Pilot

[moonshadows]

Three days after our escape from Talon, a red alert flag pops up while I'm checking other things. A communications array has tried to open a connection to the warehouse complex that had been our base. When I track the originating signal, though, it's...in Bermuda. And it's Jerome's ship.

Hijack the signal, patch in text-to-voice with my vocal modulation script. JEROME, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

The response comes back routed straight to my ear. "Miss Sombra! I was trying to get in touch with you, actually."

BY CALLING HOME?

"You sent me on vacation with...more than enough money to stay as long as I wanted," he says. "I assumed there would be nobody home but that you would be very interested in anyone knocking on the door, so..."

Well, he's not wrong. BORED ALREADY?

He laughs. "Actually...yes. I know Overwatch is still under the table, but...uh...do you think they need a good, discreet pilot?"

IF YOU WANT TO CUT YOUR RETIREMENT SHORT, I type, HERE'S THE ADDRESS TO PARK AT AND THE ADDRESS TO KNOCK ON THE DOOR OF. The coordinates, as well as a pair of maps, are transmitted to the ship's navigation systems. I'LL LET THEM KNOW YOU'RE COMING.

"Thanks, Miss Sombra." He actually sounds relieved. "This might sound weird, but I kind of miss the excitement of flying you and the other two around. Uh...how are they doing? If you don't mind me asking."

WIDOW IS STILL GETTING DE-WIDOWMAKER-ED. REAPER IS... How do I explain the situation there?

"Cranky?"

SI, REAPER IS CRANKY. WE STILL WORKING ON THAT. WHEN YOU GET HERE, ASK FOR JACK.

"Thank you again, Miss Sombra," he says. "I'll head out tomorrow."

The connection closes, and I wander off to find people to warn so no one shoots down the Talon ship that will be flying in tomorrow.

===

"Jerome," Uncle Jack says doubtfully from the room that sort of serves as an office. Across the desk, Jerome nods. "You want to be a pilot for Overwatch."

"That's right," Jerome answers calmly.

"You understand that Overwatch is still technically an illegal operation and that secrecy is a requirement."

The pilot shrugs. "I'm used to that. I was with Talon before Miss Sombra dismantled it overnight. Flew Reaper and Widowmaker to their missions for years."

Jack's eyebrows go up. "Talon. Why do you want to be a pilot for Overwatch again?"

"I'm bored," he answers with a shrug. "I'm a good pilot, I'm discreet, and I come with my own ship."

"How did you get your own ship?" Jack looks ready to leap across the desk and punch poor Jerome, who stays perfectly calm.

"I got an order to fly to Jamaica. Somewhere during the flight, Talon went down and when I landed, I realized no one had any idea where I was and that my expense account had somehow grown thick enough that I could live the rest of my life in a tropical paradise." He shrugs. "I got bored, so now I'm here."

Disgruntled, Uncle Jack leans back and crosses his arms. "You don't mind if I bring Sombra in to verify your claims," he says, and it's not a question.

"Of course not."

I close the screen spying on the "office" as Jack leaves the room, and look up innocently when he enters the living room a few seconds later.

"There's a Talon pilot who claims he knows you," Jack says without preamble. "I want you to come verify his claims. He wants to fly for Overwatch."

I close the rest of my screens and stand up. "I'd be happy to. Papi?"

From the can in the corner, a small screen with Reaper's head opens up. "What?"

"I gonna be down the hall with Uncle Jack for a little bit. You okay in there, or you want me open the lid?"

The simulation of his head looks from me to Jack and back again. "I'm fine," he growls.

"Okay," I tell him soothingly. "Just didn't want you to wake up and have me be gone."

There's a hesitation and a bit of wisping before he repeats, "I'm fine," in a gentler growl, and I know what he's really saying is, thank you.

Jack looks uncertain as to how he should react to this exchange, but I nod at him and he leads me to the office where Jerome lights up the instant I come through the door.

"Miss Sombra! You're actually here? I should have guessed!"

"Hey, Jerome!" I perch on the corner of the desk. "You look good. Got a tan. Have any trouble finding this place?"

He chuckles. "Nope. You look good, too. Scared the crap out of me last time I saw you, you know."

Jack frowns. "What did she do?"

"She'd shut Reaper down hard," Jerome says slowly. "And she looked...grim. Tired. I half expected him to eat you," he says to me. "What did he do when you let him out?"

I glance at Jack. He looks shocked. "Nothing. The fact that I did that really shook him. We just sat in silence for a while until he went to report. Now, after he reported...I could not tell you, but I'm betting a lot of shit got trashed."

Despite this assurance that Jerome is not a Talon spy, Uncle Jack doesn't look reassured. "You know who Reaper really is?" he asks in a tone that clearly expects the answer to be no.

Jerome looks at me, silently asking if it's okay to use the name. I nod. "Gabriel Reyes," he answers quietly.

Jack's eyebrows crawl together as he realizes that our guest clearly asked my permission. "I want to have Reaper independently verify you," he says. "Sombra, with me, please."

He waves me out of the room and I grin at Jerome as I leave, my eyes rolling. He grins back. Jack closes the door behind us and stands awkwardly in the living room as I open the can.

"Jack got a favor to ask," I say as Reaper boils out and solidifies.

"The pilot claims he flew you to your missions," Jack says awkwardly. "I'd like you to confirm that."

Irritated wisps curl off Reaper's shoulders. "Fine."

They stalk out of the room, and I re-open the window spying on the office.

Jack walks in first and gestures to Jerome. "Do you recognize this man?"

Reaper clearly does not until Jerome stands, turns his chair around, and sits with his back to the other two.

"Yes. That's the pilot."

"The pilot. Weren't there others?"

"No," Reaper says shortly.

"Not even a co-pilot?"

Jerome stands and turns back around. "Lost my co-pilot pretty early on. Talon never assigned me another one."

Jack frowns. "What happened?"

"I ate him," Reaper says casually.

That makes Jack blanch, but Jerome grins. "He gets cranky when he's been shot, as Miss Sombra puts it."

"And you vouch for him?" Jack prods.

Reaper snorts. "He survived me."

"It wasn't so bad," Jerome offers. "I mean, yes, it was terrifying when you'd been shot a bunch," he tells Reaper, "but aside from that."

Jack still doesn't look convinced. "Is he discreet?"

Reaper gives him what I'm pretty sure would be an are you shitting me? look if he'd had a face.

"Did you ever hear me laugh, sir?" Jerome asks Reaper.

"...No."

"And you," he asks Jack, "have you ever heard Sombra yell at him? Like, really yell at him?"

Jack looks uncomfortable and keeps his gaze straight ahead. "...Yes."

Jerome grins. "Multiple occasions. And Reaper never heard me laugh. Thought I was going to break something that first time, though."

Papi starts wisping, and some of it is annoyance, but he crosses his arms to hide that some of it isn't.

That seems to convince Uncle Jack. "Okay," he says. "Welcome to Overwatch."