A/N
Hey everybody, welcome to the latest chapter of this odd story. Thank you so much for reading this story and especially thank you to those that reviewed and left me feedback. This chapter starts in the morning after Ghost and Tracer's date. I'll leave you to use your imagination on what happened after they left the bar.
Disclaimer: Overwatch belongs to Blizzard Entertainment and it's respective developers. All I own is the plot of this story and a few of the characters.
Now onto your story.
Watchpoint: Gibraltar, Rock of Gibraltar
Ghost let out a quiet, tired yawn as he walked down the stairs to the meeting room under the launch pad. Being woken up on first thing to be told they had a meeting to go to was not something he expected or particularly enjoyed, especially since he and Lena got back well past midnight and he didn't exactly get much sleep afterward.
"Late night?" Soldier asked him.
"Yeah." Ghost said. "Didn't exactly get a lot of sleep either." Ghost sighed as he cracked his neck and his thoughts fell back to when he was awoken not long ago. He had woken up to Lena shaking him awake, telling him that Winston had called everyone into a meeting. After escaping his attempts to stay in bed longer by pulling her back under the covers and making sure he wouldn't fall back asleep, Lena let him know she was going on ahead and would meet him there. Changing and strapping on his armor and tactical gear, Ghost started the walk to the meeting room, where he met up with 76 and Ana on his way out.
Entering the room, they looked at the floor below from the platform by the door where most of Overwatch seem to be crowded. Staying up on the platform above, Ghost turned around leaned on the railing and began researching things on his tac-pad while waiting for the rest of the Overwatch agents to show up.
"Any idea what this is about?" Ghost asked quietly so only Ana and 76 could hear him.
"No clue. The whole thing seems last minute, if you ask me." 76 said as he observed the agents. Ghost couldn't help but agree. That much was clear from how many agents were trickling in and how unprepared for this everyone looked. After a few more minutes of waiting and watching the remaining agents trickle in from the other doorway, someone finally decided to address the elephant in the room.
"Now I don't mean to be rude but can someone let me know what we're all doing here?" McCree said from his spot on the wall, blowing smoke upward from his freshly lit cigar.
"You know, smoking's bad for you health." Mercy said from her seat around the table, looking up from the papers in front of her.
"Well, I have faith that you can patch me back up, doc." McCree said with a smile while Mercy just scoffed at him and went back to reviewing her papers. Finally, the last of the agents walked in, two of them being Luna and Adam, who looked like they had just woken up. Seeing Ghost, Luna gave him a tired salute and continued walking without a word until she reached the foot of the stairs where she sat down on the stairs with a few other agents. Adam, on the other hand, stopped to talk to Ghost.
"Any idea what's going on?" He asked as he leaned on the railing next to Ghost.
"Nope." Adam just groaned as he dropped his head and ran his hand through his hair.
"Fair enough. To be honest, I didn't think I would see you three here." Adam said as he heard Athena tell Winston all agent were accounted for.
"Thank you for all showing up here on such short notice." Winston said, getting everyone's attention and rousing the handful that were trying to fall back asleep. "Now, I'm sure you are all wondering why I've called you here."
"Among other things, yes." Desmond said from his spot on the stairs, getting a few laughs and breaking any tension in the room.
"First off, let me congratulate everyone on a job well done on yesterday's mission. While we may not have been able to accomplish all of our objectives, we accomplished enough to consider this a victory." Almost everyone glanced at a member of Joker Squad, much to their displeasure, as they weren't only ones to not complete their mission. "Now allow me to explain why we're here. Last night, word got out about our involvement in shutting down the Talon operation in Ilios. While the UN as called for all of us to turn ourselves in or be faced with the full punishment for violating the Petras Acts, the survivor's at Ilios have taken upon themselves to vouch and stand by us." Winston explained.
"Winston, please don't tell me you called us down here at 6am on our day off to tell us about good publicity?" One of the agents asked.
"No, I assure you there is a point to this meeting." Winston said, adjusting his glasses. "The point of this meeting is to make you all aware of what we're up against and to figure out our next step." No one said anything this time and let him continue without interruption. "After Ilios, we've marked ourselves as a serious threat against Talon. We expect them to dedicate resources into find and eliminating us as well as them increasing their security on their other operations around the world. Along with this, the UN will do everything in it's power to have us brought in or brought down, which means Helix International Security will be hunting us as well. With all that said, we have to figure out what we're to do next." While no one spoke up, everyone was now wide awake and alert, the list of threats they were now faced with was a wake up call to everyone. It was silent for a few minutes until someone finally did decide to speak up.
"I think before we can think about our next move, we have to figure out what Talon is going to do to retaliate. There's no way they're going to take that attack on their operation in Ilios lying down." Someone suggested.
"You'll be surprised." A voice echoed into through the room. Everyone turned to look at one who spoke, Ghost, surprising more than a few people when they saw him, 76, and Ana standing there on the platform above. "Talon doesn't have many opinions in this situation. They made the mistake of underestimating Overwatch's capabilities again and now they're paying for it. They've been forced to abandon their operations in Ilios along with a good amount of supplies and agents as well as force other assets to go underground due the attention they've brou-"
"I'm sorry but who asked you?" Someone interrupted him. "This is an Overwatch meeting. Why are you here?" The man didn't even bother to cover up the annoyed tone in his voice. Ghost looked at the man who spoke up and noticed it was the one agent who was standing guard outside of Doctor Ziegler's office from when he and 76 went for their check ups, the one that tried to threaten them.
"Hey now, they have as much reason to be here as we do." Tracer said in defense of the three former agents. Ghost smiled under his mask and gave a appreciative nod at Tracer when she looked at him.
"No, they don't. They've made it clear they aren't part of Overwatch so they have no right being here." This time it was Garret who spoke up, not surprising anyone. He was glaring daggers at Ghost. Glancing around at the other agents, he could see similar looks from some while other had a distrustful or questioning looks about them, yet a few had other held looks that showed they didn't agree with those spoke out, which gave him some hope. Shifting his attention to 76 and Ana, Ghost was having a hard time reading 76's body language, the only thing that gave anything away was a raised eyebrow while catching a few choice words in Arabic muttered by Ana. Finally, after a few tense moments, 76 grunted and stood up straight.
"You're right. We're not Overwatch which means we don't have time to be wasting here. We have work to do to." 76 said coldly, his voice betraying no emotions, before turning and heading up the stairs back to the surface. Ana and Ghost shared a look before she sighed and walked away to follow Soldier: 76. Watching them go for a few more seconds, he let his head drop as he let out his own sigh.
"And here I was hoping for those days off." Ghost muttered to himself before turning to see all eyes on were on him, expecting him to say something sarcastic or snarky before he left but instead, he just walked out without saying a word, which Adam found to be more disturbing.
Watching them go, Tracer was about to go after them when Winston put a hand her shoulder and stopped her, shaking his head when she looked at him questioningly. Staying in her seat, she looked at the doorway the three had exited from with a worried glance as the meeting continued with a tense and uncomfortable feeling hanging in the air. Above ground, the three soldiers walked headed began discussing their next move as well.
"So that was a completely waste of time." Ghost said as he caught up with Ana and 76. "So do we actually have a plan or are we just making this up as we go?"
"Nothing concrete yet. I'm open to suggestions." 76 said.
"Well I'm thinking we should start looking for a new base." Ghost suggested.
"What's wrong with the farm?" Ana asked.
"Not for us, the Morrison farm is perfect. I'm talking about one for Overwatch." Ghost said. "Now don't get me wrong, this is a beautiful base and everything but honestly, I don't like being in a Overwatch Watchpoint that Talon knows about and has tried infiltrating once before." Despite being annoyed with Overwatch over the refusal to trust them, it wasn't entirely unprecedented as the three of them still refused to give away any kind of information on their identities and made it known that they were no longer part of the once beloved organization.
"I see your point." Ana conceded. "Any ideas where to start?"
"We'll start by compiling a list of Watchpoints and Ecopoints around that the world and checking off the ones that have either fallen into disrepair or are currently occupied by Helix." 76 stated. "From there, we'll investigate each of the bases still remaining and see what repairs need to be made." Both Ghost and Ana nodded in agreement.
"Hey, 76, I'm going to do my list on the move. I kinda wanna go somewhere." Ghost asked.
"Where are you heading?" 76 asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I'm wanna go visit dad. I visited mom a couple of months ago and it's been about a year since he died so I thought it was about time I visited him." Ghost said with a sad smile before it turned sinister. "There's also a Talon facility there I've been wanting to burn to the ground."
"Just stay safe when you head out." 76 said, not sure if the younger soldier meant what he said figuratively or literally.
"No promises." Ghost said as he mentally began planning his assault on the Talon facility and deciding how he wanted to destroy the base once he was there. "I'm going to go get into contact with Flyboy and see when the soonest he can be here to give me a lift. He still owes me a few favors."
"Not going to ask your girlfriend?" Ana half asked, half teased.
"Na, I rather not burden her with my personal issues and my little revenge plot. Plus, it's a bit early to be introducing her to my parents but maybe one day." Ghost joked looking back at the stairs they had come up from, half expecting his energetic girlfriend to shoot up those stairs and coming running up to them, feeling a pang of disappointed when she didn't show. "Beside, I want her to enjoy her time off." A smile once again came across his face
"So thoughtful." Ana said with a laugh, wanting to pinch his cheeks but settled with putting a hand on his shoulder. "And I'm sure Darren would have loved her." Ghost nodded in agreement. "Now, is there anything else we should do while we're away from Overwatch?" The two other soldiers thought about it for a moment before 76 answered.
"We definitely need to restock on our supplies back home." 76 said causing Ghost to stop and think.
"Do you think Overwatch would mind if we 'borrowed' some supplies from the armory." He asked, eyeing a hallway that would eventually lead to the armory while 76 and Ana just laughed in response. "In all seriousness, I'll look into some leads and find some gun runners that are willing to do business with us, one way or another."
"Careful, James, you're starting to sound a lot like Gabriel." Ana joked.
"Ooh, please don't joke about that." Ghost groaned. "Commander, if I ever show signs of becoming that edgy, please shoot me."
"Noted." 76 said with a laugh. It wasn't long afterward that they arrived back at the private quarters and by that point, they had a solid idea of what they were going to do while they were away from Overwatch. Ana was going to head back to Giza to tie up a few loose ends and check on Fareeha while 76 was going with her to provide back up and see if he could find anything in Hakim's old compound.
Contacting their pilot, Ghost was pleasantly surprised to find out that Flyboy was already heading in his direction could make a pick up tomorrow evening, giving Ghost some downtime before heading out. After packing what he needed, Ghost decided to start making a list of gun runners that would supply the three soldiers. Stripping off his gear, with the exception of his tac-pad, Ghost dropped into bed with a tablet and got to work.
Less than an hour later and being less than successful in coming up people who were willing to do business with them, a knock on his door caught his attention. Walking over and opening it, he was greeted with the sight of Tracer standing out there looking around the hallway. However, as soon as she saw him, her face lit up.
"James!" She happily said.
"Lena!" Ghost said with a laugh. "Would you like to come in?" Lena nodded and walked in. Closing the door and locking it behind them, Ghost turned to see Lena looking around the room as if to see if anything changed from when she was there an hour ago. Turning on her heel, she looked at Ghost with a smile before it quickly turned into a frown as she saw he was still wearing his mask.
"Let's getting rid of this, shall we?" She said as she closed the gap between them and went to remove his mask. Removing the mask and tossing it across the room and onto the bed, she looked up at James and smiled. "That's better." She said.
"You know I kinda needed that for work, right?" James said with a smile. Lena looked at him questioningly.
"Really?"
"Yeah...no, not really." James said looking down. "I was working on things but I wasn't getting much accomplished so I've been watch stupids videos on the internet for the past twenty minutes." He said earning him a giggle from Lena, which quickly brought a smile back onto his face.
"So what were you working on?"
"A couple of things. New supplier for 76, Shrike, and I and I just finished packing for my next mission."
"Mission? What mission? I thought Winston gave us all the next couple days off."
"Winston gave you and Overwatch the next couple of days off. As Garret so helpfully reminded everyone, I'm not part of Overwatch so I don't get the time off." James explained as he gestured to the packed bag at the foot of the bed. When she saw the bag, her eyes widened.
"But you're coming back, right?" She asked almost nervously. James just smiled and hugged her tightly.
"That's the plan, well, if I survive, that is." He said which earned him a hit to the chest.
"Don't joke about that." Lena said, not wanting to entertain the idea of him dying while James just chuckled at the hit.
"Of course I'm coming back because I have something to come back to." James said placing a quick kiss on her forehead. It was enough to reassure her.
"Just stay safe. For me." She said wrapping her arms around his neck.
"For you." He said before their lips met in a short and sweet kiss. The two stay there with their foreheads pressed against one another and a smile on their faces for a few moments in a comfortable silence until Lena broke it.
"So how long are you going to be gone?" She asked looking up at him.
"A few days at least, a week at most." He said after a few moments of thought to think about any stops the pilot would need to make along the way.
"That long?! But you just got back!"
"I know but it's not all business. I'm actually heading out for personal reasons." Lena gave him a confused look in response. "I'm visiting my dad in Alaska before tackling a Talon facility there."
"On your own?" Lena asked to which he just nodded. "That's sounds extremely dangerous, love."
"Probably but I should be able to handle it." James said with a smile. Lena thought for a moment
"Is there any way I can convince you to bring me along?"
"Not a chance. As much as I would love you to take you along, this mission, like you said, is going to be extremely dangerous and I want you to enjoy your time off. You deserve it." James explained. "Also I think it's a bit early in our relationship for me to be introducing you to my parents." He finished with a wink.
"Gonna be hard to enjoy myself if I'm spending most of my time worrying if my boyfriend's alive or not, don't you think?" Lena joked.
"I'll be sure to keep in touch so you know I'm still alive." James said with a laugh.
"You better." Lena said.
"So what are your plans for the next couple of days?"
"I'm not sure anymore. I was going to spend it with you." She said causing James to rub the back of neck. "Guess I'll have to come up with something else now."
"Yeah, I'm sorry. I probably should have talked to you first before planning a new mission." James said, averting his glaze. "On a side note, I do have the rest of the day and most of tomorrow off until I have to meet up with my pilot so if you want, I would love to spend that time with you." He said.
"Of course, love. Why do you think I came here in the first place?" She said, placing a quick kiss on his lips causing him to smile. "What do you want to do?"
"Well I wouldn't mind going back to bed, only if you would like to join me. Otherwise, we can head out and find something else to do."
"You really want us to go back to bed, don't you?" Lena giggled as she remembered his attempt to stop them from getting out of bed earlier.
"If I can combine two of the things that I love, sleep and you, I'm gonna to do it." James said with a smile causing Lena to blush.
"Fine, I suppose we can sleep for a little longer." Lena said taking his hand and leading him to his bed. As they reached the side of the bed, James gently turned her around and kissed her, wrapping his arms around her waist. Lena happily returned it as she wrapped her arms around his neck again. After a few moments, Lena shifted herself around him and pushed James back until the back of his knees hit the side of his bed. With a devilish smile and one small push, James fell back onto the bed and watched Lena crawled up to him until their lips reconnected once more.
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Detroit, Michigan, United States
It was early into the day as a group of Omnics gathered in one of the few intact building in the district. It wasn't a large group but it was enough a start. The monk at the standing in the front of the group was pleased at the turn out.
"Greetings, brothers and sisters." The monk said as the other Omnics took a seats around the room. "The Iris welcomes all of you." The monk raised his arms. From there, the monk began preaching to the group, telling them of the Iris and it's goal for peace, of how they should live in peace with the humans, and how to violence was never the proper course of action. Halfway through the sermon, however, another walked in Omnic, standing at 6'7, glowing red, and had red liquid flowing through tubes in it's body, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. They look upon the newcomer with some discomfort, clearly intimidated by his appearance, with the feeling increasing as he locked the door, behind him. "Greetings, friend. May I inquire on why you locked the door?"
"Don't worry, monk. You'll understand soon enough." The imposing Omnic said as he walked to the front of the room. "Now, I understand that your preaching to them about the Iris, is that correct?"
"I am."
"Well, allow me to give them another choice. One of action and results, one where we, Omnics, are in control and no longer fear the hatred from the lesser creatures that subjugate and look down upon us, forcing us to build their cities but still treat us as second class citizens. If you join me and my master in our crusade against the humans, I assure you, you will be greatly rewarded for your service." No one made any indication of wanting to join the cause, in fact, they showed the complete opposite of it. "No, no one? Guess we're doing this the fun way."
"Excuse me, but I must ask you to-?!" The monk was cut off as the larger Omnic grabbed the monk's neck.
"Did I mention that you had no choice in the matter?" He announced as he sent out a signal. Many of the Omnics in the rooms started shaking, several falling to their knees clutching their heads and screaming in pain. The ones not affected stood up and backed away, heading for the door. As they did, some of the Omnics that were affected stopped screaming and shaking and stood up. Once they were standing upright, they turned to the ones not affected. "Now, convert them." The Omnic monk watched in horror as the Omnics changed colours from their normal cool colours to the same ominous red as the larger one. Kicking the elbow of the larger Omnic and pulled his neck from the Omnic's grip. "Strange. How did you resist my master's control signal?"
"The Iris protects me and those who follow it. Who are you and why are you doing this?"
"Clearly not." The Omnic mumbled as he looked at the other Omnics in the room, all of them glowing red. "I'll have to look into this Iris more. As for your questions, my name is Mal and I am here to gather forces for my master but that's not important, not to you, that is." Mal said, confusing the monk and dropped his guard for a moment. In that moment, Mal lunges forward and grabs the monk by the head and lifts him up, holding him a few feet off the ground with one hand. "Because you, monk, will not be around long enough to tell anyone this information." Mal said, crushing the monk's head with no second thought. Throwing the monk's body aside with little thought, he turned to the Omnics now under his control. "We have much to work to do. Head into the town and scavenge what parts you can from the destroyed Omnic army and bring the pieces to the Omnium. Our master requires army and we will give him one, even if we have to build it from this scrap." Mal ordered before grabbing one of the Omnics as before it could leave. "Not you. You will go to the Omnic and be...'upgraded' immediately. I have a special assignment for you. I have heard rumors of the remnants of Null Sector in hiding and gathering support after their failure in London. Find them. Bring them into fold." The Omnic nodded and ran off, leaving Mal to stand there alone. Looking back at the dead monk, Mal just chuckled. "Humanity has had their chance. The time for talk is over. The lord's work will be done."
A/N
And that's a wrap. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, I sure as hell felt had fun writing it but then again I'm working off of little to no sleep from like two days ago so I'm pretty sure I've gone crazy, at least more than usual. And before anyone asks, the monk is not Zenyatta. Just another Shambali monk.
Now I know this isn't want I promised for chapter dedicated to Mal but this is more a small snip bit to show that I haven't forgotten about him and to give you an idea of what's going on with him. Plus, we haven't gotten that timeskip I mentioned so there's probably gonna be a few more sections like this until then to tide those of you that are curious about him over.
Now next chapter is going to jump ahead to after Ghost has left the watchpoint and is already well on his way to Alaska. In this, we're going to be seeing a different side of him, one that only really comes out when he's on his own but that's all I'm going to say. You'll just have to wait until next chapter.
But until then, what did you think of this chapter? Like it? Hate it? Somewhere in between? Leave me a comment/review and let me know or shoot me a PM if that's more your style. I'm curious.
Anyways, thanks again for everything and as always, have a great day.