Cejanr (A Rexsoka SWTCW Fanfic)

48

Echo tilted his head back, wincing at the movement. The cybernetics that made up nearly 60% of his body weren't completely compatible with his anatomy. At least, that's what he heard while semi aware in a coma for two months as he received them. 

Two of the strangely armored clones were watching two more like them, Anakin, and Not-Rex (Who Echo was definitely sure was Rex) discussed something. Not-Rex was still kneeled by his side, but not paying attention to him. Echo looked around, his vision blurring with pain and exhaustion as he looked for his target. The throbbing of his head erupted into something more akin to the torture he had vague memories of receiving before they had discovered why they couldn't kill him. 

Why he was special.

He saw his goal, a small droid plug about a foot away. With gritted teeth against the agony of his internal cybernetics and not quite compatible legs, he shifted himself a couple inches before stopping, panting. Then a couple more, until he could reach the plug. 

Rex noticed his movement, but said nothing. Echo lifted a wobbly arm and carefully inserted his jig into the plug. He turned it a couple times before there was a soft gust of air from above them.  Echo raised his human hand to point.

"There's... an exhaust vent. It leads to the cooling systems." Echo wheezed, coughing as his lungs pulled at something that wasn't air from a tank only meant to keep him alive and little more. Anakin glanced upwards at the vent. 

"Got it. Hunter, you go first. Flip, take Echo." He ordered. Not-Rex, who apparently went by Flip, scooped up Echo into a piggy back ride. Echo wrapped his good arm around the captain's neck neck to hold himself up before stabilizing himself with the jig-arm. 

"Hurry, they've breached the front door." Tech warned. Wrecker made a step with his hand under the shaft. Hunter stepped into the foothold and was launched into the air, landing on the ladder inside the duct. Wrecker tossed Rex up next, then Tech. Anakin, being Anakin, showed off a little with a graceful leap that had him perched easily in the opening.

"Wrecker!" Anakin called down. Wrecker shook his head.

"Hold on. I'm putting an end to the seppie's little science experiment."He growled, scattering several charges all over the chamber that held Echo and the controls around it. Whatever was making that circular cut on the door broke through, but Rex didn't see what happened, busy climbing and using a touch of the force to keep Echo in place. There was some muffled and panicked yelps from Wrecker, and then the hiss of the vent shutting. 

Rex just kept climbing. 

His arms were burning even more when they got to the top and he stumbled a little getting out of the shaft. Thankfully, the coolant system was big enough that he could stand fully upright in without bashing his head in on pipes and whatnot.

"So, Echo, How did you know that this was here. The coolant system, I mean." Tech asked in a hushed voice. Echo shivered against Rex's back and pressed a little closer, practically burying his face in Rex's neck. Rex reached across his body automatically to put a hand on Echo's shoulder. 

"They got access to my memory." He said hoarsely. Rex wondered if his vocal cords might be permanently damaged either from torture or the cybernetics. "And I got access to their database. The schematics, weapons plans, maps, everything." He was silent for a minute,  pressing impossibly closer to Rex. 

"So you know a way out of here then?" Hunter asked. 

"Oh, there's a way. But you're not going to like it." Echo warned with a bitter chuckle. The 'way' consisted of a walk across a narrow pipe nearly fifty feet long over a fatal drop, for an off chance that there may be a ship on the other side. 

Oh, how Rex had missed his vod'ika's crazy plans, even if they were more on the suicidal spectrum now than before. He was going to tell him the truth, as soon as they were at base. He deserved to know. 

All sentimental thoughts were blown out of the sky as droids started approaching from the platform they were walking towards. Anakin held up a hand and shoved the droids off, but they merely grew kriffing wings to combat them from the air as more took their places on the pipe. 

"Back, go back!" Anakin called.

"No good!" Tech yelled back. "There are more of them back here."

There was a yell from Wrecker, and then a loud clang as he fell off the pipe, taking Tech with him. He caught a spoke of sorts on the bottom of the pipe and held on for dear life. Rex fired off a couple shots, turning on the already curved and narrow pipe in an attempt to shield Echo from the blaster bolts. A bolt singed Rex's arm and he hissed in pain. 

"Anybody got a brilliant idea?" Hunter called over the wind and blaster fire. Tech shouted something, but it was lost in the chaos. His idea became clear, however, when an ear splitting screech erupted from the external speaker on his comm. A keerdak's cry. 

The creatures appeared seconds later, swooping around the surrounded clones and looking for their injured friend. Hunter yelled something that Rex couldn't catch because of the blasted wind.

It became apparent when the others began to jump off of the pipes, landing on the reptiles below. Rex sighed and shook his head before jumping. 

He landed on the keerdak and let go of Echo as he struggled to find a grip and keep from overbalancing and falling. Echo slid off his back to sit behind him, grabbing the spines of the reptile for balance. Rex let the keerdak fly on it's own, letting it circle and head back in the direction of the village. He shot a couple of the droids who pursued, but they quickly outpaced them. Echo leaned close to Rex's ear.

"I know who you are." The pale clone whispered, shivering a little harder. 

"I know you do. But the others don't, and I'd hate to be reconditioned twice." Rex said back

"I told you you'd see me again." Echo laughed a little. Rex stiffened. 

"That really was you? Not a trick of the ice?" He asked suddenly, deadly serious. Echo shifted with a grunt of pain. His spine ached and something inside him was increasingly more and more agonizing, now that he was moving. 

"The caves? I... think it was me. Don't remember much else of that period. Thought it was another dream but it felt real." Echo said as the village came in sight.

"It was. Or... kinda. I was on Illum, doing something with the jedi. It's a long story." Rex sighed. 

"Where is your wife? I thought commander Tano would be with Skywalker." 

"Another really, really long story. You've been gone a while, vod'ika." Rex's voice was quiet enough that only the audio processor that made up for his left ear caught it. Rex's shoulders hunched a little, and Echo could practically feel the waves of sadness washing over him. 

"How long, exactly?" Echo asked worriedly, fear fully setting in for the first time since his rescue. 

"Echo, the citadel assignment was just over two years ago."