"I should have known." - Jean-Baptiste Augustin

...in which Dad: 76 explains his reasoning for not telling them about Gabe, Sombra makes an offer, the brothers talk it out, and Genji sheds some light on why Hanzo is the way he is.

A/N: Some of the official Overwatch short stories read like awful fanfiction, so it's fully possible my 'skimming through' of them had me miss out on essential details. Let me know if that's the case. I'm hell-bent on not contradicting anything canon. One of the things I got from them - specifically, What You Left Behind - was that Baptiste and Sombra were friends. He also asked her to warn Mercy about Talon possibly targeting her.

COLE

"You are angry."

"'Course I'm angry!" Cole snapped as he struck his fist into the HQ table, although Genji appeared nonplussed by his reaction. "I can't believe this shit. Our Gabe? Gabriel fuckin' Reyes?"

"He was already walking a dark path. I cannot say I am surprised by this development," he replied, his arms crossed. At times, it angered him how he couldn't see Genji's face, his current deadpan voice revealing nothing. "Neither can I say I am surprised that the Strike Commander decided to keep this information from reaching our ears."

"That son-of-a bitch should'a told us the moment he returned from Egypt!"

"Cassidy, calm yourself," Genji warned.

"Let him vent," came a different voice, Cole shooting a glare over to see Jack standing in the doorway "...just not at you."

"Morrison..."

"It's all right, Genji," he replied, approaching them. Jack put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "In the meantime... you better get back to your brother. Help him settle in if he chooses to stay, and if possible, see if he's still pissed about what Overwatch did in Hanamura. Don't want the team to worry about getting stabbed in the back when they aren't looking." Genji's posture suggested he wanted to say something, but instead chose not to. He gave him a nod before leaving the room. Jack took a moment before speaking up. "You feel betrayed."

Now that's putting it mildly. "You're goddamn right I feel betrayed," he replied in a heartbeat, stepping right up to an unyielding Jack. "By Gabe, by you, by Ana... hell, even by Genji for not battin' a damn eye! I thought he was dead, Morrison! We all did, and to top it all off, you knew?! I get the guy had problems, but workin' for Talon is crossin' an even bigger line!"

After his long-winded vent, Jack spoke up.

"Feel better?" he asked, although there was no ill intent behind it.

Steadying his breath, Cole just stared at him for a moment as his back straightened.

"As a matter of fact, Morrison, I do."

"Good," he replied, and it seemed like he meant it. "I don't blame you, Cole. You've got every reason to wanna tear me and Gabe a new one. That said... Ana wanted to tell you. I stopped her. That was a miscalculation on my part."

Cole averted his eyes. "Yeah, you could say that again."

"I know how much you looked up to Gabe once - how he was the one who took you in and gave you a second chance at life - and even if all that went out the back door after Bartalotti's blood littered the Rialto floor, you still care about him," he replied after a moment, shifting his weight to his other foot. "He was like a father to you."

With that, Cole's jaw clenched, and he let him finish.

Jack pushed on. "I thought it would be best if I kept quiet until I had the right words. I was wrong," he added, chin raising. "Then I thought it'd be easier for you kids to take the shot if you didn't know who was behind that mask." He fell into a pause. "Call me a foolish old man, but part of me also believes there's still a chance for him. Maybe he's lost, maybe he's not. He's responsible for a shit-ton of civilian casualties, but he was once part of Overwatch, and he was damn passionate about it. That's why this doesn't make a lick of sense to me."

"Train's long passed, but I admire your hint of optimism. Sure as hell could use more of it."

"Maybe," he replied, not sounding convinced. Jack looked away. "We've both got complicated relationships with Reyes and I'm just as pissed as you are. I get it, son. Believe me. I do. Either way, now you know."

"So what are your orders?"

He grunted, hesitating, before making his decision. "Keep him alive until we've got no other choice."

...and so he metaphorically got that drilled into his head.

Nevertheless, a flickering, purple light brought their attention to the screens in the room. The color came from a sugar skull icon.

Cole scrounged up his nose. "What in the tarnation?"

"Hola," (Hello,) came a feminine voice, a Spanish accent accompanying it. The skull flickered as she spoke. She was bold to use her own voice unless this was an AI of some kind. Hacked. They were getting hacked. How in the living hell was that even possible? Watchpoint: Gibraltar had one of the most impressive systems to date. "Heh, did I scare you?"

"Athena!" Jack called.

She was of no help. "I believe you wish to hear what she has to say, Strike Commander."

"What?!" he demanded, figuring Athena was compromised. He initiated a manual lockdown of their private systems. "You've gotta be fucking kidding me. Identify yourself!"

"Ah-ah. No need. Your compañero (companion) and I have already met."

"What now?" Cole asked, his brow arched.

"Calaveras? Christmas last year? You don't remember? I thought we were friends."

Cole was at a loss. "Hey, now. Plenty folks come through there. I need a description or somethin' to recognize ya."

"...and the problem is?" she asked, humming with glee. A chill went down the length of his spine when she pushed on with mock exasperation. "Cass, we've seen your tricks. No more." She knew his name. His real name. It wasn't one of the Joel Morricones, Jesse McCrees, and everything in between. "All you need to know is that we can help each other."

"What's this about?" Jack snapped, still on edge.

"I happen to be in possession of very important intel relating to the group known as Talon. Hands-on experience. Interested?"

Jack wasn't convinced. "Right... and what could you possibly want in return?"

"Your resources, protection, and the initiation of a rescue mission for an amigo (friend) of mine. For your medics to take a look at him. Talon are exploiting his fragile mental state and my ability to protect him is limited."

"You ask a lot."

"...and I can offer a lot in return, friend. You see... I have access to their headquarters. Their systems. Even their members," she replied, falling into a suffocating pause. "Such as the jefe." (boss.) Another pause. "I'm in close proximity of them just now and they are none the wiser."

An undercover Talon agent. It seemed too good to be true. Then again, Baptiste had proven himself as a good guy.

Maybe there were more like him in there.

Jack felt the same way. "Awfully convenient you pop up today."

"What can I say? I take my chances when the results most benefit me," she replied, her cockiness staggering. "I was too impressed with your feats at that base today to let it go unnoticed. I've been watching for a long time, amigo (friend.) Talon's foundations are falling and your beloved Overwatch grows in power every day." She paused again. "I want in. You cannot blame a girl for that, can you?" Nevertheless, she left it at that. "One of your new friends knows how to contact me. Catch you later. I'll be in touch."

With a flicker did the screen return to its original state.

HANZO

(Japanese) "Ten years," he said, sensing Genji's presence behind him as he stepped across the threshold. Hanzo didn't allow him to speak. Not yet. "You show up after ten years of believing you were dead. You tell me you knew I came every year on the same day - knowing I was in mourning with assassin after assassin sent to kill me - and you explain nothing before you leave. How you lived. Why you were there. What you had become." His teeth were gritted as he turned to face him. "You are a fool for not seeing it."

Genji didn't waver. (Japanese) "I was angry, Hanzo. Part of me wanted you to live with the consequences that you had killed your own brother. That you chose duty over family," he said, only for his voice to soften. Genji approached him. "It was not easy, living in your shadow."

(Japanese) "I would have preferred you at my side."

(Japanese) "...and yet you never told me. It was seen as a weakness. You cared too much about how the family perceived you."

(Japanese) "Have you ever been the eldest son?" he rebuked, the rhetorical question drowned by the anger on his face. Hanzo averted his eyes. His hands balled into fists at his sides. "I have always been bound to my duty. Now, I have nothing."

When a metallic hand came to his shoulder, his first instinct was to recoil, but he somehow stayed put.

(Japanese) "There is always a way to make something from nothing, brother," he said, and with all his heart, he hoped so. Genji retracted his limb again as he positioned himself at his side. "I have learned that to understand the past is the only way to move forward. You must heal, and so, I will tell you everything as I promised. We now have time."

Hanzo's response was curt. (Japanese) "Speak."

(Japanese) "I allied myself with Overwatch as they were the ones to save me. Angela Ziegler. You have already seen her. They considered me an asset to combat the Shimada Clan, and in offering to rebuild my body in exchange, they left me little choice. I accepted. Most of my flesh body was broken, but she saved what was left, and replaced what could not. It took a long time for me to accept it. When clouded by anger, I partook in less-than-ideal acts, and cared little. They allowed me to leave and wander the world searching for peace."

He pushed on. (Japanese) "Eventually, I crossed paths with Zenyatta. I rejected his teachings at first... but through my years of training with him, I learned that even if my flesh body was broken, my human soul remained intact. I came to appreciate my new strength."

(Japanese) "Does it -?" he tried, brows drawing tighter as he ashamed looked away "...hurt?"

(Japanese) "Only phantom pains from time to time. I do not want pity. That is why I wear this mask."

(Japanese) "Hm."

Genji could tell something was wrong. (Japanese) "There is something I fail to understand. I live, brother. Why are you still grieving?"

(Japanese) "You are not the only thing I lost," he muttered, walking past him. "Our clan was disbanded. Few of us remain. Kiriko and her Yōkai are among the few of us who are fighting back against the Hashimoto. Our people are scared. Yet I cannot fend for them on my own with what little is left, of not only our people, but of my honor. People I considered loyal turned assassins. Turned on me. I had to live off of bounties and take jobs as a mercenary the moment the Hashimoto seized our fortune." Hanzo frowned deeper. "Together we could have built an empire."

(Japanese) "That was your dream. Not mine," he replied. Hanzo didn't answer. "Have you made a decision? I understand it is not an easy one. Overwatch was a factor in our clan's downfall."

It was. He knew that. Yet Hanzo had already left before those events took place.

He had already made his decision to abandon it.

Hanzo didn't respond immediately. (Japanese) "I will stay. For now."

Simply because you want me to, and in doing so, offer you my protection like I should have done all those years ago, he added, but didn't say aloud. Then, if his eyes didn't betray him, Genji's shoulders slacked under his hoodie. Relaxed.

He appeared relieved, and in a way, his reaction was difficult to comprehend. Hanzo turned his back to him as he couldn't bear seeing his unconditional acceptance. That Genji, to his best efforts, was trying to rebuild what they once destroyed. Just like the stories their father told them. Genji moved toward the exit. He stopped, right across the threshold, giving him one final look.

(Japanese) "Thank you, brother."

(Japanese) "What would you have done had I refused?"

(Japanese) "Beg you reconsider knowing your pride would be the death of you."

Hanzo huffed. (Japanese) "I do not fear death."

(Japanese) "No, you find living the challenge."

Only then did Genji make the effort to leave the room. Hanzo's fists were tight at his sides. It was a statement that he couldn't deny. Perhaps with Overwatch, he could be granted the death he wished for.

COLE

After the whole hacking debacle, Jack had called for all of them to meet up in the comm room in the morning. To inform everyone of what had been happening. In ten, the meeting was about to start, but Cole found himself glaring at a certain someone polishing an arrow. Just out of reach not to hear him if keeping it down just slightly below the usual volume.

"Give him time."

Cole chewed lightly on his cigar. "He ain't makin' it easy. I tried being reasonable. Didn't take to it," he replied, pausing. "I get he's your brother and all, but I've gotta say I don't very much like his holier-than-thou attitude."

"Do not hold it against him. Our father raised him as such. A leader must have a certain superiority for others to follow."

"Hell, you turned out all right."

"I was... not held to the same standards as he was," Genji said, causing Cole to turn a critical eye to him. "I have spoken little of my past, but to understand Hanzo you must understand our upbringing, if you are willing."

Cole plucked some lint off his serape. "Well, shoot, I'm all ears."

"As you already know, my brother and I are from Hanamura, belonging to the Shimada Clan. A powerful family who profited to great lengths from trade in arms, illegal substances and assassination. We were essentially royalty," he began, crossing his arms. "Shimada Sojiro - our father - was the leader of our clan. My brother, as the eldest, was to succeed him. Although I partook in and enjoyed our training, I was mostly allowed to do whatever I wished. I chose a different life while my brother was shaped into fitting such a role under strict guidelines."

"So he ain't just a spoiled rich guy, but a damn prince?" he asked, sarcasm following as he scoffed. "This is only gettin' better."

"He was not always like this," Genji replied, shaking his head. "He was once without a worry in the world - happy, even - until he came of age. Started his training. I have always referred to what happened to him, as you Americans call it, 'brainwashing'." At that, the features on Cole's face tightened ever so slightly. "After our father died, the other clans tasked Hanzo to incorporate me into the ways of the Shimadas. I refused. They turned us against each other and I soon found myself bleeding out."

"Wait, hold your horses," Cole said, brows drawing together. "He tried to kill you?"

"Nearly succeeded, too! He is the reason why my flesh body is broken."

"...and still you insist on havin' him here?" he asked in disbelief, a thumb shooting over his shoulder at the older sibling. "For god's sake, Genji, we can't trust a fella who'd turn a gun - bow, whatever - on his own kin!"

Knowing his voice had raised slightly, he cast a brief glimpse at the archer. He couldn't tell whether or not he'd heard him. Either way, Hanzo took note of the attention. When he looked up, pinning his glance, his brows were drawn together. He stared and Cole stared right back. Anyone else would've been intimidated as those eyes of his had no business being that intense. It was the kinda sultry look making him question whether he wanted to kill him or sleep with him. Maybe both. Worst part is that Cole would probably be into that.

He flagged it off.

Nonplussed, Genji regained his attention. "Sword, actually."

"Genji, listen -"

"He is my brother, and for Overwatch, a valuable asset. I forgave him long ago. He is also a man striving for redemption," he said, giving Cole pause. "After I was believed to be dead, he abandoned our clan, and assassins were sent after him. If I told him part of my reasoning for bringing him here is for his own safety, he would've laughed. He no longer believes he has a purpose and it is my hope Overwatch can give him one." Then Genji drove his point home. "You of all people should believe in second chances, Cassidy."

Feeling his shoulders slump just enough to be noticeable, Cole's eyes shifted before briefly falling to the floor. His brows drew together again before he moved his gaze back to Hanzo whose focus was back on the arrow.

"Just had to pull that one on me, didn'tcha?"

"Was I wrong to?"

No, he thought, although the question was rhetorical. Cole went back to briefly chewing lightly on his cigar.

"All I'm sayin' is that family don't automatically give a fella the green light," he replied, tipping his hat over his eyes. "Hell, I wanna take your word for it and leave it at that... but I'm gonna stay vigilant, anyway."

"Understandable. All I am asking is that you keep those words in mind."

Images of his days in the Deadlocks flashed in his mind - Ashe, B.O.B, all of them. They weren't biologically related, but these days, you pick your own family. Too bad he picked the wrong one. This time, on the other hand, was different. Overwatch was his family now. Not to mention that, if Genji had forgiven Hanzo, he'd be a fool not to do the same. He wasn't one to hold grudges on behalf of others. Shit was petty.

They finished up just in time for the debriefing to start.

Jack had informed Vivian, Reinhardt, and Ana in advance. They were all leaders of their own team except Ana including Cole with his own. Naturally, they had to know first. Help Jack decide on what approach to take.

"All right, everyone. Things got a lot more complicated last night when most of you had already turned in. Figured I didn't need to wake you up before morning. I had a lot to clear out in my head," Jack said, before cutting to the main cause of concern. "What appears to be a Talon agent hacked into our systems here at Gibraltar. Thought it was a joke at first, but realizing she had gotten access to our mainframe, it was serious. As far as I'm concerned, she didn't get access to our files. Didn't look like that's what she was after.

"If she's to be trusted, as well as intel dug up in aftermath, this was personal. She offered an alliance. Claimed to know Cassidy, but he can't recall meeting her, so we suspect she's kept an eye on him," he added, before showing a picture on-screen of the purple skull. "She goes by the name of Sombra." In his peripheral, Zarya perked up, a judging scowl on her face. She knew her. Or, at the very least, knew of her. "Olivia Colomar is her real name. Not much is known about her. Just that she's one of the best hackers out there."

With a sigh, Baptiste rubbed his eyes. "I should have known. This is very like her. Expect blackmail."

"All the more proof she's legit. Thank you," he replied, giving him an appreciative nod. "In return, she wanted Overwatch help for a rescue mission. Sources have me suspect this has to be a man going by the codename 'Sigma.' Siebren de Kuiper. He was a friend of the man who was in primary care of our very own Winston."

Cole looked to the monkey - sorry, scientist - and could tell by his resigned look that they had already informed him.

So Jack continued the debriefing. "The mental state of the old man is... not the best. Talon has little to no issue using him as a living weapon. She contacted the Watchpoint again shortly before this meeting - provided us with proof of her access - and we've agreed to take her up on her offer. That's not to say that this isn't a Talon setup. This is gonna be a long mission, outstretched over months, but we'll be answering any calls for Overwatch's aid as it'll be a lot of sitting around. Growing restless. For now, we've got a different mission to focus on."

A/N: Sombra seems like such an anti-hero troll and I love it.

Cassidy: "A friend told me that you're getting rusty."

Reaper: "You don't have friends."

*EMOTIONAL DAMAGE*

I like to think that friend is her.