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Description
Moonlighting- Pup

“Is that him, Angela?”

Gabriel Reyes peered through the slim glass slot in the door at the prisoner inside the cell. The young had himself pushed into the farthest possible corner, back to the wall and knees drawn up to his face. Two intense blue grey eyes stared out from under shaggy, rust colored bangs. Truth be told, he didn’t look like the sort who would be able to land a few agents in the hospital.

“Yes. Will you speak to him? He won’t talk to any of us without trying to tear our throats out. He’s been told he’s going to prison if he doesn’t talk to us,” Angela sighed, brushing some loose hair behind her ear.

“Sure. I’ve got nothing better-”

Angela wrung her hands.

“ No...it isn’t...Gabriel, they want to take him to Development. I...as a doctor I can’t in good conscience clear him for that. I could...I would clear him to work with you. They’ll listen to you.”

She was clearly shaken, but ever the dedicated physician, she was still thinking about her patient’s quality of life. Gabriel admired that about her. She was risking a lot, asking him for such a favor, but there had to be a good reason. One of the greatest medical minds in the whole of Overwatch didn’t ask you to babysit for nothing. Besides, what would Development want with a delinquent teen from Route 66?

“Development? Angela, what is this?”

Angela took a deep breath and swallowed.

“Gene therapy. It isn’t like anything I’ve ever seen before in civilian work. It hasn’t even been found in medical testing.”

“Gene therapy? Angela, what am I walking into, here?”

“Whatever was done to him-he...he can trigger a physical transformation. The resulting creature is very aggressive. Be Careful.”

Well, that explained a lot of things. Why multiple agents had been hospitalized and why weapons development wanted to get their hands on him. Gene therapy? How? By who? What had this kid been through? Was there anything even left of him? Well, there was only one way to find out.

“Kill the audio and lock the door. I’ll go try to talk some sense into him. I don’t want him getting loose in here.”

Angela nodded, typing commands into the security system and unlocking the door just long enough for Gabriel to get inside. He heard the latching mechanism slide shut behind him with an ominous, solid clank.

Gabriel looked to the corner. The boy had not moved. His back was sill pressed into the corner and steely, blue grey eyes had locked onto the agent through a curtain of shaggy, rust colored hair.

“Hey. You alright? Feeling better? Sorry they roughed you up...I...I don’t think they knew you were a kid.”

The only thing Gabriel got in return was silence. Alright. Time to try something else. He took a few steps forward, only to be met with a growl. Well, at least that was a response. Gabriel stopped in his tracks and held up his hands, revealing that had nothing in his hands before he took a few more steps, placing himself in the center of the room and easing down to a crouch so that he could be eye to eye with the boy in the corner.

“You can relax. I’m not a cop. My name is Gabriel Reyes. I work with Overwatch. I’m not going to lock you up or anything like that.”

He saw those steely eyes dart to the door, then back to himself.

“That’s my friend, Dr. Ziegler. She’d like to have a look at you and make sure you’re okay. She tells me you’re a little...uncooperative. You’ve got spunk, kid. We like that. What’s your name?”

The boy pulled in on himself and started visibly trembling.

“Kid?” Gabriel asked.

There was no reply, but there was a definite gleam of sweat on what visible skin the boy had and part of that mop of hair was looking damp. Gabriel got to his feet and stepped closer to the shaking form in the corner.

He hadn’t noticed before but the kid was missing an arm. The way he had been sitting had completely concealed the fact that his left arm ended right above the elbow.

Jesus. What had this kid been through?

Gabriel was jolted from his thought by a series of sickening cracks. The boy’s body had started swelling, legs and arm twisting, patches of rusty fur were popping up all over him until that same shaggy fur covered his slim form. The boy stopped shaking then and stood up-no longer a boy at all, but a gangly legged cross between a wolf and a bear. It seemed the form was going through puberty, too. It was clearly awkward and missing a leg wasn’t helpful now that it was not able to stand straight up. With a deep throated growl, it leapt at Gabriel, clearly making a grab for the agent’s arm.

Shit. Well, Angela did say it was aggressive.

“Don’t do it kid, you’ll only hurt yourself.”

The rusty furred creature lunged at Reyes, snapping its jaws and finding purchase on the man’s forearm. As soon as teeth punctured skin, a black mist rose up from the would and lashed out, slashing the top of the creature’s mouth. With a yelp pain, the beast let him go and jumped back, tail literally between its legs. It left a splattered trail of blood back to its corner where it huddled, whimpering.

Gabriel gritted his teeth as his flesh knitted itself back together. Those puncture wounds were deep. Little punk hadn’t been messing around.

“I warned you, kid.”

He reached into a pouch on his hip and pulled out a roll of bandages. It wasn’t perfect, but it was enough for now. Gabriel put a hand on the ball of fur that was doing its best to push itself into its corner. It tensed under his touch, as if expecting a blow. Instead, it felt a hand rub gently through its fur.

“Hey, now. Its okay. I’m not mad. Here. Bite down on this. It will stop the bleeding.”

The beast did as it was told, not making eye contact. When the bleeding had stopped and things had quieted down, Gabriel felt a shudder under his hand. Bit by bit, the animalistic features began to recede and the boy’s humanity became more apparent. The agent averted his eyes until it was done. He didn’t want to be a voyeur.

The boy finally sat up, removing the bloodied ball of bandages from his mouth.

“As I was saying. I don’t want you to rot in a prison cell. You could do some real good in the world. Doesn’t that sound better?”

“NO!”

It was the first actual word Gabriel had heard the boy say. It was clear and emphatic. Gabriel blinked. Yes, he was listening.
“I don’t want to use it like that! I don’t want to use it at all. I don’t want anyone to know! Not ever again!”

Oh.

Gabriel placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder.

“That’s not what I was talking about. I was talking about you, not your special talent. No one has to know. You don’t have to use it. It is yours. You can do what you want with it...within reason. The staff doesn’t take kindly to bites.”

The boy sniffed.

“Sorry. You Okay, Mr. Reyes?”

Now that he was speaking, it was clear the boy had a southwestern drawl. “Mr. Reyes”? A few minutes ago, the kid had tried to tear his arm off.

“Yeah. It takes a lot more than a scared patient to hurt me.”

He pulled up his sleeve, revealing his almost fully healed arm. Only a few minor discolorations remained where sharp teeth had dug into his flesh.

“See, Kid? Good as new.”

The boy’s eyes widened.

“So....I could use some help making the world a better place. It is a lot more fun than being locked in a cell all day.”

“O-Okay. Sir.”

Sir? Now he was a Sir? Gabriel was clearly moving up in the world.

“What’s your name? I don’t think I caught it the first time.”

There was a pause before Gabriel received an answer.

“Jesse. Jesse McCree.”

Gabriel squeezed Jesse’s shoulder.

“Good to know you, Jesse McCree.”

Angela hadn’t been kidding. This wasn’t like anything he had ever dealt with before, this was a teenager, a young teenager...maybe 14? He was younger than anyone else on the team and would clearly need a lot of extra handling given his nature, but...but Angela was right. This kid-Jesse- he could not be sent off to Development. That wasn’t what he needed. What he needed was for lack of a better term, a pack, to keep him out of trouble...and out of trouble’s hands.

Just where had this kid come from, anyway?

Description
Moonlighting- Pup

“Is that him, Angela?”

Gabriel Reyes peered through the slim glass slot in the door at the prisoner inside the cell. The young had himself pushed into the farthest possible corner, back to the wall and knees drawn up to his face. Two intense blue grey eyes stared out from under shaggy, rust colored bangs. Truth be told, he didn’t look like the sort who would be able to land a few agents in the hospital.

“Yes. Will you speak to him? He won’t talk to any of us without trying to tear our throats out. He’s been told he’s going to prison if he doesn’t talk to us,” Angela sighed, brushing some loose hair behind her ear.

“Sure. I’ve got nothing better-”

Angela wrung her hands.

“ No...it isn’t...Gabriel, they want to take him to Development. I...as a doctor I can’t in good conscience clear him for that. I could...I would clear him to work with you. They’ll listen to you.”

She was clearly shaken, but ever the dedicated physician, she was still thinking about her patient’s quality of life. Gabriel admired that about her. She was risking a lot, asking him for such a favor, but there had to be a good reason. One of the greatest medical minds in the whole of Overwatch didn’t ask you to babysit for nothing. Besides, what would Development want with a delinquent teen from Route 66?

“Development? Angela, what is this?”

Angela took a deep breath and swallowed.

“Gene therapy. It isn’t like anything I’ve ever seen before in civilian work. It hasn’t even been found in medical testing.”

“Gene therapy? Angela, what am I walking into, here?”

“Whatever was done to him-he...he can trigger a physical transformation. The resulting creature is very aggressive. Be Careful.”

Well, that explained a lot of things. Why multiple agents had been hospitalized and why weapons development wanted to get their hands on him. Gene therapy? How? By who? What had this kid been through? Was there anything even left of him? Well, there was only one way to find out.

“Kill the audio and lock the door. I’ll go try to talk some sense into him. I don’t want him getting loose in here.”

Angela nodded, typing commands into the security system and unlocking the door just long enough for Gabriel to get inside. He heard the latching mechanism slide shut behind him with an ominous, solid clank.

Gabriel looked to the corner. The boy had not moved. His back was sill pressed into the corner and steely, blue grey eyes had locked onto the agent through a curtain of shaggy, rust colored hair.

“Hey. You alright? Feeling better? Sorry they roughed you up...I...I don’t think they knew you were a kid.”

The only thing Gabriel got in return was silence. Alright. Time to try something else. He took a few steps forward, only to be met with a growl. Well, at least that was a response. Gabriel stopped in his tracks and held up his hands, revealing that had nothing in his hands before he took a few more steps, placing himself in the center of the room and easing down to a crouch so that he could be eye to eye with the boy in the corner.

“You can relax. I’m not a cop. My name is Gabriel Reyes. I work with Overwatch. I’m not going to lock you up or anything like that.”

He saw those steely eyes dart to the door, then back to himself.

“That’s my friend, Dr. Ziegler. She’d like to have a look at you and make sure you’re okay. She tells me you’re a little...uncooperative. You’ve got spunk, kid. We like that. What’s your name?”

The boy pulled in on himself and started visibly trembling.

“Kid?” Gabriel asked.

There was no reply, but there was a definite gleam of sweat on what visible skin the boy had and part of that mop of hair was looking damp. Gabriel got to his feet and stepped closer to the shaking form in the corner.

He hadn’t noticed before but the kid was missing an arm. The way he had been sitting had completely concealed the fact that his left arm ended right above the elbow.

Jesus. What had this kid been through?

Gabriel was jolted from his thought by a series of sickening cracks. The boy’s body had started swelling, legs and arm twisting, patches of rusty fur were popping up all over him until that same shaggy fur covered his slim form. The boy stopped shaking then and stood up-no longer a boy at all, but a gangly legged cross between a wolf and a bear. It seemed the form was going through puberty, too. It was clearly awkward and missing a leg wasn’t helpful now that it was not able to stand straight up. With a deep throated growl, it leapt at Gabriel, clearly making a grab for the agent’s arm.

Shit. Well, Angela did say it was aggressive.

“Don’t do it kid, you’ll only hurt yourself.”

The rusty furred creature lunged at Reyes, snapping its jaws and finding purchase on the man’s forearm. As soon as teeth punctured skin, a black mist rose up from the would and lashed out, slashing the top of the creature’s mouth. With a yelp pain, the beast let him go and jumped back, tail literally between its legs. It left a splattered trail of blood back to its corner where it huddled, whimpering.

Gabriel gritted his teeth as his flesh knitted itself back together. Those puncture wounds were deep. Little punk hadn’t been messing around.

“I warned you, kid.”

He reached into a pouch on his hip and pulled out a roll of bandages. It wasn’t perfect, but it was enough for now. Gabriel put a hand on the ball of fur that was doing its best to push itself into its corner. It tensed under his touch, as if expecting a blow. Instead, it felt a hand rub gently through its fur.

“Hey, now. Its okay. I’m not mad. Here. Bite down on this. It will stop the bleeding.”

The beast did as it was told, not making eye contact. When the bleeding had stopped and things had quieted down, Gabriel felt a shudder under his hand. Bit by bit, the animalistic features began to recede and the boy’s humanity became more apparent. The agent averted his eyes until it was done. He didn’t want to be a voyeur.

The boy finally sat up, removing the bloodied ball of bandages from his mouth.

“As I was saying. I don’t want you to rot in a prison cell. You could do some real good in the world. Doesn’t that sound better?”

“NO!”

It was the first actual word Gabriel had heard the boy say. It was clear and emphatic. Gabriel blinked. Yes, he was listening.
“I don’t want to use it like that! I don’t want to use it at all. I don’t want anyone to know! Not ever again!”

Oh.

Gabriel placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder.

“That’s not what I was talking about. I was talking about you, not your special talent. No one has to know. You don’t have to use it. It is yours. You can do what you want with it...within reason. The staff doesn’t take kindly to bites.”

The boy sniffed.

“Sorry. You Okay, Mr. Reyes?”

Now that he was speaking, it was clear the boy had a southwestern drawl. “Mr. Reyes”? A few minutes ago, the kid had tried to tear his arm off.

“Yeah. It takes a lot more than a scared patient to hurt me.”

He pulled up his sleeve, revealing his almost fully healed arm. Only a few minor discolorations remained where sharp teeth had dug into his flesh.

“See, Kid? Good as new.”

The boy’s eyes widened.

“So....I could use some help making the world a better place. It is a lot more fun than being locked in a cell all day.”

“O-Okay. Sir.”

Sir? Now he was a Sir? Gabriel was clearly moving up in the world.

“What’s your name? I don’t think I caught it the first time.”

There was a pause before Gabriel received an answer.

“Jesse. Jesse McCree.”

Gabriel squeezed Jesse’s shoulder.

“Good to know you, Jesse McCree.”

Angela hadn’t been kidding. This wasn’t like anything he had ever dealt with before, this was a teenager, a young teenager...maybe 14? He was younger than anyone else on the team and would clearly need a lot of extra handling given his nature, but...but Angela was right. This kid-Jesse- he could not be sent off to Development. That wasn’t what he needed. What he needed was for lack of a better term, a pack, to keep him out of trouble...and out of trouble’s hands.

Just where had this kid come from, anyway?