Good day everyone! Just want to wish everyone a Happy New Year of 2020!
Hope the first week has been good for you and a toast of Shandy to the rest of the year for you :D
*Gibraltar: Medical Ward*
Beep... Beep... Beep...
"That stupid clock again..." Quillion thought to himself, trying to ignore the sound and go back to sleep. However, it persisted, disrupting his sleep.
He tried to turn over so he could reach out to shut off that persistent alarm, but he found that he could not turn over. Puzzled, he tried to open his eyes to see why he can't move... Only the find out he could not.
He began to panic, is he blind? Is he paralyzed? What's going on?
Pain began filling his entire body. Tremendous pain. A groan of pain came from his throat.
"He is awake" he heard a robotic voice say.
Was he captured by the Omnics?
He felt soft hands began touching him and he tensed up. He will not be fooled by fake synthetics.
"His vitals are spiking, Quillion can you hear me?" he heard a woman say.
How did they know his name?
"Quillion? This is Angela, make a noise if you can hear me"
He remained silent as he lay there, still unsure if this was some simulation to trick him or not.
"Guess he is still asleep" she said.
"Perhaps if he could see, that would encourage him to respond" the same robotic voice said.
"Too bad my staff is damaged" he heard her say.
"I thought you could share your nanobots through your hands?"
"I've already told you many times before Genji" annoyance creeping into her voice "That only works for those who are compatible, I can't simply share them to anyone"
"But you applied it to Mei in Paris and you did not check if she is compatible"
"I already said it was the spur of the moment!" Angela replied angrily.
Genji immediately backed down with his questions and they have an uncomfortable silence for a while before he heard a door open.
"How is he?" he heard a deep voice say.
"Hey Winston, he is doing alright, just sleeping" Angela replied "What are you doing here?"
"Lena asked me to come visit when I have the time" he said, causing Quillion's heart to flutter for a second. She asked about him?
"Why did she not she come herself?" Genji asked.
"The moment we landed she passed out" Winston said sadly "I was carrying her back to her room when she asked me to visit"
"Poor thing, she always pushes herself too hard" Angela sighed.
As much as Quillion wants to remain silent to eavesdrop, the throbbing pain became too much to bear.
Forcing out a loud groan, he felt everyone looking at him.
"Quillion? You awake? This is Angela" she said.
"Hmm..." he grunted.
"Good, if you have tried to open your eyes, don't worry you are not blind, both your eyes are swollen and it may be another day or so before you can see again" she said.
That explains the blindness.
"Do you need something for the pain?"
He grunted in reply.
"Ok, this may sting a bit, but it will help you sleep" he heard her say as he felt a needle pierce his skin.
"Yes he is still asleep" he heard Genji said to someone, followed shortly with the door closing.
"What? It has only been a second after the injection" Quillion thought as he instinctively opens his eyes to show he is awake.
"Ahh you're finally awake" Genji said.
Looking at him for the first time, he realized that it is the same Omnic who he almost shot in the Hangar.
"You're that Omnic..." Quillion said weakly.
"I believe we have not been properly introduced, I am Genji Shimada and I am what you would call a cyborg" he said as he points to his parts that is not mechanical.
Quillion observed the man and saw that he is indeed missing most parts of his body, only the torso, an arm, and the head remained human.
He tried to sit up but found that he could not, as most of his body is in a cast.
"How long have I been asleep?"
"After Angela gave you the medicine, 2 days, so in total 5 days since your fight"
"5 days..." Quillion said in frustration.
"I've heard you tried to take on the Owl in hand to hand combat, foolish, but brave" Genji said with amusement.
Quillion did not say anything as the memories come rushing back, feeling humiliated by losing in such a totalizing manner.
"Though somewhat foolish, your bravery has helped us to finally eliminate him, he has been a thorn at our side for quite some time" Genji continued as he leaned back on his pillow.
Quillion knows that this Genji character is trying to make him feel better but he still feels the sting of defeat, so he decides to change the subject.
"So you are a cyborg?" he asked.
"Yes" was the simple reply.
"If you don't mind me asking, what happened?" Quillion asked.
"Have you seen the news about Ireland?" Genji asked back, to which Quillion nodded "This is the result of my failure"
"Oh" Quillion said, not knowing what to say, he actually meant what happened to the rest of his body but seems like an insensitive thing to ask.
"It does not matter, I am still alive and I know what they can do, the next time we meet, the results will be very different"
At those words Quillion stayed quiet, feeling a slight hint of inspiration at Genji's perspective of defeat.
"Sorry for almost shooting you back in the hangar"
"Do not worry, you would not have succeeded"
"Oh? How so?"
"It is because you ask is why you would have failed to kill me"
Quillion looked at him the best he could from his angle and he noticed there is no doubt in Genji's expression.
"He is a dangerous guy, glad he is on our side" Quillion thought to himself.
The door swung open and a team of people walk in, led by someone whom Quillion did not see.
"Common, hurry up but be careful with my tools!" the Swedish man shouted.
"Torbjorn I told you to be quiet when you are in my ward!" Angela shouted as she walked out of her office.
"Ahh Angela, perfect, now we can get this done within the hour!"
They crowded around Genji's bed and Quillion saw that they were carrying a whole suit of armor.
"Now, at your request, I have maintained the same specs and capabilities as your old suit"
"Thank you Torbjorn, I will not forget this"
"Ok, let's begin"
"Do not worry, it won't be long" Angela said as she watches nearby.
"As long as you are around, I will never be worried" Genji said.
Quillion swore he saw her blush as she pulls the blind around his bed.
*Gibraltar: Morrison's Office*
"Are you sure?" Winston asked as he reads the unpublished memo.
"Yes, I believe it is time" Morrison said behind his desk, putting down his pen.
"You do realize that this is going to shock everyone?"
"I am well aware, but issue it anyway"
"What happened to you?"
"Adapting"
Winston looked at Morrison in disbelief. He has known Jack for many years and this is the first time he received instructions that is completely out of character.
"Remember Winston, stress that this is only for 2 weeks and all members are to participate at least once, all departments are to rework their schedules around this"
"Don't need to tell me twice" Winston said as he exited the office excitingly.
*Gibraltar: Medical Ward*
Quillion was about to drift back to sleep when the doors swung open with a bang, startling him.
"Guys! Did you read the latest memo?!" Lena shouted as she ran in, which is strange as she usually blinks all the time.
"I said quiet in my ward!" Angela said angrily, poking her head out of the blinds.
"I'm sorry but everyone must read this memo!"
"It fits perfectly, thank you" Genji said as he walks out.
"Of course! I made it" Torbjorn boasted.
"Genji! Glad to see you walking again!" Tracer said as she blinks forward to hug him.
"Greetings Lena, good to see you as well"
"What is that memo about" Angela said, still angry that her ward is becoming more noisy.
"Jack's organizing a bowling competition!" Lena said excitingly.
"Give me t'at!" Torbjorn said, snatching the memo from Lena's hands.
They all gathered around him and read the memo for themselves.
"I should've delayed your suit Genji"
"I'm sorry, bowling competition?" Quillion asked suddenly.
"Quil! You're awake!" Lena shouted as she blinks to hug him.
"Hey" he said, holding back the pain from the sudden hug, wanting it to last longer.
"Lena let go of him" Angela said, eyeing the monitor that is spiking steadily.
"Never do something that stupid again, we need to stop meeting like this" Lena scolded Quillion as she lets go.
Quillion laughed when he noticed that indeed this is the second time they met in a Medical Ward with him on the bed.
"So what's this about the bowling competition?"
"It has been cancelled ever since Jack gain command of Overwatch" Angela said.
"Yes, all that elbow grease down the drain... Until now" Torbjorn said happily.
"Each department are to form teams to compete"
"So… When does it start?" Quillion ask.
"Next week! So get well soon so we can see what you're made of!" Lena said excitedly.
"Think I can get some of that healing juice to get me out of here?" he asked, looking at Angela.
It took a moment for her to realize he was referring to the Health Packs.
"No, from our recent operation we have run out of stock, it'll be weeks before we have enough to produce more"
*One week later*
"Alright you seem well enough to be discharged" Angela said as she examines the X-Rays.
"That's good" Quillion said as a nurse removes the cast.
Finally free from the confines of the ward, he made his way to the Armoury.
"Ahh Private, looks like you're back on your feet!" Torbjorn greeted as he enters.
"Yeah, just here to use the range, need to get my aim back after a week in the bed"
"The range is closed today" Torbjorn as he puts down his bag and began locking the cabinets.
"Oh? Why's that?"
"Morrison made sure that only the essentials are operational during the Bowling Competition"
"What if there is an emergency?"
"Then we'd go back to work, simple as that. In fact, you came at just the right time"
Quillion tilt his head in curiosity.
"Why might that be?"
"It is our turn to play now" Torbjorn said as shuts off the lights in the Armoury "Ever since they ruled out Winston, we need one more man for our team!"
"Oh I don't bowl"
In truth, Quillion prefers to spend his time to improve himself, not to play a stupid bowling match. The sting of facing such an embarrassing defeat still lingers like a bad taste.
"You do now, common"
Out of respect for the older man, he followed, thinking to himself that he will only play for an hour before leaving.
"So who do we have in our team and who is our opponent?"
"Reinhardt, Genji, myself, now you. We will be playing against Angela, Brigitte, Mei and Lena"
*Gibraltar: Bowling Alley*
"And our new contestant has gotten another Turkey!" the announcer shouted enthusiastically.
Quillion pumped his fist into the air as the crowd cheer.
This is the 5th hour into the game and after wading through multiple teams, they are now at the finals.
"Haha! You are going down!" Renhardt shouted to the other team.
"Get 'em Mei!"
Both contestants threw at the same time, resulting to Reinhardt pulling ahead by one point.
"Genji! Your turn!"
Everyone watched in anticipation as he is going against Lena.
"Let us see if you are better in bowling than fighting" he challenged.
"You may be better in the training room, but this is the real thing!" she snapped back.
They threw their balls and Lena gained a strike while Genji was left with two pins standing.
"Wohoo!" Lena celebrated.
Quillion watched in amusement as she broke into a strange dance, he looked until a hand smacked him lightly in the back of his head.
"Hey! Stop looking at her and focus! We aren't losing today!" Torbjorn said with a hint of annoyance.
"No I wasn't looking AT her" he said, hiding his blush as the other team heard them and now eyeing him suspiciously.
"Then what are you doing?"
"I... I was trying to figure out what kind of dance that was"
"She calls it the Charleston, there, now you know, so let's get back to winning"
After this Quillion felt his face become redder and took very cautious steps not to look over to their direction again for the entirety of the match.
*1 hour later*
"Look I'm sorry alright? I think I just got tired"
"Tired? You missed almost every shot right after I caught you snooping at Lena!"
"I wasn't snooping and I just lost focus" Quillion persisted.
"Never mind... Just a silly game anyway" Torbjorn grunted.
They walked out in defeat as Angela held up the trophy with her team.
"Well well... Looks like the girls win again" they heard a voice behind them.
Turning around, Quillion saw an unfamiliar face dressed as a cowboy.
"Oh? Been a while since we last saw you cowboy"
"I... Had something else I have to attend to"
"What are you doing back here then?"
"Winston called and asked me to lead a team, he also told me he wants me to lead the new blood" he said, eyeing at Quillion.
"What? Me? On missions?" he asked excitedly.
"I've heard you've got some spunk kid, so don't disappoint me now"
"Yes sir!"
"Cut off the military stuff, call me McCree, meet me at the hangar tomorrow at 10am, we've already got our first assignment"
"Does Jack know about this?" Torbjorn asked suspiciously.
"Winston had to pull a few strings, but as long as we don't talk about Venice, then we are fine"
*Gibraltar: Barracks*
He nearly jumped in joy as he laid on his bed. Finally a real mission with a veteran.
"Officer on deck!" one mercenary shouted.
The men immediately stood at attention.
"Private Zero, you are required outside now" Drill Sergeant Bill said.
"Sir" Quillion replied as he runs out to find Lena leaning on the wall with her arms crossed.
"Heya!"
"Lena? D-did you call for me?" he said before blushing slightly as he realize how stupid that sounded.
"Yeah I need you help, do you know that song you were listening to when I first found you?"
"You mean 'Never Gonna Give You Up' by Rick Ashley?"
'Yeah, think you can teach me how to play that on a guitar?"
"Wow the great Lena Oxton needs help? That's a new one" he teased.
"Are you going to help me or not?"
"Sure but... Why do you need to learn that specific song?"
"Great! Let's go!" she said, pulling him along.
"You haven't answered why" he said as she dragged him away, ignoring the question.
*Gibraltar: Private Quarters*
Her room is messier than he expected. Unkept bed, magazines littered across the floor, clothes strewn at random places, even the mirror has been covered by clothes. Which is strange, she has always looked good.
"Common in and make yourself home luv!" she said as she pulls a guitar out of her closet.
"I..." he said, his heart thumping hard against his chest.
"What?" she asked innocently as she sat down on the sofa.
"Err... I don't... Soldiers are not allowed into the Private Quarters" he choked out.
"Common we are both adults here right? It'll be fine" she said as she blinked behind him and pushed him in.
Standing stock still, his mind raced on what to do. He is now in her room! What should he do? What does it mean?
"Relax, its just a guitar lesson, I'm not gonna bite" she said cheerfully, blinking back on the sofa.
He said down on a chair opposite the sofa and tried to relax. Yes. It is just a guitar lesson, nothing else.
"Why don't we do this somewhere else?"
"Jack has always preferred to keep these activities away from the base, he thinks it will disrupt discipline"
"Well he is not wrong" he thought to himself.
"Common lets start!" she said excitedly, her eyes fixed on Quillion, sitting across him with her legs crossed and grabbing them with both her arms.
Then Quillion realized something. This is is opportunity to impress her!
Reinvigorated, he smiled as he played and sang.
We're no strangers to love,
You know the rules and so do I
A full commitment is what I'm thinking of
You won't get this from any other guy
When he finished the song, he noticed she had a look of concern.
"What? Not up your alley?"
"No I think its... Too fast... Is there another slower, more romantic song?"
His heart fluttered. Romantic?
Playing various songs, he tried many of the most romantic songs he could think of but all were rejected.
After an hour a disappointed Lena sighed.
"Ya know, maybe just one more and let's see what we've got to work with"
Wrecking his brain for this final shot, his thoughts landed on the King.
"Check this out" he said with a smile.
The slow strumming caught her attention.
Wise men say only fools rush in
But I can't help falling in love with you
Shall I stay? Would it be a sin?
If I can't help falling in love with you
Before he even finished, Lena stopped him by putting a hand over his, causing his heart to beat faster than ever before.
"This is perfect, think you can teach me to play this by Christmas?"
One song in less than 5 months?
"No problem" he replied.
*Venice: Talon Base*
SS28 stood in front of her mirror, testing out more advance disguises as per requested by Dr O'Deorain.
In front of her is a picture of a young woman who was recently deceased in one of Talon backed hospitals in England, whose medical records are constantly shared to them so they could continually adopt names for their Operations around the world.
Doctor told her that she is to go to London soon for a mission so she needs to look like this person and adopt a lifestyle that is very unlike her. As much as she dislikes it, this is for the doctor.
"Good afternoon 28, how is the disguise coming along?" her new caretaker, Anna, said as she came in.
"This is a difficult one, just can't seem to get her nose right" SS28 complained as she measures her nose again, trying to fit to the description from the medical file.
"Well, I think you look fine" Anna said truthfully, the current look would've fooled her many times over.
"Did Doctor ask for me? Can I go see Doctor?"
"I'm sorry but no, she is still busy with her work"
"Then it is not good enough" she said frustratingly, grabbing the picture again to try to perfect her face.
It has been weeks since their last meeting and ever since she defeated that Heavy Assault Unit, she felt as if Doctor has been avoiding her, only sending runners to tell her what to do. Weeks since she said those words...
"How about now?" she asked after reconstructing her face from scratch.
"It's perfect" Anna again, witnessing a spitting image of the person in the picture.
"But the nose..."
"It is fine"
She measure her nose one more time before turning to her caretaker for the first time.
"What are you doing here?"
"I am here to take some of your blood"
"Again? I already told you I am 25 this month"
"Yes, but we need to be sure"
Rolling her eyes, she stuck out her hand and insert a finger into the device that Anna is holding. Despite having enhanced durability and healing factors, the pricking is still uncomfortable.
"And you are... 23 this month, a little younger" Anna read from the device.
"Good to hear that you are nearing 30" Moira said as she fades into the room.
"Doctor!" SS28 squealed, running to her like a little child and hugged her tightly.
"I see that you have done well to disguise yourself"
"Yes Doctor! Look! Did I do good?" she said excitingly as she held up the picture next to her face.
Moira nodded and rewarded her creation with a pat to the head, an act that greatly pleases the young woman.
"Is there anything else I can do for Doctor?"
"I need to speak to Anna for a moment, I am here to collect her"
"Oh..." SS28 said, looking downcast as both Moira and Anna leave the room.
"How is her development?" Moira asked Anna.
"She is growing faster than expected, I suppose you are correct that showing some affection will speed up her growth"
"Good, I am growing tired of this charade, how is the state of her mentally?"
"She is equivalent to a high performing graduate student but she needs to learn the ways of the world to blend in public properly"
"How soon can we perform another field test to counter this?"
"We can do it now with your permission"
"Granted, anything else to report?"
"She does have one weakness, we believe that she undeniably looks up to you as her mother"
Moira groaned in annoyance.
"I thought we extracted these useless emotions from all our subjects?"
"Yes, but unfortunately this one kept those tendencies, maybe if you show up less..."
"No... Affection is needed to speed up her growth level, I suppose we need to keep it up until she reached the target age"
Anna nodded as she tapped her tablet, calling in the escorts for the field test.
"Then by our calculations... You do not need to visit until a month later"
Moira nodded and fadded back to her office.
The moment she disappear, Anna leaned against the wall and let out a sigh of relief, her heart pounding against her chest rapidly.
"She is in a better mood today" she thought to herself as she wipes off a trail of sweat from her forehead with a shaking hand. Normally these sort of reports would earn the wrath of her Biotic Grasp.
"Doctor?" SS28 called out from her room, to which Anna quickly enter in, resuming her act of a caring caretaker.
"The Doctor need to go back to her work now, so we are going on a little field trip"
"Oh ok..."
Anna looked at her saddened face and felt glad she does not have these weaknesses of wanting a mother.