Oops, I didn't post on time... Oof feels bad, sorry 'bout that guys.
Thank you all so much for your continued interest, I hope to see ya'll soon in the next and (hopefully a 1 Part only) chapter.
Stay safe, stay healthy.
*Major Character Death Warning*
*London: King's Row*
Seeing the danger, Mei broke out of her Ice Block and shot the very last remnants of her Blaster and a single ice pillar of her wall was formed in front of Torbjorn, saving them from the boulder that shattered upon impact. They watched in horror as it rose, dirty but unharmed, and the Orb within its chest was already repairing itself, the light returning as the dawn approached.
Genji and Echo immediately leapt into action in a shade of blue and green, but it was too little, too late. Though Genji had managed to unstabilize it with a mighty swing, Echo was unable to launch her sticky grenades through the gaps in Mondatta's chest. At most, the explosion, combined with her Focusing Beam, served only to cut a larger opening.
"Again and again, all of you prolong your pathetic little lives. Why don't you just die?" Mondatta said in pure frustration.
"Likewise" Genji thought and prepared his next attack.
"Genji! Echo! Get the others outta here!" Torbjorn shouted.
He hesitated. Surely Mondatta is more damaged than it's making it seem; they only need to press the attack to secure victory. However, the sight of Echo snatching Mei away like a blue hawk forced him to move. Avoiding the handful of rocks that Mondatta pelted at him, Genji grabbed the unconscious Fareeha and Dashed away to safety.
To add to Mondatta's ever growing frustration, four turrets materialised near Torbjorn and started to shoot at it. However, this was not what infuriated it; rather, it was the man standing between it and Brigitte, his facial features not of someone fighting in desperation, but of one in an uncontrollable rage to punish and to hurt, even as he endlessly collected scraps of metal, pouring them into each turret before hammering them. Pushing out of the rubble, Mondatta protected its chest as the turrets seemed to be focused on it.
"Common then! Common!" Torbjorn shouted, waving his hammer at it.
Mondatta paused, trying to check and scan the area to see if there were any traps laid out. If it learned anything, it was that these parasites would never fight it in any sort of "honorable" manner, always using tricks and underhanded methods. As long as it keeps its cool, it will thwart any traps that this little man could've prepared.
"What's wrong? Scared that your mommy would spank ya? Oilin' your robes in case you got a case of da rust? Preparing for some boring ol' speech that even a deaf man would cover his ears over?!"
"DIE!" Mondatta shouted, immediately charging at Torbjorn, fists raised.
Molten-!
Skidding to a halt, Mondatta covered its face and chest, expecting a shower of lava to pour all over it, but this time, its sensors did not detect anything hot.
"You conniving-"
Mondatta's thoughts were immediately cut off when it felt itself lurch backwards. Quickly scanning through the smoke, it saw that the four turrets that Torbjorn had set were different from the many years of study done on the Moon. All files were consistent in showing that these turrets were self-building, twin-linked barrels that automatically fired on hostile targets, so why were the sensors showing so much damage?
Its answer came when the turrets fired their deadly ordinances again and streaked directly towards its chest and exploded.
"Daddy… No…" Brigitte moaned, but her words were lost under the barrage of bullets that were still firing into the cloud of dust.
The last time Torbjorn experimented with this, it nearly cost him his life, and she knew he would be too stubborn to admit that he had made a major miscalculation before, even if it had been years since he connected himself to the turret, let alone four.
After the rise of the Omnics, Torbjorn invented a crude bio-link to attach his psyche into machines in an attempt to prove that Humanity does not need to rely on AI. However, this proved to be a costly mistake, for the strain was too much for his, or anyone's, mind to bear, for they had forgotten to program failsafes to guard against a machine's hunger. She does not know the exact details, but she knew enough that in the heat of it, her father did not lose his arm to the enemy.
If he is not careful, he might have another 'accident'.
"Must protect Brigitte. Must protect Brigitte" Torbjorn chanted in his head, his fury keeping him sane as he ran around and threw things into the turrets.
He was no fool. He knew the risks of controlling four turrets at the same time. However, there was no other way. Brigitte was in no condition to move, and there was no way the others would be able to come back and move her in time, for the looming shadow of Mondatta towered over them. Their choices were simple: fight or die.
And he would spit in the face of the Devil if it took him before he gave his all to protect his daughter.
Torbjorn yelled and shouted as he ran around the compound, collecting every scrap of metal or rock to throw into the turrets, willing them to prioritize the creation of missiles while literally watching Mondatta from each turret's point of view, using his experience to figure out where to shoot to slow it down, even if it was for a moment.
"Curse you! Curse you!" Mondatta repeated, forced back as the bullets threatened to penetrate its armor when it got too close.
Torbjorn saw it too, and Mondatta had been driven to the wall. He knew that it'd only take a few more shots to finally take it down. The problem was, he was running dangerously low on supplies to keep feeding the turrets, as their voracious appetites demanded far more than what this little square could provide. Unwilling to let this opportunity slip by, he made a drastic decision.
"Papa no!" Brigitte cried.
Torbjorn did not hear her as he plunged his Claw into the closest turret just as Mondatta's chest began glowing brightly, as if it was charging an attack.
Brigitte has heard about life flashing before her eyes when facing death. Reinhardt himself had sworn that within the span of the 'flash', it took his mind about ten minutes before it could cover everything that he had done, a feat that he claimed to have saved him many times, as it was 'impossible' for someone to die before they were shown their life.
There was nothing, nothing but the bright lights that shone so brightly that she could almost see Tobjorn's skeleton. But, they were not the only ones that felt fear. It was an impossibility, but there was another one who felt its cold grasp.
"Am I… Afraid? Why? How? Why should I be afraid when I am close to victory?!" Mondatta thought, unwilling to accept this new sensation.
Was it because Mother was no longer watching? Because this battle far exceeds its calculations? Or was it because, despite losing its most dangerous assets, Overwatch had now twice almost destroyed it? It itself had not held back any arsenal and yet, even at its strongest, it had failed to break their spirits? Why would Mother even install this useless feature into its hardware?
"No… I must not question Her" it scolded itself, quickly diverting its anger and insecurities back to its attack.
Whatever happens next, it must, MUST, eradicate them one by one. No more reservations of power nor a lack of caution. If it had to unleash a power that is akin to a hunter using the power of a nuclear blast to kill a single rabbit, so be it.
Torbjorn stood firm and threw everything he had on him into the turrets, dismissing all thoughts of one and only concern now is to give his daughter the best chance of survival, and he will gladly die to see it through. In the end, it was the giant roar of the machine that finally gave him pause.
"Brig, in case I don't make it out of this… Know that I-" Torbjorn began, but something happened.
First the white pillar of light came roaring at them, then they thought they saw a glimmer of blue zipping in front of them. Then it was quiet.
"Is… Is it over?" Brigitte asked, cracking open an eye but could only see darkness.
"Don't worry luv, I'll handle this" Lena said before Blinking away back towards Mondatta.
*Moon: Horizon Lunar Colony*
Sombra struggled against the magnets but knew that it was futile to do so. The Conspiracy had her fingers at ITs mercy once again, and Sombra could not help but feel the terror of the pain that she had bore just months prior. However, the upgrades that Overwatch had granted her had proven their worth, for even without her direct, conscious commands, her fingers would continue to hack, albeit slowly. Still, it proved to be a great source of comfort for her, as she could vaguely see it filter out the path codes, allowing her to focus.
"Tell me Olivia, why would you do this? Why would you come to the Moon yourself? You are usually more subtle, manipulative" the Conspiracy asked.
Sombra ignored IT, her deep breaths coming close to hyperventilation as she tried to calm herself. She has to at least find the engine or ignition for this metal ball. From the corner of her eye, she could see Quillion, unable to stand because of the pain, watching helplessly as he watched, his left hand fumbling in his pocket.
Whatever plans he had, he had better be able to pull it off, especially when she felt IT hacking into her systems once more, albeit noticeably slower than before.
"Do you truly believe that what you are doing is right? That I am wrong in my methods? I am making the world a better place, while you strut about with your false notion of 'freeing the populace from the Conspiracy'"
"We don't need your help" Sombra shot back.
"You have seen the world and what it is capable of. You know, deep down, ignoring all your talk about human emotions and pain, you know that I am right. The world needs correction and it can only be done by Me"
Sombra did not answer.
"You humans. Even when you are wrong, you will continue to lie to yourselves when the answer is right in front of you"
Sombra's eyes widened, not because of what the Conspiracy was saying but because, whether by accident, oversight, or just the simplicity of it, the almost primitive hacking codes in her fingers somehow found a direct link to the Launching Sequence. It was surprisingly direct, simple, and not behind a complicated firewall, and she had a strange feeling that IT didn't even notice this.
Still, to activate it, she'll need to use both hands.
"How about you Mr Quil? What do you think of my assessment?" IT asked, IT's other voice still debating with Calvin.
Somehow, the ape holding Quillion knew that IT was talking to him, and immediately let go, allowing him to drop to the floor, groaning.
"Well?"
"Don't answer" Sombra spat, though trembling as she did so.
"Yeah… I do…" he groaned, pushing himself up to a kneeling position, dazed by the pain.
"Excellent, I so do love a conversation"
A gunshot came from the outside, but everyone was too scared to investigate.
"You are right, we humans are far from perfect, and you? You definitely have something going on to fix everything. If I was born here, I'd be one of your most loyal soldiers" Quillion said through gritted teeth.
"Oh?" IT replied, not expecting this answer.
"In fact, after thinking about it… I think your cause is worth fighting for…"
"What are you talking about?!" Sombra said, shocked.
"Think about it… This… Iris? And Sigma… Both of them are brilliant minds… And they both agree that Humanity is doomed to destruction... All of us need a beacon to know how to proceed" Quillion replied, and pulled out the remote that Zarya had passed to him.
"A remote control that is specifically designed to kill Olivia… Volskaya had done well to keep this a secret. I am very curious to see how it works" IT said after a brief scan of the remote.
"Let's make a deal… I activate this remote… And I go home… Back to Earth… To make it a better place…" he said, almost fainting now from the pain.
In a flash of a second, The God Program ran through millions of simulations in an attempt to predict the best outcome, and one seemed more prevalent than the rest. Regardless of whether this man kills Sombra or not, or if IT has them all killed up here, the night had proven that IT would need someone to infiltrate what's left of the Human resistance.
Overwatch and the United Nations have proved to be far more difficult to eradicate, and ITs new simulations showed that both would prove to be terrible risks to ignore for future generations, especially when all predictions show that the barbarians in Australia will join them. Despite the fact that IT has potentially an unlimited amount of time at ITs disposal, IT sees no reason to unnecessarily delay the reality of ITs vision, especially when a solution presents itself.
"Very well, I agree to your terms" IT replied.
"Thanks…" he said before turning his attention back to Sombra "This is going to sting a bit, I hope you're ready"
She barely had time to realize what he was saying when he pressed the button, and the EMP wave shocked through the whole Ball.
Just as he did so, a barrage of shotgun fire sounded from the outside.
*5 minutes earlier*
Enough time has been wasted fighting the Crusader. Running on borrowed time, IT forced Simon's body to move, and despite not feeling any pain, the bodily functions were on their last legs. If IT were to assume ITs dominance physically, IT must reach the others now and force them back into the base.
"Looks like you still got some spunk" Reinhardt said, struggling as he pushed himself up, his muscles straining against the weight of the armor.
In a race against time, IT charged forth, slamming Simon's body against Reinhardt's. The two fighters stayed still for a few seconds, seasoned bravado grinding against a numb but broken body, neither willing to give way. However, to Reinhardt's frustration, a sharp, stinging pain shot up from his back once again, causing him to lose grip.
Realizing this, IT stepped back, causing Reinhardt to fall forward, and before he could get back up, IT grabbed him by the head and pinned him to the ground. Once secure, IT started to crush Reinhardt's head.
"Weak" Simon blurted as IT squeezed.
The booming bark and force of the shotgun threw Simon off Reinhardt. He looked up and couldn't help but laugh when he saw who it was.
"Reyes!" he said, rubbing his throbbing head.
"He is not weak" Reaper growled, his words laced with venom.
"Why save? You hate! List!" Simon gurgled.
"He may be on the list, but his name is mine to cross out" Reaper shot back.
"Now I wonder where I am on that list…" Reinhardt groaned, rubbing his head as he got back up "I hope I'm somewhere on top"
Reaper did not answer, instead he unleashed a hailstorm on bullets at Simon, peppering him with pellets. Though it did not penetrate his skin, his already weakened body could not withstand the pressure, and IT soon found ITself fighting in the defensive, its arms outstretched to try to block the bullets.
Pressing the advantage, Reaper continued shooting, the violence of his attacks completely lacking mercy and so full of rage that even Reinhardt considered stopping him. There was no honour in such a manner of fighting, but everything he tried to speak up or put a hand on Reaper's shoulder, he could not, for the Black Mercenary was a calamity, and Reinhardt's instinct forced him to not intervene.
Unwilling to back down without a fight, IT darted behind the Ball, and Simon's physique could barely handle the sudden stress placed upon him as he grabbed one of the many tiles on the floor and broke it with his knees.
Running on opposite sides, Reaper and Reinhardt planned to take him down with a pincer attack. However, both were stopped when Simon threw the tiles at them. Reinhardt was able to block it with his gauntlets, but Reaper was not so fortunate, for the piece smashed through his head and he fell to the ground.
Reinhardt didn't see what happened, but when Simon pounced on him, he quickly realized that Reyes was out of the fight, and he grappled with the ape desperately.
On the other side of the base, Sigma peered into the container, almost laughing that the accident that provided him with the gifts of gravitational control would be the one that would cause his death. There was no despair, however, only a sense of relief, for he knew that in this final moment, his research will be for the betterment of the world, and that his body would be embraced by the Universe, the only thing he had ever loved, though it never returned his affections.
"I am home" he smiled as the canister exploded.
*London: King's Row*
Mondatta stood there silently, confused that its scanners were not picking up the remains of Torbjorn or Brigitte. It knew that it did not miss. The beam obliterated the turrets, and it was laughable to even entertain the prospect that Torbjorn and Brigitte could've avoided the attack in their state. It was taken into account that Genji and Echo were unable to return and save them within the span of half a minute.
"You're a pain, you know that?" a voice spoke from the rubble behind it.
Turning around, Mondatta saw that the voice belonged to Lena, who was sitting on top of the pile, looking surprisingly relaxed.
"You know how long I've waited for this moment? Hoping to see you come back from the dead? To apologize for failing to save you?"
Mondatta did not care and took a swipe at Lena, its arm crashing down on where she sat.
"Do you know what that does to a person? To me? To always blame myself that millions have died because of me?" Lena continued, unfazed, while leaning against the wall next to its leg before Blinking away as it attempted to kick her.
"Just die!" Mondatta shouted, frustration peaking.
"Now I know what Jack meant when he told me that we shouldn't worry about the future… We don't know what's going to happen, to whom it's going to happen to, nor their intentions... Heh… Now I also realize that Quil had a similar thought when he told them that he hoped to make them proud and by doing his best" Lena sighed, picking up the pieces of Torbjorn's turrets.
"Well said Ms Oxton" Zenyatta said, floating into view, surprising even her.
"Well said? All I hear is whining and complaining from a weak and pathetic woman" Mondatta shouted.
"This is why you will never prevail, brother. You never understood the difference between pain and weakness. When to heal or to fight"
"We had this same argument decades ago and you are still too blind to see that you are wrong" Mondatta scoffed as it approached them.
"I admit, when I spoke about this to the Temple, I lacked proof. However, this time I have brought proof" Zenyatta replied, holding out an Orb that shone purple.
Mondatta stopped, stared at it. And laughed.
"The Orb of Discord? I am the head of the Shambali! Do you truly believe that pathetic little object could harm me?"
"Let us see" Zenyatta said, and threw it at Mondatta.
They watched as the Orb of Discord floated above Mondatta and… Nothing.
"Now that we have wasted enough time on this, shall we-" Mondatta began but paused, looking over its shoulder. It thought it heard a whisper.
"You hear them too, do you not?" Zenyatta asked.
"What is this? Who is speaking?!" Mondatta asked, its voice growing louder with each word as it tried to look for the voices that also grew louder.
"That is the pain and suffering of the thousands that I have healed over the years" Zenyatta said, holding out an Orb of Destruction "That is only a small taste of the pain that you and the Temple have caused, and you must be punished for it"
With that said, it threw the Orb and to everyone's surprise, it made a crack on Mondatta's surface.
"You can hurt it?" Lena exclaimed.
"I might, but not enough to destroy it. I doubt that my attacks would work on its 'heart', but I can help you create an opening"
"Even if you can crack my armor, you still can't break it!" Mondatta said, ignoring the many voices.
Out of nowhere, almost comically, a Mech came down from the skies, seemingly out of nowhere, crashing clean through Mondatta's arm, causing it to cry out more from shock than pain.
"Dva ready for combat!" Hana shouted, jumping into her Mech.
"Hana careful!" Lena shouted.
She didn't need to, as the experienced pilot had already activated her Boosters and flew out of harm's way and landed next to them.
"Sorry that took so long, Dae-hyun had some trouble sending this one over" Hana said apologetically "So what's the plan?"
"Break open its chest, I'll do the rest" Lena ordered.
"Again and again you come out like cockroaches! Just die!" Mondatta shouted and reached out for them.
Seeing the opening, Hana darted around its hands, showing off a perfect blend of both her piloting skills and the advanced engineering of the Korean Army. Locking on and eyeballing her target, her barrage of missiles peppered its chest, shattering the armor that protected the precious glowing Orb within.
Noticing the danger, Mondatta turned around, hugging its chest like a mother hugging her child, willing its self-repairing mechanics to repair faster.
It waited, knowing that Tracer would take this opportunity to attack. Predictably, she did, its sensors detecting that she was Blinking towards it, a Pulse Bomb in hand. As she got closer, Mondatta dropped to one knee as bait.
Lena did not hesitate, her mind clear about what she needed to do. For too long, Mondatta had haunted her life, being the centrepiece of her guilt. The way she saw it now, Mondatta's return had brought nothing but false promises, death, and suffering, and this was something that could not be allowed to continue.
"Surely" she thought to herself "I will be alive to see if this was the right decision"
As she turned to Mondatta's legs, the Orb in full view, she also noticed that Mondatta was looking directly at her. She had walked straight into its trap.
Just as planned.
With incredible speed, Mondatta slapped its hand down at her as if swatting an ant. However, it knew that it would miss because of her abilities.
Using the same hand, it made a wide, arching sweep across the area, almost hitting Lena as she materialized out of thin air. Frustrated, Mondatta once again tried to shut off the voices that interfered with its calculations, the cries, pain, and threats that plagued its mind, a constant annoyance. To add to the probability of its defeat, Genji and Echo are surely rushing back to finish the fight.
This fight must end now.
Grabbing the pile of rubble, Mondatta desperately pelted a handful of rocks at them. Hana's Defense Matrix was able to block the smaller rocks, but the larger ones soon penetrated it and started to cause damage to her Mech, while Lena could only Blink around so much before one of the rocks eventually hit her, breaking her knee.
Experience Tranquility
Both of them stared in amazement as their damage and injuries healed themselves before their very eyes.
"Please hurry, I cannot maintain this form for long" Zenyatta said.
"Fools, the Iris is on my side of this battle!" Mondatta declared, reaching out for another handful of rocks "
"The Iris no longer gazes upon us, Mondatta. In fact, have you noticed that we no longer hear Her voice?" Zenyatta replied.
Mondatta felt another wave of fear. It is true that it has been a couple hours at most since he last heard Her voice. He was Her prophet, why had She been quiet for so long? Then it felt it.
Doubt.
"No! Mother watches! She protects! She will be victorious!" Mondatta yelled, reaffirming its faith.
It was familiar with Zenyatta's abilities and knew that not only was it temporary, but it was confident that it could at least smash them out of the influence of Zenyatta's Transcendence. Zenyatta knew this too, but could do little but protect Lena and Hana until they charge once more.
What no one expected was Mondatta's hand exploding randomly.
"WHAT?!" Mondatta shouted.
Looking to its left, it saw a seemingly random human lying on the floor, rubbing his head, and armed with a large rifle. What frightened it however, was not that it did not detect a scintilla of sound, but the design of that rifle was one of Mother's own.
"Mother?" Mondatta asked.
Without any time to contemplate its despair, Hana charged, firing its missiles at Mondatta's Orb before it was swatted away by Mondatta's damaged arm. However, clinging on behind the Mech was Lena, Recalling once more after Hana took the brunt of the damage, carrying on the momentum of the charge. Blinking rapidly, she found herself grabbing onto the Mondatta's open ribcage, the Orb rotating in front of her.
"Goodbye" she said, slapping the Pulse Bomb on it before Blinking away.
To many, the explosion meant many different things.
For the United Nations, this marks the end of this pestilential war that forced them to kill innocents and the land. For Hana, this merely marks the end of the night, not knowing the full extent of what Mondatta had done. To Zenyatta, this marks the end of false teachings and the start of true healing for the world. To Hanzo, who had spent the whole time clearing the hotel of assassins that had tried to attack Brigitte before Lena saved them, was shocked to see Zenyatta exposed to danger.
But to Lena?
As she watched the explosion rip Mondatta apart, she noticed that the Discord Orb, once a strong color of purple, had become pale. Very pale. Whatever it meant, she took it to mean that the pain and suffering that people had endured had been met with the justice that they deserved.
She faced her fears and ended it on her terms. Whether this was right or wrong, she didn't know, but besides being paralyzed with fear like before, she realized a conclusion that Emily, Jack, and Quil had shown her, knowing why they fought so hard for their beliefs.
"What is on your mind, Agent Tracer?" Zenyatta asked, keeping protocol not to say her name aloud.
"That I have good friends… I know now that even though we don't know what the future holds, we fight to pave the way for others to make it right, while at the same time, we should always aim to improve ourselves to be better"
"Hmm…" Zenyatta mused.
"I know, that could've been worded better" Lena said, embarrassed at how sloppy she said it.
"Elegance is only an ingredient to a good speech, a true speech comes from the heart. I am glad that you have good friends. I hope to meet them one day"
"Oh they're dead except… Oh god… Oh god!" Lena exclaimed with horror, realizing the horrible truth.
Out of the three who had taught her this, Emily who loved her, Jack who treated her like his own, only Quillion remained. And he is on the Moon.
*Moon: Horizon Lunar Colony*
Sombra lay on the ground, dazed as she massaged her fingers. Everything happened so fast that she needed time to contemplate what happened.
The moment Qullion pressed the button, she felt her whole body freeze up, taking on the full brunt of the EMP specifically designed to shut her down. It was a commendable effort that would've surely killed her if Katya had known about her upgrades, though it still hurt. However, this sudden attack brought about an unexpected result.
Like the rest of the Colony, the Ball is made from materials that are most likely EMP proof. Therefore, a little remote like that would never have harmed the systems, unless through extremely specific circumstances.
"Did you know…?" she asked in a daze.
"What?" Quillion asked back, dropping the remote to the floor.
"That I could redirect the EMP to IT because IT was connected to me"
"No…" Quillion chuckled, slumping against the rails behind him "I don't have that level of planning skill"
"Couldn't you have given me more time to prepare?" she asked.
"Just do what you need to do" Quillion groaned.
Nodding, she raised her fingers towards the panel once more but saw that she didn't need to. The automated hacking had already started at Launch Sequence.
All they can do now is wait.
"Heh… I think we're all set amigo…" she sighed, jumping down and sat next to Quillion.
They both watched as the apes panicked as their Mother's voice was suddenly cut off and the hamsters assured them that they were safe. It did not help when the whole room suddenly shook violently, and loud explosions could be heard coming from the outside.
Sigma has done it. But perhaps too soon, as they were still here.
"Aww well… Worth a shot…" Quillion sighed, the radiating pain of his shattered arm numbing him to the possibility that they may not make it back "Sial ah (see-ul-uh)… This hurts…"
"What do you think is happening down at London? Think they got him?" Sombra asked.
"Who?" Quillion asked, eyes closed.
"Mondatta"
"Oh… More of an 'it' right? Anyway… Yeah they got him, it, whatever…"
"Good… Good…" Sombra said.
Silence.
"I have a feeling that's not your question" he said through gritted teeth.
"I… I want to ask… You spent time with McCree yes?" she asked after a brief hesitation.
"Yup… He was a trip…"
"Would he ever… I dunno… Be with a gal like… Like…"
Quillion opened his eyes, stunned at what she was asking. He had wondered why McCree was shown on the screens prior. Then the pieces came into place. Cassidy wasn't a girl! When was McCree ever known as Cassidy? And Sombra was hoping to settle down with him?!
He nearly laughed when he imagined the shenanigans this duo would do, but seeing the redness of her face, and knowing that she was not a person who would ever open herself up to others, he gave a serious and truthful answer.
"Sure… Why not… You're fun to be around I guess…"
"Really?"
"Well… Besides the blackmailing and stuff… Yeah I guess you guys are fine…"
"But the things I've done…"
"You know just as well as I do that he is not one who cares… Especially with his background…"
Sombra smiled.
"Everyone okay?" Reinhardt's booming voice shouted into the shuttle, carrying Reaper on his shoulder.
They all looked over and were shocked to see him, looking more battered than they had ever seen him. However, his eyes were still quite alive.
"What happened?" Sombra shouted over the hamster's cheers.
"Had a fight with the big one, don't worry, he ran away from the great and mighty Reinhardt!" he declared, slamming the door behind him with a grunt.
The Ball rumbled.
"Are we too late?" Reinhardt asked.
"No... no... The Launch has started, we're going home!" Sombra read, inspecting the codes, eliciting another round of applause, secretly hoping that they would make it out of the atmosphere before the explosion consumed them.
The explosion started with a miniature firecracker before escalating quickly into a vortex that exploded with every breath that it took. The uncontrollable reaction first tore the trees away from their roots, before metal and steel followed. In the God Program's estimation, it will only be a matter of time before the Colony is crushed into the size of a baseball.
Faced with the inevitable loss of the Colony, IT did not panic, having already made a backup of ITself within Mondatta during its construction. Rather IT was furious.
Simon is nearly dead, and it will only be a matter of time before Sombra figures out how to activate the launch sequence (as improbable as it may be). Therefore to punish all who had this false notion of escape, IT decided to sacrifice them all instead of salvaging the situation.
IT would be lying if IT wasn't aggravated by a slight oversight that Sombra could control the flow of the EMP, effectively blinding it completely from the New Wing, save for the bloodshot eyes of Simon. Therefore, knowing exactly how to keep the Shuttle in place, IT threw Simon to the doors of the New Wing and, using the last of his strength, forced them open, thus jamming the Launch Sequence completely.
"Mierda!" Sombra cursed, reading the files as they trembled to a stop.
"What's wrong?" Quillion groaned.
"Something is jamming the door! We can't launch until it clears!"
"Can't you override the systems?"
"I'm trying… I'm trying… I-" Sombra chanted before slamming her fist down on the ground. The God Program had just set up ITs strongest firewalls over the protocols. It is impossible for her to hack through within such a short amount of time.
Reinhardt, realizing the situation, made a decision.
"Quallion, tell Brigitte that I am proud of her, and if she feels she's ready, she is" he said, setting Reaper down next to him and leaving only his helmet.
"What?" was all Quillion could manage.
"My friends! Always remember! Live with honor! Die with glory!" he shouted, drowning away the protests from both Quillion and Sombra "And the Crusaders will always be your shield!"
Kicking open the door, he was relieved to see the problem immediately. Simon, who was barely alive, was holding the doors open. And within perfect distance too.
"For Overwatch! For Germany! For the Crusaders!" he bellowed.
Rocket Boosters roared to life, Reinhardt rocketed out of the Ball and propelled himself towards the great ape, breaking its grips and spearing it away, allowing the doors to close.
"No!" Simon grunted, coughing up blood as they slammed into the wall.
Pushing Reinhardt off, IT had him run towards the door. As long as he could open it, even a crack, they would never get off the Moon.
Hammer Down!
Reinhardt couldn't help but stand back and appreciate this Earth Shatter as Simon fell to the ground. Everything about it was perfect. The arc of which the hammer swung, the blend of weight and force to create the slam, and most importantly, his back felt no pain.
"You'll… Die… Too…" Simon groaned.
Reinhart did not answer, he merely stood there with his hammer on his shoulders as the flames of the explosion consumed them, but not before he let out a boisterous laugh as he watch the Metal Ball launched itself into the air.
Author's Note:
For my more visual readers, I used all of Reinhardt's Highlights from the game, so if you wish to see it like I did, take a look at the Highlights.