Prompt from KuletXCore: Mirrorverse overwatch. Soldier 24 is actively hunting down Blackwatch terrorists as a vigilante. What happens when he sees old faces?

…..

Gabe had left willingly.

The last Blackwatch mission had taken a lot out of him.

He spent over two hours claiming that he was the one who'd shot Antonio… that he'd just lost his temper.

The reality of the situation was far worse.

Jesse was the one who fired the kill shot, before kicking the man out of the window.

And Gabe was the only one who disagreed with the decision…. Moira was clearly not bothered and Genji actually seemed thrilled with the decision that Jesse had made.

He'd rescued that kid from doing heavy prison-time, and this was how he was re-paid… by having to lie to his best friends.

He couldn't do that anymore…. Not even for Jesse.

That was years ago though.

Overwatch fell, taking Jesse and Jack with it…. Which led to the present day.

He goes by Soldier 24 now, keeping his face hidden from view as he went after Talon members and Talon sympathisers alike.

It was a nasty job, but someone had to do it.

It had never been a problem before… until tonight.

It was near Route 66, where he'd first picked Jesse up. There had been reports of several bodies found near the old Deadlock hideout, bullet wounds straight in the middle of their foreheads, their eyes open in shock.

Perfect shots. All done while they were fighting another assailant.

Same gun. Same place… pretty much at the same time. Gabe tried not to think too closely about someone else with the same M.O.

Route 66 was practically a ghost town now, made up of deserted diners and broken-down gas stations, meaning that it was easy for Gabe to set up a base camp without anyone paying attention to him.

The hunt was on.

…

"Looks like we have a friend."

"Hmmmm, give him the two choices we give everyone."

"On it Boss."

….

Someone was watching him… that much was obvious.

Gabe stayed alert.

The night was silent, broken only by the sound of a wild animal howling in the distance. Cautiously, Gabe placed his hat on a stick and held it up near the window, flinching when a shot fired straight at it, even hitting the stick and sending wood shards everywhere.

"Come on out Jefe!"

Gabe shook his head in disbelief at the familiar voice… he'd suspected, but he didn't dare hope-

"- Come on Boss! I thought you wanted to have a little fun?!"

The voice was closer now.

Slowly, Gabe moved away from his hiding spot, keeping his two shotguns close as he moved to new cover. Literally seconds after moving, the door to his base flew open and the familiar sound of spurs echoed throughout the building, as well as the familiar scent of cigar smoke.

He'd always told Jesse it was a disgusting habit.

"I can't believe you're going all shy on me now…" sneered the voice, "… you were always the one rushing into battle."

Gabe resisted the urge to say, "Usually after you", crouching down a little further in his hiding place as Jesse came closer.

And then he heard the safety click off.

Moving quickly, he rolled to the side, narrowly dodging a bullet as it was fired at his head, before bringing his shotguns up to aim at Jesse.

The cowboy looked so different.

Instead of the usual, tattered brown hat that he wore through his early days of Blackwatch, his so-called 'favourite' hat, his new one was pitch black, with red trimming on the edges and the gold emblem of Talon at the from.

His clothing was almost entirely black, except for the large, gold breastplate, shaped almost like a skull…. And his arm was missing.

That was new… possibly from the explosion.

At first glance, it looked just like an ordinary omnic hand, one that was always offered to anyone who'd lost a limb… if it weren't for the claw-like tips on the ends of the fingers.

"Jesse…" he couldn't help but whisper, "… what happened to you?"

Jesse smirked, smoke escaping from the corners of his mouth. "I got a second chance at life Jefe… looking better than you at any rate."

True… Gabe had had some… interesting side effects to the serum over the years. His flesh was starting to turn grey and purple smoke would occasionally ooze from his mouth and nose.

It was not a pretty picture.

"You don't have to do all this kid…" Gabe tried to beg him, "… we can get help for you! Maybe Angela will- "

"- Angela abandoned me!" Jesse's eyes seemed to flash red, "Just like you did."

"I didn't- "

"- Yes you did!" Jesse snarled, "Everyone abandoned me! I was left there to die!"

"… Who saved you Jesse."

The expression completely changed once again, and Jesse was suddenly laid-back. "I think you know the answer to that one."

Before Gabe could say anything, Jesse suddenly moved into action, his gun hand suddenly flying upwards in preparation to take the shot, forcing Gabe to take evasive manoeuvres.

"Jesse, stop!" he growled, desperately trying to get through to the man who he'd trained and practically raised, "Jesse, please."

"Sorry Jefe… but the name ain't Jesse anymore… you can call me Deadeye." There was a brief pause, before there was a red glow and Jesse's voice got deeper, "It's High Noon!"

Shit.

Gabe knew he had to get away before Jesse could fire, knowing exactly what the kid was capable of with that ability. Saying a quick prayer, he made a run for the window, leaping through it just as Jesse fired, causing him to yelp in pain as the bullet struck his arm.

Better than his head anyway.

Rolling back onto his feet once he hit the sandy ground, Gabe immediately made a run for it, not looking back as he ran for it.

He knew when to choose his battles.

…..

"Sorry Boss…" Deadeye muttered, putting his cigar out in a nearby ashtray, "… He made a run for it."

"No matter." The man in the chair had his back to him, "Gabe is like a dog with a bone… he won't this go, no matter what. Any news from Genji?"

"He killed Hanzo last week… the Shimada clan welcomed him back with open arms. They're now on our side fully."

"Excellent… move to stage two."

"Yes… Jack."