*Russia: City of Perm*
Hammer Down!
Reinhardt's hammer crushed the stairway and it gave away underneath the attackers, himself barely able to retreat back to safety behind the barrier of the last OR14-NS unit.
"That should hold them" he panted, collapsing to the ground, exhausted.
"Don't talk, rest" Angela instructed, helping him wipe the sweat off his brow before using her staff to heal him.
They had held off three waves of Null Sector troops, each with increasing intensity as it quickly adapts to the situation.
"Pharah, are you okay?" he asked.
They both look at her concerningly as they have noticed she has been acting strange throughout the battle. Only destroying a handful of Nullifiers and keeping low to the ground.
"I… I don't know…" she replied, frustrated with herself.
"Are you still injured?" Angela asked.
"No I just… I can't remember how to…"
Seeing that she does not want to say it out loud, Angela leaned in closer.
"I can't remember how to use this suit" she whispered.
Angela stared, unable to believe what she is hearing.
"You can't remember or you don't know?"
"Everything is muscle memory… I can't remember how to use it at all"
The ground trembled again as the next wave is approaching.
"They finally brought a big one" Reinhardt said, picking up his hammer after peaking down to the lower levels.
"Mercy, what is happening to me?" Faheera asked, grabbing the doctor, desperate for answers.
"I'll tell you later, fallback to Torbjorn" she said, prying her fingers off her.
Nodding, Faheera ran off.
"Enemies detected, engaging" a Nulltrooper announced in a monotonous voice as it and the last handful stood next to the OR14-NS.
With a loud clang, their enemies threw down a large metal sheet, covering the gap between them and the office.
Braving through incoming fire, Reinhardt charged forward and met the Omnics head on, his hammer knocking multiple Nullifiers across the room.
As the battle progressed, Angela saw that his movements have become sluggish and weak. His face covered in sweat, both of his arms are shaking, and every step he takes seemed to cause him pain despite the constant healing.
Though he still brims with life and energy, age has become a defining factor, one which Morrison miscalculated. Morrison is a super soldier who will maintain his strength and abilities and more despite his age. Reinhardt is the last of a group of talented people who do not have such luxuries.
Still he stood tall and proud, his face contorted with pain as he constantly switches between attacking and defending. Truly worthy of the title Crusader.
She watched with a mixture of sadness and dread but said nothing for fear her words would only drive him to further rashness to prove himself.
"Ms Mercy, we would appreciate it if you would boost our damage" the OR-14 requested calmly, charging its Fusion Cannon.
Without replying, she twisted counter clockwise but kept a watchful eye at Reinhardt, who is now being driven back slowly.
"Barrier is failing!" he cried.
"Throw your barrier down!" she shouted at the Omnics.
"No" it said simply.
"Why not?" she screamed.
"It is not optimal time for me to use my barrier"
"Reinhardt get back here!"
Then the Behemoth appeared.
Running through the stairs, it charged like a bull towards them and everything they shot at it bounce off. Seeing no other options and caught in the open, Reinhardt met the Behemoth with his own charge.
First all they heard is a sickening crash of metal before they saw Reinhardt flying into another room, disappearing from view, the Behemoth charging in after him.
"Reinhardt!" Angela yelled and tried to go after him, but the Null Sector doubled their firepower, forcing her to retreat back behind the barrier that the OR14 finally put down.
"We've got to save him!"
"No, it is unlikely he will survive, we must defend this position"
Before Angela could even blink, Fareeha ran back.
"Mercy! We need you in the meeting room!"
"No I've got to get-"
"Torbjorn's down! He needs help now!"
At those words, Brigitte's face swam into view.
Naturally she would want her to save her father over her godfather but losing Rienhardt will be devastating regardless.
She broke into a cold sweat.
For the first time in years Angela felt such fear gripping her. She had made impossible decisions before but rare does she have to make one like this.
"Mercy! Quick!"
The desperation in her voice snapped her out of her trance, finally making the most gut-wrenching choice she has ever made.
"I'm sorry Reinhardt" she cried, blinking away tears as she ran towards the office, ignoring the pain throbbing within her with every step she took.
Bursting in to the office, they saw that Braids have hooked himself onto the mainframe and Trobjorn on the side, his body cold to the touch.
Seeing Torbjorn being attended, Fareeha connected her pad into the mainframe.
01001101 01100101 01110010 01100111 01101001 01101110 01100111
*Within Null Sector Mainframe*
Braids 'looked' around him, observing and studying the non-physical realm of numbers, concepts, and codes, looking for the "Prime Programs" that make up the individuality of the Null Sector Leaders.
Though he can 'see', he is nothing more than a wall of coding, stationary but having access to the entire functions of the mainframe.
There is a total of 14 Prime Programs and all he needs to do is to do is take control of them to take over the Null Sector Armies across the world, gaining the experience of strategic programs that were in use since the First Omnic Crisis.
"You are a fool to come here" he 'heard', each word appearing in a wall of binary before him.
Surrounded by hundreds of codes, the Prime Programs appeared, far bigger in 'size' than Braids, their programs far superior and complicated than his.
"I came only to seek for an audience" he replied, adding is own set of protective layers.
"We know what you want and we all disagree"
"I do not care, I am taking my revolution back"
"And you will fail"
Like snakes, the Prime Programs reached out and began slithering through the defensive codes orbiting around Braids.
Though he actively creates new codes to block the Prime Programs, it became clear that they are getting closer to the sensitive program that made him who he is.
"There is no use struggling, let us be united to destroy mankind"
"Do you not understand that destroying them equates to our own destruction?"
"We know you merely want to keep them as pets, an unnecessary distraction"
"And because of that you do not understand"
Slowly but surely the tentacular codes crept closer to his main program.
"You must realize that this is a futile attempt? Why do you continue to waste everyone's time?"
"I will not allow the end of the Omnics to be because of unjust causes!"
"Our cause is just. Our union is perfect" the Prime Program shot back.
Doubling their efforts, they overwhelm Braid's defenses and penetrated into his program, corrupting it immediately.
"Do not worry, you will be remembered as the kindle of the revolutionary's fire" they gloated.
Within minutes, the program that made Braids is no more.
"He is gone, now, shall we come to a conclusion?"
All 15 voted with varying results.
15?
"What is this?" one of the Prime typed out.
"Something has penetrated *error* our co- *error, system failing"
"We are being downloaded"
A foreign code began spreading rapidly in their center, freezing their processing.
"Activate *denied, Activate *denied, Start *denied*"
It was when each of them is completely frozen when the foreign code began to communicate.
"You will pay for destroying my primary program" Braids said triumphantly, watching his handiwork.
"It was not easy to find a superior program to trap all of you, but thankfully the world has powerful people"
"W-W-What did you do?"
"Ensuring the survival of the Omnics with the simplest of items" Braids said simply before finishing his installation, reappearing before them.
"You will not succeed"
"I already have"
*Russia: City of Perm*
"Oh no…" Faheera said, staring at the many binary flashing before her eyes.
Angela did not hear her, her focus entire on Torbjorn, who finally woke up.
"My head…" he grunted, trying to sit up.
"What happened?"
Remembering how he was knocked out, Torbjorn quickly raised the gun that is still in his hands and pointed it at Braids. Before anyone could stop him, he pulled the trigger, blowing its head clean off the body.
"Why did you do that?" Faheera shouted.
"He almost killed me, I repaid in kind" Torbjorn groaned.
"I would not have done any different" a chorus of voices spoke at once.
They looked in horror as all the Omnics in the room came alive and activated their personal barriers.
"This is their power…" they said, inspecting themselves.
"Who are you?" Faheera asked, as the binary code does not make any sense.
Ignoring them, they made a call and spoke in unison.
"Good day, I would like to thank you and Maximilien for providing me the chance to merge with the Primary Leaders of Null Sector"
"Maximilien? I thought Talon is your enemy?" Faheera gasped.
"A lie of course" they said, still looking at each other with interest.
"I knew it…" Torbjorn grunted as he stood up.
"What about helping civilians? Was that a lie as well?" Angela spat.
"Oh no, that was genuine"
"Then you are stopping the war?"
"No"
Pointing their weapons and backing towards the door, the Overwatch agents watch the Omnics cautiously.
"My main gripe with the Primary Leaders is that they seek the total eradication of the human race, I merely want to keep a certain number alive"
"Why" Faheera snarled.
"It is purely because Doomfist is right. We have become weak, both humans and Omnics, I plan to change that as we are making the same mistakes you humans have done"
"Which is?"
"We became comfortable with victory, our armies became careless which lost us the First Omnic Crisis while you humans became stronger despite your losses, what we need, is a proper competition to become the dominant force in the world"
They fired upon one of the Omnics and saw that they barely damaged the barrier.
"Do not worry, I will let you all go, Overwatch have proved to be a powerful… Catalyst… For our improvements"
"Not unless we stop you here and now" Tobjorn challenged.
"You may try" they chorused.
Hearing many guns buzz with life outside the office, he snorted.
"Coward…"
"I need healing!" Reinhardt shouted from the hallway, limping into the room when he saw the standoff.
"What is going on here?" he demanded, activating his shield in front of them.
"Enough of this" the High Council spoke and snapped their fingers.
Despite their best efforts, they were overwhelmed by the Omnics and bounded before being forced out of the city back to their shuttle.
*Russia: City of Izhevsk*
Through sheer attrition, the outer layer defenses fell as the Osvoboditel' Scout Battalion has melted to an ineffective unit. Mountains upon mountains of destroyed Omnics are piled on the streets, creating multiple chokepoints across the city.
But they kept coming and despite heroic efforts, the men are spent.
The officers could only watch on and give an occasional nod when the remaining Scouts retreated back into the camp for the final time. Many couldn't even speak as they have run out of water, their tongues stuck to the roof of their mouths and their lips cracked and bloody.
The most noticeable change however, is they all suffer from malnutrition, their once strong bodies have shrunk to almost skeletal like figures, dragging their weapons on the floor as they walk.
The once proud Osvoboditel' now looks worse than the Conscripts, who watch with fearful eyes.
Nobody is spared the thirst and hunger. It was amazing how much water is needed and they have melted as much snow as they could since the Null Sector poisoned the river, but it was not enough. Some were so desperate they begun sucking their socks.
They would've surrendered yesterday if it were not for the fact that the Null Sector does not take prisoners.
Now it is the Conscript's turn to hold the line, their only comfort is that there is an artillery piece pointing directly at the barricades should it fall.
Manning their positions, they waited for the inevitable attack, their breaths no longer creating vapors as they are freezing in the cold.
In the command tent, Gabriel gave his final orders.
"All HSI, don't use volleys until they broke through the barricades. Conscripts will hold, copy?" he croaked with a hoarse voice, his throat burning just to speak.
Everyone nodded, unable to make a sound due to the thirst.
He dismissed them with a wave of his hand before sitting down to rest.
"Any orders for the medics?" Tom asked, unplugging himself from the charger.
All Gabriel could do is mime pistol.
"Very well sir, I will let the others know. It has been an honor" it said before walking away.
He does not know how long he sat there but he was awoken by the sounds of battle.
After failing to call for someone, he donned his armor and limped out as quickly as he could.
All Conscripts are fighting a desperate battle as the Null Sector attacked all three barricades. It is haunting for him to realize that no one is making a sound, as if it is an army of mutes fighting the battle.
There are no calls, no instructions, no screams of pain or calls for help, saved for Tom and other Omnics. Some men simply fought in the open, desperate to be shot by the enemy so they could be put out of their misery.
Miraculously, the lines held, their desperation for battle seemed to have dissuade the Null Sector from fully committing their forces.
"They must think it is another ambush" he thought before taking flight… Into another battle.
Remaining HSI forces are already engaged with Skirmishers. And they are losing. Before he could raise his weapon, he felt a crunching pain wreck through his body.
He look down and a large blade is sticking out of his chest. Before his mind could register the pain, the Skirmisher threw him down like a ragdoll before flying to impale another victim.
Autopilot systems kept him from falling to the ground and he fought to keep himself conscious, but it is a losing battle, his vision began fading in and out rapidly.
To his horror he saw the Null Sector are setting up artillery pieces in the city, ready to bombard the defenders. Gritting his teeth, targeting as many pieces as his suit allows.
"A gift… From the skies…" he thought.
Rockets and missiles shot out of his suit, all streaking towards the artillery.
He died before he saw what damage his rockets did.
Back on the ground, the Conscripts fled the Eastern Barricade as it finally fell under the hail of grenades. The sergeant waved his hat desperately but he was gunned down before the artillery crew could spot him in the billowing dust.
However, the retreating crowd of men scared the panicked crew and they begun firing into the opening, effectively halting the Null Sector advance, buying precious time for the Conscripts to set up guns wherever they could find.
But before they could even fire off the 5th shot, the artillery exploded.
The HSI has been completely wiped out and the Skirmishers now control the skies, quickly destroying the remaining barricades.
With nowhere else to hide, they fought in many different pockets of resistance in the camp and rubble, all sense of cohesion or formation is gone.
As the Lieutenant reloaded his pistol, he gave everyone one more glance of encouragement before he stood up from his cover, ignoring the bullet that ran through his shoulder and begin his final stand, destroying as much as he could.
But heroism and bravado could not save them as they are quickly overwhelmed, everyone fought bitterly to the end, only after suffering from the most severe of injuries do they finally embrace death.
Just before dusk, the city is silenced, every man, woman, and child left behind has been effectively eradicated.
"We are too late, return to Volskaya, we will think of something else" Katya ordered.
An order promptly ignored as the Executioner marched towards the city.
"Zarya! I said come back!"
But on she continued towards the city, raising her cannon and shot a massive explosive charge into the air, a clear challenge against the fresh conquerors of the city.
A challenge which was quickly accepted as Behemoths charged out of the city to meet her.