Chapter 2: Running Free

"Gabby get down!" Gabe yelled at his over enthusiastic daughter as she hung from the training rooms monkey bars.

"Come on daddy look how high I am!" She yelled back at him clearly ignoring the dad tone to his voice.

"Gabrielle Mariah Reyes you will get down here now! Don't you dare make me come get you."

"Like you can old man!" She shouted back positioning herself so she can grab the bars with her hands again swinging onto the platform. Her actions received a laugh from Jack Morrison who was just passing by.

"Old man...I guess she is starting to learn of your age."

"Oh shut up, you aren't much younger than me." Gabe said as Gabby stuck her tongue out at her father before her eyes lit up upon Jack who smiled at her.

"Uncle Jack!" She shouted before climbing down to rush over to get a hug.

"Tell me all about your mission you were on!" She shouted right before a hand reached over pulling over to her angry father.

"How many times have I told you not to be in here playing?" He growled getting a slight sheepish look from his now eight year old daughter.

"Ummm….about ten or so times." She said earning a laugh from Jack who was stopped by a glare from Gabe.

"And why do you keep disobeying me? You can get hurt in here if you aren't careful!" He asked her as she smiled before catching her father's eye and going back to looking sheepishly.

"I want to be just a strong as you and Uncle Jack...I want to be a soldier for Overwatch!" She explained trying to hide her excitement, but doing it poorly.

Gabe let go of her straightening up he looked at Jack, "I think we have corrupted her into being just like us." He said as Jack nodded.

"It was bound to happen you know." He said yawning.

Gabe looked at his young daughter who was smiling at her shoes. A hand full of a child was just like him when he was just a kid, but her thoughts and actions always had good intentions even if they got her in a lot of trouble. Like breaking into Winston's lab to leave a gift of peanut butter for his late nights in the lab, or when she broke into one of the carriers to see if she could go on a mission with him. He smiled a bit at those thoughts before looking at Jack, "I think she can do with learning a little bit of soldier discipline and training."

Jack's eyes widened with shock as Gabby screamed with excitement hugging her father. "I will be the best soldier ever daddy!"

"Hold on before you get too excited Jack has to be the conform it." He said looking at Jack's shocked face before returning to his composer.

"I don't think…-"

"Oh come on Uncle Jack! You can teach me everything!" She cried out giving him the biggest puppy dog eyes she could muster making Jack's guard go down.

"Oh fine!" He said making her jump in pure happiness, "but from now on you will be learning how to be a soldier so that means you have to use my work name." He told her as she stopped jumping.

"What is that?"

"Commander Morrison and when you are in the halls you have to use your father's as well." He stated getting her to look at her father who nodded.

"It will be a good start to start leaning on how to be professional," he stated getting a sad look on her face, "but of course in private you can still call us what you want." He finished getting a small smile on her face.

"You will be training when we are here and only when you can say it is okay to train," Jack said looking her over as she tried to get in a soldier salute and failing. He held back laughter as Gabe showed her how to properly salute and stand when the commanding officer was talking to her. "And that means Gabe, Ana, or I will always have to be in here while you train and there will be no playing." He stated seriously as she shouted, "yes sir!"

"Good, but I think you have a date with your father about some movie." He stated getting her to try to stand still as she wanted to run out the door.

He waited just one more minute before saying, "you are dismissed." She saluted before following her father out the door.

Jack could feel a slow gnawing sensation forming in his stomach as he watched her go. This could go two ways and he hoped it would be for the best.

The next three weeks went off without any problems, Ana after a few heated moments agreed that she would train her how to be a soldier from her perspective as the guys did the same. All and all she was learning at a rapid pace that made Jack a little concerned with her progress. He watched her take down one of the newer cadets that never had a chance of joining officially for a few small reasons. He watched her drop him with a few good kicks as Gabe stood in the room shouting a few commands for her to follow. Jack tapped the glass getting Gabe's attention as the guy hit the floor clearly unconscious. Gabe mumbled something to Gabby as she moved to attend the fallen opponent as he walked to the looking room. "What's up Jack?" He asked leaning on the wall close to the door.

"I am concerned about her progress." He stated thinking it was better to be honest and straight to the point with his old friend.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked a little roughly just like Jack knew he would.

"I mean she just took out a kid that was a lot older than her, also she seems to be learning at a increased rate." Jack looked Gabe in the eyes as he saw the numbers flow behind his eyes.

"You have been talking to Angela haven't you?" He asked looking out the glass window showing his daughter helping her opponent up as he was smiling sadly at her.

"She says she might have some of that soldier serum in her."
"I don't do anything like that to her." He said getting a little defensive with Jack who just raised his hands in a surrender. "I wasn't saying you were doing it purposely." He looked him in the eyes, "I honestly think it is in her DNA from the fact you had her after you went through the program."

He saw Gabe relax at the fact he wasn't being accused of giving his daughter the soldier serum, but tensed again when he realized what might have happened, "So what are we going to do about it? We can't just remove her now from learning everything and to top it off we can't just tell her why she is so strong."

"I wasn't suggesting on her leaving the program." Jack said again watching Gabe as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"I don't want her to injure herself." He stated looking conflicted, "maybe we should take her to Angela."

Jack moved over to his old friend placing a hand on his shoulder, "It is better we just keep an eye on her and continue her training."

Gabe gave him a grin, "I make a bet, she will kick your ass first when she is finished with her training."

Jack just laughed, "Sure old man, I think your age will get to your first."

Gabe gave Jack a well deserved punch on the arm, "You are only a year younger than me you dick."

There was a loud knocking from the window as Gabby was smiling trying to wave them to come back in the training room.

"I guess it is time for me to go back to her." He stated laughing as she glared at them.

"I would not want to make her wait any longer." Jack said moving to leave onto his next mission in El Dorado, "you remember last time she waited on you."

Gabe sighed as he remembered his daughter running through the halls with his beanie and Jack's pen.

"Where did Commander Morrison go?" Gabby asked as Gabe returned to her. She was punching one of the punching bags.

"He has to go on a mission in El Dorado." He said getting the punching pads motioning her to come and stand on the mat. "Oh fun!" She states as she took a fighting stance.

"But why didn't you go?" She asks as she threw a punch at Gabe's padded hands.

"Come on I know you can hit harder than that!" He told her as she tried again, "I wasn't needed."

She threw a few more punches than a kick that surprised Gabe, "Nice kick, now try harder with you punches!"

"Why weren't you needed?" She asks taking a quick glance at her father's eyes.

"There was a few newbie's that are going on their first mission and Ana is better at dealing with new kids."

Gabby just smiled punching his hand hard enough that he was forced to take a step to ready himself for the next one.

"Ha! Gotcha!" She exclaimed getting a well earned smile from Gabe.

"I believe that is enough training for today." He said as he watched her stretch one more time before grabbing a towel.

"So ice cream?" She asked looking over at her father as he smiled at her, "there is always time for ice cream." He stopped for a second, "but you have to race me there!" He shouted taking off running as she shouted at him for cheating chasing after him.

He turned a corner he stopped and leaned against the wall waiting for her to turn as he placed his foot out.

"Ah!" She shouted as she fell flat on her face. She turned around glaring at her father, "Why did you do that?" She yelled as Gabe was laughing.

"Always pay attention!"

"General Reyes?" A young woman who was one of massagers asked as she saw Gabby lying on the ground glaring at the taller man. "Can I help you?" He asked sighing a bit.

"Commander Morrison needs you in the carrier room."

"I thought I wasn't going on this mission." Gabe asked more to himself than anyone else.

"He just said he needed you sir." She stated finally walking away.

Gabby brushed herself off, "You are mean, you know that dad."

"I know, but now you will think twice about doing that to Angela." He scolded her as Gabby pouted a bit, "It was funny when I did it."

"No it was mean and I told you that." Gabe told her again as he started to walk to the carrier room.

"So! She should have not taken away my candy." She tried to argue as Gabe rolled his eyes.

"She is only looking after your health and as a soldier you have to eat healthier to stay in shape."

"You can have candy!" She protested as Gabe ruffed her hair, "Yes and I am an adult and I can do what I want."

"That isn't fair!" She pouted as Gabe turned to hug his daughter as she protested. "I still want to go get ice cream."

"We will get ice cream...Just don't tell Angela."

"My lips are sealed," she does a zip and lock motion on her mouth as Gabe patted her again on the head and continued his walk towards the carrier room.

"There has been a slight change of plans General." Jack said as he walked in taking a look around. The use of General makes Gabe know it was time to be more than just professional.

"What is the change Commander?"

"Reinhart has the flu and instead of telling me a few hours in advance," Jack says in a tired voice, "So Angela had to come and force him back to his room leaving an opening."

Gabe just sighed but smiled a bit, "I have a feeling I was the last person you wanted to scare the new kids."

Jack rolled his eyes handing Gabe one of his shot guns, "You have five minutes to get ready Ana will brief you on the way."

Gabe just laughed as he looked over at a couple of new looking recruits that eyed him slightly nervously.

He walks past them giving then a crocked smile, "Don't worry my reputation is only slightly true." He moves a long getting his armor laughing as they started to quickly whispering to their selves.

"Dad! Oh...I mean General Reyes." Gabby quickly corrected herself as Gabe was adding on a few belts holding more shotgun shells. "Yes sweetheart?"

"I thought we were going to get ice cream?" She asked looking at her shoes as he stepped over to her.

"I have to go on a mission, a very, very last minute thing." He stated getting a slightly apprehensive look from his daughter.

"So I will be helping Winston and Angela while you are away?" She asked biting her lip as he hugged her.

She didn't immediately return it, "We will get ice cream when I get back, I promise sweetheart."

Gabby gave him a warm smile before turning around rushing off. Gabe shook his head as he walked over to the carrier getting on taking his place by Jack and Ana, as soon as he sat down Ana started giving him his briefing. It was a simple mission that was to scare a few thugs into submission. They were hoping that they will scatter when they see Overwatch landing near their city. "You ask him!" Gabe heard as Ana was finishing up talking to him. "I don't want to make him mad!" Another one of the recruits whispered angrily as the other one just sighs.

"So...umm...General Reyes was it true that you took out an omnic base by yourself?" The recruit with creamy blonde hair asked loudly getting Gabe to look at her making her quickly look away.

"Kinda, I had the Commander yelling at me not to go in." He told her as she grew the courage to look back up.

"Oh cool!" She said as she caught the eye of Ana who gave a dark look at all the recruits.

"No. Not cool, he didn't listen, so we should not take that as an example on what we should do on a mission."

"Of course ma'am," She said looking at the other three recruits. "We just wanted to know if that was true."

"We are a team and we all have to remember that." She told them seriously as she took a look over at Gabe who gave her a crocked smile shrugging. "I didn't say a thing to them."

He heard Jack sigh, "You are the worst."

"Psh...At least I have a personality Commander." He teased elbowing Jack in the side.

"The most annoying personality I have ever met, General." Jack shot back at Gabe earning a laugh from the group.

"Children...behave," Ana scolded hiding a smile behind her hand, "We have to give the recruits a good example."

Gabe just crossed his arms as Jack looked away. "He started it."

"Oh, shut up." Gabe countered getting a well earned smack from Ana who couldn't reach Jack so she glared at him.

The recruits snickered at their commanding officers getting scolded by Ana.

This is just why one of them joined Overwatch...it felt more like a family than a military base, of course there were still military rules you had to follow, but seeing these three together right before a mission made her more than proud to be an Overwatch agent.