ᴄʟᴏɴᴇ ᴏɴᴇ ꜱʜᴏᴛꜱ

Do You Get Deja Vu? (Echo and Tech)

TW — PTSD/flashbacks.  Slight mention of injuries. 

Tech and Echo are adjusting the Marauder when Echo remembers something he would rather forget. It prompts him to ask a question he's been holding off on for some time though.  

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"You'll have to remind me to show you that at another time," Tech hummed, tweaking the disk in hand with absent eyes.

"Between us, who do you think will remember to remind you?"

Tech paused, gears turning in his mind.

With a smirk, Echo returned to the hull, using his right arm to wedge between two pieces that wouldn't come apart. He got them far enough to reach his other hand under it and pull. It still wouldn't budge.

"That's the one I usually have Wrecker remove. Been meaning to replace the latch. It keeps getting stuck."

"Well, give me a hand then."

Tech dropped everything and strode over, getting both hands under the panel. He used a leg for leverage as Echo and he yanked on the board. It gave without warning, sending Tech flying backwards from the momentum, cussing like a proper mechanic.

The nerd got to his feet, rubbing his backside as he glared at the panel still in Echo's hand. Then he looked up at Echo and smirked proudly.

That was the same expression, from the slight curve of his lips to the glint in his eyes, that Fives gave him the day that they got their medals of honor for the Rishi Station. He had played that moment in his mind over and over again, praying that he would never forget his brother's face. He couldn't lose that grin or the mischievous raise of the eyebrow whenever Senator Amidala was mentioned around their General. That was who kept him going every day. Fives.

Then he recalled the Citadel. His brother's cry as the ship exploded behind him, debilitating burns taking his forearm and legs. His heart raced. He remembered nothing of the pain in that moment or even what he was doing before the explosion. All he could hear was Fives's voice above the flames, screaming for him. All he knew was that he had made a mistake.

If only he'd known that that was the last time he would ever see his brother.

Then he woke up, head spinning. He stared into the bright lights of a surgery, glad to be back on the Resolute. The peace hadn't time to settle over him before he was overwhelmed with relentless panic. That was when the real pain hit. He had experienced blaster wounds that stung like fire and bruises that bugged him, but this was a different kind of pain. This was one that traveled from his toes to his spine and all the way to his fingertips. Like his nerves were being dipped in a broiling grease.

"ARC Trooper."

1409.

"Not perfect. Will do."

1409. Must remember 1409. 1409. I am 1409. Do not forget. 1409.

His body was tense. His left arm was pulling at restraints so hard that he felt something in it tear. 1409. His right hand must've been cut off from blood flow, as it tingled in a very excruciating way. He could hear one of his brothers screaming bloody murder nearby. His head slashed from side to side. 1409. It took him several minutes to realize that he was that clone whose cries shot terror into his bones. 1409. Reality was faded. He stared into the lights against his will, praying for death.

"Echo!"

His head snapped up to meet Tech's gaze as the taller clone shook him.

1409.

"Snap out of it, vod." He held his shoulders, examining Echo's eyes.

Somehow, in the turn of a few seconds, Echo was on the ground, leaning against the ship. He hugged his knees, rocking back and forth. How bad had he been out of it? He stilled himself, drew a sharp breath—the first in a long beat—and stared up at Tech, whose face was dripping with worry.

"What happened?"

"You were fine, and then your eyes glazed over. It looked as if you were experiencing some sort of a seizure, but the symptoms were different. I set you down so you wouldn't fall, but you were utterly unresponsive for several minutes." He stared at the ground, "You kept repeating your CT number."

He cursed, rubbing his temple. "I'm, I'm... Kriff." He paused, gathering himself, the bright lights still fresh in his mind. "I'm sorry, Tech. I shouldn't have—"

"Stop,"

Echo frowned up at Tech. He wasn't usually one for interrupting.

"You don't have control over whether you lose yourself to dissociation or not. Nobody blames you for it." Tech explained, "Studies show that most  who suffer from flashbacks have little to no control over whether or not they experience them. This will improve with time, but not if you don't give yourself room to heal."

Echo simply nodded, eyes staring at nothing.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Tech's voice softened, "Because studies also show that those who talk about what they see have a quicker recovery rate when compared to the rates for those who don't."

A beat.

Echo considered how to word his question. But it was a simple one. He sighed, "Tech... how did Fives die?"

He saw the words hit the man and go straight to processing. It was like watching a droid go through a list of information. Then Tech's head dropped slightly, and he gingerly sat down beside Echo. Their project on the Marauder would wait.

"It's a rather intricate story that I only pieced together after Rex's most recent visit. It began with an inhibitor chip and a trooper named Tup..."

———

Q. Would you rather spend an afternoon fixing the Marauder with Tech or exploring the planet with Hunter?

A. I think I'd rather explore with Hunter.  I feel like he'd probably have Omega with him too, so that would be an added bonus