A/N: I am just going to be completely up-front about one rather large aspect about this story: While he does have his reasons, the protagonist of this story will eventually commit a lot of acts that could make it very easy to label him as a villain. Or the short version: He's a bad guy. If you're not into that sort of protagonist, this story might be difficult, though not impossible, for you to enjoy. But if you're fine with that, then I can't say much more than I sincerely hope you enjoy this and please do leave a review!
The rain fell heavily and loudly everywhere. Small drops of water hitting the pavement, creating a chaotic symphony of one kind of noise.
Some of the water had run over the pavement and was now collected in a small puddle, unable to escape.
Suddenly, a single foot stepped into the puddle. As the water splashed everywhere, the figure the foot belonged to continued to press on through the rain.
As the figure walked through the rain, it saw one of the wet newspapers that laid in on the ground.
"Overwatch Once Again Accepted By the UN; A True Resurrection" The headline read. The figure quickly scoffed after reading it, before continuing.
On its way through the city, the soaked figure happened to walk past a clothing store. It stopped and turned towards the window, where a dry mannequin was wearing some sort of blue dress.
The figure continued to look at the mannequin, which was bathed in yellow light from above, despite the figure being a guy.
Eventually, the guy lowered his gaze and his eyes fell on his own reflection in the glass. His black, wet hair was sticking onto his head, his pale skin was uncomfortably close to the bones of his face and his overcoat was completely soaked.
His green eyes observantly took in every detail.
Just standing and looking at his own reflection, a sudden sneeze caused him to turn away from the window.
Wiping away the sticky snot, the guy heard a voice next to him. "You okay?" A female voice asked.
The guy immediately turned towards the voice, surprised, and saw a girl with red hair, standing and looking at him with concern under an umbrella.
Relaxing, the guy turned towards her. "It's just a cold." He responded quite sternly.
"Don't you have an umbrella?" The girl then asked. The guy simply shook his head.
"You can have mine, if you want." She then suddenly offered as she extended the hand holding the umbrella towards him.
The guy looked at it for a few seconds. "Really?" He eventually asked.
"Sure." She just responded.
Not one to pass up such an opportunity, the guy took the umbrella. He did make sure it still covered the girl as well.
Taking the umbrella, the guy got a better look at the girl. She was wearing a long coat and a crimson sweater underneath. She was also carrying a bag from the shop over her shoulder.
"What's your name?" The girl then asked.
"Alexander Caeden." The guy answered. "And you?" He then asked back.
"Emily." The girl responded, as she extended a hand. "Nice to meet you Alex. I hope you don't mind me calling you Alex?"
"No, it's fine." Alexander answered her. A small smile was finally beginning to form on his face, as he extended his own hand to shake her's.
"Hey Emily, don't just go wanderin' off without me!" Another female voice suddenly pierced the rain.
Every muscle in Alexander's body froze and tensed, as he slowly looked over at the girl running over towards them.
"Sorry about that." Emily quickly apologized as she instinctively retracted her hand. "I was just giving this guy my umbrella." She then explained.
"Oh, right." Emily suddenly exclaimed as if she'd remembered something. "Lena, this is Alexander Caeden. Alex, this is-"
"Lena Oxton." Alexander finished her sentence for her.
"Yes." Emily confirmed. However, when she turned back towards Alex, she saw something unexpected. He was looking at Lena, but his eyes were narrowed and filled with the purest form of hatred she had ever seen. His knuckles were also completely white and the umbrella above him cast an eerie shadow which covered his face. But even then, his hateful eyes still shone through it.
"I see you know me." Lena commented.
"Indeed." Alexander continued, his voice almost a hiss of malice. "And you two know each other." He then said.
"Yes, why?" Lena asked defiantly, getting rather annoyed over Alex's attitude towards her. "You got a problem with me?"
Alexander took a slow step towards her. "Not just you." He spoke as slowly as he walked. "All of Overwatch is nothing but a destructive curse on the world. You're just another willing part of that."
"You know him?" Lena suddenly asked Emily. She was mostly just standing by and watching in shock over how quickly Alex's demeanor had changed.
Alexander suddenly stopped and turned towards Emily. His spiteful eyes and shadow-covered face gave him an intimidating, almost unnatural, aura.
From this new position, Alexander could see down the bag Emily was carrying over her shoulder. It was the same blue dress as in the window.
With a quick grunt, Alexander folded the umbrella. As the rain once again began to pour down on him, he quickly threw it back to Emily, who barely managed to catch it.
Then, with one last stare, he walked past Lena and out into the rain.
"Hey wait a minute!" Lena called out for him.
Alexander stopped and turned around so he could look at Lena.
"If Overwatch truly cared about the people they're saying they protect, then the surname Caeden should mean something to you! But it clearly doesn't!" He shouted back at her. He then turned around and walked into the rain-filled blackness of the night.
As Emily and Lena began to walk the other way, a shadow swiftly dashed in the same direction as Alexander.
Alexander quickly opened the door and stepped inside the apartment, even though the temperature was just as cold as outside.
As he took off his wet overcoat, the sounds of footsteps from deeper inside the apartment brought Alexander the first real smile of the day.
"Al!" The familiar voice exclaimed, as the arms of the person it belonged to wrapped themselves around Alexander from behind.
"Hey Nat." Alexander calmly replied. Once the arms had let go of him, he turned around and shut the door with his foot on the way.
"I was getting worried." Nat suddenly admitted. "You were out later than I expected. I was worried something might've happened to you."
Alexander let out a low chuckle as he looked down at his smaller little sister. "You know I had to come home to you."
Nat's face immediately brightend up and she looked up at her brother with her observant, blue eyes.
"Well," She then suddenly continued. Her black hair flowed quite gracefully when she turned around to walk into the living room. "How did it go?" She asked as she stepped inside the living room.
Alexander's face darkened a bit. "Not well." He answered. With slow steps, he walked into the empty doorframe to the living room, and took in the sight in front of him.
Right in front of him stood a decrepid old couch which stood only a few meters away from a broken TV. To the couch's left was another, equally decrepid chair, and leaned up against that chair was his little sister.
Nat was wearing a black skirt and a dark grey jacket over a simple, dark orange t-shirt. The same outfit as yesterday. And the day before that. And so on.
Alexander let out a sigh.
"Did they not accept you?" Nat asked with concern.
"No." Her brother simply answered. Walking into the room, he quickly made his way over to the couch and sat down on it. "They didn't want to hire someone who only has experience as a thief and errand boy." He then elaborated.
Nat didn't initially have anything to say. She wanted to comfort her brother, but just didn't know how.
"I'm... sorry." Alexander unexpectedly said. "That I once again couldn't find a way to save you from this life of a lowly thief."
His expression was suddenly one of sadness and bitterness and his fists were clenched.
"No, don't be!" Nat almost shouted in protest of her brother's nonsense. She quickly sat down next to him. "You're doing all you can, and that's more than enough for me. It's their fault!"
Alexander looked over at her. As his sister leaned her head against his shoulder, she added "Besides, I got quite a lot today. You have time. Don't stress."
"If you say so." Her brother replied with a small sigh.
The siblings were quiet for a few minutes. They just sat and enjoyed one of the few things they still had: Each other's company.
Eventually, Alexander turned his head slightly and looked at his sister. Her eyes were closed and her general expression was one of distance.
"If you're tired, then you can just go to bed." He said softly, followed by another low chuckle.
Nat slowly opened her eyes. "Mm? If you say so, Al."
With one last encouraging nod from her brother, Nat stood up and and made her way into the room next door. Even though Alexander knew it made no difference if she slept on the couch or on the mattresses in there.
"Oh well." He mumbled to himself as he leaned back in the couch, producing a few creaking noises.
Though his expression was one of peace for a few seconds, it quickly became one of mild anger, as he thought back on his earlier encounter.
"Overwatch." He mumbled out loud. The mere mentioning of the name caused the same, familiar fire to flare up inside him.
"I hope you suffer a fate worse than ours." He then mumbled while closing his eyes, planning to get some shut-eye himself.
"You could help with that." A sudden and unknown voice said.
Alexander quickly jumped up from the couch and turned towards the source of the voice, the dark corner of the room.
At first, the corner looked empty. Then, the shadows seemingly began to tighten and condense, slowly forming a cohesive figure.
The shadow-figure took a step out of the shadow, into the light from the streets outside, and Alexander immediately tensed up.
"Reaper." The older brother simply said.
"I see you know of me." The mercenary said, though with neither surprise nor glee.
"So what if I do?" Alexander responded. Naturally, he was weary of someone who could likely kill him and Nat in an instant. But for some reason, he sensed something else.
"You aren't here to kill me." He said. "If that was the case, then you'd have already done so."
Reaper simply let out a menacing cackle at the revelation.
"Correct." The mercenary confirmed. "In fact, you may actually be of use to us."
"What use could Talon have for me?" Alexander asked, still weary despite Reaper's reassurance.
"Have you ever heard the expression 'an enemy of an enemy is a friend'?" Reaper asked and Alexander immediately froze. "Come. Let's negotiate." Reaper suddenly said, as he half walked, half floated over to the lone chair next to the couch.
Without saying anything or taking his eyes off the intruder, Alexander took a seat in the couch. "What do we have to negotiate?" He asked.
"In short, I have a proposal for you." Reaper quite quickly explained as he sat down in the chair, making it creak like the couch.
"You, or Talon?" The older brother asked, his voice not at all hiding his caution and hesitation.
"You're awfully well-informed for someone who lives in a dump like this." Reaper noted, though it wasn't clear if it was to Alexander or just to himself.
When Alexander didn't respond, Reaper allowed himself to continue on. "Talon. I'm just the messenger." He clarified. He then leaned forward in the chair, as his gaze suddenly locked onto Alexander.
"I'll be blunt. Talon has an experiment, and they need a proper 'subject' for it. Gotta love the language of those scientists. Anyway, they have concluded that you would be an excellent 'subject'. Now all we need is your consent." The mercenary explained.
Alexander was almost completely taken aback. "Me?" He asked, the disbelief in his voice clear as day.
"Is there anyone else in here I could be asking?" Reaper sarcastically responded while leaning back in the chair.
"No..." The older brother responded. "But, why should I accept? What can I possibly gain from it? And, why me?"
Reaper suddenly leaned in close and whispered alluringly. "It could give you the power to take your revenge on Overwatch."
Alexander's eyes widend as they stared into the empty air. "What... exactly does this experiment entail?" He slowly asked.
"Hell if I know." Reaper bluntly answered. "But they did tell me something else you might like the sound of. If you come, then Talon would be willing to finance Natalia's life for the duration of the experiment."
Though he thought it impossible, Alexander's eyes opened even wider, as they went over to the door where his sister had just went inside.
"That..." He slowly said. He then turned towards Reaper, as he continued "sounds too good to be true."
In response, the mercenary quickly dove into his pocket and threw a large stack of dollars onto the table. "'The first month in advance as proof of good faith', they said." He simply relayed.
Alexander just looked at the stack for a few seconds.
"Wait a second." He suddenly exclaimed. "You just said you need my consent. Couldn't you just abduct me?" He asked with suspicion.
"I admit, that is how we usually aquire our subjects." Reaper started. "However, as far as I was told, this experiment could result in a person getting so much power, the consent of the subject was needed, purely as a safety precaution. Basically, if we abducted you, it would likely end with you killing everyone once we were done." He put it quite bluntly.
Alexander looked down at his own hand. "And that power... will be mine? I can use it to strike back at Overwatch?" He absently asked.
"Correct." The mercenary simply answered.
"But, why me?" Another question arose from Alexander.
"They didn't tell me." The mercenary admitted. "But, I have a theory. It's because you're a survivor. You've survived like this for years. And that stubborness to keep living, that is what makes the difference in this."
"I see." Alexander responded, just as absentminded as before. He then turned towards the door to where Nat was. "But I have something to live for."
"I was like that. Once." Reaper admitted, now the one talking absentmindedly.
The mercenary quickly shook himself out of his thoughts and stood up from the chair. "Of course, once the experiment's done, we'll expect you to... assist us with our goals. As the price for the powers and her financial support."
Alexander looked up at the mercenary. "On one condition." He said.
"Oh?" Reaper said, clearly not expecting this.
The older brother stood up. "The financial help to Nat, I want it to continue for as long as I work for you. And if I do decide to leave, you can just cut it."
Reaper looked at him for a few seconds. "I don't have the authority to decide these things. You'll have to discuss that with the higher-ups. Though, if I may, that doesn't sound too unreasonable."
"Then I accept your conditions. For Nat's sake." Alexander said, with one last glance at the door to her.
"I couldn't care for why you do this. But no matter the reason, I have a feeling I'll enjoy working alongside you." Reaper responded with a low chuckle. He then extended a hand forward.
Taking his eyes off the door and over at Reaper, Alexander shook the talon-covered glove of the mercenary.