STEALTH and TRACK: BOOK ONE

C H A P T E R T W E N T Y

FERN'S POV

By the time we met up with Tech and Echo, the police droids had already shown up and were quickly surrounding us. I noticed immediately we were missing a member of our squad.

"Wait. Where's Wrecker!?" I yelled over the blaster fire, shooting over the staircase at the droids approached from behind.

"He should be returning from the main control panel." Tech updated me over his shoulder. "He managed to switch the facility back online, but has yet to adhere to our current position."

"I'll find him." I volunteered, and bolted before anyone could stop me. With my blaster in hand, I scaled up a nearby ladder, hiking up three levels and then proceeded to sprint down the creaking platform, the metal clanking underneath my boots. Eventually, I reached the wide chasm that separated me and Wrecker on the circular panel terrace. He was groveling on the metal surface. His forehead was digging into it in and his fists clenched tightly, as if he was fighting something internally.

"Wrecker!" I shouted out to him, but I got no reply. "Hang on, you big oaf! I'm coming for you!" I activated the grappling hook on my left gauntlet and aimed upwards at the ceiling rafters. After I ignited its launch, the hooked end spiraled around one of them and latched on. I swung over the exposed furnaced pit meters below and docked onto the other side. After I detached the line, I dropped to my knees next to Wrecker's head. I could hear him grunting, straining, and panting like he was under immense stress.

"Wrecker, it's me. It's Fern." I shook his shoulders, hoping to break whatever stress he was enduring. "What's wrong?" 

His left fist pounded the crated floor in pure grit.

"Good soldiers..." he mumbled, then started growling, "No...no, no, no..."

"Wrecker..." I breathed, my eyes widened. Whatever was occurring...This is freaking me out...

"Wrecker, where are you?" Omega's voice chimed into our comms. "We need you!"

"Wrecker? Do you copy?" Tech came up next. "Wrecker? Come in."

"Tech, I'm here with Wrecker." I reported into my gauntlet, my voice slightly trembled.

"Fern, where are you?" Tech asked. "What is taking you both so long?"

"Fern?" Wrecker panted, raising his head slowly. I couldn't see his face because of his helmet, so I changed that and slipped it off, revealing a sweating clone.

"Are you okay?" I questioned, gripping the piece of armor in my hands. "What happened to you just now?"

"It's nothing." he insisted, pushing himself to his feet, in which I rose to mine as well. "I banged my head again and my headache came back, that's all. It's passed. I'm good to go!" At the end there, he tried to play the tough guy he always was with that ambitious grin of his.

"Fern?" Tech called to me again. "Come in, Fern? Did something happen to Wrecker?"

"No," I lied, swallowing my concern. "I found him. We are on our way."

"Please hurry." Tech replied monotonously. "We are in the process of our escape plan."

"Copy that." I signed off, and grasped onto Wrecker's thick arm. "Come on, big guy. We can't let them have all the fun." The two of us rushed across the upper levels back to the squad (unlike me, Wrecker wasn't the agile type), and eventually reached the platform right above them. Well, about six levels towering over them. The police droids were closing in on our friends. 

Wrecker and I gave each other the side-eye. He was wearing his helmet, but we both understood our silent agreement. You go down your way, and I'll go down mine.