This is definitely not the best situation to be in, Hana thought bitterly, hissing curses under her breath as her MEKA unit took another round of bullets before she could return the favor. She'd gotten cocky and followed an easy target out into the open, now as her mech's red warning lights flashed across her screen, she was separated from the rest of the team. Talon agents had driven her away from the group, closing in on her like a pride of lions hunting a buffalo strayed from its herd.
She could hear 76 and Mercy over the com as they tried to get to her with no luck, their voices becoming panicked the longer Hana spent in the open without support. She grimaced when her MEKA announced the critical damage it had taken, and made a decision. It was either get blown up by her own mech or die guns blazing, so she withdrew as far as possible from her enemies and initiated the self destruct, turning on her MEKA's boosters and ejecting herself from the soon to explode robot.
She landed hard on the uneven terrain, looking up in time to see her MEKA rocket forward, slamming into some Talon agents and carrying them with it, as it began to explode. Hana momentarily covered her eyes against the bright light and stood, pulling out her communication device to call down another MEKA while scanning the crumbling landscape for cover. She had enough time to decide she hated fighting in desert ruins before pain exploded through her skull, black spots blooming in her vision, her ears distantly picking up the sound of cruel laughter as unconsciousness swept over her.
She awoke sluggishly, her senses taking their sweet time to tune into the real world. The first thing she noted was the sound of explosions and screaming, so she must still be on the battlefield. The next thing was the almost overwhelming smell of gunpowder and smoke, it was musky and clogged her airway, sending her into a coughing fit that helped to jump-start her awareness into full gear.
Hana finally opened her eyes to find her face resting against bare skin, confused she pulled her head back and looked down at her body. She was being carried, her small frame tucked gently against someone's chest as they ran. Her brain slow to connect the dots until she looked up at Junkrat's face.
He cradled her in his flesh arm as he ran, his odd loping gait uneven and a little jarring. His metal arm clutched his grenade launcher, empty of ammunition- likely because he couldn't reload one handed.
"Oi, yer awake!" He yelled over the sound of fighting, coming to a turbulent halt once he reached suitable cover and finally looking down at his human cargo. Hana blinked, she'd never really realized just how tall Junkrat was until now, part of her was amazed that he could carry her with one arm. "Dun' worry sheila, we got ya," He said with a wide smile that was closer to the baring of teeth than anything, his gold tooth catching the sun before he turned away from her, "HEY HOG! LET'S MOVE IT MATE!" He hollered over his shoulder, lowering his weapon.
"I can walk-" Hana tried to reason, pushing against Junkrat's soot-covered chest.
"Nuh-uh uh!" The junker cut her off with a tsk, dropping his grenade launcher with a clatter and gingerly grabbing her wrist with his metal hand, "Ya can't call in another one'a yer fancy robo-suits, the bloke who took ya out made sure'a that." He paused, head cocked to the side and looking strangely serious, "Besides, ya prob'ly shouldn't be runnin' around with yer head hurtin.'" Hana glared at him for a moment, trying to stare the bomber down through sheer stubbornness. She shot metaphorical daggers into his amber eyes but he showed no sign of setting her on her feet, he just stared back with his unnervingly wild eyes. Finally she relented with a sigh, breaking eye contact to stare at her knees in a pout that only made Junkrat laugh, high and manic, in triumph.
"We'll get chya to Mercy and she'll take a look at ya," He said happily, turning to smile at Roadhog as the other man approached. Hana heard a gravely rumble come from the larger man, the sound muffled by his ever present mask, and while she couldn't make out any words Junkrat seemed to understand perfectly.
"Aye, we best keep movin,'" He replied, burning gaze taking a quick sweep of their surroundings before pointing, "That way looks good as any, yeah?" He asked, grin wide and feral. Roadhog and Hana followed his finger to find he was pointing to a narrow canyon that ran along side the Overwatch team's chosen defense spot. It made one less direction for Talon foot soldiers to approach from and Hana was having a hard time figuring out why that was the direction Junkrat wanted to go. Roadhog seemed to understand however, there was a whoosh of air from the ventilation ports in his mask which sounded to Hana very much like an angry bull gearing up for a fight, and the massive man nodded once.
Junkrat cackled again, his whole body shaking with the action, and Hana grimaced at being so close to the sound. Roadhog bent to pluck the discarded grenade launcher off the ground, brushing some sand off it before offering it to Junkrat.
"Nah, you hold onto it," Junkrat said with a dismissive wave, "I got my hands full already," He explained, giving Hana a bounce in his arms to which she made a sound of annoyance. Roadhog's empty lenses remained fixed on his grinning employer for a moment longer before he snorted and holstered the weapon across his back.
"Don't worry Roadie, you go first and give me the signal," Junkrat said amicably, patting Roadhog's arm reassuringly. His response was another gust of air, though this one was more exasperated. Hana squirmed uncomfortably in Junkrat's hold, still wishing she could be put down, only to attract Roadhog's attention. She froze as the mercenary leaned closer, seemingly focused on her.
"Stay with Jamison and behave." He rumbled, his voice like that of an ancient dragon just awoken from slumber. Hana nodded quickly, eyes wide, and watched as Roadhog straightened before lumbering out of cover. Junkrat chuckled in amusement and glanced down at the teenager in his arms.
"I'm gonna have ta set chya down for a bit girlie, don't go too far though, gonna need to be off soon," When Hana nodded her understanding Junkrat set her down on her feet with more care than she'd seen him treat anything- even his live explosives. His arm hovered around her waist until he was sure she could stand without trouble, and then he moved to take the tire off his back.
Hana watched him move with curiosity. The two junkers had only joined Overwatch recently, and this was one of the first missions they'd been on, the other few Hana hadn't been in the same area as them at all. She'd heard stories of their careless and ruthless behavior from other members of Overwatch, but it seems the team left out their undeniable efficiency and teamwork- at least with each other. It was rather odd seeing it for the first time.
As the sound of Roadhog's scrapgun went off over the sound of Talon gunfire, Hana gained the courage to speak, if not just to distract from the sounds of death. "How did you get to me?" She asked, observing Junkrat as he did a last minute weapons check.
"Ah, well we noticed that people were getting' mighty worked up about ya so we went to find ya," He said, propping the tire upright and positioning it in the direction Roadhog had gone, "Pretty easy to clear a path with explosives yanno. Lots'a fun too. We saw some Talon prick sneak up and give ya a whack. So we killed him!" The end of his sentence was punctuated with a giggle as he looked up at her from his kneeling position on the ground. "Snuck right up on him we did, and Hog crushed his stupid little head!"
"You snuck up on someone?" Hana echoed skeptically, crossing her arms with a disbelieving smirk. A loud roar sounded from around the corner of their cover, drawing her attention only for Junkrat's voice to switch her focus again.
"Hey I can be quiet if I wanna," He said in mock offense, standing up and grabbing at a cord on his tire, "Now is just not one of those times. FIRE IN THE HOLE!" He finished with a crow, bracing his peg leg against the spiked tire and ripping back the cord. Hana shrieked in surprise when the thing roared to life like an angry chainsaw and took off, kicking up a rooster tail of sand as it swerved around the corner. The sound of an explosion blasted through the area, the ground shaking beneath Hana's feet before she was once again scooped into Junkrat's arms.
He sprinted from cover, passing the charred earth where several Talon soldiers once stood, and giving a jovial whoop of acknowledgment to Roadhog while the bodyguard shot down the few remaining agents. Hana clung to him as she was jostled by his long strides, her arms wrapped fearfully around his neck and her knees drawn to her chest. This was decidedly not funny she thought as the sound of gunfire picked up again behind them- Junkrat obviously had other opinions if his manic laughter was anything to go by.
"Wait what are you doing?!" Hana shrieked when she realized her captor was running full speed at the canyon, even if it wasn't huge it was still much too large to jump! Junkrat's grin got impossibly wider as he pulled something out of his pocket and held it between his teeth, reaching behind him for a mine. Hana's blood ran cold and time seemed to slow down as the junker threw the mine like a frisbee, the explosive landing between them and the rapidly approaching cliff, and removed the gadget- his detonator, Hana realized- from his mouth.
"Don't worry love!" Junkrat howled, wicked glee written all across his features, "Just goin' for a quick flight!" With that his peg leg struck the mine, and his thumb mashed the detonation button.
Her face was hidden in the crook of Junkrat's neck and the sound of her own blood rushing with her pounding heart filled her ears, but she could feel the weightlessness as they sailed through the air. Junkrat's metal arm was wrapped around her now too, his flesh hand resting on the back of her head and keeping her tucked tightly to his chest.
It felt like an eternity that they were in the air, but logically Hana knew it had been mere seconds before they landed with a crash. The jump had been too long for a graceful landing and they ended up skidding along the sand and rubble a handful of feet, Junkrat's lanky frame curled protectively around Hana until they came to a rough stop.
The teen pushed away from the man underneath her as quickly as she could manage, stumbling upright when Junkrat let the cage of his arms fall to the ground- leaving him splayed on his back.
"What the fuck!" Hana screamed, wobbling on unsure feet shaky from adrenaline and fear. Vertigo rushed through her body, causing her to sway and stumble back a step. Junkrat just groaned in response, sitting up with a grimace to run his good hand through his hair.
"I agree, that coulda' gone better," He said, hauling himself stiffly to his feet (foot?). He lurched forward though when Hana's legs started to buckle, her head was swimming and her vision blurred at the edges as she unwillingly fell against Junkrat's chest. She was carefully picked up in a bridal carry once more, though Hana felt too weak to protest.
"We gotta stop meetin' like this lil' diva," Junkrat chuckled, moving carefully as he observed where they'd landed.
"Fuck you," Hana slurred without much heat, tiredly resting her forehead against the junker's collarbone. It irked her that he said it like he meant "diva" and not " " but she wasn't up to arguing with the man.
"No thanks love, I'll pass," He laughed softly, taking calmer steps in a direction Hana didn't care to follow. She snorted in amusement, too exhausted to even laugh properly- gods her head hurt.
"Oi oi! Don't fall asleep on me now kiddo," He urged, sounding worried, "Gotta stay awake till we get to Mercy" Hana struggled to keep her eyes open throughout their walk, Junkrat's gait- which earlier had felt harsh- now was like being rocked in a hammock.
She heard when they arrived at base, felt herself being handed over to someone else, but couldn't muster the energy to open her eyes or speak. She finally let sleep take her while the voices of her concerned team drifted above her.
She awoke this time in a bed in the drop ship's small med-bay. Her body felt heavy, like lead ran through her veins instead of blood, but she forced her head to turn despite the feeling. A headache pounded through her skull but she ignored it, instead looking to where Mercy sat at a desk, rummaging through equipment Hana couldn't see.
Junkrat sat next to the doctor, looking irritated to be there with his chin rested on his human hand which was braced against his knee. He faced away from Mercy, and Hana could see the long scrapes that had torn up the planes of his back from when they landed, recently cleaned and in the middle of being dressed. Roadhog sat on an empty bed across the room, cleaning his and Junkrat's weapons of sand.
"You should have asked for assistance," Mercy was saying sternly, though not without kindness. The junker grumbled in response, attempting to glare holes into the wall opposite of him. The doctor hesitated a moment, contemplating something, before she spoke again, "You did well though, considering the circumstances. I'm glad that Hana is safe. You and Roadhog saved her."
Junkrat was quiet after that, eyes downcast in thought and posture less tense until Mercy gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder to signal she was done. As her patient got up and stretched experimentally, Mercy turned her blue eyes back to Hana, smiling softly when she noticed the teenager was awake.
"Hana, how do you feel?"
"Like shhhhii-" The MEKA operator trailed off at Mercy's raised eyebrow, averting her eyes to grumble "M'tired and my head hurts," instead. The doctor nodded, making her way across the small room to Hana's side.
"That is to be expected, though you're lucky it's not much worse." Mercy's tone grew stern, "I won't lecture you now, but I'm sure Jack and Winston will be having words with you later." The teenager shrank into her cot under the Valkyrie's motherly presence and said nothing in objection.
Mercy went about the standard checking of Hana's vitals with practiced ease before letting the teenager know that all she needed was more rest and that if she wished to call for assistance in that time, there was a pager beside her bed. The white-clad woman gave Hana a final pat on the legs in goodbye before turning to leave, nodding a farewell to the two junkers on her way out.
Hana watched Junkrat hobble over to his companion, talking softly to the larger man before they both made their way over to the door.
"Ju- uh... Jamison?" His name felt odd on her tongue, but it seemed even worse to call him by his title in that moment. The two men turned to focus on her. "Thank you. Both of you." She continued quietly, voice uncharacteristically timid. There was a beat of silence in which the two junkers glanced at each other with blank faces (rather Junkrat's was blank, Roadhog's was covered as usual).
"No problem sheila," Junkrat said with a smile, unusually soft and tame. Roadhog let out a rumble of words Hana didn't understand but drew a bark of laughter from Junkrat, "Yeah, maybe don't make a habit of runnin' off on yer lonesome," He said, presumably repeating what Roadhog had said, "It's always good to have some backup," He finished with a grin, gesturing to the large man beside him. Hana could only nod in response, which seemed to be enough for her two saviors because they turned to leave, their one-sided conversation tailing down the hall until they were too far away for Hana to hear.
Maybe those two weren't so bad after all, she decided falling back asleep.