Chapter 19: Betrayal
Genji's POV
Fleeing the sight of a battle was never my usual answer, but in this case I had no choice. I had witnessed many horrors and atrocities in my time, but what happened to Reinhardt and the others will stick with me for as long as I live. I needed to keep Angela and Lena safe. It was my duty, and I'd be damned if I let this be the end of us. They deserve better.
My mind was constantly flashing to Scott as we rushed through the wilderness in hopes of finding a way to escape. He hadn't been seen by any of the others since we split up, and we all heard his deafening cries before the ambush. But with how large this island was, finding him would be damn near impossible, not to mention the hundreds of Talon agents searching for us. It was hard to keep my mind off of my wounds, but I refused to let it stop me. I won't end up like the others. I'll save Angela and Lena. And I'll find Scott.
The constant sound of bullets being fired in the distance wasn't helping us fight the feeling of hopelessness, but it gave us a way out. We'd just have to keep moving in the opposite direction and hope for the best.
Angela was barely able to keep up with us as I dragged her forward, mostly due to her stubborn nature and unwillingness to run from the others. Scott must've been rubbing off on her, as Lena and I were just able to convince her that fighting was foolish. What would be the point of their sacrifices if we just died with them? It can't be that way. This isn't how it will end.
'Where is Sombra?' The question repeated over and over in my head as I kept moving. We came here to find her, yet no one reported ever finding her. Scott and Jesse were sent to the crash, yet they never responded to our calls. Something must've happened to them. My heart sank as I came to terms with the fact that they were most likely dead. 'We can mourn later. For now, we need to get out of here, find a way to contact Winston and the other recruits.'
But our communications were jammed, and the only way out of here were the aircrafts we took, which were no doubt swarming with Talon soldiers.
My head snapped behind me as I heard the sound of footsteps coming from behind us. Three lone Talon soldiers were sprinting after us, and I ducked as a bullet was fired. They must've been traveling in packs, hunting us down like wild animals. I growled, my hand snapping to my shurikens as I took cover behind a tree. Angela and Lena were right beside me as I flung three of them into the crowd, all of them hitting their marks. I smirked in satisfaction, before watching the last man in the group raise his rifle and aim it at Lena as she peeked out.
Dashing in front of her, I lacked the time to deflect it with my blade, feeling it rip through my arm and my suit all the same, small sparks flying from the metal. I screamed, before Lena grabbed my sword and yanked it sloppily from the sheath, blinking over to the man and stabbing him in the chest before he could react.
I held my arm in pain as Angela knelt down in front of me. "Are you alright?!" She demanded, a hint of fear making its way into her voice. "I'm okay, thanks." I smiled, looking at Lena as she handed me my now bloody sword back. I denied it, shaking my head. "You're not too shabby with it. Keep it, I already have my shurikens."
"Genji..." Angela trailed off as she looked at me, and I struggled to move my arm. The bullet must've tore through my bicep, because I was barely able to lift it up. "It looks worse than it is." I lied, ignoring the pain shooting through my body. But Angela knew me too well as she shook her head.
"Forget it, we need to go back! They'll find us no matter what we do! The least we can do is die together, fighting with our weapons in hand!" Angela yelled, and I growled. "What was the point of their sacrifices then? We need to escape!" Lena urged.
"Both of you shut up!" I snapped, looking at both of them. "We need to keep fighting to get out of here! Even if I have to resort to ripping their heads off with my bare hands, I will protect both of you to the end! You want to fight just for the sake of fighting?! Not for me, that's for fools! Even Scott wouldn't want that!" I shouted, and Lena nodded shakily, helping me stand up.
I could tell Angela was about to say something, but I hushed her as I listened to the rustling of leaves and the snap of twigs. A Talon agent must've found us.
Before I could react a grenade was tossed at our feet, and it had already been primed and would explode before we could escape the blast radius. I did the one thing I could think of and forced Lena and Angela down, shielding them with my body like Reinhardt would've done.
I felt a fire rushing up my body as large pieces of shrapnel tore into my legs and arms. The blast propelled us forward, Lena slipping out of my grasp as I felt my spine crash against a hard rock, but I still managed to keep Angela above me to break her fall. We hit the ground with a sickening crunch, and I felt most of my ribs shatter upon impact. Screaming in pain, I looked to my right as Lena struggled to stand up. Blood trickled down her head as she coughed weakly. Angela still rested on top of me, her body littered with scrapes and bruises.
Looking to my left, I could see the agent who threw the grenade looking down at us, preparing to fire upon us with his machine gun. My eyes widened in fear, and despite how broken my body had become, I rolled on top of Angela, looking at her as the soldier unloaded his weapon into my back.
I could feel the bullets all chipping away at my armor, pieces of it being torn off as I stared at Angela. She struggled against me, trying to push me off as I remained steady, groaning with each shot that burrowed its way into my flesh. "What're you doing?! Move!" She cried, pushing me, but I smiled. Two final bullets struck my chest, and I found myself unable to breathe as I looked at Angela. The woman I was fighting, no, dying for. This was how it was going to end for me, huh?
My vision was hazy as I felt Angela place her two hands on my bloody cheeks, tears flowing down her face. I cherished her touch for the last time, before grabbing my last shuriken and throwing it behind me. I could hear it strike the man, as I lacked the strength to even look back. I collapsed beside Angela as I listened to the soldier tumble down the hill, his bones unceremoniously cracking beneath him.
Pushing myself up, I rested on my hands and knees, watching as blood poured out of me and into a puddle beneath me. Lena and Angela rushed to my side, Angela resting both of her hands on my shoulders. "Did I get em?" I croaked, coughing as I did so. "Yeah. You got em real good." Lena smiled at me, tears forming in her eyes. I smiled, blood dripping from my mouth.
I couldn't move, no matter how hard I tried. Using what little strength I had left, I pushed Lena back gently. "Go. Take Angela with you. Protect her." A look of horror spread across Lena's face. "No! You're the one who said we'd fight to the very end! I expect you to keep your word! Lena, help me get him up!"
I didn't resist as Angela and Lena both grabbed my arms, slinging them over their shoulders as they dragged me. 'Angela...always the fighter...' I thought, still smirking.
"Unlike Scott, I'm kind of fragile..." I groaned, and Angela scowled. "Don't waste your breath on dumb jokes." I looked over at her as she kept her eyes locked ahead, refusing to accept that I was a lost cause. "That's always been my problem...I'm all talk..."
"If you've got the strength to make excuses then you're strong enough to walk." Angela said, a single tear dripping down her face. "We need you to keep moving." Lena urged me, but I paid them no mind, their voices fading into soft and incoherent mumbles. 'This is it. Isn't it?' I thought. My body was completely numb, and I felt like I was floating. All I could truly hear was my heart pounding in my body, struggling to keep me alive.
We came to a sudden halt, and we found ourselves surrounded by Talon forces with no way out. I wanted to scream run, but couldn't open my mouth. Lena looked at Angela in fear as she held me tightly. From what I could tell, Angela was probably refusing to leave my side, like always.
'There were so many things I wanted to say to you. The life I wanted to live with you. But I guess it wasn't in the cards. I'm sorry, I'm not able to give you anything more.'
"I love you Angela." I looked up at her, offering my signature smile as she sobbed, my grip on her loosening as I slipped through her fingers. My body went limp.
'That's it? Are those my last words?' I thought, before collapsing and allowing the coming darkness to engulf me.
Scott's POV
I released a deafening shout as I charged the group of frightened Talon agents in front of me, impaling one of them through a tree with my right arm, using my left to subdue the other with a slash to the chest, his blood splattering onto the floor. A bullet whizzed by me, and I ignored the searing pain rushing through me as a few bullets struck me in the legs, my strength allowing me to smack his weapon from his hands and decapitate him.
My exhaustion was catching up with me as I fell to my knees, breathing heavily. Spitting, a glob of blood dripped down from my mouth. My body was warm, soaked with both the blood of my enemies and my own, my entire uniform ripped to pieces. Ripping my destroyed vest off, I left myself exposed to anymore gunfire, my naked upper body rising up and down sporadically as I heaved.
Talon seemed to have an unending number of expendable troops, as I never got more than a few seconds to catch my breath. Their unrelenting attacks were beginning to beat me down, but I still had a bit of fight left in me. Enough to take Olivia and Moira down with me. If her dream calls for the deaths of everyone I've known, then her dream is evil, and must be destroyed. No matter what, ends will never justify the means.
I could still hear Jesse telling me to find the others, giving me the motivation to keep striving forward. I had been following the sounds of gunfire and shouting for what seemed like ages, my legs ready to give out on me. I hoped the others were doing better than I was. If I was lucky they escaped. It would let me die with a clear conscience.
'Yet you were the only one who made me forget my dream. For that, you must suffer.' Olivia's words echoed in my head as my hand drifted to my side where her knife had struck. Her eyes were the same as they were back in Monaco. She felt nothing for me, not a sliver of pity or remorse for her actions. The actions that got Jesse and so many others killed. Scowling, I looked up to find around a dozen agents point their weapons at me.
I found myself backed into a corner, with a steep hill to my back. They were gonna try and force me off.
I screamed once more and sprinted at them in a moments notice, ripping through the first two of them with ease before succumbing to the wounds I sustained, being shot multiple times in the back. Swinging wildly, I caught any of those unlucky enough to be in my way, slashing through their flesh. Yelling in agony as another wave of bullets hit me, I stumbled backwards. Looking over the edge of the hill, I decided I should take my chances with the fall rather than dying here. I still had to find Olivia. I needed to repay her for what she did to us.
Rolling backwards, I began to slide down the hill at an alarmingly fast rate, and I struggled to use my blades to slow my descent. From what I could make out some murky water below me could break my fall as I slid. My foot caught on a stone and it caused me to tumble down violently, yelling as I crashed into the shallow water beneath me.
Lifting my head out of the water, I gasped for air as I coughed, blood spurting from my mouth. Looking at my reflection, I noticed my face was covered in blood, and I was completely drenched in it, my hair dripping from all of it. Bullet wounds littered my naked chest. Puzzled, I looked down at the water beneath me, only to discover that it wasn't water at all.
"Is this... blood?" I stared in awe, noticing the corpses littered about. Decapitated heads stared up at me in horror as I turned to see nothing but a sea of blood and death. Their bodies were completely mangled, some of their corpses completely shredded from the gunfire, others had been burned to death. And some all that remained was a hand or leg. Screaming in terror, I stumbled back in pure fear.
"AHHHHHH! Is anyone still alive?!" I called out, wading through the blood that ran up to my knees, tripping over multiple bodies as I struggled to get out. 'What have they done to you all? Am I in hell?'
"GENJI! REINHARDT! ANGELA! LENA!" I shouted, but nobody responded, my cries echoing through the woods. I released an audible gulp, afraid that I might be the only one left alive.
"Ca...Captain..." I heard a voice call out, and I smiled weakly as I turned to the voice, gasping. Fareeha stood behind me, her right eye shut, bleeding profusely from the head as she limped forward. Her arm could barely even be considered a limb, her entire arm snapped in half. She clutched a small pistol in her other shaky hand. "Fareeha! You're alive! Thank God!" I rushed towards her, chuckling gleefully.
She fell to her knees with a splash, and I knelt in front of her. "Well I can't actually say I feel... like I'm alive." A small smile spread across her lips. "Where are the others? What happened to them? Is anyone still alive?" I demanded, and she coughed, leaning against me for support.
"I don't know. All I remember is the gunfire and running like hell. I don't know what happened to them." Fareeha answered, and I frowned. "Ca-Captain, what's happening?! What're we going to do?! It's like we're in some living nightmare!" Fareeha exclaimed, erupting into a fit of coughs.
A loud shot rang out, and what remained of her head splattered onto my face, blinding me and turning the world red. I stared at her body in horror, before noticing the man responsible as he cocked his gun to fire again. I snatched Fareeha's weapon from her limp hand and emptied the entire magazine into his chest, watching him drop to the ground dead. I continued pulling the trigger, listening to the click of it, signaling that it was empty.
I threw the gun away in a fit of anger, screaming. "DAMN IT!" I wiped my face, bits of brain and skull plummeting to the ground. Fareeha's crumpled and bloodied body lied with the others, and I struggled not to sob.
Looking up the hill to my right, I noticed the sunlight glinting off the familiar silhouette of a large man. I could make out white hairs, along with a scruffy beard. My eyes widened as I rushed up the hill, ignoring the pain I felt, resisting the urge to give up. Pushing onwards, a smile formed on my face as I met up with Reinhardt as he knelt downwards, his body just as bloody as mine. "Reinhardt! You're alive!" I exclaimed, before the smile I had disappeared altogether.
He offered no response, neither his face or body so much as even twitched. "Reinhardt.." I stepped towards him, only for him to collapse onto his face, revealing how mangled his back was. Practically nothing remained of his spine, as the once large man fell at my feet. My eyes widened before I looked away, feeling a tear threaten to be shed. I could remember all of the stories he'd tell at the campfires, the way he lit up any room he entered. My hands clenched into fists at my side.
I nearly stumbled back and threw up, but I found the strength to keep standing. I could hear the laughter of what seemed like hundreds of Talon agents as they encircled me. They had lured me into a trap with the corpses of my old friends. Their guns were all trained on me as I stood there in shock, wracked with guilt, unable to even get more than a moment to mourn. Their laughter grew even louder as they dragged bodies with them, flinging them to the ground as they surrounded me.
The world seemed to stand still for a few moments as I watched them throw the bodies of everyone I cared about in front of me. Every single one of the recruits lay in front of me, as if staring at me accusingly, blaming me for their deaths. Brigitte and Torbjörn's corpses fell right beside them, Torbjörn ripped in half. Jesse's body was tossed right in front of them, his hat fluttering to the ground. I felt the tears I held back begin to run down my face as what remained of Genji's shattered body was thrown at my feet, his katana placed back in its sheath. I could see all the time we spent together, all of the talks, all of it going to waste right before my eyes.
I shook with an uncontrollable rage as they all stared at me, cackling maniacally at me as I extended my blades outwards. "Y-You bastards..." I scowled at them all, my eye twitching. Every bit of sadness and remorse I felt was transformed, all of it coming together to ignite a fire that blazed within me. A lust for vengeance so strong that I could barely contain myself, an anger rushing through every part of my body like never before.
There was a time when I resisted this anger, this hatred, and only used it when necessary. I kept this fire well tempered, never letting it go out, or spread too far within me. But only now did I feel it consume me, replacing everything I've ever felt, and I soon realized all I could feel anymore was hatred.
I gathered my strength, and what little breath I had left, and released it as I screamed against the raging laughter around me. "DAMN YOOOOOUUU!"
I watched as the soldiers directly in front of me made way for two women as they emerged from behind the troops, dragging two bodies with them, both of them struggling against the bonds that held them. My eyes widened as Olivia, the woman responsible for all of this, stood no less than 20 meters away from me, wearing a new black cloak, a Talon insignia displayed brightly and proudly on her chest. But the anger that I thought I had for her dissipated as I looked at her, still mesmerized by the love I held for her. Despite what had happened to everyone, the urge to stand at her side was still as strong as before.
Moira placed a hand on Olivia's shoulder, running her fingers along the new fabric that covered her bandages. Her violet eyes held nothing inside them, as if she had been made completely hollow. But her infamous cocky smirk spread across her lips.
Our eyes met as she stared at me, and the eyes that had stunned me so many times before left me frozen in place, paralyzed in her gaze yet again. "Olivia..."
"You've nowhere left to run, Scott. You're finished." Moira said, and both Lena and Angela were placed right in front of Olivia, both of them too beaten and battered to resist any longer. I looked at both of them in horror, as Angela never took her eyes off of Genji's corpse. Lena was bleeding from a wound on her head, and Angela had been shot in the shoulder and leg.
I stepped forward, but Moira drew a gun from her hip, placing it to Angela's skull. "You've failed, Angela. This is where it ends for you." Angela didn't resist, instead staring up at me as a stray tear ran down her cheek. "Scott..."
"ANGELA! NO!"
Moira pulled the trigger as I reached out, Angela's brains spraying out beneath her as she fell to the ground dead, her lifeless blue eyes staring at me. Lena tried to reach out, but was too weak to do anything. The fire consumed me once more as I shut my eyes, wiping the tears that ran down my face. I screamed as I ran towards Moira, preparing to slam my blades straight into her throat, but before I could even take a third step she shot me in the chest, forcing me to my knees.
"An unceremonious demise, I must say, but still quite satisfying." Moira smiled at me as I coughed weakly, looking at Olivia in anger. "Look at what you've done! Everyone you've led, everything you've built for so long is being destroyed in front of you! Is this what you want?! Everything we've been working so hard to achieve is being destroyed because of you!" I spat, feeling nothing but hatred for her.
"It's been destroyed for a year now. You caused all of this, just as much as I. I'm simply willing to finish what you've started." Olivia scowled, and I growled in anger.
Olivia grabbed Lena by the throat, pulling her towards her, forcing her to stand. Lena's tears streamed down her face as I stared, my eyes widened as her hand ran along the metallic frame of Lena's chronal accelerator, the one thing that kept her locked here in this time and place. "P-please...don't..." Lena pleaded, but Olivia said nothing in response. Instead Olivia stared at me, a grin spreading across her lips.
"I've always wondered what would happen if I hacked into her accelerator. It's rather simple."
I watched in horror as a spark flew from her chronal accelerator, and the blue whir dulled, before shutting down entirely as Lena cried. "No-"
Her shouts and cries faded in and out of existence, the sound echoing through the silent woods before disappearing altogether, repeating the cycle over and over. Lena continuously transitioned from place to place, blinking in and out, appearing in different places at times as she screamed. "STOP! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" I demanded, before Olivia released her from her hold and placed her arm at her side.
Lena appeared directly in front of her, back to her original position as her chronal accelerator whirred back to life. She was a mess, tears and saliva mixing as she cried out in anguish, pure terror filling her eyes as I looked at her, feeling the anger burning once more, spreading through me. I watched as Olivia hacked into it once more, sending her through another nightmare as she faded out once more. Her grin widened as I met her eyes, horrified. She felt a satisfaction like no other as she wielded her power over her, tormenting her despite my protests. She was torturing Lena to get to me, to repay me for leaving a year ago.
I charged Olivia head on, screaming at the top of my lungs as I did so. "OLIVIAAAAAA!" My blades shot out as I lunged towards her, bringing them both down on top of her.
But before my titanium blades could cut through her flesh, I halted right where I stood, with no control over my own body. Her hand was outstretched as she smiled, hacking into my augmentations and forcing me to my knees. "It's a new virus, the one Doctor Ziegler had worked so hard to counteract. Yet she never finished a cure."
Gasping, I watched helplessly as I fell to my knees gritting my teeth as I snapped at Olivia, snarling at her like a wild dog. My arms were stuck in place, and I was forced to watch as Lena sat right in front of me, wailing before disappearing again. "Soon enough this virus shall spread to everyone who has augmentations, along with omnics, bending them to our will, rendering you helpless." Moira finished, smirking at me as I struggled against Olivia's hold.
But my limbs refused to work, my body shaking as I pushed as hard as I could, but I was completely frozen. But I could feel the flesh inside of me conjuring up the strength to move forward, pushing through her despite the virus. I could feel my muscles and tendons ripping as I struggled, my body slowly being destroyed as I continued to push. Eventually my arms moved forward, inch by inch as I growled, eyes locked onto Olivia as she stared at me in surprise.
My blade was mere centimeters from her eye as she withdrew her blade and slashed at my face, cutting straight through my cheek and up my eye. Blood began to flood into my left eye, and I soon realized I was blind in that eye. I yelled in pain, though unable to stumble back, feeling the blood drip out of what remained of my eye, the iris completely severed in two. I couldn't see anything but red out of my left eye as she smiled at me, before releasing me from her hold.
I was sent flying back, rolling in the blood and dirt beneath me. I held my eye in pain, the blood continuing to flow as I tried to hold it. The pain was unbearable as I yelled in agony, struggling to stand back up. The bullet holes in my legs and chest forced me back down, my eye burning like hell.
Despite my pain, despite my wounds, despite the virus running through my veins that could render me immobile whenever they wanted, I continued forward for no other reason than my hatred. For Angela. For Genji. For Lena. For Jesse, for Reinhardt, for everyone Olivia murdered in front of me. I could hear Lena still crying out for help, screaming before disappearing once more. But I couldn't help her. I couldn't save anybody. All of them had died because of my foolishness. I killed them all. It was me. Me.
I ran at Olivia once more, but she stopped me before I could even get close. I fell to my knees, before being forced downwards into the puddle of blood beneath me, struggling to breathe as it filled my lungs. My one eye locked onto Olivia as she continued to torture Lena in front of me. Lena. The only thing I truly had left anymore.
The last thing my left eye had seen was burned into my memory, Lena endlessly fading in and out of existence as she screamed. I could hear the Talon soldiers laughing once more, as I stared at the woman who started all of this. She had been the one to lead me through so much, to stand by me for so long, only to see her slaughter everyone I had grown to love.
I could hear Jesse offering me a chuckle. 'It's never too late to stop hurting an' killing people, and start helping people. It's never too late to come back.'
Genji laughed, and I could feel his hand resting on my shoulder. 'I hope you find it. That thing that makes you whole.'
Angela giggled, and I could hear her release a sigh. 'It's a deal then. We'll both change for the better.'
Reinhardt guffawed, clapping me on the back roughly with his massive hand. 'Let's go! I'm going to make a drinking partner out of you yet!'
Lena cried, reaching out to touch me, her hand passing straight through me. I cried as well, my tears mixing with the blood that covered my face and poured out of my eye socket, watching as she screamed once more. Her laughter mixed with her screams, echoing in my mind. 'You belong fighting by our side. Not alone. No matter what, we're right beside you.'
An overwhelming sensation filled my body as Olivia released her hold on Lena, and she collapsed to the ground, unconscious. My exhaustion was beginning to catch up to me as I bled out, staring at Olivia as she grinned at me.
Sadness, anger, despair, hatred, guilt, betrayal, pain, all of it combined into one emotion as I felt my strength slowly pool out beneath me.
Lena and I were all that remained. I could see us all gathered around a campfire as they dragged me down to drink with them. The first time I had ever felt true happiness. I had a family. But I never knew what I had until it was lost to me.
I stared up at Olivia, the one eye I had left beginning to fail me as I felt the urge to faint. Lena lay unconscious right beneath her, and Genji, Angela, Reinhardt, Jesse, Fareeha, and everyone else she once led were piled up at her feet. All for her dream. Nothing was left. Olivia smiled down at me.
And I screamed.
Don't worry. That's not the end.
This is only the beginning.
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