" NIGHTHAWK " genji shimada.

iii. consequences

KAILANI'S HEAD SPUN AS the droning of the airship rattled through her ears. She groaned, leaning her head back against the wall behind her, and squeezed her eyes shut. Her body ached, her heart pounded against her chest, and the blood that covered her hands was beginning to dry uncomfortably. She held her side in pain, her hand covering a small wound caused by the grazing of a bullet.

    The Blackwatch team managed to escape from Venice, but only barely. No one spoke, the tension that hung over them like a storm cloud was far too heavy for them to even try through their exhaustion. Kailani opened her eyes, gazing around at her teammates in silence. Commander Reyes leaned with a shoulder against the wall that led to the cockpit, speaking in a low voice to Fio as she piloted the plane. His uniform was stained with blood, his visible skin covered in cuts and bruises. Kailani jumped as someone took a seat beside her, and she turned to see McCree shooting her a small smile. Several wires stuck out of his prosthetic arm, courtesy of him being tackled by a Talon soldier moments before he got on the airship. He would have to get it repaired by Torbjorn upon their arrival back at the base.

    "You look like shit," he said to her. He laughed lightly, though there was no humor behind the sound. Not even Jesse McCree could joke around after the events of earlier that night.

    "Thanks." Kailani nudged him in the side, smiling slightly. "You too."

    McCree laid his head back on the wall behind him, sighing as he closed his eyes. Neither of them spoke for the rest of the ride back, though not a single word was needed to be said for them for Kailani to know that he had her back, and she had his. No matter what happened, she knew that she could count on McCree to be there for her, and she was eternally grateful for that.

    The airship arrived back at the Overwatch base just as the watch on Kailani's wrist struck four in the morning. She yawned, desperate to feel the soft mattress of her bed, though she knew that wouldn't be possible for a while yet. The consequences of Reyes's actions in Venice awaited them the moment they stepped off the aircraft. Commander Morrison stood with Captain Amari at his shoulder; both of them looked absolutely livid, and Kailani knew that the news of Antonio's death had already spread worldwide.

    "Gabe," Morrison said flatly, and Kailani couldn't help but shiver at the coolness in his voice. "Come with me."

    Reyes didn't argue. Without so much of a glance towards the rest of his team, he followed the Commander and Captain Amari out of the hangar. Kailani lingered back for a moment, unsure of what to do. She noticed the rest of the team following in their direction one by one, and her curiosity ended up getting the better of her. Pushing away her exhaustion momentarily, she scurried after them.

    She was surprised to find that Morrison and Amari brought Reyes to one of the interrogation rooms where Overwatch questioned the criminals they brought in. She pushed her way in between Genji and McCree, watching through the one way window as they sat her Commander down at the table.

    "What were you thinking?" Morrison asked as he pulled a chair out. Captain Amari stood behind him, arms crossed tightly over her chest as she glared angrily at Reyes. "Were you even thinking?"

    "Of course I was thinking," Reyes said with an unamused scoff. "I was thinking that it's about time someone did something to make our enemies fear us. For years Talon has terrorized us, and you've done nothing but sit through formalities and court cases that were just a waste of our time. I did Overwatch a favor by taking out one of Talon's highest associates."

    "No," Captain Amari spoke up, shaking her head sadly. "Gabe, I'm afraid you have just sealed Overwatch's fate. No one will trust us after finding out that we killed a highly respected businessman out of cold blood. We are supposed to be protecting the people, not killing them."