Author's note:

Here goes another chapter! Hope you will like it!
Thank you to 3rd wheel for your review. Concerning your question, I plan on including all the Overwatch characters in my story in one way or another, but for now I only included former members of Overwatch, with the obvious exception of Ana and Mei, who are off doing their own things. It made sense to me that only them would respond to the recall.
Also thank you to ZERONEX for your review. I hope you like Villen that way, and I hope I will manage to keep up writing him that way.
Yet again let me know all the spelling/grammatical mistakes I made.
Please, enjoy the read!

The two women grabbed their coffee from the kitchen and sat down by one of the tables in the mess hall. On their way here they discussed recent events. Tracer recounted the story Villen told her and Reinhardt to Mercy. They also came up with theory after theory, each more ridiculous than the last concerning how Villen managed to do what he did. Mercy didn't even try to contain her laughter at her friends imagination.

After they sat down and stopped laughing for long enough, Mercy took a sip of the coffee. She immediately leaned back in her chair letting out a relaxed sigh. "You have no idea how I needed that." She chuckled.

"Course I do, love. Why do you think I proposed it?" Tracer giggled giving Mercy a cheeky smile.

Angela just shook her head and took another sip. The warmth of the drink really helped her relax. Her mind started wondering.

Tracer noticed her friend's dreamy state. "So, Lady Angela," she tried to imitate Villen's way of speaking, not doing a very good job, "what do you think about our newest ally?" She asked with a wide grin plastered on her face.

Mercy blushed slightly, but quickly fought it off. "What do you mean?"

Lena giggled at the slight fluster the question caused in her friend. "I'm just curious what you think about him. Well other than the fact that you are clearly enjoying his company." She gave Mercy a quick wink and giggled.

This time Angela's cheeks flushed with red and she was unable to stop it. "Well… I admit he is quite unique… And he has that aura about him, that for some reason just makes me think I can trust him with anything, you know?"

"Isn't it a bit creepy though how he seems to have that much influence, and no one knows?" Creepy isn't the word Tracer would normally use in this situation. She had to admit the knight had intrigued her and just kept on surprising everyone. She couldn't believe it when Genji told her that Villen managed to keep up with him in a duel after she bumped into the tired cyborg. Not to mention the fact that he somehow conjured up all of these resources for them to use. But she did use the word creepy because she may have been trying to provoke Angela somewhat.

"Creepy?" Angela asked surprised. "Not at all, I think it is rather intriguing. You know he-" She stopped herself, making Tracer perk up at the sudden silence.

"He?" Tracer asked inquisitively. "Go on." Curiosity filled her eyes.

Angela lowered her gaze. "I probably shouldn't… I'm not sure I can share anything he told me…"

"He told you stuff?" Tracer couldn't contain her excitement. "Like about himself?"

"M-maybe…" Mercy muttered, blushing even harder.

Lena giggled at her friends reaction. She leaned back in her chair with the biggest grin on her face. "Well, well, well. So he spends a lot of time with you, shares his secrets with you and giving you gifts. If I didn't know any better, love, I'd think-"

"Gifts?" Mercy interrupted her, looking up at Lena and narrowing her eyes slightly. "How do you know he gave me something?"

This time it was Tracer, who grew red with embarrassment. "Me and my big mouth." she thought. "W-well, I-" She struggled for an excuse.

Mercy's eyes widened. "You didn't just come over to help with finding a room for him, did you?" There was just a slight hint of accusation in Mercy's voice. It was mostly filled with surprise.

"I did!" Tracer defended herself. "I just… might have arrived a bit earlier…"

"You might have?" Angela burst out laughing. "Lena you are impossible!" It took a second until she calmed down. "Why didn't you come over?"

A grin returned to Tracer's face as soon as Mercy started laughing. "Well, I didn't want to interrupt nothing. Especially after you sou quickly volunteered to help Villen, love."

Angela's face yet again filled with red as she lowered her head. "I was just trying to be nice…"

Trace giggled. "Sure you did, Ang." She blinked to sit next to her instead of opposite. "Now show me what you got from him." Mercy shook her head in disbelief and looked at her friend. "What? I'm curious, can't help it."

Angela let out a resigned sigh, although a smile was wide on her face. She took out the data stick from her pocket. "He gave me all of his research on nanites. He based them on my design and I suppose this is how he wanted to repay me."

"Sounds neat. What about the other thing?" Tracer responded excitedly.

"How long were you watching us, Lena?"

"Not long! I just noticed something else in your hand, that wasn't this data stick when I… revealed myself." She gave Mercy her signature smile.

Angela sighed, shaking her head. She pulled out the other device she got from Villen. She placed the matte gray scale on the table in front of her.

Tracer leaned forward examining the device. "What is it?"

Mercy blushed yet again. "Apparently it's a distress beacon. I'm supposed to activate it if I am in danger." She muttered.

Tracer's mouth opened and eyes widened as she looked at her friend. "Oh my god, Ang. You know what that means?"

Angela looked at her friend raising her eyebrows in confusion. "What?"

"That means, he really cares about you. I have a feeling you really caught his eye." Her grin widened even more, although it seemed impossible. "And I can't say I blame him" She gave her friend a quick wink.

The shade of red on Mercy's face deepened. "Y-you're reading way too much into this, Lena. He just feels obliged to repay me after I saved his life."

"Maybe I am reading too much into it, love." Tracer gave her a sly look. "But by the way you turned red, and the hopeful look in your eye, I say you hope that I'm not."

Mercy lowered her gaze. "N-no. That's not true."

"Sure it's not, love." She put her hand around Angela's shoulders and hugged her lightly. "Sure it's not."

Villen decided not to put too much effort in cleaning his room, since the renovation crew would soon be arriving and he didn't have any belongings to fill the room with anyway. He focused his efforts on the bedroom and bathroom to make his living experience over the following days a bit more pleasant. Thanks to the cleaning supplies he found in the closet Angela pointed him to, the work was going quickly. Villen took the time during cleaning to read up some basic information on the members of Overwatch he met, on a small display that looked like a single lens from glasses, attached to a small headset he wore. He asked Vea to leave out Soldier: 76's identity. It was obvious to Villen that the man wanted it hidden, and he wanted to respect that. So the data he received consisted mostly of the soldier's vigilante actions and the few instances of breaking into Overwatch facilities and stealing pieces of technology. It seemed unusual to Villen that the soldier joined with this renewed Overwatch and that he even knew about it. But, as Villen guessed, that just proved him resourceful and they needed everyone.

He didn't even realize for how long he stopped to think about the man before a familiar voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Sir, are you sure you don't want to know his real name? You have been standing there for an unusually long time."

Villen chuckled. "Yes, Vea, I'm sure. And please inform Henry of my attitude towards that. I wouldn't want to receive an unfortunately worded report in the future…"

"Of course, Sir."

When Villen entered the mess hall his attention was immediately drawn to the two women engaged in an animated conversation, sitting opposite each other beside the table in the corner of the room. The two cups on the table were pushed off to the side. As the knight watched them for a moment his eyes were drawn to Tracer's chronal accelerator. He noticed how it sometimes lightly hit the table when she leaned forward, causing the woman to quickly lean back and absentmindedly brush her hand on it, as if to make sure it wasn't damaged. Villen thought for a moment. The harness couldn't have been too comfortable, although after all these years of using it, Tracer must have gotten used to wearing it constantly. Suddenly an idea appeared in Villen's head and he turned on his heel and marched off to find Winston.

"Commander Winston, are you in here?" Villen said upon carefully entering the room, the gorilla used as his lab. It consisted of the first floor, mostly cluttered with various parts tools, and electronic devices. A large tire was hanging from the ceiling on a thick rope. A set of stairs run along one of the walls, up to the walkway leading to a semi-circular room with a big glass window overlooking the ground floor. The walkway then continued around the entire room. A sight of a pile of empty peanut butter jars in one corner of the room as well as the caps from the scattered around the room brought a smile to Villen's face.

"Ah, Villen, come in, come in." Winston's voice sounded from the upper walkway. The gorilla jump down deftly with an audible thud. "And please, just Winston is fine." He gave the knight a wide smile, baring his teeth. "Can I help you?"

Villen nodded. "As it happens, I do have a favour to ask."

"Anything." Winston answered quickly causing a smile to appear on the knight's face.

"Would you mind giving me the schematics to Lena's chronal accelerator?"

The scientist was somewhat taken aback by the question but he quickly collected himself. "I don't think that will be a problem. May I ask why you need them?"

"Well, to look them over first. But if my plan works I want to give Lena a nice surprise." A sly smile formed on his face.

Winston just shook his head and laughed. "Always the man of secrets, aren't you Villen. I hope you will be successful with… whatever it is you are planning to do. Lena loves surprises." As he was saying that he headed towards the stairs to the upper floor, motioning for Villen to follow him.

"I hope she will love this one as well. And of course I hope I can count on your discretion?" He gave the gorilla another sly smile.

Winston laughed again. "Absolutely. I wouldn't want to ruin this surprise. Not that I even know what it entails." As they entered the upper room he grabbed the nearest data stick and plugged it into the computer. "Athena, copy all the schematics of the chronal accelerator to this data stick."

"As you wish Winston." a female voice replied. "I hope you know what you're doing."

The gorilla seemed embarrassed at this remark. He turned to the knight. "Sorry about her. She… doesn't really trust you."

Villen chuckled. "I am not surprised. Still I hope to prove myself in your eyes, Athena."

"Transfer complete." Was the only response the AI gave.

Winston shook his head and grabbed the data stick. He handed it over to Villen. "There you go." After a moment of thought he smiled. "Will we know what this surprise was or is it going to become one of your signature secrets?"

Villen laughed in response. "No, Winston, I think you will know if it works." After a moment to calm himself he continued. "Now if you will excuse me, I would like to get to work on this as fast as possible. Thank you very much for the schematics."

"That's no problem." The gorilla replied. "Actually I have one more question before you go."

"Yes?" Villen asked curiously.

"I find it hard to believe you couldn't just get those schematics if you wanted. Why ask?"

Villen laughed once again. "You are right, Winston, I probably could have. They have probably been in my database for a long time. But using other people's designs... is not something I particularly enjoy doing. Not without their knowledge. Not to mention the fact that we are allies, and what kind of ally would I be if I just stole from you?" He smiled.

"Well I'm glad you asked." The gorilla returned the smile. "I won't keep you any longer. I can't wait to hear Lena's reaction to your surprise."

"Neither can I, Winston, neither can I."

After he returned to his room, Villen took out the holographic projector from his pocket and placed it on one of the cupboards. He pressed on its side revealing a data port. He plugged in the device he had received from Winston.

"Vea, create a model of the harness and display it, please."

The holographic image of the chronal accelerator appeared in front of him. Villen moved his hand in front of it to the right and the components of the harness separated, highlighting the most important parts and displaying descriptions of them. Villen frowned as he examined every part in detail. He was slowly stroking his beard as ideas were rushing through his brain. He took his time to make sure he knew exactly how the device in front of him worked.

After about two hours passed he was confident he could replicate both the device itself and its functions exactly. He took a step back from the projector.

"Alright, Vea. Start a new project, codename: Time's heart. Include the chronal accelerator's schematics in it. I also want you to cross reference it with our technology to check if we can miniaturize it somehow."

"The results show that any further miniaturization will cause the chronal field's cohesion to drop below acceptable levels."

"What if we used multiple smaller sources?"

"Theoretically multiple emitters should be able to create a complete field. Basic simulations even show a 32.5% increase in operational efficiency."

"Excellent. Add the acoustic dampening emitter's schematics into the project. It will make for a good basis." Villen cracked his knuckles and a wide smile appeared on his face. "Now for the fun part."

"Sir, Captain Tirel just signaled she is ready to make her report." Vea's voice snapped Villen out of his thoughts. He had been working on the schematics in front of him for a few hours and there were still many issues he had to resolve. He sighed.

"Alright, Vea, I suppose a break is in order anyway. Activate the armor and put her through."

After the armor had formed around him the holographic projector in front of him flickered, changing from displaying schematics to now show a person. The woman in the projection was wearing full combat attire, enhanced with various pieces of advanced technology. She had removed her mask and helmet that normally accompanied the uniform, showing her short, black hair being tossed around by the wind. As soon as she appeared she bowed deeply.

"My Lord." She spoke in a calm voice.

"Captain." Villen bowed his head in acknowledgment. "I trust your mission was successful."

"Yes, Sir." She straightened herself. "We successfully infiltrated the omnium, gathered as much intel as we could, sabotaged their manufacturing capabilities and exited without losses, as ordered, Sir."

"Excellent work, Captain. What have you learned about their mysterious suppliers?"

"We have found Vishkar's teleporter technology inside, Sir. That's how the materials got to the omnium undetected."

"Vishkar?" The knight thought for a moment. "I can see how the war could benefit them but I did not think they would just fund the omnic war machine. It is most unusual."

"I agree, Sir. But perhaps the potential profits clouded their judgement."

Villen nodded slowly. "Perhaps… I will look into it further. I trust you have disabled the portal?"

"Not… exactly, Sir." She lowered her head slightly.

"What do you mean, Captain?" A note of concern could have been heard in the knight's voice.

"Forge managed to get close enough to the teleporter to… tinker with it. Said it will blow the next time it's used. On both sides apparently."

Hussar thought for a moment. "That could work. I trust Forge's judgment." He nodded a couple of times and then looked straight at the captain again. "Excellent work, Captain. Pass on my regards to your team. You did the honor guard proud."

The woman bowed again. "Thank you, Sir."

"Now, as much as I want to give you and your team the rest you deserve, I would like you to assist Colonel Kalita in bringing this offensive to a swift end. Even though you have crippled the omnium, there is still an army of omnics between him and his target. Rendezvous with him and provide any assistance you can. I am sure he will appreciate it."

"Of course, Sir. We will depart immediately."

"Thank you, Captain. And good luck."

The woman nodded and the connection was cut.

Villen sighed. "Vea, deactivate the armor." As his suit began to retract around him he continued. "Message Henry to monitor for the two explosions. Maybe we will manage to find out where the omnics' suppliers are operating from." He rubbed his temples. "Alright, bring the schematics back up."

"Simulation successful. Generated field identical in all parameters to one generated by the chronal accelerator."

Villen breathed a sigh of relief as he took a step back from the projector, now showing the finished design. "Excellent. Now I just need materials to build it."

"I have notified Henry earlier. He promised he will send parts with the building crew."

"You notified him earlier? How did you know what parts I will even need?" Villen asked, slightly confused.

"I didn't. But knowing you, Sir, you will not stop at this project, not to mention that I'm sure others would like access to some better components as well. So I just ordered a large variety of them."

Villen laughed at the AI's remark. "Thank you, Vea. I can always count on you."

"No problem, Sir. Henry also said, to expect the building crew at about eight a.m. today."

"Today? What time is it exactly?" Villen looked around the room but a clock was nowhere to be found.

"It's 5:43, Sir."

"Oh dear." Villen didn't even realise he had worked all throughout the night. As usual he got too invested in his work. "Alright, notify Winston about the arrival time of the builders." He rubbed his temples as the fatigue got to him. "I will go get a shower and then something to eat."

"You should eat first, Sir. You need the power. And it's not like you actually need to shower."

"I am well aware. I have to say, Vea, you have developed this weird habit of reminding me about things I know. I designed these nanites, I know what they are capable of."

"Well, Sir, if it didn't seem like you keep forgetting about all these things, I wouldn't feel the need to remind you."

Villen laughed as he made his way to the bathroom. "You are impossible, Vea. Impossible."

"Likewise, Sir. Especially seeing as you are still going to the bathroom instead of the mess hall."

Villen just shook his head, a wide smile present on his face. "I might not need to shower, but I enjoy the feeling of warm water running down my skin. So I am taking this shower." He started to run the water, adjusting its temperature until it suited him. "And if you are so worried about my energy, the water absorbed through my skin should last me well until I reach the mess. So, off you go." He said, taking off his trench coat and laying it down on one of the cupboards. The rest of his clothes soon followed, placed on top of it. As he entered the shower, he saw a small wave go across his clothes making him shake his head slightly. The feeling of warmth caused by the water quickly overwhelmed him however. He took his time just standing under the shower, enjoying it. It was calming, especially after all the excitement of the previous few days. This relaxation had a side effect, however as he realised just how tired he was. With a heavy sigh he turned off the water. He raised his arm and looked down at it, noticing how, slowly, the water that stayed on his skin started to disappear. He took a step out of the shower and before his sole hit the bathroom floor it was dry. He dressed quickly. As soon as he put on the coat a familiar voice sounded in his head.

"I took the liberty to clean your clothes, Sir."

"I saw. Thank you, Vea, I appreciate it." He checked his look in the mirror and adjusted his clothes. "Now, time to get something to eat. I will need it for today."

Villen quickly left the room and headed to the mess hall. Once there, he grabbed some rations again and sat down at one of the tables. While not the most tasty, the packed rations were highly nutritious. Villen ate his meal in silence. As he finished about half of the meal, Genji entered the room. The two men nodded at each other and the cyborg entered the kitchen. He returned a moment later, holding the same tray of rations as Villen. He stopped by the knight's table.

"Do you mind if I join you?"

"Not at all, Sir Genji, have a seat." Villen stood up and pointed at the chair opposite his.

The two men sat down at the same time. Genji looked up at the knight. "Please, Villen. Genji is sufficient."

The knight nodded. "As you wish, Genji. Seems like a trend is forming."

The cyborg tilted his head slightly in confusion. "A trend?"

Villen chuckled. "People insist I refer to them using only their name."

Genji gave him a knowing nod. "You have quickly befriended many of us, Villen. It is not surprising."

The knight nodded a few times and smiled. "That is good to hear."

The face plate on Genji's armor lifted slightly as he took a few bites from his food. Villen looked at him curiously for a second but then continued eating his meal as well. After he finished he looked up at the cyborg who was still eating.

"I have to say, I am somewhat surprised you returned to Overwatch after the recall. I remember you left some time before it was disbanded."

Genji looked up at him from his meal. "There was a journey I had to take, to fight my inner demons. It took a lot of time but I emerged victorious. After I received the recall signal I considered ignoring it and moving along with my life on my own terms. I have realised, however, that there would be no honor in leaving my friends alone on the battlefield, especially since I owe them so much." He paused for a few moments, thinking. "Not to mention… these people accept me as I am. Which is much, much more than I can say about the rest of the world."

"I can imagine." Villen nodded slowly. Before he could say anything else however, the attention of both men was caught by a loud yawn. As they turned their heads they saw Trace, who had just entered the mess hall, yawning widely and stretching her arms. The sleep was still somewhat visible in her eyes as she looked at the two men.

"Morning, loves." She said sleepily, earning her a smile from Villen and a chuckle from Genji.

"Lena, I can't believe you are awake at this time." The cyborg said.

Tracer frowned playfully. "Hey, I'll have you know that I am perfectly capable of waking up early. If I have a choice however, I choose not to." Her voice was much more cheery as she was fighting more and more of the sleepiness off. She rubbed her neck. "Not to mention I stayed up late yesterday…" She entered the kitchen. Suddenly a loud groan could be heard from there and a moment later Tracer appeared with yet another tray of rations. She didn't look pleased. She plopped down on a chair next to Genji, placing the tray in front of her. She looked down at it and with a heavy sigh started eating.

"And willingly eating rations? Today feels special already." The cyborg spoke, not hiding the amusement in his voice.

Lena looked up from the food and shot Genji a glare. "It's not exactly willingly. But I can't be bothered trying to prepare something else."

Genji laughed at Tracer's offended tone. She soon joined him, giggling. Villen looked at the pair in amusement, a wide smile on his face, as he leaned back in his chair.

After she stopped giggling, and took a few more bites of food, Tracer looked up at the knight. "And you, love, did you find your new bed comfortable?" She asked, a smile not leaving her face.

"Well I, uh-" Villen stuttered, slightly embarrassed. "I have not slept yet. I got caught up with work…"

Lena went wide-eyed. "But you look rested!" She exclaimed. "Like you had a comfortable, long sleep." Her voice went a bit dreamy as she said the last sentence.

Villen chuckled. "Well, I have other ways of gaining energy."

Lena narrowed her eyes and frowned as she looked at the knight. "That's cheating." She kept up the facade for a short while more and then started giggling at Villen's surprised reaction. The two men joined her in laughter. After she calmed down, Tracer spoke up again. "So now you don't need to sleep. Will you ever stop with the surprises?" She asked with a grin.

Villen smirked. "No, I think surprises are now my… "thing". So you better get used to them, because I am not stopping anytime soon."