Chapter Text
When they got inside, "Jack" let out a deep breath.
"You're not gonna like the solution to this."
"And what's the solution?" Angela turned around, arms crossed. Jesse let Jack go, standing behind him, knowing that Reaper wouldn't be able to take on all three of them at the same time, at least, not while remaining in Jack's body.
"The only way can assure that Jack stays alive if I separate from him is if I consume a soul."
"Consume... a soul?" Jesse frowned. "Wh- how's that s'pose to work?"
"I need the energy of someone's life to stay alive. Side effect of how my body is."
Angela's eyes widened at the implication. "You need to literally drain their life force." She stated.
Jack made a sarcastic 'ding ding ding' sound. [She's right on the money.]
Reaper tried not to chuckle at Morrison's comment.
"Pretty much. And I don't think you want me taking the lives of any of your members."
"So, you're stuck like this until we can find someone for you to kill?" Genji asked.
"Unfortunately, yes. By chance, you have any talon agents imprisoned?"
"None." Angela said, voice clipped. "Let me ask you; why wouldn't one of us work? Why didn't you just separate yourself from Jack and take his soul from the beginning? You said you can, but he'll die. Why do you care if he lives or not?"
"Uh..." [I don't want to tell them.]
[Seems kind of inevitable, doesn’t It?]
[Seems so. Genji already knows who I am. But still, I'd rather Jesse not know.]
[Ah. Right. Just say that it's more amusing that way? I don't know, it's the best I can come up with right now.]
[Yeah, worth a shot. Just as long as Genji keeps his Intel to himself, we should be good.]
"I thought it would be more interesting."
Genji didn't comment on anything, but Jesse snarled. "Ya have a lotta nerve to come by and simply say things like that, Reaper."
[That might have made things worse. Thanks Jack.]
[Well sorry, what else are you supposed to say?]
[Well I'm gonna tell them it was your dumb idea.]
He sighed. "Sorry, it was Jack's idea to say that. Honestly, you'd think he's give better advice."
Angela tilted her head. "Really." She said flatly.
[Well excuuuuse me princess, you try to think of a better one.]
"Don't you 'excuse me princess' me! You know what, mybe I should just tell them, it'll probably end better that way. Unless you have some real advice?" Reaper went silent as he realized he'd heard his own reply in Jack's voice, not his own. He'd said that out loud. Resisting any urges to panic, he smiled at the others nervously. "Whoops."
"Tell us what?" Jesse asked, not really surprised at the fact that they can talk, but at the fact that they're bickering like friends.
"You're might hate me for this Jesse." He paused for a moment, mentally preparing himself for the incoming backlash. "I'm Gabriel Reyes."
McCree’s eyes widened, before he gritted his teeth, Angela's arms falling limply to her sides. Jesse took two menacing steps forward, before grabbing Jack by the collar and tugging him close. "Ya listen here, ya bastard. You don't go 'round claimin' the name of a dead man!"
He had expected that reaction. He stayed calm, not fighting McCree’s grip. "The young Shimada saw me without my mask. Go ahead and tell him, Genji."
Genji nodded, tugging Jesse back with a hand. "It's true, McCree-san." He mumbled.
The cowboy stared at the both of them in disbelief, eyes shifting between guilt, and anger, and everything in between.
"And yes, I was the one who talked to you when you woke up."
[Any commentary boy scout?]
[... No.]
Jesse yanked his shoulder away from Genji's grip, before he backed out of the room, eyes shadowed by the brim of his hat.
Reaper sighed. [This is why I didn't want him to know.] He turned his attention back to Angela. "So you have any prisoners at all? I think we'd both like our own bodies back."
"..." Angela snapped out of her state of memories, before she slowly shook her head. "N-No. None that we have. Unless there are some stray Talon agents around..."
"Then we should look for them. Oh and before I forget, I should take Genji's collar off. It has a tracking device inside it."
Her eyes widened, before she snapped her gaze towards the cyborg, who's hand flew to the collar still around his neck.
"That thing's designed to not come off. However, the main remote control does have a release button."
"I still have it." Genji said, walking over to a table and holding out the battered remote. "Which button is it?"
"It's a small one designed to look like a screw. It'll be a bit hard to push, but do it right next to the collar. It should hopefully work."
Without hesitation, Genji brought it up to his neck and pressed it, hard. The collar beeped twice, before the tension around his neck was released, his neck feeling raw. He brought a hand up, rubbing his neck, feeling the skin-like wires under his fingers buzz painfully.
"Thanks." He mumbled, before he pulled the collar off and placed it on the table.
"You should destroy it immediately. It'll send a signal in a moment that it's been removed."
Without hesitation, Genji swept it onto the floor, immediately crushing it beneath his heel. He felt a sense of relief as it fizzled and popped, electrical components shattered.
Despite the release of the beloved cyborg, Angela still seemed distressed. She was defineilty happy his color was off and destroyed, but something was clearly bothering her.
"G-Genji, can you just... go for a second?" Angela asked the cyborg. He blinked under his mask, but nodded and took the scraps before leaving the room.
Reaper watched him go, feeling uncertain about what Angela wanted. "What's with the sudden privacy?"
"... Why." She stated simply, letting her shoulders drop. She suddenly looked much more tired. "Why did you leave?"
"Leave? Leave Overwatch, Blackwatch?"
"Both." She asked. "Why both? When I... I tried to bring you back, you... joined Talon. You killed so many, why?"
A long deep sigh. He took a moment, to remember, to decide how to respond.
"I woke up, confused, enraged, finding myself no longer human, and feeling betrayed. Talon found me. And I didn't leave them. And when I heard word of a new Overwatch, I thought I was just like the last."
Another moment of somber silence.
"... I'm sorry." Angela finally sputtered, light sobs racking her. "I didn't mean to make you like this."
Reaper grumbled. He didn’t want to deal with this, at least, not right now. "Whatever. Right now the important thing is check for those stray agents. It's weird hearing Jack's voice in my head and when I speak."
[Damn right it is.] Jack replied, and Gabe resisted the urge to chuckle.
Angela nodded, and tapped her comm at her ear. "Athena, can you scan the base for any stray intruders and such? Be sure to catch any out in a one mile radius of the base."
"Affirmative." The was a minute pause, before Anetha responded. "I have detected a single agent near the back entrance of the base. They seem slightly wounded."
[Good enough for you, right...?] Jack asked.
"That should do. I'll go retrieve Jack's rifle. Athena, track them please."
Angela frowned worriedly, but chose not to say anything. She was still dealing with the weight of the revelation.
[The gun's down at the base. It's near the entrance anyways, we can just grab it on the way.]
[Alright.] Following Jack's instructions, he made his way there. He turned to glance behind him, curious to see if Angela was following.
Angela stayed a good distance away, but tailed behind him. She wanted to keep an eye on Gabriel just in case he tried anything.
He shrugged, and continued onwards. It wasn't long before the made it to the room, grabbing the gun off the table top.
Now weaponized, he headed out to where the agent was, Nthena being his guide. The young man was quickly found, stumbling around the perimeter, his leg clearly injured.
[Easy target.] Jack taunted softly. Gabriel smirked, agreeing.
Before the agent realized he’d been found, he was shot in the head. The was no struggle, and barely a cry out, as he fell to the ground, dead.
Reaper quickly walked over to the body, searching for his prize. Jack could see a glowing orb, floating just above the corpse.
[As a warning, this might feel weird.]
[Uh... go ahead? Not like I can complain much.]
With that disclaimer out of the way, he down and picked up the orb, placing it in his mouth. A strangle warm feeling tingled through his body, and for a moment he saw a flash of memories. He no longer felt hungry. The agent's body started to decay.
[W-Woaah... That was weird...] Jack shuddered.
[I warned you it would be. It's like that everytime, quite a trippy side effect.]
He turned to Angela, who seemed a little surprised that he was aware she had been following him.
"I'm going to try to separate now. As a warning, Jack will probably be very tired and lose consciousness."
Angela nodded, hoping she was ready for whatever came next.
[Are you ready?]
[Give it your best shot.]
Without another word, smoke started to pour from his nose and mouth, his nerves feeling like they were being torn apart. A silence began to settle in his head, as he felt Reaper's presence disappear. Jack doubled over, coughing, body feeling like it's been dipped into acid. Angela didn't hesitate to rush over and place a worrying hand on Jack's shoulder.
Slowly but surely, Jack felt control over his body return to him, a waking sensation of his nerves, much like pins and needles. But along with the ability to move his own body, came a wave of exhaustion.
"Ah, fuck--" Jack brought a hand up to his mouth, before he fell back and sat down tiredly, eyes once again milky white. "Vision was nice while it lasted." He said dryly. He felt drained of all his energy, like standing up would be too much effort.
As the last of the smoke poured out of him, it began to take the shape of a familiar cloaked figure. Wasn't long before Reaper now stood before them, speaking with his own raspy voice.
"Ah, feels nice to be me again. No offense, but your body's a bit worn down."
Angela was sitting on her ankles, trying to tend to Jack, warily looking at Reaper.
"N-No shit. I'm an 'old man', remember?" Jack huffed, before he shook his head sluggishly. "Damn, that... that was tiring."
"Want me to carry you to your room?" He said it teasingly, but he also meant it.
"If you want to, 'cause I don't think I can stand right n-now." Jack placed a hand on his forehead. "And if you didn't notice, I'm kind of blind."
"I did notice." Gabriel leaned down by Jack and picked him up carefully, holding him bridal style. With his love now surely in his grasp, he turned towards Angela.
"People are going to want to shoot me. Angela can you keep that from happening?"
Took her a moment to react, but she nodded. "I'll just go brief the team." She said, before back tracking and heading back upstairs. Jack mumbled out a thanks.
"You're welcome, you old fart." Both smiled.
Gabe waited impatiently, hold remaining strong, but mind racing. "McCree's probably going to punch me or something like that."
"Yeah, yeah, he's gonna wanna do that." Jack chuckled at the mental image.
It wasn’t long before someone came back to them. Only two minutes of waiting, before Genji came out with a thumbs up.
A nod of understanding, before Reaper entered the building with the soldier in tow. He headed for Jacks room, knowing all the olf man really needed was a long restful sleep. Silently, he wondered if anyone else knew he was Gabriel, if that had been part of the briefing.
He did, of course, run into McCree.
Jesse paused, right in front of Reaper. His hands clenched, knuckles cracking, before he brushed past him, keeping his hat lowered.
Gabe let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He knew their feud as not over yet, but for the time being, he didn’t have to deal with it. The was for another time, another day.
Despite the encounter, he made it to Jack's room without much more of a hassle. Once inside, he carefully placed him down onto the bed.
"Thanks, Gabe." Jack managed to smile, looking in his general direction as he shifted into a comfortable sitting position.
"No problem." He smiled, not that Jack could see. "Want me to stay?"
"Yeah." He nodded, eyes sliding shut. "Can't feel safe, not without my visor. Stay for a few minutes. Please."
"Sure." If anything, Gabe was glad to. He missed this, the two of them, not fighting, not sharing a body, but together, just the two of them.
Not wanting his gear to get in the way, he took off his mask, gauntlets, gear, and cloak, before plopping himself down on the edge of the bed. He placed a cold hand on Jack's back, in an effort to comfort him.
"Thanks." Jack muttered, letting a moment of silence pass. "...so what now? Are you going to go back to Talon?" He frowned.
"I'll have to, at least for awhile. It'll be suspicious if I don't return."
"And... why didn't you?" Jack clasped his hands together, a habit he had whenever he thought. "Why didn't you... take my soul? Nothing's stopping you..."
"..." He removed his hand from Jack, going quiet.
Morrison didn't know what he was doing. Jack turned his head slightly. "Gabe?"
He took awhile to respond. "Remember the flash of memories you saw when I devoured the soul?"
"Y-Yeah?" He couldn't even remember it right, the scenes fuzzy and blurry.
Another pause. "I don't think I could handle seeing yours."
"..." Jack thumbed the cuts that he had gotten on his wrist. "And... what's stopping you form returning to Talon? You speak like you're staying. Are you?"
"I can't cut my ties with them right now without consequences. I'll try to decommission myself."
"No, why the sudden change to Overwatch? You seemed fine with taking my comrades."
"Talon wanted them dead, regardless of whether I contributed or not. I just thought it would be better if I ended them, then if they did."
Jack nodded slowly, closing his eyes. "Okay."
Reyes sighed. "Go to sleep old man. You need rest."
"I'm not an old man. Go suck an egg." He snapped, but he laid down onto the bed on his side.
Reyes chuckled. "Need a good night kiss?" He said playfully.
"One would be appreciated." He replied, looking over at Gabriel's general direction with a slightly tired smirk.
Cold yet familiar lips were suddenly on Jack's. He blinked in surprise, before he smiled and closed his eyes. "You're a sap." He muttered.
"It's been years since I've used my lips for that." He was grinning, not that Jack could see that.
"Then I guess it's good that I got to be the first?" He asked with a smile.
Gabriel ruffed Jack's hair. "Go to sleep."
Jack scoffed again, before he laid on his side. "Alright, whatever you say. G'night Gabe."
“Goodnight Jack.”
As he quickly drifted to sleep, Gabriel stayed by his side, waiting until he was certain that Morrison was asleep. Quietly, he put on his gear back on, stealing one more glance at his sleeping love before he left, looking for Angela.
The doctor was with Genji again, fixing up the last of his gear with careful precision.
He walked in quietly, his posture somber. "I'm leaving." He stated.
Angela's eyes flickered over to him and her movements slowed. "Where's Jack?"
"Sleeping in his room. I won't be back anytime soon." He turned to make his leave.
Angela wasn't going to just let him go so easily. She pulled away from Genji for a moment and took a few steps towards him. "And where will you be going?"
"Back to Talon, for now. I need to cut some ties. Plus I can't just disappear on them. They'll hunt me down."
"We can protect you, Gabriel. You know we can."
"I'm not going to make you suffer anymore for my mistakes. There's a chance they'll let me go. At least temporarily. Better to try than not at all."
"..." She hesitantly nodded. He's done alright so far. "Okay."
With her compliance given, he tossed a communicator. "Give this to Morrison when he wakes up. I'll send a message through it when I'm returning."
She barely caught it, not expecting him to toss her something. "Sure thing." She slipped it into her pocket, making sure it was safe.
And without another word, he left.