Hello and good day to you reader!
I don't do much editing so I apologize in advance if you see something that makes your OCD scream.
Hope you enjoy the journey! Cheers!
The sun was drooping down into the clouds in Paris, the people were still digging through the rubble of their destroyed homes trying to find their loved ones and friends after the Null Sector attack.
Angela had remained to help the locals with her technology. The work was familiar, but the energy in the air was different. Or perhaps it was her that changed. She was older, more experienced in life.
Well, when your life consisted of medical practice and working for secret government agencies. She had that all down. It was a bit disappointing how fast she fell back into the rhythm of the battlefield. The difference being that Jack and Ana were not on the radios. There would be no official back up from the world governments. At least not at the moment. That was a challenge for another day.
Angela sat down on the set of stairs to the apartment the locals had lent her and her compatriots. Most of which were sitting out in the courtyard going over the intel that had been gathered. Winston's eyes were lit up the whole time, excited to see mostly familiar faces. He'd told them of the attempt at their locations from Talon. A frightening thing to realize.
She drank her warmed cup of coffee to ignore her nervous heart beat. As hard as it had been for her to make the decision to return to the fight, it was also comforting that she wasn't alone.
"Refill?"
That was Mei, one of the long lost scientists of Overwatch. She smiled and thanked Mei as she refilled her drink.
"You look tired, you should get some rest." Mei said.
"That's my line to you." Angela chuckled. Her field patch had worked wonders on Mei, but occasionally she saw her favoring a leg. A light price to pay for surviving a giant explosion.
"You haven't stopped moving since… well right now. It's been a week, please rest." Mei's tone softened. They'd all been busy, but Angela had pulled some late or sleepless nights.
"I've slept enough the last… several years. I'll let you know if anyone calls." Mei picked up the communicator that the authorities had left them.
Angela didn't want to rest. Every time she rested she felt something went wrong. Even her peers, equal to her skill if not her intelligence that could take her place, felt her doubt them.
But the body had its limits.
The past few days Angela had started making little mistakes. Starting with writing, then she started dropping things and when her hands started shaking that's when she finally came to the apartments.
Mei looked like she was going to say something else but then cast her eyes up when a shadow was cast over them.
They both looked up to see Genji.
"Angela." His tone was firm but kind.
She sighed loudly, "Ok ok fine." The doctor missed Mei mouthing a 'thank you' to Genji who merely nodded. The cyborg had been all over the city helping to clean up the war-faring Omnics. He hadn't seen any sign of this Talon group, but that didn't mean they weren't around.
The room that Angela now occupied faced out toward the city. The smoke had finally stopped coloring the sky and the streets moved with order again. The only difference to the landscape was the giant Omnic that they'd destroyed.
Her Valkyrie suit lay upon the chair in the corner along with her staff and weapon. Angela rubbed her collar bone while looking at her tools, another sigh escaping.
"You know you don't have to come back to Overwatch."
Genji was leaning against the door frame, a comforting shadow to her.
"It's not that!" She turned quickly, folding her arms, "I'm ok with coming back." Just as quickly she whirled back around and straightened up her suit so that it didn't get a kink in it. Not that it was easy to do that.
He tilted his head but said nothing more, helmet hiding his expression as usual.
It was something that did make Angela frustrated about the design she'd made for cyborg had a perfectly functional jaw underneath. She frowned. Maybe he felt embarressed of his look.
"I'm just tired. That's all." She plopped down at the edge of the small bed, "I just need some sleep." She fidgeted with her hair, "Speaking of which…" she waved him off. If she was honest she didn't want him to leave. But she couldn't assume anything, they hadn't seen each other in years and contact was sparse and far between. He carried himself differently though, she wasn't quite sure what it was.
Genji left at her request, going outside where the others were. He chose to perch on top of Reinhardt's vehicle.
"…we can announce that Overwatch is reinstated all we want. It still doesn't change the fact that we don't actually have any authority with the world powers. We're glorified vigilantes." That was their newest companions, Echo.
"She does have a point, Winston." Mei replied.
"Vigilantes are just unpaid heroes." Rein chuckled.
"Or trouble makers." Brigette retorted. She set down one tool in exchange for another. Rein's armor had taken a massive beating in a recent battle, knocking some wires and screws loose.
"Regardless, you don't need government funding to just help people." The large man stroked his beard a few times.
"No but it certainly helps." Echo hovered like she was sitting in an actual chair, "We just spent all of our resources on one Null Sector invasion. Not exactly efficient."
The giant scientist that was listening had his lips pressed into a tight line. Winston sat back on his hunches, "You sure that Cole will not be joining us?"
"It seemed like he had other business to deal with." The android shifted her gaze to her hand, as if remembering something fondly.
"Then let's plan for just us, and hope more of the old team show up. At least France is happy we're back." Winston chuckled, though his tone was a bit on the flat side. Mei smiled up at the monkey, even if her eyebrows betrayed her confidence in the matter just a little.
Genji glanced up at the window where Angela was supposed to be sleeping. Not every country would be so welcoming to them. The ones that wouldn't help or even chase them out would be the hardest on the doctor. Her heart was just too big to let anyone suffer if she felt she could do something about it. That's what concerned him the most. Angela was one of the most caring people he knew, even if her temper hid it, her actions said otherwise.
A thought entered his mind.
He stood up, fiddling with one of his stars in right hand, "Perhaps we don't need the world powers for support."
Lena looked up, "Someone in mind, Genji?"
"I can think of a few, but some I can't contact through easy or modern means."
"Acquire more allies, a good start to this honorable campaign." Rein stood up and bounced his fist off his chest.
"Let's acquire more allies in the morning, it's been a long week." Brigette yawned.
Genji waited, watching his friends one by one go to sleep till it was just him and Rein.
"I'll pick up after your watch?" The old man asked without looking up from picking bits out from between the rockets of his hammer. Despite having a squire to do most of his maintenance work, he still had to pull his own weight in the care of his equipment.
The cyborg removed his sword and placed it in his lap, he glanced up at the crusader, "I'm glad we thought of the same thing."
There was silence between them for a few minutes. The only sounds being the metal clicks and clacks of Reinhart's tinkering and the distant whirr of hovercrafts on the road.
"You should both rest."
Echo's voice startled them, though Genji was disciplined enough to at least not show it in his mannerisms. The android was perched atop the apartment, only touching the roof with the tips of her stabilizing servos.
"Ladies rest first." Rein chuckled.
"Please, I insist." She straightened up, still balanced like she was floating in thick water, "I do not need rest in the same way that you do."
Genji thought about arguing, but he was feeling the strain of the past week, especially the flesh part of his body. He could already go a lot longer due to his training as a ninja. This stamina was extended with his mechanical side, but it was not infinite.
He stood up, "Very well, please let us know if you see anything suspicious." the Cyborg went inside and posted up at the top of the stairs where a small cubby was just off to the side. Despite the fuss the ladies had put up about him taking one of the rooms, Genji had grown accustomed to living with little to nothing. Plus his armor made laying on the floor more comfortable.
Genji went through his ritual of removing his mask and setting it next to his sword. He pulled out a small cloth and wiped his face from sweat that had built up during the day. You never realized how much you wanted to itch your face till you couldn't. A long drag from his water container and then a short meditation before actually laying down.
The cubby happened to share a wall with Angela's room. Not that he meant to pry but he listened carefully. Hearing bugs chirp outside, some sort of four footed animal knocking a trash bin over. A lot of wind outside, somewhere a mouse skittered along its way.
He could also hear Angela crying.
Anyone else would've thought the doctor was fast asleep. Angela was very good at keeping her emotions steady even at their peak. A skill she'd mastered early on in her career. Perhaps even before that. The only thing that gave the crying away was that she was sniffling. Genji sighed, a painful lump growing in his throat. He wanted to go and comfort her but then she might not like getting walked in on.
Angela lay staring at the window, trying her best to not chew on her nails. She didn't want to sleep. But she needed to. Her adrenaline had run its course and the moment things slowed down, unpleasant memories drifted to the surface of her mind. The strongest being the loss of her parents during the last war. The image of sobbing children and childless parents, during that time burned painfully. That's all she saw all around her. Damage in this area had been fairly minimal since they arrived not long after Null Sector touched down.
Casualties had been minimal.
The suffering, minimal.
That was vulnerable to change.
And she couldn't be everywhere at once. People would get left behind in mass evacuations, the sick, the injured, so many lives easily lost in the chaos. Then there would be when the infrastructure failed entirely. All of the numbers pointed all out war.
She didn't want another generation of children to have the pain of loss. Just like much of hers.
A deep sigh escaped her dry lips, partly from her feelings, partly to help keep a loud sob from waking her neighbors.
Angela had to do her best, she had to help everyone she could. These war mongers and wild omnics wouldn't listen to reason. Their objective was to just stomp on anything in their way. At least the mongers gave a reason, people still didn't know what Null Sector wanted exactly. Other than death to anything not a part of their group.
Thoughts raced back and forth between the endless fighting and drawing up plans and strategies. Eventually a thought was interrupted as her body forced her into a less than fitful slumber.
The war was a distant echo for a lot of the world. In fact it meant nothing to Hanzo, once the heir to the Shemada clan.
Now just a wandering nobody.
The fight he'd had on the anniversary of his brother's 'death' was fresh in his mind. Alive, his brother had been alive all these years. Hanzo still was trying to believe it. There was no questioning it though, no one but his family's bloodline could even summon the dragons.
Hanzo inhaled the contents of the glass in front of him, the memory of the the… 'new' Genji making his heart hurt. He brought the glass down hard enough that it shattered under his palm.
Everyone that attended the bar at this hour merely offered a glance before turning back to nurse their own drinks. Hanzo ignored them in return, the gesture having done what he wanted which was to push himself back into the present.
Outside the sky was hidden behind a wall of roiling clouds. They spit icey rain on the small town in the middle of nowhere. Hanzo liked this kind of weather, not for its wild beauty but more for its ability to make him forget things. The cold had become a comfort to the elder warrior.
Hanzo stared at the ice on the window near him, only looking up when the bartender came to clean up the glass. He would have to make sure to leave a little extra for his rudeness.
The screen above them winked to life at someones request. Hanzo watched the holo vid tplaying news about the erupting war and something about a group… Overwatch? That was being reassembled. The caster flashed scenes of fighting, explosions and instructions on how to stay safe.
Hanzo wouldn't have cared even in his past life. War was a constant when it came to the gangs of Japan.
He would have to leave this town soon. There was no real direction he wanted to go, but he couldn't stay in one place either.
Shadows constantly followed him. Sometimes he even caught those shadows. It was a shame that the training back home had become lackluster.
Hanzo pressed his lips together tightly.
Home.
He had no home.
The cold wind tossed snowflakes off of roofs, turning them into small whirlwinds that broke apart when they tried to cross the road outside. Their only interruption was the occasional hover vehicle.
Murmurs from the locals reached his ears in fragments. Stuff about the oncoming war, safe places, this Overwatch group.
The image of Genji in his armored suit flickered in his mind.
That thought was quickly overcome with the image of him standing over a bloodied body, Genji struggling to breath, eyes open wide, face full of rage.. A stark contrast to the Genji that had shown up that day.
Hanzo looked at the two last shots he had left. He sighed, nostrils flaring a little bit.
Back from the dead. Genji always seemed to have a way out. Most of it was sheer luck from what he could see. Even when they were younger despite his self inflicted distractions the younger brother had a better hand in combat. It came to him like instinct, so he treated his power as an assassin so carelessly.
If luck didn't treat his little brother well, it was Hanzo covering for him. Something he regretted even then.
Little Genji always carefree in everything he did. It was easy for him to be happy, he wasn't in line to inherit anything other than a place by Hanzo's side when he took charge. Yet his skill at battle had made the elders nervous.
Hanzo downed another shot to burn away that fateful conversation. He focused on the drink screaming down his throat, the sensation easier than thinking about Genji at the moment.
Something shifted in the air.
The lost heir lifted his head slowly, the scent of sweet tobacco reaching his nose. He could see out of the corner of his eye the bartender stop cleaning up their station when they saw the new stranger behind him. So the intruder was not even trying to hide. Interesting. His muscles relaxed but not completely. If they were being obvious they didn't want to have a fight. At least not yet.
Someone wearing a coat of fur and a snow sprinkled hat sat down next to him with their back to the counter.
There was the click of a lighter, then the smell intensified. The person brought up their elbow to prop themselves against the counter.
"You are a hard man to find, Monsieur Shimada." The accent was thick, feminine.
Hanzo finally turned to look at the woman, eyes widening a little bit when he saw a pair of calm yellow ones looking back. He understood now why the bartender had stopped his work so abruptly. This woman had blue skin. There wasn't much to be seen since she was dressed from head to toe in fine furs.
Swallowing the surprise, Hanzo replied slowly, "Apparently not hard enough." Oh he was in no state to be in a fight. At least not one that involved shooting his bow. It was taking the majority of his strength to keep composed.
Another cloud of smoke was blown into the air. There were no ashtrays in this particular tavern. So she made a small 'hmph' sound before simply flicking it into one of his empty cups.
"Trust me, you were doing very well."
Hanzo snorted, "I'm afraid this conversation is a bit..." oh what was he going to say?... "One sided. Who are you?"
Yellow eyes glanced around at the clientele, like a hawk calculating their chances. Only one table was actually full and it was in the far corner. Two were passed out and the others looked close to it. Still, she didn't like it.
"Would you be a gentleman and walk a lady to her vehicle? I have some... business I would like to discuss privately."
There it was.
The bait.
Hanzo's face didn't move. Partly from his distrust, partly from keeping himself from putting his head on the table with the other patrons.
The French woman took this moment to smoke again before dangling another tidbit for the lost heir, "It's about restoring your place of power in your clan."
Alright, now that was a new angle.
Pressing his hand against the rable, Hanzo straightened up a little more. The jolt of adrenaline didn't last long though, he wiped his face with his hand, "That's not possible. They only want me dead now."
"Monsier I assure you, it's very doable. It's not like our kind have not toppled governments with a single kill before." she winked when he looked up again.
He pressed his lips together into a tight line. A glance outside showed that the snow showed no signs of letting up. Hanzo needed to wake up anyway, a good walk in the snow would do that.
The lady smiled when he stood up and picked up his few belongings, "Very good." she shooed him away when he tried to pay the bartender. He saw her hand the man a wad of cash, pressing her finger to her lips for silence. At first the man stared at the roll in his hands before swallowing his surprise and nodding vigorously.
Her last action was to take one of his remaining shots and toasting to him before downing it herself. She made a face and muttered something in French.
Without asking she hooked her elbow through his and strutted out of the dingy place.
Outside the wind penetrated every fiber of Hanzo's being, but it did what he wanted it to. Shock his system into a more awake state, though he would be lying if he said her arm was a little bit of help for his balance.
"To answer your question, my name is Amelie Lecroix." she said once the doors shut behind them.
"And who is your employer?" standing this close to her a breeze wafted the scent of roses for only a second before the wind blew the other direction.
Amelie tossed her cigarette into the snow, "I work for Talon, and the boss is very interested in speaking with you. To form a sort of... partnership if you would like to call it that."
"I cannot give anything in return."
"Oh ma chère, this would be more of an investment on our part. You see, we find that our presence is a bit lacking in Japan, and we are seeking allies there. Even if we must restore them. All dynasties fall, that does not mean that they can't be rebuilt."
Hanzo made them stop, though his abruptness didn't knock her off balance in the slightest. An action he took note of.
She was still leading this dance.
"Are you trying to buy my honor?"
"No, your honor is your own to regain." she leaned in closer, the fur lining of her hood making the gesture strangely intimate, "But you seem to have... strayed from the path. Talon would like to help guide you back to the strength your family had."
He sneered, "I did my duty."
"And then you left. Out of sheer guilt over your brother, oui?" she only smiled when he pushed her away.
"You know nothing about what I did and why."
"All I see is that you failed in that duty you so powerfully claim you did." she reached into her coat and pulled out a small device. It opened up a small holographic image of a news report, "Your brother has been busy while he was dead."
Images of the cyborg were shown in many different battles. Time was only shown by the stages of his suit, at first it was just rough pieces sewn into skin, then over time the design become more and more refined till it was the one Hanzo had seen for himself. Some of the videos looked like they came from a body cam, with Genji running straight at them, sword and eyes glowing with wrath.
The family dragon was poised as a striking cobra while it got channeled through Genji's sword instead of the traditional tattoo.
Amelie flicked a switch, "Not just busy, thriving. While you sit around wasting away at something you didn't even do." her tone sweetened.
The images that flashed across this time were less violent. Just showing Genji standing with his comrades, in what appeared to be several different places in the world. They would greet him cheerfully, doing things sometimes mission related and other times more casual. There was laughter, peace even. He did note that one person was there in almost all the images, a light haired woman.
She watched him with a smile tugging at her lips, "You see? He's let you rot." the device was put away.
"His latest visit to me would contradict your claims."
"Are you sure?" She tilted her head, "Are you sure he's not just... re-opening the wound to keep you in check? You tried to kill him, who would forgive that." She started walking a circle around him, her shoulder touching him all the way around, "He doesn't want you around, he wants you to be trapped in your own mind. Confused, guilty. Weakened." She watched his body tense up, "You are a family of killers, no? What's to stop Genji from luring you in the way you did to him."
Hanzo tried to remain still but the memories started to jumble together. Questions warping into what ifs and could it be's.
"You speak ill of my brother, yet he's in an organization that strives to help those in need."
Amelie's chuckle was silk to his drunk ears, "Don't be naive, monsier. Every organization has its shadow. Talon would have the right people casting that shadow."
"And what would Talon have in their shadow?"
"You misunderstand. We would be the shadow." she was close enough to kiss if he wanted, but before Hanzo scolded himself for getting distracted she retreated and walked up to her vehicle where an omnic was waiting to open the door. Hanzo shivered as another gust of wind kicked up snow at them.
Despite the icy weather she removed her furs entirely, revealing a form fitting backless dress, the tattoo of a spider staring back at him. Slits on either side of the dress revealed thigh high stockings going into her heeled boots. The driver took her coat and hat to store them in the trunk.
"You seem cold, Minsier Shimada, shall we get you more comfortable?" she scooted to the farther seat to make room, crossing her legs before accepting a mug of something hot from the driver.
Maybe it was the cold and the alcohol. Maybe it was his relatively empty stomach that had had nothing in a few days. Maybe it was his pride... at being called a failure of his duty.
Hanzo pulled together some dignity, straightening up, dusting the snow off of his clothes and pushing the loose hairs of his bun out of his face. He stepped inside the vehicle, keeping himself from jumping in alarm when the driver shut the door behind him.
The drink was placed into his hands, then the hand that had held it lifted a finger up to his chin, making him look at her, "Good choice, ma chère." she smiled.