His job was simple, count how many people were there and where they all were. It was foolproof and he hid behind Jesse while he counted. A total of twenty five people and two people who felt like Genji, is how he put it. "Are they omnics?" Jesse asked. "I'm not sure, I haven't encountered many omnics but when I did, it wasn't one on one and I couldn't differentiate between them and humans. Let me try something." A short time passed and he shuddered. "Yeah, definitely omnic. One's there, the other's there. Can I go now?" "No you can't go. You have to stay and tell us if there are any changes." It was the easiest thing they could find for Nova to do, there shouldn't have been any violence needed for it. He suddenly got dizzy and his brain went fuzzy, he whimpered and dug his nails in his shirt. "What the fuck...someone over there, something's wrong with them." Genji peeked over the box he was hiding behind and found a young woman staggering and screaming gibberish until she pulled something out of her purse. "Genji get down!" Nova desperately tugged at the ninja to make him duck back down before a bullet whizzed right where his head used to be.

"Whew, wow. That was close. Jesus Christ, are you ok-" Nova slumped forward and blacked out for a moment and in the same second, Genji watched the woman blow her brains out and drop dead on the ground, and Jesse held Nova, trying to wake him up. He was starting to get worried when the teen sat up and coughed, rubbing at his right temple where the woman had shot herself. "That was...terrifying. What the hell happened?" "She shot herself, right?" The more Nova's abilities were used, the more Jesse didn't like it. "Alright, come on. We're done here, we got what we need." The men helped Nova to his feet and held his shoulders while he steadied himself. "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea." "It's better this way, it's controlled here. At home, it would be running rampant." They started walking away from the scene of the crime and Nova saw a teen boy with his face in a book, sitting on a bench. He felt sadness and wished he could help but knew they had some place to be. Along the way, Jesse got sidetracked and ended up stopping at whatever caught his eye.

Nova whined at him, "Jesse come ON!" Nova looked and saw that it was a rather attractive woman and, even though he couldn't blame Jesse, he groaned, getting behind the gunslinger. "Jesse come on or I swear I will kick you in the nuts." That made the cowboy cut his sentence short. "Catch ya later, Darlin'." With a tip of the hat, Jesse continued walking. "You can't stop and stare at every pretty girl you find on the street!" "Sorry, she was just so beautiful." "I don't care, I don't wanna stay out here all day. Genji gets whiny when we don't get him down for a nap." Nova giggled when Genji huffed at him. "How many more times do I have to do this? I'm getting hungry. And I could use a toilet." "There's just two more places we have to go but I'm sure we can find a bathroom before there." "There is a mall up ahead, we should stop there." Genji spotted a shopping mall at the end of the street, like a strip mall. They changed course for the building and Jesse was immediately drawn to a gun store, sneaking away to go inside. "We need to get him a leash and harness."

Nova groaned with a facepalm. "He would like it too much." "Pfff you're probably right." They found the restrooms, mens' on the left, womens' on the right, and Nova practically ran in the womens' one. When he came out, Genji was nowhere to be found and he couldn't see Jesse anywhere either. "Oh no...Genji?" He called out and looked around the area around him. He found the ninja perched on part of a play structure, hands above his eyes like he was looking for something far into the distance. Nova ran over and tried to keep his shaking to a minimum. "Genji..." He climbed down and Nova hugged Genji's arm when he got down. "Don't go so far away..." "I am sorry, I was curious about something. Are you alright?" Nova nodded against the metal arm. "I just got scared when I couldn't find you." "No fair, I want in on this." Nova peeked up from the metal and found Jesse standing there, so he held his arm out for the cowboy who took the outstrestched hand and got pulled into a one armed hug. "You disappear on him?" "Yes. I forget he can't be alone in big places." Nova went back and forth between hugging one adult then the other until he was sure they wouldn't leave.

"Alright alright, let's go." A fourty-ish year old woman stepped in front of Nova and made him stumble back, accidentally twisting Jesse's arm a bit in the process  "Whoa, easy there. That's attatched. "Sorry." Nova rubbed at Jesse's shoulder in an apology. "Excuse me little girl, do you need help?" The woman asked. "I'm not a girl and I don't need help, thanks." "You are a girl, look I can see your tits." Nova let go of the adults to reach up and cover his chest, crossing his arms over his boobs. "No I'm a guy. I don't give a fuck that I got a girl's body, I'm still a guy." The woman scowled. "You're one of those transgendered freaks. Fucking perverts. Why don't you jump off a cliff? The world doesn't need mental cases like you." Nova'd heard it all before and was used to the abuse, he groaned and rubbed at his temple. "Look, there is nothing you can say to me that's gonna hurt my feelings. Move so we can leave, we're busy." "Am I hurting you? Why waste my breath on you? You're nothing. You're bat shit crazy. Look at all the scars on your arms! I bet you're one of those emo whores aren't you?" "Hey now, let's all take a step back and take a breather here."

Jesse was taller and bigger built than the woman and as he moved closer, she stepped back. "Why are you protecting a worthless dyke like her? She's a worthless pile of shit. No, a pile of shit would be worth more." "Ma'am I'm gonna ask you, nicely, to stop talkin' 'bout him like that and move so we can leave." The woman threw slur after slur at Nova and the adults were trying to keep calm and not draw attention to themselves. Nova pushed past Jesse to get between him and the woman. "Look bitch. I don't give a flying fuck what you have to say to me. I have literally heard it all before so get your ugly fucking ass out of the way so I can get the fuck out of here!" "Oh-ho you wanna call me ugly? Bitch I'm beautiful. Look at you, walkin around with your tits out like the whore you are. That's what these guys are for, isn't it?" Before she could say another word, Nova kicked at her but both Nova and the woman were surprised to find Genji catch his foot. "This is not the way, Nova."

"You're lucky that bucket of bolts got in the way. I'm two seconds away from beating your ass into the ground."  "You think your threats scare me? I've had my ass beat to the ground, thanks very much! I crawled out of Hell by my own fucking self and there is nothing you can do that can top abuse! I'm getting out of here." Nova hopped over the gate that contained and separated the play structure from the rest of the area, and the woman got in front of him, shoving him back. Nova cried out as his spine connected with the metal gate and he huffed. He could feel anger bubbling in his stomach and making his blood boil. "Oh that is it. Don't you fucking put your hands on me, you dumb bitch!" Again, Genji had to hold Nova back. The teen squirmed and thrashed around. "Let me go! I am sick of disgusting people like her! I have had it!" A crowd had drawn and Genji tightened his grip on Nova just enough to hurt. "Genji...let me go!" "Nova! Calm down!" Jesse had to hold Nova's legs so he wouldn't kick Genji, or any other poor unfortunate soul who stepped in front of him. "What is goin' on here?" A security officer stepped up and Nova groaned, the woman spewing a bunch of lies about how she was attacked and insulted. Everyone who watched the interaction called her out on it and the guard turned to the agents, Nova was still struggling but not so ferociously.

"You don't look like a liar so I'm gonna give you the benefit of the doubt and ask for honesty. Did you hit her?" "No, she pushed me and I hit the gate. I can show you the bruise from the impact." "No that's fine. I'm gonna handle it from here, have a good day." Genji set the teen down and gently pushed him out the door. The second they were outside, Nova breathed out slowly, trying to will away his anger. "You alright?" He asked, turning to face the men. "Are we alright? You almost hit her. And you said she bruised ya." "She had no right to talk like that. She didn't fucking know me." Nova lifted his shirt up to his bra and showed them the dark purple bruise on a lower part of his spine, Jesse hissed a little at the sight. The woman tried to that Nova didn't know pain and was privileged, not believing that he could have been abused because of how 'violent' he turned out. The woman attacked him for everything she could see. Jesse was thankful Genji got a good grip on Nova when he did.

"I'm used to it, too. That's the funny thing. I get stuck up, close minded, ignorant bitches like her always telling me I don't know pain, I don't know fear, I don't know how it feels to be alone!" "Calm down. You can't do your job if you don't have a level head." Nova nodded and Genji was silent. He knew how Nova felt, he knew the deep-rooted level of anger and fear the teen had inside him, and like his own brother, Nova had nowhere to direct that anger except onto himself. "Nova, you hurt yourself when you were angry, didn't you?" Jesse glared and Nova nodded. "It...helped...get rid of these FUCKING emotions!" Nova fought the burning rage inside of him, not wanting to let it out in a public place. Jesse scooped him up and carried him behind the building, Genji following close behind. "You have got to calm down, Kid. We're running out of time." Nova made a sound that got trapped in his throat, it came out like a wavery growl. "Don't you think I fucking know that? If I could calm down, I fucking would but I can't!" Genji put his flesh hand over Nova's mouth.

"Shh calm down, breathe slow. Don't bite me." Nova glared and dug his nails in his sides as he crossed his arms. The fire Jesse saw in his eyes, made the mauve glow and practically turn colors, as if there was a real fire inside them. He'd only ever seen Genji that angry before and it honestly scared him. "Jesse get his hand away from his body." "Right, yeah." Jesse grabbed Nova's hand and held it away from his flesh, Genji held the other hand. Nova huffed and growled, back arching off the wall as the force of his anger crashed into him, he dug his nails into the hands that held him, he was sweating and trembling, body jerking as he fought them. They could tell when it was coming, a series of small tremors made their way up his spine before he jerked violently. Jesse's free hand pinned Nova's hip against the wall, his hand was so big it almost spanned Nova's waist. "Jesus Christ what the hell's happenin' to him?" "His body needs an oulet for the emotions. He normally directs it onto himself and when it cannot be done, the body fights itself."

"You talk-hey! Hold still! You talk like you know from experience." "I know his anger." Nova started whimpering and his eyelids fluttered, he looked back and forth between the men until he cried out and his head fell back against the wall while his whole body shuddered. The men slowly withdrew their hands and caught Nova as he slumped forward, Genji rubbing his back soothingly. "That's it, good job. Good boy." A soft chuckle came from between their arms and Nova panted. "Am...am I your dog now?" "Well you certainly growl like one. Your bite as bad as your bark?" "You'll need stitches. I know you're joking but biting was the first thing my body learned to do as self defense." He groaned as he stood up, rubbing at his eyes. "Nova that was intense and downright frightening. Is that normal for you?" The teen nodded and they started walking to their final destination. "Yeah. I've always been that way but I never lashed out at anyone, I always have a good grip on it. Oh shit, did I bite you?" He suddenly asked Genji. "You don't know? You didn't bite me. Do you blackout when you have....that?"

"Sometimes. Not the whole time, just in the peak of it." The rest of the job went smoothly and Nova was exhausted by the time they got back to base. "Fuck I don't think I can move another step." Jesse chuckled and picked Nova up to carry him. "Jesse I was kidding. Put me down, man." "Nah, you fit so perfectly in my arms." They made their way to Reyes's office and Genji knocked on the closed door before Jesse finally put the embarassed teen on his feet. The door opened and the eldest stepped inside, the youngest leaning on the doorway. "So how'd it go?" Reyes asked, going back to his desk. "Fine. Twenty five people and two Omnics in the first place, ten people and five Omnics at the next place and the last one had pretty much nothing but Omnics." "You can tell whether or not they're human?" Reyes blinked at the worn out teen. "This might sound offensive, but Omnics feel hollow. Not emotionless, just...hollow." "I wanna hear more about that later but I'm pretty busy here. Anything else you wanna say?" "Nope." Nova turned and stepped out but his shirt was grabbed and he got tugged back inside.

"A woman fired at us then shot herself in the head. Nova felt it as it was happening and he reacted as if he got shot as well." Genji started. "Yeah he had no heartbeat for like a minute." "Are you ok? Were there any other effects of it?" "I'm good." "Still...you should get looked at. McCree, take him to Moira. Once she's checked him out, Morrison wants him." "Can't catch a break." As they stepped out again, Nova leaned back against Jesse. "I'm tired dammit, I want a shower and I want to sleep." "You need to eat too, you don't ever feel like you weigh enough. Why is that?" The cowboy asked, carrying the teen again because he enjoyed it and Nova was tired. "Long story and a lotta reasons. Genji, is that metal light?" "It is light enough to let me move quickly like I used to. It's a little heavy, but it's not so bad." Nova yawned and let himself completely relax in Jesse's arms. "Even dead weight you're still light. Crazy. Hey, how fast can you run, kid?" "I dunno. Not as fast as I used to but that's just cuz I haven't kept it up."

"He can keep up with me, for the most part." "Damn, that's pretty impressive. You do Ninja training too?" "No, I pushed my body farther than it could go everyday. I had to run, that's how I survived. Run away, run fast, run far, don't look back. You get the idea." "So you ran out of fear." The teen nodded and turned, snuggling against Jesse's torso. He immediately tensed back up when they got to Moira's lab, and he got set on his feet, only to run behind Jesse. "I don't wanna be here, this bitch is crazy." "I may be crazy but I know what I'm doing." Nova peeked around the cowboy and stuck his tongue out. "I really don't give a crap if you know what you're doing, I. Don't. Want. To. Be. Here." Jesse turned and gently nudged him, but Nova didn't budge. "Nova come on, you have to do something. Plus you got a physical comin' up. This is the perfect time. Just get it all done at once." The teen ducked under Jesse's arm and bolted toward the door. "No no no no no!" Genji grabbed him by the left arm and brought him back.

"No, let me go!!" "Just let her look at you! She will not hurt you." "Like hell she won't! She's gonna pry me open with a crowbar to try and find out where my empathy comes from!" "Amazing. Simply amazing! He's right, of course. But I'm not allowed to run my tests on you, little one." That made Nova still in the cyborg's arms. "You are a feisty one and I would love to take you apart. But for now, I will have to deal with my day job. Sit on the table." Genji moved Nova and plopped him on the examination table. "He's feisty alright." Jesse watched as Moira took a stethescope out of a drawer and gently held it against the teen's chest, making his face burn as he looked up at Genji's face. Genji stood beside him like the parent of a nervous child who was getting their first shot. The object was moved along Nova's chest, then it was placed on his upper back and he obeyed the orders to breathe normally and relax. He slowed his rapid heartbeat to the point that Moira grinned something simply wicked. "You have control over your heartbeat. I really want to take you apart."

"Whatever. Hurry up and finish so I can get out of here." "It is not that simple, McCree is correct. You need a physical before you see your new leader." Nova groaned and fell back when Moira moved away. "Fucking hell I want this over." The madwoman laughed at him. "I haven't even begun yet." During the physical, Nova clung onto Genji whenever Moira got too grabby for his liking. The men marveled at how little Nova weighed, the mad doctor frowning when she audibly noted that he was far too underweight, at only ninety-eight pounds. In the end, Nova felt even more disgusted and he had a hard time walking normally, feeling like Moira's hands were still all over him. "Gross. Gross. Gross. Fuck I need a shower." "Shower later, get your things and come to the mess hall." Morrison's voice nearly scared Nova shitless and he spun around. "Wait I'm really...really leaving?" "Yes, but again. It's not forever, it's only for a week." "Oh. Why didn't you say that yesterday?" In the awkward silence, Nova scooted backwards, away from her new boss. "Doc said Nova's too underweight and has to keep pressure off his right arm." Jesse's voice cut through the tension filled silence.