A new chapter out :)

…–…–…–…–…–…

Rating: Mature for fighting scenes n the like, just to be safe

Warnings: none.

…–…–…–…–…–…

Chapter 02

~One year earlier~

The first reaction Zenyatta had as he looked at his own reflection was denial.

He could not identify himself with what looked back at him, and he felt a strong, overwhelming need to scream, but his synth fizzled and stuttered without a sound coming through.

What a horrifying sight –he could see it was no dream, though for a moment he felt disconnected with what looked back at him, and the glowing, creepy face plate looking back at him had nothing he could recognise.

The eye slots were green, like molten uranium, and even the forehead array that had been once nine points was now different, and just as green. Even though his visage was just as incapable of expressing emotion as his old one had been, where his original face had been meant to convey softness, a welcoming sight, this one looked evil, mean –the curve above his optical receptors made them appear to be frowning, glaring at the world.

More than that, he looked… frightening.

This was a twisted nightmare, and Zenyatta felt panic settle in.

He could feel the tentacles covering his mouth wriggle lethargically, and each time one brushed against another he shivered, the sensation ghastly where before there had been smooth, immobile metal.

Zenyatta could not run from his appearance, could not run from himself, but even facing what he became took more energy than he had left; he turned around, refusing to think, but everywhere he looked he still was aware of his new appearance.

The orbs circling him could see –his processors were aware of that, and a new part of his brain inspected the data they sent him and analysed it, and through their lazy circles, Zenyatta kept finding his own reflection multiplied from nine different points of view.

Metal a polished purple, a dark cape, chains broken on one end wrapped around his wrists like misshapen restraints, giving him the air of something that had just broken free, a monster that should have remained caged in the depths of the sea.

Zenyatta found himself nowhere to be seen.

With a small cry, Zenyatta pushed the orbs away, but no matter where they spun, they still circled back on him, endlessly.

Torturing him.

There was no escape for his appearance, no way to deny it, and he was reminded every time the tentacles on his face brushed against one another, cool and smooth, and every time Zenyatta shuddered and flinched.

What had happened to him? The question circled endlessly through his brain, slowing down his processes, but he had no answer.

The nanites, obviously, and yet… how? Why?

Almost sobbing, Zenyatta attempted to reach for the Iris, only to find nothing in its place, the cut contact a painful wound within his soul, an ache he could not soothe, replaced with something thick and painful –Discord unlike any he'd played with before.

An endless pit of rage, and hurt, and distrust, and he could reach out and touch it just as he had before with the tranquil pool of Harmony, and–

Zenyatta winced away from the feeling, frightened.

Nowhere to run, when you were running from yourself.

He did not wish to be alone, and the sudden urge to see Mondatta surged from his core like a physical pain, a longing twice as strong as it had been before.

Unbidden, the belief that Mondatta would know how to help, would not let him flounder alone through this hell came to him like a respite, pushing down the fear enough that Zenyatta could focus, if only for a moment. He had to find a way to contact his brother, and the Shambali.

They would help him, and he would go back home.

Stumbling down the empty road, a few buildings visible in the distance, Zenyatta clung to what little energy he had left, and hoped to find a way to contact his brother.

He needed help.

~Present time~

When Genji and Angela joined the rest of their team, they found them in the middle of a battle, and just as Winston had said, the Masked Vigilante was present on site as well.

Lucio and Hana, dressed up in their respective sentai attires, were busy parring the attacks from the Oyster, though its size had doubled since Genji had last seen it.

They were both moving fast, dancing around the monster, yet appeared to be doing not much damage to it, and though they hit it more than it hit back, it did not seem to tire. The Masked Vigilante was standing away from them, relying on his precise aim to shoot sharp fire bullets towards the monster's feet, making it more difficult for it to stomp and move around, keeping it away from the sentai so it would not land any dangerous blows.

The Masked Vigilante was not part of the sentai rangers, but was an old friend of Winston's and was doing work as a lone hero, offering his help to whoever was in need. In the past, he and Winston had apparently done some hero business together, long before Winston had decided to fund the sentai. He specialised in long-range attacks, so he was not as good as the sentai were at dealing close damage, but his eyes were sharp, and his aim even sharper.

So was his wit, and Genji appreciated his help.

"Blue sentai, Pink sentai, we're here!" Angela called out.

Lucio easily avoided a hit from the monster and spun around to look at them, then made a small motion with his hand, summoning his rollerblades, which fizzed to life at the base of his soles. Faster than before, he rushed towards Hana, offering her a hand; she grabbed it without hesitation and he whirled around the monster, who attempted to land a hit on them but couldn't due to his speed, then abruptly changed directions and spun towards his companions, still holding onto Hana.

Genji noticed she was not in her combat-mech yet, instead dealing close ranged damage with her hand-held weapon.

"Green sentai! White sentai! Finally decided to join in the fun?"

Genji moved to stand at Hana's side. "How come you aren't in your mech, Pink sentai?"

"I wanted to, but the monster increased in size, and I thought I would not have as much mobility if I chose to go on attack mode. Lucio suggested to wait until you deigned to join us! You did get here faster than I thought."

"The Cultist stole our enemy again." Angela's voice was sour, though her eyes were trained on the Oyster monster, and though she was wearing a mask, Genji was sure she was frowning underneath it.

"Well, shit," Lucio murmured, and behind them, the Masked Vigilante snorted, breaking the serious mood.

"Sorry, sorry, not used to you cursing still," he called out when all four sentai turned to stare at him.

"We've been fighting monsters on the same side for a couple months now," Hana's voice was amused. "He curses plenty."

The Vigilante's chuckle was deep in his throat, rich and amused, and it made Genji's lips twitch upwards as well. They were not yet friends, as they interacted only long enough to deal with monsters, so neither knew the others' secret identities yet, but they were getting there.

"We've got a jar for both of them, you know," he said as he dashed to the Masked Vigilante, lifting one hand in salute. "One coin for every curse."

"Useful for pizza Fridays," he replied, making Genji's grin grow. "Well then, what are we going to do with this big lug here?"

Lucio stretched his legs, hands clenched into fists. "I think it's time to roll, Green Sentai! White Sentai, some support would be great!"

Angela nodded and turned her staff to him, a stream of blue light connecting with his frame. "I'm with you!"

Lucio grinned under his mask, pointing both hands down. "Speed boost, activate! Rollers!" a flash of blue energy twirled around the base of his feet, and then he was gone again, dashing towards the monster at full speed, with Angela in tow.

"Green sentai, combine with me!" Hana called out to him, and he nodded.

Hana turned to stare at the monster, who despite having two sentai to keep it occupied was growing larger and larger, clearly sensing that they were about to become dangerous.

"Calling forth my mech, , Combat Matrix activate!"

Genji watched as the powers that Hana controlled wrapped around her in a pink twirl, flashing as the mech weapon materialized around her –a giant, destructive assault machine with laser beams and an increased offensive power. She had less mobility like that, which was why she relied on a companion to aid her with that, but her attack power made her almost unstoppable.

He waited until she was safely sitting into it before jumping into the air, both he and Hana calling out together, "Sentai rangers, combine!" to activate their shared power.

The Mech's top half expanded into a neat platform for Genji to land onto, a transparent protective shield activating in front of him together with a small railing so he would not fall off in case Hana had to make a dive or roll in mid-air.

Green and Pink hues mixed together as two arms expanded on either side of the mech, adding a pair of giant mechanical hands holding a sword to the laser beam jets already installed on it, and Genji summoned his blade through his powers, setting in attack mode.

As he positioned himself, ready to do some damage, so did the arms connected to the mech. "Ready, Pink sentai?"

Her smug, excited voice answered through the speakers, echoing around Genji. "Whenever you want, Green sentai!"

"Then let's go! Let's mince some monster meat!"

Despite the size of the monster, the battle did not last for long.

The sentai were organized and powerful, and once they worked together, few monsters could stand against them to tell the tale. The Masked Vigilante jumped in to give a hand right away, bursts of fire exploding from his weapon to keep the monster contained where it could not damage too much property, and that helped the sentai finish the job sooner than expected.

Afterwards, they all piled up on top of 's mech, Hana piloting it towards the base.

They left the Masked Vigilante behind them, and he watched them go, pistol raised in the sky as a salute, until they were gone.

For the first few minutes, all four sentai remained quiet, appreciating the fact that they would not need to walk back home so they could rest after the fight, but Genji had something in his mind, and he knew that if he did not speak up, the others would not.

"I wonder why the Cultist did not choose the Oyster monster instead of the Shrimp."

That roused Angela's attention, and she turned towards him. Other than Hana, the others had all reverted to their normal clothes, so he could see the displeased twist of her lips from where he was sitting.

"What does it matter which one he picked? We still only got to defeat one instead of two."

"Yes but… the Shrimp was tough, but not invincible. Athena sent us to fight that one, and I thought it would put up more of a fight, but…" Genji worried his lower lips.

The fight with the Oyster monster had made him think, and he could not, in the aftermath, say that his fight with the Shrimp had been hard at all. The monster had barely fought back despite its boastful words about being close to defeat them, while the Oyster had been much stronger, and it had taken them the combined effort of all four of them plus their ally to finally exorcise it.

It made no sense for a creature who was amassing an army of monsters to pick the weaker of the two, and the Cultist had shown in the past to have quite a good spy network, though so far he had not discovered their secret identities, which was… good, at least.

If he'd known, he would have attacked them for sure, but so far they had managed to protect their secret enough. Genji was not sure how long that would last, but for now, he thanked whatever luck they had.

Even their base was well masked, so as long as they tried to be sneaky while morphing, it would be alright… he hoped.

"Maybe he's making sure his followers don't dare to bite back and betray him to take his place," Lucio optioned, though he took Genji's point with a small nod. "Or it's just he's picking the ones he will use as sacrifices later on. Just sayin', he doesn't seem like the kind of guy who has much care for his underlings."

Genji had to admit that it could be –but for someone creating an entire cult devoted to him, it didn't seem to make sense to pick weak, disgruntled pawns instead of ones who could offer a fight.

If there was something else brewing under the surface, Genji needed to try and find out, but the Cultist was elusive despite his obvious appearance, and kept vanishing without a trace even with their attempts at tracking him down.

His abilities were mostly unknown, and Genji had no idea if he could even fight, or if the full extent of his powers relied solely on the creepy-ass orbs and their power to make others feel an onslaught of dark emotions.

"Maybe we can get Genji to ask him properly next time," Hana told them through the mic, her voice openly sarcastic. "He seems like all he wants is talk to that creep." A beat, then "Not that I'm judging, we all got our kinks–"

"Hana!"

"Oh, c'mon, I did not need to hear that–"

"–I mean, if Genji's type is the kind with wriggly tentacles around a mouth and ominous bad feelings surrounding him, who am I to judge–"

"Oh my god–"

"Hana–"

Genji hid his face in his hands, though he was not truly embarrassed –he and Hana often bantered and joked with one another, so he'd expected her to try this angle with him at some point, but…

He could not even fake being angry, when her words rang true.

Despite how dangerous he looked and how, just like the other monsters, he had an aura of evil and darkness surrounding him, Genji still wished to talk with him. He had no idea if it was part of some evil scheme, if he had been bewitched –though how? Nothing the Cultist had done had been singling Genji out in the least– or what else, but… he wanted to.

The instinct to fight the monster was just as great, though, and the two battled inside him quite fiercely, with none of the two ever gaining the upper end.

After all, the Cultist did look frightening, in a way most other monsters, who were merely grotesque or ugly, could not manage, and his powers were subtler, scarier; it was obvious he was at an entirely different level from them, and Genji was wary of him despite everything.

Lucio shifted a little to press one comforting hand on Genji's shoulder. "Buddy, I know you think the best of everyone, but it's a monster we're talking about. We have enough proof of his wrongdoings, how many people he attacked, and there were even a lot of casualties, so it's not like he's pristine and innocent here. We ought to protect this city, not walk into obvious traps just because you want to try and figure out a monster's motivations."

"Lucio is right. It could be anything, even him wanting to take over another monster's territory, and it wouldn't concern us." Angela's expression, usually so sweet, was hardened in determination. "You just do not try to talk it out with them, Genji –that's not how it works. It will only leave you distraught when they don't act humane. They aren't human."

And of course Genji understood –he knew far too well that Angela herself had lost someone important during the monster uprising that had started around three years before for unknown circumstances. Her younger brother had been a victim of a monster attack around one year into the conflict, when the monsters that kept appearing had doubled in numbers.

The creature that had killed Engel had been found on the scene afterwards, holding in its claws ripped shreds of his clothes and blood on the floor, on the walls and on the furniture, and on the monster too. It had lashed at Angela, who had been the one to find him, before disappearing.

Angela was not a vengeful person –her work with the sentai was so that she could prevent more casualties, so that no other family would go through what she had– but Genji still worried about her, and what would happen if that monster was to be found again.

Well, unless it had been slain already by some other group of vigilante heroes somewhere else. He knew Angela kept tabs and contacts with many people around the nation, others who were in similar situations, cities swarmed with monsters, but… he had no idea how likely that would be.

So far, many nations were under similar assaults. It was usually big cities, so rural towns were safer than not, and with the aid from the UN and various private and public research groups, people from all over the world attempted to find a way to stop the monsters and finally end this uprising.

Still it seemed like none had any luck for now, and without an insight on their nature, it was even harder.

Genji knew some groups had offered to capture monsters to use as specimen for experiments, but despite the monsters being ruthless and evil, most had ruled out that option, as the monsters were, in the end, capable of thought and speech, and it would be inhuman to experiment on them unless one willingly stepped forwards –and obviously none would.

He did wonder, though, if perhaps such experiments were conducted anyway, in privacy and away from those who would stop them. If they were, Genji knew nothing of it.

The thought still sent a shiver down his back, regardless –the idea that it could happen, even to one of those monsters…

Genji fought those monsters almost daily. He faced them on the battlefield, prevented them from harming civilians, and then struck back and exorcised them; of all people, he should agree with more drastic methods of dealing with monsters, with all the damage and death they caused, and yet…

The sentai used their specific powers to weaken, incapacitate and wound the monsters, and then employed the weapon Winston had devised specifically for this purpose, and channelling their powers through it, they sent the monsters back to whatever universe they belonged to.

Winston had explained how it worked, back when Genji had joined the sentai project, though it had been a lot of specific terminology and stuff he was not that good at, so most of it had gone over his brain, but he knew the basics of it.

Most heroes had no similar help, but the ones who were under the tutelage of the UN employed Winston's machines to exorcise the creatures.

Some monsters were just nuisances, barely able to do real damage, and those ended up sent back without much trouble, but… there were those who ended up eliminated instead. Those were the monsters who caused the most damage, who were dangerous to the point of having killed or assaulted humans, who could not be allowed to be free, not if there was a chance they could be back.

There were monsters who ended up hunted down by lone vigilantes or hired mercenaries, and those ended up dead regardless, but there was a difference between ending an opponent's life due to their ferocity and experiment on them against their will… and Genji did not wish to cross that line.

As there was no understanding about how the monsters arrived on this plane of existence in the first place, the fact that they knew how to send them back was at least enough, for now, but Winston had a lot of work to do with his colleagues still, with little progress.

Genji thought about the Cultist, and instantly felt sick at the thought that even he could be bested and then used as a lab rat to understand how his powers worked.

It was a given that if challenged, the sentai would attempt to defeat and then terminate the Cultist, as he was too powerful to be allowed a second chance…

And yet.

The fact that the Cultist seemed to be intent in staying in Genji's city at least allowed him a little more leeway on the matter of dealing with him. Even if he started a war with whatever army he was collecting, it would be their duty to fight against him and make sure he could not do any more harm.

So if Genji chose to attempt a contact, it would be his responsibility and his alone to deal with the probable fallout.

It was not much of a consolation, in the face of the fame he'd made for himself, but it filled Genji with a sense of duty and determination, to think that this would be their enemy to best, and no one else's.

Sitting on the edge of a tall, abandoned skyscraper, Zenyatta observed the city below him.

With the sky bleeding orange and the sun about to set, he felt safe enough to come out of hiding, sure that he would not be bothered, the cool air of the late afternoon pleasant against his ever heated chassis.

He only had six of his mala on him and they circled around his neck slowly, while the rest was off, observing, gathering information which was sent to his processors to be analysed and compiled.

A year since the change had allowed Zenyatta to become accustomed to the rush of extra input data his orbs gave him, but at first it had been almost overwhelming to be connected with nine different cameras at the same time. His capacity was not that of a human so he had adapted, but that did not mean it had been easy.

At first, he had kept the orbs on himself all the time, only sending one out to serve as a scout whenever he moved, but soon he had realised the usefulness of having nine he could spread around to gather info, and had started to use them as much as he could to minimize having to leave the safety of his hiding spots.

They were quite useful, yet Zenyatta still would give that up, if only to see, once again, the familiar shape of his mala as they had once been.

He sighed deep in his synth, and straightened his back.

This city was beautiful from where he was sitting, and the sight allowed him some respite, helping to put his soul at ease.

Skyscrapers as far as he eye could see, with slowly moving flying machines into the distance, not too many to make the view unsightly, and down below, a sea of metal and green alike, in a beautiful, breath-taking mix.

This view, and so many more like this, was why Zenyatta had left the comfort of the Shambali monastery at the start of his journey, with the promise of so many things to learn and see with his own optical receptors rather than second hand through other people's tales.

After his change, though, he'd had limited options.

At first, he had only decided to stop in this place by chance; he had discussed for a long time with his brother where he should go, what he would have to do, and searching out in bigger cities where more monsters would come had seemed like the best idea.

They had no idea where to start, only that they had to start somewhere.

Zenyatta had been infected by something, his entire structure changed from scratch, twisted and reworked in ways he had not expected could be possible prior to it happening to him. Nanomachines of this calibre, hi-tech and self-replicating, were something he'd never encountered before.

He had no idea why he had been targeted, or by who, or to what purpose.

It could have been personal or it could have been by chance, but the fact remained that Zenyatta had changed, and was different, and had to re-learn everything about himself in the span of a few weeks while being hunted down and assaulted.

For months, he had fought, ran and tried to seek information, at times even facing monsters and talking with them. Some had been more or less forthcoming, as they'd viewed him as one of them, not as an enemy, but none had answers, and most hadn't wanted to bother with him regardless.

Bigger cities had been a gamble, but one he had needed to take.

Some cities had heroes, others had none, and ultimately Zenyatta had wanted to stay in one that was unprotected, to avoid their attention, but in the end, he had settled for this city –in its beauty, it was one of the most plagued by monsters, and though it had enough heroes to ensure the citizen were protected, well…

Zenyatta had been fascinated by the sentai.

The tech they used held traces of something else, something Zenyatta could feel prickle under his fingertips, and through his senses if he reached out.

They had it buried within them, used it to fight the monsters but it was almost subdued, though the White sentai could reach out to it quite well, harnessing it and using it to both aid and heal her companions…

It was something old yet new, a mix of magic and technology, but there was also something else.

And then…

And then, Zenyatta had watched the Green sentai fight.

Almost reckless, at first he'd used his powers just as much as the others had –sparingly, only when he needed to deliver a final blow– except that…

There had been one fight that Zenyatta had witnessed from afar, when he had felt the rattling of the sentai's spirit vibrate through the space between them like a physical blow, and within its ripples, Zenyatta had felt a kinship, a feeling not unlike that of the Iris.

The sentai had harnessed the strength of a dragon –a spirit that for most was a mythical best– entrenched in ethereal powers, powerful, and was using its aid in his battles.

Zenyatta had not recognized the feeling because he had kept himself separate from the sentai, not wishing to engage the heroes in a fight when they did not know who he was, nor would they understand, so he had missed the familiarity of such a creature… until then.

Even from such a distance, away from the fight, it was the first time in a year that Zenyatta had felt close to the Iris again.

Shut off from its touch, unable to reach out, no matter how much he tried, too far from Mondatta and unable to meet with him in order to keep the Shambali safe, Zenyatta had truly felt abandoned by the Iris, but here, in that moment, Zenyatta had felt an echo of it in the power within the Dragon, and his soul had been soothed, a feeling not unlike drinking something hot in a chilling day after going thirsty for too long.

Zenyatta had been unable to look away, mesmerized, as a part of his soul attempted to reach out, as if he could, by proxy, touch the Iris and be complete again… though it had not happened.

His longing had stalled him, made him forget everything in his need to feel, and then he had watched the battle unfold.

He had felt, through that distant brush, the sentai's determination, and the will to help, protect and challenge himself, the exhilaration of the battle, the connection he had with the dragon within him, the desire to be a change to the world with his own strength.

The battle had been difficult, with his three companions incapacitated, and the Green sentai had fought alone –the situation so dire Zenyatta had thought to join, if only for a moment.

He knew it would not work –he would reveal himself to them, and nothing would change, even if he aided the sentai to win, but…

Zenyatta had seen other heroes be defeated by monsters in the past. Some he had stepped in to help, only to be pushed away. Some he had been unable to save, getting there too late.

Here, and now, he had been ready to expose himself for he had the chance to help and Zenyatta would never hesitate–

And then the sentai had summoned his dragon.

Appearing in the air above him, drenching the sentai's body with its light, powerful and majestic, it had been like Green sentai had been born anew, though bleeding and battered, but not broken.

In such a battle, against all odds, the sentai had fought back with all he had, despite the dangers, despite the injuries, despite the fact that he could have died there, alone, protecting his teammates.

Green sentai had fought back and had won.

After that, Zenyatta chose to stay.

It was not a decision born simply due to his longing for the Iris, though. He did wish to feel its touch again –every day, always, the pain of its absence was like a wound– but the dragon's connection to the Iris was a mere echo. Its existence was linked closely to nature and its powers touched upon the Iris, but it was not, and never would be, the Iris itself.

Even if he happened to see Genji harness its powers again, it would do nothing to Zenyatta except make his core burn for something that was not his to take, not anymore.

No –he had decided to stay because for the long months he'd spent travelling ni his new form, Zenyatta had started to fear losing his grasp on what was left of the omnic he had once been.

Six months were a lot of time to spend on his own, with the only contact he had with someone else being the calls he had with his brother, who was too far to help, so far…

He had not wavered, but the despair of being truly alone, disconnected and changed, with no help in sight, had worn him down little by little, and even his soul had been afraid that with time, he would lose sight of himself.

It had not happened yet, but the fear had been there, and… in that desperate sentai fighting against all odds, Zenyatta had seen a flicker of light, and had felt a connection there.

Unknowingly, the sentai had offered Zenyatta something he'd needed without knowing it –a reminder that he could overcome his own battles, even those he felt were lost, if he kept on fighting.

The sentai, acclaimed hero who fought against monsters, protecting the city, had in that moment become Zenyatta's own hero.

And now, over six months later, Zenyatta had started to see this city, for how limited his view of it could be, a bit as his home.

Many things had changed since he had established himself here –he had met others who were like him, misshapen creatures twisted and turned into monsters seemingly without reason or cause, he had started protecting them, seeking them out, stopping the sentai from defeating them…

There was, in the end, another purpose for his presence here.

Maybe the Iris could not reach for him anymore like this, but it still had its ways to guide Zenyatta, after all.

The sentai were some of the ones who refused to kill monsters unless they hurt people, and instead used some sort of tech to cast the monsters away, but… if the choice for such creatures was either defeat and exile back to wherever they came from or death…

What did happen to monsters who were humans once, or those who had been omnics instead?

Were they truly sent to the monsters' realm, wherever that might be? Or was their last vestige of humanity what kept them from it, and sent them to their death instead?

Zenyatta had seen it, before he could stop it from happening, only once –and he still had no answer.

Yet it meant no one else knew, either.

Humans and omnics alike ran from monsters to protect themselves, and it made attempting to connect with them impossible. The aura that monsters had kept everyone else away, and those who had been turned were the same. Their own families refused to listen, so none of them had anywhere to go. Zenyatta sought out those he could find and sent them all to the Shambali, the only ones who were able to withstand the sudden, irrational fear through their meditation and by touching the Iris.

Since Zenyatta had realised he was not alone, he had vowed to himself not to let the sentai –or any hero– catch a transformed monster ever again.

It did not matter that the sentai had no way of knowing that some of the monsters they fought against were not really monsters at all, but in the end it was not important that they did not know, as Zenyatta could not reach out to them, even if he still tried.

Zenyatta knew. And since he did, it was his duty to make sure no hero could slay an innocent, even if they did not know.

It was a weight he would not allow the sentai to bear.

Zenyatta had decided to help those who could not be otherwise helped, even if that meant gaining the fame of a monster collector –of a Cultist, growing an army of acolytes to defeat humans and omnics alike.

It did not matter if none of the 'monsters' he collected were ever seen again afterwards, or if Zenyatta, hiding himself and using this fame to his own devices, had struck on other monsters as well to prevent them from attacking the sentai.

And if he could not do anything else, if he was destined to see his own fame as a monster grow, and others to only see him as something to be defeated… well then.

It would be alright.

The more attention he gathered, the more dangerous he grew to be, the more people would come to investigate. Maybe then, one of them would know something… anything… pertaining to what had happened to him and to so many others.

For this, Zenyatta would keep fighting, and would accept even the worst accusations, and the lies, and the fake proof that was so easy to gather up, when none of the heroes knew better.

Even if he had to do it on his own, Zenyatta would find a way to turn back to how he was, and with him, all the others.

It was all a matter of when.