"Have you heard the news?"

Tracer had been sitting on the roof staring out at the dark, silent streets of King's Row at night, but she turned and looked up at the sound of Pharah's voice.

"What news?" Tracer asked.

Pharah scowled. "About McCree?"

Tracer got up slowly. "What happened? Is he alright?"

Pharah laughed bitterly and sat down beside her. "Oh, he's fine. He's on the run; he's done something terrible."

"What's he done?" asked Tracer anxiously.

Pharah turned to look at her and Tracer was shocked to see tears in her eyes. "He went after Mercy. She's dead."

"No," said Tracer immediately, shaking her head. "That can't be true."

Pharah was barely listening. "It happened in Eichenwalde. Apparently he tracked her there, cornered her in the castle, and shot her down."

"No!" cried Tracer. "Why would he do that? It can't be true!"

"Mercy is definitely dead. I've seen her body," said Pharah quietly. "And all the evidence points to McCree."

Tracer was trying and failing to hold back tears. She could not, would not believe that McCree, her friend, had done this. "There has to be a mistake," she said desperately. "McCree is not a murderer."

"We don't know that!" snapped Pharaoh, anger breaking through her grief. "He had quite the shady past and maybe he's gone back to his old ways and worse. That's not important. We need to find him and bring him in so we can get to the bottom of this. Junkrat's already prepared to go after him, and I've contacted Reinhardt as well."

"Junkrat?" repeated Tracer incredulously. "You'd trust Junkrat but you don't trust McCree? Junkrat has actually been a dangerous criminal!"

Pharah curled her lips. "I don't like it either, but all the evidence points to McCree's guilt, and Junkrat has done nothing to suggest that he hasn't turned over a new leaf. I'll need all the help I can get, and besides, Reinhardt will be with us to help keep him in check."

Tracer was shaking her head, tears still running down her cheeks. "This isn't right. There's something going on here. McCree would not do this!"

Pharaoh stood up quickly, towering over Tracer. "Listen to me. If he's truly innocent, we will figure it out. But he can't be allowed to remain at large after he put that many bullet holes in Mercy." She turned and walked away, leaving Tracer alone to sob.

The next morning, Tracer met up with Soldier: 76 in a street near the outskirts of King's Row.

"I don't know what to do!" said Tracer urgently. "Pharah is completely convinced that McCree killed Mercy! She says there's evidence!"

"Did you ask what the evidence was?" asked 76 calmly. "Were there any witnesses to Mercy's death?"

Tracer paused and shook her head. "I didn't ask, I was too shocked by what she was telling me..."

"She must be pretty certain of McCree's guilt if she's willing to work with the likes of Junkrat to take him down," scowled 76.

"What do we do?" Tracer asked desperately. "They're going to kill him, I know they are!"

"Let's calm down," said 76. "We don't know that they're going to kill him. What I'd like to know is exactly why Pharah is so concerned with it. I didn't think she and Mercy were close."

"Everyone loved Mercy," Tracer pointed out. "And Pharah's always trying to do the right thing..."

"That's true," said 76, glancing over his shoulder to make sure no one was listening in on them. "Alright, here's what we're going to do..."

The sound of footsteps interrupted him, and they both spun around to see Pharah, Reinhardt, and Junkrat standing several yards away.

"Hello there," said Pharah evenly. "We're heading out to track down McCree, will you two be joining us? We could use your help."

"Yeah, we'll need you to help us put as many bullets in him as he did in Mercy," Junkrat snickered. Reinhardt grabbed him threateningly.

"That's enough out of you," Reinhardt warned. "If you weren't such a good tracker, we wouldn't have brought you with us, so just keep quiet."

Tracer was shaking. "You're going to kill McCree!"

"If it comes to that," said Pharah calmly. "Reinhardt and I will ensure that justice is done. We would prefer it if no lives were lost."

"He's my friend," said Pharah desperately, with 76 watching her but not saying anything. "He's done nothing but earn all of our trust. We have no right to just accuse him like this!"

"The girl's right," said 76. "What sort of evidence can there be for you to convict him so suddenly?"

Pharah turned toward him, fury in her eyes. "Training bots which we left behind at Eichenwalde recorded the crime. I saw the actual video of him shooting Mercy. Would you like to see it, Tracer?"

Tracer didn't know why, but she simply couldn't believe what Pharah was telling her. "That can't be the whole story. I won't accept this! We know that McCree isn't a murderer. Why would he kill Mercy in the first place?"

Pharah raised her rocket launcher. "That's for him to tell us, before I destroy him myself."

"So you're going to kill him after all!" screamed Tracer suddenly. The others jumped back, suddenly tense.

"Mercy was everything that's good and innocent in the world, and McCree slaughtered her!" Pharah roared back. "I think it's only fair that we return the favor!"

Tracer didn't know what came over her in that moment, but a kind of righteous fury that she had never known possessed her. Without thinking, without considering the consequences of her actions, she drew both of her pistols and aimed them at Pharah's head.

"You won't kill him," she whispered, breathing heavily. "I won't let you."

Rage flared in Pharah's eyes. Reinhardt and Junkrat stepped forward.

"Stand down, Tracer!" hissed 76.

"So this is how it will be?" asked Reinhardt sadly. "You intend to stand in the way of justice?"

"You call it justice," whispered Tracer. "I call it condemning our friend."

"McCree's guilt was made very, very clear by the training bots' recordings!" said Junkrat with a deranged grin.

"Videos can be faked," said 76.

Pharah raised an eyebrow. "And just how likely is it that what you're describing would have happened, Soldier: 76? If there's one thing I've learned throughout my life, it's to prepare for the worst."

"Innocent until proven guilty," 76 replied, looking her in the eye.

"Any court in the world would tell you that this is perfectly good proof," Pharah hissed.

"Ah," smiled 76. "But you're not a court, are you?"

"I don't have time for this," scowled Pharah. "So is it as Reinhardt said? You two intend to obstruct justice?"

"We intend to obstruct your justice, yes!" Tracer said.

Pharah stepped forward. "Then we're going to have to take you down first."

As Pharah, Reinhardt, and Junkrat closed in on Tracer and 76, Pharah aimed her rocker launcher at the pair.

"Surrender," she said. "I won't say it again."

Suddenly, an energy blast went off, sending Pharah, Reinhardt, and Junkrat crashing to the ground. Tracer and 76 jumped back.

"That was no bomb," said 76, aiming his rifle around.

Tracer shook her head, grinning. It was an EMP. Sombra!

Out of nowhere, Sombra dashed out from the shadows and grabbed Tracer and 76. "Hurry! The blast will only knock out their weapons for a short time!"

"Damn you, Sombra!" groaned Pharah, struggling to stand up.

"Sorry, Pharah," Sombra said regretfully. "You'll thank me later. I've listened in and it seems clear to me that Tracer is right. So I hope you'll understand, but I have to do this."

She took hold of 76 and Tracer and quickly guided them down an alley and away from their attackers, as Junkrat yelled after them.