Chapter 6: Part of the Family

2 months later...

The night was as cold as it could get, yet I didn't focus on it, but rather I focused on the warmth flowing through what remained of my body as I slashed through a Talon agent's rib cage. The blood splattered onto my cheek, but I paid no mind to it as I charged ahead, helping the others in the fight as I headed towards the sound of gunfire.

The scouting mission certainly wasn't going exactly to plan. Lena had to call for back up. Talon suspected us, caught us off guard for once rather than the other way around. I was with a small team with Jesse, Lena, and Genji. Sombra wanted us to extract as soon as we got any valuable information on the base nearby, but we didn't move quick enough.

We'd been using guerrilla tactics for a while now, simply striking bases and taking out crucial agents and escaping before Talon could catch us. We didn't stand a chance against their numbers. I hated it, but we needed to. I was never much of a runner. I'm quite certain the others gathered that, seeing as how they first met me surrounded by a hundred bodies.

I could only assume Talon was aware of my allegiance to Overwatch, however unwilling said allegiance was. They lost two valuable agents, and their enemies gained them in return. I was glad to know it irritated them. The more irritated they are, the more irrational they become. They'll slip up, but it takes time. We have to wait.

Ducking, I dodged a bullet before firing back with my pistol, killing the attacker in seconds. I never slowed down on my pursuit to the others, slashing a man at the knees who had his back turned to me as I slid. I found Lena with everyone else near the edge of the tree line with their backs up against the wall.

I didn't hesitate to jump into the battle. I grinned as I saw the others, covered in blood and scrapes from the shootout as they shot back against the ever approaching Talon forces. "Glad to see ya ain't plan on leavin' us behind." Jesse said as he peeked out, before barely ducking back into cover behind the tree to dodge a bullet. "Told ya he'd come through!" Lena chuckled despite the situation.

"Listen up, I've got a plan!" I yelled out over the gunfire, and Genji grunted. "I'd love to hear it." He said as he kicked a grenade back into enemy lines. The explosion killed at least four. "There's no way to take them head on, and we can't just rely on backup to get here! So we're going to use our environment against them! Use explosives to knock the trees over and on top of them!"

"Sounds nice an' all, but I doubt they're just gonna let us flank them like that!" Lena offered, and I nodded. "I'm well aware. I'll distract them, buy you some time, but you'll need to be quick! I won't be able to hold them off forever!" I replied, and Jesse shook his head, firing a few shots at them as they continued their assault. "I don't like it! You'll get torn to bits!" Jesse objected, but I laughed. "I'm the new guy, remember! I'm not as important as the famous Jesse McCree!" I teased. It might've been my augmentations playing tricks on me, but I swore I saw him smile.

"I'll be fine! Just hurry!" I finished, before rolling out of cover and into the open. Around six dozen of them remained, and the trail offered no cover. My mind flashed back to Monaco, and that familiar spark of rage soared through me and came to life once more. I unleashed something dark, vicious, and desperate for survival that night. Something I've still yet to understand.

My scream of rage echoed through the dense wilderness as birds flew away overhead. Bullets zipped past me as I rolled and side stepped, avoiding their shots by mere centimeters. I felt one strike my leg, and another my shoulder, but I pushed forward. I dashed through their lines, cutting off their ability to fire wildly in my direction since they'd end up hitting their own men. I slashed through a man's head, the upper part of his skull coming clean off as I kicked his still twitching body into the men behind him. I could hear Lena, Genji, and Jesse planting the bombs, but I focused on the fight in front of me. I ducked, using my new enhancements, which a reluctant Torbjorn helped install for me, as blades shot out of my arms at high speeds. They shot clean through some of them and ending up piercing the men behind them, and I grinned maliciously at them all. For a moment there was confusion, giving me a chance to butcher them. 'The Butcher of Monaco, huh? I can do better.' I thought to myself as I swung my blade horizontally, cutting a few unlucky agents' legs off at the knees. Leaving them to sprawl around in agony, I used one of their heads to leap over a man who charged me, landing behind him. He was split in half before he could turn. My gear was once again coated in blood, and I relished in the screams of terror they released as they watched me tear through them.

"Scott, pull back!" Jesse yelled. Doing as he advised, I jumped back from the Talon agents, watching them as they looked on in confusion. When they noticed what was happening when they heard the trees snap, some dropped their guns in an attempt to run, and some were too foolish to even notice, too wrapped up in trying to kill me.

I watched as the trees descended upon them, crushing them. The plan went off without a hitch as they seemed to run in circles like chickens with their heads cut off. That allowed Jesse, Genji, and Lena to clean up what remained of the Talon forces as I chuckled to myself. There was no way out for them, surrounded by fallen trees and trapped in with some of the best.

As I listened to the sounds of the remaining agents being torn apart and clawing over one another to escape, I could hear the sound of an aircraft lowering behind me. The hatch opened, revealing a familiar face as she laughed. "Ah, Scott! Fantastic work! I knew ya could do it!"

Sombra offered a large grin, and I frowned a bit. "Yeah, thanks for the help!" I replied, and she shrugged. "Sorry about that. I'll make it up to ya!" She replied, and I shook my head in disbelief. "You've got a lot to make up for then." I held my aching shoulder in pain as I walked towards the aircraft.

"WAIT FOR ME!" I heard Reinhardt yell as he charged off the aircraft before it had even landed, his crusader armor donned once more as he laughed full heartedly. I heard Jesse scream. "Hey! Reinhardt, stop! STOP!" He pleaded, and I stepped on board, turning back to them. "I HOPE YOU SAVED SOME FOR ME! HAHAHAHAHA!"

Sombra grinned, crossing her arms. "And he wonders why I don't send him on covert operations." I returned the smile, laughing as I watched them struggle to stop Reinhardt. In the corner of my eye I could see Sombra offering me a look I couldn't decipher. "What?" I asked, and she smiled, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Nothing." She dismissed it, walking back towards the pilot seat.


I listened to the sounds of the others enjoying themselves below me, celebrating something I paid no mind to. I couldn't remember, nor could I really be bothered to try. Sighing, I closed my eyes, trying to figure out the enigma that was Sombra. That grin she gave me earlier tonight had been troubling me. Hell, just about anything she did troubled me. Sombra was a fantastic leader, even better than the others claimed she was. I couldn't help but become angry with myself when I admitted I started to enjoy following her.

She was charismatic, funny, smart, and beautiful beyond compare. And everyone here at Overwatch seemed to like her, or at least trust her. Had she truly been a good person all this time? The woman had nearly everything going for her. And I was envious of it. She had everything figured out. Her dream drove her to do the most outrageous things, but she never failed, and she never betrayed that dream. That dream to make this world a better place, and to rule it. She spoke about it with such certainty. Sombra came from nothing. No claim to anything. Yet she thought of her achieving her dream as an inevitability rather than a possibility.

The clouds overhead seemed to be getting darker, and I anticipated rain the next morning. I hadn't changed out of my gear since the mission a few hours ago. I looked down at everyone below me, my feet dangling over the edge of the rooftop I sat on. I preferred to be away from everyone. I didn't exactly trust them, and I felt uncomfortable being surrounded by them. Which was odd. They never showed malicious intent, even though some could be rather rude. But others only smiled at me. Why? Why did they insist on becoming close with me?

Admittedly, I preferred to brood by myself over my past mistakes. I'd often times think of how different my life might've been if I didn't get so caught up in my work. Perhaps I'd have gotten married to Megan and had children. I could've had a life. But I took it for granted. I felt a tear threaten to reveal itself and roll down my cheek, but I wiped it away before it could. Looking down, I watched Sombra laugh at something Brigitte said, and I smiled despite telling myself not to. I shouldn't get so attached. These missions are dangerous, and every fight could be my last.


"Sombra, hey!" I turned, looking at Genji as he smiled at me. "I'm glad you came when you did. The mission got out of hand, I apologize." He said, and I waved a dismissive hand at him. "It's fine. Besides, you handled it well. Good work, Genji." I smirked at him. The others seemed happy to be around one another as we celebrated the successful mission. We gathered around a few campfires. It was Lena's idea. I rarely enjoyed the outside, often times preferring to stay inside and plan my next few attacks, but I was beginning to like it. Reinhardt was a little disappointed though. He claimed he could've took them all head on. That old bastard was as crazy as it gets, but he was my kind of crazy.

"I appreciate it, but it was thanks to Scott really. You should've seen him take their reinforcements single handedly! With no cover too! He really is something." I listened to him speak, along with the chatter of the others as I looked up at Scott. He sat alone on top of a roof nearby staring down at his hands, no doubt brooding over some mistake he made earlier.

"Yeah, he's a great fighter. Never seen anything like it." Lena offered, and I heard Reinhardt pout and cross his arms. "Besides you big guy!" She laughed, and I turned back to the others. "Speakin' of Scott, where the hell is he? Anyone seen him? Ain't much of a celebration if we ain't got him with us. He's the reason we're out here." Jesse spoke up, looking up from his bottle of whiskey. "I haven't seen him since he arrived. He refused to let me patch him up." Angela said. "Something must be on his mind." Brigitte said, and I nodded in agreement.


I looked up at the moon, the clouds beginning to cover it. I ran a hand over my shoulder, feeling the makeshift bandage I made out of my own shirt. It hurt, but I was too proud to admit I could use some help. Angela would hold it against me and offer that grin she always gave me. Something about me liked her, I just couldn't tell what.

"Hey Scott!" I heard Lena call my name, blinking over to me in a flash of blue as she grinned. Looking behind her, I spotted Genji, Jesse, and Reinhardt approaching me. "What're you doing up here? Gossiping with the birds?" Genji grinned, scars stretching with his lips as he did. "Thanks for all your help earlier tonight. You really saved us back there. Are you alright?" Lena asked, looking at my bandages. "I'm fine, no need to worry about me. Besides, you've nothing to thank me for. I was just doing my job. The same goes for us all." I turned back to the sky, sighing.

"Well I can't argue with you there. Come on down from there, let's head back. The celebration isn't as lively without its hero!" Genji exclaimed, and I raised an eyebrow. "What?" I asked, and he smirked. "The celebration you might've been hearing is in honor of you!"

Jesse winked at me, and I shook my head. "Wait, I never asked for anything like that!" I protested. Reinhardt grabbed my arm and slung me over his shoulder like some kind of oversized luggage, and I struggled against his tight grip. "What are you doing?! Put me down!" I yelled, slamming my elbow into the large man's nose. He didn't flinch as his own blood began to trickle down and onto his lips, but instead he offered a bright grin. "Let's go! I'm going to make a drinking partner out of you yet!" He bellowed, carrying me down with him.

We soon arrived there, Reinhardt still carrying me like a whining child as the others laughed at me. I growled, looking at all of them as they smiled. "There he is! As lively as ever!" I heard Angela point out, and I scowled. "Put me down now you thick headed piece of-"

He dropped me down, and I landed on my ass in an abrupt manner, cutting me off. I growled, shaking with anger. "Don't ever touch me again!" I demanded, but Reinhardt didn't seem to care. "Drink." He ordered, placing a large mug into my hands. I looked down at it, unfamiliar with what it was. The others all smiled at me. "Glad to have you here with us!" Lena grinned. "Yes, show us what you've got!" I heard Zarya, the Russian exclaim. "I guess the party can get started now." The Egyptian woman grinned at me. Fareeha, was it?

I took a sip of the drink, and almost immediately spit it out. "What the hell is that?!" I yelled, and they all laughed. "It's my special brew! If this won't knock you off your feet, nothing will!" Reinhardt grinned, and I returned the smile.

The others soon crowded around me, laughing and conversing with me. They all congratulated me, or even admitted to admiring me. I smiled at them, feeling Lena tug at my arm, grinning wildly up at me. Angela placed a hand on my shoulder. I smiled, and although I felt overwhelmed, I pulled Lena in and ruffled her hair, speaking with them all.

Looking at Sombra, I could see her standing behind the rest of them, eyeing me from a few feet away. I offered her a nod, smirking. Sombra laughed, raising a glass up in the air to toast, and I watched as she turned and walked away, leaving me to the others.


The familiar clash of metal on metal became a song to me, and one to be enjoyed at that. The clang and thunk of each impact was a note to be struck, and I was the composer. Grunting, I swung downwards once more, splitting the bot in half, leaving it to rearrange what remained of the gears and regenerate. I dodged the laser shot at me since I had already memorized the patterns of every layout and every difficulty on the settings. I hadn't stopped training the entire morning, trying to make up for the night I spent with everyone else. It was fun, but I wasn't here to have fun. I didn't hesitate to shoot the target in response and snap to my left, blasting another bot full of holes.

I groaned when I felt a sting in my hip, looking back at the bot I seemingly forgot about. The training exercise stopped, and I growled. "Damn. That's not good enough!" I scolded myself, though I directed my anger inwards rather than outwards. Dr. Ziegler had already scolded me for the broken glasses and cracks in walls. It reminded me of Talon, which only seemed to succeed in irritating me more.

Training was about the only thing I ever did. Ever since Sombra bested me in that fateful duel I couldn't help but feel inadequate. Some others tried to console me by claiming I was still weak, but I knew the truth. I just wasn't good enough. Somehow Sombra beat me at what I did best. Often times I'd find myself tearing the bots limb from limb as I remembered each blow she landed on me, and the humiliation I felt afterwards. Each strike was too quick, too fast, too strong to be parried or even blocked for that matter. Since when was I so terrible at killing? It's all I've ever done since I woke up, yet I was still beaten by Sombra. For some reason that irked me in ways I couldn't imagine.

I travelled with a few of the other agents around here during a few missions. I was unlucky enough to get stuck with Torbjorn, who never failed in coming up with a new insult or muttering something under his breath. My dreams, or at least the good ones, were about me ripping him up off the ground and strangling him with my bare hands. Though Sombra didn't want me murdering her agents.

Her agents.

I hated hearing that. She practically owned them; stringed them along like puppets. Yet they didn't seem to care at all. Or fight it. Hell, they practically welcomed it. It's as if they like being told what to do. And now, I was expected to fall in line.

Sombra wasn't evil. No, she was something else entirely. Ambitious, obviously, but I could sense she wasn't willing to compromise her agents' safety here, including mine. She treated us all with a level of respect, which surprised me. During my months with Talon she never showed even a hint of decency to her higher ups. She liked pissing them off. But now I understood why. She had a recalled Overwatch under her sleeve, waiting to be used. Sombra still isn't satisfied with being leader here. She wants more. I can only imagine what that will entice for us.

Wiping the sweat away from my brow, I looked up to see Genji opening the door, offering me a smile. "Well you're up early. Early bird gets the worm, huh?" He said, taking a seat on the table in front of me as he moved the weapons laid out on it. "So, what do ya think of Overwatch?" He asked, propping one leg up and resting his elbow on it, smiling down at me. "What do you mean?" I asked, and he shrugged. "I don't know. Do you...like it here?"

"I don't know yet. In most places like this everybody's the same. You can see the ranks are filled with criminals and people with shady pasts. But here, there's something different. You have friendships between one another. Even love." I muttered, looking up at him. Genji chuckled. "I can tell there's something between you and Angela. I'm glad someone is taking care of her."

Genji blushed, offering me a grin as he scratched the back of his neck. "Heh, yeah, it's mostly the other way around. But yeah, we care for one another. I'd do anything for her, and my friends, including you." I looked up at him, raising a curious eyebrow.

"But I'd have to say it's different here because of Sombra. We all believe in her. And we may have our differences from her, and be here for different reasons, but to be honest, we're probably all gathered here from her charisma. I mean, it's kill or be killed, and we risk our lives nearly everyday, but aside from that, we can live our lives like normal people here. We're all one big happy family I suppose."

"What kind of person is Sombra, truly? There is something there I've yet to grasp." I asked, and he shrugged. "I don't entirely know." He replied, and I frowned. "Huh?"

"Now don't get me wrong, I-I can't really describe it. I just know Sombra believes in something beyond missions, beyond victory. She cares for us, and she believes in us as well. It's probably why we're all so attracted to the idea of her as our leader. Sombra has her eyes set on something bigger than all of us." He answered, and I looked down, sighing. "A belief. In what, exactly?"

"In everything." He smiled. 'Well that's quite the answer.' I thought to myself. There was a silence between us as I looked at him, before the door opened once more, revealing Angela. "Hey, 'hero', Sombra wants you for something!" She said, and I turned back to Genji, offering him a grin. "See ya." I waved, placing a shirt on and covering my bandages.

"Scott!"

I turned. Genji rested his head on his hand, smiling. "I get a funny feeling you'll fit in with Overwatch just fine." I didn't answer, and instead offered him a curt nod before leaving.

When I arrived outside, I moved at a brisk pace, though soon becoming soaked. The heavy rain never seemed to let up as I continued walking. "Why the hell does she need to be outside?" I talked to myself, gritting my teeth in annoyance.

Sombra stood outside, dark purple hoodie covering most of her head as she turned and smiled at me. "Scott, come and join me for a run. This is the best way to wake up in the morning." She offered, and I shook my head. "No thanks. I'd rather get back inside as soon as possible."

I walked towards her, and a devious smirk spread across her lips. "Come on, join me." Her dark blue eyes met mine, and I instantly tried to draw back. She raised her foot high in the air, before slamming it down into a puddle, sending water splashing everywhere. I raised my arms to cover myself, but still ended up getting wet. "Gah! Stop it! We're not kids!" She splashed me again, and I scowled.

She laughed, almost in the same manner a young girl would, holding her stomach as she did so. "Oh no! Now I've done it!" She exclaimed, and I attempted to splash her in the same way she did, but she stepped to the side. "Missed me!" The hacker laughed, before becoming drenched as I bent down and flung water up at her. 'What the hell am I doing? I'm acting like a child.' I ignored my better judgement and continued. We both released laughs as I stomped down on the puddle beneath me, pushing her back as she tried to avoid the water. I spotted a cup left behind from last night, using it to scoop the water inside. I threw the water at her, covering her in it. Sombra found another cup, doing the same to me.

For once, I sort of felt human. The water ran down both my skin, and my artificial limbs all the same, uniting them in a way. I was having fun, and for once I wasn't concerned with Talon, or my job here. I never really had much time to do stuff like this, so I figured I shouldn't squander it.

"WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING?!" I heard Lena yell. We both turned, dropping the cups and pointing at the other, claiming the other one was at fault. Her frown turned into a smile as she raised a large bucket full of water up. "Without me?" Before I could react, she placed the bucket on my head, soaking me even more. Lifting the bucket up off my eyes, I laughed. "You're gonna get it!" I yelled, charging her with my cup in hand. Looking at Sombra, we exchanged glances. "Truce?" She asked. "Truce." I agreed, and we chased after her.


When we arrived back inside, thoroughly soaked and tired, panting, we all smiled at one another. Lena wore a towel around her shoulders, still trying to dry her dripping hair. Sombra wrapped herself in the largest towel she could find, and I was busy dumping the water out of my shoes. "That's one way to wake up." I muttered, and Sombra giggled. "Hell of an exercise too." Lena laughed, smiling at us both. "I'm gonna go get some more towels, I'll be right back. Thanks, you guys. It was fun."

"Don't thank me, this was all our great leader's plan!" I mocked, and she chuckled. "I hope we've got more plans like that. Talon doesn't stand a chance!"

I watched as Lena blinked off, leaving Sombra and I alone. I sighed, Monaco still on my mind. "Sombra, can I ask you something?" I asked, and she nodded. "Sure."

"Why did you really come back for me in Monaco? Not only then, but every time I'm in danger? You're always there to help, and I don't understand why. You're our leader, not our reinforcements. You shouldn't be risking your life for me." I said, and Sombra rolled her eyes.

"Come on Scottie, it's not that big of a deal. Will you always be left questioning me when I lay down my life for yours?" She asked, and I shook my head. "No, it's just-"

"I care about you, and you're a great asset to Overwatch. I'm not about to lose you over some insignificant task. You're more valuable than that." She explained, and I looked down at my feet, confused. "We've only just begun, Scott. Overwatch is recalled, and Talon is slowly losing ground. The real fun for us has yet to come. And I want you by my side when we win." She grinned at me.

Glancing up at her, I felt like I was I finally beginning to understand why everyone followed her. That sense of certainty behind her voice, and her willingness to help her own people and risk her life for them. I couldn't tell if this was the purpose I'd been searching for my whole life. I couldn't tell if I'd find my dream with her and Overwatch. 'For yours. She said for yours. For now, I pledge my life to her, and striving to help her reach her goal. I want to be beside her. I want to see how far she'll go.' I nodded to myself.

"Yeah, okay. Thanks, Sombra. I won't doubt you again." I responded, and she began to walk off. "Good. Tell Lena I'll dry off on my own. And thanks for the...interesting morning. It's good to see you let loose Scott. Even if for but a moment."

"Thanks. I'm glad we could talk." I said, and she laughed. "I am too."

She stopped in her tracks, looking back at me. "Oh, and try to be less... brooding. We're not contagious. We're just trying to make you feel welcome. And as good as you look brooding and thinking, you look better with a smile."

'Was that a compliment?' Before I could ask, she disappeared around a corner, leaving me drenched in water, but still smiling all the same.

"You too." I replied.