GOLD [Book 2 in the JESSE series] | Completed

Chapter Fourteen: Remembering

I pulled you out of that damn rubble! You were broken, bleeding, half dead!

I opened my eyes to the familiar interior of the ship. Lena, from the pilot's seat called back toward the group and said, "We have five minutes until landing. Welcome to (Y/City)."

Sitting to my left was Angela, and to my right was Winston. 

"I just don't understand what Talon wants with (Y/City)." Angela said, "I understand that their mantra is bettering the world through violence, but what does (Y/City) have to do with it?"

"Not sure. But I have a feeling it ain't good." I said, before pulling a cigar from a pouch. Angela's stare caught my eye, and I slowly put it back. 

"Good boy. Do you want a sticker, or a lollipop?" She said, before standing to check her staff. 

"Don't patronize me, Angela."

 A light came on, and Lena announced, "Everyone, this is your captain speaking, we are clear to land and kick some a**." 

"Short and to the point." I mumbled with a smile on my face.

I stood and stretched before checking my Peacekeeper- it was loaded and ready to go. Lena landed the aircraft, and as the door dropped down we got a good view of what I can only describe as pure chaos. Things were on fire, and gunshots rang out everywhere. The others on the mission, Reinhardt and Brigette immediately interlocked their shields as fire rained down on the aircraft. 

I fired a few rounds from behind the shield and watched as a few Talon agents fell. 

"McCree, would you deal with everyone while Tracer and I get to civilians?"

"Will do." I rolled out through the shield and got a few good shots. The small area where we landed was cleared for the time being. Reinhardt and Brigette moved in front of Winston and I to give us cover. Peering around a corner, I threw a flash-bang at a group of agents gathered near civilians, and promptly dealt with them. 

"Find shelter. We have a few people who can help the injured, otherwise, head toward the edge of the city. We're here to help." I turn and see an omnic towering over me. I shoot it, but it doesn't do much. It charges a shot, and I use my arm to cover the small boy still left behind me. I brace for the impact when there's a slam, and blue energy flickers around me. Winston stands in front of me and says, "I've got you."

"Thanks monkey."

"I'm not a monkey, I'm a scientist." He pushed up his glasses before leaping toward the omnic. I ushered the boy toward his family and helped Winston finish off the omnic. 

Everything is eerily quiet for a moment, before there's a loud explosion coming from the opposite direction. I covered myself, and as the dust flew around me, I saw an aircraft leaving. 

"Tracer, is that us?"

"No, McCree, that would be them." We were talking over earpieces, but soon enough she's right beside me. 

"What do we do?" She asked.

"Try to clear out whatever's left and get the civilians to safety. This obviously was to make a statement. Either that, or they got what they came for, and we couldn't stop them." I pulled my hat down and started jogging toward the explosion. 

Pieces of a massive building were coming down in flames. Mercy flew down from the top of another building, and soon all of us were standing bewildered around the wreckage. 

"Find any survivors. Winston, could you stay around and make sure we don't have any more company?" Angela asked.

"With pleasure." He put a shield down and began scanning the area. 

"Fan out." Angela said. Everyone nodded and headed off in a different direction. Lena and Angela went further into the building, and Reinhard and Brigette went around the left side. I veered off to the right, further into smoke and fire, when I saw someone lying underneath a large support beam. 

"Mercy! I found someone!" I yelled above the noise of the fire and the general noise coming from people starting to come outside. 

I brushed past some rubble covering their face. And what I saw next wasn't pretty. It was a woman, late twenties maybe, whose legs were completely crushed by the rubble. I tried lifting the beam up, and what was underneath was a mess. Angela soon rushes by my side and pulls her out from under it. 

"Oh no." Angela said. 

Mild Gore Warning- (only the next three sentences)

Her legs were a bloodied mess. The bone was showing in places, and skin was shredded off. She was bleeding everywhere, and she had a shallow head wound. 

Angela placed a single hand on her head, and the golden light from her suit began to heal the wound. 

"What's the state of the hospitals here?"

"All of the regions where you could operate are full." I hear from an agent on the radio channel.

She swears under her breath, and then mumbles to herself, "If we were allowed to operate legally, maybe the local police wouldn't have to deal with omnics and assassins." She moved over to examine the woman's legs. 

"I can't fix these here. I don't have the right equipment, and plus, the hospitals here are full. Grab her, we're taking her back with us."

"Ange, you know that breaks the rules-"

"Damn the rules! I took an oath, and I intend to uphold it. Grab her, and take her back to the ship. I can set up a temporary station there to stabilize her. 

"Tracer?" She called. 

"Yes, Mercy- oh no." She blinked over and saw the mess of gore that was this woman's legs. 

"Check the area. Everyone who's already been injured is being taken care of, so we have to make sure there isn't anyone left."

"Aye aye." Tracer says, before giving the woman one last look over. 

I brought her back to the ship, and Angela started setting up an emergency medical center. I laid her down on the makeshift table, and taking my hat off, asked, "Do we know anything about her?"

"I can check, though I doubt it." She checks something before saying, "I stand corrected." She expands the hologram and turns it to face me. 

"(Y/N), (L/N). Her father was in the military. Lost his legs. Apparently, he was a big Overwatch supporter back in the day, almost got recruited." A picture of the woman flashes up on the screen. She's beautiful, and rather unlike the heavily wounded body in front of me. 

"All clear, Ange." Tracer comes back, with Reinhardt, Brigette, and Winston close behind. 

"Let's head out." Angela says, before checking something else on a holographic tablet. 

I felt an incredible weight as I looked at her. I had a feeling that she was a fighter.