Roadhog waited at the door of the office, listening as Junkrat screamed bloody murder from inside the dropship hovering outside. He waited until the bay door finally closed, cutting off the ungodly screeching before the hum of the engines faded off into the distance. He had to force his hand to unclench from around the handle of his hook, inwardly cursing at himself for letting that little bit of weakness show, even though no one was around to see it. It would be okay. This was part of the plan. Enemies or not, he knew Junkrat would be much safer in Overwatch's hands than here with him… And Reaper. The younger man would scream and bitch about it, and Roadhog knew he was going to hear about this later, but it would all be sorted out in the end. Now he just had one last thing to sort out himself.
He finally shoved his way past the office door and out into the hall, where Reaper's frozen form still stood where they'd left him, though there was an ever-growing puddle of water gathered at his feet. He wouldn't be standing there like that for much longer. The Junker Enforcer bent down to pick up his Scrapgun, trying not to grunt too loudly as the hellshot still embedded in his shoulder dug into his wound. He hoisted the massive weapon up and aimed it mere inches in front of Reaper's face. He wasted no time in pulling the trigger.
What blasted away from the wide barrel of his gun was not the satisfying rain of blood and bone that usually sprayed forth on those all-too-rare occasions when he got to shoot someone at point-blank range. Instead, a puff of black mist exploded away in a swirling torrent as pieces of scrap metal shot through it harmlessly. Roadhog lowered his weapon as he watched the mist slither away across the floor, disappearing down the far staircase. If only he had gotten out here a few seconds earlier…
A gruff sigh rumbled out from behind his mask. Oh well. He just had to make sure he put that bastard out of his misery for good next time. For now, he had a ship to catch.
It wasn't more than a few minutes until Athena let the dropship lower to the ground once more, but those had to have been the longest few minutes of Winston's life. He kept as firm a hold on Junkrat's squirming body as he could, enduring everything from an armored elbow to the jaw to the kind of profane insults that would make a Navy Seal blush. The gorilla was really starting to wonder how Roadhog managed to deal with this man day in and day out. It was like trying to look after an unpredictable toddler – if said toddler was six and a half feet tall with a vest full of explosives strapped to his chest.
They touched down soon enough atop one of the buildings nearby, near the alleyway where Junkrat's tunnel had been hidden. As soon as they were out of the air, the lanky Junker managed to slip out of Winston's grasp and dart over to the bay door.
"Lemme outta here, ya fuckin' drongos! Let me out!" he shrieked, clawing desperately at the door with no success. Winston let out a sigh, shooting Mercy a pleading look.
"I'm normally not one to suggest this, but… Can't you sedate him or something? This is getting a little out of hand…" he asked somewhat sheepishly. Mercy merely arched a thin eyebrow.
"Trust me, If I had any sedatives on me he'd be out cold by now."
Before Winston had a chance to reply, Junkrat suddenly stopped his fussing. The abruptness of it was enough to pull everyone's full attention on him. The lanky Junker no longer clawed futilely at the window, but instead had his face pressed up against it.
"Oi! What the hell is that?" he asked no one in particular, too confused to be distressed any longer, apparently. Just about everyone in the group crowded around the window, all trying to see what it was. There by the hole in the concrete lay what looked to be a large amorphous piñata, as all anyone could see was a bundle of red and gold paper strips. Then, quite unlike a piñata, it moved. The stout figure stood up, two long golden braids sticking out amongst the hectic tangle.
"It's Torbjörn!" Tracer shouted, unable to stifle a giggle at the engineer's new 'costume.' Clearly he'd still been in the middle of dismantling the 'bombs' in the basement when they went off. Winston let out a sigh of relief before reaching over to hit the release on the door.
"Watch how yer tossin' me around, ya great bruiser!" Torbjörn could be heard shouting from under the mess of confetti, trying with some difficulty to rip the stuff off. A low growl could be heard behind him, and a large hand came down over the edge of the tunnel hole, Roadhog hoisting himself up and out a moment later.
"Mako!" Junkrat called out, and in a burst of speed one really would have thought impossible for someone like him, he leapt out of the dropship and closed the distance between himself and his bodyguard before anyone could react. The smaller man scaled the other like a spider monkey, latching himself onto the Junker Enforcer's non-injured arm.
"Don't you ever pull that shit again, Hoggie! If you die, I swear I'll… I'll… I'll fire ya, ya giant dickhead!"
Though Winston was sure he could sense Roadhog's eyes rolling behind the dark lenses of his mask, the man made no attempt to shake off his new little arm decoration. He merely let him cling there as he made his way silently aboard the dropship.
The ride back to base was certainly one of the more interesting ones any of them had made. Roadhog more or less took up one of the back corners and sat there, calm as could be. Even so, everyone kept their distance from the large brute, not wanting to do anything to pique his anger, despite his injured state. An angry Roadhog in an enclosed environment such as this was a dangerous beast indeed. Of course, not everyone stayed away. Mercy had made an attempt to treat his shoulder wound, but was warded away almost instantly by Junkrat. The scrawny Junker slipped in between her and his partner, hissing like a damned feral cat. Once she backed off, he hobbled back to Roadhog's side.
Winston could see Mercy's nose scrunch up in utter distaste as the scavenger pulled out a dingy roll of bandages from the satchel at his hip – bandages that had most definitely been used before, by the looks of them – and proceeded to wrap the larger man's wound himself. The doctor made one last attempt to intervene, but was waved away by Roadhog in such a way that only Junkrat couldn't see the gesture. The message there was pretty clear; 'Just humor him for now, you can treat it proper when he's calmed down.' She still didn't like it, but Mercy backed down after that.
When the ship finally touched down in the hangar of the Geneva base, Soldier 76 was already there and waiting. Winston couldn't help but cringe as he caught the commander's eye from the window. The man may have worn a mask, but the gorilla could still tell just by looking at him that he was not as pleased to meet these two new 'recruits' as he had the others. No, they were definitely going to get quite the talking to, he could feel it already.
Everyone else could feel it, too, apparently. When the hatch opened, no one dared move. After a moment, Soldier 76 walked aboard himself, his hands folded neatly behind his back. He took a long hard glance around the cabin of the ship, watching as each one of his agents found something else to focus their attention on to avoid making eye-contact. Finally, his steely stare settled on the two Junkers. Junkrat – either not knowing any better or simply not caring – merely flashed the commander his signature grin, giving him a little wave with his fingers. Roadhog seemed neither perturbed nor particularly interested in what the man thought. After all, he too could silence a room with a hard enough stare. It wasn't that impressive of a trick to him.
"Winston." Soldier 76 finally rumbled out long after the silence had grown uncomfortable. Winston knew the tone well, and instinctively tried to straighten his posture despite remaining on all fours.
"Look, Jack, I can explain—" he began, but was cut off when the commander suddenly turned his gaze on him. The gorilla could sense the silent reprimand behind that glowing red visor. He stood straighter still, clearing his throat slightly before continuing.
"I-I mean Commander, er… sir… I know this is rather abrupt, not to mention extremely unorthodox, but I assure you that I wouldn't have brought them here without your authorization unless it was absolutely necessary."
Soldier 76 continued to stare at Winston even after he'd finished with his brief explanation. The ape could feel the sweat starting to bead on his forehead. He knew he wasn't going to get out of this without some sort of punishment, but all this stalling would likely kill him from sheer stress before a real dressing-down could be administered! Finally, the commander responded not with words, but by holding out one of the hands he'd kept behind his back the whole time. From said hand dangled two pairs of handcuffs; one was rather normal in size, clearly made for humans, but the other pair was a much larger, much stronger set they'd used on the larger robots back during the first Omnic Crisis.
"Find someplace to put them, somewhere secure. I don't want them wandering around the base while we discuss the situation in full." He ordered, handing the handcuffs off to Winston before turning to leave. Before he could, however, Mercy spoke up.
"Wait a moment, Jack! Roadhog is injured. I'd like to treat his wound before you go locking them up for—"
"Is it life-threatening?"
The doctor was thrown off slightly by the sudden interruption, but soon regained her composure.
"Well… No, but—"
"Then he can deal with it for a while longer."
And with that Soldier 76 left the ship, making it quite apparent that the matter was no longer up for discussion.
Much to Winston's surprise, neither Junkrat nor Roadhog put up a fight when they were asked to come along to the holding cell. Hell, the younger of the two even held out his wrists to be cuffed without an ounce of apprehension in his face. Their complete acceptance of the situation was enough to make the ape hesitate, at which Junkrat couldn't help but flash an amused grin.
"No worries, mate. I've busted outta tougher prisons than this before. I ain't worried. 'Sides, I'm thinkin' this might just be the first one I'd sooner bust into than try ta get away."
The way the Junker said it did nothing to soothe Winston's unease, but he proceeded to cuff the two and lead them inside. The path to the holding cells led down into the basement levels. Mercy had been rather skeptical of the need for them, as Overwatch wasn't in the habit of taking prisoners. However, Soldier 76 insisted on them, and one didn't argue the point when he of all people insisted. Still, there was no doubt that even he hadn't expected to put them to use so soon.
The cell was a modest one, bare walls and a single solid concrete slab for a bed, though there was enough room in there to keep three or four people in a pinch, Well, three or four normal people. The room suddenly looked a lot smaller once Roadhog ducked his way in, seating himself at the edge of the padded concrete slab and damn near taking up the whole thing. Despite the now cramped accommodations, Junkrat hobbled in after his partner and managed to find a semi-free corner to seat himself. Winston gave the two an apologetic look as he made to unstrap the smaller man's chest harness.
"Sorry if it's a little small. We, uhh… Only have the one cell."
"Oh, it's no problem. Wouldn't be the first time I've had ta share a cell with this big lug. Ya remember that, Hoggie? Good ol' Cell 21! Good times, am I right, mate?" Junkrat replied with a manic giggle, giving his bodyguard a friendly jab in the side with his elbow. Roadhog merely grunted in reply, not seeming much in the mood for his companion's banter at the moment. Winston decided it was probably best to finish disarming the two in silence.
Once all of the weapons had been taken from the two Junkers, Winston backed out of the cell and activated the barrier that would keep them in. A transparent shimmer of blue not unlike Reinhardt's shield flashed across the open wall of the cell. After giving the two men one last uneasy glance, Winston left the holding area and started the long walk up to the debriefing room.
By the time Winston made his way back up to the debriefing room, he found that everyone else who had been on the last mission was already seated around the large table there, with Soldier 76 standing at the head. He ducked his head sheepishly as he came through, taking his usual seat between Tracer and Mercy. Tracer gave the ape a reassuring smile, but could offer little more before their commander got straight down to business.
"Alright, now which one of you is going to tell me exactly what is going on here?" Soldier 76 rumbled out, his visor-obscured eyes scanning the faces in the room. He was met with the same sort of sudden shyness he'd observed on the dropship, no one willing to put their ass on the line for the sake of two insane, violent Junkers. Finally, it was McCree who decided to bite the bullet and get it over with.
"As I understand it, that Junkrat boy found something out in the Australian Omnium that a lotta folks wanna get their hands on. I don't rightly know what it is, but Talon seems to want it somethin' fierce. That whole 'hostage situation' thing was just a rouse to get us out there to save his scrawny ass before Reaper got his claws on 'im. He seemed pretty desperate, boss. We had to make a snap decision. We figured it'd be safer for everyone if we brought him back here rather than let him and his li'l 'treasure' fall into the hands of a bunch of terrorists."
Soldier 76 let his hands rest on the edge of the table, staring down between them as he thought over the new information he was given. There was a long moment of silence in which everyone could have been holding their breath, still quite unsure whether McCree's explanation was enough to defuse the commander's clear anger at the situation.
"Does he have it on him?" he asked finally, never looking up to seek an answer from anyone in particular. McCree shook his head, chewing on the end of his cigar a bit.
"Nah, he says he hid it somewhere. They'll be after him for the location though, and they ain't gonna be all too gentle in their questionin'."
Soldier 76 nodded knowingly before finally straightening up once more.
"Alright, you made a good call. We'll keep them here for now, but I want them under surveillance at all times. Keeping that maniac safe might be for the greater good, but I don't want those two having full run of the b—"
"Oh, so we can stay? Ripper! Now, where's the tucker? I could eat the arse end out of a low flyin' duck!"
The sudden interruption of the commander's orders was enough to pull an audible gasp from everyone present for multiple reasons. Firstly, one does not interrupt Soldier 76 mid-sentence. Ever. Secondly, the person doing the interrupting was supposed to be securely locked up in a cell downstairs. Soldier 76's visor practically flared with quiet rage as he slowly turned to face the lanky scavenger who had somehow managed to materialize in the far corner, idly twirling his handcuffs around his index finger. Junkrat flashed the commander a wide grin, waving at him with his free hand.
"What in the high holy hell are you doing up here?" the old soldier hissed out through tightly gritted teeth, his fists clenched so hard that they shook at his sides. The Junker, seemingly oblivious to his rage, replied with a casual shrug of his shoulders.
"Got bored. Cozy as it is, there ain't much ta do when yer locked up in a jail cell. I mean, I suggested the obvious; a good round of rough prison sex, but Hoggie wasn't havin' any of that talk, so I had no choice but to break out. Oh, speaking of which… Look, mate, if yer gonna use energy shielding on a cell like that, ya gotta make sure ta insulate the barrier generators against electromagnetic pulses. One li'l EMP grenade was all it took ta turn off yer fairy lights. Ya might wanna, uhh… get on fixin' that."
When Junkrat finally finished his rambling, Soldier 76 turned his glare on Winston.
"I thought I told you to disarm them." He rumbled out, causing the gorilla to flinch away slightly.
"I did! A-at least… I thought I did…" he replied, a look of genuine confusion on his face. The response was a bout of mad laughter.
"Nah, nah, nah, don't go blamin' the monkey fer that! Bloke actually did a decent search of us. Y'know, for an amateur. Thing is, ya been in my line o' work fer long enough, ya learn ta hide contraband in some very creative places, if ya know what I mean."
"Gross…" Mei groaned out, her face twisting up into a grimace of pure disgust.
"Hey now, sometimes ya gotta do what ya gotta do." McCree interjected, nodding his head knowingly as though he himself had been in that situation more than once. The climatologist couldn't help but shudder slightly. She really could have done without knowing that… Just as she really could have done without Junkrat coming up behind her, hooking an arm each around both Mei's and McCree's necks, and pulling them close against his grime-covered torso.
"Oh, we lot are gonna become the best of friends, I can already tell!" he announced gleefully just before getting a face-full of gloved fist and an ear-full of Chinese cursing.
Yes, best of friends, indeed.