"It's time to wake up Burr." A splash of cold water hit Burr in the face as he woke to being strapped down to a chair. Gideon stood above him and held the bucket in his hand.
A metallic tendril rose from the ground and took it from him. "Like it? A personal device of mine that were originally suppose to help me grab objects out of my reach, but I liked using them the most when I beat my enemies into submission."
"Too...weak...to...fight on your own." Burr muttered. Gideon smiled before punching Burr in the face. His head snapped to the side as a small trail of blood.
"You know these were made from the leftover omniums from the Omnic Crisis. So you know these babies are really durable and move from a thought to a simple muscle twitch. Honestly they're quite hard to master."
"And?" Burr asked as he felt tired. He gained a buzzing in his head that will not go away.
Gideon snickered and pulled up an image from Japan. "Look at your boy. Your "little brother" is doing rather well. He manage to take down Genji, whom we brainwashed, and hold off both Aryt and Moonlark. Even after I made them go serious."
"Pretty good." Burr replied as he watched the tape. He watched the footage until he noticed an armored man dropping from the sky and pinning Noah on the ground. Gideon saw Burr's eyes widened before cutting the footage.
"My newest tool. Indominus. I fitted him with the newest armor I've personally crafted and with his skills I think he'll serve as my best pawn yet. And relax he hasn't killed Noah. Not yet anyways. With McCree and Hanzo there it would've been more bloody than need be."
"You were outgunned." Burr grumbled. Gideon shook his head and put his hand in pocket. "It doesn't matter who you send. Overwatch will win, I know it."
Gideon smirked before breaking the chair Burr sat on. He fell to the floor and was on all fours. He lifted his head up to look at Gideon. The CEO paced around the room as Burr was trying to regain footing.
"Clearly Indominus is the newest player in this crazy little game of ours Burr. I'd love to see how he'd kill Noah." Gideon gloated as Burr was still on his knees. Burr pulled himself onto a foot and tried lifting himself up.
Gideon gave a weak kick and sent Burr on his back. With a flick of the wrist, a metal tendril came from the ground and lifted Burr up. He gasped as he was pulled back into the dark. Gideon sneered at the shadows and reopened the hologram.
"Akande." He said. The screen showed Doomfist sitting on his chair. His gauntlet wasn't on him, but Gideon knew he retrieved it when he broke free.
-Gideon. I take it from the news I've heard in Japan that you finally introduced your final player.-
"Yes. Still I wonder why the almighty Doomfist is checking on me. Can't you send one of your lackey's to come inform me?"
-Last we did, you put them on critical notice with deep lacerations to their stomachs. I believe we need to be more direct. It's not everyday you meet a ruthless CEO with more bite than bark.-
"You flatter me. What's this about?"
-It's about your concern for Noah Bastian. The Overwatch agent we held captive for some time. I sense you have some mild concerns about him. I want to know why.-
"He's just like Lawerence. Resourceful, determined, and can pass some lines if necessary. But you don't believe that."
-He was weak when we captured him. It is hard to believe that a broken man can inspire so much warning from you of all people.-
"Unless you know him personally you will never understand why. He knows pain and knows how to use it." Gideon said. He's seen the leftover footage of Egypt and the fortress. "The bodies he's laid down should speak clearly of what he's capable of."
Akande didn't respond right away. He seemed to be...pondering.
-Perhaps. I shall leave you to your work for now, but we will assemble another meeting soon. We expect you'll be a gracious host when we finally meet face to face.-
"Of course." The air was tense as Gideon hid his true feelings behind a slimy business man. Akande knew that face very well. "I'll see you then."
0-0-0-0-0
McCree and the others flew over as Ana called in. "Hey Ana."
-Where are you?-
"Currently over an ocean. Probably near China. India in an hour." McCree replied. Everyone else sat in the back as Hanzo sat in a ready state. Zenyatta was in his meditative state as Noah sat next to Genji. He was happy McCree had an extra flask on him. The alcohol burning his throat was a nice way of trying to deal with some of the more recent injuries.
Hanzo's uppercut left a new cut that crossed his horizontal scar on his cheek. Now it left an X pattern on his cheek. He gingerly hovered his fingers above it before hearing footsteps. Noah expected Hanzo, only to see McCree walking towards him.
"Hey, you still talk to Sombra?"
"Why?" He looked away. Despite feeling better talking to Zenyatta Noah still felt a little hurt from their arguement. An apology was in order and he would do it first, but she needed to say it back.
"Ana recently received a new transmission. Give it a listen."
-Hello? Yeah Ana, I haven't established a strong connection between my translocator here and the one at Gibraltar. Could you send someone to pick us up? Yeah, there's an us. I got someone who's willing to help us out. Consider it one of Burr's luck outs. I'll send the coordinates and wait for you.-
"Oh. That's why I haven't seen her around these past few days." Noah said as he sat back down.
"Look partner I set the ship to pick them up. I just thought I'd let you know in case we stop and accidentally create some awkward tension." McCree drawled. He was tired of flying especially right after a mission.
Noah held up the flask and he accepted it. He waterfalled the rest of the alcohol out. They felt the ship slightly turn and enter Indian air-space. McCree took a seat next to Genji as Noah stood up.
The light buzz was enough to make it to loosen him up. A few minutes later the ship took a sharp turn and began to land. McCree got up and patted Noah on the shoulder. Hanzo didn't move as his eyes were watching Genji. Zenyatta opened the door and it showed Sombra next to Symmetra.
The two were covered up in civilian clothes as Symmetra hid her face. Her eyes fell upon Noah and it kept their neutral expression. Sombra hissed softly as Noah jumped down and landed before her.
"You've been busy." He said. Sombra didn't say a word and put a finger on his shirt.
"You look a little fucked up." He gave a small laugh and Sombra fought the urge to laugh with him. McCree walked to Symmetra and held his hand out.
"Greetings ma'am I'm McCree. It's nice to meet you."
"Thank you." Symmetra said. She looked back at Sombra as she and Noah were trying to find a conversation.
McCree didn't want this to drag on and pointed at the plane. Noah nodded and waved his hand to the inside. Sombra walked briskly in as Symmetra followed her. Noah sighed sadly as Sombra didn't say anything after that.
"Damn that's cold."
"Shove it McCree." Noah said as he boarded. Jesse shrugged and hopped back in. The plane trip was quiet as everyone was tired. Symmetra pulled her garb off and sat close to Sombra. Before they took off the ground rumbled.
McCree looked out and quickly hit the cloaking device. The ship's engines stopped humming as they all watched several trucks make a stop.
"What the hell?" Noah whispered. Symmetra moved to the cockpit and looked through the windows.
"Vishkar." Everyone else looked through as the trucks came to a stop. Several armored guards came out as the leader hopped out. "Athena, activate recon." The AI complied and now they were hearing everything.
"Fucking hell. How much longer till the drop is made."
"These crates are to be simply shipped at the drop off point. We still have two kilometers of land to trek up north. So stop complaining and get your bearings."
McCree pressed a button and a holomap appeared. "Athena, what's north of our position in two kilometers?"
-Several ruins of an old town abandoned after the Omnic Crisis. It is currently being held under renovation under Vishkar.-
Symmetra tapped her chin. "Wait." She pointed out the trucks. Several crates were shown with special labels on them.
"An arms deal is going on and a bit of distance between them and the drop off point." Sombra pointed out. Hanzo and Noah shared a glance at the hacker as she seemed to be between alarmed and excited.
McCree whistled softly. "Well we can't just expect to walk away. Especially since these guys are so keen on trying to take us down."
The group took a look before Jesse slowly raised the ship and hanged its destination. "We'll do some reconnaisse, but if they do something interesting then we'll make a move." The silently flew over the treeline before finding a desolate village.
"They did nothing." Symmetra commented as she saw the crumbling buildings. "We intended on making this a rehabilitation center for the old and retired. It was meant to begin last year."
"Yet no change." Sombra and Noah said together. They glanced at each other before Sombra looked away. Noah sighed before seeing Hanzo lift his bow.
"What're you doing?"
"I asked him to prepare a sonar arrow. It'll help gives a layout of the area along with revealing any surprises." McCree said. "Ready darlin?"
"Don't call me that." Hanzo said as he hefted the bow and took aim. The ship remained still as Hanzo took a deep breath and fired. The bow echoed throughout the town and hit the ground far away.
"Athena you got that?"
-Yes. Revealing all personnel.- The screen showed several guards in the air. -Estimated fifteen guards. Five of which appear to be wearing special armor.-
"Hm. That sounds suspicious." Sombra chimed in.
McCree looked at the map and pointed at the largest building. "Look at this. It has the biggest security around it and a satellite up top. I'll call myself a betting man if that happens to be the control tower."
"Maybe." Sombra said. "If me and Symmetra go down there, we can find out."
"Too risky for all of us to go down there with you, but it still is with the two of you. Take Noah. Hanzo and I will take a sniping position for any trouble you go through."
"Oh no, I'm sure Noah would prefer being with you then me." Sombra started.
"No, that sounds like a good idea McCree. I'll be glad to help them." Noah interrupted. He ignored Sombra's confused expression as the ship lowered itself down.
McCree opened the door as Symmetra placed a teleporter in the ship. "Once we're done I'll open another one for us to escape." He saluted her thinking as Noah and Sombra jumped off together.
The hit the ground softly and Symmetra landed next to them. "Now we'll need to do this quietly. So everyone keep quiet. I'll go ahead." Sombra turned invisible before Symmetra stopped her.
"Don't be foolish. It's getting close to dark. The guards will have begun to wear not goggles. You'll be found if you waltz in there without a plan."
"I have a plan and if it goes wrong. I'll improvise."
Noah gave a small look before pulling out his grappling gun. He aimed it at the second tallest tower and held a hand out. Symmetra and Sombra looked at each other before the hacker pulled out a translocator. She placed it on Noah and patted Symmetra to grab his hand.
The engineer did and kept her mouth shut as the two were pulled into the air. He held onto her tightly as they made it. They landed on the granite floor. The translocator was placed on the ground and Sombra appeared.
"Not a bad idea. We can get a better outlook without seeing everyone like ants." She found several scopes and a rifle on the post. The hatch opened and they found a guard climbing up. Sombra turned invisible as Noah quickly struck the guy in the stomach. He lurched forward before Sombra appeared and held the guy in a hold.
He grunted something and Symmetra turned her head in interest. "He doesn't speak english."
"What?" Sombra asked before tightening her grip. The guard grumbled for a few more seconds before passing out. Symmetra knelt down as Sombra put the guard down. She opened his mouth and grimaced.
"A mute. They cut his tongue off."
"That seems stupid. Why have a sniper that doesn't talk or radio in?" Noah asked. The latch opened again and it showed one of the armored figures.
"Hey!" He went to pulled his gun out, but Noah stopped his hand and tried stabbing him. The guard caught his hand and started pushing. Sombra kicked the back of their knee and made them kneel. Symmetra whipped out her pistol and knocked his head.
The helmet fell off, but before it hit the ground Sombra caught it and slammed it against his skull. The guard was dazed and almost made a move, but Symmetra and Noah punched him in the face. He fell to the floor unconscious as Sombra looked at the two.
"Nice teamwork." She smiled at Symmetra who barely lifted her lips to meet it. It almost fell when it turned to Noah. The hacker picked up the scope as Noah sighed. She looked all over the place and took notes on all the other guards.
She looked back at the unconscious guards and patted them down. "Ah here we are." A small chip was there and Sombra chuckled. "Alright encrypted communications chip. Noah, pull down your gauntlet."
He did on his left arm and Symmetra took note. "Those were communication gauntlets we developed three years ago. How'd you get them?"
"Talon had a backdoor to some of your goodies. I took some liberties fitting them up." Sombra said as she put the chip in. A holographic screen appeared and several points lit up. She chuckled and pressed a few key points.
"This will get you to hear their communications when we're in close by a mile or so. And-"
"I'll be able to an ear out for any intel they say near their microphones or private channels." She looked at him surprised. "You taught me some of this stuff when you asked me to fix your stuff. Actually if it's anything like your stuff then..."
He pressed a finger on one point and dragged it to a hotspot. The girls watched as small audio snippets came in. "Forgot. You're pretty good at this."
"I learned from the best." Noah said as he put the screen away. Symmetra saw the two's eyes glance at each other and a look of understanding was on them. "Well I mean granted I'd never thought I'd use this, but I mean-"
"Sebastian wouldn't have, but you can. Guess I just wanted that guy to stay safe and know what to do in case things go south."
"Sombra. I-"
"Later. We need to stop this weapons deal." Symmetra watched the hacker take up the scope again. "Shit, the trucks are here. The deal's going to start soon."
"And the control tower's too far away. We can only stop the deal from happening right now." Symmetra said before looking down. An idea struck her. "The guards are leaving their post. Wait, all we need to do is cause a distraction. You can sneak into the control tower and two of us distract the guards."
Sombra pondered on that. The sun was basically gone and the night sky appeared. The spotlights shined down and they can see a good majority of guards surround the deals. "Satya why don't you go to the control tower? We'll cover your movements."
"I can stay on the rifle." Noah offered as he picked up the sniper rifle. "You two can head down there."
"Oh no. You and me are gonna be loud for our distraction. I'll guide Symmetra there, but you need to be ready. I'll give you my signal."
"And that would be?" Symmetra asked. Sombra grinned and turned the spotlight off.
"Light's out. You got that Joel?"
-Jesse and yeah we heard your plan. You need some backup?-
Noah pressed his ear piece. "You and Hanzo are going to help me take down as many guards we can when the lights are off. Then we'll check out the cargo once they're done."
Symmetra was already moving down as the plan was agreed on. Sombra was ready to jump off when Noah turned off his communicator for a second and said, "Sombra please be careful."
She looked at him and gave a half hearted smirk. "Don't worry, I'll be fine."
"I don't want to lose you. At least not until we fix what we have on us." Sombra didn't say a word before laughing softly.
"I was never gonna leave asshole, I can't believe you thought that. If I wanted to, I would've left your cute ass back in Africa. I can't stop you from doing what you need to do, just know I'll back you up on all your choices. Even if I really shouldn't."
"Wait, what? You understand what I was gonna say?"
"Angel isn't the only one that know your signs. I...care for you and you're distracting me right now. I gotta escort a lovely woman to extort possibly damning information from her former employers."
"Oh sorry. I didn't mean to get in the way of your date. Hope you don't do that to me later?" Noah laughed. Sombra returned the laugh and jumped down. The tension between them lightened as one thing ran through Sombra's mind. Nothing can go back and with "them" back her window's gone.
She took a deep breath and had one last thought before charging her EMP. 'If he's willing to do all this then I'll be by his side. Even if it's not what I want or how I want us to be.'
Bright purple light shined as the EMP exploded and the lights shut down. Symmetra and Sombra ran quietly as gunshots and the whistling of arrows were heard with the confusing screams.
The two opened the door and one man was there. He pulled out his gun, but Sombra threw her baton and disarmed him. Symmetra ran forward and kicked him in the head to knock him down.
Sombra smirked before pulling out her gun. "Password?"
"..." The guard didn't say a word.
"Come on pal I don't want to dirty my hands getting in clean."
Symmetra turned to her. "Why don't you just hack it?"
"Be extra careful. Your boss is starting to catch on to my play. So I prefer a clean way with passwords. Now login." The guard didn't say a word before Sombra sighed and let a bullet fly next to his hand.
He yelped before Symmetra walked up to the computer. "Actually good point. It's a biometric lock. We need his eye." Sombra pulled the guard up and forced him to look at the camera. The computer approved and opened up.
"Good." Sombra said as she heard the gunshots begin to die down. The two examined the files with each one being downloaded onto Sombra's network. Symmetra kept herself quiet with the occasional glance at the unconscious guard. "Now we got dirt. I wonder how the boys are doing?"
The heard screeching tires and the two ran out of the tower to see a truck driving in a panic. They looked at the center of the town where several bodies laid still, weapons on the floor, and Hanzo with his boot on one of the guards.
"Noah, you there?"
-On my way down actually. You shoulda seen how McCree and Hanzo dived in and wrecked these guards.-
"Eh sure." Symmetra and Sombra walked into the center of town with several crates on the floor. Noah ran up to them and shouldered the rifle.
"Ah good you're all here. I thinks it's time to learn some new things. Now Hanzo," Jesse kneeled next to the guard and pulled his Peace Keeper out. "Why don't you ask the nice man what he's doing with all these toys."
The Shimada scoffed before putting more pressure. "Tell us. Now."
"Never!" He grunted. Noah tilted his head. McCree chuckled. "Ah it seems we gotta fighter. I'd actually comply though. This man's family recently got screwed over and it would be rude to put him in a worse mood."
"I don't care."
"I'll tear the answers from your tongue. Now answer us worm!" Sombra felt the routine almost familiar with Gabe and Widow. Weirdly Gabe was good cop in these scenarios.
"Alright, alright! They're sending it to Numbani but with you guys interfering then the others will most likely wait about week. That's all I know!"
"All of it?" Hanzo pressed. The grunt whimpered before thinking. "They were going to use them to fight an Omnic."
"What kind of an Omnic?" Noah asked politely as he took notes on how Hanzo and McCree handled their interrogation. The grunt turned to him and shrugged. "I don't know. I just know that they needed enough firepower to punch a hole through it. I don't know anything else, I swear!"
"Thank you." McCree said before Hanzo got off. The grunt slowly lifted himself up before McCree fired one heavy punch to knock him out. He went out like a light. "Looks like we got some extra intel."
The group slowly re entered the ship where Zenyatta stayed in to watch Genji. The flight was silent with the occasional radio chatter. Symmetra sat next to Sombra as the hacker was playing a few online games. Noah tried not to look at her, but found Symmetra looking at him. He gave a weak wave as she turned away.
Hours later they arrived back at their hangar. Ana stood at the entrance with Reinhardt at her side. The two carried small smiles as the ship landed and they opened to new faces. Ana's eye widened when she saw Genji.
Angela was called over and saw Genji on the stretcher. Zenyatta and Noah stood by his side as the doctor ran over.
"What happened?"
"We accomplished finding a part of our missing team members. One hopes it'll be this easy." Zenyatta replied.
Angela nodded before looking at Noah. She opened her mouth to say something, but he gestured at Genji. He gestured that she should work on him before they talked. Understanding, the doctor nodded and pushed the stretcher away.
"Good we have Genji and from the looks of it two new recruits." Ana said. Hanzo and Symmetra took a solid stance as the aged sniper sized them up. "And you two will fit in just perfectly. Come with me and I'll give the rundown. McCree I want a full report on my desk by morning and expect an explanation on why you were late by six hours."
Hanzo followed but Symmetra hesitated. Sombra patted her on the shoulder and urged her to move. The engineer took a step before slowly following. She gave Sombra a look before disappearing with the rest.
McCree sighed. "Whew tough mission. I'll give our report before getting a drink. Noah you want to come?"
"Thanks but I'm gonna turn for the night. I really need to think things over and get some sleep." Sombra disappeared from the conversation and Zenyatta hummed to himself.
"I will go visit the medical wing for my student. I wish you all goodnight."
Noah walked back to the room, but not before stopping at the bar. Alcohol wasn't a crutch before, but these days a buzz was better than a gunshot or an explosion. He filled McCree's flask with beer and drank. He found his room and opened it. The place accepted him and he walked in with a tired sigh.
"Just show yourself Olivia." Noah said in his empty room. There was a brief sparkle of purple light to reveal Sombra sitting in his chair. She gave a simple smile before jumping up and stretching.
"I forgot how comfy your chair was." She said before looking serious. "Guess we should have a proper talk."
"Yeah having one of those in the middle of a hostile area is a bit much even for us." The two held a tight laugh before her smile drops completely. "Why were you against me doing this?"
"I'm not….I actually I can…" She struggled to find the words as her fingers twiddled. Noah felt a breakthrough coming and stepped forward. The hacker noticed and took a step back. "It's all my fault."
"What're you talking about?"
"This!" Sombra gestured to the entire room. "Everything from two years ago, every bad thing that's happened to you has one common factor: me."
"I don't understand. How? I thought Talon was the reason I-" He stopped when she rubbed her arm with guilt.
He stopped and watched her take a shaky breath. "Who was the one who alarmed Deadlock of your presence when you broke free? Who separated you from Overwatch and led you to Egypt where you got fucked up by Reaper? Who helped the U.N. attack and made Justice leave her position and got you captured? Who stood by and let Widowmaker and the heads test their fucking drugs on you and made your greatest struggle eating a few pieces of cubed chicken?! Noah, I did that!"
Olivia took another shaky breath. "All of this is my fault and I just stood there for the most part. So when I saved you, I wanted to fix what I've done and give you something you've always wanted. A normal life. One where this shit didn't happen to you! Can you imagine what was going through my mind when you went to the ball, how scared I was when I saw the bounty? It was like everything I worked for was nothing. And I hated that."
Noah didn't say a word as Olivia took another step back and hit the desk. "It's not because you were helpless or Sebastian or anything. I couldn't stand that what I tried to fix was just coming back. And it doesn't help that I love you!"
They stood still in the tense silence as Olivia felt itchy and felt tears running down her cheeks. Noah walked toward her and wiped them away. "So what's going to happen now? I don't blame you for leaving."
"Asshole." She punched him lightly in the chest. "I'm not leaving. You think two years of staying with your dumbass is gonna go out the window. And you just heard the last part."
"Olivia, I-"
"Don't lie to okay? I know you don't feel the same way. Justice and Angel got that spot." He nodded with guilt as Sombra gave a sad grin. "Yeah, I should've known. Maybe that brain forgot but that heart never did. You were making googly eyes when we saved them."
Noah shrugged. "Maybe it's unfinished business or-"
"I know you Noah. It's not unfinished business and I'm fine with that. I should've known it was a long shot."
"So what does that make us?"
She gave a soft smile before putting a hand on his cheek. "The closest of friends and nothing else." She was about to withdraw her hand before an idea hit her. "Actually there's one last bit of business before we put this behind us for good."
"Name it."
"I saved your ass a good few times during our escape and I've been working hard." Her teasing nature was slowly ebbing back as Noah caught the idea. He rolled his eyes playfully and put his hands in his pocket. "I think it'd be nice for the nice damsel to bestow a kiss on his gallant hero."
"I thought you weren't a hero." He teased as Olivia was relishing the last moment they'll have between them. "But I'm not complaining."
She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down. He held her waist and did the same. Their lips pressed together as Olivia had a sudden intake of breath. Her hand grabbed a fistful of his hair as he pressed softly against the wall.
Noah was no slouch and Olivia felt the heat rise in her before the two parted. She saw him move back with a shy expression. Her fingers gingerly touched her lips where the electricity was high.
"That was a very nice reward."
"Anything for my hero." Noah responded. Olivia blushed before remembering what that was for. Now it was behind them. For good.
"Well why don't we move onto something more light." She remembered something and pulled up a screen. Olivia made a small face. "Oh scandalous. Before I walked in here I decided to do some good ol' snooping on the wide spectrum. And these one's...they don't hold back on how down and dirty they want to be with their beloved."
"And what's that? You got some poor sap's text message? How sad do they sound?"
Olivia chuckled with a hint of a mischievous flare. "Don't worry it's just some poor woman reluctantly venting on how bad she wants this man. They were talking with a friend about it and the friend made them spell out every detail on how to win them over. It would make the most hardcore blush."
"That sounds hilarious. Can I read?"
She shook her head. "Oh no. This for adults and I feel your innocent mind can't deal with it. But hey if you get lucky with one of those two then maybe I'll let you read it. And good luck with that."
Noah flipped her off and Sombra gave a chortle as she left the room. He shook his head before falling onto his bed. The soft mattress was the best thing he's felt since his mission started. And he fell asleep in just a second.
Sombra reappeared in her room with the message still on display. She put the screen down and laid on her bed. Staring at the ceiling, Sombra touched her lips one more time before closing her eyes.
"I had my chance, but I hope you don't miss out on yours Justice. Or maybe should that go to Angel?" And with that sleep overcame her.
The Next Day
Fareeha took in deep breaths as she punched the bags harder than before. 'I'm going to be better. I will be better! Nothing will stop me!' One last blow and the bag almost gave away to the heavy blows.
She was asleep when the team returned, but that was the least of her concerns. Angela stated that the pill would stop the nanites from taking over, but only temporarily. She's working on a new batch to stop them for sure.
As such the day before was spent drawing blood and testing it. Fareeha was allowed to train and given everyone else's state of recovery the gym was left mostly open. Lucio would drop by only to see if anyone else was there. When Fareeha showed she was, he simply saluted and left.
Still the isolation wasn't going to last forever. With the others returning along with new recruits it would men that the base was going to be more active. And that meant more people to help in the fight.
Fareeaha smiled at that before dropping her gloves off in her cubie. The sweat poured down her face as she wiped them dry with the towel. She opened the door to exit the gym when she bumped into someone.
"Oh Fareeha." Someone yawned. She took a better look and saw Noah. "Did you know it was late afternoon when I woke up?"
"Hello to you too." She responded. The soldier looked at him in his simple attire of sweatpants and a t-shirt. It had he Overwatch logo, but she realized it was part of the fan merchandising branch. "When did you get back?"
"Um...late." He replied. "I'm taking the day off to which your mother agreed to. Apparently fighting the Shimada brothers qualifies me for a break."
Fareeha was surprised at that and saw the faded cut on his cheek. She wanted to reach out for it, but Noah got an idea. "Hey I was on my way for some food. Care to join me?"
"Sure." She wasn't an idiot. Widowmaker confirmed along with everyone else that Noah was the one who defeated her when she was crazy. "How are you tired?"
"Tired mostly, somewhat sore. But alive is the more positive answer." He stated. She watched his shoulders roll up and down. Actually the shirt seemed tighter than normal. The soldier couldn't stop her gaze as Noah reached a fridge. He pulled out bread, meat, cheese, and fruit.
They shared a comfortable silence as far as Noah was concerned. Fareeha seemed a bit fidgety as she watched him make a couple of sandwiches. It was odd to see him act so normal despite their last confrontation.
"Turkey or ham?"
"Turkey?"
"Vegetables?"
"Of course."
"Sauce?"
"Um, mayo I guess."
"How would you like your spread?" His lips lifted up slightly and Fareeha couldn't help but stare. Honestly she's been thinking about how they could even speak to each other. Yet here they were talking like it was some mundane weekday and they were having a simple lunch.
And it didn't help that Hana's prying during their little conversation stirred some...repressed feelings. Now she couldn't look at his arms without noticing how his biceps were even on hers. Lean and not bulging yet carried enormous strength behind them. Oh the battlefield has molded him and despite his two year break it seemed everything was still in place.
"Even." She replied quickly as Noah seemed to catch on her stare.
"Uh huh. You know I'm glad you're doing better since the last time I saw you. Luckily Angela is one hell of doctor."
"That she is. I trust that in her hands my life is almost guaranteed safe." She said as Noah passed her a sandwich.
The two found one of the more private spots in one of the lounge rooms. Fareeha remembered Burr making renovations when Hana became too comfortable with the main lounge. It led to a second one.
Noah and Fareeha ate silently. Time passed by them slowly as the soldier stole a few glances. They locked eyes for a few seconds but went back to their food. "So how was Japan?"
"Beautiful from what I recall. Though it had its flaws." He shifted his shoulder uncomfortably.
"Like?"
"Very persistent criminals." He answered. She gave a small noise of agreement when they finished their food. By now Fareeha has cooled down. "What about you?"
Noah smacked himself in head mentally when he asked that as Fareeha shifted her legs uncomfortably. "I'm sorry you don't need to answer."
"It's fine. I woke up and everyone told me what happened. I got some dirty looks from Junkrat, but the others understood. If not then they hid their disgust well enough."
"I'm sorry that it happened that way."
"It's fine really. Hana cheered me up and got my mind of that topic. You don't need to worry about." She rolled her shoulders and grimaced at a small bit of pain. Noah noticed and tilted his head.
"Fine, but how does your back feel?"
"It's nothing. The medical beds feel hard when you sleep on them too much." He shook his head and tossed their trash away. Fareeha took a sip of water when she felt two hands on her back. "What're you doing?"
"You seem tense. And I just happen to have no plans so I guess I can help you. Besides Sombra always told me back massages are a big help. Granted you don't have cybernetic enhancements." Fareeha understood what he meant and got on the carpet floor. Noah sat on top of her and pressed his hands against her back.
He applied a little pressure and felt the knots on her back. Fareeha blushed as she felt his hands rub against her muscles. "Wow you really need this."
"Yeah. I do." She whispered silently. Noah didn't hear it and kept a pattern up. Fareeha tightened her fists as she felt her body give way and relax. Something in her was growing when Noah continued.
Her back popped when Noah pressed down hard on some spots. She felt herself almost melting at how the massage was going. But that almost meant some of her inhibitions came loose.
"Noah, harder." She moaned out loud. He stopped and blushed as hard as her when she realized what came out. Fareeha covered her mouth as Noah was now unsure.
"Are you-Did you ask for something?"
"I-I, uh, asked if you could try putting a little more effort. I still feel tense." That was all she could salvage to an explanation. The soldier sounded like one of those anime girls she finds Junkrat watching with Lucio and D-Va.
"Um okay." He put his hands on her and pressed against her shoulder blades. She gasped softly as Noah tried not to feel too much. The sports bra and tank top stopped him feeling too much skin, but they were thin layers and it's really something that Fareeha's letting this happen and letting out a moan like that caused him to-
He was having a difficult time focusing on helping Fareeha. And Sombra wasn't wrong about him making "googly eyes" at the soldier when they reunited. Noah took a deep breath before causing a string of pops to happen. He turned around and saw her toes curling. Now his mind was going wild.
"Th-Thank you for that." Fareeha said as she lifted her head up. It was hot, she felt hot, and it could possibly be from...it was getting stuffy despite the lounge's cool temperature.
"You're welcome." Noah said as he got off her."I just wanted to help you relax after all this shit."
"It's very appreciated." Fareeha said getting up and twisting her back. No pops. "So what're you doing after this?"
"After this? I actually have a bunch movies I brought with me and didn't finish. A few of these were directed by Hal-Fred Glitchbot and I want to watch him so badly."
"His movies are great B-material, but in person he's kind of…"
"Assholey?"
"Small name, big ego." She replied.
Noah took note of that and noticed that Fareeha was staring at him. "Well I actually don't have any plans for the rest of the day and you don't-"
"How did you know?" She asked with a coy smile.
"Fine, do you have plans today and if not then would like to watch them? With me? I mean I can loan you these." Fareeha let out a rare giggle at how nervous Noah became before nodding.
"Oh well then great." He didn't notice Fareeha taking a step closer to him. He only noticed when he could smell the turkey sandwich he made. Their dark eyes held contact as Fareeha seemed to gather some confidence and lean in.
Noah didn't move, but slowly closed his eyes. The door opened and it was enough to stop them. Fareeha pulled back immediately. The confidence she held earlier shattered. They both turned to see who stopped them only to see Angela. Her hair was slightly frazzled and her expression was neutral.
"Noah I need your help and it may take the rest of your day."
"But-"
"It's about Genji, Noah. I need your help." He stopped himself before glancing at Fareeha.
The shyness was gone and the soldier returned to her place. "Noah, if Angela needs your help then go do it. We can watch those movies later."
"Sure." He replied and followed Angela out the room. He took one last look at Fareeha before closing the door when she gave a kind smile. He didn't notice Angela's look of sympathy towards the captain when they left.
The door closed and Fareeha dropped her smile. Plan A was a bust. She kicked one of the fallen pillows off in disappointment. Then she received an update.
"So what do you need me for?" Noah asked as he followed Angela.
"Well I need extra hands in dealing with Genji. The nanites in his blood should be a simple fix, but I need to examine if the chips we implanted in him earlier have been tampered with. They acted as a killswitch for Genji when he was new to Overwatch and later downgraded to a control chip since he proved a useful asset."
"Given that I fought him, I can see why you have those chips." The two stopped off in front of Noah's room as Angela leaned against the wall. "What're we doing here?"
"Shower and change. It's a health hazard to have someone still fresh from a mission deal in minor surgery. So get clean."
Noah saluted at that and in ten minutes Angela waited while examined the latest updates on her phone. Genji was placed on stasis and it was best for everyone that happens. Fareeha was a nightmare, so what would a cybernetic ninja with no inhibitions on stopping or even killing him.
Just examining the vitals made Angela remember the constant supervision she maintained as Genji worked under Reyes. Her trip down memory lane was cut short when the door opened and Noah came out in a black t-shirt, jeans, running shoes, and a pair of normal glasses.
"Alright let's go." The two made their way to the medical room when they passed by everyone else. Ana was starting more harder training regimen and with Angela quickly fixing up the other agents, everyone was doing more.
Zarya and Reinhardt were pumping even more iron, but still kept their optimism. They waved kindly at the two as they passed. The others were in training hall and Noah could see Lena blinking through an obstacle course. In fact she was racing Lucio through it.
The others were in shooting range. He could see Hanzo listening to Jesse as he tried setting the bots up. He caught a glimpse of Fareeha there too. She was balancing the rifle in her hands and took aim. He grinned slightly as she took out the bots in one fast session. He never took the moment to find that focused look both inspiring and maybe sexy. Depends really.
"You rested enough today, I need your help." Angela said. Noah was knocked off his little check up on Fareeha and turned to Angela.
"So how's Genji doing anyway? Any chance he'll return to the field?"
"Most likely if we manage to replace his chips and try to isolate the mind controlling nanites in his bloodstream. We should have some else on board to help me make a stronger batch for both Fareeha and Genji."
"Wait, you still haven't found a way?"
"I'd like to say I have, but if I were to be honest, I'd say it would a great risk to have them on the field without totally purging their bloodstream of it. However in times like these it's a risk Ana, me, and the others willing to take. Fareeha should be mission ready upon her second treatment of nanobots. Genji will take some time as I need to reboot his mechanical parts and purge any virus that maybe in him."
"Huh, I guess that's good enough. So you need me to…?"
The two entered the facility and Angela grabbed scrubs and gloves. The two washed their hands and Angela pulled out a tray of tools. Noah washed his hands and slipped the garments on.
"You don't need to be an expert surgeon to help me, I just need stable hands to help make it easier."
"You could this by yourself."
"Under other circumstances, yes. Though I prefer having help. It makes things easier in the long run." The two moved to the next room and Noah saw Genji lying on the table. His face plate was removed and Noah could see every scar and tissue damage that was inflicted.
The metallic jaw was the icing on the cake. "Did Hanzo-?"
"He did ample to damage and to be honest Genji being able to survive that is miracle of itself. I can't say for all, but a good amount came from his days with Blackwatch. Now shall we begin?"
Noah nodded and the two went to work. There was little chatter as Noah calmly followed every direction Angela gave him. Sombra did the same thing when they worked on mechanics so the leadership was easy to follow. He made small incisions on every part Angela pointed out.
The doctor pulled several chips out from each cut and placed them on a metal tray. Genji was breathing softly as they worked. It pained Noah to see this, see a friend in this state. Angela nudged him out of his stare and was working as one of the leading doctors in world should. Calm, collected, and focused.
Over the next two hours, Noah was placing fresh chips into the incisions. Angela started a healing stream and watched the still living flesh repair itself. The two worked in sync as Noah seemingly ignored every nasty scar on Genji.
"And this should be the last bit." Angela stated as she moved her staff over the last deep cut. They watched the chip disappear under the network of nerves, muscle, and skin. The two gave a sigh as Angela pulled the bed up and checked the wires connected to Genji.
"Noah, go over to the computer and see if there's a bar on the screen."
"Check."
"Good. Now move." Angela stepped forward and typed in her password. The screen loaded before giving a second layer. "Commit Level 4 virus purge. Authorization: Mercy."
Noah watched the computer whirr in response before giving an approval sign. Angela sighed in relief as she took the gloves off. Noah followed her and the two discarded their medical garments.
"A level four purge will take all night. So until then Genji is to remain in the medical wing until post purge for a diagnostics report." Noah nodded and the two sat down.
The two sat in silence as they watched Genji through the window. It was good that at least of them was still alive. Now if three more to go.
The door opened behind them and an excited voice came in. "Angela!" Noah and the doctor turned and saw a short chinese woman standing in the doorframe.
"Mei!" She got up from her seat and greeted the woman with a hug. The two held a brief embrace. "When did you get here?"
"Just now. Ana told me what happened and given the level of urgency I'm going to stay."
"That's great! We need more hands on deck now and you'll give us a nice edge." The two women shared a laugh as Noah got up himself. Mei looked up at him then Mercy.
"Oh yes of course. Noah meet Mei-Ling Zhou. Mei meet Noah Bastian."
Mei's eyes slightly lit up at the name. "Oh you must be Noah. I remember being with the rescue team for you. Oh sorry, I didn't mean to bring up in bad memories."
"Nah, you're fine. If it's any consolation I still can't remember that much. So you're fine."
"I'd still like to apologize though for bringing it up out of nowhere."
Noah felt a little awkward at how very sweet and unnecessary this was. "You're fine. Truly, I'm thankful you were there to help them try rescuing me."
"Mei, I need your help with my latest batch of nanobots. You worked with Winston before and we have his notes that we'd like you to look over. Maybe we can find something to help combat a new strain of mind controlling nanites."
"Of course. How about I set things up in my room and the lab before we start. You should get some rest or food before we start. It might be a long night."
Angela smirked. "Good." Mei gave her goodbyes as Noah looked at Angela.
"That girl is really something." Noah said as he took a sip from a full water bottle.
"I'd say. She's quite pure for a forty year old woman." Noah almost spat out his water, but only let a trickle of it go down the wrong windpipe. He coughed hard as Angela enjoyed the look of disbelief.
"Forty?! She looks like a college professor's intern at work." Angela and Noah walked out of the surgery room and into her office a few doors down.
"And if Jesse receive my message earlier, he should've…" Angela muttered before finding two trays with bread bowls. Reinhardt always loved making these things. "Yes!"
Angela sat down with Noah and the two pulled the tops off to see fresh thick soup inside. Both of their mouth's watered as they realized how hungry they were. Noah eagerly dug in as Angela tore the bread top and dipped pieces in.
"I love these dishes. It's one of the few times eating the bowl is ever accepted."
"If that bowl was edible and slathered in delicious soup then yes." Noah said with a fool mouth. His mind was bathing in the aroma and taste of the dish. It was familiar. He put his bowl down after taking a huge bite out of it.
"Bread bowl soup. It's weird I haven't had these since I was in San Francisco with...Burr." The doctor looked up in surprise as Noah gently put his hand on his head. "Huh, don't recall ever recalling that before."
"That's good. You're getting more memory and you should recover nicely from it. Don't worry too much on it." Angela said kindly as Noah looked at her appreciative. She leaned in and gave a small peck on the cheek. There was little reason, she just didn't want to see Noah linger too long.
He looked taken back again as a hot blush covered his cheeks. "That's something you like don't you."
"And you don't?" The two shared gaze as Angela seemed to watch the gears in his head whirl.
A mischievous grin. "I will once I get my revenge."
"Revenge?" She asked. Noah nodded before suddenly charging in. Angela froze at Noah pressing his lips against her cheek. "There. That's my little revenge."
"That's your revenge?" She spoke with her own crimson covering her cheeks as Noah gave her a cheesy grin. "For what?"
"Because you keep planting one on me. Hell Fareeha and Sombra did the same, but you do it more than them. So I thought I give you one as well." The doctor grinned at that as Noah rolled back on his chair and let the swirly chair move him across the room.
"Not bad." Angela said as she stood up and walked towards him. He chuckled for a moment before she put her hands on his cheeks. "But this is better."
Noah's eyes widened to new limits as Angela lowered herself and kissed him again. Fareeha was close, but the doctor went for the kill. She pulled back and let Noah follow. His eyes were dazed as he followed her up to a stand.
And it felt like his mind was scrambled from that kiss. "Are you normally this compliant? I'm not gonna lie, I never would've known that about you."
"M-Maybe." He stuttered. She grinned at this and put a hand on his chest. She pushed ever so slightly and he followed her direction. The two moved back into one of the medical room beds that were vacant. And was it ever rare for it be vacant. Before there was always an agent in need of aid or were helping Angela with supplies. But Genji was the only one there besides them and he was currently getting rebooted several rooms away.
It was just like when Angela knew she had him all to herself before. Before Fareeha and especially before he "died". Angela found herself on top of Noah and ever so slowly moving in. She could feel his breath hitch with every touching moment between them and it was getting to her as well.
What they were having was one of pure indulgence, Angela lowered herself down and nipped at Noah's neck. He suppressed a moan, but Angela could feel it trying to escape. It's been a long time since either were...intimate.
The doctor was growing more hungry as Noah tried keeping his cool face on. She kissed him again and felt his hands travel from her sides and on her hips. She moaned slightly at feeling them tighten around it. She sat up and reached for her ponytail. The hairband fell from her head and onto the floor as her golden locks dropped to her shoulders. Noah was scanning the entire doctor and saving it in his memory banks. There was no he would forget this or at the very least try really hard not to.
Noah felt his throat tighten as Angela moved in again. By now their lips were swollen and bodies hot. And the two didn't really know who started unbuttoning the doctor's shirt. They just knew that more skin was showing and that in a little while there'll be more on display.
"Angela." Noah moaned. She mewed softly at the tone as she let her hands roam over his chest. They snaked their way under its hem and touched the muscle underneath. The cool temperature of her hands contracted with the skin and Noah felt his mind start to go crazy.
"Ssh. Relax." She whispered in his ear. The doctor grabbed his hand and moved downward to her bottom. Angela gasped slightly when it got a small pinch. It was certain. They were going to cross this line right here, right now. Noah sat up and bit softly on her exposed collarbone.
Angela didn't bother silencing herself as she moaned loudly. He sucked on the skin and the pale complexion turned red between his teeth and tongue. The lowlight, the hospital bed, and even the doctor's lab coat was raising all sorts of memories, but one in particular was one where he felt weak and was probably the first time he ever kissed the doctor.
The two moved more intimately with Angela unbuttoning her shirt all the way down to reveal her black bra. One of the straps slid over her shoulder and the look in her eye was sending shivers down his spine. Noah weakly nodded to himself in acknowledgment that this was happening. She adjusted herself to where one of her hands traveled down to his belt.
"Angela!" Mei's voice echoed as the door opened. The moment was cut and in a panic Angela slammed down Noah against the bed. His head bumped the headboard and the rush of feelings was replaced with an annoying throb in his head. He bit his tongue to stop a yelp happening.
"Yes Mei!" Angela shouted before quickly buttoning her shirt. Inside both their heads, a curse was given to the sweet climatologist.
"I think I may have found something to help with the nanite problem Genji and Fareeha have, but I'm gonna need you to help me verify the results." Noah groaned as soft as he can before reaching down and grabbing Angela's hairband.
"Really? Alright I'll be there in five."
"Are you resting? I can come back later." Angela looked at Noah who was currently trying to soothe the pain in his head. As much as the choice was tempting, the mood was ruined. They knew it.
"No, I'll come with you. I'll assign Noah to watch over the place while we go to the inner labs and see if you did find something." She got off Noah and onto the floor. She fixed her lab coat and smoothed out any wrinkles as Noah laid in bed with a disappointed smile. She shared the same and blew a silent kiss at him.
The doctor moved the curtain slightly and followed Mei out. Once the door closed, Noah just laid in his spot where just a moment ago the doctor was straddling him. His heart was pounding hard against his chest. And it was running on two things, happiness and guilt. Happiness in that somehow his desire for the doctor was answered. His infatuation was clear since they met again and now it seems he proved his darker half wrong. She did feel things for him. Plus that hickey was going to last for sometime.
Guilt on the other hand when he just reappeared the almost kiss at the lounge with Fareeha. Somehow the soreness of muscles, the musky scent of sweat, and a good talk made a really romantic scene happen. He could almost taste her lips again like at his old home.
They were so close before Angela pulled him away to help Genji receive surgery for removing those chips. Plus despite what he felt for Angela, Fareeha was strong if not an equal in what he has for her. Honestly this would be a massive headache if it weren't for an evil corporation, the league of assassins after his bounty, and the stress of finding his best friend being the bigger headache.
And if Ana found out, especially when she was certain of him being a son-in-law...well Noah didn't want to know what one of the world's best snipers would do if he broke her daughter's heart even if it was unintentional.
"This is getting ridiculous." He laid still for a few minutes when he heard grunting. He got up and followed the noise. Mei and Angela were way down the hall so it couldn't have been them. Noah kept following the noise when he peaked into a room and saw the bedsheets moving.
He turned on the lights to see Widowmaker seemingly fighting. A few tears streaked her cheeks and it seemed her hands were holding something.
"Hey." He moved to her bedside and tried calming her down. "Widow stop."
She kept struggling despite his hold and reacted more violently. "Widow!" The shouting caught her unconscious attention as she turned fast at him. The french woman fired a hard jab and hit Noah square in the cheek.
"OW!"
0-0-0-0-0
Aryt and Moonlark took deep gulps of water. The latest training simulator was pushing their limits even harder than any other before. One could describe it as maddening.
Aryt took out of his knives and was casually tossing it in the air. "This training seems like hell."
"Well then better to deal with hell here than out there. Pls it'll make defeating Overwatch easier."
"Overwatch can go fuck itself. Right now there's only three people worth giving a shit about. Satya, Amari, and Bastian."
"Why do you want to kill Satya and Amari. Bastian I can understand." Aryt looked at her before pulling out an old locket. He tossed it at her and she caught it. The locket opened to reveal a picture of a family. One man, one lady, one little girl, and a baby.
"Just after the Omnic Crisis, my parents were one of the last bit of human casualties. Imagine that. All those times where it would've been understandable that they would've died during that time. But just after that, they died. It's like running to the finish line, have your foot on top of the line, then the line be yanked from under you."
"Sounds tragic." Angel said with little emotion. Aryt scoffed at her and continued.
"I wouldn't hold such a grudge if it was by chance. No, no they died because our "heroes" failed them. Ana Amari failed my parents, left them to die. Now we get even."
"She's been seen alive these past few years. Why go after her daughter?"
"An eye for an eye." Aryt said and ended the conversation. The two sat in silence before the door opened. The two snapped to attention as they heard the robotic voice.
"Well, well, well. I see training's going smoothly." They saw Indominus. The armor clad soldier hasn't made an appearance ever since he dropped them off back at base. He walked in with relaxed confidence as he strode in.
He stood and looked at them. "Aren't you going to train?"
"Why? We just finished one of the toughest simulators Gideon's developed. We can take a break." Indominus looked at them and even with the metallic mask and visor they can see him smirking underneath it. He pulled off his military scarf and dropped it to the floor.
"True I suppose, but don't get too lazy. I hate that Gideon had to make me come here to watch over you. He sincerely hopes that you wouldn't be lazing around. Especially you." He pointed and Angel. The stoic assassin gritted her teeth as her counterpart crossed his arms.
"Oh and what about you? As far as we know you came from nowhere. How do you even know Gideon?" Aryt asked. Angel let out a sigh of relief as he took the words from her mouth. She didn't want to give lip, but Gideon and now this guy is really pushing her buttons.
Indominus gave a haughty laugh before stretching. "I've known Gideon for years. And now he wants me hear and wants me to fight Overwatch. He didn't want to bring me along, but hey when his best does a semi-decent job then he needs the big guns."
"Is that so?"
"I'm the only one that had Noah Bastian on his back with no way out."
"You let him go."
"Because it would be unnecessary. Plus I've given the orders of dragging you two back once you lost Genji. How is that you two are his best plus a cyborg ninja and still lose to a cowboy, thief, omnic, and outcast? Explain that."
The two glowered at him. He raised his hands in mock surrender before standing on the training mat. "Attack me."
"Excuse me?"
"Denied." He replied back. "Gideon has told me to put you two through tougher training. Holograms and simulations are nice, but a real fight will get the skills real sharp." Aryt and Angel looked at each other before slowly taking stances.
Indominus sighed before rushing them. Aryt found himself on the floor and Angel found herself lifted off the ground. "Lesson One. Be ready at all times. Your opponents will not waste a shot if you leave yourself vulnerable."
He dropped Angel and pushed Aryt away with his foot. The two regained their footing and took their stance, faster this time. Their armored ally didn't take a stance and charged. Needless to say, the two kept finding themselves on the ground more often than not. And each one including a new bruise.
Aryt found Angel on top of his back as Indominus stepped on Angel. The two groaned as pushed the breath out of them. "Killing Overwatch agents is much tougher than this."
"Bullshit. I almost got Fareeha. Angel nearly caught Widowmaker."
Indominus scoffed at that before lifting the two up by their throats. "Admirable to say the least, but they will always improve. Can you? You two tried killing Bastian and the first time, Angel, you almost killed him. However he managed to slip past you again despite Aryt wearing him down. And Aryt you fought him three separate times and each time he's walked away."
He tossed them away and they landed on their butts as Indominus stood above them. The figure stood above them and walked passed them. "You'll be following my lead from now on."
*Next Time
"We head for Numbani."
"Are you Noah Bastian?" A cloaked figure asked.
"I love you."