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[dohtml]
From the ashes of hate It's a cruel demon's fate. On the wings of darkness he's returned to stay. There will be no escape 'cause he's fallen far from grace. When the shadows remain in the light of day, on the wings of darkness he'll retaliate. He'll be falling from grace till the end of all his days. II Gabriel was grateful for the support, and when she seemed to get exactly what he'd been trying to do. He nodded. \"Yeah, that's exactly it. Besides the personal mistakes I'd made, there were bigger things at play that I was trying to shield him from, even if everything else was already gone between us.\" It was more than he'd meant to say, but this woman... he didn't know how she was doing it, because he was a trained soldier and spy, and knew better. Perhaps it was due to being in a new place where none of that mattered?She was pleased by the offer of a drink he could tell and he nodded at her request. \"I seem rough around the edges to most everybody out there, but I like the finer things. I stock a wide variety of wines, hard liquors, and beers. Gourmet coffees and teas are also something I enjoy. Nobody knew that about me back home either - not even...\" He cleared his throat and pushed up, heading into the kitchen.
Calling back over his shoulder as he moved, his voice was pitched to carry. \"You are welcome to come with or explore the place. I don't mind. I don't have company over often.\" It didn't take him long to select a particularly nice dessert wine for her and a rich bourbon for himself, though and he was on his way back sooner than he'd anticipated.
\"I know you say that having a building dropped on me was punishment enough. But I just...\" He trailed off, holding out the wine glass to her so he could uncork the bottle and pour it. \"I fucked up bad. Way bad. Like... something I can't take back that changed everything bad.\" The guilt was clear in his face and tone, though he didn't elaborate further.
Tag: Shirelin | He's still sharing a ton, and he cannot figure out why. lory [/dohtml] -
[dohtml]
From the ashes of hate It's a cruel demon's fate. On the wings of darkness he's returned to stay. There will be no escape 'cause he's fallen far from grace. When the shadows remain in the light of day, on the wings of darkness he'll retaliate. He'll be falling from grace till the end of all his days. II Hunger. Pain. Desperation.That's all that Grim could feel in that moment as he charged Jack, not recognizing the man, just the scent as one that he'd fed on and that had sustained him quite well before. The redhead was forgotten until a familiar shield popped up and he slammed directly into it. At the same time, the one he had chosen to feed on opened fire, and the bullets ripped through his form, earning howls of pain and causing him to stagger back.
More bullets tore through him from various other angles, and he found himself retreating, the pain of the wounds overpowering even his hunger. No... make it stop... please make it stop. It's too much... There was a brief flicker in his form and eyes as he backed away, fear replacing the fury and hunger, but then he realized he was trapped and a guttural snarl was all the warning he gave before he lashed out.
This time, tendrils of darkness jumped out from his form, which was warping into something far more monstrous as his fear drove him to defend himself and the hunger spiked again. Hungry. Tired... so tired. Pain. Make it stop... His form rippled and shifted, bulking up and forcing him onto all fours. A massive fanged maw replaced the mask and human features - the mask shattering as the form warped out of control.
A howl of pain as another round of bullets from those trying to contain him ripped through his form, and then he was off - leaping at the one who smelled familiar, whose taste he knew.
Tag: Everyone | He's in pain and not quite to the point of overload yet. lory [/dohtml] -
[dohtml]
From the ashes of hate It's a cruel demon's fate. On the wings of darkness he's returned to stay. There will be no escape 'cause he's fallen far from grace. When the shadows remain in the light of day, on the wings of darkness he'll retaliate. He'll be falling from grace till the end of all his days. II He wasn't sure what to make of her grimace, and his eyes were cautious as he regarded her. He had a hard time with feeling wanted and attractive and it ... reached something he'd buried deep behind walls when she admitted she found him attractive, despite the differences between him and the younger Gabriel she remembered. The reminder of the bathroom earned a glint of humor in his eyes. Now that he knew she'd not died, the memory was almost funny, since she'd destroyed the entire bathroom. That'd been hard as hell to explain.\"I... I understand.\" He didn't like how she put what she wanted second to his emotions. That didn't sit well with him, just like he was sure it wouldn't have sat well with his younger self. He didn't deserve for her to put her own needs and issues to the side for him, but the gesture, the care was appreciated. He was a monster though, no matter what anyone else thought or saw - but the fact that she could see those little glimmers of Gabriel inside Reaper, desperate to get out and starved for affection, meant a lot. Most looked past it or ignored the hints. Not that Reaper gave them much of a chance to see such things.
Her eyes had closed again, but she'd not pulled away like he'd been afraid she would. He glared at his hand as the shape wavered and claws reappeared. He'd just gotten rid of them, regaining his regular hands, but his emotions were a mess and the talk with Chibi was just shredding what self control he had, the walls he'd built crumbling around him. There was still anger there, and he didn't blame her. He'd done something unforgivable, and still couldn't quite grasp why she'd forgiven him, sensing humanity in him or not.
She'd been dealing with sha, and Kanan Jarrus had been possessed by one? That was a hell of a lot to deal with. The part of him that was Gabe, that was a huge nerd and loved things like Star Wars flailed at the thought of poor Kanan dealing with a sha, and flailed more at the thought of Chibi having to deal with a damn Jedi possessed by something so nasty. He grimaced. \"I can imagine. A Jedi is hard enough to deal with when they use their abilities, let alone one possessed by such darkness.\" He cleared his throat, shifting slightly.
She was trying, thinking of what could cause such trouble for him, but coming up blank. He was disappointed - he'd hoped that she might have answers, but knew it wasn't fair to expect her to have answers for everything. Her comment about their night together earned a smile - a genuine one, not guarded or pained. \"I do remember that. The three of us were so happy, had such a good time...\" It hadn't been long after that when things started to happen, and distance had started to grow between him and Jack.
\"I... wonder if that's one of my last true memories.\" He looked tired, worn out and confused. \"So much of what I think I know... I just don't even know where to start untangling what's real and what's not.\"
Tag: Chibi | He's reacting well for the most part. lory [/dohtml] -
[dohtml]
From the ashes of hate It's a cruel demon's fate. On the wings of darkness he's returned to stay. There will be no escape 'cause he's fallen far from grace. When the shadows remain in the light of day, on the wings of darkness he'll retaliate. He'll be falling from grace till the end of all his days. II Grim could tell she was worried for him, but he didn't feel he deserved the compassion or worry. Still, the thumb on his cheek had been soothing and his shoulders started to relax even further. His movements carried him out of her reach, which started an ache deep in his chest, but he shoved it down. He didn't deserve the affection. Always observant - it had been his job to be, both before when he was in Overwatch and Blackwatch, and after when he was in Talon - he noted her hands clenching and the way she bit her lip as she gathered her thoughts. She was definitely worried - he'd pegged that right before, and when she spoke he knew why.
He winced. \"Well, he was fine the last time we crossed paths. Uh... just before you came in here, actually.\" Well, fine wasn't exactly the right definition, but he wasn't dead or dying, at least. \"We'd tangled briefly - it was an instinctive reaction and I stopped as soon as I realized. But then we had to deal with a goddamn sha. Fought it off, but the fucking thing affected me and before I could do anything stupid and hurt him worse, I ghosted and came here.\"
There was a light scowl though, as he registered that Jack hadn't told anyone where he was going and that both Gabe and Chibi were worried sick. \"Damn fool. I thought he'd stick close to one or the other of you after, but he was out tailing some of the gang members causing trouble.\" He sounded tired then, and shook his head. \"He was fine when I left. Pissed off, partly because of our tangle and the sha, but fine otherwise.\"
Tag: Chibi | He's not entirely sure how she's going to react to his admission. lory [/dohtml] -
The Basics
Full Name: Gabriel Reyes
Nicknames/Aliases: Gabe, Reaper
Age: Eighty-Nine [Appears in his fifties]
DoB: October 30, ????
Gender: Male
Pronouns: He/Him
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Profession: Mercenary, to start
Languages: English, Spanish, smattering of words in French, tiiiiiny bit of Russian
Canon/Original? Canon
Fandom: Overwatch
Canon Point: Well after known canon. 30+ years later.
Playby: Art by Rani, screencaps, etc.
Appearance
Height: 6'1"
Build: Muscular
Hair color: White
Eye Color: Honey brown or red
Tattoos: --
Piercings: --
Scars: Absolutely covered in them. Slashes, burn marks, deep gashes - all over, from various missions and then his first death.
Voice: Deep and gravelly. Metallic rasp.
Demeanor: Aggressive, assertive, hostile, and impatient. A bit arrogant too.
Health
Physical Ailments: His body is constantly dying and being rebuilt by the nanites inside him. Cells rapidly mature and decay/degrade and are rebuilt. It's an agonizing process, and plagues him all the time.
Neurological Ailments: Some tampering done during the manipulations that activated upon his first death - his rage, pain, and anger have been amplified. Though his ideals are no longer twisted, his moral compass has always been slightly off.
Psychological Ailments: Deep guilt and depression. Loneliness and self-loathing are constant reminders of things he's done in the past.
Allergies: --
Current Addictions: Life energy/souls
Past Addictions: Alcohol
Smoking: Occasional, though it doesn't do anything for him.
Drugs: --
Alcohol: Occasional, though it does nothing for him.
Traumatic Experiences: Seeing members of his team killed during missions, being unable to stop the corruption inside Overwatch and Blackwatch from growing, his growing rift with Jack, losing Jack's love [so he thought], having the Swiss HQ blown up and being left to die alone. Reforming and all the pain that came with that and remembering his death, the fear of his lack of solid form at first, the various encounters with Jack while working with Talon. Striking a death blow on Jack, regaining himself, and having to hold the other man as he died. Living on without the man he loved, unable to die. Being ripped into a new realm where everyone was reincarnated, and he was still stuck as himself, and encountering Jack's new self. Being forced to watch as Jack made the same decisions as he had back home, despite Gabe's protests.
SKILLS & ABILITIES
Gabriel is an incredibly skilled tactician and spy. He's excellent at gathering intelligence, and he's a skilled leader as well. He's got years of training and in the field experience as both a regular soldier and a team leader, and years as the head of Overwatch before Jack was given the position officially, and Blackwatch after the Crisis. He's skilled in multiple forms of combat, ranging from hand to hand and knives to various ranged weapons. His preferred are double shotguns that he's trained with for many years.
Aside from this, he's been enhanced by SEP, along with Jack, and this gives him superior agility, strength, and speed, as well as reflexes much faster than normal. He underwent further genetic experiments under Moira, though this went wrong and caused his cells to decay and regenerate at a far accelerated rate. This is extremely painful, but it does give him some of his abilities. The rest were gained upon his first death.
Gabriel's nanites target whoever he's attacking and will steal health from them to heal Gabe. This effect works better when in close quarters, which means he prefers to get in close. His preferred weapons are ones he can summon with his nanites and dismiss just as quickly. They've got quite a wide spread and are extremely effective at close range, but they lose effectiveness the further from his targets he is. Flanking his targets is the best approach and one he takes often.
He can use a wraith-like form where he goes intangible, though you can still see the basic outline of his 'human' shape. This allows him to sweep away out of range easily, avoiding damage. It's also effective for getting into areas to flank someone. He can also go into a full nanite cloud, though it's still basically the wraith form - just fully releasing his human form. This form can slip through the tiniest of cracks and get into areas almost no one else can. He's extremely dangerous because of this, and is able to catch his enemies off guard.
Gabriel has a bit of a teleport he can use as well, which lets him send a small amount of his nanites to a new spot, and then the rest can teleport to where they are. This is another seriously effective way to flank his enemies or get into a spot he couldn't access otherwise.
An attack that takes a great deal of energy, and often leaves him a bit vulnerable if he's not careful, is his death blossom, which he can only do due to the nanites. This lets him swing in a circle and essentially produce multiple guns in every direction.
WEAKNESSES
Gabriel's biggest weakness is his past. His name alone is enough to cause him mental anguish to the point he sometimes loses his form and ghosts. He's mostly overcome this, having had years to come to terms with who he was, but in certain circumstances it still happens. He has an extreme amount of anger and bitterness over what happened to him, and what those inside [and out] did to bring down what he and Jack built.
Jack is his next biggest weakness. He loves the man deeply, though he hated him for a long, long time. He loves him more. Hate is a strong word, and he's not actually sure that's how he feels about him, but part of him wanted to kill the other man for leaving him behind and all the pain he felt leading up to that fateful day. The other part of him knows Jack was only doing what he had to, and doesn't blame him, but the twisting that was done when he died warped that and buried most of what is Gabriel, giving way to Reaper. This broke when he finally was successful in killing Jack, leaving Gabriel to cradle the broken body of the man he loved. He has an incredible amount of guilt over what he's done.
Reaper/Gabriel's body is constantly rebuilding itself due to his rapidly decaying and regenerating cells, which the nanites control. He needs a fairly steady stream of life force, which he can harvest as energy from food, plants, the world around him, and people. He can feed from someone without killing them, but more often than not he follows through to the end. Those who betrayed him find a nasty too wide mouth latched over their face as he forces his smoke down into their lungs and their being. This act does leave him vulnerable as anyone nearby could attack him while he's focused on his meal. The rapid degeneration and rebuilding of his body is extremely painful, bordering on agonizing all the time. Certain things soothe him, and being completely 'topped off' energy wise eases it a great deal, even giving him back his normal form.
His form in general is a weakness - he hates it and himself. He sees himself as a monster and has mostly embraced that when hunting others. His form, when he's well fed looks just as it did before, only with white hair and skin that's a bit too grey and that has vitiligo. Everything else looks fine. But as he loses energy or is injured, his form changes. He starts to waft a lot more smoke, his eyes turn red with black sclera, and his skin gets waxy, paler than it should be and extremely grey. If he goes past this, his form starts to show signs of rot - and the nanites rebuilding things are extremely noticeable. When he's busy this form tends to be the one most see - and he hates it. The next form is when he's badly injured or hasn't fed in a while. His mouth stretches far wider than it should, with too many sharp teeth, and he gains more red eyes than the two he should have. The nanites start to bleed out of his form, revealing the inky blackness of a swirling cloud. Then there's a completely humanoid form that's all inky black clouds, with eyes and teeth that are terrifying.
This can warp if he's upset or angry, or so badly injured he starts to function more on instincts and the nanites' programming alone. The final form, the one that he holds only briefly is essentially a skeleton with glowing red eyes and black smoke swirling around - this is a critical form that he reverts to if he's not fed in far too long. Past this he'll pass out and the nanites will become a giant cloud that tries to reform, or they'll form Gabe's form but it'll 'glitch' and go insubstantial until he gets energy.
ABOUT
Gabriel Reyes was born in Los Angeles, California. He was raised in a multilingual household, and could speak several languages - Spanish, English, and a smattering of words in French. He did well in school, and was a bit of a geek. He enjoyed costumes, games, anime, and metal music but after being teased about all but the last, he began to push others away and give off a bit of an edgelord attitude.
After school he wanted to go to college, but the rising tensions in the US worried him, and he enlisted instead. He was a good soldier and leader, and rose through the ranks fairly quickly. Some off his fellow soldiers were not kind about his hobbies though, and he once again became prickly and standoffish. His skills earned him a position in the SEP program, and it was there, just after enlisting that he met Jack Morrison. The younger man was obnoxious and tried to befriend him repeatedly, exasperating the older, senior ranked man, but eventually the blond wormed his way into Gabe's life and they became fast friends.
Gabe was the one who convinced Jack to undergo enhancements beyond the standard ones, becoming guinea pigs for the military. Though he felt awful through some of it, Jack almost died, and many of the others did die, and that only brought them closer due to Gabe's fear of losing the other man. Though neither realized it they'd crossed from friendship to something more, and everyone else saw it, even if they just saw it as being best bros.
The Omnic Crisis saw Overwatch formed and as they'd impressed the UN, he and Jack were recruited. Gabriel had the commander position throughout the crisis, with Jack keeping everyone balanced and working together. Blackwatch was formed as well, and Gabe began working closely with them. It was during this time that he started doing double agent work, acting as a mercenary known only as Reaper. He did this to keep an eye on the groups they were tracking, giving him an in that others did not have.
At some point during the Crisis he recruited Moira O'Deorain, interested in her genetic research and underwent additional experiments with her, hoping to improve his stealth abilities and grant him faster healing. He'd originally hoped to extend this to all of Blackwatch, as higher stealth and healing would be a god-send for all of them. Unfortunately, the experiments failed, and the beginnings of his recognizable powers started. He was able to hide most of them, with the black smoke only wafting from him when under extreme duress. What he had to do in order to sustain himself was more than uncomfortable - he found it disgusting - but if he didn't then he could pass out and become a danger to those around him. It wasn't something he had to do often - every few months at most - unless he was injured. It also left him with constant pain, though it was low level enough that he could usually ignore it.
Also during this time he and Jack finally had a serious discussion about their relationship - and he realized he'd fallen for the other man. His shocked silence after Jack kissed him almost drove Jack away as he thought he'd messed up, but once it was sorted the two became an item. Soon after he moved into Jack's quarters.
After the crisis ended, he was put in charge of Blackwatch officially, but was passed over for running the entirety of Overwatch. He was also given orders to keep the majority of his missions from Jack. Those orders, and the frustration at Jack's naivety as far as the UN went - the other man didn't see the darkness brewing under the surface, only the good, wedged a seed of resentment in him. He was also frustrated that he'd been passed over for the position, though he was happy for his partner. As he continued to have to do missions and keep Jack in the dark about them, was forced to listen to Jack sing the praises of the UN while he cleaned up their messes, his frustration and bitterness skyrocketed. Part of this was due to finding breaches in Blackwatch that he was concerned about, and Jack's refusal to listen to him on the severity of it.
Though they were still lovers, they began to argue as Gabe struggled to keep his temper in check, and Jack responded in kind. Gabriel found direct links to Talon but couldn't trace them far enough back to nail the leaders in the leaks. As such, he continued to act undercover as Reaper and gather information, but he could never land any solid evidence that would allow him to prove it and bring Jack in on things fully. He wouldn't violate his orders unless he knew with absolute certainty that they were compromised.
This obsessive focus drew Talon's attention and they eventually realized that Reaper and Gabriel were one and the same. About this time Moira's lab was discovered and other things about Blackwatch came out. Jack and Gabe had one of their worst fights, and it ended with Gabe going on a mission still angry. Jack promised to keep everyone off of Gabe's back until he could prove where the leaks had come from.
Grim determination pushed him at that point. He'd go fully undercover. If Jack didn't have his back fully, he'd do it on his own. When it came out that they would be going after Jesse, who was like a little brother to him, someone he'd mentored and cared a great deal for, he sent the young agent away - heartbroken at what the man was having stripped from him, but knowing it was this or a maximum security prison. Jack was frustrated, but didn't stop him from his actions. This would be one of the last times they shared an intimate moment. When he finally dug enough, the depth of the corruption of Talon inside Overwatch was finally uncovered - so many of Blackwatch and Overwatch were double agents for Talon, a fact that distraught Gabriel, who'd seen them all as family - he decided to talk to Jack when he got back from a mission, hoping that maybe he could get the man to listen, even if they had nothing anymore.
As he was looking at things, a name popped up in relation to the mission Jack was on. Realizing what could happen, he sent a frantic communication to Jack in the middle of the night, but the man never responded. The next morning he found out about Ana's death. At her funeral Jack realized how much Gabriel knew and the rift between them widened, with Gabe lashing out and punching the man when he wouldn't back down. Soon after, Jack told him they needed space and Gabe was forced to move out of their shared quarters. This about crushed him. And then the final blow came. While in their Swiss Headquarters, orders came down from Director Petras - Gabriel himself, not just his men, were relieved of duty, his clearance revoked - and he would stand trial. Jack no longer trusted him, and upheld the orders. Gabriel felt the closest to tears that he had in years.
With Jack not budging, and not even looking at him as he once had, Gabe fled to his own quarters. He'd always had Jack, ever since this whole thing started and they built Overwatch into what it was. And now he was helpless to save it as Jack turned his back on the problem and listened to others. He knew that the man was bound by the law, but it didn't hurt any less. He'd almost gotten the undeniable proof of the corruption from within, was almost ready to tell Jack everything, and now he had nothing.
He continued to find names, using back doors and other methods to get things done, though he knew that Jack would likely never forgive him once it came out what he'd continued to do. He had to do it - and maybe, just maybe, they could salvage something. He found a horrifying discovery as he searched - explosives throughout the building they were now in - a fail-safe to make sure nothing classified could fall into enemy hand. But the fail-safe itself had fallen into enemy hands. He knew he had to warn Jack - they'd need to get an evacuation going to save as many as they could. But as he was about to log off, he found himself confronted - not by Jack - but by those who'd infiltrated Overwatch. Simple words on a screen that made him sick to his stomach. 'It's too late.'
He rushed to where he could stop it, but his clearance had been revoked and he couldn't get in. Jack confronted him there, and he tried to explain what he knew in a rush of words. The doubt in Jack's eyes hurt more than he could express, but the other emotions gave him hope. If Jack trusted him, they could get through it. Too late. The explosion caught them both, the door behind Gabriel hurtling them into the far wall. Pain more than anything he'd ever felt exploded along his back and legs, and when his head stopped spinning he tried to get free, only to realize he was pinned, and Jack was under him.
They'd blown clear through the far wall, and Jack was able to scramble out, though Gabriel's lower legs were pinned, and his back was partly pinned as well. Though Jack tried to get him out, they couldn't lift the slab and after a long, painful moment, Jack left him - apologizing on the way out. Moments later, agony exploded behind his eyes, and everything went black as the building collapsed around him.
For how long he drifted in nothingness, he couldn't say. But then awareness came back. And with awareness, a burning rage, and an agonizing amount of pain. His first thing to do upon being able to draw breath was to scream. And scream. And scream.
Then he was too hoarse to do anything but croak, so he laid there silently suffering until his form dissolved into a cloud of nanites. He found he could move again - his form drawing on the memory of his body to rebuild it. The pain lessened, but did not go away, and the anger spiked. This was their fault. They had been too foolish to see the bigger picture or the corruption from inside. He had been blind, and in the end he'd been left alone. Where was Jack when he screamed in agony, called out for the man he loved and needed? Nowhere. He was alone.
And then he noticed his hunger. He was ravenous and there were people nearby. In the past, draining others of their life-force had disgusted him, as it felt wrong. Now it didn't faze him in the least. As he slowly rose and moved toward where they were, he caught a glimpse of himself in a mirror and froze. A monster stared back at him, all swirling shadows, red eyes - multiple ones, and far too many teeth. After realizing what he'd become, the fury became even more. He hated those who'd abandoned him, who'd never listened to him and he hated those who'd ordered him to silence. He hated the blindness and the naivety that so many in Overwatch had shown. But more than anything, he hated those who'd infiltrated what he'd built up, and torn it down - him with it. He abandoned the name of Gabriel, and embraced his other name - Reaper. Calling him Gabe or Gabriel earned violent reactions more often than not.
His reforming had taken some time, and by the time he'd recovered enough to be useful, Talon had approached him with an offer. Work with them, help them get the things they needed and help them accomplish their goals - for real this time, not as a double agent working against them - and they would provide him with the resources he needed to eliminate former the Overwatch members on his list and make them pay. They capitalized on his hatred and fury, the twisting that Moira's experiment had done after his first death, and he let them, so great was his need for revenge.
Finding out that Moira had been working with Talon all along made him furious, as did the discovery that his current state, and the hatred he could barely control some days, were a direct result of a 'fail safe' built into her experiments on him, to ensure he did what they wanted if things went south. But he stuck with them, as using them as they used him got him closer to his goals. He eventually took a seat on their council, though he never intended to stay, once his own goals were achieved. Yes, he would fulfill his half of the agreement, but then he would leave.
Word eventually reached him of a mysterious Soldier 76 who was causing all sorts of trouble, though he never had a run in with the man. How he moved, and what he did told the man all he needed to know. It was Jack - he knew that the man would survive, and he remembered being left behind at the end, alone, dying, and frightened more than he ever had been before. The pain and anger he felt upon thinking of Jack was near paralyzing at first - if not for Jack, he might not be a monster and things might not have gone to hell. His frustration with the man wasn't hatred - he found that he could not hate him, no matter how hard he tried - but he could resent him and feel an extreme rage when he thought of how blind the man had been.
When the two finally did have a run in, he took advantage of Jack rushing in - some things never changed - and shot him in the back. He'd thought to shoot him in the head, but something - he couldn't really decide what, exactly - had held him back. And then he'd been shot and had tussled with Ana, who got a good look at his face. Furious at being unmasked when he'd not replenished his energy in some time and angry that she had once again taken Jack's side, he made a few snide remarks and left.
They had two more encounters within a short time after that - the first one after tangling with each other while Jack attempted to deal with some of Talon's forces and Reaper decided to say hello. They'd both been injured and he'd tracked the other man to the Blackpoint and waited, arriving there before Jack. He'd taunted him, expressed his anger and rage, and then he'd fed on Jack, tasting his very essence by sucking a portion of his life force out with the nanites. Jack's own enhanced body restored him like no other could, a fact that enraged him. Even now, Jack was the one for him.
Again, he held back from killing him outright, unable to give a voice to why. Sombra bothered him about it later, questioning what he'd told everyone else, much to his frustration and anger. For a while he focused on other names on his list and helping Talon out, but then Sombra told him that Jack was there again, and he'd better take his chance to end him now. He did intend to end him that time, pulling Jack into his rippling smoke, digging at his wounds as he bled out. But then something stopped him again and instead he moved him to a safe location and sent Ana the coordinates.
He couldn't say why he did so, and shortly after found himself drawn into a disciplinary meeting which left him even more angry than usual. His thoughts raged as he tried to figure out what to do, and after some extreme pain and confrontation with other members of Talon, a few meetings with Moira to 'help' him heal more efficiently [in all actuality to twist him again, to kill the spark of Gabriel trying to emerge], Reaper was back to himself, all rage and pain and hatred.
He hunted Jack ruthlessly for the next few years, though the two were never alone again, at least not long enough for him to kill Jack how he wanted, once and for all. Finally, finally, the two came to blows alone on the aftermath of a battlefield, where Overwatch - blind, idealistic fools, every one of them in Reaper's opinion - and Talon had clashed. Jack had come to retrieve something - tech, more than likely, and Reaper had been cleaning up, feeding on the souls of both sides.
The attack was brutal, and he was injured badly too, but in the end he won, Jack receiving fatal injuries. He tracked the fallen soldier to a half destroyed building and prepared to steal the man's soul, ripping it from him while he was still alive. But something in him broke when he saw the shattered form crumpled in front of him. Gone was all the rage and hatred he'd felt, and in its place was a broken, lost soul. Gabriel found himself standing at Jack's feet, looking down at the man as he breathed his last.
Horror struck him then, and he tried to save him, begging the man not to leave. Jack had chuckled weakly, commenting how it was ironic that his death was what brought Gabriel back from the darkness. Gabriel didn't find it funny at all. He held the man's broken body, clutching to him until the last bit of light faded from Jack's eyes. Jack's soul hovered above them, and though he wanted to eat it, he was afraid to. It would make it too final, too absolute. But as the soul began to fade, he reached out and drew it to him, reverently holding it for a long time, before swallowing it whole.
He wandered after that, drifting from place to place, refusing to work with Talon and actually destroying many of their bases. Those who knew who he was, who knew who Jack was and that he was gone, revealed it to the others in Overwatch. He was given a wide berth but no longer attacked. Several years passed, and then he stumbled into a thick fog on his way to visit Jack's grave and found himself in this strange other world. It was so, so much like home that it hurt.
It hurt even more when he realized that most people died and were reincarnated here. Not him. He was immortal and had the misfortune of watching those here age and die, and be reborn again. He hated it, and stayed distant as much as he could. But then things began to remind him far too much of home and he silently helped the people struggling against the machines - unwilling to let them die when he could help. It was a strange return to what he'd once been, even if his form was completely different.
Then he met a very familiar soul. He was in denial at first. Sure the name was the same, and those damnable blue eyes and blond hair were familiar - achingly so. But it couldn't be. The man was young when he first encountered him - barely 18 and enlisting after tragedy struck his home. Gabe watched from a distance, reluctant to get close. He was a monster and if it was Jack, he deserved better. If it wasn't? He still deserved better than Gabriel. When a similar program to SEP was started, Gabriel protested, citing experiences from back home. He was ignored, his fears dismissed - 'that was there, this is here and we're being much more careful'.
He doubted it. When Jack joined up, he was horrified. The blond fool was just like his Jack back home, charging in, wearing his heart on his shoulder, and being too damn good for his own good. He remembered all too well how his Jack had almost died. This Jack... he didn't know what happened because he made himself walk away until it was all over. He came out all right on the other side, so he hoped that meant it'd all gone well. As Jack got older and began to help out, leading groups very similar to the ones they'd led back home, he couldn't stay away. He wouldn't officially enlist and join - his distrust of the government still too high - but he shadowed the man, helping out.
Eventually, he conceded and joined Jack's group officially, though he was still concerned and had many reservations. Jack's still quite young, the group even more so, and he's not really sure why he's setting himself up for such pain as he'll never age and die while the man in front of him will, and regardless of being his Jack or not, that thought hurts. He doesn't really know if his affection is returned, doesn't know much about the man at all since he's held himself apart, but he's slowly opening up and learning more about him.
OOC
Alias: Tired Old Soldiers
Age: 34
Timezone: Mountain
Other Characters:
See my plotter/tracker. -
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From the ashes of hate It's a cruel demon's fate. On the wings of darkness he's returned to stay. There will be no escape 'cause he's fallen far from grace. When the shadows remain in the light of day, on the wings of darkness he'll retaliate. He'll be falling from grace till the end of all his days. II As Grim listened to Jack, once the man was settled on the couch, his eyes narrowed. Fucking hell. The man never changed, or learned, it seemed. His eyes widened in shock and horror at hearing how badly off Jack had been and he snarled under his breath when Jack got grouchy with him. \"I'll look at you however I want, you goddamn idiot! What were you thinking, going out in such a state?\"His voice, though changed as Reaper, had a very familiar tone to it as he scolded Jack. \"You could have been killed, and then where would we be? Do you know what that would have done to Chibs and my younger self? Do you know how much he still cares for your dumb ass? He wouldn't put up with your bullshit if he didn't, but you're gonna push him too far one of these days. Just like-\" He cut off suddenly, realizing what he'd almost said. Jack's blue eyes widened in shock at the rant, but he didn't say anything.
Grim ran a hand down his face and pulled the hood down to hide his eyes, his frustration evident. \"Goddamnit, Jackie...\" He sounded tired then, no longer angry, just... exhausted. \"Don't do that to them. Just... don't. I know it's too late with me, but.. don't do it again, don't make them suffer through losing you.\" His eyes were still hidden, which was good because he was having trouble hiding his emotions.
Despite his faulty memories which said he should resent - and even hate Jack - he was finding it harder and harder not to fall back into old habits and how he'd felt before. And if everything they said was true, Jack was the good, if fucking naive, man that he'd thought he was. A damned fool, but a good man. \"Anyway, that's not why I came. I was hoping to talk more at length about back then. How things were. I only talked to you a bit, so I only have glimpses of what you remember to compare to mine. I need to hear it from you, not secondhand from Chibs or my younger self.\"
Tag: Old Soldier, Fall Into Shadows | Grim has decided that Jack is a fucking moron who never learns when it comes to charging in. lory [/dohtml] -
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From the ashes of hate It's a cruel demon's fate. On the wings of darkness he's returned to stay. There will be no escape 'cause he's fallen far from grace. When the shadows remain in the light of day, on the wings of darkness he'll retaliate. He'll be falling from grace till the end of all his days. II Gabe. He called me Gabe. Even after everything he still sees Gabriel Reyes. How? How can he? He'd flinched badly at the name and Jack had immediately realized and apologized. He was grateful - both for not losing control of his form like he sometimes did when called that, and for Jack's immediate correction. The hand on his shoulder had him staring, first at Jack and then at the hand. When the man started to pull away, he moved his own hand up to cover Jack's, but winced when he realized his own was clawed. \"Thank you.\" Thank you for accepting me and reaching out despite everything. His tone and eyes said more than he ever could. He was shit at the whole emotion thing.After a moment, he let go of Jack's hand and managed to open the other one, which had a death grip on the rings. It wasn't his place to tell Jack about them though, if he didn't already know from his younger self. There was a slight flare of jealousy aimed at Gabriel - but he pushed it away. He'd been the one to fuck up and besides that, Jack had already found Gabriel when he'd come through. It wouldn't be fair to expect anything, even if there was a chance Jack could still look at him that way.
Chibs loving him despite everything was a miracle, and he was beyond amazed and thankful that she could see past the monster to the man who was still inside. He shook himself, pulling his attention back to the present and the man in front of him, who was looking at him with those goddamn beautiful blue eyes, full of curiosity and concern just then. Damn it. It was harder and harder to believe his own memories now, especially being around Jack, his younger self, and Chibi.
He managed to nod, and gave a smile. \"I'm gonna hold you to that. You have any beer? It doesn't do shit for me, but habits and all that.\" The other man nodded and moved out into the living room. Grim followed, glancing around again. \"Nice place you two have here.\" He flopped back into the overstuffed armchair, and waited for Jack to come back with the beer, raising his voice so it'd carry to the other man. \"As for how I got in - you two said I could swing by. Nobody even blinked. If you mean in here specifically, it just opened right up for me. Shitty security, Jackie.\"
Tag: Old Soldier | Being called Gabe struck a chord and he's even more desperate for the truth now. lory [/dohtml] -
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From the ashes of hate It's a cruel demon's fate. On the wings of darkness he's returned to stay. There will be no escape 'cause he's fallen far from grace. When the shadows remain in the light of day, on the wings of darkness he'll retaliate. He'll be falling from grace till the end of all his days. II After the incident where he'd been completely overloaded and they'd discovered the truth - his nanites were malfunctioning, and had been tampered with, which had caused the drastic changes after his death. Hearing from his younger self, Chibi, and Jack himself that their memories matched, and even listening to them all speak about the same things had left him feeling lost and alone.He'd pulled away from everyone after that, and when he'd realized Jack wasn't keeping the punks in control anymore - his younger self having put a stop to that - Grim had stepped in and had cleaned up the streets damn good. The punks had been afraid of Jack and things had started to get better, but they knew he was an 'old man' who would eventually be unable to go after them, so they'd mostly been lying in wait.
Grim though, when he let his form slip, was a monster straight from their nightmares. There was no way to trace him back to Gabriel, Jack, or Chibs, and that was just how he wanted it. He'd eaten a few of them, tearing them to shreds and then doing the same to their souls - for the first time since arriving ripping entire souls from people instead of just drawing on their life force. It had soothed the deep ache in his stomach, the gnawing hunger that had been there because he'd refused to feed correctly.
He knew that Jack wouldn't be happy, and that Chibi wouldn't either. He wasn't sure how his younger self, Gabriel, would react - he had to do the same thing rarely, but generally just drawing on life force had been enough. Grim was out as himself right now though, not the monster that the ECR had probably heard about. The ECR agents at the manor gave him a cautious look, but since Jack and Gabe had made it known that he was not to be turned away [or was that just Jack?] they didn't do more than side eye him as he came up.
Looking around the manor, his brows jumped. It was huge, and reminded him a lot of Overwatch's headquarters. That brought an ache to his chest entirely different from the hunger or pain he dealt with constantly. He missed so much about that life, and if what the others said was correct, he'd had it stolen from him the same as Jack. Jack hadn't done it. He was still struggling, and he wanted to be able to sit down and ask the man questions without the other two hovering. He understood why Chibs and Gabe might be cautious to let him near, but he wouldn't do anything. Not now.
Stepping inside, he concentrated, letting his form shift slightly. The Reaper mask and armor drifted away in smoke, leaving an oversized hoodie and fatigues with combat boots, similar to what he'd worn back before everything. His goatee was white, which should have given away that he wasn't the right Gabriel, and yet there were soldiers who kept snapping to attention and saluting him, with greetings of \"Director, sir.\" He returned the salutes and waved them away, exploring the base until he came to the personal quarters wing.
The ones in front of him were large, he could tell, and protected by magick. He doubted he could get in, but moved forward to try anyway. The door opened, and his eyebrows jumped again. That was poor security. He made a note to let Gabriel know. As he stepped inside, he could see hints of his own decorating preferences, and a ton of Jack's. Hmm. He'd not intended to invade their personal quarters, but he was here now, so he might as well look around.
After stepping a few more feet inside and shutting the door, he sensed a living soul in what he assumed was the bedroom. As he moved through the doorway, he took in Jack's form, naked from the waist up and absolutely covered in scars - old and new. A pang of guilt hit him as he noted the ones from his recent attacks. Those weren't what had him worrying though - there was a vicious looking bite that had scarred over, and the man was covered in claw marks that were red and angry. Had the rumors of him almost dying been true?
Then Jack spoke and he realized that the man had no idea it wasn't the younger Gabriel. That hurt, for some reason, though he couldn't really put into words why. His voice was low, cautious, when he responded. \"Wrong Gabriel, I'm afraid. Jackie, what happened to you?\" Oh, there was far too much pain and affection in his voice and he realized he was gripping the chain around his neck that hid tarnished and old, but very important, rings. He shoved them back under his shirt and stayed where he was.
Tag: Old Soldier | He's so conflicted, and misses Jack terribly. lory [/dohtml] -
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From the ashes of hate It's a cruel demon's fate. On the wings of darkness he's returned to stay. There will be no escape 'cause he's fallen far from grace. When the shadows remain in the light of day, on the wings of darkness he'll retaliate. He'll be falling from grace till the end of all his days. II He'd been pleased that she liked his garden, and approved of his eye for it. He'd not responded though, as they'd headed inside and he'd immediately panicked about his projects and what she might say or think about them - and him. It was hard to get rid of decades of defensive behavior that'd been developed to defend himself against bullies and those who didn't understand.She was polite though, helping him gather the material. His cheeks had flushed even despite his best efforts to keep them from doing so, and he hoped it wasn't too obvious. The raised eyebrow had been noted, but then he'd spilled his guts to her, unable to stop even as his mind screamed at him. He'd been shocked but also grateful when she'd helped him to gather up the material, and it'd relaxed him somewhat as he spoke.
The closer piles to him, which she had placed there, were quickly gathered and placed with the others, until all of them were in a careful pile and could be shut in a cupboard underneath one of the end tables. Her touch on his arm also surprised him, but it further grounded him and he realized how much he needed someone right now. He'd always prided himself on being self sufficient, but despite his best efforts to stay that way, he'd come to rely on Jack. Jack had always been there.
Until he wasn't.
And that's where he'd found himself in the weeks before the explosion, and then again here. There at least, he'd known Jack was alive and safe. Here? He had no fucking clue. This woman though - she had been there, helped him with his form, and had provided a steady, calming influence when he was going to pieces, something he didn't do often. Which was probably why it was so bad now that he was actually falling apart. Her understanding hurt though, because it meant she'd suffered something herself.
He was disappointed when she pulled away, but didn't pursue her hand, not sure if it would be appropriate or welcomed. Her narrowed eyes, the head shake, and the sympathy she spoke with eased him further though. Gabriel gave a small, half-hearted shrug. \"I ... thank you. I suppose I deserved it, at least in part, for keeping him in the dark on everything til the very end... and yet-\" He cut himself off, shaking his head. It really didn't do to dwell on such things. It wasn't like he could make it right, and Jack had made it more than clear that he wasn't wanted in any capacity. That... still hurt, if he was being honest with himself.
\"I just wish I had a chance to make it all right. I blame myself for much of what happened.\" He growled, making a frustrated gesture. \"I'm trying to help here, and make a difference, and yet I can't seem to let go of my mistakes there. Maybe this is my punishment for the lies and everything else.\" He closed his eyes, running a hand down his face and sighed.
He needed to get a hold of himself. Clearing his throat, he shook his head and glanced at her again, his red eyes conflicted. \"Sorry. You probably don't want to hear about all my shit.\" He shifted uncomfortably. \"Can I get you anything? I've got tea, coffee, wine, beer, and a variety of snacks.\"
Tag: Shirelin | He's really all over the place, and kind of floundering. lory [/dohtml] -
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From the ashes of hate It's a cruel demon's fate. On the wings of darkness he's returned to stay. There will be no escape 'cause he's fallen far from grace. When the shadows remain in the light of day, on the wings of darkness he'll retaliate. He'll be falling from grace till the end of all his days. II Gabriel hadn't been in the realm too long, but long enough that he'd gotten a feel for this Nevermore town and had a good idea of what had brought about the current state of things and what was and wasn't possible. He'd spent quite a bit of time with Chibi, and he'd met Kanan fucking Jarrus when the man had been well enough to leave the hospital. It'd been one thing to know the man was there, and quite another to see him face to face. He'd stayed hidden in his mask, which had annoyed the Jedi, til he'd explained why he wore it. After that the man hadn't pushed him to remove it.They'd gotten along quite well, actually, though he was well aware that Kanan didn't approve of his mercenary work. But as Gabriel saw it, they needed it. Even with Chibi's good job and Kanan helping out with a job on the right side of the law, the lack of things sometimes still meant they didn't have enough at home. While he didn't technically need to eat, it helped to ease the gnawing hunger for souls and life-force that he dealt with otherwise. It let him go longer before he had to take a life.
Not that he particularly minded it anymore - he found some of it disgusting, true, but he'd long since resigned himself to feeding off of others. Besides that, there were plenty who deserved death in this place. It was easy to find one of them and isolate them from everyone else so he could eat them. He'd then take their money, supplies, and whatever else they had and use it for his little family.
He also took on jobs that were essentially robbery and burglary. He preferred the latter, as it meant there weren't bystanders getting hurt. While he wouldn't hesitate to do what he needed if others were around, he did prefer to minimize it. But if it wasn't possible, he'd just try to keep the collateral damage as low as possible. Sometimes. Maybe. Generally only when he knew others who'd disapprove were watching or would be aware, actually, if he was being honest.
The robberies were harder. A few of the groups had private stores where they hid and stockpiled food and other supplies that the whole town could use. It was brilliant, but Gabriel wanted those for himself and his family. The leftovers would go to the others int he town who needed them, but not until he'd taken what he wanted first.
He didn't normally go out at night though. There were monsters - worse monsters than him, at any rate - that prowled the streets. No one came out at night, unless they were suicidal. Maybe he was. He couldn't really say. There was a deep ache and a confusion in him, and it had only gotten worse as he'd found himself pried out of his shell again. It was just like back home, only this time it was Chibi prying him out, with Kanan patiently helping.
Shaking his head, he dragged his focus back to the present. It wouldn't do to get distracted. Doing that here, late at night, and outside, was a death sentence. Not that he could die. It'd just fucking hurt and then he'd be back, ravenous, and without supplies. A deep growl from further in town told him something was already there and he'd not want to go through the square.
That annoyed him because the warehouse he was hitting was a straight shot across from him, and the fastest way was through the square. There was a chance he could wraith past, but some of these things interacted with their surroundings different and it'd be just his luck that this was one that could yank him out of wraith-form and do serious damage.
No, he'd go the long way around, whether he liked it or not. Stretching, he grimaced and then slid into the deepest of the shadows, easing around the side of the building. The first indication he had that something was wrong was a slight resistance against his feet. In the next moment he found himself bound by inky darkness - the shadows were alive and there was a gaping maw at the center of them.
\"OH FUCK ME!\" That was probably louder than necessary and he was sure the occupants of the house - if this one was even occupied - had woken out of a dead sleep at his exclamation. Concentrating, he let himself melt into a smoky cloud, whirled away from the thing, and then reformed. With his guns out.
The thing was a pool of shadows that stretched out, and there seemed to be eyes and mouths everywhere on it. It reminded him a bit of his own form, when he lost control or went too long, but he pushed the thought away. That way led to bad things and he needed to be able to focus. He brought one Hellfire up and shot at it as the thing inched toward him.
Tag: Open | The beastie is strong, so you'll want someone who can hold their own unless you want a furious and likely hungry Reaper around. Can't promise your character will be in good shape after. lory [/dohtml]
Topics I Participated In
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Reyes, Gabriel [reaper]
Started by Reaper ·
The Basics
Full Name: Gabriel Reyes
Nicknames/Aliases: Gabe, Reaper
Age: Eighty-Nine [Appears in his fifties]
DoB: October 30, ????
Gender: Male
Pronouns: He/Him
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Profession: Mercenary, to start
Languages: English, Spanish, smattering of words in French, tiiiiiny bit of Russian
Canon/Original? Canon
Fandom: Overwatch
Canon Point: Well after known canon. 30+ years later.
Playby: Art by Rani, screencaps, etc.
Appearance
Height: 6'1"
Build: Muscular
Hair color: White
Eye Color: Honey brown or red
Tattoos: --
Piercings: --
Scars: Absolutely covered in them. Slashes, burn marks, deep gashes - all over, from various missions and then his first death.
Voice: Deep and gravelly. Metallic rasp.
Demeanor: Aggressive, assertive, hostile, and impatient. A bit arrogant too.
Health
Physical Ailments: His body is constantly dying and being rebuilt by the nanites inside him. Cells rapidly mature and decay/degrade and are rebuilt. It's an agonizing process, and plagues him all the time.
Neurological Ailments: Some tampering done during the manipulations that activated upon his first death - his rage, pain, and anger have been amplified. Though his ideals are no longer twisted, his moral compass has always been slightly off.
Psychological Ailments: Deep guilt and depression. Loneliness and self-loathing are constant reminders of things he's done in the past.
Allergies: --
Current Addictions: Life energy/souls
Past Addictions: Alcohol
Smoking: Occasional, though it doesn't do anything for him.
Drugs: --
Alcohol: Occasional, though it does nothing for him.
Traumatic Experiences: Seeing members of his team killed during missions, being unable to stop the corruption inside Overwatch and Blackwatch from growing, his growing rift with Jack, losing Jack's love [so he thought], having the Swiss HQ blown up and being left to die alone. Reforming and all the pain that came with that and remembering his death, the fear of his lack of solid form at first, the various encounters with Jack while working with Talon. Striking a death blow on Jack, regaining himself, and having to hold the other man as he died. Living on without the man he loved, unable to die. Being ripped into a new realm where everyone was reincarnated, and he was still stuck as himself, and encountering Jack's new self. Being forced to watch as Jack made the same decisions as he had back home, despite Gabe's protests.
SKILLS & ABILITIES
Gabriel is an incredibly skilled tactician and spy. He's excellent at gathering intelligence, and he's a skilled leader as well. He's got years of training and in the field experience as both a regular soldier and a team leader, and years as the head of Overwatch before Jack was given the position officially, and Blackwatch after the Crisis. He's skilled in multiple forms of combat, ranging from hand to hand and knives to various ranged weapons. His preferred are double shotguns that he's trained with for many years.
Aside from this, he's been enhanced by SEP, along with Jack, and this gives him superior agility, strength, and speed, as well as reflexes much faster than normal. He underwent further genetic experiments under Moira, though this went wrong and caused his cells to decay and regenerate at a far accelerated rate. This is extremely painful, but it does give him some of his abilities. The rest were gained upon his first death.
Gabriel's nanites target whoever he's attacking and will steal health from them to heal Gabe. This effect works better when in close quarters, which means he prefers to get in close. His preferred weapons are ones he can summon with his nanites and dismiss just as quickly. They've got quite a wide spread and are extremely effective at close range, but they lose effectiveness the further from his targets he is. Flanking his targets is the best approach and one he takes often.
He can use a wraith-like form where he goes intangible, though you can still see the basic outline of his 'human' shape. This allows him to sweep away out of range easily, avoiding damage. It's also effective for getting into areas to flank someone. He can also go into a full nanite cloud, though it's still basically the wraith form - just fully releasing his human form. This form can slip through the tiniest of cracks and get into areas almost no one else can. He's extremely dangerous because of this, and is able to catch his enemies off guard.
Gabriel has a bit of a teleport he can use as well, which lets him send a small amount of his nanites to a new spot, and then the rest can teleport to where they are. This is another seriously effective way to flank his enemies or get into a spot he couldn't access otherwise.
An attack that takes a great deal of energy, and often leaves him a bit vulnerable if he's not careful, is his death blossom, which he can only do due to the nanites. This lets him swing in a circle and essentially produce multiple guns in every direction.
WEAKNESSES
Gabriel's biggest weakness is his past. His name alone is enough to cause him mental anguish to the point he sometimes loses his form and ghosts. He's mostly overcome this, having had years to come to terms with who he was, but in certain circumstances it still happens. He has an extreme amount of anger and bitterness over what happened to him, and what those inside [and out] did to bring down what he and Jack built.
Jack is his next biggest weakness. He loves the man deeply, though he hated him for a long, long time. He loves him more. Hate is a strong word, and he's not actually sure that's how he feels about him, but part of him wanted to kill the other man for leaving him behind and all the pain he felt leading up to that fateful day. The other part of him knows Jack was only doing what he had to, and doesn't blame him, but the twisting that was done when he died warped that and buried most of what is Gabriel, giving way to Reaper. This broke when he finally was successful in killing Jack, leaving Gabriel to cradle the broken body of the man he loved. He has an incredible amount of guilt over what he's done.
Reaper/Gabriel's body is constantly rebuilding itself due to his rapidly decaying and regenerating cells, which the nanites control. He needs a fairly steady stream of life force, which he can harvest as energy from food, plants, the world around him, and people. He can feed from someone without killing them, but more often than not he follows through to the end. Those who betrayed him find a nasty too wide mouth latched over their face as he forces his smoke down into their lungs and their being. This act does leave him vulnerable as anyone nearby could attack him while he's focused on his meal. The rapid degeneration and rebuilding of his body is extremely painful, bordering on agonizing all the time. Certain things soothe him, and being completely 'topped off' energy wise eases it a great deal, even giving him back his normal form.
His form in general is a weakness - he hates it and himself. He sees himself as a monster and has mostly embraced that when hunting others. His form, when he's well fed looks just as it did before, only with white hair and skin that's a bit too grey and that has vitiligo. Everything else looks fine. But as he loses energy or is injured, his form changes. He starts to waft a lot more smoke, his eyes turn red with black sclera, and his skin gets waxy, paler than it should be and extremely grey. If he goes past this, his form starts to show signs of rot - and the nanites rebuilding things are extremely noticeable. When he's busy this form tends to be the one most see - and he hates it. The next form is when he's badly injured or hasn't fed in a while. His mouth stretches far wider than it should, with too many sharp teeth, and he gains more red eyes than the two he should have. The nanites start to bleed out of his form, revealing the inky blackness of a swirling cloud. Then there's a completely humanoid form that's all inky black clouds, with eyes and teeth that are terrifying.
This can warp if he's upset or angry, or so badly injured he starts to function more on instincts and the nanites' programming alone. The final form, the one that he holds only briefly is essentially a skeleton with glowing red eyes and black smoke swirling around - this is a critical form that he reverts to if he's not fed in far too long. Past this he'll pass out and the nanites will become a giant cloud that tries to reform, or they'll form Gabe's form but it'll 'glitch' and go insubstantial until he gets energy.
ABOUT
Gabriel Reyes was born in Los Angeles, California. He was raised in a multilingual household, and could speak several languages - Spanish, English, and a smattering of words in French. He did well in school, and was a bit of a geek. He enjoyed costumes, games, anime, and metal music but after being teased about all but the last, he began to push others away and give off a bit of an edgelord attitude.
After school he wanted to go to college, but the rising tensions in the US worried him, and he enlisted instead. He was a good soldier and leader, and rose through the ranks fairly quickly. Some off his fellow soldiers were not kind about his hobbies though, and he once again became prickly and standoffish. His skills earned him a position in the SEP program, and it was there, just after enlisting that he met Jack Morrison. The younger man was obnoxious and tried to befriend him repeatedly, exasperating the older, senior ranked man, but eventually the blond wormed his way into Gabe's life and they became fast friends.
Gabe was the one who convinced Jack to undergo enhancements beyond the standard ones, becoming guinea pigs for the military. Though he felt awful through some of it, Jack almost died, and many of the others did die, and that only brought them closer due to Gabe's fear of losing the other man. Though neither realized it they'd crossed from friendship to something more, and everyone else saw it, even if they just saw it as being best bros.
The Omnic Crisis saw Overwatch formed and as they'd impressed the UN, he and Jack were recruited. Gabriel had the commander position throughout the crisis, with Jack keeping everyone balanced and working together. Blackwatch was formed as well, and Gabe began working closely with them. It was during this time that he started doing double agent work, acting as a mercenary known only as Reaper. He did this to keep an eye on the groups they were tracking, giving him an in that others did not have.
At some point during the Crisis he recruited Moira O'Deorain, interested in her genetic research and underwent additional experiments with her, hoping to improve his stealth abilities and grant him faster healing. He'd originally hoped to extend this to all of Blackwatch, as higher stealth and healing would be a god-send for all of them. Unfortunately, the experiments failed, and the beginnings of his recognizable powers started. He was able to hide most of them, with the black smoke only wafting from him when under extreme duress. What he had to do in order to sustain himself was more than uncomfortable - he found it disgusting - but if he didn't then he could pass out and become a danger to those around him. It wasn't something he had to do often - every few months at most - unless he was injured. It also left him with constant pain, though it was low level enough that he could usually ignore it.
Also during this time he and Jack finally had a serious discussion about their relationship - and he realized he'd fallen for the other man. His shocked silence after Jack kissed him almost drove Jack away as he thought he'd messed up, but once it was sorted the two became an item. Soon after he moved into Jack's quarters.
After the crisis ended, he was put in charge of Blackwatch officially, but was passed over for running the entirety of Overwatch. He was also given orders to keep the majority of his missions from Jack. Those orders, and the frustration at Jack's naivety as far as the UN went - the other man didn't see the darkness brewing under the surface, only the good, wedged a seed of resentment in him. He was also frustrated that he'd been passed over for the position, though he was happy for his partner. As he continued to have to do missions and keep Jack in the dark about them, was forced to listen to Jack sing the praises of the UN while he cleaned up their messes, his frustration and bitterness skyrocketed. Part of this was due to finding breaches in Blackwatch that he was concerned about, and Jack's refusal to listen to him on the severity of it.
Though they were still lovers, they began to argue as Gabe struggled to keep his temper in check, and Jack responded in kind. Gabriel found direct links to Talon but couldn't trace them far enough back to nail the leaders in the leaks. As such, he continued to act undercover as Reaper and gather information, but he could never land any solid evidence that would allow him to prove it and bring Jack in on things fully. He wouldn't violate his orders unless he knew with absolute certainty that they were compromised.
This obsessive focus drew Talon's attention and they eventually realized that Reaper and Gabriel were one and the same. About this time Moira's lab was discovered and other things about Blackwatch came out. Jack and Gabe had one of their worst fights, and it ended with Gabe going on a mission still angry. Jack promised to keep everyone off of Gabe's back until he could prove where the leaks had come from.
Grim determination pushed him at that point. He'd go fully undercover. If Jack didn't have his back fully, he'd do it on his own. When it came out that they would be going after Jesse, who was like a little brother to him, someone he'd mentored and cared a great deal for, he sent the young agent away - heartbroken at what the man was having stripped from him, but knowing it was this or a maximum security prison. Jack was frustrated, but didn't stop him from his actions. This would be one of the last times they shared an intimate moment. When he finally dug enough, the depth of the corruption of Talon inside Overwatch was finally uncovered - so many of Blackwatch and Overwatch were double agents for Talon, a fact that distraught Gabriel, who'd seen them all as family - he decided to talk to Jack when he got back from a mission, hoping that maybe he could get the man to listen, even if they had nothing anymore.
As he was looking at things, a name popped up in relation to the mission Jack was on. Realizing what could happen, he sent a frantic communication to Jack in the middle of the night, but the man never responded. The next morning he found out about Ana's death. At her funeral Jack realized how much Gabriel knew and the rift between them widened, with Gabe lashing out and punching the man when he wouldn't back down. Soon after, Jack told him they needed space and Gabe was forced to move out of their shared quarters. This about crushed him. And then the final blow came. While in their Swiss Headquarters, orders came down from Director Petras - Gabriel himself, not just his men, were relieved of duty, his clearance revoked - and he would stand trial. Jack no longer trusted him, and upheld the orders. Gabriel felt the closest to tears that he had in years.
With Jack not budging, and not even looking at him as he once had, Gabe fled to his own quarters. He'd always had Jack, ever since this whole thing started and they built Overwatch into what it was. And now he was helpless to save it as Jack turned his back on the problem and listened to others. He knew that the man was bound by the law, but it didn't hurt any less. He'd almost gotten the undeniable proof of the corruption from within, was almost ready to tell Jack everything, and now he had nothing.
He continued to find names, using back doors and other methods to get things done, though he knew that Jack would likely never forgive him once it came out what he'd continued to do. He had to do it - and maybe, just maybe, they could salvage something. He found a horrifying discovery as he searched - explosives throughout the building they were now in - a fail-safe to make sure nothing classified could fall into enemy hand. But the fail-safe itself had fallen into enemy hands. He knew he had to warn Jack - they'd need to get an evacuation going to save as many as they could. But as he was about to log off, he found himself confronted - not by Jack - but by those who'd infiltrated Overwatch. Simple words on a screen that made him sick to his stomach. 'It's too late.'
He rushed to where he could stop it, but his clearance had been revoked and he couldn't get in. Jack confronted him there, and he tried to explain what he knew in a rush of words. The doubt in Jack's eyes hurt more than he could express, but the other emotions gave him hope. If Jack trusted him, they could get through it. Too late. The explosion caught them both, the door behind Gabriel hurtling them into the far wall. Pain more than anything he'd ever felt exploded along his back and legs, and when his head stopped spinning he tried to get free, only to realize he was pinned, and Jack was under him.
They'd blown clear through the far wall, and Jack was able to scramble out, though Gabriel's lower legs were pinned, and his back was partly pinned as well. Though Jack tried to get him out, they couldn't lift the slab and after a long, painful moment, Jack left him - apologizing on the way out. Moments later, agony exploded behind his eyes, and everything went black as the building collapsed around him.
For how long he drifted in nothingness, he couldn't say. But then awareness came back. And with awareness, a burning rage, and an agonizing amount of pain. His first thing to do upon being able to draw breath was to scream. And scream. And scream.
Then he was too hoarse to do anything but croak, so he laid there silently suffering until his form dissolved into a cloud of nanites. He found he could move again - his form drawing on the memory of his body to rebuild it. The pain lessened, but did not go away, and the anger spiked. This was their fault. They had been too foolish to see the bigger picture or the corruption from inside. He had been blind, and in the end he'd been left alone. Where was Jack when he screamed in agony, called out for the man he loved and needed? Nowhere. He was alone.
And then he noticed his hunger. He was ravenous and there were people nearby. In the past, draining others of their life-force had disgusted him, as it felt wrong. Now it didn't faze him in the least. As he slowly rose and moved toward where they were, he caught a glimpse of himself in a mirror and froze. A monster stared back at him, all swirling shadows, red eyes - multiple ones, and far too many teeth. After realizing what he'd become, the fury became even more. He hated those who'd abandoned him, who'd never listened to him and he hated those who'd ordered him to silence. He hated the blindness and the naivety that so many in Overwatch had shown. But more than anything, he hated those who'd infiltrated what he'd built up, and torn it down - him with it. He abandoned the name of Gabriel, and embraced his other name - Reaper. Calling him Gabe or Gabriel earned violent reactions more often than not.
His reforming had taken some time, and by the time he'd recovered enough to be useful, Talon had approached him with an offer. Work with them, help them get the things they needed and help them accomplish their goals - for real this time, not as a double agent working against them - and they would provide him with the resources he needed to eliminate former the Overwatch members on his list and make them pay. They capitalized on his hatred and fury, the twisting that Moira's experiment had done after his first death, and he let them, so great was his need for revenge.
Finding out that Moira had been working with Talon all along made him furious, as did the discovery that his current state, and the hatred he could barely control some days, were a direct result of a 'fail safe' built into her experiments on him, to ensure he did what they wanted if things went south. But he stuck with them, as using them as they used him got him closer to his goals. He eventually took a seat on their council, though he never intended to stay, once his own goals were achieved. Yes, he would fulfill his half of the agreement, but then he would leave.
Word eventually reached him of a mysterious Soldier 76 who was causing all sorts of trouble, though he never had a run in with the man. How he moved, and what he did told the man all he needed to know. It was Jack - he knew that the man would survive, and he remembered being left behind at the end, alone, dying, and frightened more than he ever had been before. The pain and anger he felt upon thinking of Jack was near paralyzing at first - if not for Jack, he might not be a monster and things might not have gone to hell. His frustration with the man wasn't hatred - he found that he could not hate him, no matter how hard he tried - but he could resent him and feel an extreme rage when he thought of how blind the man had been.
When the two finally did have a run in, he took advantage of Jack rushing in - some things never changed - and shot him in the back. He'd thought to shoot him in the head, but something - he couldn't really decide what, exactly - had held him back. And then he'd been shot and had tussled with Ana, who got a good look at his face. Furious at being unmasked when he'd not replenished his energy in some time and angry that she had once again taken Jack's side, he made a few snide remarks and left.
They had two more encounters within a short time after that - the first one after tangling with each other while Jack attempted to deal with some of Talon's forces and Reaper decided to say hello. They'd both been injured and he'd tracked the other man to the Blackpoint and waited, arriving there before Jack. He'd taunted him, expressed his anger and rage, and then he'd fed on Jack, tasting his very essence by sucking a portion of his life force out with the nanites. Jack's own enhanced body restored him like no other could, a fact that enraged him. Even now, Jack was the one for him.
Again, he held back from killing him outright, unable to give a voice to why. Sombra bothered him about it later, questioning what he'd told everyone else, much to his frustration and anger. For a while he focused on other names on his list and helping Talon out, but then Sombra told him that Jack was there again, and he'd better take his chance to end him now. He did intend to end him that time, pulling Jack into his rippling smoke, digging at his wounds as he bled out. But then something stopped him again and instead he moved him to a safe location and sent Ana the coordinates.
He couldn't say why he did so, and shortly after found himself drawn into a disciplinary meeting which left him even more angry than usual. His thoughts raged as he tried to figure out what to do, and after some extreme pain and confrontation with other members of Talon, a few meetings with Moira to 'help' him heal more efficiently [in all actuality to twist him again, to kill the spark of Gabriel trying to emerge], Reaper was back to himself, all rage and pain and hatred.
He hunted Jack ruthlessly for the next few years, though the two were never alone again, at least not long enough for him to kill Jack how he wanted, once and for all. Finally, finally, the two came to blows alone on the aftermath of a battlefield, where Overwatch - blind, idealistic fools, every one of them in Reaper's opinion - and Talon had clashed. Jack had come to retrieve something - tech, more than likely, and Reaper had been cleaning up, feeding on the souls of both sides.
The attack was brutal, and he was injured badly too, but in the end he won, Jack receiving fatal injuries. He tracked the fallen soldier to a half destroyed building and prepared to steal the man's soul, ripping it from him while he was still alive. But something in him broke when he saw the shattered form crumpled in front of him. Gone was all the rage and hatred he'd felt, and in its place was a broken, lost soul. Gabriel found himself standing at Jack's feet, looking down at the man as he breathed his last.
Horror struck him then, and he tried to save him, begging the man not to leave. Jack had chuckled weakly, commenting how it was ironic that his death was what brought Gabriel back from the darkness. Gabriel didn't find it funny at all. He held the man's broken body, clutching to him until the last bit of light faded from Jack's eyes. Jack's soul hovered above them, and though he wanted to eat it, he was afraid to. It would make it too final, too absolute. But as the soul began to fade, he reached out and drew it to him, reverently holding it for a long time, before swallowing it whole.
He wandered after that, drifting from place to place, refusing to work with Talon and actually destroying many of their bases. Those who knew who he was, who knew who Jack was and that he was gone, revealed it to the others in Overwatch. He was given a wide berth but no longer attacked. Several years passed, and then he stumbled into a thick fog on his way to visit Jack's grave and found himself in this strange other world. It was so, so much like home that it hurt.
It hurt even more when he realized that most people died and were reincarnated here. Not him. He was immortal and had the misfortune of watching those here age and die, and be reborn again. He hated it, and stayed distant as much as he could. But then things began to remind him far too much of home and he silently helped the people struggling against the machines - unwilling to let them die when he could help. It was a strange return to what he'd once been, even if his form was completely different.
Then he met a very familiar soul. He was in denial at first. Sure the name was the same, and those damnable blue eyes and blond hair were familiar - achingly so. But it couldn't be. The man was young when he first encountered him - barely 18 and enlisting after tragedy struck his home. Gabe watched from a distance, reluctant to get close. He was a monster and if it was Jack, he deserved better. If it wasn't? He still deserved better than Gabriel. When a similar program to SEP was started, Gabriel protested, citing experiences from back home. He was ignored, his fears dismissed - 'that was there, this is here and we're being much more careful'.
He doubted it. When Jack joined up, he was horrified. The blond fool was just like his Jack back home, charging in, wearing his heart on his shoulder, and being too damn good for his own good. He remembered all too well how his Jack had almost died. This Jack... he didn't know what happened because he made himself walk away until it was all over. He came out all right on the other side, so he hoped that meant it'd all gone well. As Jack got older and began to help out, leading groups very similar to the ones they'd led back home, he couldn't stay away. He wouldn't officially enlist and join - his distrust of the government still too high - but he shadowed the man, helping out.
Eventually, he conceded and joined Jack's group officially, though he was still concerned and had many reservations. Jack's still quite young, the group even more so, and he's not really sure why he's setting himself up for such pain as he'll never age and die while the man in front of him will, and regardless of being his Jack or not, that thought hurts. He doesn't really know if his affection is returned, doesn't know much about the man at all since he's held himself apart, but he's slowly opening up and learning more about him.
OOC
Alias: Tired Old Soldiers
Age: 34
Timezone: Mountain
Other Characters:
See my plotter/tracker. -
The Truth Is Rarely Pure And Never Simple
Started by Jack Morrison ·
[dohtml] http://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Ruthie|Roboto' rel='stylesheet' type='text/css'>
So many stifled thoughts and long forgotten dreams Scream hallelujah, I can almost taste reprieve Overall, Jack had been doing better. He'd started to communicate with both Gabe and Chibi a lot more effectively, which he knew helped them both. Liz he'd never had as many issues expressing himself with, but Gabe - he was still unlearning nearly two decades of bad behaviors that had become ingrained. He was trying, he really was, he was just afraid it might be too little, too late.That thought had haunted him, kept him awake at night long after he should have been asleep, and had pushed him to pacing their quarters at all hours. He knew it probably irritated Gabriel, but the man was already stretched too thin with the sha and undead crisis. It didn't help that the other wounds he'd received that night fighting the chimera hadn't healed well. The bite from the man who'd taken advantage of his weakened state - the bastard that had given it to him had changed his life forever. He'd almost lost control on the 31st and what could have happened haunted him.
He'd not turned undead - so he wasn't at risk of becoming a mindless ghoul like so many, but the thing had been undead and he was afraid that he'd been left with an illness that would never fully go away despite what the bite had done. The old soldier had hidden the tiredness and stiffness as best he could, but the angry red around the slashes couldn't be hidden. The bite - that'd scarred but no longer looked infected. And it was no wonder why. He wasn't sure what Gabe thought - they'd not really talked about it, and he'd been careful to keep turtlenecks and other shirts with higher collars on most of the time, unless it was dark and they were in the bedroom.
Then there was the news that he was a father. That had shocked him - he was old and he'd been sure all the wars and other things had seen to it that he was anything but fertile. But it seemed fate had other ideas. It seemed rather cruel though, that he had so much given, and so much taken away all within a short span of time. It hurt and he wasn't handling it well. Wounds aside, there was the emotional turmoil of it all and he'd started floundering, despite his best efforts.
Today though, the wounds hurt more than normal, and he'd stripped out of his cloths, save for a pair of sweatpants and socks. He was flopped out on the bed, all but sprawled there, when he felt the hair on the back of his neck raise. It was a reaction he got when Gabe used his shadow step ability nearby and he sighed, not raising his head from where he lay, his voice muffled when he spoke.
\"Thought you would be busy for the rest of the day, Gabriel. You don't have to come check on me. I'm fine, promise. Just tired.\"
Tag: Death Stalks the Shadows Jack's startled when Reaper manages to get inside his & Gabe's personal quarters. Thanks Vii❣ [/dohtml] -
Planet Hell
Started by Reaper ·
[dohtml]
From the ashes of hate It's a cruel demon's fate. On the wings of darkness he's returned to stay. There will be no escape 'cause he's fallen far from grace. When the shadows remain in the light of day, on the wings of darkness he'll retaliate. He'll be falling from grace till the end of all his days. II Gabriel hadn't been in the realm too long, but long enough that he'd gotten a feel for this Nevermore town and had a good idea of what had brought about the current state of things and what was and wasn't possible. He'd spent quite a bit of time with Chibi, and he'd met Kanan fucking Jarrus when the man had been well enough to leave the hospital. It'd been one thing to know the man was there, and quite another to see him face to face. He'd stayed hidden in his mask, which had annoyed the Jedi, til he'd explained why he wore it. After that the man hadn't pushed him to remove it.They'd gotten along quite well, actually, though he was well aware that Kanan didn't approve of his mercenary work. But as Gabriel saw it, they needed it. Even with Chibi's good job and Kanan helping out with a job on the right side of the law, the lack of things sometimes still meant they didn't have enough at home. While he didn't technically need to eat, it helped to ease the gnawing hunger for souls and life-force that he dealt with otherwise. It let him go longer before he had to take a life.
Not that he particularly minded it anymore - he found some of it disgusting, true, but he'd long since resigned himself to feeding off of others. Besides that, there were plenty who deserved death in this place. It was easy to find one of them and isolate them from everyone else so he could eat them. He'd then take their money, supplies, and whatever else they had and use it for his little family.
He also took on jobs that were essentially robbery and burglary. He preferred the latter, as it meant there weren't bystanders getting hurt. While he wouldn't hesitate to do what he needed if others were around, he did prefer to minimize it. But if it wasn't possible, he'd just try to keep the collateral damage as low as possible. Sometimes. Maybe. Generally only when he knew others who'd disapprove were watching or would be aware, actually, if he was being honest.
The robberies were harder. A few of the groups had private stores where they hid and stockpiled food and other supplies that the whole town could use. It was brilliant, but Gabriel wanted those for himself and his family. The leftovers would go to the others int he town who needed them, but not until he'd taken what he wanted first.
He didn't normally go out at night though. There were monsters - worse monsters than him, at any rate - that prowled the streets. No one came out at night, unless they were suicidal. Maybe he was. He couldn't really say. There was a deep ache and a confusion in him, and it had only gotten worse as he'd found himself pried out of his shell again. It was just like back home, only this time it was Chibi prying him out, with Kanan patiently helping.
Shaking his head, he dragged his focus back to the present. It wouldn't do to get distracted. Doing that here, late at night, and outside, was a death sentence. Not that he could die. It'd just fucking hurt and then he'd be back, ravenous, and without supplies. A deep growl from further in town told him something was already there and he'd not want to go through the square.
That annoyed him because the warehouse he was hitting was a straight shot across from him, and the fastest way was through the square. There was a chance he could wraith past, but some of these things interacted with their surroundings different and it'd be just his luck that this was one that could yank him out of wraith-form and do serious damage.
No, he'd go the long way around, whether he liked it or not. Stretching, he grimaced and then slid into the deepest of the shadows, easing around the side of the building. The first indication he had that something was wrong was a slight resistance against his feet. In the next moment he found himself bound by inky darkness - the shadows were alive and there was a gaping maw at the center of them.
\"OH FUCK ME!\" That was probably louder than necessary and he was sure the occupants of the house - if this one was even occupied - had woken out of a dead sleep at his exclamation. Concentrating, he let himself melt into a smoky cloud, whirled away from the thing, and then reformed. With his guns out.
The thing was a pool of shadows that stretched out, and there seemed to be eyes and mouths everywhere on it. It reminded him a bit of his own form, when he lost control or went too long, but he pushed the thought away. That way led to bad things and he needed to be able to focus. He brought one Hellfire up and shot at it as the thing inched toward him.
Tag: Open | The beastie is strong, so you'll want someone who can hold their own unless you want a furious and likely hungry Reaper around. Can't promise your character will be in good shape after. lory [/dohtml] -
Coming Apart
Started by Reaper ·
[dohtml]
From the ashes of hate It's a cruel demon's fate. On the wings of darkness he's returned to stay. There will be no escape 'cause he's fallen far from grace. When the shadows remain in the light of day, on the wings of darkness he'll retaliate. He'll be falling from grace till the end of all his days. II He'd been there for three weeks. Three long weeks that had been one new agony after another. The first entire week he'd spent as a nanite cloud buzzing around the city, confused, frightened, and unable to focus enough to remember his human form. When he'd finally been able to gather himself to that point, the face staring back at him in the mirror had been wrong. There was vitiligo now, which he'd never had before. His hair was salt and pepper like before, but more salt than pepper now. His eyes - his eyes frightened him. Black sclera with red iris wasn't right, but it was what he was stuck with now. And then there were the fangs. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get the double fangs on the top or bottom jaw to go away.Gabriel had taken on the Reaper mask permanently after that. While he still used the name Gabriel Reyes, he was far more Reaper now than the man he'd been before the explosion. He was an abomination who shouldn't exist - he should be dead. Well, he probably had died, when he thought about it too long. He couldn't remember much from those last moments. Just that he and Jack had argued, he'd been trapped and something had passed between them, and a sudden agonizing pain and a feeling of devastating loneliness before it all went black. He wasn't even sure if Jack had gotten out - he hoped so, but he couldn't remember.
Everybody he'd talked to thus far who'd found their way here without dying had encountered a mirror of some sort and been sucked into it. He had no such encounter, and the others who'd died voiced similar memories of their last moments before waking in this realm. It... hurt, really, to think about. He'd died back home. Why couldn't he have stayed dead? It was better than the eldritch horror he was now. The buzzing of the nanites told him his agitation was making his unstable form worse. If he wasn't careful, he'd drop it entirely and end up a goddamn cloud of the things again. He didn't want to deal with that.
Stumbling along, trying to get his thoughts in order, black smoke drifted off his entire body as he lurched forward. As his concentration went, the smoke increased and he suddenly found himself without a mask to hide the horror that became his face when he couldn't focus or hadn't fed. It was a bit of both just then, and he hissed out a curse as best he could past lips that kept trying to reform and dissolve again just as quickly. A glance in the window of the shop showed him a faint reflection. His face looked more skull-like than alive just then, the glowing red of his eyes fading as his energy waned.
Oh, he hurt. He was so damn tired, so sick of this. He wanted his old self back, the one who could wraith and travel in an insubstantial form, but who could retake his fully human - albeit painful - form. Not this. This was wrong. This was terrifying, even to him. And then he caught sight of the small group further ahead. They'd noticed him and were shrinking away, their faces frozen into expressions of horror. It made Gabe shrink in on himself a bit, and even more smoke drifted from him now.
He turned away, staggering back the way he'd come. To hell with this. He'd go home and hide until it was dark, then go hunting. He needed to feed, and soon. But he hated that even more than the monstrous form - though he supposed (bitterly, to himself) that the form simply revealed the truth of him to others. He was a monster. A wave of dizziness slammed into him and he staggered before coming to a stop, chest heaving with ragged gasps.
Tag: Shirelin | Gabriel's having trouble. lory [/dohtml] -
Reyes, Gabriel
Started by Reaper ·
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Full Name: Gabriel Reyes
Age: 58
Birthday: October 30, ????
Race: Enhanced Human
Gender: Male
Pronouns: He/Him
Group: Reed
Alignment: Chaotic Good to Neutral
Occupation: Marshal [Specters]
Element(s): Shadow
Magic: Novice ++
Canon/OC? Canon
Canon Point: When the building exploded around him in Switzerland
Time Here: A few weeks
Fandom: Overwatch
Features //
Playby: --
Height: 6'1"
Build: Muscular
Hair: Dark brown, starting to grey. Undercut - short curls on top.
Eyes: Honey Brown. Crimson when he's not fed or highly emotional.
Tattoos & Piercings: None currently, used to have a single ear lobe pierced.
Scars: Many, several across his face and chest. What appear to be claw marks on his right cheek are most noticeable. When he's not fed, gashes appear along his jaw on the left side, revealing teeth, and many more open across his torso and legs.
Voice: Rough, almost harsh, grating. When he's well fed he has a rich, medium tenor.
Bearing: Grumpy, sarcastic, and aggressive to most people, but friendly, flirty, and protective for those he's close to. Education //
Garfield Senior High School
-High School Diploma
U.S. Marine Corps
- Boot Camp, Special Forces Training [Marine Raider Regiment - specializing in direct action & special reconnaissance.]
SEP & Overwatch
- Advanced combat and leadership training. Leadership position granted with Blackwatch after the war.
Health //
Physical ailments: Unstable nanites - struggles to keep his form sometimes.
Psychological ailments: PTSD, depression.
Addictions: Alcohol [current], Alcohol, cigarettes [past]
Smoking: Rarely now - a couple a week.
Alcohol: Yes - enough to be considered an alcoholic - whiskey, beer, rum, tequila. None of it actually affects him to the point of impairment, no matter how much he drinks, due to the nanites.
Traumatic experiences: Seeing members of his team killed during missions, being unable to stop the corruption inside Overwatch and Blackwatch no matter what actions he took, the growing rift with Jack, messing up and losing Jack during a session, having the Swiss HQ blown up around him and dying as it came down on his head, and finally, waking up in Pandaemonium and having a form that wouldn't stay solid. Abilities //
Gabriel is an incredibly skilled tactician and spy. He's excellent at gathering intelligence, and he's a skilled leader as well. He's got years of training and in the field experience as both a regular soldier and a team leader, and years as the head of Overwatch before Jack was given the position officially, and Blackwatch after the Crisis. He's skilled in multiple forms of combat, ranging from hand to hand and knives to various ranged weapons. His preferred are double shotguns that he's trained with for many years.
Aside from this, he's been enhanced by SEP, along with Jack, and this gives him superior agility, strength, and speed, as well as reflexes much faster than normal. He underwent further genetic experiments under Moira, though this went wrong and caused his cells to decay and regenerate at a far accelerated rate. This is extremely painful, but it does give him some of his abilities. The rest were gained upon his first death.
Gabriel's nanites target whoever he's attacking and will steal health from them to heal Gabe. This effect works better when in close quarters, which means he prefers to get in close. His preferred weapons are ones he can summon with his nanites and dismiss just as quickly. They've got quite a wide spread and are extremely effective at close range, but they lose effectiveness the further from his targets he is. Flanking his targets is the best approach and one he takes often.
He can use a wraith-like form where he goes intangible, though you can still see the basic outline of his 'human' shape. This allows him to sweep away out of range easily, avoiding damage. It's also effective for getting into areas to flank someone. He can also go into a full nanite cloud, though it's still basically the wraith form - just fully releasing his human form. This form can slip through the tiniest of cracks and get into areas almost no one else can. He's extremely dangerous because of this, and is able to catch his enemies off guard.
Gabriel has a bit of a teleport he can use as well, which lets him send a small amount of his nanites to a new spot, and then the rest can teleport to where they are. This is another seriously effective way to flank his enemies or get into a spot he couldn't access otherwise.
An attack that takes a great deal of energy, and often leaves him a bit vulnerable if he's not careful, is his death blossom, which he can only do due to the nanites. This lets him swing in a circle and essentially produce multiple guns in every direction.
Weaknesses //
Gabriel's second biggest weakness is his past. He has an extreme amount of anger and bitterness over what happened to him, and what those inside [and out] did to bring down what he and Jack built.
Jack is his biggest weakness. He adores the younger man, but there's also a lot of resentment there due to the constant shouting matches and physical tussles the two got into during meetings. He also has a lot of resentment over what he felt were expectations over what he was to provide whenever the two of them got together for a session, despite what happened in the meetings. This led to a lot of pain, confusion, and frustration on Gabriel's part and it led to a mistake where he overstepped badly and destroyed the trust he and Jack had in the bedroom. This haunts him, and he wanted to make it up to the other man, but after the fateful session, he was shut out entirely. Then the building came down on him when they were arguing and it was left entirely unresolved. He is also afraid that Jack did not escape the explosion and died too - he cannot remember those last moments before the building came down, only the agony as it did.
Reaper/Gabriel's body is constantly rebuilding itself due to his rapidly decaying and regenerating cells, which the nanites control. He needs a fairly steady stream of life force, which he can harvest as energy from food, plants, the world around him, and people. He can feed from someone without killing them, but more often than not he follows through to the end. He is still discovering this, as he didn't need nearly as much life energy before the explosion, and it's highly distressing to him. Those who push him too far may find a nasty too wide mouth latched over their face as he forces his smoke down into their lungs and their being. This act does leave him vulnerable as anyone nearby could attack him while he's focused on his meal. The rapid degeneration and rebuilding of his body is extremely painful, bordering on agonizing all the time. Certain things soothe him, and being completely 'topped off' energy wise eases it a great deal, even giving him back his normal form.
His form in general is a weakness - he hates it and himself. He sees himself as a monster and has mostly embraced that when hunting others, though he hides this from everyone around him. Reaper and Gabriel are two separate beings to almost everyone around him. His form, when he's well fed looks just as it did before, only with salt and pepper hair and skin that's a bit too grey and has vitiligo. Everything else looks fine. But as he loses energy or is injured, his form changes. He starts to waft a lot more smoke, his eyes turn red with black sclera, and his skin gets waxy, paler than it should be and extremely grey. If he goes past this, his form starts to show signs of rot - and the nanites rebuilding things are extremely noticeable. When he's busy this form tends to be the one most see - and he hates it. The next form is when he's badly injured or hasn't fed in a while. His mouth stretches far wider than it should, with too many sharp teeth, and he gains more red eyes than the two he should have. The nanites start to bleed out of his form, revealing the inky blackness of a swirling cloud. Then there's a completely humanoid form that's all inky black clouds, with eyes and teeth that are terrifying.
This can warp if he's upset or angry, or so badly injured he starts to function more on instincts and the nanites' programming alone. The final form, the one that he holds only briefly is essentially a skeleton with glowing red eyes and black smoke swirling around - this is a critical form that he reverts to if he's not fed in far too long. Past this he'll pass out and the nanites will become a giant cloud that tries to reform, or they'll form Gabe's form but it'll 'glitch' and go insubstantial until he gets energy.
Personality //
Gabriel is an extremely intelligent man who often comes across as cold or uncaring - even monstrous, when he's performing functions of his work - due to how close to the vest he plays things. His emotions are hidden behind a mask of indifference and cool calculation that unnerves many. His typical expressions are sour, irritable, or downright grumpy. Snarls, frowns, grimaces, and other such expressions are common place. Only those who get in past his mask are rewarded with getting to know the true Gabriel.
In all actuality, Gabriel is a passionate man who loves deeply, regardless of the type of love it is. Friendships are cherished and he's extremely protective of those he cares about. He'll take anyone on who threatens or harms his chosen family, and god help you if you kill someone he cares about. Romantic love is something he's very guarded about, because he was burned early in life. He enjoys the BDSM community and is a good dom. He knows just how to push limits without crossing them and is tender with his subs when they need it, and harsh when they need that too. He's not romantic at all - in fact, he's terrible at romantic gestures that most would think of. But he is good with affectionate touches and he lets his expressions convey how he feels. Because of what happened with Jack back home though, he's locked his heart away. It's too painful and the most he feels capable of is a 'friends with benefits' arrangement with someone who wants a good dom. He's still going to be tender and affectionate when they need it, more than willing to reward good behavior, but any romantic feelings will be killed [on his end] before they have a chance to go anywhere.
His thought process there is that he fucked up once. He killed a good thing, and he can't bear the thought of losing someone or messing up that badly again. He also thinks he's broken and unlovable now, due to what's happened to his form and it's left him scarred, twitchy, and unwilling to take the risk. Despite all that, he badly misses Jack and there's a huge ache due to the emptiness he feels.
Gabriel does have a temper, and it's a hell of a bad one. He's not patient, he's not kind, and he doesn't really like people as a general rule. He's been harassed and teased so much that he prefers to keep people at arm's length and his temper can go nuclear in a matter of moments if he's pushed too hard. Teasing him about his hobbies and passions is a surefire way to get an explosion from him. So is hurting anyone he cares about. But the biggest explosions of temper come from frustration on the job - Jack experienced this a lot when they began to disagree. When he sees a way to do something and his hands are tied due to laws and regulations, it can frustrate him. A younger Gabe might have been horrified at some of the things he's willing to do, but he's been doing them for so long now that they no longer affect him. This actually bothers him, though he's never told anyone that.
In his free time, Gabriel adores making costumes and watching plays. He loves books as well. If they're ever able to get movies and music from futuristic or modern settings working, he'll be all over that too. Heavy metal and alternative are his favorites, but he will listen to a wide variety of things. He has a hell of a lot of knowledge of movies, musicals, plays, music groups, games, and books, but he's extremely reluctant to talk about them and will retreat into his shell if it's discovered because he expects to be teased and he knows his explosive temper will likely drive the people off.
About //
Gabriel Reyes was born in Los Angeles, California. He was raised in a multilingual household, and could speak several languages - Spanish, English, and a smattering of words in French. He did well in school, and was a bit of a geek. He enjoyed costumes, games, anime, and metal music but after being teased about all but the last, he began to push others away and give off a bit of an edgelord attitude.
After school he wanted to go to college, but the rising tensions in the US worried him, and he enlisted instead. He was a good soldier and leader, and rose through the ranks fairly quickly. Some off his fellow soldiers were not kind about his hobbies though, and he once again became prickly and standoffish. His skills earned him a position in the SEP program, and it was there, just after enlisting that he met Jack Morrison. The younger man was obnoxious and tried to befriend him repeatedly, exasperating the older, senior ranked man, but eventually the blond wormed his way into Gabe's life and they became fast friends.
Gabe was the one who convinced Jack to undergo enhancements beyond the standard ones, becoming guinea pigs for the military. Though he felt awful through some of it, Jack almost died, and many of the others did die, and that only brought them closer due to Gabe's fear of losing the other man. It was also during this time that the two began to give each other hand jobs, and experiment with various forms of sex to see what they liked. It just sort of happened, and as it continued, Gabe asserted more of a dom role, with Jack willingly becoming his submissive.
The Omnic Crisis saw Overwatch formed and as they'd impressed the UN, he and Jack were recruited. Gabriel had the commander position throughout the crisis, with Jack keeping everyone balanced and working together. They continued their relationship throughout, with Jack coming to Gabe's room for sessions, and the two grew extremely close. Gabriel realized that he loved Jack, but was hesitant to say the words. Blackwatch was formed as well, and Gabe began working closely with them. It was during this time that he started doing double agent work, acting as a mercenary known only as Reaper. He did this to keep an eye on the groups they were tracking, giving him an in that others did not have.
At some point during the Crisis he recruited Moira O'Deorain, interested in her genetic research and underwent additional experiments with her, hoping to improve his stealth abilities and grant him faster healing. He'd originally hoped to extend this to all of Blackwatch, as higher stealth and healing would be a god-send for all of them. Unfortunately, the experiments failed, and the beginnings of his recognizable powers started. He was able to hide most of them, with the black smoke only wafting from him when under extreme duress. What he had to do in order to sustain himself was more than uncomfortable - he found it disgusting - but if he didn't then he could pass out and become a danger to those around him. It wasn't something he had to do often - every few months at most - unless he was injured. It also left him with constant pain, though it was low level enough that he could usually ignore it.
He hid this part of himself from Jack completely, terrified of rejection and losing the man he'd come to love and count on. After the crisis ended, he was put in charge of Blackwatch officially, but was passed over for running the entirety of Overwatch. He was also given orders to keep the majority of his missions from Jack. Those orders, and the frustration at Jack's naivety as far as the UN went - the other man didn't see the darkness brewing under the surface, only the good - lodged a seed of resentment in him. He was also frustrated that he'd been passed over for the position he'd worked so hard for, though he was happy for Jack despite that. As he continued to have to do missions and keep Jack in the dark about them, was forced to listen to Jack sing the praises of the UN while he cleaned up their messes, his frustration and bitterness skyrocketed. Part of this was due to finding breaches in Blackwatch that he was concerned about, and Jack's refusal to listen to him on the severity of it.
Though they were still lovers, they began to argue as Gabe struggled to keep his temper in check, and Jack responded in kind. Gabriel found direct links to Talon but couldn't trace them far enough back to nail the leaders in the leaks. As such, he continued to act undercover as Reaper and gather information, but he could never land any solid evidence that would allow him to prove it and bring Jack in on things fully. He wouldn't violate his orders unless he knew with absolute certainty that they were compromised. He also was starting to wonder if he'd read the younger man wrong and whether he was anything other than a good fuck and dom for the man. Despite that, he continued to prepare for their sessions, finding new and inventive ways to push Jack to his limits, which seemed to be what the blond craved.
The obsessive focus on corruption within the group drew Talon's attention and they eventually realized that Reaper and Gabriel were one and the same. About this time Moira's lab was discovered and other things about Blackwatch came out. Jack and Gabe had one of their worst fights, and it ended with Gabe going on a mission still angry. Jack promised to keep everyone off of Gabe's back until he could prove where the leaks had come from.
Grim determination pushed him at that point. He'd go totally undercover. If Jack didn't have his back fully, he'd do it on his own. When it came out that they would be going after Jesse, who was like a little brother to him, someone he'd mentored and cared a great deal for, he sent the young agent away - heartbroken at what the man was having stripped from him, but knowing it was this or a maximum security prison. Jack was frustrated, but didn't stop him from his actions. When he finally dug enough, the depth of the corruption of Talon inside Overwatch was finally uncovered - so many of Blackwatch and Overwatch were double agents for Talon, a fact that distraught Gabriel, who'd seen them all as family - he decided to talk to Jack when he got back from a mission, hoping that maybe he could get the man to listen, even if they had nothing anymore.
As he was looking at things, a name popped up in relation to the mission Jack was on. Realizing what could happen, he sent a frantic communication to Jack in the middle of the night, but the man never responded. The next morning he found out about Ana's death. At her funeral Jack realized how much Gabriel knew and the rift between them widened, with Gabe lashing out and punching the man when he wouldn't back down. Later that week, Jack showed up at his quarters for their session, like nothing had happened. It tore Gabriel up, but he pushed Jack to the edge, then introduced a few new things. Jack seemed to love it, though outside of Gabriel's quarters the fighting grew worse. This would be one of the last times they shared an intimate moment.
After a particularly bad fight - or three - in a row during meetings to figure out what to do, Gabriel prepared for another session, finding some new toys to try out. They were a bit outside his comfort zone, as was some of what he was prepared to do to push Jack, but he was desperate to hold on to anything he could with the other man. But he pushed too far. He stepped way out of line, caught up in the moment and the need to give Jack what he wanted, he misread the situation and said something he couldn't take back. He told his sub he couldn't say no. Even as he said it, his gut clenched and he felt sick, but he hid that. Jack wanted this. Only, as he read his sub, the man he loved despite everything they were going through, he realized he'd gone too far. Way too fucking far. Though he tried to repair things, tried to apologize and make up for it, Jack completely shut him out, refusing to talk to him outside of work related things.
This crushed Gabe, who threw himself fully into his work, determined to find out who was at the center of it all. His name kept popping up everywhere, and he knew that he was being set up. It was just the final nail in his coffin with Jack. While in their Swiss Headquarters, orders came down from Director Petras - Gabriel himself, not just his men, were relieved of duty, his clearance revoked - and he would stand trial. Jack no longer trusted him as a lover or soldier because of all the things Gabe had hidden, to keep his Golden Boy's hands clean, and upheld the orders. Gabriel felt the closest to tears that he had in years.
With Jack not budging, and not even looking at him as he once had, Gabe fled to his own quarters. He'd always had Jack, ever since this whole thing started and they built Overwatch into what it was. And now he was helpless to save it as Jack turned his back on the problem and listened to others. He knew that the man was bound by the law, but it didn't hurt any less. He'd almost gotten the undeniable proof of the corruption from within, was almost ready to tell Jack everything. He'd lost Jack's love, and his affection, but he'd thought he'd at least have his Strike Commander and Blackwatch. Now he had nothing.
He continued to find names, using back doors and other methods to get things done, though he knew that Jack would likely never forgive him once it came out what he'd continued to do. He had to do it - and maybe, just maybe, they could salvage something. He found a horrifying discovery as he searched - explosives throughout the building they were now in - a fail-safe to make sure nothing classified could fall into enemy hand. But the fail-safe itself had fallen into enemy hands. He knew he had to warn Jack - they'd need to get an evacuation going to save as many as they could. But as he was about to log off, he found himself confronted - not by Jack - but by those who'd infiltrated Overwatch. Simple words on a screen that made him sick to his stomach. 'It's too late.'
He rushed to where he could stop it, forgetting his clearance had been revoked and he couldn't get in. Jack confronted him there, and he tried to explain what he knew in a rush of words. The fury and doubt in Jack's eyes hurt more than he could express, but there was a tiny hesitation that gave Gabriel hope. If Jack could find it in himself to trust him even a little, they could get through it, they could save something.
Too late. The explosion caught them both, the door behind Gabriel hurtling them into the far wall. Pain more than anything he'd ever felt exploded along his back and legs, and when his head stopped spinning he tried to get free, only to realize he was pinned, and Jack was under him.
They'd blown clear through the far wall, and Jack was able to scramble out, though Gabriel's lower legs were pinned, and his back was partly pinned as well. Though Jack tried to get him out, they couldn't lift the slab and after a long, painful moment, Jack left him - apologizing on the way out. Though he'd also asked Gabriel why he did it, crushing the man's hopes that Jack believed he wasn't behind it. Moments later, agony exploded behind his eyes, and his last thought before everything went black was that he didn't fault Jack for leaving - at least one of them would live, even if that man had no faith in him, and had come to hate him for the lies planted.
When he woke, it was in Pandaemonium. The buzzing of his nanites, the pain and confusion, causing him to swirl around in a cloud of black 'smoke' for a week. When he finally gathered himself enough to take on a form resembling what he'd once had, one look in the mirror had convinced him he was a monster, and he'd hidden behind the Reaper outfit he'd donned so many times in undercover missions.
He worried for Jack, hoped that the man had gotten out alive, and mourned what he'd lost. He'd always played his emotions close to the chest, hiding the more negative ones, or the ones that made him feel weak - he was Jack's dom, and he didn't want the man seeing weakness. He didn't want anyone seeing weakness. Now though, it was hard to get past the grief and pain he felt, and the soul crushing darkness only got worse when he realized how much he was going to have to feed on people to function. He is keeping everyone at arm's length, though he's managed to land a job as the head of the Specters unit in the military - his abilities, though unstable, impressing those in charge enough [along with his experience back home] to grant him the position.
As soon as his first paycheck hit [a sign on bonus, really] the bank, he took a letter of credit from them and purchased a flat where he could hide away whenever he wasn't working. He's only ventured out to get food [something he no longer needs but craves] and to work.
About the Author // Tired Old Soldiers - 36 - He/Him
Timezone Mountain
Faceclaim: --
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[dohtml]
From the ashes of hate It's a cruel demon's fate. On the wings of darkness he's returned to stay. There will be no escape 'cause he's fallen far from grace. When the shadows remain in the light of day, on the wings of darkness he'll retaliate. He'll be falling from grace till the end of all his days. II OOC: This takes place 9 days after 'Harsh Truths'/1 week [roughly] after 'Knowledge Kills'.So much had happened in such a short period of time. Jack had been hurt again - not by his hand this time, though he felt guilt over it still the same. Had the man not been suffering from the attacks he'd assaulted him with - particularly the very first one - things might have gone differently. He'd not voiced this to Chibi, and he'd avoided Gabriel and Jack since the encounter he'd had with them at Chibs' place. Too much to think on, too much too sort through without risking another emotional run-in with either or both of them.
He was ghosting through the streets, careful to avoid the areas he knew Jack had been prowling, still playing vigilante even after everything. At least he had someone watching his back now, the damn fool. Grim's eyes searched for any trouble he could get involved in, but nothing jumped out at him. Sighing grumpily to himself, he turned back toward home, then decided to stop at the market before calling it quits.
Materializing out of a swirling cloud of nanites, he had only a moment to register that there was an issue. Things were tense, he could sense fear in the air, and at first he thought it was because of him, but then the figure across the way from him turned, and Grim could see the magick crackling in his hands. \"It figures one of you freaks would show up when I'm trying to take care of a little business. This doesn't involve you, but seeing as you've just materialized right in the middle of it, I guess it can't be helped.\"
Air magick! He knew just how painful that could be and tried to ghost before it could strike him, but it ripped through his form, even half ghosted as he was, forcing him back into the physical world and driving him to his knees. After a moment, he realized there was a loud howl, increasing in pitch and volume. It took him another long moment to realize it was him. Something was wrong. His nanites didn't like the electrical magick, and as he tried to get away his entire form rippled.
He wasn't hungry - he'd just topped off earlier that day, but suddenly he felt a ravenous hunger take hold and dread gripped him as he realized he couldn't wrestle it down. The gnawing pain, the desperate need to feed generally only hit when he was in danger of passing out from going too long. It shouldn't be happening when he was full up. These thoughts were some of the last sane, coherent ones he had, before the hunger took over, his nanites completely overloaded.
\"What the fuck? Why aren't you dying?!\" The man didn't have time to say much more, his energy waning from keeping the spell up so long. As soon as it dropped, there was a swirl of black and red, and a roaring from the center. Glowing eyes, a mouth full of fangs and too-sharp teeth, and the overall shape of a man could be seen at the center, before the whole cloud seemed to erupt, surging out to wrap the mage and his cohorts in a black cloud of death.
When the cloud cleared, the husks of the group were left behind, with only Reaper's form standing where they'd all been. Glowing eyes flashed, as he scanned the area, his chest heaving from the exertion and the need to feed still. He was so hungry. He needed to feed, to stop the pain, the hunger tearing him apart.
-----
\"We need backup! Reaper's lost it in the market. He came in right next to the mage we'd asked for backup on - the one trying to rob some of the stalls, and the bastard attacked Reaper before he'd gotten his bearings. Hit him with air magick - seemed to hurt him bad. When the mage stopped, he attacked and ate him or something! The whole group look like long dead husks! He's stalking others now - please hurry!\" The transmission was from one of the Guard, sent directly to the ECR's emergency channel, where Jack, Gabe, Brock, Bucky, Wanda, and various others would hear.
Tag: Chibi, Old Soldier, Fall Into Shadows, @Any Avengers who want to join | This is technically a 'future' thread, since it's later but I wanted to get it up. They should know Grim well enough to know that despite his issues with Jack, this isn't normal behavior for him. Hopefully they get there before he eats any civilians. >>; lory [/dohtml] -
[dohtml]
From the ashes of hate It's a cruel demon's fate. On the wings of darkness he's returned to stay. There will be no escape 'cause he's fallen far from grace. When the shadows remain in the light of day, on the wings of darkness he'll retaliate. He'll be falling from grace till the end of all his days. II OOC: This takes place immediately after Misery Loves My Company.Reaper fled the scene, sense coming back to him past the blind need to commit violence as the man spasmed under him. As he'd come back to himself, seeing Jack under him like that, weakly struggling to stop him, to live had broken something in him. He didn't think Jack had heard it, but he'd let loose an inhuman howl and had fled from the other man before he did something he couldn't take back.
He'd not allowed himself to reform until he'd come home. When his form had solidified he'd staggered forward, feeling nauseous. That was something he rarely felt anymore, so used to the pain he was in every moment, and so used to the gnawing hunger that ate at him as well. But now - he bolted for the bathroom, barely making it in time. Retching violently into the toilet, he gripped the seat in his clawed gloves, cracking it from the strength of his distress.
There was nothing there of course; it was all dry heaving, an emotional reaction of his body, nothing more. He could eat, but his nanites wasted nothing, and immediately converted it into energy. That'd been something that'd happened after his 'death' and it still bothered him sometimes. It didn't seem right, but monstrous and frightening. Just like the rest of him.
Smoke poured off of him as he fought with the emotions. He was alone, so he allowed himself to feel them to try and sort through them. Had anyone else been there they'd have been shoved away immediately - he didn't want to seem weak. As it was, he was still dry heaving into the fucking toilet.
He needed to talk to Chibi. But there was no way in hell he was going to see her while pouring smoke everywhere still, and he also knew how she'd likely respond to his going after Jack again. He felt ashamed that he'd not kept himself under control. If what she said was right, he'd just hurt his ex-lover again over something he'd not done.
That thought increased the dry heaving and he growled a curse between heaves. The goddamn sha was partly to blame - that'd definitely pushed him over the edge, but the violent tendencies had been there to start. He'd started down that dark path while running Blackwatch. Somebody had to do it to get the answers, and he'd known Jack wouldn't. Jack knew what he'd been doing though, even looked the other way repeatedly to allow him to get the intel they needed. That had, unfortunately, led to darker and darker tendencies as he continued to gather information.
It was, at least in part, why Reaper behaved as he did when dealing with enemies - the intimidation, the brute force, and the lack of hesitation to pull the trigger got answers. But it'd also hurt someone who still meant a great deal to him, and had the potential to hurt others he cared about too. Aaaand there went the heaving again.
Tag: Closed - open only to those who might find or already know his hideout. | Reaper's beyond torn. He's confused, scared, and frustrated with everything. lory [/dohtml] -
Harsh Truths
Started by Jack Morrison ·
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So many stifled thoughts and long forgotten dreams Scream hallelujah, I can almost taste reprieve OOC: This takes place 2 1/2 days after Misery Loves My Company.Jack had run into Reaper later the same day that the two had fought the sha. He'd had to venture out of his safe house for some supplies, and on his return trip the man had appeared and shot at him. He'd clipped Jack's side and grazed his leg with shots, but it'd been clear that he'd not been trying all that hard. It was halfhearted, at best, and that had confused Jack more than the earlier confrontation.
He'd gone home, wrapped his new injuries up, and had slept for a couple hours - that made a total of six hours of sleep since the initial attack had happened. After that he'd gone back out to attack the punks still causing trouble in the slums. He knew he was running on fumes, but sleeping brought nightmares and he had shit to do. Fuck sleeping. He'd sleep when he was dead, thanks. He knew it wasn't a healthy behavior, but he still felt useless, even with the people he'd helped.
It was all in his head, and normally he'd have shoved it all in a box and ignored it til much later. The problem right now was that Reaper, in his first attack, had shattered some of those protective boxes that he shoved things in. Nothing Jack did seemed to work. Compartmentalization was how he survived, and right now he couldn't seem to shove any of it away at all. The full flood of this, plus so much else that he'd refused to deal with were overwhelming. He had to keep moving, had to keep doing things, or he'd be forced to stop and deal with it all.
After eating, he realized his stomach wasn't settling even with food. He felt heavy, sick even. As he unwrapped one of his wounds to check on it he winced. The area around the wound was red and inflamed. There was a slight bad smell too. Fuck. It was infected, and he didn't have anything he needed to treat it here. He'd not wanted to involve Chibi in his troubles. He'd not spoken to her since he'd snuck out to do his own thing. A wave of guilt hit him when he realized how worried she must be. Gabe too. But he had to do this - had to prove to himself, and to everyone else, that he could do this still. He was capable.
That all said, he knew he needed help. It was late enough in the day that he figured she'd be home from work, so he'd make his way to her apartment. His head was a bit foggy as he walked there, but no one bothered him. He knew word was getting out that an older man, possibly Jack Morrison, wearing a jacket with 76 on the back was terrorizing the gangs, so they'd probably decided to leave him alone. Finally reaching Chibi's, he knocked and leaned against the door frame with a low groan while waiting for someone to answer.
Tag: Chibi, Fall Into Shadows, Death Stalks the Shadows He's a dumbass and finally realizes he needs a bit of help. Thanks Vii? [/dohtml] -
Misery Loves My Company [fin]
Started by Jack Morrison ·
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Jack shouldn't have been out yet. He knew that. Logically he knew his body needed time to heal, old or young, and this wasn't going to help that process along any. He'd probably set himself back quite a bit, actually. But he just couldn't bring himself to care. He felt fucking useless. Old, unneeded, and worthless.
He had orders to stay in his quarters and rest. Bucky had taken over leading the Avengers for at least the next two weeks, and perhaps longer. He wasn't supposed to be doing missions or even the paperwork back home for them until he was cleared for duty. He'd never been very good about following those sorts of orders, and now was no different. Now was worse. Back then, he knew they'd not look at him differently, treat him like an old invalid when he came back. Here? Several of the younger Avengers had already dropped in out of worry, and had remarked that maybe he should step down and let Bucky or one of them lead. It stung. He'd laughed them out of his quarters, thankful that Gabriel hadn't been there to hear, or to see his breakdown after.
He was old. He was useless. He was replaceable. He'd felt a desperation like nothing he'd ever experienced. He was a soldier, damn it. Fighting was all he knew how to do. Take that from him and you might as well bury him. He'd tried asking for smaller missions or even just some goddamn routine patrols alongside the Guard, but had been told in no uncertain terms that he was staying home and resting.
So he'd waited. Several days, trying to not cause Gabriel or Chibi any worry. But he'd felt himself withering with nothing to do. He'd started to pace in their quarters - which he thought must annoy Gabriel, but he was like a caged beast. Finally, finally, Gabriel had something to take his mind off of Jack and had left to go handle it. He'd only paused briefly, to make sure the man wasn't coming back before he had a chance to get armored up.
Once he was sure, he'd gotten his old gear - his new gear wasn't repaired yet as everyone had argued that he had no need of it while on forced leave - and slipped it on. The 76 jacket felt comforting somehow - and he'd relaxed as he'd zipped it up, pulling on a spare set of heavy duty pants and his old boots. He had several face shields, as he'd anticipated needing backups, so that had been easy enough to replace. Then he'd slipped out, using the back entrance and hopping one of the fences on the outskirts of the manor's lands. He'd hiked into town, using the time alone to calm himself down.
He'd been hunting for several hours now, tracking undead and picking them off. His guns weren't his preferred - he'd had to stop and buy a rifle, but it was a modified one similar to what he'd had before - though it only held 6 rounds at a time. He was lugging around a large amount of ammo too, but it hadn't worn him down and he'd been careful not to waste his shots, only going for headshots.
After a while he'd picked up on some criminal goings on and had tailed them instead, resorting to his intimidation and brutal methods when reasoning with them hadn't worked. He'd just pinned one of the bastards against the wall, slamming his head against it repeatedly to make a point, when he felt the hair along the back of his neck prickle and he rolled out of the way, hearing shotguns go off just behind where he'd been. "Damn it!"
Tag: Reaper Jack and Reaper's second clash goes very different than the first. Thanks Vii❣ -
Facing The Music
Started by Reaper ·
[dohtml]
From the ashes of hate It's a cruel demon's fate. On the wings of darkness he's returned to stay. There will be no escape 'cause he's fallen far from grace. When the shadows remain in the light of day, on the wings of darkness he'll retaliate. He'll be falling from grace till the end of all his days. II OOC: This takes place the day after 'Old Enemies'.The hours directly after attacking Jack, and the confrontation with his younger self had been spent hunting. His younger self, if he paid attention to reports of deaths, would recognize the signs - corpses that were shriveled almost, their faces locked in screams. Reaper hadn't bothered to hide the bodies or what he'd done to them - before they'd died he'd shot them up badly. He'd not attacked just anyone though. His temper had made him want to lash out at the first group he found, but he still had a code he followed and the first four groups had all been innocents.
The last though - he'd found a group of punks, gang members who were readying to raid a rival gang's hideout. They'd been talking about the innocents who'd likely get caught in the crossfire, and while Reaper himself wasn't exactly good about collateral damage - there'd been times where quite a few others besides his target had been injured or died - they were planning on going through a group of children to get to their targets. That had been more than enough for him to decide they'd be fun to play with and feed on.
Strangely though, toying with them and then ripping their life force from them roughly hadn't made him feel any better. In the past it would have brought about intense satisfaction and a feeling of contentedness, at least for a while. That attack hadn't done either. In fact, it had left him feeling rather ill, though he couldn't place why.
He had stalked the streets for some time after, his mood getting more and more foul the longer he was on the move. Finally, he decided that he needed to go home and recharge. It would also give him a chance to gather his thoughts and figure out what he wanted to do. The fury he'd felt upon first seeing Jack had faded somewhat, and that tiny spark was horrified at what they'd done to Jack, the man they still loved, despite everything. He hated the man too, though, and that overpowered any affection he felt.
There was also the problem of his younger self and Chibi being involved. He didn't trust Jack to not stick knives in their backs here, particularly if he was working to bring down or take over the ECR. Reaper still didn't have exact answers as to why Jack and the UN had been working together to destroy the very thing they'd built up, with Gabriel's help. But that'd been what he'd uncovered.
He didn't know that those were false memories, altered to keep him an obedient attack dog to his masters - Talon - who also had other ways of controlling him. All he knew was what memories he had, what they told him, and the emotions he felt. He'd looked the other way then, tried to talk himself out of what he'd found. Insisted there was a reason for it, there had to be more to it. He'd done that right until the last. And even then, after he lay dying and Jack held him, pretending to mourn, he'd warned him. A fool right to the end. Then Reaper had been born.
Growling softly, he ghosted from the back room where he'd been wearing a hole in the carpet with his pacing to the front living area. Though he didn't need to eat, the cravings were still there sometimes and it gave him something to do, to focus on, other than brooding over the past and what he should have done versus what he had actually done. Coffee. Coffee and donuts sounded good. He'd picked up a dozen of them just before he'd headed out on the job Jack had interrupted. They weren't quite the same as the ones back home, but they tasted good. The coffee wasn't half bad either. The old fashioned coffee maker wasn't his favorite thing, but he pulled it out and set about readying it, but froze part way through. He'd heard the front door open and close.
Only one person knew about this place. Chibi. \"Bet you're here to have words with me, aren't you?\" His voice was grating, metallic, the growl more pronounced due to his defensive tone.
Tag: Chibi | He's extremely conflicted. lory [/dohtml]
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