The rumble of the shuttle shook 76 awake, his cold eyes glanced at Tracer, she had fallen asleep during the flight. They had landed at Gibraltar, it was an old Overwatch base located in the southern reaches of Spain, situated amongst the rocky spires jutting from the sea. He grabbed his rifle from the seat beside him, holstering it onto his back as he made his way towards the bay door at the rear of the cabin. He tapped a panel on the wall, the door slowly opened, creating a ramp to bridge the small gap between the shuttle and the landing pad. He made his way back towards Tracer, gently shaking her to awaken, she only groaned in response. A small smile hid behind his mask, his thoughts briefly turned to the old days, the days where he was a hero. He wiped the smirk from his face, returning to his stoic façade, before lifting Tracer from the seat, supporting her back and legs with his arms. He stepped down the ramp, his visor dimming the bright sunlight that streamed into the base, the years had been kind to Gibraltar. The familiar smell of seawater flooded his senses, the sounds of the waves crashing into the rocks below, the distant caws of the seagulls that soared nearby, it had been a long time since he set foot on this base. He glanced around, taking in the familiar sights of his past life, before slowly making his way towards Winston's laboratory. The scientist had constructed the room that kept Tracer anchored not far from his lab, he didn't want to be too far away in case something went wrong. Tracer gently exhaled and turned into his chest, nuzzling her face against the leather of his jacket. She always was friendly, though he had attempted to confront her about the personal displays of affection during the glory days, he realized it was a futile effort. He let out a dry chuckle as he stepped up the staircase into Winston's lab, the tinted windows let only a small amount of sunlight inside. Various pieces of machinery were scattered around the lab, a large pile of shield generators could be seen discarded to one side. 76's gaze panned the ceiling, looking for any sign of the scientist, the large tire that hung in the center of the room was unoccupied, the quiet sounds of a keyboard could be heard upstairs. 76 loudly coughed, hoping that the scientist would notice his arrival, he hated to be kept waiting. The sounds from upstairs stopped, Winston's large head peered down from a hole in his office, a smile on his face.
"Ah, you're back earlier than I thought." His eyes held a brief look of concern as he looked at Tracer, before the smile reappeared. "Take her up the stairs, it's the first room on the right." Winston's head disappeared back into his office, 76 let out a small sigh as he ascended the stairs, hoping that he wouldn't have to talk with Winston after he dropped Tracer off. He stopped at the first door on the right, tapping the panel with his left hand, the door quickly opened to reveal a small apartment. Various amenities had been included in the construction, Morrison had overseen it along with Winston, though he never took part in the actual construction. A window lined the far wall, allowing the inhabitant to take in the sights of the Spanish coast, perhaps a reminder of the world they could return to. A small door led into a bathroom on the right side, a pair of couches sat on either side of a brown coffee table, a small refrigerator had even been placed in a corner of the room. 76's footsteps echoed throughout the room as he made his way towards the lone bed, gently placing Tracer down onto it. She groaned softly as she turned on the bed, she was a surprisingly heavy sleeper despite her usual personality. He made his way back to the entrance of the room, briefly turning back as he shut the door, his mask hid another soft smile. He made his way towards Winston's office, it was a short walk down the hall, the gorilla sat in a large tire, several monitors surrounded him. "How is she?" Winston's gaze didn't leave the monitors, their reflections shone in his glasses, 76 exhaled as he leaned against the wall.
"Some minor injuries, but she'll recover. How long will it take to make a replacement?" Part of him hoped that it would take some time, the small sliver of Morrison that remained deep within him ached to return to Overwatch, to reunite with his family. 76 quickly stomped down the thoughts, that wasn't who he was anymore, he was just finishing a mission.
"I have most of the materials on hand, but there's a couple of things I'll need you to get." Winston turned to face his former commander, a stern look on his face.
"Get them yourself." 76 snarled, suppressing his inward thoughts with a mixture of malice and brutality.
"What happened to you, Jack? The commander I knew wouldn't hesitate to throw himself into the fire for his team, but here you stand, refusing to save a woman's life that you ruined." Winston's words cut deep into 76, who slammed his fist into the wall, leaving a small dent in the metal.
"That was not my fault. But if you want to discuss the past, let's do it, ape. I managed to save the entire world, finding the best and brightest people from wherever I could look, while you sat here tinkering with your machines. I led soldiers into the jaws of death while you conducted experiments, I gave my life to save you all, where were you then, Winston?" 76 growled, he didn't know if the hatred he felt towards Winston was vindicated, but it felt good to release it. "Jack died in Switzerland, I came back to help as a favor to an old friend, but that mission was it."
"So, you'll just leave her in that room forever? There's no one else who can help her, you say you weren't responsible for what happened back then, but you will be for what happens now." Winston's tone was flat, a stark contrast to the bitterness locked within 76's gruff voice. "Help us, Jack. Help her." 76's cold visor stared as Winston, neither of them showed a trace of emotion, though they each felt passionately about this subject. His thoughts turned to his time in Dorado, of the fight with Los Muertos in the alleyway. He had dealt with several of the members before a child appeared from behind a crate, the retreating gang tossed a grenade back at them, and the child screamed in terror. Every fiber of his being wanted to chase after the gang, to make them pay for the crimes they've committed, but that small bit of Morrison within him held him back. He had no choice but to save the child, shielding her from the blast with his body. She had called him a hero, a title that he refused, that wasn't who he was anymore, he could rationalize what he did as old habits. 76 grunted as he made his way back down the hallway, wordlessly agreeing to help once more, he never could kick his habit. He made his way back to the bright exterior of Gibraltar, he remembered where his old office was, it overlooked the entirety of the base. He walked through the empty halls of Gibraltar, not a soul could be found within its dark interiors, it would've been better to let all this go. He ascended a stairwell, stopping at the top, a lone door stood before him, the name Morrison was transcribed above it. He sighed as he activated the panel of the door, the empty office was filled with the light of the sun. Two chairs sat before the large desk in the center of the room, a larger leather chair sat behind it, facing away from the large window at the rear of the room. 76 placed his jacket on the desk, leaning his rifle against it, before making his way over to a small locker in the corner, pulling it open with a satisfying clank. Inside was a set of clothes that he left for himself, he had spent so much time in this office that it had become a home to him. He pulled the various articles of clothing from the interior, placing them on the desk next to his jacket, before he turned back to the locker. His old jacket sat inside, its blue fabric contrasting against the darkness of the locker, the medals pinned to the collar managed to catch a small amount of sunlight, their glint reflecting off his visor. He stared at the jacket, the whispers inside him begging for him to put it back on, to reclaim what he had lost. He sighed, slamming the locker shut, before making his way to the small bathroom located off the office. The lights turned on as he entered, flickering gently as he made his way towards the shower, turning it on before he made his way towards the mirror. He removed his mask, placing it on the side of the sink, staring into his own blue eyes. He discarded the rest of his outfit into the corner, stepping into the warm water of the shower, the heat soothing his scarred body. Silently washing his hair, he thought of the late nights he had spent in this same room, the past that he had rejected, the man he left behind. Several minutes passed before he reemerged from the bathroom, his mask was already on his face, before he slipped into the clothes he left on the desk. He placed his rifle onto his back, making his way back to the landing pad, not wishing to live in his memories any longer. He withdrew the iDroid from his pocket as it buzzed, a hologram of Winston projected from the device.
"What?" 76 dryly spoke, his demeanor was only ever one of anger when he wore his mask, at least that was all he would show the world.
"I've uploaded the details to your iDroid, you're going to be heading to an old Overwatch base in London- "Winston was cut off as Tracer plucked the device from his hand, her cheery face replaced the scientist's calm visage.
"Oi, luv, you think you could pick me up a few things while you're there? I could murder some fish n' chips right about now." 76 stared at Tracer, not saying a word as she grinned at him. He shut the device off, placing it into his pocket, how she could be so cheery all the time was a mystery to him. He grunted as he stepped into the shuttle, placing the iDroid on the table to transfer the coordinates over, the autopilot would get him there. 76 never was much for flying, too many variables to consider, he preferred to keep his feet on the ground. The device rang again, this time the table projected both Tracer and Winston, 76 placed his hand on his mask, letting out a deep sigh. "It's rude to hang up on people, y'know?" Tracer spoke, playfully sticking her tongue out at 76, Winston sheepishly laughed as 76 stood up from the seat, leaning his hands against the table.
"As I was saying, you're heading to an old base in London. There shouldn't be anyone there, but it never hurts to be careful. You're getting a small shipment of crystals that are apparently still inside, that's what keeps her accelerator running properly. If the system log is correct, there should be enough where we won't have to scavenge for replacement parts."
"Anything else?" 76 grunted, his expressionless visor staring at the pair.
"Come on, luv, just swing by my place to get a few things! For old time's sake!" 76 sighed again, he always held a soft spot for Tracer, largely due to the guilt he felt for her condition, though her unflinching optimism helped too.
"Fine, send me the details." 76 groaned, tapping the table a few times to shut off the communications, he couldn't believe he'd agreed to this. The iDroid vibrated, projecting a list of items from the table, Tracer typed as fast as she spoke. Toothbrush, plush bear, teapot, she'd sent him a grocery list. "What is this crap?" 76 muttered, slowly panning his gaze down the list, one item stood out to him, a photograph. What would she need with a photograph? Granted, it seemed rather important compared to some of the other items she had listed for him, but didn't she have copies? 76 tapped the table again, swiping away the list, before settling back down in his seat. He had hoped to keep his distance from Overwatch, he wanted to say as far away from his former life as he could, but he was always drawn right back into it. "Well, at least it's only those two." 76 sighed, preparing himself for the flight to London. The shuttle soared over the coast of Spain, Gibraltar shrank as he flew north, he'd be back soon enough.