Do it for Dad
Jesse looked up, everything blurry, a cloud of smoke and dust hovering over everything. The deafening sound of the explosion echoed in his ears. His body felt numb. Extremely numb. He looked down, blood covered his lower half. Jesse shut his eyes tight, not wanting to look at the horrible sight of his torso any longer. He looked to his left arm instead, half of it missing from his body. It was at this moment that Jesse realized that he could only see out of one eye. Jesse looks to his right, not that far from him was Gabriel, his commander, his dad. He was unconscious, but he didn’t look as bad as Jesse. Jesse’s vision gets blurry as he cries out in agony, the pain just now hitting him in a sudden wave. The muffled voices of people in the background, sounding like they were growing closer, and closer was just too much over the ring in his ears. Jesse blacks out, right before the body of one of the only people to care about him disappears in a cloud of black smoke.
Jesse shakes his head, snapping himself out of the awful memory. Taking a drink of the booze in his hand, he looks around the bar. Loud music blares through out the air as men, women, and omnics hang out around the bar. Some dancing, some sitting, some even just standing there. Jesse runs a hand through his long, dark brown hair. Jesse sighs, taking another drink of his booze. Jesse usually wore a black hood nowadays, having giving his hat to his best friend, Genji, to remember him by. Jesse wore the hood to cover his face. He thought that the scar over his, now completely blind, left eye made him look like a monster. So, he hid it. Along with his identity. He tapped his metal fingers on the counter, almost impatient like. The red lights on his chest plate flickered, almost to show his mood in a way. The chest plate kept him alive, replacing some intestines, and keeping them inside.
Jesse stands up, pulling his black hood over his head. He leaves a tip on the counter, walking out of the bar and into the night. There was a reason Jesse was here, why he was thinking of a memory he thought he banished from his mind. Overwatch was recalling, and he had no idea what to do. So, like every other time he has to make a though decision, he heads to Gabriel’s grave.
Jesse walks along the dimly lit sidewalk, the cool air of the summer night brushing against his face. The full moon glowed down on him, like it was a spotlight and he was the actor. Jesse had walked down this sidewalk so many times, he couldn’t even count them. Jesse stopped, looking up at the huge gate, the only way to get inside. He pushes open the gate, closing it behind him. He walks past the graves of Overwatch recruits and heroes, wondering how they past away.
Then, there it was. Here lies Gabriel Reyes. Jesse sits down in front of the tombstone, looking straight at it. He takes a deep breath. “Hey Dad, long time no see, huh? Look, I need advice. Overwatch is recalling, and I don’t know what to do.” Jesse rubs the back of his neck. “I have two choices and I don’t know which to pick. Go back to the people that loved me, and excepted me, but not have you and deal with the people that took you away from me. Or, go back on the run. Always stay one step ahead of the gang so they don’t track me down. Live the rest of my life alone, like I have for most of it.” Jesse sighs, the memories of his teammates, no, his family, clouding his mind.
“There’s a third option.” A voice comes from behind Jesse. Faster than the blink of an eye, Jesse stands up, turns around, and pulls out his Peacekeeper, aiming it at the man in the cloak that now stood in front of Jesse. “Who are you?” Jesse asks coldly. The man snorts. “I think you already know who I am.” The man then proceeds to take off the skull mask that covered his face. Jesse’s arm drops, his eyes widen at the face he sees. “D-dad?” Jesse chokes out. “Well I’m not your mom.” Gabriel retorts. “B-but, how? You- you died!” Jesse cries. Gabriel sighs. “It’s hard to explain, Jesse. But listen to me when I say this. There is a third option.” Jesse looks long and hard at Gabriel. “What is it?” Jesse asks, almost uncertainly. “Join Talon.” Jesse looks down, then back up at Gabriel. “Talon?” Jesse repeats. “Yes, Talon. We correct what Overwatch messed up, we make their mistakes go away. We try and stop them before they can do anymore damage to our society. We were both agents, Jesse. We out of anyone know what Overwatch did wrong. We need you, I need you to understand and join us. Help us correct their mistakes.” Gabriel puts a hand on Jesse’s shoulder. “Do it for your old man, mijo.”
Jesse looks down at the ground, his mind now foggy with all these thoughts. Jesse knew what he should do, though. Jesse had made so many mistakes in his life, but he’s sure this is the right choice. “Well mijo, what do you say?” Gabriel asks. Jesse looks at Gabriel, nothing but pure determination in his eyes. “I’ll do it. I’ll join Talon.” Gabriel smiles, chuckling. “You chose the right answer Jesse. Happy to have you on the team.” Jesse cracks a smile to see Gabriel happy. Gabriel starts walking, bringing Jesse along with him. “Things in your life are going to change, Jesse. Including that beard. I’m not letting that thing stay on your face.”
As they walked, Jesse realized something. He was no longer Jesse McCree, the ex Deadlock Gang member. He was no longer Jesse McCree, the ex Blackwatch agent. He was nobody for so long. He was just a man hiding from society, looking for some answer to his existence. And he found it. He wasn’t even Jesse McCree anymore. He’s a man that’s been dead for quite some time. He was now Deadman. A being that had no significance in life, in the world. He knew what he was going to do. He was going to fix what his family created. He was going to do it for Dad.