#cx-tech

“You are distracted,” the assassin’s vocoder hummed as they locked in a grapple. 

Hunter huffed, finally breaking his hold and wrapping the CX in a headlock. He heard the choke break from his throat, the mic picking it up and playing the garbled noise as he clawed at Hunter’s arm for purchase.

Then, everything happened in what felt like the span of a blink.

The CX landed a sharp elbow to Hunter’s thigh, right about where he’d caught some stray shrapnel during the war.

Hunter’s hold tightened as he growled in pain.

The renewed strength that curled around the CX’s throat pushed his helmet up.

Hunter looked down at the man and was sure his mind was playing tricks on him.

He’d expected to see that familiar regulation haircut of a standard clone, but instead was met with a light brown buzzed closer to the scalp than it used to be.

The CX, snarling and trying to escape that suffocating hold, reminded him of Tech. 

No. No. He had to be imagining things.

His momentary distraction gave the CX just enough leeway to wrestle away from him, sucking in a sharp breath.

Finally, he looked up at Hunter as they both caught their breath. Looking at the other man, Hunter was sure he was going to be sick.

Brown eyes glowered at him, unaccompanied by that familiar yellow tint, ringed with scars.

“Tech?”

“‘Tech’ is dead,” the CX corrected. No longer altered by the vocoder, his voice was rougher, more strained. It made Hunter’s chest ache more. “He died on Eriadu.”

The CX charged him, knocking them both to the ground.

“I won’t fight you,” Hunter growled, still blocking each thrown fist.

“You will die regardless,” the CX said.

They rolled across the ground, Hunter grappling to the top. “Come on, Tech,” he panted. “Snap out of it!”

“There is nothing of which to ‘snap out’,” he growled, his hand grasping Hunter’s wrist and twisting until he let out a pained grunt. “Don’t you remember? ‘Tech’ is gone. You left him for dead.”

The CX bucked Hunter off of him, grabbing a dagger concealed in his boot, and swinging it at his former sergeant.

“You left me– him for dead, just like you left Crosshair behind,” the assassin taunted, dodging Hunter’s attempts at regaining his hold. “Twice.” 

Hunter growled, but he knew what his brother was trying to do. He used to do this when they were cadets; if Tech found the right button to press, Hunter would get distracted, giving him a momentary advantage. It used to work. He couldn’t let it work now, not when he saw a flash of movement from the corner of his eye.

“Echo was smart,” the CX continued. “He left on his own; didn’t even give you the chance.”

“You know why Echo left,” Hunter grimaced as Tech slashed at his leg, vibro-blade cutting easily through the thin fabric of his pants. “You supported his fight against the Empire; he’s fighting for you!” Another enraged slash. He almost had him exactly where he needed him. “He’s fighting the very people who turned you into this!”

“The Empire saved me!” Tech howled, his hits and slashes becoming heavier as his anger grew. “They came back for me when you let me fall!”

Just a few more steps, Hunter thought as he jumped backward onto the grass that surrounded the weeping maya tree. “You can break out of this, Tech,” he hissed as his brother knocked him to the ground. “If anyone can, it’s you!”

“You let them take Crosshair! You let them take me! And then you let them take Omega!” Tech screamed, abandoning his knife in favor of pounding his rage into Hunter’s face. “She is more important than anything! I gave up everything to save her and you let her go!”

“No,” Omega said, her voice lethally calm as she held Hunter’s blaster to Tech’s neck. “It wasn’t his fault. It was impossible to avoid.”

Tech stopped his barrage, his head turning to see her from the corner of his eye. “Come with me, Omega,” he panted. “I will protect you. You will serve a purpose far greater than anything you could do here.”

“I’ll stay with you,” she acquiesced. “But we’re not going to the Empire.”

She pulled the trigger, and a stun bolt hit his neck and rendered him unconscious immediately. 

He slumped forward atop Hunter.

“Hunter,” she gasped, gently rolling Tech off of him.

He was thoroughly beaten, his face split and bloody in spots, bruised and swollen in others. He coughed, then groaned as he pushed himself to his elbows, one hand coming to rest on her shoulder.

“You did good, kid,” he assured her, words coming out huffed and slightly slurred. “‘m alright, I’m alright. He’s gonna be alright.”

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Thanks for reading! - River

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