The Bad Batch: One Shot Collection

Page Down (Part 3)

Author's Note: Welp, it took a while to finish but here we are! Enjoy!

~ Amina Gila

"You messed up, and now everyone will know," Crosshair informs Wrecker grumpily, arms crossed.

"It was an accident," Wrecker nearly whines. They're already in the shuttle, though, so at least they made it out? Except, now there's an alarm going off, and Crosshair isn't wrong that regs – and the new recruits – are going to be swarming to their position in moments.

The escape-plan-thing doesn't go as planned. Not that Crosshair really had a plan. Wrecker was just following, though he thinks Crosshair's still mad at him. Unless he had a plan he didn't tell Wrecker again, which still hurts. They aren't supposed to do that. They tell each other everything.

Hunter nearly trips and Wrecker grabs his shoulder to keep him upright. "Can we move?" he asks. Wrecker thinks he sounds tired, though he's not sure if he's hurt or just tired. He still looks pale, and it's unnerving.

"Evidently not," Crosshair snaps back. He won't stop snapping, and that hurts, too.

Everything hurts, and Wrecker really, really wishes it would stop. He and Crosshair have been arguing non-stop, and Crosshair is the only person he's got left. They scramble into the shuttle, and Hunter tries going for the pilot's seat.

Crosshair grabs his arm and drags him back. "You are not flying."

"I can fly!" Hunter protests, vaguely wounded.

"Says who?"

Hunter grumpily crosses his arms. They still haven't made it to firing up the engines. But Hunter is upset and that is probably not good. "Me."

"You're not in charge here," Crosshair snaps back. "Now sit down!"

He dejectedly slumps into the co-pilot seat. "Yes, I am."

"I'm the Commander," Crosshair grumbles, firing up the engine. Wrecker sits down behind him, so he can keep watching Hunter. He was hurt. "You're not in charge of anything. Get over it."

"Yes, I am," Hunter argues, "I'm the leader of –"

"Nothing," Crosshair says loudly.

"Everyone... on this ship?" He sounds vaguely uncertain about that, and Wrecker looks at Crosshair.

"Is he acting weird to you?" Wrecker whispers, leaning forward.

Crosshair drops his head onto the control panel with a furious growl-groan. Wrecker freezes, watching him. Did he do something dumb again? "Hunter?" he says grumpily, "Just – be quiet. Actually, both of you be quiet."

Wrecker slumps in his seat sullenly. He's just trying to help. He can't do anything right anymore, can he? Hunter was mad at him for not helping them break out of prison before he left with Tech and Echo and the kid. Crosshair's been mad at him for something or other ever since. And then they captured Hunter, and Wrecker let him get away, and then Wrecker destroyed his comm because he didn't know they needed it.

He was just angry, because they finally got everyone back and Hunter tried to make them leave again. Wrecker knows Hunter's probably right about the control-thing. Maybe. He usually is, but he's a traitor, too. He left them, and Wrecker is still hurt. Hunter stunned him. He shot at him instead of coming back.

But Hunter was hurt, too, and they couldn't let him die.

Wrecker doesn't want him dead. He wants to – keep him.