I AM SO SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING SO MUCH HAPPENING IN REAL LIFE!
I do come with a fairly long chapter to make up for it and hope everyone enjoys! As we know Angela's still stuck with Reaper, and Jack and the others failed in saving her, but Jack is stubborn. And the others won't give up so easily!
Also been playing the Halloween event this year and got lots of goodies so far! Hope everyone else is faring well with the event this year! To everyone who reviews and reads my fic, thank you so much for all your support! It makes me happy to see people enjoy my story! Thank you again!
Chapter 12
Tua Culpa
The large transport was nestled in the middle of trees, hidden from any normal or satellite view. It was one of Overwatch's standard transport ships, but converted into something more. It was essentially a flying ambulance. There were cramped hospital beds bolted down in narrow rows. The shelves held all the essential medical supplies one would need to stabilize someone until they reached base. These transports weren't often used on Blackwatch missions, but Commander Morrison had one go on the precaution surrounding the target Blackwatch had that night.
The target was heavily guarded and armed. Their target was also fairly hated by many. He was no stranger to death threats or attempted assassinations. Problem was, most of those attempts were by lone wolves or ameteur rebel factions. They had yet to deal with a coordinated attack planned by military trained personnel armed with sophisticated weapon technology.
The medical transport were not given the details of Blackwatch's mission that night, only that it was dangerous and they should expect some injured agents coming back. Their communications were quiet for now, as nurses and technicians played card games or gossiped, waiting for any notification to come. Angela Ziegler was the only doctor on board. She currently sat in the comfy booth near the coffee maker, reading news reports on her glowing tablet.
There was crackling on the speakers, silencing the whole team. " Blackwatch 2 coming in! Three injured! One severe! ETA 5 minutes!"
Everyone leapt into action. Nurses prepped the beds quickly, while technicians checked the equipment to ensure all was in working order. Angela threw the tablet to the table and got up quickly, overseeing her team's prep work while she began to get gloves on. Those five minutes had gone by in what felt like seconds before the bay door began to lower, opening to the cool night air. Angela heard the whining engines as the smaller transport landed, with the flight's crew getting the injured off and quickly to the medical transport ship. Nurses rushed out to get to McCree, who suffered a few bullet wounds. Another coming off the transport was holding an arm that looked very distorted. When the nurses helped him pass, Angela could see that the man's forearm had been snapped in half. The third was none other than Reyes himself, struggling to stay on his feet as two crew members aided him. He was groaning in pain and stained in his own blood.
"Mein Gott!" She exclaimed, helping the crew members get him into a bed. "What happened, Commander Reyes?!" she asked, beginning to make quick work of his arsenal and clothing, wanting to get to his body and see the extent of his damage.
"Goddamn ambush...we nearly had the idiot, and five of his personal guard flanked us and launched a heavy assault," he explained, wincing and growling as moving him about to just remove clothing was painful for him. " Ben managed to get three of them but one threw a grenade that Ben didn't see...told everyone to take cover and tried to kick the fucking thing away from us."
"You kicked a live grenade?!" she said in astonishment, pausing her removal of his pants. " Are you crazy?"
" I had to, that shit would have gotten me, Ben, Jesse and Ella. The two got some lucky shots off me and Jesse, but the explosion didn't get anyone but me. Knocked me down on my ass. Ella and Ben took care of the two guards, Jesse ran after and got our target. Got to hand it to him, he did it with two bullets in his shoulder...so much for a quiet operation," he growled. Angela shook her head as she was getting his pants off finally. Despite the pain in almost every nerve of his body, he couldn't resist from cracking a joke to lighten the chaotic mood surrounding them. "Say doc, if you wanted to see me in my underwear, you can just ask any old time."
Angela scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Seems like any old time is right now as I patch you up, Commander Reyes," she said as she began to get a bottle of saline to clean out all his wounds. There were so many. Most of it seemed to be shrapnel from the grenade he told her about. "How many bullet wounds?" she asked, looking to him. He pointed out the one in his thigh, his side and shoulder. Angela was keen about the one on his side, but seeing it, she noticed there was an exit wound. The bullet had gone through his muscle, and hadn't seem to hit his organs which she was thankful for. She prepped to get the bullet out of his thigh though, getting her tools in order. "This might hurt a little..." she said, looking to him. Gabriel only grinned.
"You've dug plenty out of me, I trust you..." he said. Angela went about getting the slugs out of his shoulder and thigh. Gabriel cried out and growled only when she was fishing about with that long, tweezer like tool inside his skin. It was a relief though as each slug was pulled out. There was still a deal of pain but less once the slugs were out, plopped into a nearby metal dish. Angela went about cleaning out the wounds and bandage him up. "Once we get back, we can get x-rays done to see if there is anything broken," she said, wrapping his side as he sat up in the bed. Gabriel smiled as she finished up, fastening the bandages with medical tape. "Thanks, doc..." Angela set the tape aside and pulled of the gloves, casting them in a bin. She looked to him as he thanked her and smiled back, taking his hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. "You're welcome."
Angela began to wake, feeling groggy. The dream she was having was fading from her. The last, shadowy vestiges of it still remained as she kept her eyes closed. She began to grow conscious enough from her sleep that the pain in her legs and back jolted her into being wide awake. Angela was staring at an unfamiliar ceiling. She winced as she sat up, taking a look around. The room and its furnishings were all nothing she never seen before in her life...and sitting right across from her in the strange room was a figure of black. Reaper was sitting in a seat, staring right at her. The jarring sight of him had startled her.
Realization dawned on her and made her remember the predicament she was in. The air battle was no figment of her imagination. It had happened. Reaper had jumped with a parachute, taking her with. They had crashed through a forest.
"Good. You're alive," was all he said before standing to leave the room. Angela threw the covers aside and slipped from the bed, her legs protesting in pain as she stood on them. "Hold on, Reaper...wait," she asked, walking towards him. Reaper stopped in the doorway, giving a slight turn of his head towards her. Angela didn't want to say it. This man had attempted to kill her. He had then resorted to kidnapping her. Getting her hurt. He was a terrorist. She wanted to scream at him for it, and demand an answer as to why he was doing all of this to her. Could she not be justified for wanting to know or wanting to scream at him for the pain he put he through so far? But...she was alive, and he had ensured that when they jumped from the plane. Reaper was tilting his head, showing his impatience at her silence. Angela took a calming breath before she spoke.
"Just...despite you having kidnapped me for some nefarious purpose," she said sharply before softening her voice," I want to thank you for at least saving me."
Angela looked d own, no longer able to look into his mask. She was not sure what made her want to thank him, only thinking it was the right thing to do. Reaper was still staring at her even after she averted her eyes to the floor. "Don't think it's because I have a heart, doc. Talon still expects you," he said coldly before walking away, slamming the door on his way out.
The morning was dreary on the island. No sunlight could break through the thick, iron colored clouds which poured a haze of rain on the watchpoint and surrounding waters. Everyone was still up since the mission late last night. No one could sleep after that. Ana had patched up those who had received some wounds, while Lena was sitting near Winston, nursing a strong cup of tea, still amazed they made it out alive. The fact anyone of them were sitting in Winston's lab currently was thanks to her expert piloting skills.
The systems booted back up moments before the ship's alarms began to go off due to ground proximity. Athena came back online just in time, to bring all the controls back on. Lena worked quick in the cockpit and had managed to pull the large ship up and away from the collision course with the mountains. Lena flew back to base in a haste, before any of France's air force picked up on what was going on within their borders. The trip back was uneventful, and Lena watched all her instruments carefully but nothing was amiss. It didn't settle her fears. When they landed, she had a talk with Winston, demanding at some point the next day the both of them and Athena go through the system and hull of the ship to ensure there was no further damage.
The whole event had shaken her, and many of the others. Part of the reason why they were sitting around Winston's lab, drinking something or munching on whatever they could scrounge up for breakfast. No one cared to talk to one another but the solace of each others' presence seemed to signify their solidarity as a supportive team.
It wasn't long after Lena had her last gulp of tea that Jack walked in and looked at everyone sitting around. The depressed and sorrowful mood of the room was thick enough to be tangible. They all were not the only ones with a heavy heart. Jack had wanted to do all he could to save Angela, and they had failed for a second time in doing so. It was a blow to their confidence, but Jack was stubborn as always. He would not give up on his own mission and others he had once worked alongside with. He cleared his throat in a loud manner to get everyone's attention.
" Look. I know we are still upset about what happened. But we are not going to give up. Angela never gave up on us, we shouldn't do the same. We saw most of their people bail that plane, I would not be surprised if they managed to get her off safely too. Talon obviously has great need for her, they would keep their 'query' safe. So, once we watch the media channels a little and assess it will be safe for us to go, we're going to use our coordinates and go back to do some reconnaissance, and look for any clues about what may have happened to her.
"I agree, sounds like the right thing we ought to do," McCree said as he looked up. " Say later in the evening, if the French ain't aware of what happened."
"I agree as well, we may find clues to where they may have taken her too," Fareeha chimed in. Jack looked to the two, and then the others who seemed to be in agreement.
" It's settled. We conduct a search once we make sure it is safe for us to do so, and once everyone has had some rest," he said. "Ana, Reinhardt...I need to talk to you two."
Ana and Reinhardt walked out with Jack, standing just outside the mouth of the lab so they didn't get rained on. Jack was looking to make sure no one was trying to eavesdrop before he decided to tell him what he saw. They all had had their differences, and their arguments in the past, but they were the only two he trusted.
"I may have...neglected to inform them of what I saw, but I need you two to know," he said in a serious tone, insinuating they were not to tell the others. " I know what I saw. As Lena was fighting with the ship, I looked out to see the Talon crew bailing out. Reaper was the last one...and I could tell Angela was with him. He had her wrapped around his body holding on as he managed the parachute. She is alive, and still in his hands. We need to find her and quick."
Ana and Reinhardt looked to one another. Reinhardt still was not aware who Reaper was; a secret kept between himself, Ana, and McCree. Jack didn't want to think of how Reinhardt would react if he found out.
" None of us think Angela will turn on us on her own volition. She is too much a pacifist to do that. But...we need to find them and soon. Reaper is her keeper until Talon gets their hands on her. And we know she will refuse to help them, but we also know what Talon does to their more stubborn subjects...we can't let it happen," he said to them both. Reinhardt and Ana understood what Jack meant. Time was still of the essence for them. The only minuscule break they had in this situation was Talon would have to take time to scavenge and find them too. The two were lost in the wild forests and mountains of the Alps; it was just a matter of who would reach them first.
As the two headed back inside, Jack went to sit on some supplies containers outside the lab, looking to the grey skies. Jack knew he shouldn't be he was taking this personally. Reaper had escaped him with Angela twice. He could not be sure if Angela had learned his identity yet, and feared if she did. If she ever learned who Reaper truly was, would she side with him? Would she protect him when time came for them to end Reaper? Would she compromise and join Talon for the sake of being at his side? Jack had been aware of how close the two had gotten in the past, but even with all her love for Gabriel, he had held on to his selfish vendetta against himself and the others. While he was caught up in that coup, and knew who led it, he had to wonder why Gabriel would. Was it his own choice? Or was he a double agent? Before he ended Reaper, he had to know. He had to ask why Gabriel would risk everything to bring them all down. If his hatred was really that rooted inside of him...and Jack swore he would have his answers for what happened to Overwatch and Gabriel himself.
Angela could not rest. She looked through the windows to see a porch. Past that, wild wilderness. Nothing but trees and mountains for all the eye could see. She could swear she saw a stream or river far down the slope through the trees. The idea of escape seemed hopeless. Even if she managed to escape, what kind of wildlife was out there? Wolves? Bears? Was there even a small township this far in the mountains? Though, for this cabin to be built, there had to be some way the owners got their supplies out here to build it. The question was how far, and if she would survive out in the wild long enough before she could find out that distance.
Not seeing a way to escape, Angela turned her curiosities to the room she was in. The bed had an old, brass frame for it, with soft white and powder blue covers. The desk had a comfortable, worn look to it, boasting common items such as an old wooden cup holding pens and pencils, a lamp, and various paperweights. Pictures hung on the wall of a family who appeared close. Pictures showed an older couple with a younger couple, presumably their kids, in places like Paris, Bonn, and high in the mountains in hiking gear, all wearing smiles. But the place was empty now. Angela hoped it was only a vacation home and the cheerful family didn't have to meet the likes of Reaper.
Angela went to the door. To her surprise, it opened when she tested the knob. A blonde head poked out of the room to look down the hallway. There was a heavy door to her left with no windows and looked locked up. There were a series of doors in front of her and down the right. She began to wonder which one was the bathroom. After everything that had happened, she sorely wished to tend to her hygiene.
Angela tried the door to her right, only to find it was a small room housing a washer and dryer. Turning around, she tried the next door, to find storage space with boxes and bags. She went to the next one, near the locked door. As her hand rested on the knob, she jumped when she heard a deep voice.
"What are you doing?" Reaper asked, standing and blocking the opening of the hall. Angela kept a nervous clasp on the doorknob.
"Looking for a bathroom..." she said in a meek tone. Reaper was silent as he pointed a clawed finger at the door she was in front of. When Angela opened it, she peered in to see a small, furnished bathroom.
"When you get out, there's food," he said and left. Angela slipped into the bathroom. turned the lights on, and closed the door. Nimble fingers turned the small lock on it, not wanting to be bothered. As she looked around, she noticed this bathroom had no windows. Angela went to turn the water on, and stripped out of the Valkyrie suit. If anything, she truly needed to tend to it and make sure it was still functional. She hadn't quite noticed at first, but it seemed Reaper had taken the wings off of her and put them somewhere else, leaving her only in the body suit as she rested. She only hoped the crash hadn't damaged anything to them.
As she stepped into the shower, she sighed in satisfaction as the hot water poured over her. She washed with what soap and shampoo was left in the shower, letting her thoughts wander.
There was no way to escape, that much she was sure. No one would know where they were either, not Overwatch and not Talon. The two of them were stuck and no one knew if they were alive or dead. Angela had to think how she would make this work in her favor. She didn't think she could ever convince Reaper to not turn her in. In fact, the man seemed to hate her, so much that he even tried to kill her without hesitance. If Talon didn't want her for something important, she was sure Reaper would just end her and leave her body to rot. That was the hurdle she had to jump. Figuring out why Reaper held a personal hatred for her. From there, maybe she could work on convincing him to not harm her, or not turn her in at all.
Angela finished up and grabbed a towel to dry off. Realizing she didn't want to get back in her dirty Valkyrie suit, she peeked out the bathroom and rushed to the bedroom. She went through the closet to find clothes, and found the best she could that fitted her. She ended up in a pair of tan slacks and a red tank top. She came back out to the small kitchen, noticing a plate with a large sandwich. Angela took the sandwich and inspected it, noticing cheese and ham. She took a bite, finding the taste not at all bad. But...the contents made her mind whirl with worry.
Meat spoiled quick. So did bread. Even if the food was refrigerated, meat had a bad habit of going bad quick. This ham tasted rather fresh. Given how far off in the wilderness they were, products like meat would be an endeavor to go get, even if one were to hunt. Angela knew if perishables were present in the cabin, it meant the owners had to have been here. They were, of course, nowhere inside the cabin and it left her wondering where they were at...and a sinking feeling in her stomach she could guess the answer.
Angela had finished off the sandwich. Despite the fate of the unfortunate cabin owners, her stomach would not allow her to pass up a meal given how much time had passed since her last one. She went into the fridge to find something to drink when movement out of the corner of her eye distracted her. Angela looked up quick to see Reaper coming down from the stairs. Looking up quick, she noticed wooden railing. He was staying in the loft of the cabin. Keen eyes also noticed something else as he made his way down without a word to her. His movement and gait was off.
"Reaper, are you injured?" she asked, taking a few cautious steps in his direction. The man stopped and looked up, a low growl escaping from him. Anyone else would have noticed the danger signs and let Reaper be, but Angela was a stubborn woman. There certainly was fear within her that shook her body and caused her heart rate to quicken, but she was resolute in offering her help to him. He ignored her as he tried to make his way to the bathroom down the hall. "Please, let me help..."
Reaper had enough of it. He turned on his heel, his mask inches from her own face. "Why?!" he snarled, the wispy-like black smoke rising from his frame.
The outlash made Angela jump, but she didn't run. Blue eyes stared to those dark slits of his mask, swallowing down the lump stuck in her throat.
"It's what I do...I'm a doctor..." she said. Reaper was glaring at her for a long, silent moment before he let his shoulders drop, knowing well that she would only pester him until he would relent and allow her to inspect him.
"Fine! Your stuff is in your room...that staff. Military bag of medical supplies in the storage closet there," he said, pointing to the door she had glanced into earlier. " Whatever you need."
He continued to the bathroom and slammed it shut, a crack racing down the middle from the force he used. Angela had gone to her room to retrieve her staff and stopped by the storage room, dragging out the large canvas bag full of typical medical equipment. Angela began to set up on the dining room table while Reaper was in the bathroom.
After he was finished using its facilities, he stared at his masked face in the mirror. Clawed hands gripped the edge of the marbled sink as his mind raced and fought with itself. There was a sadistic part of him that wanted to reveal who he really was to her to enjoy the horror and shock that would fill her face, and the chance to rub it in it was all her fault. It would give him a chance to scream at her the kind of hell her so-called life saving technology could do in panicked hands.
The more reasonable part wanted to argue she should not know who he was. If she did, once she recovered from her shock, there would be endless begging for him to denounce Talon and come back to them. Given the constant pain that plagued him and fury that burned inside him, his patience was non existent to withstand such nagging for however long they were trapped in the small cabin together.
The rush of thoughts were interrupted when pain shot down his body. The crash had done a touch more damage than he initially realized. He was used to the normal pain of his body breaking down and repairing itself, but this was a sharper, more aching pain in particular spots where heavy tree branches had slammed or smacked into him during the crash landing. The biotic essence from the couple that owned the home helped sustain him but it would not last long. He had to hide those shrunken, dried bodies in a rush before Angela woke up, half hoping some wildlife would take care of the remains. Reaper sighed and shook his head. He should have pulled the trigger quicker in Spain or he would not be in this situation.
When Reaper came back out to the dining area, he noticed Angela had turned the dining table into a medical station. The large, canvas bag was open on one end, with some of its contents taken out. The Caduceus staff was laid across the table. Angela was just putting on some sterile, blue gloves when he came back out. He wanted to laugh. What help could she provide to stop all the pain she was responsible for causing? Maybe she could subside the pain but it always came back. Always. Thus was the damned cycle he suffered of constant decaying and regeneration. Reaper stared at her and the table from where he stood, hesitant to approach.
" You're being pretty helpful to someone who nearly blew your head off," he said coldly, wondering if she would let him go without medical help if he was rude enough to her.
" Not everyone who intends to do harm is always a bad person, I just wish I knew what I done so wrong by you to deserve it," she said and beckoned for him to come closer. "Will you tell me?"
"Nope," he said as he approached and went to ease himself into the seat. Angela was nervous. She knew one wrong move could cause him to harm her.
"So be it..." she said and decided to carry on with treating him. " Where does it hurt?"
There was silence as the masked face looked to the wooden floor. Angela waited for an answer, believing he may just get up and refuse help if she pushed too hard.
"Everywhere, " he said finally, in a muttered tone. " It feels like I'm falling apart..."
Angela wore a frown at his admission. Hands were gentle as they touched him. " Tell me specifically where it hurts most..."
"My right arm," he said.
Angela's gloved hands were tender as they undid the straps wound around his bicep. Was he really hurt everywhere? Did he suffer from some form of chronic pain? Eyes looked over his arm and noticed something an oddity concerning his skin. It was paler than what it should be. It appeared fair like hers in some demeanor, but with an odd, barely noticeable grey tinge. It was not ordinary to see such color in any manner of skin. As the leather made straps were unwound and set aside, she noticed some bruising. Pressure made him twitch. Angela noted there was no swelling and the pain didn't seem intense enough to indicate any breaks or fractures.
"Your arm took some bad bruising, no breaks..." she said. "Anywhere else? Your limp...was it the leg or hip? Back?"
Reaper didn't looked to her as he responded, only informing her it was the right hip and calf, after having slammed into the forest ground when they landed. Angela looked over his clothing, outfitted with heavy belts and ordinance. She took a step away, her heart picking its pace up at the thought of asking him such a question.
" In order to inspect your wounds, I do need you to undress a little for me, enough to see what is going on," she requested, hands clasped together with nervousness.
Reaper said nothing. The only movement he made was in his fingers which twitched with the desire to wrap around her throat and throttle her for asking. An irritated sigh came from him as he finally stood up and began to undo the many belts around his waist. Each one was laid over the back of his chair. He knelt down carefully to unbuckle his shin guards and boots, taking each part off carefully. Angela stood, in a state of both fear and fascination. This was a terrorist known to leave no trace, and had attempted to kill her. He had hunted down Overwatch agents and killed them. Yet, here he was in front of her, doing something so basic and simple as undressing. No one ever stopped to think these terrible people could do every day common things such as eating, or undressing. It was because it humanized them, and that was always taboo.
As Reaper stood back up, thumbs in the waistband of the pants, he paused and looked to her. Angela didn't need the mask off to know he was glaring at her with aggravation.
" Can't you just heal me with that staff?" he said in a growl. Reaper did was reluctant to undress in front of the doctor.
"Not until I can see the extent of the damage done to you," she said, "if I overuse the staff's healing abilities, it can cause side effects."
Reaper stared at her as she stated that.
"Huh. Is that right...wonder how you found that out," he said with a tone of accusation. Angela did not know how to respond to it, confused by his attitude. Reaper finally undid his pants and let them drop, revealing black boxers underneath. Angela took a step forward, eyes already seeing the discoloration on the calf. He had taken a beating from the trees and ground on that crash landing, making her own aches seem superficial. Angela knelt to inspect the calf, looking to his other which looked quite normal aside from the off color of the skin. There didn't seem to be swelling. Hands inspected the bruising, feeling only a faint firmness to the skin due to its condition.
"Deep tissue bruising...treatable," she said, and hoped there was some sources of potassium to prevent any cramping that could happen. Angela stood and looked to him with a glance. Gloved hands reached for the waistband of his boxers. "I just need...a small peek," she asked in a mild manner.
Reaper huffed and threw his trench coat to the side for her to access. The slender fingers pulled the waistband back enough to see deep bruising on his hip. They were nearly black and blue, and she knew he had to have hit the ground hard to be this injured. Fingertips gave ginger prods to the bruising and the outer rim of it, which shot pain through Reaper's hip down his leg each time.
"Will you stop that?!" he snarled at her.
Angela glared at him when he winced away and snarled. " Deep bruising like that can indicate breaks, or bone bruising. I need to inspect the area by hand to be sure. Now, let me do my job."
Reaper's fingers were twitching for his guns. Talon or not, he was becoming more and more drawn to outright killing her and letting Talon find some other talented medic or scientist. Angela finished up with her inspection of him, seeming concerned about his hip more than anything.
" Deep tissue bruising. Maybe even the tendons. You hit the ground mostly with your hip from the looks of it. I can ease up the wound with the staff, but in measures. There is no severe swelling which is a good sign, and you seem okay with putting slight weight on it...I would like to inspect you further, and make sure nothing else is wrong."
Reaper tilted his head at her, perplexed why she was so helpful when she still did not know who he was.
"Goddamn nuisance," he muttered, but let her continue. Angela pushed up on his vest and top, inspecting his stomach mostly. She noticed no purple discoloration, which relieved her. With how hard he may have been hit while landing, she was fearing internal bleeding. All the gear he was wearing appeared to be good for something. Angela went to get a stethoscope, standing as she listened to his stomach, hearing normal sounds...but something else was off. She moved the stethoscope up and to his chest. There was a heart beat...it was steady. Then, it began to fade. Beating slower...until it stopped. Yet, this man was standing. Still breathing. With no heart beat. Seconds went by without a single beat. Eyes widened as the heart thumped back to life again, returning to normal. This was no heart condition. She did not know what this was.
"Reaper..."
The clawed hand reached up to capture her wrist and lower it away from his chest.
" Mein Gott...was ist..." she stuttered in her native language.
"Forget it, doc. Get rid of my bruising," he said. Angela took the stethoscope off and set it aside, in clear shock. Numb fingers grabbed her staff and checked the settings, while Reaper pulled his pants up and began to put fasten his boots and shin guards back on. Angela could not stop staring at him in fright and wonder. How could this man be standing so calmly when his heart stopped beating, rendering him clinically dead? What in God's name was he?
Angela took the staff and pointed it at him, pulling its trigger. A yellow beam of light erupted from the end, twisting about and spiraling before connecting to Reaper, the only biological source for it to lock onto. Reaper gripped the back of the chair as the beam fed the engineered biotic material into him, which began to flood through his veins quickly rushing to the most severely affected areas of his body. The pain in his hip began to lessen, and he was finding standing to not be as painful. There was also another pleasant side effect.
The typical, chronic pain he endured since that day was lessening as well. His body felt rejuvenated. The biotic healing was regenerating his cells at a quick rate, negating the typical cycle of decaying that normally followed. He felt alive again...but as soon as the beam disconnected, the usual pain began to bleed back into his nerves. He sighed. It was nice while it lasted.
"Better?" she asked.
"I suppose," he muttered, rolling his shoulders.
Angela seemed to be rattled from the discovery of his abnormal heart rate, but tried to remain professional and focused.
" Tomorrow, I'll check again...do another treatment. It may remain discolored for a little while longer," she said, eyes searching the items from the bag she had pulled out. There was some ice packs one had to crack to activate, and some rolls of sticky gauze. " Use some ice to keep swelling down, and stem the bleeding. Wrap to keep them in place on the leg and hip, especially."
Reaper noted how distracted Angela's voice was as she handed him the items. The gloves were pulled off and discarded as she began to re-pack the bag. As Reaper began to buckle his belts of ordinance back on, he made a decision. He wanted to make her suffer for everything she had done.
" Least you did better than last time," he said in an off-handed fashion.
" Last...?" Angela stuttered, dropping some rolls of medical tape into the bag, turning to give Reaper a look of confusion.
Reaper turned and approached her, his head at a tilt as he spoke.
"...After the explosion. In the hospital. Frantically pulling me back from death...you never heard, you couldn't." He said, leaning in to her shocked face once he was close enough, and whispering.
" In my head, I was begging you to stop the pain, but you didn't. Sometimes, doc...death is better than suffering." He took a step forward and leaned near her ear. " I should have died on that table. What I am now...is your fault. You're responsible for this..." He said softly before stepping away and heading to the stairs that took him to the loft of the cabin
Whatever Angela was expecting Reaper to say to her, never did she expect that. Her legs gave out as she crumpled to the ground, sitting there in utter shock, her blue eyes wide and stared forward. A hand clutched at her chest, feeling her heart thumping against her ribs like a trapped bird. Eyes barely registered the dark figure going up the stairs and casting her a glance with that white mask before he was out of sight. Silent tears spilled down her pale cheeks, as she began to fathom the weight of his confession through the dizziness she now felt.
McCree had been right all along. Reaper was Gabriel Reyes.
