"Did you see that? Did you see that?!" Maize cackled as she pointed at the lifeless body of Joanna. "Her head popped like a big ol' melon! Bam! Sploosh! And down she goes!" Her laughter echoed through the night, going on like a broken record. It drew out a few Pack members from their slumber and they flooded out of the barracks. They all stood behind their leader, murmurs overcame the group as they stared at the scene before them.
Kidd's body trembled as he lowered himself to his knees. He crawled towards his mother's corpse. "Ma?" he called out and tugged on her rags. "Ma?"
"Oh-ho, boys, you shoulda seen it!" said Maize, wiping the tears that formed at the corners of her eyes. "Jo's head busted like a melon! Right in front of her kid, too! The expression on her face before I press that button was priceless!"
The men erupted in laughter along with their leader, jeering and taunting the shock stricken child.
The chance for the kid to have a normal childhood, to even save and restore the Wastes, all gone with a single press of a button. The evidence was right there in front of him. Junkrat was painted in the deceased woman's blood. And now they were laughing like it was some cheap joke. He stared at his hands, covered in a mixture of dirt and blood, and squeezed them tightly. A fire sparked within him, it burned hot and wild in the pits of his stomach. It consumed Junkrat in an instant and he exploded, bigger than any explosion he had ever made.
"You fuckin' cunt!" Junkrat roared and lunged at Maize, his metal hand drawn back into a fist. All the pain and hatred he felt, he wanted this woman to feel it a hundred times over.
Maize didn't move an inch out of his path and she easily caught his fist in her right hand. The grunts all let out a chorus of gasps, both in shock and amazement. "Aww, the little rat's mad." She mocked, pushing back on his fist. "I should be the one mad. You made me kill my favorite slave. Oh well, I'll get another one." In a swift motion, Maize pulled Junkrat forward by the arm and rammed her knee into his abdomen.
All the air escaped Junkrat's lungs and he let out a pitiful squeak, wrapping his arms around his stomach. He stumbled back a step and took Maize's familiar leather boot to the face. His back connected with the dirt and charge detonator skidded across the ground, stopping right underneath Maize's foot.
"Can't have you havin' this now, can we?" Maize said. Without hesitation, she slammed her heel down and reduced the detonator to broken scrap parts. She then kicked the shattered bits at Junkrat and set her foot on his chest. "I shoulda known you were up to somethin'. Men like you should never be trusted. Yer all the same. And this kid," she removed her foot and walked passed his head.
Junkrat struggled to get up, an eye closed and an arm still clutched around his abdomen. "D-don't put yer damn hands on that k-kid." He said through a clenched jaw.
"Since the kid was my slave's daughter," Maize stated as she stepped over the dead body like trash. "It makes her my property now." She towered over the child, a monstrous giant compared to the cowering Kidd. "'Ey, sweetie. Yer gonna join my gang and I'll give you a pretty necklace as a gift!"
"No!" Kidd shouted and bolted in between Maize's legs. "Rat!" he cried.
"Oh no you don't!" She grabbed Kidd by the back of his shirt. The child kicked and flailed in the woman's grasp. "You don't have much of a choice. You belong to me now! Fang, Hackle, go get me a collar. The rest of you can administer punishment to our devious friend but don't kill him!"
Junkrat heard 'Yes ma'am' and 'Thank you, ma'am' then the crowd of thugs descended upon him.
Everything was falling apart in front of him. He took another knee to the stomach and collapsed, drool and blood dripped from the sides of his mouth. He was so close, so close to setting everything off and satisfying his thirst for revenge. A barrage of kicks and punches hit Junkrat all over his body. All he could do was to cover his head with his arms and endure the assault. He was terrified, terrified for the kid mostly. He didn't give a shit about himself at the moment. Who knew what those maniacs would do to poor Kidd. The image of Kidd's grinning face came to mind, causing Junkrat to bury his nails into his skull. Dammit, he was supposed to protect the kid! It was his fault, taking down this gang was his plan in the first place. Now look where his brilliant plan got them.
But then a scream rang out. An inhuman screech that reverberated in everyone's eardrums.
It was all coming from Kidd.
The dogs leapt into action as if on command to the child's deafening scream. One sunk its sharp yellow fangs into Maize's forearm and began to pull her down to the ground. Maize let out a scream herself, released Kidd from her grip, and pounded her fist against the dog's head. Even after her beating, the dog stayed attached and dug its teeth deeper in her arm. Another tackled a grunt who was wailing on Junkrat's head and sent him to the ground. It clamped down on the guy's throat and tore it to shreds with great ease. The men went in a frenzy at the attack, abandoned their assault, and ran to the aid of their fellow gang member.
Junkrat uncovered his head and lifted it up, looking at the sudden war that broke out all around him.
More dogs came running from the shadows at Kidd's call, like a general shouting orders to soldiers. Beast clashed with human as dogs went one-on-one with gang members. Snarls and hollers, teeth and fists; pure, unadulterated insanity was the only tern to describe the battle. And Junkrat saw opportunity in all this confusion. He dragged himself across the cold ground, a harder task than it appeared with his injuries, in Kidd's direction. He needed to get the kid as far away as he could from this place.
Kidd's head craned up to the night sky, the howling screams turned into uncontrollable sobbing. Junkrat's twisted in tight knots, and it wasn't from the painful blows he received. The kid didn't deserve any of this, watching both of his parents die like he did. He couldn't comfort the kid now, not at this state and moment in time. What could he even do or say to make any of this better? All his plans were sabotaged and he was at his wit's end.
The revving of a motorcycle's engine boomed through the massive fight between the dogs and The Pack. No one gave up to the other combatant, paying no attention the growing noise around them. Only until the motorcycle in question came barreling into the battlefield like a mad bull did the dogs and grunts stopped their fighting. Junkrat never thought he would be happy to see Roadhog and Doctor Vega skidding to a full stop on the large man's bike. In each of the doctor's hands was a molotov cocktail, cloth flaming and ready to be thrown.
"Wake up, bitches!" she shouted and chucked the glass bottles against the Pack's living quarters.
Flames consumed the wooden walls and columns of smoke rose into the dark night sky. The remaining members fleeing the burning buildings met their end at the barrel of Roadhog's scrapgun. Shrapnel ripped up the unsuspected men as if they were made from paper. They died where they stood. When he had to reload, Vega took over and gunned down the rest with her pistol. Both then dismounted the bike and joined the battleground with the others.
While the dogs did the most damage, Vega and Roadhog delivered the finishing blows to the incapacitated gang members. The enforcer was known for his brutality, burying his hook into skulls and snapping necks like twigs. But it was unheard of from the good doctor. Vega sucker punched men much larger than her and shot them point blank in between the eyes without batting an eye or even flinching. Junkrat had never seen this side of the doctor, this cold and hardened side of her. She didn't mutter a single word as she downed men like she downed bottles of liquor.
The unmoving bodies of The Pack and many dogs littered the camp as fires burned out of control in the background. Maize was nowhere to be seen and out of the bloody, war stricken encampment, Vega approached Junkrat. She must have changed clothes in between the hours leading up to the fight. She wore now camo pants, steel toed boots, and a sleeveless shirt.
She knelt down and lowered the black bandana from her face. "They really fucked you up, didn't they?" Vega commented.
"This ain't nothin'," Junkrat said, trying to save face. "What's with the costume change? Tryin' to look the part of a killer, huh?"
Vega shrugged, "Ain't really murder if yer killin' bad people."
"Yer not wrong there, doc." He chuckled then flinched. Laughing still hurt like hell.
A shadow loomed over Doctoc Vega, slowly walking up behind her, and wrapped a blood coated chain around her neck. It was Maize, eyes burning with rage and a wicked grin on her face as she pulled tight on the chain. Vega tried to shake her off but Maize held on, digging her heels in the dirt and twisting the chain in her hands. The doctor choked out words and tugged on the chain frantically, gasping for air. Junkrat could do nothing but watch the doctor's life be snuffed out like a flame before his eyes.
"Shoulda known you would cross me," Maize said, pulling on the chain several times. "I am not a woman you should ever cross, doctor!"
Vega clawed at the air in front of her.
Maize laughed at the doctor's attempts to shake her and escape. The blood from the leader's dog bite stained Vega's white shirt as it dripped from her arm. But what Maize did not noticed was the massive shadow now towering over her. Roadhog's hand clenched around the woman's head and the man flung her backwards, slamming her up against the door of a truck. The metal crumpled underneath her body from the sheer force alone and she fell to the ground with a thud.
"God fuckin' dammit," Vega croaked, rubbing the dark bruises forming around her neck. "Let my damn guard down."
Junkrat managed to rise to his feet, shaky but still in one piece. He kept his metal arm wrapped tight around his waist and he rested his free hand on the doctor's back.
"I'm fine," Vega reassured him through fits of coughing and a wave of her hand. "Go get her. I bet she got some good information for you."
He gave her a quiet nod and went limping toward Maize and Roadhog. The man had her pinned by her head against the truck's window. She pounded her fists on his hands and kicked at the large man's stomach. Growls and animalistic noises came out of Maize's mouth while she thrashed. When Junkrat came into her line of sight, she went off in a heated fury.
"You! You piece of shit!" Maize hissed. "There won't be a place in Hell for you to hide! I'll skin you alive and eat yer flesh!"
"Oh shut up," said Junkrat. "You ain't gonna do a single thing. Yer gang is six feet under and yer all alone. All yer gonna do is talk."
She scoffed, "Like hell I am. Go fuck yerself."
Junkrat glanced up at Roadhog, who answered with a silent nod. He raised Maize's head and smashed her skull against the window. The glass shattered on impact, blood streamed down her scarred face, and Maize let out a pained whimper. Roadhog lined up the leader's neck with sharp shards of glass stuck in the window. She struggled beneath the large hand, trying to push it away.
"Now, what's the name of the suit you got all that money and that fancy suitcase from?"
"How do you –?" Maize started then corrected herself immediately. "I don't know nothin'! Fuck you!"
"Aw, though you would be a little more cooperative," mocked Junkrat and he side-eyed Roadhog a second time.
Slowly, he lowered Maize's head. The glass shards punctured her skin and tiny beads of blood appeared on her neck.
Her breathing hitched and she shouted, pounding on the truck door. "Alright, alright! Matthew Stanson, his name is Matthew Stanson, okay?! He paid me half mill to kill some stupid scientists. I told you what you wanted, now let me go!"
"Do it,"
Roadhog slammed Maize's head down, the broken glass buried deep into her slender neck. He tightened his grip on her head and dragged her neck across the sharp glass, tearing open her flesh. Her blood splashed on the glass and dripped down the side of the truck. Maize gasped for air, gurgling and choking on her own fluids. Roadhog dropped the dying woman and abandoned her to go to Vega's side.
Junkrat leaned over Maize and grabbed her by the front of her bloodied shirt. "You killed the wrong parents, mate." He said, "Say hi to the big guy downstairs for me." and he threw her back against the truck.
He limped he way back to the others. The gorgeous tune of Maize meeting her end in a slow, agonizing way droned on in the background. She deserved much, much worse but Junkrat didn't have the time or energy to make her suffer like he wanted her to.
Vega was on her feet when he returned. Her chest continued to heave as she coughed here and there. "'Ey, Rat Man." She greeted. "Get what you wanted outta Maize?"
The only reply Junkrat could give her was a nod as he stared at Kidd. He slipped the key from his pocket into Vega's hand. "Go free the other ladies, yeah?" he said. Before the doctor could answer, he walked away from her, heading towards the child.
The pack of mangy dogs, survivors of the gang war, encircled Kidd and the lifeless body of his mother. When Junkrat came near, they ducked their heads and parted to create a path to the child for him. The feeling of dread, the same feeling he felt at that abandoned house, hung heavy on his shoulders. He was limping slower because of it.
Kidd sat close to his mother's headless body. His knees were drawn up to his chest and his tiny hand held on to the woman's limp fingers. Tears continued to flow down his cheeks, creating clean trails through the dirt of his face. He was quiet when Junkrat sat down beside him. His sad eyes looked up at the older man then returned to the body. It was the same exact way he stared at the bleached bones of his father.
"You know the bad people are gone. Every single one of them." Junkrat finally broke the silence. He watched Roadhog pick up dead Pack members and dump them in the building fires. "They won't be hurtin' you anymore." He shook his head at his statement. The Pack took everything away from this kid. There was nothing else for them to take if they were still alive. Junkrat couldn't imagine the sort of pain that Kidd was feeling at the moment.
Kidd, still silent, climbed up on Junkrat's lap. He hooked his legs around the man's thin waist, wrapped his arms around his neck, and rested his tiny face on his chest. Comfort; from what Junkrat learned from before, he could certainly provide that now. He pulled the kid in close to his body, embracing Kidd in a tight hug. Junkrat settled his chin on top of Kidd's head and quietly watched the world around him. The sun crawling up over the horizon, the scent of burning flesh in the air, and smoke rising to the salmon pink sky; it was a calming scene according to him.
Junkrat shut his eyes and laid his cheek on Kidd's hair. His whole body screamed out in pain and sleep called for him. If it mattered to him, he would sleep for years if he could. A few hours or days would be fine. Sleep knew how to heal some wounds.
A week had passed since Maize and The Pack met their untimely, or timely, demise. Word reached all the way to Haven and Junkrat became the talk of the town for more than just his treasure. He took on one of the most brutal Junker gang out there and survived. He did the impossible, came back to tell his marvelous tale of success. In the eyes of the slaves he freed, he was akin to a hero. To others, he was nuttier than a rabbit walking straight into a dingoes' den. Perhaps he was both.
Wounds began to heal, mentally and physically, over time. While recovered from bruises mostly, Kidd was a different story. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Doctor Vega called it in her fancy medical talk, from all the things he witnessed in his little life. The kid would stare at the wall for hours in complete silence, bouncing his leg up and down or wake up crying in the middle of the night.
"Just give the pipsqueak some time," Vega said. "He's been through a lot. There are gonna be a lot of scars left over."
Time was something Junkrat did not have an abundant amount of. As much as he wanted to stay, he had much grander plans of adventure for himself. Get out of the country and taste the higher life other civilized countries had; that's what Junkrat really wanted. But he didn't want to leave without Kidd, him and the little guy were a team. Though, he didn't want to force the kid to do something he didn't want to do. Did Kidd even want to be around him still? After all the pain he caused him? The only way was to be straight forward with the kid.
""Ey, kid," said Junkrat. He sat on the edge of Kidd's temporary bed given to him by the doctor, pulling on his metal fingers. "Wanna tag along with me and Roadie? We'll bid this place bon voyage and show the world what we're really made of!"
Kidd gave him a curious tilt of his head. "Wot?"
"Do you wanna come with me and Hog?" he reworded his sentence. "I'm sure you'll have the time of yer life."
Kidd stared at him right in the eye, blue locked onto amber. There was a pause and time ticked onward at a slow, painful pace. Maybe he shouldn't have asked. The kid would realize that his life was better without him and reject him completely. Why doesn't the little mutt just say it already?
"Uh!" Kidd said instead with a nod and he climbed up on Junkrat's lap. "Me go wif Rat!"
The kid's broken English surprised him. It was the first sentence he had ever heard Kidd say the whole time he knew the kid. His face grew hot and a silly grin spread across his face. Junkrat tossed Kidd up in the air and caught him in a fit of giggles. He was the only one who got to hear Kidd's first full sentence. It was more special than any treasure he could have ever found.
"I keep tellin' you that you two look adorable together!" Doctor Vega proclaimed as she entered the bedroom and took a seat in the empty chair nearby. "I think havin' the pipsqueak tag along with you is the best choice. He'll get depressed if you left without him."
"Yeah, me and –," Junkrat paused and looked at Kidd. He smiled at him with his eyes closed and his tongue slightly sticking out his mouth. The kid needed a new name, Kidd wouldn't cut it anymore if he was going to hang with two Junkers. Something that fit the kid like a glove, and then the perfect alias hit him. "Me and Scrappup here, we're like a team! A two package bundle deal! With Roadie, we'll be unstoppable!"
"I'm Scrappup!" Kidd, now Scrappup, cheered.
Vega chuckled, "I bet you guys will turn the whole world upside down!"
"Ain't a doubt about it! Bet yer gonna be bored outta yer wits when I kiss this place goodbye!"
"The opposite, actually." Said the doctor as she got up and led the two into the main room. Roadhog was there, shoving various supplies into a bag on the coffee table. When Scrappup waved at him, the stotic man gave him a quiet nod in response. Vega continued, "Thanks to all that equipment and files we recovered from that house, we may have somethin' good to work with. I might be able to find someone who knows more about plants than I do. Perhaps we can finally reclaim out home from radiation."
"Isn't going to be easy, y'know." Roadhog commented.
"That's the fun of it, Mako! Gettin' yer hands dirty and workin' up a sweat; that's what's gonna fix everythin'" she replied and raised her hands up in the air as if she was reading a newspaper headline. "'The Australian Restoration Association'… got a nice ring to it, don't it? Gather some folks together, work to the bone, and make a difference. Just like them Overwatch-men, yeah?"
Roadhog snorted.
"And look where it got them," Junkrat spoke up. "Now a bunch of washed up omnic lovers."
Vega rolled her eyes. "Boys, don't be like that. This is different! The whole country comin' together to do good, not some group of randoms. We will be real heroes!"
The large man looked over at the petite doctor. Though completely obscured by his mask, the chill of Roadhog's glare was prominent. "You didn't say the same damn thing when they were stealin' our homes from us, now did you?"
The doctor's body stiffened and she crossed her arms over her chest. "Don't you dare bring this shit up again, not in front of them. Leave it in the past, Mako." Her voice was as cold as the man's gaze.
"You want to bring the country together? You weren't even there when it needed you the most. You're no hero, Vega."
"Says the fat fuck who helped ruin our home in the first place! You and those damn terrorists caused all of this!" Vega then motioned to Junkrat and Scrappup. "You ruined them, Mako!"
Roadhog then rose to his feet. He huffed and wheezed through the filters of his mask. Muscles shifted and twitched beneath tanned, blemished skin.
Vega turned her back to him and growled, "Now get the hell out of my house."
Without uttering another word to the woman, Roadhog snatched the bag off the table and he stomped out of the front door.
She didn't even face Junkrat. "Take care of yerself and the pipsqueak, Jamison." Vega muttered and left the room.
No goodbyes, no witty one-liners, or even a smile. Just a bittersweet taste in Junkrat's mouth and a whole lot of questions, as always. If he had a dollar for every time someone was hiding something from him, he wouldn't even need any treasure.
He exited the clinic with Scrappup sitting on his shoulders, he hadn't said a word in a moment. Roadhog had his back to Junkrat, didn't acknowledge his presence while he strapped the bag to the back of his bike. Junkrat scowled; if this guy was going to be working for him, he couldn't just ignore him.
"Are you gonna tell me what that was all about?" Junkrat asked. "Thought a fist fight was gonna break out between you two."
Roadhog stopped, glanced over his shoulder at the younger man, then back at his task. "It's nothing," he grumbled.
"Oh no, you cockin' cock!" exclaimed Junkrat and he walked up to Roadhog's right side. "You ain't hidin' a single thing from me! My memory might be a tad fried but I won't be forgettin' that shoutin' match!"
He faced Junkrat completely and warned, "It's none of your business."
"Then I'll make it my business!"
Scrappup placed one of his hands on Junkrat's face, covering his nose and mouth. The other hand reached over and pressed up against the nose of Roadhog's mask. "Shh," the child said. "Loud."
There was silence between both of the men when Scrappup did that. It was a random gesture, to stop the bickering it seemed. Roadhog, staring down the child, took a deep breath…
…and laughed.
It wasn't as sarcastic chuckle or a dry snicker, but a belly laugh. One that, in certain context, would bring a shiver down a person's spine. Yet Scrappup was all smiles. Roadhog slid his hands under the kid's arms and gently lifted him off Junkrat's shoulders. Metal creaked as the large man slung his leg over the bike and settled down on the sun bleached leather seat. He positioned Scrappup on his stomach, adjusting him several times to make sure the kid was seated snugly.
"Are you getting on or not?" Roadhog asked. Scrappup gripped the man's forearms and looked over at Junkrat as he kicked his legs playfully.
If he thought he could just avoid telling him about that fight, he had another thing coming. Junkrat groaned, "Fine, fine. Don't get yer panties in a bunch, I'm comin'" He slipped onto the motorcycle's seat, grabbed Roadhog's love handles, and knocked his heel against the bike. "Onward, my swine knight! To victory!"
With a grumble, Roadhog squeezed the worn handles and the motorcycle roared to life. He made a wide U-turn, almost causing Junkrat to fall right, and floored it. The three sped forward through the town and right out the open gate. The guards shouted but the bike stopped for no one, leaving Haven in its dust.
Melbourne was one of several thriving cities on the Australian coast unaffected by radiation. Technology and its economy were booming, citizens were happy, and everyone had forgotten about the people suffering in the mainland. In one of the tallest skyscraper in the bustling city, on the top floor, a man by the name of Matthew Stanson sat comfortably in his executive office. The middle aged, silver haired man had a life many would dream about having. Being the president of a company made to better the lives of the residents of the coast was fulfilling, and paid well.
A small holographic woman, blue in color, appeared on his desk from a projector. "Mister Stanson," she said in a monotone voice. "There is several people here to see you, sir."
Matthew didn't turn away from the large windows overlooking the city below. "I'm not seeing anyone today, Mercury. I do not have any appointments booked this day. You know this, correct?"
"But sir," Mercury replied. "They made it clear that they wanted to see you."
He shot to his feet and slammed his palm on the desk surface, the woman did not flinch. "Well, make them leave then!" Matthew shouted, exasperated.
The wooden double door to his office suddenly flew off their hinges. One fell to the carpeted floor and the other crashed against his desk, splitting in two. From the hallway, Roadhog, Junkrat, and Scrappup entered the room.
Matthew, wide eyed, said sarcastically to the A.I., "Thanks Mercury."
"You're welcome, sir." She said then dismissed herself.
"I don't know why you're here but –, " he began to say.
Roadhog rushed towards the man, an unmovable force barreling down on the poor soul. He stopped in front of the desk, grabbed it by its sides, and tossed it aside as if it was made of nothing. The desk smashed right through the drywall and Matthew was left invulnerable to the man towering over him.
Junkrat whistled and stepped further into the room. "Nice place you got here! Lotsa room and fancy too!" He looked around, hopped over the doors, and stopped by Matthew's side. Their eyes met, amber stared at brown lined with silver. This was him, this was the man that issued the murder of the kid's parents; he thought. His eyes combed over the frightened and disgusted man a few times, then rolled his eyes. It was just another suit, he wasn't anything special looking to Junkrat.
"Rat!" Scrappup said excitedly, bounced passed the three adults, and stood before the large windows. He pressed his hands and face against the crystal clear glass. "High, high, high!" he chanted, hopping up and down.
"A beautiful view, ain't it?" Junkrat said with a smile on his face. "You can see the whole city from up here! Bet you never seen somethin' like that in yer life!"
Matthew turned to Scrappup and shouted, "Hey! Get your filthy hands off the windows! Cleaning them cost more than you!"
Grabbing the man's red tie and pulling him into his personal space, Junkrat growled, "Don't talk to my mutt like that, you fuckin' prick." He shoved the man away and whistled again. On command, Scrappup pulled his face from off the window and ran back to Junkrat's side.
Matthew stumbled backwards, adjusted his tie, and smoothed out his black suit. He took a deep breath and asked, "Explain to me why there are a bunch of Junkers in my office. Thought all of you died off already."
"Takes more than a few rads to kill us off, mate," Junkrat replied.
"Uh!" Scrappup piped in.
"We came deliverin' a message from –" Junkrat paused, eyes darting about in confusion, then he focused on Roadhog. "Oi, Hog, what was the name of that crazy lady you gutted again?"
"Maize," he answered.
"Yeah, yeah! Her! Woman tore out my damn tooth," Junkrat drew back his top with a finger. The lights reflected of the golden tooth that replaced his recently extracted canine. "But got me a shiny new tooth though! It's an improvement, if you ask me."
"Rat, focus." Roadhog said.
"We came deliverin' a message from Maize," he continued, getting back on topic. "Y'know, yer business partner. It was along the lines of screamin' and drownin' in her own blood. Kinda hard to understand, now that I think about it."
Matthew sneered, "As if I ever would associate with a Junker leader, let alone someone like her. Now get out of my office before I call security."
His comment made Junkrat raise an eyebrow. "Never said anythin' about her being a gang leader. Good job outtin' yerself there, mate."
"Why does it matter to you whom I do business with?"
In an instance, Roadhog's fist wrapped tight around Matthew's neck. The tiny man uttered a small cry as he was lifted off the ground. He attempted to pull the fat fingers from his neck and his legs flailed to reach solid flooring. His eyes, bloodshot, peered over at Junkrat.
"It mattered to me when you killed my mutt's parents."
Matthew's eyes grew large and Roadhog stomped forward. With little effort, he smashed the business man's body through the glass panel. Large shards of glass rained down on the lower levels of the skyscraper below. Matthew now held on to for dear life of Roadhog's hand as he dangled high in the air. His fingernails dug into the leather glove and he glanced down at the height beneath his feet. Junkrat and Scrappup stood on either side of Roadhog, watching the captured man struggle.
"Now," Junkrat said. "Unless you want my large and temperamental friend to drop you, you better start answerin' questions."
"Okay, okay!" Matthew screamed out in a panic.
Roadhog was the first to ask a question, tightening his grip on Matthew. "Why?" was the only word that filtered out his mask.
The man nervously chuckled, "I-I'm not sure what you're talking about…"
"Not sure yer in the position to be playin' dumb," the young Junker pointed out. "Don't wanna paint the sidewalk down there red, do you? Maize mentioned you by name. Said you paid them big bucks to off some plant people."
"Botanists," corrected Roadhog.
"Yeah, same difference. They were workin' on something big, bigger than levelin' a city block."
"It was just b-business!" Matthew stammered. "The Shea Doctors wouldn't sell me their project! I offered them money beyond their wildest dreams!"
"Then you killed them," Roadhog said, pulling the man closer in to him, faces pressed together. "Coulda just left them alone. But you didn't."
"W-what they created, what they discovered, I-I-I couldn't let them live with that knowledge! If those two were killed by some crazy Junkers, no one would be the wiser, right? If the Wastes were restored, the economy would plummet and the coast cities would suffer. All that I sacrificed for the good of my people, for the good of my country. What's a few botanists' lives compared to the livelihood of a million people?" Matthew chuckled again. His eyes darted from Roadhog then Junkrat. "Now please put me down."
Junkrat balled up his fist and held his head down. "Suits," he mumbled then he lifted his head. "Yer all the same." With a smile on his face, he looked pass Hog and focused his attention on the kid. "What do you say, Scrappy? Should we let the suit go or send him packin'?"
Scrappup stared up at him turned his attention to Matthew. The child cocked his head to the side, his face contorted in disgust, and he blew out a raspberry.
It made Junkrat laughed and he elbowed Roadhog's side. "You heard the kid, porkloin! Send this suit flyin'!"
Roadhog released the man's neck and Matthew scrambled to hold on. His attempts failed and he slipped, his high pitched screams filled their ears as he dropped. Glass shattered and car alarms blared when the man's body connected with the roof of an idle car. Shocked bystanders on the streets screamed and police sirens screeched as chaos ensued in the city below.
"I don't know about you boys," said Junkrat as he stretched out his back. "But I could use a vacation. I was thinkin' something along the lines of Japan. How about it? Sightseein', shoppin', causin' the destruction of private property. We'll have the time of our lives."