The Bad Batch: Oneshots

Gone Wrong P2

Murmurs. Soft yet loud at the same time. Tech couldn't decide whether they were calming or annoying. The voices were urgent, swapping back and forth rapidly in conversation. Rolling over, the clone didn't expect the shrill ache his head gave off in performing the simple action.

"Tech?" a gruff voice questioned as a large hand gently shook him, causing the pain to intensify upon doing so. "You up?" Wrecker's face, slightly blurry, stared down at him with wide eyes.

"Give him some space, Wrecker," Echo scolded the brute. The ARC walked over, giving the technician a worried expression, placing a light hand on his back. "You inhaled quite a decent amount of toxic air," Echo explained.

"Yes, I remember," Tech grumbled, slowly sitting up, familiarizing himself with his new surroundings. Crammed into one small cell was the rest of the batch. Aside from Wrecker and Echo being on either side of him, there was Hunter, leaned against a cracked stone wall looking beyond distraught. That's when Tech noticed.

"Where is Omega?"

The room fell silent for a solid second as if taking a moment to grieve. "We don't know." Echo cut a short glance to Hunter. "We woke up and she wasn't here."

Tech's memories before passing out came back to him instantly. The man. Omega. Darkness.

"We need to get out of here and find her." Hunter stood up. "Tech, could you try—"

"Let go!" Omega's shouts echoed in the distance as if the mention of her absence brought her back to them. The struggle in her voice was raw. The closer she grew, the scene was evident. A haggard looking man dressed in fayded green attire pulled the girl along, tossing her like a rag doll in a cell cloistered away from the armored men. Omega scrunched her nose, whirling around to give the man a fierce glare.

The man ignored the crude gesture, instead turning around to greet the band of brothers standing meancingly an inch away from the rayshield.

"So, the rumors are true," he spoke with disbelief, almost crazily. "How? I don't know, nor do I care."

"Admiral Rampart," Echo whispered quietly to Tech.

Tech could easily see past the unkempt exterior: the wild eyes, the grown out messy hair—no doubt that was the admiral from Kamino. "But how is that possible? He was arrested; ascused by Emeror Palpatine himself."

Rampart's gaze rested on the two, interrupting their short conversation.

"How kind of you to remember me." The admiral took a step closer, his beady eyes darting between each member. "After your little stunt, I was discharged from the Empire," Rampart spat venomously, running a hand through his frazzled locks. "My status, my career! Gone, in a blink of an eye." He stared off into space as if reminiscing in the moment, trying to relish in his last moments of glory before it was ripped away. "All because of your bad batch," he said, snapping out of his trance. "You took everything from me that day! My reputation! My life! Everything I did was for nothing. Nothing!"

Hunter held a firm stance as the former admiral began to pace erratically before them, hands flying in the air as he listed his failed works.

"Hunter, I don't like where this is going," Echo muttered, keeping a watchful eye on Omega who had cowered to the back of her cell as the admiral ranted in an uncouth manner.

Rampart stopped abruptly, a slow smile creeping onto his pale lips. "When I received word of your whereabouts from my...colleagues, I hadn't intended on following you. That was until I was sent the toxins that the new doctor had fabricated. Spectacular little dose, wouldn't you say?" Rampart inhaled a shaky breath. "You all took everything from me, so before I hand you in, it would be unfair to not return the favor." His insidious smile grew larger as he walked toward Omega's cell.