Greyangelpain - Grey - Tumblr Blog

Born too late for the original, born just in time for the reboot.

Nicholas mood for the day: ✨️ Unwanted physical touch ✨️

Fanfic writers! Give me Wrecker carrying Echo like Chewie carries C3-PO, and my life is yours!!

My best move...

This fanfic has got me in a choke hold. the dread is insane!

The Shadows are Coming Chp. 2

Summary - The Batch travel further into the facility, finally finding some sign of life, though they wish they hadn't.

Word Count - 3820

Read on AO3

Read Chp. 1

Notes: ahhhh it took me so long to do it, but I finally got through that one scene I hated with all my being! so I think I've decided that for now I will post monthly, but when I finish writing each chapter it will change to weekly :) not as much gore in this chp, but still some spooky stuff! please enjoy :)

Crosshair couldn’t believe it. His brothers really might have gone insane. Whatever Hunter was hearing was making him stumble about and try desperately to get to it. And Echo had still been strangely silent, though it’s not like he could’ve justified why he decided to touch that mutilated corpse without still looking like a psycho.

Maybe Crosshair wouldn’t have minded going deeper into the facility if he didn’t keep thinking he saw something out of the corner of his eye. Whenever he turned, however, there was nothing there. It made him feel vulnerable, not being able to see whatever was haunting them.

Sometimes they all would hear something too, but Hunter would be too distracted to notice. That was probably the most worrisome. Hunter was always focused on their surroundings, always making sure no one could sneak up on them. But right now, he wasn’t, and none of them felt safe because of it.

Crosshair sped up slightly, not wanting to trail too far behind. Sometimes he hated always being in the back, but someone had to watch his brothers’ backs. He decided to fall in next to Echo, who had been trailing behind slightly. Neither of them said anything, but Crosshair picked up how tense he seemed.

Okay? He signed quickly. Echo stared at the hand signal for a moment, before shrugging. Crosshair frowned.

Don’t like this place. He signed back silently. The grammar was a little weird, but that was just how signs worked. Crosshair bumped his shoulder lightly.

Can’t imagine why. That drew a small laugh from the ARC trooper, and Crosshair took it as a small victory. The two stopped their silent conversation after that, though Crosshair stayed close to the reg. He would never admit out loud, but Echo was growing on him.

After several more minutes of walking, Crosshair started to notice several things he wished he hadn’t. He stared at the long dark streaks painting the walls as he passed. He nudged Echo, getting his attention, and jerked his head towards the wall. He heard a faint sigh form the ARC, who then shook his head and motioned for them to keep going.

He also noticed the extra set of footsteps behind them, and he knew for a fact Echo had too. Echo grabbed his shoulder and squeezed it before heading to the front of the group to inform the others. Crosshair kept his attention on the faint footsteps as Echo quickly signed to the others what the two had discovered.

Wrecker visibly tensed, and Tech got his nose out of his data pad. Hunter only glanced back confusedly, likely cursing himself for not noticing. That was why Crosshair was there, to notice the things that Hunter missed.

Echo fell back again, falling in step with Crosshair for a moment. “Hunter said he couldn’t feel him at first, but it’s definitely a trooper.” he whispered. Crosshair tightened his grip on his firepuncher. That wasn’t much consolation.

“You’re the resident reg expert.” He muttered back. Echo nodded, then slowed more until he was behind the group. They all pretended to act normal, but they all slowed as well. The footsteps sped up. Crosshair was ready to whirl around at a moment's notice and fire upon their assailant.

Echo seemed to beat him to it, catching the reg and pinning him to the ground quickly, a blaster trained on his face. The group all turned towards him, blasters at the ready in case anyone else felt lucky enough to take them on.

Echo stood over the trooper with his foot pressing down on his chest. The trooper’s arms were held up in surrender, his eyes wide. He looked crazed, and Crosshair placed his finger on the trigger of his firepuncher, just in case.

“Who are you, why were you following us?” Echo interrogated. The rest of the group let him do his magic. Echo always seemed to be best at getting answers, though Crosshair came in close second.

The trooper laughed, sounding more hysterical. He didn’t answer Echo. The ARC’s shoulders tensed and he put more pressure on where his foot was on the trooper’s chest. Crosshair saw the trooper struggle for a moment, then let himself be pressed down against the floor.

“Why is your bucket off? There’s a sickness in here.” Echo asked, forgetting about his previous questions. The trooper laughed louder. It was an uncanny sound, coming from someone who shared the same face as Echo, somehow looking just as unhealthy.

“Because it’s too late for me!” The Trooper yelled in between laughs, “and it’s too late for you!” it sounded like a pained scream, somehow filled with a sadistic joy. Echo flinched back, and Crosshair felt the sudden urge to surge forwards and bring the ARC back to the group.

“What-” Before the ARC could even finish the word, something slammed into him from the side. The two tumbled on the ground for a moment, then Echo was pinned under another trooper. His scomp arm was up and trying to push the trooper off of him, and the trooper was sinking his teeth into the metal.

Crosshair’s heart leapt into his throat as he heard a clatter. His eyes moved to see the ARC’s helmet rolling on the ground. He could only stare at it as he heard Wrecker yell and barrel into the trooper pinning down their reg.

He jerked as he broke from his shock, turning back towards the action. The other trooper had gotten up now, and was about to pounce on Echo before he had time to recover. Crosshair readied his firepuncher and shot at the trooper. He collapsed on the ground, and soon Wrecker threw the other on top of him. Tech fired at that one, killing him quickly.

Crosshair blinked at the bodies. Two troopers, attacking them out of nowhere. What the kark was going on here?

There was another set of quick footsteps, this time from where the group had been trying to go. Crosshair whirled around to see another trooper leap onto Hunter. He pulled up his firepuncher, but before he could fire, Hunter had already slit the trooper’s throat, causing a splatter of blood to cover his helmet and visor. He shot up and wiped away the crimson liquid so he could see.

Crosshair still had his firepuncher up and at the ready, this time aimed at the hallway the last trooper had come from. Peering into the dark, he spotted a surplus of movement, like bugs writhing in the dark. He took a quick step back in shock.

“We need to run, now!” he yelled urgently. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Tech helping Echo up. Hunter got up too, and started heading towards the rest of the group.

“Tactical retreat.” He called, and Crosshair never felt more relieved. He fired into the crowd of- of whatever the kark they were, before turning around and rushing after his brothers. When he passed the two troopers that had originally attacked him, his heart leapt into his throat. The trooper that he had shot, which he was certain he had shot in a fatal area, was getting up.

He ran as fast as he possibly could until he was with his brothers again. His heart was thudding in his chest and his eyes were wide behind his helmet. Occasionally he would throw a mirror on the wall, a way to see if they were being chased. After what felt like an eternity, he didn’t see anyone behind them.

It took the group several more minutes to deem it safe enough to stop. They were almost back at the command center by now. Crosshair couldn’t say he was proud of the fear that took over him, but it kept him alive, so he couldn’t really complain about it.

“What the hell was that?!” He asked incredulously. He gripped his firepuncher tightly, not planning on holstering it until they were far away from this facility.

“A group of troopers that seemed to have gone insane, perhaps due to the illness, perhaps for another reason.” Tech explained with a shrug. Crosshair shuddered at the same time Wrecker made a quiet whine.

“Weren’t they kinda like…” Wrecker started, pausing for a moment, “zombies?” he hissed. The group all stared at him, at first thinking it to be a ridiculous notion. Crosshair thought back on the trooper that should have been killed. Kark, we’re dealing with zombies. He thought miserably.

“Well, technically, they are not zombies.” Tech cut in, and Crosshair resisted the urge to roll his eyes dramatically. “The traditional zombie in media is depicted as people rising from the dead and being mindless husks, however those troopers clearly showed signs of intelligence with trying to corner us and further separating Echo from the group to attack him and knock his helmet off, exposing him to the… virus… that likely caused… their… insanity…” He trailed off as he seemed to come to a chilling realization.

They all stared at Echo, who still had his bucket off. It was probably somewhere in the recesses of the facility, with a horde of zombies around it. Echo blinked several times before saying anything.

“wait- so I’m going to turn into a zombie?” He asked, Crosshair wished he couldn't see the fear in the reg’s eyes, he knew that at least the others wouldn’t, though they could suspect that Echo was scared anyway. Everyone was silent for several beats. Crosshair held his breath, wishing that Tech would flat out say no, even if he was lying.

“Not unless I can concoct a cure in time.” Tech replied carefully. Crosshair could see the way Echo’s bottom lip trembled slightly. The reg stayed silent.

“Well how do we make a cure?” Hunter asked, getting the group back on track. Tech took pause for a moment, then pulled up his datapad. The green glow it emitted made Tech look ghastly, Crosshair tried not to think about that.

“I will need a well enough sample, however there is not enough of the virus condensed in the air here for me to get said sample.” Tech explained, not looking up from his ‘pad. “Maybe I could make something to slow it down, and since he is not showing symptoms yet-”

As if on cue, Echo coughed several times painfully. Crosshair watched in masked horror as Echo’s knees shook and he placed his scomp on the wall to steady himself, his other hand was clenched in a fist and covering his mouth. Wrecker placed a firm hand on his shoulder to keep him upright.

Echo took heaving breaths once the coughing fit slowed. He blinked several times, then shook his head as if to clear his thoughts.

“Shit,” Crosshair mumbled, eyes wide behind his helmet.

“The remedy will take too long. If he is already showing symptoms of sickness we need to focus on the cure itself.” Tech announced, jolting out of his shock quickly. Crosshair couldn’t tear his eyes away from Echo as the reg rubbed the bridge of his nose as if he was working off a headache.

“So what d’we do?” Wrecker asked, still holding onto Echo as if he would collapse the moment his hand left the reg’s shoulder. Glancing down at the reg’s still shaking knees, Crosshair thought maybe he would.

“We need to go further in. I suspect the med-bay would most likely be the best place to collect a sample.” Tech declared.

“Then that’s where we’ll go.” Hunter said firmly, “Tech, pull up the layout and find the quickest route.” He ordered quickly. Tech did as he was told almost immediately. Hunter carefully went up to Echo, then placed his hands on the ARC’s shoulders. “Can you walk?” He asked softly.

“Y-yeah- yeah, I’m good.” Echo declared, waving a dismissive hand. Anyone could tell that the reg was decidedly not good, what with the sweat collecting on his brow and the way his eyes almost seemed foggy. Crosshair frowned, wishing he could get one of his toothpicks to relieve some tension.

“Alright, “ Hunter said, “lead the way, Tech.” He gestured towards the splicer, who nodded quickly and started forward. The rest followed silently, though Hunter waited until he was in step with Crosshair.

“Keep an eye on him.” Hunter whispered. Crosshair didn’t need to know who he meant, he didn’t need to be asked either. “I’ll focus on his vitals.” He stated. Crosshair nodded silently. Hunter then picked up the pace until he was walking parallel to Tech.

Crosshair stayed near the back. This time, if they were being followed, he would take care of it. He wouldn’t let any more of his brothers get sick until he was sure that they had a cure that worked.

The sniper silently watched his eldest brother, wishing he couldn’t see every detail that seemed wrong, wishing he couldn’t see how his complexion was already slightly paler than usual.

Wrecker hated this. He hated it so, so much. He hated this creepy facility, he hated zombies, and he hated that his brother was sick. Echo was already weaker than most clones when it came to health, he didn’t need a zombie virus to deal with.

And why did it have to be zombies? Zombies were karking terrifying! They literally come back from the dead and eat living people and then those people come back from the dead and eat more people! It’s scary and the Batch doesn’t deserve to deal with it. Wrecker certainly didn’t want to deal with it.

But the Batch never really gets a say in what they deal with, and they can’t turn back now, even though he really wanted to. Echo was sick, and unless Tech could get a good enough sample, he’d stay that way.

So they all creeped down the eerie hallways, blasters armed and ready. Wrecker tried his best to ignore the crimson stains on the walls and the puddles on the floor, but it was becoming increasingly difficult.

He wondered with a grimace if Hunter could smell it through his helmet’s filter. He hoped not. He felt bad for Echo, the ARC did comment on bad smells a lot. At least he wasn’t squeamish, that was something.

Though, Echo did look a little worse for wear. He had started breathing more heavily, and was coughing more often. Luckily Wrecker hadn’t needed to catch him in case he fell, but He had needed to steady him, or urge the group to take a small break. Echo would complain whenever he did, insisting he was fine. It brought a worried smile to Wrecker’s face, the ARC was still as stubborn as ever, so surely he can’t be that bad.

Wrecker repeated that like a mantra. He was okay for now. He was still walking. He was still breathing. Albeit the walking bit was filled with struggle. Wrecker had decided it’d be best to stop keeping track of how many times Echo stumbled or tripped.

“How close are we, Tech?” Hunter asked. Wrecker blinked as he heard a hint of pain in his voice. He probably still had a headache from whatever heart thing he had been talking about before.

“Not too far.” Tech answered, “we are getting close to where we made it to last time.” he continued hesitantly.

“Oh so with the horde of zombies?” Echo snarked with a huff, though it might’ve been a gasp for breath. Wrecker didn’t know how difficult it was to breathe while inhaling a deadly disease. No matter how much effort it took for Echo to say it, it still made Wrecker relieved to hear him talking.

“Still technically not zombies.” Tech repeated with a hiss. Wrecker could imagine Crosshair rolling his eyes now. “We don’t even know if they’re bites infect you or if they need to knock off our helmets.” He explained. Wrecker felt the start of a rant and prepared himself to either tell Tech to quiet down or listen miserably.

“Well, that one trooper did try to bite Echo.” Crosshair added. Tech hummed, and surprisingly did not argue.

Wrecker jumped as Echo went into another coughing fit. The group stopped instinctually as they waited for their brother to recover. Wrecker moved to place a hand on Echo’s shoulder to steady him again, but realized quickly that would not be enough.

The ARC’s legs gave out and Wrecker quickly moved to keep him from hitting the floor. Wrecker held him tightly as his body heaved with each cough. He slowly lowered him to the floor, the others having moved to crouch around Echo protectively.

Echo let out a tight wheeze and a gasp as the coughs turned to meager huffs. He shook for a moment in Wrecker’s arms, and the bruiser held him closer to his chest. Echo leaned into the embrace and stuffed his face into Wrecker’s cuirass.

“Talk to us, reg.” Crosshair urged. Wrecker looked up to the sharpshooter, then back down at Echo. there was a foggy look in the ARC’s eyes. Crosshair moved to place two fingers on Echo’s pulse point, and Wrecker fought the panic growing in his chest. Was it really getting that bad? Were they really worrying if Echo still had a pulse now?

“His heartbeat,” Hunter mumbled before Crosshair could even announce his findings, “It’s slowing.” Wrecker felt that dread in his chest boil as he realized what that meant, what it could mean in another half hour.

“‘M okay-” Echo slurred, being interrupted by another weak cough, “we need to keep- keep goin’.” Wrecker’s grip tightened, silently refusing to let the ARC go. Even Wrecker knew that he shouldn’t be walking anymore.

“Shit, reg-” Crosshair hissed, finding something else alarming. Wrecker flinched at the harsh and panicked tone, and followed Crosshair’s gaze to the ARC’s face. Echo was having a nosebleed.

The group all seemed to fall silent as their minds tried to comprehend it. Wrecker didn’t think that was a normal symptom for a fever. Wrecker stared at the small droplet of blood that trickled from Echo’s nose, over his lips, and down his chin. He gently moved to wipe it away, instead smearing it accidentally. Echo shut his eyes tightly before he seemed to relax and fall unconscious.

“We need to hurry.” Tech said, trying to rouse everyone from their shock. Wrecker blinked several times, trying to force his gaze away from the copper tint staining Echo’s face. He swallowed the lump forming in his throat. Echo might not have been squeamish, but when it came to his brothers, Wrecker certainly was.

“Wreck, carry him.” Hunter said, being one of the firsts to recover, as always. Wrecker flinched and looked up at Hunter, trying to not look at the red stains still on his helmet form that one trooper. Sometimes he hated whenever they had to wear their helmets. He wanted to be able to see his brothers’ faces, to know how they felt. He wasn’t good with understanding tones, and he didn’t think Echo would be in his foggy state either. Echo deserved to see his brothers worrying about him, to see how scared they were. He deserved to know that they cared.

“Yeah.” Wrecker responded once he too had gotten his head back in the game. “Yeah- you got it, Sarge.” He nodded stiffly, then got up from his crouch on the floor. He still held Echo tightly, he wasn’t sure if he’d ever let go. He hated how Echo didn’t even protest, usually the ARC would at least make a sarcastic remark. The silence seemed a million times worse than Echo being grumpy.

Wrecker suppressed another flinch as there was a loud clatter behind them. He turned swiftly with the others to investigate. His head tilted slightly in confusion as a metal pipe slowly rolled towards the group. He turned his gaze away from it and peered into the dark hallway they had come from.

If Hunter had enhanced senses, they had been taken from Wrecker before he was decanted. He couldn’t see or hear as well as his brothers, not since the explosion that gave him his scar. Even so, he swore he could see movement in the shadows, and maybe hear a bit of shuffling.

He looked quickly to Hunter, then to Crosshair. Both of them seemed tense and he knew they must have noticed something too. He took a step back as his brothers moved forwards slightly. He knew his job in this situation, he had done it a million times now. He had to protect their cargo.

He moved to conceal more of Echo’s limp form, and just as he did, a shadow jumped out at the group with a snarl. Hunter quickly threw one of his vibroblades, hitting its neck and knocking it down. Before Wrecker could even feel relieved, several more troopers leapt from the darkness and started running towards the group.

“Tech! Get Wrecker to the med-bay!” Hunter ordered quickly as he and Crosshair started firing at the horde. Wrecker heard Tech mutter a quick curse before giving Hunter an affirmative. He fell back next to Wrecker, then tugged on his shoulder to get the bruiser moving.

A million thoughts went through his head. There were so many troopers, and they were smarter than battle droids. Hunter and Crosshair could be overrun depending on how many there were. They couldn’t leave them, but they had to get Echo to safety. Wrecker realized numbly that his breathing was getting quicker. His throat was constricting with worry.

“Wrecker, we need to go.” Tech urged. It felt quiet and far away, but the words registered. Wrecker shook his head quickly, then turned and ran after Tech. He would get Echo to the med-bay then come back for his brothers. He just needed to be fast.

The sound of blaster fire usually made him excited, now it just made him want to vomit. He fought the urge as he ran quickly behind Tech. The blaster fire got quieter and quieter, but it still pounded in his head. He needed to hear it. He needed to know they were still fighting.

“We can’t leave them!” Wrecker forced out. Tech turned his head slightly, and Wrecker wished he couldn’t see the fear reflected in his eyes. He was glad he could see a bit of his brother’s face, but he wasn’t entirely stoked about the expression.

“I know, and we will come back.” Tech coaxed. “But we need to get Echo to safety first.” Sometimes Wrecker hated how logical Tech always was. He was right about nearly everything, and he was right about them needing to focus on Echo.

Wrecker didn’t answer, he continued to follow his little brother through the dark corridors. He could still see the shadows moving every time they passed a room. He could still hear muttering and shuffling. He couldn’t hear blaster fire.

End Notes: almost sorry for the cliffhanger :P hope you enjoyed and that you have a lovely day :D

NPT: @squad-724 @arctrooper69 @weyrwolfen @clownery-and-fuckery @charlieisannoying

@greyangelpain @zilvercrystal @travellingnorthwards @lifblogs @electrikworm

@buniby @thora-sniper @restrospect1003 @dizzy-9906

THE WAY HE LOOKS AT HIM

✨️ Some More Nicholas Faces To Bless Your Feed ✨️

TIME FOR THE 200TH WATCH >:)

Happy birthday to Ethan Hunt and Terry McGinnis! glad I get to share my birthday with you :3

Current Nicholas moods:

WHO ALLOWED THEM TO LOOK LIKE THAT

When I make my family watch spaced for the 100th time.

I will travel! I will pay! Nothing will stop me from experiencing this!! IM SO EXCITED!!

ZOMBIE FIC IS HERE LETS GOOOO

The Shadows Are Coming Chp. 1 - TBB Fanfiction

Relationships - CT-9904 | Crosshair & CT-21-0408 | CT-1409 | Echo, CT-9904 | Crosshair & CT-1409 | Echo & CT-9901 | Hunter & CT-9902 | Tech & CT-9903 | Wrecker, CT-21-0408 | CT-1409 | Echo & CT-9902 | Tech, CT-21-0408 | CT-1409 | Echo & CT-9901 | Hunter, CT-9904 | Crosshair & CT-9901 | Hunter, CT-9901 | Hunter & CT-9903 | Wrecker, CT-21-0408 | CT-1409 | Echo & CT-9903 | Wrecker

Tags - Angst, Whump, Horror, Blood and Gore, Gore, Blood and Injury, Zombies, Mission Fic, Missions Gone Wrong, CT-21-0408 | CT-1409 | Echo Needs a Hug, CT-21-0408 | CT-1409 | Echo Whump, CT-9904 | Crosshair Needs a Hug, Soft CT-9904 | Crosshair, Protective CT-9904 | Crosshair, Hurt CT-9904 | Crosshair, Hurt CT-21-0408 | CT-1409 | Echo, Protective CT-9901 | Hunter, CT-9901 | Hunter Needs A Hug, Hurt CT-9902 | Tech, Protective CT-9902 | Tech, CT-9903 | Wrecker Whump, Protective Siblings, Cannibalism, Everyone Needs A Hug

Summary - The Batch was called to investigate a base on a secluded planet after the Republic lost contact with it. It was suspected that the Separatists had tested a new bio weapon there, as the last communication with the base talked about a sickness, with the background noise of screaming and coughs. No one knew what they would find there, the Batch were the unlucky ones to figure it out.

Or, tbb zombie fic set before the events of Aftermath

Word Count - 3,244

Read on AO3

Notes: guys, please, if you can't handle gore, don't read this. this is by far the goriest shit I have ever written, and I've written some gore before... but, if you're a weirdo like me and enjoy reading gore, by all means please enjoy <3 anyways, I've been so excited to share this fic! sadly, I have not finished writing all of it yet, so I don't have a schedule for the updates... I'm really only posting this now because i got to a really slow part and needed interactions to motivate me :D (Also I wanted to post a fic for my birthday cuz I did that last year [please no one look at it it was the first fic I ever wrote]) The title is from the song Shadows by Nick Lutsko, it’s a pretty good song and I think it sort of fits this fic Anyways, please enjoy your gore and horror!

The ship jostled as it came out of hyperspace, rousing Echo awake. He blinked his eyes open, turning onto his side. His hearing aid pressed uncomfortably against his ear. The ARC trooper’s heart was fast from a dream that was already fading.

Crosshair sat across from him, cleaning his rifle silently. He glanced up at Echo’s movement, but ignored him as the ARC sat up. He rubbed his eyes, then reached for his headset underneath his bunk. He replaced his hearing aids with it, then leaned back against the wall. 

His dreams were getting better. They were still there, always would be, but they were better. Half of the time he couldn’t even remember what event it was about, what twisted things his mind showed him. The other half… weren’t pleasant.

“Landing in five.” Hunter announced, rousing Echo from his thoughts. He leaned against the door frame of the cockpit, looking over the two troopers. Echo held a thumbs up and Crosshair nodded. The sergeant went back into the cockpit to help with the landing, though it was usually Echo’s job.

Wrecker mumbled a quick “‘morning,” to Echo as he passed him. The ARC hummed in response, not really having the energy to respond yet. He worked out a crick in his neck, then got up and followed the big guy to the cockpit with the others.

The planet itself was dark, always covered in a thick fog no matter where you went. The planet may as well have had no sun. Despite the dark, it was thick with vegetation, though half of it was poisonous; according to Tech’s ramblings.

The fog washed over the window as Tech lowered the ship for a landing. Echo yawned, covering his mouth. He blinked, looking out into the fog. The lights from the ship painted parts of it an orange-yellow, but beyond that, he doubted even Crosshair could see anything.

The sharpshooter shouldered his firepuncher and opened the door to the ship. Echo shuddered as cold flowed inside. He tapped his finger on his thigh anxiously. Wrecker, carrying a pack of more than enough explosives, left the Marauder first.

Echo only hesitated a moment after that before braving the cold humidity. The forest was unnaturally silent. He swallowed the lump forming in his throat. Hunter patted his shoulder as he passed him, taking point.

The group had received a call from Cody, stating that they had lost contact with the base after a chilling holo. He said that it was likely that a new separatist bio weapon was tested there, since it was secluded from any other bases. The quiet and seclusion somewhat reminded Echo of Rishi. He hoped the troops here didn’t meet a similar end as his first squad did.

Since it was a bio weapon they were dealing with, helmets stayed on. Echo was perfectly fine with that, but he knew Wrecker would be a bit annoyed. The bruiser seemed to like taking his helmet off in the middle of a mission, resting it on the top of his head when there was a quiet moment between fights.

Hunter led the group through the forest, towards the base. The group was silent as they walked, blending in with the rest of the planet. Echo didn’t like that he couldn’t see ten feet in front of him, he stayed close to his brothers.

The planet made him feel strange, like it was clawing into his brain to make him worried and anxious. He flinched with every sound the group made, feeling as though they needed to be completely silent.

“Something the matter, reg?” Crosshair teased. Echo turned to him and shrugged. Something was definitely the matter, but he wasn’t about to vent while they were on a mission.

“Nothing important,” He muttered in response. Crosshair eyed him for a moment longer, then turned away silently. Echo couldn't count how many times he wished he could read the sharpshooter as well as he could read Echo.

The group fell into silence again, though Echo wished they hadn’t. He couldn’t stand the silence, he never liked it. On Rishi, he had to fill it with rambling on about the reg manuals, of course Fives and Cutup usually chatted loud enough for him to not really need to. In the 501st there had been enough chaos, even when they were on leave, for him to feel content. It was on Skako when it became a problem, when all he ever got was either silence or screaming. He preferred the silence then, now it just made him want to vomit.

There was a break in the fog. A large metal door was in front of the group now. Hunter turned to Tech and Echo, nodding his head towards the panel and scomp port beside the door. Echo and Tech both headed towards the machinery, Tech plugging in his datapad and Echo linking up with the port.

Along with getting the door open, Echo tried to search for any holo feed or comm chatter, hoping that he could figure out what they were about to face inside. He shuddered again as he remembered the holo call they were shown prior to the mission. Troopers had been screaming, coughing, and firing blaster bolts wildly. One had yelled something about monsters, and not to breathe.

Of course, the Batch had been sent to investigate. Because they were skilled enough to handle it, according to whoever was in charge. Tech had said on the way here that he wanted a sample to maybe find a cure on his own, and that had really been all they needed to be convinced enough to go. They all knew Tech would never let them forget about how much he had wanted that sample, and they’d rather not face the splicer’s wrath.

With a loud clang and the groaning of machinery, the large door slowly started to open. Echo and Tech both went back to the group and readied their blasters. They weren’t sure what they’d find, and rather not risk being caught off guard.

“I am picking up three life signs inside,” Tech announced, looking up from his data pad. Its green glow cast his face in an eerie light.

“I guess this is a rescue mission too now.” Hunter mumbled as he slowly entered the base. He gave no indication of needing to worry about immediate attack. His shoulders were tense, but not how they were when he heard or sensed something unusual. The rest of the Batch entered the base.

The door opened into a large hangar area. A few ships were scattered about, but strangely all of them were very damaged. This base didn’t see much battle, so there was no reason for every single one of the ships to be in such disrepair.

“It’s creepy in ‘ere.” Wrecker mumbled at Echo’s side. Crosshair turned his head dramatically to show he was rolling his eyes. Echo patted the big guy on the shoulder.

“Don’t worry Wreck, I’m sure Cross’ll hold your hand.” Echo teased, feeling glad to bring back the group’s usual light mood. Echo could imagine Wrecker’s pouty look at the teasing. Crosshair hissed a quick “I will not,” then bumped Echo’s shoulder.

“I’d suggest we go to the command center,” Tech said, bringing them back on track. The group agreed, and they all left the silent hangar to navigate through the equally silent halls. 

Echo fell back slightly, wanting to get a better look at the state of the base. He ran his hand along the wall for a moment, then rubbed the dust that stuck to his fingers. He paused, turning around and looking back the way they came.

There should have been workers in the hangar, even if some were sick. He knew from experience that many clones would ignore their own health to continue doing their job, it shouldn’t be any different here. It was a dark thought, but they should have found a body by now.

Hunter tried his best to ignore the headache that had started as soon as they opened the hangar doors. It was ruining his senses, so much so that he could barely feel his brothers right next to him. He almost didn’t notice when Echo fell behind, the fact only coming to his attention when Crosshair called the ARC trooper back.

He blinked away another sharp pain in his skull. The pain would come and go in a pattern. The pattern, combined with the loudness of it, reminded him of someone banging drums right in his ear. Not the most pleasant feeling by a landslide.

He wished he could ask Tech for some of the medicine he knew the splicer always carried with him, but they couldn’t take off their helmets. Even so, it’d be wise to let them all know that his senses wouldn’t be up to par for this mission.

“I’m having trouble sensing anything in here, got a headache as soon as the doors opened,” He announced, slowing to be sure they all heard. He could see the way Tech’s eyes crinkled in a confused frown.

“That is irregular,” Tech responded. Hunter nodded silently. Irregular or not, it was happening and he couldn’t do anything about it. “I’ll see if there is some kind of machinery in the base affecting you.” Tech said before turning back down to his datapad. “Take a right here.” He said a moment later, taking it upon himself to direct the group when Hunter couldn’t.

“I’ve been feeling a little weird too,” Echo supplied quietly. “Something about this place just feels wrong.” Hunter and Echo both had similar problems with the occasional piece of machinery affecting them. With Hunter’s senses, and Echo’s electronic parts, if something was jamming electronic signals, both of them would be having a rough time.

“Wrong, would be one way to describe this facility.” Tech replied, not looking up from his datapad. He gave Hunter another direction and the group changed course as they turned the corner.

“Very scary,” Crosshair drawled sarcastically. Hunter glanced to see Crosshair leaning his head towards Wrecker, likely a smirk underneath his bucket. Wrecker retaliated with a sharp “shut up,” then the group fell silent again.

Hunter squinted his eyes as another wave of pain assaulted him. He held out hope that there would be some kind of machinery in the command center that would dampen the disturbance. He wasn’t too optimistic, though.

It wasn’t long before the group came to another door. This time Tech hacked it from his datapad, saving Echo the trouble of scomping in. it opened with a hiss, revealing an empty command center. The group paused, none being sure of what to make of it. Hunter shook his head, blinking away some of the pressure in his skull, and entered the room.

“Tech, Echo, see if you can pull up some cameras to see what happened.” He ordered, the two quickly rushed off the separate consoles and pressed an assortment of buttons. Hunter could never wrap his mind around how easily the two seemed to know what button to press or code to input to get just about any machinery to listen to them. It probably helped that the two were about as in sync as Tech and Crosshair were. It was like the twins became triplets, if Crosshair wouldn’t be so standoffish with the former reg.

“Hey sarge,” Wrecker whispered, though it was far from quiet, “how come there aren’t any… y’know… bodies?” He hissed nervously. Hunter could imagine how his nose scrunched up at the last word. Despite his love of destruction and explosions, Wrecker despised death, as many would. Sometimes Hunter wondered if Wrecker would be a pacifist if there wasn’t a war, then he remembered all the times he and Crosshair antagonized some regs that gave them funny looks.

“I don’t know,” He mumbled, “Tech did say that there were still some life signs, so maybe they moved them for a proper burial?” He tried. The fact that there were no bodies chilled him. He wished Wrecker hadn’t pointed it out, but he knew they were all thinking it anyway.

“Don’t get your blacks in a bunch, Wreck.” Crosshair chided, keeping the mood light with his dry humor. “It’s not like some big scary monster is gonna jump out at you.”

“Even if one did, you would be more than equipped to handle it.” Tech cut in cheerily. “How are things on your end, Echo?” He turned back to the ARC, who had fallen strangely silent throughout the bit of banter.

Echo didn’t respond. They all turned to him. He wasn’t scomped in, so it wasn’t like he hadn’t heard them. Hunter walked over to the silent trooper.

“Echo?” He moved to place a hand on his shoulder, to rouse him of whatever headspace he was trapped in, but froze as something caught his eye. He turned to where Echo was staring, immediately feeling sick to his stomach.

Cramped in between two consoles, was a bloodied trooper. His helmet was off, his vacant eyes rolled to the back of his head. A long line across his neck still leaked blood, there was a hole in his chest where Hunter knew his heart should be. Several of the trooper’s limbs were missing. His lower jaw was hanging, disconnected on one side of his face.

Hunter gagged as he turned away, not being able to bear the sight anymore. He leaned over one of the consoles, breathing heavily. The others all stopped what they were doing, moving to rush to the gruesome sight.

“No- don’t-” He held a hand up, effectively halting the group. “Y-you don’t wanna see that.” He spat out, nose scrunching in disgust.

“Hunter, what the kark is it-” Crosshair said, stopping short as he finally tilted his head enough to see what had scared Hunter so terribly. Crosshair flinched back, hand going to his helmet as if he were trying to cover his mouth. Wrecker grabbed his wrist quickly, making sure the sharpshooter didn’t take off his helmet in his haste.

Crosshair’s reaction seemed to be enough for the others to not feel the need to see it. Wrecker took several steps back, dragging the other with him protectively. Hunter, very reluctantly, turned back to Echo. He tried to avoid looking at the mangled corpse, and was mostly successful.

“Echo,” He said again, the ARC still hadn’t moved. “Echo, step away from the body.” Hunter urged. Echo seemed to have the exact opposite reaction that the others did, not being able to tear his gaze away. Even worse, for once in his life disobeying orders, he took a step closer to it.

“Reg!” Crosshair hissed desperately. Echo didn’t seem to notice it as he crouched down in front of the body. Hunter stared in horror at Echo’s silent fascination with it.

“A sickness can’t do this.” Echo mumbled, the first thing he said since they entered the room. They all stared at him. He sounded terrifyingly detached. “Blasters can’t do this either.” He continued numbly.

“Echo, step away from it!” Hunter ordered harshly. The ARC didn’t give a single sign of hearing him. Instead, karking hells, he brought up his scomp arm and touched it. Hunter gagged again and had to turn away. He knew Echo was weird at times, but for kark’s sake he didn’t think he was downright insane.

“His armor was torn open by hand.” Echo announced, finally standing and turned to the group. A small drop of blood fell off of his scomp. “By a human hand.” Hunter could only stare at the deranged ARC trooper.

It was then that his headache decided to flare up again. Hunter suppressed a groan at the new wave of pain, placing a hand on his helmet. What he thought were drum beats were starting to remind him of something else. Despite himself, Hunter turned back to the body and he too seemed to be unable to look away again.

“What the kark do you mean ‘torn open by hand?!” Crosshair asked incredulously. It sounded almost as though he were in hysterics. Hunter was surprised he wasn’t at that point as well. He blinked and looked at the hole in the trooper’s chest.

“I mean someone was patient or strong enough to tear off his armor and rip out his heart by hand.” Echo elaborated. “I don’t know how that’s possible, but I know there aren’t any blaster wounds on the trooper, and no one stationed here could possibly have a lightsaber!” He hissed, defending his explanation.

Heart. Someone ripped out this trooper’s heart. Someone dug into his armor and ripped out his heart. Hunter blinked several times, his head throbbing again, as he stared at where the trooper’s heart should be.

“Why would someone wanna rip out his heart?” Wrecker asked, sounding honestly scared.

“I don’t know why-” heart.

“That wouldn’t make any sense, there would be no plausible reason for anyone to want to rip out someone’s heart, let alone get through clone armor, with their bare hands.” Tech cut in, fighting to find some kind of logical explanation. “There are far easier ways to kill a trooper.” He mumbled.

“Do you want to take a look at it? ‘Cause I frankly think I’ve seen enough of it!” Echo cut in defensively. There was another drum beat, and this time Hunter couldn’t stifle his groan of pain. The others were too distracted to notice. drum beats, hearts.

A heartbeat. It wasn’t a drum.

“A heartbeat-” Hunter gasped, effectively silencing the group. They all turned to him, and before they could ask anything, he continued. “My headache,” He stood upright, his revelation making it easier to ignore the pain in his skull, “I thought it felt like drums, it’s loud, and has a pattern- but it’s a heartbeat.” He stopped to take a breath, trying to piece together the rest of the puzzle.

“If it is a heart beat then why is it so loud?” Wrecker asked innocently.

“It’s more than one.” Hunter replied quickly. He blinked several times, then rushed out of the command center. The others protested behind him, telling him to wait a minute or to explain what was happening.

“It’s coming from this way.” Hunter announced, pointing down a darkened hallway. “I think if we go there, we might find something.” He explained. The group was silent, and he silently urged them to understand what he was getting at. Then, Echo slowly nodded.

“Yeah, okay.” The ARC trooper said, “We came here to investigate, all we’ve found so far are more questions, so let’s go investigate.” Echo said with a shrug.

“Are you serious!?” Crosshair hissed. The others didn’t have any open protests, so into the dark hallway it was. Hunter went on and led them all forward. “Yeah, let’s just let the two people acting really weird lead us into a creepy hallway.”

“Crosshair, I doubt their behavior is anything to worry about. Echo has seen more battles than us and knows what to do, and Hunter has always taken charge.” Tech assured him, though Hunter had stopped listening and started focusing more so on the heartbeat giving him the worst headache of his life.

“This is why you all need to start watching more horror holos.” Crosshair grumbled.

“Says the guy making fun of me for being scared.” Wrecker shot back, sounding proud of himself.

“Kark off.”

End Notes: so, gore :) also, who do you think is gonna be a zombie first, if any at all? if you've read all the teasers you might be able to guess pretty easily. anyways, I have no idea when I'll post the next chapter, I mgiht wait until I've finished the entire fic, or maybe it'll be posted next week, who knows! I hope you guys enjoyed <3

NPT: @squad-724 @arctrooper69 @weyrwolfen @clownery-and-fuckery @charlieisannoying

@greyangelpain @zilvercrystal @travellingnorthwards @lifblogs @electrikworm

@buniby @thora-sniper @restrospect1003

Fanfic comment link for @whoophoney and anyone else who wants adorable angelbutter <3

Of Sunlight and Moondrops by e_g

I think about them a normal amount :D yep yep yep totally a normal amount.

I think about them a normal amount :D yep yep yep totally a normal amount.

I think a lot of people forget that Echo can be healed and happy without fitting into societies expectations of "healed disability" (AKA looking as able-bodied as possible.)

They think their doing good by "fixing" him with his skin tone and hair, or by giving him a prosthetic hand, but all they're actually doing is perpetuating that disabled people need to be and look as ""normal"" (huge quotations coz there is no looking normal) as possible to be healed.

Let Echo be. He's clearly adapted with his new body and doesn't want to change it.

A Big Shoutout to All Wrecker Girlies (G/N)!

I have NEVER seen any kind of fanart of Wrecker that shows him with hair “so he can be beautiful again“.

I have NEVER seen any Wrecker pictures that gave him a “decent“ prosthetic eye because someone felt that something’s wrong with the one he’s got.

I have NEVER seen any drawing of him that neglected / fixed his scars.

♥️ YOU ARE AMAZING! ♥️

You are a very special kind of people!

You just love your man the way he is, no questions asked! Just as it should be!

🫶 And that‘s why I love you! 🫶

🇺🇸 America Moment 🇺🇸

Leslie: Is this for someone special?

Nicholas: Yes. Yes it is.

Me:

So I've been writing my first ever fanfic for a few months and I think I've flown to close to the sun

I'm still on my first draft ;–;