*India: Outskirts of Utopaea*
After the recent terrorist attack that deleted half a building, the city is in complete lockdown, its Architects upgrading the already large and formidable network of surveillance and barriers around the city in hopes to catch the ones responsible for this. Every vehicle, flight, and even bicycles are closely monitored by Sentry Turrets, dissuading even McCree and Genji from going in.
"I still do not know why we didn't just wait in Tibet" Genji said, annoyed that he is even here instead of visiting Nepal.
"Hey we gotta take the initiative here, especially since the base was attacked, they must be getting their hands full from them UN knuckleheads" McCree replied, putting down his binoculars.
They had driven around the city multiple times to find some way in but the city had become a fortress. Fortified with additional Hard Light walls and watchtowers that only this city can produce overnight, they were stumped.
In the past they would've took their chances and just walk in, relying on their bounty to dissuade all but the most innocent or idiotic police authorities. Now however, they are both recognized heroes of the UN, they cannot enter any city or country without permission, lest they create more problems for Jack, something they were not keen on doing.
"And what does this 'initiative' have to do with our original mission?" Genji sighed.
"Come come now, I know you can't think but at least try"
"Apologies that I do not think like a fool"
"Takes one to know one" McCree said, lighting a cigar "EMP attack? Can't find the culprits? I think it's pretty obvious who did it"
"Which could've been anyone"
"Or it could be the one we're looking for"
Genji jumped down from the roof of the car and looked around at the beautiful fields and mountains nearby, trying to distract himself from the uneasiness brewing within. The problem with secret missions against the world's best hacker was to sever all conventional means of communication with base, leaving them with painfully slow updates via delivery drones and short notes hidden in peanut butter jars to avoid suspicion.
Worst still was that the last message they received was two days ago, which is as vague as their previous exchanges:
Attacked. Situation contained. Await further orders.
Ever since then, they have been in the dark because there was some storm somewhere over the ocean, stopping all drone deliveries for possibly another day, which prompted McCree to have his 'initiative' to move out.
"Welp, looks like there is no way in, let's go to a nearby town and think of another way" McCree yawned.
"Hand me the communicator, perhaps there is an update about the deliveries"
"Don't worry, I'm sure your girlfriend is alright"
"That is not the only thing I want to check" Genji lied.
"And what might that be?"
"None of your business!"
"If you say so" McCree laughed.
Climbing into the car, McCree turned the keys and the engine shuddered to life, which annoyed Genji slightly. They are already limited in terms of cash and he just had to rent a car that still uses keys, its almost antique quality doubled the cost compared to a more modern vehicle, all because it 'reminds him of home', leading Genji to believe that Americans are way behind in terms of technology.
What made the experience even worse is that McCree has a habit of smoking and drinking as he drives, filling the car full of smoke and alcohol.
"How can you breathe this in?" Genji asked, winding down the windows.
"What? This?" McCree asked and grabbed the cigar from his mouth "Wanna try?"
"No"
"You know, these aren't as bad as you'd think"
"Having one lung left would make you reconsider that option" Genji said, absentmindedly tapping the mechanical side of his chest.
"And that is why we got the good doctor to patch us up"
"I do not appreciate that you plan to take advantage of her" Genji said, his words laced with anger.
"Oh right I've always wanted to ask, how'd you secure a fine catch like her?"
"What?"
"I mean, she could've gotten any man she wants ya know? How'd a little guy like you get a hot doc like her?"
"McCree…"
"I mean, how many docs you know got a nice pair like hers? They're practically bursting-"
The car grew green as Genji threatened to draw his katana, the dragon seeping out of the scabbard and clawed dangerously at McCree.
"Apologise, or I'll send your head back to the Deadlock Gang"
"Aww common, there's no need for that, stop being such a - OWW!" he shouted when one of the dragon's claws scratched his thigh.
"Hey! Get your lizard under control- OWW!" he shouted again when sharp claws slashed across his arm.
"If you do not apologize soon, I doubt that even I can hold the dragon back" Genji mused, unsheathing the katana further, allowing the dragon to move closer to McCree.
"Okay! Sorry alright? Now get it off me before we crash!"
The green light disappeared the moment Genji sheathed his weapon, reluctantly reining the dragon back just before it had a chance to bite off McCree's hat.
"I will accept your apology… For now…"
"Okay partner, real talk? You need to chill"
"And you need to grow up"
The rest of the drive was uneventful and uncomfortable, counting down the time as they drove to the nearby town that they had decided to be their base of operation, tolerating each other's presence as quietly as possible. Thankfully it only lasted for half an hour.
It is a small place and only saw hints of modernization, most importantly it has no tourist attractions so they do not have to worry about people, it also left them with a single hotel that mainly serves as a pitstop, meaning not much questions will be asked. Problem was, it was already late and despite the exchange rate, they realized too late that both of them had just enough cash to check in for a couple of nights.
"You've gotta be kidding me" McCree sighed, checking his wallet once again.
"Why does life have to be so hard…" Genji lamented.
It was the most difficult thing that either of them had to do in their lives. Both of them have personally survived through impossible odds, McCree travelled the world as a wanted man bringing in other wanted men, even losing an arm in the process. Genji was hunted down by his own brother and had most of his body severed by said brother.
Both of them went through hell and then some by fighting in both the First and Second Omnic Crisis. But now, what they were about to do will eclipse the pain and suffering they endured, summoning every fibre of their experience and patience to the task at hand.
Sharing a room.
The door swung open and revealed a cozy little space complete with everything one would expect of a hotel room. However, to their despair, there was only one bed.
"That's it, I'm sleeping in the car" McCree said and was about to walk away when Genji stopped him.
"The car is out in the streets, if anyone saw you, they'll eventually link you back to Overwatch"
McCree thought about it for a moment before realization lit up in his eyes. Smiling and patting on Genji's shoulder, he laughed.
"I am glad we can come to an agreement" he said with a smile, confusing Genji "And here I thought this is going to be difficult"
"Excuse me?"
McCree didn't hear him, instead he walked over to the bed and, with his boots still on, plopped onto the bed. He pulled out another cigar and was in the process of lighting it when it was pulled out his hands.
"Hey!"
"What do you think you are doing?" Genji snarled.
"What we've agreed, don't tell me you have second thoughts now, cause I've already made myself comfortable"
"What agreement?!"
"That you'd be sleeping on the floor"
"I have made no such agreement!"
"Eh? Isn't that why you stop me from going out? There's only one bed here, what else are we going to do?" McCree protested.
"Since you were prepared to sleep in the car, I was going to suggest you sleep on the chair and I sleep on the bed"
"Now how was I supposed to know that? Since you Japs like to sleep on the floor!"
"Excuse me?"
"Common, you guys do everything on the floor! Eat on the floor, sleep on the floor, meditate on the floor, heck I'm surprised you know what a chair is"
"Damare konoyarou! Listen here McCree-!" Genji shouted.
*Next room*
"This is why I never want to get married" Sombra sighed as angry bickering muffled through the walls.
"Don't be like that, I'm sure not all couples are as loud as they are" Baptiste mused, opening a bag of baby carrots.
They had been hiding here for nearly a week and her bleeding had finally stopped, with their energy recovered and their next target set, he waited patiently until she felt it was a good time to move. Sombra has opted to stay for now and he is relieved to hear it, for many months they had been actively on the move and barely had enough chance to rest.
Now, for the first time since he teamed up with her, he felt fully refreshed, holed up in a relatively secure place, and their suits are fully charged for the first time in months. In short, they are more than ready to either tackle HLC or break her friends out wherever they are held in.
However, he had noticed some changes in Sombra's demeanour. Normally whenever they are hiding or waiting, she would pass the time by hacking seemingly random objects or catching up with the latest tidbits or news article to blow his mind with background information that would be impossible to know if one does not know where to look. Now she spends most of her days eating carrots and watching cartoons.
"Maybe she's still in shock, losing all 4 fingers so suddenly is rough" he thought.
Another outburst came from next door, catching the attention of Sombra again, who looked at the wall with annoyance.
"Want me to go tell them to shut up?" Baptiste asked.
"No, it's fine…" she said, returning her gaze at the cartoon, subconsciously massaging her stumped hand and testing how much pressure she could apply before feeling pain.
After a brief silence, Baptiste spoke again.
"Should we find out who those two were in the temple? At least we'll know where they are or if someone else is coming after us?"
"You do that"
Troubled by the response, Baptiste half heartedly pulled out the Multi Purpose Device from the bag again and navigated to the facial recognition page. Removing an eyepiece from the sunglasses, he inserted it and in no time, found some information about their new hunters.
"Ex war boys, nerds of the class, family men, loves his job… Did you make up these descriptions?" he asked, holding up the tab.
"Yeah I got bored after a while"
It only took him a few minutes to feel a slight chill at their accomplishments. The men are brothers and have served together for years. Veterans of the First Omnic Crisis and were involved in every major battle that were key victories behind the survival of India.
Despite their advanced age, these two were favourites when it came to silencing some targets that were deemed 'too difficult' for normal authorities to handle, acting as enforcers during the Second Crisis in the background. What caught Baptiste's eyes was that they had yet to fail a mission.
However, their record was not all clean, both were bad fathers, made bad financial decisions, and had accidentally killed a bypasser who accidentally bumped into one of the brothers, enticing a violent response from both of them. In official records, they were supposed to be in jail, but due to their wealth of experience, they were 'hired' by the government to 'capitalize investments' to decrease their sentence.
"Looks like we got lucky, they're bad news" he commented, skimming through all the missions that the brothers had been involved in "Even I doubt I could've taken them on if they were expecting me"
"Good thing you were there then…"
"Yeah, well, when do we move? Do we go back to Dorado to get… Upgrades for your hand?"
"You mean replacements" she corrected bitterly.
"Yeah, replacements, just let me know when and I'll pack things up and-"
"We aren't going anywhere"
"What?" he asked, confused.
"Let's just stay here for another week… Until the pain stops"
He looked at her strangely, thankful that the shouting from the next room grew ever louder so there were no awkward silences. Just a month ago he almost had to tie her down to recover from a particularly nasty wound she sustained from one of their hunters, so to hear her deciding to stop is a very concerning thing to hear.
"You still dizzy there? I think you meant another day?" he said tentatively.
"Nah… I'm sure we are safe now so a week is fine…"
"Isn't that too long? Even if those guys won't find us, I'm sure others would, remember the mercenaries in Tibet? Those two from Overwatch? There are many people looking for us to just sit still"
"I've used better hacks, this time no one would find us"
"What about your friends? You said you are going to break them out right? We gotta go to HLC and take them out!"
At those words, Sombra's hand trembled and dropped the carrot that she was about to eat. Surprised, he picked it up and offered it back to her.
"I thought the 5 second rule is a myth? You should know Mr Doctor" she said sarcastically, trying to brush off her obvious discomfort.
"I cleaned these floors myself, so its safe" he replied, dropping the carrot into her hand "But unlike the floor, this hotel ain't that safe"
"I already said we'll be fine"
Deciding to let it slide for now, Baptiste stood up and stretched while the muffled argument grew violent in the other room. They listen with interest when soft thuds, even loud clattering or breaking can be heard.
"What could they be possibly arguing about?" he thought and looked out the window.
The streets are now vacant as the dinner rush is over and a few occasional vehicles would drive by and break the silence as they make their way to the nearby bars. They had undoubtedly had a good rest, but he could feel that it had begun to dull his senses, something that he is uncomfortable knowing, as he only survived this long because he was always alert.
But… Perhaps she is right… Though he tries not to underestimate the next potential group of hunters, he maintains a fair reserve of confidence, especially after his last scuffle with the brothers, both who have considerable experience on paper but were nothing compared to Talon Kill Squads. If he could hold them off without a scratch, the rest should be easy enough.
Or so he thought when a faint clicking noise could be heard over the sound of the neighbours.
"What's that?" Sombra asked, dropping another carrot and turning off the holovid.
Before any of them could react, the EMP grenade went off, deleting the front door in a flash of light, immediately followed by a flashbang that disoriented both of them.
Just as the brothers charge in the walls came crashing down.
"When I'm done with you, you'll only need half the hat!"
*Next Room - 1 minute earlier*
"- and that's another thing! Your stupid fighting style! It's old son! Upgrade yourself a bit!"
"Better than your stupid cowboy antics! We are literally near the end of the 21st century and you still use a six-shooter!"
"Says the ninja who only flicks stars around!" McCree shot back, hiding the surprise that Genji knows more vocabulary than he usually thought.
"They're not stars, they're shurikens!"
"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't know you named them! Do you have a little baby book that you use? What else did you name?" McCree asked sarcastically.
"I can introduce you to another one right now" Genji shouted, pulling out his blade, unleashing the Dragon from its confines.
"I'd like to see you try!" McCree shouted back with equal anger, his revolver and flashbang at the ready.
They stared at each other until a 'bang' sound was heard.
Ryuin no ken wo kurae!
Step right-
Seeing that he could not attack in time, McCree dodged away as Genji slashed down, his blade slicing through everything so cleanly that it might as well not be there. Before he could turn around, a flashbang stunned him for a moment.
Blinking away the effects, he recovered just in time to see McCree had aimed his revolver but was able to deflect the two shots easily.
"Your bullets are too slo- ARGH!" Genji shouted when McCree punched him in the groin with his mechanical arm.
"Well, looks like they do still work" he said when Genji dropped to one knee, clutching his groin "Two bullets, two balls"
In a fit of rage, Genji tried to return the favor, but his punch was kicked away.
"Unlike you I always protect my family jewels! Now stay down or- OWW" he shouted when the Dragon clawed at his arm once again.
"Okay now that's unfair!" he shouted, rolling away from the giant lizard and raised his revolver at it.
Genji leapt into the air, both hands gripped tightly at the handle of the katana, his murderous gaze almost flashing through his visor. How dare he think that he is a worthy foe for the Dragon?
"Whoa not the hat!" McCree shouted, just managing to duck away from the slash that tore down the wall behind him.
"When I'm done with you, you'll only need half the hat!" Genji roared and was about to continue his attack when he felt four pairs of eyes looking at him.
Gulping down his anger, Genji turned around slowly and leaned forward in an apologetic bow.
"Gomen'nasai, we did not mean to interrupt your evening" he apologized.
"Now you've done it" McCree scolded, checking his hat for cuts "This is going to come out of your paycheck, not mine...Oh"
"McCree! Apologize!" Genji hissed.
"Err… Partner? Better look up"
Genji grunted in annoyance. It was bad enough that he lost his temper, now he had to follow stupid instructions to put up a show that Overwatch's people have good teamwork with one another. However, his frustrations were cut short when he saw who the eyes belonged to.
To his left, was Sombra and Baptiste next to the sofa, to his right, were two men who looked like brothers due to matching outfits and noses, who looked like they just barged into the room. All staring at them in complete shock.
"Oh"
In the split of a second, all guns (and a katana) are pointed to each couple.
"Well… Looks like an ol' Mexican standoff" McCree said, trying not to sound too happy.
"This does not concern you American, leave" one of the men said.
"Now look boys, all we want is those two over there" he replied, nodding his head towards Sombra and Baptiste "Everything else is yours"
"We are not going anywhere with you!" Baptiste spat, keeping his weapon pointed at the brothers.
"You cannot have them, if you interfere, you will regret it" the other man snarled.
"Look, I'm sure that we can all come to a nice, civilized…" McCree continued until his Deadeye locked onto the targets.
Four shots rang out and everyone's weapons flew out of their hands. Now defenseless, Sombra tried to throw a Relocator out of the window, but it was cut apart when Genji saw and dashed to it, preventing blocking the escape route.
Seeing an opening, both of the men reached into their jackets but froze when McCree stepped in front of them, his revolver high and ready.
"I know what you're both thinkin', did he fire six shots or only four? Cause after all that excitement, I forgot myself. But my baby Peacemaker here, is a revolver designed to take down big bad Behemoths, so we can only imagine what it'll do to a man… So you gotta ask yourself one question. Do you feel lucky? Well do ya punk?"
First there was no movement. Then McCree saw that both brothers made motions to pull out their backup weapons, prompting him to run.
"What?" Genji asked when McCree jumped past him.
"Get down!" McCree shouted, grabbing both Sombra and Baptiste and shoved them behind the sofa.
"Why didn't you shoot?!" Sombra shouted over the gunfire.
"Guess they felt lucky" McCree said, opening the cylinder and ejecting the shells.
"You didn't have ammo?!" she shouted again, unable to believe what just happened.
"Hey not everyone feels that lucky"
"And you didn't have ammo?" she yelled yet again.
"Well, now I do" he replied, after he reloaded his weapon and stood back up to fight, but he didn't need to.
An already anger fueled Genji has taken care of the men, resorting to hand to hand combat and knocking them both out with such ease that Baptiste now knows why the cyborg ninja was near the top of Talon's hit list.
"Welp, now that's that taken care of, let's get down to business" McCree said, holstering his weapon and grabbed Sombra by her hand, causing her to cry out in pain.
"Wait stop! Let her go!" Baptiste protested but McCree kicked him back down to the floor.
"Sorry son, but I ain't gonna do that, we know what she can do with her left hand" he said, giving it an extra squeeze in an attempt to find her fingers.
But instead, all he felt is something warm flowing down his hand.
"What?" he asked and saw that the sensation was caused by blood leaking out of the bandage.
"Is that blo… bl…" he muttered. Then his face paled like a ghost... Before collapsing to the ground.
Baptiste immediately tended to Sombra, who was paralyzed by the pain as her wounds reopened. Seeing this, Genji relaxed his posture and knelt down to check on McCree.
"What happened? Was he shot?" Baptiste asked.
"No, he never liked blood. What happened to her?"
"I don't know, but please, don't arrest me, at least not before I stitch her up, she'll bleed out if I don't do anything about this now"
"Then follow me" Genji said as distant sirens grew louder.
When the authorities rushed into the room, they were shocked to see the damages that had been done to the Hard Light material. The wall, the furniture, even the doors has either been cut or blown apart, both requiring either military hardware or miracles to pull off.
The most puzzling thing for them however, was two unconscious men on the ground, their arms and legs bound, and a note next to them.
Guilty
*Near the Hotel*
"Whagoin'on?" McCree mumbled, squinting at the white light above his face.
The last time he woke up with white lights above his face was when he visited the dentist, or when he flashed himself in the face that one time, or when he was in the Medical Bay. Before his eyes could adjust, he heard someone moving nearby.
"Please tell me you're not the teeth doctor…" he said.
"You mean a dentist?" a woman replied, prompting him to smile.
"Well, if you look as pleasant as you sound, I suppose it doesn't matter"
He heard her snort and before he knew it, cold water was doused into his nose.
"Hey hey! At least ask before you do that" he coughed and sat up.
"Then have more respect for women"
Blowing the water from his nose, he was shocked to discover that the voice belongs to Sombra. He rolled out of the table so quickly, he bumped into Baptiste, who in turn, knocked the cereal bowl off the table, which Genji caught with his foot.
"About time you woke up" Genji said, lifting the bowl back to the table.
"What's going on? Where are we?"
"You were knocked out, target required medical attention, we are now in someone's house, to which the girl assured is on vacation" Genji said, pointing his spoon at Sombra.
"I was knocked out? How?"
"Didn't know you have a weak stomach towards blood" Sombra said snarkily.
"N-No I don't! I just don't like to get dirty" McCree replied angrily, his face reddening as he looked for a cigar, trying to ignore the terrifying memory of blood on his hands.
"How are you even a cowboy if you can't stand the sight of blood? Isn't that like… Part of the life?" she continued.
"I do not have a problem with blood!"
"Oh really? I highly doubt that" she countered, brandishing a bloody rag in front of him, making him wince.
"Genji, what's going on? Aren't they our prisoner or something? Get over here and help me!"
"Yes they are, but I have not finished my own cereal yet" Genji said before crunching on a spoonful and watching with glee.
"Cereal? What time is it?"
"3am"
"OK everyone hold up!" McCree shouted so suddenly that everyone stopped.
Everything was happening too fast. First he fainted, then Genji somehow secured Sombra and Baptiste but they show absolutely no signs of being 'prisoners', and now they are all in someone's house? There are many questions that need to be answered and what he is about to ask is the most important one of all.
"Why are you eating cereal at 3 o'clock in the morning?" he finally asked.
"Of all the questions you could've asked, that's the one you go for?!" Sombra shouted back.
It took about five minutes to explain everything. How they avoided the police by jumping off the roof of the hotel to a nearby store, using the Multi Purpose Device to find a place where they could hide out and with the highest probability to find scissors and bandages, patched up Sombra's wounds and now waiting for the authorities to finish their investigation in the area.
It was not a clean escape however, as most of Sombra's and Baptiste's gear are being confiscated by the police as they speak. Translocators, weapons, research, healing grenades, etc, leaving them nothing but the Battle Suits that they had 'acquired' from Russia. Their lack of gear gave Genji enough confidence to allow them some breathing room as they could not hope to defeat or escape from him even if they wanted to.
Plus, the cereal is a brand that Angela used to eat when she was younger so he decided to try it. He concludes that it will take some time to appreciate its flavours.
"Alright… So… Technically we captured them, so why didn't you call it in?" McCree asked.
"There is still a storm so the drones will not be here soon"
"Forget the drones! Why don't you just pick up a phone? We've already got the hacker!"
"The hacker has a name…" Sombra interjected, now sitting in the corner with Baptiste.
"Because this is a secret mission and the communicator stores will not be open until 9" Genji replied, ignoring her.
"Why do we need to go to the store?"
"The police have our communicators so we need new ones"
Genji slurped down the last of the cereal and saw the horrified expression on McCree's face.
"Do not worry, we will be borrowing money from him" he assured, turning his head slightly towards Baptiste.
"We gotta get those things back"
"What? Why? I doubt that anyone here can unlock the phone"
"Err… I may have… Not set a password for ours…" McCree said sheepishly.
First there was silence. Then a chuckle. Then a full laugh from Sombra, who accidentally slapped her hand down in hilarity and grimaced in pain, but continued laughing while Genji's hand inched closer to his katana.
Hey all, I hope everyone is having/will have a good day?
Just want to give a heads up that the upcoming chapters will be slower, especially for this month as I have to help out with the festive season and all (during COVID lockdown, imagine that).
So yeah, hope you are enjoying the story and I'll see you in the next one :D