STEALTH and TRACK: BOOK ONE

C H A P T E R F O R T Y-S E V E N

"We're loyal to each other, not some Empire." Hunter corrected him. 

"You weren't loyal to me." he snapped back.

Hunter and I were taken back at this revelation... Suddenly, my wish to hear Crosshair's point of view was granted as the enhanced clone confessed, "I was one of you. You may have forgotten, but I haven't. And it's why I'm going to give you, what you never gave me...a chance..."

Even his subordinates flinched at these words. Confusion flooded my thoughts and anxiety. For once, I could not deduce what would happen next... My lips parted, yet I was unable to audit a cohesive response. When he received word that Omega was found, he ordered for her to be taken off-world.

"Crosshair, don't." Hunter objected.

"It's for her own good. And yours."

"Omega belongs with us."

"Oh? Living among fugitives where she's in constant danger?" Crosshair scoffed. "You want to protect the kid? Then, let her go. Stop pretending to be something you're not, Hunter."

"We can't do that." I stepped in. "Because only we can provide her what she truly needs, regardless of the danger. That's what we do, is protect her. Only with us, is she truly safe from harm."

"Do you hear yourself?" He turned his attention to me. "I'll admit that I always believed you would have been a tremendous asset to the squad during the war. But last I recall, you despised the very idea of being part of any team. You say I've changed, when Princess, you've betrayed yourself." I narrowed my eyes at the familiar, yet offhand moniker while he rotated his head back to Hunter. "She's delusional even when she knows the truth. You, me, her, and the others, we're not like the regs. Never have been. We're all superior. The Empire can't protect the galaxy without strength. This is what we were made for. Think of what we can do, together..."

Click. Click.

Suddenly, Hunter and I were freed from our restraints by Crosshair using my vibro-knife. "We were brothers once, Hunter..." 

He pushed both of us to Echo, Wrecker, and Tech, the latter pulling me even closer to him. When I met his light-brown orbs through his yellow-tinted spectacles, he attracted my gaze to his left. There, I caught the sheen of a mirrored dot on the center slope. Tech's and my eyes again locked at what was occurring... 

"We can be again."

"Why would we trust you?" Hunter growled, glaring at him. In response, Crosshair pointed his blaster at the sergeant, yet proceeded to order his men to stand down... My heart pounded as the officers declined, taking their aim at us, ready to execute us like fish in a barrel. It nearly stopped when ---

Pow!

A single bolt was fired, and a second later, all four Imperial troopers were dead...

The sharpshooter lowered the weapon and approached us, removing his helmet. "Does that answer your question?"

"No." I bluntly retorted. "You've got a lot more riddles to decrypt for us. Enough games already, Crosshair."

"You all are meant for more than drifting through the galaxy. It's time to stop running." His tone commanded, almost desperately. "Join the Empire, and you will have purpose again."

"You really don't get who we are, do you?" I couldn't see Hunter's face from behind, but I imagined he was growing anxious himself.

"Don't make the same mistake twice." Crosshair's voice subtly cracked. "Don't become my enemy."

"Crosshair," My own voice fell. "All this time, we never were." 

I watched the clone flinch at my words. For a moment, I thought I'd altered a positive change in the altercation. Until.. an alarm began blaring. Abruptly, the training facility sprang to life: the watchtowers rose up in each corner and the exact droids that fired live ammo emerged in great numbers and viscerally surrounded us. The instant Crosshair was distracted by the commotion, Hunter hurled himself forward and tackled him to the floor. The rest of us, myself borrowing one of Tech's blasters, worked on destroying the destructive droids. 

"This has Omega written all over it!" I shouted, taking cover behind one of the hatched barriers. We had to attack from all sides while Hunter proceeded to quarrel with Crosshair. Armed with only one blaster, I couldn't focus on anything but the droids. Tech hovered closely; we intermitted our cover for each other. Blaster fire filled the metallic space, and I familiarized my senses to being on the battlefield. I stayed low; I changed positions when necessary, with Tech on my heels. Suddenly, my ears caught the spouting of a rifle...and my peripheral vision served me well to see Crosshair performing his former purpose...

"Fern!" he called out, flicked my vibro-knife into a nearby droid for me to retrieve, and proceeded to cover Hunter and Wrecker's backs. While stunned by his alliance, I didn't argue and ripped the blade out and latched it to its rightful place on my hip. Eventually, all the droids were destroyed and, consequently, everyone, including me, instantly directed their attention and weapons on the sharpshooter. I watched him rise to his feet and face us, unsurprised of what he was confronted with. My hand gripped the hilt of my knife.

"Crosshair, forget the Empire." Hunter urged, holding his armed hand out. "This isn't you." He then sighed, "It's your inhibitor chip. We can help you."

"It's like I said earlier." I stepped forward, closer to where Tech was standing on guard. The sharpshooter's dull, toasted-amber orbs briefly met my begging ones. "From the beginning, we could've helped you. Here's your chance to make things right."

"You're wrong...Both of you." Crosshair shook his head, staring Hunter dead in the eye. "I had my chip removed...a long time ago..."

The entire Clone Force 99 flinched at this confession. What snapped inside me in that moment, can't be described in words... My body instantly stiffened as Hunter shot back, "Since when?"

"Does it matter?" Crosshair tilted his head.

"Yes..." I growled. The blaster Tech had lend me slipped from my trembling fingers. My body shifted forward, and then I would've drove my drawn knife into his chest in one charge if Tech had not intercepted, allowing me to crash into his torso. Blinded by my rage, I violently clawed at the space between me and Crosshair over his shoulder, shrilling, "How could you do this?! After all that you've been through before Order 66?! They are your brothers! The only family who ever accepted you! You, you monster!!! You...you..." My emotions consumed me and clogged my throat. I stifled back tears and grew limp in Tech's embrace. My chin lowered; my forehead collapsed into Tech's chest plate. His hands remained firmly, but with assurance, on my biceps.

"This," I heard Crosshair calmly state, unaffected by my outburst. "is who I am now..."

I didn't see, but I recognized the stun shot. Raising my head, I watched Crosshair crumble face-down.

"Are you alright?" the intellectual clone asked in a low tone only I could hear. 

I nodded, regaining my composure and taking a few deep breaths. "I'll be fine." I cleared my throat. Not very convincing, I realized. We regrouped with the others. As Omega, appearing out of nowhere, sprinted past me to embrace Hunter around his cinched waist, I knelt down at Crosshair's unconscious body, touching his face ever so gently...to see if it was true... It was difficult to tell with his burn scar... I exchanged silent words with Hunter with just my eyes gazing up at him.

"Hunter," Tech chimed in. "I just received a signal that three Venators are descending on the city. We need to leave, now."

"Hunter, grab the rifle and gear." My mouth ordered on its own. "Wrecker, grab Crosshair. We're taking him with us. I have a few more words I like to express once he wakes up." The two clones didn't object. Before following the boys, I stopped the young girl and pulled her in for a quick hug. "Good work, Half-Pint." I breathed into her ear. Then, after rising to my feet, I squeezed her hand, who reciprocated with a big smile and nod. Finally, we, Clone Force 99, sprinted our way back to the Marauder.