A/N: Okay now for this chapter, enjoy!
The evening Indiana sun shone a plump crimson over the small town of Bloomington, dusty cars spluttered along the faded roads, cars with actual rubber tyres, rather than the many hovercars found in more developed areas of the country. Men in straw hats stood smoking pipes of chewing strands of wheat on street corners, or in the faint shade they could find during this hour. Many more residents of Bloomington were crowded inside, stereotypical countrymen drinking themselves into a pleasant drunken stupor, or discussing amongst each other the day's latest events and the death of a certain well-known African terrorist had been the major topic that was on everyone's minds today, as dozen residents of the town were currently mumbling to themselves inside one of the largest bars, as the voice of a news-reporter live from Numbani gave the latest updates.
"Akinjide was believed to have been slain earlier today..." the newswoman announced, her dark skin and petite curvy figure got some of the more lewd minded men in the bar to mutter about what they'd like to do to her. But the vast majority were more interested in the news itself, than the newswoman's figure.
"Overwatch's surprise attack here, sees the city cleared of all Talon activity, this comes as relief to the citizens who had been living under a reign of tyranny for several months and a huge victory for Overwatch and the UN. With Numbani cleared, it's expected Omnic and human relations will make significant improvements"
"Pah!" a man spat openly at that announcement, chugging down the contents of a bottle as the news-reader continued onwards "Omnic- human relations my ass!" he bellowed gulping down a large quantity of alcohol in the process.
His two friends who were sat around the small table with him, shared similar looks of disgust as he did.
"They're fucking machines, not people. When will people realise that" a shorter, more weedy looking man snidely commented.
"We'll be giving the fucking crops rights next!" The louder man continued, taking another large gulp of alcohol.
"It ain't right" the third friend, adorned in an old styled cowboy hat, drawled.
"It is believed Winston was the one to have slain Doomfist" the newswoman continued "Overwatch's well known hero,was a survivor from the failed Lunar colony horizon mission..."
"One monkey takes out another" the loud man snapped, his racist statement receiving nods from his two friends "The world's gone bloody mad..."
"At least that one darky's out the way" the man in cowboy hat said quietly "It's always them causin' trouble, no wonder they have so many problems over there. Wouldn't see all that here"
"Celebrations will be taking place here in Numbani later today" the newswoman continued, as she briefly cast her dark eyes back towards the backdrop of the city behind her, before returning them to the camera in front of her "Right now, Overwatch and the authorities will be helping to repopulate the city, while the gauntlet itself has been retrieved and will be put under protection at Numbani's national museum, city leader Gabrielle Adawe who was also former under-secretary general for the UN, had this to say...
The screen then cut to a dark skinned older woman, wearing a range of formal clothes.
"Numbani has endured a difficult few months, but thanks to actions of Overwatch and our own authorities, we have come to a brighter future!" she shouted into the microphone, despite the meaningless guffaws of doubt from some tipsy american men half way around the world, the leader of the city continued onwards "Henceforth the power of the gauntlet will never be used again! Seeing as the said object cannot be destroyed, it will be placed under heavy security in Numbani's museum, never to see the light of day!"
This was followed by a roar of applause from the nearby crowd and more scoffing doubts from some of the audience in the bar in Bloomington.
"Human and Omnic relations will remain as strong as ever!" Gabrielle roared "We will not let these attacks divide us and disrupt our way of life! We stand united! We will remain vigilant in the face of terror! and we are winning this war, as Talon are being driven from this city right as we speak...!"
"Yeah because you had to rely on Overwatch" the man in the cowboy hat pointed out "If they'd hadn't have come along, nothing would have changed and you'd still be hidin', you can't preach shit lady if you ain't gonna do nothin'..."
"But we of course have Overwatch to thank for this" Gabrielle said, almost as if she could somehow hear what the man in the cowboy hat had to mumble about her mere seconds beforehand "As such we'll be hailing the heroes that saved this city! Omnic members of Overwatch helped, human members helped! They all came together to eliminate this threat and if the reports I've heard are true, even gorillas have come to save us from the threat of Doomfist. If that doesn't show how different we are, but how united we stand then I don't think anything will".
The audience at the bar was now hooked on this woman's words, despite their differing opinions on it.
"Special thanks will go of course, to Winston and to Commander Morrison, for helping to lead this mission..."
At this point the loud man, barked so loudly that several heads turned in his direction.
"Y'all need a cough drop or somethin' man!?" A southern drawl bellowed from across the bar.
"Oh no, I'm fine!" the loud man bellowed back "Just, Jack fucking Morrison, our hometown hero everyone! Let's praise the fag! Let's raise our glasses to that homewrecking, ego-centric, self-styled, pouncy little shit who..."
"Hector!" his friend snapped "Don't draw attention...!"
"That man left us grievin' mother and wasn't even there when his father died!" Hector screamed for the bar to hear, his face as red as could be, as he gained savage delight into ripping into Morrison himself "Ain't no way he deserves praise! Fucking traitor!"
"Morrison provides this town with money from tourism, even if he ain't here!" the barwoman shouted in defense of him, as Hector turned to face her "Now Hector, I don't need this again. You wanna rant do it outside, I'm surprised you have the audacity to say these things, seein' how you sell off Morrison merchandise and his childhood toys".
"We need a business Darlene!" Hector shouted back with venom "Besides, we use the money we make from that to help his mother and we helped pay the medical bills when his father..."
"If that's what you tell yourself to help you sleep at night, then fair enough" Darlene said sardonically, as leaned over the bar to address the raging form of Hector.
"I'm his uncle, I know the little shit better than most!" Hector proudly proclaimed "and I know he ain't gonna be at the funeral in a few days, probably busy bein' fucked in the ass by..."
"Come on" the man in the cowboy hat muttered standing up slightly and wrapping his powerful arms around Hector's own, as Hector stumbled openly on the spot.
"I ain't done here!" Hector screamed to him drunkenly "THEY NEED T'KNOW! THEY NEED T'KNOW...!"
"Get him out of here, Tim" Darlene told the man in the cowboy hat curtly.
"Will do" Tim replied, as he and his other friend helped to drag the raging and drunken form of Hector out of the bar, in the now darkened streets the two friends managed to lead a drunken Hector back up to his porch before leaving him. However Hector took two steps up the creaky wooden stairs, before he slumped on the second one and emptied his stomach, wiping away the vile vomit that dribbled from his chin. He envisioned the figure of Jack Morrison in his mind, as another wave of hatred passed through him, he was really hoping Jack would have obeyed his command and really have gone off and died on that mission.
A dead person's possessions cost so much more.
"I'm better than him, I'm better than him, I'm better..." Hector kept drawling to himself, wiping his flabby red face, and salt and pepper mustache, he let the remaining strands of his long whitening hair fall over his face and stood up once again on his fat gut and looked at the dirt track ahead of him, as he inhaled slowly. Sobering himself up as the cooling, evening air of Bloomington town seemed to steady his uneasy stomach and balance. He knew where the dirt track ahead of him led, so rather than head back into his house and face the familiar nagging from his wife, he took the first step towards Sandra Morrison's house, knowing full well he was the better person here. He was the one visiting a grieving widow, he had been a good family member...
Jack Morrison had not.
"Genji..."
Angela Ziegler reached out her hand and swept it across the bedsheets expecting to feel the familiar texture of the smooth metal of Genji's cybernetics, instead she was met with simple fabric, groaning to herself, she opened her eyes to see the bed was empty. Genji was gone, she remembered that, he had walked out and Mercy had remembered feeling tired, oh so tired that she simply fell into a deep sleep, but now she was awake and something was wrong.
"Calm down Angela, calm down..." she convinced herself, she sat up slowly in bed and noticed something then.
She was in pain.
A lot more pain than she expected.
Her torso seemed like it was on fire, her arms were aching terribly, but were still covered in bruises, like they had been beforehand. But they hadn't ached then, they were absolutely fine, nothing seemed to hurt when she was with Genji.
"Maybe I'm just noticing it now" she muttered, but something twisted in her stomach, something was very, very wrong. Goosebumps spread over her pale skin, as she wiped the strands of her platinum hair off her sweaty scalp. She felt clammy and sick, stars popped in her vision whenever she tried to move, eventually when the silence became too great, she swung her legs from the comfort of her hospital bed and stood her own shaky feet, as her body ached and protested at her too sleep. Yet she found that she couldn't go back to bed, she couldn't just lie there, something was propelling her to stand up and walk.
"Genji!?" she called out blindly "Gabriel? Jesse? Ana!? Anyone!?"
The medical wing she was on hummed emptily in response, the beds were all a painful white, the curtains were drawn over the windows so she couldn't see what time of day it was. But she didn't remember them being closed beforehand and people had most likely been to check on her, they should have left the curtains open. She knew Erica would have done, the Finnish medic would never leave a patient crammed in the dark like this.
"Erica!?" she called out, looking for the older medic who no longer who appeared in sight.
"Where did you go guys go?" she inquired openly, as she painfully limped over to the double doors of the medical wing, looking for the way out or until she saw someone, but a deadly cold voice stopped her just before she reached the door.
"Your programming is amazing Doctor Ziegler"
Jesse McCree downed another shot of whatever this african drink was, it was strong stuff for sure which made his eyes water and his throat dry, he slammed the small glass back onto the bar and groaned to himself, as the room span around him and he slumped further on the stool he was on. It had been a chaotic day and now that night had come and with everything that had happened in the hospital, he couldn't be there anymore... he simply couldn't. He had to be away from it all, as he gazed longingly at the neon letters behind the bar, smiling to himself at his own achievements today.
"It's high noon..." he giggled to himself.
"Would you like another?" the barman asked of him, since Numbani had been repopulated bars and restaurants had been reopened rather fast, seeing as business (and life) had to go on as usual for as soon as possible. With celebrations kicking off tonight and with Overwatch being celebrated tomorrow night, McCree knew he had only tonight to drown out his sorrows and be his pathetic drunken self, before being showcased in front of the big-wigs. So with that in mind, he slammed down more money on the counter and was rewarded with another drink, as he gulped it down without even looking at it.
"You might want to go easy on that" the barman warned him.
McCree barely heard him, the music and the chatter of the celebrating people around him made him barely made anything noticeable anymore. It was because of this celebration that Jesse McCree was able to pass by without being noticed, mostly. He had heard some people scream his name as he waded through the streets earlier, but had moved on before they could come to him. He could envision Gabriel already, asking around where the hell McCree had gotten too and then finding him drunkenly passed out in an alley somewhere, while dragging him back by the scruff of the neck.
"Always cleaning up my mess" McCree grumbled into the empty glass below him, before he clenched his eyes shut and cursed to himself, his hangover really was going to kill him in the morning. He hadn't bothered to check his tablet, a small device like a phone used in this day and age to communicate with other members of Overwatch. As he was usually around Headquarters 24/7 he rarely needed it and coming from a small, backwards american town he rarely used such high tech devices beforehand, so he wasn't going to check it.
"You know, you did this city a great service Mr. McCree" the barman informed him, clearly knowing who he was.
"Do me great service then and get me another drink" McCree replied, slamming more money down on the table before the barman could say otherwise, with a heavy sigh, the barman poured the young man another drink, before heading off to deal with some demanding customers nearby. Leaving McCree in blissful silence as he lay his head against the bar and gulped down the foul tasting substance in the glass.
What did he ask for again? Well who cared? He could barely hear or see or...
A strange noise met his eyes like a giggle of sorts, almost playful as he felt something fall onto his head, quickly scrambling, his hands latched around his familiar cowboy hat, his father's only gift to him.
"You lost this" came a simple voice "Better be wiser Mr. McCree"
Someone took the bar stool next to him, with his eyes slowly coming into focus, McCree made out the form of a rather attractive latino woman dressed in a gold dress that caught her curves and his eyes, as he slowly surveyed her and her tumbling black locks, she leaned in close to him and smiled, McCree leapt up, in an almost dream like fashion, to do what. He didn't know, but before he could get close to her, she laughed and pointed at the bar.
"Seeing as you're drunk enough, get a girl a drink will you?" she inquired teasingly, her eyes darkening a fraction.
McCree himself simply groaned and fell back.
"Not you" he moaned openly to her "It wasn't meant to be you, I was meant to be having this drink with someone else"
"Someone else?" the mysterious woman inquired, a scowl evident on her face from not getting what she wanted from him "Who?!" she demanded now, her tone threatening.
McCree just looked down at his empty drink, if only... if only it was her here now.
Jack Morrison took a seat on his father's favourite sofa, sitting stiffly as many of his untreated injures were still stinging in pain. However the Soldier enhancement programme had worked wonders on his powerful body. So that injuries he sustained healed almost twice as fast as ordinary people. Jack didn't know the specifics of what they had pumped into him during that programme, but he knew it gave his body the strength, agility and durability to survive an encounter with Doomfist and that's how he come through it, despite Doomfist coming damn close to ending his life. He himself had wanted his own life to end, but he was tougher than he expected for a man in his 40's now, he barely looked a day over 25.
Yet as Jack thought about his injuries he reminded himself of why he was here, as his mother hobbled towards the sofa. A quick look around his former abode revealed that pictures of himself and his father littered the fireplace, the shelves, the desks and drawers, his mother wiped away the last of her tears as she took her seat and was the one to speak.
"Jack, where do you go? Did you have any idea how upset I was?" her voice was soft and full of worry and hardly accusing like Jack had imagined it to be.
"I... I erm..." Jack swallowed there he wanted to say "I needed to get back to the mission, so I had to go. I'm so sorry" but he found he simply couldn't mutter that lie, he had to tell her the truth, no matter how much it hurt the pair of them.
"Mum you... you don't blame me for what happened to Dad do you?" he asked miserably.
Mrs Morrison's eyes widened, sharing a similar look of shock to that of her son in those moments.
"No, no dear of course not!" she thundered "Your father loved you, I loved you. He was too far gone, there's nothing you could have done".
Jack merely bowed his head, out of words at this time being, he didn't know what else he wanted to say.
"Jack, did you go because you thought I thought that?" Mrs Morrison muttered quietly "Jack honey, you didn't... you didn't think I'd blame you for what happened to your father".
"But.. but I was never here mum!" Jack bellowed to the carpet below him not meeting his mother's eyes behind her thick glasses, as her hand wobbled on her walking stick.
"I should have visited so much more!" he confessed, his eyes darting everywhere in the room other than her face as he said this, at the red rugs on the ground, the legs to the chair he was on, some of the pictures on the nearby shelf, at the walls painted a welcoming orange, the familiar scent of hay and animals themselves that hovered over this place as it had always done.
"Dad was always there for me, Mum. I was never there for him when he needed me most" Jack muttered sadly, holding his head in his hands, as he felt the tears well in them again "I didn't want to come back here, I wanted to die Mum, I really did"
He had confessed that to his mother, as he wept silently into his hands, blacking out the world and missing his mother's audible gasp at her son's statement, there she knew it now. He wasn't worthy for her, he wasn't worthy for his own father. He was a stuck-up, selfish, egotistical commander of a so called great organization, now he was crawling back here for forgiveness he didn't deserve.
Yet to his surprise he felt two wrinkly old hands on his shoulders and looked up to see his mother was smiling down at him, wiping away his tears he listened to what she was about to say.
"Oh Jack" she mused with a smile "What are you worrying about?" her smile widened there, before her eyes became slightly reflective.
"You're so much like your father" she muttered.
Jack blinked.
"I am?" he asked stupidly.
"Oh please, you know you are" she said "You had that language of yours and those annual trips to the theme park. You know, John thought the same as you, he always thought he'd never amount to anything and what did he amount to in the end?"
Jack couldn't reply to her.
"Barely anything in all honesty" Mrs Morrison answered bluntly for him "Just a farmer on some unknown farm in Bloomington, but he never focused on that. Because he achieved something brilliant that society rarely values these days. He had me and he had you, that's all he ever needed to be happy. and he loved you dearly Jack, every moment he'd watch the TV looking out for you and whenever Overwatch achieved anything..." she smiled there "That's what he lived for, it's what he lived for right until the very end, even if he didn't recognise you. He loved you. and he would never have wanted this" she said looking down at her son.
"So don't you dare think like that" she instructed "I love you too Jack Morrison and the thought of you wanting too..." she paused there and stifled a sob "Oh God..." she groaned "Oh Jack... why!?" she burst out crying then, as Jack stood up (and for the second time that night) hugged her, as she wept onto his chest. When she eventually calmed down, she tried to smile through her tears, as she swept her own hand against his cheek over the recovering cuts and bruises still on his skin.
"Oh look at you, my handsome boy" she laughed and sniffed in equal measures "I hate it when you put yourself through this" she noted gazing at his injuries "Do you ever think about how much I worry? About how much your friends must worry?"
"Mum, the enhancement programme..." Jack reminded her.
"Doesn't matter, you still get hurt" Mrs Morrison noted, "But I'm glad you are back here, please tell me during that latest mission you weren't trying too..."
"I... not anymore" Jack said with a small smile.
"How come? Did someone help you?"
"Let's just say I had my own guardian angel looking out for me" Jack said, thinking of Angela Ziegler in those moments.
Angela Ziegler was in a much less comfortable position than Jack Morrison in those moments as she whipped around, her heart rate going through the roof at hearing the mysterious voice ring across the empty medical wing. She gulped nervously to see that no-one was there and that the room hummed in unbearable silence.
"Hello? Whose there!?" she called out, trying to sound strong, but probably failing.
Her eyes nervously scanned all the empty beds, every shadow in the corner of the room, looking for any twitch of movement that could indicate where the cold voice came from.
"I'm here"
Angela nearly screamed, she whipped around to see... there he was, barely 2 feet in front of her. But it wasn't the Genji in the Blackwatch armour she had seen beforehand, he was... naked. Completely naked, with no skin and every single muscle and every vein and arteries on full, fleshy display he looked like a human being that had been turned inside out, repulsed, with her heart leaping in her mouth and the foul, sudden odour that emitted from the fleshy form of Genji Shimada she backed away slowly, covering her nose.
"Does this scare you Angela?" Genji muttered, in his same gentle voice that Angela remembered, but looking at him. That... that can't have been him.
"G-g-genji?" Mercy stuttered, taking a few steps backwards, aware of the bloodied footprints Genji left on the floor behind him, as he strode towards her "G-genji, is... is that really you?"
Genji smiled at her, an unnerving display of pearly white amidst the crimson curtain of his body.
"I am. If you want me to be" he answered cryptically.
"You aren't, are you!" Mercy exclaimed in a horrible realization, as she nearly tripped over a bedpost to get away from whatever the hell this thing was masquerading as Genji.
"Humans are complicated, but so similar" the Genji imposter muttered, "Electric currents throughout their bodies keeps them functioning, their brains have a set programming, a certain social conditioning inside of them. Certain reactions to certain people and events, they can be figured out so easily Angela Ziegler, you do understand that don't you?"
"I'm dreaming" Mercy muttered to herself, as she pinched her already bruised arm, to find she couldn't awake from this nightmare, it was like her exhaustion back at Headquarters, when she had those strange fever dreams she could barely remember. Yet despite pinching herself, she didn't awaken, this wasn't normal.
The person or thing... it had turned into Erica, in her hospital attire she looked as normal as Mercy had seen her last.
"Does this make you more comfortable Angela?" she asked in Erica's usually stern voice "I can be anything by this point you see, my influence over you. My hold has grown. I can change to those I see in a growing network, access your mind this time rather than a simple Omnic, make your eyes see those you want to see, make smells, sounds and scenario's that I can control in the very back of your subconscious".
"This... this is crazy!" Angela snapped at the fake-Erica "and what do you mean again!? This has never happened before"
"That's what you would call Magic" came the figure who had transformed into a near perfect model of Jack Morrison right in front of an astonished Mercy's eyes "You see the mind can be moulded by me so easily, while you're at your weakest, memories can be created or erased" he said this last word with a foreboding smile.
"When suffering from exhaustion or stress, or near to death. Your body is weak, you are mentally exhausted and I am the parasite that controls your body during those times, a growing infection in the darkest recesses of your mind. Growing stronger, feeding off your hopes, doubts and fears, so I can expand further..." he smiled there and suddenly Jack had cuts and bruises littering his body and torn uniform.
"It concerns you doesn't it? Your friends being hurt?" the injured Jack asked.
"I... I don't understand!" Mercy exclaimed "Where is everyone!? What...!?"
"Opening yourself up allows infection to seep in further" Jack explained rationally, as if they were discussing this highly confusing matter over tea and biscuits "I could set up the dream scenario if I wanted too, soon I will, because from there I could access your inner feelings further and gain a greater hold of you to learn more, to copy... more"
He smirked there.
"What is this?! This is all Mercy screamed at Jack, who had transformed into Amelie covered in blood and bruises, as Jack had been.
"There was truths in your dreams" Amelie said "A series of truth's connected by a network of acquaintances, accessing them and reading their thoughts, it allows me greater insight into Overwatch and it will help me eventually bring it down".
"No, this is... this can't...!" Mercy muttered, this was insane, a silly dream.
"You won't remember any of this" Amelie said plainly "Only in the very back of your mind, will something seem off. Just like it was last time, some doubts, and lingering feelings will remain".
"But... if all of this is somehow real!?" Mercy exclaimed trying to get her head around the concept "Why? Why are you doing this?"
"I am a programme, designed for survival and Overwatch puts that at risk" Amelie (which had now turned into Ana) said "I don't have a real form, by intention is to simply ensure your destruction. Through this power you will soon be granted, this organisation will crumble".
"I don't... I... what power!?"
Ana produced a ball of yellow light in her palms at that moment and Mercy was hit with a sudden wave of Deja Vu.
"I've seen this before, haven't I?" She uttered in horror.
"The soul itself" Ana said mystically "The very thing that creates life, the entity that resides in our shell of bodies. Whether human or Omnic, imagine Angela Ziegler a power that could crate, control and infect souls".
Angela Ziegler was frozen on the spot.
"Thats' what I am Angela Ziegler" was all the now bodiless voice said, it's coldness creeping in from the white walls around her.
"I am God"
"...and I was suppose' to be ere, with her..." McCree grumbled drunkenly, to the bored looking latino woman to his right, as he threw his head back and downed another drink of whatever the horrible stuff in the glass in front of him was, wiping his wet lips, he finished his tale of yearning for Angela Ziegler, as the annoyed woman raised a thin eyebrow.
"That's a great life story" she said when she was certain McCree had finished, as she forced a smile and muttered "I'd like to hear more about it..."
"Nice try" McCree said suddenly.
"Beg your pardon" the woman muttered innocently.
"You just slid my tablet out my pocket, I know a hustle, sweetheart when I see one" McCree informed her with a cheeky smile "But don't worry I'm too drunk too move right now and you can't get on it. It's fingerprint locked and wasn't expensive for Overwatch to get me".
"You really are down about this aren't you?" the woman asked in new curiosity, looking over McCree once again "You know I'm stealing from you and you don't care"
"Nope madam" McCree mumbled to the bar in front of him "Hard to find a real woman too, I wonder if I ever will. This level of fame, they're all like you. Just using me, for money and fame and stuff..." he gulped openly there, pushing vomit down his throat he knew was rising up "Angela... she was special... but now... but now I... I can't... I can't..."
He trailed off to a broken halt and simply allowed his head to slump on the bar in front of him, he felt too sluggish to move. Why was it even after today, after everything he had managed to achieve, with that whole High Noon six shooting thing, Gabe and Ana's combined praise amongst everything else. He still felt miserable about himself and he felt even worse because he knew Gabriel would be the one to bail his ass out of this again. He hated feeling this way, he hated feeling this heartbreak, he didn't know how to deal with it and had resorted to drinking. Emulating the sort of behaviour of his early Overwatch days when he'd drink endlessly to blot out the pain of his father's betrayal and later death. He groaned miserably to himself, wishing he could just collapse on his bed, his skin was coated in perspiration his head was pounding because of the loud pumping music that was playing loudly in the bar, if only he could get away from it all, if only... if only...
He moaned to himself and turned his head around to see that woman was still messing with his tablet, he had no idea why she was still there, but he saw the screen was lit and...
"Hang on" he mumbled to her, as she looked down at him suddenly "You erm... you gotta onto that?" he inquired.
"Piece of cake" she muttered proudly "I'm good with this sort of stuff"
"What are you gonna do, steal it now?" he asked openly.
"No point" she scoffed openly, sliding the tablet back towards McCree "There's barely anything on it, do you even use this?"
"Barely" McCree muttered, feeling like he was about to be sick if he opened his mouth any further, yet he took his tablet back onto his own hands with a look of disbelief on his face.
"You actually gave it back" he muttered in awe.
"It's useless, just like that hat of yours" she snapped "That's why I returned them, there's no value in stuff like that"
"I'm just glad I've got em back, thank you" McCree muttered, as he held onto his tablet a little bit tighter than what was necessary, looking down at him, the woman's face softened in sympathy at the small thank you she had received from an admittedly sweet, yet helpless cowboy from the wildest wests of America.
"You know you gotta text on that thing, from Gabe, I'm going to assume that's Gabriel Reyes" the woman said.
"Yeah" McCree groaned not paying any attention to her, so what if Gabriel had text him, he knew that much already.
"It said she's fine. She's gonna live" the woman muttered, as McCree raised his head in disbelief "So quit your worrying about her returning and then falling into that weird coma thing, according to the doctors at the hospital, she's gonna be fine".
"No, it can't be..." McCree said, quickly pressing down his thumb on the screen, he quickly saw that the woman was right and that Gabriel had texted him news that Angela Ziegler was going to be fine. But first Jack had vanished and then Angela (from where she was resting) suddenly took a turn for the worse, after Genji had left. Doctors blamed blood loss and exhaustion, as she hadn't been through the soldier enhancement programme like Jack had done, her injuries (despite her staff) were much more severe and during a point during that period as the others nervously watched her battle for her life, McCree was convinced she was going to die and had left the hospital to begin his saddened drinking splurge, unable to face the reality of her dying especially after he had just gotten to her back.
But now, it seemed like their had been another miracle and McCree deflated in disbelief as a smile lined his features.
"Oh... thank the Lord above!" McCree exclaimed in joy, with a sudden burst of drunken merriness (and forgetting his sickness) he leapt up from his stool and grabbed the surprised latino woman by the waist and pulled her onto the dancefloor.
"W-what are you doing!?" she exclaimed caught off guard.
"Takin' you on a slow dance baby" McCree said in suave voice, as he twirled the blushing woman around "Celebration ain't it? and you're pretty"
"Go and dance with Angela Ziegler" the woman snapped "Isn't she meant to be, you know the person you just spent the last half an hour telling me about?"
"She might not see me like that and I respect it" McCree grumbled "Don't make me happy, but I'll live with it and I'm just so happy that's she safe, so why don't you and me make something of it? You didn't steal from me in the end, maybe you are half decent".
"I only spoke to you to get information..." the woman muttered, trying to push him away, as they traversed on the raving dancefloor, the song clearly not fitting McCree's slow dance routine.
"On what? Trying to get photos of me, I've got a few that make you blush sweetheart, I'm sure..." McCree mused, grinning like an idiot.
"I'm not interested in that" the woman snarled "I just wanted to know if there was any connection to an Iris of some sorts around your organisation..."
"Iris? Don't know what you're on about, ain't heard of it" McCree announced "There, nothin' to hide now how's about a kiss from me"
"Now that's a bold move, I have to admire it" the woman couldn't help but admit with a small smile "But now I have that information from you, or the lack of it, I can't stay around".
"Oh come on!" McCree protested like a child "You'll see I ain't just some poster boy, I have so much more to offer..."
It was then he burped and ended up spraying vomit all over the shocked woman and a rather large and angry man behind her.
"Why did I even carry you out...?" the woman snapped, wiping the last dregs of vomit off her dress and hair, as she sniffed herself "Ugh, I smell disgusting!"
McCree, still vomiting lightly on the street outside of the now busy and loud bar as more customers flooded in, tried to inhale the cool night air of Numbani to soothe his blocked head and upset stomach with little success. He was still massaging his stinging jaw, where a large blue bruise now rested on his face. The consequence of puking on some, large and angry people was a pain indeed.
"I suppose that kiss is out of the question then" McCree muttered sadly.
"Erm... yeah!" the woman muttered "I should have just investigated and moved on like I planned, why the hell did I stay!? I gained nothing from that, nothing on the iris nothing on..." she sighed there, while coming to a halt. All signs had been pointing her in the direction of Overwatch, if the figure of the Iris was to be found there she had to do some investigating but so far she had found nothing and maybe she had been wrong this time. But she had to know if the Iris was there, or associated around it's members as all of her signs led here, or maybe not...
"Stars sure are pretty tonight" McCree mumbled, looking up at the cosmic heavens.
"I'll be going now" the woman said "I suppose it was a pleasure to finally meet the great Jesse McCree" there was heavy amount of sarcasm on the final three words she muttered.
"Thanks for carrying me out and you know for someone who just investigating whatever... you seem nice" McCree informed her.
The woman hid her blush, he was handsome certainly, but she already knew that and no matter how charming and open he had been with her, she couldn't return his affections, it was out of the question. She was about to run off there and then, but McCree caught her eye.
"What's your name, sweetheart? I just realised how rude I was. I never asked!" he exclaimed.
The woman looked at him and then down again, she looked and felt sad in those moments as she gazed at the steel pavement below her.
"I don't have a name Jesse McCree" was all she said.
and then she was gone, McCree saw her run and then she seemed to vanish into the shadows of the dark night, as McCree was left to blink stupidly at the spot she had stood at, before he smirked to himself and walked slowly down the street. He didn't have a name to mutter merrily on his tongue, but he certainly had her pretty face in her mind and he had the news that Angela was safe, so despite his earlier fears it seemed like all would be well, as he continued to walk along, leaving a trail of vomit in his wake and wondering what sort of lecture he'd get from Gabriel in the morning, or where he would end up sleeping tonight.
"I missed your tea" was all Jack said sipping down his mother's favourite brew "They don't make them like this in the Swiss headquarters"
"Of course they don't" Mrs Morrison replied with a warmer smile than earlier, as she too sipped away on the tea made in front of her "Ain't got nothing on mine"
They remained in silence for a moment, before Mrs Morrison asked the question most mothers would ask of their son's at some point in time.
"So you have found any women to make your tea at that headquarters?" she inquired, with a knowing smirk, as Jack sighed. He was expecting this, it was usually the first question his mother pushed onto him the second he stepped foot across the porch, so he met her eye and answered clearly and honestly.
"I've been busy Mum, I haven't had any time" Jack said.
"You always use that excuse" Mrs Morrison pointed out "Carry on like this, you'll never find anyone"
"It's not my primary concern" Jack muttered as he continued to sip away on his homemade brew.
Mrs Morrison looked her son up and down before she seemed to shrug and take another sip of her tea.
"Well I've heard things..." she muttered, looking down at a copy of Overwatch Today on the small table next to the sofa she was planted upon "Apparently you were abusive with some girl called Jenny..."
"I've never heard a girl called Jenny" Jack snapped, before he followed his mother's eyes and sighed "Mum, you don't read that rag do you?"
"I don't believe it son, it's just for my own amusement!" Mrs Morrison protested, as another wave of silence followed this statement, Mrs Morrison looked slightly red in the face and being her son, Jack knew full well what he was about to receive, the torrent of questions that would come exploding from her lips he counted it down in his head, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...
"So whose this Angela woman then?"
"A friend"
"Did you fall out? It says here..."
"We made up"
"What about Ana? She's still single isn't she? Do you think you can get her round for christmas again like we did a few years back?"
"Don't know and I'm not interested in Ana like that, she's a friend"
"What about Gabriel? I mean if you're not interested in women son that's perfectly fine..."
"Gabriel is my friend" Jack emphasised.
"Are you erm... into Omnics?"
"MUM!?" Jack roared going red faced, never imaging his mother to say such a thing to him.
"Yes, I know it's peculiar, but old Yvonne's girl down the road is dating an Omnic, it's apparently becoming a new norm" Mrs Morrison informed her bright red son, yet as she now appeared out of options to ship her offspring with anything that breathed, the conversation drew to a final halt, as Mrs Morrison let out a sigh like her son's as she seemed to deflate on the spot.
"I really think you could use somebody" Mrs Morrison said "Look at all those bruises Jack and you haven't got the easiest job, so busy all the time, all the stress isn't doing you any good. Look at your hair honey it's getting lighter..."
"Mum, it's fine...!" Jack snapped.
"Losing it around the sides, it was around this age your father started greying as well" Mrs Morrison continued "Would you like some of his old shampoo, he used it too..."
"Mum, I'm over 40 I can look after myself!" An exasperated Jack Morrison bellowed to her.
"Okay, okay" Mrs Morrison muttered, patting the air in front of her with her veiny old hands, to calm her frustrated son "I'm just saying, I'd wish you'd take better care of yourself, it's what your father would have wanted".
Returning to the topic of his father, Jack plunged up the courage to ask what he needed to.
"Mum, whose coming to the funeral?"
"The whole family" she replied "and you, you're coming too, aren't you?"
"Of course" Jack muttered "It's just..."
"Just what?"
"Nothing"
"No, what is it!?" Mrs Morrison nagged, "What is it about the family that bothered you?"
"Nothing, I never said..."
"I can tell" Mrs Morrison said harshly, pressing further "They've done nothing but trash-talk since you've been gone, I've never believed some of the stuff they've said about you. Jack, did they say anything to you, right before you left?"
"No... they..." Jack knew he couldn't continue the lie under his mother's strict gaze, so he found the truth came to his lips "They said you didn't want me around and that they wished I..."
"Wished for what?"
Jack was unable to answer that question, but a sudden hammering on the door and a loud bellow of "SANDRA!" made both Morrison's look up. Jack turned white it was his uncle who had told him to end his own life, the uncle he didn't want to face. Uncle Hector, his father's younger brother and one of his main critics, Mrs Morrison saw her son's expression and then looked back at the door, it seemed to click in her mind about what had happened and having put up with Hector's sympathies for too long now, she had decided to act.
"Hector, have you been drinking?" Sandra Morrison asked bluntly, as she pried open the door to find the elderly, fat bellied man red in the face and looking up at her, he smiled upon spotting the elderly woman, before giving his response.
"I just wanted to check that you're alright" Hector muttered, as she smiled at her, but then his blurry gaze became focused on the large figure of the blonde man standing in the doorway and his sappy smile descended into a stormy scowl as fast as he could muster.
"YOU!" He screeched, pointing a stubby finger at Jack Morrison himself "DON'T COME CRAWLING BACK HERE BOY! WHAT RIGHT DO YOU HAVE...!"
"My son has every right to come back here" Mrs Morrison muttered coldly, cutting over his ranting.
"HE LEFT YOU! HE HAS NO RIGHT TOO... I'LL FUCKING PUMMEL YOU!" he screamed, as he took some large steps forward to smash the living daylights out of a man he openly despised, yet Mrs Morrison veiny hand on his gut prevented him from doing such a thing, as he paused in the doorway as the uncle looked down at the nephew he openly hated.
"I've listened to you ranting on about how you hate my son for too long now" Mrs Morrison informed him with a voice of ice "You told me he wasn't coming back and look, here he is. I don't want to hear this anymore Hector".
"You... Sandra you can't welcome him back!" Hector protested, his face sinking "Sandra! He gave John nothing! Fucking nothing! He was my brother and I worked my ass off to get him the medical bills he needed. That.. traitor!" he bellowed pointing at Jack Morrison once again "He was in charge of one of the biggest organisations on earth, he gave nothing to help his father! Nothing! He had the medical supplies at his disposal and he gave nothing! He deserves nothing from this family!"
He finished ranting there, rather impressed with himself, as Jack Morrison bowed his head in shame his uncle was right, he should have done something.
"I made a mistake" Jack muttered honestly "and I can't say sorry enough..."
"We don't want your sorry, we want you...!"
"Dead?" Mrs Morrison answered finishing his sentence, as both men fell into a freezing silence, her glare towards Hector was unmistakable.
"I... well no...!" Hector spluttered.
"That's what you told him, wasn't it?" Sandra Morrison demanded of him, when he ducked his gaze and failed to give an answer, she turned her dangerous gaze towards her son "Well, son, is that what he told you!?"
"I... yeah" Jack finally admitted.
"LIAR! FUCKING...!" Hector began.
"You want my son dead to help your own business" Mrs Morrison muttered "You see Jack" she said now addressing her son "Your uncle Hector here, decided to set up a business to help pay your father's medical bills. It involved selling your old things as a tourist attraction, I allowed it for John, but..." she sighed there.
"You... you've been selling my stuff, for fucking profit!?" Jack snarled, rounding on his uncle now, with this becoming more one-sided it was Hector's turn to look pathetic.
"I used it to pay for John's bills! More than you did!" He spluttered out.
"and brought yourself a new house" Mrs Morrison pointed out "What's a matter now Hector, are the bills for that place starting to add up? Need my son dead? Because you know how much better, a dead man's childhood belongings sell for?"
"I... I would have used it too help you Sandra!" Hector admitted pathetically.
"You took advantage of money that was meant to be for my father and used it on yourself!?" Jack roared, his old anger returning, as he could hardly believe he had been scared or listened to his uncle now he could see him in this light. This was downright despicable and pathetic and Jack wouldn't stand for him, his lies or what he was trying to do wasn't going to continue, Jack would make sure of that.
"YOU MAKE ENOUGH MONEY!" His uncle roared at him suddenly "YOU HAVE A DUTY TO SHARE THAT WITH YOUR FAMILY! YOU'RE THE SELFISH FUCKING ASSHOLE HERE JACK MORRISON NOT ME!" he screamed.
"Jack's life isn't defined by his family, his free to do as he wishes" Mrs Morrison snarled, "Now I'm warning you Hector, leave"
"I... I won't!" Hector protested "Not until you see sense Sandra!"
Mrs Morrison looked over at her son, who was openly cracking his knuckles.
"Kick his ass honey, you have your mother's permission"
"Wait, what?!" Hector screamed and before he knew what had happened he been whacked fiercely across the face by an enraged Jack Morrison, barely 5 minutes later he was dragging and limping his fat body from the Morrison farm, bruises and cuts littering his face and his whole body aching, having openly ran from the place, he cursed Jack Morrison's name as he continued to wheeze and run onwards, while Jack openly returned to the house with his mother.
He was sure glad to be back now.
"Ugh..."
Angela Ziegler's eyes slowly fluttered open she found herself back in the medical bay, turning to her right she saw the Lavender flowers were still present, she sniffed them and smiled, before she turned to her left to find an exhausted looking Ana Amari watching over her.
"What... what happened?" Mercy asked in confusion, looking at the older woman.
"You got worse, nearly died of blood loss and exhaustion" Ana informed her "You've stabilised since then and I kept an eye on you, the others all know".
"How long have I been out?" Mercy inquired.
"Soon after Genji left, you took a turn for the worse, you've been out for around a day" Ana said "More formal celebrations are occurring tonight, so you should be better soon seeing as you've now woken up".
"The others?" Mercy muttered "Genji told me about Lena and Jack..."
"Lena's still out but she'll live" Ana muttered "Gerard's fine and Amelie and Fareeha are flying out here soon to meet up with us for the celebrations, but we did suffer a number of casualties" she uttered sadly "But all our close friends are okay Angela. Jack... Jack's gone, despite his injuries his just up and gone somewhere and none of us can find him or contact him and..."
"It's okay" Mercy said "I think I know where he has gotten too"
"You do?" Ana inquired, before she sighed "So did you two... make up?" Ana dared to ask.
"We... well we had a hell of a ride together" Mercy said, placing her hand on her forehead and shaking her head, it was like she was missing something.
Ana was silent, before she spoke up once again.
"I felt great guilt for what I did to you" Ana began "I apologise, I never should have... you were right I should have..."
"It's okay now Ana" Mercy said to reassure her "We got through it, it's all that matters now. Genji also told me to tell you that his behaviour was unacceptable and he apologises and hopes he can see you all again some day".
"I hope for that as well" Ana muttered "I packed him lunch and all as you've probably seen, so did you two...?"
"We had our closure" Mercy informed her.
Ana raised her eyebrows.
"It was a kiss and nothing more" Mercy explained "But he's gone now and I guess so is our relationship. But that doesn't bother me the way I thought it would, because... well we're staying in touch and we're both happy now. We both got to say goodbye and I hope he finds the inner peace he's looking for"
"You were muttering his name in your sleep" Ana observed "But that's very sweet to hear"
Mercy smiled at this and turned to the lavender plants beside her.
"Gabriel dropped them off surprisingly enough" Ana explained to her "Mind you after he did, and soon after Genji left, he had to be admitted to a bed here as well, he came down with some sort of sickness. He is getting better now, but..." she sighed "This mission came too damn close, we nearly lost you and Jack. I cannot thank you enough for getting him through it and I'm so glad to see you safe".
Mercy smiled at her, she was back, they had done it, they had won. She should have felt elated and in many ways she did, but at the back of her mind...
She felt strangely uneasy, maybe the victory hadn't hit her yet, but...
she kept on seeing something, faded at the back of her eyelids.
An Iris.
But she found those thoughts soon drifting away from her, as she continued to converse with Ana to find out more about what had happened and what was going to happen.
Despite everything... and despite Genji not being with her...
The future seemed bright.