Stream on the 1st August 2020, 8:00am - 10:00am (Western Australian Time)
Video Title = Overwatch Stream for Adventures of Quillion (1st August 2020 WA Time)
Link = Listed in my Fanfiction Account Profile
*Venice: Rialto*
A storm fell upon the Floating City, flooding half of the city as the canals overflowed with water. Tourists remain seated in cafes, enjoying their coffees or sandwiches while casually observing the water flow over their rubber boots. However, the locals do not share their enthusiasm, as the floods are no more than a nuisance, wrapped tightly in their raincoats, they slogged through the waters as shopkeepers turned on their water pumps and moved their stocks around to avoid the water.
The Rialto Market remained open as well, attracting a large crowd of people to visit as some parts of Venice has been cut off from tourists and many more move on to the opera to taste a slice of the local culture.
In short, innocent casualty rates will be very unlikely, a comforting thought for Morrison, who stood in the shadow of a building.
"Report"
"Some parts of the Grand Canal are busy, but I think there is an opening we could use" Winston reported, positioning himself on Grand Hotel La Serenissima.
"The streets are mostly clear, we should be able to move now" Angela added, looking out from Caresini, pretending to browse through the shop with a jacket and hood on.
"I'm in position" Mei said nervously.
"Very well, stay there, Assault Team rendezvous here" he said, sending them the coordinates before adjusting his hood and walking back into the storm, his cloak billowing in the wind.
Angela and Winston are already waiting for him under a connecting bridge between Teatro Bel Canto Opera and another building, he reviewed the map of Talon Headquarters and Sombra's attempted assault.
"From what she said, they have already cleared out most of their defenses, most likely we will be facing Doomfist and the other agents"
"I still find it hard to believe that she is telling the truth" Angela said.
"Agreed, we just have to wait for him to come" Morrison growled.
"But… Wouldn't it mean that it is a trap if he shows himself?" Winston suggested.
"It does not matter, it ends tonight"
"But-"
"Enough! Athena has confirmed everything Sombra said and she has never been wrong, we attack on my order"
The sound of water slugging loudly behind them caused them to hide, not wanting to make a scene so early in the operation. A few seconds passed and they saw it was Lena.
"Where are they? When do we attack?" Lena asked.
"Soon, we just need to make sure they are all inside" Morrison said, coming out of the corner.
"There's no time, Amelie and Quil are in there and we need to get them out"
Stepping forward, she was about to Blink when Morrison and Angela blocked her path.
"What?"
"We just need to make sure that this will be the last battle"
"And a quick one, I fear that if this drags out, we will be at a disadvantage" Angela added.
"Why do we need to worry about that? We have all done riskier things than this right? They don't stand a chance"
"I can only take care of everyone one at a time, once it gets messy, most of you will be on your own"
Lena bit her lip and looked at the group. It goes without saying that Morrison can take care of himself but Winston will be the only one amongst them who must be in the thickest of the fight, using his size and primal instincts to create enough space for them, which means Angie would need to be close to him at all times, putting herself into very dangerous positions. To make matters worse, Mei's inexperience will, if left unchecked, become a hindrance for the group, which in this last battle, is not acceptable.
Now she wishes Reinhardt and Brigitte were here, they would provide the additional support they would all need, trading off Mei with Reinhardt and adding in Brigitte to provide Support would balance them out.
"Where is Pharah?"
"She said she will remain with the shuttle, something about international law and all that"
Morrison was surprised that Faheera would be stopped by something as silly as the international law, but it made sense, she was never in Overwatch, and therefore this fight will not be personal for her.
"I see something" Angela said.
Looking around the corner carefully, everyone held their breath when they saw who it was, ready to grab him if he chose to dash out.
The rain may have dampened the sounds of his boots, but his presence is unquestioned. Shadowstepping into view, a cloud of smoke and darkness enveloped him as he walked towards the entrance. Though he does not have his iconic shotguns at the ready, he looked as dangerous as ever, especially in the storm.
"Reyes…" Morrison growled.
"Jack, we need to wait" Winston cautioned.
"Huddle up, this is what we are going to do"
As expected, Morrison, Winston, and Angela will charge straight towards the Arena and secure it, effectively attracting the attention of the whole base to them, as it is located in the middle of the structure, Lena take the left path to rescue Widowmaker and Quillion, moving them to the Harbor on the right where Mei should be waiting for them.
"I... I don't think I should be the one who saves them" Lena said nervously.
Winston and Angela shared a look, knowing what she meant. Though Mondatta is not who they believed him to be, it is still too soon for Lena to meet his killer, and this still did not count in saving the man who recently destroyed her Chronal Accelerator.
"There is no one left, only you can do it"
"Why can't you go? I'll stick with the main group"
"From past records, Reaper alone can stand toe to toe against both of you, now he will be backed up by others, it is tactically sound that I join the group"
As much as she hates to admit it, when it comes to a prolonged fight, Morrison does seem to have the edge. Taking a deep breath, she nodded, which prompted a surprising act of kindness from the old veteran as he placed a hand on her shoulder.
"You can do this Lena, we can do this. This war has dragged on for too long. Let's end this so the world can live again"
In that instant, everyone thought they saw the face of a younger Jack Morrison underneath the tired features of Soldier 76, the leader they missed, trusted and drew strength from, and their resolve are stiffened by his encouragement, readying their weapons.
"Go!"
Thunder and lightning cracked the skies as Overwatch charged into battle, Helix Rockets streaking towards the doors that lead into Talon.
*Venice: Talon Base*
"Very good, you truly are an integral piece in our plans Doomfist" the entity that calls itself the Iris replied, its red glare illuminated the room, speaking in many voices combined into a singular tone.
Ogundimu nodded in thanks as he sat behind his new desk, his eyes avoiding the screen.
"However, it is disappointing that you did not kill the hacker when you had the chance"
"What?"
His left arm suddenly shot uncharacteristically towards the back of his neck and before he knew it and was forced facedown onto the table by his own arm. He could barely cry out in pain as the pain receptors indicated that his arm has been broken during its attack.
"Did we stutter?"
Unable to pry the fingers off his own neck or call for assistance, he raised the gauntlet and broke the table in half in an attempt to escape. However the arm used his own body as leverage and simply pinned him to the floor. He struggled against it until he felt it form a fist behind his head, the shotgun shells ready to fire.
"When we issue an order, we expect it to be followed to the letter" the Iris continued, shifting the angle of the camera and looking down at the Leader of Talon.
Gasping for breath, he nodded again, deciding that no words can help. It is true that he could have killed Sombra many times over, but it was due to his own arrogance that she lives, he should have known that she always had a plan to escape.
"However, in recognition of your past services, we will allow you one last chance to redeem yourself"
He gritted his teeth as his arm snapped back into position, not only because he was holding back the pain of 'bones' relocating, but also to keep his lips sealed, as he was on the verge to deny their so called offer of 'redemption'.
"As you know the world will soon succumb into total war, we need you to keep it that way"
"Of course" he replied, massaging his arm, not saying more out of strategic necessity.
"But the only one who can stop that now is the hacker, find her and kill her. According to what you sent us, she is heavily wounded, you have two days"
With that said, they disconnected the call, the red illumination disappeared from the dark room, leaving him alone again with his thoughts.
Only weaklings need a moronic idea such as redemption, worse so a permission for it. Everyone must realize they must force life to bend to their will, never the other way around.
The sooner humanity removes the shackles that keep them weak, they will soon find the strength to take control of their own lives, ultimately removing themselves away from the weak and evolve into the strong, but for now, he shall bide his time.
*Talon Base: Medical Bay*
The room is very different from Overwatch's Medical Bay. Over there, one can expect to find rows of beds, a small pharmacy, and even an appointment room where Angela would be waiting. Talon's however, is worlds apart.
There is only a single bed that is under a large piece of expensive looking machinery. In fact, the room is littered with hundreds of machines flashing around them, looking more like a research lab more than a place of recovery.
Secured onto the bed, which resembles a surgery table, with steel bonds around his hands, feet, and midsection, Quillion waited for an opportunity to escape. He had broken his limbs enough times to realize that he could not force his way out of this, especially with the yellow spray constantly repairing the damages he dealt to himself, preventing him from fracturing his bones to a state that he could force himself free. He could not even turn his head.
"Have you tried anything that I haven't?" he asked, knowing that she is nearby.
"There is no escaping here" Widowmaker replied, already accepting her fate.
"Aren't you some kind of big shot assassin? You should have an escape plan!"
"Don't…" she sighed, the last thing she needs is a flicker of hope that their captors would gladly snuff out.
Unlike Quillion who is strapped onto the table, she is equally secured onto the wall. This was where she died and was reborn, she remembered trying everything to escape but all her efforts were dashed away.
"But that was before you became a 'big shot assassin'" she thought to herself.
With that singular thought, hope was fanned into existence inside her as a possible, but moronic idea popped into her head, if it backfires, it could very much spell their doom.
"Merde…"
"What?"
"Shut up… Let me think…"
Quillion strained to look at her but could not, forced to only guess what she could be looking at. The ceiling? Nothing is there that could feasibly help them. The tools at the end of the room behind the glass? Unlikely they are tempered so they could use the contents as weapons. Or is there a keypad he could somehow reach to unlock their bonds?
"I have an idea… But you are not going to like it"
"At this point I'm willing to try anything"
*A few minutes later*
"You cannot be serious" Quillion said in disbelief.
"I'm ready to hear your plan"
It is suicidal, absolutely suicidal and requires everything to happen exactly as Widowmaker says. Even if that is the case, there is absolutely no guarantee that he would even be conscious when the time comes.
But there is no other options or opening that he could think of, and she is the one who knows this place.
"Fine… Any tips?" he asked.
"You're going to be in a lot of pain"
He waited for her to continue and gulped when he realized that's all she had to say.
The door flung open and the sounds of many footsteps met their ears before Moira stood over Quillion, looking down at him with sick curiosity.
"Finally I get to explore who you really are" she said, putting on latex gloves.
Pure hatred filled him as he strained against his bonds once more, breaking his wrists, causing the sprays to activate. His target is so close…
"You are a stubborn one, you should know by now that you cannot escape"
"Get your hands off me!" Widowmaker snarled, causing the doctors to back away.
"If any of you backs away again, I will personally ensure none of you will leave this room" Moira called out, inspecting a large saw in Quillion's full view, grinning as his pulse quickened.
"Oh do not worry, this is an Operation, not torture"
His wrists made a cracking sound again, causing her to laugh.
"You cannot escape, stop trying, now hold still" she said over the sound of the sprays.
They were about to begin their operation on both of them when the door opened again, to which Moira dropped her tools in annoyance.
"Don't you see the lig- Oh, we-welcome?" she asked, quickly changing her tone.
Ignoring her, Doomfist loomed into view and looked down at him.
"Tell me, do you know the location of the woman you came here with?"
"Sure, do you have a crayon? I think I'll need to draw it out for ya"
"You have until this afternoon to break him, find out where Sombra is, after that, he is all yours to meddle" Doomfist instructed and Quillion could feel the whole room nod in acknowledgement as he left.
"Well, looks like I'll have to speed up the process here" Moira sighed, beckoning the people around Widowmaker to come over, apparently needing everyone to make him talk.
The blade dug deep into his chest, causing Quillion to gasp in pain at the assault, his whole body weakened by the insertion, the blade cutting deep, revealing what's underneath as the flesh opened apart.
"Interesting… Your pain receptors are still the same as a normal human's, so how could you move that fast in battle without breaking down?" she commented.
Her 'surgery' was excruciatingly slowly, avoiding all his vitals while she continued her studies without a drop of painkiller, saved for an occasional spray to prevent heavy bleeding, but not enough to ease the pain. Thrashing on the table, he broke his body again and again to try to get away from her, but to no avail, her blade easily accessing every part of him.
Soon a constant hissing sound emitted from the table as more of the spray is required to keep him alive. Moira continues her comments but Quillion wasn't listening, breaking his wrists again as he writhes in pain.
"For example, if you look at the organs here, it is obvious that it is damaged from an external object, but these here… It looked like it tore itself apart, especially here"
Widowmaker had to look away from the scene, swallowing her emotions back down. To escape they need to operate without emotions, but even though this is the only way to escape, she began to hate herself for suggesting the plan to Quillion.
"Before I continue, would you like to tell me where Sombra is? If you tell me now, I can proceed with a brain surgery, if not, I suppose I'll continue downwards"
"She's in Italy! Just outside of Venice!" he gasped.
Moira stopped for a brief moment and chuckled, some of the 'doctors' around her followed suit, shaking their heads at his words.
"You think we are dumb? We used to work with her and we know how she works, she will never be so stupid to remain in the area that she was just defeated in, she usually teleports to a place to heal, and there is nowhere in Venice that will help her"
"Oh you are all dead now… All of you are dead…" he managed out.
"We shall see" she said, stabbing into his leg.
Though the torture so far was only 10 minutes, anyone would have their spirits broken years ago, however Quillion is not anyone, he is now a cursed man, cursed with the ability to resist a tremendous amount of physical stress and remain whole. Now, he faced the pinnacle of human suffering and is unable to faint or go insane, only dangling at the brink as the seconds slogged by, barely able to even think.
"You are surprisingly human, I thought you would have Omnic parts for sure… But your evolution looks forced… Hmm…"
Quillion said nothing, on the verge of passing out but his body wouldn't let him, all he could do is to break his hands again.
"Ready to tell me where Sombra is?"
An explosion rocked the room, a big one, making everyone stumble where they stood.
"Overwatch found us! All agents, proceed to your stations!" a frantic voice boomed from the speakers.
"Haha… Looks like you gotta go deal with that" Quillion managed out with a smirk.
"Oh no… Do not worry, my station is right here…" she replied with a smile.
*Outskirts of Venice*
"I cannot believe you got yourself into this kind of trouble" the Haitian commented, patching up Sombra's fingers.
"Well, you know me, I live a fast life" she replied.
Lox sat uneasily behind them. Though he is glad that a professional is here, he is less than thrilled to see him and Sombra talking so casually to one another.
"So… You said your name was Baptiste right?"
"The one and only"
"How did you know we are here?"
"Sombra here called me a few weeks ago, so here I am"
"Ow! Watch what you're doing!" Sombra complained.
"There… All better, for now. Now lets see a smile!" he said, tying up the bandages and lifting Sombra's smiling face up with a finger on her chin.
"Looks like we are making some uncomfortable" Sombra teased, looking at Lox whose face became beet red.
"No! I just… I mean…"
"Oh don't tell me he is another one?" Baptiste laughed, dodging her attempt to kick him.
"If you say it like that then it'll sound like I'm a slut!" she laughed back.
Lox stared and for the briefest of moments, he enjoyed their banter, a moment without a care in the world around them, as if back to the time when Overwatch was the world's peacekeepers. Only for a moment.
"Wait, what do you mean another one?" he asked.
"Don't worry amigo, I didn't do anything you wouldn't like" she laughed, practicing her other hand to hack.
"So that means… We didn't… You just…"
"Oh my, he really is flustered, why? Do you have some STDs that need checking? Cause I think I got something here" Baptiste said, rummaging through his medkit.
"I… I… I…" Lox stuttered, feeling very hot.
"Oi Loxy boy, I already said don't worry, we didn't do anything that night, although it looks like it made an impact on you" she smirked.
"She didn't do anything?" he thought to himself.
"I only faked the whole thing about sleeping with you so that you won't tell Quillion everything that stupid Agong was bluttering out"
"But didn't he tell him everything?"
"I just didn't want him to reveal that Jampang is nothing more than my own little creation" she said, but when she saw Lox was still confused, she continued "In short, he made a promise to a fake memory to help me destroy Talon"
Lox couldn't believe it, everything Quillion had done ever since he was rescued has been driven towards the singular goal of finding those who started the Omnic Crisis! To find out that he is only a puppet to the woman in front of him... What a cruel thing to do! He could not believe he was ever attracted to this woman!
"You can't do that, you can't just… Create some kind of a… a… a… You can't just fabricate meaning into someone's life! Let alone a fake memory!"
"We can argue about what's right and what's wrong after we win the war ya?"
"Is that why he trusts you? Can you implant other things besides memories?"
"Hush now, I'm trying to focus"
With that said she immersed herself into her hacking, flashes of numbers and images flew by her so quickly that it is amazing she could see any of it.
"Just so you know, I do not agree with what she said there" Baptiste said quietly, joining Lox to watch her.
"What?"
"I always believed that right and wrong can be decided even during wartime"
"Ahh right… So… You know her long?"
"Oh yeah, I knew her even before I left Talon"
A loud crash echoed in the shuttle as Lox fell to the ground, backing away from them and grabbing the crowbar.
"You're-You're both with Talon?!"
"Bap, can you shut him up? He's distracting me"
"Hey my dude, I was with Talon, I left a long time ago" Baptiste said, approaching him cautiously.
Lox panicked and swung at him, hitting him in the arm when he tried to grab the crowbar but the pilot, out of fear, was more nimble that he would've ever thought.
"Fine, I guess we are doing this the hard way" he said, raising his arms and taking up a fighting stance.
"Go easy on him, he's just a pilot" Sombra called out, not taking her eyes off the screen.
"Hey I'm a Combat Medic, I know what I'm doing"
Lox didn't even see it coming, in a blink he was swinging his crowbar, and in the other, he was knocked unconscious.
"Phew! Is it hot in here, or is it just me?" Baptiste said, doing a little jig while rubbing his fist.
"Don't be so happy, he's just a pilot"
"Hey, gotta maintain that positive attitude!"
"Aannddd got it... Oh? Looks like Overwatch has already begun their attack"
Well I gotta say, even I'm excited to see what is going to happen next.
If the passage between Quillion and Moira seems a bit off, it is because after I finished it, I thought that it was too much into shock effect instead of story telling so I deleted quite a lot of it out, so yeah... Just thought to drop that in.