Getting three stories done within the span of three days!? It's possible...
Finally managed to whip up a sequel story to my last Overwatch fic "Skirmish"! This story is meant to take place both during and after the events of "Skirmish" as we focus on the third unnamed rookie at Overwatch HQ. I've hinted who this rookie might be with a little reference to one of the cinematic shorts, so you guys can probs tell who the rookie may be! ;)
Apologies to Matty Nicole Willow if this took a while to make. Hope you all enjoy!
(On a side note regarding Friday's reveal at BlizzCon, holy heck does Ashe look cool or what!? :D )
Overwatch is owned by Blizzard. (I do not own any of its characters nor its properties. This is purely a non-profit fanfic made for fun).
ROOKIE MISTAKE
[LOCATION: WATCHPOINT: GIBRALTAR - TRAINING AREA]
The sounds of gunfire, swords clanging, and metal scraping filled the air as a group of Overwatch members were busy going through a training session at Overwatch's newly-rejuvenated homebase at Gibraltar. Ever since Overwatch's revival, heroes of old and new had finally to come together to help join the cause to protect the world from evil-doers.
They managed to restore most of one of their old watchpoints and used it as their main headquarters, giving the legendary heroes and new recruits as home to relax, train, and keep track of Talon's plans. The training area of Gibraltar was especially busy as five heroes were present, sharpening their skills with the training 'bots.
Genji Shimada was doing short work of the drones as he practically flew around the room, slicing up the androids with his swords and shuriken stars. Mei-Ling Zhou was using her Endothermic Blaster to freeze the 'bots in place, with her little drone Snowball assisting her. Tekhartha Zenyatta was blasting and damaging 'bots left and right with his Orbs of Destruction. And Fareeha Amari, codenamed Pharah, was standing by in an observation room above them, keeping track of everybody's progress down on the training grounds.
So far, progress on the heroes was going along smoothly.
Although I wish I could say the same thing for Brian though…
Brian Kaplan had just turned 18-years-old when he decided to sign up as an Overwatch recruit. Ever since he and his younger brother Timmy went to an Overwatch exhibit at their museum and wound up inadvertently caught between the crosshairs of Tracer and Winston protecting Doomfist's gauntlet from Talon's grasp, the normally-cynical and stoic Brian suddenly gained a sense of hope and wonder after assisting in using said gauntlet to help trip up the Talon members.
He could still remember the friendly, genuine comment that Tracer had told him after that eventful afternoon.
'Y'know...the world could always use more heroes…'
A few years later, that's when Brian signed up and was then enlisted as one of Overwatch's newest and youngest recruits as the organization slowly began to rebuild itself into existence again. Saddled alongside Orisa, a peacekeeping Omnic from Numbani, and Wrecking Ball, being a spherical mech suit piloted by a hamster named Hammond, he took up the role as a regular officer, fitted with bullet-proof armor and armed with a stun gun (as a starter weapon before the others can properly train him with real firepower).
Sadly, out of the three recruits, Brian was the weakest and more gun-shy than the others.
While the others were more experienced in combat and warfare compared to the blonde teen, Brian still tried to keep up with his new allies as best as he could. However, try as he might, he either wound up slipping, stumbling, and falling behind in contrast to the others. On top of that, his aim was all over the place to where he nearly zapped his own teammates (by accident, of course).
Right now, Brian was busy fumbling about the training facility, trying to stun any 'bot and not get shot in the process. Unfortunately, that was better said than done. Although the practice drones were armed with Nerf-like pegs to act as live bullets, Brian had been "shot" more than the rest, as Pharah found out from her computer.
Soon enough, Brian lost his footing and then stumbled on the ground on his side, his stun gun slipping out of his gloved hand and sliding a few feet away from him on the floor. Genji, who was sprinting behind him, managed to jump over the fallen Brian and kept on running after one of the drones.
"Tochū de dete, kodomo!" Genji yelled towards the young rookie as he unsheathed his twin katanas and promptly hacked the 'bot into bits. Brian groaned and crawled his way to retrieve his weapon.
However, just as he was able to grab the gun, a shadow loomed ominously over him. Brian looked over his shoulder to see a training drone hovering towards him, its blasters dead-set on him. Brian reeled back, as if to surrender, but before the droid could even think about shooting.
"Snowball, activate Blizzard!"
*WHOOOOOOOOSH!*
The drone was slowly encased in a tomb of fresh ice as Brian saw Mei's small drone use her ultimate ability to freeze the area all at once. Soon enough, the rest of the training 'bots were frozen stiff and stuck in place, with most of the area now layered in ice and frost.
Snowball ceased the ultimate and retreated back in his port on Mei's backpack. Mei looked around and admired her handiwork as the freezing temperature caused the 'bots to shut down one-by-one.
"A fine piece of work if I do say so myself, eh, Snowball?" she giggled confidently. Snowball chirped an affirmative beep in return.
Brian groaned softly from the ground. He leaned forward and rubbed his sore arm, just as Zenyatta floated by and gave him a kind hand to help him back up. Brian thankfully offered his help and was back on his feet in no time.
"Are you alright, young Kaplan?" asked Zenyatta kindly. Brian stretched his arms.
"I think so, thank you, Mr. Zenyatta…" he replied gratefully, though tiredly. Zenyatta nodded, his warm, sage-like demeanor easing Brian's nerves.
"Please, child. You don't need to be so formal. Just 'Zenyatta' will do…" he reassured with a warm chuckle.
Brian chuckled timidly back as the foursome had now rejoined again, with Genji having just regrouped with the three after successfully freeing his almost-stuck katana blade from a frozen drone.
With the training session brought to a halt, Pharah entered the training grounds and meet up with the others, a proud smile on her face and a holographic data file in her hands. The four soldiers soon lined up in a row before her.
"Very good job, everyone!" she stated, "Your fighting skills are still as sharp as ever!" She then walked to each member to them each a progress report from her file.
"Mei, very exceptional work with your blaster and excellent usage of your ult in the end…" said Pharah. Mei smiled and nodded.
"Thank you, Fareeha…" replied Mei. Pharah then referred to the Shimada brother.
"Genji, remarkable use of speed and skill! Fantastic job!" she praised. Genji bowed deeply in respect.
"Domo arigato…" Genji thanked humbly. Next was Zenyatta.
"Wonderful precision and well-timed strikes. Brilliant work, Tekhartha!" congratulated Pharah. Zenyatta nodded back.
"A humble gratification to you, Miss Amari…" thanked Zenyatta sagely. Pharah nodded and soon came to the last soldier, a pondering look on her face.
"Brian Kaplan…" she said. Brian looked at the Egyptian-born officer expectantly and frightfully, fearing the worst. He saluted and trembled in his place, unsure if it was from fear or from the currently-frosty state of the training zone.
"...Y-Y-Yes, Miss A-Amari, m-ma'am?" he stammered, his nerves back to being all frazzled again. Pharah scanned her data pad, looking at Brian's stats with pursed lips and inexpressive eyes.
"Let's see…" murmured Pharah, "Kept losing footing, aim wasn't fully on target, got shot most out of everyone…"
Brian's heart sunk as Pharah looked unimpressively at his file, listing off his sloppy technique and shooting skills. The young rookie looked towards the others, as if they were ready to mock him for his incompetence. In reality, Mei and Zenyatta did give him sympathetic looks, while Genji, in spite of his concealed face, seem to look unimpressed himself. And even in spite of Pharah's disappointment in Brian's progress, even she had shown a glint of sympathy towards the newcomer.
In the end, the final consensus was made.
"I'm afraid you'll need to partake in more training, young one…" finished Pharah softly, in a somewhat-pitied tone. Brian frowned glumly, letting out a discouraged, tired murmur.
"Now, with that done…" added Pharah once again, "I suggest we let the training area thaw out before we could continue our training. Everyone, dismissed!"
And with that said, Mei, Pharah, and Genji exited the training room to the corridor leading to the main sector of the headquarters. Brian walked over to his misplaced stun gun, picked it up, and placed it back in his holster, sighing once again.
Zenyatta, who was the last to get ready to leave, noticed the newcomer's disheartened spirit.
"Something troubling your mind, young Brian?" he asked to Brian, gliding towards him.
In spite of his emotionless, static face, Zenyatta's tone and aura was calm, gentle, and genuinely-friendly. Something that Brian appreciated in the former Shambali monk. However, Brian wasn't exactly in a chipper mood right now. The young blonde dusted himself off and coughed awkwardly.
"N-No...not really, Zenyatta…" he said, trying not to make the monk worry about him. Zenyatta, however, could see through his ruse.
"Are you certain? You've been quite discouraged during our training sessions for quite some time…" he reminded carefully. Brian blushed and looked away from Zenyatta out of modesty.
"You could tell, huh?" he murmured with an awkward chuckle.
Zenyatta chuckled softly in return. "Well, I can sense a great deal of frustration and hopelessness radiating from you, child…" added the omnic, "Especially after our daily training sessions…"
Brian cringed and frowned slightly, not knowing that he was showing his aggravation that much, now leaving a guilty feeling in the pit of his stomach.
"Oh...sorry, I didn't mean to...I, uh…" He was cut off when Zenyatta placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"Child, there is no need for worry." assured Zenyatta with the calmness of a father, "Maybe discussing about your plight may help clear your conscious?"
Brian hemmed and hawed for a second. Although he certainly did trust Zenyatta, with him being certainly the more kinder of the heroes currently in Overwatch, he still felt silly and didn't want to come across as a whiner. Still, maybe talking would help him out.
Brian took in a breath before giving his answer. "Well...there is something that's been kinda bugging me…" he admitted. Zenyatta nodded.
"I see…" he hummed thoughtfully, "Let's move out of the area so we don't freeze up, however."
He floated away to the training area exit with Brian following suit. They soon entered the warmer corridor and decided to continue their conversation there. Brian sighed and decided to let his thoughts flow freely as they both left the coldness of the training zone. They stopped in the hallway as Brian began to speak.
"I mean...it's just that lately, I've been feeling a bit...I dunno...I feel like I don't belong with these guys, you know?"
Zenyatta looked towards Brian. Given if his face wasn't expressionless and metal, he'd surely be beside himself with disbelief right about now.
"Whatever do you mean by that, young Kaplan?" he asked carefully, but worriedly. Brian sighed again.
"Well...it's mainly because of how I am compared to all you guys…" answered the youngster. Zenyatta looked slightly befuddled.
"How so?" he ventured. Brian rubbed his arm and inhaled.
"Well, I mean…" he began awkwardly, "Here I am, a plain human with no powers or robotic limbs or awesome abilities, signing up to save the world with you guys. We have robo-ninjas, cowboys, people with mech suits and awesome gear, omnics...we even have a talking gorilla as our commander!"
Brian paused to take another breath. "I'm beyond grateful that I even managed to get enlisted into Overwatch, but with all these other more stronger, better heroes...how on earth would I be able to compete with them all? I feel...like a nobody compared to you guys..."
The young rookie sighed once again and slumped against the corridor wall, looking quite glum. He half-expected Zenyatta to try and push him away or berate him for being so peevish, but to his surprise, Zenyatta stayed by his side and patted his back comfortingly.
"Dear Brian, you are certainly a hero in your own right. You just need more training is all. Not every hero starts out well the first time…" reassured Zenyatta, his tone still calm and kind. Brian shrugged in response.
"I suppose…I still worry that I'm falling behind the others...like I'm not as capable as the others…" sighed Brian. Zenyatta chuckled warmly.
"You're starting to sound like Genji…" he murmured wistfully. Brian's ears perked up.
"Genji?" he asked confusedly. Zenyatta nodded.
"For quite a while, I have helped trained Genji Shimada to help find a balance between his human half and his metallic half," explained Zenyatta, "He was purely disgusted with his new robotic self, so I assisted in helping him gain the ability to fluidly control his human soul and his robotic body. He was quite the rogue when I've managed to have him become my student, but he soon learned to grow into a more humble and trusting being than he was before…"
Even with that being said, Brian still looked kind of unconvinced about what Zenyatta was describing Genji. To Brian, Genji still seemed like the tough, silent type he was whenever Brian tried to interact with him. Sure, he wasn't as mean or grouchy as Torbjörn, but there was something about him that gave Brian anxiety whenever the two crossed paths.
Nevertheless, Zenyatta continued on with her story. "We were training in North America when Winston issued the recall protocol for us Overwatch members to return and I've helped sway Genji into returning again. Even with us back working at our old organization, I still Genji as a student, and in turn, he still sees me as his mentor...although he still desires to reconcile with his brother Hanzo again…"
Brian went silent upon hearing that last part. Even though he didn't know too much about Genji's history, or even about the Shimada Clan for that matter, he did hear about Genji going through some personal issues of his own, but he didn't think it was because of familial problems.
"But in the end," finished Zenyatta, "Genji still proves to be a capable and extraordinary hero nonetheless. With the right training, anyone can prove to be a hero…"
Brian looked up to Zenyatta with unsure eyes. "Anyone…?" he asked hopefully. Zenyatta nodded.
"Overwatch, as a whole, stands for many attributes for all humans, omnics, and creatures alike. We stand for hope, honor, courage, justice, compassion, determination, and harmony. All of these traits that unify us as true companions…allies…"
His voice grew softer, but his wise and kind tone was still present as he looked back towards Brian, as he placed a friendly hand on his shoulder.
"...family…"
Brain gazed at the monk, awestruck, but still respectfully silent as Zenyatta continued on.
"Our paths lead to different futures, different possibilities for us to accomplish. But regardless of what transpires, we shall always have loved ones to support us along the way."
Silence fell before the two, with only the chilly wind of the half-frozen training area from outside answering back. Everything was still and Brian, floored from Zenyatta's wiseness, wasn't sure of what to say. Thankfully, Zenyatta broke the silence as he turned towards Brian.
"You do understand where I am meaning by all this, indeed?" he asked knowingly. The young rookie blinked and stammered nervously, slowly starting to understand where Zenyatta was going with all this.
"...T-That no matter how many times one screws up, they'll still...have a chance at redemption...and that they'll still be supported?" he questioned carefully. Zenyatta nodded proudly.
"Correct, Brian…" he stated approvingly, "Whether it involves your own family or with us here in Overwatch, trust me when I say that you will still have all our support...and that one day, you will strive to be a good hero…"
With that said, it took some time for Brian to ever so slowly come to grips with his situation. Before in his youth, he didn't really see Overwatch as all that special, but after that one day in the museum, he knew what this team stood for. He knew why this organization wanted to protect the world. While Timmy may have seen Overwatch as being nothing but awesome, flashy superheroes with amazing powers, Brian had now seen what Overwatch's goal truly stands for.
To protect everyone's friends and family from harm.
At a near loss for words, Brian was immediately brought back down to Earth and felt a new wave of admiration and self-worth freely wash over him and helped clear his troubled mind. With a small, thankful grin and a relieved sigh, Brian looked up to Zenyatta with an earnest look on his face.
"...Thanks, Zenyatta...really…" he finally said gratefully. Zenyatta nodded warmly at him.
"You're very welcome, young Brian…" he replied in a sagely, almost-fatherly fashion, "Heroism shall come to you in time. Just remember to have faith in yourself…"
Brian nodded happily, now feeling more relief and hope than he did since he signed up for Overwatch. And with all that said and done, he and Zenyatta soon decided to head back to the lobby, leaving behind an empty, quiet near-frozen training area behind them.
The duo had entered the main lobby of their facility, both chatting happily between each other as they walked through the large corridor and into the lobby entrance. Brian, who was starting to feel a little better about himself, beamed happily as they saw Mei tinkering with her blaster nearby the entrance, with Snowball hovering alongside her.
Suddenly, a ring from the loudspeaker caused the group to jump a little. The smooth, feminine voice of Athena, the main computer system, soon followed after the feedback.
"Overwatch members Tracer, Winston, and Torbjörn now entering the facility..."
With that said, the main entrance doors slowly slid open to reveal three of Overwatch's more distinct members waltzing into the room, looking quite victorious. Aside from a few scratches and scuff marks, the trio still looked healthy and in tip-top shape from their mission in Italy.
Zenyatta floated up and bowed in greetings to the three heroes. "Ah, welcome home, friends! I trust that the mission has been successful?" he greeted warmly. Winston chuckled kindly at the sage-like omnic.
"Afternoon, Zenyatta!" smiled Winston, stretching his hind legs, "Indeed it has been, old friend!"
Torbjörn scoffed and he placed down a large crate, filled with what appeared to be bits of a destroyed turret gun.
"Ja, considering zat Hana and Lucio nearly blew our cover when tryin' to get to ze payload…" he grumbled, cracking his sore neck. Lena Oxton giggled at the grumpy old Swede.
"Look at it this way, Torbby! At least you've gotten some cover fire from Orisa and Hammond when your turret went kaput!" she mused cheekily, "Shows that even omnics are capable of helping ya, eh?" Torbjörn groused in annoyance as Tracer giggled at his sour expression.
"Bah! Ze one blasted time my lovely gun jams and I get a robot quadruped and a gerbil to do me own job. Hur förödmjukande…" he grumbled, hiking up the crate over his shoulder again and heading towards the hallways in a huff.
"I'll be in me quarters taking a nap if ya need me...which I pray that you don't need me…" rumbled Torbjörn as he left the lobby. The others chuckled at the departing engineer as Mei spoke up next.
"How are the others holding up?" she asked.
"They're holding up very nicely!" answered Winston, fixing his glasses, "No injuries were thankfully reported and we managed to keep the bounty free from Talon's grip. Thankfully, we didn't have somebody like Reaper or Widowmaker show up by surprise to counterattack us…"
"Aside from all those omnics Talon salvaged from the Uprising, though!" reminded Lena, "Poor Bastion nearly blown a circuit when he saw all those blokes stormin' through the bridge!"
Mei gasped softly in worry. "Oh my…"
"Well, regardless," finished Winston jovially, "We still managed to secure the weapons safely and fend off Talon from the area. The mayor of Rialto sends us his upmost gratitude for our assistance."
Everybody applauded and cheered for their rousing success, excited of the process that Overwatch was making since their revival. Even Brian, who was standing in the background away from the others, smiled and clapped softly at their victory as the cheers died down. Winston sighed proudly as he gestured towards Mei.
"Anyways, Mei. Angela and Reinhardt are in the main control room in need of your assistance. " explained Winston kindly. Mei's eyes lit up in excitement.
"Yōuxiù!" exclaimed Mei happily, picking up her backpack and gun, "On my way!"
Snowball squeaked giddily as well as Winston chuckled back, making his way towards the control room with the Chinese climatologist in tow.
Now all that left was Lena, Zenyatta, and Brian in the lobby, with the latter looking quite shy and awkward indeed. Lena noticed the rookie's demure nature and giggled. She primed her chronal accelerator and flickered right next to Brian in a bright flash of light, much to the young teen's unexpected surprise.
"Hey, Bri!" chirped Lena happily, slinging a friendly arm around Brian, "How'd today's trainin' work out for ya?"
Brian groaned unsurely, as he rubbed his arm and blushed softly at the British ex-pilot. Zenyatta threw him a bone and offered to speak for him.
"His skills on the battlefield are still in need of improvement, I'm afraid…" he murmured tactfully. Lena's face fell at that news. She looked at Brian, who was looking kind of ashamed himself again.
Lena soon gave him a reassuring smile and patted his back. "'Ey...no worries, luv!" she smiled kindly, "I'm sure you'll be a smashing good officer in no time!"
Brian chuckled unsurely, but still gave Lena a thankful smile. "Heh-heh...yeah, I hope so…" he murmured. Zenyatta was about to join the group until Athena's voice rang out from the intercom again.
"Tekhartha Zenyatta, you are needed in the map room by orders of Dr. Angela Ziegler…"
Zenyatta nodded and was soon on his way out, but not before giving Brian an expressionless, but somehow warm and kind-hearted face.
"Remember what I've mentioned about being a hero, young Brian…" he stated mystically before heading out of the lobby, now leaving behind one British ex-pilot and one young and nervous rookie. Still, Lena hoped to try and cheer Brian up a little.
"Genji givin' ya a hard time again during training?" she asked carefully. Brian gulped and tried to not to show his shame.
"...K-Kinda…" he admitted meekly. Lena smiled kindly and pulled him into a sisterly side hug nonetheless.
"Eh, try not to worry 'bout 'im, luv! Genji may be an ol' stick-in-the-mud, but he's a good sort. Certainly more nicer than Torbjörn though, am I right?" she chuckled, which successfully prompted a chuckle out of Brian as well.
"Heh-heh-heh...yeah...but, uh...sorry if it seems like I'm getting frustrated during training. I'm just worried I wasn't as good as you guys are…" apologized Brian quietly. Lena smiled softly at her young friend.
"You'll be a great hero, Bri! Trust me. It only takes some time 'n practice, and soon enough, you'll be blastin' Talon goons in no time!" she assured, "I mean, ya mentioned your lil' brother was over the moon when he found out you were joinin' Overwatch, right?"
Brian couldn't help but to chuckle upon being reminded of that. "Are you kidding me? He was practically bouncing off the walls when I told him the news…" he answered with a good-natured laugh. Lena giggled.
"Well then, if lil' Timmy can see that you're destined for great things, than so am I...along with the rest of us here at Overwatch…" finished Lena with a grin.
And just like that, the weight of Brian's worries and self-doubt seemed to be lighter as the young rookie slowly felt relief and determination course through his mind and veins. Even if he doesn't so as good the first time, per chance he'll do even better the second or third time.
His mind free from uncertainty and his heart filled with admiration, he quickly and unexpectedly gave Lena a big, brotherly, grateful hug. Lena was caught off-guard at first, but even she couldn't help but to smile brightly and return the embrace without question.
After seconds of silent hugging, Brian spoke up again. "Thanks, Miss Oxton...for everything…" he thanked in a soft tone.
Lena smiled and rolled her eyes at being called "miss" yet again by Brian. Since he arrived into their ranks, Brian wanted to remain respectful to the others and tried to be as formal and polite as he can be, even though it wasn't as warranted with certain other members, such as Tracer, Lucio, or Hana. Heck, he even wound up calling Hammond "sir" on more than one occasion! Still, Lena Oxton didn't complain or judge as they held their hug for a little while longer.
"Anytime, Bri…" she smiled, "Just remember that ya do have the makings of a great hero…"
Brian blushed as the pair released each other from their friendly hug, before Tracer sprang up an idea.
"Anywho, fancy a lil' race to the rec room, mate?" challenged Lena playfully. Brian chuckled and rubbing his hands.
"Oh, you're on!" he chuckled, getting himself ready to run. Lena giggled naughtily.
"Very well…" she tittered, her chronal accelerator suddenly charging up in a bright blue light. Brian stood in surprise as Lena readied her stance and began the countdown.
"On-your-marks-get-set-GO!" And just like that, Tracer immediately blinked out of existence with her accelerator, and rapidly zipped out of the lobby, leaving behind a shocked, but excited Brian in her wake.
"Hey! That's cheating!" laughed Brian as he immediately gave chase, the sounds of Lena's high-pitched giggling echoing across the halls.
And as Brian and Lena playfully raced out of the main are of the headquarters, Brian began to feel a great wave of determination and pride he had never felt before in his life. When he encountered Overwatch on that day in the museum, he gained a newfound sense of admiration for the peacekeeping team he had never felt before. By now, he was honestly glad to have signed up to be an Overwatch member, and that he'll still continue to train to be as good as his new family and teammates.
And maybe someday...he too will be a hero at some point in his life...
THE END
And so ends Rookie Mistake! Apologies if we still haven't gotten to any real action yet again, but since I love doing all these slice-of-life fics, I figured another one wouldn't hurt for now.
On terms of Brian, he is indeed the teenage boy we've seen from one of the early Cinematic Trailers, now aged up to eighteen (b/c I figured the Overwatch enrollment age would be as same as it would be for the Army/Navy/Marines/etc.). I wanted to give Brian a more hopeful and less passive attitude from the short, but I also gave him a sense of low self-esteem, seeing as he's now training with more impressive and stronger soldiers than he thinks he is.
In addition, I gave him the last name "Kaplan", after Overwatch director Jeff Kaplan, of course. Plus, I was hoping to heighten his relationship with Tracer as a sort of big sister / little brother role, or that akin to Tracer being a mentor to Brian. Either way, I'm clarifying that I am not shipping Tracer and Brian, as Lena still has Emily as her girlfriend. Having Brian also have a sorta student-like role to Zenyatta was also a little bonus, as well.
For now, I'm not certain when or what the next Overwatch fic may be (if I plan to another another one, since I'm going under a slight dry spell for these fics right now), but hopefully in future, I can certainly try and continue with these stories for you all at some point again. Until then, thanks for reading and I'll see ya around! :D
"Tochū de dete, kodomo!" = Japanese for "Get out of the way, child!"
"Domo arigato" = Japanese for "Thank you"
"Hur förödmjukande..." = Swedish for "How humiliating..."
"Yōuxiù!" = Chinese word for "Excellent!"
~Thunderbyrd