STEALTH and TRACK: BOOK ONE

BONUS CHAPTER THREE: Alternate Ending

TIMESKIP TO WHERE TECH LEADS THE SQUAD TO THEIR OLD BARRACKS AFTER THE DESTRUCTION OF KAMINO...Fern wants to confront Crosshair after finding out the truth, but since she wasn't present for much of his interaction with Hunter, her priorities are different...Her anger has been building up, even after saving him from drowning while the facility sank to the bottom of the ocean...

THIRD PERSON POV

"This is the Bad Batch's old barracks?" Fern scoffed, scanning the empty space minus the random furnished pieces. "I don't recognize it without all that junk that littered the place... Well, what do we have here? They didn't remove those mission marks you guys recorded from the wall." She brushed her fingers over the sliced etches with a smirk.

"Aha!" Wrecker grinned proudly as his eyes followed the marks from top to bottom next to Fern. She smiled up at the whole-hearted clone and rubbed his armored forearm.

"All those missions together..." Crosshair sneered at the doorway. "and you threw it all away." Hunter swung around to counter, but was taken back when...

SMACK!!!

Fern had marched right up to Crosshair and struck him across his left cheekbone. Everyone stared, agast, by Fern's violent action. The anger that burned in her dark eyes caused Crosshair to flinch.

"Woah, F-fern?" Echo stuttered, his hand reaching out slowly, but Hunter silently stopped with his own outstretched arm.

"You," Fern's voice growled, snatching Crosshair's chestplate and yanking him forward to where their noses were centimeters apart. "are the real traitor."

TIMESKIP to Nala Se's Private Lab...

FERN'S POV

"Don't fool yourself. All you ever will be to them, is a number..." Hunter pressured.

I watched Omega making her move to approach Crosshair, but I stopped her. "Hang on, Half-Pint." I shook my head. "I'll do it." Hunter overheard me, and his eyes narrowed. "Are you sure?"

I nodded. I felt all that anger from before mellow out in my chest, so I was confident in myself to hold a civil conversation with the sharpshooter. "Don't disturb us." I then paused...and reached out my hand to him, in which he obligied, squeezing my hand in his. With my eyes, I jested, Wish me luck...

I then released his hand and marched right over to Crosshair, who had collasped down in front of the glass wall and hunched over in distress, his head buried itself into his palm. I slammed my foot right next to him, leaning over him with intimidation. Crosshair, startled, whipped his head and scowled at her. "You have something to—"

"Listen up, Crosshair." I yanked him forward by his chestplate, their noses only two inches apart, just like I did in the squad's old barracks. "I'm going to speak and you are going to listen unless I ask a question, in which you will answer. Do I make myself clear?"

"No," Crosshair sneered, pushing me away from him. "Go away. I don't care what you have to say to me."

"Wasn't an option." I blew a razzberry like a child, in which Crosshair countered with an eye roll and his arms crossing in defense. Okay...you made your entrance...now, talk to him.

"You know," I supported myself with my arm on my propped knee, my mouth formed a deep frown. "I'd almost prefer you still had your inhibitor chip in your head. This would've been a lot easier...How did you get that scar?"

"Why do you care so much?" Crosshair rolled his eyes, but his hand reached up and touched it.

"It was on Bracca, wasn't it?" I guessed. "The ion cannon—"