A Second Chance
Watchpoint Gibraltar- Practice range three
Right. Left. Then right again.
Tracer scanned her surroundings, her pulse pistols raised, looking for any sign of the enemy squad. This was the fourth scenario she'd run today, stopping for a quick bite to eat after the third run and Lena felt like she was doing well. However, she couldn't know for sure until she got a final report from Angela and Ana, who were both watching from the observation room.
The practice range itself was very impressive. It was the largest range the base had, created before the collapse of Overwatch all those years ago. It was situated underneath the watchpoint and had the ability to fabricate a number of potential combat zones. Currently, it was set up like a small city block, complete with a few building interiors. Above all of this, carved into the ceiling was the observation room, which blended in well even with the large glass panels on it. The range was nothing too fancy, yet it got the job done.
The room itself didn't distract Lena though, who was far too focused on the current battle scenario. Her task was simple. Find the hostile squad, recover the package they were protecting and get to the extraction point. While it sounded easy enough, the catch was that Lena had no backup and no intel on this mission. She had to find the squad herself and deal with them herself. No healers and no second chances.
With no sign of any hostiles, she quickly moved on, hugging a wall of a nearby building as she reached the next open space. When she peaked around the corner, she spotted her targets. The squad in question were a group of six Overwatch soldiers, who'd been outfitted to imitate a Talon squad. The soldiers were under the command of Reinhardt and Brigitte, who'd taken a step away from the armoury to help with the mock operation. However, while Lena had eyes on her targets, she couldn't see Brigitte.
With that in mind, Lena formulated her plan. She worked out that the squad was protecting the package, which was a small bag sitting on a table. So, she decided the best course of action was to simply blink in and attack. Her sudden appearance would hopefully take the squad by surprise and provide a few needed seconds to take out most of the soldiers. Then she'd focus on Reinhardt, collect the package and escape, dealing with Brigitte if she found her.
Once she had her plan, Lena readied herself. She raised her weapons and prepared to blink in. These weapons were not her usual pulse pistols. They, like everyone else's weapons in the scenario, were specialist training weapons, designed to fire stun rounds and nothing more. They stung if they hit you but otherwise did no damage. Instead, Athena would inform the target if they'd been eliminated. The only real weapons were Reinhardt's hammer and Brigitte's mace, though they'd been padded and altered so they didn't cause any damage to Lena if they hit her.
Her pulse bomb had also been swapped out, no longer containing explosives and instead covered whoever it stuck to in green paint. That was the reason why everyone was wearing masks.
After counting down from three, Lena blinked forward, stopping in front of the squad of soldiers and firing her pistols. Two soldiers were hit and out of the scenario before Reinhardt could raise his barrier. The other four began to split apart, meaning Lena had to blink forward, behind the barrier. She took out another target, before blinking again to avoid the incoming rifle fire.
Reinhardt now deactivated his barrier, turning and swinging his hammer towards Lena. She blinked once again and fired at him, the rounds counting as hits, though Athena didn't eliminate him from the battle.
The remaining soldiers now attacked again, Lena recalling to avoid their fire and returning it when she reappeared. She took out another soldier before needing to duck to avoid Reinhardt's hammer. With the last two soldiers still firing at her, she blinked back the way she came and took cover behind the building. This gave the remaining soldiers the chance to move behind Reinhardt, who raised his barrier and walked forward. Lena waited a few seconds, letting them all move closer, before blinking back out of cover.
She ran behind the barrier, firing her weapons and taking another solder out of the fight. The last trooper avoided the incoming fire by taking cover behind Reinhardt's armoured body.
With only the two targets left, Lena grabbed one of her mock pulse bombs and blinked forward, throwing it onto Reinhardt before blinking away. The bomb bleeped twice before detonating, splashing green pain on both the trooper and Reinhardt.
With the both of them eliminated, Lena blinked over to the package and picked it up. Although it was what she'd been instructed to collect, the package was nothing more than a red pouch, containing a bunch of marbles. She placed them into one of her jacket pockets and then blinked away, heading towards the extraction point.
Due to the size of the room, the extraction point wasn't too far away, nor was it actually an extraction. Instead, it was a large button, which when pressed ended the scenario as a win for Lena. However, when she reached the location, Lena came face to face with Brigitte, along with three more soldiers.
Even with a mask covering her face, Lena could tell it was the squire, since her hair was still very much visible. Lena suspected this was Brigitte's plan when she couldn't find her and so was ready for a final fight. What she hadn't expected though was the second squad of troopers, which appeared behind her.
Lena looked over her shoulder, counting the troops behind her, before spinning her pulse pistols around.
"Alright. Let's do this."
Seconds later, she was out of sight, blinking to her left and disappearing inside a building. She reappeared behind the squad of six and even though they were expecting it, she still managed to take them by surprise. She kept herself low initially, avoiding a few shots while returning fire, before recalling back to safety.
Her hit and run tactic had removed three enemies from the equation, yet six remained, along with Brigitte. They were splitting apart, making sure to cover multiple angles of approach. Yet if she used her speed and agility, Lena was sure she'd overpower them.
She remained in her hiding spot, watching as the enemy silently moved into position. Three troopers had pushed forward, while the other three had stayed close to Brigitte, helping her protect the button Lena needed to press. Once she was sure that they'd settled, Lena readied her weapons and then blinked into combat once more.
She kept herself as mobile as she could, blinking around unpredictably while spraying fire into the troopers in front of her. She focused on one target at a time, taking one out before blinking and focusing the next. Within moments, the first three soldiers were down, leaving the last three and Brigitte to deal with.
They were being smart, keeping themselves apart so that they couldn't all be taken out by a single pulse bomb. Two soldiers had taken cover, firing at Lena and forcing her to keep moving, while Brigitte had her barrier raised, pushing forward and providing cover for the last soldier.
Without warning, Brigitte boosted forward, almost hitting Lena with her barrier. Fortunately, Lena managed to blink out of the way, immediately taking advantage of the situation and moving behind her. She took aim at one of the troopers in cover, firing a magazine and neutralising them before turning to the other. She managed to eliminate the second trooper, yet barely avoided Brigitte's whip shot.
As Brigitte's whip shot retracted, Lena rushed forward, firing her weapons at the squire. Brigitte managed to raise her barrier in time, protecting herself and the last trooper as the shield absorbed the incoming fire. However, Lena knew the barrier was nowhere near as powerful as Reinhardt's.
She continued to fire until the barrier broke, blinking as a whip shot came flying towards her. She moved behind the two remaining defenders, throwing a pulse bomb and landing a hit on the trooper. With no other course of action available, the soldier jumped away from Brigitte, shielding her from the explosion of paint but leaving her as the last defender.
With only one target left, Lena reloaded her weapons and blinked out of Brigitte's range, letting her shield recharge before she attacked again.
"Come on Brig. Let's see what Rein's taught you."
Lena couldn't see it but Brigitte grinned at her comment, raising a hand and motioning Lena forward. The Brit responded by firing at the squire, yet she expected this, raising her barrier and blocking the incoming spray of bullets.
Lena began blinking around the area, periodically firing at the barrier before moving to avoid a hit from Brigitte's mace. The fight was fast paced, yet neither could land any serious hits on the other.
Eventually, after a short scuffle, Lena blinked behind the squire, her weapons fixed on the target in front of her. However, Brigitte managed to turn and face Lena, raising her barrier just in time.
As the Brit reloaded, Brigitte took the opportunity to strike, hitting Lena's right leg with her whip shot and forcing her down to one knee. She responded by blinking backwards, avoiding the squires follow up attack and giving her the chance to stand back up.
Without hesitation, she blinked over to the nearest wall and used it to jump up, blinking up and over Brigitte. The squire raised her barrier over her head, intending to use her mace to hit Tracer as she passed over her, yet she never had the chance to do so.
Lena disappeared, recalling and reappearing back on one knee. More importantly, Brigitte was now facing the wrong way, giving her the chance to blink forward and place a pulse bomb on her back, blinking away as paint exploded onto her.
With no other targets left, Lena giggled and gently walked over to the button, pressing it with a single finger, ending the mission.
"Scenario complete. Winner, Tracer. All enemies eliminated."
As Athena announced the results, Lena turned to Brigitte, who'd removed her mask and was running a hand through her hair.
"Sorry about the paint." Lena said, as the squire's armoured hand turned green.
"Nothing a shower won't fix." Brigitte replied, moving a few rogue strands of her green covered hair away from her face. "Guess I still have a bit more to learn."
"No, Rein's taught you really well. Not many people can keep up with me and you did a pretty good job. Honestly, it was a good challenge."
Brigitte smiled at the compliment. "Thanks. You know, we should spar some time."
"Yeah, we should." Lena enthusiastically replied. "Definitely a few things we could pick up from each other."
As the two talked, Reinhardt walked over, patting Lena on her back and offering his congratulations. Meanwhile, the other Overwatch soldiers headed out of the practice range, stopping to salute as Angela and Ana walked inside. Angela was holding a clipboard, with a few sheets of paper attached to it, while Ana simply held a half full cup of tea.
"Thanks for agreeing to help out you two." Angela said, as the two women walked over.
"We're more than happy to help. Lena seems to be performing well." Reinhardt reported, Brigitte nodding in agreement.
"I agree." Ana said. "She appears to be coping well during these missions. However, while I might be happy, I believe Angela has the final say on this matter."
The group all turned to Angela, who flicked through the pages on her clipboard.
"Well, I'd like to speak to Lena alone about this. I'll give you my final report when I'm finished Ana."
Ana nodded, before pointing towards the door. "Come on you two, give them some space."
The two agents said their goodbyes, wishing Lena luck before following Ana out of the practice range. Once they were gone, Lena folded her arms, stepping slightly closer so that Angela could keep her voice down.
"So, what ya think Ang? Am I clear to go or do I need more time?"
"Well, I'm satisfied that both your physical and mental health are in good shape. You performed very well in those combat scenarios and as Ana already mentioned, you appeared to be coping well too. Before I make a decision though, I want to know how you're feeling. Are you ready to go back out there?"
Lena didn't joke about when answering this question, instead adopting a more serious manner.
"More than ready. As much as I like having a lot of free time to spend with Emily, I can just sit back while people need help... and I certainly can't just sit on the sidelines while you lot go out risking your lives. I want to be out there. Trust me, if I didn't think I was ready, I'd say so."
"In which case, I believe you're ready for active duty again. I'll be keeping an eye on you though, just to make sure."
"That's great! Thanks Ang."
Lena wrapped her arms around the doctor, Angela chuckling and returning the gesture.
"So, since were done with all the official stuff, do you have a minute for some girl talk?"
Angela found herself chuckling. "Sure. What's on your mind?"
"So, me and Em have been talking recently about our wedding. It's still early days and there's a lot we want to think about still... but we both wanted to ask if you'd be our maid of honour?"
Angela was taken back by this for a moment, before regaining her composure, giving a large smile as she answered.
"Oh Lena, I'd love to be."
Lena let out a cheer, before pulling the doctor into another hug, this time tighter. She gently looked up, her giant smile fading ever so slightly as her tone became a little more serious.
"Hey Ang... thanks for looking after me and Em. We both really appreciate it."
The medic gave Lena her classic, warm smile. "You're welcome. By the way, how is Emily doing? Has she settled in to life at Overwatch okay?"
"She doing okay thanks. It took her a couple days to adjust to the new routine and she's admitted it's nothing like her civilian life. She doesn't regret it though. She really enjoys helping Winston out and we get to spend a lot more time together."
"I'm glad to hear that and I'm sure Winston appreciates the help." Angela paused and glanced at her watch. "I better head off. Ana will want a report."
"Yeah, I won't keep you. Speak later."
The two walked out of the practice range, splitting apart when they reached the outside world. It was now that Lena realised how long she'd been at it. She'd started a few hours before lunch and now the sun was beginning to go down, indicating she'd been going most of the day.
As Angela headed towards the command centre, Lena blinked away, heading towards Winston's lab. She only managed to get halfway before her attention was drawn elsewhere. Just ahead of her, a humanoid robot swooped down from above, floating in place as it looked around. No one payed it too much mind, yet Lena recognised who it was instantly.
"Echo! Welcome back."
The robot spun itself around, its face lighting up as it saw Lena.
"Thank you Lena. It's good to be back."
"I'm guessing you need to speak to Winston?"
"I was planning on it. I assume he's in his lab."
"Good guess. I was just heading over there. Care to join me?"
"Certainly."
Lena lead the way, Echo floating alongside her while waving at the occasional soldier.
"It appears that much has changed since I was last here." The robot commented, taking note of the impressive number of personnel at the base.
"Yeah, you could say that. Has anyone told you what's been happening?"
"Winston has kept me relatively up to date, so I have a good idea. I must admit, I was surprised when he informed me that Widowmaker and Sombra had joined us."
"Believe me, you weren't the only one. We were all a little cautious at first but they're not the same people they were at Talon."
"Can they be trusted?"
"Without a doubt. Amelie's already kept Emily safe when I couldn't and I trust her with my life... and while Sombra's a little harder to read, she cares about Amelie and wants nothing to do with Talon."
"That's all I need to know." Echo said, as the two arrived outside the lab. "If you say we can trust them, then I'll trust them."
"Thanks Echo. They'll really appreciate that. Now, let's not keep the big guy waiting."
Upon entering the lab, it appeared to be completely empty, with no one present on the lower level. However, upon listening carefully, Lena could make out the sound of ongoing conversation from the level above.
Just before they headed up to the office, Lena spotted a couple of bananas, along with a jar of peanut butter, which Winston had put to one side. Without a second thought, she picked up a single banana and blinked up the stairs.
"Oh Winstooon! Got your favourite."
"Lena, please don't encourage him." Athena replied, as the occupants turned towards the door. Sombra was sat in front of a computer, through she wasn't using it, instead relying on her own. Standing on either side of her were Winston and Emily, while Snowball floated around behind them, simply watching what was going on.
"I'm sure one won't hurt him Athena." Lena said, blinking over to Winston and handing him the piece of fruit. The gorilla chuckled, as he placed it next to his computer screen.
"I'll save it for later."
"How did today go then?" Emily asked, while Sombra focused back on her computer, the screen changing to a map of some sort.
"Very well actually. I'm officially back on active duty."
"That's good. Just... make sure you stay safe out there."
Lena blinked over to Emily, wrapping her arms around her and giving her a quick kiss. "Anything for you luv. On a completely different note, look who I found outside."
Lena pointed towards the door, where Echo was currently floating.
"Hello Winston."
"Echo! It's good to have you back."
"Thank you. By the way, I brought you something."
Echo quickly moved a jar of peanut butter into view, clearly the one from downstairs. Winston rolled his eyes, hearing giggling from both Lena and Echo as he took the jar and placed it with the banana from earlier.
"So, I don't believe I've been introduced." Echo said, referring to the other two women in the room.
"Oh." Lena blinked over to Sombra, placing her hands on her shoulders. "So, this is Sombra."
"Hola."
"Pleasure to meet you."
"And this..." Lena began, blinking over to Emily and placing an arm around her waist. "Is my beautiful fiancée, Emily."
"It's nice to meet you Emily. I've heard a lot about you from Lena. Though I must have misheard. Did you say fiancée?"
Lena smirked, wrapping her other arm around her lover while receiving a kiss on her cheek. "You heard correct. Me and Em are engaged."
"That's brilliant news. Congratulations you two."
"Thanks Echo." Lena paused for a second, feeling Emily nudge her before motioning towards Winston. "Hey Winston, mind if I speak to you for a moment."
"Of course. Echo, can you report what you know to Sombra and I'll be over in a few minutes."
"Will do."
Echo floated over to Sombra, looking over her shoulder at her computer screen before pointing at a specific area. As Lena stepped to one side of the office, along with Winston and Emily, she saw that the screen changed to a satellite view of Europe, with the image focusing on Spain. She assumed this was something to do with Null Sector, remembering the topic from earlier that day.
"So, what's on your mind Lena?"
"So, it's about our wedding. Me and Em have been thinking things over. It's still early days so there's a lot to plan but I know who I want to be my best man... Or in this case, best gorilla."
Winston went wide eyed. "Wait... me? Are you sure Lena..?"
"Of course I am. You're one of our best friends and you've saved my life more times than I can count, you've always been there for me and you gave me a chance to make the best of my condition. I can't think of anyone else I'd rather have as my best man."
Winston smiled, placing one of his hands on Lena's shoulder. "Lena, I would be honoured to"
He had only just finished his sentence when Lena jumped on him, tightly hugging the gorilla.
"Thank you, thank you! I really appreciate this big guy."
"Just don't expect the best speech from me." Winston added, wrapping his own arms around Lena.
Lena chuckled. "Don't worry about it, you'll do great. Besides, you've got plenty of time to come up with something."
"That might help."
"So." Lena then said, changing the topic after a second hug with Winston. "While I've been busy in the practice range, how's the search for Null Sector been going?"
"We've found some intel regarding their movements, though nowhere near as much as I'd like." Winston admitted, as he walked over to Sombra and Echo.
"I can't say I've had much luck myself." Echo added, as Sombra updated the map on her computer screen. "Before I lost track of them, Null Sector were being especially, almost overly cautious. The group I was following covered their movements by splitting into smaller groups. Even when I managed to locate a group, they made sure I couldn't extract any information by destroying themselves."
"So we still don't know where they're heading?" Lena asked.
"Not for certain, no. However, I did managed to locate three smaller groups in Spain before I reached the watchpoint and a concerning pattern began to develop."
Echo moved aside, allowing Lena and Emily to move closer to the map. Even with the limited data they had, the pattern could easily be seen.
"They're getting closer to Gibraltar... How likely is it they know we're based here?" Emily asked, placing a hand over Snowball, who floated next to her with a concerned expression.
"I'd be surprised if they didn't already know." Sombra answered, leaning back in her chair while analysing the map in front of her. "I'm all but certain Talon has been helping Null Sector and they know about this place. Even if they didn't tell them, it doesn't help that we've been a little noisy as of late."
"So do you think they're planning to attack us?" Lena asked, almost dreading the answer.
"Looking at the data I have, they've been avoiding fights as much as possible while moving towards us. I don't think the question is if they're planning to attack us, it's a question of when... which, in the best case scenario looking at this, could be a matter of days."
"And the worst case scenario?"
"Hours."
Without hesitation, Winston acted.
"Athena, place the watchpoint into condition yellow."
"At once Winston."
Watchpoint cell block- Ten minutes earlier
The cell block was eerily quiet, the sounds of the guards footsteps cutting through the silence like a knife through butter. Only a few guards were currently stationed here, one walking through the cells every so often, checking on the only prisoner currently housed there.
While the rest of the base functioned, Bob remained still, sitting in place while staring at the door. The guard passing by the cell door couldn't help but be unnerved by how silent and unmoving Bob was. It was only when the cell door was opened that the Omnic finally moved.
His gaze shifted upwards, coming face to face with Ashe. The door was left open, yet what was more surprising though was the lack of any security with her. Bob also took note of how calm she appeared, as she slowly walked over and sat down next to him.
Bob kept his eyes on Ashe, watching her take her hat off and then lean against him, wrapping her arms around him. The Omnic never hesitated, placing his one arm around Ashe. It had been years since the last time she did anything like this and the Omnic could tell something had changed.
"Been a long time since I've hugged up to you like this... Too long maybe." Ashe said, pausing to reflect on what she'd discussed earlier in the day. "Bob, I need to tell you something."
The Omnic turned himself so that he was fully facing Ashe, while she sat herself up.
"So I've been thinking over a lot of things recently, coming to terms with a lot of hard truths and a lot of mistakes I made when I was growing up... Bob, I... I don't want to be a criminal anymore. Jesse's giving me a second chance... He wants me to join Overwatch and do some good... and I want to take it. A fresh start, where I can change who I am and be more than just a gang leader... You've always been there for me, always listened when I needed someone to talk to... I need you... not just because I need someone to help me through all this... but because you're the closest thing I have to family and I don't want to lose you..."
All through her speech, Bob never once looked away, focusing only on her words. The cowgirl paused for a moment, her head dropping while she considering her next words before finally speaking up again.
"Do you... do you think I can do this? Do you think I can change who I am?"
Ashe raised her head, revealing a tear that was making its way down her cheek. With the way she was speaking, the nervousness along with what she was saying, Bob could tell Ashe was serious about this.
The Omnic gently raised a hand to Ashe's cheek, wiping away the tear before nodding his head. The cowgirl responded with another hug, letting out a deep breath before leaning away.
"I know I probably don't always show it Bob... but I really appreciate what you've done for me. You've stuck by me after all this time, even though you didn't have to. Thank you."
Ashe smiled at Bob, the Omnic giving her a respectful nod of his head. However, his gaze soon shifted to the door, where a certain cowboy was standing.
"Thanks for disappearing earlier." Ashe sarcastically, yet lightheartedly said to him.
"Yeah well, you weren't exactly going to get away from Genji." The cowboy replied, leaning himself against the doorframe while Ashe stood up.
"Where'd the ninja go?" She asked, noticing Genji's absence.
"I asked him to let me know when you were finished, since it wasn't his job to keep an eye on you... How'd it go anyway?"
"It was... eyeopening. Exactly what I needed to hear actually..." Ashe paused, taking a deep breath before continuing. "So, about joining Overwatch... is the offer still on the table?"
"Sure it is."
"Then I'll do it... I've been a criminal for a long time now... it's time to start again and be something better."
McCree extended his hand, a small smile creeping across his face. "Welcome aboard."
"Thanks." Ashe replied, shaking his hand. "And Jesse..." The cowgirl added, leaning towards McCree and placing a kiss on his cheek. "Thanks... for not giving up on me."
"You're welcome."
"Don't you dare tell anyone I just did that."
"Don't worry. We've both got reputations to keep up." McCree said with a chuckle, gaining a smile from Ashe. The moment didn't last long, as Athena's voice suddenly filled the base.
"Attention all personnel, we are now at condition yellow! I repeat, we are now at condition yellow!"
"And for those of us who don't speak military base, what does that mean?" Ashe asked.
"It means you need your weapon." McCree answered, turning towards the cell door. "Follow me."
"What about Bob?"
McCree stopped to look over the Omnic. While he'd been repaired slightly, he was in no condition for a fight. Unless Torb and Brigitte had no other distractions, they might be able to fix him quickly, yet that was unlikely to happen anytime soon.
"Until he's fully repaired, it's best he stays here. If the worst ends up happening, he'll be safer in here."
Ashe looked over to Bob, who passed over her hat and signalled his agreement, before placing it on her head and reluctantly nodding. As much as she didn't like the idea of leaving Bob in his cell, McCree was right. While he was in his current condition, he was much safer here.
With Ashe's reluctant agreement, McCree headed out of the cell block, the cowgirl a mere few steps behind as he lead her to the armoury. While she might have received an occasional glance before, the soldiers were now far too busy to pay Ashe any mind. All around, soldiers rushed passed, some heading off to different parts of the base, while others grouped into squads, before moving out themselves.
It didn't take long for them to reach the armoury, finding Torbjorn behind the counter, while the Bastion was standing at the side of the room, watching the door carefully.
At the back of the room were Brigitte and Reinhardt, the squire helping the crusader put his armour on. Once it was on, Brig picked up a wet cloth and began wiping it, removing as much of the green paint as she could. Thankfully, she'd washed out the paint from her hair and had wiped over her own armour already, making her task slightly easier.
"McCree." Torbjorn began, glancing over to Ashe for a moment before focusing back on the cowboy. "I'm guessing she needs her weapons."
"Correct."
Torb began looking under his counter, leaning down and checking a number of shelves before placing Ashe's coach gun on the top, followed by The Viper.
"Your rifle was in a state when it came in and it was a good thing you didn't need to use it when McCree rescued you. Along with the scope, it had taken some internal damage which caused it to keep jamming after the fifth or sixth shot. I've looked it over and cleaned it up a bit, so it should be working perfectly again now."
Ashe picked up her equipment, taking a moment to look over The Viper. True to his word, Torb had made the weapon look brand new and the scope was functioning once again.
"Just like that, no questions asked?" Ashe asked, as Torb placed a box of ammo for her rifle on the counter. "I was a prisoner not too long ago..."
"Let's just say that recent events have changed my perspective on giving people second chances. I'm sure McCree will explain later if you ask him."
Ashe nodded, making herself a mental note to do just that. "Thanks. Didn't realise how banged up my rifle was."
"It's a nice weapon, don't see many of its type around here. Must be a pain to reload in combat though. I'm pretty sure I could come up with something to help with that if you want."
"I'm used to it. Though I admit it can be a pain sometimes... I'll think about it."
"Anyway..." McCree said, butting in before Torb could start again. As much as he might enjoy talking about his ideas for upgrades, now wasn't exactly the time. "Since you're working for us now, you need to be made an agent. Athena."
"I have already updated Ashe's access level and informed Captain Ama..."
Without warning, Athena was cut off, as the lights across the base shut down, leaving the Bastion's eye as the only thing illuminating the armoury. After a short wait, the emergency lights activated, giving the occupants enough light to see what they were doing.
"So I'm guessing this isn't because you didn't pay the bill?" Ashe lightheartedly asked.
"I thought there was a backup generator." Reinhardt said, now fully armoured up.
"There is." Torbjorn answered. "Should've kicked in by now... Something isn't right..."
"Um... helloooo? Torb, you there?"
Torbjorn looked to his left, where his earpiece was currently sitting. He carefully picked up the small device and placed it in his ear, speaking to the person who'd contacted him.
"Lena. Please tell me this is one of your practical jokes."
"Oh thank god comms are still working... and no such luck I'm afraid. Can you and Brig get over to the lab? We'll explain when you get here."
"Were on our way." Torb replied, turning first to Brigitte, then to the Bastion. "Brig, they need us in the lab. As for you, stay here and defend the armoury. The only people that should be entering here are agents. Everyone else should already have their gear."
The Bastion transformed into its sentry mode, using its repair tool to wave at Torb, before turning to the door and watching it. McCree and Ashe left shortly after, Reinhardt following close behind. This left Torb and Brig, who quickly made their way to Winston's lab.
When they arrived, it became apparent that things were worse then they first thought. Winston was busy typing away on his computer, trying anything to get the power back online. Next to him was Sombra, who had her own computer open and moving between various different images and screens. Lena and Echo were near the window, busy contacting the other agents, while Emily kept herself out of the way, Snowball floating around her as they watched the others work.
"So, what exactly are we dealing with?" Torbjorn asked, in order to gain the attention of Winston.
"Well, as you can see, both the main and backup generators have stopped responding." Winston began, giving up with his computer and turning himself around. "The defences for the Watchpoint are offline, Athena isn't responding and all long range communications are down."
"Great." Torb sarcastically commented. "How do we fix it then?"
"That depends. Since we still have short range comms, I don't think we're being jammed. So, in order to get everything working again, we need someone to have a look at the generators."
"So, you want me and papa to see what's wrong with them?" Brigitte asked, seeing where Winston was going.
"Yes, though I was planning to have a squad back you up. Until we know what caused this blackout, I don't want to take any unnecessary risks." With a nod from the engineers, Winston then turned to the hacker. "Sombra, found anything?"
"I'm not seeing anything that gives me an answer to what happened. CCTV isn't showing up any signs of Talon or Null Sector and I'm not finding anything on social media either. That doesn't mean we're in the clear though."
Just as Sombra finished, Ana entered the lab, her rifle slung over her shoulder.
"Echo filled me in." Ana said, jumping straight into business. "I assume you already have a plan of action Winston."
"I was planning to have a squad escort Torbjorn and Brigitte to the power generators, so they could hopefully get them back online."
"What about Athena? She has access to most of the base and all of our files."
"I put protocols in place for just this kind of situation. There are hidden backup servers that Athena can upload herself and any data she has to. If it comes to it , she'll wipe her local files, crash her systems and wait for me to restore her. For now, I believe getting the power back online will get Athena back and fix most of our problems."
Ana nodded. "Okay. It's basic but it's all we've got right now. Get a squad up here right away."
"I'm on it." Lena said, quickly activating her earpiece to do just that. While she did this, Ana continued.
"Do you have any idea what caused this? Is it a hack, a direct attack?"
"While I cant be certain, I don't think it's a hack." Sombra answered, turning her computer off and turning to the rest of the room. "If it was a hack, I think Athena would have detected it and I don't see Talon bothering to try and hack Overwatch while I'm here. Me and Athena would easily be able to fight it off."
"So that leaves direct sabotage or a sheer coincidence. Somehow, I doubt it's the latter." Torb commented.
"Exactly." Ana paused, considering the situation for a moment. "Sombra, since we don't know what's down there and considering your stealth skills, I want you with the team covering Torbjorn and Brigitte."
"Got it."
"As for the rest of us, we'll keep our guard up and be ready to defend the base. As much as I want it to be simply a fault, I don't for a second believe it is."
Twenty minutes later
It didn't take long for the team to be assembled and after Ana left Winston in charge of this matter, a squad of twelve soldiers escorted Torbjorn, Brigitte and Sombra into the lower level of the base.
Due to the situation, along with the low visibility, everyone was on edge. The soldiers all had their weapons raised, keeping themselves between the agents and any possible threat and checking every corner they passed.
Brigitte held a large tool chest in her one hand, keeping her free hand ready to raise her barrier. Torbjorn and Sombra meanwhile both had their weapons ready, Torb directing the team towards the generators while Sombra kept her computer closed, not wanting to reveal their location to any potential threat. She would periodically turn herself invisible, running up ahead and checking for any hostiles. Thankfully she didn't find any, yet the team didn't relax.
"How much further?" Sombra whispered, echoing the thoughts of the other troopers around them.
"We're almost there." Torb replied, a hint of frustration in his voice. "Just a little further."
Thankfully, Torb wasn't wrong. After a little more walking, the team reached the main generator, much to the relief of Sombra and the troopers. However, when Torb shone a torch on the generator, he was left shocked by the scale of the damage. There were scorch marks all over the generator, and several parts had been ripped straight out.
"Someone had fun." One of the soldier's commented.
"Whoever or whatever did that could still be around. Fan out and secure the area." The squad leader ordered, pointing his team to numerous positions. Although the room wasn't too large, it did have multiple entrances, which could easily be used for a surprise attack.
"Can you two repair that?" Sombra asked, as the soldiers fanned out and searched the area.
Torb stepped over to the generator, analysing the damage further. "I believe me and Brig can. This was a rushed job, so swapping the damaged components should get it working again, at least until I can look over it properly. There's no point if whatever did this is still down here though."
"What the hell was that?"
Sombra spun herself around, her attention shifting to two soldiers, who had their weapons aimed at a vent. She slowly walked over, along with two other soldiers, stopping in her tracks as the vent cover fell off. Everyone remained still, waiting for something to happen. After a tense few seconds, a small robot ran out, taking the soldiers by surprise.
It ran through one soldiers legs and did it's best to avoid being shot at. However, it was no match for Sombra, who raised her hand and hacked the small robot, causing a malfunction and forcing it to stop. Torbjorn, who had watched the whole thing play out, walked over to the robot and aimed his weapon, firing two rounds into it without hesitation.
"Null Sector Slicer... While that explains the scorching, there's no way that thing managed to tear out the other parts."
"That means there's more of them down here." Brigitte added, placing the tool chest out of the way and grabbing ahold of her mace.
"We need to find them, urgently." Torb said, turning to the squad leader. "Inform Winston of the situation, he needs to know what's going on, then set up a defensive position. We'll get this generator running again and then look for these intruders."
"Yes sir."
The squad leader motioned to his troops, silently ordering them to various positions, before activating his earpiece.
"Winston come in... Winston..."
"What's wrong now?" Torb asked, the hint of frustration from earlier returning again.
"I can't get a signal down here."
"What? Yes you can, I've contacted people down here before."
"Unless the signal's being jammed." Sombra concluded, not bothering to open her computer to check.
The squad leader sighed, turning to one of the other troopers. "We could end up needing backup. Morgan, get up top and contact Winston. Walk into his lab if you have to, just tell him what's going on down here."
"Copy that."
Morgan began jogging, heading back the way they'd come from. However, he wasn't able to even leave the view of the squad leader before he suddenly stopped. A single shot rang out and Morgan fell backwards, dead before he hit the floor. In his place, two Null Sector troops could be seen, revealing themselves from the darkness.
"AMBUSH!"
The squad leader dived into cover , barely avoiding taking a hit from the two enemies. He returned fire, as three more troopers and Sombra moved into position, quickly eliminating the two Omnics.
This wasn't the end of the attack though, as multiple Omnics began appearing from the different entrances. Torb threw a turret into the middle of the room, using it to take some of the heat off the soldiers. Brig on the other hand raised her barrier, moving over to Sombra and providing her some cover, just as a number of Slicers ran into the room.
"Sombra, Brig, take out those Slicers!" Torb shouted, not wanting any further damage to the generator. The two agents shifted targets and with help from Torb, made short work of the Omnics, stopping them before they could even reach their target.
The battle appeared to be going in their favour, with the team managing to hold back the Null Sector forces without any further casualties. However, their luck finally ran out, with the Omnics managing to take down two of the Overwatch soldiers. Despite this, Null Sector were losing more, giving in shortly after and falling back deeper into the lower levels.
The soldiers relaxed slightly and Torb checked his turret, pulling out his hammer and repairing some of the damage. Their victory was short lived though, as a single sound filled everyone with fear.
The sound of a Bastion transforming.
Sombra turned herself invisible, just as a small, purple tank rolled around the corner. It's first shot took out three soldiers and damaged one of the entrances to the room. It's second shot hit near the squad leader, knocking him down and taking a further two troopers out of the picture.
With most of the troopers down, the Bastion turned its cannon towards Torb and fired. One of the remaining soldiers was next to him and managed to push him out of the way of a direct hit. The shot hit the generator instead, killing the trooper and knocking Torb to the ground.
"PAPA!"
Brig watched in horror as her father fell to the ground, fearing the worst when he didn't move afterwards. The Bastion shifted targets, giving her no choice but to raise her barrier.
As it fired, all she could do was close her eyes and hope.