when I lived alone, is there a ghost in my house?

[mylawn]

WHO? 76 (mylawn) and YOU
WHAT? fabulous dream adventures
WHEN? dream time
ANYTHING ELSE? violence, the robot war, you know.

i. dad punches you in the face for the low, low price of free (this one is not a dream)

[76 knows, on some level, that something is wrong. He’s fairly certain he’s dozed off here and there, but he can’t remember exactly where or when or for how long—only that he was left with a strange, unsettling feeling each time. For someone as paranoid as he is, he knows it doesn’t bode well, but being unable to pinpoint the problem means there’s little for him to do.

As always, he hits the recreation area to take his mind off things. It seems wailing on a punching bag is one of few ways he knows how to blow off steam, and he’s easily found doing just that. He doesn’t seem to mind being interrupted, at least, knowing full well that he offered hand-to-hand pointers over the network. He certainly recognizes the cathartic value of beating the crap out of something or someone, even if it’s not the healthiest of coping mechanisms.

Perhaps that’s what you’re looking for. 76 isn’t going to judge.]

Need something?

[Or, you might find him asleep, slumped over in a chair, gloves and water bottle discarded nearby, like he only meant to take a short break. Probably you should wake him up???]

ii. the humans are dead (this one is a dream)

[Everything is on fire.

It’s difficult to tell just what, exactly, is burning, because the scene seems to shift between a few different locals that blur together and separate and merge again, cityscapes and building interiors and battlefields, but the overall effect is the same. Harsh red emergency lighting cuts through the dark and smoke, and there’s the very distinct feeling of being trapped. The shadows of mechanical soldiers close in, punctuated by the sounds of gunfire and explosions and collapsing rebar. As if that wasn’t threatening enough, metallic groans in the distance give the impression that the whole place (if one can even call it that) is about to come crashing down.

The one voice that cuts through it all might sound familiar, even if it’s coming from someone who you definitely haven’t seen before (unless you squint).]

—respond. Do you read me, Reyes?

[He keeps going, barking more names into what seems to be some kind of communicator, but there’s no response. Given the current state of things, it takes him a moment to realize he isn’t alone, but as soon as he notices the intrusion, he’s closing the distance, apparently to usher you away as quickly as possible, despite his own obvious distress.]

It’s not safe here, come on. [You’re a civilian! You shouldn’t be in the middle of a war zone!] You need to evacuate.

iii. sad ghost hoots then scoots (this one is also a dream)

[You’re interrupting a fight.

A fairly explosive one, if the surroundings are any indication. 76, in full tactical gear, is currently throwing down with a figure in a black robe, though it’s difficult to tell just what the figure is, exactly, especially when it only seems to have a form some of the time, dissolving and re-forming constantly as and 76 scrabble at each other. Sharp silver claws reach out of the black smog to try and strangle him, and the whole thing devolves into a visceral struggle.

There’s a gunshot, and another outburst of smoke as 76’s opponent loses shape entirely and rushes away as a formless miasma. 76 tries to right himself.]

Don’t just stand there—

[He barks it out, the tone that of someone used to giving orders under duress, but there’s something desperate in it too. When he stands, it’s easy to see why—there’s blood on the ground, but despite the sway in his stance, he’s making a concentrated effort to take off in pursuit, not particularly caring that you’re in the way. If you aren’t going to help, he’s just going to push his way past.

iv. wildcard

[I’ll do whatever you want. You write a thing. I’ll write a thing. Hit me up at whitticus.]

Comments

[mylawn]

You don't know that.

[But of course she does--she's his doctor, even if he doesn't want to admit it. There's a part of him that recognizes this as a dream, in some level, and he isn't surprised that Angela is here in it, trying to appeal to the more sensible part of him.

It works, on some level, but his single-minded obsession with Gabriel Reyes is hard to overcome.]

I can't.

[He doesn't think he could, even if he wanted to. They're inextricably linked, to the point where he fully expects Reaper to be his last mission.]

I won't let him get away from me again.

[heilt]

( she presses again, trying to control the flow of the bleeding a little more. he's stubborn, and whilst angela doesn't know exactly what (or who) he's after she does know what a mission can drive people to do )

You have to. I won't be able to help you if you don't.

( if he had to this man could always go after him once she'd healed him but that was his decision to make then. at the minute it was hers )

I don't want to have to make you sit down.

( it wouldn't be with physical force either )

[mylawn]

I don't need your help--

[He snarls, trying to throw her off. Everything shrinks down to a pinpoint, the only thing that matters the fact that Reyes is getting away. It occurs to him that she doesn't even know who he's after or why this is important, but he's not sure how he can begin to explain.

Still, it's difficult to fight Angela, and they both know that injured, he's not going to get very far. Jack's face screws up in frustration.]

You don't know what he's done.

[heilt]

I don't need to.

( she assumes it's important for this masked man to want to chase after him so recklessly. she assumes, but without the other man here she didn't want to know. he was a distraction to her patient )

You won't be able to find him if you don't stop. I assume that's what you want.

( though right now he feels like he can already do it. if he refused... she'd let him go, and pick him up again when he passed out from his injury )

[mylawn]

[For a moment there might be pity on his face, albeit masked by his visor. No, she doesn't know what Reaper has done. She doesn't know who he is, not really, and Jack can't be certain how she'll react to such information. She'd always been the biggest critic of Overwatch's more militaristic impulses, and he can't imagine she'd take this particular news well.

It's a good thing, he supposes, that none of this is real, though he's a little too caught up in the dream to really think about that.]

What I went through to find him--you can't stop me, Ange.

[heilt]

( her head tips down and though her hands remain on his injury the pressure that had once been there no longer remains. she doesn't know what it is, other than her ethics, but she can't make him stay )

You're right. I can't.

( she can't help someone who refuses it, and she couldn't physically stop him from leaving either )

I just hope that it's worth this.

( and that he doesn't die in the process )

[mylawn]

[For a moment he pauses, as if taking those words to heart. Wondering if it is, in fact, worth all this. Worth his life--because that's where all this will lead, in the end. He's told himself he put no value in his own survival, but that was before he and Angela were reunited, forcing him to think about what will happen if he forces his people to mourn him twice.

It's enough to make him relent, if only for a second. He breathes out slowly, preparing himself to drop a truth she shouldn't have to hear.]

That's Reyes, Angela.

[She should know, then, why Jack has to find him.]

[heilt]

( angela pauses, confusing spreading across the young doctor's expression, her hands falling completely from him. that was reyes? something seemed to want to tell her that it was true but there was nothing that angela knew to make it make sense )

It can't be.

[mylawn]

It is.

[He says it like there's no further explanation needed, like they don't all know that Gabriel Reyes is dead, and has been for years. But Jack knows, and even without Ana confirming what was under the mask, he's always been certain. They knew each other too well and for too long for either of them to hide.

Angela's disbelief goes unregistered, Jack still clearly focused on what's getting away from him.]

So you know I have to stop him.

[heilt]

Why you?

( her voice is quiet, and whether or not she believes him doesn't leave her any less confused. how is it possible, how does he know... who is he? )

Why does it need to be you?

[mylawn]

Becasue it's my fault, Angela.

[His voice wavers a little, though whether it's due to his injury or the reality of the situation is difficult to tell. He wants to tear himself away from her, but there's an even larger part of him that doesn't think he can bear to do so, not until she understands.]

I'm the only one who can.

[heilt]

Who can what?

( it's something of a challenge. those words usually follow with the intention of someone's death. she doesn't want them to )

You don't need to kill him. There's no reason to.

[mylawn]

[Jack doesn't want to kill him. All he's ever really wanted is to bring Gabriel home, but it seems like more and more of an impossibility each day. Now moreso than ever, given the fact that they're displaced from their home. It's entirely likely he'll never see Reaper again--only in dreams like this one. Even so, if they ever cross paths, Jack knows that they'll be the end of each other.

Despite the fact that it's what he wants, he's not quite sure how to come to terms with that. He knows even less about how he's supposed to talk to Angela about it.]

I gotta stop him somehow.

[Before he undoes even more of the work that Overwatch did.]

[heilt]

Stop him?

( she questions it a little, uncertain as to what his intentions really are )

There are other ways.

( capture, prison. would they be easy? no. would they work? angela didn't know, but she'd advocate trying them first )

[mylawn]

Stay out of my way, Angela.

[Jack lowers his voice to a low growl, meant to drive her away--but the underlying motive is to try to keep her from getting in between them. The last thing he wants is for her to get caught in the crossfire.]

He's not the man you knew.

[He won't hesitate to put an end to her if it comes down to that. Jack is sure of it.]

[heilt]

Neither are you.

( it's only a guess, given that angela doesn't know who he is, but for him to know both her and gabriel she's assuming that it is someone that she knows. or knew. he doesn't seem or feel at all familiar to her.

the words come with angela taking a step backwards. if he wants to refuse her help and push her away-- she can't stop him, not against someone so determined )

[mylawn]

There's a reason for that.

[There's a lot that goes unsaid in the moments before he turns on his heel and runs--that he's sorry, that he wishes things didn't have to be this way. That she deserves better, that he's realized he can't put her through this again.

He's convinced himself he's not so good with words, anymore. It's easier to take action, even if it means leaving Angela and the rest of his people behind.]