nysalogs | lonely shadows following me

Entry tags:

lonely shadows following me

Who: Soldier: 76 (

personalwar), Ana Amari (

nanamari) & Jesse McCree (

good_bamf_ugly)
What: A mission to apprehend a Wyver carriage leads Jack and Ana to a familiar face. Time to fess up, with action mixed in.
When: Mid-August
Where: One of the roads leading into Olympia.
Warning(s): Possible language, mentions of murder, general action/violence.

Jack had known that the red light district would ultimately be the place to get information. Venturing into such a seedy area would have made him uncomfortable at one point in his life, but he's learned to brush aside any discomfort for the purpose of gathering intel. It's paid off, as he's netted a job for him and Ana to take on that will earn them a good amount of silver and allow them to learn more about the Wyvers at the same time.

Given that this is him and Ana, they make sure to plot out all the possible routes into the city, narrow it down to the most likely one, and then determine where would be the best place to step in and intercept the carriage. They decide on a spot close enough to the outpost that driving the carriage the rest of the way won't take too long, but also far enough that they're not going to draw the attention of the Olympians in the outpost.

Jack's enhanced strength allows them to set up a blockade in the middle of the road by piling debris there, which will force the carriage to stop and allow them to commandeer it. Jack's aware that those driving the carriage are not supposed to leave alive. In the end, he'll need to see them for himself before he decides what to do with them.

They take cover behind a ridge near the blockade, waiting for the moment of truth. As planned, the carriage comes to a halt and that's Jack's cue to move into position. He nods to Ana, knowing that she'll keep a careful eye on things in case anything goes south. He doesn't suspect he'll encounter much trouble, but it's not like they really know what to expect from the Wyvers.

As Jack approaches the carriage, he can sense some movements from within. His eyes narrow behind the visor as he tightens his grip on his rifle, but he doesn't slow in his march toward his objective.

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He expected this. He knew this job offer wasn't made solely to him, and McCree already can't decide if he should be annoyed at the idea of their silver-haired client not trusting him or wonder how much money he has to throw just to make sure this job gets done.

Anyway, the wheels are in motion--or not anymore as he's sort of forced to make the carriage come to a halt. McCree relinquishes the horses reigns and slips back into the body of the carriage, no doubt whoever's set this blockade up already on their way. That's fine. There's really only one of three ways to easily get inside--the front door that leads to the driver's bench (both Wyver drivers already dead, by the way, acting as decoys and propped up by their own daggers nailed to the wood of the carriage), the two side doors, or the large open-swinging back door. McCree keeps his ears and eyes open, hears footsteps--sounds like only one pair. Stupid or very brave. He'll let them pick the door to approach, and whichever door they do open they will find one (1) cowboy huddled on top of a metric shit ton of weapons.

With his own revolver pointed at them.

They hear the carriage coming up before they see it. Ana waits for it to rumble to a stop, and then she moves into the tall grass and props her rifle against her shoulder. She's on a steep hill that overlooks the path, in what isn't the most complete cover, but the important thing is that she's not seen immediately from the road. She's not worried about dividing their attention if someone happens to come out and notice her once the ambush is underway.

While Jack was pulling debris into the path, she'd spent her time picking out her best sight lines and places to take cover. They both know what they're doing. She catches a flash of red as someone steals into the back of the carriage, but the drivers sit stock still. They're slouching in their seats, and they make no attempt to move the debris.

"The two up front are dead," She tells Jack over the open comm line. "Take the side door. Someone's still in there."

She doesn't need to give him any more information than that. Jack will come to the same conclusions that she already has - either their new friend has entrusted this job to more than one person, or there are some competing interests at work here.

As usual, Ana can see more from her position than Jack can up close and personal, although he'd already been planning to enter through one of the side doors. Trying to jump up to the bench could easily go wrong, and entering through the back was just about asking to get blasted in the face with something.

Whoever was in there, they'd already done the grand majority of the work. 76 can't assume that this person will be interested in sharing the proceeds after all of this, but he isn't willing to abandon all of the hard work they've put into this assignment either.

Jack really isn't that surprised that the job had been given out to multiple people. Their employer probably figured that was his best bet for making sure it got done. He approaches the door, shifting his rifle to one arm so that he can open it up.

And then he's got a gun pointed in his face. Not just any gun, either.

Jack's attention quickly moves from Peacekeeper's barrel up to the man holding it, and it takes a lot of effort not to sigh in exasperation. Of course it was McCree who beat them to the punch.

He gives Ana the all clear signal with his free hand. He knows McCree, and he isn't going to harm either of them without good reason, even if he's fired that gun of his a few times today by the look of things.

"We sure do seem to run into each other a lot. I'm starting to wonder." If that's really so coincidental, he means. Does McCree suspect something after all?

Meanwhile McCree totally sighs in exasperation. Really? Really, of all people...?

"Funny that, I can't help but wonder a lot of things too." He's not keen to lower his gun when 76 has his at the ready but there have been a lot of coincidental meetings between them lately. He feels like it might be one time too many and annoyance is easy to hear in his voice.

"But because of you--" He pauses and sticks his head out the carriage and scans the horizon--that little hand signal wasn't lost on him and he looks for where he'd station his own long-range support person or other ally. He thinks he sees her hiding in the tall grass but she's hiding good, and McCree isn't about to waste time on it. "--and whoever else is with you... that's gonnna' have to wait a minute. This carriage came with two riders as escort. Two Wyvers riding cat-like creatures. They'll be checking in to see why the carriage is stopped."

McCree's idea was to not give them a reason to check in and see how far two decoy corpses could get him but ah well. They'll have to improvise, and ideally get this payload moving again.

Ana, who is above sighing altogether, makes a soft sound at the back of her throat, which manages to convey I told you so and a whole range of colorful swearing without words.

This would be their luck. She should have guessed from the technique -- Blackwatch training. It's good to see that Jesse hasn't lost his edge. In retrospect, she should have anticipated all of this, but a part of her had hoped that he would find something -- better. And maybe that they wouldn't run into each other quite like this.

She only hears Jack's side of the conversation, but no one shoots, at least.

"I'm guessing this distraction wasn't for us. Changing position." She keeps low, moving to get a better angle on the road. "Good luck, soldier."

This is all on you, Jack.

For all that it might seem like 76 is personally seeking out McCree, that isn't what's going on here. He would almost think it was the other way around, except that McCree clearly didn't plan for any of this, and his hijacking of the carriage had been going smoothly up until the two of them poked their heads into it. This is what happens when there's too many well-trained people assigned to one job.

Two riders as escort. There probably won't be any time to remove the debris and make a getaway before the Wyvers get here.

"How far out?" he asks all the same, because this is inevitably going to turn into a fight. "It'll be three-on-two." McCree seems to have already figured that part out, so there's no point in keeping it a secret.

76 pulls away from the door of the carriage to scan the horizon, on the lookout for two mounted figures. Nothing he can see so far, but with the way that this part of the road is boxed in (that had been purposeful on their part), there isn't much visibility either. Ana will be able to see more.

He speaks to her over their rudimentary comms system. "We'll have two hostiles coming in. Let us know when you have visual on them." Us, he says, without really thinking, but for the immediate moment the three of them are a team.

"Hell if I know now that we've stopped." He grumbles, "'bout one click behind was the pace they were keepin'." So they'll be on them very soon, unless they're already aware and are planning an ambush. Whole minutes if they're lucky.

Fortunately they have a lot of weapons to play with inside the wagon. Unfortunately a lot of these weapons are on the primitive side and volatile and it wouldn't take much to send the entire wagon up in smoke. Fortunately they are all trained professionals.

At the very least, McCree is suddenly consciously aware just how well of trained professionals they all are, including their mysterious scout--everything from their plans to the way they communicate and what information is most important. It's extremely difficult to not be reminded his days in Blackwatch, especially now that they're on a team.

"Don't lollygag--get on." McCree says suddenly deciding he might as well try to get the carriage moving again. He slides onto the driver's bench between the two dead bodies and takes the reigns. The two horses are less than thrilled to divert off the path that's mostly boxed in, but with a little care and patience McCree is able to coax them to start turning around. It'll take time though, and time they don't have.

Edited 2017-08-23 03:21 (UTC)

Ana keeps low, the scope of her rifle angled away from the sun so that it doesn't catch any glare. Jack and Jesse can sort themselves out as they see fit. They're both competent, and they know how to co-ordinate within a team, even if they've been on their own these past few years.

She doesn't miss the chatter. Jack falls into it like it's natural, and she can hear the low murmur of Jesse's voice in response, even if she can't quite pick out all of the words.

It's only a few moments before she spots the carriage's escorts. Once they come around the next bend, there won't be any hiding what's happened.

"I have a visual. Two hostiles, mounted, both armed. Two minutes out - do you need more time?"

Not much time at all, but it's not as if this would be the first time that some plan of Jack's had gone south and they'd all had to improvise as a result. Not the first time by a long shot, in fact. Even with all the careful planning done in advance, there's just way too many variables to expect a smooth mission every time.

Jack doesn't hesitate to climb up onto the bench, though there isn't much room for him with the two bodies and McCree taking the reins. He remains standing, positioned so that he can see over the top of the carriage to the path behind them.

As soon as Ana's word comes in, his gaze shifts up to where he knows she must be positioned to have eyes (or rather, an eye) on their pursuers.

"Wouldn't say no to a distraction. Armed with what?" Swords or bows, he's guessing, but he'd like to know what sort of advantage they're going to have. They could make use of the weapons they've stolen, but Jack's more inclined to stick with old reliable if he can.

McCree appreciates the tactical position 76 has taken up. Despite the limited room (seriously he's probably a cigar's breath away from his butt and thighs) it grants him the ability to devote his attention to driving the carriage.

Of course that means having to trust him and his scout but what else choice does he have, really? They're trusting him just as much now. He doesn't have to like it; he just has to be good at his job, and that he can do.

"Long bows, if I had to guess. They're the right range and they're quiet." Basically ideal weapons for ambush tactics.

And literally a moment later an incredibly well-timed arrowhead pierces the side of the carriage with a loud THOK! It splits wood and clatters to the ground. Only an inch higher and it would have cleared the edge of the wagon and hit 76 in the neck. Two Wyver women riding cat-like beasts the size of horses slip between the shadows of the trees and make a beeline for the carriage, bows drawn.

Fortunately McCree's maneuvered the horses around enough he can crack the reigns with a loud "HEEYAH!" and get them to run. He knows he just needs to get to an open clearing, especially if they have a sniper on their side. It'll be a bumpy off-road ride until then however, hang on 76!

"Don't miss!"

With the way they're concealed, it's difficult to get a good angle on them to see what exactly they're carrying. They don't waste any time in making it known, however.

Ana doesn't flinch when the arrow pierces the carriage. A near-miss is still a miss. They weren't counting on Jesse maneuvering away, or Jack holding his position for the ride.

"Swords, too." She exhales, pulls the trigger. One of the cat-like creatures yowls in pain as her needle hits its leg. It staggers into the other, leaving them both momentarily open for Jack. "Who brings a knife to a gun fight?"

As far as trust goes, Jack and Ana have the easier job here. They know McCree, they've known him since he was seventeen, and while there's still a lot of questions that Jack has about the way he'd bailed out of Blackwatch, in a moment like this he knows that he can trust the kid to have his back.

When the arrow lands a few inches from his face, 76 jerks back, head snapping up in the direction it came from to pinpoint the position of the riders. He makes a quick adjustment on his visor so that their heat signatures stand out against the landscape. That should make his job a little easier.

Not so easy, though. He's on a moving vehicle and he needs to shoot over the top of it across a pretty significant distance and keep his balance all at the same time. He gets his rifle propped up against the roof of the carriage, waiting for the pivotal moment when the riders clear the trees.

The stumble comes soon after that, offering 76 his opening. As always, Ana's shot hits true.

"Let's not question our good fortune, just this once," he says as he squeezes the trigger on his rifle, aiming for the riders rather than their mounts. The cat things didn't ask for any of this, after all. Jack will do what needs to be done, if it comes to that, but he manages to down one of the Wyver men, sending him toppling off of his steed to the ground.

"Make your way down to us, when you can," he tells Ana when he has a moment to breathe. "You're gonna have to hop on." And then? They'll have some explaining to do.

Ah, the sweet sound of ammunition in the evening. Or soon-to-be evening; they still had day light to work with but it was clear that if this carriage mission was going smoother the Wyvers were intending to make the final leg of the journey under the cover of night. Now they'll have to suffer the cover of fire as the group whittles down the feline-mounted scouts.

McCree concentrates on driving, though it's no easy task. The roads here were cobblestone and dirt on a good day and off the beaten-path is riddled with overgrown grass, weeds, shrubs and trees. The carriage bounces and McCree directs the horses weave together around obstacles. They aren't technically going very fast but it sure feels like it. Probably can't help if a tree-branch or two whacks 76 somewhere. The carriage starts to pick up true speed as McCree breaks into the clearing and lashes at the reigns more. Soon hooves are pounding the dirt but the Wyvers aren't keen to give up so easily.

The Wyver that fell off his steed lands in a graceful roll and chases the carriage on foot while prepping another arrow. It's clear he'll never catch up, and for that reason the next arrow he shoots isn't with the intent to hit 76 or McCree. It's attached to rope and hits the rear of the carriage. McCree feels a sudden drag of weight and the horses struggle to keep the pace they were.

"The hell is that?!" He shouts, "Somethin's slowing us down!"

Edited 2017-08-30 07:36 (UTC)

Her current ammunition is difficult to kill with. She had wanted it that way, when she worked alone. Now she thinks: the longer this goes on, the more dangerous it becomes.

She's on the move, following the carriage and the riders, and keeping her own safety in mind. Staying in one place too long is a good way to get ambushed and killed.

When the man chasing the carriage pulls up his bow, she drops into a crouch.

"Not yet. I'll catch up."

Ana hits one arm, then the other. It takes a third shot for him to loosen his grip enough to let go of the rope despite the pain that must be coursing though him. By then it's too late. The carriage has slowed enough for the man's still-mounted friend to begin gaining on it.

"Incoming, three-o-clock."

The cat makes a truly impressive leap, and the rider lands neatly on the roof of the carriage, twin swords drawn. The man who's been dragging behind doesn't move again, at least.

A few whacks from branches, 76 can forgive. None of this was part of the plan and they're improvising as needed, he isn't going to get worked up over something like that. In all honesty, he barely notices. Most of his upper body is covered, and he's entirely focused on their pursuers.

Not yet, I'll catch up, Ana says, and is it so wrong is Jack's stomach twists with discomfort for a split second there? She's allowed to make her own choices, of course. She doesn't follow his orders anymore. But hell if it doesn't bring back some bad memories.

Ana performs flawlessly, freeing the carriage of the weight that had been applied to it. By then, though, the other rider has caught up to them and jumps off of his mount's back to land on the carriage. The impact of his landing jostles 76, forcing him to grip McCree's shoulder and lean on it for a second or two to regain his balance.

Don't bring a knife to a gun fight, as Ana had said. 76 shoots at the Wyver, but the man's reaction time is impressive as he swipes his swords around, deflecting the bullets in a manner that reminds 76 of a certain ninja. Grumbling to himself, he decides there's nothing for it and jumps up onto the top of the wagon, so that they're on equal footing.

So much persistence... he has to wonder what's made these Wyver men so dedicated to the cause. Are they being paid well, or is it something else?

Well, it's something he can think on later. The plan is to keep the guy busy so that Ana can get a good shot in. He won't be able to deflect them from two angles, no matter how good he might be, and so 76 fires off more rounds, aiming for the man's legs.

His initial recon lead him to believe this wouldn't be a heavily guarded carriage but these Wyver's ferocity wasn't something to be underestimated. Damn crazy, the lot of them.

He feels the horses ability to gain traction again so he ushers them to move, though he's mindful of a new added weight--now on top of the carriage. He can't see but he can certainly hear and feel the bobbling weight of an additional passenger, and 76 taking up position to ward them off. (He can't really say much to momentarily supporting his weight; he manages it without complaint. Whatever it takes.) Any attempts to shake the bogey off might also shake 76 off. Might also drop some of the cargo and that'd defeat a whole lot of the purpose of this mission if they get their hands back on it.

The rider who jumped off his mount didn't mean the mount was out of the fight now. McCree's only warning is a sharp sudden shadow at his left and the horses suddenly squealing with freight. The feline pounces at McCree. It's only thanks to his lightning fast reflexes he's able to pull his revolver out and nail it right between the eyes mid-leap. Didn't stop its momentum though and soon there's a whole lot of dead cat flopping on already spooked horses. They panic and buck in their stalls, jostling the carriage back and forth. McCree gives up on controlling them and dismounts to shove the mount off them with a firm kick from his boot, swearing under his breath.

Now they're able to go forward again but consequently they can't help but run over the rest of that cat's carcass. That's a big bump and sickening squelch to go with it.

Miraculously, the two Wyver corpses are still nailed to the bench, thanks to McCree's handiwork from before. They seem to be enjoying the ride, limp arms and heads swaying around. They're worth a lot of money, after all.

She sees the shadow sail past the cart, and even with her focus drawn to Jack and his attacker, she's aware of Jesse handling the creature as reflexively as he always has.

Jack is stronger and more sure-footed than most, but the jostling over the creature's body sends both him and the guard staggering. The guard recovers first, driving at Jack with his swords.

Ana's shot hits him in the back of the neck - in the spine, specifically. His whole body jerks like a marionette that's had its strings suddenly cut. He'll be lucky if he ever moves again, from the neck down, but he's still falling in Jack's direction with a pair of swords in hand.

Nothing she can do for that - Jack will handle it. She scans the area one last time.

"We're clear, I'm coming in. Are you both alright?"

The crack of McCree's revolver going off inspires the sort of visceral sense memory that 76 really would have been better off without, when his attention is already so divided, but it's there all the same. (Standing at the shooting range at Overwatch headquarters, watching a teenage kid line up his shot and land it, then spread both arms in a lazy gesture. Like it was easy, like it was no big deal.) Still, what that sound tells him is that he can cross another target off his mental list.

After that, though, the horses begin to whinny and buck, making an unsteady ride even more unsteady. The shakiness only seems to get worse, and Jack's fighting to keep his balance as the Wyver man presses toward him, taking his chance to attack—

Only for his body to suddenly go still and rigid. Jack can't do anything about the dead weight that suddenly falls toward him except let it happen. He ends up flat on his back on the top of the carriage, pinned by the paralyzed Wyver. Thankfully, the swords don't do much damage. That might have been a different story if he wasn't wearing body armor, but ultimately they slide off the carriage and clatter to the ground below.

"We're stable," Jack tells Ana with a grunt as he shoves the Wyver body off of him, sending it toppling to the dirt road after those swords. It might seem heartless, but given that the guy had just been trying to kill him, Jack isn't too worked up about it. Still splayed out on top of the wagon, he tilts his head back until he can see the top of McCree's hat.

"Right?" he asks, to confirm that their partner in crime is, in fact, still in one piece.

McCree winces when he hears the thud-thump of another body hitting the ground, though it's hardly for sympathy. He twists around in his seat and lets out a loud groan--almost a whine.

"Really?! That was an extra 'hundred silver you just shoved off!" Because they are steady and it's largely because the horses are content moving forward at a brisk pace. McCree isn't inclined to stop and turn them around for 100 silver when they really shouldn't push their luck any more and. They should get this carriage back to the outpost. It just would have been a lot more convenient if 76 simply hadn't shoved him off.

He's hardly concerned that 76 is injured. Obviously he can take care of himself.

There's another groan as he gently re-adjusts the reins and the horses even out with their pace; a steady trot to let their sniper catch up but not slow enough to seem leisurely.

"Ya'll alright?" Asked more to be polite than out of real concern. Mostly.

She'll take stable. Ana is already making her way down to the carriage, now that it's slowed enough to allow her to catch up.

"Then stop laying around and help me up, Jack." Once she's close enough, Jack hauls her up into the already crowded bench. She manages to stand over one of the corpses, gripping the roof for support. She looks over Jesse, then Jack to confirm that they're indeed mostly unharmed. Then she looks at the corpses, still nailed to the carriage.

"Can we move these two into the back? I think they've served their purpose."

After all that, McCree's main concern is some lost silver? Not that Jack should really be that surprised by it, but he finds himself rolling his eyes all the same. They may have taken this job for money, but there's a point where making sure they can carry out the rest of it smoothly takes precedent.

It's difficult not to cringe when Ana calls him "Jack" over their comms, even though he knows McCree can't hear it. He gets himself vertical in time to help her onto the bench. At both of their questions, he nods, moving to open up the door that gives them access to the carriage's interior. He yanks the knife out of one of the bodies, scoops up the dead weight in one arm, and then tosses the corpse inside. McCree has to allow him access to the second, but he repeats the process with little fanfare, then finally settles down onto the bench.

It's stained with blood, but he doesn't seem bothered by it.

"Nice shooting," he says to McCree after a pause. "Wouldn't have nosed in on your job if we'd known."

"I'll take that compliment." No sense in complaining anymore about a job that was technically done. All they had to do now was get this baby to the outpost and collect their due. McCree continues to guide the horses in that direction, though they'll certainly have some time to pass before they get there. McCree's perfectly content to pass said time with talk; both small and prying kinds.

"For what it's worth we made a pretty good team." He says, leaning back and getting comfortable on the bench.

"You two known each other long?"

Ana sits on the opposite side, her rifle settled across her lap.

"You could say that." She replies. Her gaze shifts from Jesse's face in profile to Jack, who's leaning a little further forward. They said they would give it a month. It's been a little longer than that.

"It's good to see you've kept your skills sharp, Jesse."

There's a reason they made such a good team, of course. While McCree had mainly functioned under Reyes, Ana had been the one to train him and Jack had been heavily involved in his role in the organization, especially early on. They know his skillset up and down.

Ana only gives Jack a few seconds to register what she's about to do. He's able to read her intentions, even with both of them wearing masks, but that doesn't mean that he's completely ready for what happens next.

Ana's voice and his side-by-side probably would have been enough for McCree to figure it out, but Ana has always been quick on the trigger.

"Still willing to do the dirty jobs, I see."

He doesn't say it with any judgment. They're here too, after all.

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