Enemy of My Enemy
"It has been a long time since we last spoke. How goes your noble cause?"
"Let's skip the pleasantries. With the authorities on our tail, my time is limited. What do you want?"
"I'll get straight to the point then. My organisation has provided you with a large amount of support in recent years, helping you rebuild and progress forward with your goal. I simply wish to ask for a favour in return for our generosity."
"Go on."
"We have a mutual problem. A joint operation to deal with this problem would be beneficial to both our organisations."
"I'm listening."
Watchpoint Gibraltar- Five days later
It had been business as usual for Overwatch over the past week. Everyone went about their daily routines as normal, while Talon had been unusually quiet as of late. While it gave the agents a much needed moment of relief, it was putting Morrison on edge.
Talon hadn't made a move for over a week now and Sojourn, who'd stayed out in the field to gather intel on this very matter, could not find anything substantial. When she did discover something, the intel was more or less outdated and after one final investigation, she fully intended to return to the watchpoint.
They weren't doing much better in regards to Null Sector either. Since they'd split into two main groups, Morrison had dispatched scouts to locate them, so that strike teams, lead by the crusaders, could move in and eliminate them. However, the scouts could only locate forces that had been heading towards Switzerland, with the forces heading towards Spain completely vanishing. Even Echo, who'd been ordered to follow the group heading towards Spain, was struggling to find even a whisper.
Something wasn't right.
For now, Overwatch did what it could. Teams were sent out to deal with the identified Null Sector forces near Switzerland as discreetly as possible but other than that, all they could do was wait. Wait until something they could act on appeared.
Thankfully, that wait didn't last too long. It was early morning and most of the agents were sat in the mess hall, with the exceptions being Morrison, Winston, Zenyatta and the Bastion. Reinhardt was retelling one of his many stories, this time focusing on the time he and Brigitte liberated a town from a gang of crooks. Brig did have to correct a few of the details, though that was nothing new.
Rein had just finished his story and was about to start another when Sombra opened her computer. She'd ended up sat on Widow's lap, after Rein had passed a lighthearted comment to Lena and Emily.
They were sat in a similar position beforehand and Reinhardt had joked that they could easily win the cutest couple award. The hacker decided to play along, gently sliding onto Widow's lap and wrapping her arms around her waist, before the two of them put on their most innocent faces.
"Seems you two have competition." McCree joked, gaining a chuckle from the table of agents.
As Reinhardt began his next tale, Sombra opened her computer and began looking through it, strolling through the web as well as analysing the various items she'd flagged earlier in the week. Nothing much was taking her interest though and she found herself half listening to Reinhardt's story. Eventually though, something caught her eye.
She gently dragged an image to the centre of her screen and expanded it, letting out a quiet 'hmm' when she saw what the image was. While it may have gone unnoticed by the others, Widow had heard her and moved her eyes over to the screen, which was practically in front of her face.
"When was this taken?" Widow quietly asked, keeping her voice down so that she didn't disturb Rein.
"Two days ago."
"You think Talon's seen it?"
"Very likely. I found it and I wasn't really looking."
"Everything okay you two?"
Sombra and Widow looked up, seeing that they'd gained an audience. The rest of the table were now looking at them, Reinhardt obviously seeing the two talking and stopping shortly after.
With all eyes on them, Sombra flipped her screen around and expanded the image again, so everyone present could see it.
"I just found this online. It was taken two days ago."
The table analysed the image in question, the tone suddenly becoming serious. It was a picture of Reaper, along with a couple of troopers flanking him.
"Do you know where this was taken?" McCree asked, a cigar poking out of the side of his mouth.
"Australia. Somewhere near Junkertown, though I can't be sure. Anything coming out of that area is always a bit sketchy."
"Morrison needs to know about this." Ana eventually said, after a slight pause. "We've been looking for intel regarding Reyes since he disappeared and that's the first I've seen of him. Athena, would you mind?"
"I will inform him immediately, Captain Amari."
It didn't take long for Morrison to find his way to the mess hall. With most of the other soldiers heading to their assigned duties, it made sense for them to meet in the mess. As he arrived, Winston was just entering the building, Athena taking the initiative to summon him as well.
"Right." Morrison said, announcing both his an Winston's arrival. "What have you found Sombra?"
The hacker once again opened her computer, the image flipped so that Morrison could see it. "I found this online. Seems Reaper is hiding out in Australia, near Junkertown by the looks of it."
Morrison stared at the image, his face showing no hint of what he was thinking, even without his visor on.
"This can't be a coincidence. Sojourn is following one last lead, which just so happens to be in Australia. When was that photo taken?"
"Two days ago."
Morrison fell silent again, forcing Ana to nudge him into responding.
"Jack, we need to look into this. This is the first thing we've found in a week. Reyes is up to something..."
"I know Ana. I'm just cautious about sending out an entire team right now."
"What's wrong Jack?" Mercy asked, knowing something had to be seriously wrong for Morrison to be so cautious.
"It's Null Sector. Remember they split into two groups. We've intercepted the one heading towards Switzerland, yet the other one disappeared when it reached the Spanish boarder."
"You think they're heading this way?" Reinhardt asked.
"That's what I'm worried about. Echo can't find any sign of them and she's thinking the same thing as me. They're preparing for something and they're getting uncomfortably close to us..."
"But..?" Fareeha asked, knowing there was more to come.
"But we can't just sit here and wait for an attack. If Sombra's found something on Reyes, then we need to investigate it."
"Forgive my ignorance on this matter." McCree began. "But why exactly do we need to worry about Reyes? He ain't exactly on good terms with Talon and while Amelie's here he ain't likely gonna attack us. Don't we have bigger problems to deal with?"
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend." Genji suddenly said, cutting off Morrison before he could speak. "Am I correct commander?"
"Friend might be a bit much... but you're not exactly wrong... Me and Ana have been thinking this over and with how he's been acting towards us, along with the fact he isn't a part of Talon anymore... we think he could be a helpful asset."
"You can't be serious!" McCree spat out, in complete disbelief. "You want to ask Reyes to help us? After everything he's done? Have you lost your god damn mind?! He's tried to kill pretty much everyone here! Hell, he pointed a gun at Sombra and threatened her! He ain't gonna listen to anyone here, especially you Jack!"
"Jesse's right." Widow suddenly said. "Gabriel won't listen to you... but he might listen to me."
"What makes you think that?" Torb asked, not at all convinced.
"Back at Talon, when he broke me, Lena and Emily out, he only agreed to help them because I made him do so. I was quite forceful at the time but now that I think about it, I don't think I needed to be. He made a promise to Gerard to save me from Talon. He was the one that convinced them to give me more space and give me more freedom... because of that, I'm certain he won't hurt me."
"That doesn't mean he'll listen to you." Hanzo soon added.
"You're right, it doesn't... but out of everyone here, I have the best chance of succeeding." Widow turned to Morrison, now speaking directly to him. "If you're serious about asking for his help, I'm the most likely person he'll listen to."
"Are we seriously considering this?" McCree asked, placing a hand on his head as the conversation continued. "Did you know anythin about this Winston?"
"I had an idea, though I didn't have all the details. I do think Jack and Ana have a point though. Reyes hasn't exactly been acting against us as of late and he could be very helpful with the fight against Talon..."
"But, apart from breaking me, Em and Am's out, he hasn't really done anything to help us either." Lena added, gaining a few nods of agreement from the other agents. "Yet, and I can't believe I'm actually saying this... we might be able to convince him to help us. Amelie's right, he won't listen to any of us... but he might well listen to her."
"Even if he is willing to help us, we shouldn't be splitting our forces when there is a risk of an Omnic attack." Zarya said, bringing the threat posed by Null Sector back into play.
"You've been keeping quiet doc. What's your opinion on all this?" Morrison asked Angela, after a slight pause in the conversation, believing she'd have a more balanced approach to this.
"Well, I can't deny that I have my concerns. Reyes is not the same man he was and I am in no position to comment on his motives or his mental state. However, I do believe that Amelie and Sombra have the best experience with how he thinks. If they believe it's worth trying, then perhaps Amelie should attempt to talk to him. At the very least, we'll get a better understanding of his current motives."
The table fell silent, everyone waiting as Morrison stood still, considering his next move. Eventually, he let out a short breath, before turning his head towards Widow.
"Amelie, be honest with me. Are you comfortable doing this?"
"Absolutely. He won't hurt me. I'm sure of it."
"In which case, me and Amelie will go and investigate this..."
"What about me?"
Morrison turned his head once again, this time focusing on Sombra. Before he could say anything though, Widow spoke up.
"Didn't Jesse say that Gabriel threatened you?"
"Yeah, he kinda did." The hacker admitted.
"And he told me that he doesn't currently trust you." Widow added. "So I don't think you coming along is a good idea."
"Besides, I have another task that needs your attention." Morrison added.
"Fine. I'll stay here." Sombra finally said, before whispering to Widow. "Just... be careful, okay."
A smile appeared on Widow's face, speaking quietly herself so that she didn't interrupt Morrison. "Don't worry chérie, I will."
"With that decided." Morrison began, returning to his original point. "Me and Amelie will head over to Australia and I'll ask Sojourn to meet us there. Hopefully, Amelie can get some information out of Reyes. In the meantime, Winston, Sombra, coordinate with Echo and find out where Null Sector is. I don't want them surprising us with an attack. The rest of you keep doing what you do but stay alert. Dismissed."
The agents all nodded, before they stood and began leaving, each one heading to do their own thing. However, before Angela could leave, Morrison called her over.
"Angela. Do you have a moment?"
The doctor nodded and walked over, not wanting to keep Morrison waiting. He also waved Ana over, wanting her included in this conversation.
"What's the status of Oxton? We need her back in the field as soon as she's able."
"Actually, I was intending to speak to you about this. I think she's more or less ready but I want her to run a few combat scenarios in a controlled environment before I give her the all clear. Lena's already agreed to this, so I wanted to run it by you two first."
"Any chance you can run those scenarios today?" Morrison asked.
"I can."
"Good. I'll have the practice range cleared out for you."
"Have Athena inform me when you're about to begin." Ana added. "I'd like to see how she performs myself."
Watchpoint cell block- Later that day
Ashe was lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling while she ran a hand over the tattoo on her arm, tracing over the image with her fingers. She was bored out of her mind, with nothing to do but find some random item to distract herself with, or sit and be consumed by her thoughts, something she wasn't particularly happy about.
Ashe took some comfort with the fact that her cell was the nicest one she'd ever had the pleasure of staying in. It was nowhere near an amazing room though, containing no more than a single bed, a table with two chairs and a toilet with a surprising amount of privacy. However, it was very clean, with the floor and walls painted white and had a see through door, so that someone could check on her without disturbing her.
In fact, the only time she was ever disturbed was when someone delivered her meals and as her stomach began to rumble, she hoped they'd be here soon with something nice for her lunch. She quickly dismissed it being nice though. Ever since she'd been discharged from the medical bay three days ago, she'd been stuck in this cell and while the food she'd been given was okay, it wasn't anything particularly great either.
Her mind soon began wandering off, as she imagined all the nice food that she could have been eating, which only caused her stomach to rumble again. Instead, she reached behind her and found her hat, which was hung on one of the bedposts and began playing with it, trying to keep herself occupied.
Her attention was soon drawn elsewhere, as she heard the sound of a particular cowboy approaching. She gently sat herself up, placing her hat back on the bedpost as the door to her cell opened. Her attention soon shifted again though, instead moving to the items he was carrying. Over his one arm was a jacket, which she assumed was his. However, she was far more interested in the tray of food McCree was holding and unless she was going mad with hunger, she could tell it was steak.
"What's that?" Ashe asked
"Steak." McCree answered, as the door to the cell closed behind him.
Ashe rolled her eyes. "I can tell it's steak. I mean why'd you bring it? You planning on eating your lunch while you question me?"
"Nope." McCree replied, placing the tray on the table, revealing the items it carried. There were two plates of steak, both including a sauce and a collection of potatoes, along with two glasses of water. "I brought us both lunch. Figured you needed some real food instead of what they normally give you. I can take it away if you don't want it."
"No no no! Don't you dare!" The cowgirl quickly said, jumping off the bed and sitting at the table. McCree passed her one of the plates and she almost snatched it off him, immediately placing it down and picking up her knife and fork. She cut a slice off the steak and placed it into her mouth, her eyes closing at the taste.
"Mmm. I haven't had steak in ages... and it's cooked exactly as I like it."
"Thought you'd appreciate it." McCree said, placing the jacket on the back of his chair before sitting down himself.
McCree remained quiet for a while, cutting a slice off his own steak and then combining it with half a potato. Despite the fact that Ashe was a prisoner, she seem unusually comfortable eating with McCree, something which he hoped would made his task much easier.
After a few more mouthfuls of food, McCree took a drink of water before breaking the easy silence in the room.
"So, how you holdin up?"
"Alright I guess." Ashe dryly replied, not looking up from her plate.
"That's good. Now how are you really?"
Ashe couldn't help but sigh, wanting to avoid talking about this topic. She knew that McCree wasn't going to just drop it and so, she reluctantly looked up, her tough gang leader mask fading away.
"I don't really know... Being confined to a medical bed for two days and then a cell for three more's given me a lot of time to think..."
"Think about what exactly?"
"Everything. My life, things I could have done differently... things that might have been... I should never have taken that deal..."
Ashe trailed off, resting her head in one of her hands while halfheartedly picking up a cut potato and eating it.
"Ashe, what happened wasn't your fault. You can't keep blamin yourself..."
"How isn't it my fault? If I'd never taken that deal, everyone would still be alive." Ashe harshly cut in. "Now because of that decision, the only people I have left are Bob and somehow, you..." Ashe paused, letting out a deep breath. "I know what you're trying to do. You want me to join Overwatch."
"Was it that obvious?"
Ashe didn't chuckle, or even crack a smile at McCree's lighthearted comment. "Why Jesse? After everything I've done and the amount of times I've tried to kill you, why would anyone want me in Overwatch? Hell, why do you even care what happens to me? I'm just a criminal..."
At this point, McCree has stopped eating and his tone changed, becoming far more serious.
"Ashe, we've known each other for a long time... I can't help but feel partly responsible for turning you into who you are today. After all, I was the one who introduced you to the life of crime..."
"I was a troublemaker long before I met you Jesse. We may have formed the Deadlock Gang together but I chose to become a gang leader." Ashe firmly, almost defensively replied.
"Would you have done so if you'd never met me?"
Ashe pondered over the question for a moment. "Maybe. Maybe not. Is that what all this is? You trying to clear your guilty conscience?"
"You know that's not it. Overwatch gave me a second chance... I want to give you that second chance too."
"Well, maybe I don't want a second chance... I sure as hell don't deserve one..."
The cowgirl fell quiet, returning to the meal in front of her. Nothing was said between her and McCree, instead finishing their meals in silence. Once they were both finished, McCree stood himself up, leaving the two plates, as well as the jacket, where they were and headed to the door, stopping and leaning against the doorframe."
"Wanna take a walk? Unless you want to stare at the ceiling instead. It's a nice ceiling and all but you must be gettin bored."
Ashe took a moment to consider the offer. She guessed that there was another reason McCree was offering her this, yet after being stuck inside for days, going for a walk was something she needed.
"Yeah. I need some fresh air." The cowgirl stood, collecting her hat from the bedpost it was hung on, before heading to the cell door. Oddly, the jacket McCree had brought in was still hung over his chair, so Ashe picked it up and handed it to him.
"Ain't you forgetting something?" She remarked. The cowboy though didn't move, remaining in place with his arms folded.
"That won't fit me very well."
Ashe frowned, before she realised what McCree meant. She held up the jacket and flipped it around, seeing the Deadlock logo on the back. After her operation, she'd lost most of her original clothing, with only her trousers and boots being clean enough to keep. She'd since been given a new white shirt, yet she thought her jacket had been thrown away. She could even tell that McCree had gone out of his way to clean it up and repair the damage.
It was a gesture that she genuinely appreciated and she let herself smile as she slipped the jacket on and then tipped her hat, silently showing her gratitude. The two then left the cell block, McCree leading the way outside.
They briefly stopped by Bob's cell, Ashe pausing to check in on him. The Omnic was in relatively good shape, considering the level of damage he'd taken. Overwatch had patched up the more critical damage, though had refrained from fully repairing him.
After a quick conversation, in which Ashe did all the speaking and Bob remained silent, they continued outside and Ashe finally got her first breath of fresh air in days.
"Alright. What's the real reason that I'm out my cell?" Ashe asked, as she followed the cowboy, ignoring the occasional glance from the Overwatch soldiers.
McCree stopped walking and turned to face Ashe. "I want you to meet a friend of mine called Genji, along with his master, Zenyatta."
"Why? They going to tell me a story that will persuade me to join or something?" Ashe sarcastically replied.
McCree in turn simply shrug. "I dunno. They just said they wanted to speak with you."
Ashe rolled her eyes, placing a hand on her hip as she grumbled in response. "Fine. Whatever. Let's just get this over with."
McCree didn't comment further, instead leading Ashe towards Genji and Zenyatta's preferred place to mediate, the cliff in front of Winston's lab. The two were sat looking away from the ocean, both deep in meditation.
McCree stopped a short distance away, leaning against a wall while motioning Ashe towards them. After glancing towards him, she slowly made her way towards the monk and ninja, stopping just in front of them. Before she raised her voice to gain their attention, Genji looked up, almost as if he sensed her presence.
"Greetings. I am Genji and this is my master, Zenyatta. You must be Ashe."
"Yeah... Jesse said you wanted to speak to me."
"Indeed. Please, sit with us."
Ashe looked back to McCree, yet she was surprised to see he'd vanished. She rolled her eyes once again, before sitting herself with the monk and ninja.
"So, you're planning on trying to convince me to join Overwatch I'm guessing?" Ashe asked, thinking she already knew where this conversation was heading. The answer however was not what she expected.
"No." Genji replied. "Joining Overwatch is your choice and your choice alone. Instead, we wish to help you to clear your mind."
"Clear my mind?"
"I sense great disquiet in you." Zenyatta said, taking over from Genji. "You're conflicted with your thoughts and you feel a great deal of anger towards yourself... as well as shame."
Ashe didn't bother arguing, since Zen wasn't entirely wrong. Instead, she remained silent, allowing Zen to continue.
"You feel guilt over what happened to your gang. Yet I believe there is something else that is causing you to feel ashamed."
Ashe let out a deep breath, not questioning how Zen knew all this and instead finally opening up.
"Jesse said something to me not too long ago. He told me that Talon had us moving a girl around... Human trafficking... and I just didn't care. He told me that it wasn't my style to do something like that... and he was right. I changed and not for the better."
"And this is the cause of your shame?" Genji asked.
"A bit, yeah... When I started Deadlock, I didn't do it for the money. I was rich enough and had a good life before, yet that wasn't enough. I enjoyed the thrill of it, outsmarting others and taking whatever I wanted... What I agreed to with Talon was a big step away from what I started doing... I went too far... and people payed the price for it..."
"You made a mistake, something that everyone is guilty of." Zen said, as Ashe fell silent, lowering her head so that her hat hid her face from him and Genji. "Yet I consider that this mistake is not the only thing on your mind."
"Yeah, I guess there is..." Ashe reluctantly admitted, looking up at the monk. "I've been thinking about my life a lot recently... how different it could have been if I'd made some different choices... I had what many would consider an good life when I was young, yet my parents were never around... They gave me every opportunity to succeed, yet I threw it all away and became nothing more than a criminal..."
Ashe suddenly raised her voice, clenching her fist and slamming it into the ground.
"Maybe if they'd spent more time with me, if they actually paid attention to me. Instead, they spent all their time working, leaving Bob to look after me and just leaving me to it. They didn't care..!"
Ashe's anger vanished as suddenly as it appeared. She took a breath and gently took her hat off, placing her head in her hands before running them through her hair.
"Jesse wants to give me another chance... though I don't understand why. I don't deserve one and I sure as hell won't fit in here..."
"Neither did Jesse when he first joined." Genji light-heartedly said, interrupting Ashe before she could continue. "However, I saw that joining Overwatch changed him. He became a better person because of it and he wishes to give you that chance too."
"But I don't deserve it. I've done too much wrong with my life..."
She was once again unable to finish, this time being interrupted by Zen.
"Just because someone stumbles and loses their way, doesn't mean they're lost forever. Sometimes, they just need a push in the right direction. From what I can see, your friend wishes to give you this push."
"I don't know if friend is the right word for me and Jesse."
"Then what would you call him?"
"I don't really know. It's... complicated."
"Many things are. In any case, you've recognised that you have made mistakes with your life and regret some of the choices you have made. This means you have the ability to change it, to decide who you want to be. While our pasts may help shape who we are, they do not define us. Any person can change their ways, so long as they are willing to do so."
The cowgirl fell silent, stopping to consider the words she just heard. Genji and Zen has made some good points, yet doubts still lingered in her mind. She thought over Zen's final sentence once more.
"Any person can change their ways, so long as they are willing to do so."
After everything that had happened, a change of lifestyle wasn't exactly a bad idea. Most people would probably jump at the opportunity, yet Ashe still had doubts.
"I... I don't know. I've been a troublemaker all my life... I..."
She looked down to the ground, before looking back up at the ninja and monk.
"I think I need to talk to Bob, if that's possible... I just need to talk to him, privately."
"Of course." Genji replied. "I can take you to him now if you wish."
"Can..." Ashe hesitated for a moment, silently considering something in her head, before she spoke up.
"Can we talk a bit more first? I... I think I need another viewpoint on a few things first."
"Certainly. What is on your mind?"
Overwatch dropship- Australia- Just outside of Junkertown
Widow sat holding her thermal goggles, looking down at the visor while it stared back at her. She blocked out the sound of Morrison, who was up with the pilot, as well as the small squad of five solders that had been brought along. They were talking among themselves and had left Widow to her own thoughts.
As they began their final approach, Widow placed the thermal goggles on her head and then picked up Widow's Kiss, which was lying on the floor next to her. The squad readied themselves, grouping up next to the door with their weapons in hand. Morrison also made his way down from the cockpit, picking up his pulse rifle, which he'd left on the nearby table and holding it with his one hand, using the other to point at the squad of soldiers.
"You five secure the perimeter when we land. Make sure no one sneaks up on us."
"Yes sir." The squad leader said, before issuing his own specific orders to the other troopers.
The Orca touched down soon after, the squad of soldiers disembarking and splitting up to cover the area. Next to the landing zone stood a woman, who Widow didn't immediately recognise. She had her back to the dropship and was looking through a pair of binoculars at a settlement in the distance. However, since no one seemed worried about her, nor was she concerned about the Orca that had just landed, Widow guessed that she must have been Sojourn.
"Commander Morrison." Sojourn said, continuing to look through the binoculars as the two approached. "Didn't expect to see you again."
"Well, retirement didn't exactly suit me."
Sojourn chuckled, turning herself to face Morrison. However, she was surprised to see that he wasn't alone, raising her eyebrows when she saw Widow standing next to him.
"I didn't actually believe it when Winston told me..." She shook herself out of her trance and walked over, extending her hand out to Widow. "Don't know if you remember me, we didn't really speak much. Name's Sojourn, former Overwatch captain. It's good to have you back Amelie."
"Thank you." Widow replied, shaking the extended hand.
"What have you got for us then?" Morrison asked, making Sojourn turn around and take a few steps forward, passing the binoculars to Morrison in the process.
"I can confirm Reaper's there, along with a number of solders, maybe two or three squads. They've set up inside two wooden buildings, just to the right of the gate into Junkertown. They're connected by a small wooden platform so it's not hard to miss. There's a few guards on lookout duty, though nothing major. Most are keeping a low profile and staying inside."
Morrison passed the binoculars back to Sojourn, who in turn passed them to Widow. "Anything we should be worried about?"
"Mainly Reaper himself. The soldiers he had aren't anything special. The locals however are a little... unpredictable. I'd advise moving cautiously ."
"Hopefully they won't even know we're here. Any sign of Talon?"
"Not as I can tell, though I wasn't able to look around inside the town, so I could easily be wrong... Forgive me for asking but you didn't really explain when you contacted me. What exactly is the plan?"
"I assume Winston already told you Reaper is Gabriel Reyes?"
"He did. He also informed me that he betrayed Talon, though I didn't believe the reason why until just now."
"That's why I'm here." Widow said, taking over from Morrison while still looking through the binoculars. "I'm certain that he won't hurt me or allow his other soldiers to either. So, I'm going to go and talk to him and try and convince him to help us."
"Walk right into the lion's den, huh? What about the rest of us? Last I heard, he wasn't exactly our biggest fan."
Widow looked towards the other two agents, handing the binoculars back to Sojourn. "That's why I'm going in alone. I'm sure he'll at least hear me out but I don't know how he'd react if he saw any Overwatch forces with me."
Sojourn looked towards Morrison and after signalling his agreement with a nod, she turned her head back to Widow.
"Well, as long as you keep a low profile and don't try to enter the town, the locals should hopefully keep to themselves."
"Are you sure about this Amelie?" Morrison asked. "You don't have to do this."
"Oui, I am."
"Alright then. We'll drop you off near where Sojourn says Reaper is and then remain on standby in the Orca a short distance away. If anything happens, we'll be there within minutes."
"Understood."
With a nod from the sniper, Morrison called out to the other soldiers.
"Alright, load up!"
The small team of agents and soldiers were back aboard the Orca in a matter of moments and the dropship took off seconds later, keeping low as it headed towards Junkertown. A few minutes later, the doors opened and Widow stepped out, being dropped off a short walk away from the town gate. Once she was on solid ground, the dropship left as quickly as it appeared, leaving Widow alone in the Australian heat.
She'd been dropped off out of view, using the geography of Junkertown and then the wooden buildings to hide her location. Sojourn had suggested such a move, as the locals would be less likely to notice the dropship. After a quick scan of the immediate area, it appeared to be a good call, as no one seemed to be around.
With no sign of any trouble, Widow gently walked into the open, staying aware of her surrounding as she moved through the area. Two residents were sat on a rooftop, both talking while drinking something, though Widow couldn't make out what. They didn't give her too much notice though, only giving a passing glance at her, despite the fact she was holding her rifle, before returning to whatever conversation they were in the middle of.
There were a number of wooden buildings, two of which were connected by a wooden bridge. However, Widow was far more interested in the two behind them, which were connected by a much smaller platform. On one of the buildings was a single woman, who was leaning against the wall while reading a book. She glanced up, checking the area in front of her and upon seeing Widow approaching, touched her ear.
Within moments, a small squad of troopers exited the two buildings and surrounded Widow. They initially pointing their weapons at her, Widow remaining calm as she stopped walking. Thankfully, they soon lowered them, after a command from the squad leader.
"Wasn't expecting to see you again."
"I need to speak with Reaper." Widow replied. "I'm here alone."
The trooper eyed Widow for a moment, clearly considering his next move, before raising his hand to his ear and activating an earpiece.
"Sir... It's Widowmaker... She says she wants to speak to you... Copy that."
The trooper signalled Widow to follow him, while the rest of the squad disbanded, half heading into one smaller building. The other half entered the larger building, the same one Widow was now entering.
Even though it was the larger of the two, the building was little more than a shack, with very little room inside. This was not helped by a large table, that was sat in the middle of the building. Leaning against the one side was Reaper, who silently stared at Widow as she entered, before standing fully up.
"Give us some space."
The squad leader didn't have to be told twice, clicking his fingers and pointing to the door. Within moments, the only two people inside were Reaper and Widow. They stayed silent at first, both just staring at each other, before Reaper finally spoke.
"Amelie."
"Gabriel."
"What are you doing here? More to the point, how exactly did you find me?"
"Sombra found a picture someone posted online, which means Talon likely know you're here. As for why I'm here... I needed to talk to you."
"I see... Where is she anyway? Would've expected her to be here too."
"I didn't think it was a good idea for her to come. After all, you did threaten her, didn't you?"
"She should have done a better job at keeping you safe."
Widow sighed. "It was my choice to join Overwatch. Sombra simply supported my decision. So don't blame her for my capture or hold a grudge against her."
"I don't blame her." Reaper dryly remarked. "I blame Overwatch. Why do you care if I hold a grudge against her anyway?"
"Because I care about her, Gabriel... So promise me that..."
"I won't hurt her. As much as I hate to admit it... she did the right thing."
"Thank you Gabriel."
Widow gently smiled, relieved by the answer she'd been given, before Reaper reminded her of the reason she was here.
"Somehow I doubt that you came all this way just to talk to me about Sombra. Why are you here?"
"I... I came to ask you to help us."
"Us?"
"Overwatch. Help us against Talon..."
"You can't be serious. You want me to help Overwatch after everything they've done?"
Widow paused and considered her next words carefully, thinking how best to approach the monumental task in front of her. After a few moments, Widow believed she had an idea.
"Gabriel... what happened that made you hate Overwatch so much?"
"They betrayed me, turned me into what I am today."
"No they didn't. They didn't force you to become Reaper. You chose it..."
"What would you know?" Reaper grumbled in response.
"I remember what Overwatch was like before I was kidnapped." Widow replied, placing her weapon on the table and leaning against it. "You were friends with Jack and Ana. You three were a team... Then I remember being at Talon, listening to you complain about how Morrison slipped through your fingers, how he should be dead and how Ana took his side. So what happened between you and Jack that made you hate him so much?"
"You wouldn't understand."
"Then make me understand. Don't you think I deserve to know Gabriel?"
Reaper grumbled to himself, leaning down on the table again and then falling silent. Widow remembered that he'd always been reluctant to talk about his past whenever Sombra asked him. The fact he was still so reluctant didn't surprise her. She waited a short time before concluding that he wouldn't talk about it.
"Morrison was never the right person to lead Overwatch." Reaper eventually said, catching Widow off guard. "He couldn't make a simple decision. He hesitated to act when Talon first targeted Gerard. He hesitated when Null Sector attacked King's Row."
Reaper pushed himself up from the table, turning and stepping away from the table, his voice growing louder as he continued to rant.
"Under his leadership, Gerard died, Ana was presumed dead and he simply gave up on you. Overwatch fell apart under his watch. I could have lead it far better, yet they made him Strike Commander. Meanwhile, I was left doing the dirty work no one wanted to know about. All while he got all the glory."
Reaper clenched his fists, turning back around to see Widow with her arms folded. Once she was sure he'd finished and had calmed down slightly, Widow began speaking, making sure to keep her voice soft so not to start an argument with Reaper.
"Why do you think they made Morrison Strike Commander and not you..? And if you thought Morrison was making too many mistakes, why didn't you just talk to him?"
"He wouldn't listen. The Boy Scout could do no wrong according to everyone else. Maybe that's why he was put in charge."
"Jack was the better face for Overwatch, Gabriel. He was the person who spoke to the public the best, kept a calm head when needed and brought out the best in people. You were always a man of action and to be honest, you don't always think things through. However, you were ready to do what others wouldn't. That's why you were made head of Blackwatch."
"That doesn't give him a free pass."
"No, it doesn't and I agree with you. I think he made mistakes... but you could have just as easily spoken to him about it. Maybe he was stressed and what he needed was someone to talk to. I won't pretend I know exactly what was going on but from what I can remember and what I've seen, I believe Overwatch fell apart because the two of you fell out. You two were at your strongest when you worked together, not tearing each other apart. Besides, I thought you preferred not being in charge."
"I'm not talking about this anymore." Reaper grumbled out.
"Gabriel..."
"No Amelie. That's my answer. I'm not helping Overwatch."
Widow simply sighed in response, picking up her rifle as she accepted that she'd make no further progress.
"It was worth a shot." She muttered, turning herself to leave.
"Amelie."
The sniper spun herself around. "Hmm?"
"Keep yourself safe."
Widow gave Reaper a smile in return, before leaving the wooden building, heading back the way she came. She couldn't help but feel a slight level of sadness, even though she'd expected this outcome. Reyes was always stubborn, perhaps even more so now. Yet Widow had hoped that she'd be able to persuade him to help, to make him move on from whatever grudge he still held over Overwatch.
As she continued walking, her train of thought was suddenly interrupted, by the unmistakable sound of a rocket being fired.
She turned around just in time to see it impact into the very building she was just in. The wooden shack was no match for such firepower, the force of the blast knocking Widow down as the structure was engulfed in flames.
She sat herself back up, her senses recovering as she glanced over to the burning building. She hoped to see a very pissed off Reaper, fighting whoever was brave enough to attack, yet there was no sign of him anywhere. What she did managed to see was the remainder of Reaper's forces, which were falling to an enemy that were far too well armed to be anyone other than Talon.
"Everything's coming up explodey." One of the unknown enemies said, after the last of Reaper's forces were defeated.
Widow knew who that voice belonged to and activated her sniper rifle, raising it up and firing at the individual in question. However, the round never found its mark, instead impacting on a barrier, that floated forward into the way.
Widow fired two more shots before giving in, knowing she'd never break the barrier in time. Instead, she stood herself up and stared at the people behind the barrier.
Junkrat stood laughing at the burning building, a rocket launcher discarded at his feet. Behind him stood Roadhog, who's mask hid any sort of facial expression he had. The owner of the barrier, Sigma, was floating nearby, watching Widow carefully as a squad of ten Talon soldiers lined up behind him. She had no idea how they'd managed to reach the area undetected but that wasn't important right now. Her first priority was simply staying alive.
She believed stalling was her best option. The longer she could keep them talking, the more chance she'd have at escaping. Failing that, she believed staying low and using the burning building and the buildings around her to hide herself was the next best choice, waiting until the Overwatch dropship arrived.
"Widowmaker." Sigma said, once the last Talon troops were in position. "I'm afraid you need to come with us."
"That isn't going to happen." Widow defiantly replied, before talking directly to Sigma. "Don't you see it? Talon are using you."
"I find that hard to believe..."
"Why do you think they kept you away from the field for so long? They're making sure you're completely under their control, using your abilities and your research for their own twisted gains. You're nothing more than a puppet to them. A tool to be used and discarded if needed."
Sigma shook his head. "I was warned about this. Seems Overwatch filled your head with lies."
"They're not lies!"
"Well, the way I see it, you have two choices." Junkrat now said, jumping in and interrupting Sigma before he could reply. "You come with us... or I blow you up. Seemed to work pretty well on the other guy."
Before anyone could say another word, a black cloud began seeping out from the burning building. It swirled around Widow, before Reaper appeared a few steps in front of her, holding a hellfire shotgun in each hand. His cloak was damaged and burnt in places and part of his mask was missing, revealing his left eye, that was glowing with rage.
"You want her. You go through me." Reaper growled out, his voice deep with anger.
"Seems he's a little tougher than I thought." Junkrat muttered, before raising his voice. "Ah well. If at first you don't succeed, BLOW IT UP AGAIN!"
Reaper tightened his grip on his weapons, just as the Overwatch dropship roared into view. The door opened and the occupants opened fire, forcing Sigma into using his kinetic grasp, catching the incoming fire before it hit the other Talon forces.
"Deal with Reaper and Widowmaker." He instructed the team. "I'll keep Overwatch occupied."
"It'll be our pleasure." Junkrat replied, gaining a grunt from Roadhog before all hell broke lose.
Widow dropped to the ground, using what remained of the burning shack as cover while Reaper entered wraith form. He rushed forward, passing Junkrat and Roadhog and reappeared behind the Talon soldiers. He fired both shotguns once, each shot taking out one of the troopers unfortunate enough to be next to him. Another spun around and raised their weapon, only to be immediately shot in the head by some sort of rifle, which came from the Overwatch dropship. Reaper didn't pay it any mind, stepping to his right and then wraithing to avoid the grenades being fired by Junkrat.
Sigma was busy keeping the dropship busy, moving his barrier into the sky to limit the amount of damage to his squad. He periodically swapped between using the barrier and his kinetic grasp, making sure to reposition the barrier as the dropship moved around.
At one point, he moved his barrier into place and then pulled a number of rocks from the ground, forming a small boulder before throwing it towards the Orca. Even though the pilot managed to avoid the projectile, those on board were unable to attack for a few moments, giving Sigma the chance to turn around and help out the Talon forces behind him.
As Reaper and the Talon forces fought, Widow had managed to get herself inside of a wooden shack, avoiding the shots of two Talon soldiers, who'd managed to escape the main battle to attack her. She readied her weapon and prepared to return fire, only for the two soldiers to be gunned down by pulse rifle. Seconds later, Morrison ran into the building, entering cover himself and reloading his weapon.
"You good?" He asked Widow, while observing the battle raging between the Talon and ex-Talon operatives.
"Oui. I managed to avoid any serious injuries."
"Good. We need to get out of here..."
"Commander." Sojourn suddenly interrupted. "A Talon dropship just landed behind you. They likely dropped someone off."
"Copy that."
Morrison briefly leaned out of cover and looked back the way he came, seeing what exactly had been dropped off and immediately contacting the Orca again.
"Sojourn, they sent a Talon heavy. We need cover fire."
"Understood."
The Orca flew backwards, just as the Talon heavy charged forwards. It stopped in front of the shack Morrison and Widow were inside. It quickly turned towards them, spun up its weapons and fired, shredding the wood with a barrage of bullets. Thankfully, a back door allowed Morrison and Widow to escape, though the heavy was still hot on their tail.
While it's attention was on the wooden shack, the Overwatch forces on the dropship fired at its back, hitting its weak points and causing significant damage. If anything though, it simply enraged the occupant inside, who turned and began firing at the Orca. The pilot was forced to take evasive action, leaving Widow and Morrison to deal with the hulking heavy.
The two agents kept themselves concealed, keeping the wooden shacks between them and the heavy while they quickly thought of a plan of action.
"We need to hit that heavy in it's weak points." Morrison said. "I'll draw it's fire. That'll give you the chance to hit it."
"That's crazy." Widow objected. "You won't stand a chance against those guns."
"We don't have many other options. The dropship can't take that much damage..."
Before Morrison could continue, the sound of a heavy object impacting the ground gained both his and Widow's attention. They both peaked out of cover to see the heavy attacking a new target.
It appeared to be a large metal ball, with four small legs and two guns connected to the side of it. They saw a shield of some sort appear around it, absorbing the barrage from the heavy. Just before its shield deactivated, the weaponry on the ball retracted and it began rolling into cover. More importantly though, it had caused the heavy to turn away from them, exposing its two weak points on its back and giving them an opening.
The Overwatch agents wasted no time, firing at the now exposed heavy while it was distracted. The occupant roared out in anger, turning around and powering up its weapons, the two agents jumping back into cover to avoid its attack. This gave the unknown metal ball the opportunity to attack, rolling back out of cover and firing into the heavy's back.
They repeated this strategy another two time before the heavy began to shown any signs of weakness, its movements becoming slower and slower as it took more and more fire. Eventually, after it turned around one last time, Morrison rolled out of cover and fired his helix rockets. The direct impact was all it took for the heavy to fall over, the occupant inside finally dead.
"Nice shot."
"Thanks."
While Morrison and Widow dealt with the heavy, Reaper had finished off the last of the Talon grunts and was now fighting the last three agents. He was doing a good job of avoiding Junkrat's grenades, along with the shrapnel that fired out of Roadhog's weapon and his annoying hook. Yet, he was becoming more and more frustrated by Sigma, who was constantly protecting the two of them from any of his attacks.
After breaking another of Sigma's barriers, the fight seemed to be tilting to Reaper's favour. That was until a Talon Assassin appeared, hanging onto the large wall of Junkertown. It dropped down and sprinted towards Reaper, hoping to catch him unaware and end the fight. However, Reaper had already seen it and at this point, his patience finally ran out.
Just as Junkrat fired straight at him and before the assassin reached him, Reaper entered wraith form. The grenade passed harmlessly through him, yet the assassin behind him ran straight into it. As he left wraith form, reaper fired his weapon straight at the assassin's head, before grabbing and throwing it towards Sigma.
He caught the limp assassin, dropping it to the floor before his attention was once again drawn away from Reaper. With the Talon heavy down, Widow had taken the opportunity to fire her sniper at Sigma, forcing him to catch it with his kinetic grasp. Morrison soon followed suit, firing his helix rockets and following them up with his pulse rifle. As the unknown metal ball joined them, Sigma had no choice but to defend himself, ignoring Reaper and moving his barrier to absorb their attacks.
With Sigma now distracted, Reaper focused on his next target. He entered wraith form and rushed towards Junkrat, causing him to start panicking. He fired grenades, dropped one of his traps and even tried a concussion mine to stop him, all to no avail. He didn't have enough time to reach for his rip-tyre or even jump behind Roadhog before Reaper appeared in front of him, clamping a hand around his neck and lifting him up.
Roadhog reacted quickly, aiming his weapon and using his secondary fire, intending to hit Reaper and make him drop Junkrat. However, while Roadhog has been quick, Reaper was quicker, moving Junkrat straight into the line of fire. If the shrapnel in his back didn't kill him, the audible crack from his neck that followed sure did.
"Sleep."
Reaper dropped the lifeless body down, keeping his eyes locked with Roadhog. The now former bodyguard stood still, staring at the body of Junkrat in disbelief at what he'd just done. Then, anger took over, as he threw his hook and caught Reaper, dragging him closer.
As soon as they were in range, both of them fired. Reaper took a direct hit to his chest, yet this didn't faze him one bit, as he raised his weapons and returned with two of his own shots. The battle was short, as Roadhog fired four shots before needing to heal.
He went to take a breath from his numerous supplies, yet the can was shot out of his hand. Reaper didn't relent, emptying his magazines and throwing his weapons away, before pulling out a new pair and continuing his assault. Roadhog fell on his back, trying to raise his weapon but failing as Reaper walked on top of him, aiming one of his shotguns straight at his head.
"Some bodyguard."
With that, Reaper fired two rounds, ending the fight. He threw away his weapon and then looked towards the Junkertown gate, noticing a small crowd that had gathered to watch. He stepped off Roadhog and shouted up towards them.
"WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?!"
With his anger on full display, the crowd dispersed very quickly, running back into the safety of Junkertown.
Sigma was now the only Talon agent left, with no other forces to back him up. Once he saw Junkrat die, he knew Reaper wasn't going down. So, he radioed for extraction and backed up to the cliff edge, watching Reaper while blocking the attacks from the Overwatch agents. Reaper didn't bother attacking though, instead watching as the dropship rose up behind him. The doors opened and Sigma floated aboard, the aircraft turning and speeding away moments later.
"Moving on."
Reaper took a few steps forward, before falling onto one knee and then falling over completely. He may not have shown it during the battle but he'd taken a beating. Now that his adrenaline had worn off, he realised just how heavily wounded he was. He had bullet holes all across his chest, his mask was cracked with parts missing and his coat was charred and burnt. Before he could even begin checking over his wounds though, Morrison stepped into view.
"Seems you have me right where you want me, Boy Scout." Reaper said, as the strike commander stood over him. "So, what's your next move? Are you planning to take me in dead, or alive?"
To his surprise, Morrison didn't raise his weapon. Instead, he activated his biotic field and placed it next to him. Slowly, he felt his wounds healing up and his strength returning.
Cautiously, Morrison extended a hand, offering his former friend help up. Reaper stared at it for a few moments, before completely ignoring it and pushing himself up onto his feet, clutching his chest as he stared at Morrison.
"It doesn't have to be like this Reyes. We both have a common enemy..."
"That doesn't mean we have the same goals."
While the two were staring each other down, Widow had made her way over, stopping in between the two former friends. She shifted her gaze between the two of them, before she turned to Morrison and silently signalled towards the large metal ball, who was watching on from a distance. Morrison took his leave just as silently, leaving the two former Talon operatives to talk privately.
"Are you alright?" Widow asked, gently moving Reaper's hand off his chest to see the extent of the injury.
"I'm fine." Widow raised an eyebrow, prompting Reaper to continue. "It'll heal... It always does."
"Gabriel... you can't take on the entire of Talon alone..."
"My answer hasn't changed. I'm not working with Overwatch. There's... too much bad blood."
"What happened Gabriel... Please, just tell me. What did Overwatch do that made you unable to stand them?"
Reaper didn't answer, instead looking away from the sniper. Then it finally hit Widow why he wouldn't answer her.
"You don't know, do you? After all this time, you can't remember."
"He wasn't the only one searching for answers... Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go have a word with someone."
Reaper turned into a cloud of black smoke, flying away from Widow and into Junkertown. Once he was gone, Widow gently shook her head, before walking over to Morrison, who was busy talking to the metal ball. She couldn't help but feel disappointed by the outcome, yet she had the feeling she'd see Reaper again.
When she reached Morrison, the Overwatch dropship was landing nearby, Sojourn jumping off and walking over.
"Who's your friend?" She asked, motioning to the large metal ball.
"I am Wrecking Ball." He replied, speaking with a clearly synthetic voice.
"I was just thanking Wrecking Ball for his help back there when he mentioned that he'd like to join us." Morrison said, a nod of agreement, or at least what looked like one, following from the ball.
"Affirmative. I was already considering it after the recall message, though I had not come to a decision." Wrecking Ball clarified, seeing the puzzled looks from the other two agents. "However, when I heard fighting outside the town and saw your dropship, I decided to help you."
"Are you sure about this Commander?" Sojourn asked. "No offence but we don't know anything about this guy."
"I should add that by helping you, I am unlikely to be welcome inside Junkertown again. The Junker Queen ordered everyone not to interfere."
"How come? Does she have a link to Talon?" Widow asked.
"Unknown, though it is a possibility."
"If that's the case, then we probably don't want to hang around here much longer." Sojourn suggested, an idea shared by Morrison.
"Agreed, we need to get moving. Wrecking Ball, you're more than welcome to join us, though we'll need to run some background checks, so you'll be under observation until then."
"I understand."
Inside Junkertown
The Junker Queen sat on her throne, counting through a collection of jewels she recently came into ownership of. She was flanked by a large pile of treasure, along with four armed guards, who were watching over the large, mostly empty room.
As the Queen finished counting the jewels, she chuckled to herself, before throwing them onto the pile of treasure behind her. The Queens attention soon shifted to the sound of the battle outside, or rather the lack of sound.
"Sounds like they're done fighting. One of you go see what's going on."
One of the guards began walking, getting a short distance away from the throne before he spotted a cloud of black smoke heading towards him. The cloud flew over him and the other three guards stepped forward, their weapons raised as the cloud stopped in front of the Queen and Reaper appeared.
Reaper wasted no time, downing the nearby guards with three well placed shots. He then turned to the last remaining guard, his one eye glaring through the crack in his mask.
"Don't you have somewhere else to be?"
The guard knew this wasn't a question. So, he turned around and began walking, not once looking back.
"What? Just like that?" The Junker Queen called out, frustration clear in her voice. "You're not getting paid for this." The Queen slumped in her throne, sighing at the situation. "Why can't you just walk up like everyone else?"
"We need to talk." Reaper replied, ignoring the question entirely. "Mind telling me how Talon found out where I was?"
"How should I know? I was kind enough to let you stay here and the next thing I know..."
The Junker Queen never managed to finish her statement, as Reaper's rage boiled over. He used his wraith form and rushed forward, returning to normal just in front of her and slamming his one hand around her neck.
"DON'T SCREW WITH ME! Very few people knew I was here and I your precious Junkers are likely too stupid to even think of taking my picture and putting it online without telling you first. So, let's try again. HOW DID TALON FIND OUT?!"
Reaper released the Queens throat and she took some much needed breaths of air. "Alright... Talon contacted me, said they suspected I was hiding something and offered a very large reward for any information about you..."
"And you being a good little sellout happily complied."
"You don't understand. They weren't asking for information. It was a threat."
"Since when did you care about threats?" Reaper knew that this story was a lie. The Junker Queen had simply seen a payday and had taken it. His patience ran thin and he grabbed the bottom of her face with his clawed hand. "No, I'll tell you what happened. You saw an easy payday and took it. Then, you instructed one of your idiots to put a picture of me online and then play stupid if I survived."
"No, that's not true..."
Reaper roared out in anger, picking up the Junker Queen and throwing her across the room. She began crawling away, while Reaper paced towards her, his visible eye now glowing with rage.
"Alright! Alright! I took their deal! It was Talon. What did you expect me to do?"
"Lie. Like you've done so many times before. Let's not forget that Talon sent me over to investigate something and I covered for you. After all, that's an awful lot of money you've got lying around practically undefended."
Reaper stepped on the Queens arm, stopping her from retreating any further. She cried out in pain as he put more and more pressure on her arm, almost certain that he was going to break it. Instead, he removed his foot and knelt down next to her.
"You betrayed me and the only reason I haven't killed you is because I still have use for you. So, if you don't want me to burn you're pathetic little scrapyard to the ground and take all your precious treasure, you're going to do two things for me. One. You're going to tell me every little thing you know about going on in Australia, that might be linked to Talon. I don't care how insignificant it might seem. I want to know."
The Junker Queen nodded. "Okay... and the other?" She nervously asked.
"There's a large price on Junkrat and Roadhog, both of who are currently lying outside. You're going to have someone claim the bounty on their heads, then transfer the money to an account under my control."
"Are they alive?"
"Ask me a serious question."
The Junker Queen was far from upset by this news. On the contrary, Junkrat and Roadhog had become a thorn in her side and she wanted rid of them. Yet she couldn't celebrate, not while the threat of death still loomed over her.
"How am I supposed to claim that bounty? It's not like they'll give it to any of us."
"I'm sure you'll work it out."
The Queen thought, quickly nodding even though she had no idea what she was going to do.
"Good." Reaper picked up the Queen, pushing her back towards her throne. "Now, why don't you take a seat. I'm sure you have plenty to tell me about."
Authors note
Hey everyone.
Well, this chapter took a bit longer to get out then I intended. It's a bit longer than usual, so hopefully that makes up for the delay.
Anyway, hope you all enjoyed it and are keeping yourselves safe.
See you next time :)