Old Habits Die Hard | 7

Author's Notes:

Yesterday was an exhausting day, so I wasn't able to upload the chapters. Sorry.

Anyway, here they are. Expect the epilogue to be uploaded a few hours later.

ooOoo

For Genji, dinner was mostly a simple affair. Lena had been asking him how his life had been in the last five years in more detail, and Winston was interrogating Zenyatta's own in between mouthfuls of peanut butter covered bananas.

"Hey, this is plenty okay for me," Winston said when Genji had given him a look. "I've been living off with this for the past years, so don't go worrying about my health."

Genji's thought had been that Winston was always a sucker for sweets, but he didn't dare express that out loud. Yuan had been scarfing down his food with an animalistic fashion, which made everyone hard pressed to interrupt him.

And finally, there was Jack Morrison. The man who called himself Soldier 76 has been eating away on his plate in the far corner of the table. When Winston and Lena had offered him to sit beside them, Jack gave a mute shake of his head with the excuse, "I need to think about some things. I prefer to do it quietly."

With all honesty, Genji was greatly disturbed with Jack. About just as much as he did with Hanzo, he daresay. The man who had been dining with them (he used the word "with" for lack of a better term) was a far cry of the inspiring Commander that lead Overwatch to victory five years ago. Has the fall of the team really changed him so much?

I would not let him live like this if I have a say in this, Genji had thought as he glanced at Yuan. The boy had been shoving a spoonful of mashed potatoes and corn beef into his mouth, and he immediately looked away.

When dinner had ended, everyone had spoke of wrapping up their business before retiring for the night. Winston was working on a project. Zen was to continue his meditating. However, Jack had left the mess hall immediately after finishing his food and giving a quiet thanks.

"I think I'll be hunkering down early," Yuan had said, rising from his chair and walking out the cafeteria. "I'm busted."

Soon after the boy had left, Genji stood to follow after him. Lena, who had been chatting with him the entire time, made to walk after him as well.

"Meal's good, yeah?" Lena quipped with a teasing smirk. "I bet you've been eating here by yourself since the past few days."

"Not really." Genji chuckled. "I had to accompany Master Zen on the way here, so I still had to go about invading restaurants and fast-food chains."

"Of course, love." Lena laughed, a lovable sound that Genji missed after all these years. "Did your master also join you in surprising people in those restaurants?"

"Not really. He had his own source of energy in a sack he brought around with him everywhere." Genji noticed Lena following him into the hallway where Yuan left, and he halted to turn to her. "Look, Lena... I have a matter to deal with."

Lena pursed her lips in thought. "Oh? What's it about?"

Genji mused between divulging her in his reason or not, then he sighed. "It is about Commander Jack."

"Oh. Yeah, he's been acting all gruff since the day he returned to Overwatch. And I have a feeling he doesn't like to be called Commander anymore..." Lena leaned forward, a hopeful glint in her eyes. "Can I help you in that matter, love? I really miss the old Jack."

Genji sighed, giving a shake of his head. "I wish I could say yes, friend. However, this is something that only I can deal with by myself."

"What? Oh come on!" Lena gave a pout. "Are you sure that I can't help in any way? I really want to see the Commander back in his jollier ways."

The look on Tracer's face could have broke the heart of any normal man, but Genji had faced enough horrors to not be affected by the sort.

Genji looked at her silently for a few seconds before he answered. "Perhaps you can have a purpose after I have done what is needed of me. But for now, you must wait."

Lena seemed to physically deflate, her shoulders slumping and her eyes turning to the floor. "Oh. I see," she said with less cheer in her voice.

Now this prompted a reaction from Genji. He placed a hand on her shoulder, and her eyes met his visor when she looked up. "If it makes any difference, Lena... I enjoyed the dinner. It is nice to being something together with family once again."

A smile graced Lena's lips, and some of the light returned in her eyes. She gave a nod, then suddenly lunged forward to wrap her arms arms around him.

"Glad to hear that, love. Alright then, I'll leave you to it." She pulled back and gave him a grin. "Let's hope that you'll be able to fix up Commander Jack, eh?"

Genji smiled, but he doubt that Lena could see it. "Actually, I myself won't be 'fixing up' the good commander's problem... But I know someone who can."

ooOoo

Genji saw his target turn a corner, and he immediately followed after. Yuan was about to enter the old room of Torbjorn when he coughed.

The boy spun around, and upon seeing him grabbed his own chest. "Gah! For fuck's sake, Genji. When will you stop jumping on me like that?"

"I honestly do not know," Genji said, letting a bit of snark enter his voice. Yuan opened his mouth for a retort, but he immediately followed up with a question. "What do you think of Soldier 76?"

Yuan snapped his mouth shut, looking as if taken by surprise. His eyes glanced around as he hummed for a few seconds. "Erm... I like his hair?"

Genji fixed his gaze at the boy, who returned it with a strained smile. "You know what I mean, Yuan."

Yuan pouted, staring back at him for a few seconds. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "The guy's not the most charming person around, definitely. Why're you asking?"

"He... used to be a soldier," he said.

Yuan rolled his eyes. "Duh. It's even in his name."

Genji shook his head. "No, no; a soldier. Someone that everyone looks up to, and is admired for giving his services to everyone. The ideal soldier."

With the way Yuan leaned forward at his words, Genji figured he got his attention. He continued. "Then, a few years ago, people began to hate him. They saw no use for his services. They questioned his value to the world. Then an accident happened, and now most people think he's dead."

He lapsed into silence, giving Yuan an expectant look. Not that he could see it.

Yuan took a sharp breath, then released it with a gasp. "That's... that's unfortunate."

Genji nodded. "You said that you yourself are a soldier, correct?"

The boy leaned back, almost in a jumping manner. He gave Genji a raised brow. "Yeah?.."

"Then perhaps you can relate to his experiences?" Genji said. "Being someone that everyone looks up to? Someone that is given the burden of servicing the world with his life?"

Yuan narrowed his eyes, as if he was thinking of dark times. With pressed lips, he gave a stiff nod. "Yeah to that, too. Being the leader of an army also added to the pressure. War isn't something simple."

Bingo. Genji stepped forward, keeping his gaze trained on Yuan's. "Then you can talk to him about his problem. You may not know this, but he was a very different man before. He had brighter days."

Yuan looked down, muttering under his breath. It was obvious that he was deep in thought. Then he looked up with creased brows. "I don't even know his problem."

"You should." Genji clasped his shoulder, giving him a hopeful look. "And if you don't, you will. After all, you are both soldiers."

When Yuan didn't answer, he stepped to the boy's side, their bodies facing opposite directions. "He is still awake at this time of the hour. Sleep does not easily come to him; I sense his troubled soul in the Iris. You can expect him at the training room."

Genji made a hand gesture, planting it against his chest. He tapped into the power within him, and he disappeared from the hallway.

ooOoo

Jack Morrison fired a burst of plasma from his rifle, and it struck the bullseye of the distant target. The entire thing snapped back from the blow, sending splinters all around it. He rested the weapon on his shoulder and moved to the next target.

He thought that keeping his aim sharp in the training room relaxed his nerves; before Recall, he was always tense as he walked through streets and alleyways during day and night. Jack believed that no matter where he was, there was always someone who would jump at the chance to stab him on the back.

Except here, maybe. Jack lined a shot on the target and fired, earning the same result as the last one. But I can't be too sure, can I?

Images of a certain co-commander flashed in his mind, and Jack immediately banished them with a grunt. He pulled the trigger of his pulse rifle, sending a shot at the next target. The beam of plasma clipped the edge of the target, completely ripping it off.

Jack froze when he heard the sound of footsteps behind him. The grip on his weapon tightened. I don't recall anyone else going to the training room at night except for me.

He whirled around, leveling his rifle at the head of a surprised Yuan. The boy stepped back, and with a burst of fire his hand was wielding his sword.

There was complete silence after, beside the sound coming from the crackles of lingering flame on Yuan's hand. Jack made sure to keep his aim true.

After a while, the sword in Yuan's hand was enveloped in fire, disappearing soon after. The boy raised both of his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Easy there, mate. I didn't come here to fight."

Jack lowered his pulse rifle; now it was aimed on Yuan's chest. "Then what are you here for?"

"Oh! Erm.." With a not-too-honest smile, he pointed at the dummy for melee weapons at the corner of the room. "I came here to practice myself. Realized I was digging too much on the patties, so I thought, 'well, why not?'"

Jack didn't need to be a psychologist to know that the boy wasn't telling the whole truth. However, he was sure that he could react fast enough if something happened; after all, he was the one with the gun.

He turned around, walking to the next target while his senses stayed on overdrive. He only knew Yuan for a few days, and the swordsman hadn't made it clear yet on why he was here.

After shooting down the target, Jack heard metal clashing against metal. He turned around to see Yuan swinging his sword at the dummy, sending it spinning with a heavy slash.

He's not exactly swift with that sword, unlike Genji, Jack thought as he observed the boy, who was striking at the dummy with a series of fiery swipes. Obviously, agility is not his strongest suite.

Yuan seemed to notice his staring, as he stopped in his assault on the dummy and turned to him with a thoughtful look. "So how does it feel to eat with half of your face covered up?"

The question was so out of left field that Jack felt his mind come blank for an answer, with him left to give the boy a flat look. "What."

"Sorry, it's just-" Yuan made a series of hand gestures, but to Jack it mostly looked like the boy was flapping his hands around. "- how do you do that? I mean, I can't imagine it to be really comfortable."

Jack took the time to run two fingers across his mask. The mask that hid the face of the man whom the world thought was dead since five years ago. He turned around and brought his rifle to bear on the target. "I work with it. There's bigger things to worry about."

A pull of the trigger, and the target fell to the ground in shards of wood.

"Oh," came the reply of Yuan. Silence fell after that, and Jack took a breath as his shoulders tensed. "You know, you don't protect people because they adore you or stuff like that. You protect them because you want a better world for them, no matter what it takes."

He turned to Yuan, raising his brows at the boy's unreadable face. "You better know what you're talking about. You weren't there when I was taking down criminals before Recall."

"You're right. I wasn't there." Yuan took a deep breath, and a frown touched his lips as he continued to look at him. "Sorry if I offended you. I guess I just wanted to say that you should continue to serve the people even if they think badly of you."

"And what do you think I'm doing?" Jack felt his patience running out rapidly, and he showed his frustration in his voice. "Just tell me what your point is, kid."

Yuan pursed his lips as he stared at him for a few moments. Then he nodded and said, "My point is that you don't have to be afraid to be the face of the team when push comes to shove."

How did he?.. Jack growled, hiding it when he turned around to face the next target. "That was the case before. But right now, if I make myself out to be of higher value than the others, I'll just be a figurehead. There's no purpose for me in the higher ranks anymore."

"Keep telling yourself that, bud. It won't make a difference anyways." Jack heard the boy take a few steps closer, and presumed he was now only a few feet away. "In the end, there's going to be a time where you'll be leading this rowdy bunch to victory again."

Jack looked down, tightening his hold on his pulse rifle. "What makes you so sure of that?"

"I can see that you're a guy who'll smack restrictions in the face when it comes down to it." A few more steps, and Yuan was by his side. "You're not going to risk the severity of a situation for the sake of your beliefs."

Jack couldn't think of an answer to that. He tensed his shoulders when Yuan placed a hand on one of them.

"Don't run away from who you are," Yuan said slowly, as if he was trudging on thin ice. Which was true. "Because one day, people are going to need that soldier."

The boy's hand left him, and so did his presence in the training room. Jack could only stare at the target, a storm of thoughts preventing him from taking the shot.

ooOoo

Atlas News

BREAKING NEWS: LIVE

This just in; at King's Row, Europe, reports of an anonymous machine-like beast terrorizing the town have been confirmed, with the attack occurring just half an hour ago at 1:30 in the morning. Civilians have been properly evacuated, and King's Row has been put in quarantine until the British army arrives to the scene.

So far, casualties are 57 dead, 120 injured rescued, and 45 whose fates are unknown as of yet. Collateral damage has been estimated at 478,000,000 pounds.

This is Anna Kellington, live from Atlas News.

To be continued...