#tracked part five

.·。.·゜✭·.·✫·゜·。. .·。.·゜✭·.·✫·゜·。. The medicine wasn’t primarily manufactured on Naboo, it was shipped in from Coruscant. When the Bad Batch learned this, they all knew what they were signing up for. But, the plan was in motion now, and nothing except death would stop Hunter from getting that medicine and delivering it to you. Hunter would lead the infiltration, with Wrecker and Tech as backup. Omega was in charge of locating the medicine, and Echo was in charge of the escape plan. As per usual, Omega had to beg to be allowed on the mission, but Hunter sternly refused. She would only blow their cover, unfortunately, and needed to stay with Echo on the Havoc Marauder to make their story look as convincing as possible. With the disguises and fake identities in the works, the Bad Batch took off from the hospital. The nurse who had been keeping an eye on you watched them take off, and shook her head, thinking they had finally abandoned you after hearing the cost of your treatment. She didn’t have much faith in these types, those who travelled rather than settled, but she tried not to hold prejudices against her patients and their families. She sat by your bedside, and started to read her book, she was on her lunch break and kept you company whenever she could. You had yet to stir, mainly because of the remaining traces of poison in your system. Your vitals weren’t ideal, but you could be considered stable, for the time being. Unless the doctors could determine exactly what was poisoning you, they could only give you small doses of common drugs to alleviate your symptoms. The nurse asked each day in the lab if they had yet to determine what the poison was made up of, but they still didn’t have a solid answer. There were so many ingredients that it seemed impossible to accurately pinpoint and therefore name the poison. The working theory at the moment was that it was a new type of poison, manufactured by someone who had nothing but the intention to kill. Had that poison been given more time to get into your system, you’d likely be dead or in a coma by now. You could be in a coma now, for all the nurse knew. There was minimal external activity from you since you’d been brought in, but the nurse was deeply hoping that would soon change, and you’d open your eyes. The nurse’s lunch break came to an end, and she gave you one last look over before leaving your room. .·。.·゜✭·.·✫·゜·。. .·。.·゜✭·.·✫·゜·。. The flight to Coruscant was tense. Echo exploited every hyperspace route he knew, even ones he didn’t fully trust. It took a day to get near Coruscant, and in that time Tech had completed the disguises and fake identities. Omega had used delivery logs to pinpoint the exact warehouse that would hold the medicine, and Echo had constructed a fairly convincing backstory. Hunter, Wrecker and Tech would pose as representatives for a new trading company that wanted to strike a secret deal with the owners of the warehouse. They would swipe what they needed once inside, and then get the fuck out of there while suspicions were still low. The hours in hyperspace were spent planning and rehearsing. Omega acted as the enemy, asking strange questions that Tech somehow managed to answer. Hunter and Wrecker agreed that it was best to let Tech do the trade talk, with Wrecker acting as a bodyguard and Hunter as the silent observer. The only tricky part of the plan was that this meeting was not scheduled, it was going to be completely random, out of the blue. That would set suspicions on edge to begin with, but hopefully things would simmer down once the talking started. In the ship, everyone could sense that Echo was not a great fan of this plan. But, he realised that he wasn’t being fair to you by acting all high and mighty. Thankfully, Omega had made him see that, and now he was sure of the ends justifying the means. If stealing a bit of expensive medicine happened to make you better, he could live with that. He’d fought in a war his entire life where he had to make questionable decisions in seconds, so this was really no different. Hunter was just itching to start the mission, and Wrecker was right behind him. Tech remained cool, going over the plan in his mind another time just to make sure it was perfect. They needed the lowest risk of complications to even hope about making it out alive together. He continued doing the calculations in his head in focused silence in the bunks. Echo and Omega were the support this time, staying on the ship, being the only ones who could get the other three out of trouble should they somehow fuck up. Everyone had their part to play, just like normal. As Coruscant came into view, the Bad Batch settled into their mission mindsets. Each one was strikingly different, and if you could have documented the changes that you often witnessed in the five members when it was time to work, the results would’ve been... strange, but fascinating. Echo was up first, with Omega assisting, and he successfully got past the initial radio check. The ship landed in the shipping district, the first step of the plan was complete. Next, Hunter, Wrecker and Tech in their disguises slipped out of the ship, and into the bustling warehouses. They did receive a few odd looks, but no one called them out. Echo and Omega watched on from the ship in quiet tension, listening out for updates via the comms from the trio. Hunter and Wrecker followed behind Tech as they entered the warehouse flagged up by Omega, and slipped inside the back entrance. “I’m hopeful that we can avoid interacting with anyone and just get straight to the crates.” Tech went quiet as two warehouse workers ambled by, chatting idly. They didn’t even acknowledge the trio, they probably weren’t paid enough to deal with strange individuals wandering about the warehouse. “Let’s get a move on before someone who cares spots us.” Hunter said lowly, ushering them between the stacks of crates to get some cover. Wrecker had to squeeze between the towers of crates sideways to avoid toppling them all over with his shoulders. Tech took out the crumpled note that Omega had given him, she had scribbled down about the serial numbers of the crates that contained the medicine just in case Tech forgot. Tech hadn’t forgotten, but he read it again just to be sure. “The crates should be up ahead, keep an eye out while I find the serial number.” Tech crouched down by the crates and started examining the sides for the printed serial numbers. Wrecker was absolutely squished between the towers of crates, and Hunter was struggling to keep a track of all of the sounds and smells around the warehouse. Echo and Omega stayed sitting in the ship, keeping a track of who came in and out of the warehouse. Things seemed to be going well, albeit a bit slow, until a squad of Stormtroopers jogged past the warehouse. Echo reclined in his seat, letting the shadows obscure his face, Omega slowly lowered herself to the floor, having the most noticeable features of the Bad Batch with her striking blonde hair. “Boys, we’ve just seen a squad of Stormtroopers going past the warehouse, be on the lookout.” Echo said over the comms, his eyes following the group of white as they passed. Omega peeked over the controls and felt her heart hammering in her chest, and she wasn’t even on the mission. Echo started pressing the buttons that would prepare the ship for takeoff, but kept the engines off. Omega was thinking the same thing, as she slid off of the chair and went to find refuge in the bunks instead. “Alright, Tech’s just found the crate, we’re gonna bust it open now.” Hunter replied, obviously keeping his voice down as they weren’t alone in that vast warehouse. Workers were milling about, forklifts were transporting goods across the warehouse every minute. How the trio hadn’t been spotted and called out yet, no one knew. Maybe the workers were turning a blind eye to the three men in shifty outfits cracking open one of the crates, or maybe they were too scared to confront them with the new rule of the Empire being introduced. Times were certainly strange, Hunter knew that, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right. “Echo, you got eyes on those troopers? I don’t like being so close to them.” Hunter asked, as Tech passed him several glass vials of a clear liquid that had a very odd name. Tech replaced the lid of the crate and then nodded to the other two, signalling that they could get the fuck outta there. Wrecker started to lead the way back through the towers of crates, but they all went still at the unmistakable sound of comm chatter from a Stormtrooper up ahead. Each of the three men ducked into the shadows, as the squad walked past, guns in hand, and apparently searching for some suspicious characters. Hunter held back a hefty sigh as he realised what the situation had devolved into. It was either sneak out, or shoot out, and Hunter knew which one it would likely end up being. Wrecker was struggling to stay hidden due to his size, and Tech was desperately trying to formulate a plan that would get the three of them out of the warehouse in one piece. Hunter started drawing his knives out, and Wrecker followed suit with his blaster from his back. Tech did not pull out any weapons, not yet, but he probably would have to. “We leave one at a time, the workers should be coming back on shift soon, we can blend in with them and make our way back to the ship unnoticed.” Tech said in a hurry, to which Hunter thought about it, and slowly returned his knives to their holders. Wrecker sadly put his blaster back, hiding it under his cape. The three of them waited in silence for the workers to start returning, and as the buzzer sounded to signal the beginning of the shift, the trio split up and started walking. Tech joined the back of a group making their way out of the warehouse, and then went the other way towards the ship. He successfully boarded and threw off the disguise, sitting in the pilot’s seat and finding that Echo had already warmed the ship up. “Did you... warm up my ship?” Tech asked in surprise as Echo waited by the door for the other two. “I did.” Echo replied, not picking up on the tone in Tech’s voice. “the Stormtroopers spooked us.” Echo added quietly, unholstering his blaster. Wrecker ambled out of the warehouse on his own, but then ducked underneath a steel beam being carried by two workers. Without thinking, Wrecker lifted the beam up on his shoulder and carried it to the other steel beams that were being piled up outside of the warehouse for exportation. The two workers thanked him by tipping their caps at him and he smiled before strolling off towards the ship. To Tech and Echo’s amazement, Wrecker left the warehouse unnoticed. “That’s how you do it.” Wrecker said smugly as he ripped off the cape and discarded it. Echo kept a look out for Hunter, but couldn’t spot him in the groups of workers. “Hunter, come on.” Omega said from beside Echo, having crept up behind him to try and watch for Hunter. Inside of the warehouse, Hunter was held up by two Stormtroopers that were talking to some workers by the exit he had been aiming for. Hunter watched as the workers slipped something to the Stormtroopers before walking off, grins plastered on their faces. Hunter turned around slowly, and started walking the opposite direction to where the Stormtroopers were stood. He slipped between the crates again, getting lost in the maze of boxes. He pulled his hood down to try and get a better understanding of his surroundings, and felt the weight of the remaining vials of medicine in his pockets. He needed to get back to the ship, with the medicine, but the Stormtroopers were posing a huge threat. That’s when Omega’s voice came over his comms. “Hunter, there’s more Stormtroopers coming into the district, you need to make a move!” Hunter sighed, and replied. “I’m on it, Omega, I promise.” He took a glance around the crates and saw that the warehouse floor was packed with workers, and the odd few Stormtroopers. Maybe they were doing random checks in this area today, on orders of the Empire no doubt. Hunter took a chance, and slipped out of the crates to make his way to a back exit that had been propped open with an empty crate. He bumped into a worker, but briefly apologised, and kept moving. The worker then spoke to Hunter. “Hey, do I know you?” His accent was thick, and Hunter stopped walking. He was steps away from the door, only a walk away from the ship. “Hey.” Hunter half turned, showing his face. “Oh, my bad, sorry man.” The worker waved him off and carried on going. Hunter put the hood back up as he entered the open air, and briskly walked to the ship. He spotted Echo waiting by the door, but he looked serious. Hunter picked up some comm chatter behind him, and realised that he’d been followed. Echo nodded subtly and Hunter rested a hand on his blaster concealed under his cape. The world seemed to slow as Hunter got closer to the ship, and Echo took another step down. The only thing Hunter could hear was his pounding heartbeat and amplified nerves. He picked up on Echo’s raised heart rate, he could hear Omega’s faintly from inside the ship. Then, as if by absolute luck, the Stormtroopers turned a corner and carried on their route with little interest in Hunter. Echo let out a breath he had been holding, and Hunter darted inside of the ship, handing the medicine over to Omega. Disguises abandoned and everyone safely on board, Tech took off. .·。.·゜✭·.·✫·゜·。. .·。.·゜✭·.·✫·゜·。. Omega counted the bottles and reported that they had stolen enough to hopefully cover the majority of your treatment cost. By saying those words, it was as if the collective tension of the ship dissipated, and each member was finally able to collapse. The hyperspace journey back was a bit longer as fuel ran short and Tech took the traditional hyperspace routes compared to Echo’s riskier ones. Omega slept in her bunk, as did Hunter, but he wasn’t really asleep. He felt as if he was burning alive as he lay there, in his bunk where you had basically been dying in front of his eyes. His eyes remained wide open, even as Wrecker entered the bunks to sleep, followed by Echo and eventually Tech for a short while. Hunter had fond memories of you in the bunks, especially when you’d swore you could sleep on the floor instead of taking one of the designated bunks away from the boys. He found you awake an hour later, reading a book you’d chosen at some junk shop on the last planet they’d landed on. Hunter offered his bunk to you, but you politely declined several times. It was then that he’d stretched across two chairs and closed his eyes. “What are you doing?” You asked, a smile on your lips. “Getting some shut eye, you should too.” He replied, hiding his grin as you sighed and took your single blanket and book to his empty bunk. You would never admit this to him, but the smell of him in his bunk was comforting, and the pillow he used was old but somehow familiar. You got comfortable, and finished reading your page before falling asleep with the book laying flat on your chest. Hunter smiled sadly as he remembered that night, on one of the longest hyperspace journeys ever. It wasn’t really that long, but you’d just joined them, and he was struggling to get his mind off of you. All of them weren’t used to having a woman in close quarters, but Hunter found it somewhat challenging to adjust. It wasn’t that he didn’t like you, he actually was very fond of you, it was how everything about you stood out like a shining star against a dark night sky. He was used to his brothers, and their ways. The way Echo shifted in his sleep when he was having nightmares, how Wrecker snored so loudly, and Tech mumbled in his sleep even though he swore he didn’t. But you? You slept like a log once you were out. It was nearly impossible to disturb you. Once you were asleep, Hunter could pick up on your breathing patterns much easier than anyone else’s, he could also feel when you were about to stir and finally stretch your arms out, and say that raspy good morning to everyone. Hunter didn’t realise that he was on the verge of tears as he remembered that night and those things about you. He closed his eyes and turned onto his side, trying to block out the senses around him and get some shut eye like he’d once told you to do. .·。.·゜✭·.·✫·゜·。. .·。.·゜✭·.·✫·゜·。. Tech announced with a yawn that Naboo was within range. Omega couldn’t be happier to be getting back to you, she had missed you massively, and was desperate to deliver that medicine. Hunter sat up from the bunks, and watched the blues of hyperspace. Echo took a seat next to him, looking at his brother’s face. “How are you feeling? We’re nearly there.” He said, to which Hunter looked down to his booted feet. “Why didn’t you want to help her?” He found himself asking in a low voice. Echo closed his eyes in thought before answering. “Seeing her so... I don’t know, I wasn’t thinking straight, and I’m sorry. I’m doing everything I can now.” Hunter didn’t say anything in reply, he genuinely didn’t know what there was for him to say. Echo had really hurt him by refusing to go along with the plan at first, no matter how much effort he was putting in now. Brothers didn’t do that to one another. Echo got up and left Hunter alone in the bunks without another word. .·。.·゜✭·.·✫·゜·。. .·。.·゜✭·.·✫·゜·。. When the Havoc Marauder landed back on Naboo, right outside the hospital, a familiar nurse came rushing out. Omega had wrapped the medicine up in an old pillowcase to hand to the nurse, but seeing her come running out made her think twice. Hunter sped down the steps, meeting the nurse halfway across the entrance courtyard. “Where have you all been? She’s awake, she’s finally awake!” The nurse cried, upset at the Bad Batch but joyful for the news she was delivering. Omega passed the medicine to Tech, and ran ahead. The nurse followed her, taking Omega’s hand in hers and leading her straight past the entrance and to the patient rooms. The others followed, having finally taken in the news. Hunter was at the front, slipping past people in hallways as he followed the nurse’s scent. As the five brothers turned a corner to your room, they stopped in their tracks. Your eyes were open, you were breathing on your own, but you didn’t look like you should be alive. One by one, the Bad Batch entered the room, slowly. They were scared of how close to death you looked, so sickly and weak. You could barely move your head without it falling to one side from the effort. Tech approached the nurse and handed her the medicine, to which she started adjusting your IV. Omega was right at your side, her hands clamped around one of yours. Echo noticed that you could barely hold her hand back, that was how weak you were. He knew how you felt, he’d been there, and he wanted nothing more than to relieve that pain for you. It was all a bit much, and he found himself leaning against the wall and staring at the floor. Hunter knelt by your bedside, right next to Omega, and put an arm around her shoulder. “She’s awake, huh? Not very talkative.” Hunter nudged Omega, to which she beamed at him, before she reached up to your face and smoothed your hair out of your eyes. “She’s just coming around, give her a minute Hunter.” Omega’s shy voice made you smile, and your eyes flickered over her. Hunter realised that you were checking her for injuries, so he told you what you would likely be asking her if you could. “Omega has not seen any action since we brought you to hospital, she’s been staying on the ship as ordered. We had to take a trip to collect something important, but it’s done with now.” Your heavy eyes found Hunter’s and you said a thousand things at once with just one look. “You’re going to get better, we’ve made sure of that.” He squeezed Omega’s shoulder proudly and heard the nurse talking to Tech. Something about reducing the cost of the treatment since you’d provided the required medicine yourselves, which she was grateful for as the doctors weren’t authorising big doses of medication until your poisoning was solved. Hunter’s attention was entirely focused on you, he blocked out everyone else except Omega. “Is the medicine working yet?” Omega asked you, looking between the IV drip and you. To her surprise, you nodded once, and then your hand tightened around hers. You were feeling better already, to Omega’s joy and Hunter’s relief. The others started coming over to see you, and if you could’ve taken a picture then and there of all of them crammed together at your bedside, you would’ve. It was one of the most precious moments you had ever had the pleasure of witnessing. .·。.·゜✭·.·✫·゜·。. .·。.·゜✭·.·✫·゜·。. messyyythoughts © 2022 do not translate without my permission, give credit if you repost, support always welcomed <3