Guardians Come in All Shapes and Forms
Chap 7
'Should I know anything about your friends?' Pyro signed to Mercy as the Orca landed.
"None that I can think of at the moment. But to be safe, keep your weapons hidden and stay near me." Mercy answered.
Pyro nodded and put away its weapons as the Orca landed nearby. The doors lowered a second later, and out came Ana, Baptiste, , Roadhog, Winston, Hanzo, Cassidy, and Bastion. They were all prepared for a fight but dropped their weapons and nearly lost their lunch when they saw the burning Talon bodies and the scent of death that permeated the air. They were about to ask what had happened but instantly knew who cruelly killed the Talon agents when they spotted Pyro. Luckily, before they could do anything, Reaper and Soldier 76 ran up to them, snapping the arrivals back to focus.
"Jack. Reyes. Is everyone alright?" Winston asked, adjusting his glasses while covering his nose so he didn't have to smell the burning corpses.
"Everyone is alright. Nothing too serious. One did suffer a few hits, but Mercy healed it." Reaper answered.
"That's good. But what happened?" Ana asked.
"Talon somehow found us and shot us down. Luckily, we only suffered minor scrapes and bruises." Soldier 76 answered.
"That's good. But…uh. What about the man in the suit?" Cassidy asked, gripping his peacemaker tightly.
"This is Pyro." Mercy answered while Pyro waved at the new members.
"Was this Pyro the one you met, Mercy?" Hanzo asked.
"Yes. To give you the short version: something happened that caused the pilots to be unable to pilot the plane, forcing me to take control. Unfortunately, the plane's power was constantly flickering on and off, and one wing had ripped off. So I had to make an emergency landing. But the plane ripped apart and threw me out of the cockpit upon landing. And I would have succumbed to my injuries had Pyro not arrived and used my staff to heal me. Pyro then safely escorted the other survivors and me through the jungle and dealt with any hazards." Mercy answered.
"Well, then. Thank you for helping Mercy. It's always nice seeing others helping people." Winston said, smiling. And while fear still resided in him, he felt he could somewhat trust this mysterious figure.
'No problem.' Pyro signed, confusing Winston.
'Can you not speak?' Winston signed.
'I can, but everyone has a hard time understanding me. And no, I won't be taking the mask off.' Pyro answered. And despite it being sign language, everyone felt a shiver go down their spines.
"Noted." Winston said, adjusting his glasses while swallowing the lump in his throat.
"So this was your guest that Winston told us about, right?" Hanzo asked.
"Yes, Pyro is the guest. We dropped it off and were heading back to base but then everything we told you happened. And if it weren't for Pyro, I wouldn't be standing as an Assassin unit had me pinned. And if that Assassin unit didn't kill me, the other Talon hostiles would." Mercy answered.
"Beep, beep, boo." Bastion beeped.
"Bastion is extending his thanks to you, Pyro, for saving a valuable member of the team." Zenyatta translated.
"Yeah. Not many would brazenly kill scum like that." Roadhog added.
"He doesn't look so tuff." said from the safety of her mech.
"Yeah, wait until you get out of your mech or piss it off, chica. I doubt your so-called great gaming skills could block fire." Sombra said, shrinking back as Pyro let out a muffled chuckle. While whatever the young girl was riding seemed tough, Pyro wasn't worried as it had fought against giant heavy robots and came out on top.
"Which reminds me, I should finish developing that paste that can treat fire burns of any degree." Baptist said.
"Anway. We should return to base as Talon probably knows what had happened and sent reinforcements." Ana said, with the others agreeing.
"Oh, Winston." Mercy said, getting his attention.
"Yes, Angela?" Winston said, turning to her.
"Would it be alright if we bring Pyro to base? It was injured during the fight, and I want to give a quick check-up." Mercy said.
"Well, if Pyro behaves and controls itself, I don't see why not."
"Thank you, Winston."
"Just keep it near you and make sure it doesn't pull out its weapons. I don't want to be set on fire again. And I'm pretty sure the others feel the same." Sombra added with Brigitte, Lucio, and Tracer nodding.
"Did something happen?" Cassidy asked.
"That was partially my fault. You see, Pyro has PTSD from its old job. And you could say its job was being part of a private military. But one of the enemies Pyro faced could cloak similar to Sombra and had killed many of Pyro's co-workers. As a result, and because Sombra was invisible, Pyro assumed it was the same person again and fired where Sombra was." Mercy explained.
"What kind of job requires someone wielding pyrotechnics?" Roadhog asked.
"And hire someone that made its own weapons." Ana added, remembering the flamethrower.
'My job. And to protect highly valuable resources that many would want.' Pyro signed.
"What kind of job?" Ana asked through narrow eyes. However, to the shock of the others, Pyro didn't flinch and sent its own glare at her. Ana, feeling her body beginning to feel unbearably hot, stepped back. "Never mind."
"From what Pyro told me and what I could gather, it was more job security. Pyro and his co-workers had to protect the resources in storage or being transported."
"Uh-huh." Pyro confirmed.
"Did your job offer health insurance?" Baptiste asked.
"No." 'They were stringent with insurance since there was a high turnover. They paid well, though.'
"I see. Well, it's fortunate that you made it our alright. Anyway, we should get going. It's getting late, and as Ana said earlier, Talon probably has reinforcements on their way here." Winston said.
Everyone nodded before boarding the Orca. But like the last flight, everyone kept their distance from Pyro. All except Mercy as she sat next to it. Once everyone took their seat and buckled in, Tracer blinked to the cockpit with the Orca ascending into the air a second later. They then headed back to the Gibraltar base. Yet, despite Mercy continuously assuring the others, they were still worried about Pyro. And the fact that Pyro had taken out its light to play with did not help to ease their nerves. However, Mercy noticed something that might calm everyones' nerves. And it would allow her to get her revenge possibly.
"Pyro." Mercy said, turning to the arsonist.
"Uh-huh?"
"Would you be up for a rematch?" Mercy asked, pointing across the Orca to the table with the chess set on top.
'Sure.' Pyro answered. They got up and went over to begin their match. And despite their survival instincts screaming to stay away, the other Overwatch members got up and went over to them to watch the game.
Three Hours Later
"Who taught you how to play chess so well?" Winston asked as everyone waited for the Orca to land. After beating Mercy in three rematches, the other members wanted to have a try at defeating Pyro. Yet, the result was the same. After about two hours, Pyro had bested all the Overwatch members aboard.
'One of my co-workers. He's an excellent chess player.' Pyro answered while also remembering how Heavy taught Pyro how to play.
"Here we are, loves. Home Sweet Home." Tracer said as the Orca's door reached the floor with Tracer blinking off the ship.
"It's so good to come home." Pharah said, with the others agreeing.
"Now, Pyro. Follow me to my office, so we get the examination underway." Mercy said.
'Alright.'
"Hold on, Angela." Soldier 76 said.
"What is it, Jack?" Mercy asked.
"Before you take Pyro to your office, we need you both to swing by Winston's office so he can do a quick scan of Pyro's weapons."
"Oh, right. I forgot about that." Mercy said.
'Why do I need to give the gorilla my weapons?' Pyro signed.
"It's part of our safety protocols. Anytime someone new comes to the base with weapons, we must inspect them to ensure they are not contaminated or rigged to explode. Everyone here has done it." Mercy explained. Pyro looked between Mercy, Soldier 76, and Winston several times before letting out a muffled sigh. As much as I didn't want to, Pyro knew if it relented, things would go by much quicker, allowing it to continue with its investigation about how to return home.
'Fine. But be careful and try not to damage them. I don't have the tools to fix them.' Pyro signed.
"Don't worry. I won't be doing much to them aside from moving them about the table." Winston said, confusing Pyro.
'Then how will you check them?'
"I'll have our resident A.I., Athena, scan your weapons. The process won't take more than ten minutes."
'Alright. Show me where your office is.' Pyro signed. But it was also confused as to what an A.I. was.
"Follow me." Winston said.
"Jack." Mercy said.
"Yes?"
"Do you think you can show Pyro my office after it drops off its weapons at Winston's office? I need some time to prep some machines and ready myself."
"Sure."
"Follow me, Pyro." Winston said.
Nodding, Pyro followed Wiston and Soldier 76 into the base and toward Winston's office. Meanwhile, everyone else went off in different directions. However, before the doors closed behind them, Pyro cast one last glance at Mercy. It still didn't know why it had gone out of its way to protect, but it felt right. And Pyro will continue to protect her until it finds a way back home.
Shaking its head, Pyro turned its attention to the base itself. It was a stark contrast to any of the bases it found itself living in during its employment as a R.E.D. mercenary. For starters, actual heat and ventilation were running throughout the place. Not only that, it appeared that the builders took into consideration who would be living here and ensured the base could withstand it. This observation gave Pyro some relief as it allowed it not to worry about someone bringing the building down.
It did not want to be trapped in another building that was coming down due to Soldier and a drunk Demo.
But the biggest difference Pyro noticed between the two bases was the rooms were genuine and not makeshift. Aside from the armory, bathroom, and storage, the Mercs and Pyro had to make makeshift rooms of everything they needed. There were no kitchens, bedrooms, or even closets. And forget about furniture. The Mercs had to make their own, which took days.
Lastly, there was the smell of food and warm drinks, which caused Pyro's stomach to let out a minor grumble. Luckily, Pyro's suit muffled the sound. When a representative of Redmond Mann first recruited Pyro, he promised the arsonist they would have food and drinks to satisfy any thirst or hunger that might arise from working. But that was a lie right from the start. Only when R.E.D. team won did they receive a shipment of food and drinks. Yet, it was some of the most horrifying and gut-wrenching food they had ever seen. It was almost as if the company got its supplies from the dumpster behind a one-star restaurant. Pyro and the rest of the Mercs were genuinely surprised they only died once of food poisoning.
"Okay. We're here." Winston said, snapping the arsonist from its thoughts. Pyro looked toward Winston and saw him type something into the screen next to the door, with it opening a second later. "Watch your step. It's a bit messy here."
'Something I keep telling him to clean.' A voice said, startling Pyro. 'Is this the new arrival, Winston?'
"Yes. Its name is Pyro. It s the one that saved Mercy." Winston answered before turning to Pyro and noticing how tense it was. "Don't worry. That is Athena. The base's A.I. She's be scanning your weapons."
'Okay. Where should I put my stuff?' Pyro signed.
"Right here on this table." Soldier 76 answered as Winston cleared a few strange objects from the table. Pyro let out a muffled huff and nodded before taking out all its weapons and placing them on the table.
Needless to say, Winston and Soldier 76 were shocked at how many weapons the arsonist had.
"Do you... Do you really need all those weapons?" Winston nervously asked.
'Each has its use.' Pyro signed after it put its Sharpened Volcano Ax on the table.
"I-uh. I believe you." Winston said before clearing his throat. "Anyway. Athena, please begin scanning Pyro's weapons."
"While she does that, follow me to Mercy's office. She should be ready for you." Soldier 76 said.
'Okay. Is her office far?'
"Not that far from here. About five minutes and ten if you take the long way from here."
'Alright.'
With that said, Soldier 76 and Pyro exited the room and headed toward Mercy's office.
Fifteen Minutes Later
"Ah. Good. You're here." Mercy said, smiling as Pyro and Soldier 76 entered the room.
"Sorry for the wait, Angela." Soldier 76 said, instantly putting Mercy on edge.
"Did something happen?" She asked, worried.
"Yes and no. We ran into Junkrat and Torbjorn on the way here. They learned about Pyro from Tracer and Sombra. And they wouldn't leave until we showed the Pyro's weapons."
"Did you?" Mercy asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No. Roadhog was nearby and dragged Junkrat away."
"What about Torbjorn?"
"Same thing but with Brigitte."
"Very well. Thank you for bringing Pyro here, Jack. I can take care of the rest." Mercy said, standing up and grabbing a clipboard. Nodding, Soldier 76 left the room with the door closing behind him.
'So, what do you want me to do, Angela?' Pyro signed, genuinely curious. The only times it has ever been to someone with medical knowledge was with Medic. And since Angela was kind and not crazy like Medic, it wondered how she would go about the tests. Hopefully, it doesn't include animal parts.
"Sit on this bed, and I'll give you a quick, non-intrusive evaluation." She said, smiling.
Nodding, Pyro moved to sit on the bed, which was comfier than expected. Mercy then began examining Pyro's body, looking for any abnormalities or holes bullets could have caused. Luckily, aside from the initial three she noticed while on the battlefield, there didn't appear to be anymore. But that didn't mean there were other wounds she could fix. Mercy then brought a machine over and had it scan Pyro from head to toe.
'What's that?' Pyro signed, curious.
"It's a relatively recent medical breakthrough. This machine allows me to take an X-ray and a ct scan simultaneously." Mercy explained as she activated the machine.
'That's neat.' Pyro signed, not really caring. However, it was surprised when only a second later that the machine finished with it printing the results. Mercy grabbed the paper and became thoroughly confused by what she saw.
"This is odd." She said.
'What's odd?'
"Well. While your Ct scan is normal, your x-ray is strange, to say the least. Typically, the machine gives a highly detailed image of the body it scans. Yet, it is all blurry. It's almost as if I used a device from the 1970s. Luckily, I'm still able to make out enough to know that aside from the bullets in your right arm, you sustained no other injuries."
'That's good. Usually, I walk away from fights in much worse condition.'
"Hopefully, that won't be the case." Mercy said, smiling. She then went to a nearby table and picked up a few things before returning to her patient. "Now, before I begin. Would you like me to put you under or give you medication to numb the pain?"
'Numb the pain. I never liked going under, even if it was for medical purposes.'
"Alright. This might pinch a little, though." Mercy said as she filled the syringe with lidocaine.
She then tapped the metal part before moving to Pyro and injecting it with the medicine. Once done, Mercy set aside the syringe before grabbing some tweezing and using them to pull out the bullets from Pyro's arm. Thankfully, they weren't too deep inside and didn't put too much resistance. Once Mercy finished that, she grabbed some bandages and wrapped Pyro's arm before injecting it with some antibiotics.
"There." Mercy said as she took off her gloves and threw them in the trash.
'Are we done?' Pyro signed.
"Almost. There is one last thing I want to do."
'What is it?'
"I want to inject you with something I created a while ago. Essentially, what it is is microscopic drones that will heal your body and mend any part that breaks, ruptures, etc. They will also cure any minor ailments or sicknesses you might catch."
'Have you encountered any problems with them before?' Pyro signed, slightly worried. While it has no doubt that Angela's discovery could help many people, it was unsure if they were compatible with itself. While everyone typically had human organs inside them, Pyro had a few animal parts due to Medic experimenting and saving them. Its beating baboon heart was a testament to it.
"Yes, but only in the beginning. But that was only due to someone drinking an insane amount of alcohol. And I do say that lightly. But other than that, I've encountered no further problems. The drones adapt so there is no risk of complications arising."
'Alright. Let's do it.' Pyro signed before getting back on the bed. But it was still hoping nothing would arise from it. 'How long does this take?'
"A good ten minutes. But that's because I have to make it from scratch. The liquid I use to keep the drones together and the machines themselves don't last long outside a person's body. I tried various ways to preserve them but to no avail." Mercy explained as she prepared everything she needed.
'What should we do in the meantime?'
"We can talk. There are a few things I wanted to ask."
'Sure. What's your question, doc?' Pyro signed while mentally noting how it sounded like the Engineer when he asked Solider what his question was.
"While you told me that you created your weapons, how long did it take to make them?"
'Depends on which one you're talking about, as it varies. For the flamethrowers, they took about a week or two to create. The flare guns I brought, with the exception being the Detonator. I modified that one. The shotguns my employers gave me. The jetpack my co-worker made.'
"What about the others? Your melee weapons?"
'Aside from one, I made most of them myself. And the rest I found somewhere during my travels.'
"Like your Sharpened Volcano Fragment?"
"Uh-huh."
"Interesting. And what was the name of the company you worked for?"
'The company has gone under due to financial situations and numerous lawsuits. So, it's no longer around. But the name was Frontier Engineering.' Pyro half-lied. It was true that the company that made Pyro their C.E.O. had gone under; it was never an employee there. And it had gone under only a month after Pyro had left.
"Frontier Engineering. I presume they were the ones that wanted you and your co-workers to acquire geode."
'Uh. Yes. They wanted us to transport them.'
"The australium, right?"
'No. That was a different company.'
"Pyro. I'll be honest with you. I know you are lying. So, please, tell me the truth." Mercy said, staring at the arsonist.
'What gave it away and when?'
"Nothing specifically gave it away. But two things made me realize you were lying. The first was how quickly you answered my question about australium. It seemed like you had a cover story ready, just in case someone asked about it. The second was when you said it would be difficult getting home and stated that it was complicated." Mercy explained as she finished setting everything up. She only needed to wait another minute or two for the concoction to set. "So, Pyro, tell me. How much of what you told me was lies, and how much was the truth?"
'I never fully lied to you, Medic.'
"Pyro. Call me Angela. We are alone in my office. You can also take comfort in the fact that whatever you say won't leave this room." Mercy assured with a gentle smile, earning a muffled sigh from the pyromaniac.
'Alright. As I said, I never fully lied to you, Angela. Most of what I said wasn't far from the truth. I only changed some minor details.'
"Including the australium?"
'I guess I should correct myself. I did tell you one complete lie. And that was about the australium.'
"I figured. Anyway, who really hired you and for what?"
'My employer was an old man known as Redmond Mann. Long story short, he had a brother and hired my co-workers as mercenaries to get rid of him. But the brother did the same. What resulted was a war that went on for a few years. In the end, neither brother won as their long-lost third brother killed them.'
"Why did he kill them?"
'For the Australium and to take over their companies. Again, to keep it simple, australium is something very powerful with nearly unlimited uses. It can even power a life-extending machine that could keep someone living forever as long as they have a steady supply of australium.'
"Is there any of the stuff left? Or is it naturally occurring?"
'No. It came from a meteor that crashed into the planet decades ago. Now, only a few ounces of it remain.'
"That's good. If something has that much power behind it, it is better if no one can get their hands on it." Mercy said as she looked toward the container and noticed the liquid was ready. She grabbed the syringe and filled it up with the liquid. "Okay, Pyro. This might sting a bit. After this, we can continue talking."
'Go ahead, Angela.' Pyro signed. Nodding, Mercy grabbed the syringe and injected Pyro with the machines. And she was genuinely surprised to see that Pyro didn't flinch at all. Even Roadhog hated getting this shot and always felt sore for weeks afterward.
"All right. We're done. Now, let's continue." Mercy said, grabbing a chair so she could rest comfortably in front of Pyro. "Okay. So, Australium is gone and can't be used by anyone again, and you were a mercenary."
"Uh-huh."
"Okay. Where are you from, Pyro?"
'This might seem a little hard to believe, but I think I am in another dimension, timeline, or both.'
"What makes you think that?"
'Well, the last thing I remember was working with my co-worker on one of his machines. After we retired from our jobs, I moved in with my co-worker as he invited me to live with him since I didn't have a home.'
"Wait. I thought you said your co-worker died?"
'Another half-lie. One of my co-workers was a medic. The co-worker I am living with died during the transplant, but the Medic brought him back to life. And similar to what you told me in the jungle, our employers had respawn machines that brought us back to life if we died.'
"What happened then?"
'We were heading back to our home to make some food and took a teleporter to get there faster. But instead of taking me there, it somehow teleported me into the air above Australia, where I then got hit by a plane.'
"Sorry. That must have hurt." Mercy said, wincing when she realized she had hit Pyro with the plane.
'It's fine. I've gone through worse. Anyway. Afterward, I saw a plane crash and decided to see if there were any survivors that needed help. After all, it was what my co-worker would have done.'
"And that's where I met you."
"Uh-huh."
"Well, considering what you told me, I'm pretty sure you are correct in that you are from a different dimension and time." Mercy said, thinking it over. "Which would also explain the australium, the lack of companies with matching names, and how you didn't know a few other things."
"Uh-huh."
"Do you have any idea about how you are going to get to your home?"
'No. I was hoping to find something useful in the place you guys dropped me off but found nothing. That was what made me finally realize I was in a different dimension.'
"What will you do now?"
'Find a way to get home.'
"And if you can't?"
'Adapt. Not sure if it applies to this dimension, but there is always a job for people who know how to control fire.' Mercy became internally upset at the prospect of Pyro leaving and possibly never being able to see it again. Even though it has only been a few days, Pyro has shown her more kindness than some of her teammates. And she genuinely enjoyed its company. But she knew Pyro belonged in his dimension, not hers.
'Perhaps we could help him. And if we are successful, we might even be able to make a portal connecting our dimensions. I would like to see Pyro's world.' Mercy thought, smiling. "Pyro."
"Uh-huh?"
"I know I said I would keep all this a secret, but I think we can help you."
'What do you mean?'
"Well, Overwatch, the organization I am a part of, and this base belongs to, has some brilliant engineers and resources. Perhaps we could work together to send you back to your dimension. But only if you want."
'It would certainly make things easier. Sure. But I don't think the others will agree to help me. Especially the guy dressed with a skull on his face.'
"That's Reaper. And don't worry about him. He was just worried about Sombra. He sees her and another Overwatch member as his children. But despite that, he doesn't hold that against you as once I explained, he understood."
'Alright. Let's give it a shot.' Pyro agreed before getting up.
"Wunderbar. Now, let me grab a few things, and we can tell the others."
'Can we keep it to only the members your trust can keep this a secret? I don't want everyone to know this, and I don't want to deal with some others pestering me for answers.'
"Of course. Now. How about we go to Winston's office and retrieve your weapons? And from there, we can have Athena contact the others to set up the meeting." Mercy said.
Nodding, Pyro followed Mercy out of the room and toward Winston's office. But as it followed her, Pyro wondered what Engineer and his fellow Mercs were doing. It hoped they were doing well and that it could return home soon. But if it could not return home in the end, Pyro wondered what its next step would be. Perhaps it could join Overwatch so it could stay near Mercy. That wouldn't be so bad and would give its life meaning again. However, it also did not want to abandon its friends either. Pyro let out a groan at this, wondering when its life became so complicated.
