Jesse stared into darkness waiting for his sight to adjust. At first he couldn't tell if he had opened his eyes, it smelled like a swimming pool locker room full of frozen bacon in mid August. The air was dank and rotten, tasting like copper in his mouth. He spat at the ground, the darkness disoriented him but slowly Jesse started to make out a faint shine that caught on the textured surface of the walls around him. Jesse pulled out his gun and took a step forward. An echo of his boot scraping the ground bounced off the room around him, stopping him in surprise. He wasn't inside a building. No this room was organic, natural. He bent down and felt the floor, it was rough and cool, like some kind of stone and slightly damp. With his recently adjusted eyes he looked around him, though it was still hard to make out any details, the walls were jagged and curved like a dome around him. He was inside of a cave. Great.

Jesse placed his flesh hand against the grainy earth and used it as a guide, walking quietly beside it. He debated calling out to the archer, but with his limited sight he knew that wouldn't be wise. It took a psychic to know what was waiting for him through the dark, and Jesse McCree sure wasn't one of those. His footsteps began to ascend an invisible incline when Jesse saw the glow of something behind the cave bend up ahead. Not needing the wall for lack of sight anymore, he knelt with his back against the flection and carefully peered around the corner. The soft glow was coming from two tall pillar shaped tanks, radiating light from the sliver of a window running down their center frame. Between them, it looked to Jesse like Angela's office space, a long desk cluttered with notes and instruments he didn't recognize. On the far end of the cave was an advanced computer system, electrical cables ran along the sides of the cave floor up and out of sight. It stood out of place, but then again so did everything down there.

Where was Hanzo? Jesse stood from the wall and cautiously moved around the room. The notes on the desk were in a mixture of languages. McCree picked up a stack and leafed through their contents. Most of it was Japanese, or Mandarin which luckily he could translate, but none of it made any sense. They were just lists of random words, 'Húlí, Lǜsè... Xuékē… Chá, Jiǔ.' All over the table were codes like this. Whoever set this up sure took careful measures of secrecy in their work. Jesse sniffed the air, there was no doubt the rancid smell was coming from whatever was being cooked in the tanks. His eyes drifted back to the basin of light before him, he suddenly had the strongest urge to see what was inside...

A scream tore through the cave like the gush of water from a breaking dam. McCree dropped the notes over the ground and quickly grabbed for Peacekeeper. The sound slowly faded into a dying echo, his ears strained for more, anything else that could tell him some detail but all he could hear was his heartbeat loudly in the silence. For a short-lived moment there was nothing, but then came another scream, this time followed by the sound of gunfire.

McCree was up and running towards the sound. He ran past the two vats and followed the caves twisted incline, squinting as light suddenly glared through the opening ahead. Jesse cursed under his breath and took off towards it like hell on foot. He had no idea what to expect or do, shit, he only had six shots and a metal fist. Jesse just knew he needed to get there, fast.

He ran out of the cave's mouth and took in the world around him. The sun set low and bright like fire over the horizon, casting long purple shadows over scorched earth. Beneath his feet was hot sand, all around him was rock and dust within a small crescent canyon, and beyond that he saw dunes like an ocean as far as the eye could see.

Gunshots sounded and cracked the stone just past his shoulder as Jesse dodged back against the cave wall. This is where his life has lead up to, McCree almost laughed he was so pissed off.

He growled to himself. "...Trapped like a spider in a bathtub."

McCree winced as a bullet barrage whizzed past him, littering shells over the canyon wall. This was the consequence of his actions, he should have expected some bullshit like this. The archer was probably already dead and all of this would be for nothing. Jesse closed his eyes and thought through the last hour of his life. If he had just stayed, he would probably be with Tracer and the others on their way to Winston with the port codes by now. Or maybe vice versa, sitting in a comfy chair with a cold beer in his hand while waiting for Winston to arrive in Beijing. He recalled Fa Hung Jin's speech and the woman in neon violet. She didn't look familiar to him, but he didn't really get the chance to see her face. Then there was the other woman, the dart blower in the white dress. Had she wanted them to pursue her? Jesse sighed and opened his eyes, even if this was all preordained what did it matter?

He was here now, he had chosen to follow.

Just then the sun's reflection caught on something in the corner of Jesse's vision. He froze and watched through his peripherals as a golden ribbon danced in the dying wind.

The corners of his mouth twitched slightly upwards. "No fuckin way…"

Jesse turned and saw Hanzo kneeling behind a cluster of towering red rocks on the other side of the canyon, his bow in his hands. Ahead of him the desert's surface was littered with bodies dressed in Wu clan attire, each with an arrow sticking from their corpse. Jesse chanced a glance past the cave wall at the living agents, all taking cover behind a gallimaufry of crates and tables beneath white canopies, set up as a seemingly temporary camp.

Gunshots fired back at him. McCree held his breath and waited for his opening and then as quick as the snap of a bull whip he rounded out into the sunset, firing off three shots as he hightailed across the clearing. The first two shots of his were fatal, the last one however hit the agent's vest knocking him flat on his back. Jesse dove for cover just as the Wu agents retaliated, rolling through the dirt next to the archer.

"Baka!" Hanzo snapped as gunshots fired at them once again. "You fool! You shouldn't have followed me!"

Jesse leaned out from behind the boulder and finished off the agent laying on the ground, darting back to cover just as a bullet chipped away at the rock where his left eye had been.

"Well hell, it's nice to see you too." McCree grunted and took off his hat, ruffling sand from his hair.

The archer glowered at him, "Do not toy with me imbecile." His teeth clenched. "Why are you here?"

Jesse laughed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He was regretting coming enough already without the added hostility from Hanzo.

"You know what?" Jesse turned to face him. "I guess I thought the great Hanzo Shimada could use some rescuing, because from the way I see it you're completely outnumbered," He scowled at the empty quiver at Hanzo's side, "...and out gunned. So a pretty 'thank you' would do fine."

"'Thank you'?" Hanzo scoffed. "For what? I did not ask for you to come here!"

Jesse could feel his fingernails start to dig into his palms. He sighed and relaxed a little, picking up some sand and rubbing it through his calloused hands.

"Look, this here situation is a mess of trouble. If you don't want me here, well you're gonna have to suck it up because there's nowhere else i'm about to go. Now stop hollerin' at me like a damn dog because I'm here sticking my neck out for you."

Jesse tossed the sand down and looked back around the rocks to get a quick headcount of how many agents were left. He counted nine and groaned.

"Hell, it seems like we both are fucked on ammo."

Hanzo stared quietly at him for a moment, Jesse could feel his eyes burning holes into the side of his head.

"How many bullets do you have left?" The archer asked.

Jesse grimaced down at his gun, "...Two."

Hanzo laughed sourly, "So this is your idea of 'rescuing' me?" He stood up, brushing the dust from his kyudo-gi, and nocked his last arrow in place.

"This matter does not concern you, gunslinger. Keep your bullets, I do not need your help."

Jesse watched incredulously as Hanzo stepped along the shadow that stretched beneath the red standing stone.

"What do you mean this 'matter don't concern me'?" Jesse yelled.

Hanzo stopped after a few paces and turned back towards him.

"Move." The archer straightened and drew back on the bow, narrowing his eyes.

Jesse glared down the arrow's shaft, "Why? You gonna try and shoot through the fucking boulder?"

"Yes."

McCree nearly choked. What did he just fucking say?

Somewhere in the distance Jesse could hear Mandarin being shouted, and from the tone and pitch, he reconed the orders were from a woman. But his mind didn't linger on it for very long. This day had not gone as Jesse had planned. Oh he could go for a smoke right now... but no he can't smoke because he's in a DESERT...SOMEWHERE... with no cigar. Trapped like a rat behind a couple of fucking rocks with no bullets and a screwball archer.

Jesse glowered at him with the fullest intent of giving him a piece of his mind, but when he met Hanzo's stare, he suddenly couldn't speak. His eyes weren't as dark as they were the first time McCree saw them. The light from the setting sun reflected off the sand making them shine like sunlight through whiskey. Something stirred in Jesse's soul, though he couldn't explain what or why. Hanzo held every presence of a warrior, strong, confident, precise. He stared through Jesse, unphased by the danger creeping along the canyon walls, In fact he was ready for it.

Hanzo huffed with irritation. "Do you want to die today fool? Move."

McCree didn't know why he suddenly wanted to trust the man before him. He had half a mind to give up and run, he could survive the desert, he had done so before. And it wasn't like Hanzo meant anything to him, it would be easy to leave the archer behind, it should be...

McCree tucked his hat back on and sighed.

"You must be nuttier than a fruitcake." He muttered to himself. So much for survival.

Jesse stood up and crouched beside the archer as both men looked back down at the cluster of red boulders before them. He swore he could hear sharp whispers and the faint shifts of sand as the remaining Wu closed in on them from the other side. Jesse glanced at Hanzo, they were totally fucked.

The Wu agent's were definitely audible now, their whispers carried through the canyon from behind the rock wall as they drew in closer. McCree lifted Peacekeeper, aiming it's barrel down the setting sun and sucked in a sharp breath.

"Alright so what's your plan Shimada?"

"Be still." Hanzo whispered.

His voice was so low that at first Jesse wasn't completely sure he hadn't just made it up. The land grew darker faster than the sun seemed to set, like a cloud covered the light but there was none in the sky. He looked back down at the rocks, their shadows seemed to chase away from them. The pale sand at their feet appeared to be touched by a blue hue...or maybe it was just a trick of the senses. But then Jesse heard Hanzo speak.

The world slowed to a hair raising crawl as Hanzo's voice echoed across the canyon. The blue light was not just in McCree's mind, it was coming from the archer. He looked over at Hanzo as the blue glow wrapped itself around his tattooed arm like a snake, slithering down to his bow. Then lightning came, brilliant and white shooting across the scorched earth as Hanzo released his arrow with a final shout.

Despite the force of the wind, Jesse dared not close his eyes as two twisting creatures appeared from the lightning in a deafening roar, moving quickly across the sand. Their blue scales chased away the desert's heat like ice. Their eyes were white and hollow.

Like wind they flew to the standing rocks, tearing through them like tissue paper. Thunder shook the ground as the rocks snapped and fell. Jesse watched with horror and amazement as the creatures devoured the Wu agents, tearing them apart as shrieks of horror came from dead men. The agents tried to fight back, but their bullets went through the beasts like mist before they were all consumed. Then as quickly as they came, the creatures darted back into the sky and disappeared into the stars above.

...Dragons.

Jesse blinked and sank down to his knees, watching the sky where the dragons had once been. His hand slipped into the sand and grabbed tightly onto a handful of grains to make sure he wasn't dead or dreaming.

"...Damn…You sure weren't jokin'."

Hanzo lowered his bow. "I never joke."

He straightened and walked down the desert's incline past McCree towards the white canopies at the edge of the canyon. Jesse watched him for a long moment before he scrambled out of the sand, catching up with the archer.

"Now hold on a second, Hanzo…" The archer glanced expectantly at him, but Jesse didn't know where to begin.

"Those, those things...Dragons...You made them appear? You can just do that?"

The corners of the archer's mouth twitched and McCree was pretty sure Hanzo was fighting back a smile.

"...Sometimes." Hanzo walked ahead, silencing the conversation before it could really begin. The two men crossed the battlefield to the canopies where they found a busted radio system, shot through during the fight.

"Well shit," Jesse scratched the back of his head as he looked over the smoking electronic scraps. "I guess we'll just have to hold up here until they find us then."

"Not necessarily." Hanzo called out. He was standing on a rock looking down at something out of sight.

He walked over to the archer, looking down past the desert's curve when he saw them, four silver FSO Luminia hover-bikes, all in pristine condition for being out in the desert. Jesse whistled, trailing his hands over the throttle and fairing. These would do mighty fine. He grinned and looked over to Hanzo who, again wasn't looking his way. Instead his eyes were wary, darting from body to body across the battlefield, absorbed in a troublesome thought.

"What's wrong?" Jesse also scanned over the carnage, it was pretty jarring with all the blood. The Null Sector omnics from back in the day were far easier to kill when they didn't bleed like men and women do.

Hanzo scanned around the canyon wall, "Baipa, I can not find her body amongst the others."

"Who?" Jesse walked back to the archer, resting his hand on the gun at his hip.

"Baipa, though some know her as the Jade Witch. She was the woman who led us here."

Jesse recalled the chase, the woman in white, the jade blowgun, the maniacal laugh when she recognized Hanzo. Now that he mentions it, Jesse didn't remember seeing her after entering the teleporter. Though, he's pretty sure he heard her barking orders in Mandarin during the fight.

"Alright, you think she got away?" Jesse gestured to the bikes behind him. "There may have been more of these at one point, think she took off on one and ditched the others?"

Hanzo shook his head. "The sand beneath them is not disturbed. If she fled, it was on foot."

McCree sighed and looked back up the canyon when he noticed something. A thin wisp of smoke trailed out from the mouth of the cave.

"Or, she's still here." Jesse said, nodding towards the smoke. Hanzo turned back from searching the canyon walls and followed Jesse's gaze.

"I think your Jade Witch lady might be trying to destroy somethin in-" Jesse stopped. His eyes widened.

He had heard it... that 'ffffp' sound.

Jesse's hand was on Peacekeeper faster than a beat of a hummingbird's wing. He turned and fired, knowing he had hit his target before the gunshot rang in his ears. Sure enough, there she was, standing on top of the canyon wall. The jade blowgun in her hands slipped as she fell forwards, landing with a soft thud in the pale sand below. Her white dress slowly stained with red.

Jesse exhaled and tucked his gun back into it's holster, when he heard a strangled laugh. He narrowed his eyes down at the Jade Witch as she slowly lifted her head, smiling as blood formed around the corners of her lips, but she was not looking at McCree.

Jesse turned to Hanzo and froze. The archer's eyes were cold, looking down at a small red feather tipped dart he held in his hand.

He had been hit…

"No…" Jesse glowered at the crimson dart. "Nah, no fuckin way."

The wind blew through the canyon, carrying the witches laugh as she choked. McCree was beside her in seconds kneeling down, and shoved his gun into her temple.

"Nǐ shǐyòng shénme dúyào?" He growled in her ear. "Tell me what poison you used."

She smiled up at Jesse and slowly shook her head. "...No."

He heard the faintest shift in the sand as Hanzo walked up next to them. Jesse rose and looked over the archer, his face was unreadable and distant as he gently reached his hand out for Jesse's gun. McCree nodded silently and handed over his last bullet to Hanzo. The archer aimed Peacekeeper down over the witches brow as she smiled, muttering her last words.

"J-Jigoku...de aimashō."

Hanzo watched her for a long time in quiet as she coughed and choked. The sunlight slowly fell as the desert darkened with night. Hanzo's eyes were dark and haunting behind his expressionless exterior, and then after a moment he spoke.

"Suffer."

He thrust Peacekeeper back into Jesse's hands and walked past him, out to where the red sun touched upon the desert sea. Jesse's eyes followed Hanzo, watching as he knelt in the distance before the sunset. He looked back down to the gun in his hands. The metal strained against his leather glove as his grip tightened around the barrel. Before him, the woman choked her last breath and stilled within the blood and dust.

Jesse closed his eyes. No one was going to die on his watch that night, that's what he told himself. He had already failed on that promise… He opened his eyes and looked back at the silhouette of the archer, sitting beneath the stars and sun. There was little Jesse knew in the big picture of the world, but in that moment he made his decision. As long as there was breath in his body, he would fight to redeem that promise. They were both going to live to see the sunrise again.