ruffians | [open] come on baby and rescue me

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[open] come on baby and rescue me

[Everything after the explosion is a blur, a hazy collage of barely-there fragments and blackness that just barely forms any kind of coherent series of events. Just about explains what happened and shit all else. Half remembers arguing with Jack — same shit different day — but it was more heated than usual. Remembers the explosion and yelling for Jack in the hope he'd get a response; crushed under slabs of rock and metal bars and his dumb ass still wants to know Jack's okay.]

[Must've blacked out, pain or blood loss or head trauma, who knows. Lights and an alien facility, doctors and agents he doesn't recognise. Bloody hands clawing at arms pinning him to the bed, tying him down. Voices talking about tests, procedures, results. All staunchly ignoring his questions and threats.]

[It took much too long for him to realise where he was, and by that point it was way too fucking late. They'd moved him to a secure room once staying entirely corporeal proved more than he could manage, some explanation about nanites reacting with his SEP enhancements that he didn't fully believe, but had no choice but to accept. He didn't understand what was happening to him; why he felt cold but like something just under his skin was burning. Why something in his chest lurched and rattled when he got too angry, why the pain made his body slip away from his senses, trying to make the feeling of being something so different to what he was make sense.]

[He couldn't control it, and anyone else who gave enough of a shit to come for him was probably already dead, so he didn't have much of a choice but to co-operate. For now, at the very least.]

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[ Well, at least one of the people who gives a shit about Gabriel Reyes isn't as dead as everyone thought. He's a ghost in his own sense, maybe, but as soon as he'd returned to the explosion site and realized that there was even the slightest chance that Reyes might have survived, he hasn't stopped looking.

He'd had to recover from his wounds, but once he was able to be vertical without feeling like he was going to pass out or puke all over himself, he started on his mission. His suspicion had been that Talon was behind the explosion from the start, and they have a track record of picking up people connected to Overwatch and twisting them to their side -- with force, if necessary.

All Jack can do is hope that he isn't too late. That Gabriel isn't lost to him, the way that Lacroix was.

He's been following Talon's bloody trail for a while now, hacking into their databases where he can, sifting through files for any hint of what they might have done with Gabriel. A lot of it is in code, and the irony is that this sort of work was always Gabriel's forte more than his, but he'd learned a few things over the years.

If he's followed the trail right, then he's finally found the place where they're keeping him. The building is well-secured, but it isn't particularly large, and it's tucked away in a remote part of Ukraine. The fact that it was so hard to find this place only makes Jack more certain that he's on the right track.

He manages to ambush one of the guards patrolling the perimeter, changes into his uniform (including a helmet that completely covers his face), and then works his way through the interior lab space to the room where they're keeping their current "pet project." Code name, Reaper.

There are two men guarding the door. It's simple enough to knock them out, and then Jack gets the door open, drawing in a breath as it slides open and he steps inside. He knows he doesn't have a lot of time, but he also has no idea what state Gabriel's going to be in. From the little he'd been able to pick up from the files, it's not going to be good. ]

Edited 2017-09-23 05:16 (UTC)

[The short version is it's not good. Gabriel's still argumentative, still mouthing off to the people above him. He knows playing nice with Talon is gis best shot; to find out what happened to Overwatch, what happened-- is happening to him, but some part of him can't help it. He's always hated Talon, and now that they're all he has, it's hard to treat that with anything but contempt.]

[The room he's kept in is airtight, little more than a prison cell at this point; though he suspects most of the rooms in this facility feel the same. If anything he's glad not to be sharing. They don't tell him much of anything, he doesn't even know what country they're in, at night they give him a sedative so he can't act out when their doctors and scientists study him. He can't claim to feel bad about the one he managed to injure though.]

[There's been no luxury of things like mirrors, Gabriel has no idea what he looks like. He doesn't especially want to either. When the door opens, he looks up from where he's sat on the edge of the cot, a tight frown at the guard in the doorway. His skin is pallid, ashen almost, gold undertones replaced by the cool blue of a corpse. Mottled with the odd patch that looks healthy, but they never last, something in his body fighting a losing battle. Eyes bloodshot and sunken, wisps of smoke rolling off his shoulders.]

What is it?

[It's less a question than a demand for the guard to leave. He hates being bothered by nonessential staff the most.]

[ There he is.

Jack stops short, a part of him not believing what he's seeing. For all that he's been dedicated to finding Gabriel, now that he's actually here, it doesn't feel real. This must just be some trap, set for him and ready to spring. That's what clogs his thoughts at first, but as he gets a closer look at Gabriel in the dim lighting, that all shifts.

Something's wrong with him. That's not really a surprise, Talon got a hold of him, but all the same, a heaviness settles into Jack's chest. Maybe if he'd gotten here sooner, found him faster...

His skin tone is all wrong, not to mention that it looks like there's smoke coming off of him. His voice even sounds off, rougher than it should be, and Jack's shoulders tense up. He wants to hurt whoever did this to Gabriel, wants it so much that it's a little frightening.

One thing at a time, though. He needs to get him out of here, and he can figure out what's been done to him after that. Jack starts toward Gabriel, both arms lifting up in the air. ]

I'm here to help.

[ His voice isn't all that different, but it is muffled by the helmet. He'll show Gabriel his face if he has to, but he's hoping to avoid that, well aware that this is all being monitored. ]

[That voice gets a small jolt of surprise from Gabriel, barely anything save the way his head jerks up a little straighter and he narrows his eyes for a moment. It sounds so much like Jack, but Jack's dead. He knows that. Never made it out after the Swiss explosion.]

[It's just another gruff voice, has to be. Even if Jack was alive, how could he even be here? It's an insane thought from a sad man and Gabe won't entertain it, he'll only end up disappointed.]

Help with what?

[He scoffs, not interested in whatever this guy has to say unless it comes from someone whose words carry a little more weight.]

I'm a big boy, I can feed myself.

[ Jack can't actually hold it against Gabriel for not realizing immediately. If he's noticed something familiar about him, he probably assumes that it's wishful thinking that he isn't going to fall prey to, or another one of Talon's tricks.

Trying to convince him before the alarm is sounded will be the hard part. Jack doesn't have any time to waste, so he continues to walk toward Gabriel, one arm lowering so he can lean forward and grip his shoulder.

They're close enough now that he can lower his voice slightly. ]

Gabe. It's me.

[ His grip tightens, even as he watches smoke wind its way up past his hand. ]

I'll explain later, but we need to get outta here.

[It's not like he's a stranger to being manhandled by people in the base, but that doesn't mean Gabriel's going to accept it. He flinches away from the hand, body starting to dissolve reflexively, but he recognises that urgency in that voice, heard it countless times in battles. (And the odd interview.) It's too familiar not to be Jack's, and he feels something lurch inside him. A rattling in his stomach as if his body doesn't fully understand how it's supposed to react to the surge of emotion; panic and relief all at once, something in him daring to feel hopeful for the first time in a long while.]

[It occurs to him this could be a trick, some kind of test, not like he'd doubt Talon has ways to pull it off. But if it's a trick then it's a damn good one. Gabe's already putting together excuses in his head just in case, but he can't pass up this opportunity. And if it's really Jack? Gabriel knows that reckless bleeding heart too well to believe he'd let him.]

[His hand twitches in a desire to touch him, to reach for his helmet and confirm, but he knows better. Reaches up instead to grab the wrist at his shoulder in a tight grip of his own, but his expression softens ever so slightly before he speaks.]

I already took my sedative. [That part's not a lie, and he tries to give a look that'll communicate that much.] Better get me back before it kicks in.

[ It's bizarre to feel Gabriel literally disintegrating under his touch, though he doesn't complete the action once he registers that it's really him. All the same, Jack can see that he'd been dissolving away into smoke. He's never seen anything like it, but he also wouldn't have believed in a sniper with blue skin and a lowered heart rate, so Talon has made him reevaluate a lot of things.

When Gabriel grips his wrist, though, that certainly feels real enough, and Jack exhales behind the mask, barely audible as the relief washes over him. There's a lot that's wrong here, but both of them are alive, and that's more than he could have expected a few months ago.

It doesn't really surprise him that Talon has been sedating Gabriel, as he's not the sort of person who would have taken any of this lying down. That means that their time is even more limited, though Jack's willing to carry him if he begins to lose steam. ]

Let's go.

[ He backs away and extends a hand to Reyes to help him stand, should he need it. ]

[He doesn't need the hand, but he takes it to pull himself up anyway. It's the sort of action he'd berate one of his recruits for, something small and insignificant that could easily be a red flag to somebody watching, but Gabriel needs it right now. Some small reminder that Jack is right here, that he's alive.]

[It'd be easy to wave off as tiredness anyway.]

[Everything past that is more deliberate; he keeps a little space between them once he's up, not moving anywhere until directed. This room especially is full of safeguards and the grunts are borderline disposable, Gabe's got no desire to see this place go into lockdown because he seems a little familiar with a guard. Assuming Jack didn't trip any alarms on his way in anyway.]

[He puts his hand behind his back, hoping Jack picks up on his body language; treat him like a prisoner. If they're going under the assumption they're being watched, might as well keep up the ruse as long as they can. Give themselves as much time as possible to get out without having to fight for it.]

Let's get this over with.

[ Their hands only stay clasped for a few seconds, with Jack letting go as soon as Reyes is on his feet, but it's a brief moment contact both of them can anchor to until they're out of here.

He picks up on Gabriel's body language instantly. While he doubts that the act will get them all the way into the clear, they can rely on it for a time, until the security footage is reviewed and the patrols realize that something isn't right.

Jack's already mapped the quickest route out of the complex, and he keeps his pace brisk as he leads them down hallways and elevators. He periodically glances over at Gabriel, wanting to make sure that the sedative isn't slowing him down.

They're getting close to the exit when the alarm sounds, red lights flashing as sirens blare over intercoms. Jack turns sharply toward Gabriel. ] That's our cue. Can you run?

[It's kind of hilarious that Jack seems to know his way around this place better than Gabe does, but he doesn't have time to think about that right now. He's trying hard to stay calm, keep himself alert and fight off the sedative the best way he knows even if the science doesn't really apply here.]

Do I have a choice?

[He looks up, behind them, and then ahead toward the exit. This might knock him out, but better asleep on the outside than tired on the inside. Assuming it's straightforward from here at least. And assuming he's got enough control, but with the shit they've put him through he better.]

[Already in anticipation, Gabriel's body starts to dissipate. Limbs turning to smoke as he turns back to look at Jack.]

Run-- I'll clear a path.

[No time for protests there's a cloud of smoke rushing off to deal with any guards ahead of them.]

[ Jack's been dealing with Talon for long enough to know he couldn't come in here unprepared. He'd managed to find a blueprint of the facility before he broke in, and his methodical memorization of it is what's helping them now.

Neither of them have a choice but to get the hell out of here. Getting recaptured isn't an option; if they were able to get their hands on Jack too, who knows what they would do?

That doesn't mean that Jack's ready for Gabriel to transform into a cloud of amorphous, sentient smoke before his eyes. Even for someone like him, who's experienced and seen so much, it's a lot to take in, leaving him dead in his tracks for a few seconds.

As he watches the smoke surge toward the Talon guards, though, Jack jump-starts into action and races after him, ready to fire the rifle he pilfered from the guard he'd impersonated. It's not his pulse rifle, but it'll get the job done.

Not that he needs to do much, as he watches bodies get flung against walls and collapse to the ground in front of him. Gabriel hadn't been kidding about clearing a path. So this is what they'd decided to turn him into, the 'Reaper.' ]

[It can't be hard to see what Talon's working toward, what an effective assassin Gabe could be like this. Between him and Amelie, they'd be almost unstoppable. It's a good thing Jack came for him when he did, because Gabriel certainly wasn't far off giving in to the idea. The precision he dispatches the guards with says as much.]

[When he reforms, it's not a pretty sight. Gabriel staggers toward a wall to hold himself up, panting heavily, paler even than he'd been before with the effort of what he's just done. It's more than he's managed at any point thus far, and the energy cost means the sedative is really taking hold now. It's hard to keep his eyes open honestly, though he tries his hardest to keep watching past Jack for anyone following. Some blurry shape that isn't the one he's focusing on.]

[He breathes a tired laugh when Jack's close enough to hear it, hoarse and breathless.]

Might have to carry me the rest of the way.

[because he is rapidly losing consciousness.]

[ Even with smoke still billowing off of his reformed body, Jack can see that Gabriel is about to pass out. He can still read every inch of his body language. That attack had been his last ditch effort to make sure they got out of here, and Jack isn't about to waste it.

It's shocking enough that Gabriel would admit that he's no longer able to move on his own, a clear indication that their situation is dire. Gabriel's laughs had always been dry, but this one is exhausted on top of that. ]

I've got you.

[ Gabriel sways toward him, halfway to collapse, and Jack reaches out to grab him and scoop him up over his shoulder, into a fireman's carry. His weight feels solid enough now, and that's what Jack focuses on as he keeps running, the exit rapidly approaching.

When he reaches the door, he kicks it open, then starts down a flight of stairs at record speed. They're outdoors now, and the bike he used to get here isn't far. They're almost in the clear... ]

[Gabriel's out cold by the time Jack's got him on his shoulders, a solid weight that he could probably literally throw without so much as a grunt of displeasure. He's always been a light sleeper, this could be hilarious if the situation weren't so dire.]

[If he were awake, maybe he'd be able to warn Jack about the soldiers that followed them out, fully ready to use deadly force given what they risk losing if this guy gets away with their precious Reaper, but he might even be snoring a little right now.]

[It's fine though, right. Jack's got this under control.]

[ That's a whole lot of dead weight to be settled on Jack's shoulders, but it's not a problem. He was built to handle this kind of thing, and it wouldn't be the first time that he's carried Gabriel away from a battlefield, or vice versa. That's probably half the reason that both of them are still here, even after everything. All those times they'd dragged one another, bloody and broken, from a fight...

He isn't going to stop until they're safe, that much he knows.

He thunders down the stairs, and once he's on ground level is when he really has to worry about the bullets that come whizzing by. Jack zigzags to avoid the shots, ducking behind cover when he can, but for the most part he doesn't stop running until he reaches his bike.

The guards are still pursuing, so with a grunt he sets down Gabriel and grabs for the gun he'd stashed on his bike. If he needs to shoot them down to make sure that the two of them can get away, then that's what he'll do, without regret. ]

[Somewhere, in a dream, one Commander Reyes is yelling at Jack Morrison to fall back and focus on the objective. It's always been Jack's critical failing, his recklessness. His willingness to throw himself in the firing line on the off chance it'll benefit them somehow. They'd almost certainly make it out of here in one piece (or as close to it in Gabe's case these days) if he ran for the bike and drove out of here.]

[But he's decided to stay and fight them off, and Gabe's going to be out for at least the next six hours, so there's not much he can say to Jack about it. It works to his favour at least, that they didn't seem to be expecting him to stop. A few go down quickly once he starts shooting. The downside to an expendable security team is they don't have anywhere close to Jack's skill or experience, obviously banking on sheer numbers to quell any threat.]

[If anything they keep firing because they're more afraid of Talon than they are dying, but they're not great at it. Not many of them are accurate shots, don't use cover effectively. If Jack can get them in his sights, there's no question of him taking out enough of them to get away with barely a scratched bit of paint to show for it.]

[ There are a few grazes that Jack suffers, bullets tearing through the fabric of his jacket, mainly because he doesn't want either the bike or Reyes to get damaged in the crossfire. It's not a great place to defend from, but he wants to create enough of an opening that he won't be pursued.

He only has so much ammunition, though, so once he has that opening he aims his helix rockets at the outdoor stairwell he'd originally escaped from, weakening the supports to make it that much more difficult for them to chase after him. The explosion of blue pulse energy is the last thing he needs to see before he turns back to the bike, heaving Gabriel up onto the seat and then settling in front of him.

Since it doesn't seem like Gabriel is going to be up any time soon, Jack uses a length of bungee cord to tie them together by the waist, allowing most of Gabriel's weight to slump against his back. He revs up the bike and tears off, driving as fast as he can to throw off anyone who might be trailing him.

It's only when Jack is certain that he's lost Talon that he circles back to his closest safe house. The bed isn't the most comfortable thing, but he dumps Gabriel into it all the same. He looks human enough right now, save for the ashen pallor on his skin that doesn't fit him at all, but Jack knows what he saw back there. Either way, he can't keep his eyes off of Gabriel, so he ends up dragging a chair over to his bedside to watch him.

Given that he thought he'd never see his friend again, he's pretty sure it's a reasonable thing to do. ]

[When Gabriel comes to, he's groggy, unbalanced. Vision a little blurry as if his body isn't entirely sure it wants to be awake right now, but he sees enough to know this isn't the Talon cell he's grown used to. His instincts kick in before he has a chance to fully assess the room — though calling it instinct feels a little crazy when not so long ago this wasn't even conceivable — body falling away into smoke in a desperate bid to remove himself from whatever situation he's woken up in.]

[It's when he sees Jack, what must be a fraction of a moment later, that he remembers. Snapshots of Jack's voice in his cell, rushing down corridors, taking out a hallway of guards. If this is some Talon long-con, he's got a lot of explaining to do. There's a tired sigh from somewhere in the smoke, followed by the smoke coalescing back into that pallid form no one wants to think about too much.]

[If someone told him he'd end up here after starting Overwatch, Gabriel probably would've laughed in their face. He could imagine a lot of bad outcomes, but this is a little out there.]

Morrison.

[Serious as it is, there's a definite tinge of relief to his voice, and he sits at the foot of the bed. Elbows on his knees, body hunched forward and a frown on his face like Jack being alive is the strangest thing in the room.]

The hell happened?

[ It's been a long past few days, and so if Jack might have started to doze, no one could really hold it against him. That being said, the moment that Gabriel shifts in the bed, he's wide awake and sitting straight in his seat. He doesn't have to wait long for Gabriel to fall away into smoke again, and panic races through him as he half-expects the smoke cloud to disappear under the door, lost forever.

Instead, Gabriel manages to get a hold on whatever's happening, reforming into himself. Jack takes a few seconds to study his face (as if he hadn't been doing plenty of that while Reyes was out), his mouth twitching when he's addressed as "Morrison." Professional to the end, huh?

Jack can't handle sitting anymore, so he's out of his seat, circling around to face Gabriel where he's planted at the foot of the bed. ]

I got you out of there. Shook them off our trail.

[ There's no telling how long it'll be before Talon finds them, though. They definitely shouldn't stay here longer than absolutely necessary. ]

What did they do? What... was that, earlier?

Looks like some kind of science.

[It's not his best joke, but in his defence he's been having a very stressful and traumatising time lately. Moreso than the standard.]

[Gabriel sighs and rubs his face with both hands, looking up at Jack with a tired frown. He wishes he had an explanation — honestly part of him is embarrassed that he doesn't — he should've been able to get some kind of information out of them. Something useful, something that'd help him understand what they did.]

[In hindisght, he probably shouldn't have fought back so much. Should've played along so they wouldn't sedate him all the fucking time. But there's nothing he can do about that now.]

Something to do with nanites and biotics... I got the feeling they could only do this with someone who'd been through SEP. [He shakes his head, all at once tired and frustrated. For all their poking and prodding, they didn't exactly tell him much.] Couldn't really tell you much more than what you saw-- I don't know everything they did to me.

[But he knows there's more and it scares him; the thought that he could wake up like Lacroix always knocking around in the back of his mind. An empty husk ready to be filled up with Talon's orders.]

[ Of course Jack has the same concerns, that they might have screwed around in Gabriel's head. Maybe he'll end up gutted by his best friend in his sleep, and Talon will sit around and laugh about how he fell for the same trick twice. Maybe this is all going exactly as they planned.

On the other hand, maybe he doesn't care. It's not like there's much left to him in this life anymore. If his final act is getting Gabriel the hell out of there, then that wouldn't be so bad.

It is strange for Gabriel not to have all the answers, when he'd prided himself on that sort of thing back during Overwatch. Not that Jack would expect anything to be the same under these circumstances. Talon had been torturing him, experimenting on him. Why would they have bothered to explain any of what they're doing?

Nanites and biotics, though. Maybe they could track down Angela, see if she'd be willing to examine Gabriel and piece together what's been done to him. Jack doesn't mention that now, though. He'll give Gabriel a few days to adjust, at least. ]

We'll figure it out. I think I'm still processing that you're actually here.

[ He breathes out and rubs at the back of his neck. There is this sense of awkwardness, as they hadn't been on great terms leading up to the explosion (to say the least). It all seems to matter a lot less now that Overwatch is gone, though. ]

["We'll figure it out." He wishes that statement was a relief, that he could just trust that he and Jack could handle this the way they used to be able to. But truth is, he hasn't been able to trust Jack like that in a long time now. Glass houses, maybe, but the damage is done. Relieved as he is to see him here those feelings don't just go away because it's been a while.]

Thought you were dead.

[Put all that negativity aside for now. because for all the fights in their past, it is good to see Jack again. There's a weak curl at the corner of his mouth, something that'd be a smile if he didn't seem deeply uncomfortable expressing anything except exhaustion and general displeasure.]

[Still, there's something unabashedly naked about the way he looks up at Jack. Just for a moment, the kind of honest look in his eyes that very few people have gotten to see.]

It's good to see you, blue eyes.

Thought you were, too.

[ As much as both of them might have been better off that way, it seems that they can't always get what they want. (Or they never can, these days.) So here they are instead, two ghosts -- one a little less corporeal than the other. That's not to say that Jack hasn't been affected in his own way, but neither of them want to talk about things like that, do they?

Jack knows better than to think they can start off with a completely clean slate, but Gabriel hasn't started giving him shit yet, and so he'll take it. The relief of being rescued is bound to wear off at some point and it'll start, but Jack will deal with that when it comes.

It's an old, dumb nickname, and yet something close to a smile flickers on Jack's face for a brief moment. Gabriel hasn't looked at him like that in a long, long while, and it's enough to make Jack bold, as he goes to take a seat next to Gabriel at the foot of the bed. ]

Would've come a lot sooner if I'd known they'd gotten their hands on you.

[ He never meant to abandon Gabriel, no matter what he'd been accused of years ago. ]

[The "would you?" is right on the tip of his tongue, but even at his worst, Gabriel knows when he's being combative just for the sake of it and Jack has never been the type to leave someone behind if he can help it. Even from a purely pragmatic standpoint, his being in Talon's hands is a dangerous prospect, let alone that chronically bleeding heart of his. He knows Jack wouldn't have left him there just as surely as Gabe knows the reverse is true; he'd never leave Jack in a place like that if he could help it. Even when he could barely stand to look at the man, he'd drag himself through fire and dirt to bring Jack home.]

Better late than never, huh?

[It's a pretty weak attempt at humour, especially when they have all the evidence they need of what late can mean with Widowmaker-- The thought of being tasked with hunting Jack down just to prove his loyalty flits through his mind, and the idea makes him want to reach for Jack's hand just to reassure himself they're as close to 'okay' as it really gets for people like them.]

[Gabriel doesn't allow himself that indulgence though, hands instead curling into weak fists in his lap. He's just so tired, and it's not something six or whatever hours of sleep can fix, as comfortable as being slung over Jack's back surely is.]

[He sighs, staring down at his hands with nothing to say.]

[ There's an empty silence that Jack feels to his core. Here both of them are, alive for better or for worse, but he has no idea where that leaves them, or what they're supposed to do next. It's a little like when a dog chases and chases after a bone, but once it has it in its jaws, it's at a loss.

Ultimately, he falls back on the practical questions. It's where he'd learned to dwell while in Overwatch, where letting his emotions play a part in his decisions could quickly become dangerous. ]

We should really have someone take a look at you. [ He glances over to study Gabriel's features, relieved that he still resembles himself at least some of the time. As bad as it is, it could be worse. That's what he tells himself, anyway. ]

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CRASHES BACK IN AFTER THREE MONTHS

i can't believe

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