Chapter 21: Red

Waking up in the medical bay each night was starting to annoy me. Each beep, tick, slight movement, or footsteps outside my door irritated me. There were so many things to do and I was held up in here for the time being. Angela had done her best to make me feel comfortable, but I feel much better with some fresh air in my lungs and a gun in my hand. Banging my head against the pillow I was sleeping on hadn't helped the time fly by any faster, but I did so anyway. It didn't stop the questions of the identity of who put me in here either.

Who exactly was that man? He was clearly quite familiar with all of us, except for the new recruits, which he only analyzed for a moment, before throwing to the side. He focused on Angela, knowing her name, and most importantly, knowing mine. And the way he said it too, bothered me. He acted as if we were friends once. He knew everything about us, and each of our every moves. He was always one step ahead of us. How can we beat someone who knows every move we make?

It wasn't the first time we had run into the figure, as Lena and Winston had described their encounters to me as well, saying mine was similar to theirs. The only thing they said was unusual was that he addressed me in that manner. The thoughts kept me up for most of the time I have been in here, no matter how many sedatives I received from Angela. With every question I guessed the answer to, another three followed. Each one more complicated than the last.

Maybe he was a former Blackwatch agent? It would explain his excellent knowledge of our names and where we were, and would also give him a motive to kill us, but wouldn't explain the way he could mist into a shapeless-

Oh God.

Gabe! Could it be him? I remember the way he formed into a dark mist the day we attempted to resurrect him the way I was. How did he find us?! Was he still alive? How come he was with Talon? Why did he wear that cloak and hood? How did he survive? Why would he ever even come back? Did he regret what he did?

My heart was beating a million times in a second, my hands shaking, and my brain was running a marathon, all while I struggled to figure out if this was only a stupid coincidence, or a realization I should've made long ago. I couldn't even begin to process the emotions or thoughts running through my head, let alone even try to search for proof. I had none to give, but a part of me felt I was right. Who else could it be?

Or was it Jack? Jack also was reportedly dead, but he never turned to a mist like Gabe had. But he could have a reason to betray us, since we couldn't save him. Or maybe he was planning this all along? Why would he do this?

What if I was completely wrong. Let's be honest here, what were the chances? They both died, gone forever. Angela wasn't there to revive them and nurse them back to health. They wouldn't have just left either. Perhaps I was just foolish, or blind for thinking I could see through this and find the identity of this mysterious figure.

I tried to take my mind off of it, and push it to the back to be forgotten. I decided to keep my theory to myself, figuring all it would do is cause more stress and reopen old wounds. Why should I cause even more friction between us? And I was most likely wrong, and we had more important things to be worried about. The world was falling apart, and we are the only ones to help it. A bunch of heroes either too old and out of our prime, or too young and inexperienced. All with a doctor, gorilla scientist who can speak, and an outlaw with a big mouth, leading the entire thing. It all sounded like some bad fairy tale, or some bad joke people would crack. These were strange times indeed.

It was my last day here, and it couldn't have come any slower. I would soon be allowed to walk around the base once more, and greet people again. It would be much better than waiting for someone to drop by to have a conversation with someone other than myself. That, and some fresh air, and a walk with Angela would do wonders.

Lucio had come to see me the most often, checking up on me, and apologizing each time, no matter how many times I assured him I wasn't angry. He clearly felt guilty, and was still coping with his first kill, and how it made him feel. I was there to comfort him just as much as he was for me. Hana had come to see me also, telling me all about how she was doing, and that she just did one of her first missions without me there to lead. I was oddly proud of her, and how quickly she became an asset to the team, rather than a nuisance like I believed she would end up being.

McCree had checked on me, and we talked for a while about the old days, which was always good. We never spoke about the bad parts, and always liked to talk about our days with Reyes, and how we both started to love our fellow agents like a family. It was an odd thing, how far we had come. We were nothing but a bunch of criminals before this, and now, we were in charge of multiple things here. My oh my how the tables turn.

Tekartha Zenyatta had also payed a visit to me once, along with Genji. Zenyatta thanked me for how I was kind to him, and protected him from the others a few times. Most of us started to tolerate his presence, and some people like me trusted him, but Zarya, Torbjorn, and Reinhardt were all a little uncomfortable with him around. And Genji had spoken to me alone a few times, without his master's presence. We formed a bit of a friendship during the time I was stuck here, and we talked about how we felt about this whole ordeal. I was soon realizing he was a humble man, and was kind, but also a feared and respected warrior. I could tell why him and Angela got along.

Angela had seen me only twice, both times there to give me my proper medicine and attention. I stopped her once, initiating a conversation with her, and she seemed glad to. She was always so busy with her work, and never got time to settle down. She was basically the mother to everyone, always looking out for us. She told me she felt guilty for not protecting me, but I only laughed. "That's my job. Remember?" I had responded, but she only smiled. "We must always protect one another. No matter what, you have me, and I have you. We must stand by one another." She had told me, and it warmed my heart. I was lucky to have her in my life.

Hearing the door open startled me quite a bit, and my fingers still snapped to the side of me, where my gun was usually the placed on my nightstand. But I wasn't in my room. I was still in this hell of a medical bay, but with an angel to comfort me. Coming back to my senses, I smiled at Angela, greeting her. She had come to release me no doubt, but of course with some medicine just for precautionary measures.

Getting to my feet was easy enough, but Angela said to take it easy, just to be careful. "Careful? Careful's my middle name." I joked, and she giggled, before stopping me before I exited the door. Her face grew quite serious, so I readied myself for a lecture.

I was not expecting her lips to be pressed against mine so forcefully. My hands extended outward in shock, and I fell back into the wall behind me, as she melted into me. 'This is better than a chat about being careful now isn't it?' I thought to myself. Once she stopped, I couldn't help but be confused by the sudden action. "Why'd you do that?" I asked, not irritated though. "I just don't do it enough. I should show my appreciation more. You protected me, and you almost got yourself killed doing it, by some man in a cloak."

Even speaking of that made me tense up a bit, but I tried to play it off. "It's fine Angie. I can't just let you get hurt." I replied, and she smiled, her hand gripping mine. "I know. But please, be more careful about it. Promise me you'll never get yourself hurt to save me. You are just as important as me now. If it comes to it...you'll have to save yourself." She admitted, and I turned around. I sighed, running a hand through my hair.

"But what if you need saving? You can't seriously expect me to just leave you." I countered, and she frowned. "I know, but I still need you to anyways! You must be more careful! Promise me you'll never put yourself in danger for me! Promise!" She yelled, and a pause came between us. I can't bring myself to do that. Never. She will always be more to me than myself.

But I lied to her all the same.

"I promise."

A few weeks later...

It was time for another mission yet again today. I wasn't in the mood for one too much, but I forced myself to lead it anyway. As much as I disliked being the leader, I had to fill the role all the same. But, this one should be an easy clean up. Simple snatch and grab. Reported gang activity, and with the capture of our identified target, we could make the entire gang collapse on itself.

They were in a shootout with local authorities at the moment, which made things a little more complicated, but I sighed up for a little adventure when I answered the recall didn't I? And who was I to say no to a fight. We would take the target, and release him anonymously to the police where he would be put behind bars, where he belongs.

And I didn't lack in trustworthy people to watch my back. I had my good friends, Pharah, Angela, and McCree with me, all of us experienced. They were as close as family could get, since mine was gone. Except for my brother, I still don't exactly know his whereabouts. With any luck he'll be dead. That may be rude and feel wrong, but since when was I a self righteous man?

Catching some proper shut eye was scarce during these times recently, from my theories of that one man's identity, to the stress and responsibilities of being a leader, and mentor to others. I decided to try and catch up, to no avail, as I soon snapped awake from the sensation of someone kicking my boot. My weary eyes met another brown pair of them, with bangs slightly covering them and a hat to hold it all together.

"Wakey wakey Nate. We're overhead of our destination, but with one thing sticking out like a sore thumb..." McCree muttered, turning to the others, who had puzzled looks as well, and they turned their attention to me. "There is a serious lack of a shootout going on between the cops and criminals. We've checked multiple times to see if they were the wrong coordinates, but everything checks out. It ain't that. It's somethin' else..." McCree finished, turning back to the head of the plane, which hovered above the ground precariously.

"Perhaps they were false reports. They happen sometimes." Angela offered, but Fareeha shook her head. "I doubt that is it. It could be an ambush." She replied, and I sighed, taking a look out the window. The place was all but deserted, the multiple buildings completely abandoned, the only sound being the wind. McCree's skeptical mind might very well be right. It shouldn't be this quiet. It was something else indeed.

My eyes continued to scan the area, looking for something to avert my suspicions, but nothing showed. Except for the one thing I didn't want to end up seeing. Not out in the open like this. Shit.

I could make out the same man that put me in the med bay aiming a rocket launcher at us. He was preparing to shoot us down. I could hear his maniacal laughter in my head already, along with his mocking tone. "Oh Nate, you've made a grave mistake." I could hear him say, before I turned to the others, tackling them all to the ground while I screamed.

"Get down-"

The explosions were loud, and covered all around us, as I could feel my stomach churn from gravity dragging me back down to the ground. Hard. The last thing I remembered seeing was my hat falling off, plummeting to the ground just before me, and my own body met the hard earth with a sickening crunch.

Later...

My head felt like it was ready to explode, as I took my first breath of the air, tasting the smoke fill my lungs, making me cough. I don't know how long I had been out, but I knew we were in danger. Hopefully they figured we were dead, but I was willing to bet that man wasn't that stupid. He will be coming for us. My hat was awkwardly to the side of me, and I groaned, reaching out to place it back on my head.

I slowly stood, grunting in pain, feeling something sharp poking into my flesh, but ignored it, pushing forward. I could see the figure of someone flying in the air, shouting down at a cowboy below, and I could tell they were my teammates. But that wasn't what bothered me.

Angela was covered completely in rubble, what's left of the plane crushing her. My adrenaline started to pump, and my ears rang, hearing muffled versions of shouts and gunfire, but neither stopped me. I pushed as hard as I could, barely freeing her, and finding an uncomfortable sight.

She was covered in blood. Her once white combat gear soaked with blood, that was most likely hers. Her halo on her head was broken, along with her wings. She was in no condition to fight, and wouldn't respond to my shouts, no matter how hard I strained my vocal cords, she refused to wake. I placed two fingers on her neck, just below her jaw, feeling her pulse. She was still alive.

My eyes zipped along my surroundings, and I felt my heart pounding. Something was pulling me away from Angela, but I couldn't fight back. My hands were trembling, and I felt my legs crumble to the ground. All I could hear was my breathing, and familiar shouts directed at me.

The ringing in my ears faded when I felt McCree slap me, snapping me back to reality. He looked straight into my eyes, yelling something, and I nodded my head, withdrawing my weapon. I was in the cover of the remains of our plane, seeing countless bullets flying our way. "We can still take them! We just need to work together!" I could hear Fareeha say through the comms, and I took a shaky breath, defending Angela and our position.

My bullets were hitting their marks, as Fareeha flushed them out with her rockets, only for them to meet my sights. McCree was busy keeping the others from shooting Fareeha down. We kept working together, as one snuck up behind me, but he didn't expect a knife to be in his throat before he could get a shot off.

I realized we may not have enough bullets for this, so I started to contact Winston. The wait for him to pick up seemed like ages before I heard his gruff voice. "Nate? What is it?" He asked, and I yelled louder than the storm of bullets overhead.

"WE NEED BACKUP NOW! TALON KNEW WE WERE COMING! IT WAS A TRAP! SEND EVERYONE TO MY COORDINATES! HURRY!" I yelled, turning off the comms before he could even respond. I had no time to answer his questions now. That was all I could get off without getting my head blown off.

Another talon goon charged me, but I spread his brains all over the ground. They stood no chance against us if we had enough ammo, but we weren't prepared. They relied on the sheer number of them rather than actual skill.

Now was time to hold out for as long as it lasts with what we have left. I saw a sniper with their sights on Fareeha, and I soon fired, the bullet traveling through the air and into their skull. Fareeha was then able to fire a rocket into the center of a lot of agents, sending them flying in all different directions. I couldn't help but laugh. She turned to me, smiling at me, as she hovered in the air, before a shot rang out, hitting her in the side of the head, cracking her helmet.

I gasped, sprinting over to where she would land, as I heard her grunt in the comms before her unconscious body fell to the ground. I dove outward, catching her in my arms, preventing her from feeling anymore pain. I held her in my arms, looking at her. She was a daughter to me, she was everything. She was an Amari. I promised I would take care of her...

"Nate! Snap out of it and get to cover! She'll be fine!" I heard Jesse order, but I sat there, holding her in my arms. I turned to Jesse, who looked down for a moment, before firing back at the agents. He stood his ground, before a bullet entered his shoulder, and he fell to the ground, holding his bleeding shoulder.

I was about to stand, when I felt a gun collide with my head, knocking me out, collapsing to the ground, letting go of everything.

Later...

We had failed. They caught us unaware, and now we had to pay for it. They surrounded us, all of us on our knees, guns pointed at us by what was left of the remaining Talon agents. We had taken out a lot of them, to where only about 50 were still alive.

Angela was awake again, still covered in red, and Fareeha was now lacking her helmet that was now cracked. Jesse seemed to be in pain, but he still struggled, trying to resist, anger and hatred in his eyes. I felt my eyes lock onto Angela. There she was, unsafe, at the mercy of a terrorist organization and a psychopath. All because we made one mistake.

The ground was covered in blood and bodies of the Talon agents, along with guns littered all over the place. It had been a massacre. But I still felt no remorse for them. They were enemies for a reason. And they hurt my family.

Soon enough, a familiar intimidating voice gathered our attention, as our eyes snapped to the man who shot us down. The one with the skull mask and dark hood, with two shotguns he had now put away. "We meet again, now don't we Overwatch. It's been a while since I've seen some of you." The man turned to Jesse, flicking up his hat with one clawed hand. "Jesse. Still kicking these days? I thought someone would finally put you in your place." He mocked him, and Jesse spit at him, as he wiped it from his mask.

"Now that was rude. Boys, teach him a lesson while I talk with the others." He directed, as they soon threw him to the ground, pummeling him into the dirt. I growled, struggling against the people who held me I place. "Coward." I muttered, but he only ignored me, moving to Fareeha.

"My my, you've grown. And gotten better. Just not good enough." He taunted her, as she only glared at him, not responding. "Fareeha." I said, and she turned to me. "It'll be alright. Leave him to me." I said, and she nodded, as the man walked to me, rather quickly. "Oh Nathan. Always trying to be brave and a good leader. But my look how far you've come. From some Blackwatch agent who got himself killed, to one of the leaders of Overwatch? Now that I feel I must congratulate you on." He said, and I frowned. "What? Shocked I knew all that?" He asked, but I didn't answer.

"Look, Nate, buddy. You really should be more careful. Because now I know you would rather have yourself hurt than the others with that little outburst. Now, I could be kind and give you what you want. But I think I'll do something else." He turned to Angela, and I started to struggle even more. "Don't touch her." I almost begged, as he chuckled. "Getting jealous now are we Nate? Don't worry. I can see it in the stars with you two. I won't hurt her too much."

What he said made me tense up less, but he kept approaching her, and Angela started to tense up a bit. Her eyes met his mask, and he kneeled beside her, before he turned back to me. "I'm sorry for this." He said, before he swung a fist her way, as she groaned in pain. I yelled, pulling against the people holding me. He continued, hitting her over and over, each punch causing her to bleed even more.

She flashed a look at me, that told me to stay back. "Promise me." Her voice rang in my ears, as I shook my head. I can't watch this. It's too much.

I pulled my right arm quickly to the ground, pulling the man with it, and I was able to snatch his rifle from him, quickly shooting him and his unsuspecting guard. The others turned to me, but I mowed them down, the bullets hitting their marks and spraying a sea of red. My gun ran out of ammo, and I quickly resorted to a knife on the ground, slamming it into the eye socket of one man, feeling the blood spray into my face. I quickly ripped it out, stabbing another man repeatedly, before using him as a shield against oncoming bullets from the others.

I could feel some bullets grazing me, but I kept moving, gritting my teeth as I jumped up, dodging many bullets, cutting through flesh and bone, hearing them groan and bleed to death, the red spraying all over me. My hat went from a brown to dark, and thick red, and my eyes could only see the color red. My entire vest was red. Everything I wore was red with blood, as the red worms flowed down my fingers, tickling me almost. The blood stuck to my bangs, sticking to my head as the blood found its way into my mouth, and I could taste the crimson flow down my throat.

Something had snapped. I felt nothing but joy, feeling the pain and the bitter taste of the blood on my lips, as the man now faced me, along with the rest of the men left that I didn't brutalize. They all had their guns locked on me, and I was ready to die then and there, but the mysterious man raised his hand. "Don't shoot. I missed this guy. Though he may look a little more red now. If only you could've done that in the Blackwatch days." He laughed, and my eyes met Angela's.

But in her eyes I only saw fear. Only now had I realized what I looked like. The blood dripping down my body, as even Jesse was shocked, staring at me. Fareeha was scared of me, along with the men pointing guns at me. I kept the knife in my hand, gripping it firmly. "I said not to touch her." I reminded him, and he stepped forward. "I remember. But what I didn't expect was for you to-"

I quickly head butted him, as he groaned, stumbling backwards, and I then swung my knife at him, each time he dodged or simply misted away from. I soon started swinging wildly, hoping one would hit him. But soon enough, he gripped me, turning my head to the side, strangling me as his other hand took the knife from me, before he slammed it deep into me, near my hip.

The air soon grew too little enough to breath, and I gasped for air. The shock of it kept me from screaming in pain, and my adrenaline continued to pump, and I noticed the pistol holstered to his leg. I then whipped my hand to his leg, removing it from the holster, and firing two bullets to his chest, and he dropped to the ground.

One hand clutched his chest, as the blood flowed out and into the cracks of his gloves, seeping through. The other was held up in the direction of the men who readied to shoot me. He signaled for them to hold, as he laughed. "Good work Nathan. I knew you were still the crack shot you once were. I still can't tell if the blood is my own or the blood covering you. Possibly both." He grunted, straightening up.

"Take off the mask, and die with honor." I said, and he laughed, his hands reaching up to his face, taking it off. "I have died once before. I didn't get any honor then, and I doubt it's coming my way soon." He smiled. His face being the one of a man I once loved.

"Gabriel..." I stumbled back, my hands dropping the gun. I never seriously believed it could be him. I always hoped he was better than this, but...

"What? No words? I'm hurt. I always expected more from this moment." He said, turning to the others, who still couldn't find the words to say. Angela held her tears. So did Fareeha. And Jesse.

"I thought you were dead. I found your body." I muttered, still stumbling over my words. How the mighty had fallen. He was a good man, but now this. He now led a terrorist organization that has taken countless lives. Why had fate been so cruel?

"I could say the same to you Nate. I remember killing you myself. But now look at you. Doc brought you back huh? Well maybe if you and her hadn't tried to do the same to me this would be different. Maybe I wanted to stay dead? But now I can't die. Now I have to live in agony because of you both and your stupidity. Now, it's my only mission. To destroy you all. All of you. Starting with Angela." He explained.

"Gabriel..." I could only say his name, but he growled. "It's Reaper. Reyes is dead, and long gone." He said, before leaning into me.

His breath was right against my ear, and he soon whispered. "I guess us old soldiers are hard to kill huh?" He chuckled, disappearing into a mist. I felt my eyes burn up, and I couldn't hold the tears any longer. I soon collapsed, not even strong enough to stand any longer. Jesse and I had met eyes for a moment, no words spoken. But we understood each other.

We had loved that man like a brother. Father even. And he betrayed us, and was now on the wrong side of this fight. None of us could've expected this, and now we must be forced to fight him.

I was too weak to carry on, as they aimed their weapons at us. I didn't bother trying to save myself, only diving in front of Angela, holding her in front of me while I took the oncoming bullets. I heard them fire, but felt nothing. No pain. Nothing at all.

I heard them all yell and grunt as they died, hearing a familiar British accent yell. "Cheers luv! The calvary's here!"

I turned watching as she blinked around, shooting them, and Reinhardt charged into them. Zarya threw them around like rag dolls, and Winston landed on top of them, crushing them. Genji cut through them like butter, as the others helped as well. Soon enough, they were all gone.

Angela and I locked eyes, and she was almost angry at me. I had broken the promise. But it all worked out didn't it? She was fine, and that's what mattered. They soon helped the others to their feet, and I let Reinhardt pick up Angela. The others were probably already telling them what happened, who that man was, and what I did to protect them, and how I snapped.

Lena stood behind me, and I slowly turned to her. "What happened to you Nathan?" She asked, concerned, her eyes looking at me, as I was now in a coat of red. Lucio and Hana also stood with her, and they seemed scared of me. "Reyes."

That was all I could mutter. It was like I had gone insane. But I wasn't. I was the most sane one of them all. No one understands this like I do. No one. Only I had died and been brought back from the dead like Reaper. Only I knew the truth.

"Nate? Are you okay dude?" Lucio asked me, and my now blood red eyes met his. And he got his answer with that look alone. "Reyes."

Oh my goodness things have been blowing up now. Here comes the multiple trains of feels and emotions in the future, with how the agents deal with this realization, and also what Nathan did. Soon enough in the coming chapters some old faces will be coming back, along with some unwanted memories and emotions. This realization will take a few chapters to be fully processed by Nate and the others, with a bit of filler. But I want my story to take its time, and be well paced. I also must apologize for the lack of updates recently. I just lost my mojo for a bit, and lost some motivation. But, I'm back in full swing, and with a lot more of a story to tell! Thanks for reading as always! Leave a review if you'd like!