Skies Above Indonesia

Adrian flexed his fingers as he relished the feel of his familiar ODST armor covering him once more, at this point it wasn't even a second skin but his what he felt most comfortable in period. If he was shot out of nowhere while wearing it and died, he could chalk it up to shit luck, but dying without it was his own damn fault, an easily preventable death. Now sitting here in the modified Orca as a pair of prototype drop pods dangled off the back gave him a sense of familiarity he'd thought he'd never experience again, at least while he was with Overwatch. He grinned despite himself. Turning to the side his helmet sat in an empty seat with a new addition; as celebration for returning to the field, Brigette had given his armor a once over both visually and mechanically. Replacing certain mechanical bits that had seen better days and reinforcing his chest plate given the damage it always seemed to take, what was most immediately notable though wolf skull encompassing his helmet has been repainted. Running a finger over the painted mandible covering the lower lip of his helmet he continued to smile, it brought back memories of an earlier time.

Footsteps nearing him brought his attention to Barbie who had received a similar upgrade, touching up a number of vital sections as well as equally loving recoating of his decal. The previously faded trio of blood red tear marks across the front of his visor had been restored to its original frightening style. Any armor was of course vital for a soldier, but for ODSTs' their armor became an extension of their own bodies to the point it was more unusual for a trooper to not have at least some form of unique embellishment brandishing their armor, like a tattoo for your gear. What couldn't be expressed underneath eight kilograms of gear was then told through some small detail or decal on the armor itself. Sometimes something more personal or other times something just for the hell of it because it seemed interesting.

His design came from a tale his grandmother used to tell him about a wolf that stalked the edge of the woods, the details were sadly a bit fuzzy for him, but the wolf was seared into his mind. It had scared him to go anywhere near a forest for years because he'd always worried a wolf was going to come and take him away. Liam's was similarly inspired by what scared them, apparently one of his early squads had been eviscerated by a single Sangheili that slashed everyone in his squad with its talons. He'd managed to survive by a fucking miracle but had nightmares for weeks afterwards that the elite would come back to finish what it started, namely crushing his skull in its claw. Guess they both wanted to turn the fear they felt onto their enemies though if it worked was a different story entirely.

Pulling a cigarette from his shoulder pocket he heard Liam remark with a sigh, "I swear every time I find you it's with a cig in your hand."

"And every time I find you it's in some poor fools bedroom."

"Hah fair enough, at least my habit isn't bad for my health."

"Eh."

"Look I caught it once."

"I think it was twice…or maybe three times but that semantics." Ignoring his comrades glare he offered him a smoke with a shake of the carton.

Liam shook his head, offering his hand, "I don't need one every day, anyway the sergeant wants to talk once more before we drop. Have one final outline on the plan."

Flipping his helmet in his hands, Adrian hooked it over his head and pulled it down until he heard a click and hiss of air as the helmet sealed itself to the suit. Taking Liam's hand, his friend pulled him up to his feet as the two walked towards the front the aircraft, specifically to the middle of the hull where a large holographic table was set up. It was a place Adrian had really been, never saw a point and preferred to leave the red tape of mission reports to others. Vickers stood overlooking a detailed map of their operation as a number an Overwatch personnel walked around the tight space, looking up he whistled in low appreciation at seeing the refurbished armor.

"Jesus, wish I could get my hands on a pair of that gear."

"How much ass can you kiss with those lips mate?"

"Well, they're a bit chapped right now but they'll survive."

A few hearty chuckles echoed through the cramped room before everyone returned their focus to the upcoming missions at hand.

Vickers zoomed the map out a bit with his hands as his tone became serious, "This is for everyone here so listen and listen good. For those of you who weren't sleeping through the briefings like Jenkins and Hutchinson, you'll already know our role here is to provide, and pardon the pun, overwatch. After you two drops," He said nodding to Liam and Adrian, "We're going to hover in this area for as long as we can providing updates on the situation, streaming live reconnaissance for when you need it, and acting as a radio relay for you guys and base."

Liam spoke up, "Still any word on our extraction?"

"We have an idea, but it'll take some extra work on your end." Vickers focused in on a small site a couple klicks south of the compound, "The biggest problem we face is their radar and anti-air, other than the obvious risk of dying it would defeat the whole point of quiet approach."

"And risk losing the target."

"Exactly. However, with you two on the ground, if you rig some explosives to that AA then detonate when you're ready to pull out, we shouldn't have much of a problem swooping in to get you."

Adrian made his voice known, "Simple enough, but what about a plan b? Plenty of shit could go wrong despite how easy it sounds."

Vickers rubbed the back of his neck, "That's…that's a different problem. For now, just pray to whatever god you believe in that it won't come to it."

"Yeesh, sounds more fucked than my family reunions." Barbie remarked as he moved in closer to the holographic projection, focusing on a flashing dot at the compound. "What's this then? Our mark is already there?"

"No, as it happens, your job may be a bit easier than we thought. According to some last-minute intel from Winston, fuck knows where he pulled it from, Mister Kim seems to have a preference for having the object of the trade out of sight at first. Frankly I just see it as smart business, unless he gets what he's owed the buyers won't see a scrap of the product. So that little blip is the most likely place the object is stored."

"Ah of course, the very central building that's probably guarded more than a nun's cunt, very easy." Barbie cracked.

"Wouldn't be fun otherwise." Vickers grinned.

With the final briefing over, Adrian and Liam committed to a check of their gear as Vickers fetched a satchel of explosive charges. Walking back to the tail end of the ship, Adrian stared at the uncanny recreation of a drop pod in front of him, it filled him with an indescribable feeling. Normally it would seem comforting to see such a familiar object, but well no one ever really got over the feeling of a drop pod no matter how adrenaline pumping it is. That and it was like coming home to see all your furniture had been moved an inch, at the core it's still the same, but there's just something off. Still the looks didn't matter as long as it got him from point a to point b without dying, he'd be satisfied.

A pat on his shoulder as Liam spoke, "I feel like this is where I'd say something like, 'Just like old times', but it hasn't even been that fuckin' long."

"Feels long though."

"Amen to that brother."

With Liam stepped the open pod closest to him and Adrian could already see him hanging up his another one of his lucky pin-ups. Shaking his head, he began to walk into his own as he snapped his BR55 and M7S into place beside his seat. Nestling himself in the center bracing he took stock of what he'd be working with, which to his surprise was damn close to what he was used to. Credit where credit was due, Winston recreated the interior pretty fucking spotlessly.

Pressing a button near where his left hand rested, the drop pod's door slid down swiftly, perfectly locking itself into the contours of the hatch. With flick of his wrist the pod began to turn a hundred-and-eighty degrees until he was no longer looking at the interior of the aircraft but the vast open expanse of the midnight sky.

"Ah, a wonderful reminder that I could be sleeping right now." Liam's voice crackled over the comms.

"That would mean leaving me to all the excitement."

"Well, I can't have that now, that's just selfish."

Snorting as he briefly checked the readout sensors, a second voice sounded through his helmet, "Prepare for drop in 3… 2… 1… Good luck down there."

With those words the sound of clamps unlocked resounded outside his pod as took a deep breath. Immediately the two pods began their descent towards the Earth, he gripped tightly onto the seat as he felt the rapid increase in g-force in a near instantaneous period. Through the small window whatever flashes of the world he would've normally been able to see were swallowed by the pitch black of night. He grit his teeth as they continued their descent, the only sound was the violent rush of wind outside as they tore through the air. The pod jerked as a temporary parachute billowed above him to decrease their speed before it soon detached itself for the final leg of their journey. This was generally the most uncomfortable part, the rapid changes in velocity often gave rookies whiplash coupled with the landing which never got any easier. Their armor made the landing survivable, acting in part as a dampener, without it fatalities would skyrocket, and injuries would be practically unavoidable.

"It's your favorite part!" Liam cheered over the comms.

Adrian groaned to himself, not bothering with a response as he braced himself. On one of the first drops he'd ever experienced, he still hadn't gotten accustomed to the ODSTs unique form of deployment and as soon as they'd hit ground, he burst from his pod spewing forth that day's breakfast.

Exhaling he loosened his muscles at just the right time. With a heavy crash he felt his body thrown forward, only held in place by the straps of the seat. Once they slackened, he immediately pulled the lever that popped his hatch with a bang as the door sailed through the air and landed with a crash a ways out. Quickly pulling his M7S from its holster he held it one hand as he scanned his surroundings, waiting for someone or something to make itself known. With silence as his only answer he stepped out onto the moist black soil of Indonesia. Turning around he yanked out his BR55 as well and attached it to his back. Submachine gun in hand, he crouched down to the ground as he started to make his way towards the yellow dot on his RADAR until Liam's IFF appeared on his HUD.

"Area's clear, should we move onto the AA station?" Liam asked, his tone serious.

"Affirmative, we'll set the charges for remote detonation."

"Lead the way."

Adrian took point as Liam fell in behind him, silence filled their comms as the two crept through the jungle like hunters in the night.

Winston listened with avid curiosity as the duo completed their task, he was of course deathly afraid of such a dangerous mission but after seeing Adrian's resolve during their meeting he had to admit there was an equally matched interest in seeing how it played out. All he'd heard and seen of the ODSTs was second hand, either through helmet footage or personal recollections, and as it stood this was the first real mission in which Liam and Adrian were assigned together.

"Marauder I see one tango at three o'clock."

"Take him quietly, drag the body away from the road."

There was a brief silence before a faint gurgling filled the air waves, "Hostile down, moving on."

It was in a way fascinating; their synergy was unlike anything he'd seen with Overwatch though he supposed it was to be expected given the history. Even comparing Adrian and Liam's work with other Overwatch agents, they were surprisingly flexible but with the two of them there was so much unspoken, instead relying on instinct or rather years of trust and understanding. What struck him most, however, was how serious they could become at the drop of a hat. One second their brash conversation would be flowing only to then stop on a dime as they became cold and calculating, the changed occurred as naturally as they breathed.

"Barbie you see the big fuck?"

"Jesus that's a lad. Wait for him to pass, then move on. Killing prematurely only raises risk of alert." Liam replied

"Agreed."

Though he would be remiss in saying this was purely curiosity driving his intentions, the truth was he felt Overwatch was lacking to a certain degree. Not in the effort put forth by his comrades, no they were giving more than he could ever ask, but the reality was Talon was prepared far more than he had anticipated. Their attack is what spurred him to restart the Overwatch initiative meaning they had a significant head start in manpower, organization supplies, and leadership. For him and the rest of Overwatch it was more like a game of catchup, oftentimes it felt like their actions were reactive rather than proactive. Traveling to a place Talon had just attacked didn't give him the same optimism as if they had prevented that attack in the first place. They were growing yes; at a point they could shift to the offensive but every day they couldn't was another day innocent lives were on the line. To be honest the whole situation was messy, everyone wanted to help but often there were disagreements on how to direct the future of Overwatch. They'd already fallen once, corruption, lies, and loss of hope practically caused the original project to collapse in on itself, to revive it put it on a shaky foundation already. They'd still had a fair following throughout the world, some countries had begun to show a…tepid support to say the least but much of that hinged on the fact that they were more than just a glorified private military. Focusing solely on militarization would obviously be the easiest way to deal with Talon though would ultimately distance them from the very founding ideals of Overwatch and would likely cause a rift among many of its core members. Ziegler, Mei, and the senior Amari were outspoken in their rocky association with Overwatch, and most other members were equally outspoken in the desire for Overwatch to take on a greater role in foreign aid and relief, research, and other such things. All of which he agreed with, but he it all looped back around to their current need to stop Talon.

Sighing to himself he removed his glasses as he rubbed the bridge of his nose, "When did trying to do good become so hard."

"It's always been hard for good men to stand up against evil." Athena spoke omnisciently from the speakers around his lab. "It's easier to simply let it happen or assume others will take up the mantle of responsibility."

"Ah, but I'm not much of a man, now am I?"

"Semantics Winston, you've been overthinking again. Is there something you hope to learn by watching Adrian and Liam?"

Adrian sat back in his chair as he replaced his glasses, as the comms chatter seemed to come back into focus, "I suppose…how to lead in a way. I know what you're going to say Athena but let me finish. I've been leading Overwatch for what feels like ages, I remember a time before I took up the role of commander but that's beside the point. While I've picked up the pieces of running Overwatch the fact remains that taking this role was more out of necessity than any actual experience."

"Everyone has to start somewhere."

"Fair enough, I suppose it's mainly just that I feel I'm falling short against Talon. The day-to-day leadership I enjoy to a certain extent, being able to witness the growth of us all as we slowly rebuild what we once had, it's humbling to see it come together. Being able to lead with research and freedom is refreshing. At the end of the day though, we're still at war with Talon and I never considered myself one for the fighting or the action. In the past I was more than happy to leave that to Jack, Ana, and even Gabriel, but now that things have changed, and they've grown older I can't rely on them to lead us anymore.

"Which ultimately leads me to my ultimate point of this all I suppose. Adrian and Liam were quite literally forged in the fires of war, being able to see how they think, how they plan, how they react in the field, allows me to better understand how to think when a firefight erupts."

"Is this not something you could simply ask them?" Athena questioned.

Winston stroked his chin, "Not really. You see and I don't mean this as an insult but purely statement of fact, they're not battlefield tactics. They're quick on their feet, have an unparalleled perception and know how to think under pressure, but if I asked them how they do what they do, to put it into words, what do you think would be the response?"

Athena quickly caught on, "They wouldn't have one, because for them it's purely instinct and muscle memory. A decade of training and real-life experience doesn't necessarily translate into a good teacher. It can be said for many of those in Overwatch where their actions solely become second nature."

"Exactly, it would be like asking the average person how to breathe. So for now, the best way for me to learn is to watch…and listen."

"Barbie are the explosives planted."

"Roger. Easier than I thought it'd be to be honest."

"Don't get cocky, they're probably all at the compound. Get to the rendezvous point and we'll discuss what to do next."

Instead of responding Liam simply clicked his comms twice in affirmation.

"Are you worried?" Athena asked.

"I'm always worried." Winston responded as he reached to the side with left foot's opposable thumb for a comfort jar of peanut butter while simultaneously splitting the peel of a banana with his right hand.

"But more than usual?"

Taking a bite of his fruit dipped in peanut butter, he chewed before responding, "All I feel confident in saying is that I agree with Adrian. This was the easiest part, the rest of the mission…that's where the real challenge is going to come."

Adrian sat kneeling in the mud as what had previously been a faint drizzle turned into a ragging down pour. Turning on his VISR helped a bit to outline the environment, but the thick raindrops obscured his vision far more than he would've liked. On the plus side it also meant their enemies would be at a disadvantage as well, not to be too optimistic, but he doubted they had anything on pair with his VISR. From his vantage point he could see most of the compound laid sprawled out in front of him, the main building laid practically within arm's reach if they were smart and opposite of the building from this point would be where the meeting took place if the intel held true. On his HUD, his RADAR flashed a yellow blip moving in from behind him.

"Oy fucking christ, did God decide to take a piss or what? Almost makes me wish the barren Outback, in fact I think I'd rather be fending off fucking dingo's with a stick than this shite." He cursed as he took a position right next to Adrian, flicking off a glob of mud from his hand with a grunt of annoyance.

"And if we were actually there you'd bitch about the heat and say you'd prefer a monsoon."

"Probably." Adrian shook his head as he could hear the amusement in Liam's words. "So now we wait for the arms dealer to arrive, then we'll have…what? Fifteen minutes to clear the building and secure the object before the buyer arrives."

"Right, and by the looks of it-" Adrian pointed towards a pair of headlights cutting through the storm like a knife.

"We won't have to wait long." Liam finished his sentence.

The two got up at once, moving towards the compound through the thick rainforest flora and towering trees like skyscrapers. Like shadows they deftly cut through the foliage, careful to avoid stepping on anything that would give away their position. Coming upon a chain-link fence topped with barbed wire, Liam pulled a small bottle of diluted sulfuric acid from one of his pouches before quickly spraying with a quick circling flick of his wrist a circle on the fence. Waiting a few seconds, he wrapped his fingers around the center of the foam circle before quickly yanking forward, the section popped up with a barely audible snap as he tossed the piece aside.

Making their way through the hole they took the nearest cover they could find. Peaking over it, they could both see the building directly in front of them, but more importantly was the heavily armored truck likely carrying Mister Kim briefly stopped in front of said building. Voices could be heard before the genuine revved up once more, driving forward and then sharply turning past the building, presumably to the meeting point. Where the truck had once been were four armed men with once hold a sizable case of some kind. Adrian couldn't pick up what was being said, but it didn't take a genius to figure that was the object of the trade.

The one holding the case went inside with one other while the last two stood guard outside on either side of the door. Holding their position a few seconds Adrian checked up and down the dirt road before he began to count down.

"I got left. 3…2…1…" Both let fired off a single shot from their silenced submachine guns, finding a new home in the skulls of the gunmen across the way. The two bodies fell backwards against the wall before slumping down to the ground, a small bloody streak that was quickly washed away in the rain. Checking the area of them once more, he motioned Liam forward with a wave of his hand as he clicked off his VISR.

Barbie spoke as they neared the corpses, "We should move them inside once we clear the entrance, better to have them out of the way."

Adrian nodded as he took a position right where the now dead guard had been standing. Once Barbie got into position opposite of him, he wrapped his hand around the door handle and slowly cracked it open. His breathing tense as the rain continued to pound on his helmet, he peeked inside the door with his other hand tightly gripping the M7S.

"Huh?" A voice rang out as he saw a guard leaning against the far side of the room staring in confusion as the door inched open. Not leaving time for a response, he quickly shoved his M7S in the opening and let loose a quick burst targeted at the baffled soldier. The man's rippled in response to the bullets before keeling over and falling forward with a soft thud. He kept his breathing steady, but his adrenaline was pumping. After it seemed that commotion went unnoticed, he opened the door entirely and walked through into what seemed to be a room separate from the rest of the building. There were a few empty desks facing the walls, a door on the left side that lead to rest of the first floor, and a staircase heading upstairs. Nodding towards Liam, the two dragged the bodies inside and into the corner of the room where they could still be easily discovered but hopefully a passing glance wouldn't reveal anything.

Ferocious laughter and conversation rang from behind the door, Liam shared a look with Adrian they didn't need explaining. To avoid standing out in the rain, the on-duty force had moved to the largest building available…which just happened to be the very one they were in. Once they took their shot and the whole base went on high alert…well it'd be a shitshow. Barbie held up a finger as he reached around behind him, pulling out a pair of palm-sized Antilon anti-personnel mines. Placing them on either size of the door, Adrian grinned at the thinking. It'd be nasty once the first set of poor bastards stepped on through the door, but ODSTs didn't do things but playing nice.

Tilting his head to the side, Adrian motioned for Liam to take the lead and clear up the second floor while Adrian moved the newest corpse. Wrapping his hands under the man's armpits he dragged the body to join his friends in the unceremonious corner pile. Wiping his hands of on his armor, he quickly but quietly made his way up the stairs just in time to see Liam deftly pull a knife from a guard's throat as the man gargled on his own blood. Barbie let the man fall the side as he flicked his knife clean, creating a splattered mural of blood on the floor. The entirety of the second floor was more open than the previous room but not much larger with only the single occupant that now laid dead.

Stooping behind Liam, he replaced his M7S with the BR55 attached to his back. Briefly checking the ammo and checking the scope's focus, he gave a quick peak out of the window they found themselves next to. Sure enough there was a wide area laid out in front of the building, the armored truck waited there with its engine still rumbling and lights still blaring. Despite the darkness, Adrian could pick up subtle movements way out in the open lot. Plenty of guards out there…it seemed Mister Kim was cocky or foolish. He didn't expect any trouble from the outside, only that his buyer might try to sell him short. Guess they'd prove him wrong, not that he'd have any thoughts on the matter in a few minutes.

Turning back towards Liam, he looked for the very reason they came into this building, "You got eyes on the case?"

"Right here. Our friend here was the one that we saw carrying it in. What a stroke of fucking luck." Liam passed chrome casing across the floor.

Adrian was about to crack it open before the sound of an approaching vehicle caught his attention, "Seems that'll have to wait, looks like we've got company. Hopefully that luck we got keeps up…we're gonna need it."

Liam chuckled as he similarly switched out his M7S, except he pulled out his trusty M90 Assault Shotgun, "Who needs luck when you've got this bad fucker."

Adrian simply stared before ignoring that remark and opening up the window slightly, just enough for the barrel of his battle rifle to fit through. Taking one last deep breath he peered through the scope, he found his thoughts focusing on how he wouldn't want anyone else watching his back.

.