*Russia: Volskaya Industries*
Katya and Zarya waited on a single file platform as the engineers worked quickly to finish their projects in the Construction Floor.
Like the well-oiled machine that it is, the factory poured its resources into this single unit with a precision that even Zarya can appreciate.
As the hours passed, the suit began taking shape. The next step in Russian military evolution.
But it did not matter.
"Find yourself another pilot" she told Katya who remained by her side the entire time.
"There are no other pilots" she said matter of factly.
"Then train one"
"There is no time for that"
"You seemed to have hired enough goons for that" Zarya said, pointing to her bodyguards standing at each ends of the platform.
"I needed someone who is exceptional"
"And they are not?"
"They are good, but you are better. Far better"
She paused for a moment before adding.
"You already took on two of them, do you truly think they would've stood up to the black assassin?"
"If you didn't notice, I was beaten as well"
"In an ambush, yet not only you saved my life, you survived after throwing yourselves out the window, how many can say that?"
Groaning, Zarya watched as the engineers began installing a pair of legs to the chassis.
"I already said I do not want anything installed on me"
"I remember" Katya said, her eyes never leaving the floor.
"Then why are you wasting my time here?"
"Because nothing will be installed on you... And the country needs you"
Rolling her eyes, she watched on as she massaged her thighs, trying to ignore the itching below them.
"How much longer is this going to take? It's just one suit right?"
"Just an hour more before we conduct the safety trials"
Zarya sat back and closed her eyes, attempting to take a nap but the occasional banging kept her awake.
"Is there anywhere quieter?"
"Please just be patient for another hour"
The hour crawled by and Zarya sighed in relief when Katya received the call.
"Perfect, the suit is ready, let's go"
Reaching the test floor, Zarya was shocked to see the results.
"I thought you said it was a suit?"
"No, the suit controls that"
"Bit excessive isn't it?"
"Maybe a bit... All this, for you" Katya said proudly, as if presenting her best work for all to see. Which it probably is.
Before them is a true machine of war. Heavily armed and armored, it demanded respect to all who laid eyes on it.
Standing on two legs and little over 8 feet tall, the Mech is armored with layers upon layers steel and iron and equipped with what seems to be two Particle Cannons merged together in one hand and flamethrower in the other.
It's smooth surface actually does a disservice as it looked incomplete without battle scars. Even Zarya had to agree that if she met this in battle, she would not want it as an enemy.
"This is the Executioner, the first of its kind"
"I must admit... It looks tough"
"Oh it is. It is equipped with twin internal Particle Barriers to protect you from most attacks, both plasma and metal, only a Titan can take it down with certainty"
"And if the barriers fail?"
"3 inches of the strongest armor we possess, twice as thick as our regular Mechs, near invulnerable to standard Nullifier equipment and hydraulic legs that can stop a charging Behemoth. Again. Nothing short of a Titan or a pack of Behemoths will be able to stop you"
"And the weapons?"
"You would be familiar with these so I will not explain further, Twin Particle Cannons and -" Katya said
"A flamethrower... Not going to be effective I'm afraid" Zarya said sarcastically but was surprised to see Katya smiling.
"This is not a flamethrower, it is a Plasma Repeater"
"A what?"
With a wave of her hand, a tank came in and parked in front of them, the driver activating its Particle Barrier before climbing out.
"Best if we step away"
Once they are in the clear behind the safety glass, she gave them the thumbs up.
The Plasma Repeater came alive and a barrage of plasma bolts tore the tank apart within a blink of an eye, firing so fast that it looked like it shot a steady blue light.
"Thought you would require a mid to long range weapon" Katya said proudly when she saw Zarya's mouth hanging open.
"What was that?"
"100 rounds of super heated plasma per second"
"Like the Fusion Drivers?"
"I can guarantee this far more powerful than what any OR15 carried before"
"How is this even powered? And you say the suit controls that? Where is the suit?" Zarya exclaimed.
"Open it" Katya said.
Gas hissing and mechanics whirring, the Mech opened itself, revealing the suit within.
When Zarya thought about the "suit", she was thinking about a slim fitting, thin, with wires connecting to the Mech.
But she was wrong, very wrong.
Contained within the Executioner is another dangerous looking Power Armor that seemed to be designed with the concept that the outer Mech is simply additional protection.
"What is that orb?" Zarya pointed to the glowing chest piece.
"That is a nuclear reactor that charges the suit, which in turn charges the Executioner"
"You want me to wear a nuclear reactor on my chest? Sure why not, next you're going to tell me I can fly with mini thrusters on my legs or shoot lasers from my chest?" Zarya said sarcastically.
"No the suit does not fly nor shoots beams, however, it is built for combat as well"
"Almost like a chainmail under plate armor"
"Exactly, same quality on the Executioner but obviously a little bit 'smaller'"
"Now you are just overcompensating"
Katya laughed.
"Indeed, but I know you'd rather die than run away from battle, so if by any reason the Executioner is destroyed, you can continue the fight"
At those words Zarya felt an urge to pilot it.
This could be the chance she needed to bring the fight back to the enemy. However, when she couldn't stand to inspect further, she felt her spirit dampened.
"Well, thank you for the opportunity, but I should be getting back to the hospital now"
When she tried to wheel out, a guard blocked her.
"At least try it out" Katya said calmly.
"If it is so powerful, you can literally have anyone else pilot it and it will work just as well"
"Others will make it work. You can make it exceptional"
"I already said that I am not interested"
At those words Katya had enough.
"You do not have a choice here Zarya, we need you now more than ever"
"You all need to learn how to do things without me, an army is not made up of a single soldier you know"
She tried to roll around the guard, but he kept blocking her.
"You better get out of my way before you get hurt boy" she snarled.
"Don't you understand that we have no more armies? For all we know anything that even resembles an army is now surrounded in Izhevsk"
"Won't the Svyatagors be enough to extract them?"
"They are tasked to defend Moscow, not to go off on a rescue mission by themselves"
"Sounds like it is your problem, not mine"
Lashing out an arm, she punched the guard in the stomach, causing him to double over before knocking him to the ground.
Immediately another stood before her, blocking her path.
"Can you please tell your men to get out of my way before I send them all to the hospital?"
Just then someone burst into the room, a man and a child covered in dust ran at them.
"Help! We need help!" he cried.
The guard raised their weapons to shoot but Katya commanded them to grab him instead.
When the man saw Zarya he began to cry.
"Thank heavens! You are here too!'
"Who are you?"
"Please! I need your help!"
"You may be looking at the wrong place then" Katya said before motioning them to take him away.
"No! Wait! My wife is in Izhevsk! Please save her!"
Everyone stared and looked at each other.
"How did you lose her?" Katya inquired.
"We were running and the city exploded! I thought she was behind us but…" he could not continue and broke down.
"What is the situation there?"
"I… I don't know… Everything happened so fast… Everything just kept blowing up…"
"Were there any soldiers left?"
"No… I didn't see any…"
"What happen to your legs?" the child asked innocently.
Katya snapped a look at Zarya's and saw that she is staring back at the child with a blank face.
"Shh… Don't ask…" Ivan scolded.
"Just a little accident" Zarya replied.
"Oh… Mommy's a doctor, she can make you feel better"
"She can huh? Well, guess I need to go find her then"
Everyone stared at Zarya as she sat up in her seat.
"Hook me up to the Executioner, I need to warm up before I go"
*Venice: Talon Base*
It is rare for the base to be quiet or have little activity, but the Christmas week is definitely one of those times, as the only group of Troopers on site patrolled the empty hallways, their boots echoing around them.
"I still don't understand how so many get their leave approved every year" one of them said.
"I've heard the boss is in a good mood"
"Can't be, he is never in a good mood"
"Shut up, someone could hear us"
"Wait, does anyone else feel that?"
They stopped walking and waited.
"Been drinking on the job now have we?"
That's when the ground shook again, stronger than before, and accompanied with the sound of a small explosion from the Bio Labs.
They looked at each other and ran towards the source of the noise, readying their guns in the process.
When they reach the lab, they saw that the door has been forced open and one of the scientists is on the floor, coughing out blood. They looked into the room and saw that it is vacant.
"What happened?" the Sergeant asked while the others form a tight perimeter.
"The... Children... They are taking over..." she forced out.
She saw her nametag and saw that her name is Anna, one of Dr O'Deorain's.
"How many? How do we stop them?"
"You... Can't..."
After saying those words, she died.
"What do we do?"
"Let's see what we are up against, check the door" she instructed as she began cutting open Anna's shirt.
Massive bruises and a misshapen rib cage showed her that they are facing something with enormous strength.
"We can't tell but we think it was rammed open" the Trooper reported.
"She said "children"... Which means there are more of the Doctor's experiments running around"
"What do we do?" one asked fearfully.
"The five of us can't do anything, we need to escort the boss out of here"
In an instant the power in the base is cut off, throwing them all into darkness, even the backup generators did not kick in.
Switching on their night vision, they began making their way to Ogundimu's office, which is on the other side of the base.
"Why don't we just get out of here?" one whispered.
"Anna said they are taking over, which means all exits are blocked" the Sergeant responded calmly.
Suddenly a gust of wind blew past them, making them all drop to one knee at the strange phenomenon.
"We should bunker down somewhere and wait for help"
"We have nothing that can stop something that strong and I'd rather have Doomfist by my side" she said.
With that they spoke no more as they make their way quickly through the dark halls, their boots louder than before in the silence, each could not shake the feeling that something is watching them.
"What's that?" one of them pointed when they enter the gym, one of the few direct routes to Ogundimu's office.
Something strange is swaying in the corner of the room and a familiar but sickening dripping sound can be heard from it.
Their weapons ready they approached what seemed to be an object hanging from the ceiling and they froze when they realize what it is.
It is a dead Trooper, his body cruelly mangled and he has a huge slash from his shoulder to his stomach as if by a large sword.
"There are other Troopers here? I thought they all went home?"
Next to the body they saw a message written in blood on the wall.
"Count yourselves"
"Count yourselves? What does that mean?" the Sergeant asked, but received no response.
She turned around and saw all three of her Troopers are still staring at the body.
Three?
"We are missing someone"
The Troopers looked around and the unbelievable truth began settling in.
"No... There is no way"
Looking closer at the hanging Trooper's number, their blood froze. He is one of them.
"No, there's just no way!"
"Quiet!"
"He was with us! He was right there... Now he's...?"
A Trooper puked on the side out of fear, closely followed by another.
"Get yourselves together!" the Sergeant scolded, herself on the verge of panic as well.
Once they collect themselves, they made their next plan of action.
Adopting a circular formation, all four of them watched every corner as they move, carefully making their way out of the gym and into another corridor.
"Alright, just down this hall and turn right we should see the office"
She felt them nodding and that's when another gust of wind blew past them.
"We are too exposed in this corridor, move"
As they made their way across the hall, she realizes that their footsteps are making less noise than usual.
She looked behind her broke into a cold sweat.
"Sergeant? Why have we stopped?"
She merely pointed and they all gasped when they saw a pair of legs behind them.
Without the rest of the Trooper.
Losing their composure, they bolted for the office, all thoughts about tactics or stealth abandoned as they sprinted for the door that is thankfully not broken.
"Boss! Boss! Open the door!" she yelled as she pounded her fist on the thick wooden door.
"He's not in! Something's coming!"
"Open fire!"
Ogundimu sat behind the desk, his hands clasped together as he listens to the commotion outside of his office.
"How very interesting..." he thought when the gunfire stopped abruptly and blood began seeping through under the door.
When he heard heavy footsteps gather outside of his door, he stood up and walked to the edge of his desk.
With a mighty push, the door flew inwards, crashing into the desk he was just sitting on.
With his hands now behind his back, Ogundimu watched with great interest as a handful of people walk into the room.
Moira's so called "super soldiers".
First a large man came in, his muscles unnaturally large and deformed, obviously inspired by Mauga. Second an extremely thin woman came in, holding what looked like a ball of electricity in her hand, and another boy who seemingly appeared in the room and sat next to the Doomfist Gauntlet.
"I see that you planned this out carefully" he observed.
"You! You bad!" the large man said, a heavy slur with each word.
"And stupid! You stupid to let everyone go!" the woman said proudly.
"Wegotyoucornered!" the boy shouted.
"Comical... If I may ask, what is the plan here?" Ogundimu asked.
"We escape! We kill you!" the man shouted.
"Andwewillrunthiscompany!"
"And how many are of your friends are running around?"
"We got many! Hundreds! You will pay for hurting us!" the woman declared.
Rolling his eyes, Ogundimu took up a fighting stance.
"Let's see how powerful are the good Doctor's pets" he thought.
With a roar the man threw a punch that can knock down steel doors, the boy ran behind him with incredible speed and brandishing a bloody knife, and the woman threw the electricity towards him.
*Egypt: Cairo*
After Maximilian gave a speech to relocate all Medical Camps to another location, promising better facilities and care, the people cheered and threw a small festival while McCree and Genji watched from a nearby mountain under the shade of a tree.
"Looks like Maximilien is doing fine for himself, almost feels bad to crash the party" McCree said as he lights his cigar.
"Trust me, this is the time to strike" Genji replied.
"Oh right, you were the son of some crime lord right? Was it always this festive?"
"No, but he is exposed now, take the shot"
"Alright, hold your horses" McCree said, pulling out a rifle.
"Your Deadeye better not miss"
McCree said nothing, his entire focus in the shot.
"Well... Isn't this a surprise" a voice said behind them.
They turned around and saw a man materializing in a cloud of black smoke.
"I thought a sniper would be here but I was expecting someone else" Reaper said.
The two immediately attack, shuriken and bullets flew at his direction but Reaper easily dodged or shot them out of the air.
"Still too slow" he said as he walked towards them.
Another cheer erupted from the city and they saw Maximilien is being escorted to his car.
"Go! I'll deal with Reyes!" McCree shouted.
Nodding, Genji jumped down and ran towards the city.
Reaper made a move to follow but McCree pointed his revolver at him, demanding his attention back to the cowboy.
"You sure you want to do this McCree? I taught you everything you know"
"Not everythin'"
First Reaper chuckled, then it became a laugh.
"You always did have a high opinion of yourself"
"Why don't you put that to the test? Man to man"
"As you wish"
Allowing McCree to stand up, they ready their weapons.
Standing a short distance from each other, they stared each other down, their weapons never leaving their targets, their cloaks shifting ever so slightly in the wind.
As the seconds tick pass, McCree secretly hope he would be able to buy enough time for Genji.
"It's an hour till noon, are we going to stand here for an hour?" Reaper taunted.
"Well... It's high noon somewhere in the world"
Suddenly a loud bang and a flash of light exploded between them. Reaper reacted quickly by fading into his Wraith as six shots flew through him.
McCree rolled away immediately as Hellfire shots narrowly missed him, riddling his cloak with holes, reloading his revolver in the process.
Reaper attacked mercilessly and McCree was forced to take refuge behind the tree, which was promptly shot to pieces.
Throwing his Hellfire Shotguns away, McCree took the chance to Fan the Hammer at him, forcing Reaper to Wraith again quickly.
"Still throwing your guns away I see? You weren't given those guns to toss 'em around like trash!"
Shotgun pellets flew past him again and he quickly ducked, throwing another flashbang over his head at Reaper.
McCree stood up from cover but was shocked to see he is gone.
"I don't take lessons from you" Reaper growled next to him, wrapping a clawed hand over the revolver, crushing it.
Grunting, McCree threw a punch with his mechanical arm, but before he could complete it, Reaper took aim and pulled the trigger.
McCree yelled in pain as his arm exploded into a shower of scrap.
Reaper kicked him to the floor and threw the revolver away. Victorious, he stomped his feet on McCree's chest, who could do nothing but clutch his arm.
"Any last words?" Reaper asked as he aimed at McCree's face.
McCree spat at his boots.
"Another one off the list" Reaper said triumphantly.
Just when he was about to pull the trigger, he felt a needle prick his neck.
Then the world turned black.
McCree quickly took cover as Reaper fell backwards and watch when someone with a mask ran into view.
"Whoever you are, thanks partner" McCree said gratefully.
The person looked down at the fallen Mercenary and after making sure he is asleep, she raise her rifle at McCree.
"Hey hey hey wait!" he shouted.
He felt a slight stinging to his chest and he closed his eyes as he braces for the pain.
A pain which never came.
In fact, he felt better.
"Wha-?"
He looked down and saw a yellow dart.
"It has been a while hasn't it McCree?" she said.
"Who are you? How did you know my name?"
"Aww... Don't tell me you have already forgotten me?" she said as she takes off her mask.
Taking off his hat he rubbed his eyes and looked closer.
"Ana?"
*City of Perm*
The group followed the so called "Rebellion" into a sewage, their hands close to their weapons while the Omnics pulled a large sleigh with unknown contents as it was covered by a cloth.
"The moment they try to ambush us, stay behind my shield" Reinhardt growled.
"I don't like this, we are too far from the exits" Torbjorn said.
"Are you alright Fareeha?" Angela asked.
"Still a bit shaky" she admitted, her arms around the doctor's neck.
"Can't you use your staff or something?"
"Unfortunately, you may have... Lost... A few functions, I need to bring you back to the lab to check"
"Shh... We are nearing the Null Sector's sensors. Though the signal is weak, we have to be quiet" the Omnic said.
They trod on silently for 15 minutes before the Omnics gave a signal that they can talk again.
"So how much further is this base of yours?"
Pointing ahead, they saw a soft glow from the wall.
Pushing off the broken chunk of the wall, they were met with an incredible sight.
They are standing on a platform and they saw hundreds upon hundreds of people below them, seeking warmth from the barrels of fire scattered everywhere.
"Who are they?" Angela asked, noticing they look malnourished.
"They are inhabitants of Perm, most of them have been here since the Revolution began"
"You mean the Second Omnic Crisis" Fareeha spat.
"Call it what you want, but we have been protecting these people for as long as we can, but we are running low on food and water for the humans"
"They're back!" a man shouted and they ran up the stairs to them.
"Did you get anything? We need something!" they begged.
"Yes yes please calm down" the Omnic said as he pulled off the cloth.
Turns out they were pulling multiple wolves and gallons of water, to which the people immediately move to collect but the Omnics suddenly pointed their guns at them.
"What are you doing?!" Angela shouted as Reinhardt grabs his hammer, ready to fight.
"We need to bring these to our butchers and they will distribute these as fairly as possible"
"We are starving! These are not enough for your so called rations!"
"We are doing the best we can, please return to the fire where it is warm"
With a flick of his wrist, the weapons hummed with power and glowed, causing the crowd to step back.
"Don't you dare harm them!" Angela shouted.
"You humans are all the same, do you not see you need to be controlled during times like this?"
"Say tat again to my face" Torbjorn snarled.
"What of concern is this to you dwarf?"
"Dwarf?!" he roared, causing many to look at them.
"Torbjorn please keep it down" Angela said.
"I misspoke, please forgive me. Once we take down the Null Sector then we shall continue this debate?" the Omnic said, trying to calm the situation.
Moments later they found themselves in one of the tents and sitting on the floor as the Omnic drew up maps in front of them.
They learnt that the Null Sector has downloaded some files from a new secret sponsor, which from the description, the Overwatch members knew secretly that it is Maximilien.
The story was told in a sombre tone, as if the Null Sector is some pious and righteous group that the world needed is has been led astray by a poisonous thought or concept that they have adopted.
The group listened impatiently, they are here to destroy the factories and key Omnics, not a history lesson.
"Which is why we need you to insert this into the mainframe" the Omnic finally finished, holding up a small USB, to which Torbjorn laughed out loud at the sight of it.
"You REALLY must be desperate to pass us something this ancient!"
"It is because it is ancient that there are less softwares to detect it" the Omnic shot back.
"And what will happen when we put this in?" Fareeha asked.
"I will take over and bring order back to the world" it said confidently.
"You mean to destroy it" Reinhardt correctly, his hand never left his hammer.
"I fight to bring freedom to Omnics across the world, I fight so the oppression can end"
"A noble cause... But you will fail" Angela said.
At those words the Omnic recoiled and the rest raised their weapons at them.
"Was it something I said?" she asked fearlessly as the group ready for battle again.
"I heard those words before... And he brought destruction upon us"
"Who?"
"The human who calls himself Doomfist"
When it saw it is their turn to react with surprise, it took the opportunity.
"I see we share a common enemy, let us join forces and help me retake the city, then we will take him down together"
They looked at each other and each slowly nodded.
"Very well... Where shall we begin?" Reinhardt asked.