A Glitch In The Matrix

21: Escape from Rex

Evie sat in an alleyway behind some crates. She could hear people walking past, discussing random things. Evie rested her helmeted head on her knees, ignoring the tears dripping down her face.

She heard someone approaching the alleyway, someone that sounded familiar. He was talking to someone else.

"The last reported sighting of her was in this area", he said. "Ahsoka said that she ran across the rooftops in this direction and I've heard people talking about a female clone trooper who ran through here not long ago."

Evie peeked past the crates and saw General Skywalker standing at the alleyway. She ducked back behind the crates when Skywalker turned towards her.

"I think I got something, Rex. Meet me at these coordinates."

Evie gulped at the thought of having to face Rex. She thought about running some more, but she had nowhere to run. So she just chose to stay where she was and hope that the general would look right over her.

Unfortunately that was not the case.

"Hey, Evie", General Skywalker said as he walked around the crates.

"How soon until he's here?" she immediately asked, watching him warily through her helmet.

"I'd say 5 minutes", Skywalker said, knowing who she was asking about. "Ahsoka told me what he said."

Evie lowered her head staring at her knees. "I wish I hadn't followed them that night."

She pulled her helmet off, and stared at it. "I wish I had never been created in the first place. Because then things wouldn't be this complicated."

"I think things were meant to play out this way", Skywalker said. Evie opened her mouth to say something, but a voice from the generals com-link spoke.

"General, I'm almost to the coordinates you supplied. Are you at those coordinates?"

"Affirmative, Rex", Skywalker said, nodding his head toward the alleyway exit. Evie nodded and started to hurry away, making sure she had a good grip on her helmet. She hesitated, before turning to the general. She pulled out a piece of paper, and handed it to him.

"Make sure he gets that", she whispered, before she ran out of the alleyway. She looked both ways, trying to figure out which way to go. She froze when she saw a familiar white and blue helmet. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she turned the other way, running through the civilians. As she ran, she dropped her helmet. She almost turned back to grab it, but Rex was charging for her. Evie looked around, trying to figure out how to get away. She glanced back at Rex, and launched herself over the railing, landing on a speeder about to drive away.

"Hey!" the owner shouted.

"Please, sir, just drive! I'll give you credits!"

The man nodded and started driving away, just as Rex reached them. Evie stared back at the clone captain, who took off his helmet as she escaped. Evie winced at his angered expression and looked away.

"I'm sorry, Rex."

~~~~~~

Rex stared at the familiar helmet. It was a mixture of Evie's old design and Echo's. There were two blue lines going down, but it looked like there were pieces missing, like it was glitching. His heart hurt as he stared at it, but he ignored it, instead pulling on his anger to fuel him.

As Skywalker approached him, Rex turned to the general. "You had her!" he snarled. "Why did you let her escape?"

Skywalker looked at Rex, a sad look in his eyes. "You didn't see how hurt she was."

"Hurt. Why should she be hurt?" Rex scoffed. "She's the one who left. She's the one who betrayed the republic."

"Betrayed the republic, Rex? Or betrayed you?"

Rex opened his mouth to argue, but found he couldn't. Skywalker gave him a smile.

"To answer your first question, she's hurt because of what you told Ahsoka and Fives", the general explained. "She was there, Rex. She heard you say that she wasn't your best friend."

Rex's gaze softened, but he still held some anger. That is, until Skywalker offered him a piece of paper. Rex immediately recognized.

"She asked that I give this to you."

Rex took it, and unfolded. A tear rolled down his cheek as he looked at the picture. There was the original picture Hecy did, and he recognized Evie's addition of 99, but what was new was in the opposite corner from 99. It was a drawing of Rex. His helmet tucked under his arm, and he had a half smile on his face like he usually did when he was happy or proud about something. In between Rex and 99, and above the original picture where two words. 'My family.'

Rex looked back up at Skywalker. "When did she add me to this picture?"

The general shrugged. "There's only two people who might know the answer."

Rex immediately took off, heading back to the military base, to try and find Fives. He could hear anger grunts of the civilians as he shoved past them, but he didn't care. He had to find Fives and see if he knew when Evie had added it.

As he burst into the barracks, his eyes instantly picked out Fives, who was in a conversation with Tup. He approached them, and the duo looked up at him.

"Captain?" Fives asked. "There something you need?"

"Do you know when Evie added this?" Rex asked as he pointed to the picture Evie had given him.

Fives shook his head. "She said she wasn't going to add you when we were on Kamino. I haven't seen her messing with the picture at all."

Tup looked at the drawing. "Oh, Evie was drawing that the day before you reported her as a deserter. I wanted to ask her about it, but she seemed so focused and a little bit sad, so I let her be."

Rex sat down next to Tup, staring at the piece of paper in his hands. A tear trickled down his cheek, then a second. He looked up at Fives.

"I hurt her", he whispered. "I said she wasn't my best friend. When in reality, she was. She was my best friend and more."

Fives looked over at Tup and the two smirked.

"So... you got a plan to get her back?"