Heya, Companions. This is my first Overwatch fanfic, so if you like it, please give reviews. This story is a three-part fanfic based on a concepta friend and I had based on Junkers. Hope you enjoy!
"It is, with great honor, that I bestow the title of Officer to Miss Katherine Peregrina and the title of Cadet to Miss Kate Peregrina." Katherine stood, holding Kate's hand as the two approached the stage. Jack grinned at the two as he gestured to Gabriel, applauding to them. Gabe approached the women, placing a pin on their uniforms. "Congratulations, Grosbeak. Congratulations, Kate."
"Thank you, Gabriel." Katherine smiled as the crowd applauded for them, heading back to her seat. Kate followed close by, taking her hand as they sat. "Look at that, Mom. Officer Grosbeak. It's amazing." Katherine looked at her daughter, nodding. "It is. Cadet, though. Your training finally paid off."
"I'm glad it did." Kate smiled, turning to watch as members of Overwatch got promotions. There was Lena, one of the many Overwatch members she admired and became best friends with. Angela was very nice to her, especially during monthly check-ups. Ana was like a second mother, her daughter Fareeha being like a sister. Jesse was fun to play with whenever her mom was busy with paperwork, especially when he acted like an absolute child. Reinhardt made good company, always telling stories of brave adventures and daring quests. She didn't spend much time with Jack, Gabriel, or Winston, but perhaps that'll change soon.
This was the perfect life for her. She couldn't think of any other life that would suit her better.
Except one.
All this was years ago, back when life was much more simple. These days, people seemed to be more hostile around her. Kate didn't know why this was the case, but she didn't care. She had a mission to accomplish. This mission was of utmost importance and she couldn't afford to waste any time on it. She could remember getting the news like it was almost yesterday. The exact words that pushed her to do this mission.
"Commander Morrison!" Kate pushed on the doors to Jack's office, eyes wide in fright. It couldn't be true. It just COULDN'T be. "Cadet." Jack slowly stood from his desk, looking at Kate. "It's not true, is it? Please tell me she's…" The man looked down, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, Kate. Your mother is dead. Her tracker went offline last night and she's not answering any of our calls. We've even checked her logs. The last entry mentioned strange folk following her. Her mission was very dangerous, so there is a possibility she did not make it. I'm sorry."
"No… No, it can't be true! She's gotta be…" Kate teared up, sobbing into her hands as Jack wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "I'm sorry this happened, Kate. Your mother was the best Officer we had here. We miss her as much as you do. If there's anything I can perhaps do, then-" Kate pulled away, nodding furiously. "Yes! I want to go find her! Give me what I need to find her!"
"Kate, I can't do that. Your mother was on an important mission and I can't risk losing a young Cadet such as yourself. If she knew you had gotten yourself killed because I said yes-" Kate stepped away, shaking her head. "I have to find her, Commander. I know she's not dead. She means more to me than anything. Please, give me something. Anything."
"Kate…" Jack sighed, shaking his head. "I can't do that. I'm sorry." Kate looked down, placing a hand on her uniform. "Then I'm afraid I must resign. I simply can't work here without her. I hope you understand this, Commander." The woman held out her hand, dropping her pins in Jack's hand. "It was nice working with you, Commander Morrison." Jack looked at the pins,frowning as he saluted to her. "May Overwatch guide you."
Kate saluted back, walking out of the office. This was going to be impossible for her. How was she going to even get enough money for a plane ticket and the supplies she'll need? "You're leaving Overwatch, kid?" Kate turned, gasping as she placed a hand on the gun she received from her mother a few years back. "Gabe! Don't sneak up on me like that!"
"Sorry, it's kind of a thing. So, you're leaving, huh?" Kate looked down, nodding. "I can't be here. Not without her. My whole life, she's been here with me to train me, to take care of me, to love me. Now, she's missing. You… You wouldn't happen to know where she went, do you?" Gabriel looked at Jesse, nodding. "We do know. If it helps any, we'd be more than happy to even provide what you need to find her."
"You'd do that?" The man smiled, patting Kate on the shoulder. "Of course I would! After all, your mother was one of the most important people here. Jesse, would you kindly go to the storage warehouse and grab everything Miss Peregrina will need to make it to her destination and back?" Jesse tipped his hat, turning on his heel to walk past. "Thank you so much, Gabriel. I can't believe this is actually happening."
"Nor I…" The man chuckled, though something about it was a bit off-putting. Maybe it's just how he laughs, Kate thought.
Kate lifted her head as she readjusted the gas mask she wore. While waiting for Jesse and Gabe to get her the plane ticket she'd need, she went home and took her father's gas mask and portable oxygen tank. She should feel bad about taking it, but he wasn't home. He never was. She hadn't seen the bastard in 3 months, which was the longest had had been gone. Her parents were divorced, so it wouldn't surprise her that he probably found some other woman.
All of his stuff was just sitting in the empty bedroom, so she took what she could. Her mother kept a special case of bullets that were said to break off into smaller pieces and form three different figures, exploding on impact, but she couldn't find them anywhere. They were probably in the safe in Jack's office, but she couldn't go retrieve them. She didn't have time to tell Jesse or Gabe to get them by the time they arrived with what she needed.
Kate took a deep breath, putting the bag on her back as she turned on the oxygen tank, carefully walking to what seemed to be a large town that was in ruins. This was Junkertown, a town where the people of the Outback lived. At least, they tried to live. Junkertown was infamous for its residents and the radiation polluted air. If anybody was able to even get out of Junkertown, they were lucky. Kate remembered her mother saying that if she were to travel, always avoid Junkertown. The town meant trouble.
According to Gabe, her mom would've been here, but as a last resort. If she was going to have any luck finding her, she might as well ask the residents. Better make it quick, though. It was starting to get dark. Kate looked around the town, seeing a couple of people sulking about. Maybe one of them knew a thing or two. "E-Excuse me. I-" One Junker pushes himself off the building he was leaning against, walking over with a long stride. The man was tall, towering over her as he snarled. He had grey hair shaved off into a mohawk and small ponytail, cuts covering his entire body. One of his eyes were entirely white, giving her the idea that he was attacked by something nasty. "What do we 'ave here? Some tourist? Go on, kid. Scram, this ain't a hotspot!"
"I'm not here for sight seeing. I'm looking for a woman. She's about as tall as you, has long, brown hair-" The Junker raised the hand, grabbing Kate's mask. "I said get out, ya ankle biter! If ya don't, I'll make ya learn the hard way." As the Junker started to pull on the mask, a woman hurried over and placed a hand on his arm. "Hey, cut the gal some slack, babe. She just wants t' find a woman."
The woman turned to Kate, placing a hand on her hip. She was almost as tall as the man, her pink hair cut into a half mohawk, and loose jeans with a patch sewed to the side that looked like a deformed creature's skull. "Now, who are ya lookin' for, kid?" Kate took out a photo of her mother, holding it up. "This woman. She would've been here about 3 weeks ago." The woman took the photo, looking at it with interest before showing it to the Junker.
"Babe, she looks like the woman who was talking with Junkrat. You remember, right? She was telling him about some kid before she disappeared." The Junker snorted, shaking his head. "That ol' dog? Hangin' with that larrikin? Bull, there's no way this is the same woman." The woman clicked her tongue, handing the photo back as she pointed. "You can find Junkrat over there by the trading post. He's the guy with the big tire on his back." Kate looked over, nodding to the woman. "Thank you so much, miss."
"Anytime, sheila." Kate turned on her heel, walking to the trading post. There weren't a lot of people hanging about, but the ones that were there gave her strange looks. "Come on, mate. I did a lot of scavangin' for this piece of beauty." The man at the trading post, shook his head, jabbing a finger into the young man she assumed was Junkrat. The guy looked about 17 or 18, hunching over with a hand on what seemed to be a motor piece. "Besides, we got rules. You can't scavenge for anything less now that yer' legal."
"Aw, come on! That ain't fair!" Kate stepped forth, tapping the Junker on the shoulder. "Excuse me, I-" The Junker waved a hand at her, barely turning. "In a moment, luv. Tryin' to reason with this ol' bastard. Now, ya gonna take it or not?" The man shook his head, picking up the motor and tossing it at the Junker. "Get out of here before I hand you over to Joey." The Junker growled, snatching the motor and walking away, pushing past Kate.
The woman looked down before digging into her bag, pulling out a motor similar to what he had. It came from a drone that was being made in Russia a few years back. The drone was discontinued due to manufacturing errors. She had a weird instinct to take the part for herself when she saw the damage. "Sir, wait!" Kate ran towards the Junker, grabbing his arm suddenly. The Junker turned, pulling his arm away with a sneer. "What d' you want?"
"That motor you have. I have one just like it. It's from a discontinued drone design. Law states that all trading posts MUST take drone parts-" The Junker placed a hand on Kate's mask, leaning in very close. "We don't listen to those laws, droggo. We have our own law here. Once you're of age, you can't trade in stuff like this." Kate raised a brow behind the mask, grabbing the motor from him. "Wanna bet?"
Kate pulled away, striding to the trading post with her head high as she placed both motors on the counter. "Sir, do you know what these are?" The man groaned, lifting the rusted motor she took from the Junker. "It's just a lousy motor. Nothing else. You and your friend can scram before I call-" Kate waved a hand, shaking her head. "Call Joey. Yeah, yeah. I already heard. You're mistaken. These motors are from Mach 5 Russian Flight Drones. They were discontinued a few years back due to a manufacturing error. Judging the serial numbers, they're still worth a good fortune."
"You can tell by serial numbers?" Kate picked up the motor she had, pointing to it. "I can tell by many things. They're made from a strong steel, not easily meltable and can come in either shiny or rusted colors, can give stuff power for about 50 years. Just the basic stuff, nothing special. Now, I could just easily take these to another trading post nearby or-" The man grabbed the motors, grabbing a medium sized sack from under the counter. "I'll give you six portions and 250 credits, three portions and 125 credits each." Kate smiled as she took the sack, walking to the Junker. "There you go."
"How did you- Six portions..?! Oooh, Roadie's gonna LOVE this!" Kate handed the sack to the Junker, adjusting her mask. "You're welcome. Though, I do want to talk with you. Is that alright?" The Junker looked up, glaring a little. "Just 'cause you got me portions doesn't mean we're on good terms. You're an Outsider, I can tell. You won't survive long in the Outback. Do you know anything about us Junkers?"
"I know you're a group of people who are affected by the radiation poisoning." The Junker snorted, holding a hand to his mouth. "Oh, that's not enough to survive this wasteland on your own. We're more than just a group of people. We will do ANYTHING to get what we want-" Kate held up a hand as she turned, grabbing a running Junker by the arm and flipping them over her shoulder, slamming them into the ground. "You work separately, but you work alone. Nice distraction, almost had me fooled."
The Junker's jaw dropped, staring at the second Junker before cackling. "Now, that! That was amazing! You know, I like ya! Walk with me!" The Junker wrapped an arm around Kate's shoulder, dragging her along as she started to get a better look at him. He was very tall when standing up straight, skin peppered with freckles and gunpowder. He had tattoos up and down his right arm, the skull standing out the most. The Junker had spiked blonde hair, a tiny flame on a couple of the tips. She was very tempted to reach up and put them up. "The name's John!"
"Hannah." The Junker raised a brow, looking down at Kate. "Nah, there's no way you're a Hannah." The woman chuckled, fixing her hood. "There's no way you're a John, either." The Junker cackled, patting her shoulder. "Alright, you got me. You're just impressin' me more and more. Name's Jamison. You can call me Junkrat. What's your name, sheila?" Kate looked down, unsure she should really tell him. Just give him a code name. He might not noticed. Kate closed her eyes, remembering the nickname she received from her mother. "I don't have a name. I only remember the nickname I was given. Sanctuary."
"Well, it's nice t' meet ya, Sanctuary! You and I, we're gonna get along very well." Junkrat raised an arm, waving to a man sitting by a makeshift campsite. "Oi, Roadie! Check it! I made a new friend!" Kate watched the Junker run towards the camp, waving the sack about as she slowly followed. "Roadie, you won't believe what happened. That sheila, right there, threatened the dude t' hand over portions or she'll rip his throat out! Isn't that amazing?"
"Actually, I-I didn't threaten… Err…" The man looked at Kate, gesturing a hand. He was a pretty big guy, wearing a mask almost similar to hers, but with a pig-like snout design to it. It almost scared her. The woman walked over, keeping her head low as the masked man watched. "Calls herself Sanctuary. Ain't she cool, Road? She's got a mask like yours! You two could be be good buds!"
"Jamison, you didn't force her to come here, did you? She looks pretty uncomfortable being here." Kate raised her hands, shaking her head as she stuttered. "O-Oh, no! No, sir! I-I just… I-I'm just… Not used to seeing somebody as… scary as you… Sorry." Junkrat snorted and cackled, patting the man on the shoulder. "Ah, ol' Roadhog has that look that scares people, which is what makes it so great havin' him around."
"Huh.." Kate sat down on a rock, watching Roadhog. If he made any sudden movements towards her, she would have to demonstrate what she could do. Roadhog barely moved as he stared back, only grunting to Junkrat. "Return her where you found her. She's an outsider and outsiders always cause trouble."
"Ah, you're bein' too soft, Hog! Listen, sheila. Roadie and I are a bit low on crew t' survive out here. You helped us, so why not tag along?" Roadhog grunted at Junkrat, pushing him off his shoulder. "Ah, you're kind, but I can't. I'm only here for a brief amount of time to… To find somebody. That's why I wanted to speak with you." Junkrat raised a brow as Kate took out the photo from her pocket, holding it up. "I'm looking for this woman. I was told you were talking with her when people last saw her."
The Junker took the photo, looking at it closely. "Nope. Never seen her. D' you recognize her, Hog?" Roadhog took the photo, staring at it through the mask. It almost looked like a small piece of paper in his large hands from where Kate was sitting. "She was here. She told us she was on a confidential mission." Roadhog handed the photo back, turning to Junkrat. "You don't remember seeing her? She was conversing with you mostly."
"I can't even remember what happened five seconds ago." Junkrat glanced at the woman, doing a double take before pointing. "Hey, what are ya doin' here?! If you're thinkin' of takin' our food, you can piss off!" Kate stood, surprised at the sudden change in emotion until he started cackling. "Oh, man! I got you good! Should've seen your face, sheila! It was- It was like…!" Junkrat started to stutter, the smile leaving his face as he turned to look at the woman. "I don't know what your face looked like."
"So, you DO remember her." The Junker shook his head, looking at the sky. "Nope, but Hog does. I was pretty intoxicated at the time, but I do remember somebody tellin' me about their kid. Sounded pretty founded of them. Was that the woman or am I thinkin' of somebody else, Hog?"
"That's the woman. Listen, outsider. We don't know what your intentions are with her, but if you're one of the people she fears, then leave her alone. She just wants to finish her mission and go home." Kate held the photo close, looking down. "That's the thing. She hasn't returned home. That's why I'm looking for her. I'm-" The woman turned as a low howl was heard, alerting the Junkers. "Were those coyotes?"
"Those weren't no coyotes." Junkrat sat up, scrambling to his feet as he grabbed a makeshift gun. The thing looked like a piece of junk to Kate. "Listen, Sanctuary. Lay low until we say you can come out." Kate laid down behind the makeshift tent, looking around the corner as a group of Junkers slowly made their way to the camp. "Heeey, my good buddy, Staghound! It's been a while, Stag. How's the uh.. How's the pack?"
"We aren't here to socialize, Jamison. You still owe us 6,000 credits and it's been overdue for some time." Junkrat raised his hands, shaking his head. "Hey, I'll get ya the credits. Just need a lil' more time." Staghound pointed at Junkrat, snarling. "You're out of time, Jamison! Unless ya got the money on ya, then you'll have t' pay with somethin' else!"
"Oh, yeah? Like what?" Kate noticed the two Junkers behind Staghound crack their necks, licking their lips. "Quite frankly, we're a bit low on food and you know we don't deny fresh meat when offered. So, to forget your debt, you can just pay with your LIFE!" Staghound leapt forth, mouth wide open as he latched onto Junkrat's right arm. Kate gasped as Roadhog grabbed the Junker, ripping him off Junkrat's arm and tossing him aside. Staghound got to his feet, pointing at the two Junkers. "Get them!"
The Junkers behind him leapt forth, attacking Junkrat and Roadhog with snarls. They were acting like wild animals. Kate slowly backed away, trying to hide herself until a sudden hand grabbed her ankle, dragging her out. "No! Let me go!" Kate looked up as Staghound dragged her out, grabbing her shoulder to force her to her feet. "Look at that! You knew we were comin', didn't ya? Got us some fresh meat while you waited. Clever, Jamison." Junkrat struggled in one of the Junker's grasps, trying to yank his bleeding arm away. "She ain't fresh meat, Stag! She ain't involved in this!"
"Shut it, ya ratbag!" Kate pulled her arm away from Stag, turning on her left heel to kick him in the chest with her right foot. The Junker stumbled back, snarling at her. "Ah, so you fight back! This'll make it more fun, then!" Kate crouched, waiting for Stag to get close enough before standing, hitting him in the jaw with her head. The Junker howled, holding his jaw as the woman looked at Roadhog. He was wielding a machete at the Junker before him, grunting when he hopped back.
"Road, give me your machete quickly!" Roadhog looked up, tossing the machete to Kate as she raised her hands. She caught it and swung it at Stag, slicing his throat and stabbing the blade through. The Junker made a gargling sound, blood seeping through the stab wound as he swung his arms at Kate. She pulled the machete out, watching Stag fall to the ground.
"AGH!" Kate turned, seeing one of the Junkers ripping off Junkrat's arm with a snarl. The woman ran forth, shoving the sword through his chest. The Junker screeched, dropping the arm as his legs kicked about. The third Junker slowly stepped back, dashing past as she grabbed the arm and disappeared in the night. Kate removed the machete, watching the second Junker fall to the ground with a shaky breath before he fell silent.
"That… Was… Awesome! Where did you learn how t' fight like that?! Can ya teach us?!" Kate turned to look at Junkrat, eyes wide. She just killed TWO men. This wasn't a part of the plan. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. "Junkrat, your arm…" Kate dropped the machete, taking out a handkerchief from her satchel and a bottle of water. "Here, let me clean it up for yo-" Junkrat placed his left hand over the bottle, shaking his head. "Don't bother wastin' it on me arm. Just wrap it up and we'll deal with it later."
Kate looked at Roadhog, giving him a look that asked for help. She know he couldn't see it, but he still shook his head. "Just do what he asks." Kate looked at the handkerchief, wrapping it tightly around the missing arm. The white cloth turned red in a matter of seconds, leaving Junkrat to stare at it. "Hmm.. Well, I'll try t' make use with one arm."
"Junkrat, what… WHO were those people?" THe Junker looked at Kate, sitting down. "Ah, them? They're Junkers, just like Hog and I. See, there's rarely any food out here, so if pushed to the brink of starvation, we hunt what we can. Anythin's food if you can catch it." Kate felt her heart stop, coming to a realization. What if her mother was attacked by them? If that was the case, then she… No, she's alive. She knows her mother's alive.
"It's gettin' late. Let's just eat these portions and head to bed. Two for each of us, yeah?" Junkrat placed a hand in the sack, grabbing little disks of powder. The Junker handed two to Roadhog and two to Kate, keeping two for himself. Kate looked down at the disks, unsure if she could even remove her mask to eat them. She didn't think she'd be here for long. Kate shook as she gave a heavy sigh, placing a hand on the mask. This might as well be her life now.