Note: Overwatch is property of Blizzard Entertainment. This story is set shortly after my other story Pilgrim's Path. While it's not necessary to read that one beforehand, it lays the groundwork for several original members returning after the Recall. This serves as a separate story that will intersect with the first one later on so until then, enjoy.

Amid the clear blue mountain skies of Colorado, the sounds of whistling wind filled the special flight helmet of Lieutenant Jason Archer as he shifted his weight and made a swift evasive roll toward the ground. The winged jetpack that had been built into his aerial combat suit flared to life leaving a blue contrail as Jason made a steep dive back toward the grassy airfield below. As he adjusted his wings and tried to bank away at a sharp angle, he could hear the engineering ground crew squawking on the radio before another voice cut in over his own comm line.

"Nice maneuver Little Bird, but you're going to have to do better than that to shake me."

He turned his head and saw the imposing blue Raptora pattern armor of his fellow security officer Fareeha Amari close behind. The sun glinted off her heavier blue winged power armor and the yellow visor of Fareeha's helmet glowed with a golden sheen, giving off the appearance of a menacing beak. "You won't escape. I always get my prey!"

Jason tried another evasive maneuver as they neared the ground but his pursuer used her experience to restrict his moves and come in at a better attack angle. The jump jets of her aerial battle suit flared and she immediately overtook Jason and cut him off like a bird of prey diving upon a helpless victim.

As Fareeha made a victorious swoop over the ground, both comrades regrouped and gently glided toward the airstrip hangers where the engineering team was waiting for them. After cutting power, they touched down gently and caught their breath, but not before Jason folded back the retractable wings of his lighter combat suit. The younger security officer turned to his senior and gave a nod, "Nice move Captain. I almost thought I was going to be able to get away for a minute."

Fareeha smiled and removed her helmet revealing a strikingly beautiful Egyptian woman of about thirty with long black hair and dark Middle Eastern features. "Don't sell yourself too short Lieutenant. You still put up a good challenge out there."

Jason removed his own helmet revealing his own blue eyes and short dark brown hair which had been matted down by sweat. The young American man in his early twenties gave a tired nod in reply while opting for a more casual tone and use of her nickname, "Thanks Pharah. I'm still glad you could help with Project Zephyr's flight tests today and let me push the limits of this suit."

The project they had been referring to was a new experimental weapon system developed by their employer, the private global security firm, Helix Security International. While Helix had already developed powered flight suits with heavy armor and missile weapons like Pharah's to combat Omnic threats, Helix wanted to develop a category of faster lighter flying infantry. With the ability to quickly transition between ground combat and aerial support, Helix hoped that officers armed with the Zephyr suits could add a new element to their forces as skirmishers and recon units.

Pharah clapped Jason's shoulder and inspected the Zephyr equipment he wore: a special blue flight suit with temperature and pressure controls beneath assorted pieces of lightweight white colored body armor. At the back was a sleek jetpack thruster with retractable wings, "With a little more training and some fine tuning, I think these will make a fine addition to the arsenal."

Before the engineering crew could make their way over and recover more post flight data, they stopped as a tall well built African American man in military style khakis and a blue beret approached from the doors of the hanger. They all immediately recognized him as one of Helix Security's regional commanders, Thomas Stone. He was an older middle aged man and he wore a stoic expression while he strode forward carrying a folder. When he neared, he slowly removed his dark sunglasses, "Captain Amari. Lieutenant Archer."

Both Helix Security officers stood at attention, "Commander Stone, sir!"

"At ease," he said giving an easy wave, "I came today to check up on the progress of Project Zephyr. Lieutenant Archer, I understand you've been volunteering to serve as the test operator?"

"Yes sir. I was just running some flight maneuvers with Captain Amari so that we could get a better gauge of the suit's capabilities," Jason answered.

The Commander gave a satisfied nod and turned to the older Asian American engineering chief nearby, "Mr. Wong, do you think Zephyr will be ready for field testing in a true combat scenario?"

Wong hesitated and rubbed the back of his neck, "That's hard to say, sir. This current battle suit has passed the initial tests but we haven't run it with its full weapon systems yet."

Cmdr. Stone turned back to Jason and eyed the battle suit, "What about you Lieutenant? What do you think about the readiness of Zephyr?"

"I feel confident in the weapon systems sir. I'm ready for whatever you need me to do."

Cmdr. Stone nodded, "For the assignment I have in mind, I look forward to seeing how it performs alongside the Raptora suit as well."

Jason blinked in surprise, "Wait… are you asking for me to fly a mission alongside Captain Amari?"

Stone reached into a file folder that he had tucked under his arm and handed it to Jason, "We've received reports that there is a growing Omnic threat in the East China Sea. South Korea's defense forces have requested the help of Helix in the region so we're deploying Captain Amari. I thought this might be a good opportunity for you to field test the Zephyr and get some hands on experience from a veteran officer too... that is, if you think you're up to it."

The younger man nodded enthusiastically, "Yes sir! I'm looking forward to seeing some action."

Fareeha regarded him levelly, "As long as you're under my watch, no unnecessary risks. We're there to be professional and do our jobs well. Is that understood?"

"Yes Ma'am," Jason replied while straightening up again.

Cmdr. Stone turned on his heel and headed off to his waiting car parked around the corner of the hanger, "Very good. I'll be looking forward to seeing some good results from the both of you. Until then, I suggest you pack your bags and prep your battle suits. Your plane for Korea leaves in twelve hours."

The droning sound of the jet plane's turbine engines hummed rhythmically as Jason restlessly stirred in his seat. He had spent the last sixteen hours flying over the Pacific Ocean in the Helix Securities chartered airplane and he gave a relieved sigh after checking a nearby video monitor. According to the course map, they were nearing Korean airspace. By his estimation, they were probably an hour or so away from the capital of Seoul.

As Jason zipped up his dark blue duty jacket and stretched his legs, Pharah calmly turned a page of the book she had been reading and gave a sideways glance to her younger charge that sat beside her, "I know how you feel Little Bird. I don't like flying through the air while being cooped up in a plane either."

He gave a mildly exasperated sigh, "You must really get a kick out of that silly nick-name."

Phara laughed gently and closed her book, "Well, what else am I supposed to call you? You are my responsibility and I am the Big Bird around here after all."

"Funny. I thought Big Bird was tall, yellow, and lived on Sesame Street," Jason retorted earning himself a light shove in the arm.

Over the course of the year since Captain Fareeha Amari had transferred to the Helix Securities base in the US, the two had developed a friendly working rapport with each other. In many ways, the dynamic was was one of a playful sibling relationship with Fareeha taking on the role of a responsible older sister. She had been brought on to offer her input into the development of the Zephyr Project and Jason admired her competence and poise. Although she was often reluctant to talk about her past service record, such as stopping the renegade Omnic god program Anubis in Egypt, Jason couldn't help but look up to her for her courage and stoic heroism.

Although he was still a junior security officer, Fareeha had recognized Jason as a rising star with similar traits, disciplined and reliable but also very ambitious and eager to prove himself. During her time on the project, she had quite literally taken him under her wing and begun to mentor him too, both as a security officer and as a combat flyer.

"I take it you have a lot on your mind?" she asked off handedly as a flight attendant made one last round and asked if anyone wanted some coffee or tea.

Jason sat back in his seat and gave a sheepish look, "Sorry Pharah. I guess it's just the nerves getting to me a little bit. I worked really hard to help get the Zephyr project this far and I want it to go well. Cmdr. Stone is counting on us to give a good showing to our allies."

"I would be more concerned with focusing on the battle plans and the strength of the enemy," Pharah said in a solemn voice while pensively glancing out the plane's window. "Omnics are masters of adapting to their battlefields and we have to treat them as a very credible threat. This might be your first major engagement with them so I don't want you to get too careless or overconfident in battle."

Jason nodded, "I won't. I guess I just don't know how to feel about all this if it comes to a fight. I mean training exercises are one thing, but taking on some kill-bots in real life is something else entirely."

"You learn to live with it," Pharah said, "It is the nature of our jobs after all. If we're going to be protecting others, then we have to do so with clear heads and no fear in our hearts."

"Protecting others..." Jason mused, "Pharah, do think that's really what we do? What Helix really stands for?"

She frowned slightly in confusion, "What do you mean?"

He thought over his words and grimaced slightly, "If you think about it, those of us who work for Helix and these other private security firms... we're kinda like private armies. In a way, that essentially makes us mercenaries. We don't exactly just pick up and go to places because there's trouble there. We go because someone tells us to go and pays us to do it."

"Perhaps, but it doesn't take away from the good deeds we've done or other lives we've saved before."

Jason looked to her pointedly, "Of course. I'm not arguing that. I'm just questioning the reasons why we're doing the things that we are."

"I don't understand," Pharah replied in a serious tone meeting his eyes, "What are you getting at Jason? Helix Securities may not be the most ideal business, but it's the best way we can do good in the world. Why else would you have joined too?"

"Because I wanted to do the next best thing to Overwatch."

Pharah stopped and blinked in startled confusion, "What did you say?"

"Overwatch," Jason answered with a sigh, "When I was a little kid growing up, I idolized Overwatch and I looked up to their heroes. They were the ones who put down the first Omnic threat. They returned some measure of peace and order to the world. I wanted to be just like them and I wanted to join the organization."

Pharah looked at her younger friend and her expression softened, "Overwatch has been disbanded for five years. It doesn't exist anymore."

"I know that," he nodded before pointing to his heart, "But it still kinda does in here. I heard a lot of things about why it fell apart and how it met a violent end, but part of me still has a hard time believing all that. Sounds pretty childish, doesn't it?"

Pharah smiled gently and shook her head, "No. I don't think so. If I can be completely honest with you, I felt the same way for a long time. I had wanted to join Overwatch too and I didn't want to believe the stories that came out about them."

"Including your mother?" Jason asked, "I know she had served in Overwatch before."

Pharah nodded and glanced away momentarily, "Yes. Including her."

She looked out the window and fell silent for a moment before speaking again, "I understand the way you feel Little Bird. The world has changed and in some ways, it's a much more dangerous place. Helix might not be Overwatch, but it's a means to an end. It's the best we can do to help others in places where we can. Best that we make due with the hand we are dealt... or so the expression goes."

"Yeah... you're right Pharah. Thanks," Jason said while settling in for the remainder of the flight, "In the mean time, I think I'm going to make the most of our current hand and catch a quick nap before we land."

Some time later that day, the plane touched down at seaside airstrip in Incheon, just outside of Seoul, South Korea. As Jason and Pharah stepped off the plane with their bags, they stopped to supervise some of the workers who unloaded two crates from the cargo hold of the small jet. Inside the crates were their battlesuits, the Zephyr and Raptora. As they watched the containers get loaded and secured, they could hear the sounds of the ocean waters not far from their location. By their estimation, the ocean sounded loud and restless while a large thick front of dark clouds hung over the ocean horizon.

The light of the sun had dimmed and the coming storm clouds loomed ominously while the wind picked up into a steady gust. Pharah looked to the skies and frowned in concern, "A storm is coming. That's not good for us."

She was right. Although both their combat suits were designed for use in all types of weather situations, flying in the middle of a raging storm still posed a significant risk. The biggest threat of all was that of becoming a prime target for lightning in the skies. Unlike the size and shielding that most airplanes had, human operators wearing jetpacks and body armor were afforded very little protection against such a phenomenon. To make matters worse, storms reduced visibility and created dangerous pockets of unstable air and crosswinds.

"Hmm, I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. I'll bet it'll blow over soon enough," Jason shrugged as he huddled into his jacket and hefted his bag, "Come on. We should get to the nearest terminal and check in with our contact here."

Pharah nodded and began to follow him when both security officers halted at the shrill siren that suddenly pierced the air. Jason and Pharah exchanged a quick look of confusion as the siren continued to wail and several people on the airstrip began to flee for safety.

"What is going on here?" Jason shouted as he covered his ears to muffle the sounds of a nearby alarm.

"Sounds like an air raid siren!" Pharah called out as they doubled backed and went toward the crates containing their gear.

"An air raid? For real?" Jason shouted trying to scan the area for enemies, "Where is the attack coming from?"

Pharah's features became darker and more grim as she clambered up the cart and stood atop the container which held her armor. She scanned their surroundings with the sharp eyes of a practiced hunter before pointing out to the distance. Jason clambered up the container and followed her finger which was pointing west. From their vantage point on the seaside airstrip, they could see the dark choppy waters of the ocean to the west and in the far distance,an unusual sight was beginning to unfold.

The two Helix security officers watched in awed horror as large metallic pod shaped vessels surfaced from underneath the waters in the near distance. As the pods opened, clouds of winged robotic drones emerged and buzzed into a holding pattern to gather their forces while other pods released small robotic landing crafts. Aboard those craft appeared to be a robotic infantry force of Omnic sentry-bots.

"What the hell..." Jason muttered in dread, "There's so many of them."

He was snapped back to attention as Pharah jumped down from the container and began to reach for a key coded security pad built in. As she typed in her clearance codes, Jason looked down in shock, "Pharah... what are you doing?"

She unlocked the container and looked up with quick but stone cold expression, "I'm going to fight. Come on. It's time to suit up."

"Wait... what? Here?" he balked while gesturing to the threatening Omnic invasion force coming from the sea, "Are you insane?

Pharah disregarded the outburst and quickly began to slip on her armor while assembling it in a hurry, "You said you wanted to see some action and protect people, didn't you? Now is your chance to do your duty."

Jason paused at the statement and quickly nodded in assent. As he opened the container holding his own battle suit, Pharah continued on grimly, "Until the South Korean defense forces can respond, we'll have to do our best to try and slow down the assault."

The younger security officer hustled and threw on his suit along with the jetpack and armor pieces. In separate boxes, the two comrades found weapons that had been shipped over with them. Pharah held up a rocket launcher and loaded it with ordnance while Jason clipped a plasma pistol to his side and prepped his primary weapon, a small carbine energy rifle. The older of the two officers strapped her weapon into place and put on her helmet before turning around, "Weapons are secure. All flight control systems are go. Lieutenant?"

Jason followed suit by putting on his helmet and lowering his visor. He gave a tense thumbs up while trying to keep his own adrenaline in check, "Ready when you are Captain."

Pharah nodded and fired up her jump jets, taking off from the ground in a cloud of dust. The female warrior in blue powered armor resembling a hunting bird took off into the skies and steeled herself for the battle ahead. As the dark storm clouds drew closer and the incoming swarm of Omnic invaders approached from the sea, the newly christened Zephyr extended his wings out and fired his jetpack. As Jason Archer took off into the skies and followed close behind Pharah, he looked at the horde of robotic foes arrayed against them and made two silent wishes: that the suit would perform well in battle, and that it wouldn't be the only time he'd ever get to test it.