Happy New Year everyone :D
Whew, this chapter is taking way longer than I thought, so gotta be a 2 parter for this.
*London: King's Row*
The murmuring prayer from the monks and followers of the Shambali became just as loud as the cheers just moments ago, all of them eagerly waiting and praying for Zenyatta's speech. All agents of Overwatch were on high alert, looking around vigilantly for anyone that seemed suspicious, but none more intensely than Ana, Lena, and Winston, who were the only ones who knew that someone had the jump on Angela.
Patiently waiting in the skies, Fareeha and Hana hovered parallel to one another on the other side of King's Row, being a constant presence and watching where the others could not (to Hana's disappointment, as she wished to see Zenyatta speak). Behind Zenyatta stood Genji, whose hand was always near his wakizashi, while Brigitte fought not to squint at the many lights glaring at them.
Boosting their watch were the more rested servicemen from the Metropolitan Police, elements of the City of London Police, and a team of the SCO19 on standby (upon strenuous request), all strategically placed within and outside of King's Row, ending with a strong perimeter where both Commissioners were stationed with Torbjorn and Mei.
Finally, Morrison is back in his darkened office, peeking out the curtains, his visor and Pulse Rifle within reach, endlessly filtering updates from the ground, obsessively trying to find their targets before they strike.
But despite their strong presence and experience, no one felt at peace as the rare, cloudless skies hung a reddening Moon, glaring over them, as if the God Program is mocking them.
With no further word from the Russians besides 'Landed' and Reinhardt being unusually quiet, all Morrison could do is hope that the Talon scum will at least do one good in their lives and complete the mission to protect the world, an idea that he despised. The world's last hope is in the hands of the terrorists that were hell-bent to destroy it only a year ago? All for the promise that Reaper will have one last chance to settle their age-old score?
He has never hesitated to invest the lives of men so long as the victory is the outcome, and a direct invasion to the headquarters of the world's greatest threat on the Moon was a literal waste of lives. While Talon lives are the only waste that he would ever gamble with, he does feel slightly saddened that Quillion's life was also diced in, but since he is not an Overwatch member, the decision to go was his and his alone.
His 'backup plan' does not give him confidence either. Relying on a hacker, whose self-declared vendetta against this 'Conspiracy' could very well just be a cover for hidden agendas, to complete the mission? The odds are stacked heavily against him.
All in all, the outcome leaned heavily towards failure, therefore, Overwatch must be ready to do its part to protect the Earth once again. Should they fail, it means they will be forced to do the unthinkable to ensure Earth's survival.
He felt his hand tremble at the thought. His whole life was trained to fight Omnics, machines made of bolts, metal and wires. Should the mission fail, and the God Program enslave millions of innocents around the world…
"Stop thinking and do your job" he scolded himself, forcing to refocus back on the event below him.
… the pain that all of us have suffered was real, the past that we survived had left horrendous scars that would never fade, all the fears, anger, and uncertainty are rightfully justified and must be answered for.
Forgive me, but I do not have the answers to those questions, but I know for certain that the future will have the answer to those questions…
"Good speech, bit winded, but it's working" Ana called to him, who grunted in agreement.
The crowd stood like statues, mesmerized by the speech, and therefore making it easy for them to track any suspicious movements, to which there were a few. Quickly tagged and escorted out by the police, they were annoyed that many of these suspects were no more than opportunistic thieves or pick pockets, however their watch had bolstered the image of safety for the public and boosted the morale of the local authorities.
"I don't like this, it's all too quiet" he said.
"Maybe they had destroyed IT" she replied, making him chuckle.
"Something that powerful would not go down that easily"
"Well, we wouldn't know until they come back"
"Didn't think you want to see me dead"
"Oho? The great 76 scared of the Reaper?"
A knock from the door, interrupting him before he could reply.
"Sir? Mayor Nandah sent us some refreshments"
He did not answer, taking time to collect his visor and weapon first, pondering how to respond.
"He's halfway through his speech" Winston said, reading a real time, continuously updating copy of Zenyatta's speech and a measurement meter above it on a tab he was holding.
"Over there, think he's up to something?" Lena pointed, already ready to pounce.
"Let the police handle it" he replied, indicating one who was already making her way through the crowd.
Annoyed, Lena paced around the middle of the roof. The mention of Mondatta's name in Zenyatta's speech were unexpected daggers but she was able to remain calm.
If they could salvage Mondatta's dream and make it a reality, everyone who had been affected by the war that she failed to prevent, will not have suffered in vain. She must do everything in her power to ensure that tonight's signing will be carried out without any problems. In addition to her obsession of the success of this mission, she was almost drunk with suppressed anger at the still-unknown perpetrator who attacked Angie.
Her growing impatience was not unnoticed, and Winston made sure to keep a close eye on her, theorizing that her judgment has been clouded for the desire to succeed and to catch whoever was the one who attacked Angela. Despite this, he was not without emotions as his own familia instincts demand to find the perpetrators as well.
However, for now, they must wait for the enemy to strike first.
"The eclipse is almost complete" Lena said, trying to distract her mind and glanced up.
"Yes… And to think the Moon was once so beautiful" Winston sighed.
"What's it like up there? During the eclipse"
"I never enjoyed it. The reddening surface, the Sun disappearing behind the Earth… But it was hauntingly beautiful in its own way. Just too bad it is home to a God Program"
"Don't worry, like you said, Quil's got it covered, and everyone he's with are tough as nails"
"Ahh yes, of course" he chuckled.
Silence dragged on for a moment before she broke it.
"When did Jack say IT'll strike again?"
"Possibly when the speech ends or when the eclipse is at its zenith"
"What do you think is going to happen? Like how they'll try to do this?"
"I'm not sure… With Jack watching from the Meridian, I highly doubt they would strike from the back and coming from the crowd would be unwise, especially with Genji and Brigitte there. Fareeha and Hana have the skies and I doubt anyone could hide from Ana… I don't know"
"What if the people… Ya know… Get controlled?"
"One thing at a time" he said, unwilling to entertain the thought.
"Yeah, I suppose you're ri-"
The window above Zenyatta shattered and everyone watched in shock as two figures flew out of it. Immediately, Genji stood between his master and the intruders, blades at the ready, while Brigitte raised her barrier and positioned herself between Zenyatta and the crowd as the police rushed in, themselves quickly forming a perimeter.
A mighty kick sent Morrison flying into the podium, narrowly missing Zenyatta and shattering it into pieces. Without hesitation, Genji attacked just as it stood up, slashing his blade as he Swift Strike through the target, resulting in a shower of sparks before somersaulting back to put himself between the attacker and his master. To the average onlooker, it looks as if Genji has full control of the fight since his opponent could only defend and not attack, and Genji only stepped back to ensure his master's protection.
Little did they know that he stepped back because he was nearly killed by his own blade.
"That one is dangerous" Zenyatta commented, having also seen how it attempted to redirect Genji's attack.
With stealth no longer an option, Alpha 1 unsheathed blades from its forearms and charged towards Zenyatta, who merely watched with curious interest. Refusing to give ground, Genji met the charge, tripping it by throwing shurikens at its legs, followed by a kick to the head while it staggered.
Falling flat on its back, it attempted to stand, but just as it sat up, it was shot to the ground by Morrison, who was back on his feet.
"I must confess, we had not planned for the great Jack Morrison to be here… We were sure that it would be McCree" Alpha 1 said, trying to sit back up but was forced down with another shot.
"Sorry to disappoint, now tell us where are the rest of your friends are so we can go home"
"How could you have known there are more of us?" it asked with a slightly shocked tone.
"I have my methods" Morrison growled back, surprised that his bluff worked.
It took a moment before Alpha 1 realized that it had completely and naively lost its element of surprise. Admittedly the starting of Zenyatta's speech before they could locate it had forced them to act, and planned to dispose McCree first while the other two waited inside for Zenyatta and the bodyguards to come back in.
What should it do now? Call off the attack? Order everyone to attack? Order half to attack? Wait for a better opportunity?
Before it could come to a conclusion, both Morrison and Genji pounced, capitalizing it's inexperience for combat, and in an almost fluid and flawless move, they flipping it face down and had its hands and feet tied.
Scattered applause came from the onlookers, many had remained where they were through the whole ordeal, marvelling in awe at Zenyatta's calmness and the skill of Genji, who was said to be the best student it had ever raised.
"Do you need help?" Lena called hurriedly, her Chronal Accelerator whirring aggressively to Blink.
"Stay where you are, its buddies will do something stupid soon" Morrison replied.
Finalizing its calculation, Alpha 1 gave its order.
"Activate it! We need it now!"
Upon receiving the order, the Omnic in the church jumped down from the scaffolding and rushed to the one they call Mercy and stabbed her sides, linking up to the nanobots and restarting her dormant cells back online.
"It is secured" Genji said after double checking the handcuffs.
"Good, let the police handle it" Morrison nodded.
"Err… Guys? Was the church ever that bright?" Brigitte asked.
Even before she asked, everyone had already turned their attention to the steadily glowing brighter to their right, and to everyone's shock and confusion, an angel walked out from its doors, her arms and wings outstretched towards the Moon.
"Angela?" Genji muttered.
*Moon: Horizon Lunar Colony*
"Who the hell is Calvin?" Reaper asked, snatching the paper to make sure he read it correctly.
The hamster recoiled, shrinking to the edge of the table with its ears down, and looking at them with big, fearful eyes, prompting Sombra to immediately stand by his side.
"You lost lil guy?" she said, fighting back the urge not to scoop him up and give him a good squeeze. At least not in front of them.
"Okay, if a hamster that size is alive up here, that means there's food and water around" Quillion guessed.
"And you're saying that out loud why?" Moira shot back, annoyed at the mentioning of the obvious.
"If the God Program is as complicated as you all say it is, isn't this good news? That IT seems to want to preserve life up here?"
"How is that good news?"
"If IT took the time to keep this one alive for so long, maybe we don't have to fight in these suits"
Everyone considered the possibility, weighing their combat effectiveness against the risks. If the God Program truly desires to preserve life up here, could they use that to their advantage? Or are they underestimating how much IT'll be willing to sacrifice to kill them?
A loud chittering caught their attention and when they looked at the hamster, it had already scribbled out more words on another sheet of paper with what looks like the head of a pencil between its paws.
"I Calvin. Mother dangerous"
"The hamster writes… He's Calvin…?" Moira said numbly, her turn to state the obvious.
"The Mother? Wait, you mean the God Program?" Sombra asked, almost letting out an excited 'awww' when it nodded in return.
"Check that thing, it could be an Omnic" Reaper added.
"My pleasure" Moira said, prompting Sombra to scoop him up first.
"Calvin's not an Omnic! If he were, I would've already detected it"
She immediately felt herself blushing when they all stared at her, but thankfully her helmet hid much of her face, so they did not notice. Sombra checked Calvin for any wires or potential traps that it could be carrying and found that he was not only clean, but he was also surrounded by a small EMP field.
Inspecting him gently, she concluded that the little wristband on one of its paws was emitting the field as the hardware in her fingers flickered when they were near it. Curiously she tried to touch it, but he gave a warning nib, and her efforts to link up to it was completely negated by both the EMP and strange firewalls.
Other than that, he's just an oversized, chubby furball that understands English.
"He's clean" she said, putting him back down on the table.
"We've wasted too much time, we need to go to the source now" Reaper said, looking out the window and saw that the reddening surface was becoming brighter with each passing second.
"Agreed, let's go save the world" Reinhardt added, shouldering his hammer.
They were interrupted by a loud squeak. Looking at Calvin, they half expected him to write like before, but instead, now it pulled out a small, folded piece of paper from its mouth, and handed it to Sombra.
"Do not hurt friends" she read out loud "Friends? You mean there's more of you?"
"Many" he wrote out.
"Calvin, just now I smell something like a monkey, are there monkeys up here?"
When Calvin shook his head, Quillion sighed in relief. For a second he thought he was stuck in some weird recreation of the Planet of the Apes situation. If that were the case, an ape has always been stronger than any of them could hope to be, and if even one got the jump on them, the operation may end sooner than they planned, which was why when Calvin let out another loud squeak, his heart sank when he read the note that he pulled out.
Apes dangerous
"And… How many?"
Calvin merely tapped its front paw over 'Many'
"I'm going" Reaper growled.
"Wait, we should-" Sombra protested but he ignored her.
"Hamsters, Apes, Omnic, traps, I don't care, it's all the same to me" he said, ignoring Calvin's chittering and walked out.
Stunned, everyone stood still for a moment until Reinhardt started laughing.
"I feel like I just traveled back in time!"
"Keep it down!" Moira hushed but he ignored her.
"He has not changed at all eh? Too bad the boy lost his way"
"Boy? You're only older by 3 years!"
"He's still in his fifties, I'm in my sixties, that makes him the boy"
Through the entire ordeal, Sigma had not moved from the window, both hands firmly pressed on the glass and resting his head on it, almost like he was reunited with his loved one. Only when Reinhardt and Moira started arguing did he looked down.
"Is that a hamster?"
"Where have you been for the last minute?" Quillion asked.
"Comprehending something you would never understand, you neanderthal"
"Eh? What's up with that response?"
"Asks the one who believes that the Milky Way were formed from the breasts of an imaginary god"
Under normal circumstances, Quillion would've laughed. He had almost forgotten about that and had not expected to be reminded of it here. Not wanting to cause an outburst from the mad scientist, Quillion merely shrugged and approached Calvin instead.
"Alright, Calvin, I guess you're here to help?" he asked, which was answered with a nod.
"Do you know where most of the traps are then?"
Another nod.
"Show us" Sombra said, revealing the map in front of him.
"Idiots" Reaper thought as walked out "Obsessing over a hamster deep in enemy territory"
If this were Blackwatch or any other team that he oversaw, he would've killed the hamster right there to avoid further distraction and re-establish the discipline of the team. Frustratingly, he is not the leader of this team, so simply killing it would breed a bigger distraction for the team, therefore the only thing he could do is what he does best.
Search and destroy.
Unwilling to discard his space suit, he moved with extreme caution, checking and listening for any clues that he could pick up, which was infuriating. Being in the eclipse meant the Moon is under the shadow of the Earth, which means more darkness, which means it should've been so easy for him to move around freely if not for the cursed suit.
Despite his caution, experience, and enhanced body, there was nothing he could pick up saved for the occasional low, hollow hum that softly resonated around him, or the fading voices from the team behind. To make things worse, he knows he is being watched, forcing him to be extremely selective of the places he would 'hide' behind.
If avoiding detection was not possible, he will make sure that they'd pay dearly when they inevitably come for him.
Ignoring the large archway that leads to the next section of the Colony, he instead used another door on the right. Cautiously studying the room, he became more convinced that the God Program seems to have some sort of interest or attachment to keep things alive up here.
In front of him were two extremely different worlds. To the left was a small farm, a couple of banana trees and a small potato farm (evident with a few freshly plucked ones next to it). To his right was the jaw dropper; behind a large pane of glass, drenched with humidity, was a forest with fully grown trees inside.
Directly in front of him were shelves of a cabinet that, judging by the plant life brimming from it, must be linked to the forest. The plants also looked like the ones sealed in the large, cylinder capsules littered around the room, and attached to it was what looks like a large oxygen meter.
Finally, when he peeked through the shelves, he could see another archway in the middle, with the words 'Training Facility' painted on it.
This discovery encouraged Reaper. The fact that the Colony remains as a self-sustaining machine, which could not have been easy for a bunch of hamsters or apes to maintain, could mean that the God Program had not only invested a sizable amount of effort to keep this place functional, but it does have a desire to keep things alive.
Conclusion: This is potential leverage.
Harnessing the natural darkness around him, he formed a small shadow ball and tossed it to the middle of the room and waited for any traps to trigger.
"Wait up" Quillion whispered harshly as the team caught up with him.
"Keep quiet and stay down" he growled, his eyes glued to the shadow ball.
"Never knew you could do that" Moira said.
"Yet he could form guns from his arms at will, curious" Sigma added.
A loud squeak came from Sombra's hands and Reaper looked at her disapprovingly when Calvin's head poked through.
"Please do not tell me all of you actually trust that thing" he asked in disbelief.
"Why not? No hamster would be stupid enough to lie to us" Reinhardt replied.
"Have you ever met any hamsters that talk to humans?"
"Not at all! This is the smartest hamster I've ever met, therefore it couldn't be lying!"
"Very well. Hamster! Tell me, why is there a forest up here?" Reaper asked sarcastically.
Expecting Calvin to pull out another note, they waited for a little while before realizing that this time, he was merely staring back at them.
"Well?"
"I don't think that he prepared a note for every question we have" Quillion said, to which Calvin immediately responded with an approving squeak.
"How convenient, so we should trust every animal we would come across up here then?"
"Except the apes" Sigma corrected.
"Of course, of course, we should never trust the apes, only the hamsters…Reaper growled.
"Let's just review where the traps are" Sombra said.
A quick review had confirmed Reaper's suspicion that they were being watched constantly, with plenty of firepower pointed at them, and the only thing holding them back were Calvin and his horde. They were the supposed first line of defense against and as they speak, the God Program was allowing the hamsters a rare chance of autonomy and waiting for them to strike.
This leisure however, will not last long.
The God Program has always viewed the hamsters only as necessary creatures of burden and nothing more, therefore She fully expects them to fail and is currently waiting for them to gather so She could cut down their population and the intruders in a single blow.
"And you got all that… From a hamster that can't talk?" Reaper asked in disbelief.
"I may have paraphrased it, but I think that's the gist of it" she replied, pulling out folded pieces of paper from her pocket.
Everything was going too slowly and Calvin became more nervous. If they would use a word to describe The Mother, it would be that IT demands efficiency, and the inaction from the hamsters for this long would've already aroused suspicion. They need to get out of the line of fire now or they'll be annihilated.
Tapping his leg on Sombra's palm, he waved a note and pointed towards the banana trees.
On my command, run.
"Well, after you, I'm staying here" Reaper said when she read it out to them.
"What?"
"I want to see what this God Program can do"
"Sounds like a good idea!" Reinhardt shouted with enthusiasm.
"No. You're going to the trees" Reaper shot back.
"Now now, don't steal all the fun! We old-timers must stick together, teach these kids a thing or two!"
"You just called him a boy just moments ago" Moira thought.
"Quallion! Lead them to safety! We're gonna have a little warmup"
Scowling, Quillion just looked at Calvin, who was pointing at the trees aggressively and deduced that was the signal. Not wanting to waste any time arguing, he cautiously stepped out first and without bothering to check, just beckoned those who'll follow, to follow.
No sooner had he reached the trees, did the base suddenly come to life with gunfire.
*Gibraltar: Overwatch HQ*
"Hurry up!"
"Almost… There! Go!"
They didn't see what happened, all they heard was a large splash and Athena shouting at them to rescue McCree, so once the last piece of armor was torn off, the younger man dove straight into the water, his eyes stinging as he searched for McCree.
When he could not find him anywhere near the surface, he went up for air and dove back down, his mind racing how McCree could even sink that fast, even with a metal arm.
Half a minute passed and the lights from above dimmed as he swam deeper into the darkness, breeding a sense of dread for the worst. He is one of, if not the best swimmers in the base, and if his lungs are already screaming for air, the chances for McCree to hold his own for longer has become critical, so if he does not find him soon…
Thankfully, A muffled 'bang' and a flash of light came from his right. Darting towards it, he thought he felt a strange current blowing past him, but ignored it when he finally spotted McCree.
Both waited patiently as McCree coughed and gasped on the ground, his robotic arm still clutching his hat tightly.
"Anyone got a mouthwash?" McCree gasped.
"Sir?"
"I know one of you kissed me, I need to wash it off"
Encouraged that he still maintained a sense of humor, they pulled him his feet and were glad to see that he did not suffer any serious injuries besides a slight limp.
"What happened?" McCree asked.
"We're not sure, we were looking over those boxes when we heard a loud splash"
"Heh… Guess you really panicked since one of you ran for help"
"What do you mean?"
"Didn't your mom ever teach you to always close the doors behind you?"
That's when they noticed that the doors that they came through had been thrown wide open and upon longer observation, they noticed a few cracks around the hinges.
"Athena?" one of the men asked.
"The door threw itself open, but there is a water trail" was the reply.
"Aww hell… Common, let's go huntin'" McCree groaned, checking his revolver.
There were 10 flights of stairs leading down towards the harbor, in the middle was the Storage Room where both food and ammunition were stored and acted as, in Morrison's own words, one of the many 'Supply Depots' for the whole base, while also served as an unofficial Bunker should the need arise (something that people had always made fun of Morrison for).
Not wanting to alert it, McCree ordered them to move slowly and had the man with the shield (whom he personally refers to as Shieldman) to take the lead. They move cautiously up the stairs, crawling up so slowly that they memorized how many steps per flight (25). Judging by the trail of water, they can assume that whatever climbed up was either a whole squad, or at least really big, since the water covers the entire 12 feet wide staircase.
"How did you not hear the doors being forced open?"
"You think I'd do it on purpose? Maybe you missed it when I'm taking off your armor!"
"C'mon boys, focus. Plenty of time to point fingers later" McCree said.
A loud clang gave them pause, raising their weapons and waited. The light on the walls flickered slightly, something that had never happened before, breaking them into a cold sweat.
"Athena, anything?" McCree whispered through a communicator.
"I think it is in the Storage Room above you" she replied in his earpiece.
"You think?"
"Whatever it is I can't see it, I can only speculate where it is by tracking water dripping from it"
"That's some cloaking device, is it still dripping?"
"Yes, but not for long"
"Alright boys, we've got some bad guys up in the Storage Room above us, now this is good news" McCree assures the nervous looking men "That room leads to nowhere with walls reliable like a pair of jeans, so all we've gotta do is lock it inside"
"A pair of what?" Shieldman asked.
"Good, lets go"
As they approached, they could hear the tapping of metal and an occasional bang from the Storage Room. Climbing up four flights of stairs quietly was far more exhausting than any of them had anticipated and fought hard to keep their gasps and heavy boots quiet.
"Athena?" McCree breathed, barely above a whisper.
"It is still in there" she replied.
"Alright, you two, the other side of the door, if it comes out, don't let it go up the stairs"
Nodding, both wiped the sweat off their face and continued ahead. McCree watched them carefully coordinate their movements, Shieldman being the first to peek and motioning when Spearman will move over to the other side of the door before he does so himself. In position, they signalled McCree the okay sign.
So far so good, all they needed to do now was to lock the doors and hope that whatever was inside would be too deep or slow to notice, especially when McCree had lost all of his flashbangs to the bottom of the harbour.
Hoping that the large vault-like door would not creak or groan or have those large metal sounds that the movies usually show, he pressed his thumb on the pad. They all winced when the door emitted a loud hissing sound and they pointed their weapons towards the door when it came to investigate.
It was a hulking figure, almost the size of a large bear and walked on all fours, complete with striking features that concerned them.
First thing they noticed was the many metallic tentacles on its back, endlessly pointing around as if they were the eyes and seem to be protecting something at their base that's emitting a red glow. Second, where they think the head should be, is what looks like the barrel of a cannon, and none of them was eager to find out what it shoots. Finally, the many plates of armor that covers its body.
All in all, it looked like a mutated cross breed between a bear, turtle, and an octopus.
"Whew… That's one ugly contraption" McCree said a little too loudly, resulting in all the tentacles looking at them.
"You and your big mouth…" Shieldman groaned.
Immediately it charged like a bull, the barrel glowing and its tentacles revolving around its back in the air in a hypnotizing pattern. McCree could do nothing but watch helplessly as his bullets ricochet off its metal armor harmlessly no matter where he shot it.
"McCree? What are you doing?" Athena asked.
"Athena, close these doors quicker!"
"Look out!" Shieldman yelled, who had noticed something strange.
The longer tentacles have disappeared from view and he had kept an eye out for them since. When they finally reappeared, shooting forwards from various parts of its body, he stepped forward to meet them. If it weren't for the shield's defensive mechanisms, he would've flown into the air immediately when the tentacles hit him with the force of a car.
Seeing that the doors would not close in time, Spearman timed his jump into the room, slammed the back of his staff to the ground, and braced it against the machine just when it reached them.
Though it was not stunned by the shock of electricity, the staff was sturdy enough to lodge it in place, just enough time for him to roll back out of the doors before it shut down on him completely.
"Ballsy boy, that's real good work. How do you spell your first name again? Gonna recommend you a medal" McCree said, helping Spearman to his feet.
"Oh no we are not doing that again" he gasped.
"What?"
"That's the question you always ask when you forget our names"
"Were… All of you fighting the intruder?" Athena asked.
"Yeah, why? Couldn't you see it? That thing was ugly. And big" McCree added when a loud gong sounded through the door, the machine vainly trying to punch through 20-inch worth of reinforced steel.
"No… I could not see it"
"Weird, that thing ain't cloaked. No matter, it's trapped in there and it ain't getting out. By the by, what's going on in London?"
"There is a concerning update"
*Moon: Horizon Lunar Colony*
Once everything became quiet, Quillion raised his head from the ground, risking a stray bullet just to check if they're alive.
Next to him were Sombra and Moira, both also starting to look up, awkwardly wiping off the dirt from the front glass of their helmets. In front of Sombra, buried in the dirt, was Calvin, who was also rubbing out dirt, but from his ears, having just used it to muffle out the deafening sounds of the fight.
Looking around the room, he could make out the flickering blue barrier of Reinhardt, the whirling darkness of Reaper, and the floating figure of Sigma through the dissipating smoke, revealing a trail of rubble and scrap in their wake.
"And that's how it's done" Reinhardt said proudly, walking over and raising a fist at Reaper, who was closest to him, for a fist bump.
Seeing this, Reaper merely walked away.
"Aww common! You always leave me hanging!"
"Now listen here Reinhardt" Reaper snarled, turning around to face him "This is not a vacation. We are not here to have fun. We are here on a suicide mission which you should never have been involved with. So why don't you just shut up, let us do our job, make yourself useful, and think of a way home?!"
A pause.
"You're just mad I destroyed more turrets than you"
"I'm sorry, I believe I have ownership to that claim" Sigma interrupted when he heard them.
"Nonsense! Did you not see how many turrets my Fire Strikes destroyed?"
Muttering murderously, Reaper just left them to argue and moved towards the potato farm where Quillion and the rest were still laying low.
"Get up" he spat at Moira.
"Are you sure it's safe?"
"It'll be a lot more dangerous if I bleed out. Get up and heal me" he growled.
"They make this look too easy… I guess we'll just let those three be the vanguard and we'll be fine" Quillion groaned, sitting up and watched Moira placed her hand on a slider that Reaper opened on his suit.
"I wish. This was only the first line of defense and things are gonna get worse as we go on" Sombra replied, studying the markers Calvin provided.
A bright light illuminated the Colony and the sound of thousands of generators roared to life around and underneath them, causing everyone to ready their weapons for the upcoming attack which never came.
"Sombra, what's going on?" Quillion asked.
No answer.
"Sombra?"
Looking down, he was shocked to see her clasping her hand, clearly in pain.
"Moira get over here! Are you hit? Where are you hit?" he demanded, tearing her hand away and looking for blood.
"It's starting, I can feel it starting! We gotta go now!" she seethed.
"What?"
"Calvin! Tell us what's next, quick!" she gasped.
Pulling out and skimming through random notes from its mouth quickly, they waited a few seconds before he finally found the one he was looking for.
Turrets n mines
"Reinhardt! Reaper! Both of you have any experience navigating through minefields under fire?" Quillion shouted above the noise.
Their annoyed looks were all the answers he needed.
"Alright, good, we'll move around the corner of the field, and I'll trust you guys to step up if things turn sour. Let's go" he said, dragging Sombra to her feet.
"Now who put you in charge?" Reaper asked, confronting Quillion.
The memory of Reaper's hand around his throat flashed through his mind when he heard those words. His pride as a soldier burned to say things along the lines like 'Really?' or 'I'm in charge now', but once more, he kept his mouth shut with logic.
A direct comparison demanded that Reaper should take command. He is a proven fighter, experienced in this era's warfare and battles, was a leader of Blackwatch, and if he was not some homicidal terrorist, Quillion would've gladly gave him the reigns without question.
"Fine… What do we do then?" Quillion asked, ignoring the disapproving look from Reinhardt in the back.
Taking the most direct route, a barrage of metal and pellets were shot at them when they passed through the archway. Naturally, Reinhardt took the lead, taking great care to read the health of his barrier, voicing a warning to everyone when it reached critical or if he needed to let the Lion Crest rest, lest they risk losing the barrier permanently.
Assisting him was a surprisingly good coordination with Sigma, who was coolly balancing offense and defense, destroying any turrets within the reach of his spheres while maintaining a solid defense against incoming fire whenever Reinhardt needed help. Recognizing this advantage, Reinhardt would send out a Fire Strike and swing his hammer randomly at the ground in front of them, clearing the route of mines as much as he was able.
"This is tediously boring" Sigma said, almost groaning, as he raised a boulder and threw it at a mine that Reinhardt missed.
"Perhaps the lack of resources prevented it from creating an army to stop us" Moira said, making sure to be in the middle of the group.
"Do not worry, I am sure IT has something fun in store for us!" Reinhardt laughed.
Quillion hates to admit it, but he had thought the same. Ever since they passed the rocks, everything that was in their way has been insultingly amateurish. The minefield was laughably predictable, the turrets were exposed and unarmored, easy targets to destroy even with the lowest setting of his rifle. Even Reaper was able to disable one just by shooting in the general direction despite the distance.
If this were a battle of attrition, IT has massively miscalculated since their ammunition is arguably limitless, and from how Sombra described, IT is not one to miscalculate anything. Because of that, everyone had a lingering question like a shadow.
"What does IT have in store for them?"
Unbeknownst to them (and rightfully so), Calvin looked at them in awe. He had never imagined that Earth had housed so many mighty heroes in its ranks to be able to stay so level-headed against such pressure. This will greatly encourage the rest of the horde that their beliefs in their inspirator, their hero, their true leader, Specimen 8, is the mightiest hamster of all, as they had heard rumours from the apes that he had done nothing but fight against humans ever since he escaped with Specimen 28.
How they waited for this day that they will be liberated from The Mother's grasps so they can be reunited with him, and it looks like their dream will soon become a reality.
Alas, such is reality that things will never go according to plan.
In their haste to get to the Observation Room, they completely ignored the gym, in doing so, completely missed the troop of apes situated on the tires hanging from the ceiling, all in awe at the combat proficiency of the intruders. Having been told that the turrets and mines would severely weaken whoever dared to invade their home, they were told that they only needed to 'finish the job' when the time was right, so the very sight of these people almost casually walking through their defenses, shook their resolve.
"We can't fight that" one said.
"But Mother's watching" came a trembling reply.
"What are you all doing? Get them!" Simon shouted through their headpieces.
"But… They don't look hurt or tired at all!" one protested.
"Just do it! Or you'll have your rations cut in half!"
"Useless" Simon growled.
He watched as the young apes finally pounced on the intruders, but it was terribly sloppy, evident that even with the element of surprise and knocking out the tall, skinny female, they were still being fought off by the others. If it were him out there, he could've easily defeated and presented them all before Mother in an instant, if not that such a task is beneath him.
As the leader, he should not even have to be looking at the screen nor be waiting this long after telling them what to do.
"Simon"
"Mother! It is not my fault! It's the others who are taking their time!"
"Why didn't the hamsters attack?"
He was puzzled for a moment when he realized he had forgotten that She had asked him to go find out why the hamsters did not appear in the first line of defense.
"Because they are cowards, they always have been!"
"Just do it"
He shuddered at Her tone, as if She was being stern about something, which was something quite rare. Everyone knows that the hamsters have always been unappreciated towards Her and cowardly in nature, so to be annoyed at them was akin to being annoyed that bananas take a long time to grow.
A cry of pain attracted his attention and he saw that the apes were driven back by the shadow and the hammer wielding man. Furious, he tried calling them to turn around and grab them but was completely ignored by the terrified apes.
Mother had specifically told them to not allow them to make any progress beyond the Training Facility, and they are about to fail Her.
"Bah! Dyson, do we have any more robots?" he yelled.
"No, why?"
"Meet me outside, we are going to take those intruders down ourselves"
*London: King's Row*
Already high from religious fever, both people and Omnics cheered and prayed at Angela's dramatic appearance, some even believing that she was some form of avatar sent by the Iris, but to Overwatch, this was a worrisome thing. Angela has always been reserved and the last thing that she would ever do, was to put on a public display.
In a flash of blue, Lena was the first one to reach her, followed closely by Winston. They tried to grab and drag her back into the church, but with surprising strength, she threw them both off as if they were children and took off into the air.
"Witness! And rejoice! For the Iris will bring back IT's Servant!" Angela yelled, her voice clear and loud.
"Angela! What are you doing?" Genji yelled.
"Mercy, stand down!" Morrison shouted.
Ignoring them, she flew and settled on the statue of Mondatta, to which the crowd followed, herding towards her with much rejoicing.
"Pharah! Dva! Get her outta there!" Morrison ordered.
Receiving the order, they started towards the statue but their thrusters suddenly went offline. Struggling momentarily, Fareeha was just able to avoid major injuries by manually detonating a Concussive Blast just as she was about to hit the ground, while Hana could only brace herself for the crash. Thankfully they fell into the side of King's Row where it was impossible to see or hear Zenyatta and all public holo-vids were set up closer to the fairs instead of the Repair Shops here, so collateral damage was minimal.
"Hana!" Fareeha shouted.
She only made a few steps when she suddenly lurched to the side. Scrambling behind a wall, she readied her Rocket Launcher and cursed when she inspected herself for damage. Whoever it was that shot her was either very lucky or precise because the sniper had effectively grounded her with a single shot to her Jetpacks.
Quickly recalling her training and the rare conversations that she had with her mother regarding her soldiering days, she took off both her shoulder guards. Throwing out a piece, she immediately dropped to the ground and just when she tossed the second piece, a shot punched through the wall where her head was a second ago. Grunting, she narrowly avoided the second shot by rolling backwards when the second piece of armor flew into the open.
"Semi-Auto, High Caliber, Advanced Sharpshooting Programs" she thought bitterly, after looking at the unnervingly accurate shots that even her mother would struggle to make.
"Pharah to 76, Dva's down and I'm pinned down by a sniper"
Static.
"76? Bastet? Tracer? Anyone?"
Unnatural light shone out of Angela as she hovered over Mondatta's statue, burning the image deep into the faithful's minds and hearts as they looked on with reverence. An angel of the Iris had surely come and is showering IT's blessing over all of them, approving of their faith for Mondatta and its relationship with the humans.
"Bastet, sleep her now!" Morrison shouted.
Without hesitation, Ana loaded her rifle with the Sleep Dart and was about to shoot when she heard the wooden floor creak behind her.
"Bastet? Ana? Ana, do you copy?"
"Hark the revelation of Iris our Mother! Here are Her words: My servants never die!" Mercy shouted in declaration.
With arms outstretched, Angela raised herself towards the stars, light emitting from each tip of her wings, and some even thought they saw rays piercing through her eyes, as the nanobots forced her body and engineering to submit to authority that was never her own. Angela could feel her very life force depleting rapidly as the powers needed to complete the Revival soared.
The world looked on anxiously, Overwatch stared helplessly, and IT watched gladly as Her servant began twitching once more. If there was anything that IT was proud of, it was to be personally involved with the construction of this pretentious image that had successfully fooled the world so thoroughly.
For years, it held the hand of a little girl as a sign of union between the innocent and machine, itself staring deeply into an orb to guide the lost into enlightenment. For the first time in years, it slid its hand off the little girl's and stepped down from its pedestal and a beam of light shot straight towards the Moon.
For the first time since that night, onlookers started to chant its name.
"Wha- What are they saying?" Lena asked, getting up to her feet, and froze at what she saw.
The statue has moved. The statue that gave her endless nightmares, one that she had worked so hard to ignore for she was unworthy to see its face, has moved, its saintly voice loud and clear for all.
"Praise be to the Iris" it said.
Mondatta has returned.