*London*
The following day came and Quillion continued to shadow the couple. When they began their journey, it was still dark and damp, but worst of all, awkward, as everything felt quiet.
Gone is the joyous atmosphere, now it is just awkwardness.
So they opted for a cab to King's Cross, forcing Quillion to dig into his limited savings to call for his own, but he did not complain, there's enough tension in the air already.
He noticed that Lena had tried to make eye contact with him when they reached the station, but he avoided them purely due to security reasons and walked the opposite way to a coffee stand.
Watching from afar, he sipped on his coffee as they ordered their kebabs from a store close to the station.
"At least she is smiling now" he thought.
Once they threw their wrappers into the bin and walked into the station, he waited for half a minute before following, his eyes always looking out for possible dangers.
That's when he saw something that took his breath away.
Platform 9 3/4
His mouth hung open as he saw the crowd of tourists taking pictures with the trolley. He watched in awe as a little girl cutely hops in excitement when it is her turn, a red and gold scarf around her neck.
He could not believe that this is still a thing!
"Now all Muggles will know of the Wizarding World" he laughed.
His mind was filled with the magical times of his childhood, when he would go home from school just to read the books again and again. He especially liked the 4th book when the characters participated in a tournament.
He smiled as he recalled a character with a fake eye, one of the cooler characters in his opinion, and his most memorable line was…
"Constant vigilance!"
He snapped out of his daydream and realized he lost sight of Lena and Emily. Cursing himself that he was distracted from such a simple attraction, he quickly scanned the busy station.
He sighed in relief that the green glow shone like a candle in the sea of red.
They had just walked away from the teller machine with tickers in their hands, which he quickly bought as well. He was surprised that the trip would still take about two hours to reach Manchester, but when he asked a friendly staff member nearby, he explained to him that this line is for those who want to enjoy the view of the countryside.
Once on the train, Quillion took his seat next to the window in the middle of the carriage. There were not many passengers today and he felt comfortable enough to pull out his sketchbook to draw the countryside, setting his mind at ease to recall the cryptic message the Commander left last night.
"The tour is cancelled, reschedule for two, if it rains, go to the Farm"
"So… Two enemies, keep an eye out for them, any problems, go to Safehouse. Shouldn't be too hard"
The sting of defeat from his fight with the Owl remained a constant thorn to him. All the victories that came after pale in comparison to a head on duel. Now knowing there are two potentially dangerous threats coming after them gave him a slight rush of excitement, even though it could be just a false alarm.
He knows he has improved vastly since his defeat, how would he fare now once he puts himself to the test against Talon once more?
He looked up and saw Lena and Emily are chatting in the corner of the car and enjoying the countryside. Oddly enough he does not feel as jealous as the day before, though there is still a slight hint of it.
They sped past vast fields of green, some accompanied by sheeps, lambs, cows, and haystacks. It was peaceful and soothing and he could feel months of built up frustrations and hardship that he collected from McCree (and admittedly Emily) melting away at the sight.
If his squad was here, they would be commenting on how soft he had become, but if only knew what he had to go through with McCree...
Like that one time he went for a 'bathroom break' and they were suddenly assailed by spider-like machines that crawled all over the train to steal the cargo they were protecting, leaving only Quillion to fight them all off alone for hours with a screwdriver.
Or that other time when he said he is going to the movies in Hollywood to 'negotiate' with someone, which not only ended up with a shootout, but he literally planned to use Quillion as a meatshield.
"When I get back I'm going to report him to the Command-"
A sudden pain shot through his head again, causing him to grunt in pain.
"I really need to get that checked out" he thought to himself as rests his head on one hand.
"Wow! That's some great sketches!" a voice said above him.
He looked up and saw that it was Emily, what is she doing here?
"Mind if I take a look?"
Without waiting for an answer, she sat down and took the sketch book out of his hands.
"What did you say to her last night?" she whispered angrily.
"We are not supposed to make contact unless absolutely necessary" he hissed back.
"First, she went to your apartment, then she suddenly had the nightmares, and today she is miffed. What did you two talk about?" she demanded while flipping through the sketches, pretending to look at them.
For a while he sat silent, thinking of an appropriate way to respond.
"She... Wanted an idea for a Christmas Gift for you" he finally lied, badly.
"Lies..." Emily shot back quietly. He could almost feel her body heating up in anger.
He did not reply, he did not even want to entertain the question.
"Fine..." she said, tossing the book back to his lap before walking back to Lena.
Sighing heavily, he got up and walked to the bar in another carriage.
"Cappuccino?"
"Ahh sorry sir, I can't serve that now" the barista said.
"Oh? Why not?" Quillion asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It's the machine? Ain't as posh as it used to be, now whenever the train's moving, it does bugger all for the milk"
He demonstrated by pulling what Quillion assumes is the milk lever and nothing came out.
"See? I can however fix you up with a pour over"
"… Yes?" was Quillion's hesitant reply, but was relieved when it was just a cup of black coffee.
"Anything else?"
He shook his head and pulled out his wallet when the headlines of the news showing behind the counter caught his attention.
"Any updates on that?" he asked.
"Yeah, apparently a small group of Null Sectors broke out of Perm and are marching towards a city"
"Is the city evacuated?"
"Nah, it's just a small force and two whole Russian Division is waiting for them, seems a bit excessive if you ask me"
"Is it enough though? The Null Sector can be quite dangerous"
The barista merely shrugged.
"Their military leader say it'll be okay so I guess I don't need to worry about it"
After paying for his coffee he went back to his seat.
"Should I have gone to Russia instead? I can look for the leaders there instead of playing soldier for some vigilante group…"
Laughter burst from the corner of the carriage.
"Do they have to draw attention to themselves…?"
He looked over and saw them pointing at something out in the field.
"A life I cannot have" he thought sadly.
His mind took a strange turn of self-reflection. He is a genetically enhanced man whose sole purpose is to fight. What on earth is he doing babysitting other people? He should be out there fulfilling the promise he made to Jampang.
"Should I even stay anymore?" he thought.
Debating with himself the hours passed like seconds as the announcement came that they had reached Manchester.
*Manchester*
They were greeted with a cheering crowd painted in red and blue. The colors and loud noises re-energize Lena and Emily as they cheered along with the fans, even Quillion allowed himself to be caught up with the chanting.
One, he loves this team. Second, it would look strange for someone to remain in a somber mood amongst the crowd, though he does recoil at the sight of Omnics joining the festivities.
The atmosphere is incredible. He watched many matches played in Old Trafford only on television and though it only took him a few additional decades, he is finally here.
He was looking around happily until he saw people lining up to enter the stadium and realized he was missing one crucial item.
He does not have a ticket. And judging by Emily's demeanor towards him earlier, he doubts that she got one for him. Then again, this looked like a big game so the ticket should've been bought months before.
Looking around he saw that the stadium's security is quite secure, and if he should sneak in, he would need to utilize every skill set he possesses.
That's when he felt a tapping on his shoulder.
He turned around and almost looked at the Omnic in disgust.
"Yes?"
"I notice that you seem to be missing a ticket" the Omnic sniggered, adjusting its trench coat.
"I know when someone realizes they lost their ticket, so I would like to offer some to you" it continued, revealing multiple stacks in its pockets.
"How do I know these are not fakes?"
"There's a running number that you can go by in the system if you wish, I can guarantee these are legit"
Quillion thought about it for a moment and saw Lena entering the stadium.
"How much?" he asked while glancing towards a screen with the price. He could barely make out that it costs 200 pounds behind the Sold Out sticker.
"Oh… Just about 400 pounds would do" the Omnic said slyly.
"Ahh… You're a profiteer"
"I'd prefer opportunist, so do you want it or not?"
"I'll find my own way in" Quillion said, walking past the Omnic and shoving it out of his way.
"Suit yourself" the Omnic huffed, walking off to try to scam someone else, not knowing that his entire supply had just been stolen.
Quickly having one of the tickets scanned, he realizes that the Omnic is at least truthful about the tickets being legit. After Security stamped an "Entry" on his hand, he walked to different groups of disappointed families and gave the tickets off to those who looked the saddest before he himself entered.
He was hit with the roar of the crowd, the sound rose as everyone began to sing their team's anthem as advertisements and shows zoom past above their heads, filling the air with music that complemented the fan's enthusiasm.
Even with his glasses he was barely able to see where Lena is in the sea of red glows, but he finally spotted her on the far side of the stadium.
Just when he decided to settle down, a Kiss Cam came up on screen.
"Guess they adopted this quite some time ago" Quillion thought as some couples caught within its lenses immediately began kissing as if it was expected.
The crowd cheered and laughed at each different reaction. Even Quillion joined the fun as some are actually pretty funny.
Some couples are too shy to do anything while some are more than happy to show off their love for everyone to see. One even splash beer on the man's face when he forced a kiss on her.
It was all good-natured fun.
Until the camera showed Lena and Emily.
The crowd laughed when Lena became beet red and covered her face as Emily threw her arms around her, just barely able to kiss her.
Quillion stood up, horrified as time was now against him. Focusing his energy, he activated his Rage.
5 Seconds. Only 5 Seconds.
*First Second*
The crowd slowed to a crawl and the music and sounds became a slow groan.
Calculating the angle of the camera quickly, he scanned the now frozen crowd for the camera.
"Quickly, quickly" he desperately thought.
*Second Second*
He jumped out of his seat and begins running towards where he thinks the camera is, squinting his eyes as he pumps his legs forcefully onwards, careful not to tear his muscles in the process as he reaches the other side.
*Third Second*
Charging up the steps, he finally saw it, it is located on a platform above the seats. A place he could not reach.
*Fourth Second*
Pulling out a coin from his pocket, he aimed before throwing the coin at it with as much strength as he could afford.
*Fifth Second*
As the adrenaline subsided, the coin belted towards the camera and shattered its lenses. He watched as the Kiss Cam was cut off abruptly and the crowd groaned in disappointment.
Wiping the sweat from his brow, he sighed a relief.
"At least that's over…" he thought.
"And who is this? An angry ex?" an announcement rang out.
To Quillion's horror, he felt the entire stadium looking at him, he did not dare to turn around as he could guess what happened.
"Did you see how fast he was?" he heard a boy ask.
"He threw something at the camera!" another shouted.
Without turning around, he ran to the exits, ignoring the calls from the crowd and quickly disappearing before the security could catch him.
Running across the hallway, he stopped in front of the holovid, praying that they did not catch his face.
Sure enough, it is broadcast live for all to see.
It just so happens that he sped past within the views of multiple cameras and it caught the crew's attention, causing all of them to try to focus on him as he ran.
The only clear footage they have is when he stopped and threw the coin, his back facing the camera.
He groaned in frustration as, even though to the world, it is only a man with black hair, he exposed himself to be affiliated with them.
To make matters worse, the footage bore huge words bearing 'Angry Ex?'
*London: Talon Hideout*
Laying on the bed and slowly cutting up a piece of steak with her claws, SS28 watched in excitement as the game was about to start.
"Stupid advertisements, just get to the game already!" she thought.
She heard the door open from outside her room and she recognized from the high heels that Widowmaker is back.
"Anything?" she heard Doctor ask.
"Non" Widowmaker said, setting her rifle down.
"We need to change our approach to this" Sigma voiced.
They began arguing and SS28 increased the volume of the holovid, not wanted to participate in the argument.
"Doctor is upset though… I should do something for her at least…"
But the temptation to watch the football game is too strong. Deciding to ignore her feelings, she continues watching.
Once the advertisements were over, it suddenly changed to the Kiss Cam.
"Blerg" SS28 said, disgusted that people want to do something like kissing, why would anyone want to show affection to one another?
That is when she was shown her targets.
"Everyone! Get in here!" she screeched.
Moira was the first to enter, followed closely by Widowmaker and Sigma.
"What is it?" Moira scolded.
Pointing to the screen, they all stood in shock.
"Looks like we finally found you…" Widowmaker said.
"I… I cannot believe it" Sigma gasped, staring at the screen.
"Did I do good Doctor?" SS28 asked proudly.
Moira said nothing, shocked at the impossible luck that SS28 has.
Widowmaker whipped around and walked out.
"Where are you going?" Moira shouted after her.
"I am going to Manchester"
Without another word, she was gone.
Then they realize Sigma is still staring at the screen with shock.
"What are you staring at?" Moira asked annoyingly.
"I wanted to ask her out to Luna's Cabaret… How could she do this to me?"
Not knowing what to say they kept quiet as Sigma laments over this "betrayal"
"Her! If I get rid of her I can ask her out! And this "Ex"!" he said.
"What a creep…" SS28 said softly.
Moira could not help but agree as she observes the so called 'Angry Ex' that appeared on the screen.
*London: Agong's Place*
"Tuan (Boss), I think you better see this" one of the Tigers said.
"What is it?" Agong said as he chewed on a chicken leg.
"I think we found them"
Agong's eyes lit up like a child and looked into the screen eagerly.
"Ahh… Hello Biru Hantu (Blue Ghost)… Looks like you are human after all" he said.
"We also believe this man has some attachments to them" another said as they watched the scene where Quillion threw the coin.
"He is pretty fast, too fast in fact… I think we need to get rid of him first…"
Everyone in the room nodded as Agong continued to munch on the leg.
"Very well, two of you, go to Manchester and test out our prey, let's see what we are up against"
The two he indicated bowed and left.
"This is gonna be fun" he said as he sat down in front of the holovid.