STEALTH and TRACK: BOOK ONE

C H A P T E R N I N E T E E N

"Go help Omega. I got this." the sergeant said, and I complied without a word. I ended up losing her briefly. Abruptly, the the factory's system was shut down and rebooted; the conveyor belts began operating and the creaking of metal echoed throughout the entire facility. By the time I skidded down onto the junk-filled belt and reached Omega, she was trapped underneath tangled-up droid parts. We were cruising directly to an incinerator heap.

"I'm here, Half-Pint!" I high-kneed my way to her and began yanking at the scraps of metal, but the loose wiring had knotted into the belt's panels, enabling me to lift then so she can slip out. I instinctively reached for my vibro-knife to cut her free, only to claw at empty space at my hip. I must've left it on the ship...Well, I've never done that before. I thought. There was no time for jokes. We were coming up at the end of the line. Fast.

"Hunter, Omega's stuck on the conveyor. I can't get her out." I reported, trying to hide the panic in my voice. "We need you. Now."

"I'm on my way."

"Don't worry, Half-Pint." I grunted as I summoned all the strength I could to free her. My heartbeat palpitated faster and faster as we inched closer and closer to the drop zone. My panting increased. Of course, I could back off and scurry to safety, but I wasn't going to abandon the young girl here...

"HUNTER!!!" We both screamed, our shrieking voices resonating within the metallic environment. 

"Hang on, Omega! Fern!" I heard his voice somewhere in the distance.

Alas, it was too late. I had not realized just how close we had gotten until we tumbled over the edge and onto the scrap pile. "Keep moving!" I viscerally yanked Omega to her feet and pushed her out of the way as more chunks of droid crashed down. "To the wall! Go!" I grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the sloped side. There, at the top, the second woman associated with Rafa appeared. Her face was also revealed, and by a quick glimpse, I instantly figured they were related - most likely sisters.

"Over here!" she called in a high-pitched voice. "Hurry!"

"Take her!" I immediately hoisted Omega up first under her arms and the woman retrieved her to safety. My clock was ticking as the furnace doors busted open in the center, and the scrap pile collapsed in. I tried jumping up, but I missed the stranger's fingertips by centimeters.

"Fern!" Omega cried, leaning over the ledge on her hands and knees. "Hurry!"

I quickly scanned the heap and lugged up a droid leg to her, who grabbed the other end. And just in time, as the ground doors finished uncovering the incinerator underneath. I was dangling just feet above a pool of gleaming, molten metal. The fumes radiating from it burned my senses to oblivion. I folded my neck back to see the woman and Omega straining to keep their grasp on the other end of the droid leg. My own arm muscles were cramping under the weight of my body. I noticed in my peripheral vision police droids approaching. Just as I was about to order Omega to run, Hunter dropped from above via grappling line, blasting the droids.

The moment his feet touched down, he whipped around and came to my aid. He dropped to his knees, reached down, and clung onto my bicep before hoisting me up. "I got you, Fern." he assured softly. Once I was not hovering over the incineration pit and pressing my hands and knees onto the warm concrete flooring, I took a moment to catch my breath, allowing my head to hang down. The end of my long braid grazed the floor. That was terrifying... I admitted to myself, panting through my nose. Eventually, my heart resided to a normal pace.

"Are you okay?" The sergeant touched my shoulder in concern.

"Phew, talk about out of the frying pan and into the fire, am I right?" I quipped while managing a smile at him. I couldn't see Hunter's expression, but something told me he was smiling, too. He then turned to the woman who helped me and Omega and sincerely thanked her, who welcomed it kindly. I thanked her as well.

Abruptly, Rafa dropped out of nowhere, brushing herself off after she stumbled to her feet. The rest of us were slightly confused on where she apparated from. "Oh, I'm fine." She rolled her eyes, sarcastically. "Don't worry about me or anything. Now, as you can see, the droid head is ours." 

In the distance, the warbling of more police droids informed us this whole ordeal was far from over; there was no time for banter over the target. "We can debate this later." I suggested, arming myself with my blaster and shooting over Hunter's shoulder. I put myself in front of Omega as we all backed up. "If all of us are going to get out of this, we need to work together."

"Fine," Rafa gave in. "But I still don't like your buckethead friend here."

"I've had my days, too." I smirked with a shrug.

We then all raced to meet up with the rest of the Clone Force 99.