Operation: Sydney
"K4?", The young man, still covered in a layer of dust, whispered through blackened teeth to the broken Omnic beneath him. Three of its nine headlights had shattered, sparks flying from its lower body. The chest of the machine was slowly being crushed beneath a part of the roof that had caved in. Its speakers let out a blur of static, a mechanised hand reaching up to touch the man's cheek. The young man, an Australian gentlemen numbering only twenty or so with dark hair, met the eye-slits of the machine. Gunfire could be heard as the Talon operatives continued to storm through the facility, gunning down anyone that they came across.
"Kzzrt... Go... Krrrrk... Varik. I... Zrrpk... Join the Iris". The broken words emanated from the Omnic as the cold metal hand slid down from Varik's face, thudding into the ground beneath them. The last of the headlights faded out. Varik looked down at his lifelong friend for a few moments, the smoke and gunfire fading from sight and sound as everything seemed to focus on that one moment.
He broke himself away, turning his gaze when he heard the door to the room thud as someone attempted to get in. Varik looked around quickly, quickly crawling through the rubble towards an overturned desk, pressing his back to it to make himself as small as possible. The caved in with an almighty crack, the sound of heavy boots were heard soon after. Varik peered from his hiding spot, seeing two of the Talon operatives, dressed all in black combat armour, looking through the room. Each were carrying two large assault rifles, as black as the rest of their armour that seemed to blend in with the smoke tumbling into the room. The man reached down and picked up a large shard of metal that was by his side, his eyes closing as he heard the boots getting closer to his location.
"You think the boss is certain one of Them is here?", he heard one say to the other, the voice being carried across an altered voice modulator, likely in the man's helmet.
"Of course they do. I doubt the boss would've brought so many of the other big-wigs... We've got to be quick... Omega team is saying that they say one of Their dropships coming this way". The other voice carried authority and had no modulator. It sounded female. But Varik just gripped his shard of metal tighter, well aware of what he might have to do... But what could he do? The worst fight he had gotten into was as a teenager with some other kid twice his size.
"They are here..." The voice sent shivers through Varik's spine. It definitely was neither of the two of the Talon soldiers in the room and it seemed to come from the smoke. He thought he saw glimpses of a skull floating through upon deeper inspection, which only made his fear grow as he sunk into the wooden table. He heard another set of footsteps, soft and quiet, as the two operatives turned away.
"Sir, we have not completed the sweep of the building. The artefact c-" The voice was cut off by a booming snap, followed by a click. The body slammed into the table where Varik was hiding, shunting him forwards somewhat. The other, as yet unseen figure, threw whatever was in its hands to the ground.
"Regroup with the others. We are leaving." He heard the ghostly voice emanate through the smoke once more. Sounds of the two Talon operatives turning and leaving soon faded beneath the echoing gunfire and explosions radiating from the rest of the building. Varik let out a sigh of relief, throwing the metal shard away before looking from his hiding place. Blood was pooling near him, the Talon operative was still slumped against the table, a gaping hole in his chest where someone had shot him at close range. Presumably the smoking weapons on the ground near him were what did it. He looked around slowly before reaching down and taking one of the smoking weapons. It was light and as black as the weapons of the other Talon units. It was of expert make... Why someone would throw such a thing away was baffling. The roof above him groaned as something heavy landed on it, showering the room with more dust. He made for the door, sending a look over his shoulder at the crushed body of K4-R1, before heading out the door.
The corridor was long, with rooms branching off here and there. Blood smeared up the walls with the accompanying bodies on the ground, with the same sizeable hole that he had seen on the Talon unit. Smoke was thick here as well, Varik having to take deep breaths in order to not choke. He glanced out of one of the windows on the wall, seeing a dropship below him, in the usual Talon black colours, being boarded by several teams of Talon terrorists. They moved with military precision and timing. He had heard the stories about them, but had no idea as to what they were capable of. Footsteps suddenly appeared behind him and he swung around, wielding the shotgun in two hands. Before him, a tall... Presumably man, clad in a black cloak stood before him. The man leered at Varik from behind a skull mask, revealing nothing of the features beneath. The rest of the man was clad in heavy combat armour and bandoliers of shotgun shells. Varik could feel himself shake as he slowly dropped the weapon at his feet. A sinister, ghostly chuckle came from the masked man, a clawed hand reaching out to grab Varik by the throat. The strength of the figure was incredible, managing to lift Varik without even seeming to put effort into it.
"You are lucky to have survived... Civilian. I will ask you only once..." The voice was sinister, making Varik's skin goose bump and his body to shiver in fear.
"Where is the core?"
Varik tapped a few numbers into the terminal, sweat continuously beading and falling to the ground from hid forehead as he felt the unending gaze of Reaper on his back. The monster had produced another pair of his shotguns, keeping one pointed to Varik. Occasionally his radio buzzed, Talon operatives shouting that 'They' were here and that they should withdraw. Each time, a barking shout from Reaper told them that they would remain until the job was done. Explosions rocked the building as the bullet resistant glass door slid open silently, revealing the dark room inside. Reaper stepped forward and pushed the man in with a shotgun to his back, following shortly after. Light globes lit the room up quickly, revealing row after row of data-banks. The door slid silently shut behind them again.
"Stay here". The ghostly voice pierced through him. The cloaked man put the shotguns away in the depths of his cloak before he walked off in a seemingly random direction. Varik felt his legs give out from under him as he collapsed to the floor, breathing heavily in a vain attempt to calm himself. He did not know how long he had lain there, but eventually there was a smashing noise as something came through the door, small shards of glass cutting him through his clothes. He scrambled to his feet, quickly turning to see what has come through. A white-haired man stood infront of him, his face obscured by a mask with some kind of visor. He wore a blue jacket of sorts over combat armour. A large machine rifle was in his hands and Varik could tell the man was equally surprised to see him. A gruff voice came from the mask,
"Athena said there were no civilians left in the building... You should not be here...". Varik just stood there, still shaking from the encouter with Reaper, unable to speak. Before he could even have the common decency to wet himself, that ghostly voice emanated through the banks of computer columns,
"Jack... Long time no see. Still saving little girls from street thugs?". The voice seemed come from nowhere and everywhere. The soldier raised his weapon, seeming to forget about the civilian.
"Reyes! Come out and fight, traitor!" He snarled through his mask into the room. One by one, the lights went out. Starting from the back to the front of the room until the only light was what could tumble through the shattered doorway onto the back of the soldier, revealing a large, almost cartoony "76" written on the back of it. An ominous chuckle swam through the darkness, reaching the ears of the duo. There was a crack, followed by a snap, before sparks went flying from a nearby computer back, showering the duo in sparks. 76 dived into the darkness and Varik dived to the ground, seeking what little protection it could offer. Flashes of crimson exchanged with flashes of blue, explosions appearing every now and then as the Soldier fired several volleys of helix rockets at Reaper. The fight continued for what felt like hours, both sides hurling insults and curses at one another that Varik did not understand. Some names and places rang vague bells, stories from his childhood and glimpses at the news coming to mind, but for the most part he kept his head down. There was a lul in the noise, and Varik felt someone strong grab him by the scruff of his neck, feeling cold steel be pressed the side of his face. He let a whimper escape his lips as he saw the bloodstained claw of Reaper wrap around his torso, the shotgun at his head. From the dark, he could see the orange line of Soldier's visor looking at them.
"It seems we are at a stalemate once again Commander. You would not shoot thhis innocent man, would you?" The shotgun was further pressed into his head, the ring of the chamber against his temple. There was more silence before the orange line could be seen to step closer. Reaper started to walk backwards, holding onto Varik as he stepped over the broken glass.
"I don't play by the rules anymore Reyes!" The shout came from the dark as the orange line of the visor seemed to explode and radiate with a yellow glow. Flashes of blue lit up the corridor of computer banks as Varik heard Reaper snarl in pain. Blue bolts of plasma singed the hair on the side of his face, but noticeably missing. Eventually he felt himself suddenly fall back, a wisp of black smoke coiling around him before disappearing. He heard footsteps come towards him and heard something said before his vision faded,
"Overwatch! Withdraw! Reaper got away. Mercy, prepare for one casualty, one civilian".
