Author Notes
Greetings and welcome to my (hopefully) unique take on merging Command & Conquer by EA/Westwood and Overwatch by Blizzard Entertainment. Cover art images: Nod logo by EA, Overwatch logo by Ethan Moore.
This is an extremely ambitious undertaking by myself as I'm essentially changing timelines, lore and characters (their histories for example) to build a new world and plot taking pieces from both IPs and putting them together. Some things will remain the same, others things will change either in a minor fashion or a noticeably big way. Consequently I'll be going into a lot of back end detail, double checking my lore facts and so forth to bring what is essentially a new living and breathing world for your enjoyment; and this takes a lot of time. Overall we are looking at a story that will span decades and see characters come and go.
As such, this is simply an proof of concept & mostly expositional prologue - a setting of the stage and testing the waters to see if people are actually interested in seeing this story evolve and where it all leads. If people support this enough, then I'll take it forward otherwise I don't feel like it would be worth investing the time in. Remember that Fan Fiction stories live or die by the support they receive!
As for my initial plans & frameworks, with this prologue being the start of the overall story I've also got 4 'Acts' to run through with each act having multiple chapters and their own story arcs, which will add towards the overarching plot of the series that will all come together in an epilogue.
So let me know what you guys think, if you have any constructive feedback or spot any spelling/grammar mistakes in the below please don't hesitate to contact me :)
Prologue - Tiberium Dawn
=Year: 1995, Midday, Tiber River, North of Rome, Italy=
Several hours after a meteor struck near the banks of the River Tiber and spewed forth particulate matter which created a dusty haze that was difficult at best to see through would take a few days to settle; It was perfect cover for those who didn't wish to be noticed. The impact had been hidden from media and anyone who'd of been curious about it initially, precautions taken to ensure that no one would be able to stop what was to come.
At the centre of the dust cloud, a giant black tent had been erected and was guarded by soldiers dressed in black armour, helmets and gas masks covering their faces. Once close enough, you could notice the red insignia of a scorpion's tail poised to strike on their shoulder. These soldiers carried sophisticated weapons and thermal detection tech at least a decade ahead of their time.
A man approached them from the dust cloud dressed in similar garb to the soldiers except he wore a black beret with the same scorpion insignia instead of a helmet, was unarmed and his insignias indicated he was an senior strategic officer. He entered the tent unchallenged, he had been sent him on behalf of the Prophet and none dare disobey his vision. Within the tent the officer was greeted by a decontamination chamber that he entered quickly and let the decontamination cycle complete before pulling his gas mask off; he had short dark hair, dark brown eyes and a half goatee.
He left the decontamination chamber and entered into the central tent chamber. Within was dark with red lights but it was clear of the haze that surrounded the outside of it, yet despite the generally dark red lighting one could see clearly. There were scientists walking around in their white labs coats from tables with diagnostic equipment, computers and other things the officer knew not what. Those things however weren't important, the glass chamber in middle with the bright white lighting is was caught his attention mostly.
He approached the glass chamber and looked within to see a small green glowing crystal suspended in mid air, a frown reaching his face as here to confirm the existence of the sacred green crystal by orders of the Inner Circle. He had never been that much of a believer in the prophecies of their leader and it was because of that ironic cynicism that he was here. To all intents and purposes their prophet had never been wrong and here before him was yet another sign that he was right about humanity's future.
"So the prophecy is true." he spoke mostly to himself.
"Is that doubt in your faith I hear Commander?" answered a charismatic voice in a soft tone.
The commander spun around searching for the source of the voice, but couldn't find it. It wasn't until he turned back round did he found himself face to face with a man who stood slightly taller than himself. The man before him was entirely bald, had a full neatly trimmed goatee and had dark, almost black eyes, that seemed to shine with an intelligence beyond comprehension.
"Kane?!" the Commander spluttered entirely forgetting himself and protocol.
"You didn't answer my question." Kane asked with a smile.
The commander swallowed before he answered "Once... maybe... not any more, prophet."
"Very good..." Kane answered seemingly pleased "... and the prophecy has indeed come true, as I foretold. The sacred green crystal is here and the final long journey of the Brotherhood can now begin."
"What is it?" The commander dared to ask, gesturing at the crystal.
"That is the future my child..." Kane responded cryptically "... and it's time for you to take centre stage."
"How can I serve my prophet?" the commander asked.
"It's not yet our time to reveal ourselves to the world, we must build and prepare for when the new dawn comes. Until that time, you will become the face of the Brotherhood... should you accept the task I have for you." Kane spoke smoothly
"I shall do whatever you desire, One Vision! One Purpose!" the commander responded as if he was wrapped around Kane's fingers.
"Then henceforth you shall be known as Seth... From God, To Kane, To Seth... you shall be placed in charge of a most crucial project that absolutely must succeed. Your scepticism and strategic brilliance is why you were chosen for this role... come, my child, it's time I told you of the future and your place within it."
Kane placed his hand on Seth's shoulder who was entirely in awe of Kane, and was guided to the back of the tent, where they disappeared into the darkness of another compartment.
"Project Talon shall be our grand gesture to the world that the Brotherhood of Nod has come forth, and then will begin a conflagration that none will ever forget..." Kanes disembodied voice echoed through the tent before finally falling silent.
=Timeline - 1995 to 2012=
{1995 - circa June} Two weeks after the Tiber River Meteor Impact, a new strange green crystal is discovered growing in and around the impact crater. Scientists are initially baffled and the crystal is named Tiberium due to being found so close to the Tiber river.
{1995 - circa September} 3 Months after the Tiber River Meteor Impact, a relatively new corporate entity known as Talon appear in the public lime light with releases of surprisingly advanced robotics technology suddenly. Talon's CEO is a mystery and is only known as 'Seth', with the corporation specialising in research and manufacturing around Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Cybernetics and Tiberium, the latter of which they have already amassed more knowledge about the strange green crystal than the rest of the globe's scientific community. Ecologists make initial reports at the alarming rate of Tiberium spread that has since reached the outskirts of Rome from its initial impact site.
Secretly, Talon Incorporated are a front for the Brotherhood of Nod, a secretive cult esque global organisation with the capabilities equivalent to that of a super power due to support from many different countries.
{1996 - circa May} 11 Months after the Tiber River Meteor Impact, with Tiberium causing worrisome ecological damage in Italy and confirmed sites of Crystal Growth in Northern Africa and other Mediterranean countries with no breakthroughs in controlling it as well as confirmed lethal properties contained by the green crystal to any carbon based life form, the United Nations pass the Tiberium Reclamation Act that founds Overwatch, a scientific organisation dedicated to the study of Tiberium in the hopes of slowing down or halting the spread of the green crystal, finding medical solutions to Tiberium based illnesses as well as any practical uses the crystal may have.
Within 12 months of their founding, Overwatch make many leaps forward with their understanding of Tiberium, and soon issue a report stating that Tiberium could be the greatest ecological cataclysm to effect the planet in human history that could see the planet uninhabitable to humans within decades. They also note that the possibilities of Tiberium are potentially endless as a resource, power source and much more, although safe application of Tiberium in many of these areas will remain a concern for many years.
{1996 - circa October} 16 Months after the Tiber River Meteor Impact, world unrest is seeing significant rise in the recent months after Overwatch being formed with Overwatch's mandate causing further controversy with many people who viewing Tiberium as a religious and sacred item.
With concerns mounting from Intelligence communities about an unknown shadow organisation (later confirmed to be the Brotherhood of Nod) with global reach and power potentially aiding civil unrest in many countries the United Nations pass their most controversial act; the Global Defence Act. This allows the formation of the Global Defence Initiative, a military force fed from the different militaries of Counties who are signed up to the Global Defence act, with mandate as a global peace keeping force with the authority to act in any Global Defence Country's sovereignty.
{1997 - circa June} 24 Months after the Tiber River Meteor Impact, Tiberium can now be found on every continent, it's means of conveyance around the globe remain a mystery.
Talon Incorporated surprise the world with the announcement and release of Tiberium Harvesting and Refining technology, granting the ability to harvest the green crystal safely with a minimum of harvesting expense. In a move criticised by many, Talon give the technology for free to many countries not signed up to the Global Defence act, while selling it at extortionate prices to those that are. This is seen as many as a subtle corporate complaint about the existence of GDI, but is otherwise ignored.
Overwatch pays heavily for this technology, using the entirety of the remains of their research budget in a desperate attempt to use the technology to better fund themselves and also control Tiberium growth; the gamble pays off and allows the organisation to become fully self sufficient. GDI follow suit not long afterwards.
With the combined use of many countries using the technology, it is estimated that the global average growth and spread rates of Tiberium has been decreased between 10% to 20%, with the highest rates of decrease seen in the countries who paid for the technology. It is estimated that the majority of global Tiberium stockpiles is controlled by countries not signed up to the Global Defence Act. Secretly, many of these Countries are loyal supporters of the Brotherhood of Nod.
{2000 - circa June} 60 Months after the Tiber River Meteor Impact, with vast funds from their Tiberium harvesting and refining technologies and after releasing many advances in robotics and cybernetics (including the first types of fully functioning arm and leg prosthetics), Talon Incorporated release the first generation of robotic workers called Omnics. In secret they have also developed several AI known as Omnic God Programs.
The Brotherhood of Nod begins secret development on the AI that would later be known as CABAL (Computer Assisted Biologically Augmented Lifeform) with the project being lead by Kane himself. The Brotherhood also begin secret unethical research into cybernetics and Tiberium.
{2001 - circa January} 67 Months after the Tiber River Meteor Impact, the Brotherhood of Nod reveals itself as an internal super power over night, with many countries outright declaring their open support for the organisation if not joining them outright seeding their sovereignties and effectively redrawing the political landscape of the globe. By the end of the first week, the Brotherhood controls most of Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Eastern Europe (including Russia), and parts of South America. Many note that this gives the Brotherhood access to nearly half of the world's Tiberium giving them access to a great wealth of resources.
The only information known about the Brotherhood's leader is that he is an enigmatic man only known as Kane.
No links between Talon Incorporated and the Brotherhood are discovered in a large scale intelligence operation by GDI to uncover any corporate entities that maybe supporting the currently unknown organisation.
{2001 - circa February} 68 Months after the Tiber River Meteor Impact, GDI declare the Brotherhood of Nod as a terrorist organisation after linking them with past civil unrest activities including terrorist attacks, as well as them recently using Tiberium to fund military-industrial complexes within their territories (primarily Africa), especially in impoverished areas. World tension continues to rise.
Overwatch purchase many first generation Omnics constructs and begin experiments with them towards aiding with their Tiberium reclamation efforts.
Talon Incorporated construct Omniums (self-improving fully automated robotics factories) in key locations around the globe, designed to build and maintain Omnics, using Tiberium as a resource to in order to be self sufficient.
{2002 - circa June} 84 Months after the Tiber River Meteor Impact, as world tension continues to grows, both GDI and the Brotherhood unveil their own versions of all terrain semi-autonomous structures that allow for the rapid construction of bases & military equipment and consequent projection of rapid military force, based on the technology from the Omniums. With these developments many begin to expect the two giants to soon engage in military operations against the other.
Talon Incorporated target GDI for many patent & copyright breaches in international courts while ignoring the Brotherhood's same breaches, citing the reason as the targeting of a terrorist organisation for copyright claims seems like a pointless endeavour. GDI quickly settle the issue outside of the courts several months later for an undisclosed sum, and Overwatch soon gain access to the technology which they use to setup 'Tiberium Reclamation' bases throughout wherever they are welcome.
{2003 - circa March} 93 Months after the Tiber River Meteor Impact, the Brotherhood finish development on the first working iteration of the CABAL (Computer Assisted Biologically Augmented Lifeform) prototype. CABAL soon takes over as the Brotherhood's main command and control interface.
GDI intelligence uncover existence of Brotherhood AI and report the severe lack of a viable counter within their arsenal.
{2003 - circa April} 94 Months after the Tiber River Meteor Impact, Brotherhood takes a back seat in it's global and military posturing, instead keeping public scrutiny on the Brotherhoods attempts at focusing on securing and improving it's territories as well as building a grand 'Temple Prime' in Sarajevo in Eastern Europe. In secret, it advances its research into exotic weapons including laser and Tiberium based, stealth technology and its unethical research programs.
GDI and the UN take a collective breath at the possibility that the Brotherhood's rhetoric about peace might actually be serious.
{2007 - circa June} 144 Months after the Tiber River Meteor Impact, the Brotherhood has been quiet for many years, keeping mainly to itself. GDI maintains a watchful peace and Overwatch continues its Tiberium Reclamation efforts but are stone walled in all Brotherhood loyal territories making their overall impact negligible.
Seth, now disillusioned with the Brotherhood and Kane after receiving no news or orders for years and having maintained the ruse of Talon for over a decade, feeling abandoned, begins plans to use the Omnics to wage war against the Brotherhood and take it for himself.
{2012 - circa February} 200 Months after the Tiber River Meteor Impact, Brotherhood has remained in seclusion from the rest of the world while quietly building and preparing & building up its military and industrial might. The Brotherhood also completed research and developed the first versions of cloaking technology and lasers weaponry giving it a technological advantage over GDI, with developments including Stealth Tanks and heavy base defence laser weaponry called Obelisks of Light, in addition to improving their AI CABAL who now becomes the first fully sentient AI.
Overwatch has also developed a fairly advanced although not sentient AI known as Athena, while GDI developed their own command and control AI known as EVA. Both are considered fairly unsophisticated in comparison to Nod's CABAL.
During the eluding years of quiet, Seth has laid his plans and made his preparations, having managed to secretly convert the Omniums into producing military grade combat robots and walkers, and unleashes the Omnics God Programs. Moments later the Omnium within Talon's Corporate Headquarters activated and began the construction of thousands of Bastion combat units that immediately stormed the Talon HQ and flatten it, killing Seth in the process.
Rogue Omnic armies soon sprung up across the globe and attacked GDI held territories suddenly and without mercy, in addition to this the Omnic god programs granted sentience to all normal Omnics across the globe, inadvertently also giving Overwatch's AI Athena sentience.
{2012 - circa June} 204 Months after the Tiber River Meteor Impact, with the ensuing global chaos and GDI under attack on all sides, the UN pass a new act with the full backing of sovereign governments and their people via referendums; The PETRAs act. This new acts disbands the UN & Sovereign governments as actual political bodies and creates a new sovereign entity under the banner of GDI with elected officials coming from the member countries to become representatives on the GDI Board of Directors. With this act enforced GDI essentially become a super state, much to the chagrin of the Brotherhood who claimed this would happen in media propaganda years prior. General Mark Sheppard is named Supreme Commander of all GDI Military Forces.
Overwatch is merged into the military wing of the new organisation and is reformed into a new high-tech elite military force with top of the line scientific research teams, attracting only the best the world has to offer. Overwatch's new purview expands to include aggressive reclamation operations against Tiberium around the globe, researching new technology for the use in the field and otherwise in all areas and to assist GDI military operations as required.
Meanwhile the Brotherhood remains untouched by the Omnic crisis, having shut down all the Omniums within their territory the same day the Omniums went rogue. With the dismantling of the UN, those countries that hadn't chosen to sign the Global Defence Act or join the Brotherhood up to this point were left with the choice of being left alone in an increasingly hostile world or signing up with either faction. Many such countries eventually chose sides, most going to the Brotherhood due to their seeming immunity to the Omnic war.
Overwatch attracts it's first member's that would later become known as the Overwatch Heroes; James Solomon (Aged: 31, Overwatch Commander), Jack Morrison (Aged: 25, GDI Commando), Gabriel Reyes (Aged: 27, GDI Commando), Ana Amari (Aged: 29, Sniper), Reinhardt Wilhelm (Aged: 32, Tank Commander) Dr. Ignatio Moebius (Aged: 43, Lead Tiberium Specialist), Dr. Torbjorn Lindholm (Aged 36, Lead Weapons Specialist), Dr. Angela Ziegler (Aged: 24, Medical & Nanotech Specialist).
Act I - The Omnic War Synopsis
The Omnic War has begun in earnest between the reforged GDI and the rogue Omnics while the Brotherhood of Nod remains strangely untouched. Within Overwatch an age of Heroes has begun. Will the Heroes of Overwatch and the Commanders of GDI be able to beat back this storm, and discover the cause of one of the most brutal wars in human history?