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allthem76fanfics · 7 years

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A new Overwatch fanfic

This is the introductory chapter in my own Overwatch story. It just starts at the time of the Recall short and continues from there.

CHAPTER 1: Heiress

Dust and sand were everywhere in the camp and the medical tent was no exception.

This is how it is in the desert. She thought, shaking her head.

Seemed like forever she was in the Middle East but really, she was there for only four months. It started as another call for help: a NGO was rebuilding the Baghdad Hospital destroyed in the recent attacks and was in need of medics.

Simple as that.

However, nothing is simple about war-torn countries, as she well knew. So there she was treating soldier injured by insurgents, visiting suffering people old and young, giving vaccines to children.

The long line outside her door was an omen of a very busy day ahead.

“Let them in Selina.”

“Right away doctor Ziegler!”

Good Girl

Selina was a young intern that volunteered for the same NGO as Angela. She idolized the 37-year-old medic and was amazed by her technology and methods to the point that she wrote her thesis about the application of biotic nanotechnology field that Mercy pioneered. Rumors said that she stalked Dr. Ziegler all the way to Iraq. Now was her shadow.

The day was indeed full of work and Angela was glad to have Selina to help her: while the young girl treated the common injures and diseases, Dr. Ziegler was free to focus on more serious problems.

There came a little girl, not older than 10. She was playing with her friends when she stepped on one of the myriad of unexploded ordnance left there by decades of conflicts.

How many have to suffer for the senselessness of war

Sighing she made her lay on the table with her mother at her side. A quick look was all she needed to diagnose the problem: the leg had to be amputated to the knee.

“Armes Kind” Angela whispered to herself.

Thanks to the advanced medical equipment Dr.Ziegler brought with her, the procedure was quick and painless but nonetheless the girl started crying when she looked down at what was left of her leg.

“Do not cry little one, all is going to be all-right” the doctor said gently drying the girl’s tears. Then called her assistant

“Selina, bring me a replacement leg, children size”

“Yes, Dr.Ziegler”

In a minute, the intern was back with a little white mechanical leg ready to be implanted.

The following impantation procedure was a long and delicate, requiring precise linking with the stump nerves and an accurate regulation of the leg to the girl’s heigh. After this last surgery was finished, the girl admired her new leg and immediately tried to stand, falling multiple times.

“Easy there, you need time to get used to it” Mercy said with a motherly tone to the girl.

The girl’s mother was astonished by what the doctor did to her daughter: what in the advanced world Mercy came from was usual to her eyes was nothing short of a miracle. She could not stop thanking Mercy.

“Ok, Ok. Calm down.” Angela said while her face blushed “Now I need you to listen: keep the dust away from the new leg and in a week she should be able to walk again, come back by that time. Do you understand?”

The woman’s rapid nodding assured Mercy that she received the message.

“Now my assistant will help you to the exit”

She was already cleaning the table for the next patient when something tugged the rear end of her coat.

Tilting she saw the little girl looking at her with the most adorable puppy eyes she had ever seen.

“Shukraan hafathah!”

“What does it means?” Mercy asked the mother

“It means ‘thank you angel’ ”

Around 6 PM, the long line of patients ended and the medical personnel could catch their breath. Angela reached for a bottle of water in the small refrigerator hidden under her desk and pressed it against her boiling head. Closing her eyes the coolness of the water made her forget for a moment all the stress, the labor and the heat of the day. She was so caught in it that she did not notice Selina staring at her with the thirstiest face. Opening her blue orbs again she saw the young woman staring at the bottle

“Do… Do you want some?” she asked while her face became red.

Without a word, Selina grabbed the bottle and drank greedily the cool water. Angela took the moment to think again how grateful she was that Selina was with her. Save for the black hair and dark eyes she was the spitting image of her before joining Overwatch. Young, determined, brilliant and with a burning passion to help those in need. She could predict every move Angela would make and always acted in unison with the golden-haired doctor. Mercy realized that she had probably found a pupil worthy of her knowledge, worthy of her mission, worthy of her suit.

Predictably, Selina felt brain freeze after drinking all that ice-cold water. Angela jokingly scolded her:

“You shouldn’t drink cold water that fast, even a child knows it!”

“Thanks mom”

They both laughed. It was nice to release the stress together.

After taking a short breath, Angela changed her playful tone to a more serious one

“Selina, you have been a good assistant during the time we have been here and more than that, you have been a good friend.”

“You honor me, Dr. Ziegler”

“Please, call me Angela. No need for formalities anymore”

“Ok, Angela.”

“As I said you are very brilliant, and I think it is time I show you something. Are you familiar with my suit?”

“The Valkyrie EMD-01 swift-response suit? I read all there is about it!” she promptly answered “but” she added with a sad tone “I only saw it on pictures. Of you. With Overwatch…”

She shyly averted her sight from Mercy, almost embarrassed by her fan-like enthusiasm. Angela brought out a large white trunk with the Valkyrie logo and the motto “Primum Non Nocere” written over it. Reading her biometric signature the mechanical box opened revealing the Valkyrie Emergency Medical Device inside. All was stored perfectly in a collapsible mannequin that extended itself before their eyes displaying the suit in a rather angelic pose.

The eyes of the raven-haired girl widened, as she almost could not believe them.

“Is, is it really…” she stammered trying to contain the fangirl inside her.

“Ya, it is. The one and only Valkyrie suit. Go ahead, touch it!” she said to her demanding eyes

Selina then started touching the suit from the dangling tassels to the mechanical wings. It was a dream come true, you could read it in her eyes. Mercy watched with pride as the young assistant admired the suit, than her gaze changed to a loving one.

“It saved countless lives during the years. Men and women, soldiers and heroes. I have been the only one to operate it, until now…”

Selina turned her sight to Mercy with surprise. She could not possibly be retiring, she thought. Maybe it was something else, she thought, maybe she was going to share it… with her? Holding her breath, she waited the answer to her doubts.

“Because I believe there is no other person more qualified than you to help me in my mission, perhaps even continuing my work if something happens to me.”

Selina’s dark eyes became wet with tears of joy at the sound of those words. It was a dream of a lifetime come true. Her emotions were so strong she could not answer even she could find the words.

“In time I will teach you how to maneuver the suit and operate the Caduceus staff and who knows maybe…”

A loud tweeting came from her old Overwatch portable terminal. She still had one to access the illegal Overwatch network for data no other source could provide. A large alert flashed on the screen: ATTENTION – PRIORITY MESSAGE. Clicking on it the familiar face of Winston appeared in a pre-recorded video. It was a recall to all Overwatch agents, and a goofy one at that (he probably did not edit the video at all).

Sighing Angela closed the computer. “Verdammt Wilson. Why are you dragging all of us in this?” She murmured pinching the bridge of her nose.

“Angela, is there something wrong?”

“No, it’s ok. Overwatch was shut down for a reason. Maybe it’s best it stay that way.”

“But he sounded very serious, and the World could really use Overwatch right now”

Mercy’s apparent lack of concern for her former colleagues made her frown

“I believe they need Mercy!”

“They are perfectly capable to look for themselves Selina, don’t worry.”

“And who could save them when things go wrong? Who could they count to be right beside them no matter what? Who could be their guardian angel?”

“But…”

Angela tried to find a way to tell her. To tell her that it was imperative that she learn how to use the suit, to continue her mission. There was no time to resurrect something that was no more, it was time to move on.

“I understand what’s going on Angela.”

At these words, Mercy looked surprised to her newfound pupil.

“You don’t want to leave me. Not now that you found someone that could understand you and share your mission. You are afraid.”

“Ya” she admitted.

“Don’t be. I will be here if you need me. But your place is not with me, is with them. It has always been with them.”

These words felt so natural to Mercy, as if she was telling them to herself. She felt a newfound faith in Overwatch grow within her. No, she thought, it is faith in her friends.

Angela hugged the girl in front of her.

“Thank you Selina”

“You are welcome”

“I’d better respond to the call now.” She added drying a tear.

Then she left the tent with her Overwatch device. She needed to be alone to answer Winston.

“Yes, you should…” Selina whispered after her blonde colleague was gone.

It wasn’t long before an Overwatch MV-261 Orca landed outside the Hospital in Baghdad.

Mercy walked out of her tent with Selina ready to greet Winston and whoever had already joined him. The entire staff gathered around the huge vehicle and when the transparent main bay door slowly opened, everyone held their breath waiting to see who will emerge.

Slowly a gorilla in a space suit showed himself. He was wary and did not enjoy being in everyone’s stare. He then looked up and caught sight of Angela. Then he seemed to lighten up and waved to the doctor. She returned the greeting and in a blink of an eye, it happened.

All of a sudden, a girl with a leather jacket and a glowing chest device zipped out of the dropship and clutched herself on Mercy.

“Merc, love, we missed you!”

“I am happy to see you too Lena.”

The brunette lifted her head from the doctor’s chest to look her in the eye. Angela was indeed happy to see the solar face of Tracer again.

“How hav you been doc?”

“The usual, helping people in need.”

“That’s my Ang, always the guardian angel.”

Mercy looked up to Selina who was standing beside her completely dumbstruck by the overzealous show of affection by the British hero.

“Where are my manners, Lena I present you Selina Brickmaker, my assistant.”

Tracer detached herself from Mercy with a giggle and then shook her hand with extreme enthusiasm

“Cheers love, any friend of Ang is a friend of mine!”

“Nice to meet you too!”

By the time the presentations were done, the gorilla joined the others in front of the tent.

“Hello Dr. Ziegler. It has been ages”

“Hi, Winston. Yes it has!”

The super-intelligent gorilla immediately noticed the young girl next to Angela and unlike Tracer was quick to greet her and shake her hand.

“My name is Winston. Nice to meet you.”

“H-Hello, I’m Selina” she responded with some nervousness.

“Oh, no need to be alarmed. I may look like a ferocious animal but inside I’m a scientist.”

“It’s not that, I’ve never seen a talking gorilla before.”

“There aren’t many outside the Moon, Eh Eh”

Angela looked at the curious audience that formed around them

“We should get inside now. You must be tired and thirsty”

“I could use a drink!” said Tracer.

Once inside the two Overwatch agents tell the story of their last engagement with the Talon operatives at the Museum. Television news and Internet connection were still scarce and the story came as new to the two doctors.

“So Talon is the enemy now?” said Mercy

“Yes, they seem to have been targeting high value targets in the past months, even Overwatch Agents. Believed or not they attacked me at Watchpoint Gibraltar.”

“Really? Who dared try such an action?”

“I don’t know who he is but he goes by the name of Reaper.”

That name sent chills up Mercy’s spine, like an ancestral fear just awakened inside her.

“What are we going to do now?”

“For now we go back to base and regroup. We need to rally as many agents as we can.”

The blonde doctor nodded to Winston. That was the best course of action.

“When do we leave?”

“Whenever you are ready.” Answered Winston

Angela already packed the night before, right after she answered the call, so they could depart right now.

“I’m ready, just need to bring my belongings on the dropship.”

“Let me take care of that” said Winston grabbing the Valkyrie trunk

“I’ll take your bag!” said Tracer disappearing immediately and reappearing with a white and orange duffel bag “Is it this one love?”

“Yes, yes it is, Lena”

“Wicked!” and she was gone.

Angela turned to Winston

“You go on. I have to say my goodbyes.”

“Very well, take your time.”

The large Gorilla then left the two women alone in the tent.

“Well Selina, this is goodbye”

“Goodbye Angela. Don’t be sad, you are doing the right thing!”

“I sure hope so. I doesn’t sound right to leave a friend like this”

“True friends do not care of the distance, I’ll keep in contact.”

“Thank you Selina, for everything”

Warm tears started forming in their eyes

“Go now, they are waiting”

Angela stopped on the door of the tent and looked back at Selina

“Goodbye, mein Freundin. I’ll send you something that can help you prepare to use my tech yourself!”

Then left for the dropship.

Selina got out of the tent and followed Mercy with her gaze waving at her friend until the dropship doors closed on her.

“I’m counting on it.” She whispered as the Overwatch plane took off.

This is it for my fist foray into fanficion. Let me know what you think and feel free suggest who our heroes should meet next!

An important disclaimer: AFAIK hafathah in the islamic tradition is the guardian angel (or rather 4) assigned to each human being. That’s why I used that world in the story. I apologize if I offended anyone or I could have used a better word.

Chapter 2 Vigilante is here!

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allthem76fanfics · 7 years

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Chapter 2: Vigilante

If you are reading this first please consider reading the prevoius chapter: Heiress.

This story is set after the events of the Hero short.

Once the Orca hovercraft leaving Iraq reached cruise altitude, the flight became as uneventful and boring as an airline one. Tracer engaged the autopilot and left the cockpit for the common room, in the center of the ship. There she tried to convince Mercy to play a 1v1 at basketball but to no avail. Winston however took pity on the poor girl and accepted the challenge. In no time, he dominated over Lena so they stopped keeping scores and played just for the fun. Angela in the meantime took a walk around the ship. It has been years since last enjoyed traveling in an Overwatch hovercraft and enjoyed seeing one again. In the end, she settled for a cup of coffee and a good book in the lounge. When she approached the coffee machine, she noticed an old photo on the wall. In the large photo was the old gang cheering Winston in the day of the new recruit graduation. He, Lena and Genji were still in their rookie suits, as they had just become full-fledged agents of Overwatch. In the center, Angela was applauding them and all around the ‘old guard’ was cheering: Ana, Jesse, Reinhardt, Torbjörn, Gabriel.

Jack.

That photo instantly reminded her why she wanted to have nothing to do with Overwatch again. Too many painful memories.

Sipping hot coffee from the mug, she sat at the table. Hugging a Pachimari plushie, she tried to forget all of that by absorbing herself into her book.

Nearing Gibraltar Lena reentered her cockpit ready to land but something happened. On the flat screens around the plane a news report flashed:

“Reports of a new sighting of the mysterious Soldier 76 are coming right now from Dorado, Mexico. According to rumors, the armed vigilante is believed to be active in the Mexican town. Authorities did not confirm that he is indeed active In the area but they reported that several members of the Los Muertos gang have been hospitalized last night with various trauma fractures and plasma burns. A reward of $10,000,000 has been offered for any information leading to the capture of this vert dangerous criminal.”

Winston’s face became serious. Removing his glasses, he murmured

“There you are, you little bastard!”

“Winston! Is that a cuss word?” Lena observed with fake indignation.

“Oh, sorry. I have been tracking that thief for quite some time. He stole Overwatch equipment from various installations: a prototype pulse rifle, a tactical visor, even some of your biotic field canisters, Angela”

“That little bastard!” she added angrily.

“Are we starting a swear fight, loves?”

“NO” the both answered.

Winston put back his glasses and looked at the young pilot.

“Change of plans Lena, we are going to Mexico!”

“To go catch us a little bastard, Aye, aye sir!”

The first step in finding Soldier 76 in Dorado was intelligence gathering. Since Winston was too conspicuous to walk around in the crowd, Tracer and Mercy went into the town undercover as two turistas visiting the Festival de la Luz, a holiday celebrating the end of the dark times caused by the Omnic Crisis or ‘La Medianoche’ as they called it.

Mercy wore a white a white summer dress and matching white sandals. She also had a pair of round sunglasses and a wide brimmed floppy hat. Tracer opted for a sportier outfit: very short jeans short, a black top with the logo of a punk rock band, a pair of sneakers and her aviator glasses. The only giveaway was her chronal accelerator that she had to wear above the shirt. A pity, she thought, it was her favorite top.

Once in town the two women decided to start their search in the market plaza because they believed it was a perfect place to find someone that may have saw something.

Mercy, as self-appointed leader of the scouting party, put her knowledge of Spanish to good use questioning people around about the firefight between Soldier 76 and Los Muertos but no one saw something or noticed something unusual. Daily trouble caused by Los Muertos seemed to be an ordinary thing.

Tracer was a bit too much into character as she spent most of the time visiting the stalls in the market, tasting samples of Mexican food and trying on sombreros.

From the window of a cheap Hotel, a white-haired figure was keeping watch on everything that was happening down below. His forearm rested on the window frame as he scanned the streets behind the half-closed blinds. No Los Muertos in sight.

“Those punks are laying low now, my little chat with them has scared them off” he though.

Soldier 76 was about to turn away to clean his pulse rifle when something caught his eye. Two Caucasian women were going through the stalls. Nothing special maybe, tourists were a common sight during the festival, save for a detail that caught his attention. He already saw that glowing device on one of them.

“Lena Oxton�� he mumbled, “what are you doing here?”

The wide hat prevented him to see the other woman’s face. He thoroughly observed any detail of her figure, her dress her movements. She seemed familiar. If only he could see her face!

He then decided he would hit the streets incognito. Everything about the outfit was inconspicuous: a plain t-shirt, a pair of jeans and shades to hide his eyes. To blend in, he also wore a sombrero and a poncho. He felt like a Mexican McCree dressed like that.

Once outside he started following the pair through the streets. Following his Overwatch training, he closed in avoiding a straight path but he still could not see the blonde woman’s face in the crowd. He stopped one stall behind the two and waited. Tracer was looking at a nearby pottery exibit while the other was talking with a man in the crowd and was facing away from him. Damning his bad luck 76 waited for the woman to talk to someone else and soon she turned.

He then saw her face.

Of course, she looked familiar.

She was Angela Ziegler.

The woman he loved back in the day.

The woman he still loved.

His Angel.

And there she was, in the same town, asking who knows what to anyone she met.

He immediately turned his face away. Under no circumstance he could afford to get any closer. What if they saw him, what is she started asking him whatever she was searching for?

While worried about the possible scenarios he noticed another familiar face going about the market, stopping near the food court.

Lena had just took the first bite of her burrito when she noticed a little girl with twin tails, barely in her early teens, staring at her. She looked at the Overwatch hero with her brown eyes like the younger of the two brothers they saved at the museum. Lena felt as much awkward as then and, feeling discovered, she swallowed her bite and winked saying her catchphrase:

“Cheers love, the cavalry’s here!”

“I knew it! You are one of those heroes!”

“Yeah, I’m Tracer. What’s your name, little girl?”

“My name is Alejandra. You have to come to my home and meet my mamá . She always tells me stories about you!”

“Oh, I’ll have to talk with my partner about that. We are in a secret mission.” Tracer whispered

“Ah, you must be with the hero that saved me the other night!”

“Who?”

“He was a tall man with a mask, white hair and a jacket with setenta y seis on it.”

“Excuse me, what was on it?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. It was the number seventy-six.” She added blushing.

Bingo, Lena though.

“Wait here, be right back!”

In a blink she was gone and some seconds later she recalled with a distraught Mercy.

“Lena, I told you a million times: I do not like when you do this!”

“Sorry Ang, but this girl has met our man!” she said pointing at Alejandra

“Is that so?” Angela said leaning on the little girl “Can you tell us what happened, chica?”

“I’ll tell you everything only if you come with me to my home. Mamá must see you!”

The two women exchanged a quick look, there was no other option and this was their best lead.

Soldier 76 watched them leaving the market heading for the “Panadería las Nieblas”, the bakery owned by Alejandra’s mother. Climbing on a roof across the street, he followed them form a distance. Alejandra skipped happily in front of the two women, barely containing her excitement. When in sight of the bakery she sprinted forward.

“Mamá, Mamá. No se puede imaginar que me encontré en el mercado!”

He could hear her from the rooftops. She entered the bakery followed by the other two.

There was nothing he could do now. They had a solid lead on him and soon they would be after him. He had to step it up: the attack on the Los Muertos stronghold had to go down tonight.

He left to get ready for the battle.

Alejandra’s mother could not believe the heroes that saved the world were in her humble bakery and insisted they stay for dinner. While Mercy was helping preparing the table, Alejandra showed Tracer her Overwatch poster on which the British hero was a prominent feature

Lena smiled looking at that picture of better times, a golden age long passed

“I’ll tell you a secret. You see my friend over there?” Lena said pointing at Angela

“She is this one right here.” she added pointing at the Mercy figure on the poster

“No way! Es el ángel?”

Tracer nodded winking.

During the meal, Alejandra recalled everything that happened to her with all the details and emphasis only a child could tell. Tracer and Mercy followed with interest asking something now and then, just to make it clear. Bidding farewell to Alejandra’s family they returned to the dropship to inform Winston about their discoveries.

“I guess he definitely has this Los Muertos gang on his radar. We must find him before any other civilian gets involved. We find them, we find him.”

“But he saved the girl!” Tracer objected

“We can’t take risks. He is known not to care about collateral damage. Someone will get hurt.”

“So what do we do?” Asked Mercy

“We have to split up and search the town.”

“I do not like the idea to go alone. We’ll be easy targets”

“I do not like it either but we have to cover the largest area possible and there is only the three of us. Lena, you take the market and town center. Angela you have the surrounding area. I’ll take the LumériCo plant. Keep in radio contact and report anything suspicious. Move out!”

All geared up the three agents searched the town, each one in their designated sector. The streets were filled with light, people and music as the Festival was in full swing. Tracer could barely resist the urge to join the festivities and tried to focus on searching the immense crowd in the market. Winston took a rather quiet zone as LumériCo security kept the plant safe. Although they manage to let a 200 kg adult male gorilla in a spacesuit slip past their checkpoints. Mercy also had a quiet zone. People were going in and out the festival. Families, the occasional drunk, couples. Mercy sighed. Like Tracer, she would have loved to join the party but there was a job to do.

All of a sudden, a line of vehicles entered her field of view. An open-back truck full of crates escorted by a couple of hoverbikes were moving around the town slowly using back alleys. That was suspicious in her book and she decided to follow and report to the others once the convoy reached its destination.

Using her Valkyrie suit, she pursued the vehicles from above until the truck entered a warehouse with a LumériCo sign on the gate.

“This is it!” she thought reaching for the communication device on her cheekbone. Before she could activate it however a hand blocked hers and another covered her mouth from behind.

She tried to scream and free herself from her unknown assailant but he did not let her.

“Easy, I’m on your side. But I can’t let you contact your friends”

The sound of the deep metallic voice of the mysterious stranger froze Mercy. It was cold but at the same time reassuring. Feeling a loosening on the grip on her she sprang out of his hold and quickly draw out her pistol pointing it at the masked figure behind her.

His glowing red visor and his chilling voiced scared the hell out of her and the adrenaline that flowed through her veins made her breath heavy and erratic.

“Hold it right there!”

“I’m on your side. I’m not going to hurt you.”

“Move another millimeter and I’ll shoot. I swear!”

76 watch the fear growing in her eyes. It hurt him to see her like that and even more so to be the reason of her frightened state. He took a step toward her and now the muzzle of the gun was resting directly on his chest. He looked down to her, his visor burning trough her soul.

“I’m a man on a mission. You Overwatch dropouts need to stay out of my way. I could not afford to get you hurt.”

Slowly he reached for the gun.

Mercy was paralyzed by fear.

He took it from her and dropped it on the ground.

“Go back home. It ain’t safe out here.”

He jumped down the roof leaving her alone, trembling in shock.

Los Muertos had beefed up their security after 76 hit them. Armed guards stood watch, two on ground level and two on the roof. The latter were soon no more and the ground guards followed suit when Soldier 76 dragged them into the dark without a noise. He broke into the warehouse and made his way to the catwalks. Looking down the main loading area, he could clearly see everything. The gang members were unloading the crates fro the truck, weapons and ammunitions for sure, while other stood guard with Kalashnikovs. On the other side of the room, a large bearded man was giving out orders in front of a little field office.

“There you are!” 76 mumbled “It’s showtime!”

Aiming for the stored RPG crates the vigilante fired a Helix rocket clip at them. When the three looping rocket hit their target a large chain of explosion engulfed the warehouse. In the confusion gang members started to fire wildly in every direction screaming.

Soldier 76 chuckled from his vantage point.

“They don’t even wait for an order. Young people these days, no respect.”

Jumping down the catwalk, he activated his tactical visor. Five gang members hit the ground before him.

Ducking to cover he reloaded the pulse rifle. Slamming a new magazine in the weapon he thought that he might have been over his head on this one, as enemy fire was focusing on him. Even the leader started firing a huge gatling gun.

“I’m too old for this shit” he mumbled to himself

In that moment a roaring gorilla came crashing through the glass roof and started mauling the unfortunate Latino thugs around him. In a flash Tracer was behind him zipping around firing her two pulse pistols. Gliding behind them came Mercy.

The masked vigilante looked at the angelic figure glowing behind her friends, healing them and boosting their weapons.

“Angela, you and your stubbornness”

With the Los Muertos distracted, Soldier 76 could peek out and assert the situation. The big guy with the minigun was the bigger threat. A quick volley of Helix rockets knocked him back.

76 could see him retiring in the office and decided to use the diversion provided by the three Overwatch agents to make a run for him. Dashing through the burning warehouse, he fired his rifle at a couple of thugs he met along the way before finally smashing into the office. The leader was prepared and tried to get the jump on him. 76 evaded his blow easily, he was sloppy and slow thanks to all that muscle. After a couple of dodges, he landed a perfect haymaker on his face sending him back down of the floor. In a second, the criminal found himself in the sights of 76’s rifle. He searched for a weapon, but he stopped when the masked vigilante started to talk with his menacing voice

“Uh uh. I know what you’re thinking. “Did he fired all of its shots out there or not?” Well to tell you the truth in all this excitement I kinda lost track myself. But being this is a heavy pulse rifle, the most powerful gun in the world and would blow your head clean off, you’ve gotta ask yourself one question: “Do I feel lucky?” Well, do ya, punk?”

Before an answer could came a giant furry hand pinned 76 to the wall

“Who do you think you are?”

“I’m the one who gets his job done. I’m thinkin’ you’re the other one.”

Literally red with rage Winston took a deep breath to calm himself. Then continued

“Consider yourself under arrest”

“On whose authority?”

“Overwatch”

“Overwatch was disbanded six years ago. Petras act. You are criminals as much I am”

“You are coming with us anyway!”

Everyone was focused on the argument between the gorilla and the vigilante so the Mexican thug slipped between the former’s legs and slowly managed to reach for a gun. Hidden from view he aimed at the brightest target in the room: the doctor in the angel suit. Seeing this behind the visor Soldier 76 decided to act. In a split of a second he kicked Winston’s chest with both feet freeing himself from his hold. No time to reach his rifle or the criminal 76 jumped in the line of fire as the gun went off. Catching the bullet in the chest, he fell on the ground bleeding. Tracer zipped in front of the gang leader and knocked him unconscious with a kick to the face.

Mercy was paralyzed for a moment. She did not see that coming. Now there was a bleeding man at her feet. She regained control of herself and kneeled to help the agonizing 76.

“Damnit this is the second time this week!” 76 grumbled

“Do not try to talk. Let me see it”

She opened his jacket and cut open his shirt. There was a bleeding bullet hole near his heart. Pulling out a surgical clamp form her suit, she inserted it in the wound to pull out the bullet.

“Tracer activate one of his biotic canisters”

Lena executed and soon a yellow aura engulfed the heroes, dulling 76 pain and slowing the bleeding.

“Where is it?”

Angela was searching frantically for the bullet while everyone hold their breath. Her suit was getting red with the vigilante’s blood

“Got it!”

Soon the bulled hit the ground beside them with a metallic sound. Mercy applied a chemical substance on the wound to sanitize it and help its closure. Then she stapled the wound close.

“We need to bring him to a medical facility fast. Only then I can assert the damage”

“Can’t you just give him a jolt from your staff?”

“No Tracer, my Caduceus staff can heal this kind of injuries only if it is tuned to the genetic signature of the target. It cannot be done here. We need to hurry”

Once in flight 76 was placed under a biotic field generator to keep him stable. Mercy sat beside him monitoring his vitals while the golden light bathed him. Smiling behind the mask 76 turned his head to the doctor

“Thank you, doc”

“Do not thank me just now. I believe you are not out of the woods yet.”

For the first time in his life he listened to the doctor’s orders and laid down while the plane headed for Wachpoint Gibraltar once again.

Don’t worry fellow mercy76 fans, It won’t be long now.

As usual feel free to leave feedback and ask questions!

Stay tuned for more

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allthem76fanfics · 7 years

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Chapter 3: Revelations

Here it is, the moment you all were waiting for.

Not much going on, just two halves of the same heart colliding and getting back toghether, like two jigsaw pieces.

I wish to thank @xavirne for being an inspiration for this

The Overwatch Orca arrived at Gibraltar as the sun was setting down over the Atlantic. As the hovercraft landed, they prepared the injured Soldier 76 to be moved.

Strapping the masked man to a stretcher Mercy made sure everything was ready.

“Afraid I’d escape, doctor?” He joked behind the mask

“It’s a precaution Wilson insisted to have. He doesn’t want you to slip away”

“Why would I escape from an angel?”

Mercy tightened the strap on his chest. He responded with a pain groan

“Oopsie! On a scale of one to ten, how is your pain?”

She would not allow anyone to call her angel, but the cheesy way he called her that made her smile.

The bonded vigilante was carried down all the way to the medical bay. Once inside Angela made everyone vacate the room

“I need to be alone for this part.”

“Are you sure?”

“Oh, he won’t do a thing strapped like that”

“We’ll be in my lab. Call if he does something funny.”

Winston and Tracer then left Mercy alone with the mysterious stranger.

The doctor started the machinery around the room while Soldier 76 laid down strapped on the operating table. The only part free of bonds was his head. Looking around he recognized the place. Not all memories of it were bad.

“I just need a sample of your blood to calibrate my Caduceus emitter.”

Soldier 76 quivered at the sound of that. For once, he was truly scared. If she analyzed his blood, she would discover that he was Jack Morrison, the presumed deceased strike-commander of Overwatch. When that happed, explaining his motives would be the least of his problems.

“Do not tell me that the big, bad masked man is afraid of one little needle? If you do not want the help of my Caduceus staff I’ll have to open you!”

This second scenario was not reassuring either. He felt trapped looking at her putting out a fresh syringe.

“Weren’t you the one afraid last night?” he teased looking at her

“True, you are scary with that glowing visor and that distorted voice of yours”

76 felt a pinch on his arm but saw no needle. Clever girl, distracting him and faking punctures. This way he had no clue when she would take his blood for real. She wrapped a rubber band around his arm.

“That’s the whole point. To scare those sons of…”

“Language”

She pinched him again.

“Are you done pinching me?”

“If you insist…”

Another pinch landed on his skin. He looked down to his arm. No needle.

“By the way, thank you for saving me in Dorado”

“It was the right thing to do.”

“Still you didn’t have to. Why did you, then?”

How could he answer that?

Think, Morrison, Think!

“Back in my day we did not let a medic alone!”

Smooth one, Morrison

“Is that so?”

Another pinch. Another quick look. Another false alarm.

“I’m starting to think you like touching me.”

“What if I am?” she teased looking at him with her magnetic blue orbs. 76 could not stop staring at her sexy smirk, the same that conquered him all those years ago.

“Are you hitting on me?”

“No, this is me hitting on you”

A slap landed on his deltoid. The doctor’s hand did not leave though. Slowly she run it down the arm, running her fingers around his muscles. She bit her lip and seemed to enjoy it.

“If you want to feel my body more, you just have to ask”

Another pinch. He did not care to look.

“Sounds terrific. And as much as I look forward to it, I already have what I want from you!”

Her eyes made a quick motion in the direction of his arm. The syringe was inside sucking blood from his veins. He smiled beneath the mask: she bamboozled him again with her fawn eyes.

As she retreated the needle, he made one last struggle to free himself, like a trapped animal.

“Now, Now 76” she talked to him like a child, patting him on the head “No need to get shaky. In a minute I can start to beam you and all will be over!”

Yes, he would be over.

The analyzing machine surely would identify his blood, show his true nature, reveal him as Jack Morrison…

Suddenly he felt something else than fear in his chest. A warm sensation was filling his lungs as the wound started bleeding. His last movement must have re-opened the wound and something was clearly making him bleed internally.

“Mein Gott!”

Angela sprung at his side and started unbounding him to reach the wound. She activated a portable biotic field to try closing the bloody cut in his chest. Soon he started coughing blood and Mercy realized she had to intubate him to clear the blood from his lungs. Without the Caduceus technology, it was his only hope.

“Come on don’t die! Stay with me!”

Jack was starting to lose consciousness while he looked at the frightened face of Angela telling him to hold on. He could not understand her and he was starting to black out. The last thing he felt was his mask unlocking.

When he finally woke up the room was silent save for the humming of the Cadeceus emitter on his left and a subtle message that continued to loop from the analyzing machine

“Morrison, Jack. Strike Commander. KIA. Serial number…”

He did not listen. He already knew that. He felt fine; his lungs free to breathe again thanks to the doctor’s miraculous technology. He felt something else on him.

Looking down his body, he saw Angela bent over his chest crying.

“A…”

SMACK

He could not finish his first word that her hand landed on his nude cheeck.

SMACK

Another slap followed suit on the other, than another and another. She was unleashing her rage on his scarred face. He let her hit him for a while; she earned the right to punish him. When he felt was enough, he sat and gently intercepted her incoming hand. He looked down at her with a sad and understanding face. Hers was completely wet with tears. How long stood she there crying on him?

“Angel” he whispered caressing her face

That name. The name that only he was allowed to say unpunished. He was her Jack.

His hand was rough but gentle. She struggled to stop the tears.

He let go of her hand and she run it over the scars that crossed his face. Biting her lip, she could feel the pain of those wounds. Suddenly a tear wet her hand.

“I’m sorry. I’m so, SO, sorry”

She did not say a thing. Jack stared at her with all the pain he carried lying to her.

For the love of God, say something Ang!

“Why?”

He feared that would be the first word out of her mouth

“Why did you leave me?”

He feared the question even more now. He turned his face away from hers. How could he answer? What could he say?

Angela grabbed him by the chin and pulled his head in front of her angered face, still wet by tears.

“ANSWER ME!”

Jack sighed; no defense could resist her furious glance. Reaching for her hand, and taking it into his, he let it all out

“When I woke up in the rubble of the Swiss HQ I knew Overwatch was dead and Jack Morrison had to die with it. If I ever came back from that incident alive, they would surely come for me, hunting for the truth. But how could I explain that the one responsible were the one we trusted the most? I made many enemies inside and out the UN. They’d get me this time. Without Overwatch nothing there was nothing left to protect me from politics, arrest, assassins or worse…”

“Worse?”

He paused

“They would try to get to me though my friends. Through you”

He tightened the grip on her hand

“I…I can’t lose you” he cried “I would never leave you, but I would lie to the entire world a thousand time again to protect you. I love you! You were and always will the only thing that matters to me. My Angel!”

Seeing that man breaking before her. Watching her hero crumble beneath his own weight. Hearing him confessing his love for her one again broke her heart. She pushed his head into her chest, just like a mother with a crying son, nuzzling her nose into his white locks. The color was different now but the soft sensation they gave was the same as the first time.

“Forgive me, Angela” he begged hugging her form.

“I forgive you, Jack” she gently answered smiling at him.

He looked up at her, this time he was the one wet with tears.

“You could have told me. I would have understood. I love you too!”

Hope once again filled his eyes. He was not alone in his war anymore.

“You’ll never lose me, Jack. I’ll always be at your side. I will protect you, my little soldier!”

He raised from her chest. She closed in laying her hands on his bare chest. The space between them disappeared. He bent his face down to hers. As their lip joined, he held her head close with one hand while touching her hands with the other. It was rough, it was wet, and it was perfect.

“You are my true hero, Angela Ziegler”

“Welcome back, Jack Morrison”

They were together at last.

The soldier and his angel.

The doctor and her hero.

Nothing could stand between them again.

They stood there, hugged, for who knows how much. Neither wanted to let go.

She smelled like heaven, and he felt that she cooled the inferno raging inside him.

He smelled like sweat and blood, like a warrior, and she could feel herself melting like ice in his embrace.

They stood like this for a while, and then Angela broke the silence.

“You are not going to tell them, aren’t you?”

“No, I won’t.”

She let go of him and looked him in the eye

“Then what are you going to do?”

“I need to continue on my own. The people responsible for Overwatch’s demise are still out there”

He stood up, ready to go. She hugged him again, pressing her head on his chest

“Please don’t go! Don’t leave me again”

After a moment of hesitation, he rested his hands on her shoulders

“What should I do then?”

“Join us! Stay with Overwatch!”

“Bring back Overwatch. What’s the point?”

“The world needs heroes, now more than ever. And I need mine.”

Jack smiled looking down at Angela and the doctor looked up at him.

“Ok. I’ll stay. What do we do about the gorilla in charge?”

“Let me worry about Winston. You…”

Her fingers started walking up his chest towards his face.

“… have to put your mask back on!” she concluded flicking his nose

“Roger that, ma’am!”

While he put back the mask and visor Angela shut down the synthetic voice and encrypted the analyzed blood data.

Jack retrieved his leather jacket, put it on, and waited for Mercy at the door. He his head to the side, looking back at her.

“It is as you always say Angela: Heroes Never Die!”

“You. Are. The. Worst.” She said with a disgusted expression

“Yeah, but I’m your Worst!”

“And I’ll always be glad for that”

She joined him on the doorstep, ready to face the world at his side again.

Here you go, I hope you enjoyed.

Keep an eye open for the next chapter, like a certain hyper-hyped hero.

As usual feel free to comment, suggest and like.

My Overwatch Fanfiction

Chapter 1: Heiress

Chapter 2: Vigilante

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allthem76fanfics · 7 years

Text

Chapter 4: A Tale of two Amari

Finally I can post this new chapter in my ongoing story, having read the new official comic. If you haven’t already, go and read it!

The new Overwatch needs to grow with new and old recruits, Soldier 76 has some ideas of his own.

It may have started this off the Ana hype, but I like the result. I hope you will too!

Getting Soldier 76 accepted into the new Overwatch was no easy task. Winston had severe reservations about him and most of them were justified. He was waging a one-man war with no respect for collateral damage, he was unnecessary violent and above all he stole his gear from Overwatch facilities.

It took all of Mercy’s convincing charm and the complete submission of Soldier 76 to convince him to put the masked vigilante on probation.

The following morning the simian leader of Overwatch gathered everyone in his laboratory to brief them on the current situation.

“Good morning you all, had a nice sleep?”

Everyone looked at him, which was clearly making him uncomfortable.

“Keep talking, don’t stare at us!” 76 thought, seated in the back.

“Well…ahem… Our current priority is to gain new agents for Overwatch since there are only the four of us. Athena and I have been monitoring Overwatch frequencies for any response to the recall signal. So far four former agents have been found”

A synthetic voice started to speak while the screen behind Winston showed the locations of the agents

“Retired agent Wilhelm has been located in the Black Forest region near Nuuk, Greenland. Agent Lindholm has responded from the Novgorod region, Russia. Agent Shimada is in Hanamura, Japan. Finally Agent McCree is in New Mexico, USA”

“Thank you, Athena. We…”

“The answer the latter’s message was: “It’s about time!””

“Thanks, Athena”

“You are welcome!”

The great ape sighed reprising his speech

“Tracer on the other hand has been searching for potential new recruits. Lena, if you please.”

“Thanks love. So far I found two possible candidates.”

Two new marks appeared on the map while concert videos of a Brazilian artist appeared on a nearby screen. The room filled with techno music from the video.

“This is Lúcio Correia dos Santos, Lúcio for short. He is a talented professional DJ with the peculiar hobby of freedom fighting. He once took the fight to a mega-corporation that was exploiting his favela in Rio and almost single-handedly guided his people and drove them out of the neighborhood.”

“Great, a musician” 76 thought.

The video on the screen changed to a completely different one. In the new images, there was a cockpit view of a Korean pilot fighting a gigantic omnic. The only elements visible were her hands maneuvering the joysticks at an impressive speed and a PIP on the side with her facecam. She was probacly not much older than 18.

“This is Hana Song, nickname D.Va. She was the titular Starcraft II champion for 3 years straight when the Korean government called her to fight in the MEKA unit thanks to her incredible eye-to-hand coordination. Make no mistake, this is not a gameplay, it’s real!”

I that moment a GG echoed in the room as the camera zoomed outside the overloading mech in a collision course with the omnic’s head. 76 sarcastically rised one of his eyebrows. This was as far as he could go to express his emotions about it.

“I told the Koreans not to use robots to fight it. Now they resort to kids to fight?” he thought again.

“I know they may seem just a couple of superstars, but I strongly believed their skills can be useful to us”

Tracer stood there serious, as serious as she could be.

“Thank you, Lena.” Winston said while Tracer zipped on her seat, starting to breathe again.

“We are going to split up. One pair will recover the first agents in Europe and Japan and the other one will recruit these people and McCree. I suggest Tracer leads this latter team and…”

“I call dibs on Winston! Come on big guy, we are going to Rio!” Tracer quipped winking at the gorilla.

“…ahem, very well. This leaves our new recruit with you, Mercy. You two will recover our old friends.”

“Ok, Wilson. It will be nice to see familiar faces again!”

“It should be easy enough and I hope there will be no problem!”

He stared at 76 with a serious frown.

“No problems at all, sir” he quickly answered.

“Very good. Dismissed.”

Tracer warmed up a second Orca for Mercy and Soldier 76. While the vigilante strapped himself to the pilot’s seat Lena inputted the coordinates in the autopilot.

“Ok, you are all set. Put your trust the automatic pilot and all will be fine. It will fly this thing better than you can!”

Soldier 76 grunted at her. She answered a smirk and a nervous laught.

“Not that you aren’t free to try!” she said before disappearing.

Mercy took the seat on the other side of the cockpit.

“Haven’t you been a little too hard with her?”

“I didn’t say anything.”

They departed from Gibraltar and flew northward over Spain, bound to Greenland.

Soldier 76 started to fiddle with the autopilot and Mercy got curious.

“What are you doing, Jack?”

“Changing course.”

“But Lena told you not to touch it! Do you know what are you doing?”

“Angela, you do not lead Overwatch for thirty years and learn nothing about planes.”

“Sigh. Where are we going anyway?

“We are going to make new recruits of our own.”

“Where? Who?” she insisted

“Giza, Egypt. My contact there told me there is someone that is Overwatch material.”

“I though you were alone all these years.”

“It may have been my war. But even lone wolves can use some help.”

“Any are you telling me who this contact is?”

“Nope”

Angela raised the safety bar and bent over the control panel looking at 76 with her seductive blue eyes.

“What if I say please?”

“I’m afraid you’ll have to trust me on this one, as I trust my contact.”

Thank Goodness for his visor. How could he had kept a straight face in front of her laying in front of him like that!

She sat back pouting.

“No fair. Why do you keep secrets from me?”

After a brief pause, she asked again.

“Can you at least tell me are we supposed to pick up?”

“Do you remember little Fareeha Amari?”

“Of course. I haven’t seen her in years.” she replied, glad to hear her friend’s name again.

“Well, they told me she has become quite a hero herself. Just like her mother.”

“I miss Ana. Why are always the best who die first?”

“I miss her too. I miss her too.”

While the dust settled around the landing zone, the two agents prepared for an undercover mission in the city.

Angela wore a very simple attire: just a pair grey trousers and a plain blue shirt. She did not want to draw attention. Jack wore a pair of jeans, a tan shirt and the usual sunglasses. He again added some touches to blend in the location, as he did in Dorado. He put a robe on his shoulders and wrapped his head with a traditional shemag.

“How do I look?” he asked Mercy

She laughed at him

“Who do you think you are? Lawrence of Arabia?”

He got a hold of her, leaning her backwards. His eyes looking at hers with passion.

“Do you want to come with me in my tent?”

She neared her face to his ear.

“I do not think you have enough camels for me!”

They both laughed, sharing a kiss before they head for the city.

Soldier 76 guided Mercy surely through the chaotic streets of Giza. The citi expanded greatly ofer the once barren Giza plateau and was now sprawling with modern buildings settled around the Temple of Anubis. The two stopped on the other side of the road from a large flat building with armed guards posted outside. The sign on the wall read “Helix Security International”.

“This is where Fareeha works.” 76 informed Mercy

“So, shall we go inside?”

“I’m afraid there is no we on this one.”

Her puzzled expression demanded answers.

“I kinda beat up some of their men guarding Watchpoint Black Mesa. I cannot get near their facilities. If something goes wrong…”

“I get it.” She sighed, “What should I do when I met her?”

“Get her outside and meet me at the Warda café. She will know where it is.”

She rolled her eyes, not wanting to ask him why. She then kissed him on the cheek.

“I’ll meet you there. Take care, mein kleiner Soldat!”

He stood there clueless as she left him there, giggling.

Why didn’t I refresh my German?

He adjusted the robe on his shoulders and headed for the bazaar.

Mercy crossed the road and approached the checkpoint. After the scanning for weapons came out negative, she proceeded inside the building. The omnic at the front desk automatically greeted her when she crossed the sliding doors.

“Hello Miss and welcome to Helix Security International, how can I help you?”

“Hello. I’m here to see Fareeha Amari. Is she available?”

“One moment. Let me check with the barracks.”

The machine stiffened and the circular light on his head started to pulse. Mercy waited patiently: she knew it must have been in communication with the barracks but it was still awkward to see the machine completely froze in front of her. She looked around at the entrance hall. It was spacious and clean, with gray walls and orange highlights. A subtle and relaxing tune was coming from the speakers in the roof. The light finally stopped pulsating and the omnic moved again.

“Captain Amari is at the firing range. A security officer will come and escort you to her. Take this badge, please.”

Mercy took the magnetic badge with VISITOR written over it and thanked the receptionist that promptly returned in a standby mode.

Her escort arrived shortly thereafter. He was a young man, probably in his twenties, wearing a khaki Helix uniform and a sand-colored beret with the company logo

“Hello ma’am. I am Tariq. This way, please.”

She followed him through a hallway that lead them out in the open.

The outside courtyard looked like one from Army base with spaced buildings, armored vehicles lined up, and personnel in uniform all around. Dust and sand were everywhere.

She could not resist asking something about Fareeha.

“Excuse me; you are one of Captain Amari’s men?”

“Yes, ma’am. As a matter of fact I owe her my life.”

“Did she save you in a mission?”

“Yes. I would be a stain under a column if not for her. I will follow her everywhere!”

They proceeded past the barracks and headed for the firing range at the edge of the compound

“Can I ask you something ma’am.”

“Please, do.”

“Who are you? I mean, for the Captain.”

“Oh, I am just an old friend. Last time I saw her she was leaving for the Egyptian Army.”

“She will be happy to see you then.”

Just after they passed the firing range gate, he stopped at the armory to pick up a pair of Kevlar helmets.

“I am sorry ma’am but company regulation dictate that all personnel must wear protective headgear on the range…”

She reluctantly wore the helmet over her carefully combed hair.

“… plus the Captain loves to use live ammunition.”

The firing range was facing the open desert so no one could get hurt when live rounds went off. There was a lone figure on the lanes. Dressed in a blue suit of armor she was firing her rocket launcher at a series of moving targets with almost pinpoint accuracy.

“I am sorry Captain; there is an old friend of yours here to see you”

“Hello, Fareeha!”

Pharah missed the last target when she heard Mercy’s sweet greeting. Rising her weapon, she stood at attention.

“It can’t be! Angela Ziegler?”

She turned and removed the hawk-shaped helmet that obscured her face. She was the same girl Mercy remembered. The same brown eyes, the same raven hair with four braids tied in golden jewelry. The only new detail was a tattoo under her right eye.

“Ya, it’s me!”

Pharah dropped her weapon and helmet in Tariq’s lap, and hugged the Swiss doctor, lifting her from the ground.

“It is good to see you”

“Yeah” she panted “me too!”

Fareeha let her down and smiled

“Sorry, forgot about the armor.”

“Never mind” Ouch “You really grew up, Fareeha!”

“You didn’t age a day! What are you doing here?”

“I, or rather, me and a friend have a proposition for you.”

“Really, about what?”

“Can you come with me? My partner is waiting for us in the city, at the Warda café. We can talk about it there.”

Pharah recoiled hearing that name

“You know it?”

“Yes, it was my mother’s favourite tea house. Give me five minutes to take out the armor and we will go right away!”

Soldier 76 sat down at a table at the little Warda café. It was a cozy little establishment in the old city, with red sandstone walls covered in flower decoration and with a rose engraved on the sign. 76’s table was right outside the entrance under a tent that sheltered the customers from the harsh sun.

He was sitting there only a few minutes, looking around for his friends’ arrival, when someone behind him left a tray with a brass teapot and three cups on his table. Turning his head to the table, he saw and old woman wrapped in dirty rags in front of him. She was wearing an eyepatch on the right eye and a single white fringe escaped the headband she wore under the black hood.

He talked first.

“You look good”

“Wish I could say the same about you!”

They stopped for a second, staring at each other.

“It’s good to see you Ana Amari”

“It is nice to see you too Jack Morrison”

“Keep your voice down; do you want everyone to hear you?”

She raised her left eyebrow with a sarcastic side smile.

“MORRISON, MORRISON, WE GOT MORRISON HERE!” She screamed around.

None of the patrons nor the people crowding the bazaar turned or stopped to look at them.

“See nobody cares!”

They both laughed. She started carefully serving the tea in the first cup

“So, are you back here for my Fareeha?”

“Yes. We are bringing back Overwatch. We are in need someone like her. You know she always wanted to follow your footsteps”

“That is not what wanted for my daughter. I wanted her to follow a different path than mine.”

“I believe she is mature enough to make her own choices!”

Ana did not replied. Instead, she filled the second cup and put three sugar cubes in it. Mixing it carefully she looked at 76’s face

“I stand corrected, you look better than the first time we met after the incident.”

“Well, all that stuff they pumped into me has to be good for something.”

“Is it because of her?”

Soldier 76 blushed and looked down. She had totally hit the mark, like she sharp woman she always was.

“I always knew Angela was the right girl for you. That is why I had to help you out that time.”

“Help me?”

“You may be the greatest soldier in the field and the greatest commander in the world, but you were always so terrible with girls, so shy and immature. That is the reason you needed me!”

He looked up at her. She was looking at him with an air of superiority pointing the teaspoon at his face. She was always like that when she was right, which happened more often that he would like to admit.

“I never thank you for having my back for all these years, Ana”

She was too busy preparing the last cup, filling it to the brim, to answer him right away. She carefully dipped two cubes in the tea but did not mix it for long; just a couple of strokes.

“You will never have to. I only ask two things from you”

“You can ask me everything, Ana”

“First, I have this letter for my daughter. Give it to her when the time is right”

“How am I supposed to…”

“Second, watch after my little Fareeha. If something happens to her I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you.”

Her face was deadly serious and her glance made 76 wince a little, not sure if she was joking or not. A quick nod of her head and the sound of two women chattering make him turn away. Pharah and Mercy were coming.

Turning back to the table 76 noticed that Ana was disappeared.

“Thirty friggin years and she still pulls this stunt on me!” he grumbled.

The girls were soon there and found 76 alone at the table with the tea already served. Jack found himself again in the difficult position of having to deal to a person near and dear to him and maintain the façade of the mysterious vigilante Soldier 76. He was glad to see Ana’s daughter, and still he could not show it.

Sitting on Morrison’s right Mercy made presentations.

“Fareeha Amari let me introduce you to Soldier 76”

“Ahem, nice to meet you” she said reaching out for a handshake.

76 did not say a thing shaking her hand. A grumble was all Pharah could hear.

Pharah sat in front of him. For a while she kept staring at 76 trying to figure out who he was

“I heard your name somewhere.”

Jack was sweating beneath the shemag.

“Of course! You are the guy that robbed Watchpoint Black Mesa!”

She tried to get him but Mercy was immediately on her, holding her down.

“Yes, Fareeha. It is him. But he did not want to hurt your colleagues, he was after the tech.”

“So he is a common thief! How could you even associate with him?”

“I am a man on a mission for justice. I operate on my own, or at least I used to until Overwatch caught me.”

“Justice? Overwatch? I do not understand.”

“We are bringing back Overwatch.” Angela explained, “He joined us to put his abilities to good use. We are here to ask you to join us Fareeha”

“I, I do not know what to say.”

“We are not here to force you to do anything” Mercy continued “But the world needs us right now. War with omnics growing, Crime organizations and terrorists reigning uncontested, Companies with sinister agendas, human-omnic tension, you name it. Overwatch is clearly needed again.”

“However before you decide, you need to understand that this call comes with a price.” 76 added.

“Overwatch is illegal, I know. I am a soldier too, you know. I am doing a lot of good with Helix…”

“We are all soldier now, Captain Amari. We just have to pick up a side.”

He drank from his cup. The tea was plain, just like he wanted it. Angela sipped form her cup too.

“Please, Fareeha. Think about it!” she pleaded.

“We leave in one hour. I hope to see you at the plane.”

Soldier 76 left the table followed by Mercy.

When they were alone, in the crowd, she turned to him.

“How did you know I like my tea sweet!” she whispered to him

“I…guess I do remember what you like!”

“Then, maybe, I will give you something you like later.”

She kissed him again on the cheek, skipping ahead giggling like a little girl.

Jack stood back for a moment, wrapping his head about this tea business.

Following a feeling in the back of his head, he looked up to the rooftops and glimpsed a robed figure disappear.

“Best wingman ever, Mama Bear!”

Fareeha watched her friend and the disguised criminal disappear in the crowd.

Joining Overwatch?

“Why should I say yes? They are criminals now. I am fighting the good fight here. I am on the good side!” she thought.

She than drank her tea.

Her eyes widened.

The cup was full and warm but there was that half-melted sugar at the bottom that went down at the end.

Just like mom used to make.

Pharah always said she liked her tea plain but her mother knew she also loved the sweet sugar at the bottom.

She picked up the last of the sugar from the cup and ate it.

Suddenly memories from a lifetime ago flowed through her mind and her soul.

Reinhardt taking her for a ride on his enormous shoulders and roaring like a lion.

Torbjörn laughing and joking with her because he was taller.

McCree playing Cowboy and Indians with her and letting her win all the time.

That grumpy Rayes teaching her to play his guitar.

Mercy giving her a lollipop after treating her bruises.

Morrison taking her for a tour of the Overwatch HQ talking about how great she will become.

Her mother’s embrace and wisdom…

There is nothing more important than protecting the ones you love.

Jack was warming up the Orca’s engines, prepping it for takeoff. Mercy was back in her suit waiting on the door, leaning on her Caduceus staff, like a guardian angel.

76 climbed down from the cockpit and joined her at the bay door. She was worried, staring at the dune sea and the distant city before her.

“Will she come?”

“I don’t know. We lift off in 10 minutes”

“Maybe she will arrive, if we give her more time”

“Angel, it’s no use. She is an Amari. Once an Amari girl sets her path, she won’t leave it. She already made her choice.”

He then returned inside.

Suddenly a shining flying object entered Mercy’s view. It grew rapidly until it touched down in a cloud of sand and dust. Once those settled Pharah was there, kneeled down with a fist planted in front of her. She lifted her head, smiling, than she raised up. Mercy flew outside colliding with the armor-clad Egyptian and sending both tumbling down in the sand.

“I knew you would come!”

“I have to protect my family!”

Soldier 76 reappeared on the door and watched the two women laughing in the dirt.

Smiling beneath the mask, he called them out

“Get your butt in the plane, soldier, we are moving out!”

The two friends rose and walked up the ramp leaning on each other.

“Nice to have you aboard, Fareeha” 76 quipped when they passed him by.

“You don’t get to call me that, Call me by my call sign.”

“And what’s that?”

“Call me Pharah!”

This is it for my long awaited Ana chapter. Stay tuned for the next one as Overwatch grows bigger.

Feel free to suggest, like and share!

My Overwatch Fanfiction

Chapter 1: Heiress

Chapter 2: Vigilante

Chapter 3: Revelations

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allthem76fanfics · 7 years

Text

Chapter 5: Old friends

Chapter 1: Heiress

Chapter 2: Vigilante

Chapter 3: Revelations

Chapter 4: A Tale of two Amari

Finally I got around to finish my 5th chapter. It is a rather episodic one, I have to go through the re-formation of Overwatch quickly to get to the first mission on chapter 7!

Enjoy!

NUUK, GREENLAND

The MV-261 Orca with Mercy, Soldier 76 and Pharah onboard landed in the outskirts of the Greenland capital. The most northern country had become notorious for its bike gangs since Overwatch stopped its activities in the area. The police was undermanned and could not stop those criminals on their own.

Rumors around the streets was that a man in a metal armor was taking the fight to those criminals. They described him to be at least three meters tall and wielding a large hammer.

He was their man.

Following the locals’ direction, they headed inland. Thanks to the global warning the ice sheet over the island retreated northward leaving a new barren land, free to be cultivated and exploited. Pollution derived from these activities only worsened the situation.

After flying westward for a while, they spotted a large truck parked near a small lake. A campfire burned beside the huge vehicle. They landed nearby and reached the site. They immediately noticed a young woman sit near the fire, cooking something in a metal pot. She was wearing a white tank top, brown pants and boots. Her dark hair tied in a ponytail leaving only a couple of bangs on the sides of her face. She noticed them as well.

“Oh, hello there. I’m Bridgitte, how can I help you.”

Mercy, as leader of the group, approached the freckled girl.

“Hi, my name is Angela Ziegler. We are looking for Reinhardt Wilhelm, do you know him?”

“Are you kidding? Sometimes I wish I don’t.”

“So, where is him?”

“In the truck, I’ll get him for you”

She left the cooking pot and opened the side door of the truck revealing what looked like a workshop inside with something large hiding under a curtain. There, half laid on a cot, was Reinhardt snoring loudly.

Rolling her eyes Bridgitte poked him with a wrench

“Wakey Wakey time, big baby!”

Reinhardt rolled on the other side

“Es ist kein Schultag, noch fünf Minuten!“ (It is not a school day, another five minutes!)

Mercy giggled while the other two did not get it.

Getting a tighter grip on the wrench the girl banged him on the head with it.

“Ouch! Ok, OK!”

The enormous German sat on the bed and jumped down the truck heedless of the visitors. Stretching his arms, he gave a mighty yawn.

“What is it, Bridgitte?”

“These people are here to see you, you hibernating bear!”

The old giant looked at the people in front of him. Mercy was waving at him with a smile as large as her face.

“Dr. Ziegler? Is that you?”

“Yes, old friend!”

“AH AH! It iz good to see you again!” he laughed while grabbing the blonde with his left arm.

“Yes, I’m happy too!” Said a breathless Mercy

Looking on his right Reinhardt noticed Pharah and looked at her. He smiled again recognizing Ana’s daughter.

“Are you little Fareeha?”

She could barely answer him that his right arm was already around her, squeezing her body against his chest

“ZIS is a dream come true. The zree of us togezer again!”

He let them down, not noticing the deep red color of their faces and lack of breath, and turned his attention to the stranger in the mask.

“And WHO is zis?”

“Soldier 76” he responded.

“Is zat so?”

Reinhardt bent over 76 to look him in directly the visor. Hands behind his back and with a perplexed face he squared him off, trying to remember if he saw him before. Jack knew Reinhardt for over thirty years; could he saw though his disguise?

“I like you Soldier 76, I can tell! Come here!”

He bear-hugged the old soldier, lifting him from the ground. Jack felt again how painful and literally breathtaking Reinhardt’s affection could be.

Letting him go Reinhardt returned to his blonde friend

“So, what is zis all about Angela? To what do I own the honor of your visit?”

“We are rebuilding Overwatch; we need all hands on deck.”

“Zen count me IN.”

Bridgitte immediately stared at him

“WHAT?”

Reinhardt looked back at her, surprised of her reaction

“What’s ze problem Bridgitte? ZIS is what we were waiting for. ZIS is ze GLORY we were WAITING FOR!”

“That is what you want, what about…”

She tried to keep an angry face at him but soon the façade fell and she hugged him struggling to contain her tears.

“Please, do not leave me. You saved my life in Stuttgart you said you would be looking after me. What am I going to do if you go now? We still have a job to do remember? Right the wrongs of the world? I… I cannot bear to be alone again!”

Reinhardt looked down at the young woman crying on him, begging him to stay with her. The smile on his face was wide and the loving look was like the one of a grandfather to his niece.

“What is zis nonsense Bridgitte? OF COURSE you WILL come wiz me!”

Her face left the warm embrace of his abs, looking back at him with a shimmer of hope in her eyes

“For real?”

“ABSOLUTELY! Zere will be no me in Overwatch wizout you! Now go get ze gear ready!”

Bridgitte struggled again against her emotion, this time to contain her delight. Skipping away inside the truck she started preparing something as loud metallic sounds could be hard from outside.

Angela was furious about what she just heard. Her arms were crossed, her feet tapping, her nostrils flared and her left eye was squirting. She was waiting for the German behemoth to turn to her to give him the scolding of his life.

“What do you think you are doing?” she asked “I don’t approve of you dragging that poor girl around on your adventures and even more that you are willing to put her in bigger dangers!”

“What are you talking about?”

“The missions we will face will be full of threats, even world-threatening dangers! You are a trained soldier, if an old one. She has no combat abilities or special gear, how could she be safe with Overwatch?”

“Brigitte has made her choice. I would have her at my side, or I won’t be at yours!”

Angela looked up to the sky, clenching her teeth and fists.

He was so frustrating, so thick headed!

Trying to regain her composure, she bargained with him.

“Fine. She can come on one condition. She will stay out of the fight and will remain at home while you are on a mission.”

“DEAL.” He loudly responded

The voice of his companion called him back into the track. He entered leaving the furious Swiss woman end the other two outside. A series of hissing and mechanical sounds came from the truck, followed by a deep thundering sound. A sudden upward movement of the truck signaled that the old German soldier left it with his old Crusader armor, appearing shortly thereafter from behind the huge vehicle.

The armor made him taller and larger than before. Towering above his friends, he rested the enormous rocket hammer on his shoulder, striking a pose.

“COME MY FRIENDS, ONWARD TO NEW ADVENTURES!” he announced pointing eastward to the sky.

“The plane is on the other side, genius” 76 commented

“I KNEW THAT” he said marching onward to the west.

Shaking her head Mercy followed him together with a laughing Pharah.

Soldier 76 was after them. Looking behind he noticed Bridgitte gaining on them carrying a tall backpack on her shoulders and a huge tool bag in each hand. He waited for her to catch up with him.

“May I help you with those?”

“Oh, thanks. You are so kind!” she answered lending him one of the bags

As 76 grabbed it, he almost fell to the ground.

“How on Earth could she carry all this stuff?” he thought plodding behind her, who did not seem to mind the weight she was carrying at all.

NOVGOROD, RUSSIA

It did not take too much for the Overwatch agents to locate Torbjörn as he was signaling his position with a beacon. Sitting on a packed turret, he was impatiently waiting for them.

“Where the hell have you been? I’ve been vaiting for hours!”

“I am sorry Torby, we have been diverted.” Mercy said approaching him.

“I…. can’t stay angry vith you Angela. It has been too long!”

“Indeed it has, dear friend.”

Torbjörn grabbed the doctor’s hand and landed a kiss on it. She was charmed by his gallantry.

Reinhardt stepped forward to greet his old friend

“AH MY DIMINUTIVE SWEDISH FRIEND! I see you still have your wonderful manners!”

The small engineer looked up furious at the smiling German as something he said pissed him off.

“I see your head is still full of air!”

Feeling hurt in his pride Reinhardt retorted.

“I see you are still building your little useless machines!”

“At least my machines keep working without a hitch. Look at your armor, can’t you NOT charge into a battle for ONCE?”

“At least I am still fighting, what have you been doing all zese years? Hide under a bridge?”

“I HAVE YOU KNOW THAT I HAVE BEEN AVERTING CRISIS YOU FEEBLE MIND COULD NOT EVEN COMPREHEND!”

“AT LEAST MY HEAD WILL ALWAYS BE ABOVE ONE AND A HALF METERS FROM ZE GROUND!”

They stared at each other ready to jump at each other’s neck. The air was cracking with tension as they inhaled deeply, ready to get it on.

Surprisingly they erupted in thunderous laughs leaning on each other.

“I HAVE MISSED YOU MY NORDIC FRIEND!”

“ME TOO. You magnificent Teutonic bastard!”

Everyone could breathe again; it was just one of their countless but ultimately harmless fights.

HANAMURA, JAPAN

Genji was going to be hard to find. Being a cyborg ninja he could be hiding anywhere in the megacity that sprawled from Tokyo to Nagoya. Furthermore, they were not even sure he was still in Japan as he was always on the move.

Changing to street clothes, they decided to start searching in the Hanamura district, his last known location. Soldier 76 retained the mask however, to be sure to hide his identity from his old comrades-in arms. After all, mask were a common feature in japan, as were omnics, so he should not stick out.

It did not take long for Reinhardt and Torbjörn to get into another argument, this time over which restaurant for dinner as evening was approaching. Just as the debate was at its peak, Mercy’s phone started vibrating. Checking it out, she noticed a new message by an anonymous number. There was no text, only a picture of two dragons dancing in a circle. The symbol seemed familiar, but she could not put her finger on it.

Showing it to 76, he immediately recognized the Shimada clan emblem. Whoever sent the message was directing them to their old Castle.

They left the two old men to their debate, and the two women to the difficult task of preventing them to tear each other apart, and headed for the Castle on top of the hill.

Since Overwatch dismantled, the Shimada criminal empire the Castle was declared a national landmark and was open to the public during day hours. Entering the premises, they started touring the gardens.

It was the time of the blossoming of the cherry tree and the park was full of people for the traditional picnic under the cherry blossoms or Hanami. Mercy was absolutely amazed by the wonder of nature happening before her eyes while soldier 76 was still figuring out what her mysterious contact wanted.

She pulled Soldier 76 by the hand and started pointing at the blossomed trees, covered in pink and white flowers that were slowly falling on the ground. He was surprised by her gesture as he was deep in thoughts but was otherwise glad she was with him, making him notice the beauty around him. He did not want to find out what was going on anymore, he just wanted to enjoy that beauty with her.

They walked around the gardens for a while, hand in hand. To anybody that looked they seemed just another couple enjoying each other’s company.

They stopped on a bench at the margins of the gardens. In front of them Mount Fuji was bathed by the red glow of the sunset.

Angela rested her head on Jack’s shoulder. It was a moment of pure peace.

“Isn’t it wonderful, Jack?”

“Yes, it is. Living on your own for years makes you forget how beautiful the world is.”

She reached out with her hand and caught a falling cherry blossom. She looked at it, amazed by how a thing so fragile and fleeting could inspire an entire people.

“You know, they say that one can spent an entire lifetime searching for the perfect cherry blossom and never find it”

“Sounds like a waste of time.”

She looked up at him, almost angry he ruined the moment. He calmly looked down to her, reached for the flower and put it on Angela’s golden fringe.

“Because I already found my perfect flower!”

“Smooth one Morrison!”

She rested her head again against his strong shoulder.

“Wouldn’t be wonderful if this could last forever? No war, no fights, no Overwatch. Just the two of us.” She said sighing slightly.

He nuzzled his nose in her hair, sighing as well.

“Yes it would be nice. But the war goes on, and we must fight it.”

“I know, unfortunately. Now hold me. Let us forget all of that just a little longer”

“Whatever you desire, my Angel”

Their quiet was soon broken as they heard naughty laugh coming from behind them. A short man with a suit and a pompadour hairstyle was approaching them with a sinister face.

Jack got rapidly on his feet, ready to face the thug, with Angela hiding behind him.

“Please, please. No need to get up. Just hand over your valuables and no one would get hurt!”

He said reaching for Mercy’s purse. Jack quickly grabbed his hand, turned his arm behind his back and pushed him away with an old-fashion kick in the butt.

“GO away punk, this ain’t your day.”

The Japanese lowlife regained his composure, brushing away the dirt from his pants.

“Ooh. Big mistake old man!”

At the snapping of his fingers, other criminals in suits appeared surrounding Jack and Angela. Jack raised his fists ready for a fight but Mercy held him by the shoulders.

“Please, Jack. Is no use!”

“The chick is smart! Hand over your money, gaijin!”

Chick?

CHICK?

Jack’s blood was boiling. If it was not for Angela holding him off he would have beat those thugs senseless but he realized he was not alone anymore. She could get hurt or worse, so he lowered his fists.

Suddenly a cry resounded in the dimming light.

“Ryujin no ken wo kurae!”

In the following confusion of Mercy could distinguish only a green dragon that seemed to engulf the gang one member at a time. Even 76 could barely follow the movements of that glowing figure that was striking their assailers. The light stopped in front of the man that previously threatened them. A man encased in a glowing grey and white armor was standing in front of the thug with a green katana at the ready. The young criminal was completely terrified “Hikaru kage!” he cried before running away.

The mysterious masked ninja twirled the sword before sheathing on his back. He then turned to the couple he just saved. Mercy could recognize that armor and helmet everywhere: he was Genji.

“Doctor Ziegler. Are you ok?”

His tone sounded neutral and formal. His voice may have been synthetic but it was not artificial. It was just the way he always talked.

She remembered the first time she saw him. He was closer to a mangled corpse than a man. Morrison, Ana, Reyes, and a special squad recovered him after his brother executed him for dishonoring the clan Shimada with his unruly behavior and brought his body to her. Initially she believed they were trying to save him, to help him, but Overwatch had other plans. They wanted him to become a weapon to eradicate the Shimada criminal empire and she did not want anything to do with that. She abhorred war and violence, how could she create a human weapon? It was only after some convincing and the promise that he will be treated as a human being and made a full-fledged agent that she reluctantly agreed.

“I’m fine Genji. It’s nice to see you again.”

He was surprised she still cared about him after all these years. After what he had accepted to become to save his life, he resented Overwatch for making him a living weapon. However, after leaving the organization he found peace thanks to his the insistence of his master, Tekhartha Zenyatta. Looking back to his past, he saw that his fight against the machine within him left no room to be human, even with the woman that saved his life.

“I’m glad you are unharmed, Doctor Ziegler.”

This last remarked caught Mercy unprepared. He never expressed his emotions like that.

“You seem well, Genji.”

“I am a different man now. I am whole.”

She smiled at his cyborg friend, happy his was good. Genji on the other hand was distracted. He kept staring at the masked man beside the doctor. Visor locked onto visor they kept gazing at each other.

“Oh, where are my manners? Genji this is Soldier 76. 76, Genji”

“Every friend of Doctor Ziegler is a friend of mine.”

He joined his hands, keeping the index and middle finger raised. He bowed a little.

“You were ready to fight for Doctor Ziegler. It is honorable, I respect that”

76 returned the bow.

“What are you doing here?” Genji asked to the doctor.

“We were searching for you. We need you for Overwatch.”

“Yes, I have received the message. My blade is at your disposal.”

“Splendid! But, tell me. Why are you here? I thought you didn’t want to return here ever again.”

“That is true. This place brings back memories I would rather not recall. However, I had to come back. For my brother, Hanzo.”

“What about him?”

“He still grieves for my death; I had to help him find peace as I once did. I forgave him but I do not know if he is ready to forgive himself. I’m worried he will only hurt himself trying to find redemption for what he did to me.”

“I’m sure he will accept you again Genji, in time”

“I hope you are right, Doctor Ziegler”

“Come on, our friends are waiting for us!”

The three of them left the gardens, headed for the city.

“That young criminal called you Hikaru kage. What does it mean?” Soldier 76 asked approaching Genji.

“It’s the name I earned destroying the Shimada clan. It means the Glowing Shadow.”

That’s all for Angela and Jack recruitment tour. The next chapter will follow Tracer and Winston!

Let me know if you have comments. I hope someone is still reading this.

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allthem76fanfics · 7 years

Text

Chapter 6: New Blood

Chapter 1: Heiress

Chapter 2: Vigilante

Chapter 3: Revelations

Chapter 4: A Tale of two Amari

Chapter 5: Old Friends

This chapter is about Tracer and Winston’s mission. Something different after following Mercy and 76 recruiting heroes for two chapters in a row.

I wish to give a very big thank you to @goinggohinggone for helping me fixing and improving my writing. She really brought McCree to life.

As usual, Enjoy!

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL

The urban area of Rio sprawled for kilometers around the modern city center and the Copacabana beach. A large part of the metropolitan area covered the dreaded favelas, a chaotic patchwork of colored housed built on top of each other. Finding a landing zone in this urban jungle was a daunting task but Tracer found an opening in front of a tall building at the edges of the favelas.

While the British pilot halted the engines, Winston lowered the ramp and stared in awe at the elegant building in front of him. Its clear and harmonious lines were in sharp contrast with the dirty and rugged appearance of the slums around it. Approaching its base, he noticed that it was covered in graffiti.

FORA VISHKAR!

VIVA LÚCIO

ESTA É A NOSSA CASA

Now he remembered.

He’d read about the new city center build by the Vishkar Corporation. Rumor was that the Indian company had sabotaged the competition to win the bid for that building.

Proceeding into the slums, the two agents started to ask the people for the whereabouts of Lúcio. It was not easy as very few people understood English but fortunately, for them, everybody knew Lúcio. He was a hero of the people. Following the directions, they made their way uphill towards the heath of the favela. The further they climbed the more they heard a soothing techno music in the air. Strangely, the tune eased their climbing, allowing them to feel no fatigue nor pain.

They approached the source of the music, following it to a yellow and blue house on the edge of the cliff with large loudspeakers on the outside. From there they could see the whole city of Rio from the Sugarloaf to the Beach. Tracer stood there for a while, enchanted by the wonderful view and suggestive music. Winston on the other hand, got down to business and knocked on the door.

A youthful voice answered from inside

“Coming.”

In a moment the door opened and a young man with dreadlocks and a goatee greeted them.

“Hello, Hello. I’m Lúcio. How can I help you?”

“Hiya, my name’s Tracer and this is Winston”

“Hey, how’s it hanging?”

“We’re here to speak to you about something important. Can we come inside?”

“Sure, come on in!”

Lúcio gestured for them to enter and they both passed through the door. The room inside was spacious yet clustered with musical equipment and other stuff. Winston almost tripped on a football coming inside. The same music from outside was playing in there.

“Sit down while I fetch you something to drink”

“Thanks, love.”

Lúcio disappeared in the kitchen while the two agents sat in the green sofa in the center of the room.

Winston sank inside the sofa and Tracer couldn’t help giggling at the trapped gorilla.

“So what brings you here, friends?” he asked Tracer as he set down a tray with a bottle of fruit juice and a couple of glasses.

“We are here with a proposal for you.”

“Uh. Is it a contract?”

“Not quite. We are from Overwatch”

“Overwatch? You mean that Overwatch.” he responded with admiration.

“Yeah.”

“So, you are real heroes from Overwatch?”

“That’s right!”

“Where have you been all this time?” Lúcio asked, suddenly serious.

Tracer and Winston looked at each other, worried by the unexpected change in thecheerful Brazilian.

“Overwatch was shut down six years ago and…” the gorilla started answering

“I know that, everyone does. I meant where did you heroes go? We could use one or two of you here! After Overwatch stopped rebuilding the city, the corporations took over. And Vishkar burned a part of the favela to build that thing there.” he said pointing at the tall building they saw earlier.

“We are sorry Lúcio, we didn’t know but, we’re here to help! Come with us. Join Overwatch! You can bring your message of freedom to the whole world, not only with your music but also by your actions!”

As Lúcio pinched his beard pondering the proposal, Winston rose from his soft, trapped seat, and started inspecting Lúcio’s gear. Lúcio snapped out of his thinking and nodded to Tracer, regaining his happy demeanor.

“I would be a fool not to accept.”

Tracer couldn’t contain her happiness and shook his hands with both of hers.

“You won’t regret it!”

Lúcio moved up and gathered his things. He stopped beside Winston who was looking at a pistol like device, with speakers all over. A faint yellow glow was emitting from it.

“I see you’re interested in my Sonic Amplifier!”

“Indeed, it is fascinating. You use the soundwaves of the music to spread nanites tuned to the music to heal and sooth the listeners. Ingenious!”

“Oh, you’re too kind. You gonna make me blush.”

“Don’t underestimate your work. This is brilliant!”

“I might have had a little help at the beginning. But the real secret to it was all my idea!”

“I’m sure you’ll be invaluable for the team. Suit up, we’re leaving”

“Yessir!” Lúcio answered, gesturing a salute before disappearing upstairs to get ready.

Tracer and her furry companion stood outside the house for a while, waiting for their friend to get ready. Eventually he reappeared in full gear. He was wearing a green shirt with a frog logo, a yellow amplifying backpack linked with his weapon, and a pair of blue mechanical leg attachments, which ended in a pair of hard light blades.

“So are we going or not?” he asked impatiently, shaking his head with the music.

“Hey Lúcio, I’ll race ya!”

“Oh you’re on!”

Moving his hand to the left, he switched music to a more energetic tune while the lights on his gear switched from yellow to green. The energy of the music soon transferred to Tracer who immediately blinked towards the dropship. Lúcio sprinted forward trying to catch up leaving Winston back.

“This is going to be…fun.” he moaned.

Approaching the dropship, Lúcio stopped suddenly, surprising Tracer.

“Oi Lúcio, something the matter?” she said stopping beside him, looking worried.

Her Brazilian companion did not respond and stared at a solitary figure sitting in front of the side window of the Overwatch craft.

It was a woman, Indian by the looks of it, dressed in a long blue dress. On her head, she wore a winged headpiece with a blue visor. She was playing with a glowing object that morphed in her hands.

Winton caught up to the two racers and noticed the woman sitting between them and their Orca.

“Uh, hello there. Can we help you?” he asked approaching the mysterious stranger.

She immediately raised her head form whatever she was doing with her hands, like someone awakening from a trance.

“My name is Satya Vaswani, but you may call me Symmetra.”

Lúcio raced in front of the great ape, pointing his sonic amplifier to the Indian girl.

“She is Vishkar! Stay back!”

“And you are a street ruffian and a thief!” she said pointing a strange weapon at him. The three claw like clamps on Symmetra’s weapon started rotating and a large blue ball grew between them.

Tracer tried to put out the fire, blinking between Lúcio and Symmetra

“Come on folks, let’s stay calm. What do you want, Symmetra?” she asked.

“I know you are Overwatch and you are recruiting people. I want to join you.”

Lúcio turned to Winston.

“Do not let her in.”

“I will decide, Lúcio.”

“You can’t trust her!”

Winston looked back at Satya, trying to figure out what she wanted.

“Why do you want to join? How do you know about us?”

Symmetra lowered her Photon projector, taking a deep breath before explaining herself.

“It’s true I work for the Vishkar Corporation. In fact, I am one of their best hard light architects. I am also what you may call a covert operative. A corporate spy if you will. I have done things for them I am not proud of. I always justified them as necessary evil for a greater good. Now I wish to leave that behind and lend my services to something greater. Like Overwatch. Even if it means working with people like him”

Tracer recalled near Winston, whispering in his ear

“Do really think we can trust her?”

“She seems sincere. I say we give her a shot.”

“Satya” Winston said after clearing his voice “Overwatch was created by people who tried to build a better place for everyone, not by those who desire to further their own interests. Do you really wish to forswear all your past and present and embrace the unknown future with us?”

After hearing those words, she started remembering the path that lead her to her current life.

Her childhood in the slums filled with poverty and abandonment. The arrival of Vishkar and the discovery of her talent behind a suspected autism. Her years as a shaper of light in The Academy in Utopaea, and her time as the secret agent Symmetra. Was she really going to leave the order and security her position provided? Was she really willing to work with those strangers and that little thief?

Then she remembered the face of the girl she had met there a long time ago. The little girl that helped her without hesitation when she was lost, who was left horribly scarred, maybe for life, by the action of her superiors. She felt the doubt in her, that day at the grand opening.

“Yes, I do.”

She would not repeat the mistake she made then.

She will do the right thing this time.

Winson welcomed her into Overwatch ranks, Lucio grumbled from behind them but didn’t resist.

DEADLOCK GORGE, AZ, USA

The sun was high over Deadlock Gorge and the wind blew through the canyon below as he wandered down the empty road during the hottest hours of the day. He always felt at home on that part of the historic Route 66. Maybe it was the warm sunny days, maybe it was the cool breeze, or maybe it was the wonderful hospitality written in large black letters on the Welcome sign.

GO AWAY

Every step rung the spurs on his boots as he passed by the file of hoverbikes parked outside the High Side saloon. He tried to not to stick out as he entered the tavern and walked towards the counter without lifting his head. More than one face lifted from its glass or peered from behind cards to look at the stranger in the poncho walking inside. He sat at the counter, calling the bartender.

“You gotta lotta nerve showing your face around here McCree.”

“What can I say, I got nostalgic.”

“What can I get ya, before someone put you inna hole six feet under?”

“I’ll get the usual. You do remember it don’t ya?”

“How could I, yer the only one crazy enough to drink my uncle’s booze.”

The bartender bent beneath the counter and poured a dark whiskey-looking liquid from an unmarked bottle into a dirty glass.

“Much obliged.”

McCree drank the contents quickly and slamming the glass on the counter as the homemade moonshine burned its way down his throat.

“It’s like drinking red-hot nails.”

“I reckon that would be healthier than this.”

They both laughed.

A loud noise sounded in the air. McCree pushed his poncho to the right side revealing his trusty Peacemaker revolver, ready for trouble. Surprisingly the commotion did not come from inside the saloon, but were gunshots heard coming from the street.

He looked over his shoulder to see if that was worth his time; he’d picked up the nasty habit of giving a damn about stuff like that when he was with Overwatch. Probably one of the few good things to come out from going legit. Suddenly, a blue light flashed in front of the door, followed by a series of miss fires. He knew that glowing trail. Raising from his stool, he left a ten-dollar bill near the empty glass.

“Keep the change.”

He walked towards the exit, stopping about a step from the exit.

“Hey, what time is it?” McCree asked the bartender without looking back.

The latter looked behind him at the clock on the wall. The two arms connected under the 12.

The fight raged all over the town as neither side was holding back. About a dozen members of the Deadlock Gang were fighting three bizarre strangers. A giant gorilla was jumping around zapping groups of men while a man in roller blades skated about firing green sound balls. A young woman appeared here and there unleashing shots from a couple of rapid-firing pistols.

Despite their effort, the outlaws slowly cornered them, thanks to their greater number. As McCree exited the High Side, the trio was back to a wall surrounded by the six remaining gunslingers.

The lone cowboy slowly made his way to the center of the road, out in the open.

“IT’S HIGH NOON!” he shouted, taking aim.

The Deadlock Gang members immediately recognized that voice and turned to shoot him but, dropped dead as they faced him, a hole in each forehead.

For a moment, it was silent in the Deadlock Gorge. A single tumbleweed passed between the heroes.

McCree spun his Peacemaker a couple of times before holstering it.

“Somebody better call the undertaker!” He chuckled, resting his thumbs on his buckle that read BAMF in large bolded letters.

It took a while for the three Overwatch agents to realize what happened. Tracer recovered the quickest and zipped towards McCree, wrapping her arms around his chest.

“Jesse! We’ve been looking for ya!”

“And trying to get yourself killed doin’ it!”

“Oh, you always have to be such smartass!” she responded squeezing the cyborg cowboy.

“It’s nice to see you McCree!” Winston said[w/c] joining the two.

“Howdy Winston. Would you mind tell me what in Sam Hill is goin’on?”

“We’re rebuilding Overwatch, haven’t you received the recall message?”

“Oh, so that wasn’t a gag reel. Sorry I deleted it.”

Winston almost lost his temper; it took him a whole day to record that! Taking a deep breath the gorilla continued.

“So, are you with us or not?”

“Oh, I dunno. Feels like drawin’ an even bigger bullseye on my back. I work better on my own.”

Tracer detached herself from McCree’s metal chest and joined her hands together, begging.

“Pleeease Jesse. We need you!”

Her eyes opened wide and her lower lip raised in the most adorable puppy face.

Even his tough guy attitude was no match for her large hazel eyes.

Immediately two other puppy faces appeared next to Lena’s. One was young and handsome, with dark, magnetic eyes and shining teeth. The other one was big and grotesque with eyes too small and lips too large. Covering his eyes, McCree grimaced.

“Ok Ok, I’ll come back. But for the love of all that’s holy Winston, don’t ever do that again!”

BUSAN, SOUTH KOREA

The crew arrived over South Korea right after sundown. The Korean city of Busan was glimmering with artificial lights and the glowing shimmer of the buildings flooded the bay.

Tracer and Winston prepared themselves to go into the city and find a certain famous gamer and MEKA pilot.

“I believe our best bet is the MEKA Shutterdome.” Tracer proclaimed, “From there we can track her movements and find her.”

“I have another idea, Lena.”

Winston started rattling away on the keyboard and a large Battle.net window appeared. The large ape started scrolling down a long friends’ list while everybody looked at the screen with surprise.

“Mind tellin’ me what the heck this is?” McCree asked

“Oh, this is a gaming account I’ve been using over the years. With this, we can verify if she is online right now. Then we can identify her IP and triangulate her position.”

He continued working to finding one of D.Va’s aliases, oblivious as the others stifled their laughs. Eventually Tracer erupted in a noisy laughter, interrupting her friend’s work.

“Something funny, Lena?”

“Actually it’s cute, LunarMagilla. Eh heh… Really.”

“It got lonely at Gibraltar and I couldn’t be in the lab all the time conducting experiments or eating peanut butter.”

Eventually, a profile name NoobWrecker#1 greenlit on the list.

“Bingo,” Winston exclaimed, “that’s our girl!”

His large hairy fingers started moving again as Winston chatted with D.Va’s alias.

[LunarMagilla]: So, we meet again!

[NoobWrecker#1]: oh its u lol. Loser

[LunarMagilla]: Last time we played, you almost lost the game

[NoobWrecker#1]: u were just lucky noob

[LunarMagilla]: Care to say that again after a rematch?

[NoobWrecker#1]: anytime, anywhere, bitch

[LunarMagilla]: How about right now?

[NoobWrecker#1]: UR ON!

Winston started StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty under the Old Glories menu. The game booted up and Winston joined NoobWrecker#1’s server “Rekt room”. D.Va selected her favorite faction, Random, while Winston selected Zergs. While the map was loading Winston started a tracking algorithm to trace D.Va’s IP while Athena took over the gaming itself.

“Game starting now” the AI announced

“Perfect. Keep her busy Athena. Tracer and I are going to her location.”

“Wait what about us?” asked Lúcio.

“You two stay here; I need someone to taunt D.Va to keep her in the game.”

“I can do that!” McCree answered, taking Winston’s seat in front of the console.

Lúcio was getting curious about the plan

“Wait, we’re tracking down THE D.Va? The greatest gamer of all time?” he asked

“The one and only.” Winson answered

“I’m her biggest fan! Wait, are you… CHEATING? You can’t do that! That’s not right!”

Winston frowned at the Brazilian DJ’s uncooperative behavior. He grabbed the poor boy by the arm and locked him on one of the seats.

“Do not let him leave or warn our girl, McCree.”

“Roger, that.”

Lúcio was left alone with the cowboy and the Indian woman. He was trapped, stuck to a chair, unable to warn the Korean gamer of the trap she was falling into.

Winston and Tracer walked for a couple of hours following D.Va’s signal on the former’s holographic PDA. Every step they took brought them further away from the downtown area and further in the outskirts of the city. They finally entered a relatively quiet neighborhood, full of traditional Korean houses with large gardens and curvy roofs. They stopped in front of a nice house, indistinguishable from the other ones. Its style was a pleasant mixture of traditional and modern features and the garden was full of large trees and flowering bushes. The logogram 宋 was the doorbell.

“Song” Winston read, “we found her.”

Tracer promptly pushed the button.

Alter a few minutes a middle-aged woman, probably Hana’s mother, opened to the door. Bowing to her guests, she invited them inside. As per Korean custom Tracer removed her shoes before entering the house. Winston didn’t need to oblige because he was already barefoot.

The house was spacious and comfortable. Wood was everywhere: sliding doors, elevated pavement, railings, windows, everywhere. Lena enjoyed the feeling of the wooden pavement beneath her toes. Mrs Song made them sit on a pair of large and rather hard pillows beside a low square table while she prepared some tea for her guests. When she returned with the teapot and cups, they asked her about her daughter.

“Mrs. Song, we are here to talk with Hana. Is she available?” Winston asked.

“Oh, no, no. She is very busy.” She said pointing to a closed door with a bunny logo sticker on it, “I am not allowed to interrupt her”

Tracer stood up and teleported to the door in the blink of an eye.

“I bet I am!”

Before Mrs. Song could stop her, she entered, closing the door behind her back.

Back at the dropship, Lúcio was getting restless. He had to do something about the fraud Overwatch was pulling on poor D.Va. He slowly reached for a hairpin in his pocket and slowly picked the locking mechanism on the security bar. McCree and Symmetra were distracted by the game. The latter in particular was nitpicking about everything that was happening in the game, from the faction selection (she would have chosen the Protoss) to Athena’s micromanagement and strategy.

After a while, Lúcio opened the bar. Sprinting forward, he tried to take his comrades by surprise, maybe even send a message to D.Va.

“Whoa, hold up there!”

There was a loud bang and Lúcio lost both his hearing and his sight. Large hands grabbed him and he quickly found himself on the ground, hands and feet bound by a hard light rope.

“Amateur.” McCree chuckled standing over him

“Now you are in your place. Tied on the ground, at my feet!” Symmetra added

“Man, how I hate you!” Lucio grunted.

The room Lena found herself was in was dark and she almost tripped when she tried to move forward. As her eyes accustomed themselves to the darkness, she could see a glowing light coming from the room at the end of the stairs down below. She cautiously descended into the basement, using the blue light from her chronal accelerator to see the steps in the pitch black. Once she reached the last step, she peeked inside the underground room. The only light inside came from a very large flat screen, at least 50 inches large, with the same Starcraft game she saw on Winston’s computer. However, this time the sides were reversed.

A girl was sitting close to the screen next to a tall, unidentified object, casting her shadow towards the stairs. The only features Tracer could identify were her long hair and the unique headset she always wore in her photos on the Internet. The air was full of the sound of the battle and the nonstop taunting and cursing of D.Va.

Lena snuck towards the distracted girl, careful not to give herself away.

Suddenly something crunched under her foot. She stopped checking if the Korean gamer noticed. D.Va appeared to be unfazed by the sound behind her and kept on playing. Whatever was beneath her foot was crunchy and kept making sounds as she attemted to move forward. Tracer reached for her foot to wipe out the stuff. She could not see what was it but it felt like some kind of powder between her fingers and smelled like cheese.

Yuck.

Tracer closed in on D.Va and, standing out of her field of view, she could see more clearly what she was doing. The hands of the Korean girl were moving at an incredible speed on the keyboard and mouse, even by Tracer’s standards. D.Va’s legendary APM (Actions Per Minute) fame was well deserved. She took brief breaks from playing only to smack talk her opponent in the chat or to dive her hand in what looked like a giant sized bag of chips on her right side, cramming whatever she picked from it in her mouth.

“Who’s the noob now?”

The game was going bad for LunarMagilla as D.Va was clearly obliterating the Zergs with her Protoss forces.

Without warning, she pointed at Tracer without diverting her attention form the screen.

“You. Fuel. NOW!”

Lena had no idea what she was talking about.

“The bottle on my right, idiot. MOVE.”

She followed D.Va’s finger to a large green bottle on her right. Grabbing the container, she handed it to the thirsty gamer. Gulping furiously from the bottle D.Va returned to her game, pumped up for the Coup de Grace.

“GG, loser!”

Within a few seconds, D.Va’s forces obliterated the last remaining Zergs ending the game with a Victory.

“YEAH, UNDEFEATED! GET REKT NOOB!” she shouted typing down her own words with her Caps Lock on.

D.va caught her breath as Tracer stood beside her, baffled by her lack of mercy and sporting spirit.

The Korean girl clapped her hands and the lights turned on. After a period of momentary confusion, Lena could clearly see what was in the room around her. The room was bare, save for the state of the art gaming station in front of D.Va. The wall were covered in posters from gaming competitions and advertisement featuring the Korean champion while the floor was littered with small red bags and triangular orange chips, like the one Tracer stepped on before. D.Va herself was sitting between the large green bottle she asked for, on which Tracer could read MTN DEW, and the King size bag of chips, branded Doritos. The Korean girl was barefoot, wearing only a pair of short pink yoga pants and a blue t-shirt with her trademark bunny logo. The shirt was at least a couple of size larger than what she needed. She was looking up at Tracer with her arms crossed on her chest, her fingertips and lips were covered in orange powder.

“Who are you?” she asked narrowing her eyes “Are you here to ruin my streak?”

“What?” Lena answered with a guilty smile, retreating towards the stairs.

“Yes, you are here for that LunarMagilla, aren’t you?” D.Va continued advancing towards the British woman, wiggling her finger.

“Well, yeah….”

“I knew it. What a loser! Where is he? I want to say it to his face!”

“He is upstairs, love!” Tracer responded pointing upwards.

D.Va was completely caught off-guard by that.

How could he get there so quickly?

As Tracer and D.Va emerged from the basement the latter’s jaw hit the ground once she caught sight of Winston drinking the tea from a cup that looked minuscule in his oversized hands.

“Oh, hello, you must be NoobWrecker#1”

“And you… are a giant gorilla! Just like in those old video games!”

“I …. get that a lot.”

Hana sat beside Winston. She was so amazed to see a real life gorilla that her anger subsided. Tracer sat in front of them and started talking to the young Korean.

“D.Va, we are here to talk with you about something. A matter of the utmost importance.”

“Uh huh.” D.Va nodded, poking the ape’s black fur.

“Please, stop that” he retorted.

“Sorry,” she apologized sitting upright, hands locked between her crossed legs.

Tracer sighed, then reprised her speech.

“As I was saying, we have a proposal for you. We are from an international peacekeeping organization called Overwatch.”

“I know what Overwatch is. I also know you losers quit.”

Winston turned to the little Hana, his nostrils flared with anger.

“We never quit. The UN shut us down!”

“Whatever.”

“We are here” Lena continued “to ask you to join us.”

“Why should I join the reboot of a failed team?”

Tracer could not come up with an appropriate response to that. To the young gamer Overwatch seemed like a joke, a relic of the past unworthy of her precious time. Unexpectedly Winston seemed to know D.Va’s weak spot.

“We can understand if you’re afraid to join the Big League,” he said assuming a nonchalant expression.

“Pffft, please. I’m scared of nothing.”

“You know, the Overwatch AI you played against was set on Easy!” he teased her.

“That was EZ Mode? What about hard?” Hana’s eyes widened at Winston’s words.

“That’s the mode we use for basic training!” he concluded with a laugh.

D.Va was green with envy. There might really be a Big League like that, and she was out of it.

“Yeah, that’s right” Tracer continued playing along with her friend “from that we move directly to save the World! But if you don’t want to group up with us losers…”

Hana was trying to contain herself, how could she pass the opportunity to save the world, to be with the best of the best. Right when she was about to open her mouth, Winston talked again.

“Well, let’s go Tracer. Let’s leave D.Va to her more important duties.”

As the Overwatch agents attempted to leave the house, Hana jumped in front of the door, obstructing the way with her little body.

“Wait just a second now…”

Winston pushed her aside with one hand. Tracer was putting her shoes back on.

“You said it yourself, you don’t want to join us.” She quipped.

Fuming with rage D.Va watched the leaving her house. She then quickly pushed a button on her wrist device.

The British pilot and the furry scientist were almost at the dropship when something big landed between them and the plane’s ramp. A pink egg shaped MEKA was standing in front of them, pointing its triple barreled guns at their faces. Inside the cockpit, D.Va was fuming.

“Now you listen to me, UNDERSTAND?”

The two looked at each other and then nodded at her, faking fear.

“I am not going to let you losers go away without me. And that’s final!”

“Ok, ok. You’re the boss then!” Tracer responded with some hesitation.

“Good.” Hana said turning back “Hey, who’s that guy wrapped like a cow on the floor? Aren’t you… Lúcio?”

The mechanical suit climbed up the ramp to check on the immobilized Brazilian.

Behind her back Tracer and Winston bumped fists.

Mission accomplished.

FINALLY I’ve finished the introduction of new chatacters. It was long but surprisingly fun to imagine how these hereoes first met.

Stay tuned for their adventures toghether in the NEXT CHAPTER!

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allthem76fanfics · 7 years

Text

Chapter 7: A walk in the Park

Chapter 1: Heiress

Chapter 2: Vigilante

Chapter 3: Revelations

Chapter 4: A Tale of two Amari

Chapter 5: Old Friends

Chapter 6: New Blood

I finally got around to finish this chapter. Hopefully the next one won’t be as delayed as this.

As usual enjoy!

The return of former agents and the addition of new recruits meant that now Overwatch could begin acting against the evils of the world. As leader of the newly reformed Overwatch, it fell on him to call missions and assignments. The only problem was that there were too many threats to world peace: the Talon threat, the so-called Second Omnic Crisis in Russia, the deterioration between Human-Omnic relations after Mondatta’s murder, the list went on. Winston had his work cut out for him.

Well, they had to start somewhere. He began by looking at the hacking attempt at Gibraltar. The terrorists left no clue save for the Lamprey device that Winston destroyed to avoid the detection of the former agents’ locations. He tinkered with the device for hours, trying to find anything useful. After some time, he discovered a hidden line of code, written in a jumbled series of alphanumeric digits. Analyzing the code using different decoding algorithms he managed to translate the message. It was a Spanish sentence.

Finalmente lo hizo. Vamos a ver si es lo suficientemente inteligente como para resolver esto! –S

A couple numbers with six digits each followed the message. He had Athena translate the message it. The AI read it aloud for him.

Finally you have done it. Let’s see if you are clever enough to figure out this!–S

Winston looked at the numbers, trying to figure out what could they mean. He already decoded the message, could there be another encryption level?

While he was pondering on this enigma, Tracer happened to pass by his lab.

“Hey, Winston whatcha looking at?”

The great ape did not respond, deeply immersed in thoughts, and kept staring at the screen, holding his chin. Intrigued by her friend’s lack of reaction Lena looked at the decoded line on the computer holoscreen.

“Hm…” She hummed trying to figure out the mystery herself, mimicking his friend’s pensive pose.

“Nice set of coordinates you got there!” she exclaimed.

“Coordinates?” Winston replied. Of course: the first number was the Latitude and the second one was Longitude. Six digits for degrees, minutes and seconds.

“Lena, I could kiss you!” Winston said turning to his British friend.

“Eough, no thanks. Hairy guys are not my type!” Tracer replied sticking out her tongue.

The following morning Winston gathered all Overwatch members in his lab. Both new and old agents sat around him, anxious to hear what he had to tell them.

“Good morning everyone….” Winston started pausing for a moment to find right words.

“Oh for the love of… KEEP GOING!” Soldier 76 thought to himself, face palming in the back. He was in a terrible mood. He never wanted to join Winston’s attempt to resurrect a flawed organization like Overwatch and he definitely did not like his leadership. He also had little patience for the ape’s typically long-winded spiels.

Angela was quick to notice his annoyed gesture.

“Something wrong, 76?” she asked.

How could he tell her that he didn’t like that situation she had put him in?

“Nothing.” He replied.

“I’ve been, ahem,” the gorilla continued, “searching for the ones responsible of the attack here at Gibraltar. So far we know that their leader is a mercenary that goes by the name Reaper.”

He pushed a button on a remote he was holding and footage from the night of the attack played behind him. Everyone could see the black robed man attacking Winston and almost managing to end him. Mercy shivered hearing Reaper’s metallic evil laugh and averted his looked from the screen.

“Ruthless and dangerous.” Winston commented, “He is also known to have targeted former Overwatch agents and kill them. That is why I believe he was after the list stored in the database of this installation. Yesterday I managed to trace the stolen data to a local in the mountainous area of Djibouti.”

“Where?” D.Va rudely interrupted

“Djibouti, in the Horn of Africa.”

“Doesn’t ring any bell.”

“Here.” Winston specified, showing the location on the screen.

The satellite image zoomed a first time on a valley in the small African country and then a second time to a small compound at the end of it. The main building was rectangular with a flat top and was probably two stories high. The outer wall, with two guard towers near the only visible gate, formed a square-shaped courtyard in front of the building. In the open space of the base, they could distinguish a couple of parked vehicles and a helipad with a large T on it.

Jack recognized that symbol and Winston’s words confirmed his fears.

“This is a Talon base.” The great ape continued. “For those of you who don’t know, Talon is a criminal organization with a hidden agenda. They seemed like any other crime syndicate some years ago but even Overwatch was unable to put it down. They are the ones responsible the assassination of Tekhartha Mondatta in London and they supported Reaper’s attack on my database.”

“Bastards.” Tracer murmured, unable to contain her anger for the assassination of her hero.

“We’re going to strike this compound and retrieve the data they stole. Maybe we will find something about their next move.” Winston said clicking again on his remote. The image of the compound changed to an infrared one. The barren terrain became blue and yellow figures appeared in the compound.

“Thermal scans indicate that the base is lightly defended, 20 maybe 30 hostiles maximum. Perhaps they did not expect us to find it or it is just a small logistic base where they keep data before moving it to their home base. Either way it shouldn’t be a problem for us.”

Winston paused for a second, catching his breath, and then continued his speech. He thought he heard someone groan from the back. It was probably Soldier 76.

“That is why I have decided to test our new recruits on this one. Pharah will command the team composed of Lucio as Healer, Symmetra as Support, D.Va as Tank and Soldier 76 as Recon. I know it sounds strange but I believe it will be just a walk in the park. Nothing you can’t handle.”

The Egyptian woman stood to attention as the gorilla walked down to her.

“I trust you with this. I have faith you will not let us down.” he told her.

“I will not waste this opportunity. We will not fail!” she answered.

“I will be with Mercy and Tracer on the dropship as backup should the need arise.”

The named heroes looked at each other as the big ape turned back. D.Va and Lucio were quick to share a high five, excited to work together while Symmetra was less than excited to work with the Brazilian artist and his chaotic Korean friend. 76 did not mind them; they were young and foolish, they probably thought of the mission as a game. He then looked to Pharah. She was trying to hide it but he could see the pride in her eyes for the honor that was bestowed upon her. Smiling underneath the mask, he couldn’t help feel a little happy for her: this was the moment she had dreamt of all her life.

“Well then,” Winston concluded talking to the others, “If there aren’t further questions the meeting is adjourned. Dismissed!”

The MV-261 Orca was flying steadily south-west towards Eastern Africa. The dune sea of the Sahara desert extended for kilometers beneath its wings. Tracer and Winston were in the cockpit, discussing how to approach the Talon base undetected while Mercy was in the back area checking on her medical equipment. The members of the strike team occupied the main bay.

Soldier 76 was checking his gear as he always had since boot camp. He ran down the same checklist himself before every mission, even when he was Strike Commander. At his core, he always was a soldier.

All the equipment stood in front of him, ready to be put back together.

Utility belt and suspenders

CHECK

Flashlight

CHECK

Water

CHECK

Para cord line

CHECK

Biotic canisters x6

CHECK

Plasma magazines x5

CHECK

Combat knife

He twirled the knife to check the blade and the serrated edge.

CHECK

Handgun

76 brought up his trusted sidearm. Pulling the slide back, he inspected the inside before releasing it with a satisfying click. Then he pressed the reload button. The electromagnetic chargers popped out the sides, spinning to recharge the weapon before re-entering inside the chassis.

CHECK

Pulse Rifle

Lifting the weapon from the table, Jack looked at both sides of it. Nothing out of order.

He pried the magazine well open and verified that the plasma chamber was clear. He pressed the release button and the top of the gun closed without a hitch. He cocked the weapon twice to verify if the handle was unobstructed.

CHECK

At the end of his checklist, he put on his belt and suspenders and holstered the pistol. Afterwards he secured the rifle to a rack on the wall. “Always secure your weapons during flight” his instructor used to tell him.

When everything was ready, 76 looked at his teammates. Everyone was preparing for the upcoming mission, each one in his or her own way.

Symmetra was near him, sat at the table. She was practicing with her light bending techniques. Jack stared in awe as she manipulated a small ball of light with her mechanical hand, morphing it into various geometric figures and then into more complicated ones, such as a Lotus flower. It all looked like magic to him. Disturbed by his unwanted attention she interrupted her work and moved to the recreational area. She started rearranging the books in alphabetical order and straightening all leaning pictures on the wall. She even turned all the cups so the handle was parallel to the wall so that the Overwatch logo was clearly visible.

D.Va’s mech stood on the other side of the room, under the basketball hoop. It was in Cargo Configuration with its arms and wings folded on the side and the legs and antennae retracted into the fuselage. In 76’s eyes, it looked just like a giant pink egg. Laying upside down on the cockpit glass D.Va was playing with some kind of hand portable console. Jack closed in to get a better look. The speed of her thumbs on the controls was unbelievable and he started to understand what her true capabilities were.

“Hey, what are you doing over there?” he asked

“Training,” D.Va answered without stopping her game.

“Looks you are playing to me!”

“DUH,” she said rotating her eyes “gaming is my training.”

“This is not a game!” 76 snapped, turning his back on her.

“Whatever! Who are you, my dad?”

“Dad? Young people today, no respect for their elders!” 76 mumbled leaving the Korean girl alone.

Bypassing Lucio, who was completely absorbed in his own music, Soldier 76 made his way to Pharah. She was studying the base layout on a holographic PDA, just like a good commander should do.

“Hey.”

“Hello,” she responded “What’s on your mind Soldier 76?”

“Nothing. I wanted to tell you that whatever you need, I’m here.”

“Do not worry, soldier. I’ve got this.”

He looked down at her resuming her review of the enemy’s defenses and could not help feel a little proud of her. If only Ana could see what her daughter had become.

As 76 was climbing the stairs to the cockpit a familiar voice called him. Turning back, he could see Mercy gesturing him from the other side of the plane. She wanted him to come to her.

“What could she possibly want?” 76 mumbled walking back through the main bay towards the back of the dropship, faking annoyance at the doctor’s call to stay in character. He secretly enjoyed that she wanted to see him. Climbing the rear stairs, he looked up to her. He always felt beneath her. He always believed that a true angel like her could not mix herself with a grunt like him, but she did. Even more so, she stayed with him after he lied to her and abandoned her to become Soldier 76.

“So, what do you want?” 76 asked her.

“I just want to check your biotic canisters, to make sure everything is ok.” Mercy answered with a smile.

Jack looked her in the eye. That was as lame excuse as he’d ever heard. She was undisturbed by his stare and gestured him to follow. 76 followed her behind the corner, hidden from the others.

There she stretched her hand, waiting for him to give her the canisters.

“Come on Angela, you know I check all my gear before each mission. There’s no need for this!”

“It may be so, but we need to keep up appearances. Hand them over!”

“Fine.” 76 sighed, and started removing the cylinders containing the yellow healing fluid from his belts.

“Someone’s a little grumpy today. So, what’s on your mind?” she asked while working on the canisters.

“Nothing,” he answered after a brief hesitation.

“You can’t fool me again, you are worried about something.”

Damn woman, she knew him too well.

“It’s…” he continued, “It’s the new recruits. Apart from Fareeha, I don’t believe they have what it takes. They are too young and inexperienced for this.”

“You’re too pessimistic. They had their fair share of fighting. They may even surprise you.”

“I highly doubt it; I’ve seen too much to be surprised anymore.” 76 said looking away from Mercy. His long combat experience and the sorrow he endured during his years on the streets did not left him with much hope.

She finished working and looked back at him. It pained her to see her Jack being so broody and sad. What happened to the man that smiled all the time and always found the best in people around him?

Her hand caressed the edge of his mask causing him to shiver.

“If what you say is true, they’re going to need you! They’re going to need Jack Morrison!” she winked, returning the canisters.

“Jack Morrison is dead.” He retorted grabbing his gear from the doctor’s hands. He then moved away to return to the main bay. Suddenly a hand grabbed his arm and brought him back behind the corner.

“Just be careful out there. And come back to me, Jack Morrison.” She said kissing him on the only part not covered by the mask: his scarred forehead.

“30 SECONDS”

Tracer’s voice announced to the crew that the dropship was about to touch down. For the last 15 minutes, the Orca followed a very low flightpath that grazed the Ethiopian mountains. That way no radar would be able to pick them approaching the enemy base. The dropship stopped about a kilometer from the objective and started descending behind the cover of a steep ridge. Inside, the strike team prepared itself to dismount. Pharah and Soldier 76 stood right in front of the hatch with Lucio and D.Va, inside her mech, behind them. Symmetra closed the line.

“20 SECONDS”

At the second announcement Pharah turned back to talk to her squad.

“Remember your training and we’ll get through this just fine.”

D.Va pushed 76 forward with one of the MEKA’s arm cannons.

“Hey dad, promise you won’t let those bad guys get me.” She mocked him.

“No promises in combat.” He answered returning to his position.

D.Va pouted behind him. Then rolled her eyes.

“10 SECONDS”

Following Tracer’s third warning the rate of descent slowed to a halt and the ramp lowered as soon as the Orca hit the ground.

“MOVE”

At Pharah’s command, the team sprinted forward, climbing the ridge in front of them. The lyrics “We move together as one” drifted from Lucio’s speakers carried the team forward, allowing them to climb up the mountain with ease.

Behind them, the dropship lifted off and moved to a safe distance, ready back to be called back to the same landing zone to pick them up.

The team rallied just below the top of the ridge. Symmetra set up her teleporter relay while 76 crawled forward to scan the base.

On the other side of the ridge there was a large valley. Vegetation was scarce and most of the area was covered in rocks and dust. Right in the middle of the valley stood the compound. It was composed of a rectangular, flat-top military building with no windows and a peripheral wall that run around the building and a courtyard on the front. Near the wire mesh gate, a couple of towers guarded the entrance. 76 activated his visor to scan any life sign in the base. A soldier was stationed on each tower and about a dozen more were working inside the courtyard. Unfortunately, he could not get a reading from inside the building, maybe it was shielded from scanners or it was simply out of range. He slid back down to the squad and reported his findings. Pharah came up with a plan of attack and assigned to each member a task.

Shortly afterwards they went over hill and executed their attack. 76 hit one of the two guard towers with a Helix salvo while a well-aimed wrist rocket by Pharah took care of the other guard. D.Va rush forward with her MEKA’s boosters. She easily smashed thought the flimsy gate and started engaging the unprepared Talon soldiers. Soon reinforcements came from inside and the Korean pilot activated her defense matrix, providing cover for Symmetra and Lucio’s flanking action. In a matter of seconds, the courtyard was cleared and the team proceeded inside. D.Va’s MEKA was too big to fit though the door so she was left outside to guard the exit. 76 lead the way while the other team members checked all corners behind him. The inside of the base was rather Spartan and bare, with clear signs guiding them to the control room. Following the big arrows painted on the walls through a couple of hallways and a flight of stairs the squad arrived to the control room without encountering any opposition.

The room had been abandoned by the technicians during the attack and now was at Overwatch disposal. Symmetra immediately got to work on the main console trying to locate the stolen encrypted data with Lucio watching over her. Pharah and 76 checked the cameras on the security console nearby looking for any hidden enemy. There was none.

In no time the Indian architect was about to finish her work.

“Hacking almost complete. That was easy!” she said

“Wait; did she just said it was easy?” Lucio asked. “You never say it was easy!”

Suddenly the computer screens went black and a skull image appeared on them. On the main screen in front of Symmetra a phrase appeared.

JAQUE MATE (CHECKMATE)

In that moment, D.Va contacted them on the radio channel.

“Uh, guys. Something is moving out here!”

76’s fingers rattled furiously on the keyboard to bring up the camera footage from outside as the whole base was starting to shake. The pink MEKA was clearly visible in front of the camera and right in the middle of the courtyard a crack opened. It was not a natural fissure, like those caused by earthquakes, it was an opening between two artificial covers. As it widened, air blew out of the slit and a dust cloud formed around the opening. The image became foggy as the dust reached the camera but 76 could distinguish a large shadow emerging from the ground. When the dust settled everybody could clearly see what happened. An elevator hidden beneath the courtyard brought up a full platoon of Talon soldiers with a hover tank behind them. In front of the enemy ranks, a black figure stood alone, his arms crossed on his chest. Jack could recognize that white mask everywhere: Reaper.

It was a trap!

Reaper ordered his men to open fire and an incredible volume of fire poured on D.Va. Only her incredible reflexes and hand-eye coordination allowed her to activate her defense matrix and survive the onslaught.

“Holy Crap! I need help out here!” she shouted in her comlink.

Soldier 76 didn’t think; he just acted. He was out of the control room in a heartbeat and run as fast as he could down the stairs to get to ground level. Adrenaline was pumping through his system and his heightened metabolism was put to its limits.

“Where the hell are you?!” D.Va cried on the radio.

He needed to hurry, that girl could not hold out indefinitely. He saw the door at the end of the hallway and was soon on its doorstep. Taking cover on the side, he peeked out. The MEKA’s defense matrix was down and the machine was taking a heavy beating form all sides.

“Fall back, NOW” he ordered her. However, she could not respond nor oblige.

The legs of the mechanical suit failed under the heavy fire and D.Va was forced to eject from the rear hatch. The incoming fire was too heavy though and she was hit multiple times. Loosing balance mid-air, she landed poorly, injuring herself further in the process. Even though the pain from the bullet wounds and the fall on was almost unbearable, she managed to crawl behind the MEKA’s wreck and pull out her light gun. She was hit on her left arm, shoulder and tight and was bleeding copiously. Panting and swearing on top of her lungs, she prepared herself for a last stand. The loss of blood drained her energy and made holding her gun with just her right hand very difficult. However, she knew she could not pass out. The enemy was closing in and she had to be ready to fight back.

She heard the sound of steps.

Someone was coming.

She raised the gun in front of her. The hand was shaking and her vison was blurred.

Talon soldier came out from behind the MEKA and D.Va tried to shoot but the pain and shock made her hesitate.

They were on top of her.

She was done for.

“I’VE GOT YOU IN MY SIGHTS!”

Suddenly the enemy soldiers then started to fall down before her, hit by gunfire. It could not have been her, she didn’t have the strength to fire a single shot!

Looking on her right she saw Soldier 76 standing beside her, gunning down the Talon grunts. His visor glowed red and a red HUD was projecting in front of his eyes, allowing him to hit his targets with no ammunition waste. When his clip was finished there were only corpses lying before them. His rifle ejected a steaming spent clip and he slammed in a fresh one. Then he turned to the injured girl.

“Are you alright?” he asked

D.Va could not find the strength to answer. In fact, she was losing consciousness.

“Please! Stay with me, Hana!” He told her leaning on her “We need to move, other tangos will arrive shortly, come on!”

D.Va looked up at him. She was surprised by his genuine concern about her condition and was glad he was there now by her side. She tried to smile and say something but a dark shadow lurking behind 76 caught her attention. The smoke stooped being him, taking the shape and consistency of that black robed guy from before.

“Look out!” she managed to say with her remaining breath. Before Jack could react the shadowy enemy struck 76 from behind, stabbing him in the ribs with his clawed hands. Blood spurted from 76’s side and he fell on his knees, instinctively applying pressure to his new wound, while Reaper laughed rising his blood-soaked hand in triumph.

“You know, I was expecting the monkey to be here. I believed that nothing could bring you back to Overwatch.” Reaper told 76.

“What can I say?” 76 replied after getting back up with a grunt, “Someone has to put an end of you!”

Reaper laughed , circling around the wounded soldier, putting himself between 76 and D.Va.

“I am afraid it will not be you. Goodbye, old friend.”

As Reaper prepared to execute Soldier 76, he was hit twice from behind. Feeling cornered he wraithed away leaving the two heroes alone.

With the black-clad villain out of the way, 76 could see D.Va again. She was aiming her gun with both hands towards him. She looked at him and smiled before losing consciousness from the effort of aiming and firing her gun.

Soldier 76 returned inside under fire carrying D.Va in his arms and his rifle slung behind his back. This time, however, he could count on some covering fire from his teammates. He ran inside the building and closed the door behind him. An armored cover closed outside the door protecting them from the troops outside as he smashed an emergency button with his elbow.

Afterwards he laid down the injured D.Va on the floor of dark a room nearby. Lucio rushed beside his Korean friend and switched to “Rejuvenescência”, his healing song, and soon a faint yellow glow covered her wounded body. 76 took out a biotic canister and planted it beside them. The room lit up with the stronger yellow light that came from the biotic field. Jack looked at Lucio. The Brazilian boy was scared to tears in front of the blood soaked body of D.Va and was mumbling something in Brazilian

“Não morra. Por favor, não morra!” (Don’t die. Please, don’t die!)

76 put a hand on his shoulder, trying to reassure him.

“Hey, she’ll make it. You’re doing a good job. Keep at it.”

Lucio looked back at him. He nodded, drying his tears. Then he noticed a wound on his side.

“You’re injured too! You bleeding, man!”

“Don’t worry about that. Just keep healing her. Besides, I ain’t got time to bleed.”

Lucio chuckled at 76’s joke. He realized that the old soldier was trying to lift his spirit.

Symmetra was standing behind them, repulsed by the sight of blood. She turned to Pharah for further orders but the Egyptian woman wasn’t there anymore.

“Where is Pharah? Where is our leader?” she asked, starting to panic.

Both 76 and Lucio looked around. Indeed, there was no trace of their team leader. While they were relatively unfazed by Fareeha’s absence, for the Indian girl it was nothing short of a disaster.

“What now? What do we do? What do I do?…” she started mumbling as her breathing accelerated and her hands started shaking. Soldier 76 watched her progressively lose control. He had saw that too many times during his time in the military: a soldier having a complete break down for lack of leadership. Back at the ship Jack had noticed her obsession for order and now that there was none she was losing her grip on clarity. He stood up and walked towards her.

She was now leaning against a wall, hyperventilating. Her eyes were wide open, locked in front of her, staring into the void. 76, standing in front of her, planted his hands firmly on her shoulders.

“Symmetra!” he called while shaking her.

She remained unresponsive.

“Satya” 76 said after a brief pause.

Haring her name she moved her eyes to 76’s red visor.

“How do you my…?”

“It doesn’t matter right now. As it doesn’t matter that Pharah is not here right now. What we need is you, here, right now. She’ll come back but in the meantime, I need you to stay focused!”

Her breathing started to normalize and the look in her eyes started to return human.

“Symmetra, our injured teammate needs your help. Can you do something for her?”

“I.” She stammered “I can create some bandages with hard light, maybe I can help clear the wound.”

“Good, get on that!”

Symmetra freed herself from 76’s hold and moved back to D.Va’s side. She hesitated at the sight of blood but kneeled nonetheless on the opposite side of Lucio and started weaving on an imaginary loom. A blue hard-light fabric took shape between her hands.

Soldier 76 nodded looking the two recruits teaming up to look after their injured teammate. Now that D.Va was in good hands, he could find their team leader.

Jack’s search for Pharah started from the control room. If he left his squad, she would have come there to assert the situation. She wasn’t there. 76 looked at the camera feed coming from outside. The Talon troops fell back into formation and stood there waiting for the technicians to cut through the armored door. The hover tank was still blocking the only escape route and Reaper was supervising the operations.

He started patrolling the rest of the base to find her. After a couple of minutes, he was running out of patience and places to look. Soon Talon forces would have cut their way inside and overwhelm them.

Where was she? Why did she leave? Where was she hiding?

Hiding.

That word awoke old memories in Jack’s mind: it wasn’t the first time he had to look for her.

He knew exactly where to look.

He searched for the restrooms entered cautiously in the men’s ones. From the moment he entered, he could hear sobbing coming from inside. Going around the corner, he could see her near the sinks. Pharah was sitting on the ground with her head between her hands. Her helmet was tossed aside and her wings were awkwardly spread to allow her to rest her back on the wall. She lifted her head for a brief moment as she sensed the presence of the old soldier, then returned to her weeping.

“There you are!” 76 said making a step towards the armored woman.

She didn’t react and started mumbling to herself.

“It was supposed to be easy. We were supposed to go in and out. Nothing could go wrong. I was too easy. I should have seen it. Instead, I walked right into a trap taking everybody with me. And now another one under my command could die because of me!”

She lifted her eyes one more time to peek at Soldier 76. He caught a glimpse of her dark eyes.

“You must think that I am pathetic. Crying in a corner like a little girl!”

The white haired soldier didn’t answer right away. He had already seen people crack in battle before.

No.

She wasn’t pathetic.

She was scared.

Jack remembered the last time she hid inside a bathroom, all those years ago. Fareeha was just a little girl back then and she had lost her mothers’ UN medal, the one that was awarded to the original Overwatch strike team members at the end of the Omnic crisis. Ashamed and scared she disappeared and Ana dragged all her friends, Jack included, in a desperate search for her little Fareeha. Jack stumbled upon her by chance, entering the men’s restrooms to take a break from the search. That day she hid there, crying on the floor, fearing the consequences of her error. Just as that time long ago she probably believed that there was no redemption from it, that she would never made up for what she had done.

Soldier 76 became Jack Morrison once more.

He kneeled beside her and laid his hand on her shoulder pad. Pharah winced as she felt his hand on her armor and lifted her head from her hands, looking directly into his red visor. Her face was covered in dirt and sweat and a stream of tears was flowing from each eye.

“Do you want to know what I see?” he asked her, like that day long ago

She didn’t answered but her eyes begged him to tell her.

“Rise!” he told her. With a little support from 76, she got on her feet and was now facing the sink. Tired and emotional, she clung to it. Her head faced the ground, as she was too ashamed to look at herself in the mirror hanging on the wall in front of her.

Soldier 76 gently tilted her chin upward to face the mirror.

“Look.” He told her as she was keeping her eyes closed.

Slowly she opened her eyes and could now see her dirty face, wet with tears.

“This is what I see: Fareeha Amari, daughter of Ana Amari. One of the strongest women I’ve ever known.”

Pharah’s eyes widened and she quickly tuned her head to the old soldier standing beside her

“How do you…?” she tried to say without emitting a sound

“I’ve known your mother for many years. We fought together and I see in you the same strength that allowed her to be the outstanding soldier she was.”

Hearing about her disappeared mother made Fareeha sad again. She lowered her sight back to the sink.

76 continued his speech.

“Did your mother ever tell you about her eye tattoo?”

She nodded, trying to keep the tears from flowing down form her eyes.

“It’s the Udjat, the Eye of Horus. A symbol of protection. Gouged by Set from Horus’ face when the latter tried to avenge the death of his father Osiris” He continued, “She used to tell me that the vertical line beneath it is not a teardrop, it’s a scar. It remained there even after the eye was restored, as a reminder that to protect the ones you love will take sacrifices. She liked this interpretation of the myth so much that she wanted to carry that symbol with her forever. Your mother also told me that, as scars form over healed wounds, the Eye of Horus also tells us that the pain and sacrifices we go through makes us stronger, shaping who we are. That was your mother’s strength, and I see something of that strength in you, Fareeha. I’m sure that you are even stronger and you are destined to do great things. Never believe who says otherwise!”

Soldier 76’s words awaken something inside her, she had heard them before. Jack Morrison told her that same story and that she was meant for greatness. He was the only one whom her mother would tell secrets like the one Soldier 76 just told her.

She looked at her reflected image again and let her finger slide down the tattoo on her right eye. It was meant to honor her mother’s memory and it reminded her that her duty was to protect. However, with protection comes sacrifices, as her mother understood a long time ago. She realized that what happened was not her fault and that everyone was depending on her now. Like her mother did before her, she had to carry the burden and look out for her team. She wiped her face clear of tears and turned to 76.

“Let’s go. The others are waiting for us.” She told him.

76 nodded and bent down to pick up Pharah’s helmet

“You’re gonna need this!” he said.

Fareeha grabbed the hawk-shaped blue helmet. She looked briefly at it and put it back on. She then proceeded past Soldier 76 towards the exit.

“Thank you, Strike Commander Morrison.” she said before leaving.

She had figured out who he was but Jack did not care. He had to bring her back from the brink. He used the same words he used that time long ago. It did not matter that he exposed himself in doing so, what mattered was that, like when she was little, Fareeha came back to the ones that loved her. He removed his mask for a moment to dry a tear the edge of his eye. Then he followed his leader out of the bathroom.

By the time he entered the room Pharah was already at D.Va’s side, checking on her condition. The young Korean girl was now awake and smiled when she saw 76 appear on the doorstep. Her wounds were carefully wrapped in Symmetra’s hard-light bandages and the bleeding had stopped thanks to Lucio’s healing aura. She tried to sit up when 76 kneeled beside her but the old soldier carefully kept her down.

“Easy now, you need to rest! Don’t overdo it!” 76 told her.

“I’m a big girl, dad. I can take care of myself” she defiantly replied.

76 smiled beneath his mask. The return of the usual bratty D.Va meant that she was getting better.

“I just want you to get back on your feet” he said “And don’t call me ‘dad’. I’m not your father”

“You’re right, my bad. Appa.” She mumbled the last word so quietly, he almost didn’t hear it.

Jack was upset by her insistence of calling him ‘dad’. How dare she call him that? However, looking down at Hana, he could see sincere affection her eyes and in the most adorable smile he had ever saw, save for Angela’s of course.

“Just get better alright?” he said, running his hand through Hana’s long brown hair.

“Yessir” she whispered, closing her eyes and resting her head to the side.

Everybody else turned on Fareeha, waiting for orders.

“What are we going to do?” Lucio asked nervously.

“Yes, what is the plan?” asked a more composed Symmetra.

Pharah assessed the situation. They were surrounded, outgunned, and the Talon forces were cutting their way inside. Furthermore, something was jamming their communicators preventing them to ask for support. The mission’s objective was now to get to the LZ and evacuate. The only problem was to pass the overwhelming enemy forces waiting outside.

“Any of you have any idea on how we can get pass the enemy forces?”

“My teleporter is offline, the path is closed.” Symmetra answered

“Then I guess we’ll have to open our own path in the enemy lines.”

“What?” Lucio added “I don’t know if you noticed but they have a TANK out there!”

“Let me worry about the tank.” Pharah replied “What we need is a way to survive the heavy fire waiting for us.”

“I don’t know if my healing boost is enough to keep us alive out there!”

“And my Photon shield is too weak to effectively protect us!” Symmetra added “Unless…”

She started wandering about the issue, elegantly tapping her index finger on the corner of her mouth.

“Yes, go ahead.” Pharah prompted

“Since this street scum stole his tech from my company, Vishkar,” She said pointing at Lucio, who was visibly upset by the Indian woman’s condescending tone, “I can modify “his” Sonic Amplifier to project my photon shield, increasing both the protection effect and distribution range. That should give us enough shielding to get through our adversaries.”

Lucio was actually terrified about the idea of Symmetra tinkering with his gear and hid his weapon in his arms.

“NO. WAY.” He glared angrily at Symmetra.

Pharah laid a hand on his shoulder and tried to reason with him.

“Lucio. If there is any chance of survival thanks to this we have to take it!”

“I knew she only wanted to get her hands on my stuff. I don’t trust her!”

“I do. Look at D.Va. Would she be alive if you two didn’t work together to help her recover?”

Lucio looked at his idol, laying peacefully in the middle of the room, trying to rest in the middle of the argument. The young MEKA pilot looked back at him. Even she recognized that Pharah was right.

“No, I guess not.” Lucio admitted.

“Then you should give Symmetra a chance. Please.” Pharah begged.

The Brazilian artist kept looking at D.Va. If Symmetra was truly the heartless puppet of Vishkar he thought her to be she wouldn’t have helped them when Soldier 76 asked her to. Instead of thinking about herself as he expected she actually created the bandages that helped holding back the blood that was pouring out of his friend. Pharah was right to trust her, as was 76 before. Sighing he held the sonic amplifier and his backpack to the Indian who immediately started working on it.

“What about me?”

The attention shifted to D.Va once again.

“What can I do?” she asked

“Can you walk?” 76 asked

“I don’t know.” she replied sitting up and looking at her bandaged left leg “Maybe I can limp.”

“Not a chance. I’ll have to carry you out of here!”

“But…”

“No but, little lady.”

The young girl sighed, unable to convince 76 she could move.

“Alright, dad. But I’ll cover you!” D.Va added cocking her light pistol.

Soldier 76 grunted again, the whole “dad” thing she had going on made him very uncomfortable.

Symmetra returned carrying the modified gear.

“Here you go,” she said handling it to Lucio “Now you can cast a powerful but temporary shield on us using the sound waves emitted by your Amplifier. Just press on the trigger for more than three seconds once it’s charged. To maximize the effect point it down, as close as possible to the ground.”

“Nice.” he replied examining his weapon “Thank you.”

“You are welcome,” she said shyly.

Pharah gathered them to go over the plan again. Everyone had a part to do: Pharah and Symmetra would provide cover, Lucio would cast his Sound Barrier and Soldier 76 would carry D.Va.

The sounds coming from outside became louder as the Talon engineers were about to remove the armor layer from the door. Behind that fleeting cover, the Overwatch agents prepared for battle. As the light of a welding torch moved along the borders of the door Symmetra charged up a light ball, ready to unleash it on the unsuspecting soldiers on the other side. The blue orb was thrown forward the second the door was opened, clearing a path for the heroes. Lucio sprinted forward, jumping through the opening. He charged the shot, ready to cast the Sound Barrier.

“LET’S BREAK IT DOWN!” he shouted as he slammed his Sonic Amplifier into the ground releasing the trigger. Carried by the sound waves a green aura covered the Overwatch agents protecting them. Once shielded they sprinted forward carving a path in the enemy lines. Pharah located the enemy tank that blocked their escape and soared into the air using her jetpack. Aiming at the armored vehicle, she unleashed all the rockets she had hidden in her suit

“JUSTICE RAINS FROM ABOVE” she cried as her rockets destroyed the tank. Once the main menace was dealt with, she shifted the barrage down to clear the path until all her 90 rockets were depleted. She returned to the ground and the squad moved forward to the now open way to freedom.

They exited the compound and started climbing up the ridge they came from earlier. Talon forces were regrouping in the courtyard, ready to give chase.

Looking back over 76’s shoulder D.Va noticed that her MEKA was still in the middle of them.

“Nerf this!” she said pushing a red button on her wrist device.

Soldier 76 turned his head to the side, trying to see what was she talking about.

“No, keep looking forward!” she shouted. “Cool guys don’t look at explosions!”

Behind him a green orb of light grew around the MEKA’s wreck and soon collapsed into a large explosion. The detonation of D.Va’s suit obliterated the remaining Talon forces, allowing the Overwatch squad to retreat safety to the LZ.

From the smoking remains of the base a black trail emerged. It stopped in the middle of the courtyard, condensing into the dark figure of Reaper.

“Patch me to the main base” he said activating the radio built into his hood. “She might want to know about this!”

With the team back on the Orca, Overwatch was able to pull back from Djibouti. Badly beaten but alive, the members of the team could finally catch their breath. Soldier 76, despite having those super soldier chemicals in his body, felt all the fatigue and the weariness of his age catching up with him and he collapsed on the soft sofa behind the table. He was happy with that everyone was safe and was ready to enjoy some well-earned rest. Closing his eyes behind the visor, he let his head fall back on the backrest.

His alone time was short lived however. He felt someone taking a seat beside him. He opened his eyes and rolled his head to the left, facing his unrequested guest. D.Va was there, her hands tucked beneath her tights, with the grinning face of a little girl waiting to tell a story.

“What do you want?” he asked with an annoyed tone.

“I just want to thank you for what you did for me today!” she said cheerfully.

“I was just doing my job.” He rightly told her.

“I maybe so” she added, getting closer to the old soldier “But no one has cared ever for me like you did.”

Jack was confused by Hana’s words. He only did what he had to do. What anybody would had done given the…

A quick movement by Hana interrupted his thoughts. The young Korean slipped underneath his arm was now hugging his chest, pressing her head against his left pec. Surprised by this, he didn’t know how to react and looked down at her, keeping his hands away. Her warm hug however won him over and he rested his left hand on her head, patting her slightly.

“Good soldier” he let out of his lips.

76 felt something else weighting on his right shoulder. Turning in that direction he saw Lucio, eyes closed, adjusting his seat near 76 and leaning his head back on his shoulder. He looked at him with frustration, and then he looked back at Hana. He went back and forth a couple of times. D.Va and Lucio were now sleeping against his body, probably because they felt safer with him. 76 was now struck between them, unable to move. He gave up and let them rest; they earned it.

Looking around he caught sight of Mercy and Pharah standing near each other the other side of the main bay. The two women were looking at him. Pharah was trying to hide her laugh as if there was something funny about Soldier 76 surrounded by those two sleeping youngsters. Mercy on the other hand had a completely different look on her face. Her eyes were squinting and her lips and hands were tightened together in an attempt to hold an outburst of joy. Looking in her blue eyes Jack knew that he had made the right decision. She was proud of him.

This is it for the first mission of Overwatch. I hope you liked my take on dad: 76. I just enjoy D.Va and Jack’s little exchanges.

Anyhow I promise more mercy76 in the next chapters for all fellow shippers!

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allthem76fanfics · 7 years

Text

Merciful Miracle

A Mercy76 story dedicated to @pviane.

May you someday find happiness such as this. A happiness that you would fight for, no matter what. A strong soul such as yours deserves nothing less.

At ease soldier…that day shall come.

Angela returned from the med bay late at night, complaining of swollen feet and an aching back.

“I feel like the Stay Puff Marshmallow Man.” She said with a face of exhaustion as she held her hands over her swollen belly.

“No, you look more beautiful than ever, Angel.” Jack greeted her at the door, helping her out of her lab coat. “…But I do wish you’d stop working so much. All that stress isn’t good for the baby.”

Angela was eight months pregnant with his child. Jack was uneasy with the idea at first. Raising a child in such bad times was risky, but there was no turning back from it. They were in this for the long run, and he vowed to protect his family with his life.

“I’m the doctor here. I know what’s best for the baby.” She snapped. Her pregnancy hormones kicking in.

“My apologies, ma’am.” He spoke sarcastically and smiled, kissing her softly against her lips.

“I’m sorry, Jack. I didn’t mean to snap like that. I just had a very long day.” She rested her head against his chest. “You know how many times I have to hear, ‘wow, you’re so big, Angela,’ or ‘you look like you’re going to pop,’ or ‘are you sure you’re not having twins?’ It gets to be so aggravating. Yes! I’m pregnant! Thanks for pointing it out!” She threw her hands in the air.

Jack thought she looked so cute when she was frustrated. He couldn’t help but laugh.

“Why do you think that’s so funny?” She put her hands on her hips and glared at him.

“Come on, let’s get you off your feet…” He avoided the question and escorted her to the couch.

Sitting beside her, he lifted her feet into his lap and removed her shoes, tossing them to the floor. He began to massage her feet.

“Mmmm…” She hummed in a pleased satisfaction and laid her head back against the armrest of the couch.

“Dinner is ready whenever you want to eat. I made spaghetti and meatballs.”

“More foot massaging or yummy Italian food? How dare you tease a pregnant woman like that.” She smiled down at him.

Her smile was the best thing he’d ever seen. He was so in love by her. She was his heaven on earth, his angel. Head to toe and inside-out, she was beautiful. He never thought he could be so lucky. Looking at her now, glowing with happiness and pregnant with his child, she was even more beautiful. He felt like he was falling in love with her all over again.

He continued to massage her feet, pressing his thumbs into her pressure points.

“Ooh! Jack…” She moaned his name softly. “Be careful touching those pressure points…it could…” She couldn’t finish her sentence. “Oh, fuck it…”

“It could…do this?” He smiled devilishly and pressed into them again.

She moaned again, trying to squirm her feet out of his grip. He’d gotten really good at knowing her body and what turned her on.

Since she’d become pregnant, she was uncomfortable with her body. She was nervous to be naked around him. She even started trying to shower separately, when they’d always showered together. He felt it was his job to make her feel beautiful, to make her forget about her insecurities.

Sliding himself between her legs, he lifted his shirt off over his head, revealing his toned, muscular body. She bit her lip as she stared at him in appreciation.

“Dessert before dinner?” He asked her, teasingly.

She nodded her head slowly as her cheeks blushed crimson red…

Since the first time he saw her fifteen years ago, he knew she was the one. At first he thought she’d never be interested, he was older than her by eleven years. She was 22 and he was 33. But she took him by surprise the day he bravely asked her on a date. She’d said yes without any hesitation. She even kissed him goodnight. Soon after they’d each lost their virginity to one-another. Angela had been the only woman he’d ever slept with. He knew for his age, and after being in the army, society assumed all men like him would had slept with at least a dozen woman, if not more. But not Jack… he wanted to save himself for the right girl, and Angela was just that. It was awkward at first with both of them being virgins and her always focused on her studies Their first time was a little scary. He knew it would hurt her, but he wasn’t prepared for it. He tried to be as gentle as he could but he ended up making her cry. He felt so bad and was afraid she would hate him forever. To his surprise, she cuddled up to him and asked him if they could try again. Their second time was much more enjoyable, and soon they were doing it every chance they got. Over time he learned how her body worked, what she craved most, and how he could trigger her in the right ways. He loved how he could take over her body and have so much control. It pleased him and turned him on more knowing she was enjoying it, unraveling beneath him.

He was going to ask her to marry him, but then…he died in a stupid fight with Reyes. Angela raised them both back from the dead, but neither of them were the same men. Jack felt as though he couldn’t show himself in front of Angela any longer. He felt like he had failed her. He knew he’d hurt her by being involved in such a stupid fight that ended up costing his life and the life of his best friend. She’d always hated the fact that he’d been a soldier. She was always terrified of losing him. He knew that…

He couldn’t live with himself knowing he’d hurt his Angel. He was scared of hurting her more, so he ran away and hid. Discovering his new abilities, he distracted himself by putting them to good use. He made it his duty to fight off the villains of the streets. But his nights were surely sleepless, as his only thoughts were of her. For thirteen long years, he thought of her. Not one day went by where he didn’t wish to have her back. “Why was I so stupid.” He’d constantly ask himself.

Recently within the past year, the newly formed Overwatch had found him with his new Identity: Soldier 76, requesting his help with recent Talon attacks. None of them knew who he truly was. Of course, how could they think otherwise? Jack Morrison was dead. The only person who was able to see past his visor-mask and grayed hair, was Angela. Oh, how it pained him to see her again. Her tears of sadness broke him in half. He realized that leaving her was a mistake. She’d been just as lost as him all those years. She made sure to slap him clean across the face the second they were alone. He didn’t care, she could slap him a thousand times. He knew he deserved it. He held her tight and promised to never leave her again. He promised to cherish her forever.

He was now 48 and she 37, and she had now become pregnant with his child. They couldn’t stay off of each other, afraid to lose each other again. They’d spent every moment they could possibly get together, making up for lost time. Since the pregnancy, they both thought it was only fair to tell everyone the true identity of Soldier 76. It pained Angela at first, confessing that she had lied about his death for so long, but the news of the baby was exciting to everyone and they were all very forgiving and happy to see Jack again.

Ana Amari had also recently shown back up after being presumed dead, warning everyone of her recent discovery about Reaper’s true identity. No one would have ever guessed that a creature such as him would even have an identity. He was practically a demon. To Jack’s worst fears, Reaper turned up to be Gabriel Reyes… He knew that Reyes had been raised by Angela, same as him but never would had guessed he’d become such a monster. Sure, Reyes had major anger issues and was becoming more cold-hearted towards the end, which is how their fight started. But how could he become so different than Jack? They were best friends, both met in the army. They always had similar interests. They looked out for each other. Reyes had started to become jealous of Jack’s achievements when they both joined Overwatch but…could that really make a man go mad? Angela seemed hurt the most by the news. Jack was afraid to question her at first but he knew he had to.

“Did something happen when you raised Reyes?”

“…What do you mean?”

“You know how I got these special abilities? Did something different happen with him?”

She broke down in tears, and her hands were shaking. Jack held her hands in his.

“Angel, it’s okay. You can tell me…” He knew there was something she was afraid of telling him. He didn’t accuse her of hiding it, he didn’t blame her.

“He…didn’t have a pulse.” She paused to take a deep breath from her sobs. “You still had a small ounce of a pulse and I was able to bring you back…but he was clinically dead.” She stopped to take another breath. “I know I should have just pronounced him dead but… I thought that if you knew you’d killed him…you’d hate yourself. I thought that if I brought him back, everything would be okay…” She buried her head into Jack’s chest, her body shaking.

He held her tight in his embrace and kissed the top of her head.

“Shhh, Angel. This isn’t your fault…you hear me?”

“When he came back, he wasn’t Gabriel…” She began hyperventilating. “What I saw…”

“…Angela, you don’t need to tell me anymore. It’s okay…it’s all going to be okay.”

“It’s because of me he has become Reaper!” She screamed.

“Now you listen to me, damn it!” Jack held her by the shoulders and shook her. “It is because of ME and HIM that he has become Reaper. It’s because of ME that you raised him. You didn’t want me to feel guilt! You did the right thing! Never stop being the Angel I have always known you to be! You never stop fighting for the lives of others! I love you for who you are!”

“I love you too, Jack” She looked down away from him. “I can’t bare to lose you again…I need you…our baby needs you…”

“You won’t lose me ever again…I promise.”

It was a promise he was going to fight to keep.

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allthem76fanfics · 7 years

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Scars (Mercy76)

Summary: Mercy dotes upon 76, but the old soldier doesn’t seem to mind it too much.

Rating: PG

Pairing: Soldier 76 x Mercy

Requests: Open

By nature Angela Ziegler couldn’t help but dote upon others. From a young age she had that natural maternal instinct, where she couldn’t help but fret over others. Her need to dote upon others only increased after years of medical school, and even more time spent as a combat medic. Try as she might, she was a worrier, always preparing for the worst case, a helicopter parent despite not having kids of her own to hover over. For the most part it was harmless and sweet. It was one of the few ways she would express her affections for her comrades, helping them even when they did not ask for it. Even if they did not need or want her help she would be there because… She couldn’t not be there.

Everyone in Overwatch at some point had received her doting, and her affections. Some more than others. Lucio and Hana were like children to her, the doctor always fretting over the two, “Did you eat? Are you hurt? You should rest.” And so on. Lucio always laughed, answering her honestly because it was nice to have a mother like figure around. Hana was a bit more troublesome, and sassy about the whole thing but even she couldn’t help but adore the woman’s attention. Sometimes when she was down Angela would appear with her favorite drink and snacks to cheer her up; Mountain Dew and Doritos! Only sometimes Angela would lecture her on her poor diet, her late night gaming habits, or how it was bad for her eyes to stare at a screen for so long. Yes, she much preferred it when Angela spoiled her rather than lectured her. Still, there was no denying that it was hard to resist having Angela’s attention.

There were others who received her doting, not necessarily like how a parent would dote upon their child, but more like that of a very concerned friend. One whom couldn’t help but worry and worry until she ended up acting upon said worry. She’d fret over Reinhardt always concerned the old man might throw out a back or a hip as he tried to keep up with some of the younger members. When McCree would have a bit too much to drink she’d always be there with water, and medicine watching over him to make sure he didn’t get sick in the night. She’d heard a number of a stories from him while drunk, sober, or some combination of the two. All the while providing advice to the surprisingly romantic cowboy. Then there was Ana, she’d make sure the woman was okay, always bringing her a cup of tea to chat over, making sure the old sniper wasn’t brooding too much, and adjusting well enough. Everyone received her doting treatment, but there was one member of Overwatch who seemed to almost always occupy her attention, if not her thoughts.

Jack Morrison

A one man army who seemed capable of taking care of anything by himself so long as he put his mind to it. If there was one member of Overwatch who didn’t seem to need doting then it was the gruff old soldier, yet somehow he received more than all of the other members combined. Even worse it had not gone unnoticed by the many members of Overwatch, some reacting to it better than others had. Hana seemed more jealous than anything, if Angela’s attentions were on the old man then who would grab her some doritos? Reinhardt and Ana’s was more pleasant though they dare not speak their opinions out loud, knowing full well that neither the soldier nor doctor would react well to their thoughts:

Jack Morrison and Angela Ziegler were an item

They were in the old days, and years apart had yet to diminish that bond. If anything it seemed to strengthen with their time spent apart. In the past Mercy had doted on him some, but compared to now? She was almost always by his side in and out of combat, making sure he was fine, rested, fed, etc. She had missed her soldier that much was evident, and Angela seemed hell bent on making sure that he didn’t leave again. So long as she was around then she would make sure Jack Morrison was always taken care of, for he had his own personal guardian angel looking out for him.

Most shocking was how the old, grumpy soldier treated the fretting doctor. Many had assumed he would be ill-tempered when it came to receiving Angela’s doting treatment. He was grumpy most days, and few ever seemed to get a positive reaction out of him, surely her doting had to have annoyed him! Instead, he welcomed her attentions perhaps not as vocally as some other members did, but he never pushed her away. He always muttered a gruff thanks, or did as she had requested. Their old commander was getting commanded! It was quite the rare sight, but again no one dared to speak their thoughts out loud lest they incur the wrath of Jack Morrison.

It’s not to say that Jack always accepted Mercy’s need to dote upon him, there were times in which he tried to refuse. The two of them having a number of heated arguments away from prying ears or eyes, like parents hiding their disputes from their children. Those arguments were rare, most of the time only occurring because of their shared selflessness. They both admired each other’s selflessness, perhaps that’s why they were drawn together. Unfortunately, that same selflessness could be like a curse. How could she stand by knowing that Jack Morrison would and has certainly almost died to save an innocent bystander? How could he stand knowing that she had rushed into danger head on if it gave her the chance to lend a helping hand or save the injured? Selflessness was a virtue and a curse to whatever their relationship was, neither of them having a true name as to what they were in the past, or what they currently were in the present. They were simply together now. What had happened in the past was never brought up, neither of them sure as to what to say, half-afraid they’d ruin whatever it is that they were now.

Regardless their small disputes over selfless acts that usually ended up putting one of them in danger, were always that: small disputes. Never had they escalated into such madness or such pain, or remembering the past- but that was before a certain soldier had gotten hurt.

A mission gone wrong, or rather it was completed that much the team made sure of. However, their ex-commander had rushed into a building without the rest of the team. Talon operatives having lead Overwatch to believe that there was hostages in there. What lay inside was not a crowd of terrified innocents, but bombs set to go off. Luckily, 76 had made it out of there, but not without taking some damage, though it could have been far worse than what it was.

Most of Overwatch had come to visit him as he rested in the infirmary portion of their base. Their wishes of fast recovery were appreciated, but the soldier would have preferred to recover in private. There was an undeniable sort of shame that overcame him for having rushed headfirst into a trap. He spent a few days berating himself over it, cursing his stupidity, and belittling himself for ever attempting to be a hero again. Body, mind, and heart sore the man almost wished to have his doctor, no, his guardian angel by his side but… She had been avoiding him since their mission. He knew she was upset at him, knew why she was but that didn’t make him feel any better, and though he desired nothing more than to have her there by his side, he couldn’t help but react poorly when she did finally come around. A poor reaction lead to an venomous response from the usually sweet woman, and from there? A full blown argument had erupted between them-

“-Because I care Jack!” She huffed, blue eyes welling up with tears. He hated it when she cried. Back in the day she never cried over him. He made her smile in the old days but now he felt like he made her cry more than he made her smile. Caught back by the tears, the old soldier fell into a guilty sort of silence. He didn’t move to comfort, he didn’t deserve to comfort her, instead he remained tense as her tears fell with no one to catch them.

“In the old days I would have comforted her-” In the old days he could’ve done a lot of things. He was a hero back then, but now he was just a soldier…. A soldier that couldn’t whisper words of comfort or of apology, a soldier that no matter how much his heart wanted to could not reach out to embrace the woman before him. A soldier that needed to be comforted just as much as Angela did, if not more so, yet she was always the one reaching out to help him… He could never find it in himself to properly thank her either. The old Jack would have-

“I don’t want you to lose you again!” Arms were suddenly wrapped around him snapping him out of his thoughts, her head buried in his chest so the fabric of his shirt could catch her falling tears whereas he could not. “I-I-I-” She ended up mumbling in her native tongue, the translation lost to him but the feeling in it was received and understood. So soft and tender, hesitant but full of care her words were filled with heartache but were also undeniably sweet and full of- an emotion or a feeling that Jack reciprocated but did not say aloud. Carefully, a hand rested atop her soft golden locks, a gentle pat as she quietly sobbed into his chest. The old Jack could have done better but the current Jack just relished in the feeling of the softness against him, of the warmth that her words had brought him. Their argument temporarily dropped, the two didn’t speak letting the silence between them do all of the talking. Just as relaxation had settled into his bones, eyes slowly closing, his doctor had released him from her embrace. Sniffling, wiping away any evidence of her tears she doned her doctor mask once more-

“Does anywhere hurt?”

“Just the same old wounds Angela. The new ones are just little cuts compared to those gashes.”

She pursed her lips at him, as if debating whether or not to pick up their previous argument. They both knew it would be an argument with no end, and there would certainly be another one by the time they got back from their next mission. At long last she sighed, eyes showing a brief flicker of disappointment marking the temporary end of their long fought war.

“You know…” A delicate hand reached out towards his face, hand curling to cup his cheek before her fingertips danced along the edge of his largest scar, “I could fix them. Make them go away if you want. The scars…” She muttered, letting her hand fall back to her side as her soldier thought over her words.

“No…” He snapped, instantly regretting it as Angela’s face became more hurt from his tone, “These scars…” He tried to make amends, “The pain they cause me? It’s a reminder of what happens when I try to play hero.” His gaze flickered elsewhere, unable to meet Angela’s critical stare. It felt as if she was trying to dissect him, and it was unnerving to him half afraid as to what she’d find, “My face isn’t exactly pretty now so I wear the mask.” He almost always had it on, this was one of the few occasions in which he didn’t. Though his scars served as a reminder to himself, he didn’t want them to scare away the new recruits. He may not be able to be a Hero but they sure as hell could.

“I see…. So they hurt?”

“Not too badly, just aches sometimes-”

“Then as your Doctor it’s my job to make sure you don’t hurt. Yet you refuse my help.” He looked at her finally, afraid that she might start their argument anew, “Well, I won’t make your scars disappear then Jack.” He gave her a quizzical look, “But I’ll try to make the pain go away. This isn’t the most traditional method of healing but for you I’ll make a special exception.”

She leaned forward, startling him as her face got closer and closer until, her lips met with the utmost tip of his largest scar. Then she kissed her way down the scar, peppering his face with feather light kisses that had his heart swelling in his chest. Better than any band aid, her lips were like velvet temporarily making the familiar and painful ache of the past go away. Having finished her trail of kisses on his largest scar, the one going directly across his face, Jack had thought her finished but she moved once more to shower the other scar with small kisses. She kissed the tip of the scar by his nose, and then kissed the other tip on his chin, seemingly avoiding where the scar had crossed his lips. Until finally, she pressed her lips against his, staying there for only a moment that had him longing for more.

“Better?”

Her own cheeks were dusted with red, much like his own. Jack swallowed thickly, trying to find his voice. Somewhat bitterly he thought the old him would have kissed her back properly, would have held her there against him and shown her how much he cared. He shook those thoughts away, “Better.” His reply was gruff, voice getting caught in his throat making his doctor, his angel giggle.

“Good… Well, I’ll be sure to prescribe you more as you need them Jack.”

“Be careful on those prescriptions Doctor… Don’t want me to get addicted.”

He wasn’t sure what had come over him, what had possessed him to say such an embarrassing thing. Perhaps all of McCree’s ramblings had gotten to him, or thinking of his old self had made him unconsciously reply just as he once would have. Regardless he was embarrassed and half afraid that Angela would think him to be-

“I don’t think that would be bad.” She had smiled at him, as embarrassing as his response was she seemed to enjoy it. Poised to leave in the doorway Angela paused, both their hearts soaring despite the rocky start to their day. It felt as if there was one more thing for her to say as she stood there eyeing him over with that curious look of her’s, torn between adoration, longing, and countless other feelings. Finally speaking up the woman found the words she needed to say to him, as if knowing the inner war he fought with himself,

“You’re still the same Jack so don’t beat yourself up too much okay? I’ll be back later with more of your medicine.”

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allthem76fanfics · 7 years

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Old Habits Die Hard (Mercy76)

Summary: A little bit of angst and a little bit of fluff as Mercy reflects on her time in Overwatch, and a certain Solider.

Rating: PG

Pairing: Soldier 76 x Mercy

Requests: Open!

She loathed battle, she wasn’t a fighter and avoided it at all costs. Mercy was a doctor, someone who was meant to save lives not take them, or worse yet assist in taking lives. Yet if she didn’t take lives then more lives would be lost. It was an endless cycle of suffering, lives would have to be lost in order to protect the greater good. Still, every time she was sent to battle it gave her an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of her stomach. At first it was because she knew that they would have to kill other humans, they were evil but they were still human, and it bothered her to no end. However, now that feeling of unease wasn’t just because of their enemies but because of her allies. Having spent so much time with the members of Overwatch Mercy had found herself attached to them.

As a Doctor she was supposed to keep a healthy emotional distance from her patients, from her comrades. There was no good in growing attached in case they… died. Yet after sharing countless harsh drills and patching up a number of wounds, Mercy had found herself attached to all the members of Overwatch. Like a mother hen she’d watch over them on and off the field of battle. Not just a doctor but a friend, a sister, a mother Mercy was there for the best and worst of Overwatch. She shared silly stories, confided in secrets, giggled at antics, and scolded when needed. There was no helping it, she was in too deep. Each mission they went on without her had left the doctor with a greater feeling on unease than when she was actually on a mission. “It’s fine we have Lucio!” They’d claim but Mercy would still nibble her lip, and wave goodbye fearing for the worst while hoping for the best.

The fact that she was so worried for her comrades, so attached had plagued her to no end. Try as she might she couldn’t push them away, they had latched themselves onto her heart. Lena with her cheerful smile, always stopping in for afternoon tea how could Mercy turn her away? and Lucio together always had Mercy smiling so much that her cheeks hurt afterwards. McCree and Reindhardt with their endless flattering words that would cheer her up when she was down. Mei would always confide in her, share research and complaints alike. Winston always made sure she wasn’t overworking herself. How? How could she turn such friend away? How could she not grow attached? Even though she had been taught not to, she still did. Worst of all there was one particular member that Mercy couldn’t help but fret over more so than the others.

Jack

From the first day she met him, all the way back when Overwatch had first formed, Mercy had found herself drawn to the soldier. In his younger days he was handsome, a role model and the perfect image of a hero. Golden hair and a perfect smile, Commander Morrison had her heart beating loudly in her chest. Not only was he physically attractive but his personality was that of a Hero to match. Generous, noble, and brave there wasn’t another member of Overwatch who could hope to compare to their Commander. He had saved countless lives, her own included.

Being the medic, Mercy was often times a prime target in combat. Take her out and picking off the rest of the team would be easy work. Her Valkyrie suit made her quite a hard target to catch but sometimes in the heat of battle, her team mates would separate, get lost or fight their own fights. Occasionally, leaving Mercy without someone to fly away to or worse yet leaving her almost defenseless. She had her pistol but… In a time of panic, and high stress the small weapon was easy to forget. Especially, considering her dislike for fighting. A couple of times Mercy had found herself in a corner half frozen unsure of what to do, and other times a team mate would show up just in time for her to flee to. Yet there was always some damage done to her, her teammates, no, her family worried for her but most unable to do anything to assist. Except for Jack… He always noticed when she was hurt, or in a nasty spot. He’d always charge in, taking out the enemies that had cornered her with ease, and always placed down a Bionic field so that she could heal up… Even though her duty was to do the healing…

“Your injuries matter too Angela.” His voice had her legs swooning, she tried to tell herself it was from the blood loss, “Heal up and then you can head back into battle.” He smiled, it wasn’t often he smiled in the field of battle, but it looked like a miracle. There was no doubt in her mind that Jack Morrison was a genuine hero, and sometimes an angel. Which was ironic considering she was the one dressed in a suit that looked more angel than it did soldier.

However, when Overwatch disbanded, and her favorite soldier assumed dead Angela had lost her family, the unity it had created. Only years later would she find herself once again called out onto the field of battle alongside her previous Overwatch companions, some of which were thought dead. Jack Morrison, or Soldier 76 as he went by now wasn’t quite the same man that he used to be. Mercy supposed that if one fought to the death with a dear friend, lost their world, and had become a lone soldier then… Maybe it was natural to change. Beneath that mask was the same heroic, brave soldier she once knew right?

He seemed so gruff though… So frightening, and quick to bark orders. Generally grumpy, and his hair had gone all white. His physique was still impeccable to say the least, but he seemed so much older. “Years have gone by…” She had to remind herself, even she had aged some. As irrational as it seemed, Mercy found herself weary of the soldier, avoiding him in base for lack of better things to say. “I thought you were dead? Why didn’t you come back?” It wasn’t as if there was a label on their previous relationship… Mercy used to believe that the feeling between them was mutual, that he was too much of a gentleman to truly flirt with her. That maybe he’d find the time to get around to asking her on a date? He was the Commander of Overwatch he was a busy guy, dating was probably the last thing on his mind at that time… Now years later Mercy almost wished had made some sort of move because how could she ask a question like, “Why did you leave me?” When truth be told he was never officially hers?

All Mercy could take comfort in was knowing that many of the other Overwatch members were still the same, Lena and Winston were as cheery as ever. Even more so now that the whole team was back together. Even the ones thought dead.

Though Mercy could avoid Jack around the base, she couldn’t exactly avoid him on the field of battle. Especially, when she found herself cornered once more. Only she wasn’t quite the same Doctor she once was, her pistol already in hand as she shot down one talon agent. The familiar sound of a pulse rifle suddenly ringing through the air. The scene was all too familiar, and for a brief moment she thought she saw young Jack rushing towards her. What stood before her was a battle-hardened soldier, visage hidden behind a cold mask, the tip of a jagged scar peeking out from beneath the visor. “J-Jack-” Her voice got caught in her throat, not quite sure what to say but a gruff voice responded before she could-

“You’re bleeding.” He pointed out, one hand already reaching into his pocket. Her blue eyes quickly glanced down to the bloodied cuts that just now begun to sting, adrenaline no longer numbing the pain, “Here, heal up.” The familiar golden glow of the bionic field bathed the two of them. Relief flooded through her body, the pain of the wounds easing up. More importantly the pain in her heart eased away, still upset that he had disappeared on her all those years ago but at least, at least he-

“You haven’t changed a bit Jack.”

A silence hung between them, only the occasional echo of distant bullets cut through the air. Managing to send him a smile Mercy’s stare bore into the mask, waiting for some sort of response. Another sign that perhaps there was more of the man she once knew in there.

“Some old habits die hard.”

At that she laughed, letting her defenses drop a bit, the barrier she had built around her heart easing up, “But you don’t Jack.” Even softer she added, “I’ll make sure of it this time.” With her wounds healed her grip on her staff tightened, flicking it onto its boost setting. “Can’t keep the team waiting now can we Jack?” She liked to imagine that beneath the mask he was smiling that same miraculous smile, but all she received was a sharp nod of the head and a grunt of agreement. Watching him run, just as swift as ever to reenter the battlefield Mercy found herself flying after him, her own thoughts making her grin-

“Old crushes die hard too Jack.”

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allthem76fanfics · 7 years

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I’m Home (Dad76)

Summary: An AU where Overwatch and the omnic crisis never happened, Jack suffers from PTSD after coming home from a different war. Only he is plagued by visions of a war that never happened, and of a different life than his own. Good thing he has a family to pull him back in.

Rating: T

Pairing: Just a dad76 fic (if you squint there’s some mercy76)

Requests: Open

Jack awoke with a sudden start, a cold sweat covering his body. His heart hammered in his chest so loudly he could feel it in his head. While his senses were poised for action, the his brain was still trying to process what was around him. The first thing he realized was that he was in:

Bed

He was in bed. His head throbbed almost painfully. Dark blue eyes swiveled around the room in search of answers or a hidden foe. Though the room was clear of any apparent threats his heart still hammered in his chest, adrenaline coursing through his body. He was just in a losing battle, a losing war, and now he was in bed? A bed that seemed familiar, in a room that held nostalgia to it. Something was off, something was missing but his mind couldn’t quite place it-

With a creak the door opened startling the already startled soldier further. The once incessant beating of his heart seemed to come to a sudden halt in his chest as that missing piece walked into the room.

“Mercy, no, Angela-” He stammered holding the limp body closer. A shaking hand came up to brush away the bangs from her face, “I told you to get out of here. That it was dangerous.” His voice was cracking, his whole body shaking, his heart feeling as though it had been torn in half because it’s other half lay limp in his arms. There wasn’t a light quite as bright as her, no smile could hope to compare to her smile, there was no one more generous, nor as beautiful. She was an angel who willingly flew into a hell like battlefield. All she wanted was to save lives, to live in peace yet she still fought this war alongside him. Despite being able to resurrect the dead, there was no one to resurrect her-

Yet there she stood before him, looming in the doorway almost as startled as he was. “Jack. Dear, are you okay?” Her voice was so sweet he was certain he was dreaming, “I was just coming to wake you. You slept in awfully late. Breakfast is waiting in the kitchen.” All he could do was swallow thickly and try to decipher what had happened. He was so certain she had been dead, yet she stood before him alive and beautiful. “Jack.” The bed dipped as she sat next to him, eyes narrowing into the cool concerned stare of any practicing doctor. “Did you have another one of those nightmares?” One of her hands came up to touch his cheek before slipping down to rest on top of one of his hands, a glittering gold ring on her delicate finger caught his eye, “You didn’t take your medicine last night did you?” There was more than doctorly concern in her eyes, she gave him a small sigh deciding to drop the subject, “We can talk about this later, breakfast is getting cold-” She stood up and moved towards the doorway, his hand missing the feeling of hers but the matching gold ring adorning his finger somehow made him feel better.

“We’re married.” His mind was in disbelief but his heart didn’t care, he was married to the woman of his dreams. She was alive and well. All she cared about was his well-being yet he was still brooding on what had to have been an awful nightmare. Still, the old soldier within him didn’t want to accept this dream as reality just yet…

“Oh!” Angela turned on her heel, struck by a sudden thought causing Jack to snap out of his own musings. Her lovely pink lips created a near perfect “O”, her countenance painted with such excitement that it had his utmost attention. “Gabriel called. He wanted to know if him and the kids can still come over?”

“Gabriel Reyes? The kids?”

Gabriel Reyes

His once most trusted friend, a man that Jack would have died for. Gabriel Reyes had tried to make Jack do just that: Die. All Gabe wanted was to be Commander of Overwatch and when that didn’t happen…. They damn near killed each other. As far as the world was concerned they did. From the ashes and rubble of Overwatch came two monsters that were once heroes together. Yet now they were at each other’s throats. Soldier 76 a lone super soldier, and a monstrosity simply known as Reaper. Neither could die, not without killing the other first-

“Yes. Do you know any other Gabriel’s? You think you would remember the man who saved your life in the war.” That comment alone was enough to have Jack’s jaw drop but the next nearly had him choking, “Gabe was going to come visit with Jesse and Sombra since we haven’t seen their family in a while.” Jesse? Sombra? Jack was trying to wrap his head around that when suddenly Mercy, no Angela, or rather his wife had switched right back into concerned doctor mode.

“Are you feeling okay Jack? You’re a little pale. They don’t have to come over today if you’re feeling unwell.”

“…No, no! It’s fine they can come over.”

“Hmmmm…. If you say so. Go splash some water on your face dear.”

That was a good idea. Maybe a bit of cold water would help him wake from this curiously pleasant dream, or at least help him understand just what reality he had stepped into. Getting out of bed Jack moved toward the bathroom, flipping the light on only to be taken aback a few moments later. Their bathroom was nice, nothing spectacular but like most there was a large mirror adorning the wall. The mirror itself was nothing to be concerned about but the man reflected was. Reflected in the mirror was Jack but also…. Not Jack….At least not the Jack he was used to seeing in the mirror.

He was an old worn down soldier. Most would describe him as grumpy and gruff. His hair had gone white, wrinkles forming on his forehead from years of scowling. Most prominent was the scars that littered his face. Remnants of his battle with Gabriel, the one that had almost killed him, not this strange Gabriel that had apparently saved his life. That was supposed to be what he looked like… But the man reflected in the mirror was not him… Yet it was him?

Reflected in the mirror was Jack Morrison, the golden boy. The strike-commander of Overwatch rather than the worn Soldier 76. His hair was still blonde and had not yet started receding though there were some gray hairs beginning to show. His face had no scars and only the faint beginning of wrinkles. Instinctively he knew he wasn’t quite as young as he was when he took over Overwatch but he wasn’t exactly old either… At least late thirties…? Maybe early forties but that was pushing it… Splashing the cool water on his face did little to help with his muddled head. “Damnit…” He couldn’t wrap his head around the situation at hand, everything was so perfect it had to have been a dream. Deciding that hiding in the bathroom and staring at his reflection wasn’t going to get him answers, nor would it help stop the growling of his stomach Jack had no choice but to leave.

With the scent of breakfast to guide him, Jack left his room and entered the hallway. Pictures adorned the wall. They immediately caught his attention. A wedding photo of him and Angela? A few photos over was them cradling a newborn. Memories captured by camera adorned the walls and they helped piece together a perfect life that he couldn’t quite remember. There were so many of them on the wall he wanted to look at each and every photo and cherish it but he couldn’t. Someone else was demanding his attention:

“Dad!” Came a chipper voice, that immediately had him turning his head. Before he could react arms were thrown about him and he was wrapped in a tight embrace. For a moment all he saw was a head of spiky brown hair but he didn’t have to see her face to know who she was. That still didn’t stop him from being in shock when he saw the face of Tracer… No, Lena staring up at him. “What’s that look for dad? Surprised I’m home so early? I wanted to surprise you and mum after my last track competition.” She laughed releasing him from her embrace, “It was a tough one but I’m sure I’ll qualify for the Olympics this time around.” His mind flickered back to the photos, to a young girl holding up gold medals for track and field competitions… Lena was going to the olympics?

“I’m back… I-I don’t know for how long.” Her voice was panicked, body faint and already slipping to another timeline. She was too young, they never should have sent her in that plane. She was the best pilot they had, she had a bright future ahead of her… Would she be cursed to always slip through time? “C-Commander please tell Emily that I love her… And I’m sorry if I can’t make it back home…” Lena Oxton their chipper pilot, was crying… It broke his heart to see her this way, and their best scientists were trying to fix her problem but what could their solution possibly be?

There was no chronal accelerator visible upon this Lena, she seemed to be healthy, more than just healthy. His mind tried to wrap around how and why but he supposed he didn’t need one. He almost wanted to warn her against being a pilot but at the moment she seemed to have her heart set on the olympics, which she told him chipperly as she lead him to the dining room. “I was thinking about what you were saying dad.” Solider 76 had once yelled at Tracer for jokingly calling him dad, but right now all Jack felt was warmth swell in his chest, “I think that the training with the weights might be to excessive, I don’t want to strain any muscles especially right now before the next big competition.” All Jack could do was nod unsure of what conversation she was referencing but her logic seemed fine, “Thanks Dad! Thanks for always pushing my so hard, I don’t think I would have made it here without you pushing me so much. Although cool it on coming to every meet. It’s embarrassing when you’re cheering the loudest at practice dad!” As they turned to enter the kitchen, the smell of breakfast making him salivate, another familiar voice chimed in.

“Aw C'mon Sonic! Dad just wants to be supportive!” Warm, happy, and charismatic he knew who’s voice that was as well. Sitting in their dining room, one arm curled over his chair and shooting his sister a smile was… Lucio? Headphones were looped around his neck, and he was dressed in soccer gear. He wasn’t wearing his roller blades or any of the stolen gear from Viskhar. Nor did he seem like he was international superstar but judging from the music that pumped through his headphones, Jack would’t doubt it if this Lucio was destined for fame as well.

“Listen! Aw c'mon Soldier!” He laughed holding up his headphones towards the gruff old man, “It is the sound of my country, of my people. Of the struggles and hardships we faced. I want you to hear it.” With a sigh Soldier 76 took the headphones. “You asked me why a popstar would fight?” Lucio began, eyes staring out in the distance, “I don’t want to be just a popstar. I want to make a change. I don’t want others to suffer anymore.” He was hopeful, more of a hero than Soldier 76 ever was. He knew hardships and pushed through them…

Jack watched as Lena and Lucio playfully bickered, taking his seat at the head of the table out of instinct. He heard Angela laugh, finally taking notice of her at the stove, but his attention was once more drawn to the two bickering siblings. Somehow he found himself smiling.

“Don’t be silly Dad comes to all your games and cheers just as loud. You totally get embarrassed.”

“Only when he’s hassling me to be better than Sombra.” Lucio laughed before playfully giving his father a kick under the table, “I mean c'mon dad we’re not even in the same division. She plays women’s soccer. Can’t she be the best at women’s soccer, and I’ll be the best at men’s?”

“Your father just gets to be a little competitive with Uncle Gabe.” Angela chimed in as she neared the table with a hefty plate of scrambled eggs, “But-” She gave him a teasing glare, “Last I checked someone promised me that he’d stop being so competitive with our children…” Jack scratched at the back of his head in response to her words. He didn’t need to have memories to know that he was probably being too competitive with Gabe… The two were always butting heads in Overwatch…"But I’m sure he’ll stop now right?“ Again she gave him a smile that hinted at the world of pain he’d be receiving if he didn't… Her features eventually softened as a sudden thought struck her, "Dear, could you go wake up Hana?”

“She was up late playing games again.” Lucio groaned, “I could hear her from my room.”

“Like you’re one to talk! I could hear your music in my sleep.”

“All I’m hearing is a bunch of children up way past their bedtimes.”

“Sooooorrrry Mum.” Both Lucio and Lena apologized together lest the incur the fabled wrath of their mother. Their dad could be scary when angry, but he was always a little scary anyways. Having their sweet, patient mother get angry? It was like watching an angel turn into a devil. Their mother gave them a smile, and turned that same smile to Jack as if telling him to get on with it.

Slowly he stood up, taking one last look at the trio before him. Half afraid that if he left this room his make-believe dream family would be torn away from him. That he’d be thrown back to the real world where he had lost so many, where they all had suffered more than they deserved. With his last look at them he turned and went back down the hallway. He didn’t truly know where he was going but his body lead him in the right direction. Now that Lena wasn’t there he took his time to look at every picture on the wall. Of the day Lena was born, of her first day of school, her first competition she won, her prom date with Emily, and of her graduation. He looked at the day they brought Lucio home, of his first time rollerblading, of his first goal in soccer, of his face on christmas when they bought him his first pair of headphones. Then there was the pictures of little Hana, of her as a baby, her chasing after young Lucio and Lena, her with her favorite stuffed animal, and of her getting her first video game system. The family pictures of all of them together brought a tear to his eye, even the ones with Gabe, Jesse and Sombra included in the pictures.

Eventually, pictures gave way to bedroom doors that told just as much of a story as the photographs had. The first door had Lena’s name on it and a variety of pictures, and of places she wanted to visit. The next was Lucio’s, band stickers plastered all over the door, cute stickers of frogs, and music could be faintly heard coming from within the room. The last door at the end was Hana’s decorated in pink and purple stickers, cute rabbits adorning the door. Carefully, he entered, the inside of the room dark compared to the rest of the house. Hana liked to keep her room dark because the sun bothered her eyes after a long night of gaming, the Hana in Overwatch was the same way. From his spot in the doorway he could barely make out her sleeping form. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness he could clearly see her features. Slowly so as not to disturb her sleep, he knelt next to the bed to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

“Are you sure life isn’t a game Soldier 76?” She infuriated him more than any other recruit ever had before. She was cocky and young, just like how he used to be. Barely eighteen she had no business fighting in a war. She should be going to school and making friends, not piloting a mech and getting shot at. It didn’t help that she was reckless… Just like him. Headstrong just like him. He tried to look out for her, to teach her so that she didn’t end up like him. He looked at all of the young heroes as children, wanting to guide them so they didn’t make the same mistakes as him but… Hana was… the daughter he never had or would have. She was like him and not like him. Which made it all the more heart-wrenching to see her get hurt. To hold her hand as she struggled not to cry. To lie to her and tell her that she’d be fine, that they’d get help. In that painful moment he watched his little hero turn back into a little girl that had no business fighting a war, his war, his fault-

“Dad what are you doing?” Her voice was groggy and sleep filled, dark eyes just barely starting to open, “Are you crying?” Sleep gave way to concern as she sat up. When the tears had started falling Jack couldn’t say for sure but it was embarrassing. Furiously he rubbed at his eyes to hide the evidence of his weakness. “Dad did you not take your pills?” Her voice was barely above a whisper, “Geez you should take better care of yourself. You always tell me to stop gaming so much and you can’t even remember to take your medicine!” Before he could stop her she pulled him into a hug, “Don’t worry Dad, the war’s over. You don’t have to fight anymore. No one else wants to say anything Mom, Lena, Luce but… You’re home now Dad. I don’t know what you saw in the war but you’re with us now, you’re home….” She repeated again, and suddenly she was rubbing at her eyes too. Like Father like daughter.

She released him from her embrace rather quickly, before slipping out of bed. “Don’t even dream about telling mom or the others about that. I’ll never hear the end of it.” She huffed, pushing him out of her room, “I’ll come to breakfast in a minute.” She was embarrassed, not usually one to express such emotions. She preferred to tease and joke, and to infuriate others. Consoling, comforting, and crying wasn’t exactly a Hana thing. In that aspect Jack was the same, he wasn’t one for sensitive emotions. Sparing him one last glance, Hana rushed off already yelling at the others to save her some food.

Jack stayed still for a moment contemplating her words. Memories of a war and memories of this perfect life crashed in his head. Which was real? No it wasn’t a matter of which was real. He knew which one to be true. Those other memories, they were stressed induced hallucinations of a war that never happened, his worst fears come to life because he couldn’t handle the actual war he fought in. It was time he come to face reality:

“I’m home.”

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