried to slow his breathing, knowing that he needed to get that under control before he lost himself. The headset on his face jostled and he turned his head away but couldn’t escape the hands pressing at the settings. Suddenly the screen started flashing and that was the last straw.

The room disappeared and he slammed back against the chair and reached hard for the headset, willing the restraints to loosen so he could get it off. He pulled so hard that when the restraints were suddenly removed he fell out of the chair and onto the floor.

He pushed himself up on his knees and scrabbled for the headset to tug it off, clasping his hands over his ears and finally dulling the roar of the machinery. He whined as he rocked, relieved to be able to move freely but still overwhelmed.

The sudden onslaught of relief eased the tension but added to the energy and he rocked harder, gasping for breath.

Slowly the energy seeped from him and he pulled his hands away to wave off the lingering buzz . His rocking slowed and his breaths shifted from shallow gasps and aborted sobs to deep pulls of air as awareness came back to him.

Once he’d slowed to a stop he dropped his hands to his lap, now remembering where he was.

The cell. The headset. Hemlock.

He opened heavy eyes and looked up, mortified, to find Hemlock standing over him, arms behind his back and eyes intense as he watched him. Tech suddenly felt nauseous.

“That was certainly something. I was wondering what would happen when you finally reached your limit and now I have my answer.” He tilted his head in interest. “Can you stand?”

Tech wasn’t sure he could. He had just gone feeling like he was about to explode to drained and numb. But he tried to push himself anyway, making it halfway before falling to his knees again.

Hemlock gestured for the guard to pick him up and put him back in the chair and Tech argued weakly as the restraints were set back in place.

He watched as Hemlock picked up the rejected headset and fiddled with it, resetting it back to default.

“I believe you haven’t completed your work. Is that correct?”

Tech nodded with a sense of dread. He hadn’t finished. And now he, or Omega, would be punished for his failure. That or he would be forced to complete it now. He didn’t think he could bare to have the headset put back on.

“I will give you a choice. You can complete the rest of your tasks and return to your cell as usual or-“ he leaned down to Tech’s level. “You can give me your own report. Tell me exactly what you just did and why you did it. Don’t spare any details.”

Tech was appalled. Why would he ask such a thing? Was it not enough that he had witnessed Tech’s meltdown in person?

He opened his mouth to reply but nothing came out. What could he even say? Did he want to say anything?

Hemlock frowned at his lack of response.

“If you won’t decide then I will. You can finish the work tomorrow. Explain your behaviour to me.”

Tech clenched his jaw. He didn’t know what to say, but he had to say something. The consequences of denying him again were too risky.

“I- I was overwhelmed. It’s too hot and- loud. Everything is-“ he stuttered.

“Go on.”

“I tried to calm myself but the restraints- I couldn’t move. I had to move. Then the screen flashed and it-“ he shook his head.

“There was too much input for you to process leading a meltdown of your emotional and cognitive functions. So you engaged in self-stimulatory behaviour to regulate those functions. Is that right?” He looked Tech in the eye as he spoke, holding his gaze as he awaited an answer.

Tech nodded once, no longer able to speak. Hemlock already understood what happened. Why was he seeking an explanation from him?

“When I let the restraints go, you had lost all control. Were you aware of your surroundings from that point?”

Tech shook his head. By now he didn’t even remember falling out of the chair, he just knew that it must’ve happened for him to be in the chair one moment and on the floor in the next.

“Can you tell me how long you were in a state of meltdown?”

Tech shook his head again. In the moment it was like nothing else existed. He didn’t know where or when he was.

“You had lost the capacity to comprehend your surroundings and the passing of time. And you only became aware of these again when you had calmed down and stopped regulating yourself, correct?”

He nodded.

“So you were unaware for about 8 minutes.” He informed, standing straight again. “It seems that raising the room’s temperature and increasing visual and auditory input have the most effect. Though I’m sure mental and emotional stress has also been an influence.”

He put the headset aside and called the guard back in, releasing his restraints again.

“Next time you will explain to me what happened in the same manner as I have explained it to you. No more stuttering and muttering. Understood?”

“I understand.” Tech spoke as clearly as he could as he was picked up again by the guard and taken to his cell.

-

“That was the first time.” Tech sighed. “It occurred again multiple times in varying severity.”

He didn’t look at them. Some part of him was ashamed that he had broken under the pressure, though he knew logically it was to be expected, and that he couldn’t be faulted for it.

Crosshair was still holding his hand, and he brushed his thumb over his knuckles as he spoke, soothing both Tech and himself.

Hunter looked all parts shocked, enraged and almost in tears. He took Tech’s other hand and squeezed it, urging Tech to look at him.

“I’m sorry you had to go through that. It was incredibly cruel.” He shook his head and blinked against the tears.

Crosshair leaned forward and looked at Tech too.

“Is that why you- told me about the other night the way you did?” He asked.

Tech nodded in confirmation. Eventually he’d gotten the hang of recounting events as requested and the habit had resurfaced when Crosshair questioned him.

“I’m sorry Tech. For interrogating you. For reminding you of-“ Crosshair looked down, scowling, angry at himself for treating him the way he did.

“You are not like him Crosshair. It was not your fault he hurt me. You questioned me out of a place of concern and care, I understand that.” Tech assured him quietly. “Both of you have only helped me. Please do not blame yourselves for what he did to me.”

Crosshair teared up at that too. Of course Tech didn’t blame him. He was far too forgiving. And so ready to comfort them even when he himself needed comfort.

“How long did this go on for?” Hunter asked, hoping despite believing otherwise, that Tech got some reprieve from the torment.

“A long time. And the demand only got higher as time went on. Since I wasn’t allowed to return to my cell until I had completed my work, I would often end up working well into the night to complete everything. At one point I fell asleep while I was working, unable to stay awake any longer.”

Hunter tensed, worrying what would’ve been the consequence of sleeping on the job. Because he knew without a doubt that such an occurrence would not have been ignored.

And he learned he was right as Tech went on to explain Hemlock’s solution.

Chapter Text

Tech was startled awake when the headset was removed and blinked up at Hemlock who was looking less than impressed.

He plugged in the headset and scrolled through his data pad before sighing and looking back at Tech.

“Sleep well? When I said you couldn’t return to your cell until you completed your work I didn’t mean you could miss it to sleep here.”

Tech felt a chill as he spoke. His usual calm collected voice holding an undertone of frustration. He hadn’t meant to fall asleep. He just couldn’t stay awake any longer.

“I will have your meal brought here, you will finish yesterday’s tasks and move on to today’s.” He turned back to his data pad and began uploading a new set of files.

Tech waited in silence, surely there would be punishment for this.

Hemlock seemed to read his mind and he smirked.

“Don’t worry, I figured you didn’t fall asleep on purpose. The need for sleep is just another limit of the human body. But even that can be worked around.” He put the headset and data pad down and stood tall before Tech. “I have a solution in mind which will be brought in with your meal. I have other matters to attend to, but you will be monitored by both a scientist and guard for today.”

Tech didn’t like the sound of that. He looked around the room as Hemlock spoke with his staff to organise things. On one wall was a screen with a digital clock and he squinted to try and make out the numbers to find out how long he’d been asleep, but without his goggles they were too blurry.

Hemlock noticed that too.

“It’s 0700." He commented.

Tech looked back at him and frowned, not enjoying his poor vision, which seemed to have worsened recently. He missed his goggles. He looked away when he made out Hemlock smiling.

Soon enough, one of his staff came in with a tray of food and a case. He passed the tray of food to Tech and released one of his hand so he could eat, with a stern reminder that there were multiple guards on standby if he tried anything. Tech knew better than to do anything anyway. There was no chance he could escape with a bowl of soup and a free hand.

He ate slowly, watching and listening to Hemlock talk to the scientist as he unpacked the case. There was a saline bag and IV equipment and a small vial filled with orange liquid. Hemlock directed the scientist to monitor Tech’s vitals after he attached the IV, asking her to look out for adverse reactions throughout the day.

Tech stopped eating and stared at the vial, wishing again for his goggles so he could make out the writing on the label. What did they plan on injecting into him?

He froze as Hemlock walked over with a needle and cannula in hand.

“Finish eating so we can begin.”

Tech hesitated but continued eating until the bowl was empty, not willing to risk provoking him.

Once he was done, the bowl was taken away and his hand was restrained again as Hemlock approached to insert the cannula into his hand. Tech didn’t react to the pinch, watching calmly as the IV was set up. He thought over what drugs he knew of that would prevent someone from falling sleep, but couldn’t think of any that looked like that.

“What exactly are you injecting me with?” He asked. He may not get an answer but it was worth asking anyway.

“Something I created to keep people awake. You will be unable to fall unconscious, removing the possibility of you falling asleep again. Once it is removed the effects usually wear off after about 30 minutes, more than enough time to take you back to your cell.” He explained as he attached the vial to the saline bag and started the drip.

Tech watched the line turn orange as it slowly flowed through and into his hand. A cold sensation ran up his arm as it entered him and he shivered. Hemlock watched him for a moment to see how he would react.

“Feel anything different?”

“It is cold.” Tech clenched his hand open and shut as he took note of how it was effecting him. “My heart rate is increasing.”

“Those are common. If your heart rate increases exponentially or you develop a fever let someone know.” He gestured to the scientist and guard still in the room before turning to leave. “When you have finished your tasks you may return to your cell to sleep. And make sure you finish this time.” He shot a pointed look before leaving the room.

The headset was set up again and the scientist took his vitals every so often as he worked. He listened as she and the guard talked quietly to each other, noting with interest that they were discussing some of the prisoners being moved to a different ward. The guard explained that the level below this one was being reconstructed, so the prisoners on it were being moved three levels above with the rest of the subjects.

Three levels above held the most prisoners. It was very likely that was where Crosshair was. Tech continued to listen as he worked, soaking up everything they said in case he could use that information later.

The work took all day and again well into the night and while Tech found he was tired, it was more of a mental tiredness than a physical one. He felt like he could walk for miles and not tire out, though he knew that was just a result of the drug being used on him.

When he finished he spoke up and the headset was removed and put aside. The scientist, a new one that had swapped shifts, removed the IV line and restraints, leaving the cannula. A guard pulled him to his feet as soon as he was free.

As they walked, Tech could feel the effects wearing off. He still felt like he had a lot of stamina, but his heart had slowed minutely and his body no longer felt icy cold.

When he was pushed into his cell he went about his usual routine but couldn’t imagine being able to sleep yet. So he paced, feeling the effects steadily disappear. It was a slow process at first but as the drug wore off, a bone deep tiredness crept up on him faster and faster until he stumbled to his bed and slumped down on it, surprised by how fast the exhaustion overtook him.

The edges of his view darkened and he barely got the chance to think anything of it before he passed out into a deep unbreakable sleep.

He didn’t dream that night or the next or any other night for the rest of his time on Tantiss.

-

Hunter hummed. He recalled Scatter explaining when they found him that Tech had been drugged to keep him awake.

“This became apart of the routine. My workload increased so much that at times it would take up to three days to complete, so I was kept awake until it was done.”

“Is that how long you had been awake before you escaped?” Hunter asked.

“Yes, about 3.5 days. Which is partly why I slept so long after you found me. The drug inhibits losing consciousness, but it does not prevent exhaustion. I only had about 30 minutes to escape before the effects wore off completely, after that I could only fight off the exhaustion for so long.”

Hunter was impressed. Tech had escaped being bound and had found his way to the hangar without being caught all while dealing with the dwindling effects of a powerful drug as well as sleep deprivation and three and a half straight days of mental labour.

“How exactly did you get to the hangar? You didn’t have access to a map.” Crosshair asked.

“I heard two guards talking about it some time ago and made a note of it. I figured getting to the hangar would be the best way of getting outside. From there I could figure out how to evade capture and get in contact with Hunter or Echo. I knew I wouldn’t have a chance at rescuing you or Omega, but I believed that they wouldn’t leave without you both, which gave me time to find you all.”

Hunter and Crosshair shared a look.

“Me and Omega had escaped sometime before then. She was brought back to Tantiss later.” Crosshair told him, grimacing at the memory of his attempt to fire a tracker at the ship Omega was on failing.

“I am aware. Omega told me about your escape. It was quite clever. But while I was on Tantiss, I was not informed of either of you escaping, I had been led to believe both of you were held captive the entire time. Though I saw you all on the security cameras and judging by your interactions with each other, I had determined that I was missing information.”

Crosshair sniffed. Typical of Hemlock to hide that fact. Because what use was Tech if he didn’t have Omega’s safety to hold against him? Of course he wouldn’t have given that away. And he certainly never made Crosshair or Omega aware that Tech was alive and on the base too.

“In the hangar I also saw Echo and Omega with Dr Karr, she had supervised me once early on but that was my only interaction with her, she is a clone as well correct?” Tech continued.

Hunter raised a brow.

“She is, yeah. How did you know?”

Tech raised a brow back.

“Clones have a tendency of sharing similar features. I could tell by looking at her.”

Hunter’s face went blank and Crosshair suppressed an amused grin.

“…Right.”

They talked a little more about the events leading up to their collective escape. Tech explained that things had worn on with a steady routine mostly, aside from small changes that ended up playing in his favour.

“I noticed that as time went on, some of the guards became rather lax. They did not expect me to attempt to escape again, so they didn’t pay as much attention to me. One of them had unintentionally increased the range of motion of my hands when binding me, which let me reach the headset and my glasses on the table next to me. During the Zillo beast incident, I was able to use the frames to pick open my cuffs.” He pulled his glasses off and fiddled with the temple tips, quieting as he remembered his escape and the events that preceded it.

It had been a long six months and by the end of it, he was well and truly worn out. Despite that, he saw the opportunity to escape and took it, making the most of the situation. While he was incredibly lucky to have made it on the ship in the end, every aspect of his escape up to that point had been the result of training and experience. It was like muscle memory. He was glad that he hadn’t lost that after everything.

That last two weeks had been especially pressing, and now that he knew that Omega had been recaptured after escaping previously, it made sense that things had been so tense. Hemlock was likely stressed. He’d lost Omega, his most valuable asset, once already and there was a chance she’d get out again no matter how much security he put in place. And he was right to be cautious, because this time she got out in only two weeks, bringing other children with her and releasing the Zillo beast to wreak havoc on the mountain base.

Tech had known something was off at the time, though he couldn’t place exactly what that was. Hemlock had been acting differently. He’d given him more work, less food and less time to sleep. When the drug wore off he’d pass out and sleep deeply, but he would usually wake up within 12 hours or so of going to sleep. This time he hadn’t been given time to wake up, instead being injected with a hypo and sent to work again.

The mix of chemicals in his system and the sharp shifts in his sleep patterns made him feel unwell to say the least, a feeling that hadn’t really gone away yet if he was honest with himself.

And then of course Hemlock had continued his efforts to push him to his limit, but this time he was relentless. Instead of backing off once Tech had lost control, this time he’d pushed harder. He didn’t allow Tech any space to breathe or to ground himself. Where he would usually stop or even remove triggers this time he’d increased and added them.

Tech didn’t think he’d ever experienced such an intense period of overwhelm in his life. He didn’t think he’d ever could have imagined what that could feel like. It was like being burned, electrocuted and drowned from the inside out while also being completely separated from his own body, drifting somewhere nearby, not even aware of anything anymore.

By the time he’d come back to himself he was curled up on his side on the floor, vision dark and body trembling and sore. His face was wet with tears, sweat and drool and he tasted blood. He later found out that he’d bitten his hand so hard he’d cut the skin. His throat burned and he couldn’t speak for a full day afterwards and he wondered even now if he must have screamed himself hoarse. He didn’t remember everything. Enough to feel like he was being pulled back into the moment when he thought of it, but not enough to understand what exactly happened or even what order.

He remembered clearly the way Hemlock had looked at him. He remembered gazing up from the floor, gasping and dizzy and making eye contact with him, his piercing stare locking him in place. He’d just watched him for what felt like forever before ordering someone to take him back to his cell and clean him up. He hadn’t seen him again after that. He was brought back to his cell to work the next morning and he escaped three days later.

Tech flinched when someone touched his forearm, the hand pulling back when he looked up and put his glasses back on his face, though the blurriness didn’t go away.

Hunter sat leaning forward, his hand raised from where he’d pulled away, he looked like he wanted to reach for him again.

“Tech, are you ok?” He asked quietly.

Tech nodded sharply, of course he was. He went to say so aloud but his voice caught. He blinked in surprise. His eyes were wet.

He reached up to wipe his eyes, noticing that his hand shook, and caught sight of the remaining red bruising around his finger and thumb. He stared at his hand for a moment until it was taken and held in Crosshair’s own steady hand.

He looked up again and was met with two concerned faces. Hunter reached out again, making his movements clear as he grasped his arm into a firm and reassuring hold.

“It’s ok. We’ve got you.”

Tech leaned forward without thinking and they both shuffled to let him in, quickly wrapping their arms around him tightly. The contact instantly sent a wave of relief through him and the tension he hadn’t even realised he had suddenly dropped, along with the tears threatening to fall.

He didn’t sob. And he breathed evenly. He just relaxed and let his brothers hold him and whisper to him that everything was going to be ok, that they were proud of him, that he could relax and let them take care if him now. He didn’t question their reassurances, checking and calculating to estimate if they were true or simply false promises. He believed them entirely.

A hand carded through his hair and he closed his eyes, sinking further into their arms.

He had missed them. He was so happy he was here with them again.

They held each other for a while until his tears stopped and held on longer until they completely dried away.

Tech took a breath and sat back up to offer his brothers a small but sincere smile, one they both readily returned.

“Thank you for listening to my story.”

Chapter Text

Wrecker and Echo came home at about lunch time carrying an ice filled bucket of fish and parts of a bed frame and mattress.

Echo gave Hunter and Crosshair a wave as he helped Wrecker bring everything in. Tech was asleep on the couch and Wrecker and Echo walked quietly so as to not wake him.

Hunter walked over to look at the fish Wrecker had caught, interested in using them for a recipe he wanted to try and Crosshair came to help move the bed frame.

“How did you go this morning?” Echo asked him as he handed him pieces to carry.

Crosshair considered the question.

“Good. He told us pretty much everything and I think it did him well. It wasn’t easy though.”

Echo smiled a sad smile.

“I bet. I’m glad he opened up though, it’ll make a difference.”

“I hope so.” Crosshair hummed.

“It will. He asked for you and Hunter to be there for him because that was all he needed. You’ve done him good.”

Crosshair’s eyes shone and his face softened before he caught himself.

“Yeah ok.” He waved him off, hiding a smile.

They carried the frame into Crosshair’s room and started setting it up across from the bed against the window, moving the chair that was sitting in the corner out of the room.

Now there two beds sat against the wall with a bedside table between them. The room felt more full and lived in already.

While Crosshair had never mentioned it aloud, he was looking forward to sharing the room with Tech again, it had been too long since he’d shared his sleeping space with him. It reminded him of when they were cadets on Kamino, or of their close bunks on the Marauder. It was familiar and safe.

When they came back out to the living room, Tech was waking up and Wrecker was sitting by him saying hello. Echo noticed that while he looked tired, he also looked relaxed and was easily sitting back and making conversation with Wrecker.

Hunter looked on from the kitchen with an equally relaxed posture as he prepped and packed away the fish he wasn’t cooking.

The room felt light as everyone milled about, the smell of a fresh meal filling the space with warmth.

Echo saw movement out the front window and stepped outside to find Omega.

“Do you have everything?” He asked her.

She nodded quickly, presenting two bags full of items.

She carried the bags in and put down by the couch, greeting Tech as she went to help Hunter bring out lunch.

They sat around the low table on the couch today, enjoying the comfort of each other’s company.

Omega told them about the gifts she, Lyana and the boys had made for the clones who were leaving soon. Braided bracelets, carved wooden figures and hand painted notes for them to take with them, to remind them of Pabu as a place they were always welcome to come back to.

“We also got some things for you Tech!” Omega grinned.

Tech raised his eyebrows in question.

“Really?”

Omega stood and grabbed the bags out and put them on the table in front of him before pulling the first item out.

“Me and Echo got you some new clothes, they were all made by people on the island.” She placed a small stack of clothes on the table, mostly long sleeved shirts and long, comfortable pants, knowing he wasn’t fond of shorter length clothing.

He picked up each piece and held them out to look at them, noting that they were all soft in colour and fabric. There were also a couple of knitted and woven vests and jackets, that were light but well fitted.

Next she pulled out a hand made leather cover sketch book and a case of pencils.

“I know you used to document things you found on your data pad, so I thought you might like to try drawing things you find in here. Like your own Pabu Encyclopaedia.”

He brushed his hand over the brown cover and opened it. The pages were also hand made and had been carefully sewn together. The first page had various pressed flowers arranged across the page, with ‘For Tech’ written in cursive in the centre. It was beautiful. He could see that time and care had been put into making it. He already had ideas for entries to create.

“Me and Lyana picked the flowers. They’re from all over the island, I can show you where they are sometime.”

Tech met her gaze.

“I would enjoy that very much. Thank you.”

Beside her, Echo reached into the second bag and pulled out a case. He opened it to reveal a set of tools which Tech looked over with interest.

“I know they’re not the same as what you had, and there’s definitely some missing. But for now I hope these will work for you. I know you’ll want to be getting back to tinkering as soon as possible.” Echo grinned knowingly.

“I would yes. Thank you.” Tech replied as he picked up a tool to inspect. He still wanted to make a new case for Crosshair’s rifle among other things. These tools would be perfect.

Finally, Wrecker reached into the bag and pulled something out, his hand engulfing the item.

Tech put the tool down as he looked up at what Wrecker had for him.

He held his hand out to reveal Tech’s goggles. It was quiet as he took his goggles and inspected them

The frames were no longer scuffed or dented and the lenses had been replaced. They looked brand new.

“There’s a couple of metal workers and a glass smith on the island. They fixed em for ya.” Wrecker explained.

Tech held the goggles close to his chest.

“Thank you.” He said sincerely.

“Put them on Tech!” Omega called out.

He took off his glasses that had served him well, though he looked forward to being rid of them. They were just another reminder of Tantiss after all. Closing his eyes, he slipped the repaired goggles on and felt them settle into place with a familiar pressure.

When he opened his eyes he was met with five happy faces.

“Well? How do I look?”

Omega and Wrecker laughed.

“You look great Tech.” Omega cheered and Wrecker grinned brightly.

“Yeah! You look like, well, you!”

He felt like him too. Mostly. He still scarred inside and out and was missing half a leg. But with his goggles on and surrounded by his caring, thoughtful, patient family, it was as close as he could hope to be. He didn’t feel out of place anymore, afraid of being a burden or causing any strife. How could he when they loved him so much?

He still had a long way to go to feeling whole again. But for now, he was quite content.

He sat and listened as his family talked. Hunter promised to take him to the Marauder to pick through the parts so he could reuse them. Crosshair, with encouragement from Omega, offered to help him find things to decorate his space in their room. Wrecker offered to take him up the island to meet the people who had helped fix his goggles and make his clothing and Echo promised to keep in touch when left to take the rescued clones to Rex.

“You will be leaving soon I assume?” He didn’t want to think about Echo leaving again, but he knew he was leaving for a good cause and that he would be back with them soon enough.

“Yeah, we leave in two days. I’ll stick around for a while to make sure everyone settles in and then I’ll come back.” He assured. “But while I’m gone you’ll have these guys still, so don’t miss me too much.” He nudged his shoulder with a friendly smirk.

Of course. While he’d like Echo to stay a little longer, he wouldn’t ask that of him. And he was right, he had his family with him now so he would be just fine.

Yeah.

He was just fine.