Chapter 17: The Empty Parts of Me

Genji stumbled through the streets, eyes unseeing and following his feet to where they would know to take him, sliding past bouncers into the first club he found - a familiar one, evidently, because he didn't remember getting to the bar, or what he'd ordered, but it was something neon and sweet and familiar, with a bite and a burn, and it was the sweetest taste of relief.

The music thrummed and blared, bass shaking his bones as he found a face that was familiar, sort of - maybe all the faces were just blending together here, all at once - and let himself be tugged to the dancefloor, into a crowd.

It was easy to slip into it, to smile and laugh when the others did, regardless of whether or not they heard the joke, if it even was a joke - let his body sway and hips gyrate between whoever pressed into his front, and whoever sidled up against his back. Opened his mouth for the pill - pills? Were there two? - pressed to his lips, tipped his head back obligingly when he was offered some kind of eye drop, eyes fluttering when the world slowed down, euphoria making him light, nuzzling into someone.

He blinked and found himself naked, caught between a group and feeling kisses over his skin, body too hot and tight over his bones, something twisting painfully in his gut.

It didn't matter. It didn't matter. He was away, free...

Away from what? Free from what?

Free from everything, it sounded like someone said to him.

That sounded good, Genji thought. It was good. He was fine, stuck in pleasure, parting his lips for some kind of liquid that was tipped into his mouth, swaying with the movements around him, the rise and fall of the bed, the wriggle of the walls.

When he blinked again he was cold, lying in something wet, muscles unresponsive, struggling to breathe, arm twisted under his chest, hard against the ground.

Oh, I guess they were right after all...

Gabriel stretched out behind his desk, spine popping pleasantly and rolled his eyes at the way Jack cooed and teased from his mattress. "Hush, you toothy pony. I'm an old man, cut me some slack."

You're not old, Gabe. Your sleeve is a sprightly young man, and even if you wanted to argue otherwise, Sojiro is still actually an old man. You're just... middle-aged, for someone who isn't actually a Meth, Jack rumbled, teeth bared in a slow grin as bright blues and reds bloomed over his scales, tail tip flicking with amusement.

"That's absolutely awful and true," Gabe nodded, pointing at Jack. "Coffee?"

Yes please! And I need to get actual exercise again today, Gabe. Running, fighting - something. Maybe even hunting. I could do with a hunt. Get some real fresh meat, Jack warbled, standing to stretch as Gabe opened his office door, the captain scurrying to catch a vase of flowers as Jack's tail knocked it over. Oh, shit. Sorry; I forget your office is small, he said, tucking his tail in closer, trying to minimize further damage.

"That's okay… at least these are almost dead anyway, and thankfully they don't really need water here like they used to on my home planet," Gabe said, grinning quietly as he moved the vase out of Jack's way. "Maybe walk with me, then we can have coffee outside and get some fresh air while we take a break."

Jack nodded, licking his chaps and followed Gabe out and to the kitchenette, watching as he made the coffee and cooed softly at the rich aroma, purring as Gabe led the way outside and set the bowl down for Jack to enjoy it.

"You know, this is the first time I've actually spent a a lot of time on a planet that's not completely overrun with city, since my home planet."

Jack warbled softly, blinking up at Gabe and let his curiosity trickle through. Really?

"Yep. Spent a lot of time moving between a couple planets while I was a CTAC agent. A couple of high-up security details, one or two civil unrest events... shit like that. Couple more covert ops missions. I enjoyed those, for the most part," he said, expression turning serious, the smile that had been there fading. I liked the challenge of planning and strategizing them, and the on-the-fly thinking when shit goes sideways. I was good at the clean up, too. Going in after shitshows and making them neat, make them look like something else, Gabe added mentally, glancing at Jack.

I understand, I think, he nodded, nuzzling Gabe's hip and rumbled deep in his chest, then lapped at his bowl of coffee. You find your niche, enjoy it, see yourself flourish. Jack sighed softly, shaking his head. I used to be like that, when... I started with this, he said, looking up at Gabe for a moment, then looked down at himself. It was hard, to... learn to be in this. I was one of the first few to get all of this under sort-of control. It still took a long time, though. And after... after everything went... sideways, I got better. I got comfortable in my skin, how I move, the way I smell and see and hunt. I'm good at tracking, surviving, hunting. I'm good at disappearing, making do.

Gabriel looked at him from over his mug, watching Jack stare off into the distance, scales turning a dull grey-white as he spoke. Jack was more human than he'd really given him credit. Hell, he probably had a sleeve out there, somewhere.

Maybe.

Jack blinked at Gabe and rumbled. I've been like this a long time, Gabe. I don't think it's possible for me to be anything else.

His voice was so soft, resigned-fear-guilt-acceptance trickling through from Jack.

Gabe opened his mouth, lowering his mug to speak as the door opened.

"Captain? Sir, we have a slight problem with Genji Shimada."

Gabriel turned to the officer and frowned. "Slight problem."

She flushed, then nodded. "Yes, well. He hasn't shown up for his community service today, we can't reach him, and uh. The next step is to do a house call, but we still have him as legally living on the Shimada Estate, even though he's said he's living on the ground."

"Ah, fuck. Alright; he's staying with Jesse McCree. Send a unit to his apartment, and another to McCree, and see if we can find Genji there. Then I'm gonna call Hanzo directly, or at least leave him a message if he's busy, and after that head over to the monastery. Maybe he's there. I know he's been spending a good deal of time there after his hours."

"Yessir," the officer nodded. "I'll get on that."

Gabriel nodded his thanks, sighing as he looked into his mug. A genuine waste of average, cafeteria coffee.

Well. You can call Hanzo while still drinking coffee, Jack pointed out, lapping at his own. And I can always head out early to try and catch Genji's scent?

Gabe sighed, then shook his head, calling Hanzo and rolled his eyes when it went to voicemail. "Good morning, Hanzo-san. Captain Reyes here. Just wanted to let you know that Genji hasn't come in today, and we're currently out looking for him as we speak. Jack and I will be heading to the monastery, see if he didn't get stuck there. If he's there, I'm inclined to let him off the hook, if you're willing to agree with that. Whatever he's been doing there seems good for him. Anyway, let me know what your thoughts are when you get this. And if he's with you, let me know."

Gabe sighed as he hung up, taking a last sip of his coffee and gawked a little at how quickly Jack lapped up his bowl of coffee.

You didn't really think I would just abandon coffee, did you? he grinned, teeth bared as he cough-barked a laugh. C'mon, let's go.

Gabriel shook his head and picked up the bowl, following Jack back into the precinct.

"Ah, Captain, you're still here. We found McCree and uh. He's worse for wear. He was just brought in on a drunk and disorderly from last night," the same officer from before said.

"Great. Did he tell you where Genji is?"

"He's not speaking to us, sir. We'll keep trying."

Gabe made a noise in his throat, then shrugged. "Might as well talk to him while he's here. I've heard he's a regular and I should get familiar with him. Jack? Wanna sit in on it, watch from the room in the back?"

Uh, no. It's a little small in there, but I'll stay outside, watch through your eyes, Jack rumbled, blinking at him.

"Great. Thank you, Officer," he nodded, dropping off the bowl and mug before making his way to the interrogation room, spinning to the side when someone rushed by.

"Sorry, luv! Oh! Captain Reyes, sir! Didn't see you there, sorry," she grinned, snapping to attention. "Just looking for a partner for the interrogation with McCree."

"I was just headed there. You can take the lead; I'll watch from the observation room," he said, jerking his head in that direction. "I wanna know if he knows where Genji Shimada is."

Lena beamed and bounded to his side, almost skipping beside him as they made their way there, waving at Jack when she caught him following them. She'd been the fastest to accept him around the precinct; the rest of Gabe's officers were still wary at best, afraid and hateful at worst.

"Why would he know where Genji is?"

"They're roommates while Genji's serving his community hours."

"Ohh... that makes sense. But a bad combination, to have the two of them together," she grimaced. "McCree's usually alright, but he's pretty angry a lot of the time. Comes through on a couple drunk and disorderlies, occasionally the odd bar fight or so. We think he's involved with illegal biotech fights, but we don't have enough evidence to say one way or the other. And Genji's... well, I don't think there's anyone who doesn't know his reputation," she finished with a soft chuckle.

Gabriel nodded, glancing into the windowed door when they stopped outside. "I'll be in the back; don't stress about it."

"Gotcha! I'll see you on the other side, sir," she grinned, stepping into the room, some of her pep and flair settling into a more serious air, but still light enough to be almost annoyingly affable. It was a skill that Gabriel was amazed by, watching Lena run McCree through the interview, brushing off his snark and swearing and offered him a smile when he scoffed and leaned back in his chair.

"Alright, lastly, and since you're also relevant to another incident, could you tell us where Genji Shimada is, Mr McCree?"

"Why the fuck would I care about where that brat o' a Meth is?" he snapped.

"You're roommates, right? So -"

"Look, he's a goddamn entitled piece of shit an' I told him t'fuck off last night, so I don' know where he is or where he's gone, an' I don't care, neither."

Lena leaned back in her chair, McCree closing off and crossed his arms over his chest, looking to Gabe for all the world like someone who was trying hard not to cry, like someone who had lost a friend.

Someone trying not to grieve.

Something's not right here, he thought, then knocked on the window, startling both of the occupants and stepped out. Can you smell anything off McCree?

Eh, no? Lena's... scent-perfume is too strong for me to pick anything up. And it's a lot harder to pick up on emotions when you're not connected to someone, Jack finished, grinning as he saw Gabe come out, leaning against the wall and flicked his tail tip. But he does look... raw. Hurt. You gonna talk to him?

Gabriel nodded, giving Lena a small smile when she came out. "You did well, Officer," he said, resisting the urge to roll his eyes at Jack's rumbles at his own fond amusement.

"Thank you sir," she grinned. "But you want to talk to him, too."

"Yeah, I'd like that," he nodded.

"All yours, sir! I'll be in the back?"

"Actually, I think come with me. You're a familiar face and I've heard my ugly mug scares off people," Gabe said, stepping in behind Lena as she stifled a giggle.

'Ugly', my ass. You're gorgeous, damn. I'd never be able to speak to you if I was human. Way too intimidated by how good-looking you are.

Gabriel blinked and hesitated at the static and double-thoughts from Jack, then shook his head and eased into the seat beside Lena.

"The fuck you want?" McCree sighed, pulling a face between anger, hurt and disgust.

"I'm Captain Reyes, just wanted to meet you, since I hear you're a regular though here," he said, sprawling out in his chair.

McCree snorted, eyeing him and looked off at the other wall. "Sure."

"I heard you were a pilot."

"Sometimes."

"Got any formal training?"

McCree narrowed his eyes at Gabriel, appraising him slowly. "Why?"

Gabe shrugged, rubbing his A-Link when Jack babbled excitedly about getting Jesse into a training program. Jack I swear to fuck.

Do you? he purred.

Gabe straightened and went stiff, glaring at the door when he heard Jack laugh through the door. "Bastard," he muttered, then shook his head. "I'm asking because I'm interested in giving out a few scholarships to the program, get some kids here into real piloting -"

"I ain't no fuckin' kid," McCree snarled, glaring at Reyes.

"Fine. I'm looking for candidates with potential, give them a bursary into training. Open up a few positions in official capacity with the precinct and private security. Limited space, obviously, and only for those who have real promise. I've seen you take Ashe's little wolf beastie out, did quite well. Technique's a little rough, like you picked it up on the fly, but you're comfortable in the pilot seat."

"I ain't sellin' her out," he scowled darkly. "Ain't got time to play, neither. She's got me on her payroll as a testin' pilot, 'mongst others."

I don't remember seeing him in a biotech like that out in the farmlands... if he's involved with that, he didn't use a wolf shape, Jack said, stretching out in the hallway with a groan that managed to settle even Gabe. Funny that he'd say something like 'sell her out', though.

"I'm not asking you to sell her out. Just offering a spot; it's still up to you and your employer to let you come. It's only to her benefit; you'll be tutored by a CTAC pilot, after all," Gabe smirked, gesturing at himself.

Jesse rolled his eyes, cracking a little. "What do you want?"

"What happened with Genji last night?"

"We fought, 'cause he's a rich little prince who doesn't know shit about life down here. Told him to leave an' that I needed time alone. I ain't seen nor heard him comin' in last night, or this morning. He sure didn't sleep back home. His blankets and shit were still all rolled up like he does them when he remembers. Fucker can't even really clean up after himself."

"Sounds like a pain," Gabe drawled, sighing heavily through his nose. "Alright, fine. Officer Oxton here's gonna finish your processing. I appreciate your honesty, McCree. Just try and stay out of trouble, alright? And lemme know what you think about that position in the piloting course. I'm opening it to the public for admissions at the end of the month, and I'm only keeping three places for bursary spots."

"Yeah, yeah," he huffed, looking away again and barely acknowledged Gabriel when he left.

He's not looking at you, but he knows exactly where you are when you move. He's a fighter through and through, and I don't think it's all by choice, necessarily, Jack warbled, standing up when Gabe came out.

"Yeah? Well, I saw him fight. He's good, really good; he just needs a little refinement," Gabe nodded, patting Jack's neck. "Let's go to the monastery. I wanna see if I can find Genji there. It's a little worrying that he just disappeared, and something else is going on, beyond the whole 'we fought, he left' spiel."

Jack rumbled, tail tip twitching as they left out the front. I agree. But I don't think Jesse's... hurt? Rawness? Comes from his fight with Genji. I'd guess the fight happened because of that

Gabriel hummed, slipping into his car. On the ground, Jack was fast enough to cover the nearby distances himself, without being forced to fit himself into the too-small cars. And it gave him much-needed exercise, too.

Hanzo get back to you on disconnecting us?

Uh, not yet but - hold on, Gabe thought, answering his com when Hanzo called.

"Good morning, Captain. No, Genji is not with me, yes I agree that, if he is at the monastery, to let it slide," he said, sounding a little out of breath, like he was striding somewhere. "And - yes, I need that approved and sent through before the afternoon - I have - not now, I am on a call; yes, it can wait. Get out," Hanzo growled, his sigh and an unintelligible string of mutterings fading before his voice was louder again. "My apologies; I have been experimenting with biotech, as well as finalizing the details of your disconnection. I will be able to set that up by the end of the week, after a consultation with my father. After hours, if you prefer, so we could take Jack back to wherever he wishes to be released, and disconnect there."

Gabriel blinked, leaning back in the hovercar and blew out air through his lips. You hear that?

What kind of stupid question Of course I did, Jack replied, a white streak as he leapt over a car and disappeared down a street. I'm good with... 'being released' at the end of this week.

"Captain?"

"Yeah, sorry. Just checking in with Jack about it; we're on our way to the monastery now. Jack says he's fine with that, and thanks, for working on it."

"You are welcome, and it was a pleasant if serious challenge. I believe it is possible for us to restore the link in the future, should that ever be something that may be an option," Hanzo added, barking out what sounded like orders in Japanese. "My apologies; I will be down on the ground with you soon, to help look for my brother. I know the... less savory places he frequented often, if he is not at the monastery. Places he is likely to have gone if he is especially, well. I suppose 'stressed' is the closest I will get to the truth of it," he sighed.

"If you feel like that's necessary, then I'll wait for you outside."

"I appreciate that; I won't be long, Captain."

Hanzo hung up after that, with Gabe parking across the street and made his way over to where Jack was sitting, and leaned against his side. "So, you're finally free again this weekend."

Yeah. It's gonna be rough, Jack said, voice quiet and serious as he stared down the street.

"Hey, look -"

No-one to bathe me anymore, no-one to bring me bowls of coffee, twice a day... I dunno how I'm gonna manage, he continued, a large blue eye flicking down to Gabe where he'd straightened, his mouth curling into a grin as amusement and a sense of gotcha spilled through the link.

"You bastard," Gabriel laughed, shoving at Jack's shoulder and shook his head. "Here I was, trying to comfort you, and you got used to the luxuries of city life."

Jack laughed, nosing into his side and licked his cheek. Oh, I'll miss them for sure. But I also miss not being chaperoned everywhere. Besides, you deserve some privacy of your own again. I'm sure I've put a serious dampener on any dates you might've wanted to go on.

"Oh," Gabe blinked, looking away. "Yeah, well. I didn't exactly have a lot of time for that. There were a couple big cases happening in the precinct at that time, and there will be a few more still."

Mm, maybe you could ask Ana out, Jack purred.

"Ana Amari? No," Gabriel laughed, shaking his head. "She's already taken, not interested in a poly relationship. But maybe in another life, sure. She's amazing, in a lot of ways," he said, spotting Hanzo's car come to a stop a short distance away.

Well, I guess that means we're back at work, then, Jack rumbled, nuzzling Gabe's cheek. Let's go.

"Thank you for waiting for me; I hope I did not keep you long," Hanzo greeted, hurrying to tie his hair into a pony and looking more frazzled than Jack had ever seen him.

"Not at all; I just parked and got out the car to poke at Jack. Are you okay?" Gabriel asked, stepping into Hanzo's path when he tried to stride past them.

"Yes. No. But first we must find Genji; his sleeve... it was modified. It cannot under any circumstance tolerate drugs or alcohol. I am uncertain what the effects are, exactly, but -"

"Whoa, woah. Hold up," Gabe said, raising his hands. "We don't know any of that yet. Let's start by heading inside and seeing if he's there, okay? Then we can take more drastic steps."

Hanzo clenched his jaw, dark eyes hard as he looked off to the side and nodded. "He hasn't been backed up since he came down. I haven't found a time where I am available and Genji wasn't busy, to perform the backups. He will lose everything he has learnt."

"Alright, okay. But I'm sure it won't come to that," Gabe said, reaching over to pat Hanzo's bicep and turned to the monastery. "Come on, let's start here."

Jack followed them in, rumbling softy and nosed at Hanzo's shoulder, exhaling softly on him when he relaxed minutely.

The second they entered they were met by a pacing monk, eyes wide as he stared at them.

"You, you look like him, and how he described you. Are you Genji's brother, Hanzo?" the monk asked.

"Yes; where is he?" Hanzo frowned, eyes rimmed in blue.

"You... you don't know either? He was here last night, but he left. I haven't heard from him since -"

Hanzo snarled, grabbing the monk by his clothes only to release him almost immediately, anger and confusion bleeding into his expression. "What are you?"

"I am an artificially encased omnic AI. A more... human shape is more soothing to the humans who come through. But I am tied to the building; my coding lies within it and projects onto the machinery to operate it. I cannot leave the monastery to find Genji, as much as I would like to," he said, full lips parting as he looked down and away. "We did not part on good terms last night. I fear for his well-being."

"What happened?" Gabriel asked, raising a hand to get Hanzo to take a step back.

"He came in troubled, described a... companion, who had witnessed the execution of one of his friends. Genji... Genji upset him, and himself, by asking after his companion's grief. He does not seem to understand the concept of friendship. I didn't realize the full extent of his distress; I fear I was the reason he left in a hurry."

"I see," Gabe nodded, heaving a quiet sigh and rubbed a hand over the scars on his face. "Okay. Do you know which way he went?"

"I cannot leave the threshold of the monastery, so I cannot say for sure but I do believe that he made his way deeper into the city again. Is there somewhere he would go, when distressed?"

Gabe turned to look at Hanzo, the monk's gaze eerily human, eerily caring, now that he knew the monk was an omnic.

"There are five clubs in the area," he sighed. "But I think I know which one he is most likely to have gone to. It's... Well, it is more upper class, but it caters to both dancing and more erotic needs. Genji is likely to have gone there. If he did, I do not know what condition we will find him in. His sleeve is designed to react adversely to both alcohol and drugs, both substances he is likely to have taken."

Gabe swore, pulling off his beanie as he turned to pace before pulling it on again.

I could try to track his scent, Jack spoke up, warbling softly. If you have something of his. At the very least, I might be able to narrow down where he actually is.

"You can do that?" Gabe asked, stopping as he met Jack's gaze.

I have a more sensitive sense of smell, so maybe, probably. I won't promise a miracle but I think I can help.

"What is Jack saying?" Hanzo asked, glancing between them.

"He reckons he might be able to track Genji with his scent. If we have something that smells like him."

"I would smell like him," the monk said. "Synthetic skin does not have much of a scent of its own, and I have not been around others since Genji left."

Oh. That's gonna feel really weird, Jack rumbled, standing up from where he'd sat himself down and padded over, cooing softly at the monk and licked his palm when it was offered in greeting, then moved to sniff Zenyatta at the invitation to track Genji's scent.

"Thank you, for your assistance..." Gabe trailed.

"Zenyatta. I am one of two who live here, and an AI myself; the other is an omnic called Mondatta. Omnics come and go; Genji is the first human to have come in twice, let alone stayed so long. If - no, when, you find him. Please, let me know if he is safe. I have come to appreciate his company greatly, and I believe he has enjoyed mine to some extent, as well. At the very least, he has come to me to talk about some of the things that weigh on him. I would like the chance to apologize for misreading him last night, if that is at all possible."

Gabriel nodded. "We'll let him know when we find him. I'm sure it'll turn out alright. We appreciate your help, Zenyatta."

The monk dipped his head, watching them go and held Hanzo's sneered glare until he was forced to turn.

"Alright, so he was here, but now we need to hunt him down. Jack, you got a scent?" Gabriel asked outside.

Yep, it's faint but I think it's Genji. Smells like he went that way, he said, pawing in the general direction.

"There is a club there," Hanzo sighed. "I know the way; walking would be faster."

"Then go ahead with Jack; one of us might need a car if we find him less than conscious," Gabe nodded. "I'll meet you there."

Jack cooed at Hanzo, nuzzling his shoulder and rumbled when his snout was pet. "I hope he is alright," Hanzo murmured, then turned to stride in the direction of the club.