In 2014, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) formed a covert black ops unit, bringing together members from the shadows with a certain set of skills, all curated from the best with the best. They operate in countries that revolves in reconnaissance, rescue, counter-terrorism and assassinations. If they are compromised, NATO was not involved. They do not exist, they do not have records. They are ghosts. They are Blackwatch.


5:06 AM, Local Time

Ukraine

April, 2017

Elsewhere far towards the yet to be risen sun, the War of Donbass continued to rage on in the distance. The gunfire and the roars shut out the outside world between the Russian army and the Ukraine forces. Footsteps and war cries rattled the village as a rocket obliterated a chunk of a house.

Dust, debris and glass powdered as a group of armed and masked(with the exception of certain members) operatives evade and escape from an army of Kadyrovtsy soldiers and Pro-Russian rebels, peppering after them with their rifles. Their mission was to rescue missing CIA agent Clint Goddard who was captured by Chechen forces and set to be executed. But when the captors have Pro-Russian rebels on their contacts list, what do they do? Now they were on the run, desperately making their way for the helicopter evac a few blocks away.

Gabriel Reyes, ex-Delta Force and the front man, turned around and fired automatic bursts with his 10 inch barreled HK416 fitted with an Eotech sight, a tactical foregrip, an AN/PEQ-15 ATPIAL and a suppressor while the team ran past him. His signature skull balaclava topped with a black hood glared at the rebels, designed to strike fear into their hearts, thus earning his nickname, Reaper. Doesn't seem to be working so far.

He stopped shooting and retreated, catching up with Amélie Lacroix, the team's sniper and second in command. Apart from the others, she was armed with a HK417 with custom attachments consisting of a RIS foregrip, a suppressor, a Harris bipod and a laser designator. As one of the most deadliest snipers from France, Amélie was known for her sharpshooting skills and her combined use of hand-to-hand combat and ballet dancing. Therefore, the others knew her as Widowmaker. Shortly, Reaper's earpiece from his comms radio brightened alive.

"Ghost Rider to Shadow 1, get your asses moving. I'm running out of fumes here and I'm getting shot at, over!"

"We're on the move right now! Stand by, over!" Reaper replied while hopping over uneven terrain.

Making their way down a hill through a blasted hole on a wide fence, American country-man Jesse McCree turned around and burst rounds with his AR-15 5.56/223 Carbine attached with a Crimson Trace lasergrip and ACOG scope against their pursuers. Everybody was quick to call him a cowboy based on his thick beard, ragged hair and the cowboy hat whenever he wasn't on the field. The Japanese Genji Shimada was also beside him, doing the same thing with his TDI Kriss Vector SBR .45 ACP attached with an extended mag, Trijicon SRS sight and an Osprey suppressor. He also had a hood over his balaclava.

Another operator assisting them was the newest member in Blackwatch. Keenan Cortell, AKA. Marvel, straight out of the US Air Force bringing in his experiences as a fighter jet pilot. Unlike everybody else, he only carried an automatic Glock 18, firing rapid bursts. He always preferred a pistol over an assault rifle but if he had to choose, his first pick would be his custom UMP-45. After taking down a group of rebels, another wave of them clambered after them, forcing the three to fall back.

"This mission was supposed to be clean and quiet!" McCree yelled while sliding down the rocky but short hill.

"How would it be if we're in the middle of a goddamn war-zone?!" Marvel retorted, following him.

While the rest of the team ran through the wide dry area, Irish operative Moira O'Deorain carried Goddard by his shoulders. Even though he went through some beating sessions, he was still able to walk on two feet. Ex-Delta Force operative, Nicolas Beltrán or Nico for short fought back against the rebels trying to flank their east using his camo AK-12 with Eotech sights, AFG grip along with the Mexican, Sombra. Nobody knew her identity when she joined, not even the FBI. Her beanie covered her purple highlighted hair with sunglasses. Her custom silver blue MP7A1 attached with a suppressor, vertical foregrip and an Eotech sight was able to pick off a row of rebels charging after them.

"It would be better if you guys lent me a gun." Goddard croaked.

"Sorry sir but you're our mission and we can't risk you getting killed." Moira said.

The operatives caught up and they formed a line, fighting back against the pursuing rebels far from their distance while Moira brought Goddard to the front. After what felt like forever, their pilot in a PZL-Świdnik Mi-2 arrived and landed in front of the team. The rotors hovered, blowing away the remaining grass on its landing zone.

"Ghost Rider to Shadow 1, we're here. Get your asses in. I don't wanna stay long."

"Copy, Ghost Rider."

As the rest of the team provided covering fire, Moria quickly placed Goddard into the helicopter. Once he was strapped in, Moira stepped near the doors and called after the team.

"Objective secure, everybody in the helicopter now!"

Genji and Marvel were the first to jump in while the rest continued to shoot back. One by one, the team jumped in while taking shots. Now it was Nico and Sombra's turn to get in. As Sombra removed her clip while backing towards the helicopter, Nico's gaze fell upon to his west where he saw one of the rebels crouched and aiming something pointy at them. It didn't take long for him to realize what it was.

"RPG!" He shouted.

Wasting no time, Nico pushed Sombra out of the way just in the nick of time. As Sombra fell to the ground, Nico was unfortunately standing on the radius of the missile seconds away near him. As soon as it landed, an ear-crunching thwoom erupted and smoke formed the area. The explosion damaged the helicopter, which almost had it tilting to its right with its rotors grazing the ground. As the smoke cleared out and the team got back to their senses, Sombra who had covered herself from the blast looked up and found Nico on the ground but he wasn't responsive.

"Nico?" Sombra called. He didn't move or cough, prompting her to get up and check on him. "Dios mios, Nico!"

When she got to him, it wasn't a pretty sight. Sombra almost felt something forced up her throat. Nico's body has almost turned into a limbless statue with both of his legs and left arm missing, as well as burns all over his chest and face. A puddle of blood formed underneath him, soaking the dry grass. His eyes were shut tightly as if something dug inside it.

"N-Nico's down! I repeat! Nico's down!" Sombra yelled.

Everybody gasped silently and gave each other glances except Reaper. He jumped out of the helicopter while bullets continued to rain after them. He went up towards Sombra and helped her pull Nico to the helicopter while the rest of the team provided covering fire. Moira got out as well armed with a spare HK416, managing to take out a pair of rebels closing in.

Once Reaper and Sombra got in with Nico's body, Moira stopped firing and hopped back in. The helicopter began to lift from the hot-zone and Marvel shut the slide. The rebels continued to shoot at them but the ceased shooting proved that the rebel's efforts were fruitless.

As the helicopter flew out of sight from the village, Reaper bent down near Nico's body and pulled his mask off along with hood, revealing his brown goatee. He began to apply CPR while Goddard and Moira came to assist with cleaning up and bandaging the missing limbs with the provided first aid. Blood was now forming on the surface, slowly sliding downwards.

"Come on, Nico! Wake up!" Reaper begged as he pressed his chest repeatedly.

There was no response. No cough or a faint feeling of a breath. Reaper didn't want to believe it. He kept on pressing his chest while the team waited for a miracle. Moira was the only person who knew an injury like this wasn't bound to be healed.

"Nico, don't you fucking die!" Reaper growled, raising his voice progressly.

He continued to press his chest to the point where it was starting to get pointless. Goddard and the team couldn't do anything but watch as Reaper slammed his hands on Nico's almost limbless body while throwing his entire energy on him. Eventually, Reaper stopped while heavily panting. His hands were covered with Nico's blood and went limp onto the surface. The fact that they were together in the Delta Force added further injury to his pain, like a bullet to the heart.

"Goddamn you, Nico," he whimpered as the wine red blood reached the end of the door slide, dripping off the gap. "Goddamn you."


(1 Year Later)

Even being awake, the alarm clock continued to beep without even stopping. Reaper was already up, sitting on the side of his bed while staring down at the floor. Only dressed in worn sweatpants with his old dog tags, the rest of his body was not so pure. There were multiple healed wounds on his body, a healed gunshot wound on the waist with an exit and another on his right shoulder. There were several more on his back, including some healed burns. His right arm also had a healed burn wound. As the alarm beeped mindlessly, Reaper sighed, fed up and turned off the alarm clock.


8:23 AM, Local Time

Rome, Italy

Embassy of the United States

May, 2018

Blackwatch was never assigned any stations but the associates from NATO were kind enough to lend in the Embassy of the United States in Rome as the team's station. The Embassy was big enough for Blackwatch to fit in their own quarters and their operation centers for their missions, similar to the CIA and the DSS. Reaper parked his rented Fiat at the nearest parking garage and got out, dressed in all black rolled up shirt and pants with a NATO ID badge, because Blackwatch isn't an official unit. He didn't have time for breakfast since he wasn't much of an eater.

Reaper had to meet up with Widowmaker as the two have a debrief with Major Salvatore of NATO. After getting checked by guards and processed, Reaper picked up the FNG at the front entrance as ordered yesterday and made their way down the hallway, going into an elevator. While in the elevator, Reaper briefly glanced at the FNG. He was a black guy with a temple fade haircut and a beard. He looked like any average soldier: standard build and six feet tall. He also wore a navy blue t-shirt with tan pants and carried a backpack.

Before he went to the meeting, Reaper took the black guy to Blackwatch's quarters. When the two entered the room, the team who were inside stopped what they were doing once Reaper stepped inside. All of the members were in their casual clothes.

Genji was leaning at the corner, wearing a grey sweatshirt with the hood completely shading half of his face alongside black jeans. Marvel had a grey polo shirt and a cap topped with Ray Bans. McCree had his signature cowboy hat with a brown leather jacket over a blue tucked in shirt and tan pants.

Sombra's appearance has made some drastic changes for the past year. Although her shaved side hasn't grown back, her remaining hair was shorter and red highlights replaced her original colour as well as her clothes, shifting into a burgundy raglan tee and black skinny jeans. Other than Reaper, she had a NATO ID badge on her belt. Moira had her usual black shirt with a purple waistcoat. Their pilot, Tamara "Fio" LaPaglia, stood next to Sombra in a green open short sleeve shirt with a white t-shirt underneath. Born with a Brazilian descent, Fio shared similar experiences with Marvel as a US Marine pilot with the exception of a fighter jet.

"Who's this guy, Reaper?" Sombra asked, pointing at the black guy.

"This is...the FNG," Reaper answered. He didn't sound enthusiastic. "Sorry, didn't really catch your name."

"Raymundo Owens. But you can call me Ray."

The team were surprised about the news since nothing bad happened after the death of a former member but nonetheless, none of them had a problem with the news. However, Sombra didn't seem to like the new guy. Its like questioning a nobody in a top secret covert unit sent to replace a previously deceased member. Reaper also noticed that Widowmaker wasn't anywhere to be seen.

"Where's Lacroix?" He asked.

"Already waiting for you at the meeting." Sombra replied, ignoring Ray as much as possible.

"Alright, while I'm at the meeting, you guys make Ray feel at home," Reaper then turned to Ray. "And you...don't cause any trouble while I'm gone."

He replied with a nod. Shortly, Reaper was out of the room and the door swung shut. There was nothing but silence surrounding the room as the team stared at Ray. The silence was eventually broken once McCree got up from the cases he was sitting on and approached Ray. His index finger was tapping intensely on his upper thigh as if he really wanted a cigar.

"Well, I suppose we make ya feel comfortable," he held out his hand. "I'm McCree, Jesse McCree."

Ray shook his hand back. "Nice to meet you."

He seemed warm enough. McCree then let go of his hand.

"So, which branch you from?" He asked.

"Army, 75th Rangers. You?" Ray replied.

"Marines, Force Recon. Those were the days, partner."

McCree then turned around and planned to introduce the team. He first gestured towards Moira.

"This is Moira, ex-Irish Army Ranger Wing. She's our field medic but if you're a bad guy who just got shot or just piss her off in general, she'll murder you slowly and painfully."

Moria warmly smiled and waved like it was a normal thing. After a moment of awkward silence, McCree then pointed towards Fio.

"This is Fio, our pilot. When it comes to any sort of aircraft, she'll fly 'em."

Fio simply smiled and nodded at him, prompting him to do the same. McCree then pointed to Sombra.

"Over there is Sombra, NSA's top cyber security agent and hacker. Her past is a mystery and that's why the NSA want her. She's wicked smart and asks no questions. Ask her to break into Elon Musk's servers, she'll get it done in no time." When Ray looked at her, Sombra avoided eye contact. McCree wasn't surprised at all. "Oh, don't worry about it. She's not so into new guys. She'll soften up eventually."

McCree turned towards Marvel where he was staring at Ray.

"That's Marvel, fresh out of the US Air Force. He's a pro with a fighter jet and he can take on just anybody with his hands. Trust me when I say you'll only last three seconds on the mat."

"Hey." Marvel uttered without waving.

Ray nodded. McCree eventually got to the last part, pointing at the hooded guy.

"And last and not least, Genji Shimada, our other hand-to-hand expert. Actually kicked Marvel's ass a buncha times."

"Once, actually!"

McCree ignored his comment and continued.

"Genji's a former Japanese officer from the Special Assault Team. Had a great record of locking up many bad crooks, especially one of the most ruthless Yakuza clans of Tokyo."

Genji just showed him a peace sign without a word.

"Widowmaker's our leader's second in command but she's currently in a meeting with the boss. You might get to meet her later. I'm gonna assume it's gonna be 'bout our next mission so don't get too comfy. But other than that...welcome to Blackwatch."

McCree patted Ray on the shoulder with a smile before walking away, leaving Ray alone. As everybody else got back to whatever they were doing, Ray stood there, figuring out how to get used to being in a special black ops unit. It was quite hard, especially for new guys like him.


As soon as Reaper and Widowmaker entered the briefing room, they were greeted by Major Salvatore, serving NATO for twenty years, sitting at the middle of the room with a desk containing folders along with two chairs. A pair of guards were also stationed at the corners. As the two sat down, they noticed the two folders conveniently placed for them.

"We have a situation in Zambia," Salvatore stated. "Two days ago, a squad of peacekeepers from the United Nations were captured and publicly executed during their routine patrol by a local militia group. We caught the word when a group of villagers came to one of our nearest bases in Zambia with the decapitated heads of the peacekeepers."

Reaper opened up the folder and picked up a file, showing four seperate pictures of men with blue berets. Underneath were some bullet points and additional notes with one of them by the name of 'Ejner Lütken' highlighted for whatever reason. Maybe he was the leader. Either way, Reaper had some divisive opinions on the decision.

"Obviously it was a stupid call to send in a four man team unarmed into a bad neighborhood." He said, leaning back on his chair.

"They were only ordered to observe and possibly maintain order there." Widowmaker added.

"She's right, Reyes," Salvatore said. "Zambia is still a war-zone and the UN were trying to maintain the peace by using their hearts and minds, not automatic weapons."

Reaper scoffed. "I've seen the work the UN does and with all due respect, this shit ain't working at all. It's just making the situation worse. I hardly believe they're even brave enough to handle this or even give a rat's ass about it."

Salvatore wasn't fazed by his comment but he just handed Reaper another folder. "Either way, this is a Blackwatch operation, Reyes. We've identified the militia who executed those peacekeepers."

Reaper flipped over the folder and took out the paper with a blurry photograph of a black man with braids and sunglasses, standing beside a couple of armed men in shemagh scarves.

"Your target is Arno Macaba. Younger brother of former warlord, Dede Macaba who was killed by the Namibian Defence Force five years earlier. Arno is trying to finish what his brother started by taking full control of South Africa. They had control of both Zambia and Namibia earlier but ever since the death of Dede, Namibia is in the government's hands which leaves Zambia, the only hole left for Arno to fill. The NSA has managed to pinpoint his location at a large camp which is 3 miles away from the village where the UN peacekeepers were killed. Airstrikes are a no go because the NSA has also found out that the militia are using the villagers for labor and we can't risk casualties or worse, have the CNN snoop around on NATO's activities. Which is why we need you and your team on the ground to eliminate him. Keep the mission as quiet as possible. We can't afford any traces leading to NATO. The C130 will be wheels up at 10. Good luck."

After that, words were exchanged and the two left the room. They went down the corridor towards the elevator where they passed a man carrying some files. It was dead silent on their way back.

"Heard about the new teammate." Widowmaker said, breaking the silence.

"You okay with that?" Reaper asked.

"Oui. You think I don't like newcomers?"

"I do, actually. Hell, I don't even want any more members on the team."

Widowmaker chuckled for a moment. The two both stopped after arriving at the elevator. "There's nothing wrong with having a new member on the team, Gabe. You didn't say anything when Marvel first arrived."

Everything went silent again as they stood together. The elevator sign above changed numbers.

"Considering what happened back in Ukraine, it shouldn't be a big deal with the new guy on the team."

Reaper sighed, silently admitting she had a point but he was still concerned.

"Lets just hope the kid won't screw up the mission and get himself or all of us killed."

The elevator arrived just as he finished and they were silent again for the rest of the trip back to the quarters.


10:20 AM, Local Time

Flying over Africa's Airspace

Prior to the boarding of the C130, everybody swapped into their compatible clothes to blend in the dark. Their weapons, each different, were also packed in containers for the mission. Marvel and Fio piloted the aircraft as part of their skills. Shortly, the aircraft went for the sky and made an estimated time of a twelve hour trip to Zambia.

Two hours has passed during the flight and everybody has been minding their own business. As the aircraft rumbled and shook lightly on the sky, Ray looked around where the team were. Sombra and Genji were resting, McCree had earphones on while napping, probably listening to some country music by the looks of him and Widowmaker was writing something on a notepad. Moira was reading a book titled "The Human Anatomy" which seemed to unsettle Ray but he pretended as if it wasn't a big deal. Sighing underneath his breath, Ray looked at the ring on his finger. A small smile slowly grew across his face.

"You're married?"

Ray looked up and noticed Reaper standing above him. He laid his finger off the ring.

"I am, sir."

Reaper nodded and handed him a small container. Ray looked at it in confusion before looking back at the leader.

"Leave the ring in the C130 once we get out," Reaper said. "We don't let our enemy know what we have in life for them to use against us…"

Ray's eyes slowly descended down to the surface of his ring. He had a point there.

"Plus you make us look bad. We're still single." Reaper added.

That comment was enough to make Ray chuckle, brightening the tension a little bit. After taking the container from Reaper, he left him to himself and Ray pulled the ring off his finger, placing it into the container. Just as he removed it, Ray seemed to feel a sense of guilt and pity. Maybe he never had taken the ring off for a while. Could be.


10:43 PM, Local Time

Zambia, Africa

Militia Camp

After arriving in Zambia, the team made another half hour ride towards the marked camp with the supplied helicopter. Fio landed them a few miles away from the camp before taking off. Apart from the other villages where it was pitch black, the camp was decently lit well enough to expose their presence. Prior to their mission, they all suited up in plate carriers although Marvel and Widowmaker had chest rigs and Kevlar under their clothes, ballistic helmets with night vision goggles, bandanas and ski masks except Marvel and Widowmaker and go bags.

First impressions of the camp: easy but looks don't fool anyone. The voices coming from the camp seem to give away more than just a group of useless goons. Shouts and wails can be heard from a distance. It was also surrounded by a line of fence which doesn't look professionally set up. Everybody else was fully armed.

While the rest of the team are moving to the camp, Sombra and Moira stayed back to keep watch in case any reinforcements arrive with Sombra using her personal tri rotor drone controlled by a tablet. The drone hovered above the camp where it was dark for anybody on the ground to see.

"Mini drone's activated." Sombra said on the comm.

The rest of the team moved through one part of the fence at the side of the entrance which was torn open where Reaper suddenly raised a hand, prompting the team to freeze. In front of them was a guard in a tank top with a chest rig standing in an isolated area. Smoke was visible in front of him.

"Genji, take him out." Reaper whispered, gesturing towards the guard.

Just as ordered, Genji moved forward while the team snuck behind the huts, consuming themselves in the shadows. The guard remained unaware of the green visor lighting up the shadows behind him. As the guard continued smoking, Genji slung his suppressed HK416C rifle. Once he was close enough, Genji went for the strike. He kicked the guard's calf, sending him on one knee and wrapped his elbow around his neck. Genji pulled him away from the open and towards the dark while he held onto his neck tightly. Once he stopped struggling, Genji slowly placed him aside and finished him off with a suppressed P229 Elite.

"Clear." He said with elusiveness within his tongue.

The team advanced from the shadows and towards the opening where light was with their weapons raised.

"Shadow 2," Reaper ordered. "Take the overwatch position and prepare to provide cover once we capture our objective. Shadow 5, provide cover for Shadow 2. Shadow 3 and 7, take the east side of the camp. Shadow 8, with me. Engage all hostiles with discretion and silence. Now let's move."

Everybody moved out once Reaper made a hand signal to confirm his command. Eventually, the team dispersed without looking back. Reaper and Ray made their way to the center of the camp where activity was more active. There were several posts with loudspeakers positioned around the camp and if they were to be activated...

While the team moved on, Widowmaker advanced towards the area of makeshift huts. She side glanced the huts around her for a brief moment before moving past a guard sitting on a pile of crates while sharpening his machete. He had just saw her walk past him once he looked up. He let out a shout and grabbed his rifle, calling after her. Before he could move towards her, he loosened his grip on the rifle and slumped onto the ground, face first. Blood began to form from the surface of his face. Genji appeared from the shadows, aiming his HK416C to his body.

Widowmaker unsurprisingly paid little attention to the scene and continued to make her way towards one of the towers nearby. Genji simply went off and dispersed into the shadows. Widowmaker climbed onto the top of the tower and the first thing she noticed in front of her was a guard on a chair asleep. His rifle was also on the floor. Widowmaker slung her rifle away and took out a fibre wire attached to her belt.

Slowly walking up to the guard, she quickly wrapped the wire around his neck once she reached a suitable distance. The surprise attack was enough to jolt the unsuspecting guard awake, causing him to writhe around and make choking noises helplessly. Her strength was intense, having dug into the skin of the neck with the wire. He tried to reach for the wire holding him back, only to pull himself off the chair, giving Widowmaker an even deeper choke. Shortly, he began to relax and his hands went limp. She dragged his body to the corner and unwrapped the wire off his neck.

Widowmaker raised her suppressed HK417 with the safety off. She looked through her Leupold Mark 4 scope, revealing a much proper view of the camp. She adjusted her scope, focusing her sights on the other tower placed across the camp. Two guards, both awake and on duty. Without skipping a beat, she picked off the guard behind the one watching. He suddenly turned but he too was taken out, joining his partner's fate. Thankfully, none of them fell off the tower. Soft smoke escaped the hole of the suppressor, disappearing into the sky. There was still enough bullets in the mag.

"This is Shadow 2, hostiles on the towers have been taken care of, over." She said, tapping into her earpiece.

After the notification, Widowmaker caught sight of Reaper and Ray below. She held her gaze at them, watching behind their backs.

"Shadow 1 and 8, drone's picking up three heat signatures in a hut, fifteen steps from your position. Possible location of the HVT, over." Sombra said.

"Copy. Moving to that location, out." Reaper replied.

As Ray and Reaper walked down between the huts, they noticed a figure a couple of steps away from them. They approached him closer and they find a guard in a shemagh scarf and a teal striped polo shirt smoking while leaning against a pile of weapon crates with his back facing the duo. Reaper slung his LWRC M6A1 carbine over his shoulder and took out a knife from his sleeve as he slowly approached the guard. Ray followed him and hid behind the crates he was on.

Once the time was right, Reaper grabbed the guard's shoulder and pulled him onto the crate's surface. He plunged the knife into the guard's torso rapidly before dragging his body off the crate. Blood was left behind on the surface. Just then, Ray caught another guard walk out of a hut near them. He had just discovered the absence of the guard when Ray aimed his SIG 516 at him. He opened suppressed rapid rounds, bringing the unsuspecting guard down with bullets in the torso. Reaper stood up from the body and noticed the dead guard Ray shot before equipping his rifle and continuing to move. While the two searched for the hut, Ray froze on the spot after looking at something shocking.

Through a wide gap from the huts, there was an open field heavily lit as if it was important. There were guards with rifles supervising with kegs of water placed around the area. Ray stared at the villagers digging something up at the middle of the field. He counted more than a dozen children, five slender and frail elders and almost half of the women. Even worse, he discovered a pair of them pregnant. Ray remained fixated on the field, having that urge to save the villagers. His hand on the foregrip tightened and his finger on the verge of slipping on the trigger. Suddenly, he felt a hand slap his shoulder and spun him, directly towards Reaper.

"Hey, we're not here for them. Macaba's our mission. Let's move."

They continued moving although Ray was still focused on the villager's suffering. Shortly, they found the hut with their target, evident by the flag attached to the front door. The two stacked up next to the door, holding their rifles tightly. They were able to hear muffled voices from the room. Reaper tapped on his earpiece, exchanging communication.

"This is Shadow 1. Me and Shadow 8 are preparing to breach on possible HVT location, out." He said.

Reaper made a hand signal, indicating breach and Ray nodded. The two got their rifles ready and Reaper turned the doorknob open. They went in, aiming their rifles. There were three men standing by the desk with their backs on them and the man in the middle had the same dreads from the picture but with a floral shirt and worn cargo pants. In front of them were some pictures attached on a board. That was definitely their target, Macaba.

One of the guards wearing a dirty sweatshirt under a Kevlar vest had just looked behind his shoulder to discover some uninvited intruders and said something in his own language to Macaba. The other guard also caught them once he let out some noise. However, they weren't quick enough once Ray and Reaper dispatched them instantly. Ray fired suppressed bursts at the guard with Kevlar to his nose and mouth while Reaper fired rounds at the other guard to the forehead.

Both of Macaba's guards fell to the ground with blood sloshing from their heads onto the wooden floor along with their rifles. Just as they took care of them, Macaba had fast reflexes to grab a M1911 from the desk. Ray had just noticed Macaba aim his pistol, directly at Reaper's line of sight.

"Look out!"

Ray swiftly stepped in front of Reaper just as Macaba pulled the trigger. The bullet struck Ray's left chest, stinging him hard. The loud gunshot rang across the entire room and possibly the majority of the camp. As he fell to the ground, Reaper caught the chance and shot Macaba, hitting him in the upper arm. Macaba let out a shriek and pressed his gun to the bicep before trying to retaliate by aiming back while leaving his arm to soak in blood. Reaper quickly finished him off with the 5.56 bullets sawing into his chest. As he slammed onto the desk, his pistol went off at the same time, hitting the wall. Reaper approached his body and shot at what once was the would-be warlord further with a suppressed Glock 17, staining the desk and the photographs with blood.

Confirming he was taken out, Reaper slipped his pistol back into his waist holster and ran up towards the new guy on the ground. That bastard's crazy, he thought. He bent down near Ray who was feeling for the spot where the bullet hit him. Surprisingly, he was fine.

"I'm good, sir." Ray assured. "Round only caught the plate."

Reaper silently sighed with relief. "Then get the fuck up. We gotta move now. Everyone sure as hell heard that shot by now."

Reaper held out his arm, prompting Ray to grab him by the forearm. After getting Ray up, he handed him his SIG 516. As Ray ejected the mag in exchange for a new one, he took point with Reaper following. They opened the door and prepared to hit back with anything the militia's got. Through Widowmaker's scope, all of the guards have begun to take their duties even serious and ran around, searching for the gunshot while the villagers stood in confusion.

"Chicos, you got hostiles moving towards your location, over." Sombra warned from the comm.

"Copy we're exfiling now. HVT has been neutralised." Reaper replied.

Widowmaker moved her focus onto Reaper and Ray. They stopped and took cover behind some rusty sedans as several guards approached their position. Widowmaker shifted her scope and aimed at the guards firing at the intruders. With immense accuracy, she managed to take out the group trying to waste them. Meanwhile, McCree and Marvel made their advance to the east entrance with McCree leading the escape. Suddenly, the two get a warning from Sombra.

"Shadow 3, you got three incoming hostiles approaching from the left corner."

Just as she said so, two guards ran past the left corner of the hut in front of them, just noticing the two. Before they could react, McCree mowed them down like cheese with his modified M4A1. However, the last one wasn't present. Marvel left a signal, prompting McCree to stand by while holding his rifle high. He hid behind the corner and slightly raised his suppressed FN Five Seven, the only weapon he brought with him. He moved a few feet back to make sure his shadow didn't give away his position. The guard's shadow below him got closer and once he appeared from the corner, Marvel shot a round at his foot, causing the guard to shriek and lose balance. Marvel shot his head as he fell forwards. Once the guards were dispatched, the two took a brief breather as if they ran a mile.

"Thanks for the heads up, Shadow 4!" McCree said.

There was a sudden pause. "Not a single thanks for my Azúcar?"

"That thing's got a name?"

"It's the only reason you two are still alive."

McCree turned towards Marvel, only to receive a glance from him. Marvel slightly waved a hand from his hip.

"It's kind of a cool name." He commented.

Meanwhile, Widowmaker continued to cover for Reaper and Ray, taking out guards trying to approach them with their rifles. At this point, most of the guards were aware that one of their tower guards aren't doing their job. Which was why Genji remained in the shadows, taking care of guards trying to reach the tower. After emptying the rest of the mag on the guards, Widowmaker ejected the mag with a tap on the mag release. As the empty clip bounced on the wood, she reattached a new clip from her pouch and retracted the port.

She regained her sight through her scope, noticing the villagers spinning around in confusion. Some of the guards were rushing towards them and mouthing orders at them while raising their rifles, scaring them back into the digging point.

"Shadow 3 and 7 are out." McCree notified on the radio.

Elsewhere, Ray and Reaper arrive at the eastern entrance but stop at the very spot. They crouched and positioned their rifles behind them, aiming across the area.

"Shadow 2 and 5," Reaper said. "Me and Shadow 8 have reached the east entrance. We'll provide covering fire for your escape. Get outta there now."

"Copy, Shadow 2 out." Widowmaker replied.

Widowmaker lowered her rifle and climbed down the ladder, landing back on the surface where Genji was waiting. As they head towards the east entrance, Widowmaker took point while Genji covered their rear. He still remained a stranger with that ski mask under his helmet. Shortly, a group of guards armed with rifles appeared in front of them and opened fire. Widowmaker hid behind a parked pickup truck while Genji disappeared into the shadows. As they continued to fire at them, Widowmaker picked off a flashbang grenade from her chest rig.

"Flashbang!" She exclaimed, tossing it out in the open to where most of the guards were.

There was a thunderous explosion, ceasing the gunfire. It appeared the militia has never heard of a flashbang before. Switching her rifle into automatic mode, she appeared from the truck and opened fire with rapid bursts, gunning down the blinded guards. At the same time, Genji appeared from the corner and shot down the remaining two guards, kicking one of them into a pile of crates. The two continued to head out of the open.

"Shadow 2 and 5, you have two hostiles about to cut you off." Sombra warned.

As usual, two more masked guards appeared from the corner of the remaining huts. Widowmaker quickly slung her rifle and pulled out her suppressed MK 23 from her waist holster. With extreme precision, she dropped them down one by one with a headshot for each. As they both slumped to the ground, the two walked past their bodies and headed off where the gunfire has seemingly started to die out.

The two finally made it to the east entrance where Reaper, Ray and the rest of the team were waiting. As they escaped to the extraction area, Ray hesitated for a moment. He looked behind, feeling concerned for the villagers who were still in the camp. A couple of seconds later, Ray eventually turned away and caught up with his team.


11:25 AM, Local Time

Aviano Air Base, Italy

After another flight back to Italy, the C130 touched down at the Aviano Air Base miles away from Rome. As the team walked down on the platform with their weapons in their crates, Ray slipped his wedding ring back on while everybody else went on their way. Several vehicles passed them and loud aircraft occupied the airfield.

"Hey Ray, hang back for a bit."

Just as he stepped on the surface, Ray heard Reaper call him. While the others walked away, Ray got back into the aircraft where Reaper leaned against the side. Ray felt uneasy, worried about his actions earlier. It would make sense since he wanted to try to rescue the villagers from the militia. Reaper let out a sigh before looking back at Ray, uncrossing his arms.

"Listen," he started. "I appreciated your intention to protect me back at that camp but you need to understand that this unit is not your average team. I have responsibilities and I'll be damned if I lose anymore of you. So I'll keep this brief. Don't ever try to sacrifice your life again just to save mine. I also get that you wanted to help those people back at the camp, believe me, but you must understand that the mission comes first. There were other ways we could save those villagers without getting them killed in the crossfire."

The scariest thing about what Reaper said was...he was right. Who knew what could've happened if he actually did let the villagers loose. This would've resulted in the villagers getting hit and possibly killed in the crossfire. Reaper sighed once again and looked back at Ray with a slight sight of gratitude.

"Other than that...you did good." He said, patting him on the shoulder.

As Reaper walked past him and stepped onto the surface, Ray could only stand there wondering. He looked back at Reaper who was still heading off while the vehicles passed and soldiers marched away. Ray still felt uncertain about his position in a black ops unit.


1:00 PM Local Time

Rome, Italy

Embassy of the United States

While the rest of the team stayed in the embassy doing whatever they usually do, Reaper had just finished his report on his mission for NATO and eventually took the rest of his alone time on the balcony on the third floor. Although there were guards patrolling the area, it didn't bother him. In front of him was the open view of the city of Rome. The baby blue sky occupied the horizon with no sign of any clouds. From a distance, he watched a plane silently fly off above and beyond.

"I knew I would find you here."

Reaper didn't need to look behind. The French feminine voice was enough to give away her presence. As he remained attached to the horizon, Widowmaker approached beside him, joining him.

"Guess the rookie did alright for his first mission." She said.

"He did." Reaper replied, trying to drive the conversation away.

"Then what seems to bothering you?"

It was normal for Widowmaker to be persistent. She always found out, eventually. That's what makes her good at her job. After all, she was his second in command and the deadliest of the team. Reaper sighed deeply and took his hands out of his pockets.

"The rookie took a bullet for me."

"And that's a bad thing?" Widowmaker asked. "Je ne comprends pas. He saved your life."

"Yeah but he almost died. Who knows what could've happened if the bullet penetrated the armor."

She wasn't surprised. It was a normal thing since she was with him for years.

"Gabe, we all knew the risks when it came to jobs like this and you forgot that it's our job to keep all of us in one piece."

Reaper stayed silent. He didn't look in the mood to continue the conversation. Widowmaker got his message and started to turn away.

"Maybe you're right," Reaper suddenly said. "I just hate losing more people on this team."

Widowmaker didn't expect him to reply at all. She sympathized with his idea of losing another member close. It started to remind her about her loss of someone dear to her. Widowmaker eventually walked away, leaving Reaper to himself.


AN: Hey guys Whiskey here. I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of Blackwatch. The OC, Ray belongs to me and the OC, Marvel belongs to the homie, Maximus. The reason I'm doing this story is because I am a fan of the Overwatch game and very interested in Blackwatch. The story is basically a dark black ops story and realistic so be prepare here see some hardcore sh*t in this story. This should also be the last fanfic story for me to work on so that I can focus on my actual projects and even my career.