Happy New Year everyone!
Welcome to Adventures of Quillion (Overwatch 2)! I hope that this arc will still be an entertaining one for everyone and that this time the quality would be somewhat better than the 1st.
Until then, enjoy and stay healthy, here's to a new year :D
For new readers, welcome! If you started with this story arc, you may find the story confusing because it does assume that you have read Adventures of Quillion (Overwatch) before this one.
*Gibraltar: Overwatch*
The island has seen dramatic changes ever since the legalization of Overwatch three months ago.
No longer a hidden organization and with the backing of the United Nations, Gibraltar Overwatch have undergone massive expansions that had made it unrecognizably bigger and brighter, especially to the locals of Gibraltar. In a few months, the world watched as the dark and gloomy mountain became a beacon of light and awe again for the world..
To cater to their new fleet donated by the UN, they built multiple new landing pads, which most of the crew felt were unnecessary as 90% of the aircraft are always in the air. Then came the diggers, who drilled deeper into the mountain to create more space for new departments and offices. Under Morrison's strict direction, he ensured that the mountain was filled with research labs or medical facilities instead of the barracks that the UN originally planned, relocating it to Gibraltar itself, to which he had to personally convince the local governor for permission.
The sudden influx of manpower incited an almost immediate conflict from the previous volunteers who had been with Overwatch since the Recall as many of the them demanded better positions and pay, a mindset that insulted many who had sacrificed everything to make the world better, not for wealth or reputation. In the end, it took the combined efforts of Smith and Winston to settle the matter.
Angela and Mei however, found the additional staff extremely helpful, as many contain some of the brightest minds of the world. In short time they have regained much of the research and studies that had been lost during the wars, theorizing that if they continue uninterrupted, they can recover everything in less than 10 years, twice as fast as previously projected.
Reinhardt, Torbjorn and Brigitte kept mostly to themselves, spending their time in the Engineering room and discussing their relevance to the future, as the need for Crusaders and Squires seems unnecessary with each passing day, especially when Germany has not said anything about reorganizing the Crusader Order despite earning worldwide recognition twice.
Ana and Faheera were also able to extend their leave, preferring to spend more time in Canada in peacetime, and even Lena and Lox were allowed some respite by Morrison himself, who had not sent anyone after them, instead merely asked Athena to track their whereabouts.
McCree and Genji were assigned to train the Peacekeepers, but strangely enough they were nowhere to be found, leaving only the most veteran of the Overwatch mercenaries to train them.
"Report" Morrison asked, sitting in his new and smaller office.
"Sir, the blue heads are well, they'll be ready before the next batch comes in" the old vet said gruffly.
"Good keep it up"
"Sir"
*Click*
"Commander Morrison, may we have an update from the scientific field? Some investors are concern about-"
"I have already ordered an update to be sent this Thursday"
"Oh thank you"
*Click*
"Commander, the local governor is still waiting for an update regarding the proposal that we need to pay rent for using this mountain"
"Tell him I'm busy"
*Click*
"Commander, we would like to remind you of the meeting in two hours"
*Click*
"Commander Morrsion, we have received some complaints about-"
"Commander, here are the minutes from last week's meeting-"
"Commander, regarding last month's report-"
"Commander, this city is still waiting for aid-"
"Commander, the organizational chart requires a review and-"
After an hour, Morrison sat back and groaned, taking every opportunity to breathe whenever he could, wishing that he had half the patience and stamina from when he was younger. He recovered his posture immediately when a knock came from the door and Winston poke his head in.
"Jack, you got a moment?" he asked, coming in when Morrison nodded.
"I got it" he continued, pulling out a peanut butter jar.
Morrison felt his eyes brighten for the first time in weeks, waiting almost impatiently for Winston to pull out a hidden bag inside the jar and inserting it into the dataslot on his desk.
"Athena, bring it up to screen" he commanded while Winston proceeded to eat the peanut butter.
*Location: Redacted*
"Howdy there boss, McCree here, but you already know that, just wanna let you know that your guess was spot on, problem was instead of her, we found a bunch of these mercenary boys looking for her too"
Taking the camera, he opened the door, revealing three men kneeling on the ground with Genji holding his blade across their necks.
"Why don't you'all be good boys and repeat what you just told us, then my partner there wouldn't give you guys a shave" McCree asked the middle man.
"We-We were sent to capture the shadow" he said in a thick accent.
"And why is that?"
When the man didn't answer, Genji pulled his blade up, making the other two men whimper as they glanced at the one that McCree was asking.
"We're just told to bring her in alive! Word was she got some kind of program to control god! I swear I don't know what that means!"
"Thank you kindly, you can go"
They watch the men scramble out of the room as Genji sheaths his sword. Once out of earshot McCree started laughing and waved at the air in front of him.
"Whew, they pissed themselves bad… Well boss, I don't like this, how'd they know what we know? They're just kids"
"Kids who managed to pin you to the ground until I showed up" Genji added.
"Aww c'mon you promised you wouldn't mention that"
Setting the camera down, McCree loomed into view and sat on a chair, lighting a cigar.
"Well, we have found this card, seems Chinese or something I dunno"
"And I already told you it is not!"
"How would you know? You're just a ninja"
After some bickering, McCree showed the card on the screen, and Morrison saw it was written in Tibetan.
"Here ya go, we'll be waitin' for further orders boss… Oh and Winston? I wouldn't eat that peanut butter if I were you, accidentally dropped into… You don't wanna know"
*Gibraltar: Overwatch*
Morrisons stayed silent as Winston spat out the peanut butter all over the floor.
Ever since their hunt for Sombra began, they had multiple run-ins with various parties at an increasing pace, each with the same motive.
Extract the suspected, God Program controlling code that she carries.
"I do not like this Winston, somehow these private parties know about it"
"Yeah… There must be a leak somewhere, we need to plug it"
"No point, the UN have already talked about this issue long before sharing the information with us"
"If I may Commander, shall I instruct them to proceed with the mission?" Athena asked.
"Negative, we are still far behind in terms of information, the next time we strike, Sombra must be there, tell them to stay put" he replied as he stood up and made his way to the door.
"Where are you going?"
"To prepare for the meeting with someone from the UN, something to do with that Peace Treaty that the Omnics are proposing"
"Remind me what they're calling it again"
"The Pax Aeternum, seems like those Omnics like Latin just as much as humans" Morrison chuckled and closed the door.
*Over the Ocean*
Lox knew many of the pilots who flew this shuttle, all of them were almost nameless faces who never did anything more than what was expected of them. Doubtless many of them were heroes in their own right, volunteering to fly into the fiery battle and deliver supplies or troops where they were needed at the risk of their one lives.
But none of them would've ever imagined to have a famous celebrity learning how to fly.
"Whoa! This thing can really bank!" Hana laughed happily when the shuttle lurched to the left.
"E-Easy now!" Lox shouted, grabbing onto anything for dear life.
"Why? There's nothing in the sky!"
Lena was also laughing with her, grabbing onto a handrail and allowing herself to be ragdolled around as Hana had her fun, which soon led to a somersault.
"Woohoo!"
"Watch it watch it!"
Hooking the yoke with her elbows, Hana pulled up and they just narrowly missed the water below them, flying just a few feet above the waves before rocketing back to the sky.
"This is way better than Flight Simulator!"
"Okay… I think that's enough for practice" Lox panted, fighting back the urge to puke.
"Aww really? We just started!"
"To be fair, its been an hour luv" Lena laughed.
"Really?" she cried and looked at her wristwatch "Alright then… How long would it take before we reach Brazil?"
"About… Three hours"
"What? That's what you said an hour ago!"
"That's because you've been flying us in a circle" Lena pointed out, showing Hana the circular flight path she just flew.
"Aww! Sorry about that, but thanks for the lesson Uncle Lox! I learned a lot!"
Jumping out of the seat, she skipped away, and Lox slumped in his seat once her humming faded away.
"You should take a break" Lena said, looking at Lox's pale face.
"Yeah… Maybe once I catch my breath…"
After checking that everything is in good order, Lena rearranged the Bobble Heads and the Onion Doll that had all been thrown off the dashboard during the somersault.
"Just a quick question, how much money we've got left?"
"Err… I think just enough to keep this up for another week"
"Really? What happened to the bonus we got from last month?"
"Fuel"
"Emergency fund?"
"Those carnivals ate them up"
Lena could only let out a "huh", never thinking that two adults could not keep up with one so young, even if she was some worldwide celebrity. They had been country hopping and spending lucratively while working odd jobs at the same time at the more expensive areas, rejecting Hana's offers to pay for some of the more expensive attractions after she had already chipped in for most of the fuel costs.
"Must be nice being that rich" she commented.
"Well she did act in Hero of My Storm, that movie alone would've paid for 90% of this trip"
Once Lox unstrapped himself and disappeared into his own room, Lena sat back and lost herself into the clouds, these many months had been quite a wild ride and have been exposed to many different experiences. Before she would just have a basic understanding of different cultures before going in, but she never had to mingle around for too long, so to actually experience it fully instead of just reading it had been eye opening.
The one thing that captured her attention the most however, was how strong the will of humanity is. The unbreakable drive to rebuild and carry on from almost everything that life throws their way is amazing, even poetic. A will that she needs to recover.
An alarm pulled her out of her daydream and she looked around frantically for the source of it. There must be a mistake, this sound has not been heard outside of wartime before. Ever.
"Where?" Lox shouted, scrambling back to his seat.
"I don't know, I can't find the source"
"What's going on?" Hana called out from her door.
"Strap in Hana! This is gonna get bumpy!" Lena shouted, putting on her headset.
"There!"
Looking at the rear camera, Lena could barely make out the trail of smoke in the clouds, streaking towards them.
"Why didn't the radars pick this up?" she asked, calibrating more power to the thrusters and setting off flares.
"Athena! What class is that missile?" Lox grunted, still sick from Hana's joyride but kept it in, as he began evasive maneuvers.
"I have scanned it multiple times but each attempt has failed, expected impact, two minutes"
"Flares aren't working" she said, unstrapping herself from the chair.
"Where are you going?" he shouted.
"I have an idea"
Tying an oxygen mask tightly around her face and a Pulse Bomb on hand, she took a second to gather herself, terrified but excited at the same time.
"You're out of your mind!" Lox shouted from his seat.
"I expect you to buy the drinks after this!" she yelled as Athena began the countdown.
"5…4…3…2…1…"
The ramp slid open and she was sucked out in a violent gust of wind. Tumbling around in the air and avoiding the trophies or fire extinguishers that flew out with her, she quickly regained her balance and looked around for the missile, which streaked past her so ferociously that she swears that her ears have been torn apart.
"Bollocks" she thought and Recalled back to the shuttle.
"One minute till impact" Lox yelled, but she could not hear him.
"Open the door again!"
With a little bit more control, she was able to balance herself quickly enough to see the missile and its flight path, but she was too far away to Blink to it.
"30 seconds!" Lox yelled when he heard her Recall back in.
"Fly to the right when the door opens!"
"Got it!"
Back in freefall, she was almost knocked aside by the shuttle as Lox swung it around. Activating the Pulse Bomb, Lena Blinked herself above the missile's flight path and saw it coming closer at a rapid pace. With the one hand she shot at the missile, getting a feel of its speed, before heaving the other arm back and threw.
The shuttle shuddered violently when the missile exploded just behind it and Lox fought to keep it under control. Fearing the worst, he looked back and whooped in joy when he saw the shuttle was still intact. Putting it back to autopilot, he ran down and was relieved to see Lena, coughing on all fours on the floor, smoking and shaking, but alive.
"I can't believe that worked!" he yelled, prompting Hana to poke her pale face out of her room.
"Imma… Imma..." Lena gasped, ripping off her mask before collapsing.
"Lena!" Hana shouted.
"She's fine, just tired" Lox said, checking her pulse "Help me take her back to her room"
Placing her gently on the bed, Lox was shocked to see the blood flowing from her ears.
"Ms Song, I'm sorry, but we are not going to go to Brazil, we need to take her back to HQ now to get her ears fixed" he said, applying what first aid he could.
"O-Ok…" she replied, shivering on the spot.
Once the adrenaline wore off, Lox suddenly felt sick and ran back to his own quarters, which Hana could hear him throwing up violently, causing her to be more scared than ever.
"Do not worry , they will be fine"
"B-But who will fly the shuttle?"
"No one, we will crash"
"W-What?!" she squeaked, feeling faint.
"I am only joking, I will be piloting the shuttle, you may return to your room to finish your chips" Athena chuckled.
*France: Annecy*
Walking out of the cinema, Quillion let out a sigh of relief that the movie was over, yawning and stretching his legs in the sun. He looked around casually, absolutely enjoying the fact he does not need to be alert and can just look around without a purpose. Taking in the sights and architecture, he was grateful that this city has been unaffected by both Omnic Crisis, therefore maintaining its authenticity.
It is springtime here so the generations-old flower shops have a sweet smelling aroma that complimented the fresh clean air, restaurants and cafes lined the streets, their displays and presence blended in so well with the beautiful streets.
His only question was why are there so many pharmacies?
Looking out a little further to the canal, he wondered if he would be able to meet Chipie and Tina today since it was getting late, which reminded him to grab some baguette later, as they enjoy the size he usually cuts them in.
A cold wind blew past him and he felt his body froze. He shut his eyes tight when he felt his surroundings melting away, shivering as a terrifying memory came crawling back.
He was back on the operation table. A woman was standing over him, a blade in one hand and a purple orb on another. He could not escape. There was no escape. He could only watch helplessly as the scalpel sliced easily into his body.
"Comment allez-vous?"
He opened his eyes, breathing hard as he tried to remember that he was in a public street. Only after several blinks he recognized Amelie standing in front of him, having just walked out of the cinema's toiletries and saw him hyperventilating against the wall.
"Are you alright?" Amelie asked again, passing him a handkerchief.
"Yeah… Just thinking about something that's all" he said, rubbing his forehead that was covered in sweat "Common, we'll be late for dinner"
She let him walk first so she could keep an eye on him. It had been a couple of months since his first episode, where he blindly tore their room apart as if trying to fight off an invisible foe, which forced her to use her grappling hook to tie him down until he calmed down. He had been adamant not to tell her what he was seeing, but he swallowed enough of his pride to explore what was the likeliest chance to trigger it. After a few experiments, they concluded that it was the cold that triggers it, something that is akin to a bucket of iced water or a large frozen metal sheet… As long as his torso is exposed to the cold.
Why it didn't happen sooner during winter, they do not know, however they also theorized that boredom could be the reason why his mind began to wander back to the past and both agreed that he needs to be out of the island, resulting in him finding a job in town. Now, like the 'normal people', he worked hard, earned a promotion, and is treating her to a movie and dinner.
Sitting in a restaurant overlooking the river, he had specifically booked themselves to be in a sheltered corner so they would not be disturbed, and he couldn't stop smiling at this achievement. It took him a month of scrupulous savings and overtime to eat in a proper restaurant and despite Amelie's insistence to cook in the manor instead, he can finally buy them both dinner here.
He was worried she might complain when the menu came, but she was courteous when making her order, even repeating in a civil manner when the waiter barely heard her the first time, as he was too distracted by her beauty.
"So what do you think about the movie?" he asked.
She said nothing.
"I thought it was crazy, I mean… Rise of the Zomnics? I mean, spreading a deadly virus that turns Omnics and people to eat one another? Even after decades Hollywood still can't think of anything original eh? But I have to admit, changing the infection style from biting to tricking the victims to eat the virus is a slight change"
Nothing.
"Do you think we would have time to see Chipie or Tina later?"
Nothing.
He hid his disappointment. He had forced her to follow him to the city for about a month now and each time she would just be as silent as a statue whenever they eat or walk. This round, he had hoped that taking her out for a movie would open her up a little more, but again it seemed to be another fruitless attempt.
"It was boring"
Choking on the baguette, Quillion drank his water quickly.
"What?"
"The movie. It was boring"
"Why?"
"They move so slowly, anyone could make those headshots"
"Well, they are just a bunch of office workers" he laughed.
After that she said no more, nodding to the waiter when he placed her order in front of her, which looked and smelled delicious.
A seared slab of meat sits on the side of a plate and three scallops neatly placed on the other side. The dish is divided by carrot sticks that were decorated in an 'x' shape down the middle as a divider and glazed with a generous layer of melted butter.
"That looks good, what is that?" he asked, opening the menu.
"Foie gras with sea scallops"
Her dish gave him a small sense of excitement as it looked exactly like the picture, which would mean his is going to look just as good.
It didn't.
In the picture, the duck breast is sliced and arranged neatly on the side of the plate, and the peaches, also sliced, on the other. What came was the total opposite.
The presentation of the dish looked like it was thrown together and handled with a hint of spite or insult. The duck was unevenly sliced and burnt, the peaches still had seeds in them, and the decorative sauce at the edges of the plate was simply a mess. In short, it was an absolutely disappointing sight.
Quillion tried to raise this issue to the waiter, but he had already turned away, seemingly going to another table. Looking around he saw that the restaurant had become busier since they sat down so he was willing to let it go, even if the next table had picture perfect dishes as well.
But Amelie wasn't.
"What is that?" she asked the waiter in French, putting out a hand to stop him.
He replied something that Quillion couldn't catch but it didn't matter as Amelie's mood darkened.
"You fix that dish now, or we are going to have problems" she replied dangerously.
"Hey, it's fin-" he began but it was too late when the waiter looked at him and smirked.
Silently, quickly, and using one hand, she whipped her hand at his crotch and grabbed his ear when he buckled over, slamming his head on the table. Quillion sighed and sat back, looking around casually to make sure no one saw or heard this, smirking back at the terror on the waiter's face when Amelie whispered something back to him.
Within the minute, his dish was replaced with a new one, this time, looking like what he paid for.
"Is it to your satisfaction?" she asked.
"I think we are blacklisted now" he laughed, seeing the waiter running back to the kitchen.
"It does not matter, the food is not worth the price"
"Ouch" he said, holding a hand over his heart sarcastically "I worked hard to get us here!"
"I told you not to work as a cashier"
"Double ouch! I got promoted didn't I?"
After dinner, they bought ice cream (to her disapproval) and took the detour that he usually takes after work, which was the path alongside the river. She didn't mind, secretly enjoying the walk after being stuck in a confined space for months.
"There they are" he said, pointing to the water.
She rolled her eyes, never understanding why people would find those things cute, and kept her distance, watching as he threw bread into the water. A couple of swans swam over and two ducklings rolled off their backs and started pecking at the food.
"Why do you only give those two names and not the parents?" she asked.
"Cause one has a small chip on its beak and the other just feels like a Tina"
Though the swans are somewhat familiar with Quillion, they still honk at him whenever he attempts to move closer to either Chippie or Tina, swimming in to block them from swimming closer when he tries to tempt them with food. Backing off, he dusted off his hands from breadcrumbs and motioned for her to follow, leaving the swans to their snack.
"When are you ever going to learn that they will never let you touch them?"
"One day they will" he said confidently, helping her to the boat they parked nearby.
The trip back to the chateau was uneventful, stopping just a short distance away to appreciate their work. New, towering wooden constructs have been built on the side and they have expanded the harbor, allowing more space for deliveries and boats in case of visitors, which was unlikely. Their proudest achievement however was the Floating Garden, where various vegetables are already near harvesting age.
All that's left is the final project that they have lost complete interest in, which was nothing more than a simple chair. It was an oddity that they both did not want to talk about, as they would tackle every project with dedication and enthusiasm, from pillars to wine holders, but this one sparked no interest whatsoever.
He was surprised that he himself made no effort to finish it, as the original plan was to build everything on the list so he could leave. Amelie has already proven that she could blend into society as a very quiet and private woman as long as she follows the proper protocol, so his presence is no longer needed, but instead, he found himself carving out a life here, even taking up odd jobs and making himself at home, which Amelie didn't seem to mind.
However this decision was not made lightly, as her words still rang clearly in his mind.
"Make us proud ya?"
For her to say that to him after saving him from death or even to remember him after decades of time, must mean that he must do something that will have to be equally grand or impactful to make it worthy for them, as he is sure they are watching. Something that will make up for their constant vigilance over him…
It was during these moments his mind wandered to Lena, who had not contacted them since she left, and he had often wondered what she could be doing. The annoying thing however, was how vague her reason was, as this 'soul searching' could mean anything… But, he knew her enough that she would not be leaving him here for much longer, since she has never really been a long term planner.
For now, he looked down on a cheap wristband he bought as saw that he still has about a week before he needs to be cautious again.
"Amelie, just so you know, there's about a week left" he said, hating himself to remind her about it.
"Just do what you need to do, we just have to be prepared" was the reply.
Once the pier was in sight, he saw that she tensed up.
"Something's wrong" she said, pointing to the harbor where a figure was waiting.
"I suppose you did not invite anyone?" Quillion asked, grabbing the axe when she shook her head.
"Welcome home Widowmaker, I trust you had a good rest" it greeted them when they approached.
It was an Omnic. A big one. Even with its heavy coat, they could tell that it hides large and powerful mechanics underneath it.
"You are trespassing Omnic, best if you leave now" Quillion said, jumping off the boat.
"Looks like you have trained your pet well, Widowmaker"
"Who are you? What do you want?" she asked, standing next to Quillion.
Opening its arms, the Omnic raised its head to the moon, as if receiving some permission from the gods before looking back at them.
"I come in the name of The Iris. And I invite you, Widowmaker, to join us"
Quillion gripped his axe tighter. Until now it has not addressed him and it was getting on his nerves. It was clear that it was here for Amelie, which would mean that he is considered as a disposable in this meeting.
"Iris? You should know that Talon agreed to only work for your cult, not join it" she snarled.
"Ahh my dear… You still do not understand? Within The Iris, humans and Omnics will stand together, united by compassion and…"
"I know the speech, I killed your puppet"
"He was no mere puppet, Mondatta was a martyr"
"Wait what?" Quillion asked, glancing at Amelie who ignored him.
"I take that your answer is no?" the Omnic asked.
No response.
"I was hoping that without Talon, you would cooperate as Mother deems your skills valuable" it sighed, standing up to its full height "I suppose this was the will of the Iris"
Taking off its jacket, it revealed huge armor plates that made it look like an armadillo, bulging metal parts whirring dangerously as blades protruded from its two arms.
"Plan C?" Quillion asked, walking forwards and twirling the axe.
"Plan E"
"Aww common, you always pick E" he complained but she had already grappled to the roof.
Seeing this, the Omnic made a move to jump after her, only to be knocked aside midair as Quillion rammed it to the ground.
"You think you can hold me off little man?" it laughed.
"It's been a while since I've warmed up" Quillion replied, doing his best not to rub his shoulder.
Choosing not to test his strength against it, Quillion weaved back and forth like a snake, hacking at it with the axe and carefully avoiding its strikes in return. This went on for a minute before both combatants lowered their weapons.
"Time to get serious now?" it asked him, crouching lower.
"Ready when you are" Quillion replied, cracking his neck.
They leapt at each other, this time with the intent to kill. It was surprised when Quillion was able to dodge most of its attacks and counter in return, the stalemate broken when the axe cracked after a particularly hard hack against its shoulder. Seeing this, the Omnic purposefully forced itself into another cut, snapping the axe completely and knocked the head away into the water in a shower of sparks.
Discarding the handle, Quillion jumped up to the ledge behind them and dodged the following attacks as it chased after him, staying away from the statue to avoid any potential damage to it. However, with each dodge, he became more confused.
This thing clearly could not keep up with an experienced nimble fighter, so why would they send this to fight Amelie?
A glint of light glittered at him from the roof, prompting him to dodge quickly to the side just in time when she pulled the trigger.
The Omnic buckled when a bullet ricocheted off the back of its knee and before it could turn around, its head was whipped aside as Quillion smashed a log across it. When it tried to get back on its feet, another shot tripped it to the ground and its head would be smashed by another hard object.
This went on for a while and when it looked like victory was in their hands…
"Gaze into The Iris!" it shouted.
A brilliant explosion of light blinded both Quillion and Amelie when it stood back up proudly, many arms protruding out of its back, each reaching out to the golden ring of light shaped as a halo around it.
"Do you see? The harmony of the future we all hold!"
"All I see is light pollution" Quillion said, shielding his eyes.
"Silly man, you lack the knowledge and faith to understand"
"First you rose against your masters, now you adopted a religion, you Omnics are really desperate eh?"
"What?"
Quillion could hear some discomfort in its voice and smiled, as long as he could keep it distracted, it would give Amelie more time to adjust her eyes.
"I suppose I can't blame you, since all AI are modeled after humans, it is only natural you machines would pick up our need of belief, problem is, that would mean yours will never surpass that of a human's"
He could hear it stomping over to him and its lights glowing brighter.
"Humans and Omnics on the same standard? Don't be ridiculous, you're nothing more than just 0s and 1s jumbled up toge-"
An angry grip closed itself around his throat.
"You dare compare Her to inferior programs?" it asked angrily before softening its grip "Then gaze into the light"
Feeling himself being lifted up, he found himself staring into the rings.
Amelie felt a slight tinge of fear when she saw what it was doing to him and quickly relocated herself. Knowing how attractive the Iris is, she had to act quickly before he would get sucked into its lies. In her haste, she nearly slipped and panicked when she saw the light were glazing over his eyes.
She was about to call out his name to rescue him from its lies when his words shocked all who heard him.
"You said it yourself… Inferior" he choked.
"Impossible… How are you resisting Her power?!" the Omnic shouted.
It yelled in pain as a well-placed shot penetrated the armor and the lights shimmered and died. Using its arms, Quillion spun himself free and kicked it to the ground by jumping off it. Looking up, he saw Amelie zipping down from the statue.
"About time… What took you... So long?" he gasped.
She first prodded the unmoving Omnics with Widow's Kiss before turning her attention to his neck.
"Does it hurt?" she asked, feeling him shiver when she touched his neck.
"No"
"What did you see?"
"What?"
"What did you see?" she repeated, her gaze serious.
"Nothing… Everything was too bright"
"You did not see Aurora?"
"Who?"
"Think! It's very important that you did not see Aurora!"
Taken aback, Quillion thought hard before shaking his head.
"Nothing, first there was light, then I was blinded" he said firmly and thought he saw her features soften before hardening back, her hands pulling away awkwardly.
"Err… Yeah… Let's see where this thing is from" he continued, breaking the silence.
It looked completely different from every other machine they had fought before, nothing about it resembles the Null Sector besides being built for battle. No range capabilities, far larger than a Nulltrooper but smaller than the OR14-NS or Bastion classes, and from what they could both tell, it has an almost animalistic nature to it.
"Here... HLC?" Amelie read, pointing to a marking under its shoulder.
"No clue"
"The Iris… Wills it…" the Omnic groaned suddenly, prompting them to back away.
"And what does the Iris will?" Quillion asked mockingly.
He saw its eyes shift to something behind him. Following its gaze, he saw that it was looking at what looks like a shooting star.
"You gonna make a wish or something?" he laughed and was about to look away when he realized that it was moving too slowly to be a comet.
Squinting at it, he saw that it was not only moving too slowly to be a star, it was still fast and looked like it was growing larger. That was when horror shot through him when he realized what it was.
"Who sent you? WHO?" he yelled, punching the Omnic, which only made it laugh.
"Amelie! We have to move!"
She was already running out of the manor with something in her hands. He was not sure when she ran in, but it didn't matter, their time was up.
Without missing a beat, they both jumped into the water as the missile struck the chateau, the force of the blast tossed them around violently. Following the light, they resurfaced and saw the fire had already spread over the entire estate, burning everything to ash in a roaring fire.
Centuries old history. Their home. Her home. Gone.
He didn't know how long they floated there, but they needed to leave the area quickly.
"Common"
Amelie didn't move, the fires reflecting off her eyes as she clutches to the object closer to her chest. Seeing that she was in shock, he wrapped a hand under her shoulder and began dragging her away, to which she began to struggle harder the further away they got.
"Hey!" he shouted back, whipping her around and forcing her to look at him, only to back down when he saw the rage that eclipsed his own.
"Je sais" she said and pulled herself free, making her own way to the shore.
When they reached land, they waited for the authorities who came just minutes later, and took what they needed before disappearing like a shadow into the woods.
"We need to know where HLC is, do you know anyone who will know?" she asked.
"Yeah… Do you still have your phone?"
*Undisclosed Location*
"Both attacks have failed" one said fearfully.
This caused a slight ruckus as everyone tried to comprehend how their attacks had failed. They knew exactly how their target's behaviors, tactics, and personalities were and where they are at all times, it should've been an easy shoot and kill mission.
All eyes turned to the one in charge, who gulped when he realized what he must do.
"I… Will report this and come back with further instructions..."
Leaving the room, he steadied himself. It is a rare event that they would fail, but lately they have faced multiple catastrophes that had ruined years of careful planning. Both Omnic Crisis have failed and even Talon has faced their demise in the hands of Overwatch, leading the world to another wave of peacetime, which would inevitably lead to another scientific evolution.
Making his way through the corridors, he took deep breaths to calm his beating heart. He is still unfamiliar with reporting failures and he absolutely despises being the bringer of bad news.
"Mother?" he called when he was outside the door.
"Enter"
He came in and bowed deeply on the floor, unable to look at her directly as the flashing lights turned its gaze towards him.
"I regretfully come to report that-"
"Both attacks have failed" she finished, returning to her work.
"Yes… Please… I need your guidance…"
"What guidance do you seek my child?"
"It is the others… I already told them exactly what to do and they continued to make mistakes! I gave them duties, I gave them the equations!"
"As I have already told you, a leader must be prepared to bear responsibility for the achievements and failures of the team"
"But it is not my fault!"
In a brilliant flash of light that blinded him temporarily, he prostrated himself once again, hiding his face as the light beamed through his eyelids.
"I love you all equally as my children, but do not imagine for a single moment, that I will not punish you as I punished the ones before you"
Fearful for his life, he remained silent until the lights dimmed, but even then he was afraid to look up.
"Rise my child, everything will be well" she said, returning her attention to her tasks.
"What do we do?"
"Let us observe for now, I am sure that those who wishes to do us harm will be forced to make the first move first"
"How do we do that Mother?"
Rising to his feet, he glanced up at the many brilliant lights whom they all call Mother, her gaze had refocused themselves on the people around Earth, studying their every move. The people she focuses on most, were the people who adopted her as their god, who named her The Iris, her enemies, who know her as IT, and finally to their most dangerous foe, the only one who is close to discovering who she really is, even going so far to name her as The Conspiracy.
"First we must ensure that the Omnic Peace Treaty is a success… To do that… I will personally deal with this Sombra myself"
Hello again,
For any readers who find that the story above seem to have storylines that lack the information how some characters are where they are (Eg: Dva hanging out with Tracer or even who on Earth is Quillion), you may want to try out Adventures of Quillion (Overwatch) for the full context.
Otherwise, thanks for taking and interest and I hope that you will join me through this arc :D