Chapter 1: Caught in the Slipstream

"This heat is unbearable," you mutter under your breath as you wipe a single bead of sweat away from your brow. Perhaps the sweat could be attributed to your nerves rather than the ambient temperature. Somewhere along the line, you developed the habit of talking to yourself whenever anxiety crept up on you.

You sat in solitude inside of the autopiloted MV-261 Orca. Despite travelling at supersonic speed, the jet turbines were inaudible from inside the fuselage. This phenomenon fascinated you, as it was the polar-opposite of the jets that you had become accustomed to from your short time in the Air Force. Something about this small, but noticeable, change began to drive your anxiety from a creep to a sprint. It was only a few months ago that you had been handpicked by Overwatch to take part in the trials of their revolutionary jet, Slipstream, which could apparently move seamlessly through time and space in short intervals. You were chosen because you were the most lethal gunner in the Air Force, and Overwatch only recruited the most capable individuals to join their cause. However, your credentials and qualifications did not help suppress your stressful thoughts.

"Unfortunate that Aiden couldn't come," you say before realizing that you are once again trying to battle your nerves by breaking the silence with words directed to nobody.

Aiden was your pilot and best friend. However, you were informed by Overwatch officials that you would be testing Slipstream with a British pilot, Lena Oxton. Apparently, she was best pilot the Royal Air Force had to offer.

"Now arriving at Watchpoint Gibraltar. Local time is 18:54" said a voice that did not belong to you.

Startled, you jump in your seat. Damn your nervousness.

"Thank you, Athena," you quickly spat out before getting up from your seat to look out the hull window.

The Watchpoint was massive. You heard scuttlebutt around your old base of the impressive facilities that Overwatch maintained, but they had not done any justice for the military campus that sprawled before you.

The base was built into the cliffs dangling above the ever-blue ocean. The waves crashed high onto the rock, but stood no chance to reaching the facility's ground level, which was bustling with troops and moving hovercrafts. The buildings were large and numerous, which made the military facility seem more like (Your City) than a base. One glass building, or skyscraper, on the very edge of the cliff caught your eye. The famous Overwatch insignia was glowing bright on top of the tower, replacing the dying light of the sun over the horizon. You didn't know it yet, but that was the agent dormitory.

The MV-261 landed as silently as it flew. You were so caught up in the aesthetics of the base that it took the doors of the aircraft opening for you to realize that you were on solid ground. You grabbed your bags and slowly walked down the ramp to the landing pad.

"Greetings, (Your Name). My name is Winston. Welcome to Gibraltar," said a large gorilla in spectacles that were much too small for his face. You would have never guessed that the gorilla's voice would sound as it did.

"Hello there, Winston. This place is gigantic," you said with a hearty, but anxious, laugh. You silently cursed yourself for not being able to hide your emotions better. Luckily, the gorilla scientist did not seem to take notice.

Winston let out a very orchestrated business laugh and said, "Every new recruit, trooper, and staff member says that. I am sure the Watchpoint is very different than the bases you're used to in the Air Force."

He was right, but you couldn't help but feel slightly offended by his comment. The Air Force facilities back home were not as extravagant, but they were functional and nice enough. You began to think of your time at your old base with Aiden and your other friends. For a brief moment, you found yourself missing home. Not home, the old Air Force base. This was home now.

"Ha… Yeah I suppose so," you said avoiding eye contact as best you could.

Winston noticed your discomfort and immediately changed the subject, "Let's not waste any more time. I will accompany you to your quarters."

The gorilla waved in his direction as he turned around and walked on all four legs toward the elevated walkway. You followed him as he navigated through the catwalks toward the building that caught your eye earlier, which seemed even more massive now that you were up close. The luminescent Overwatch logo grew even brighter as the sun continued to retreat into the ocean.

"This way, (Your Name)," said Winston as he adjusted his glasses and pointed toward the entrance of the dormitory.

You walked ahead of Winston into the lobby and immediately looked up at the ceiling that must have been 40 feet high. It seemed more like a five-star hotel than a military barracks.

"What in the hell is this place?" you ask rhetorically. Your mouth stood agape and a sense of wonder was prevalent on your face. Not wanting to seem awestruck, you quickly regain your composure and make eye contact with Winston.

"I didn't realize the Ritz-Carlton opened up a location in Gibraltar," you said with an ever so slight smirk.

Winston laughed aloud genuinely. His organic laugh was a lot more pleasant than his business laugh, and it put you at ease.

"Just wait until you see the room," the gorilla said whilst making his way toward the oversize elevator, beckoning you to follow.

Winston used a holographic tool projected from his body suit to select the 19th floor, and the elevator began to make its quick ascent. You internally wished that your dorm was a few floors higher, but you wouldn't dare say anything aloud.

Your thoughts were interrupted when the elevator doors opened a little too suddenly for your liking. The open doors revealed a large hall way adorned with the classic Overwatch blue, orange, and white color scheme. The side of the hall opposite of you was completely made of glass and overlooked the sprawling behemoth of a military base.

The gorilla scientist led you down the hall 1903, one of six rooms on the floor.

Winston opened the door using his holographic tool once again. "After you," he said extending his right arm toward the entrance.

"That master key you got there is slightly unsettling. I am going to have to install a deadlock," you jokingly said as you walked through the doorway.

Your jaw dropped at the sight of your quarters.

The entire apartment must have been 2000 square feet, much bigger than the quarters of even the highest ranking official at your old base. Hell, the kitchen itself was bigger than your old living space. You turned to your left and saw a lounge area complete with an oversized L-shaped couch, coffee table, and 70" TV. Behind the space was a sizable patio that overlooked the ocean, which had now completely swallowed the sun leaving behind a faint pink afterglow. To your right was a set of stairs that circled around and up the room toward a mezzanine, which you assumed led to your bedroom. To top it all off, the entire outer wall of the space was made of glass to give a clear view of the ocean from any position within the apartment.

"What in the…" you say as you attempt to once again hide your awe.

"I'm pleased that you like it," Winston said with a smile whilst handing you a small device to be worn on your wrist.

"What is this?" you ask with an eyebrow slightly raised.

"That is your connection to Athena. She will keep records for you, remind you of your scheduled appointments, and help you navigate through the Watchpoint," Winston said as he turned toward the exit.

"You better get some rest, you have a big day tomorrow. Athena, be sure to remind (Your Name) that he must be in the hanger bay at 9:00 tomorrow to begin the Slipstream trials," Winston said as he maintained eye contact with you.

"I'll be there," you said matter-of-factly. Your nerves had finally settled down enough for you to be able to display your usual confidence. After all, you were the best gunner in your home country's Air Force, possibly the world.

With the sudden boost of confidence, you decided to head up the stairs to your room so that you could put an end to the longest day you've had in a while.

Tomorrow was the beginning of the next step of your career.

"Good morning Mr. (Your Last Name). You asked me to wake you up at 7:30," Athena said in her softest voice that the female AI could muster.

You wiped your eyes and rolled on your side, giving you a view toward the tinted window. Athena began to slowly deactivate the window tint until the window was fully transparent once again. The sunset last night was beautiful, but this sunrise was breathtaking. It was almost as if the triumphant emergence of the sun metaphorically symbolized your first day as an Overwatch gunner agent.

You quickly, at least by morning standards, sprung out of your king-sized bed and into your walk-in shower to bring yourself to life. Normally, you would use your time in the shower to reflect, but today was different. There would be no reflection today, only preparation. Today you would move forward. Only forward.

You donned your tight blue flight suit and made your way out of your room in a rush.

You pressed the button to call the elevator before looking down to your wrist device, which showed a time of 8:15. Plenty of time to navigate your way to the hanger.

The sound of the elevator arriving on the 19th floor made you look up from your wrist device. The doors opened to reveal a beautiful brunette cadet, wearing a tight flight suit similar to yours. Her hair was spiky and unkempt, but somehow it fit her face perfectly. Her bangs were swept off to the right side of her face, covering one eyebrow and casting a shadow over one eye. She had previously been looking her wrist device as well, but now her big amber-brown eyes were fixed on your (Your Eye Color) ones.

Somehow you managed to keep your mouth from going agape like it had with just about every sight you've seen since you arrived in Gibraltar. Why did everything here have to be stunningly beautiful? More importantly, why couldn't you internalize your emotions better? Most likely because you were undergoing a massive life change.

"Hello, love. The name is Lena. Lena Oxton," the bubbly brunette said as she extended her hand toward yours.

It only took you a moment to react, but the moment was clearly noticeable to both parties.

"Ah, so you're the phenom pilot that I've heard so much about," you said finally accepting her hand in a firm, but friendly, shake.

You were surprised Lena was so young. She looked even younger than you, and you were the one normally heralded as the "Young Gunner" back in the Air Force. She couldn't have been a day over 21.

"Oh, my name is (Your Full Name)," you quickly said remembering that you had left out that important detail.

She giggled softly before saying, "Nice to meet you, (Your Name)."

"I've been looking forward to working with the so-called 'Young Gunner'," she said with a smile on her face, making certain to give her best American accent when saying your old nickname.

You put one hand behind your neck and broke eye contact with the Brit. The name held a lot of weight back in the states, but it sounded silly coming from her.

"Oh buck up, love. I'm only foolin'," she said with yet another smile as she nudged you with her shoulder.

"At least my reputation precedes me. To be honest, I have been dreading working with you, Lena," you said jokingly back at her.

The banter between you two continued all the way to hanger, which is quite a feat considering the distance between the dormitory and the hanger. It was unlike you to act so casual toward new squad members, but Lena was easy to be yourself around.

The hanger was built into the cliffside. It had three exits, but only one big enough to fly a jet through. The jet exit faced out of the cliff toward the ocean, and it had retractable doors that were shielded with rock similar to that of the cliff, which hid the hanger completely when they were closed. To you, it seemed like the kind of hanger a super-villain would incorporate in the design of his super-secret lair.

Upon entering the hanger, you two were greeted by a team of engineers along with Winston and a few seemingly high-ranking Overwatch officials.

"Ah, great to see the duo arriving early to Day One of the trials," Winston said in his usual cheery voice.

Winston turned toward the officials, "Let me introduce your commanding officers. They will be overseeing the trials." Winston stuck a hand in the general direction of the leftmost officer. "This is Strike Commander Jack Morrison."

Jack Morrison was built much like you. He was tall, muscular, and had a strong jaw line; he looked exactly like Hollywood's interpretation of a military hero. His blonde hair was unkempt, but other than that he seemed to be the archetypal male protagonist, almost to the point where he seemed like a boring cookie-cutter action hero.

Jack adjusted his eye piece and looked directly at the duo with a subtle half smile. "Glad to have you two."

Either Jack was a man of few words, or he was ready to skip formalities and get on with the trials. Maybe both.

Winston felt the awkward silence that followed and quickly moved on, "This is the Head of Blackwatch, Gabriel Reyes."

Gabriel was also built like a Hollywood hero, but less so than Jack. Although all the officials wore a similar style uniform, Gabriel's was all black. It was almost refreshing to see some color other than the typical Overwatch color scheme.

Gabriel's stoic expression did not change at the mention of his name and title. He merely said, "Let's get this show on the road."

Apparently, Gabriel and Jack had more than just body build in common.

Shocked by both short introductions, Winston coughed and pointed at the last commanding officer. "And finally," Winston emphasized the irony of what he just said by pausing his sentence, "this is Second-in-Command Ana Amari."

The Egyptian woman raised her hand in a casual salute to the duo and said, "I have heard a lot about both of your skill sets. I am excited to see you both in action. My two colleagues may not show it very well, but we all have been on edge waiting to see how you handle the Slipstream. We are not sure what to expect of the results, but you two are the cream of the crop."

You and Lena share a quick glance at each other. You both seemed a little uneasy of her mention about the unexpected results. Even though you both previously knew that there was an element of danger that came with pioneering untested technology, the gravity of the situation just donned on the both of you.

Noticing the duo's hesitation, Winston spoke up, "My team of engineers and I have spent months developing the Slipstream. Non-human trials went without a hitch, and we have no reason to believe these trials will go otherwise. Now if the officers would excuse us, we have work to do. I will meet with you three up in the observation deck after I get Lena and (Your Name) settled in."

Winston put a hand on both of shoulders and gently pushed you two further into the cavernous hanger. You and Lena took this as a hint to lead the way toward the jet that sat toward the cliff side exit of the hanger.

Not surprisingly, the Slipstream looked way more advanced than any jet you flew previously. It was slightly smaller than the F-50 Sonic, the current staple of the U.S. Air Force, but it appeared to have much more firepower. The fuselage was sleek and slim, and the wings on either side of the jet attached along the entire length of the main body. Behind the main body, two jet engines were glowing blue under pre-flight checks.

"Impressive, isn't she?" Winston said with a smirk. "My team and I have dedicated the better part of 5 years designing and building her."

"No fucking kidding…" Lena said with a childlike wonder gleam in her eye as she ran toward the jet.

"Now this takes the cake. Everything else about this base has been amazing, but this is something else," you say as you run both of your hands through your hair and slowly make your way in Lena's trail.

"I am going up to the observation deck, and I will be on the comm when we are ready to start the test," said the gorilla with a wave. "Best of luck."

By the time you had reached the Slipstream, Lena had already opened the canopy and gotten inside the cockpit.

"What the bloody hell is this?" you heard the Brit say. "I have to lay in here while you get a nice cozy seat?"

The Slipstream's sleek model came at a cost. To fit spaces for both the pilot and gunner, the pilot had to lay down below the gunner seat to fly the jet. For practically reasons, the gunner could not be the one to lay down as he would need to be able to rotate 360 degrees to fire from all angles.

"Bloody hell, do they not know who you are? You're Lena Oxton aka… Oh… Wait that's right you weren't given a nickname," you said mockingly, making certain to use an overly British accent for the first two words.

"This is rubbish," the young Brit went on choosing to ignore your comment.

"Just get in the plane, Oxton."

She gave you a very sarcastic salute. "Aye aye, (Your Last Name)."

With that exchange, you both climbed into your respective positions, equipped your flight helmets, and awaited the comm check in silence.

There it was again. The silence. Your stomach started to turn. The anxiety was creeping back as you started to realize what you were about to do. You wanted badly to break the silence to help alleviate your nervousness, but you didn't want to seem tense in front of Lena. The one thing that brought you comfort was that the usually loud Lena was dead silent, which you assumed to have meant that she was also tense.

After what seemed like an eternity, Winston's voice burst through the comm. "How is the dynamic duo out there?"

"Ready to roll," Lena said playfully, but also with confidence.

So much for your one item of comfort.

"The control scheme is fairly intuitive. First, we would like you to fire up the twin engines and fly around over the water. Then, we will test both the 'blinking' and 'recall' features. Finally, we will test all weapon systems. Got it?"

"Roger," said both you and Lena in unison.

"Jinx you owe me a fizzy drink," she said almost immediately after temporarily disabling her comm.

You rolled your eyes, but you did find her childlike humor endearing.

"Fizzy what? Just fly the damn plane, Oxton," you said trying, but failing, to hold back your laughter.

"You got it," Lena said as she fired up both engines and engaged the thrusters.

The Slipstream had quite a bit of "get up." The acceleration to flight speed was much quicker than any other jet you or Lena had been in. After bracing from the initial jolt, you both regained your bearings and got into business mode.

"Flight is go, awaiting clearance for blink test" the Brit said into the comm.

"You're all clear, Slipstream," said Jack over the comm.

Lena looked up at you over her shoulder with her amber-brown eyes. "Ready, (Your Name)?"

Somehow you feigned enough confidence to flash your teeth at her in a smirk. "Do it."

Lena abruptly shoved the joystick right and held the rightmost button on the stick, causing the Slipstream to blink right at a 45-degree angle. It felt as if your heart skipped a beat, or as if you forgot to breathe for a few seconds. Because of your body's momentum, you were jolted backwards immediately after the blink. Other than slight discomfort, you would say that the blink was a success.

Lena laughed loudly and yelled, "Wicked!"

You began to laugh along with her before being cut off by an unexpected blink. And then another. And then another. You thought for a moment that you were going to be sick, but luckily the Slipstream's drive core needed time to recharge before making another slip through time. You focused on the horizon to alleviate your stomach discomfort. The past couple years of flying had taught you that old trick.

"Careful now, Lena. Let's not overdo it," Winston said over the comm.

The gorilla scientist tried to come off as a stern manager, but his voice clearly indicated that he was just as excited as both you and Lena. You could hear cheers in the background of the comm coming from the other engineers and officials in the observation deck.

"Now let's try the 'recall' function," Winston said recomposing himself. You imagine he probably readjusted his glasses at that very moment.

The excitement settled down in the observation deck, and once again all eyes were on the Slipstream. However, it was clear to see that the deck was still very excited about the initial results.

Gaining confidence in your pilot, you say, "Give them what they want, Lena."

She once again looked over your shoulder and winked before pressing the leftmost button on her joystick.

The Slipstream vanished from sight of the observation deck. Nearly everyone in the room held their breath awaiting the jet's return to the present.

This is my first fanfiction I have ever done, so any constructive feedback is appreciated. Let me know if you are interested in more content in this story. If there is interest, I will try my best to pump out quality work in a timely manner.

Also, any suggestions on what you like/don't like about the YOUR character or your character's relationship with the other characters is also appreciated. I want to try to make this story feel as immersive as possible, and I will try to do so by personalizing the character as much as possible.