[All things considered, Jack thinks he’s taking this remarkably well.
He’d known, going into SEP, that he was essentially signing his body away to the American government. That in itself would be enough to make most people balk, but facing down the prospect of fighting an unwinnable war, Jack wants desperately to do something, and joining the program seems to be the best way he can serve his country and combat the Omnic menace. He’s thinking super soldiers—scientific experimentation that will make them faster, stronger, better—and it certainly explains the NDAs they sign. The agreements to be shut off from contact with the outside world for the duration of the program.
He tells himself it’s a necessary sacrifice, and that they’ll win the war and get back to a normal life, perhaps irrevocably changed, but knowing that he did the right thing. What he did not necessarily expect was the degree to which the recruits would be genetically augmented. Every soldier is different, but the modifications are such that Jack is wondering how they'll ever be able to go home like this.
Maybe that’s the point—maybe they’re not meant to go home. For that reason, he's glad that some of the recruits have started a fight club, because tensions are high and everyone's angry and nobody signed up for this, really, except that they did. In lieu of most anything else, this is the best way to blow off steam, because otherwise life here is just training and medical appointments and injections.
Jack is good at this. The SEP has made him fast, among other things, and that gives him the edge in the ring against the handful of opponents he's gone up against so far . After every fight, however, he finds himself wanting another. The alternative is to go back to dwelling on the reality of their situation, so the objective is to last as long as possible. When Reyes steps into the ring, he grins.]
I thought you'd never show up.
[Reyes is a little older than Jack, with more experience even before they got thrown into this. He's clearly excited for the challenge.]
[ All things considered, it's not worse than Gabriel expected. He'd signed his body over to the government and promised not to tell anyone what they did with it; he'd already thought through plenty of elaborate scenarios when it came to what would follow. A slow and ugly death, unbearable pain, permanent disability... Not being able to go home, for some reason or another, was the only one he really let himself prepare for. No one was waiting for word from him. It was better that way, in the long run.
It wasn't that he expected the whole program to go to pot - he wouldn't have signed up if he thought it was just another doomed experiment - it was that he'd figured if they succeeded, if the war eventually ended because of it, there was an even slimmer chance of him ever going back home or leading a normal life. You didn't just leave your expensive government-funded weapons lying around to collect dust. If they look less human with every shot, all the better.
So, it's not worse than he expected, but that doesn't mean he's stopped thinking of every worse case scenario. Doesn't mean it's what he wants to do with all of his time.
He didn't start the fight club. If he said some things to people who were already eager for it, he's just efficient like that. He shows up to almost every meeting, lurking in the shadows and watching the others test their new forms and the abilities that come with them. He makes note of a few of them, but one of them in particular; Morrison is young, eager, headstrong - all of the things Gabriel hates. But he's good, too. Almost stupidly stubborn. Maybe even enough of a challenge to be worth Gabriel's time.
Gabriel shoulders his way to the front of the queue and steps out in front of him. ]
Didn't realize we had a date. [ He settles into his sparring stance and cracks his knuckles. He's waiting for Morrison to close the distance between them all too eagerly. ] Don't worry, I'll make up for it.
[But he knows what Reyes is doing. He's the sharpest tactical mind in the SEP, which means that all the time Reyes spends waiting and watching is time he's spending processing everyone's strengths and weaknesses and fighting styles. When he finally chooses to get in the ring, it's going to be well and truly after he's internally analyzed what they're all capable of.
Jack, however, knows he's no slouch. He wasn't a slouch before the SEP turned him into a half-human killing machine, so if Reyes thinks this is going to be a cakewalk, he's got another thing coming. He circles the outer edge of their makeshift ring as if sizing up his opponent--Jack really doesn't need to blink much anymore, and though he knows that Reyes is hard-pressed to be intimidated by anything, he hopes that it's at least a little unsettling.]
Glad you finally decided to join us.
[Some recruits have more obvious enhancements than others. Jack is one of them, with his slit pupils and smattering of blue scales that creep onto the sides of his face and trail down the back of his neck. Gabriel, in contrast, looks mostly normal, and Jack would be lying if he said he wasn't looking forward to kicking Reyes' ass because he wants to bait out some of his unique abilities.
That, and he might be a little jealous that Reyes still looks human.
He clearly wants Jack to throw the first punch, so he'll oblige, closing the distance with lightning speed, fist cocked back and ready.]
[ Those reptilian eyes amplify the flicker of resentment in Morrison's expression as he sizes Gabriel up. Morrison had probably been handsome enough before all of the mutations started to take hold, but now just one look at the guy is enough to remind anyone that they're not really the top of the food chain anymore. It's a novel experience for Gabriel, at least when it comes to people. With the way he looks under the sweater, he can't say there's much that scares him anymore.
Morrison might look inhuman, but that's all it is - a look. He lets himself be baited out, and even despite his speed Gabriel darts out of the way and keeps clear of his strike range besides. He's fast too; it's one of the things he's got going for him even when he's not paired off with a partner. He doesn't try to hit back yet. It'll be too easy if Morrison gets his satisfaction so soon. ]
Too slow. [ Gabriel lays a little emphasis on the 's.' The baiting is obvious, but he doesn't think that he needs to be subtle. Morrison is looking for the excuse to really lay into him, and Gabriel is giving him exactly what he wants. ]
[Jack realizes he's going to miss a split second before it actually happens, allowing him not to overbalance. He skids past Reyes, who sidesteps him easily, and the very fact that he was able to do that at all has Jack's hackles raised. His teeth are already grit in a snarl, and when he wheels around, he looks more than a little angry that Reyes was able to sidestep just in time.
There's a quip to be had, perhaps, but Reyes draws out the s and Jack knows exactly what he's making fun of, and he gets mad all over again.
To some degree, he knows that Reyes is an expert at getting under people's skin, and that he shouldn't be falling for it, but Jack is still a little too headstrong--too caught up in the moment and his new abilities. He hasn't perfected it yet because he's still getting used to a different way to see things, but when he comes in for another punch, he tries to focus on Reyes' heat signature instead. Maybe that will catch him off guard.]
[ Morrison catches himself like it's second nature; clean, professional, and moving again in a heartbeat. It's no less than Gabriel expected from him, but it doesn't mean he's happy about being right. He doesn't want to think about what happens if Morrison is the best they've got.
When the next punch comes, he barely ducks the blow - it glances off his temple as he drives his own fist up toward Morrison's stomach, full force. He's not here to be delicate, even if these fights aren't meant to cause too much damage. Morrison knows what he signed up for. He can pass the test, or he can nurse his pride and his broken bones on his own time. ]
[In Jack's defense, this is something he's been trying to get used to--piecing together two different ways to process information, knowing how to make sense of both at once. He supposes he should be thankful that his eyesight hasn't been reduced to that of the animal they've given him the qualities of, but he's still learning.
So perhaps it's his own fault that he hasn't managed to land a real hit yet--though there's something else, too.
He can't quite tell what it is, yet, but when he tries to anticipate Gabriel's movements by the heat his body gives off, it gives Jack a moment of pause. There's something not right about the shape of it, and it catches him off-guard enough that the next thing he feels is Reyes' fist in his stomach.
Jack staggers backward, coughing and winded, but still trying to hold his defensive stance. If Reyes tries to take advantage of his stumbling, Jack is ready with claws this time.]
[ He doesn't know what the hesitation was about - Morrison rarely hesitates - but he can make an educated guess that it's nothing he's going to like. Gabriel presses his advantage immediately, and this time his fist is aimed for Morrison's face.
He doesn't realize he's made a mistake until it's too late. The claws shred clean through his shirt, slicing into the flesh underneath.
Gabriel swears, trying belatedly to put some distance between them again. There's no blood, just a tar-like substance that bubbles up through the wound and tries to stick to Morrison's claws. ]
[Any satisfaction Jack might get from sinking his claws into Reyes is immediately offset by the tacky black substance that comes off on his fingers when he pulls away. For a moment, he doesn't make the connection between the goo on his hands and the wound he's opened in Reyes' side, but as soon as he does, he's stumbling backward a little, unsure of what to do with this new information.
It's not blood, that's for sure.
He's visibly horrified by this new development, and he spends a good two seconds trying to shake the goop from his hand. But this is what he wanted, isn't it? To bait out what Reyes was hiding from everyone. Now, however, he's not sure he really wanted to know. What is this program doing to them?
Despite his vague horror at what he's just uncovered, he knows he can't allow Reyes another opening. Jack tries to swallow down any uncertainty to close the distance and swipe at him again, trying to put Reyes on the defensive.]
[ Morrison barely manages to shake any of the substance from his claws - it won't go anywhere Gabriel doesn't want it to go. Gabriel knows the wound in his side will stitch itself back up with more black ooze, and he's practically forgotten it already. There's a murmur of uncertainty from the crowd. They're all as surprised as Morrison, to put it mildly, and he's barely scratched the surface of what Gabriel really is.
Good. He ought to be able to make use of whatever rumors come out of this fight.
When Morrison comes for him again, this time he's expecting it. He dodges the first swipe and drives in close instead of pulling away, trying to get a grip on Morrison so he can force him down. ]
[Some baser instinct within him wants the black goo off and he wants it off now. Jack doesn't quite understand it, but he can feel the stirrings of panic in the pit of his stomach, an inherent feeling that whatever this is, it's bad, and he shouldn't be touching it. The quiet reactions of the gathered soldiers only furthers the sense of dread.
This had been all in good fun until a few seconds ago. Now, nobody knows what they're dealing with, as far as Reyes is concerned. It occurs to Jack in these few seconds that this is why Reyes has been watching, not participating in, their fights.
He's not sure if he should lash out with his claws a second time, so he curls his hand into a fist, even if it will most certainly do less damage. In Jack's hesitation, however, Reyes gets in close and bodies him, knocking him off balance.
As soon as he starts to go down, however, he flexes his fingers again and digs his claws into Reyes' side, more a reflex than anything he actually wants to be doing.]
[ Gabriel inhales sharply - not because of the pain, but because of the way his body reacts on instinct. Instead of Morrison's hand passing through again, it sinks inward, black blood bubbling up around it and crawling up Morrison's hand like a living thing. This time, it doesn't let go.
They both go down, but Gabriel has the presence of mind to grab Morrison's other wrist and pin it to the floor. His other hand misses Morrison's shoulder and lands on the mat by his head, putting Gabriel much closer than he planned to be. ]
[Jack has made a huge mistake. He tries to pull his hand away but can't, and in his panic just pulls harder, making it worse. The black goo (blood?) creeps up his forearm and sticks, and he tries to claw it off with his other hand but he’s so taken aback by this development that there’s nowhere to go but down. He trips over his own feet trying to pull away and brings Reyes down with him, landing hard and knocking the air out of his lungs.
What happens next is entirely reflex. He's trapped and pinned, literally stuck to his opponent in places, and when Reyes' face gets right in his, he does the only thing he can think of.
He lashes out and sinks his fangs into Reyes' exposed neck and doesn't let go.]
[When Gabriel comes to, he already knows that things have irredeemably gone to shit. The fact that he's captured in the first place, immobilized with hard-light cuffs, is practically the worst news. He tries to recall the events that brought him here but finds his mind hazy. Probably head trauma. Nothing he won't heal shortly, and then he'll make everyone in this facility pay. That much he's sure of.
It was a setup--it had to be, and he curses himself for falling for it.
It takes him another moment to realize he isn't alone, though they seem to be in separate cells. He can see Jack's unconscious form and the bottom drops out of Gabriel's stomach. Being captured himself is bad enough, but having Jack mixed up in it too is even worse. Surely Overwatch will put most of their resources into retrieving its commanders, but he's got no idea how well they're hidden or how long it will take anyone to find them. They'll have to work on getting themselves out in the meantime, if they're given the opportunity.]
Jack--
[It seems stupid to lock them anywhere near each other, but nobody ever said Talon was smart. Unless they have something bigger planned, but Gabriel is going to take this one step at a time. He's got to get Jack up and aware, but given the fact that they're in separate cells, all he can really do is raise his voice and hope that rouses Jack into consciousness.]
[ Jack feels like he's floating, like his head is swimming, and he might have stayed in that half-awake state for a while if it hadn't been for a voice penetrating right through the ache in his skull. He groans as he makes an attempt to open up his eyes and finds his vision blurry. He'd say he had a concussion, but he thought that he healed too fast for that to be an issue in most cases.
It will all come back to him soon enough, but the one thing he can process in that moment is that Reyes is calling out to him, and he sounds urgent. Almost panicked.
That's enough to give Jack the strength to push himself slowly into a sitting position, though he almost immediately regrets it. The walls of the small cell spin around him, making him queasy, but after taking a few seconds to wait for all of that to stop, he can finally pinpoint the source of Gabriel's voice. He's seated in a cell across from him, which really doesn't make Jack feel any better about their situation.
They're close enough to talk to each other, so that's one silver lining. Jack rubs slowly at his temple with one hand, blinking a few times before he responds. ]
Yeah. Yeah, I'm here. What the hell happened?
[ He wracks his brain for the last thing he can remember, but it's coming back slowly, like the fuzzy details of a dream. It's as if he was drugged with something, but that sort of thing also isn't supposed to work on him. ]
[Oh, good. Jack's alive. Gabriel doesn't want to think about how he'd be getting out of this if Jack was not, for some reason, conscious, or otherwise without his faculties. He doesn't want to think about what would happen if Jack wasn't here. Or dead. Or held somewhere Gabriel couldn't get to him.
Not that Jack being physically present is going to make him feel any better about the situation they're in. He should have seen this coming.]
It was a setup.
[Surely Jack has realized that by now, given the fact that they're currently in Talon custody.]
Did they drug you?
[Gabriel feels like they did--everything leading up to this moment is a little fuzzy. He's still trying to clear his head.]
[ A setup. It would have to be, if Talon had managed to get their hands on both of them. That's no easy feat, but Jack will figure out the how later, when his head is a little more clear. For now he wants to take stock of their current situation.
The cell is almost completely bare. The floor is hard linoleum, and there's a cot, a sink and toilet, and then a wall of hard light set up to keep him inside.
Not sure if he can trust himself to stand without immediately falling over again, Jack scoots closer to the barrier while still seated. He reaches out and presses against the light, which ripples under the pressure but otherwise doesn't budge.
Gabe's in the exact same situation, and while it's strange that they were locked up together like this, he can't help but think that it was purposeful. Which is worrisome. ]
Feels that way.
[ He opens and closes his eyes a few times, and his vision slowly clears. ]
[It would've had to be, to knock the both of them out. That almost unsettles Gabriel more than the cell does--in order to craft a sedative powerful enough to take out a super soldier, they would have needed intimate knowledge of their genetic alterations. Reverse engineered something from there.
Or maybe it was just horse tranquilizers. A lucky shot.
Dwelling on it now, however, isn't going to do much. They need to figure out a way out of these cells, preferably before anyone comes back. Gabriel stands, starting to check the perimeters, looking for something exploitable.]
[ Something strong is right. While there are certain sedatives potent enough to take them out, that sort of knowledge is kept tightly held within Overwatch, precisely to avoid this kind of incident. So either someone got a hold of classified information, or they were sharp enough to make a good educated guess.
Seeing how Gabriel's forced himself to stand, Jack does the same. For a second he thinks he's going to topple over again, but he locks his knees and his enhancements seem to wake up enough to keep him vertical.
He scans the small cell, everything from the floor to the ceilings. ]
No. There's nothing immediately obvious, anyway.
[ He's been put in a simple gray shirt and sweatpants, with none of his gear left on him. Who knows where it went. ]
Guessing these walls are too reinforced for us to punch our way through, too.
[The last thing they need to be doing is hurting themselves busting out of here. A broken hand from trying to punch through the walls is just going to make it harder for them to escape in the long run. They need to keep all their faculties about them, especially as the drugs wear off.]
I haven’t seen any guards, either.
[Granted, he hasn’t been awake very long, but perhaps Talon was confident enough in the integrity of these cells that they didn’t bother to station anyone nearby. Maybe they can use that to their advantage.]
I'm guessing that won't last. They were probably just waiting for us to wake up.
[ Jack's in agreement that trying to brute force their way out of these cells is not the way to go, though. They need to understand more about their situation, and wait until they have enough information to hatch a robust escape plan.
The most important thing is for them to stay calm and keep their wits about him, though that's not a hard ask for the two of them. While the omnics hadn't been programmed to kidnap like this, they're both well-trained for these kinds of situations.
He turns to look at Gabriel across the hall, the layers of hard light making him a little blurrier than he should be. ]
You're trying to figure it out? I'm the one who's supposed to see shit like this coming.
[And he hadn't seen it coming. It's hard to hide the way he blames himself in his voice. What's Blackwatch good for, if it can't stop something like this? This is not a hostage situation--it's Talon managing to get both commanders of Overwatch in their grasp, and Reyes, for all of his training and access to intel, can't figure out how they did it.
For once, all of this is plain on Gabriel's face, from the frown to the knitted-up eyebrows to the tension in his shoulders that indicates he's just a few moments away from some kind of explosion.
But even one of Gabriel's explosions is about half of what a normal person might do. He's still an expert on keeping himself contained, but he can't help trying to body-check the hard light wall, as if it's going to give under the force of it.]
[ It figures that Gabriel would try to put all of this on himself. While it's true that a large part of Blackwatch's purpose was to identify and evaluate potential threats to Overwatch, this is one situation in which Jack doesn't want to put the blame solely on Gabriel.
Somehow, Talon had managed to snatch both of them without either of them having even an inkling of what might be coming. That's not easily done, to say the least, and it makes Jack wonder if there's some leak in their ranks. A double agent who sold them out.
The sound of Gabriel slamming against the hard light wall drags Jack out of his thoughts, and he looks up to watch him again. He's angry, Jack can see it all over his face and the set of his shoulders, but if they let their emotions get the best of them they'll get themselves into an even worse situation. ]
If they were able to bring us here, they could have just as easily killed us.
[ They might be super soldiers, but a bullet in the head would still get the job done. ]
So the question is... what do they have planned instead?
[Gabriel says that, but he knows it's not true. He imagines an autopsy of either of them would be incredibly valuable, to the point where he's not sure he wants to think about it.
But he needs to think about it. It's possible that Talon already has their DNA, so they're already in pretty bad shape. Though Talon can find out anything they want about SEP, however, Overwatch intel is something they're only going to get if they're alive.
Gabriel gives the cell another halfhearted kick when he hears a noise down the hall.]
[ So both of them assume the same thing here, which is that Talon wants intel from them. If they're going to rely on torture in order to get those kinds of details out of them, then they're probably going to be disappointed. Jack and Gabriel have been expected to keep some very important secrets for years. They've been trained on how to resist torture.
On top of that, both of them are just too proud and stubborn to talk.
They catch the approaching footsteps at the same time, and Jack draws to the front of the cell, inches away from the hard light but not close enough to set it off. He knows they don't have much in the way of negotiating power right now, but he's still ready to make an attempt.
If it's just a guard here to keep an eye on them, then they can at least consider ways to manipulate the situation and get themselves free. Gabriel might be better at that part. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
mylawn) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
aperture_high2019-02-02 05:29 pm
monster fite club
He’d known, going into SEP, that he was essentially signing his body away to the American government. That in itself would be enough to make most people balk, but facing down the prospect of fighting an unwinnable war, Jack wants desperately to do something, and joining the program seems to be the best way he can serve his country and combat the Omnic menace. He’s thinking super soldiers—scientific experimentation that will make them faster, stronger, better—and it certainly explains the NDAs they sign. The agreements to be shut off from contact with the outside world for the duration of the program.
He tells himself it’s a necessary sacrifice, and that they’ll win the war and get back to a normal life, perhaps irrevocably changed, but knowing that he did the right thing. What he did not necessarily expect was the degree to which the recruits would be genetically augmented. Every soldier is different, but the modifications are such that Jack is wondering how they'll ever be able to go home like this.
Maybe that’s the point—maybe they’re not meant to go home. For that reason, he's glad that some of the recruits have started a fight club, because tensions are high and everyone's angry and nobody signed up for this, really, except that they did. In lieu of most anything else, this is the best way to blow off steam, because otherwise life here is just training and medical appointments and injections.
Jack is good at this. The SEP has made him fast, among other things, and that gives him the edge in the ring against the handful of opponents he's gone up against so far . After every fight, however, he finds himself wanting another. The alternative is to go back to dwelling on the reality of their situation, so the objective is to last as long as possible. When Reyes steps into the ring, he grins.]
I thought you'd never show up.
[Reyes is a little older than Jack, with more experience even before they got thrown into this. He's clearly excited for the challenge.]
no subject
It wasn't that he expected the whole program to go to pot - he wouldn't have signed up if he thought it was just another doomed experiment - it was that he'd figured if they succeeded, if the war eventually ended because of it, there was an even slimmer chance of him ever going back home or leading a normal life. You didn't just leave your expensive government-funded weapons lying around to collect dust. If they look less human with every shot, all the better.
So, it's not worse than he expected, but that doesn't mean he's stopped thinking of every worse case scenario. Doesn't mean it's what he wants to do with all of his time.
He didn't start the fight club. If he said some things to people who were already eager for it, he's just efficient like that. He shows up to almost every meeting, lurking in the shadows and watching the others test their new forms and the abilities that come with them. He makes note of a few of them, but one of them in particular; Morrison is young, eager, headstrong - all of the things Gabriel hates. But he's good, too. Almost stupidly stubborn. Maybe even enough of a challenge to be worth Gabriel's time.
Gabriel shoulders his way to the front of the queue and steps out in front of him. ]
Didn't realize we had a date. [ He settles into his sparring stance and cracks his knuckles. He's waiting for Morrison to close the distance between them all too eagerly. ] Don't worry, I'll make up for it.
no subject
[But he knows what Reyes is doing. He's the sharpest tactical mind in the SEP, which means that all the time Reyes spends waiting and watching is time he's spending processing everyone's strengths and weaknesses and fighting styles. When he finally chooses to get in the ring, it's going to be well and truly after he's internally analyzed what they're all capable of.
Jack, however, knows he's no slouch. He wasn't a slouch before the SEP turned him into a half-human killing machine, so if Reyes thinks this is going to be a cakewalk, he's got another thing coming. He circles the outer edge of their makeshift ring as if sizing up his opponent--Jack really doesn't need to blink much anymore, and though he knows that Reyes is hard-pressed to be intimidated by anything, he hopes that it's at least a little unsettling.]
Glad you finally decided to join us.
[Some recruits have more obvious enhancements than others. Jack is one of them, with his slit pupils and smattering of blue scales that creep onto the sides of his face and trail down the back of his neck. Gabriel, in contrast, looks mostly normal, and Jack would be lying if he said he wasn't looking forward to kicking Reyes' ass because he wants to bait out some of his unique abilities.
That, and he might be a little jealous that Reyes still looks human.
He clearly wants Jack to throw the first punch, so he'll oblige, closing the distance with lightning speed, fist cocked back and ready.]
no subject
Morrison might look inhuman, but that's all it is - a look. He lets himself be baited out, and even despite his speed Gabriel darts out of the way and keeps clear of his strike range besides. He's fast too; it's one of the things he's got going for him even when he's not paired off with a partner. He doesn't try to hit back yet. It'll be too easy if Morrison gets his satisfaction so soon. ]
Too slow. [ Gabriel lays a little emphasis on the 's.' The baiting is obvious, but he doesn't think that he needs to be subtle. Morrison is looking for the excuse to really lay into him, and Gabriel is giving him exactly what he wants. ]
no subject
There's a quip to be had, perhaps, but Reyes draws out the s and Jack knows exactly what he's making fun of, and he gets mad all over again.
To some degree, he knows that Reyes is an expert at getting under people's skin, and that he shouldn't be falling for it, but Jack is still a little too headstrong--too caught up in the moment and his new abilities. He hasn't perfected it yet because he's still getting used to a different way to see things, but when he comes in for another punch, he tries to focus on Reyes' heat signature instead. Maybe that will catch him off guard.]
no subject
When the next punch comes, he barely ducks the blow - it glances off his temple as he drives his own fist up toward Morrison's stomach, full force. He's not here to be delicate, even if these fights aren't meant to cause too much damage. Morrison knows what he signed up for. He can pass the test, or he can nurse his pride and his broken bones on his own time. ]
no subject
So perhaps it's his own fault that he hasn't managed to land a real hit yet--though there's something else, too.
He can't quite tell what it is, yet, but when he tries to anticipate Gabriel's movements by the heat his body gives off, it gives Jack a moment of pause. There's something not right about the shape of it, and it catches him off-guard enough that the next thing he feels is Reyes' fist in his stomach.
Jack staggers backward, coughing and winded, but still trying to hold his defensive stance. If Reyes tries to take advantage of his stumbling, Jack is ready with claws this time.]
no subject
He doesn't realize he's made a mistake until it's too late. The claws shred clean through his shirt, slicing into the flesh underneath.
Gabriel swears, trying belatedly to put some distance between them again. There's no blood, just a tar-like substance that bubbles up through the wound and tries to stick to Morrison's claws. ]
no subject
It's not blood, that's for sure.
He's visibly horrified by this new development, and he spends a good two seconds trying to shake the goop from his hand. But this is what he wanted, isn't it? To bait out what Reyes was hiding from everyone. Now, however, he's not sure he really wanted to know. What is this program doing to them?
Despite his vague horror at what he's just uncovered, he knows he can't allow Reyes another opening. Jack tries to swallow down any uncertainty to close the distance and swipe at him again, trying to put Reyes on the defensive.]
no subject
Good. He ought to be able to make use of whatever rumors come out of this fight.
When Morrison comes for him again, this time he's expecting it. He dodges the first swipe and drives in close instead of pulling away, trying to get a grip on Morrison so he can force him down. ]
no subject
This had been all in good fun until a few seconds ago. Now, nobody knows what they're dealing with, as far as Reyes is concerned. It occurs to Jack in these few seconds that this is why Reyes has been watching, not participating in, their fights.
He's not sure if he should lash out with his claws a second time, so he curls his hand into a fist, even if it will most certainly do less damage. In Jack's hesitation, however, Reyes gets in close and bodies him, knocking him off balance.
As soon as he starts to go down, however, he flexes his fingers again and digs his claws into Reyes' side, more a reflex than anything he actually wants to be doing.]
no subject
They both go down, but Gabriel has the presence of mind to grab Morrison's other wrist and pin it to the floor. His other hand misses Morrison's shoulder and lands on the mat by his head, putting Gabriel much closer than he planned to be. ]
no subject
What happens next is entirely reflex. He's trapped and pinned, literally stuck to his opponent in places, and when Reyes' face gets right in his, he does the only thing he can think of.
He lashes out and sinks his fangs into Reyes' exposed neck and doesn't let go.]
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
dont look at this one
It was a setup--it had to be, and he curses himself for falling for it.
It takes him another moment to realize he isn't alone, though they seem to be in separate cells. He can see Jack's unconscious form and the bottom drops out of Gabriel's stomach. Being captured himself is bad enough, but having Jack mixed up in it too is even worse. Surely Overwatch will put most of their resources into retrieving its commanders, but he's got no idea how well they're hidden or how long it will take anyone to find them. They'll have to work on getting themselves out in the meantime, if they're given the opportunity.]
Jack--
[It seems stupid to lock them anywhere near each other, but nobody ever said Talon was smart. Unless they have something bigger planned, but Gabriel is going to take this one step at a time. He's got to get Jack up and aware, but given the fact that they're in separate cells, all he can really do is raise his voice and hope that rouses Jack into consciousness.]
Hey, Morrison. Wake up.
the adventures of birdboy and fishman
It will all come back to him soon enough, but the one thing he can process in that moment is that Reyes is calling out to him, and he sounds urgent. Almost panicked.
That's enough to give Jack the strength to push himself slowly into a sitting position, though he almost immediately regrets it. The walls of the small cell spin around him, making him queasy, but after taking a few seconds to wait for all of that to stop, he can finally pinpoint the source of Gabriel's voice. He's seated in a cell across from him, which really doesn't make Jack feel any better about their situation.
They're close enough to talk to each other, so that's one silver lining. Jack rubs slowly at his temple with one hand, blinking a few times before he responds. ]
Yeah. Yeah, I'm here. What the hell happened?
[ He wracks his brain for the last thing he can remember, but it's coming back slowly, like the fuzzy details of a dream. It's as if he was drugged with something, but that sort of thing also isn't supposed to work on him. ]
no subject
Not that Jack being physically present is going to make him feel any better about the situation they're in. He should have seen this coming.]
It was a setup.
[Surely Jack has realized that by now, given the fact that they're currently in Talon custody.]
Did they drug you?
[Gabriel feels like they did--everything leading up to this moment is a little fuzzy. He's still trying to clear his head.]
no subject
The cell is almost completely bare. The floor is hard linoleum, and there's a cot, a sink and toilet, and then a wall of hard light set up to keep him inside.
Not sure if he can trust himself to stand without immediately falling over again, Jack scoots closer to the barrier while still seated. He reaches out and presses against the light, which ripples under the pressure but otherwise doesn't budge.
Gabe's in the exact same situation, and while it's strange that they were locked up together like this, he can't help but think that it was purposeful. Which is worrisome. ]
Feels that way.
[ He opens and closes his eyes a few times, and his vision slowly clears. ]
What the hell could they have given us?
no subject
[It would've had to be, to knock the both of them out. That almost unsettles Gabriel more than the cell does--in order to craft a sedative powerful enough to take out a super soldier, they would have needed intimate knowledge of their genetic alterations. Reverse engineered something from there.
Or maybe it was just horse tranquilizers. A lucky shot.
Dwelling on it now, however, isn't going to do much. They need to figure out a way out of these cells, preferably before anyone comes back. Gabriel stands, starting to check the perimeters, looking for something exploitable.]
You see a vent or anything?
no subject
Seeing how Gabriel's forced himself to stand, Jack does the same. For a second he thinks he's going to topple over again, but he locks his knees and his enhancements seem to wake up enough to keep him vertical.
He scans the small cell, everything from the floor to the ceilings. ]
No. There's nothing immediately obvious, anyway.
[ He's been put in a simple gray shirt and sweatpants, with none of his gear left on him. Who knows where it went. ]
Guessing these walls are too reinforced for us to punch our way through, too.
no subject
[The last thing they need to be doing is hurting themselves busting out of here. A broken hand from trying to punch through the walls is just going to make it harder for them to escape in the long run. They need to keep all their faculties about them, especially as the drugs wear off.]
I haven’t seen any guards, either.
[Granted, he hasn’t been awake very long, but perhaps Talon was confident enough in the integrity of these cells that they didn’t bother to station anyone nearby. Maybe they can use that to their advantage.]
no subject
[ Jack's in agreement that trying to brute force their way out of these cells is not the way to go, though. They need to understand more about their situation, and wait until they have enough information to hatch a robust escape plan.
The most important thing is for them to stay calm and keep their wits about him, though that's not a hard ask for the two of them. While the omnics hadn't been programmed to kidnap like this, they're both well-trained for these kinds of situations.
He turns to look at Gabriel across the hall, the layers of hard light making him a little blurrier than he should be. ]
Trying to figure out how they pulled this off.
no subject
[And he hadn't seen it coming. It's hard to hide the way he blames himself in his voice. What's Blackwatch good for, if it can't stop something like this? This is not a hostage situation--it's Talon managing to get both commanders of Overwatch in their grasp, and Reyes, for all of his training and access to intel, can't figure out how they did it.
For once, all of this is plain on Gabriel's face, from the frown to the knitted-up eyebrows to the tension in his shoulders that indicates he's just a few moments away from some kind of explosion.
But even one of Gabriel's explosions is about half of what a normal person might do. He's still an expert on keeping himself contained, but he can't help trying to body-check the hard light wall, as if it's going to give under the force of it.]
Damn it.
no subject
Somehow, Talon had managed to snatch both of them without either of them having even an inkling of what might be coming. That's not easily done, to say the least, and it makes Jack wonder if there's some leak in their ranks. A double agent who sold them out.
The sound of Gabriel slamming against the hard light wall drags Jack out of his thoughts, and he looks up to watch him again. He's angry, Jack can see it all over his face and the set of his shoulders, but if they let their emotions get the best of them they'll get themselves into an even worse situation. ]
If they were able to bring us here, they could have just as easily killed us.
[ They might be super soldiers, but a bullet in the head would still get the job done. ]
So the question is... what do they have planned instead?
[ An interrogation, he would guess. ]
no subject
[Gabriel says that, but he knows it's not true. He imagines an autopsy of either of them would be incredibly valuable, to the point where he's not sure he wants to think about it.
But he needs to think about it. It's possible that Talon already has their DNA, so they're already in pretty bad shape. Though Talon can find out anything they want about SEP, however, Overwatch intel is something they're only going to get if they're alive.
Gabriel gives the cell another halfhearted kick when he hears a noise down the hall.]
Someone's coming.
no subject
On top of that, both of them are just too proud and stubborn to talk.
They catch the approaching footsteps at the same time, and Jack draws to the front of the cell, inches away from the hard light but not close enough to set it off. He knows they don't have much in the way of negotiating power right now, but he's still ready to make an attempt.
If it's just a guard here to keep an eye on them, then they can at least consider ways to manipulate the situation and get themselves free. Gabriel might be better at that part. ]
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)