Hey! Sorry about the long hiatus. School was kickin my butt! But I kicked right back! And I'm not on academic probation anymore so yeah! Hope you all had a good school year! It's summer! So, this story will continue! Hopefully we can finish it by the end of the summer? We will see. I hope my following hasn't forgotten about me. If so, then oh well. I'm here now! And I'm going to keep making chapters! They will be shorter than the previous, so that I don't burn myself out, but maybe once in a while you will get long ass chapters like before haha. Here it is!

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The journey had taken more out of them than they had hoped, leaving even Tracer numb to the sensation of flight. The rush of the turbulence, the view of the world, the company of the clouds; it all seemed dull and drab by this point. Everyone on the dropship either was asleep or spoke amongst themselves, not bothering to look out and behold the sky surrounding them. But for Alejandra, the sky was the only thing that had her attention.

All her life she had lived in Dorado, with no experience of the outside world; only enough time to bake and read. Sure she had a vast view of the ocean, but it paled in comparison to the sky. She was among the clouds, looking down on what ever they flew over, like birds of prey on the hunt.

The dropship was being piloted by Athena, leaving the need for a physical pilot unnecessary. Alejandra climbed into the pilot's seat and watched the never ending stretch of sky roll past the windshield. She still couldn't believe what was happening around her, if she was going to be completely honest. Her whole world was flipped upside down with no warning, no signs, no sympathy. Her livelihood taken in the blink of an eye; her house burnt to the ground, her mother murdered.

Alejandra felt the rage build up again, the kind you know you shouldn't think about but you can't help but let it flow. They'd pay. They'd all pay for what they did. The Deadlock gang, Los Muertos, Talon, they all had taken something from her, and she was planning on returning the favor.

"Welcome to Eichenwalde,"

The monotone voice of Athena snapped Alejandra back to reality, making her release the arm rests she didn't realize she was squeezing. Letting out a quick gasp, Alejandra bolted from her seat and tip toed over the control panel, peering through the windshield.

She could feel the dropship make its steady descent, like that feeling in your head when an elevator moves too quickly. The clouds were above them, out of sight and out of mind, replaced by a new spectacle. A castle, stretching so high its pillars threatened the clouds themselves. Alejandra's eyes widened, watching the stone behemoth loom over her as Athena brought the ship closer, preparing to land.

"That's Eichenwalde castle?." Alejandra said, aloud, "I've only seen pictures of it. It's a whole lot bigger, up close,"

"It isn't a castle. It's a tomb," Reinhardt grumbled from behind.

Alejandra swiveled her head as far as she could to see the Crusader, standing behind her, a melancholy gaze cast upon the castle. She had researched all the battles and tragedies of the Omnic Crisis. She knew why Reinhardt looked at the fortress with such disdain.

She turned to face Reinhardt, who kept staring at the castle, lost in memory. The only thing that snapped him back to the present was the gentle touch of Alejandra's small had on his own. He blinked and looked down, her bright smile washing away the grief.

What a kind and pure girl, Reinhardt thought, Surely she will make a fine warrior!

"Sorry, Kleine," Reinhardt said, recapturing his natural smile, "I can't wait to give you the grand tour!"

Athena gingerly landed the dropship in the center of the bridge that connected the castle to the rest of the town. A deep, satisfying crunch of metal touching down on stone alerted everyone they had landed. They staggered out of the ship, having had their fill of jet lag; though Alejandra and Tracer bolted out, ready to sight-see, with Reinhardt not too far behind.

"Ah, fresh German air," he said, soaking in the atmosphere of his home country.

His smile broadened as his eyes scanned the horizon. The trees of the Black Forest peered above the stone archways and houses, like titans watching over a city. Large shadows sluggishly crawled upon the ground, as the clouds which cast them shifted across the sky. Though Eichenwalde was a city of wood and stone, nature had reclaimed it over the years. Vines and leaves had snaked their way through nooks and cracks in the floors. A red squirrel would scurry in and out of its hole every now and then, eying its new neighbors, ready to pounce on the smaller one if she got too close.

"German air?" replied Angela, leaning against her German friend, groggy from the trip, "Is there a difference between this and any other air?"

Reinhardt cackled, "Of course there is! You Swiss wouldn't know because you're all neutral about everything!"

Angela rebutted the quip with a roll of the eyes and strode off to find the commander. She found Jack deep in a stern conversation with Torbjorn. With what, she struggled to decipher, but the subject clearly was having an unpleasant effect on the small mechanic.

Slowly, Angela approached behind Jack, careful not to be noticed by either man, lest she be dragged into the quarrel against her will. Finally, Torbjorn stormed off, dragging his stumpy feet across the tiled bridge. It seemed Jack had won the argument. Angela patiently waited a few feet behind her commander, letting him collect himself.

He hated fighting with his team. It slowed things down, made simple tasks seem impossible, put chinks in the armor. Jack needed his armor bullet proof, and he wasn't talking about the armor on his chest. The sound of Angela clearing her throat grabbed his attention.

"Ah, Ange," he said, turning about-face, "Perfect. I need you to set up your station. There is an abandoned pharmacy not too far from here. Get your supplies and-"

"All in good time, Jack. There is something I need to talk to you about,"

Jack couldn't say he wasn't surprised by the interruption; Angela spoke her mind on a daily basis. But the fact that she didn't get straight to the point was almost startling.

"Okay. What's up?"

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Sorry for the shorter chapter. I just needed to get my feet wet again after the long break from writing. Another chapter should be up within the week! And this time I will not break that promise. Haha! Yeah, I know, not a lot happened but bear with me. The next one will have more content I promise.

I just wanted you all to know this story isn't dead! Thank you for your support! I still look at all your comments from time to time to keep inspiring me to move forward with the story! Until next time!