CODE OF VIOLENCE - a short story by brandon easton

Aug 29, 2026

CODE OF VIOLENCE follows Gabriel Reyes as his rage and sense of detachment intensify after an explosion at Overwatch Swiss headquarters leaves him changed by Moira O’Deorain’s experimental chemical “cocktail.” Haunted by memories of joy and love, Reyes wrestles with the bridge between his former self and the power that keeps growing. As he prepares for a Talon mission in a Reaper mask, he reflects on survival, revenge, and the imperative to keep a critical secret from someone he cares about.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryStory & Novel

FormatPDF

Pages21

Reading Time32 min

AccessFree to download

Story

Reyes’s rage and transformation

Reaper mask preparation and mission briefing

Akande’s captivity and Reyes’s motives

CODE OF VIOLENCE a short story by brandon easton Story Brandon Easton Editorial Chloe Fraboni Lore Consultation Madi Buckingham, Sean Copeland Creative Consultation Jeff Chamberlain, Jason Hill, George Krstic, Andrew Robinson, Arnold Tsang Produced by Brianne Messina Design by Betsy Peterschmidt Illustrations Arnold Tsang DUSK Reaper Skin & Original Concepts David Kang DUSK Reaper Skin Model Keos Masons DUSK Reaper Weapon Model Dragonfly Reaper Original Model Hai Phan CODE OF VIOLENCE Reyes’s pulse pounded in his ears. It was here, in these quiet moments, where his rage simmered. Small irritations—a late pilot, a missing mission brief—used to precede an easy smile, a good-natured ribbing. But now these annoyances hada way of spiraling, his rage building a bridge to somewhere else. Reyes didn’t like thinking about what was on the other side of that bridge. He got the sense that with every bullet fired, every time his body collapsed into a plume of black smoke, he was taking another small step down that road. But that was the price of power. Reyes stared at his warped reflection as he gripped the Reaper mask—a specialized breathing apparatus that resembled a white jack-o’-lantern with narrowed red eye slits. For stealth-based missions like this, Reyes needed a HUD, a gas filter, an omnidirectional comms system connected to a GPS. For all intentsand purposes, the mask was practical. But there were other reasons for the mask too . . . his face was a liability. The world thought he was dead, and it needed to stay that way. No one could know, especially her. —3— A million images flooded Reyes’s mind—a broken kaleidoscope of fleeting moments of joy, contentment, discovery, love. A melting ice cream cone dripping across scraped knuckles. Her hair. A time when she looked on his face with affection. Would she smile now if she knew what I’ve become? The question went unanswered as a wellspring of anger bubbled up from places Reyes tried torepress. Could she ever feel that way about me again? The anger spiraled further out of reach, the ways his body had been twisted all these years. The scars from his last fight with Jack were nothing beside the poison Moira had injected him with, and the American government before her. Even now the liquids screamed through his veins, a molecular cleansing that was wiping Gabriel Reyes away piece by piece. It had been almost a year since an explosion had torn the Overwatch Swiss headquarters to shrapnel. The last things he remembered were the flash of ignition, a terrible moment of searing heat, and Jack’s eyes, wide with horror. Then . . . impenetrable darkness. Reyes remembered waking up and seeing a pair of cold eyes staring at his face. Moira O’Deorain—the mad geneticist whom he’d recruited into Blackwatch. A choice that would prove to deliver an endless array of unintended consequences. As Reyes drifted in and out of consciousness, Moira explained how she’doverloaded his body with a cocktail of experimental chemicals—a juiced-up version of the substance that had first given him the ability to manipulate his form. She claimed he’d been close to death and she’d had no other option. Though the scientist cloaked her motivations in the cool logic of her field, Reyes knew she enjoyed her work more when playing with helpless test subjects. Reyes lay on the gurney, feeling a sense of indescribable detachment—as if his body were made of a silky molten metal that flowed between various states of matter. In one moment, he was flesh and blood; the next moment, he was a cluster of black smoke, aware of every molecule and yet terrified of losing command of it. Reyes looked at his arm, a torrent of ebon mist in the vague shape of an appendage. Internally, he screamed in horror, but a very small part of his brain was intrigued by it. How many people now had tried to kill him? And instead his power had grown. He was more than what he had been before

FAQs

What causes Reyes’s transformation into the Reaper form?

After an explosion tears apart Overwatch Swiss headquarters, Moira O’Deorain injects Reyes with experimental chemicals that overload his body and reshape his form, leaving him increasingly erased by the process.

Why does Reyes wear the Reaper mask for stealth missions?

The mask supports a HUD, gas filtering, and communications, but Reyes also needs it to hide his face because the world believes he is dead and the truth must remain secret, especially from her.

How does Reyes view his power and its consequences?

Reyes links every violent step—each bullet fired and each collapse into black smoke—to moving further down a road he fears, even as he realizes his ability has grown and he is more than before.

Aug 29, 2026

Uploaded by Berry Peter