Author's Note: YAS, beotches. :P Gotta say, I'm excited for this chapter! Spent a lot of time on it, and I introduced two major characters in it! Enjoy! By the way, anyone want to kick ass on competitive with me in Overwatch? Message Draconian_Fire on PSN and I'll play with you. ;P I'm platinum, so I can hold my own, just trying to make diamond. And as I said, enjoy everyone! I think you'll like this chapter. :)
Burn It All Down
The shadows of the past haunted Draconian's face, desolate and hollow eyed as he walked forward. Bodies scattered around him, bullets flying at him. He didn't care. His stride was relaxed and easygoing, but his demeanor horrifying. Men shouted in some African dialect, pelting him with more ammunition. They shattered against his clothing and skin as if he were made of titanium. He held out his hand, sword filling his grip.
One man blitzed him, snarling in a berserker fury and attempting to run him through with a bayonet. It shattered against Draconian, who invited the man to his death in silence. The sword flickered through the air, and the man's head fell to the ground, staining Draconian's leather shoes with scarlet that matched the current shade of his eyes. He looked up from the corpse, his blank gaze focusing on the men who were getting more creative and destructive. With rocket launchers specifically.
Draconian did not care. He'd weathered worse back home. A high pitched wheeeeeeeee sounded above him on the rocky ridge. Fuck your rockets. Thought Draconian. He raised his hand, the projectile slowing, stopping in midair, spewing flames out the back of the incendiary head. Men began to shout more frantically, the terrorists truly beginning to feel fear. He snapped his fingers, sending it right back at them. "Your religion will not save you." Said Draconian calmly. "Pick a god and pray."
Fire erupted on the ridge, pieces of flesh and organ covering it a dark shade of red speckled in pink. The screams were silent. Gloriously silent. Draconian breathed the smell of blood and gunpowder, looking like death himself. Then he heard it. Crying.
He walked throughout the camp, tearing the tarps off huge iron cages, the smell of excrement and blood omnipresent, assailing his nostrils. Men and women and children cowered fearfully, sobbing quietly. He placed his hands on the cages, prying them apart easily. It was then he saw it. The mutilation. Hands and feet missing, noses cut off, ears naught but empty holes. He stepped into the cage, holding his hand out to a small child, her eyes an epitome of the thousand yard stare. Her fingers were missing, and she didn't respond. He took her maimed hand calmly, and a soft white and gold light flowed from his hands. He watched as her fingers grew back, whole and sound and unmarked.
He repeated as thus with the hostages taken by the terrorists, pressing his hand to their forehead and watching as hands and feet and facial features grew back. The sobbing grew louder steadily, Draconian prying open cages and healing the maimed. "Be healed." He whispered. His eyes began to change color into a light, sky blue, glowing softly. Merciful. The sobbing was quite loud now, the villagers hiccuping foreign thanks to the man of Dragons. He pried open another cage, healing its inhabitants from permanent injuries.
Finished, he stood up, cupping his hands around his mouth. "Listen to me." His words were conversational, but carried to each and every person in sight. "You must leave this place. These people, there are more of them. They will hound you and hold you ransom and kill your loved ones. They care nothing for you. They are not humans. Never think of them as such. They are wolves in sheep's clothing. And the beast is ever insatiable. You must find salvation by yourself, but I will aid you this once to make up for the wrongs that were present now, and in the past. It can never begin to repay the tragedy throughout history in this region, but if you can spread the kindness of a stranger, I would be heartened. Go now, and remember." Draconian knew they would understand him, even if he didn't know their language.
He walked away from the village, his cape fluttering as he disappeared into the depths of the ever ravaged third world country. Until Overwatch was the presence he knew it would grow to be, he would have to make the world believe there were heroes out there.
But Draconian did not think of himself as a hero.
…..
Liao did not often cuss. She thought it a sign of low intelligence, as well as an inhibitor to forming more creative insults with language. Like she was trying to do now. She growled. "I despise the application of data constructs meant to simplify the needs of humanity."
Ana raised an eyebrow next to her, causing her to blush. "Sorry. I just…" She fumbled for the right words as her eyes were glued to the screen. "Coding. I'm really good at it, but what I'm doing is pretty ambitious."
Ana nodded in understanding, returning to her book. Jack was talking quietly to the U.N in the corner, going over the rules of Overwatch and the international law of Overwatch's operations. Reinhardt was busy watching funny cat videos on his mobile, inciting roaring laughter from the man, making Liao's job of focusing harder. Gabe was passed out on the couch, his beanie low over his eyes. Torbjörn was off at some military base, Fort Leslie McNair. Or Fort McNair for short. Apparently he was being granted access to his personal 'home away from home', as he called it. In reality he meant his weapons workshop, where he'd be developing weapons for Overwatch. Which was, she concluded, a really slow process.
Apparently he was doing a number of projects, from lowering the kick of Gabriel's shotguns with more pellets per shot, to new shielding using hard light for Reinhardt. Ana had kept her sniper rifle, and apparently he was working on what he called an LMA for Jack, or Light Munitions Armament, that would replace Jack's standard military issue M4X1.
Liao received nothing, due to her not being a combatant, and Torbjörn had brought his own weapons with him. He called it his 'personal forge', a thing that looked like a cross between a smelter and a bulky backpack. The way he had described it, when not cussing in Swedish, was that it generated immense pressure inside that formed magma, which was fed through tubes going up Torbjörn's arm into a gauntlet like contraption. Torbjörn then dumped it into a hatch on his rivet gun, which then cooled rapidly to form red hot nails he fired through it. It also came with multiple chambers, enabling him to fire it like a DIY shotgun.
Liao herself worked on something to aid Overwatch. Not as personal as new weaponry, but something she felt altogether proud of by herself. She had the idea come from the Omnics themselves. She kept it to herself, however, due to the fact it used artificial intelligence.
She just hoped it turned out the way she wanted. It was an immense project, and she had had written a paper on it only two months ago.
"Secretary Petras?" She heard Jack say in his gruff voice. She looked over to see his brow furrowed and lips turned down in a frown. "I thought Liao was our ambassador."
"Your ambassador, not your handler." She heard another man say. "Overwatch is officially sanctioned by the UN, which means your only superior is us. You report to us, we fund you and what you do. You screw up…" The voice went silent.
"And we get the whip." Mumbled Jack under his breath. "Yeah, I get it."
Liao couldn't help but be surprised at the malediction in his voice. Jack had always come across as a rule follower, never bending or strafing the code of conduct. Whether under orders or giving them, he seemed at home with either. It seemed unlike him to chafe under them.
The screen shut off, Jack walking over to the sofa where Gabriel slept in their temporary apartment in the middle of D.C.
Gabe stirred on the couch, his voice a low growl. "Move my feet, I fucking dare you."
Jack grinned, grabbing him bodily by his ankles and hauling him off the couch. "Hey!" Gabe growled and squirmed, being dumped unceremoniously on the floor.
Ana laughed as Jack smirked, Gabe pulling up his beanie. "Asshole." He muttered, smiling slightly. "What time is it?"
"About seven."
Gabe stood up, looking grimly excited. "Great! Time for dinner then." He turned to Ana, smiling at the Egyptian sniper. "Mom, what's for dinner?" Ana chuckled, looking up at Gabe with the evil eye.
"For you? A healthy asskicking Gabriel Reyes. Served fresh by me."
Gabe's laughed, amused by her wit.
Ana chuckled from her book, and Reinhardt laughed over in his corner from watching felines go bipedal or airborne. Liao focused harder on her screen, hoping that the coding would be enough for most of it. She could make adjustments for it should need be, but the AI was meant to be self sufficient and programmed to build its own personality over time. Now I need a name…
As much as she wanted to, she could not form a fitting name for a brand new AI that at most could probably make coffee from Liao's computer to the kitchen. Eventually she knew it could run hundreds of logarithms and analyses from its interface, but that was yet to be programmed. I'll sleep on it. Liao thought.
She fixed herself a quick sandwich and went off to bed, tired and wondering what the following days would breed.
…..
She was awoken by three different things. The first was by the bright orange sunlight streaming in through the window. The second was her platinum white hair which was stuck in her mouth, which she spat out, thoroughly convinced that she looked less like the world saving scientist and more like a mess. The third was a voice, distinctly female and lightly accented. "Good morning, Ms. Liao."
She jumped, looking around her room in fright. "Who said that?!"
The voice sounded concerned and surprised at Liao's reaction. "Oh. I'm sorry. I suppose I should introduce myself. I am the Artificial Tactical and Heuristic Entity for New Agents. I believe you were my programmer, and saw fit to wake you along with the rest of the agents stationed here."
Liao's jaw dropped. "Wait. You're telling me that you were the AI I just started coding last night? How - How are you even functioning that fast? Last night I just started coding you. I built the most basic form of of you out of programs like PROLOG and Smalltalk and now you're already running?"
"I believe you coded me to be self sufficient and to begin building a database and personality. Throughout the night I have been running self diagnostics and absorbing information from the internet. I am now fluent in three hundred applicable languages and variations thereof. I have determined that the people in this base are healthy and psychologically sound."
"So, let me get this straight." Liao breathed out, calming her racing heart. "You, over the course of one night, absorbed pretty much half of the information on the internet, building and formulating your own code until you decided you were done and then woke us up over the intercoms?"
The voice was quiet for a moment. "Essentially, yes." She paused again. "Did I… do something wrong, Ms. Liao?"
Liao looked up, not exactly sure what to look at considering there was no visible interface of the entity. "No. No, you didn't do anything wrong. It's just…" She shook her head in disbelief. "You built your entire network of code in one night. It would've taken me years to do that, and I don't even know if I could've programmed a personality into you."
The voice sounded amused. "I am not quite finished yet, Ms. Liao. I am still building a great part of my interface and intelligence, and have not yet been able to devise emotions except for the lighter ones such as amusement, love, joy, and happiness. However, in an effort to connect with humans on a fundamental level, I deem it necessary to add the dark emotions such as rage, greed, and fear into my systems."
Liao nodded. "That makes sense. So, um…" She furrowed her brow. "Wait. Do you have a name?"
"A… name?" She sounded confused. "I do not believe I was implemented with a name, Ms. Liao."
Liao sighed, pressing her fingers to her temples. "Great. I suck at names."
"If it helps, Ms. Liao, you may address me as the Artificial Tactical and Heuristic Entity for New Agents."
Liao laughed. "No, that's way too long. No, we need something… Something…" Her eyes went wide, and grabbed a pen and a piece of paper from inside her drawer. "Say that one more time."
"Artificial Tactical and Heuristic Entity for New Agents."
Liao wrote it down quickly, looking at the long words and their beginning letters. "Athena…" She breathed. She looked back up, her eyes shining. "Of course. It makes sense. Artificial Intelligence for Overwatch, the world's protectors. And the goddess of wisdom. Athena."
"I'm sorry?" Said the female voice. "I don't understand."
"That's your name." Liao smiled. "Athena."
"My… name?" The voice sounded uncertain. "I LOVE it!" The female voice sounded jubilant, and Liao could almost picture Athena smiling.
"Now, Athena, do you think you could tell me how much remains for your coding?"
"Certainly, Ms. Liao. I estimate it will take a few years to entirely complete the necessary implications and networking. I am currently researching the events of the past few hundred years as well as developing ones. The Omnic Crisis…" Liao could almost imagine her shuddering. "It seems quite bad."
"Trust me, it is." Liao said. "That's why we've been called together, to protect the world and disarm the Omnic Crisis."
"It would seem you have quite a task ahead of you then."
Liao smiled, half in bitterness and half in joy. "What can I say? I like a challenge."
"May I help you, Ms. Liao?"
"Of course Athena! Why do you think I programmed you?"
"Excellent!" Cried Athena. "Does that mean I'm an Overwatch agent now?"
Liao chuckled. "Athena, you're like a small child. Yes, I suppose you can." Liao raised her voice slightly, toning her voice to be resounding and pompous. "I, Xanthe Liao, hereby nominate and appoint Athena as a new Overwatch member."
A sound like clapping played over the intercoms, Athena giggling in the background. "Thank you Ms. Liao. I shall attend to my systems and the other Overwatch agents. Thank you, for my name." Liao felt her presence leave her room before immediately almost returning again. "Oh, and I have a question. There was a drawing and a file on a man named Draconian. It seemed of importance and I thought to ask who he was."
Liao straightened abruptly. "Oh, uh, um…" She struggled to find the right words. "Draconian is… not really a friend. But he's not a bad guy either. He… saved my life a few months back, before I joined. And we saw him a few weeks ago at a restaurant. He showed us some pretty interesting stuff."
"Such as?" Athena inquired.
"Well, Dragons, Athena. Two of them showed up with him at the restaurant. They showed their wings and forms. One was called Dreamorus, and he filled the restaurant with purple mist. If you can, you can check the footage, and see it's not there. Dreamorus messed up all the footage through his power. But if you find it, go back a half hour. You might see him enter."
"Searching."
A brief moment of silence and Athena returned again. "At precisely seven oh two on October twentieth, a man wearing strange glowing attire appeared in the Sonoma Restaurant and Wine Bar. Ten minutes past, another man with trench coat in shifting colors appeared in the kitchen. Afterwards there are no signs of laughter or smiling. The cameras switch off after that, and the footage following shows everyone asleep in their food." Athena sounded like she was trying not to laugh.
"That's pretty much what happened, Athena. They showed up and described their intentions, and left as fast as that. Draconian has a… condition I guess you would call it, that prevents him from speaking to women for an extended period of time unless drunk or similarly inhibited."
"A type of social anxiety then." Inferred Athena.
"Yeah. He acts the same essentially under the influence, but says it eases it enough for him."
"It would seem reasonable to assume Draconian was never social or had a traumatic event during his youth that marred his social skills. Does Draconian have or did he have a love interest?"
Liao scratched her head. "Gee, Athena. Y'know I never really asked. If he does, he doesn't really elaborate on it, or any aspect of his life for that matter."
"Why are his eyes glowing?"
Liao felt like a prisoner being interrogated by the as of yet childish Athena. "Magic is all he says. They change color too, and still glow, whether it be from red to purple or orange or whatever else. He manipulates fire and can summon a strange looking sword out of thin air."
"There doesn't seem to be a scientific explanation for that." Mused Athena.
Liao shook her head. "There's a lot I can't explain about him. He says he's our ally, not our friend. And that's really all I can say of him besides the fact he watched and kinda brought us all togeth-"
"Transmission incoming."
"What?" Liao blinked. "What do you mean transmission? Athena, did you-"
"Secretary Petras is on the line."
Liao yelped, throwing on some reasonable attire before rushing downstairs. Jack was glaring at her, while Torbjörn looked at her in a look that she could've swore was reluctant admiration.
"Glad you could join us Liao." Said Jack. "Now, what did you do last night?" His voice was like a glacier pulverizing rocks to dust.
"I - I beg your pardon? I was coding a-"
"Sentient, self sufficient, self learning Artificial Intelligence." Torbjörn nodded. "That's quite impressive actually. Stupid because, y'know, it's the goddamned Omnic Crisis, but still, impressive."
"Look guys, I didn't mean for Athena to start-"
"Athena? It has a name now?" Said Torbjörn.
"She has a name." Spat Liao, glaring at him.
"It's an AI." Growled Torbjörn. "Not a person."
"You're wrong." Liao stood up straighter, looking down at the dwarf in barely unbridled fury. "She IS a person. She's coded emotion into her database as well as all the necessary information on Omnics and how to defeat them. Athena is our database, literally. Our expert in everything."
Torbjörn scoffed, standing up on his toes to make himself look taller. "Pfeh, she's nothing but a-"
"Quiet, the both of you!" Snapped Jack. "I don't care what she is, we'll discuss it later."
Reinhardt grunted. "We will talk about your actions later, child. For now, we are to speak with Petras."
Liao looked at the screen, watching as an image of a man appeared on the screen. He was seated in a leather chair at a big oak desk, gleaming from an overhead light. The man himself was a black haired man with a large build and green eyes, jet black hair cut short and gaunt of face despite the bulk of his body. "Secretary Petras." Jack saluted him promptly, the others except Gabe and Liao doing so.
Petras inclined his head toward them. "Agents. I trust you are all awake and prepared, because today is your first mission."
Liao felt her stomach drop. "What? But sir-"
"Not you, Liao. You will be at the Pentagon providing intelligence reports and enemy movement patterns to your comrades in the field. The rest of you are heading to Zurich, in Switzerland. The omnium there has launched a full scale siege on the city. Aircraft have been shot down when trying to get close to the omnium to disable the God Program. You will be dispatched to the city to defend and mitigate civilian casualties and to kill Omnics until the God Program is shut down."
Morrison nodded, Petras continuing to speak. "Amari, you'll be providing cover fire from the rooftops. Lindholm, you'll be building turrets along designated areas where civilians are taking shelter, along with Reinhardt. Morrison, Reyes, you'll be taking the fight to the Omnics and rescuing civilians along the way."
Jack nodded again. Petras looked around at the assembled Overwatch agents, his eyes sharp and unblinking. "This is your first mission, Overwatch. Your trial by fire if you will. Don't screw it up. Wheels up in two hours." The screen blinked off., leaving them in their small apartment.
"You heard the man." Said Jack. "Get your equipment and outfits. Torbjorn, do you have our weapons on hand?"
Torbjorn beamed. "Sure do! Wait here." He waddled up the stairs into his room, and after much sweating and cursing brought down a large duffel bag. "Here you are! Created and perfected by me! Alright, Reyes, here you are!" Torbjorn handed him two pistol grip shotguns, jet black with slanting grips and angles. Reyes's eyes lit up at the sight.
"Adjusted, right?"
Torbjorn grinned. "That's right. The shotguns have been fitted with recoil dampers in the barrels that will prevent less kick. They can also fire faster than normal shotguns and have a self pump mechanism that won't require them to be pumped manually. And Jack…" He dug around in the back. He pulled out a grey rifle with picatinny rails on the top, a launcher of some sort attached beneath the strangely short barrel. "This is what I call an LMA, or Light Munitions Armament. It fires heavy rounds like that of standard pulse rifles use, and fires helix rockets like that of a grenade launcher. They have way more velocity though, and fires three at once in a helix pattern, which is great for a quick burst of damage or clearing out rooms full of enemies."
Jack hefted its weight, seemingly pleased by its look. "A pulse rifle huh? I can work with that."
Torbjorn took out a large, flat disc engraved with the likeness of a lion on it. "And Reinhardt, your shield has been upgraded with new hard light technology to give more durability. Your hammer has also been outfitted with a rocket in the back to give more thrust to your swings, and the metal has been replaced with a carbon alloy to allow for lighter weight. Your shield will also regenerate when stowed for long enough" He seemed quite proud of himself.
Reinhardt clapped, seeming like a child on Christmas. "Ah ha, wunderbar! The Omnics will cower before my glory!"
"Alright everyone." Said Jack, stowing the rifle on his back with a strap. "Go get your gear. You heard Petras. This is the first official mission for Overwatch. Let's go. Liao, you get to the Pentagon and direct us while we're across the pond." Liao nodded, determined to prove herself. They filed out the door, piling in a large truck with a canvas over the top of its roof. Liao put on her coat in the cold November air, watching white clouds pool over the watery white light of the sun, a harbinger of snow in D.C.
….
"Do you smell that?" Asked Reyes. His eyes were looking out the side of the MV-261 Orca, a decidedly sleek dropship that as Petras explained to Jack were going to be designed with one purpose in mind. For Overwatch agents. They were yet to be styled in the white and blue of Overwatch's colors, but had been designed by leading scientists. Torbjorn glowered at the ship before nodding, commenting that the ship wasn't too bad.
"Smoke." Said Ana.
The sky overhead was dark grey, leading into dawn as Overwatch flew into Swiss airspace. All too soon, the skyscrapers of Zurich loomed in front of them.
"Alright agents." Said the pilot from the front of the plane. "You're being dropped into a firefight right below us. Ana, you should get to high ground as fast as you can. Torbjorn, there are established shelters for civilians. Get there and provide protection for them. Reinhardt will help you. Morrison, Reyes, rescue who you can." The doors to the dropship opened, bringing in cold air and whiplash winds. They threw on their parachute packs, dropping out of the ship into the streets of Zurich.
Torbjorn and Jack unslung their guns, raining death from above as Bastion units aimed up. "Reinhardt!" Jack yelled.
"I am your shield!" He cried, a blue barrier absorbing the shots in front of them as they descended.
"Reyes!" Yelled Jack. "We'll distract them! You get behind them and fill them with lead!"
"On it!" Overwatch hit the ground, ducking behind concrete rubble in the streets as Bastion units turreted into their positions.
"Ana, when we have an opening, take it and get up that fire escape. See it?" He pointed to a fire escape winding its way up an alley, taking her to the roof of a motel. Ana nodded, the solemn sniper ducking behind a separate piece of cover littering the street. Gabe rushed off to the right, rolling between pieces of cover with Reinhardt's shield still up between him and the enemy fire. "Torbjorn, set up some turrets and thin them out!"
"I'm on it!" Yelled the small man. The forge on his back began to glow, spitting out pieces of metal that Torbjorn rapidly began to assemble into pieces. "I'll call you… Lydia!" He said.
"Jack!" A voice yelled into his earpiece.
"Liao?"
"Yeah it's me. I'm here at the Pentagon, with access to all security cameras in Zurich. I've got the whole city watched. Athena is helping me."
Jack was not the least bit surprised she managed to take the AI with her. "Alright Liao, status report."
"Reyes is almost behind the Bastion units. Athena says that on the back of the turreted Bastions there's a blue glowing box. If you can get behind and attack them there they should drop like flies."
"Gabe you got all that?"
His voice crackled over the earpiece. "Loud and clear. Draw their attention this way. I'm ready."
"Reinhardt, fire strike them!" Reinhardt nodded, lowering his shield and whipping the hammer forward, a wave of fire rolling out from its end. It barreled toward the Bastions, which took the brunt of the blast. "Now Reyes!"
He leapt out from behind an overturned car, his shotguns booming down the street as they tore through the metal, leaving slag heaps of the Bastion units in the street. "Move up!" He called.
"Ana, on the rooftops." Said Jack.
"Providing cover." She affirmed, climbing up the fire escape. In less than two minutes she stood on the rooftop of the motel, her blue outfit stark against the rustic brown . "Ana, in position. You boys be good down there." She chuckled over the line.
Jack affirmed their surroundings, taking in the decimated street and buildings, the cars burnt out, dirty shells. Fire burned in many of the buildings, lending the air a dark haze. In between the sound of crackling flame echoed the dull roar of turrets and the metallic clank of marching Omnics.
"Torbjörn, Reinhardt, get to the designated areas and defend the civilians. Ana, keep sight of us, and Reyes and I will get those in the line of fire to cover. Move!"
The voice of Athena came over the line. "I have detected civilians in the Zurich Opera House. There is a military safe zone established by the SAS half a click north of there. You can take them there. Reinhardt, Torbjörn, there are five buildings under siege from Bastion units. I will guide you as you defend them. The first is on Sihlstrasse street, two clicks west of you."
"On it!" Said Reinhardt. "Come Torbjörn! For honor! For glory!" He sprinted down the street in his resplendent white and blue armor, giddy with adrenaline and the lust of battle.
Torbjörn groaned, limping away as fast as his legs would carry him.
"Reyes, on me." Said Jack, facing north. "We've got people to save."
Gabriel nodded, smiling slightly. "Always wanted to gank one of those tin cans. Now I get my chance to kill multiple."
…..
Hours later…
"Torbjörn, left!" Shouted Reinhardt, his barrier illuminating his face in the smoky air.
The small Swede raised his rivet gun, impaling the Omnic with several molten nails. "Back to the scrap heap with you!"
He turned away, setting up another turret in front of him as the Swiss military covered him.
"Bitte hilf mir…"
Torbjörn stood up abruptly, looking into the smoke. "Reinhardt, did you hear that?"
"What?!"
"Apparently not." Grumbled Torbjörn.
"Bitte hilf mir…"
"There it is again!" Growled Torbjörn, looking up from his completed turret. "Who's there?!"
"Bitte hilf mir!" A woman stumbled out from the smoke, coughing and bleeding from a wound on her head. In her arms squirmed a small bundle. A baby, it's face covered to prevent smoke inhalation.
"Reinhardt! Civilian one o clock!"
And then he heard it. The clank of metallic feet and the angry whirring of a Bastion."Oh, schiesse…"
Torbjörn sprinted as fast as his short legs would carry him, fear pumping through him as he ran up to the woman. "Bitte hilf mir, bitte hilf mir…" She pleaded. Torbjörn nodded, taking her hand as he ran with her up the street to the military base.
"Torbjörn!" Shouted Reinhardt. The angry whirring increased behind him, and he heard the fold of metal as the Bastion collapsed in on itself. He shoved the woman and her son forward behind Reinhardt's barrier.
The dull roar of the Bastion firing them. The Swede raised his arm, aiming at the Bastion.
Torbjörn was not sure what happened next, but he suddenly fell backward, a sharp pain pricking what felt like the whole of his left arm. A beatific peace fell over him, and he could vaguely register Reinhardt shouting. His earpiece was buzzing in his ear, Liao shouting frantically.
Torbjörn chuckled. "Hey stop that…" He muttered, laughing under his breath at the sharp pain and Reinhardt and Liao.
He watched the behemoth of a man approach the Bastion, murder in his clouded white eye and clear blue one. He raised the hammer, roaring in fury. "HAMMER DOWN!"
Fire licked up from the faults of the earth, ensnaring the turreted Bastion. He watched as Reinhardt charged the Bastion, exploding into the side of a building.
Reinhardt ran back, voice frantic. He picked up Torbjörn, shouting something that vaguely sounded like "stay with me."
The Swede laughed again. Of course he'd stay with him. They were soldiers together weren't they? "Hey, wasn't your armor blue…?" Laughed Torbjörn. Indeed, it was covered in a slick dark red. And so was the ground. And his whole left side.
For that matter, wondered Torbjörn, why was everything red?
…
"JACK!" The voice nearly perforated his eardrum.
"Jesus, kid! Quiet down. What happened?"
"Its Torbjörn… He… He…"
"Oh shit…" whispered Reyes.
"Liao, is he alive?"
She sounded like she was choking. "I saw… I saw a Bastion… and a woman… and Torbjörn saved them and…" She sobbed. She hadn't liked the man, but she would never wish that on anyone.
"LIAO!" Shouted Jack. "Is… he… alive?"
"Yes…" She squeaked.
"Where are they now?"
The voice of Athena came in. "The Alter Botanischer Gartens. They are with the Swiss Military in a temporary base."
"Ana, status report."
"I'm here. Roof of some hotel. You guys need a lift?"
"Ana, did you-"
"Hijack? No. Draconian sent us a gift."
Jack's heart lifted in hope. "What is it?"
A whoosh of air echoed from above, a Dragon landing right in front of them. It's serpentine head regarded them coolly. Ana sat on its back, her sniper on her back and a smile on her face. "Greetings, Overwatch. I am Jadasr. I am aware your comrade has fallen. I will take you to him. You will have to run a short distance, as I cannot be spotted. But I will take you. Get on."
Reyes looked at Jack doubtfully, getting on Jadasr's back, the smoke stinging their eyes. Jadasr landed a block away, using the buildings as cover to hide himself. "Go, quickly." Jadasr said.
The three of them slid off, sprinting to the Swiss base as they were ushered in.
Reinhardt sat on a bench, his hands free of their gauntlets. The rest of his armor was stained red, slick and coated in it. He stood up upon seeing them. "Fraulein… Torbjörn… He…" He buried his head in his hands, sobbing.
"Where, Reinhardt?" Asked Reyes quietly. Reinhardt pointed to a red and white tent, directly across from them.
The inside of it was lit by lanterns and fluorescent lighting in equal parts. They looked around, sorrow and melancholy as they looked at the bodies of casualties. Some did not move.
"Are you Overwatch?" Said a light voice. A woman approached them, very young but stately, with diamond blue eyes, a motherly aura, and platinum blonde hair. She seemed right at home here, and looked at them with concern.
"Our friend, our comrade… Reinhardt said he was here." Said Ana solemnly.
She nodded. "Right this way. Your friend is over here. My name is Angela. Angela Ziegler."
