#ovewratch

The estate was quiet. Too quiet thought the lone agent currently on watch duty. So far, the night was shaping up to look like literally every other night. The agent shifted restlessly from his tiny apartment room across the street. He and his fellow Blackwatch agents had been staked outside the Shimada castle for three weeks, and they’d gained nothing.

“Agent McCree, status report.” Jesse nearly fell out of the window he was leaning on as his communicator crackled to life.

“All’s quiet, ‘n’ I’m bored as hell,” he replied. There was an ominous silence on the other end of the line, and after a beat, he added, “Commander.” He could practically hear Reyes’ teeth grinding from here. “Seriously, though. There ain’t nothin’ I can see from here. I don’t se… Hang on, somethin’s up.”

Jesse grabbed his binoculars to get a closer look as a handful sleek, black cars drove up to the gate of the castle. Why was it all these gang-types had black cars? Was it some sort of rule? He wondered what’d happen if one of them dared to drive something more sporty. Maybe they’d get kicked out or something. “Boss, they’re meeting. Looks like all the big bosses are here.”

“Keep me updated. Don’t take any risks.”

“Yessir.” Jesse saluted though he knew perfectly well Reyes couldn’t see him. It annoyed his commander, but it was a hard habit to break. He settled in to actually do his job for once, wishing that they’d actually been able to put some bugs inside the place. As it was, all he could do is glean information from the grounds and hope he’d get lucky.

Unfortunately, luck was never on his side. The men exited their cars and headed straight for what Jesse thought was some sort of shrine. There was a sense of purpose to their walk, so whatever was going down was something big. The last man getting out of his car had a hulking brute of a guard with him, torn sleeves and everything. There was something slung over his shoulder, and when he turned to follow his boss, Jesse gasped as he made out a limp human form.

“Shit they’ve got a hostage,” he breathed. “What do I do?”

“You stay where you are,” came the immediate response. Jesse opened his mouth to argue, but Reyes cut him off. “I’m serious McCree. Wait for backup. We don’t even know who that is. Could be some inner rivalry.”

“Fine,” Jesse grumbled, but Reyes was right. Reyes was usually right. There was a time that Jesse would’ve taken Reyes’ advice and told him where to shove it, but that was about six or seven near-death experiences ago. If Reyes wanted him to wait for backup, he would.

Or at least that was his plan until everything apparently went to hell. Something erupted with a flash of bright, electric-blue light and a near-animalistic roar. That alone was enough to make Jesse bolt upright, but then the screaming began.

Now Jesse had seen a lot of men die. In fact, he’d killed them in the first place. He knew what death screams sounded like. This was worse than anything he’d ever heard before. The hair on the back of his neck prickled as he listened to a chorus of voices scream before being cut short as a single voice ran on and on, raw and harsh with rage and heartbreak. That was a scream Jesse had only heard once in his life, when it’d torn its way straight from his throat. And through it all, the roaring continued, almost in concert with the raging voice.

After what felt like years, everything stopped. The light faded and everything went quiet as the grave. The silence was unnerving after the chaos, and Jesse felt shaken and deaf. Something pounded in his skull, and it took him far too long to realize it was his commander trying to reach him.

“JESSE! REPORT!”

Jesse put his finger to the communicator, swallowing as he gripped his gun with his free hand, trying to will some calm into his stuttering heartbeat. “I-I don’t know, Boss. Something just… I’m gonna check it out.”

“Wait, McCree, we don’t know--”

“Boss, I think someone’s dead. Or hurt.”

Reyes was quiet for a moment, and Jesse thought he was probably working on not trying to metaphorically strangle him until he spoke again. “Alright. But for fuck’s sake be careful. Backup’s on the way.”

“Understood, sir. … Thank you.” And with that, Jesse moved as quickly as he can, practically jumping down the stairs before bolting out the door and across the street. The gate was shut, but there was a tree taller than the wall that just begged to be climbed. A scan across the grounds showed nothing but deathly stillness and a sense of something horribly wrong. The sense grew stronger as Jesse dropped down into the courtyard and nothing immediately shot at him.

He made his way to the shrine as quickly as he could and still technically being stealthy. Urgency or not, he had no interested in gaining another scar from a bullet. Reyes would have his ass on a silver platter if he got hurt again. He paused as he drew close to the building, unease trickling down his back as he saw a lump in a dark pool outside the door. He gulped and took a closer look.

“Aw hell…” he whispered as the metallic scent of blood smacked into his nose. Whatever was in the pool used to be part of a human body wrapped in a grey suit, but he couldn’t tell what it was beyond that. He had not signed on for this. Undercover, semi-illegal taskforce work, sure. But this was way above his paygrade.

Which, of course, is why he couldn’t stop himself from edging into the building.

Fear slammed his heart in his chest as he examined what looked like a scene out of a B-rated carnage horror flick. There was blood splattered everywhere, practically dripping from the ceiling. Body parts littered the floor and-- Oh God was that someone’s ear? How the fuck did an ear get that high up on the wall? Jesse froze with a whimper in his throat. He didn’t want to be here. He wished Reyes or Ana was here, or hell, he’d even take Commander Morrison. They’d be able to handle this. Surely they’d know what to do!

His eyes continued to take in the horrific view, widening further as he realized something he should’ve realized sooner. He wasn’t alone. There was a man sitting on the floor in the middle of the shrine, covered in gore and holding a mostly-intact corpse. At first, Jesse thought the man was dead himself and just frozen in rigor mortis. And then his eyes opened. And stared straight at Jesse. And the corpse in his arms moaned.

“Please, my brother,” said the man. Jesse drew his gun and bit the inside of his cheek as he realized the man was barely older than him. “My brother,” he repeated in a rasping voice, eyes still staring forward, almost past Jesse. Jesse felt trapped by those eyes. They dragged him in, tugging him down into an empty void that pierced his very being. “Please help him. I think he’s dying.” Jesse’s grip on his gun tightened as the Shimada shuddered and cried out before slumping over his brother.

“Oh God…” Jesse’s voice shook as he pressed a hand to his communicator. “Boss… Forget backup. We need a paramedic. Several paramedics.”

oOo

When all was said and done, Jesse knew he’d have nightmares about literally everything. Every time he closed his eyes, he could see the Shimada man’s empty, tortured eyes staring straight into what Jesse’s overactive imagination felt was his soul. He’d never seen anyone so… So… Broken. It was as though all the joy those eyes had ever known had faded along with his brother. It was haunting, and Jesse had to force himself to shove it to the back of his mind so he could work.

Backup had arrived with a medical team in tow headed by none other than the actual angel Dr. Angela “Mercy” Ziegler herself. Jesse breathed a huge sigh of relief as he caught sight of her Valkyrie suit’s glow enter the building. She hurried past him with a gasp of shock, headed straight for the passed out duo at the center of the mess. Or at least he hoped they were just unconscious.

He wanted to step forward and offer assistance, but he wasn’t a doctor. Hell, he wasn’t even a high school graduate. There wasn’t much he could do but watch. A hand, heavy and warm clasped his shoulder, startling him and drawing his attention from Mercy ordering her people about far too calmly for such a flurry of activity. Jesse looked up to meet his commander’s face and was filled with a reassurance that Reyes would roll his eyes at if Jesse tried to describe it.

“Report, Agent McCree,” he said, all purpose and professionalism despite the comforting hand on his shoulder and the quiet question in his eyes. Jesse nodded slightly; he was fine. Shaken, but he’d been through worse.

“I was monitoring the Shimada estate, as ordered, sir,” Jesse said, relieved at being able to hide behind a professional mask for a while. “There was a meeting that gathered in a shrine, followed by some sort of explosion. When all went dead--” Poor choice of words, he thought to himself with a wince-- “I went to investigate. And found…” Here he floundered, gesturing around him. “This? Boss, I don’t know what happened, but it was bad. There’s one survivor, maybe two? But…”

Reyes shook his head, squeezing his shoulder. “I get the picture. Stick close; Strike Commander’s on his way, and he’ll want to hear your report as well.” Jesse nodded quietly, for once skipping his opportunity to make a face at the mention of the head of Overwatch. He liked the guy fine, but he seemed way too good to be true. In his experience, someone that perfect had a rotten core in the middle. ‘Course, Reyes would probably have his head if he said that out loud.

Reyes squeezed his shoulder once more before stepping away to converse with Mercy. Jesse took a moment to rest against a pillar outside, turning his back on the crime scene. It was going to be a long night.

Hours and three reports and a flight out of Japan later, Jesse finally staggered into his room back on base, drained beyond all reason. Morrison had been unbelievably gentle about his questioning, and Jesse wondered if that was a usual thing or if he, too, had been subdued by the horror. He’d practically ordered Jesse onto the plane and to get some rest once he’d gotten all he needed. Jesse had almost been too exhausted to catch sight of the indulgent shake of Reyes’ head as he heard that. If he hadn’t been so bone-tired, he’d have wondered at that and why it was usually centered on Jack Morrison.

As it was, it didn’t matter. He was done with thinking and wondering for one night. At least he was too tired to have any nightmares for once, he realized as he sank down into darkness. A silver lining, at least.

oOo

When Jesse awoke the next morning, he felt like the dead. If there was any justice in the world, Reyes would give him the day off. Unfortunately, late nights and busy days were something of a staple in Blackwatch, and so with a groan, he stretched and dragged himself out of bed and got dressed.

There was already a report and set of orders waiting on his tablet when he made his way to the mess hall, which he read over something vaguely resembling oatmeal. The report was more debriefing of the night before, and the orders found him making his way to Reyes’ office for more information in person. Odd, that. Usually his part would’ve been done by now.

He thought about that as he knocked on the commander’s door. Had he done something wrong? Or did they need him to talk about it fresh again? Lord, he hoped not. He was done reliving that awful moment.

The door opened to admit him, and he blinked in surprise as he saw Morrison standing in front of him instead of his boss. Fortunately before his mouth could react and say something stupid, he caught sight of Reyes sitting at the desk with a tablet in front of him.

“Don’t stand there with your jaw hanging open,” Reyes said, with just the barest hint of a smirk on his face. “Come in.”

Jesse brushed passed Morrison with a quiet excuse and stood in front of the desk, feeling for all the world like a kid in the principal’s office. He’d fucked up, insisted a tiny, panicking voice deep inside. That’s why Morrison was here. He’d screwed something royally and he was about to get the boot or sent to prison. He tried his best to stamp out the increasingly hysterical thread of thought before it could show on his face. He must not have succeeded because Reyes rolled his eyes and shook his head as Morrison leaned against the desk beside him.

“You’re not in trouble, kid. Calm down and have a seat.” He pressed a key on his tablet as Jesse complied, and a resulting ding sounded from his pocket. “I’ve just sent you a file, and we need to go over it.”

Jesse pulled the screen out and thumbed over to the file. Inside was a bunch of technical jargon and a photograph of a pair of young men posed together in some sort of Japanese robes. Jesse took an immediate liking to the one with green hair and an impish smile on his face. Now there was someone who knew how to have some fun. Still, he found himself drawn to the second figure, a regal man with haughty features and a wealth of dark hair pulled back into a loose tail. There was a smile on his face, too, though it seemed more tired than joyous. And his eyes… There was something familiar about those eyes and the way they pierced the viewer...

Reyes and Morrison both let him study the picture for a long moment before he realized it. “This… This is the guy from last night?” he hazarded, looking up. “Which would make the other fella…”

Reyes nodded in approval. “Hanzo and Genji Shimada, respectively. The newest head of the empire and his brother. And currently, guests in our medbay.”

Jesse’s eyes grew wide at that. “Holy shit. What the fuck happened, then?” Reyes scowled at him for a second before apparently deciding to call him on his language was a waste of both time and energy. Morrison coughed and covered his mouth and Reyes turned the glare on the Strike Commander who just ignored it in favor of continuing on with the briefing.

“We don’t know. That’s why you’re here,” Morrison said, turning his attention to Jesse. “The older boy’s been non-responsive beyond simple questions, and since you’re close to him in age, we’re hoping he might open up to someone he sees as a peer.”

“Uh… That sounds like a longshot.” It slipped out, and there was another cough from Morrison while Reyes’ scowl deepened.

“It is, but right now it’s what we’ve got,” Reyes growled. “Is that clear, McCree?”

Jesse ducked his head in apology. “Yessir,” he said as meekly as he could manage. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a quick grin flash across the Strike Commander’s face. Was he laughing at Reyes? Lord he hoped so. “If I can ask one question?”

Reyes looked about ready to throw him out of his office, but he sighed and nodded. “Make it quick.”

“How is his brother? If he asks?” Jesse was more than a little worried about that. If Shimada was responsible for the mess last night… He really didn’t want to see what would happen if he carried bad news to him.

Morrison answered. “He’s alive and stable but unconscious. It’ll take a while and a few million dollars worth of cybernetics, but Dr. Ziegler assures me that he’ll live.”

Jesse gulped at that. “A few million?” Would Overwatch even be willing to foot that bill? He could see several government people being upset about that. Morrison just shrugged and smiled that dazzling moviestar grin of his.

“There’s a couple of funds that’ve been piling up without going anywhere useful. I don’t think anyone will mind if I redirect them to actually save a life for once,” he said with a wink as he breezed past him towards the door. Jesse blinked at his retreating back, feeling as though he’d missed something.

“Boss?”

“Yes, Jesse?”

“Did you know that he was like that?”

“... Just get to fucking work, Jesse.”

oOo

Jesse hated the medbay. No offense to Mercy, but the place smelled like chemicals and reminded him of the last week he had with his ma. But the medbay was where his target was, and so he went. He tipped his hat in hello to the angel herself, who was practically asleep over her notes. He slipped her a cookie definitely not stolen from Ana’s stash hidden in one of the supply closets. A quick glance over the screen by her elbow told him Shimada was in one of the back rooms, tucked safely under guard where it was unlikely anything could happen.

Of course, after last night, Jesse was just about ready for anything.

He knocked on the door, but there was no response. Fine. He’d expected that after what Morrison had said. Jesse opened the door quietly and ducked inside. Shimada was on the bed, and Jesse’s heart twisted in sympathy as he saw just fragile the man looked. He was paler than in the picture, his hair in a dark tangle around his head. But, as he turned to see who was intruding, Jesse was once again arrested by those dark eyes, still just as empty as they had been the night before.

Jesse shook himself as he realized he was staring. Right. He was here for a reason. Information. And there was really only one way to do that in the face of such hopeless.

Be as goddamned charming as he fucking could be.

He took a deep breath and plunked himself down in the visitor’s chair, tipping his hat in greeting. “Well howdy there! You must be Hanzo, right? I’m Jesse McCree, your liaison for the while! I ain’t gonna say it’s a pleasure, because after last night I’m gonna guess that nothing’s really a pleasure at the moment.” He aimed his most disarming smile at Hanzo. Who continued to just look at him. Okay then. Jesse frowned thoughtfully. This was going to be tricky. Wait. Could he speak English? Surely Reyes would’ve warned him…

“Uh… Can you understand me or do I gotta go grab a translator? Because my Japanese is utter shit. I understand it okay, but I have been told my accent is an affront to literally every decent person.” Jesse watched Hanzo closely. If he’d blinked he would’ve missed it, but there was the tiniest smile before the man actually nodded with a spark in his eyes. Good. He could understand and wasn’t quite as dead inside as he appeared.

“Okay, I’m gonna be honest, I’m supposed to ask you all sorts of questions about last night?” he started, and once again in a lightning flash, he saw the light dim on his face. “Buuuut you clearly don’t want to talk about that at the moment, so! Uh…” Okay, McCree think… “Do you have any questions?”

Hanzo was quiet for long enough that Jesse thought this was probably a dead end, too, but as he wracked his brain for another approach a soft voice almost completely at odds with the desperate, hoarse speech from the night before sounded. “My brother… Is there any news?”

Jesse did a silent, mental cheer at the progress of conversation. “Yeah, actually! He’s gonna live! It’s gonna take a lot, and there’s talk of cybernetics, but he’ll pull through.”

Hanzo practically sagged with palpable relief suffused on his face, the first real expression Jesse’d seen from the man. “I had not dared to hope…” he whispered, almost to himself.

“He’s in the best of care!” Jesse added. “Dr. Ziegler’s a bonafide miracle worker! A regular angel, she is!”

“I owe her my thanks,” Hanzo said, pushing his hair out of his face. Jesse ducked his gaze just long enough to avoid being caught staring again. “And you… You were the man from… After? The one who called them?”

Jesse scratched the back of his head, looking away. “Y-yeah. That was me,” he answered, hoping Hanzo wouldn’t ask why he’d shown up.

“Thank you,” came that quiet voice. Jesse found his gaze drawn back, and he was hooked. He could still see the hallmarks of pride etched into his face, but his eyes. Oh his eyes… There was light shining there, the emptiness receding, if only for a moment. Jesse thought he could drown in their expressions.

He mentally slapped himself. Reasons. Work. Professional. Reyes was going to kill him if he fucked this up. But Reyes was smarter than he let on. Maybe he’d understand if Jesse did this delicately, because he couldn’t push him. Not after seeing a bit of life return. He’d done enough killing lately that he wanted to save a life if he could. Reyes probably would be okay with that. Hell, Reyes himself had done it.