Junkrat squinted at the floor plan Genji had kindly scribbled up for him, Satya and Zarya by his side, the three of them pensive as they looked at the paper on the table.
Molly, Hana, Mei, Lúcio and some of the other people effectively trapped in the grooming section were filling the poop bags that Lena had gotten for them with water. Meanwhile, Emily and Brigitte were helping Mercy calm down the animals still in the groomers with Bob's help while the employees called their customers, informing them that there was a dangerous situation at the shop and they needed to come nearby to pick up their furry family members.
"'Ere." Rat finally said, pointing to a spot near the back, "No animals back there 'n plenty of space 'tween them 'n th' door so we can get everyone out safe."
The two woman glared at the spot, the gears in their minds spinning.
His plan wasn't all that complex;
Step One: Have Genji and Lena scoping the place out to find Reaper and Moira.
Step Two: Have the rest of the gang distract them with weapons and water balloons and run them around in circles while he rigged a spot to explode, Genji and Lena on net duty in case the witch used any of her orbs to make their friends easier targets.
Step Three: When he was certain everything was ready, inform the others with a smoke bomb to the floor that he was finished and to lead them over to the spot.
Step Four: The gang leads them to the spot, and when they both reach it, Boom.
Step Five: Get the fuck out of there before they have a chance to recover.
Step Six: Gloat.
He'd normally do this kind of thing on his own, but they had offered their help and well, he figured it couldn't hurt to have their input.
"Are you sure your explosives won't reach the support beam right here?" Satya asked, indicating a square Genji had labeled, 'beam'.
Rat paused, thoughtful, "Yeah, at least, if th' distance 'ere is roight." He then glanced over the page and pointed to another spot, "If it's not, why don't we make this our back up? We'd need ta split th' group up, but if th' blokes 'ere are roight 'bout where th' back door is, it should work jus' as well."
"I'd like to know what products they have right here." Zarya said, "If it is mostly glass, it could be effective against our enemies, but it might also shatter it everywhere and we could risk injuring ourselves as well if we're too close."
He nodded and reached for one of the walkie talkie headsets they borrowed from the employees, "Oi, Genji, Lena, whichever one of ya can make it 'ere without gettin' caught, need ya ta check somethin' fer us."
"Can't." Genji said softly, "Moira's just below me, using her purple orbs to kill the fish in the tanks along the wall, I don't think I should move just yet." Junkrat agreed, also was kinda freaked out by how fucked up this woman was. Killing fish just for the fun of it? If you weren't eating it and it wasn't doing anything wrong to you, then why bother? It wasn't like it was a bot or a suit, who would screw you over the moment your back was turned, it was a fucking fish. Stuck in a tank. It could only hurt you if you were dumb enough to put a part of yourself in the tank and if you were pissing it off. So this woman was instead just enjoying the many innocent deaths she caused because she could.
Satya informed him that this woman was some head of Genetics at some fancy pantsy city of geniuses… And he was the internationally wanted criminal in the building.
"I'm on my way, loves." Lena whispered, "Reapers checking out the bunnies, he seems to loike the black one that the shop keep warned us not to pick up." She informed them.
Before he could comment on that, he caught a blue and orange flash and Lena quietly snuck into the Groomers to join them, a fish net stuck in the pocket of her orange hoodie.
"So, what do you want to know?" she asked him. He explained what he'd need and she nodded, "I remember there bein' more rocks 'n plants back there than glass, but I can double check. As fer the distance thing, Genji's better with that then I am, but I'll give it a go." After chatting a bit more, she exited the room and quickly dashed off down an aisle and out of sight.
"We're done with the balloons." Lúcio reported as he motioned to the stack they had made, Molly walking over and holding one up for his inspection. He carefully took it from her and bounced it in his hand, "Perfect." He said, before looking to Lúcio, "Match each of these blokes 'n sheilas ta an animal 'n we'll tell ya which way they'll need ta go ta get out of 'ere in a tick." Lúcio and Molly nodded before going over towards the others, the headset beeping, letting him know that Lena had some news for him, "Yup, plants 'n rocks, 'n the beam is the roight distance away." She confirmed.
"Alroight, come on back with Genji as soon as ya can, we're gonna go over th' basics of th' plan one more toime before we head out." Junkrat said, feeling a bit pleased to be in control of a plan for once… As well as a bit nervous... Normally when he'd had a plan, it would usually only call for two people, usually him and Hog, risking their butts and he was fine with that, they both could usually handle the risks involved with little trouble and often had enough supplies to handle any unpleasant surprises.
But today?
Today he was responsible for lots of people, many of whom he was close with. Most of them were unarmed or had little to defend themselves with and he had very little supplies to help combat any problems that might pop up while they did this. And unlike Hog, who was practially indestructible, he was a bit worried if some of them would get out unscathed or not with this many odds (i.e the soul sucking witch and the fucking undead phantom in the building with them) stacked against them.
Especially concerning Molly.
She was seven years old, had no combat training (as far as he knew) and while the orbs didn't effect her, the robed psycho was specifically after her, so it didn't matter. As long as the orbs effected anyone who was supposed to protect her, she could snatch her up and neither Junker would ever see her again. And he probably wouldn't be able to live with himself if he let his best mate or his little niece down like that.
"Okay!" Lena agreed, calling him out of his concerns.
"On my way." Genji confirmed, "And we better hurry, she's already killed half the fish here and is starting to write stuff down in a notebook she pulled from her pocket, we might be next on her testing list if we don't get out of here soon."
"What is wrong with this sheila?" Rat blurted, disgusted.
"Don't know and don't want to know." Genji informed him. Rat finally removed the headset, noticing the looks he got from the two women standing beside him, "Th' witch is testin' 'er orbs on th' fish fer shites 'n giggles, so far there ain' been any survivors." He explained, watching as their faces momentarily morphed into ones of horror before shifting them into hard expressions of determination, "Then we should get out of here soon." Zarya declared. The two builders nodded in agreement before Genji and Lena arrived at the door, Mei opening it and ushering them inside, where everyone gathered around him, making him feel a bit uneasy, he sucked in a breath and began to speak.
"Okay," he said, "First, Genji 'n Lena are our eyes 'n ears around th' place, they'll let us know where th' freaks of th' hour are 'n keep th' orbs off yer backs." He then pointed to various places on the map where Hana, Lúcio, Mei, Zarya, Sayta, Mercy and he would be and handed out extra headsets the employees had pulled out for them earlier from a drawer to them. Telling them to inform the others where they were headed and if someone was following them and if they needed help. He probably didn't need to tell them that, but he was in charge here and saying that made him feel a bit more confident while ordering the others around.
"Brigitte, Emily, Molly 'n Bob will lead th' others out through th' front door…" he recited only for his little pre-mission briefing to be interrupted.
"No!" Molly said sternly, scowling up at him, "Me 'n Bob ain' leavin' ya behind! Hog told me ta keep ya out of trouble!" she reminded him, then she winced and rubbed at her temples.
"We're all in trouble 'ere, Molls." He countered, "'N you said no promises!"
"I didn' mean it, though!" she cried, upset as she continued to stroke her head with her tiny fingers, "'N it's my fault they're even 'ere! I wanna help stop 'um!" She looked up at him with wide, violet eyes, tears threatening to fall, "Please, Rat," she pleaded softly, "I jus' wanna help…"
He struggled for a moment or two, silently fighting the effect of her tearful expression with the knowledge that if Hog ever found out about him letting her stay in a dangerous place like this, he was as good as dead…
"They're after me anyways," she added, as if reading his thoughts as she stopped stroking the sides of her head, "How do we know if they don' have someone outsoide, ready ta snag me as soon as I walk out th' door?" He started stroking his chin thoughtfully, she had a point there…
The small scale in his head teetered for another moment before it finally tilted in Molly's favor and he groaned.
Roadie was going to kill him for this.
"Foine." He sighed, "But you are stayin' with me th' whole toime 'n Bob is goin' with th' others, they need all th' help they can get keepin' th' other animals calm." He said firmly. Molly stiffened, looking to her very loyal (since she only got him in the wee hours of that very morning) dog, a bit upset. But Bob, that wonderful mutt, walked over to Emily and Brigitte and looked up at his little mistress and Rat with a determined look in his eye.
Okay, he was calling it right now, he and Genji had totally gotten Molly the best dog ever.
Molly walked over and gave him a hug and murmured for him to be good, earning herself a few doggie kisses while the others took that is their cue to get ready, Lena and Genji leaving after promising Mercy that they'd be careful (and Lena getting a smooch from her girlfriend). Junkrat went about double checking his supplies as well as their meager map and quietly muttering to himself as he worked. He noticed Satya making something out of the corner of his eye before silently scolding himself for losing focus, they were all riding on his plan and his explosives to get them all out of this safely. It was his fault that they were even here right now (The pet shop had been his idea, after all.), and he was not going to fuck all of this up because of his crush on a sheila who…
He stopped what he was doing and stared at the object forming into reality on the floor beside her.
'A sheila who I'd love ta give a good peshin' roight now.' He thought with a growing smile and a lick of his lips.
What sat on the floor was a prototype Sheild Generator, one with several adjustments he had suggested months ago when they first brough Molly home to Gibraltar. She caught his gleeful gaze and gave him a cool smile back, "I suppose this is a good time as any to try it out." She said, "Considering our circumstances, I believe that any shielding, even one from a mere prototype like this, will be better than nothing."
"Bloody oath, with ya on tha'." He agreed with a laugh, "Moight not even cark it if Roadie foinds out I let Molly help us pick a foight with these fuckwits."
She gave him a sympathetic look, "If it makes you feel any better, I doubt she would have left with the others even if you hadn't let her stay to help, which would have put her in far more danger since we wouldn't know she was still inside the building. So it is probably for the best that you told her to stay with you while we do this." She told him.
He sighed bitterly at that and nodded. She was probably right about Molly staying behind anyways with Bob if he had had denied her request, it didn't make him feel any better about any of this, but both she and Molly had good points and he felt it was better not that he didn't fight the little girl on it anyways. Best to just get it over with and deal with whatever beating Hog had in store for him when they all got out of there.
Satya looked at him, concerned until he gave her a smile and a wary laugh, "Moind tellin' Hog tha' 'fore he gets 'is hands on me? Loike bein' in as much as one piece as 'm now, thanks." She gave him a small smile back, "I doubt it will be needed, he wouldn't leave her to you if he didn't trust you."
"He also wouldn' of told Molls ta keep me outta trouble if he didn' know me." He joked. Satya didn't seem to think that was funny and walked over to him and jabbed at his chest with a flesh finger, something she didn't really do since he was often covered in soot and grime (hell, touching him was often something she actively avoided due to his usual filthy state of being), so he knew she meant business, "Jamison Fawkes, I may not know you as well as Roadhog does, but I know you are no fool. You are incredibly intelligent and you are a good friend who does his best to make the people around him happy and safe, even at his own expense and if I hear you suggest otherwise again, I will not let you off so easily. Do you understand me?"
Hooley Dooley, he fucking loved this woman.
He nodded, his face burning as she removed her finger, only then realizing what she had just subjected herself to as she looked at the dirt smudged on the digit. He grabbed a clean towel from a nearby table and handed it to her, "'Ere."
"Thank you." She said, carefully wiping the grime off of her hand, he could only nod in reply before going back to work, a tiny victory party throbbing in his chest at her anger at his self inflicted insult as she went back to her generator.
He watched her fiddle with it a bit out of the corner of his eye. Smiling as he watched as what looked like blue outlines suddenly appeared on every man and beast in the room, "I've never used this to shield animals, so I'd recommend not taking any risks." She informed the others, who nodded before the headset buzzed, Zarya picked it up, "They have found them. We are to get into position."
Junkrat picked up his things with a sharp breath, 'set everythin' up, wait fer th' signal 'n do what ya do best.' He reminded himself, 'jus' loike any other job.'
But it wasn't like any other job.
He never had to keep a child out of harm's way on any other job. He felt Molly tug at his trousers, giving him a hopeful smile, her eyes barely showing the fear and uncertainy he knew was stewing in his own gut as well. He looked down at her, giving her a broad, impish smile, hiding any sign of doubt or worry behind it, "Ya ready ta go?" he asked her.
"Not really." She admitted, her grip on her piggy bank tightening, "But 'm gonna anyways." He lifted her up onto his shoulders, making her let out a surprised laugh that made him actually feel a little better, knowing that they were both a little uneasy about this. "I'll take it." he laughed as he reached for the door, "Now come on," he purred eagerly, "Yer Uncle Rat's gonna teach ya how ta rig up a surprise!"