*Gibraltar: Watchpoint Hangar*
A light rain fell onto Watchpoint and the hangar lay silent as most operations have stopped. No one else is on the platform saved for one, who is meditating and maintaining his sword whilst listening to the sound of the rain.
He has just wiped off the Uchiko and was about to add Choji Oil to the blade before he heard someone walking towards him and stopping.
"You may come closer if you wish"
"How are you feeling?" Angela asked.
"Good morning Angela, I am doing fine, how about yourself?"
"Fine" she said before sitting down with two cups of coffee, patiently waiting for him to finish the maintenance on his sword before speaking again.
"Have you ever thought about upgrading your katana to something more… Modern?" she asked.
"No" he said, carefully sheathing it before accepting a coffee with thanks.
"I still think you should consider getting some upgrades"
"You do not need to worry about me, unlike before, I am prepared for the next encounter"
"What if they have also improved?"
"Then I will overcome them as I have always done"
The two fall silent as they listen to the light rain falling around them.
"I almost lost you again Genji, I do not want to be put into that position again"
He looked at her at those words and he saw that her blue eyes are watery.
Looking down at his katana, he drew it out of its scabbard and, with both hands, hand it over to Angela.
"Here, please examine this"
Confused, Angela hesitantly took the katana and held it gingerly in her hands. It is lighter than she thought it was. Though she dislikes weapons, she is open enough to appreciate their arts and history, and Genji's katana undoubtedly of the highest quality.
Alongside the steel, she could almost feel the depths of the blade, its raw strength, and an almost gentle but powerful force waiting to be unleashed.
"It is beautiful" she commented.
"Its name is Ryu ichimoni. Never has it been held by anyone who is not a Shimada and not be consumed by the dragon"
She looked at him with a worried look and quickly offer it back to him, which he declined, instead he observed the sword with interest.
"The blade carries the strength of the Shimada Clan, for generations it has been passed down and never has anyone died while this sword is in his possession"
"Why are you telling me this?"
"As long as I wield it, I will never be killed, lest I dishonor my clan"
He looked at her for a moment before removing the katana from her hands, sheathing it carefully.
"Are you saying that you are still loyal to the clan that betrayed you?"
"No, I am no longer loyal to them, but I have forgiven them, and Shimada blood still runs through my veins. Even if I sacrifice my body, I will never sacrifice my honor"
She wanted to believe him. Believe that honor is enough to guarantee his safety.
But having served in many battlefields, she knows from experience that honor alone is not bullet proof.
"You remain worried?" Genji asked.
"Must violence always be the solution?"
"No. But as long as they seek to harm us, they will meet my blade"
"Is that why you returned? So you can draw your sword again?" Angela asked, sounding hurt.
Genji recoiled at those words. Was that the message he conveyed?
"I returned to protect those who I care for" he said.
"Then who will protect you?"
"Do you remember what I said back in the ward? I meant it"
"So that's it? I'm just a healer to you and nothing else?"
"You know that is not what I meant"
She looked away from him, hiding her face as conflicting feelings battle inside her.
"I just said I do not want to save your life again" she said, tears of frustration began flowing down her face.
"Angela..."
"I do not want to see you dying again!" she cried.
Sobbing now, she hid her face in her hands, ashamed that she broke down before him.
A hissing sound caused her to look at him. He removed his visor and looked at her with his brown eyes.
"Forgive me Angela, I have been careless and has caused you pain, but as long as there are those who seek to harm us, I will be there to stop them"
Her head hung at those words, though he is a student under Zenyatta to find peace with his body, the freedom that he found has combined with his energetic nature has led to him to explore the path of combat.
"However, I will speak to Torbjorn about upgrades when he returns, maybe he can further improve my body and shuriken" he concluded.
She smiled at those words as she wiped the tears off her face.
"Well, I suppose I'll be patching you up as usual"
"I'll make sure I come back to you whenever I need healing"
Laughing, she gave him a playful slap across the cheek.
"I hate it when you say that"
"When this is over, take me to Switzerland with you" he said suddenly.
"What?" Mercy asked, confused at such a sudden request.
"I have never been to Switzerland, I would like you to show me around after the war"
She stared at such a strange request but smiled.
"Yes, I will take you to Switzerland"
"Thank you"
"Err... Dr Ziegler? Captain Shimada? Commander Morrison has asked for your presence in the War Room"
They looked behind them and saw it is one of the guards who stayed behind.
"Shall we?" Genji asked.
"I suppose" Angela sighed as they quickly finish their coffee.
*Watchpoint: War Room*
As they enter, Genji and Angela saw that Morrison, Winston and Colonel Smith are waiting for them.
"What's the situation?" Angela asked.
"The Null Sector has made an attempt to break through the Russian lines" Morrison said gravely.
"Did they succeed?" Genji said, casting a glance towards the large screen before them.
"No, which is the problem, they were holding back"
"What do you mean?"
"They have only dedicated 20% of their total force, they could've easily broken through if they committed their entire army"
"And we do not know why" Winston added.
"Could it be because they were testing the defenses?"
"Unlikely, they nearly broke through multiple times, they could've easily attacked Moscow if they wanted, show them Athena" Morrison said.
Athena began drawing the map, recreating the overview of the battle from beginning to end at high speed based on the reports that they intercepted.
"At this moment, it seems that the Russians have reinforced the front with more men, armor, artillery, and most curiously, elements of the Helix Security International (HSI)" Winston said.
"Why are the HSI involved? The United Nations would never dedicate any of their forces to help the Russians" Angela said.
"According to Captain Ama-, according to Fareeha, the UN feels that the Null Sector has become too big of a threat to ignore, so they have sent her and others to reinforce the Russians" Morrison said.
"And they agreed?"
"The reformed Russian military has begun opening their borders for external assistance"
"What else are they accepting for assistance?"
"Nothing else but the new Hard Light Crates that Vishkar is sending over for logistics"
"So what can we do from here?" Genji asked.
"Winston, I believe that you should make the call" Morrison said.
Winston was taken aback, Morrison has never asked anyone else to make decisions besides himself when he took command.
"I... I think we need to gather more information before we act" he said.
"If I may, what are we waiting for? We know where the enemy is, we can strike now to end the war"
"The Russians is reforming the Osvoboditel' and soon it will attack Perm, I suggest we wait and see how this unfolds, if they require our assistance then we will help"
Genji nodded and watch the map that Athena continues to update.
"What are the media outlets reporting regarding this attack?" Angela asked.
"The Russians are reporting that the Null Sector has made a desperate attempt to break out and it was repelled within an hour" Morrison said flatly.
"That's impossible, look! There were battling in the skies and a Titan exploded its core, Moscow must've seen something" she said, pointing to the map.
"They are trying to prevent panic, but you are right, the people in Moscow have seen and uploaded videos, but all of them only contain flashing lights, so they were easily dismissed"
"I suggest we keep an eye out on the other countries" Winston said, to which Colonel Smith nodded in approval.
"And why is that?" Genji asked.
"It is dangerous for us to have a tunnel vision at Russia, we need to be vigilant against other uprisings around the globe"
"Do we have any leads for any pro-Null Sectors groups causing trouble?"
Morrison motioned to Colonel Smith, who whipped out his notebook.
"We believe there is are some who plan to cause disruptions in Egypt, Brazil, and America"
"What is our next step?"
"My contact in Egypt is still keeping an eye out, same goes for our sponsor in Brazil and McCree in America. Which leaves Italy" Morrison replied.
The Colonel looked quickly back into his notes, did he miss out a country?
"My apologies sir, I must've missed it in the reports" he apologized sheepishly.
"This is not from the reports, this is from our prisoner, who swore that Italy is a place we should keep an eye on"
They all looked at him and shuddered at what he must've done to the young man to pry that information out of him. Normally they would dismiss it as lies, but Morrison has always managed to force the truth out, to the great displeasure to everyone in the room.
"If I may ask, how is the prisoner now?" Angela asked.
"Nothing you need to worry about anymore" Morrison said emotionlessly.
"Ich lebe… Jack… You didn't…?"
"The important thing is, we know where our enemies are and we will deal with them accordingly"
Angela stared at him with pain and anger.
"When I came back, I hope things have changed… Looks like I was wrong" she said before walking out.
"So Winston, I take it that your suggestion is to wait until the enemy makes a move?" Morrison asked.
"Yes, we should keep low for now, especially when our manpower is low at the moment"
*London: Heathrow Airport*
It is a cloudy evening when a private cargo plane landed into the hanger under the pretense of delivering exotic meats from Asia, which was not exactly a lie as Agong and his Tigers oversee the unloading process with the authorities.
"Please sign here and… Here…" a staff said, pointing to the signature boxes in the clipboard.
"Good man, here, buy yourself something nice" Agong said, slipping him a few hundred pounds.
"What? No no no, we do not accept gifts here, we are just doing our job"
"I insist! This is a good day for me, please don't ruin it"
He looked at the money for a moment before quickly putting it into his pocket.
"Hope you will have a good day sir" he said before hurrying off.
Unbeknownst to all of them, 4 figures are observing them from the roof.
"He brought 10 men, none of them look very promising to me" Widowmaker said.
"They do look delicious though, especially that big one" SS28 said, licking her lips as she points at Agong.
"As long as they do their part, then everything will fall into place" Sigma said as he studies his gravity balls, widening them to peer into the endless secrets that lies within them.
"Doctor, can I eat one of them though? Doctor?"
"Be quiet 28!" Moira said angrily as Widowmaker sniggered.
Though her creation has grown physically and intellectually, she is still acting like a child, which is becoming tiresome.
But instead of the usual submissive behavior, SS28 stuck out her tongue at Moira and began chatting with Sigma, who ignored her questions.
"Will she cause any trouble for us?" Widowmaker asked, her eye never leaving the scope.
"I will keep her under control" Moira replied.
"You better, our mission does not need to become complicated"
"Why are you here doc? Didn't seem like something you'd do" SS28 asked Sigma who continues to study the dark matter in his hands.
"If I answer, will you shut up?"
"No promises are made"
Sighing, he looked down at the annoying girl.
"If you must know, I wish to see this Tracer in person"
"Oh? Why's that doc?"
"I saw her once in the Luna's Cabaret the other evening, I would like to ask her if she would like to go with me sometime"
He ignored the stares that everyone was giving him, including Widowmaker's who looked up from her scope, and gaze back into the void.
"Has he really met this Tracer before?" Moira asked quietly.
"Unlikely, he probably made it up in his mind" Widowmaker said.
"I'm bored Doctor, can we look for Sombra first? It's cold" SS28 complained.
"For the last time 28 keep quiet!"
Huffing, SS28 began pacing around the roof.
"Do you see her anywhere?"
"Non, I have not seen Sombra since we landed"
"Keep an eye out for her, we do not want her to sneak around us"
"We've got another flight coming in" Widowmaker said as a plane began landing procedures.
"SS28, you want to do something? Go back to work"
Rolling her eyes, she changed her facial features to that of an elderly woman.
"I need more money" she said, her hand outstretched towards Moira.
"What happened to the last amount we gave you?"
"They had the specials so I spent it"
Swallowing her impatience, Moira gave her some more coins.
"This amount is too small!"
Moira's dark complexion was all she had as a reply, immediately jumping down towards the Arrival Hall.
"Finally some silence… Can anyone else hear that music?" Sigma asked, turning his head skywards.