On his way back to the barracks, Rex decided to take a detour that would bring him past the training center so he could hopefully catch a glimpse of what he missed earlier. As a cadet who was deemed trustworthy, he didn't always need to be escorted by a Kaminoan wherever he went—and he planned to take full advantage of that.

He walked freely through the corridors, ignoring looks from Kaminoans and clones alike, but as he came closer to the training center, he had to become more sneaky. There were clusters of older clones gathered near the entrances to each training chamber, so he'd hide and wait for them to leave before continuing forward. It became a sort of routine. Hide, check, move.

Eventually, he managed to make it to one of the observatory windows. There was no one over there, since any Kaminoan that was watching would be in the upper tower within the chamber itself. Rex pressed his face against the glass, his awe-filled expression illuminated by the shots being exchanged between clones and training droids.

So this is what battle was like!

Rex had since lost track of time, but somewhere along the line he heard a familiar voice echo down the nearby corridor. Tearing his gaze away from the action, he crept along the wall until he reached the intersection between the two corridors. It had sounded like one of his brothers.

Sure, every clone sounded just about the same, but Rex knew the voice of his batchmate when he heard it. They were supposed to be back in the barracks. What were they still doing here?

His instincts told him to follow, so he did. After checking the area, he jogged down the corridor in the direction of the voice and soon came to another intersection. He hadn't been in this part of the facility before. He had no idea what was down here or what the rooms were used for, but he could imagine it wasn't anything exciting.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of blond hair disappearing into one of the rooms. Going against his better judgement, he ran after his brother, hoping to catch up to him and figure out what was going on. However, upon reaching the door, he realized it was locked.

"Kriff..." Rex muttered. He looked around and spotted a side corridor near the door. Maybe there was another entrance.

Moving down the corridor, he found no secondary entrance but he did find a window that allowed him to peer into the room. He knelt down and gripped the ledge with his fingers, eyes watching intently.

The room appeared to be an examination room of some sort considering the technology and medical cots. It wasn't an uncommon sight in the facility, but the question Rex had was why were his brothers in there? Surely if they needed a check-up or updated vaccines, he'd be summoned as well, right? His instincts nagged at him, warning him that something wasn't right.

Rex noticed Harper lying on the cot closest to the window, seemingly unconscious. His heart rate began to quicken along with his rising anxiety. He could feel his palms beginning to sweat.

He jumped when a Kaminoan scientist entered the room.

What are they doing here? I thought this was a medical examination room!

Rex pressed his hands against the viewing window as the Kaminoan scientist approached Harper's cot. Horrified, he watched as they took a needle from the nearby tray and injected it into his brother.

Within seconds, Harper's chest fell one last time and he began to grow pale. When the realization finally hit, Rex couldn't stop himself from screaming. He stood and pounded his fists on the glass, helpless to stop the scientist as they murdered the rest of his batch one by one.

"No! Stop it! Stop it, you're killing them!" He wailed at the top of his lungs, but they couldn't hear him.

His agonized screams alerted two passing security guards. They rushed over and grabbed him roughly. As he was dragged kicking and screaming away from the window, the image of Harper's small, pale body burned itself into his memory.

•
•
•

Rex sat in the dimly lit room, barely acknowledging Alpha's presence as he stared blankly at the floor. His eyes were bloodshot and his cheeks were stained with tears. His hands still trembled no matter how tightly he wrung them together. He couldn't get the image of Harper out of his brain. He felt sick to his stomach.

"You lied to me." Rex stated quietly, his voice hoarse from screaming.

Alpha's solemn expression deepened. "I did what I was—"

"You lied to me!"

Rex was suddenly on his feet, all the anger and grief rushing back as raw and volatile as ever. In that moment, he felt capable enough to beat Alpha's face into a bloody pulp.

"You told me they would be fine! You told me that I might be able to lead them someday!" He shouted despite the pain in his throat. "How can I lead them if they're dead?!"

"What did you want me to do?" Alpha snapped. "Say they were going to be decommissioned because I was only interested in you? Because in reality, they were just defects who would never fit in? I was trying to protect you from the truth!"

The older clone's words felt like a punch to the gut. All of the air rushed out of Rex's lungs. He could only stare at Alpha, fresh tears starting to burn his eyes as he tried to keep the bile that was rising in his throat down.

Harper was dead because of him.

They were all dead because of him.

"I should've died with them." Rex muttered. "If all the Kaminoans see is a defect, I don't deserve to be in the program."

"I want you in the program, Rex." Alpha strained to speak. "You are meant for greater things. Your talent could give us an edge in the war!"

"They were meant for greater things too!"

"Well let me tell you something: life isn't fair. Not everyone gets a happy ending and sometimes there isn't a damn thing you can do about it." Alpha looked Rex dead in the eyes, trying to keep his emotions at bay. "If you're going to be a soldier, you need to learn how to deal with it and move on. It's the only way you'll survive out there. Trust me, I know."

Rex looked away.

Alpha watched him for a moment, then released a heavy sigh. "Listen. The only way to go is forward. Don't get stuck in the past. There's nothing you can do about it now. You want to honor your brothers? Fight for them. Keep fighting. That's what they'd want you to do."

Harper's words echoed in Rex's mind. He remembered how excited his brother had been to become a soldier and set foot on the battlefield. He had to do this for him—for all of his brothers.

Rex lifted his gaze to meet Alpha's, his eyes appearing dull. "I'll do it."

Alpha gave a slight nod. "Let's get started, then."