Save Him One More Time: Phase 3

Chapter 6- America

(Thank you guys so so much for over 100 reads! I hope you enjoyed it so far and I hope you'll continue to enjoy it!)

As they left the checkout terminal, Genji's shoulders dropped.
"So this is America." He looked around. "I have to say, I'm rather disappointed."
"Why?" Angela looked confused.
"I thought it'd be...more...I don't know, American." He made a vague motion with his hands.
"What, like Nevada and California? With cactus and wooden buildings and tumbleweeds?"
Genji sighed.
"Yes. If you heard Jesse talk about it you'd think that either it was all like Switzerland in the winter or a desert year-round. This looks like almost anywhere in Europe most of the year."
"We haven't even seen most of America yet, Genji. When we get to the western part, it'll be less like Europe and more like a desert in parts."
Genji crossed his arms.
"Well I'm still disappointed."
Angela laughed.
"We need to get a shuttle to somewhere in the west. I think Jesse would be there, somewhere near where he's from."
Genji nodded. "You should be safe enough once you're on the shuttle." His tone said that he wasn't going with her.
"Wait, aren't you coming with me?"
"I have another pressing mission that needs my attention. When you are relatively safe, and closer to McCree's protection, then I will go back to Europe."
Angela's face fell.
"I had hoped you would want to see McCree again."
He took her hand.
"I do, Angela, trust me. But I have to do something first." He leaned in closer and said as quietly as he could, "Zenyatta has told me he's heard where my brother is. I have been searching for him for five years and I cannot let him get away from me again." He let go of her hand and stepped back. "I hope you can understand."
She nodded.
"Of course, Genji. I understand. I just wish you could stay and see Jesse."
He smiled.
"Maybe you'll be safe enough that you don't have to leave before I return." He waved.
"Goodbye, Angela. I'll be watching until you're safely on your way."
She nodded.
"Goodbye, Genji."

Talon Headquarters, two days earlier.

"Hey chica, guess what I got."
Sombra waved at Moira, holding up her laptop.
The scientist looked up, one eyebrow raised.
"Well it had better be good, Sombra. I'm in the middle of running tests and you know I hate to be interrupted."
"I have information on Reaper's target. I know where she is, and where she's going. And who she's going with."
Moira waved dismissively.
"Shouldn't you divulge your information to Reaper, then? He's the one actually hunting her." She turned her attention back to the petri dish in front of her, writing something down on the legal pad next to it.
"I don't know where he is."
Moira stood up.
"Well. Why don't you check his quarters before you bother me next time. He arrived last night, and said he sent you to Poland." She put her hands on Sombra's shoulders and walked her out of the lab.
"A word of warning, he's not in a good mood. His last treatment was... difficult."
She closed the door and Sombra heard it lock.
"Okay then," she said to the empty hallway, walking off in the direction of Reaper's quarters.

He'd lost his target and Sombra still hadn't gotten in touch with him. His head hurt and he was still coughing blood. He sat on his bed, head in his hands, his gear strewn on the floor where he'd torn it off last night. A small knock sounded on his door.
"Who is it?" he growled.
The door opened a crack, and Sombra poked her head in.
"Geez, Gabe, you look terrible." She opened the door a bit wider, holding out her laptop. "Can I come in? I have information on your target." He sat up straight.
"Sure, why not. What's the-" he coughed a few times- "what's the info." He wiped his mouth on his sleeve, leaving a few streaks of blood on his face. Sombra frowned.
"I thought the last dose fixed the blood cough," she said, sitting on the bed next to him and opening her laptop.
"It was supposed to," he rasped. "But it didn't. Moira doesn't know what to do, said she'd run some tests." He ran his hands through his hair. "What did you find?"
She pulled up some pictures.
"She went to Poland. Literally got on the shuttle five minutes before you showed up. This guy was with her." She pointed at a shot of a scarred face that had obviously been cybernetically augmented. It looked familiar but he wasn't sure he knew the guy.
"Did you get a good shot of his face, without the sunglasses?"
"As a matter of fact, I did." She pulled up another picture.
Genji.
He said as much.
"Wait, you know the guy?"
"We used to work together."
"Oh."
"Yeah. He's gonna be tough to get through if he's protecting her."
He looked at the pictures.
"Where are they going? Are they still in Poland?"
"Highly unlikely. They talked about getting a jet to America. They're probably halfway there by now." She pulled up another picture.
"The Genji guy knew this one. You recognise him?"
He stared at the old, scarred face for a long time. He knew it but he couldn't place it.
"I recognise him but I don't remember who he is."
"He's supposed to be dead, if that helps."
"I'm supposed to be dead. You weren't at the explosion in Switzerland, you don't remember. I do." He put his head in his hands and rubbed his face. "It hurts but I remember." He sat up suddenly.
"Don't you dare tell Moira." He glared at Sombra. "If you tell her I'll kill you. I don't care what Moira does after that, I'll kill you anyway."
Sombra smiled. "Of course I won't tell Moira. Unless I need something, of course."
He grabbed the front of her shirt, eyes wild with desperation.
"Don't. You. Dare," he growled, letting her go as a coughing fit shook him. She backed away as blood dripped on his knees.
"Gabe, you really need to see Moira for that. That's not healthy." He shook his head.
"She said she's working on it!"
Sombra patted him on the back a couple times.
"Maybe you should remind her, amigo." She stopped and thought a second. "No, hold that thought, I'll remind her. If you go in there she's going to mess you up and tell you to get back out there." She stood to leave. "Maybe take a week off the hunt, give your Mercy a sense of false security. We know she's gone to America and if she doesn't find out we know she won't have a reason to run. Maybe we can send Akande to America to make sure she doesn't leave without us knowing."
"No." He rubbed his face. "Akande would be recognised anywhere. It's too soon to send him."
"Yeah, you're right." She opened the door. "Take it easy, Gabe. I'll let Moira know you're giving Mercy a week."
He nodded and the instant the door closed he slumped to the floor, coughing. If Moira could just fix this and his raging headache. If she could just make him normal. The explosion played over and over in his head. The flash, the deafening crack. The crushing weight of the shuttle on his chest. He couldn't breathe and clutched his shirt, gasping. Blinding light and someone grabbed him.
"Gabe!"
And there was Mercy. He'd wanted to talk to her, to let her know it was going to be okay, but he couldn't move, couldn't breathe.

He sat up suddenly, tears running down his face. His head was going to implode. He dissolved into wraith form, the pain lessening but not much. He found an ibuprofen in the cabinet behind the mirror in his bathroom and returned to his human state, gritting his teeth against the returning agony. Somehow he managed to get the pill down and went to his room and turned off the lights and closed the curtains completely. Then he felt his way to his bed and laid down.

"Aaagh!" He shut his eyes tightly and swung at the figure by the light switch.
"Turn it off," he growled, stopping short when Moira responded.
"Well if you don't want your meds, fine. Enjoy your pain." She flicked the lights off.
"No. Sorry. I thought you were Sombra. Is this stuff going to work?" he said, reaching out for the small vial.
"Well, I'll have to remind Sombra to let you alone when you're sleeping if that's the reaction you have to being woken up." She gave him the solution.
"It should work for the cough. There's a few painkillers in there too, so you shouldn't have such a bad headache."
He downed it in one go and she raised an eyebrow. "Maybe you need a glass of water. Dehydration headaches won't go away with just painkillers." He handed the now-empty vial back to her.
"Fine." He stood up, swaying a bit. Everything was a bit fuzzy and he put a hand out to support himself on the wall but he missed and fell back onto his bed.
"I think you should sleep it off, Reaper. Sombra informed me of your plan to give your target a sense of false security so I'm sending you off to Poland to go back to Russia in the morning. Don't mess this week up."
He nodded, laying down and falling asleep almost immediately.

Angela watched the countryside slowly dry up as she went further west. Rolling green hills were replaced by flat brown plains, dotted with the occasional tree or bush. Fencelines were marked by lines of junipers. After those came the even flatter dry places where tufts of grass were the only vegetation, aside from piles of cactus. And then the shuttle stopped in New Sacramento and she realised what she hadn't seen before. America had been hit just as hard, if not harder, by the Omnic Crisis. As she made her way to a hotel, she saw half-destroyed buildings, rubble that had not yet been cleaned up, and people. Everywhere, people whose homes had been destroyed. Many of them were sick, malnourished, she'd even seen a few dead. She sighed and shook her head. She'd have her work cut out for her here.

Three days later

"You're never gonna believe this, boss," Mike said, dropping a holo projector on the desk.
"Yeah? Just try and astound me. Ain't nothin' I haven't seen." The man behind the desk struck a match and lit his cigar. Mike clicked the holo on.
"Just look at this." He pulled up some traffic camera pictures of a blonde woman. "She's been seen all over New Sacramento, settin' up a clinic of sorts. Sorta headin' the rebuildin' efforts, if you follow me.  Some kinda doctor, by the looks of things. She ain't from these parts, though. Got some kinda German accent." 'Boss' stood up and flicked through the images, running through a series of motions with his cybernetic left arm. Then he sat back down, stroking his beard.
Mike waited for a response, but the other man was lost in his thoughts.
"Boss?"
He stood up and grabbed his serape. "Get yourself a cup of coffee, Mike. I need to think."