Disclaimer: I own no franchise mentioned in this work. Halo belongs to 343, Overwatch belongs to Blizzard.

Heyo, been awhile since I've updated this story! Apologies for the wait, there was a delay in updating all my stories. Two year anniversary for this one. How time flies.


As she entered the room, Tracer took note of the new furnishings that now occupied the space. Along with a table and chairs that had apparently been scrounged from somewhere were several screens mounted to the walls. It made the room a lot more usable than the empty orange floor it had been before.

Judging by the map displayed behind Winston as well as the relieved glances she had gotten, it wasn't hard for Tracer to deduce that the agents in the room had been discussing what had happened to her. The video feed of the Chief's aircraft displayed on one of the side monitors made it obvious that their landing had, unsurprisingly, been observed, explaining the presence of McCree and Genji at their entry point. Considering that they hadn't yet been shot at, Lena displayed no hesitation in flopping down in the closest seat.

The chair at the head of the table was empty, allowing all present an unobstructed view of the screen at the front of the room. On the left side of the table were Jack Morrison and Angela Ziegler while the right held Winston and Ana Amari.

As the closest to Lena, along with being the most talkative, it surprised no one when Winston was the first to speak, "Thank goodness you're alright, Lena. We were worried." Several of the gathered agents glanced back at Winston's slightly awkward statement but said nothing before turning their attention back to the elephant in the room.

Said elephant simply stood just inside the doorway, leaving just enough room for the two agents following him to slip around and take their own seats. This left one seat open for the Spartan, though it was obvious that his attention was focused on Winston rather than sitting down.

Tracer ignored that and replied, "Thanks, big guy, but no need to worry. Just been busy up north with the crown jewels."

"I, well, yes, glad that's been sorted out. Kind of. What I meant was-"

"I know what you meant," Lena interrupted, slouching down in her seat resignedly. She gestured to the empty chair to her right in an invitation for the Spartan to take a seat. Rather than sitting immediately, however, the green giant tested the chair by pressing down on its back. Having only been designed to hold regular humans, it took little effort from the Spartan to cause groans from stressed metal. Grimacing at the sound, Tracer sighed and muttered, "Point taken."

Once the Chief had moved the inadequate piece of furniture out of the way so he could at least stand by the table, Tracer continued, "Everyone, this is the Chief. Chief, this is Overwatch, or at least part of it. Should be able to help figure out something to help."

Before anyone else could speak up, Soldier 76 interjected, "If we're going to talk, we'll need more information than that. We don't have the resources to just help anyone without knowing anything about them."

"He accidentally came here, was nearly arrested by Helix, somehow pissed off Talon, kidnapped me, Widowmaker, Sombra, and two junkers, and now wants to find an Orb," Tracer summarized succinctly, conveniently leaving out basically everything that would make any form of sense. Obviously that drew everyone's attention, with expressions ranging from doubt to confusion being directed at Lena.

"What?" McCree asked for every other Overwatch agent in the room.

Tracer responded before the Chief could speak up, "A battle-hardened time-travelling dimension-hopping interstellar super-soldier wants to meet our leaders." A short giggle followed the accurate if misleading statement.

"Lena," Winston sighed, used to the hyperactive agent's peculiarities. He then turned his attention to the silent behemoth and stated, "I've seen news reports on the incidents in Sydney and New York. Your actions have been quite, hrm, chaotic. You also seem to be missing your, er, friend."

Much to the surprise of everyone present, a female voice emanated from the large green figure, "We needed to perform ground reconnaissance, Sydney was the logical choice."

"Oh, that's Cortana," Tracer interrupted with a start, drawing attention away from the Chief. "Think of Athena, with more snark."

Everyone looked back at the Chief, obviously expecting some retort. There was none.

After an awkward second, McCree drew the discussion back on track, "'Cause the trash rats?"

"Different reasons," Cortana replied.

When it became clear that no more elaboration would be forthcoming, Winston grumbled slightly and responded, "That isn't the real problem. Ignoring Air Traffic Control, whatever was with you before, and fighting with Helix in New York is."

"They were attempting to interfere with our mission," Cortana stated.

"It was needless death that could have been avoided. Who are you and why are you here?" Soldier: 76 questioned, making his disapproval clear.

After a second, a deep male voice answered, "Sierra 117."

"We're here in this room because we want to return to our fight, not become involved in yours," Cortana finished.

"You killed a bunch of Helix security people because you want to return home?" 76 asked, slightly incredulous.

"They were arresting us under the charge of Overwatch activity. Under UNSC wartime laws, we could not surrender to that demand," Cortana explained.

Mercy interjected, "You did not need to kill them, though. This isn't your world, according to you at least."

"Forgive the Chief's excesses, he's used to fighting enemies that are actually a threat. As for the Arbiter, well, restraint isn't something they teach Elites."

Winston seemed interested in that as he inquired, "That is what its species is called? We have never seen them before. I had assumed it was a unique being, some genetic experiment."

"You don't believe us," Cortana said, sounding unsurprised.

Once again Jack Morrison spoke up as he replied, "You come out of nowhere, kill innocent people, ignore any laws you may break in the process, steal two Talon agents and an Overwatch operative, then come to us demanding information? This conversation so far has made it quite clear that you're in a hurry, but you'll need to slow down and explain if you're asking for our help."

"As you wish," Cortana retorted, exasperation evident in her tone. "Our decision to follow your agent's advice to meet with you is because you might have information that could help us, specifically related to several of the Omniums that were apparently shut down after the Omnic Crisis. We have a war to return to, so if you are unwilling to help, we'll find our own way back. As for your complaints, they are noted, but we will not be restrained. I'm sure you understand, seems like Overwatch wasn't too different before it was shut down."

"That's the problem!" Jack yelled, bristling at Cortana's comment . After taking a second to calm down, he explained, "Overwatch collapsed because of collateral. The world needs us, recent events have made that clear, but people refuse to see that. Talon's influence grows, Omnic tensions rise, and the cycle repeats. We don't need you coming in and making things worse, whether or not your from here."

There was no physical reaction from the armored giant, but the irritation in the female voice was easy to hear as she responded, "Then help us leave. All we want is information on possible ruins in Omniums in Russia and the Outback. Tracer said that someone named 'Winston' might be able to help, so direct us to him and we can be on our way."

"I know as much as anyone, but that isn't much," Winston said, drawing the Chief's attention to him once more. After glancing at Morrison and getting a resigned nod of acquiescence, he continued, "Most of what I've heard are rumors, along with a couple reports from before the Fall. Apparently the Omnica Corporation found something in those locations, ruins of some kind as you said. They built the Omniums later, hiding whatever it was that they found. When the factories were first deactivated, no sign was found of anything and it was dismissed as false. After the Omnic Crisis, though, Overwatch found multiple Omniums around the world where the Omnics had dug up and then sealed off passages."

"With the Crisis so close to catastrophic for the world, no one wanted to take any chances. Attempts were made to get through the blockages, but nothing was ever found. We made sure that there was no signs of activity underground before leaving. Any further exploration was halted with the Fall of Overwatch, the destruction of the Omnium in Australia, and the recent reactivation of the Russian Omnium," Winston finished.

There was a short pause before Cortana spoke up once more, "Not all exploration, apparently. The two junkers that we made friends with, for lack of a better description, apparently found something in the ruins of that Omnium. If it's what we think it is, then the Omnics had the right idea by sealing it away."

"You know what's down there?" Morrison questioned sharply. At the Chief's look, he explained, "I was on the team that cleared the Australian Omnium. The details are classified, however."

"Overwatch found something," Cortana said softly and without a shred of doubt. "There was no way to go any further, though. Probably a door, no way to open it, even with force. It would have been one that led to the outside, so large, tall, solid, shaped like a blunt arrow. How close am I?"

Several seconds passed as red met gold, each soldier staring at the other. Red eventually lost as Morrison growled, "Correct. What is it?"

"You've given us some knowledge, so I will return the favor. The structure was built by a species called the Forerunners. They died 100,000 years ago, at least where we come from. I don't know how they got here or why they built a facility on your world, but I can tell you that you never had a chance of forcing your way past those doors."

"So what's your plan for 'em?" McCree asked lazily.

Cortana seemed split between amused and resigned as she answered, "Knock politely, probably."

"What, it'll just open up for your royal highness?" the former Blackwatch agent asked with a mocking smile.

Chief glanced at Tracer for a moment before turning back as Cortana responded, "Your friend already knows this, so let me just fill you in. According to the two we picked up, something down there wants our attention. We plan on meeting it, as bad an idea as that may be."

Winston huffed and argued, "The entire place is irradiated from the attack by the Liberation Front. Even junkers stay away from it, so I don't know the two you spoke of made it through, but it won't be as easy as just walking in."

"Getting in isn't the problem, it's getting back out that usually proves a bit more difficult," Cortana replied.

"And you want our help." Morrison said.

Cortana replied, "We came looking for information, which you gave. Thank you for that, but we are not asking you to send in what few agents you have. Our own ally stayed behind to avoid some difficulties that could arise from his presence."

"You said that you were called." The voice of Ana Amari immediately caught the attention of the Chief as he turned towards her while she continued, "Whatever is down there has to be alive in some way. You know this. Why would you turn away help?"

"How many agents could actually survive the ruins of the Omnium?" Cortana pointed out.

Ana countered, "Not all, but some. You are convinced that anyone we send would not come back. We may not be at our strongest, be we are not incompetent."

An audible sigh came from Cortana, though it was slightly odd to see no body language to accompany the gesture as the Chief kept his stance. "Forerunner structures have an irritating habit of allowing you in then trying to kill you. While I am sure that you are experienced with fighting the enemies of Overwatch, Forerunner Sentinels are on a different level."

"Yet the junkers were able to get in and out, according to them at least," Tracer mentioned.

"Wouldn't put too much trust in that," McCree argued.

Cortana interjected, "We can ask when we're there."

"So you're desperate to go chasing something that two almost certainly insane individuals told you, even though you're also certain it's a trap?" Soldier:76 asked in slight confusion.

"Their descriptions match what we know, and if the Forerunners came here then they had some way back. At least, that's what we hope, if that's not true then we're stuck here. We'll deal with that if it comes to pass," Cortana responded.

Jack Morrison grumbled for a second before stating, "If you're going wandering around an Omnium, you should have someone that knows the area. We have a few agents that could survive the hazards, but only one is here now."

There was a short pause before Cortana replied, "Our mission will most likely involve acquiring information. I cannot assure you that we can share that information, regardless of if you help us or not. The possibility of your enemies stealing the knowledge we learn is not something that we can allow."

"If you can defeat two Talon agents with such little effort, I don't think that they'll pose much threat to your home," Morrison said.

"There are things down there that we haven't even discovered if Chief is anything to go by. Things we shouldn't know," Tracer said somberly.

Mercy seemed concerned at the odd change in behavior and tone as she leaned forwards and asked, "Are you alright, Lena?"

Tracer smiled at Angela, though it was subdued as she answered, "I'm good, doc. He is right, though. If the Forerunners were more advanced than Chief's people, we can't risk Talon finding out about whatever is down there."

"Oh, Talon is not going to be able to take a Forerunner installation," Cortana told them with amusement.

"Do not underestimate them," Winston warned.

Morrison spoke up before Cortana could reply to that, "We'll allow you your paranoia under two conditions."

"Go ahead," Cortana said slowly, obviously not keen on bargaining.

"We send an agent with you to make sure that you aren't releasing a God Program or something else equally stupid from the Omnium," Soldier:76 began.

Before he could continue, the Chief gave a nod and Cortana replied, "Acceptable, long as they can cooperate."

A scowl came from Morrison as he resumed, "Of course. Two, the Talon operatives you captured are released to Overwatch."

"I have no problem with that," Cortana said. "It was either that or throw them out the airlock. Certainly not going to waste resources keeping them alive if we have what we need."

"You are so callous to all your prisoners?" Mercy asked, disgust in her voice.

Cortana gave a humorless laugh and answered, "We didn't exactly have many prisoners to be callous to, and death was a mercy for anyone unlucky enough to become a prisoner of the Covenant."

"That was your enemy?" Morrison asked, obviously interested in learning more.

He was shut down had as Cortana responded, "It's not important now. Whoever you're sending with us better get their kit together, we'll be heading straight for our target."

"Talon prisoners first," Jack countered.

"No," the Chief stated, leaving no room for disagreement.

It took Morrison a second to process that before he argued, "Reinhardt needs some time to get his armor on, probably something you're familiar with for your own gear. More importantly, our agreement is for you to hand over two prisoners, not their corpses. I am not convinced that we would see them returned alive if you find what you need."

"We may not have the most humane treatment of captives that shot at us, but we don't break our word to allies," Cortana said, insulted. "You will will have your enemies."

"What is their condition?" Mercy questioned.

Cortana huffed and responded, "You are very determined to believe that we are playing some trick."

McCree seemed amused as he explained, "Y'all killed a few dozen people just to avoid arrest. Not saying I wouldn't do the same, but it don't really encourage trust that you wouldn't just put a bullet in their heads and be done with it."

"Waste of ammunition," Chief replied. McCree barked out a laugh at that, drawing a glare from Mercy.

The Overwatch medic turned her attention back to the armored soldier and asked, "Are they wounded, then?"

"As I said earlier, would be easy enough to just space them," Cortana answered. "They weren't shot, if that's what you're worried about. Some damage since they didn't come willingly, but they'll live."

"Define damaged," Ana ordered before Angela could do the same.

It took a second before Cortana replied, "As of this moment, the list of issues with Widowmaker is too long for me to tell you if we want to get anything done today. Obviously the most visible problem is that she's blue, but she also appears the have both retro and anterograde amnesia based on her behavior. Physically, we know that there are several fractures in bones throughout her body, though specifics will have to wait until a medical examination."

"Sombra is in a similar position, as much like Widowmaker there are extensive internal modifications to various aspects of her physiology. It is likely that she obtained a concussion when resisting the Arbiter, however, her most serious injury is a contaminated traumatic comminuted impact fracture throughout the entire left manus."

"Still untreated," Tracer added.

Mercy looked horrified as she demanded, "The pain from that would be debilitating. Leaving such a wound is beyond negligence, only a brute would be so cruel!"

Cortana was unbothered by the doctor's aggressive tone as she responded, "She misunderstood our interrogation as a friendly chat, a notion that we disabused her of just before we left for here, actually. Wasting resources on a hostile element is against UNSC doctrine, especially considering the discovery of Forerunner ruins."

"If the bone is shattered and left unset, she could lose the limb," Mercy stated.

"We warned Sombra to cooperate, she didn't. If she wanted to keep her limbs, she shouldn't have been shooting at us. Considering her attitude, she'll be lucky if a hand is all she loses," Cortana replied callously.

Mercy rose out of her seat as she retorted, "Medical negligence is what you call lucky?!"

"The only luck here for Sombra is that she might come out of this alive," Cortana countered.

Angela snorted derisively and stated, "That is abundantly clear."

"I apparently haven't been clear enough," Cortana responded. "We aren't are here to play nice and join your little crusade against the evils of the world. The presence of Forerunner objects presents a threat to the entire planet, as cliche as that sounds. As good as Overwatch is and as powerful as all the militaries of the world might be, your civilization is not prepared for possible conflict with Sentinels."

"What makes you so capable of dealing with them then?" Soldier:76 questioned.

Cortana was bluntly honest as she replied, "Experience and luck, really."

"Along with the doctors to patch you up afterwards," Mercy said irritably.

"On the rare occasions when they survived encountering Forerunner Sentinels, yes. Usually, though, the only medical assistance would be on a ship in orbit," Cortana countered.

Before Angela could respond to that, Morrison spoke up, "Is that where you're keeping your prisoners?"

"Yeah, it's huge! Its got-"

"Lena," Winston said, cutting off the agent before she could go on.

Cortana sounded amused as she answered, "Yes, we have them secured on board."

"Are they being monitored?" Jack pushed.

"Of course, though Sombra tried to mess with the equipment when she first arrived."

Winston was the next to speak as he interjected, "You are sure that the structure presents a threat?"

"Not positive, no. We know that there is a Forerunner construct of some kind that asked for our presence, and by its description we suspect that it is a Monitor. Considering that such things are only used for important Installations, we erred on the side of caution. Forerunner ruins can be anything from an empty building to an interstellar weapon of mass destruction."

"Interstellar?" Winston asked, surprised at that information.

Tracer once again interrupted, "Told you so."

Winston snorted at that and resumed, "It doesn't matter. Once Reinhardt is ready, he will meet you at the ship you arrived here in. Make sure that whatever is there isn't a threat, we'll deal with the rest afterwards."

"You're trusting them?!" Morrison asked sharply, glaring at Winston.

"Don't have much of a choice, do we?" the scientist questioned.

Ana interrupted, "There's always a choice."

"You saw what was down there," Winston argued, directing his words towards Soldier:76. "Whatever it is, it wasn't built by Omnica. If Talon somehow finds out about it, they might try to claim it themselves. Can we risk that?"

Jack sighed, leaning back as he responded, "Understood."

"We'll alert you when we're on our way back," Cortana stated as the Chief turned away. No one stopped him as he left, though Genji followed the armored human back to the bulky transport that he and Tracer had arrived in.

Shortly afterwards, the heavy clomping of boots signaled the arrival of Reinhardt at the shuttle pad. After exchanging some words with Genji, the German made his way into the back of the alien shuttle. Looking up from the MA5 that he had been working on, Chief glanced at Reinhardt's hammer, exchanged a nod with the Overwatch agent, and headed towards the cockpit.


For all his years and the countless missions he had participated in, Reinhardt had never seen a transport quite like the one he was on. Then again, no else had either from what he had been told on his way to the shuttle pad. Helping an alien soldier infiltrate a destroyed Omnium and break into an underground structure only added to the new experiences.

It was only once they had landed that Reinhardt was able to evaluate his mission partner in combat. As soon as the back hatch had opened, the highly disciplined movements of the Chief as he checked the area proved that Reinhardt did not need to worry about babysitting. While that was nice when it came to combat, it was a concern considering the largely unknown nature of Overwatch's newest ally.

Glancing around the area, Reinhardt determined that they had landed somewhere near the remains of the Omnium's fusion core. A quick examination of the map that Athena was providing to his helmet confirmed that, only necessary as the debris scattered around the area could throw off anyone less experience with such buildings. Hefting his hammer, Reinhardt moved forwards, ready to activate his barrier but doubting that it would be necessary. Anything that might attack them would have been killed by residual radiation long ago.

Reinhardt took one last look at the route Athena had given before turning back to his charge. While the Chief kept his focus, and therefore rifle, on the world around them, he did acknowledge Reinhardt's attention with a slight turn of his head. Trusting his ally to at least listen to him, Reinhardt said, "The objective is nearby. We will be cutting close to the fusion core, though."

"Affirmative," was the Chief's curt response.

Accepting the brusk reply in stride, Reinhardt began making his way through the destruction around them. That they had gotten as close to the objective as they had was impressive, though it helped that the alien shuttle seemed capable of adjusting to the rubble it had landed on. Beyond that open space, however, there was no easy path through the rubble. Twisted metal and burnt concrete spread out in all directions, unsurprising considering debris had been flung for kilometers around after the explosion of the core.

They were forced to backtrack several times due to unstable structures or impassable obstacles. While Reinhardt knew he could probably charge through the blockages, the possibility of causing a chain collapse held him back. Even so, there were multiple points where the two armored giants had to pry apart wreckage to make a path.

By the time they finally reached their destination on the surface, Reinhardt had gotten a good measure for the strength of the Chief in both armor and in body. As far as Reinhardt had seen, nothing had been able to scratch the paint of the armor, let alone the metal itself. The man inside seemed just as unfazed by the wreckage, though the rifle that had been sweeping the area at first was now attached to the Chief's back to free up his hands.

As they entered the surprisingly intact room that Athena had directed them to, Reinhardt took a second to note the light debris that had been shifted to allow access to a door. Aside from that one feature, however, the rest of the area was surprisingly bare. Unlike most of the other buildings levelled by the Omnium's fusion core, this one still stood as a testament to its importance. Considering the simple but sturdy design of four walls and a roof made out of concrete, that wasn't surprising.

The only interruptions in the material were two doors, with the first being the one that Reinhardt and the Chief had entered by and the second being across from them. Both were large enough to allow the two fighters through without issue, though it was hard to imagine that mining equipment would've fit in the space. This implied that the structure was built after the excavations to keep people out, or perhaps something inside if the Chief was to be believed.

At this point, however, the large metal door was doing neither, instead hanging open and allowing the two armored soldiers a look into the dark passage before them. As the Overwatch agent hesitated slightly, Chief continued ahead without breaking stride. In a practiced motion, he pulled the weapon from his back as light from the side of his helmet lit up the tunnel.

Reinhardt felt slightly out of place as the rearguard but raised no issue with it as the two began descending. Within seconds the only source of illumination was the light provided by the Chief, though that was sufficient since there was only one direction to go. That was quite literal it seemed as the path continued unerringly forward, bringing them directly under the center of the Omnium by Reinhardt's map. Even then, however, they continued forward, closing in on the edge of the ruins above by the time their objective could be seen.

Due to the encroaching blackness around them, there was very little warning that the tunnel had reached its end. Rather than a blank wall of metal or rock, which was what Reinhardt had been expecting, the sides of the tunnel split away, leaving the two in a room of unknown size. The Master Chief elected to ignore the empty space, however, as he came to a stop several meters away from the far side of the room.

Much to Reinhardt's surprise, a large slab of metal blocked their way. The material was oddly dull, reflecting little of the Chief's bright helmet lights, but it was easy to tell that the surface was unmarred except for tall door set into the structure.

This would be the barrier that Overwatch had never breached, at least according to what Athena had told Reinhardt on the way out here. Any attempts to find or force an opening had all been met with failure, leaving the project abandoned as Overwatch became embroiled in controversy.

Reinhardt stopped his thoughts and brought up his barrier, lighting up the entire room with a soft, blue glow. A surprised glance came from the Chief, but no words were exchanged as the two made sure that they were indeed alone down here. Once that was done, the Overwatch agent let the makeshift light go out, content with the area and also quite curious as to how the Chief planned to get past what an entire international organization could not.

Apparently there wasn't much of a plan as the green soldier walked towards the door, examining the area in detail. Reinhardt was tempted to voice his amusement at the thought that something had been missed by whatever team Overwatch had had down here, but he kept his silence for the moment. After a few more seconds, the Chief once more stood at the center of the door, staring forwards at the metal, rifle held in a relaxed carry.

Figuring that the soldier was talking to the AI companion that was with him when he met with the Overwatch leadership, Reinhardt plopped his hammer down and took a knee to wait. It was only several seconds later that the Master Chief reached out to the door, laying a palm flat against it.

The next second was a blur even to Reinhardt's enhanced senses as the door began to open with a soft hiss. Surging to his feet, the Overwatch agent put his surprise to the side and took up position beside his ally, hammer at the ready. As he did so, Reinhardt noted the Chief taking a step back as his assault rifle snapped into alertness with a speed that was not humanly possible.

Ready as they would ever be, the two watched as the door split into two pieces and then slid to the side, allowing them a view down the brilliantly lit hallway. Neither moved as the doors finished opening, leaving them staring into the Forerunner structure.

Amongst the remains that littered the floor, a distinctly human skull stared back.


Hope you all enjoy, will try not to leave it hanging for too long.

-evevee