Everybody wanted something. Toddlers wanted that jar of cookies on top of the refrigerator. Soldiers wanted to go home to their families. Conquers wanted nations under their control. Polly wanted a cracker. And Sombra? She wanted world domination. Well, after a fashion. Somewhere out there, somebody was pulling all the strings. And if Sombra could find him or her, she could control them. Everybody had a weakness. Not even Sombra was flawless. She had a good poker face though.

On that particular evening, Sombra hadn't had anything planned for the new year. She'd spent the previous night having a few drinks, a few seats away from an american drunk cowboy dressed in a red poncho with a stupid belt. Now, she was walking around in her pajamas, running her hands through her hair as she got up for the first time that day, at seven o'clock in the evening. She wouldn't have woken up at all, but she'd gotten a call from Reaper. He was, technically, her supervisor, in a way. For a supervisor though, he was pretty blind to what she did. Or at least, he appeared to be. To anybody else, Reaper looked to simply be a dangerous terrorist. But there was more to him than that, beneath that owl skull mask lied a tortured soul. Doubtless, any single woman would find a brooding man like Reaper attractive, wanting to wrap him up in their arms and kiss him, at least, until they saw his face. Sombra had never seen it before herself, but apparently, both Moira and Doomfist had, and it was not a pretty sight.

As Sombra slipped on a shirt and grabbed a nearby bag of chips, she noticed a flicker of movement in the corner of her eyes. She turned slightly to face the corner of her room. Sombra's "base" was very small, as in, it was really just a shed with outlets, a bed, a desk and some computers. The only light was the purple glow from the computers, and thanks to the light, Sombra could see what looked like living shadow in the corner of Sombra's room. She instantly knew what- or, more accurately, who- it was.

"Hey, Gabe. I didn't think you'd be here so soon." The shadows emerged and took shape before Sombra into a physical form, that of a tall, muscled man clad in black bulletproof armour and a long, sleek black coat with a hood over his owl skull mask. Secretly, Sombra was very creeped out by the fact that Reaper could literally blend in the with the shadows in her room, but she was doing a very good job of looking bored.

"Get ready," was all he said before he stepped outside to wait.

"Could have told me what you woke me up for," Sombra grumbled as she put on her sleek purple leather jacket. She attended to her hair for about five minutes and applied makeup for the next ten. Overall it took her nearly 25 minutes for her to get ready. Months ago, this would have enraged Reaper, but now, he was used to it. This was shown in the way that he patiently waited for Sombra outside, staring straight ahead at the gleaming bronze statue of Guillermo Portero as though he wanted to destroy it. Or perhaps he was thinking sunny, cheerful thoughts. Sombra didn't really know. She didn't even know if Reaper could do happy. The only emotions she'd seen from her boss was rage. Beyond that though, his usual state of mind was in brooding mode.

She stepped outside and took in a deep whiff of the morning air. Reaper was waiting by a pair of stone steps that would lead down to the street below. Sombra took a look at the statue. Years ago, she'd easily brought the corrupt CEO of LumériCo for the Los Muertos gang, which she'd been a part of until her early twenties. It had been an easy task to act the part of the sweet innocent girl bringing the sheriff some cookies while she hacked his computer by sliding her hand across the back. Ah, memories.

Sombra jogged over to Reaper, and together, the pair strode down the stone steps in silence. On the street, a long, sleek black limo was waiting for them. The chauffeur, an elderly African american man with graying hair and an easy smile, opened the door for them. Reaper ducked his head as he entered, but Sombra didn't really have to, she was short.

Inside, Akande Ogundimu, aka Doomfist, sat waiting in a surprisingly casual outfit; a simple buttoned black shirt and jeans with black sandals. Instead of the Doomfist gauntlet, he had a skeletal metal arm attached, the hand of which was gripping a glass of water. Beside him sat Widowmaker in her usual skintight suit, and sitting on Sombra's side, rather uncomfortably next to the man who nearly tried to kill him, was Hakim.

Hakim had olive skin and muddy green eyes, with black hair that was slicked back and shaved at the sides. He was dressed better than all of them, in a rich black Italian suit with a golden tie. He tried to stare straight ahead as Reaper took a seat next to him, but Sombra could see beads of sweat starting to form on his forehead. Months ago, upon his failure to capture the Shrike (aka Ana Amari), Reaper had very nearly killed him. However, Akande stepped in, saying this would be a waste of talent. Hakim was, like Sombra, a hacker, though nowhere nearly as good. He mainly looked out for things that could possibly interfere with Talon's operation, such as the Shrike, or her more viscous partner, Soldier 76.

"Sombra," Akande said with a polite nod. "I trust you had a decent rest?"

"As best as I could, with this guy watching me in the dark," Sombra said, jerking her head towards Reaper. Reaper ignored her.

"Okay," Akande said. That was what he usually said to Sombra. Reaper and Widowmaker usually got annoyed at Sombra's sarcastic and mocking nature, but Akande didn't react to it at all. It was rather unsettling. "As we all know, two former agents of the Overwatch, Ana Amari and Jack Morrison, have been causing trouble for us for quite some time. Now, thanks to Sombra, we know that Jack has had his eye on the Los Muertos gang for some time. He would have taken them down, were it not for our activities in the Middle East, thus, he came to hunt us down." Akande paused to smile, as if Jack Morrison were a meddlesome mouse that was simply nipping at the paws of a lion. And in a way, that was almost true. Almost. Akande was a giant among men, with an impressive set of biceps. With the Doomfist gauntlet, he could kill a man in one punch, but even without it, several bones would be broken from just his bare fist.

"However, I have very recently 'loaned' our friends in Mexico some particularly heavy weaponry. This should draw both of the vigilante's attention away from us. Meanwhile, Reaper and Sombra, I would like for you to take the chance to shadow the pair, and to strike at an opportune moment. Widowmaker, Hakim, I have a different task for you both." Akande's voice was deep and powerful, and he spoke slowly, clearly enunciating every word in that thick african accent of his. "But, we will discuss that at a later time. Sombra, you will work here from your base. Your job will be simple: you will sever the radio connection between Jack and Ana. Gabriel, you know your former friend best. How will he approach?"

"Jack's like me," Reaper answered. "He'll stick to the shadows… But I'm better at that to him." Yes, because you can literally blend into the shadows, Sombra thought. "Judging from the bodies he left behind in Dorado last time, he doesn't have any intention of leaving them alive."

"That is no concern of mine," Akande said. "Although, perhaps it would be beneficial to see the survival of these various gangs. Perhaps they could be useful in the grand scheme of things. Try to stop Jack before he takes too many." Reaper nodded silently.

"What about the granny?" Sombra said with a yawn, resting her head against the window. Her eyes were half closed, which she wasn't faking, she hadn't gotten a whole heap of sleep last night.

"I will take care of that," Akande said. Sombra knew what that meant. He wouldn't be going personally, whenever he did, he always cracked his knuckles. Since he wasn't cracking them now, it meant he would send a Talon squad over. "The captain has evaded our grasp for too long. I will not send some measly recruits. This is a professional, and thus she must be dealt with professionally. I will send something a little… Bigger. Perhaps X137 shall suffice." Sombra winced. He wasn't sending the Talon squad… He was sending death.

A month ago, Talon had picked up a signal in a field near the Black forest, in Germany. It was an Omnic, an old orange camoed OR14 unit, to be precise, a centaur-like omnic with a red hot blade hidden in one arm and and a triple barrel LMG serving as the other limb. Talon had added an extra something however; on the bottom of it's four legs were small thrusters, not meant to make the omnic fly by any rate, but it would allow it to jump especially high. Sombra had been orphaned by the omnic crisis. She hated this monstrosity. Even deactivated, the thing scared her. Talon had reprogrammed it to serve them, and had taken all the other deactivated bastions and OR14's (as well as several other omnic units) from the fields to take them apart for scrap. Who knew what they'd build with it all.

"Now, Sombra, if you would be so kind as to leave, we will drop Gabriel off and then be on our way."

"Good luck on your mission, blue pepe," Sombra said with a wink to Widowmaker. Widowmaker dug her fingernails into her arm and bit her lip, a hateful fire dancing in her eyes. Sombra laughed as she exited the limo. It peeled off, and Sombra walked back up the stone steps, alone.

"Shit, man, look at this fuckin' thing."

Hidden in the clouds, a Talon airship filled with six Talon mercenaries awaited the instructions of their commander, Reaper. They were dressed in black combat camo pants and bulletproof vests, with red lensed silver skull masks hiding their faces. Three of them were equipped with laser sighted assault rifles, two of them with laser sighted shotguns, and one with a sniper rifle. They were sitting as far as they could away from the deactivated OR14 unit, which towered over them, looking truly menacing. The fact that it was deactivated brought little comfort. Still, it was on their side.

"That thing's gonna tear the old lady apart," another merc said with a low whistle. "I'd hate to be her when that thing lands."

"Well, it'll only be used if she takes us out, so let's not get taken out, guys."

"I've heard stories of the Shrike," one of them said. "I heard she took down Reaper."

"Wasn't he distracted by Soldier 76?"

"Oh… Right."

"She's an old lady and missing an eye, but that doesn't mean her aim is off. There's six of us though, and we should be dropping right on top of her, or near her, at least." The merc speaking peeked out the window, down below at the passing rooftops of Dorado. "We should be there soon. Assuming Sombra's calculations are correct, we'll be landing directly on top of an automobile repair shop, which rises just higher than a storage unit that serves as a Los Muertos base, one of them, at least. Since they'll be camping inside a building, the Shrike will have to get closer than she's accustomed to."

"That's right," Reaper's voice fizzled in the merc's ear. "And the airship is almost there. Do not underestimate her. It'll be the last thing you ever do. And if you fail, you might as well blow your brains out."

"Yes sir," the merc said. He took a deep breath. He glanced at the deactivated OR14 again. He tightened his grip around the sniper rifle.

Just as Reaper had predicted, Soldier 76 was on the streets, watching the Los Muertos base from across the street. One of them was outside, smoking a cigarette while he disassembled his gun. Disassembling his gun, on guard duty. Idiot. The gang member's customary phosphorus paint on his face, arms and neck, revealing a skeletal design and illuminating him clearly with a purple glow.

Nine years ago, the Los Muertos gang had omnic members with them, but ever since they'd tossed out the president of LumériCo, their purpose had changed, though they denied it. Uneasy tensions between the omnic members and human members eventually came to a boiling point due to the omnic war. Apparently, some of the human members felt as though the Omnic members might go haywire, killing them all. Eventually, this dispute erupted in a gunfight, with a few of the human members fighting with their omnics. The result wasn't pretty, dozens of smoking omnic corpses were found by the police by dawn. Now, there wasn't a single Los Muertos omnic to be found.

"Ana, help me out. There's a soldier out front. He's dissembling his gun, the idiot. I could run across the street and take him out, but I don't want him to yell and alert the others, and it would take unnecess-"

"Alright, shut it," Ana interrupted him. A second passed. Two. Then, suddenly, there was a faint whistling sound as a syringe flew threw the air, hitting the man in the neck. The liquid emptied itself in the man's neck, and his eyes bulged out of his head. He stood up, took a step forward and shuddered terribly before collapsing over the table. Parts of his disassembled gun clattered to the floor. Soldier 76 snuck across the street, carrying his rifle in his hands. He could hear techno music, as well as lots of chatter, coming from within the base. It must've been a lot of guys.

"Ana, how many are there?" He hissed.

"A lot," Ana said obviously. "I'd say about fifteen or so, maybe more. I don't have a bird's eye view, so some of them might be out of my line of sight."

"Only 15 or so?" Jack mused. "Almost seems unfair… For them." Jack ran across the street, trying to keep low. The only sentient beings nearby was an old homeless man in a box, who curiously peeked at Jack from underneath his ragged blanket, joined by a pair of yellow feline eyes.

"Ana, can you check the door that I'm at?"

"Yes. There's a man leaning against the wall next to it, but you're both hidden behind a shelf stocked with guns. If you're quick, you can get him without alerting the others." Jack didn't need to hear anymore. He opened the door and rolled inside. The gang member looked up in surprise, but Jack didn't give him any time to breathe. He leaped forward, pressing his forearm against the man's throat, choking him. The man feebly attempted to punch Jack in his guts, but he had tiny stick arms that did little to nothing at all. His eyes fluttered as the fight went out of him. Jack let him sink to the floor, alive but asleep. Jack stared at him. He was young, only about 18 or so.

"Los Muertos ends tonight," Jack growled.

"Agreed," Ana said amicably. "Wait… Jack, there's someth-" There was a sharp buzz, and Jack's earpiece gave him a small electric shock.

"Ana?" Jack hissed. "Ana! What's your status? Are you alright?" There was no reply. Jack cursed. He peeked through the Los Muertos members, still relaxing. Some were playing poker, or playing videogames on a flatscreen tv nearby. They weren't any immediate concern. Jack dragged the the two Los Muertos members he'd taken out away, hiding them in the ally behind the building. Then he raced down the street to help his partner.

A few streets away and about three stories up, Ana Amari was hiding behind a raised section of roof while under fire from six talon mercanaries. Two of them were in front of her, quickly approaching with shotguns. With each blast, they chipped away at her cover. If she poked her head out to fire off so much as a shot, the sniper would get in a headshot. Ana didn't yet know his location, but she guessed he was in front of her somehwere. There were a few vantage points that she could see that would be a good spot for a sniper.

She couldn't reach Jack either, her communications with him had been cut. She hoped he was on his way, but she didn't have time to wait for him.

Ana had an idea. The sniper would kill her if she poked her head out, or else the shotgunners would blast her away. She'd have to blindfire. She took out a special concoction that she'd "borrowed." It wouldn't hurt the mercenaries, not really, but it would greatly shrink their armour in seconds to the point of it popping off of them. She lobbed it over her head and waited for something to happen. There was crash, then one of the mercs said, "what the fu-" There was a tightening sound and then a popping sound, and finally, the sound of body armour clattering to the ground. There were ripping sounds too, as the liquid shrunk the mercs' clothing.

Ana heard the two shotgunners retreating, leaping back over the rooftops to their comrades in arms. Hopefully they wouldn't return. She tried her radio again.

"Jack, do you copy? I'm under fire." The was no reply. "Jack. Jack! Damn!" She squatted down, unsure of what to do. The Los Muertos gang members had heard the gunshots and were now arming themselves. There were a lot more than Ana had guessed, about twenty or so. More than she and Jack could handle between the two of them. They were severely outnumbered. For the first time in a long time, Ana Amari didn't know what to do.

Then, the answer presented itself in an interesting way. The Los Muertos gang members, who were now outside, saw the Talon airship hanging out in the sky and immediately assumed they were under attack. One of them grabbed a rocket launcher and fired it. Ana watched as the burning missile flew threw the air for a couple of seconds, leaving a trail of smoke behind a pillar of fire, before exploding into the side of the ship. The ship hurtled through the air, straight at a tall church tower. Coincidentally, this was the same tower the sniper was at. Ana took a peek and saw her enemies' gazes fixed not on her, but on the chaos. The ship crashed into the tower, which exploded. A burning Talon sniper jumped out of it, down several feet to his death.

Ana took the chance to strike back. She managed to get two down before they realized what was happening, but by the that time, something new and unexpected happened.

There was a heavy crash, one which threw the mercs in the air, some of them even got launched off the roof. One of them got to his feet, and upon seeing what had crashed down beside him, began to cheer, at least, until the OR-14 brought out a red hot blade and put it through the merc's stomach. Ana winced as the blade went all the way through, right out the back. The other mercenary still on the roof fired off a few rounds, but that did little to nothing at all to the omnic. It turned and marched forward a few feet to grab the mercenary by the throat. It raised the struggling soldier up, brought it's arm up to the soldier's face, and shot several rounds of lead into it. The OR-14 tossed the corpse away like a toy doll that it didn't want to play with anymore. Ana stared at it. It's head was damaged, sparking wires were sticking out of one side. Perhaps Talon had reprogrammed it to serve them, but something had gone wrong. It must've gotten damaged in the crash, and was now attacking everything in sight.

It leaped forward, crashing right on Ana's roof. She was blasted backwards, nearly falling off the roof. She grabbed the ledge right at the last second, but her rifle had escaped her grasp, clattering on the street below her. Not that it would have helped anyways, her darts were designed to specifically incapacitate human targets.

Ana looked up in fear and desperation as the OR-14 raised it's gun, directly as Ana's face. The barrel began to spin…