Pharah

'With the main force preparing to make a move into Russia, there's only so many personnel available for a mission like this. We're a small unit, but our job isn't trivial either. This is a chance to make something of yourself within the ranks of Overwatch. Keep focussed. We'll be landing soon.'

"Yes, sir!"

Fareeha responded as expected of her, checking her gun over and sliding it into its holster with practised ease. It felt strange going into a mission like this without her suit. Granted, the tiny aircraft had it on board, just in case, but this infiltration job made its use just a little too risky right out of the gate. She then brought out her phone and checked over the specifics of her job, reminding herself that their current destination, Lijiang Tower, had become a bee's nest of omnics gone rogue due to the resurfacing God Program. Without massive destruction to the tower itself, which served as the central base to Lucheng Interstellar, the Chinese army couldn't risk any major moves. According to Jack, Overwatch offered its specialized aid discreetly, and thus, Fareeha was enlisted in her first real job.

'Sergeant?' Fareeha began, meeting her commanding officer's stern, powerful gaze. He had an impressive scar cut from the corner of his mouth to his left ear, and his eyes were like ice. He was meant to be intimidating, especially to "new" recruits like Fareeha and Bradley beside her.

'What is it, Private?'

Fareeha bit back at the unintentional insult. She had been a captain of her own squad in the Egyptian army. She wasn't as green as the rest of them, and yet, she was treated as such. Angela was so far away now. They hadn't talked in so long. She had expected such a thing to happen, but the reality of it was far more trying than anticipated. They were in different worlds despite being so close. Why did it hurt so?

'May I make a suggestion to our strategy?'

She heard Bradley sniff beside her, possibly becoming nervous at the gull of such a question.

'No. Our plan is sound. You've all been trained for something this small in scale. Our profession is dealing with omnics. There aren't a lot of them, but enough. We dismantle them quickly and efficiently before they decide to get agitated. End of story. Review the floor plans to the tower. Our path is secured. Jack gave his personal consent to the mission I outlined.'

'My Raptora Mark VI could provide us with a more efficient – '

'We're not using your toy, Private. It was deemed unrequired.'

Fareeha grit her teeth, her jaw sliding outward slightly, but she held any further comments within. Sergeant Gracion had his credentials, and Fareeha would respect them, but he barely ranked higher than her, technically. It was a hard pill to swallow, yet Fareeha withheld the urge to push her point, and simply remained quiet from then onward for the sake of her team's morale. She would prove herself soon enough. Her name, Pharah, would be placed among the other Overwatch heroes. It had always been her goal.

Maybe then…

'What were you going to say?' Bradley mumbled under his breath.

Fareeha didn't feel it necessary to answer, but she and Bradley had developed a relatively reasonable friendship since she started in Overwatch. He helped her get integrated into everyday life in Overwatch, and was always almost overly ready to help her when she needed anything at all. Perhaps he felt an immediate kinship because of their shared cultural backgrounds.

'…I was going to suggest I use my suit to create a distraction outside the building while the squad takes the back route described in our briefing.'

'Oh? That sort of puts you in danger though, doesn't it?'

'Maybe. I'm quite good at navigating the Raptora, however. I would be fine.'

'Always so brash. The sergeant would never be okay with it. I would definitely not be okay with it.'

'Hm. He won't listen either way.'

Bradley's shoulders slouched a little, but Fareeha hardly noticed.

'Prepare for landing, privates.' Sergeant Gracion grunted, and Fareeha felt the aircraft descending. They were a team of ten, half of them without an incredible amount of experience. It would be a valuable mission in a number of ways.

'Stay close to me if you need to.' Bradley offered, but Fareeha almost laughed.

'I should be saying that to you.'

Bradley couldn't answer with much because, honestly, he had been with Fareeha during her preliminary training in Overwatch. Every new recruit went through a number of mental and physical tests to determine where they ranked according to an Overwatch exclusive system. Said rank could be adjusted depending on mission accomplishments and the like, but the tests were used to create a base starting point rank to build upon. Fareeha had easily claimed the Platinum rank, while Bradley was still considered Gold. Fareeha's main source of weakness came in the form of psychological competence. She could command a small unit with no problem, but when it came to the finer arts of speech and communication as a whole, she sorely lacked in the area, and it's what kept her from starting as a Diamond Overwatch agent, which would have been a feat in and of itself.

"Subtle rhetoric" was what was told to her, but even then, she hardly knew what it meant. Perhaps if she mastered such a technique she would better understand Angela.

'You okay?'

'Hm?' Fareeha felt the aircraft make contact with the ground, and all seatbelts snapped off in near unison.

'You made a face.'

'I'm not making a face.'

'Well, not anymore, but you looked ridiculously sad for a moment. Maybe I didn't see it right.'

'Maybe you didn't.' Fareeha agreed.

'Move, people!' Sergeant Gracion pushed, and his unit was in China, the nightlife of the city hardly making it feel like there was no sun in the sky. It was raining, but it mattered not, for within minutes, Fareeha's team was already underground, their contact leading them into the space without a word. He simply presented the entrance, and walked away. Overwatch missions were something else entirely.

'This route should be clear already, but if you find any omnics or enemy units, don't hesitate to remove them. Lijiang Tower is an important piece of technological advancement that can benefit our cause. It can't be lost to omnics or Talon by any means. Understand?'

"Sir!"

Fareeha readied her gun, and moved through the tight space as quickly as the rest of them. Steel, metal, and loose wires pressed against her body, and the team didn't have a choice but to press forward in a single file, periodically shuffling through an even smaller opening to proceed adequately. Fareeha felt like a rat, and she couldn't say she revelled in the sensation. This was anything but glorious, but she didn't doubt Lijiang Tower's importance, and was somewhat proud she was contributing to Overwatch's success; if however minutely.

The group navigated their tiny corridors for what felt like at least half an hour, all silent and full of expectation. According to the information provided prior to starting the mission, Fareeha anticipated that they were nearly at the conjunction point that connected to the outer rim of the tower. Within minutes, they would be in enemy lines, and that's where the true challenge would begin. According to Overwatch's sources, the omnics were holding up the entire tower for unknown reasons. Overwatch suspected Talon's involvement, but it was too difficult to deduct with all certainty.

Sergeant Gracion's hand went up, and the group stopped in an instant, awaiting further orders. When no commands were issued, Fareeha herself almost said something before mechanized noises echoed through the small tunnel. They were muffled, of course, but the presence of omnics was obvious nonetheless. By the sounds of it, there were multiple units passing by the exit, which would make infiltration that much harder. The reports stated that only about a dozen or so omnics were holding the place up, but Fareeha was beginning to have her doubts based on the noises hitting against her eardrum now.

When the threat was perceived to be gone, Sergeant Gracion's hand went down, although it did so quite slowly, as though he were lost in thought.

'Sir?' Bradley asked, and the shuffling about showed everyone else's sudden apprehension. They had a medic, naturally, but they didn't have Mercy's skills, so the risk of injury should the intelligence regarding this mission be wrong was quite real.

'Overwatch's specialty is the subjugation of omnics influenced by the God Program. It's what created the organization to begin with. You're all trained for this. Remember their weak points and proceed as planned. We slowly and methodically take them out in small groups. We have the numbers; use them.'

'But what if our information is outdated? If we're outnumbered we'll be wiped out. If this stealth mission turns into a dog fight, we won't win.' Fareeha could only think of her suit. She could change the tides so easily if she was simply given the chance.

'It's a risk we'll have to take. If this mission is pushed back any further, we risk losing the base altogether. Move cautiously but with purpose. Follow my lead, privates.'

'I disagree.' Fareeha persisted. As a captain of her own unit at one time, she couldn't condone such recklessness. Perhaps she didn't comprehend the more "subtle rhetoric" of everyday conversation, but she could weigh a mission's probability of success, and she simply couldn't shake a feeling they were somehow outclassed. The sergeant's brief hesitation was all the more proof she needed. 'Dying here changes nothing. Reporting back to command and reassessing the situation could help us retake this tower without causalities.'

'Are your nerves getting the best of you, Private? Your mother feared nothing, and she was a legend because of it.'

'Sergeant!' Bradley cut in, and the group seemed to groan in unison.

'…So be it.' Fareeha relented in frustration. 'By your order, we will proceed.'

Silence, and the sergeant began opening up the secret passageway's exit. The group was presented to a well-lit room, which almost seemed like a meeting space. They huddled into a corner, and the sergeant peeked through the main door, entering a password that allowed access deeper into the tower. They were in the main sector now, and it was only a matter of time until the omnics would come into sight. According to intel, the rounds were made down to the minute, and by the way the sergeant continued to check his watch, everything seemed to be right on schedule.

'Perfect…' Sergeant Gracion mumbled, rounding another corner and hustling though the corridor with his team in tow. They made their way up a double set of stairs, getting closer to an overlook that would allow for a perfect vantage point. Two omnics were said to be posted at said location at all times, but they changed shifts every three hours. That third hour was approaching, and thus, four Overwatch agents took up positions on the platform that elevated overtop of the double staircase, while the other six prepared approximately twenty metres away from where the current guards resided. Due to the fact the omnics were likely connected in some fashion for communication, the chain of events starting within minutes determined the success of the mission. Once the four omnics projected to be taken out in this moment went down, the team had minutes to deal with the rest before they either self-destructed or called for re-enforcements.

The minutes dragged on, and all Fareeha could think about was how dangerous this mission was to begin with. Granted, other than using her own "reckless" methods, she wasn't sure how else to tackle such a closed attack. The fact they had even managed to get into the tower was a testament to Overwatch's resources, and to have the routine of the omnics down was even more impressive. How else were they supposed to reclaim the tower without any destruction caused? It all made some sense, but perhaps sending privates wasn't the best way to handle matters. Sergeant Gracion appeared to be in control, but something about him didn't sit right with Fareeha either.

She missed having Angela to confer with. They had gotten along so well. Or, perhaps more accurately, Fareeha had enjoyed Angela's company more than the other way around. As it was, the last time they truly talked…

Sergeant Gracion's hand went up, and Fareeha could hear the omnics coming up the stairs. She watched as the other six members made their move, and she gave Bradley a glance, seeing him nod in determination. He did the same to the other members of their squad, and within the next ten seconds, two sentry omnics began proceeding higher up the stairs. It started from there, and Fareeha had little to no time to think too deeply about anything else but what the mission had deemed the best path for success during such a fragile moment of opportunity.

She and her other three squad members dropped, and before the omnics could react appropriately, they were disabled, Fareeha and Bradley both injecting E.M.P. bullets into the sides of the sentry omnics. They went down with but a slight beeping whimper, and the other two agents haphazardly hid the bodies. Bradley gave Fareeha a small wink, but she still couldn't shake a feeling of unease. She dashed up the stairs, and went to the upper floor where the other two omnics were supposedly waiting for relief from their shift. They too were disabled, and Sergeant Gracion began poking around the computer monitors, observing the cameras and seeing the remaining omnics begin to realize that four of their brethren had been taken down. This turn of events was all still within the projected parameters, and Sergeant Gracion grinned.

'We've taken down almost half of their units without any losses on our side. Let them come. Even if they send their OR14s, they'd have to get to us first.'

It was true. And the reason the tower was being held relatively easily was because of those OR14s. Normal units didn't stand a chance, and anything big enough or powerful enough to contend with the OR14s risked compromising the delicate data stored in such an important facility.

'Permission to await enemy counterattack at contesting point A, Sir?' Fareeha proposed, preferring the vantage sector of he prior location.

'Granted. Take Private Bradley with you. We'll monitor the situation from – '

The whole squad went silent as something on the computer screens blurred into the ground. The sentry omnics were strangely fairly slow to react to their fellow omnics' sudden demise, but what was witnessed now explained their lack of urgency. As if released from a hidden cage, dozens upon dozens of slicer omnics flooded the main floor of the tower, hastily making their way to the upper levels where Fareeha and her squad resided.

'Shit…!' Gracion cursed.

'I knew it.' Fareeha shook her head. The feeling she couldn't dismiss; this was precisely her worst fear. Overwatch had accumulated as much information and precautions as possible, but there was always more risk involved than projected. The omnics weren't complete imbeciles; even with the God Program acting up. In fact, it was almost as if the God Program had evolved, which would make some kind of sense, but Fareeha was no expert in such things.

'Your orders, Sergeant?' One of the female agents asked, urgency in her voice.

'They're weak, but with so many…' Bradley mumbled.

'Two persons at the top of either set of stairs. Two more at both openings above. E.M.P. them all before they can make it to us. Fareeha; you have the best shot of any of the privates, you take out the ones that break through. Move!'

Fareeha would admit, the plan was the only one that made sense given the time allotted. Slicers moved fast, and the agents didn't have a moment to refuse. Everyone took up their points, and just as they did, the horrid clacking of the slicers began to ricochet off all the dark walls nearby. Fareeha swallowed, fearing that none of them would make it out of this alive. The thought of not having another chance to speak with Angela throttled her heart more than she could comprehend. A despair filled her lungs, and a desire to live made her reckless.

'Now!' Sergeant Gracion screamed, and the E.M.P. blasts filled the air with electricity, making it almost difficult to think. The slicers dropped one after another, but more than a few managed to break through, and Fareeha had to deal with them accordingly. The counterattack was working, but the remaining variables were not in the group's favour. Fareeha could already see the issues with this formation. The guns only had so many E.M.P. shots available. The slicers were simply making way for the OR14s to break through the squad and destroy them all. This was all delaying the inevitable. No matter how this scenario was created, Fareeha could only foresee one ending, and a single glance in the sergeant's direction amplified her fears tenfold.

He knew it as well. This was a stalling tactic and nothing more.

Fareeha would die here. She would never make her mark in Overwatch. She would never live up to her mother's legendary status. She would never look into Angela's beautiful eyes again or hear her teasing, attractive voice.

'Oh, God…' Fareeha gasped, gripping at her chest. The emotions were overwhelming her, and the potential realization of what they might mean gave her immediate pause.

'Private!' Sergeant Gracion called out, but Fareeha barely heard him.

She couldn't die here. She wouldn't die here. Not yet. It wasn't her time.

'Hold my position!' Fareeha yelled to her sergeant, and before he could respond, she burst from her point, dashing past Bradley and leaping down the stairs, bringing down any slicers that caught on to her presence.

'Fareeha! That's suicide!'

She didn't care. Holding formation was suicide just as well. If she could just get to her suit. If she could just…

A handful of slicers pursued, and Fareeha could only manage to take out a few while maintaining her momentum. Her legs were cut open, and she was reminded of the injuries Angela had mended. Her soft touch. Her breath on Fareeha's skin…

Fareeha's eyes filled with water, and she bit down on her lower lip, the adrenaline in her veins propelling her forward; through the pain, through enemy lines, through the claustrophobic secret passage that had started the mission. The clacking of the pursuing slicers didn't let up. They were small to begin with, so the advantage was suddenly theirs. Fareeha couldn't aim behind herself anymore, she just shot over and over again, managing to slow down her enemies. The beginning of the mission felt nostalgic. The sudden turn of events was horrifying. Fareeha felt a slicer grapple her ankle, and she fell just at the exit to the small passageway. She was swarmed by four more within seconds, and she forced herself to remain calm and aim. Just aim. Stay calm and aim.

Her mother was one of the best snipers in the world. She had given her only daughter a few pointers once. Fareeha would never forget them. Despite the frustration and bitterness, Fareeha cherished those words above all.

"Never lose yourself in the shot. Never hesitate. See everything for what it is, Fareeha."

Fareeha felt a slicer's blade rip open her right cheek, tracing the cut down to her collar, but she barely blinked beyond a wince. Her mother's words saved her, and she used the rest of her E.M.P. shots to clear herself, tasting blood and feeling the gashes all over her body. Fareeha finally made it to the Overwatch aircraft, and in minutes, she was unlocking her Raptora Mark VI, equipping it in a practised motion. The remaining slicers were finally recovering enough from the random E.M.P. blasts to continue pursuing, but Fareeha clicked her helmet in place and readied her hand canon.

She rarely felt so at home as the automated voice system greeted her.

"Identification confirmed. Welcome, Fareeha Amari."

She jumped out of the aircraft and boosted high into the sky, using a single, perfectly shot rocket to eradicate the remaining slicers. Without a moment to spare, she flew over to the Lijiang Tower, and her radio was immediately intercepted by law enforcing aircrafts.

"State your business, civilian." The voice demanded, obviously agitated.

'Overwatch.' Fareeha hissed, and she navigated her suit forward, rocketing into the tower and breaking through the upper windows to where the control station was. She found her squad, half of them dead now that an OR14 had made it past their barrier.

'Get back!' Fareeha commanded, and she lined up her shot, blasting the omnics into oblivion, but also being cautious of the various computers and data storage units present. The slicers were easy enough to deal with, but the OR14 shrugged off the tentative attack with relative ease. Fareeha's group made it behind her, but the OR14 had other ideas, and charged forward.

'Scatter!' Fareeha gasped in desperation. She met the OR14 head on, grappling it and allowing it to take her outside with the sheer force of its boost. It was a suicide attack. The omnic recognized Fareeha as a threat beyond its small army's capabilities, and sought her death immediately. For a moment, Fareeha thought perhaps the omnic would succeed, its grip on her like iron. It would fall to its doom with her in tow.

However, Fareeha had one other trick up her sleeve, and she detonated a concussive blast right into the OR14's face, giving it no choice but to release her, pushing Fareeha back so that she could dash across the sky and re-enter the top of the tower. Slicers remained, but Fareeha managed them all with no more than three blasts, explosions shaking the entire floor, but leaving little in their wake activated.

'Stay here.' Fareeha uttered, and she readied her arm canon, reloading it with the last of her reserves stored in her suit. 'I will protect the innocent and complete our mission.'

Sergeant Gracion had no words to offer in contrast to his private's wishes, for that day, once the omnics had been utterly routed by a singular Overwatch agent, and Lijiang Tower was reclaimed with no further incidents, Pharah was born, and her name was to be known far and wide within Overwatch as the woman who had turned impossible odds on their head because of her masterful command of the Raptora Mark VI.

Justice would reign from above.