The Darkest Knight
Part I: The Reformation of Overwatch
Chapter 12: Gung boo
I looked at the ape and simply replied, "nice to meet you. Now what do you want with me?"
Whether or not the reply angered him, he didn't show it, he just chuckled and responded calmly with, "we just want to know what the story is. Video sources, though hard to fool, are not infallible."
"Well that's something I can agree with." I huffed, though I kept my arms crossed and held my ground.
"Love, anything you can tell us would help in finding out who wants her dead."
"We already know who wants her dead. That fucking Talon group." I scoffed.
Tracer shook her head, "thats not what I meant. I mean that we need to know the details, so we can figure out why they want her. Talon just doesn't go after anyone for no reason, and any plan they would to such lengths just to accomplish has to be a game
changer."
Couldn't disagree with that, so I stated, "no kidding, and if you all hadn't been fucking chasing me across half the globe and just listened to me, we probably could've figured it out a lot sooner."
"We didn't chase you across the globe." Tracer retreated, and I could hear the slight hint of frustration. Props to her though for keeping a smile and a relatively cool head now.
She was a bitch earlier.
"In her defense, she did think you were a murderer."
"Either way, still a shit move to shoot first and ask questions later." I ignored Dig and met Tracers gaze.
"You're one to talk love." She chided with a sly grin.
Cheeky.
I rolled my eyes but decided to change the conversation, "okay so… exactly what do you already know?"
The Ape stepped forward. "We saw the video footage of your assault on Ms. Song, and acted on that. We contacted one of our old agents in Korea, and he decided to seek you out and rescue Ms. Song."
I pursed my lips, "if it was that asshole of a cyborg, he tried to kill me, not to mention brought freaking grim reaper along."
"Trust me," the ape growled, "Reaper is no friend of ours."
"Reaper?" I chuckled, "he's literally called Reaper?"
The Ape nodded, but his face lacked any amusement. Same went for the rest of them. Whoever this Reaper was, obviously he had been causing them plenty of problems.
But considering I shot him with Golden gun and he came back? Well, I'm not surprised that they're wary of him.
So with a frown I continued, "so what's you all's deal with Talon and Reaper? Obviously they're evil, and aside from trying to arrest me, you all seem to have a particular interest in taking them down."
"They've caused a lot of problems for the world." The Ape replied, his frown barely evident in the form of his mouth.
"That's specific." I drawled.
The giant man in armor grumbled something under his breath but I failed to catch it. The Ape instead continued on with our conversation, "we know they've been planning something. Something big considering they tried to locate all of our past agents."
I raised an eyebrow under my helmet, but keep my body language the same; generally disinterested. "When was that?"
"About a month ago."
I'd almost been here that long… No wonder they were feeling slightly on edge.
"I take it they failed at finding anyone?"
"They never got the locations," The ape started, "but that doesn't mean they've stopped with whatever it is they have planned."
"No kidding." I nodded, "they stole technology from Lucio and the company he works for, not to mention built those damn impostor things."
"What Impostors?" The armored giant asked, his voice rumbling through the hangar.
"We were attacked by some machine that looked like Hana Song," Tracer frowned though she kept her gaze on me, though it was narrowed in suspicion, as if I had some ulterior motive in bringing this up.
I nodded then continued her sentence, "it looked like her, and in no way or shape seemed… not human. Other than the fact its arm turned into a fucking sword."
"Was it strong?" The Ape asked.
Again, I nodded. "Went toe to toe with me for a good bit, but I have a few ideas as to how it managed that."
Winston seemed to accept my obvious reluctance at sharing Dig's theories, then replied, "then we should discuss what Talon could want with Ms. Song and why they have such machines in their arsenal, as well as your involvement with her and them."
I agreed with him don't get me wrong, well I agree with everything aside from the obvious mistrust of my connection to Talon, but I saw my chance to lay down terms and stated, "fine, but I have conditions."
The group froze and I could feel the burning gaze of the giant man searing into my very soul. I guess they were still sore about our previous scuffles.
"What do you have in mind love?" Tracer asked, her voice at least even despite her suspicion.
"Firstly," I stepped forward and felt my hand canon appear on my thigh, "no one touches me, my ship, or any of my shit, and I won't touch any of your shit. Deal?"
I twitched as the British woman nodded in confirmation then continued, "secondly, you're gonna have to show me some trust if we want to get to the bottom of this. I-"
"Trust goes both ways, love." Tracer retorted, a soft grin on her lips.
I frowned. "I know, but you guys attacked me from the get go, so you can understand my reluctance in trusting any of you."
"Understandable." Winston warmly stated.
My shoulders sagged as the tension of my statement left me, and I continued, "thirdly, Lucio and Hana decide whats happens to them. I know we both have the best intentions, but they choose where they go, so if Hana doesn't want a hospital or any of that
shit, then angel lady is going to have to deal with that."
"Her name is Angela." Terminators voice suddenly filled the room, and without a sound he landed in front of the giant man, his green glow vibrantly shining and his hand up near his sword.
Where he had come from… Well fuck I don't know.
I scowled, "so long as she respects their choices, then I don't give a shit what her name is."
"You should respect those who would risk their lives for you," the cyborg replied, his hand slowly curling around the handle of his blade.
I turned my eyes to him, well I assume it was a him, and glared before saying, "I save my respect for those who earn it, not someone in a cheap costume and fancy pole tricks."
Yes, I meant to insinuate she was just a cheap stripper, though I'm pretty sure she actually wasn't.
My eyes followed his movements as his hand tensed, and the very edge of his sword slid out of its sheath.
I lowered my hand to Last Word, and placed one foot behind me.
"All right boys," Tracer suddenly blinked in front of the cyborg, "no need to get all bloody. We're just talking things out, and I'm sure Nathaniel didn't mean anything by his comments." She shot a glare at me.
I huffed and relaxed, pulling my arms up to cross them before stating, "all I meant was I have three conditions. You know all three."
"And they're acceptable." Winston stated, effectively ending any sort of standoff between me and the others, "but I'd rather not have a mess in the hangar so, I have to ask if you could refrain from any sort of violence while here."
"Sure." I replied as the cyborg lowered his arm and simply walked away.
Guess I pissed him off.
"Thanks." The Ape huffed, though I could actually here his frustration.
Apparently I'm really bad at first impressions.
"Well, you're no prince charming."
"Shut up, Dig."
I ignored my ghosts impersonation of a offended gasp in my head and walked forward a few more steps.
"All right then" I started, "so let's talk about Talon."
The Ape nodded, and replied, "if you'd follow me."
For a moment I hesitated but decided it would be better to follow. At the very least I could get a glimpse of their base and all its weak points and any possible escape routes.
Hopefully I wouldn't need them but I like to be prepared.
Just in case.
A pair of side doors slid open and revealed a metal interior, one lit up by soft blue and white lights that created a sort of… serene? Yeah that's the word. It created a serene glow and the hall was line with several doors, each of which was closed.
I watched my radar and yellows appeared as the rest of the Overwatch welcome band followed behind us, minus two if my count was right. I was pretty sure the two that were in the back hangar were working on something of importance, so they probably stayed
behind to continue work..
Obviously they didn't see me as a threat.
Whether or not that was a compliment, I don't know.
The Ape walked in silence on all fours as he trudged through the hall, and a few open areas were revealed through either glass windows, or in the case of the workout room, a rather large metallic archway.
The windows revealed what I guessed was a training range, though there were not actual targets. Probably holographic targeting and projection systems that were shut off.
And through a dozen feet of paned windows, was the mess hall. A few long tables sat around, smaller four person tables sitting sporadically about, with metal benches and chairs before their respective tables and stoves, fridges, and all sorts of other
cooking ware sat around just waiting to be used.
"Think they have family dinners?" Dig chuckled in my head.
"From the looks of it…." I glanced back at the group of misfits. "Probably…"
Finally though, after we passed what simply looked like a dark room who's doors were propped open, did we reach another set of double doors that the Ape pushed open and revealed a giant orange lit room.
A few lockers lined the metal sheeted walls, but the roof was entirely natural, made from the very mountain the base was built into.
Stairs to my right lead up to the second floor, a giant hologram of the planet sat above a table to my left, devices and other trinkets littering the table as if it was a workstation- which it probably was. In the center, hanging above the middle of the
room was what looked like a giant, pulled apart and defunct engine.
Another set of steps lead down towards a giant hologram on the wall, one that featured a map of the world with various points glistening in blue over the orange of the map.
A marker board sat to the left of the map, and in front of the board sat what literally looked another workstation with tools and weapons strewn about it. Hell even propane tanks sat up against the table!
Then at the back sat a suit, a few carts with supplies, and a tire on a swing….
Well at least I can say this isn't the weirdest thing I've seen today. After all I was following a walking talking Gorilla.
So I followed and the ape walked over to the map on the wall, and stopped his head barely turning to address me.
"In the past forty eight hours almost all the known sects of Talons operations across the globe have gone silent." His voice was deep, and I could feel the frustration.
"And?" I asked, unsure of where he was going with this.
"And," Tracer suddenly blinked up to the map, but was facing me and the rest of her group, "we are the only two who have seen anything from them."
"More specifically, you saw those machines you said to have been capable of replicating a human." The Ape stated.
I raised an eyebrow and stepped forward, "well yeah, but what would that mean or have to do with Hana?"
"Like the big guy said," Tracer voiced her eye shining with worry, "we need to figure out why they wanted her so bad. That's why we wanted to talk to you. Well, at least now that's why."
So… she was hinting at the fact that she didn't believe I was some sort of serial killer now?
Cool.
One down, and like ten more to go.
"Over the past two months, I've watched reports of several… interesting events." The Ape warned, and suddenly several holograms popped up above the table that had once held a hologram of the globe.
I narrowed my gaze and looked at the headlines of the news videos playing.
"An omnic monk, striving for peace was assassinatedby one of talons agents. He held no political agenda, or corporateties, so why they went after him specifically is still a mystery." The Ape frowned as he approached the table and one news
holo-vid grew large than the rest.
It featured one of the machines lying on the ground, men in suits surrounding the body, and a bullet hole in its head.
I heard a sigh escape the Brit from somewhere behind me, but my attention was drawn back to Winston as he continued, "and that's not all. Others, specifically diplomats and a few celebrities, went missing or suddenly died."
"So you think Talon's behind all of that?" I asked, seeing where he was headed.
"Yes, but only because most of those diplomats returned after only forty eight hours of going missing, not a scratch on them."
"Hmm…" I hummed and brought my hand to my chin, "so let me guess, you thought I kidnapped Hana and was apart of Talon?"
He nodded and I sighed in response.
Well at least now I know why they doubted everything I said.
"All right," I started, hoping now to really disprove their false accusations and ideas, because life would be so much easier if I wasn't trying to actively avoid everyone on this stupid planet, "so I get why you would doubt me, but whats the connection
here?"
"You said you found machines that could impersonate a human correct?"
I went wide eyed. "You think they replaced the diplomats and wanted to do the same with Hana?"
They way his lips pursed and his shoulders tensed, were the answer to my question.
Now I really let out a deep huff and raised a hand to scratch at the back of neck, though of course my helmet was still on. "Well shit. That's bad. What diplomats returned?"
"Specifically the US representative to the UN, the British Prime Minister, a Chinese general, one of Russians ambassadors to NATO, the president of South Africa, and a celebrity by the name of Trisha Star, one of the most influential young people in the
world." The Ape replied and Tracer once more blinked up to him and leaned against the table, a frown on her lips.
"And now they want Hana." I frowned. "But why? I mean, those positions don't sound entirely related except for the fact they're political. Hell, Hana's a famous gamer and a squad captain of a Mekka unit, but its not like she holds the keys to the world."
"Exactly my thoughts." The Ape echoed and he grunted something unintelligible, the continued, "but now you know why were hesitant in trusting you."
I nodded. "Yeah, but your firing squad could've led with that rather that start a fight."
He shrugged, "it was handled poorly, but I trust Lena's judgement, and she trusts you. Hehe, at least enough not to have you immediately arrested."
"Comforting."
"So," The Ape huffed and he walked towards me, about my height since he was on all fours, "I have a proposition for you."
I eyed him carefully before replying, "what proposition?"
"We'll treat Hana here and get her back on her feet before she can go public and denounce Talon and clear your name if you really are innocent, but aside from that I'm willing to offer you asylum here, but on one condition of my own."
"Whats the catch?"
"You stay under our watch and we can keep an eye on you till you're proven innocent then you can go on your way."
I laughed, "I'm not your lackey."
"I know, but you want Hana safe as much as we do, and given your keen sense of curiosity I'm sure you'd want to find out just exactly why Talon has weapons that can, how'd you say it, go toe to toe with you?"
I grinned under my helmet. For a monkey, this guy was smart.
But he had a point. I wanted to know exactly what this Talon was planning, and well at this point it'd be kinda a dick move to just ditch Lucio and Hana after everything we'd dealt with the past couple weeks.
Though, in all honesty I could just leave and keep an eye on the base from afar, but what the monkey offered was much better than that.
He was offering me an open hand to his base. A place to stay, and to keep close to those that didn't trust me.
Keep your friends close, and those who you have no idea if they're friend or foe and could either save or kill you, closer.
So I was gonna have to play ball.
With a nod I then replied, "Fine, but once this is all done, I'm clear to go and you asshats stop chasing me around the world got it?"
The Ape grinned, though the lines under his eyes hinted at his frustration and/or exhaustion.
Honestly either would work.
"You can do what you'd like, so long as you're not breaking the law." He replied and I held my tongue.
I could say how basically what they were doing was illegal, if the facts about Overwatch being disbanded by the government were true.
"All right then. I'm game. So where am I staying?"
"And this, is the medbay." Tracer stated with a slight twirl on her heels, a cheeky grin on her face.
I glanced around, mildly impressed by the set up till I saw Hana and Lucio. They were laying in beds parallel each other, and the world famous gamer was fast asleep, while the musician was talking to the Angel.
I frowned but let Tracer continue talk as we started over to them.
"Don't fight her please, I'd rather not have to revive you again."
"How're they doing Angela?"
I let my eyes from behind my visor fall to the angel.
As if sensing my judgment she turned and her eyes locked with me despite mine being hidden from sight. Her brow furrowed and the beginnings of a frown graced the edges of her lips.
Fortunately the peppy brit in front of me, either through ignorance or by being completely oblivious, continued on with her one sided conversation, "Ms. Song doesn't look too good…."
That caught my attention and I looked at the woman in question.
Hana was asleep as I stated, but her face was pale. Her breaths were shallow and she seemed…. uneasy…. she kept twitching an turning and her lips moved as if she was speaking to someone, though whatever she said was completely inaudible.
"She's stable at least. She lost a lot of blood, but she's not in any mortal danger." The Angel sighed and stretched her right arm, her white coat loosely clinging to her.
I didn't reply, and simply pushed my feelings of a future check up through my mind to Dig. A simple feeling of agreement was enough for me to know he would teleport in and check up on Hana later.
"How you doing Lucio?" I then asked, turning my head so I was looking at the man.
He grunted as he shifted, his leg hosted up in a cast and his face decorated with a lopsided grin as he stated, "could be better, but hey at least I ain't dead."
I chuckled and nodded, "at least. That fire messed up your leg huh?"
"The explosion," He frowned, but it wasn't pointed at anyone, it was just there because of the circumstances, "but I'm just glad Hana's okay."
"You and me both." I replied then the angel spoke.
"So, Nathaniel," she stepped in front of me, her arms crossed but her glare at least lessened in intensity, "I must ask, how you convinced the others… of your supposed innocence?"
Harsh much.
"He's not just free to roam wherever he wants," Tracer exclaimed her eyes rolling playfully, "we just came to an agreement. He stays out of anything not permitted, and shares with us any info he has on Talon, and we leave him alone once this is all over."
The Angel's eyes never left mine, and rather than see relaxation, she tensed up and the distrust literally…. well okay almost literally, oozed from her person.
Tracer though, was right. My story at least bought me some time, and they fortunately failed to ask me where I'm from, which meant I was able to bulletproof my story now.
Yay me.
At least all I had to do was ensure that I kept them from thinking I was from another… dimension? Time? Fuck I don't even know yet, whatever. Either way I don't want them thinking I'm crazy.
Which I'm not.
Mostly.
Not at least until I have more proof you know?
"Sketchy."
"Fuck you."
"Fine, just don't cause her any more distress. It's the last thing she needs." The blonde scolded before she turned her back and walked away into to her little office, which was glorified with massive windows so she could see out into the actual med bay.
I shot a glare at her back as the door closed but turned to Lucio, "she treating you well?"
"Yeah man!" The musician sat back and leaned his head against the beds plastic headboard, "she's been pretty sweet, don't know what she's got against you."
"You and me both." I chuckled darkly.
"All right love," Tracer beamed, blinking in front of me, "time to show you your humble abode!"
"Already?" I raised an eyebrow, "I just got here."
"You can come back after I show you your room, I can't just babysit you all day you git."
Normally I'd assume she was insulting me, but her smile and generally carefree attitude forced me to hold my tongue. I mean hey, she wasn't being a bitch anymore so why be an ass?
"Fine, cheerleader, lets go."
She frowned playfully at the name and blinked over to the door, "well then hurry up! I have my own life to live."
I rolled my eyes and gave a silent nod to Lucio before following after her.
Once out of the med-bay we continued on our way down the set of metal halls that made up another portion of the base, and was basically the barracks wing. Of course I had no set room, but Winston had said I could use one of the vacant rooms.
Room 31?
Whichever that was cause there were no actual numbers next to the rooms!
"So how do you know what room's who's?" I asked, glancing at each door and determining from the lack of… well any sort of personalization that there had to be a way they knew who's room was who's.
She shrugged and continued walking with a skip in her step, "we just sort of memorized who was where. Of course not everyone stays here all the time."
"So what, you guys don't have like a permanent place to stay?"
"No we do," she sound to face me, stopping in front of the room at the furthest end of the hall, "just, some of us have people to take care of or spend time with."
The way she worded it…
"Let me guess," I drawled as she waved her hand in front of… uh the keypad which was apparently a biometric palm reader if my guess was right and the door opened, "you have some love struck dude back home waiting for you?"
"Well, her, name" she emphasized the word but whatever, "is Emily, and yes, I like to see the people I care about every now and then thank you very much."
I shrugged as we both walked into the room, "I get that."
It was well lit and simple; a bed, a nightstand, a dresser, a small TV, and another door which I figured led to a shower.
"Shower?" I threw a thumb at the door.
"Yup," she popped with a smile, "but, don't ask me to join you love."
I rolled my eyes, "what? Don't want Emily to get jealous?"
She laughed and blinked back out of the room, "no love, don't want you to be intimidated. Two gorgeous women and… you? Please."
"Ha. She got you."
Now I laughed. "Touché."
She grinned, "now, I have some things to deal with, so go ahead and make yourself at home. Just don't go anywhere you aren't permitted."
"And what exactly's not permitted?"
"Basically," she leaned against the wall, "anywhere that's not the hangar, the medbay, the mess, or the gym. You can hang out in the game room, or the main living room if you want, but that's only if you're on your best behavior. Can't have you starting
a fight and end up breaking the pool table."
"You have a pool table?"
"We're not savages."
I rolled my eyes. "So if I get hungry…"
"Mess has plenty of stuff, and yes you can visit your friends whenever you'd like. Like I said, just don't go anywhere you're not permitted."
"And how do I know what's what?"
"Oh you'll know love."
Cryptic much?
"All right whatever." I sighed and pulled my helmet off, the cool air a welcomed addition to my current situation.
"Just behave love, and no one's gonna fight you." She gave me a somber smile.
I shook my head, "hopefully. We haven't been the best of friends."
"Oy that's true. Doesn't mean we can't all get along! Just don't be a git."
"Say's you."
"Exaggeration, love. Learn it." She gave a cute wink, then with a flash of blue, she was gone.
Cheeky fucker.
Dig chuckled in my head. "Hey, at least she's not being a bitch."
I shrugged.
"Touche."
Night came and I ventured towards the mess hall, my growling stomach egging me on.
Granted I could've just transmatted to my my ship and eaten from my fridge, but my curiosity got the better of me and I just, really wanted too see what a one on one interaction what any of the other members of Overwatch would be like.
In all fairness to them I'd only dealt with Terminator and Tracer one on one, and one of them seemed decent enough. Maybe the others would be more open to conversation if they weren't around other agents.
It was a long shot, but eh.
Why the hell not?
So I continued through the empty hall, helmet secured as to reinforce the mysterious persona I apparently had. Then again, I was mysterious to the extent these people had no idea who, or what, I was.
"So Bastion isn't very fond of being here. He says they probably want him dead, and well, considering the history between Overwatch and the Omnic soldiers, I don't doubt it." Dig stated in my head.
"Just keep him calm. I mean, it's not like we can go anywhere till we find some fuel anyway."
"You try keeping a poor, last of his kind robot calm inside the base of the very group created to destroy and stop his kind."
"Hey, we made friends with some of the Fallen right?"
"The Houses of Judgement? They're assholes. Not a good example."
I caught sight of light escaping the windows from where I knew the mess hall was.
"But it proves enemies can eventually get along."
My radar immediately told me two unknowns were in the mess before I even turned the corner, so when I did and saw two people sitting and chatting, it was no surprise and I walked straight over to them.
One was the man with a cowboy hat and a poncho over his shoulders, and left arm made of metal. The other was the woman who had been tinkering away in the hangar, grease marks staining her forehead as a tang top clung to her top half and a thick winter
coat hung around her waist.
"Hey, so what's the best thing to snack on?" I asked as I approached the two, keeping a moderate distance as I did…. you know, just in case.
The man was leaning back, feet up on the table and the woman's posture was impeccable, but their faces were both…. unreadable.
Well shit. You know, I may be a badass, but I can't read minds…
"It ain't very polite to talk to a lady without introducing yer name before hand." The man grumbled in a heavy southern accent.
I glared down at the man through my visor but kept my voice even as I stated, "names Nate."
He tipped the edge of his hat, "McCree."
The edge in his voice was gone, and then the woman gave me a soft smile and politely said, "Mei- Ling Zhou. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Pleasure," I replied before continuing, "so food?"
"Oh yes!" The woman grinned, a kind smile spreading on her face as she stood up, "what do you like?" Her voice was heavy, a slight accent emphasizing her words.
I blinked, not expecting the bold politeness. "Um, well anything… chocolate or sweet?"
She looked at the ceiling for a split second, her mind obviously wandering, then her returned to me and she exclaimed, "well! We have a few things!"
With a quick turn she walked to the fridges, flinging the first one open and delving inside, before she pulled out a galloon of…
What the fuck? Chocolate milk?
I blinked once.
Of all things I expected in that fridge, I didn't expect chocolate fucking milk. Like, I don't know! I just… did not expect that.
"Well, we have this, and…" She closed the fridge and looked up at the cabinets, using her free hand to swing them open and search inside for a quick moment before pulling out, "a few chocolate bars."
She pulled out a few candies cars that I'd never seen before, and on the wrapper was the word Hershey's.
Smile still plastered on her face, she faced me and shrugged happily, "which one?"
I laughed at the ridiculousness of the situation.
Never in a million years, would I have expected myself to be offered chocolate milk by some lady in another universe as I stayed in a foreign base, on another Earth, that was somehow filled with several billion still living humans.
She raised an eyebrow at me, though her grin hinted that she was more entertained by my laugh than curious as to why I was actually laughing.
"Honestly," I managed as the grin onkt my face faded to a barely visible smile, "I'll take some of both if you don't mind."
She nodded, "okay! Just, don' eat any peanut butter! Winston's addicted to it!" And with that she spun around, merrily going about getting me a glass and pouring me a drink.
I shook my head, thoroughly confused yet entertained.
Like, she barely knew me, and hell after all that had happened between me and Overwatch… I didn't expected someone to be so… friendly towards me.
"Relax," the voice of the man interrupted, and I looked at him, "no one's gonna attack ya here. She just got here a day ago so she ain't caught up on everything thats been goin on."
"What about you?" I asked, curious as to what he was thinking.
"Me?" He chuckled darkly, "well, I've been around long enough to know a killer when I see one." His eyes darkened and instinctively I narrowed my gaze and let my hands rest at my sides, ready for a fight.
I stayed silent as the sounds of the woman, who was now humming to herself as she… cooked? What on earth was she cooking? I asked for a drink and snack?
Like shit where did the milk and chocolate even go?!
"She does that." The man once more started, "kindest soul I've ever known. But, don't worry kid. You ain't no cold blooded killer, but you ain't no saint either."
I frowned but relaxed.
Was it bad that I could almost agree with him?
"So you don't agree with the rest?" I asked, crossing my arms as my gaze fully turned to the woman.
"Nah," I could hear the sound of disagreement, "they're well intentioned, but they ain't the brightest bunch. Don't understand that context, is key to everything."
"You would excuse me killing someone?" I asked, glancing back at him, and now generally interested as to what his point was.
"No. Killing that Song girl? Innocent as she is? Nah, no excuse for that, not unless she was a serial killer whacking off every poor bastard she could. But them Talon folk? No issues with them bein' wiped off the board." He shrugged and added, "Angela
may have a problem with you though. She ain't a fan of killin', no matter the circumstances."
"I can tell."
"Give 'er time. She'll come 'round." He suggested and I could only nod with his statement, unsure as to how long it would take for the resident Angel to actually trust me.
Then again, I hadn't made it easy on them when it came to trusting me…
"So, you and the girl, ya'll a thing?" He asked, though his gruff voice lacked any real implication.
"No," I laughed, "she tried to kill me twice, and I almost killed her. Trust me, there's no romance of any sort there."
"Hehe, well, wouldn't be the first time enemies ended up sleeping together just because."
"Sound's like you know from experience."
He grinned, "I may or may not dabble in the art."
I shook my head at his statement. "So long as I'm not a target, then consider us on good terms."
"Don't worry, there's only one kind of target ya could be, and ya ain't ticked me off yet so yer in the clear."
The threat was subtle, but I knew well enough that I was going to have to keep an eye on this guy.
God only knows what he considers pissing him off.
"Suppers ready!" Mei's voice interrupted my thoughts and I saw her walk over to us and place three plates on the table, one for each of us, with steaming chicken and veggies and a whole bunch of other foods I've never seen. She even placed a glass of
chocolate milk next to mine..
Well at least she gave me what I asked for… plus more?
And how she managed to cook this that fast was beyond me.
She pushed up her glasses and as she set down a glass for herself and the man then stated, "Angela's seen some terrible things. Poor girl. If you'd like, I could try talking to her?"
I shook my head and reached for my helmet, "no thanks, I can handle her." And with that I shrugged my helmet off, the smell of food instantly hitting my nose.
"What is this?" I asked, taking a seat in the open chair, perpendicular to both of them.
"It's from home!" The woman chirped, her eyes sparkling as she pulled a pair of chopsticks form god knows where. "Gong Bao chicken! And you owe me five dollars McCree!" She teased and her mouth only smiled as she too sat down.
"Yeah yeah." McCree grumbled, and he simply plucked at the chicken with his fingers from his reclined position.
She smiled and, her posture impeccable, bowed her head once before driving her sticks into the fresh meal.
"Why does he owe you?" I asked, genuinely curious as to why he owed her.
The woman, Mei, smiled and simply handed me a fork before shooting the man a confident smirk, which was slightly uncharacteristic for her soft features.
"I bet her ya were a woman under that suit, she said ya were a man. Lost five bucks now." He grumbled as he took another handful of food for himself.
I raised an eyebrow and looked at the food.
In the Last City we didn't get a lot of different food. After all, most of the diversity we had consisted of whether or not you liked mustard of ketchup, which had somehow not died out after the Fall.
One thing that seemed rather good about this world was the food.
I'd never seen stuff like this, so seeing it now, smelling it, and almost taking the flavor through the very air itself was something even I had never experienced before.
Granted that was if they didn't poison this.
"You're too pessimistic. Just give it a try. What's the worst that could happen? You die?" Dig drawled out his words in my mind and I mentally pictured me slamming a bat against his head.
"Lightbulb? Meet bat."
With that I pushed my fork into the pile of food and took a chunk out of it, before twisting the utensil and bringing it's contents up to my watering mouth.
It tasted like heaven!
The flavors!
Some many different kinds, so many different tastes and textures! There sweet, there was salty, it was a mix! The rice complimented the tender chicken, and the veggies, soft warm, only added to the amazing texture.
Needless to say it was great.
"Never had Gung Boo chicken?" The man asked, an entertained grin on his face.
"Gong Bao!" The woman complained, her eyes playfully grilling the man.
"Gone who?" The man chuckled and the woman simply rolled her eyes before returning to her meal.
I shook my head in response to his earlier question, "nah. Never had it." Then I shoved another fork filled to the brim with food into my mouth and once more savored the glorious taste.
"Well, if yer staying here for a while, yer gonna get used to a lot of different foods. People from all over stay here. Well, at least they used too." He sighed but didn't elaborate, instead refocusing on his meal.
Huh.
I eyed him and wondered if the man had been here when Overwatch had been shut down. He said 'used too'.
Unless they had been operating illegally for years now, then he had to be referring to before, and what better source of information that an eye witness.
Hell, might as well catch up on my history right?
"So," I asked through a half full mouth, "what exactly happen to Overwatch? I mean," I swallowed then continued with a clear voice, "you guys didn't exactly leave on a good note."
Both of their face's grew dark, thought the womans features were more somber, and the man was far angrier than her.
McCree simply sighed and looked at me, "well, it ain't no secret."
Defensive. Figures.
"Sure, but I'm guessing you were there weren't you? You were apart of it before it all fell apart?"
"We both were." Mei simply smiled sadly before looking back to her food. She didn't look at the man and avoided his gaze.
"Ya know kid," He uttered with a huff, obviously relenting to my curious request, "there was a time when Overwatch was just a group of people who wanted nothing else than to fix the world."
I leaned forward, both to shovel the last of my food into my mouth and to show my interest in his story.
"It was a long time ago," The woman mumbled, her words sweet yet soft.
"That it was." McCree nodded, "but we grew too smart, to cruel for our own good. Bah," he crossed his arm and frowned, "I shoulda seen it comin. I shoulda."
"Seen what coming?" I asked, sitting back in my chair and feeling Dig's presence partially fade as he obviously teleported somewhere.
Probably went to check on Hana.
"I was apart of a group called Blackwatch. We were the more… secretive group of Overwatch."
The woman tensed at his words and for the first time a true frowned graced her lips. The sheer mention of Blackwatch soured her mood? What the hell had they done?
"We did a lot of… questionable things back then. We did it to protect the world, but… I watched him grow jealous, I saw him get cruel." He closed his eyes and his shoulders slumped.
"Reyes wasn't your fault." Mei voiced, her smile once again warm and inviting.
I raised an eyebrow, "who's Reyes?"
"He was the guy that pulled me out of the filth and made me into a man." The gruff man replied, "he was a good man, till he let his anger get to his head. Then he went and started a fight with Morrison, and kaboom. There goes the whole of Overwatch."
He looked ahead, not at any of us, but at the memories most likely swirling by in his mind.
"Sorry to hear that."
He shrugged, "doesn't matter now. He's dead and the world goes on hatin' us."
I stayed silent at that. To be honest, I knew they had been disbanded, but I knew nothing about who the public felt. All I knew was Hana and Lucio, and both of them felt like Overwatch was still a godsend. Maybe they were in the majority.
But maybe they weren't.
"What about you? What's your story?" Mei asked, keen in watching a topic change.
I shrugged, "just a guy who's trying to get over some… bad shit."
"If its a girl, just let 'er go. Easier that way." The man replied with a grunt, pushing off his chair and stretching his one human arm.
Apparently he wasn't too interested in my past, but either way I didn't reply.
I already let her go.
And now she'd never come back.
"We'll Ima hit the hay. Nice meetin' ya Nate. Have a goodnight Ms. Zhou," he tipped his hat at us, a charming smile sent towards Mei before he started off and the woman called back, "its Mei to you, McCree!"
He chuckled, boots clicking as went, but didn't reply to her and disappeared out of the mess hall's front doors, leaving me alone with Mei.
I shook my head at the mans antics, then turned back to face the only person still here.
"So, Mei, whats your story?" I smiled.
"Well-"
"GAHHHH!" A scream tore through the peace surrounding us and instantly I was up on my feet, my helmet simply reappearing on my head and my rifle appearing in my arms as I faced the doors and raised my rifle.
I could hear Mei's gasp and heard her shuffle behind me, doing god knows what.
Before either of us could say anything though Dig's voice filled my head, "Nate! Medbay!"
I blinked forward, encompassing the distance of the mess hall straight to the doors and dashing out in the hall beyond.
A flash of blue vanished over me and I saw Tracer land a few feet in front of me in a role.
"Nate? What're you doing ya git?"
"What happened?" I asked as I stared forward, following as Tracer too got up and started her way towards the medbay.
She shrugged, "no idea! I just heard the scream!"
"Shit." I growled.
What if an impostor got in? What if they had replaced Hana with an impostor again?! And I had lead them straight into Overwatch's base!
Shit, shit, shit!
It took not even a minute for us to round the corner, and the moment we did, there was chaos.
The Angel was trying to get into the room by pounding on the door and yelling Hana's name, somehow locked out, Dig was saying something to me, and the ape was messing with wires near the door, a wrench in his mouth as he grumbled under his breath.
The large man in armor, whose name I had yet learned…. or I just forgot not sure… but he was standing not far off, talking to Terminator, both arms crossed as they both stared at the doors with iron gazes, as if they were trying to will them to open.
"What the hell's going on?" I exclaimed, annoyed at my peaceful evening being ruined, yet also confused as to just what the fuck was going on!
"I don't know! I left for a moment…" The Angel replied, her eyes red and her for furrowed in frustration as hit the door again, "Hana please open up! You need-"
"Stay out!" A voice screamed back, its horse quality failing to hide Hana's unique tone.
The worst part though?
Her voice was pained, and I could hear the tears…
"I was checking her while she slept, but she woke up and… shit, it's PTSD man. I think she was dreaming about what that fuck head almost did. She's freaking out and she needs someone to either knock her out or calm her down. Like now, or she's going to hurt herself or Lucio."
"Gah! Just move!" I yelled shoving past the Angel, I felt the shivers as someone shot me a death glare and heard the metal footsteps towards me, but nothing happened and Raze Lighter appeared on my back.
I grabbed its handle and felt the power of Sol race through me as fire engulfed the sword, and with a single swipe, I slashed the metal doors and incinerated both.
The opening was created and I blinked in as my sword disappeared from my hand.
The lights were on, and for the most part everything seemed normal.
Unless you counted the fact that Lucio was currently standing against a wall, hands up as if he was trying to catch some small pet, and the fact Hana was against the corner, hands wrapped around her ears and her eyes closed with silent shining tears slipping
down her cheeks.
Something people forgot about us Guardians, is that at our core, we're still human… We feel, we get angry, we care…
We feel fear.
We feel pain.
So when I saw Hana like that, in nothing but pain, I could only think of one person.
Myself.
I'd been there.
I hadn't dealt with the same circumstances as her, but I had felt pain and fear. More so probably anyone alive on this planet.
More so than most Guardians.
None of them… no one here's seen, or felt, the darkness of that pit.
They haven't seen the green fire.
Suddenly someone pushed on my arm and past me, their body almost gliding through the air and towards the sobbing girl.
The blonde woman, a smile leaking into her words as she spoke, "don't cry child." Her hands reached for the nineteen year old, a golden glow about her as the Angel kneeled before the champion gamer.
Her words were soft, and sweet.
Words coated in milk, and honey.
And as if I was affected, I felt my nerves start to fade, as my anger and hurt started to fade away.
A sword…
Kathy, red hair and green eyes staring up at the being all Guardians feared.
Darkness surrounded her, and Raze Lighter, sang its blazing song in her hand as she struck.
It was beautiful. Raw power. Raw hate.
My cape fluttered, and my heart pounded in my ear. There fire, there was darkness and energy flying all around us.
Screams. Terrible songs, and screeches of the dead.
Kathy yelled, shield flaring, Sol engulfing her body as green and orange, light and dark, tangled in a brilliant flash.
"Nate!"
My eyes snapped open and I caught sight of the Angel backing up from Hana, the younger of the two staring at us with red, tired eyes.
Whatever happened… I missed it.
"Dude what the… is it happening again?"
"Hana?" I asked, stepping forward and ignoring my own pounding heart.
Her eyes looked up to me and I met her gaze.
"Get away." She growled, but it was tired and her voice shook.
I took another step forward, "Hana its fine. No one's-"
"I said get away!" She yelled and this time she hurtled a cup at me.
I easily ducked it but I briefly wondered where she had gotten it form before I dismissed the thought. It didn't matter.
So I steeled my resolve, "Hana-"
"Leave!" She yelled and her snarl was enough to stop me in my tracks.
A hand gripped my shoulder, and I looked back at Tracer.
"Let's leave her to Angela love. She knows how to handle these sort of things."
I glanced back at Hana, eyes still burning into me.
Then the Angel stepped forward again, and she shot a sad smile towards me before giving a single nod.
A deep breath seeped out of my lungs and I turned away.
My steps were loud as I left and my tracker informed me that Tracer, and surprisingly Lucio, had followed me out.
The others, which consisted of Mei, Terminator, the giant armored man, Winston, and McCree, who were sporadically spread about as they conversed, that is until Winston caught sight of us and moved past Mei who he had been conversing with.
He walked up to us, his knuckles and feet pattering on the ground as he stated, "how is she?"
"Not good." Lucio quipped, speaking for the first since I had broken his door open.
"Angela'll take care of her. She's got experience." Tracer sighed form besides me and I just crossed my arms.
I didn't know what kind of PTSD experience the Angel had, but I highly doubted it was anything close to my own. Then again… Hana apparently didn't want me around, so maybe it was best Angela took the lead…
"Hmph." The ape nodded before glancing back at the others, "just leave them be. Angela can take care of Ms. Song, and-"
"Winston," A woman's voice spoke from the roof and I glanced up the intercom built into the metal sheeting as she continued, "four helicopters just landed on the bases perimeter."
"Helicopters?" I asked aloud.
"Athena, where're they from?" Winston asked, his gruff voice disguising any sort of emotion.
"You're not going to like this…"
I wondered who they could-
"They're from the United Nations."
I raised an eyebrow, "aren't they the ones who disbanded you guys?"
"Yes."
Ah...
Well shit.
A/N Hey guys! So its been a while, and this chapter had several problems, mainly rewrites, and plot points that either didn't mesh or needed more time to be fleshed out. That, and the fact I'm beyond busy, is what took this chapter a while to get out.
Again never fear, for this story will not go abandoned for after I post this I will immediately start the next chapter!
So here we get a bit of set up for the upcoming chapters.
I'm sure people are confused as to why Hana is suddenly being a shit to Nate…. Well, you'll find out. Just think about what a trigger is and you'll understand.
Also Tracer is being more of herself, though she still has some snarky attitude at certain points.
Next chapter we'll have something form her POV to get a better understanding of what she's feeling, but its not hard to understand why she was angry at Nate when she believed he was working with Talon, especially after the assignation of Mondatta. Or whatever the dudes name is.
What exactly is Talons plan? Anyone have any guesses? I sure do!1
….
Well obviously I do cause I'm writing the story…
Anyway onto reviews!
Reviews:
Supreme king of all Kings: one I like your name, two, Guardians are still human. I don't agree with this concept that they're suddenly gods, or whatever. They're still human, the main game establishes them as it shows they get angry, make jokes, have feelings, etc… TTK does a good job of this I think.
XDDDD: Well… yeah :p
JubJub 0250: right now… lol
Akridtes: well not the rudest comment I've ever received, but I'm not sure you know that I do indeed do my research, and the power scaling isn't really there… I mean we've got some, but just to show where Nate is. He's pretty consistent in his own power. Either way, thanks for at least not being a dick about your opinion :p
redx1221: Yes. There will be a relationship, but I win't say who. sorry.
Jeggetts: thats definitely an accident. Don't know how it happens though I think its from who the doc editor on the sight transfers data from my computer.
Guest: Thanks! :)
Commander Knight145: Thanks so much! :D
Raraiki: Awesome! Glad you like it!
Guest: I agree Nate gets a little messed up, but if you get what I'm referencing especially with it comes to Eris Morn… then it makes sense as to why he's fucked up in the head. Like I hint… PTSD can affect even a guardian, as proven my Eris…
LaurelPrincess: Thanks for the correction! I fixed it.
MEleeSmasher: you are correct, but he's only had to bullshit to like…. two people…. both of which aren't the best at science, and one of which who had literally been a ghost…. so its acceptable to them. Of course though, he hasn't had to explain his story to Mei or Winston, and they're both scientists…. see where I'm going with this?
All right so there are too many reviews to keep responding to, and I want to get this up, so again if you have any question you are just dying to ask, just PM me and ill get back to you ASAP!
Thanks again to all of you for sticking through with this story! God bless and have an awesome day!
- Metal4k