So this chapter might be a little late cuz of unnecessary dramas going on : ^). But hopefully writing will take my mind away from it. So this is where the story should get a bit more intense, at least I hope so. I also hope that little update was good for some of you. If you all would prefer to just wait for chapters instead of updates, let me know please! Without further-ado, let's get into this. Oh! Before I forget, you guys should check out this little video I found. I can definitely say I have...Overwatched it :D … kms watch?v=eMUQr0UZiJs&list=LL-wUdAx5F3JABK7hTjWeuYg&index=2
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Hanzo Shimada sat on his knees in front of the shrine dedicated to Genji. Though he knew his brother was still alive, he still had a habit of returning to this spot and praying for hours at a time. Hanzo still felt immense guilt, for condemning his brother to an existence that was less than human. He could still see the pale flesh of Genji's face when he removed his mask to him, vividly in his mind. Hanzo took deep, soothing breaths, doing what he could to calm himself. He had just regained control of Shimada Castle, but he knew there were those within the clan who did not approve of his taking over, and had left. Perhaps they would come back with an army, to take back what they thought was theirs. But this Castle belonged to Hanzo's family, and he would not let it be tarnished further. His meditation was interrupted by the sound of foot falls.
"My lord!" said Daisuke, one of Hanzo's few followers that actually were loyal, "I apologize for interrupting your peace, but there is an Overwatch vessel approaching the castle!"
Hanzo spun around to face his bodyguard, brows furrowed in confusion.
"Overwatch?" he said. Then the realization kicked in, "Genji!"
XXXX
Outside Shimada Castle, Hanzo's guards had their small arms weapons directed towards the dropship looming overhead, but none of them fired. They only trained their sights on their target, awaiting orders from the head of the clan. He emerged from the castle, and held up his fist, palm facing forward.
"Hold your fire!" he commanded.
It was then that the dropship slowly spun in place, so that the rear of it was facing the castle. The hangar door opened slowly, and there stood the guest that Hanzo was expecting. Genji leaped from the dropship and deftly landed in front of his brother. Hanzo approached him and held up his hand. Genji clasped it firmly in his and nodded.
"I see you got my message, brother," said Hanzo.
"Hai. I am happy about your decision. It was the right one,"
Hanzo replied, "It was the only one, Genji, if I am to redeem myself. But I am glad you are here. Come, we have much to discuss,"
"Yes we do, but first, our ship is running low on fuel. Would you help us replenish it? We do not plan to stay long,"
Hanzo nodded, "Of course. Daisuke! Tell the men to fill this ship up with fuel, please,"
Daisuke nodded and rounded up two other guards, and left to find the proper gas for the ship. During all this, Winston had landed their vessel in the court yard of the castle, and let the others out. Hanzo patted his brother on the back.
"Come, let us dine in your honor. I'm sure that the trip has made you very hungry,"
"I know longer have a functioning stomach, Hanzo. But there are some who would truly love to have something more nourishing to eat," said Genji.
The news saddened Hanzo, knowing that his brother no longer had the capability to eat, but he did not let it faze his current demeanor.
"Then we shall eat in your honor. I will provide your friends with the finest sea bass they have ever tasted,"
It was then that Hanzo realized there would only be one friend of Genji's that would be actually eating sea bass. He saw the strange group that had accompanied his brother: An omnic monk, a Gorilla, and a woman.
"Well...I shall also provide the best salad as well," He said.
The rest of the Overwatch group approached the two brothers, while looking all around them, astounded by the scenery.
"Wicked…" said Lena, as she took in her surroundings, "This place is beautiful. I had always heard stories of Shimada Castle, but never seen it. Oh! Hiya. Are you Hanzo Shimada?"
The archer bowed before Lena, arms at his side.
"Indeed. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, miss…?"
"Lena Oxton's the name!" She said, grabbing Hanzo's hand and shaking it with a strength Hanzo didn't know any woman could posses.
Trying to kindly pull away, Hanzo smiled.
"It is an honor to meet you Lena sama,"
There was something oddly charming about this young woman, but Hanzo would think up on it later. He had guests to impress, and a brother he needed to talk to.
XXXX
They all gathered in the main dining hall, and even though Zenyatta did not eat, he still hovered slightly lower to the ground, enjoying the company of everyone. Lena was very grateful for the new change in food, constantly complaining that all she had to eat during the trip was bananas and peanut butter. She honestly couldn't tell how Winston was still alive. During their meal, Genji and Winston had explained to Hanzo their situation, with the recall and the regrouping of Overwatch. Hanzo listened intently.
"I see," he said, "And your mission is to stop this new enemy called Talon? You believe they are instigating this next Omnic Crisis?"
"Yes," Replied Winstion, "They have attacked us on numerous occasions. It is only a matter of time before they strike again. Which is why we must leave as soon as the ship is refueled,"
"Well I can assure you that the Shimada Clan will provide what ever support they can to helping you stop them. It is the least I can do for you, since you saved my brother,"
At this, Winston was unsure. He remembered the weapons the Shimada's used to provide to their enemies while Overwatch was in its prime. He still didn't trust anyone who lived in this building.
"How can you be certain?" the scientist asked, "I doubt that your clan would so willingly give up their roots. In fact, I have heard rumors that Shimada still deals in illegal armaments, outside of Hanamura,"
Hanzo scowled at the ape at his table. How dare he question his integrity.
"If there were other members of the Shimada Clan continuing the arms business, I would have found them! Do not be so quick to judge, monkey,"
Winston slowly stood up from his seat, "I'm not a monkey," he glared at the Hanzo through his glasses.
The air was tense in the dining hall, all eyes on the two arguing. They gave each other cold stares for a good minute. It was at that moment that Lena interjected.
"Uhh um… Oi! This sea bass is really good Hanzo! Very exquisite! Thank you very much for providing it!" she said.
Hanzo heard her words and realized the foolishness of the situation. He took a deep breath and relaxed, smiling at his guest.
"Arigato, Lena sama. I am glad you enjoy it,"
Winston realized it as well, and sat back down, straightening his glasses and sitting upright, composing himself.
Lena took another bite of the bass with her chopsticks, which she still didn't quite understand how to use (occasionally stabbing the fish with them from time to time).
"But really, this is very well made. Remind me to kiss the cook later," she said.
Hanzo gave a small chuckle at the remark, "You're talking to him," he said with a smirk.
Lena blushed, eyes wide. Everyone in the room laughed under their breaths, even Zenyatta and the guards. Tracer awkwardly swallowed her last piece of bass and laughed, embarrassed, scratching the back of her neck.
"Hehe um, well I uh… I didn't really… um,"
Hanzo waved it off, smiling, "Do not worry, I know you were only trying to ease the tension in the room," He then faced Winston, "Winston, I apologize. I understand if you do not trust my family's name. But I assure you, Shimada Castle is no longer a beacon of arms dealing anymore. You have my word,"
Winston sighed, "And I am also sorry. It was wrong of me to doubt you so soon, and act the way I did,"
Hanzo gave the scientist a nod of acceptance, then addressed his brother.
"Genji, may I have a word with you?"
"Of course," he said, then facing the others, "Excuse us,"
The two brothers stood and left the group.
XXXX
Hanzo led his brother to the balcony where they had last fought, still adorning the scars of battle. The air was still, with no sound but the two brothers' foot falls echoing gently around them. Hanzo stopped a few feet ahead of his brother, and turned halfway to face him.
"I am very relieved to see you alive and well," He said.
"I am more than that brother," said Genji, "I am whole once again,"
"Then why do I feel so much guilt?" Hanzo began, fully facing him, "Look at yourself. You are not the Genji who I sparred with, who I laughed with and grew up with. Look at what I have done to you,"
"Brother, of course I am not that same boy. But I have forgiven you. I do not harbor any hate towards you. It is time you accepted what I am, just as I have,"
Hanzo took a step closer to Genji, "How can I, when I am the one that has condemned you!? Look at what I did to you! You said it yourself, you can't even eat. You cannot feel the air upon your skin, taste the food in your mouth, smell the fragrances of anything around you... And it is all my fault,"
There was a short silence between the two brothers. Genji wished there was an easier way to convince his brother to let it go, but there was none. He unhinged his mask from his head piece, and held it at his side, looking at Hanzo with his real eyes. Hanzo looked away for a moment, then forced himself to look back. Genji began.
"You are right to say that I cannot do any of those things. You are also right to say that it is your fault.
Hanzo looked down in shame.
Genji continued, "But you are still my brother, and because of that, I will always forgive you,"
He looked back up, staring at his brother with wide, guilty eyes.
"Hanzo, you mustn't hold on to the past like it is a problem now. You have to let go. It is holding you back. I am at peace, because I accept that this is me. I do not see a machine supporting the life of a man, and I do not see a man needing the aide of a machine. I see me. And I am at peace. Now it is your turn,"
Hanzo looked at the mechanical shell around his brother's body. If he can be at peace like this, then perhaps he is right he thought to himself. He brought his eyes back to look at his brother's, took a breath, and let it out through his nostrils.
"You truly are at peace?" he asked.
Genji nodded, "I have never been more peaceful," he said, putting his faceplate back on.
The archer closed his eyes, inhaled deeply, and slowly released his breath. His eyes opened, and a smile spread across his lips.
"I have missed you, Genji," Hanzo said.
"And I have missed you," Genji replied.
The two embraced, as long lost brothers would, finally realizing that everything would be alright. They backed away and held each others' shoulders, and smiled.
"Do you think mother and father would be proud of what has happened?" Hanzo asked.
"About the family business? Probably not. But of us? I know they couldn't be prouder,"
Hanzo nodded to that, and patted his brother's shoulder.
"Come, let us join the others. I believe your ship will be ready soon,"
So they walked down the hall, talking as if they were boys again, both of them finally at peace.
"So," Genji began, "How goes keeping up the family blood line?"
Hanzo Shimada gave a short laugh, "Even in your current state, I'm certain you would have better luck than I,"
Genji smiled under his faceplate, knowing full well that Hanzo was damn right. His brother continued.
"However, Lena sama. She is not like most women here. She has definitely caught my eye,"
"Well you better get in line," replied Genji.
"Oh? You have your eyes set on her?"
"No, but her heart belongs to someone else. That much I know is certain,"
"Better luck next time then," said Hanzo.
They had almost reached the end of the hallway when Lena blinked in front of them.
"Ah! Lena sama," Hanzo said cheerily, "How was the rest of your lun-" His words were cut short by the speedster blinking forward and pressing her lips against his.
Hanzo was frozen in time, eyes wide, not sure what was going on. The same could be said for Genji, as he removed his face plate from his eyes to make sure his vision was correct. Lena made a satisfying "Mmmah!" as she pulled away from the archer, and smiled. She then quickly spun around to face Winston and Zenyatta, who were not far behind.
"There! Are you happy!?" she yelled.
Winston was laughing furiously, and held up his fist to the omnic, who graciously fist bumped the ape. Lena turned back to the very confused Shimada brothers.
"Terribly sorry. It was a dare you see, and I'm not one to back down from a good dare," she confessed.
Hanzo laughed at the antics.
"Worry not. In your position, I would have done the same,"
Lena smiled, glad that Hanzo did not think any less of her. She then addressed his brother.
"So um, the ship's all prepped and ready, and Reinhardt and the others are already there, along with some other unfamiliar faces; a man and a girl. They say the guy is from Overwatch, and the girl is an orphan that's his responsibility, so it's alright. I think we should be heading out ASAP,"
"Hai," said Genji, "Brother, will you join us?"
"Only for a short time, then I must come back here. There is still much work to be done. But I will discuss tactics with you all, then I will depart,"
Lena and Genji nodded, and they all made their way to the courtyard, where their ship was waiting. While walking, Hanzo called over his guard.
"Daisuke! You are in charge while I am gone. Contact me if anything goes wrong. Do not betray my trust," He said sternly.
The guard bowed humbly, "Yes, my lord. I will not fail you,"
With that, they all boarded the ship. The vessel hovered over the ground, increasing its altitude, cloaked itself, and made its way to Watchpoint: Gibraltar.
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Reinhardt Wilhelm stood on the roof of a storage building on Watchpoint Gibraltar. The base was part of a large cliff that overlooked the Mediterranean Sea. Alejandra was beside him, previously listening to some of his old war stories. But the old veteran had taken a break for telling old tales of his past, and decided to look out and enjoy the view. He took a deep breath, feeling the wind rush around him.
"Mmm, I remember being stationed here. It was good for my tan," he said.
Alejandra gave an awkward smile at the comment, and didn't bother to pursue the topic any further than that. She decided to go off on a tangent.
"So, you kept fighting even after you were forced into mandatory retirement?" she asked.
"Yes, of course! There is no glory in leaving unfinished business! How about I tell you the time I fought dragons!"
It was at that moment Reinhardt spotted something in the sky. It was the dropship.
"They're here!" He said to himself. He then rushed to the other side of the roof and yelled, "They're here!"
The only agents who were not present were McCree and Mei. Everyone dropped what they were doing and ran to the landing platform, watching as the dropship made its slow decent. Reinhardt held Alejandra in one arm and jumped off the roof, landing squarely on the ground. They all then went to greet their friends as the hangar door opened. The only ones who stayed back were Alejandra and Morrison, who still had not revealed who he was to his team. Alejandra tugged on his jacket sleeve.
"Aren't you going to tell them?" She whispered.
"Not yet," he replied. "It's not time,"
Everyone else greeted Lena, Winston, and Genji as they exited the dropship.
"Lena, it's so good to see you! You haven't aged a day!" said Angela.
"Thanks love! You're looking great!"
"Torbjorn!" began Winston, kneeling in front of the dwarf, "you didn't sabotage that van like you said you would, hehe"
"You don't have to kneel down to talk to me. I can hear you fine from down here!"
"What was that? It's hard to hear you from all the way up here,"
Torbjorn grumbled. Genji had introduced everyone else to his brother and master, who all greeted them politely. That was when everyone heard an all too familiar voice.
"It's High Noon!"
Jesse McCree walked up from behind the ship, much to everyone's surprise. They hadn't seen him arrive at all, but were thankful to know that he had arrived safely. It was then that Lena noticed 76 and Alejandra, so she blinked over to meet them.
"Hey there. You two must be the new recruits!" she said cheerily.
Morrison hadn't seen her in years. His heart thumped furiously in his chest. He desperately hoped she had moved on from him, after being separated for so long. But it's not like it mattered. His identity was safe behind the mask.
"I wouldn't say I'm new to this, kid," he said.
Lena gave a giggle, "Alrightie then Mr. Mystery man in a mask. But what about you, love? What's your name?" she asked the girl next to him.
"Alejandra," she replied, awestruck that she was face to face with the one and only Tracer.
Lena smiled, "Well, welcome to Overwatch, Alejandra. We're gonna make a great team," She patted her head and blinked back to the reunion.
Once everyone had met everyone else, Angela had brought up a very good point.
"This means almost all of us are here!"
"That's right," said Reinhardt, "The only one we're missing is...Mei..."
Everyone fell silent. Then Winston spoke up.
"Yeah, where is Mei? She hasn't responded to any of the previous calls besides the first,"
They all exchanged distraught looks at each other. This was true. She hadn't contacted anyone, and hadn't responded ever since the Recall.
"We need to contact her," Winston said, "Come on,"
They had all congregated inside Winston's office, crowded around the monitor. Winston was typing in Mei's contact information, and waited as the computer processed the connection. Finally, an icon appeared. They had verbal connection with Mei, but her web cam failed to pop up. It was enough.
"Mei, please respond. We are all here. Why are you taking so long to arrive?"
No response.
"Mei, answer me,"
No response.
"Mei!"
The web cam popped up on Winston's screen. They all could see the back of Mei's chair. They could tell that she was sitting in it because her hair pin was sticking out like a sore thumb. Winston gave a sigh of relief.
"There you are. Mei, what is wrong? Why haven't you -"
The chair spun around slowly, revealing a broken Mei, bruised and bloodied and battered. Blood dripped from her mouth, scars on her face were infected. She was still breathing, but barely. Everyone gasped.
"Mei!" cried Angela, putting her hand to her mouth.
Lena, Reinhardt, and McCree all gritted their teeth. Winston desperately tried to get Mei's attention.
"Mei! What's happening!? Who's there!? Please answer me!"
Their question was immediately answered by a deep, raspy, condescending laugh. From out of the shadows, the black hooded mercenary stepped into the frame.
"Reaper…" gasped Winston.
Everyone stared in shock, not knowing what to do but just watch. Reaper slowly paced around the chair in semi circles, then he spoke.
"Well well. The gang's all back together," He said mockingly.
Winston growled, "Don't you dare hurt her further, or I'll-!"
"You'll what? Take half a day to get here? Heheheh, good luck,"
Lena shoved herself into the front, fury racing in her veins.
"You better not lay one more bloody finger on her!" she screamed.
Reaper held out the back of his hands, "My fingers aren't bloody… but they're about to be,"
He grabbed Mei's hair and tugged on it, waking her up. She grunted in pain, opened her eyes and saw who was on screen. She smiled weakly.
"Guys… you're here. I'm sorry, I was just… about to leave…" she could hardly talk.
"Yes she was, lucky for you," Reaper began, "she had just finished purging all her valuable data, so I can't track where you all are. Even now, I can't trace this call. Your encryption is too damned difficult to crack. But don't get me wrong," he said as he inched closer to the camera, "we will find you all, and rip you apart piece. By. Piece," He slammed Mei's head into the table.
Her cry of pain made everyone cringe. Morrison shielded Alejandra's eyes.
"Don't see this," he said.
Winston scowled at the mercenary.
"You're a monster," he growled.
"And you're a talking monkey," Reaper replied.
He pulled on her hair again, and showed her bloody bruised face to everyone. Blood dripped from her nose due to the table slamming, and tears inched down her cheeks. She looked at them all, savoring this moment, seeing them all together.
"Now," said her captor, "Since I'm a merciful monster, I will allow a few final words,"
A long moment of staring and frantic breathing filled the atmosphere. This was it. They were going to watch their friend die, and there was nothing that they could do. Mei managed a smile through all of this.
"Guys," she began, "I'm so happy to see you…" tears, "Good bye," she closed her eyes.
Reaper pressed her head against the table one last time, out of the frame of the camera, and held his shot gun, pressing the barrel up against her head.
"Stop! No!" Winston yelled.
A crack of a gunshot and a spray of blood was all they needed to know it was over. Angela turned away, crying. Reinhardt clenched his teeth and fist, "That bastard..." Lena and Winston just stared, eyes wide in disbelief. Torbjorn covered his face in his hand, "No… no...". Genji bowed his head. McCree's cigar fell from his mouth. Hanzo, Zenyatta, and Brigitte all looked away, feeling the loss of their friends around them. Mei was gone. Reaper pushed the corpse out of the chair, and sat down.
"I want this to be a message to you all. You won't rebuild Overwatch. Everywhere you go, everything you do, Talon will be watching you, clawing on every wall that you hide behind. I promise you, we will find you, and we will…" he dragged his thumb across his neck, "kill you,"
Reaper leveled his shotgun towards the camera, and pulled the trigger. The screen blinked out, showing nothing but their reflection in the dark glass. Winston slumped back in his chair, eyes wide, mouth agape. Lena walked over to the window, overlooking the landing pad, the sun setting over the horizon. Angela wept in her hands, and Reinhardt went to her, putting his hands on her shoulders. Lena took deep, heavy breaths, eyes shuts, brows knitted together, jaw clenched. Then, in a fit of outrage, she rammed her fist right into the window, giving one loud yell. Everyone looked over to her, eyes full of worry. She slid her fist off of the glass, and slowly turned to them, taking off her goggles, and staring back at all of them.
"We need to fight back," she said sternly.
"Of course we will," Winston replied, "but Lena-"
"Don't you 'but Lena' me! We just watched our friend die!" she yelled, "Mei… the one person on this team who would never hurt a single thing! She's dead, and we couldn't do anything to stop it! We should have realized! We should have gone to her when we noticed she wasn't answering the calls! And now look! She's gone! We lost another one to them!" she breathed heavily.
No one said anything, they just listened. Lena continued.
"Ana… Jack… and now Mei. They're dead, because of them! … We have to fight, for them. For Ana, and Jack, and Mei, and everyone in Overwatch. That's what they would tell us, to keep fighting, and to win!"
Everyone had straightened up, hearing Lena's words, but the blow of their loss still held onto them. Morrison saw the pain in their eyes, the hopelessness, the powerlessness. He stepped forward.
"No," he said.
Everybody looked at him, confused. 76 continued.
"You will fight for Ana, and Mei, and Overwatch, but you will not fight for Jack Morrison,"
Lena looked dumbfounded, and almost hurt by what this soldier was saying.
"What?"
Morrison reached up to his mask, and unclasped it, slowly bringing it down. Alejandra smiled softly. Everyone else had their expressions change from confusion to absolute shock. Lena's heart skipped in her chest.
"Jack…"
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Thank you all for your support again! I was very excited for this chapter because this is where the story will, hopefully, pick up. I hope this one was good for you all. I'm surprised I was able to get it done this quickly, but this is actually much shorter than I had planned for it. I promise, more action will happen after this chapter. And maybe a little more… fluff :D Don't forget to leave a comment please! Also, check out these awesome soundtracks, I think you all would very much enjoy them.
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These are not made by me, but I just wanna spread this guys awesome music around because it seems really under appreciated.
