Another day, another chapter. First off, review responses. Warmach1ne32; actually, neither Roadhog or Symmetra are team members. Rnij; expect some form of meeting during the Battle of Beacon. OutlastTheDark; it's pronounced lime, as in 'lime green'. Guest; think about it. In this AU, Ana is only in her 40s in contrast to Overwatch where she's at least 60. In this AU, Fareeha is 17 years old, and Ana went missing around 20 years ago. See where I'm going here? And Dragon Blitz 85; that's a gross understatement. Now, on with the show!
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Chapter 9- A Man Named Hakim
"-A terrible tragedy took place this afternoon in the one on one rounds of the Vytal Festival Tournament-"
"-I don't know what Beacon's Headmaster is teaching his students, but that was disgraceful! Completely uncalled for-"
"-Atlas authorities did not comment on what was taken from the facility, but they have confirmed that Talon were indeed behind the breach-"
"-Infamous Junkers Roadhog and Junkrat have been spotted in Mistral! If you have any knowledge on their current whereabouts then please contact-"
"-Despite Atlas reinforcements, local authorities are still calling on any available Huntsman to aid in suppressing the spike in Grimm activity-"
"I do love it when a plan comes together." Mercury chuckled as he continued flicking through the multiple news broadcasts, whilst he used his free hand to continue maintenance on his robotic leg.
Suddenly, without warning, the TV cut off, causing Mercury to turn around and glare at Emerald, who held the plug to the TV in her hand, a mischievous smirk on her face.
"I was watching that you know." Mercury muttered, before turning his full attention back to his leg.
The sound of heels clicking on concrete caused both to turn their full attention to the source, where Cinder soon came into view, a Scroll in one hand whilst the other was wrapped across her midsection.
"Good to know we can still count on you, Master Shimada." Cinder stated, continuing her conversation from earlier. "Your Assassin's will be a welcome addition to the chaos we will unleash. Once this is all over, the Shimada Empire will be reborn."
Cinder then proceeded to end the call, placing the Scroll back in her pocket. Ensuring the support of Hanzo Shimada, ruler of the Shimada Clan, was not an easy feat. After his father's death he had been forced to...deal with his rebellious younger brother. That alone had put his loyalty into question, so ensuring that his forces would still play their part was reassuring to say the least.
Almost soon after the sound of hushed whispers echoed across the warehouse, a black stream of smoke suddenly sliding through the cracks in the wall before taking on the familiar shape of Reaper. The terrorist then strode over to Cinder, holding a data pad in his gauntleted hands.
"Our forces are in position across the Arena." Reaper reported, handing the pad over to Cinder. "When you give the word, we'll light it up."
"I knew I could count on you Reaper." Cinder replied, taking the pad and scanning its contents quickly, before casually tossing it behind her. "Emerald, let's go. We have work to do."
Emerald merely nodded as she turned to leave with Cinder, leaving both Mercury and Reaper alone in the warehouse.
"Wait a second, so you're saying that I'm stuck in here with Lord Edge over here of Edgington Court?!" Mercury shouted, causing Reaper to growl angrily as he turned his head towards him.
"Just stick to the plan Mercury," Cinder shouted back, turning to face him as she did. "Get your leg fixed and head to the Arena. Make sure that the Champion and the Android are chosen for the next round."
"All right." Mercury responded, giving a mock salute to the thief and false Maiden as he turned back to his leg, only to realise that Reaper was glaring at him. "What?"
"You realise you're using the wrong type of screwdriver, right?" Reaper questioned, folding his arms across his chest as he spoke.
"Whatever, dad." Mercury commented sarcastically, before the lights on his leg began to glow again, causing Mercury to nod once in satisfaction before hopping off his workbench.
"Let's get to work already." Reaper hissed venomously, turning around dismissively before walking away, Mercury following quickly in his steps. "The sooner we get this done the better."
"Sir!" a new voice said, causing both Reaper and Mercury to stop in their tracks. Heading towards them was a Talon officer, a data pad in his hands. He saluted crisply to Reaper before handing the pad to him. "Just came in from Vacuo, it doesn't look good."
Reaper merely growled as he looked over the files on the pad. One of their compounds had been hit, a compound belonging to their associate Hakim. There wasn't much left, save for a few dead men and some security footage. As he flicked through the footage though, something made him pause, a low growl escaping his throat as his free hand clenched into a fist. On the screen was the blurred shape of a man, coloured a familiar shade of white and blue.
"What is it?" Mercury muttered, narrowing his eyes as he attempted to discern the person in the picture.
"How old is this?" Reaper asked, choosing to ignore the silver haired assassin.
"About a week old Sir." the officer replied. "We've tried contacting Hakim, but nothing so far."
"Don't bother, he's dead." Reaper stated dismissively, causing both the officer and Mercury to gaze up at him in surprise. "Call Cinder, inform her that someone tenacious is on to us."
The officer nodded once before saluting and leaving, Mercury looking at Reaper in a suspicious manner.
"What's got you all riled up then?" Mercury enquired, only for Reaper to barge past him without a second glance.
"We need to get moving." Reaper merely grunted. "The match is about to start, and I don't want to be late."
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Vacuo, some days ago…
Soldier 76 and Ana both crawled forward along the cliff at a snails pace, making sure not to disturb too much dust as they moved. It didn't take them long before they found themselves at the edge of a cliff, a deep gorge in front of them. At the far end of the gorge was a large box like building, while at the entrance a large wall and gate was present. And it was crawling with Talon operatives.
"This is it, Hakim's last known location." Ana whispered, propping her Sniper Rifle in front of her and using the scope to scan the area, taking note of the number of guards and the routine patrols.
"You sure this is the place Ana?" Soldier 76 asked, watching as a group of Talon operatives attempted to move an old digger out of the way.
"Positive, everything points to him being holed up in here." Ana responded, before lowering her Rifle. "Question is why here?"
"This place used to be an old quarry before it got shut down." Soldier 76 answered. "If you're right and this is where Hakim is holed up, then this is the last place anyone would think to look."
"Why did it get shut down?" Ana asked, raising an eyebrow at Soldier 76.
"Health and Safety hazard."
"Right..." Ana murmured, before casting a scrutinising gaze at the main gate. "Looks like that gate is the only way in, but it's crawling with guards."
"You sure about that?" Soldier 76 asked, turning his head towards the main gate.
"Well, you could always drop down if you don't like using your legs any more." Ana responded starkly. "The gate's the only way in, but it's crawling with guards. Even if I did give you support they'd kill you before you could take them all on."
"If I were to go head on, they would. There's enough at the main gate to hold a decent defence long enough for them to call for back up." Soldier 76 replied, before turning around to look at the van he had procured from the bounty hunters earlier that week. "But I have an idea on how best to approach this..."
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The Talon operative yawned loudly as he flexed his shoulders, rubbing the back of his neck slightly as he did so. Dawn would be coming soon, and with it the end of his shift on the gate. He turned his gaze towards the horizon, where the lights of Vacuo could be seen blinking and flashing rhythmically. Just a few more minutes and-
"Hey," the guard next to him suddenly said, sitting up from his chair as he gazed forward. "What's that?"
The operative grunted in confusion as he turned his head to where his partner was looking. In the distance, emerging from behind the craggy landscape was a large armoured van, a cloud of dust flying behind it. The van then suddenly swerved to the right, heading directly towards the main gate.
"What the hell..." the operative muttered, leaning forward as the van came closer, showing no sign of slowing down.
Suddenly, the van crashed directly into the gate, crushing the front of the van as the engine inside began to smoke before cutting out. The two guards looked at one another before signalling for the other guards stationed on the other end of the gate to converge at the bottom. A minute later a small force of Talon operatives stood at the gate, one stepping forward to type the code on the gate. Seconds later, the gates opened, the front plating of the van falling off with a clatter as the Talon operatives moved forward with weapons raised.
"What the-" a Talon operative grunted as he peered through the windscreen. "No ones driving this thing."
"Check the back, might be in there." another responded, the small squad quickly converging round back. "Open on the count of three. One-"
"Wait, what's that beeping noise?" a grunt suddenly asked, causing the others to stop as they listened. Without another word, one of the operatives flung the door open, immediately greeted by the sight of multiple detonation devices. And one was armed.
"Mother fuck-"
The device detonated, causing the others to detonate as well, engulfing the surrounding area in a wave of fire, easily ploughing through the concrete wall. In the shadows, Soldier 76 watched as he carelessly tossed the detonators trigger to the side, quickly drawing his rifle and charging forward. A Talon operative that had survived the blast, his clothing and armour scorched and burned, struggled to his feet, only to receive a shot to the head as Soldier 76 vaulted over him.
"Ana, status?" Soldier 76 barked, one hand to his earpiece as he took cover behind what was left of the wall, a large force of Talon operatives moving into position.
"You caused one hell of a fuss with your entrance." Ana responded through the earpiece. "Don't worry, I'm lining up the shot."
A sudden crack was heard as one of the Talon grunts heads exploded in a red mist, followed immediately by frightened murmurs. Another crack was heard as another operative went down.
"Sniper!" a grunt bellowed, before he too was taken out.
Soldier 76 then turned the corner, firing round after round from his Rifle into the throng of operatives. Some went down almost immediately, others managing to barely survive the onslaught long enough to regain their wits and fight back. It didn't take long though for the combination of Soldier 76's shooting and Ana's sniping to reduce the force to nothing but a pile of bodies.
"All right, you're clear for now but you'd best hurry!" Ana warned. "Hakim isn't going to stay here long enough for you to ask questions."
"Copy that Ana." Soldier 76 responded, inserting a fresh ammo clip into his rifle. "Just keep me covered and we'll be done in no time."
He then proceeded to move forward, a group of four operatives lining up to take a shot. Soldier 76 fired first, taking the head off of one as the others rapidly scrambled for cover. The two groups then began to trade shots with one another, until at last Soldier 76's rifle ran dry. With a derisive grunt he tossed the weapon to the ground and drew his pistol, only for one keen eyed operative to shoot it out of his hand. Shaking his hand loosely, he then sprinted behind a construction vehicle, the operatives following him readily.
Two of the operatives followed him directly whilst the third went around the back. The two operatives paused at the disk like blade of the vehicle, the front most one readying his rifle as he turned the corner, only to receive a kick to the jaw from Soldier 76, who was stood next to the driving seat. He then swerved around erratically, the operative voicing his frustration as he attempted to line his shot with the continuously moving target.
The third operative finally broke cover, taking aim at Soldier 76. Without so much as a glance, he kicked the rifle out of the closest operative before kicking it at the third operative, knocking him to the floor. The disarmed operative held his fists up as Soldier 76 jumped to the ground and began to direct kicks towards him, the operative blocking the blows with his forearms. Then, as the operative caught his leg by the ankle, Soldier 76 kicked out with his right leg, knocking the operative to the ground, under the blade of the construction vehicle.
Before the operative could realise his predicament, Soldier 76 swung down with his foot, the blade coming down on the Talon grunts neck with a gurgling scream. He turned as the third operative charged him, swinging out with his left arm which he ducked under, before kneeing him in the stomach and kicking him back. The operative regained his composure rather quickly, drawing his own pistol as he began to fire blindly at Soldier 76, the vigilante diving out of the way beneath the main bulk of the construction vehicle. There was suddenly to cracks in the air as the Talon operative slumped forward, a pool of blood forming at the head of the operative and the one he had knocked out first.
"What took you so long?!" Soldier 76 hissed through his earpiece, looking at the cliff where Ana was sniping.
"I was busy taking care of everyone else." Ana tersely replied. "Now hurry, there should only be few left, surely you can deal with them."
Soldier 76 merely grunted as he snatched the pistol of one of the operatives off the floor, inserting a fresh ammo clip as he then moved towards the main bulk of the building. True to her word, Ana had indeed taken care of the majority of the operatives, leaving only one or two which were easily dealt with. He then approached the main entrance of the building, pushing his shoulder against the door.
"Doors locked, I'm going in." Soldier 76 said, stepping back as he then kicked the door down.
"Careful Jack, I've got no visuals in there." Ana warned as he stepped through the doorway, quickly leaving her line of sight.
Almost immediately he was attacked. The swift padding of feet caused him to turn to his right, a Talon officer barging into him, trapping him against the wall. There was then a sudden sharp pain in his gut as the operative plunged a knife into him. Soldier 76 grunted in pain as he then head butted the operative, staggering him slightly before he threw him to the ground, stomping on his neck soon after. With a grunt of pain he pulled the knife out of his gut, the blade sticky with blood.
"Freeze asshole!" another operative ordered, Soldier 76 quickly throwing the knife at the operative, he staggered back and clutched his brow as the hilt of the blade bounced off his helmet. "Shit! What the fuck man! You know how much that hurt?!"
Rather then respond, Soldier 76 merely raised his pistol and fired, hitting the operative in the head, who fell back in response. Soldier 76 grunted in pain as he struggled forward, one hand clutching his stomach as he moved further into the building.
"Jack, what happened in there?!" Ana's voice crackled through, Soldier 76 grunting in pain again as he raised a hand to respond.
"It's nothing, just a scratch." Soldier 76 answered, grunting again as he spoke. "Do you have eyes on Hakim, I can't find him anywhere."
"Nothing-...wait." Ana murmured, followed by a long pause. "Jack, a car just came out from the back, he's going to escape!"
Soldier 76 wasted no time and charged out of the building. True to Ana's words, a black SUV was swerving out from behind, making its way towards the main gate. As he moved forward, he winced in pain as he suddenly clutched stomach, dropping to the floor with a hiss of pain.
"Ana..." he muttered, wincing again as he attempted to stand. "He's getting away."
"No, he isn't."
There was a sudden crack in the air as the cars exhaust suddenly went into overdrive. The car then began to swerve around erratically before crashing into a boulder, the engine dying soon after. Without another word, Soldier 76 began to walk forward, quickly raising his pistol as the door opened and a Talon operative scrambled out. He fired the pistol, the operative rather quickly falling to the ground dead. He approached the open door, swinging it back further to reveal the lone living occupant: a man with black hair in suit, his neatly groomed beard spattered with blood. Before the man could protest, Soldier 76 grabbed him by the scruff of his jacket and pulled him out, throwing him to the floor with a thud. He then fired two shots at the man's kneecaps, causing him to yell out in pain as he looked at his bloodied legs. He then marched over to him, grabbing him by the neck and shoving the barrel of the pistol into his mouth, temporarily gagging him.
"Hakim, right?" Soldier 76 asked, the man feverishly nodding his head. "I have a few questions for you."
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Another day, another chapter. As usual, feel free to leave a review and constructive criticism is welcomed. Any questions? Either leave in your review or PM me. Next update will be on the 25th and next week will be the première of my new RWBY Warcraft fic 'The Child of Prophecy'.
Raging Archon out.
