Gunshots echoed through the forest. A breathless Omega ran as fast as her feet could carry her away from the chaos. Leaves crunched under her boots as she sprinted for cover behind the thickest tree, enough to give her a break. She slid down, resting her back against the trunk.
"Hunter?" she whispered into her comm device. There was no response for a while. Omega sat in, thinking of all the worst possibilities that could have happened.
"I saw her run this way. She couldn't have gotten far," a muffled trooper shouted from afar.
Omega tried to make herself as small as possible. She couldn't run anymore at risk of being caught. Her only option was to hide and hope she wasn't found.
Footsteps got closer, making her heart race. She was terrified of going back to Kamino. To become an experiment again. To be alone.
She covered her ears, hoping it would drown out the noises, making it less scary. A large hand grabbed her shoulder. She opened her mouth to shout, hoping that maybe someone would come to her aid, though she knew it was a long shot. However, the other gloved hand pressed against her lips before she could say anything.
"Don't scream unless you want us both to be found," a low, even voice said, barely above a whisper.
Omega glanced up at the person next to her. Tears welled up in her eyes when she saw Crosshair. She was relieved to see him now realizing that she would be safe. He took his hand away after making his point and slowly got up, directing her to follow him. The trooper's hollers disappeared as they made it farther away.
Once enough distance was put between the two groups, Omega sighed.
"Thank you for helping me." She gave him a small smile.
"Hunter would've tried to kill me if I didn't," he responded. That much was true, but Crosshair too felt a wave of relief wash over him when he found her. Though he wasn't the most affectionate of the batch, it didn't mean he didn't care about the youngest's safety.
"We need to get back to the ship. The mission is completed and the others are waiting." He carefully examined the area. "Let's go."
Omega nodded, staying close by her brother as they navigated their way through the vegetation. It was nearly midnight. If it was under any other circumstances a torch would have been the obvious answer, but not when it would give their position away to the Empire.
Omega tried to keep Crosshair in her sights, but she was exhausted. Her legs were sore from all the constant running and she didn't think she'd ever been up so late. She forced herself to keep moving, not wanting to be a burden.
Crosshair kept checking behind him. He could tell the girl was noticeably becoming more distant. He cursed himself for not thinking about the time before. He stopped and waited for her to catch up.
"S-Sorry," she panted. "I'm just..a little tired."
The marksman raised an eyebrow from under his helmet. They still had a bit ways to go. There wasn't any way that she would be able to continue without collapsing.
"I'll carry you. You're too tired and will only slow us down," he said, extending a hand out to her. She was hesitant at first, possibly embarrassed that she couldn't keep up, but he didn't have time for her to be difficult. He scooped her up, holding the child the way he saw Hunter and Wrecker hold her.
Omega buried her face into his shoulder. Sleepiness took over her, but every time she felt that she was dozing off, she stopped herself. After what felt like an hour they had finally come to an opening. Crosshair set her down, tapping at his comm.
"Hunter, are you there?" he impatiently said into it.
"Crosshair! Is that you?"
"You're smart," he jeered. "I'm sending you my location, and before you ask, I have the kid. Hurry up."
"Are they coming?" Omega asked, ready to be back on the ship. Her room with a cushion floor and calming lights was the only thing on her mind at the moment.
"They will be," he answered. "Stay here. Someone needs to wave them over." Crosshair eyed the girl to make sure she didn't follow. She had a problem with listening to orders at times.
"Wait-" He ignored her call and stepped out into the open area. There was no sight of the Marauder yet. He would make sure to talk with Tech about his time management skills later.
"You, clone!"
Crosshair immediately turned around. He quickly drew his rifle aiming it in the direction of the person who spoke. To his surprise it was only one of the new TK troopers. A poor excuse for a soldier in his opinion. He narrowed his eyes on the white armored man who was gripping a struggling Omega by the throat.
"Put your weapon down," the trooper yelled, pressing the tip of the gun to the blonde girl's side.
"Not a chance," the sniper sneered, fixing his scope on the target.
The man didn't seem to catch on. He pulled Omega closer, protecting his chest and face with her small body.
"I won't say it again!" he shouted a threat once more.
Crosshair scoffed. To think he had wanted to be a part of such a group of idiots before.
"Wrong move." Within a blink of an eye, a perfect shot fired from the sniper.
Omega felt a small sensation of heat wiz by her head, barely missing it. The grip around her loosened and a large thud was heard behind. She stepped away and ran towards Crosshair.
"Are you okay?" he asked, taking his helmet off to get a better look. He wasn't expecting arms to be thrown around his waist. He could feel the girl trembling from her sobs. He awkwardly patted her back for a few moments, eventually pulling her away.
"Did he hurt you?" he asked again. Omega shook her head, but he still checked anyway. "You're fine," he tried to comfort, unsure of how to soothe the crying child.
"I'm sorry," she rasped out. "I didn't hear him sneak up on me...I know I should have been looking around me, but I-"
"It's not your fault." He held his hand up to cut her off. " That guy was a di'kut thinking he could do anything without a squad."
Omega wiped at her eyes. "So you're not mad at me?"
Crosshair didn't know how to respond. Why would she think that he would be upset with her? He was more angry at himself for leaving her alone. If he wasn't such a good shot, then events could have gone a lot differently.
"No, I'm not mad," he simply said, yet his tone was softer than he would have liked it to be.
"Thank you again, Crosshair." Omega stood up straighter, looking him in the eyes. " I-
She was about to say something else when a loud humming of a ship swooped down next to them.
"Come on, kid. You need sleep if you're going to be of any use to us tomorrow," the quieter clone stated, gesturing for her to climb up the ramp that had the rest of their family awaiting inside.
I know that Omega is technically older, but in my mind she will always be the youngest 😌
Sorry that there aren't as many updates as usual. I've started school and teachers have been giving out a lot of homework already. I hate high school.
I do have some drafts and ideas, it's just not gonna be as frequent updates, but there will be at least one, maybe more a week
-Chop💙🧡🤍