THIRD PERSON POV
Across the bench sat Hunter, Omega, Fern, and Echo in that order. Wrecker reclined on the floor, propping up his upper body with his arms behind him. Tech also was seated on the bench, but a few feet down from everyone else. His foot was tapping as he profusely pondered over an escape plan.
Fern noticed Omega's mimicking behavior that she had displayed with her earlier - now with Hunter. The sergeant started with his right leg resting on his left knee, leaning back with hands behind his head. He then lowered said leg and propped his chin up with his right hand on his right knee; finally, he placed said hand down, all while glancing over and noticing the young girl copying every one of those movements. It seemed to amuse Hunter, but Fern rolled her eyes at the scene playing out.
The young girl read the tension between the two adult clones; both were avoiding eye contact with one another. "You two don't like each other very much, do you?" she asked blatantly.
Wrecker whistled at the awkward silence that followed and scooted himself away from the situation.
"You are a perceptive one, aren't you." Fern groaned, tightening her knotted arms. "It's also none of your business."
"I agree with Fern on that matter, Kid." Hunter shook his head. "It's just a complicated mishap during a mission that involved us."
"Is that what you're calling it?" Fern scoffed, putting Hunter on the defense. "What would you call it then? If both of us had done our jobs, everything would have worked out in the end."
"You're wrong, and you know it." Fern jumped to her feet, and Hunter followed suit. Omega leaned back in their shadows with eyes wide open. "I did my job. You were the one who failed to communicate."
"You left your post and allowed the Separatists to pass through! I had to come find you outside the bomb shelter."
"Um, guys?" Omega recovered her posture and began to reach out to the two arguing clones, but Echo extended his human hand across and stopped her. "It's no use." Echo sighed, hanging his head.
"The Separatists had already arrived. I had heard nothing from you!" Fern's shouts were escalating with every word. She stomped closer to Hunter until they were toe to toe, sizing herself up to him by puffing her chest out and arching her neck back. "I thought you were dead! I rendezvoused back to the base because I was alone! Did you expect me to wait around so droids could surround me?!"
"You should've stuck to the plan!" Hunter matched her volume, towering himself over her.
"I did!"
"You didn't!"
"I got it!" Tech sprang up from his seat in the far corner. While Hunter and Fern had been bickering, he had composed a plan of escape. He then brought it upon himself to separate the two with his body. "If you two are done debating the past, I finally thought of something in an unforgiving amount of time." As Hunter and Fern breathed heavily, the latter fell back in anger.
"Ugh!" she growled with her teeth clenched, clawing the air between them. "You are so infuriating!" She then huffed and spoke in a low voice. "This is why I am not part of your squad, nor will I ever be... After we escape Kamino, the instant we land on another planet, I want out..."
Hunter closed his eyes for a moment. "Fine. Do whatever you want." He then turned to Tech next to him to discuss the intellectual clone's plan.
Meanwhile, Fern turned away from the Batch, her face flaring up so much she was on the verge of tears. All she wanted to do was scream. She only managed to cool down through heaving deep breaths and repeating their coincidentally-mutual goal in her head. She felt calm enough to rejoin the others, just in time for Tech to call her over.
"You mean I can punch our way out?!" Wrecker grew a little too excited, and Hunter and Omega shushed him in unison before he alerted the guards' suspicions anymore. While Tech explained what Wrecker needed to do, Echo tapped on Fern's shoulder.
"You okay?" He asked with such a genuine tone that Fern suddenly felt bad for causing such a ruckus. She admitted that was on her. Though Omega could've minded her own business, too... "I will be fine once we get off Kamino." Fern said honestly. "I'm assuming you noticed Admiral Tarkin as well?"
"Yeah, not a big fan of his."
"We agree on that." Fern nodded with a half-twisted grin. "That's the only reason why I'm going with you guys. To get as far away from that snake as possible."
"Hmm," Echo also nodded, and glanced to the side. "Fern, would it—"
"Hey, form a wall." Hunter instructed to the two of them, giving Fern in particular a look that caused her to make one as well. Nonetheless, she and Echo stood with Tech, Hunter, and Omega (she folded her hands behind her just like Hunter). While they provided cover, Wrecker pounded the metal wall and instantly hopped onto the bench, gazing around casually as the guards looked on. Nothing had happened so once the guards turned their attention away, Tech instructed him to hit it harder. Don't need to tell the big oaf twice. BOOM. This time Tech inspected it.
"Ugh! It didn't work!" Wrecker complained.
"Oh, yes, it did." Tech confirmed with an impressed inflection, and he peeled back the metal sheet, revealing a hollow space to crawl up to the vent. Fern peered over Hunter's shoulder to access the situation. She then exhaled through her nose and nudged Omega forward with her knee. "Alright, Half-Pint," she shrugged, seeing no other option. "Time to make yourself useful."
"Half-Pint?" Both Hunter and Echo exchanged a look. Omega, at this point, had gotten used to it. "I'm on it."
"You sure, kid?" Hunter questioned, and when Omega nodded, he did not feel too reassured, but what choice did they have? "Okay, once you reach the other side, drop down from the vent and pull down the lever to switch off the ray shield. We'll do the rest."
"Got it." Omega nodded one more and climbed inside the wall, in which Tech returned the metal sheet to its original state. Wrecker then sat up against it. It didn't take the guards long to notice there was a prisoner missing.
"Hey! Where's the girl?"
"Oh? Didn't you know?" Fern crossed her arms with her chest puffed proudly. "She's an enhanced clone like the rest of us, and her superpower is she can walk through walls!"
"You harm her, you're a dead man." Echo growled.
"Enough games!" The leader ordered. "If you don't tell us where the girl is—"
"What will you do, Buckethead?" Fern taunted with a smirk. Even Hunter seemed wary of this side of her.
"You there, move away from the wall!"
"Why don't you come in here and make me!" Wrecker challenged.
POP! CRASH!
At that moment, the vent panel dropped from the ceiling with Omega on top and smacked down on all the guards. Unfortunately, it didn't knock out all of them.
"Omega, the switch!" Hunter called. Omega obeyed, and once they were all free, Fern and Hunter tag-teamed punched one clone while Wrecker handled the last one.
"I had that one." Fern chided while she popped her knuckles on her left hand.
"I had him first." Hunter shot back.
"Enough." Echo snapped. "Where to, Hunter?"
"We won't get far without our gear." Tech mentioned.
"Fern and I heard the guards take your things to the hangar. Your gear is probably there, too." Omega said.
"Alright, let's go. Once we get our things, we'll go after Crosshair." Hunter led the way. Getting to the hangar was the easy part, and the Bad Batch suited up. Fern found a knapsack and started stuffing it with anything she thought would be useful, including lots of Tech's gadgets. (He could rewire anything he liked.) Searching through the trunks, she stumbled upon the techno-frame from earlier. Glancing over towards the boys, she added it to her collection. In her peripheral vision, she caught Omega picking up Wrecker's Tooka doll.
"Of all the pointless junk," Fern approached the little girl from behind. "that is probably the prize." Instead of leaving it, Omega stretched her arm out to her. "Wrecker will not think it's pointless." Fern rolled her eyes, paused for a moment, and then opened her sack, groaning in defeat while allowing a happier Omega to stuff it in.
"Tech, you and Fern fire up the ship." Hunter ordered. "Omega, stay with them. Echo, Wrecker, you're with me in finding Crosshair."
"You won't have to go far." Omega warily said just as the bay doors suddenly slid open. All eyes turned to the armed clone squad filing into the darkened hangar followed by Crosshair himself, hoisting a long-ranged rifle against his shoulder. The distained look in his toasted-amber eyes struck Fern; her chest grew tight as her own eyes narrowed with bitter vigilance.
That's not Crosshair...
While Hunter took it upon himself and try to reason with the sharpshooter, Fern took Omega by the shoulder and knelt them both down behind some crates. Her eyes locked on Crosshair; she could see his itching trigger finger. "Omega," she breathed, not taking her eyes away. "Listen to me carefully. You do exactly what I or Hunter say, got it?" At first, there wasn't a reply, and Fern peered down at the young girl. "Did you hear me?"
"Yes, yes, I did." Omega nodded. "It's just, you called me 'Omega' for the first time."
Before Fern could respond, blaster fire sporadically erupted in the hangar and Hunter dove right next to Fern. He bumped into her, but he caught her bicep before she could topple over. "Part of your plan?" Fern smirked, and readied one of the blasters she found.
"Not now." Hunter grunted. Crosshair ordered for a smokescreen and a skirmish of lasers volleyed from both sides. "Wrecker, clear the smoke on three! The rest of us, get on the ship as fast as you can. Tech, we need the ship running now! And Fern," Hunter gazed back at the female clone and realized how close they were. Their noses were mere inches apart, just like earlier, but this time they weren't arguing. "you know what to do."
"It's what I do best." Fern smirked. In response, Hunter pulled out her vibro-knife from his belt and held it up blade up between them. "Thanks, by the way." Fern's smirk softened as she retrieved her weapon. "Anytime."
"Alright, Wrecker." The sergeant called, his eyes glint in hers. "One...Two..."
"Three!" The muscular clone shouted, and slammed two metal panels together, clearing the smokescreen. He chucked the same panels to take out several clones. Unfortunately, he was now out in the open, and Crosshair took the shot.
"Wrecker!" Echo called. "Are you okay?"
"Ugh...Felt that one..."
"New plan! Hunter, Echo, get Wrecker on the ship." Fern shouted over the barrage. "I'll give you cover. Half-Pint, you stay behind me unless I say otherwise. GO!" The new plan was put into action. Fern took down two guards with a precise shot each. Scanning for more targets, she caught Crosshair aiming for Hunter, and she took her last shot for his weapon...and missed.
"Hunter!" Fern cried, and a single blaster shot rang in her ears. However, it wasn't from her nor Crosshair, who dropped his now-malfunctioning rifle. Allowing her instincts to carry her, Fern hopped onto the ship and then realized it was Omega who fired. The adult pulled her into the main cabin area by her shoulder and retracted the ramp after Hunter followed close behind. She then silently removed the weapon from the young girl's hands. Underneath her feet, Fern felt the ship taking off and ascending the planet's atmosphere, eventually reaching the void of space and escaping Kamino indefinitely...