The Darkest Knight
Part 1: the Reformation of Overwatch
Chapter 16: A Guardian's Power
"Son of a... Jot-Gat-ne...Argh..." Hana growled as she sat against the wall, and with her newfound strength tore a piece of her dress and applied the bandage to the right side of her chest.
Blood, slowly but surely, started to seep through and she pressed harder.
With a growl of pain she stood, her eyes on the fallen Talon Soldier, the last of the seven.
She had been lucky, when they had stormed the room when the lights were out and they had expected her small side arm, not the hand cannon. The power behind Last Word had ripped straight through three of them, the clip she emptied ending all of their lives quick and easy. The next two were easy with Dig's light trick.
The sixth though? That ass hat had gotten of a shot the same time as her.
Fortunately he only hit the right side of her chest, which according to Dig wasn't lethal with the minor healing factor Nate's power gave her. Of course her shot had obliterated the Talon agents left shoulder and with another shot she had ended the agent behind him.
Still, she had to take care of her shoulder, at least enough to push the piece of cloth she tore from her dress under her dress so it was pressed against the wound.
No harm in helping her healing factor take care of her injury.
"All right," slowly, she pushed off the wall and stood with a grimace, "which way?"
"Down the hall twenty feet and then take a left. It should be the fifth door on your right once you head down that hall. I have no idea if it'll be guarded."
The once famous gamer nodded and strode out of the room, Last Word in her left hand as she went, Dig following close behind.
She was quick but quiet, careful to glance down every hall and to listen for any sound that signaled an ambush or an unsuspecting Talon agent.
But none appeared by the time she turned left into the second hallway on her left.
She continued on, her eyes alert and she raised the Hand Cannon as they approached the fifth door.
Her senses were on full alert, and she looked back to the rest of the hall, weary of the closed doors of the other offices.
It would've been smart to ambush her from one of the offices, but then again, Talon had expected an injured girl of five feet two inches, not someone with enhanced strength, speed and the firepower of a small tank.
"How many do you think are inside?" She asked, raising the Hand cannon and placing a tense hand on the door knob.
"I'd bet at least two or three. If they're smart-"
She continued, "they'll be waiting for me to open the door."
"Yeah."
She huffed, and with a twitch of her hand, flung the door open.
Her eyes went wide.
Then a woman with dark skin said, "well, well chiqa, you've impressed me."
A golden fist flew at me, faster than logically possible, and I barely threw up my hand in time in an attempt to block it.
The metal clad punch broke straight through my block and hit me with enough force to launch me all the way to the back of the room, slamming me into the wall from sheer force.
I felt the wall crack, and landed on my feet, staggering to the right as I shook my head to clear the swirl in my vision.
Under my visor I grimaced.
This dude was something else. Like the man from the warehouse in Rio, the one like a ghost, I was going to have to pull out all the stops.
Arc swirled around my legs and I blinked forward, my power enabling me to blink right at the Golden giant.
He swung the moment I landed in front of him, and I barely managed to dodge the giant fist, before wrapping my fist in void power and boosting right up to him.
His shield had reflected my attack back at me before, but thats when I tried hitting him with an electrified blade. Either his shields were reflective, or his shields were specifically prepared to combat me.
Either thought was troubling.
Niches from him I opened my palm and tossed my grenade right at him, immediately blinking back as the void exploded in a brilliant swirl of black and purple.
I grimaced as his shields flared and instead of recoiling, or even stumbling, he charged for me.
His massive size allowed him to simply charge straight through the desks and chairs in front of him, his golden fist raised as he got within a foot of me.
Of course I waited till the last second, my body already in motion as he struck down, and my momentum carried me right to the side of his fist, which sailed harmlessly into the ground.
But I wasn't done.
My hands and legs were already in motion; my legs pulling me into a spin as my hands pulled my sword off my back and sol power ignited as I slashed at the beasts of a mans leg.
Sol power rippled agaisnt his shields, and my sword bounced off, but I didn't care and blinked in front of him, spinning again and slamming my blade into his front.
Again, Sol wrapped around his shields, but failed to break them.
Wham!
His arm connected with me and I flew back, sword flying out of my hand.
My armor connected with the ground, I bounced, but flipped mid air and landed on my feet. My sword reappeared in my hand and I frowned as the giant settled and grinned at me as smoke filled the air behind him.
"Strong and resourceful. I can respect such an opponent. Unfortunately you stand in our way."
A flash of blue and I watched as Tracers knee connected with the mans face.
I blinked in surprise, both out of the fact she had recovered from whatever it was Reaper did to her, and secondly from the fact her knee actually hit him.
Then she blinked around him as he swiped at her.
Black shadows surged at me and I turned my attention to it as Winston leapt towards the golden man.
A shotgun formed from the shadows and I barely had enough time to sidestep the blast that followed. Even so, the Reaper burst from the darkness and tackled me head on. Using his height to his full advantage he wrapped his arms around my chest and heaved me to the side.
I flew to the ground, my shields held, and I blinked to the side to avoid a shotgun blast to the head.
My knees hit the ground, but I propelled myself up, drawing golden fire around me, though the flames weren't nearly as potent as before. I grimaced as I fired at the Reaper, my golden shot sailing harmlessly through the air and darkness as expected.
My flames flickered and I forced more power into my weapon. It was limited right now, since a chunk of it was helping Hana, but I needed all I could get.
My flames grew stronger and I fired again, this time my gun wasn't aimed at Reaper and instead hit the side of the Golden giants armor.
The super-heated round sunk into his armor, but only a part of the armor heated and fell apart into ash. It was a small chunk, and all it revealed was the underlying set of armor of silver plates and a few wires of circuitry.
But it hit!
Which meant his shields were either re-charging, or he had to manually activate it.
Either one was a huge advantage for me.
I heard something slip from the giants lips as his eyes turned to me, only for a massive, hair covered fist to slam against his cheek.
Without even thinking the power of void engulfed me and launched me to the side, a cloak wrapping over me as my own smoke filled the air.
Darkness mixed with my smoke and in a twist of air, Reaper reformed and spun in a circle obviously searching for me.
I grabbed a knife, and blinked forward, arc surging through the metal in my hand.
My invisibility broke, and at the last second he spun, my blade sinking straight into his left arm, and an inhuman roar left his lips as electricity arced through him. Still, his left hand swooped around and suckered punched the right side of my helmet.
I stumbled from the force of it, surprised this thing had such strength, but my foot stopped my momentum and I pivoted on my heel just in time to deflect the punch sent for my throat with my forearm.
In retaliation I punched the side of his ribs hard enough to hear an audible crack even through his armor. I grimaced and blinked back, at the same time drawing my rifle.
The moment I landed I fired, but a moment later the Reaper vanished into darkness and I cursed.
My attention turned to the Doom guy just as a punch from his gauntlet sent Winston flying. Where Tracer was, I was unsure, but I fired off four rounds into the hole Golden gun had created.
Ping! Ping! Ping!
The shots ricocheted, hinting at his under armors endurance. Smart. He ensured both layers were well equipped to stop conventional weaponry.
Sol power erupted over me and the Giant turned to face me.
I blinked at him, arc and sol mixing in a violent clash as I drew my blade. I ducked under his fist as he swung at me. I spun around his back, and wielding my rifle with hand fired at his back. As expected, the shots failed to pierce his armor.
With terrifying speed he spun on his heel, and rocketed towards me, fist poised to break me in two. I boosted to the right, feeling the force from his punch as he impacted the far wall, breaking through it without any trouble at all.
I let my Arc and Sol power die as he turned again, a sinister smile on his face as he charged at me again.
I lowered my body, my simple blade held at my side as I watched his feet.
He suddenly leapt high, his fist glowing with power as he reached out and brought his hands out to a pose that looked extremely similar to a Titans' fist of Havoc.
My eyes went wide and I blinked to the side as his fist shot down.
The impact hit the floor, and the resounding shockwave threw me off my feet the moment I landed from my blink.
I cursed as I hit the ground and rolled onto my side before pushing myself back up.
The man turned to me and cracked his neck before looking back at me.
I rolled my eyes under my helmet and-
"Enough." A dark voice demanded.
Both of us looked towards the front of the meeting room.
It was Reaper, his shotguns at his side as he craned his head to the side.
I followed his gaze, careful to keep part of my attention on the Doom man, and I saw the sniper from Rio and Seoul. She was dressed differently than before, this time sporting a red dress that conservatively wrapped around her body and a pair of reading glasses sat on the bridge of her nose.
But the important part, was that her heel was on Lucio's back, her sniper aimed at the back of his head.
Shit.
I frowned and only tightened my grip on my blade, my eyes quickly scanning the room for any advantage. Tracer was holding her side, grimacing as she leaned on one foot, but kept her eyes on the Talon agents. Winston was off to the side standing on both legs as his teeth stuck out from what seemed like primal rage, but he was still. Angel was holding up some ambassador, or guard I don't know, but she was holding them up and covering a bloody patch on their side. Reinhardt himself was standing tall, his arms and legs extended as he used his body to shield a group of other aides and ambassadors from any harm.
Tracers eyes suddenly flicked to me and I shook my head ever so slightly. Neither of us would be fast enough to reach Lucio before the bitch put a bullet through his skull.
Her eyes returned to the Talon operatives and a booming laugh filled the room.
Doomfist started toward me his arms raised as he spoke, "ah! A turn of events. Yet again our ambitious operative has turned the tables and given us an excellent opportunity."
His dark smile sent a shiver even down my spine.
Hana ducked under the heel sent at her head.
Before, even if she hadn't been wounded, she doubted she could've dodge it so effectively, but whatever the hell this light stuff was, made her fast as fucking hell!
She drove her fist upwards and it connected with the back of the dark skinned woman. The woman buckled forward and Hana wasted no time in pivoting on her foot, and slamming the back of her leg against the womans chest.
The woman flew back, and to her utter surprise, broke straight through the wall from the force of the blow.
A wince crossed the gamers face and for a second she wondered if the blow killed the woman.
"Please make sure she doesn't come back," Dig stated as he floated by her and up to the computers.
Hana nodded and made her way out of the room and-
Wham!
A fist hit her in the face, and she stumbled back, only for a hand to grab her hair and yank her forward. Then a knee connected with her gut and she coughed before doubling over. A second hand grabbed her neck, and the other arm wrapped around her throat.
Her eyes went wide.
Suddenly she felt a welling of warmth in her chest and she wrapped her hands around the woman's waist and heaved, her back straightening out and her muscles tensing as she lifted.
"Como Chingas!" The other woman cursed, but Hana didn't falter.
Like Nate, the woman had a good half a foot on her, but unlike Nate who always wore heavy armor and was boosted by fucking magic, this woman was nothing.
So Hana lifted the woman, and using the momentum threw them both back and into the wall.
She felt the dry wall crack and bend inward from the force, but the best part was the fact the woman released her and dry coughs racked her throat.
With a few quick steps she created a gap between the two and turned to face the woman who had locked her in the closet.
To her minor surpise the woman was getting up, though she seemed to be favoring her left leg, and a few cuts lined her face.
A sly smile graced the woman slips and she spat out a glob of blood from her lips, "you've got some fight in you. I can relate to that nina."
Hana snarled and raised her fists, "shut up. You're done."
She lunged and unleashed a flurry of fists. Left, right, uppercut, right, punch for the ribs, you name it.
The woman managed to block the first three punches but the fourth landed, then the fifth, then the sixth, and as for a seventh hit Hana stepped back and rammed her shoulder into the womans chest and threw her back against the wall with the whole of her weight.
There was another crack as the momentum cracked the dry wall and the woman grabbed her gut before falling to one knee.
Hana grimaced and stood straight, her fists balled up as the woman's eyes met hers.
"Hehe, do you remember what I said to you before Chiquita?"
For a second Hana wracked her brain… and the words came to her.
Remember who your friends are…
Suddenly the woman smiled and Hana took a step back.
Thoom!
A deep vibration shook the whole floor and Hana felt her very skin crawl as the heavy vibrations ran up her body.
She tensed, but the woman didn't move and instead, with purple light shooting up around her, vanished faster than the gamer could blink.
And it was quiet.
"Fuck!" Was being the key word…
She looked around the hall, but the woman wasn't in sight and instead she saw smoke lazily drifting out from the security room.
She dashed inside and saw Dig floating in front of a shorted out computer, his parts twirling in agitation.
"Dig what-"
"The bitch empd the fucking place! That's what! Ugh.." he spun violently before zooming out of the room and with a blink of confusion Hana followed him.
She didn't forget to grab Last Word from the floor though.
As the Ghost started down the hall he continued, "unfortunately for her I was able to download enough of the video feeds to get an idea of what's happening, still a bitch move to short circuit the shit while I'm connected..."
"And?" The pilot asked, carefully watching her flanks and back just in case.
"Well we're needed on the seventh floor. We got survivors holding out and a Captain of Helix security in critical condition. If we get to her in time we can patch her up with some of our supplies."
They turned down the hall and started towards the elevator.
"We also got survivors also making a break for the front courtesy of agent Mei, but I got enough on Talons positions to inform the military of a suitable approach and to help them escape."
She nodded in approval, and as they waited for the elevator to open asked, "what about Nate and the others?"
"Oh don't worry about him. The Calvaries here."
I let out a slow breath.
I could feel Digs nerves ease, but I could still feel the strain on my light.
So that meant two things, one things were going well for our side and two Hana was obviously alive.
Both good things.
"Dig, eta on the others?"
It took a second for him to reply. In that time Doomfist took a few more steps toward me and Reaper aimed his shotgun and Angel face.
"They're here. You just need to create an opening."
"And how the fuck am I supposed to do that?"
"Literally just start talking. Get theirs eyes off the roof."
From behind my visor I glanced up to the roof and momentarily wondered what their plan was.
But if I knew anything, it was that I could trust Dig.
So I rolled my head, and slowly stood up, tossing my blade to the ground as I did so.
Couldn't have Lucio getting shot.
"So," I drawled and looked up at Doomfist as he came within easy punching distance of me, "start a war, end either humans or Omnics? That's your play."
His face contorted into something that resembled curiosity and seeing I had his attention I continued, "you have to see that starting a war is bad for everyone. No more secretive missions, no more big bad fist dude. It's just a fight for survival at that point, you get nothing out of it."
I put my hands behind my head and asked, "so what's the point? Or are you three, not including the fucking robot, that stupid?"
The impostor didn't react to me, but Doomfist did.
But not the way I expected him to.
He reared back his head… and laughed! A huge, booming, genuine laugh that shook the room.
"You think our goals are so mundane?" He managed as his eyes landed on me and he heaved out a final chuckle.
"Terminators in position."
"Maybe you aren't nearly as intriguing as I thought."
I glared at him from behind my visor, "maybe not, but I'm smart enough for you three."
His brow twisted in confusion and instantly my blade reappeared in my hand.
Bang!
I heard the gun shot go off and turned to look at the body of Lucio, only instead to see the sniper falling back, her rifle split in two and Terminator with green lights and sword standing over Lucio defensively.
Whack!
Suddenly I was flying and I hit the ceiling before falling down with an audible crack of one of my ribs.
"Fuck!" I growled but quickly scrambled to my feet.
A shotgun was in my face.
Bang!
And suddenly it was pointed to the side, the vapor trail from a bullet show casing how someone had shot it aside.
I didn't wait and drove my fist into the chest of the Reaper.
A blip on my radar gave me a heads up and I blinked back, only for Tracer to replace me and driver her heels again into Doomfists chin.
The Reaper was up again, but a flash engulfed him and I squinted from the bright light before refocusing on Doomfist.
He swatted Tracer away and turned to me.
Unfortunately for him three hundred pounds of gorrilla slammed into him before lifting the large man and tossing him over my head.
A familiar weight appeared on my back and I pulled Raze Lighter into my hands.
Winston leapt at the man again, but a fist met him midway and sent him flying.
Sol power engulfed me.
Electricity swirled around the mans giant arm.
Crrraccckk.
"Ugh you might want to move."
I glanced up, only to see the ceiling falling in on me. I dove to the side, as a huge thunk filled the air and I rolled to my feet.
"Say 'ello to me newest baby!" It wa the dwarf, holding a giant canon in his hands and handing on top of Bastion in turret form.
We'll talk about overkill.
Doomfists eyes grew wide and he threw up his arm as the two opened fire.
A viable shield appeared as bullets slammed into it, but despite his shield power it started to crack up such a torrent of fire.
I sheathed my sword and pulled my Rifle from the ground.
I joined the others in lighting up his shield.
"Behind ya!"
The warning caught my ear and I ducked just as a heel and purple skin flew through the air my head had once been.
I didn't hesitate and jammed my rifle into her side, prepared to end this.
But the woman was smart, and had already used her earlier to momentum to carry her around around and smacked my rifle away as I pulled the trigger.
The shot grazed her skin but she only responded with a quick knee to my face.
Then a sword slashed through the air of where she had once been.
I blinked as Terminator spun and sliced off the barrel of a side arm she had pulled.
The woman snarled, and feigned a fist to the dude's head. He ducked but she drove a leg into his abdomen.
For a moment I was confused.
She was better than before. A lot better.
Like she had prepared for this.
I grabbed the shoulder of Terminator and threw him back as I took the brunt of her next kick to the head.
But my feet held firm, and despite the fact my neck popped from the force I still pulled back and threw a fist full force at her.
She put an arm up, but with all my strength behind the punch, her arm snapped and the blow threw her back into the middle of the room, right where Reaper was engaged with McCree.
The body of his comrade flew into him, and the Reaper stumbled, allowing McCree to quick draw his weapon and fire three shots into his chest.
The embodiment of death, or whatever the hell he was cursed and grabbed the woman.
It turned and started to turn into smoke.
"Hell no."
Void power wrapped around me, and I drew back on my bow and let loose three shots.
The first slammed into the floor next to the Reaper, its tendrils wrapping around both him and the woman before he could get away. The second flew at the Impostor that was still kicking and fighting both Mercy and Tracer on the far left of the room.
It slammed into the things chest and the machine froze in place.
The third hit Doomfist, but to my utter shock, he snarled as the tendrils wrapped around him and as his shield broke, he launched himself forward and through my power.
His fist connected with Bastion, and the robot whirred in pain as he flew back, transforming back to his other mode.
The dwarf also flew off, several of his shots shearing away part of the roof.
But Reinhardt was there, and before Doomfist could do anything, the even larger man wrapped his arms around the Talon agent and launched him at the the two agents held in place by my Shadowshot.
It was like bowling.
My power faded just in time and the three slammed together and into the ground.
I drew Raze Lighter and let fire erupt over the entirety of my being.
Tracer, wielding an assault rifle from a fallen Talon agent, appeared next to me.
Winston landed on the other side of us, Reinhardt grabbed a giant slab of broken desk and heaved it up as he too stood on another side of the three. A beep of anger signaled bastions presence as he formed a turret again and aimed it right at the three. The dwarf canon raised, The Terminator sword drawn, and McCree with his revolver, all filled in the gaps.
We surrounded them.
We won.
"So," I asked, "who dies first?"
Then there was a grin.
From Doomfist.
"Apagando Las Luces!"
My shields flared, Bastions and Terminators lights flickered.
Thoom! Black smoke billowed out, blinding even me for a split second till my helmet adjusted.
Tracer held her fire. Reinhardt swung. Winston jumped.
But it too late.
My thermals were on, but the group was gone.
And a second later the smoke cleared.
Winstons fists were imbedded in the ground and Reinhardts makeshift hammer was imbedded in the ground only inches from the apes hands.
I frowned, but let my flames fade.
My eyes surveyed the damage.
The room was trashed. Bodies laid everywhere.
But we were alive. As were what looked like at least twelve ambassadors and their staffs.
It wasn't a lot but it was enough.
"So," Tracers voice filled the air, "who's talking to the reporters?"
With a grunt I leaned against the side of… of whatever remained of the fountain in the lobby.
"You still got a few broken bones."
"No shit." I huffed and I spared a glance at the front where the Austrian Military and UN security forces had set up a defensive line and where investigators, clean up crew, and medical personnel scrambled back and forth, either into or out of the war torn building.
Since I wasn't apart of Overwatch or anything, I had decided to stay inside and supervise the clean up.
Of course that hadn't really needed any help as it seemed Angel took it upon herself to start that job and the UN and Austrian forces were defaulting to her.
Don't get me wrong, I still helped clear out a lot of the heavier debris, but overall I got some much needed time to patch myself up.
And think about what happened.
Their plan, had been rather ingenious. It took me and Dig reviewing the footage a few times to see that whatever the green weapon Reaper had had was specifically meant to counteract Tracers teleportation.
How the fuck it managed that and why it didn't affect me was strange, though we concluded since my teleportation was supernatural based and not Tech based it probably had no way to actually affect my abilities.
Either way, they had caught us off guard, meaning no one aside from Tracer and I had our weapons/abilities. And then Doomfists shield that only redirected my energy based attacks.
Obviously they had built it to counteract me.
That alone was worrisome.
But Doomfist had also said my ideas had been mundane. What did that mean?
Obviously they were smart. Hell, they had drug me on a wild goose chase across the world, and stolen and built tech to counteract both me and Tracer, kidnapped Hana right from under me, then almost took out the whole of the UN.
Fucking nuts.
But that was considered mundane?
God only knows what the fuck else they were planning.
"Maybe they want to take over Overwatch? Or start a civil war to… to find better ways to slay Omnics?" Dig suggested, though even he didn't sound convinced.
"No idea. We still don't know why they kidnapped Hana. Like, what was the point of that? And why steal Lucios tech?"
"Speaking of which, though it's just a surface analysis, I think the green device, was Lucios Tech. Just modified to somehow route Tracer in place."
"No shit?"
"Yeah, but I'd need to get hands on with it to really figure out what it is. Wish we could get our hands on the shield generator Doom butt had."
"No kidding. Someone able to redirect my own light attacks back at me? Not cool."
"I doubt it could've held up to Raze Lighter at full strength."
"Hopefully…" I frowned but decided to change the topic, "any updates on the others?"
"Mei, is helping Winston and Tracer deal with the press."
Fortunately Mei was all right, she had apparently been captured but saved a group of civilians after clearing out the opposition in the lobby with the coordinated help of outside UN forces.
"And Hana?"
"She's doing good, talking with the South Korean ambassador about her… kidnapping that wasn't a kidnapping that turned into a kidnapping that… well fuck it's confusing. But she's keeping quiet about me."
Dig had told me about Hana and I was impressed. Even slightly injured she fared really well. Though maybe the addition of my light had something to do with it.
But hell, her resolve didn't come from me.
For that she had my respect. Especially considering her getting Dig to the security op center is probably what saved us from dying.
Well not me, but you get the point.
"Also, she wants to talk. Like… she wants to know what light is."
I sighed.
Of course she did, but before I could reply a new voice popped up.
"Well," I refocused my attention on the world and Tracer smiled at me as she came and leaned against the wall with me, "that could've gone worse."
"What happened?" I asked.
She shook her head, "well we made it clear that we, including you, saved the day and stopped Talon. But then the gits started throwing around accusations and saying it was our fault anyway."
I frowned, "can't make everyone happy."
"Wiser words were never spoken love."
We were quiet for a moment as a few UN soldiers dragged out a few Talon bodies and the limping soldier in blue armor was helped out of the building by a pair of Austrian soldiers.
"You remember Ana?"
"Who?" I asked, looking back at the Brit.
"The shaky lady from the impostor base."
The memories came back to me. "Oh yeah, what about her?"
"That's her daughter." Tracer nodded towards the blue armored soldier just as she disappeared through the line of soldiers and to the outside.
"No shit?"
"Yuppers." She nodded, "Ana's gonna blow a gasket if she realizes her daughter was hurt fighting Talon."
I shook my head, "would've been better if they helped us."
"You don't know Jack and Ana." Her voice grew softer. "They're both pretty stubborn gits."
"Well it rubbed off."
She chuckles, "and what's your excuse?"
"Exquisite charm." I laughed back, unable to keep my face straight.
She let out a hearty, high pitched laugh and I laughed along.
It was good to laugh after such shit.
"What are you laughing about?"
We both opened our eyes and looked to see Hana standing in front of us arms crossed, though she had a smirk on her face.
"You're hair," I relied and her cheeks turned red.
"Well I'm sorry not all of us have helmets!"
I shrugged, "oh please it's not-"
"Lena." We all turned and saw Winston walking up to us, two men in suits following him.
The ape gave me and Hana a nod before turning back to his fellow Overwatch agent, "The President of the US, along with Russian and South Korea leaders, want to talk with us about reforming Overwatch officially. They think, at least in their countries, we would be welcome to make some positive change again."
You could almost pick up Tracers jaw from the floor.
"Well yes! Of course! I mean yes I'll come along! When are they wanting to talk?"
The Ape grinned, "well they're all up on video chat right now in the UN command tent down the block. I asked to get you and Reinhardt before we started any negotiations."
She smiled and nodded, kicking off the fountains remains with a renewed sense of vigor.
Then Winston turned to me, "Nate, can you take Angela, Hana and Lucio back to base? Along with a few pieces of tech I want to study?"
I blinked once, "why me?"
"You have a ship that's been refueled courtesy of us, Lucio needs to be treated, and given today's events I'm sure everyone can agree we need to stay together. At least for today. The rest of us will be back by at least 1900 hours today."
It was sound logic, especially since Hana would be tired as hell when my light left her.
"All right." I stood tall and stretched my arm, though an ache ran through me and I bit back a curse as my ribs throbbed again.
"Where's angel face at?"
The whir of the ramp gears filled me with a strange sense of peace.
Mercy gave me a soft smile of thanks as she helped Lucio down the ramp.
"Nate, you owe me a drink for dragging me into this mess, ya hear?"
Normally it'd be considered a dickish thing to say, but it was Lucio, and he was still grinning through the pain and false words of anger.
"Sure thing, so long as I get a date with Julia."
His face paled. "I should call her…"
"Wait," Hana interrupted as she walked out of my ship's hangar, a box of tech for Winston in her arms, "you haven't called her since this all started?"
"I did once, but after that this whole UN thing… she's gonna chew me out." Lucio sighed as both he and Angela slipped through the automatic doors to the base.
I shook my head as I stepped down into the hangar and Dig followed, since after all his existence wasn't really secret anymore.
Well, maybe the fact he was a super advanced AI was hidden from most.
"All right so, what's the plan?" My Ghost asked as we started towards the base entrance.
I held my breath for a second before responding, "we should probably try to find out as much about that Doomfist guy as possible. The fact he had-"
"Nate."
Hana's tone immediately froze me and I glanced back at her.
She had her arms crossed, the box of evidence at her feet, a look of concern on her face.
"We need to talk."
Her voice brokered no argument, but I frowned and replied, "why?"
"Light?" She raised an eyebrow, a look of disbelief on her face.
I closed my eyes.
Granted I figured this was coming, but it honestly didn't even register that today would be that day.
I nodded towards the ship and she walked back up the ramp without hesitation.
It was a quiet walk to the main cabin of my ship. Her steps echoed lightly through the metal structure and Digs hum didn't help the tension.
The moment the door closed to the hangar she turned to me and spoke, "talk."
Nonchalantly I walked to my couch and sit, kicking my legs up onto the table.
"Ask away."
She narrowed her gaze and for a moment I pondered whether or not being nonchalant was actually a good idea.
"What the hell is light? And I know it's not some chemical accident." Her voice held a tint of frustration as she spoke.
I sighed and closed my eyes.
"You want the truth?"
"Yes."
"All of it?"
"Yes."
With a final huff I sat up and Dig read my thoughts floating up next to me.
"I'm a Guardian, protector of humanity and Guardian of the light."
"What?" Her eyes grew wide with confusion.
I learned forward and clasped my hands together.
"I'm not from this Earth."
Her eye got even wider, "you're an alien!"
"No," I chuckled, "nothing like that. I'm just as human as you. Well, kinda. See, the Earth I'm from, the year's 2731, and… well long story short, humanity is on the brink of extinction."
Her face grew somber and she walked over to the table and sat down, her eyes never leaving mine as she asked, "so you're from the future?"
"Not really. On my earth, there's no mention of Omnics or Overwatch or any of that. It never existed."
She nodded, "parallel earth…"
"Exactly our thoughts." Dig voiced for me, then continued, "our time is far worse than this. We deal with the darkness, the very antithesis to our light based powers."
Her eyes were glued to us and I continued, "there's the Hive, the Vex, the Fallen, and the Cabal. They're not all part of the darkness, but it sure as hell led them all to us."
"So," she started, but her voice hesitated before words formed, "why are you here?"
I nodded, "now that's the question of the hour. All I know is, I was there, going to sleep in the Tower, our uh base basically, and then bam. I woke up in the forests outside Rio. It's where I met Bastion."
She accepted the answer and looked away finally.
I could see the gears turning in her head, the thoughts muddled and confused as she tried to accept whatever it was I told her.
"This is… all real right?" She asked, her voice darker, shallower than before.
I nodded again, "yes."
"Huh." She frowned, "so this is all by accident? You never planned any of this huh?"
My silence was her answer.
The gamer pursed her lips together and once again looked at me, "is Kathy real? Or was that just a part of the lie?"
There wasn't any hostility or conviction. It was just a question, though there was frustration hidden behind the cool words.
"She was real." It was my turn to grow quiet, "I didn't make that part up."
"How'd she really die?" She asked.
I closed my eyes.
I could almost feel it as the memories came back. I could almost feel the fire, the rage and the cold, bitter malice of the pit.
"It was a mission we weren't told to go on. My team, Kathy, Marcus, and me, we just… thought we could handle it."
I barely noticed as she sat next to me, her eyes soaked at the floor.
"Another group of Guardians drew us in. Twelve of us in total. Something about fighting a Hive God, or Prince. I don't remember exactly all I remember is we went to the moon, and went down into that pit. Into his pit."
I held my breath for a moment before releasing it with a abrupt cough, "we never should have gone to that cave. The Vanguard warned us not to."
"Who?"
"The Vanguard. Our leaders, some of the oldest and most powerful Guardians ever."
"Why'd you go then?" Again her voice was curious, no ill intent behind it.
So I sighed, "because me and Marcus thought twelve of us could handle it. Kathy warned us against it. Said she had this… feeling, that it would go wrong. Should've listened."
"Nate…"
"I've gotta finish." I almost snapped, "just… listen."
She didn't reply so I continued on, "we went down that hole… hell, fire team Houston didn't even make it to him. They died in the pit, with all the darkness and the Thralls. So many Thralls."
I saw her fidget as if she wanted to ask something, but to her credit she stayed quiet.
"So nine of us went down to his lair, thinking we could end his assaults before he regained his full strength. And… I'd be lying if I didn't say, we gave it a hell of a fight."
"But… he was too strong for us nine. Too much for us to handle alone. Marcus went down first. Took a sword to the head. Then Fredreic, then Arya, then Natasha, and Rickard. Then on and on, till it was just Kathy, Valerie, and me left. Just three versus a God."
"We tried to run, and Valerie and Kathy got out, but I took a hit to the leg. Nasty one, not one you can heal through."
With a flash Raze Lighter appeared in my hand.
I lifted it, "this was Kathies initially. Got it for single handedly defeating one of the top Vex. A Hive mind called Sekrion."
"She came back for me. Used it to fight him by herself. Just to save me. By herself she fought a God off. I can remember the flashes of red, and orange. Of Green fire burning endlessly."
"But… she wasn't strong enough. None of us were."
"I watched as Crota overwhelmed her. I saw him overwhelm her. He…"
Blood so much blood. Armor, blood, skin.
Green eyes looking at me. A silent cry for help. For me to save her.
"She died." I finished, "and I've never been so angry in my life."
"Did you kill him?" Hana finally asked.
I nodded. "I did. Me and Valerie. We dropped a Cave on him and I watched him fall into the darkness in pieces. She had to drag me out. Revived me outside after I bled to death."
"Why didn't you revive the others?" She asked, this time looking at me.
I sat up again, "the darkness. It drains us. If we die somewhere where there's too much of it…"
"You can't come back." She finished.
I frowned, "exactly."
It grew quiet between us. She shifted from her spot, and I could tell she still had questions, so many questions.
But I know I'm my heart, that there was one above all else.
Why her?
"Hana," I started, "I'm sorry about Claire. About your friend and all this. I didn't mean for any of it to happen."
She closed her eyes, "I know, but it did didn't it?"
I had no words of comfort for her.
But she was D'Va. She was a stubborn hard ass, a Captain of her own Mekka team, and one of the most popular idols on the planet.
So of course she stood up, a brave smile slapping onto her face as she did.
"Let's go see if Angela can help you with your wounds."
I blinked once and she rolled her eyes, "I can tell you're hurt." She pointed to my side.
There was dried blood on my armor.
"Fine, but I'm not telling her anything." I stated.
She nodded, "if you won't, I won't."
Two weeks later…
Hana Song smiled as the sight of a South Korean Military chopper landed on the outskirts of Gibraltar.
Overwatch had been officially reinstated as a peacekeeping organization.
Granted it was only legal to operate in about twenty countries so far, but it was a start.
Her legs were fully healed now, thanks to Angela's medical expertise and the light Nate so generously provided her at the battle of Vienna.
Vienna. That was weeks ago now.
How strange, in her mind that such a rattling series of events could pass so quick and seem like it never even happened.
But she knew it did.
Mainly cause Nate was standing next to her, along with Tracer and Winston.
Lucio had gone home about a few days after the whole Vienna fiasco.
He had work to do after all.
But she had stayed. She was the South Koreas official liaison to Overwatch now.
It was a neat position, and it allowed her to stay with the heroes a little bit longer.
Of course nothing lasted forever.
Now she had to go home. She had a unit after all, and she needed to pick a replacement pilot for Claire.
She supposed they needed to have a proper funeral. Yotao, and Ashlyn had said they had a small funeral for her but… Claire had always been a big fan of fancy weddings and the like.
Least she could do is give her a great funeral too.
Something to remind everyone of who Claire was.
"Oy, love, remember to call every now and then." Tracer said, the words bringing Hana's mind back to the present.
"Just make sure to drop by whenever you're in town." Hana smiled back, her eyes landing on Nate.
The Guardian laughed, "I'd probably end up breaking downtown again."
She nodded, "that wouldn't be good."
"Probably not, but hey, I'll make sure to stop by whenever I get the chance." Nate smiled and she returned the smile.
"Good, Lucio said he's gonna throw a… shiny dig?"
"Shin Dig," the Guardian corrected.
"That thing, so hopefully I'll see you guys there." She smiled at the group bidding her farewell.
"Maybe," the giant ape replied, "depends on how much we have going on. Running Overwatch isn't easy you know."
"Oh you'll figure it out big guy. Besides! We'll make sure to be all proper and right-o for such a party!"
She shared an incredulous look with Nate before waving off the strange sentence.
"Captain Song! Time to go!" A man in military dress called from the edge of the chopper.
The Captain sighed and straightened her back, "take care. See you soon."
And without looking back she started forward.
The roar of the helicopter blades bid her forward and Hana instinctively ducked as she entered. Her thoughts were blocked out by the sound of the blades and she strapped herself in, allowing one last look to the people watching her go.
Tracer had been kind and was waving adamantly with a massive smile. She was exactly how Hana had expected her to be.
Winston, was calmer, and warmer. He smiled kindly, and though she hardly knew him, he had given her and Nate a chance. That was good enough in her eyes.
And then Nate.
The not so Alien- Alien from another Earth. She had promised to keep his secret. Though she had failed to ask why, she knew he had his reasons.
After all, he wasn't bad. Maybe not a hero either, but he was good at least.
Good.
She smiled as the helicopter lifted and the Guardian of Light gave her one curt nod.
Yeah.
Things were going to be good from here on out.
"You said she would be dead… the whole thing hinged around her dying, but she's not dead!"
The blonde growled, a wrap of gauze squeezing her chest as she painfully sat up.
Smoke filled the makeshift medical ward and a white mask formed from the darkness, "watch your mouth girl."
"Enough," Akande walked in, his golden fist shining despite its dents and scratches, "another opportunity will arise."
The blonde rolled her eyes, "another opportunity? She was stabbed! I took a bullet! The entire thing went wrong from the start!"
"Of course it did."
The girl froze and both Akande and Reaper turned to the far end of the room.
Black robes fluttered and as a metallic voice filled the air, "small minds can't comprehend true plans."
"Our plan failed. I was supposed to end up as Mekka Captain. Without me, we don't control South Korea or any of the eastern Pacific." The blonde replied.
The robes fluttered and the being took two, echoing steps forward.
"Yes, but we have gained far more than we lost."
Now it was Akande who smiled, "because those who strive and endure through trial, are far more likely to succeed in the future."
The girl frowned, "when Hana's dead-"
"Your friend is no longer a priority. Just a nuisance."
The girl glared, "she's not my friend."
"For appearances sake, she will be."
"What're you-"
The robbed figure moved and within an instant was in fornt of her bed, a metallic hand in the air with a vial.
A vial of black liquid.
"You will be the Brutus to her Caesar, Claire."
It turned to the others.
"And with Overwatch in the spot light, they can no longer operate in the shadows… and the shadows are ours."
"Jack." Ana Mari stepped into the alley a somber look on the woman's face, "she'll be all right."
Jack Morrison nodded from under the fake hat and coat he wore as cover.
"She was always just as stubborn as you."
There was no response, and Ana sighed.
"So what're we going to do about Talon?"
"We keep doing what we've been doing."
The former agent frowned, "they could use our help."
The man shook his head and simply walked out into the street, his old friend following with naught but disapproval on her face.
She had known Jack for years, and she didn't hide any annoyance when she stated, "they need it. You saw what happened at the UN."
"Which is why we need to stay low. Talons on the prowl, and Overwatch is official again."
"Then what's the plan?"
The soldiers scowl grew under his hood.
"We can't do things like them. So we're gonna find others, and we're gonna become Talons worst nightmare."
"And who do you have in mind for that?"
"Do you remember Genjis brother?"
A/N
And with that, Part I of the Darkest Knight has come to a close. Overwatch has been reformed, and the heroes are going their separate ways.
I'm assuming a lot of people wanted to see Doomfist go toe to toe with Nate, but it just wasn't plausible. I try to keep a sense of realism, and with how smart both fighters are, neither of them would've just gone for the other in some stupid sense of honor or glory. The fight was too wild and unconfirmed.
But that doesn't mean they won't meet again. Trust me I want it too.
Reviews:
Ulydace: he's not really hormonal. It's more of Dig being a jerk. Granted, he's not one to deny a good looking woman when he sees one.
Guest: Again… as stated in earlier A/Ns, Hana Song doesn't know Genji is human. She THINKS he's an Omnic because he looks like one.
Guest: I always took Guardians as less formal than their modern day counterparts. So never took into consideration him saying classified.
Guest: Nate has hard PTSD. He's a really young Guardian too. Of course he's gonna be indecisive and confused, especially with PTSD.
ARandomFan: well thanks! Really means a lot! :)
MyThoughts: yeah my Doomfist is a little more armored than in game Doomfist.
Nicdragon8: yeah Doomfist is a heavy hitter. Unfortunately, we don't get to see just him and Nate go toe to toe just yet. The battle was too hectic for that. Next time.
Haloisbadass: very good hypothesis.
Guest: that's more of, Guardians are played by us, and we have no real life or death fear. I'm sure if it was real, they'd be more freaked than anything.
Lord Razer: Just wait :)
End of Reviews
Hana is getting some more closure here and you see how she and Nate are separating on good terms. Well, we'll see where that goes later.
I also Thought about writing a, Overwatch getting reformed scene, however, there was no way to relay so that. This chapter was focused on Nate and Hana's POV, and neither of them are affiliated officially with Overwatch so there's no reason for them to be at/witness a reforming scene. It just… didn't flow well.
Hanzo.
Also, Claire?! What! Betraying Hana? Why? And how did she live? What's Talons final goal?
Next chapter will be the beginning of Part II: the Claws of Talon.
Leave reviews and thanks again my readers as always. You guys all rock! God bless!
-Metal4k