It's a struggle to get out of bed the next morning, but the thought of a nice strong coffee is too tempting to resist, so she pulls on a long t-shirt and reluctantly drags herself downstairs.
Angela feels groggy and tired. She thinks she slept alright, but the time on the microwave says it's still far too early for her to be awake after crashing so hard last night. Even if she tried now, though, she wouldn't be able to get back to sleep, so she boils the kettle and resigns herself to needing lots of caffeine before she can function properly today.
Seems like a headache is coming on. Did she really mix drinks? Angela tries to count how many she had and retrospectively wonders why she thought beer was a good idea after cocktails. Oh, right. The new recruits. She smiles, wondering if Junkrat and Roadhog stayed out with the guys if they did indeed move on to Soho after she left. It was probably an eventful night if they did. She certainly enjoyed herself with them, despite her tiredness now.
Angela grabs her phone from where she left it on the kitchen table last night to check for any drunken messages. There aren't any, which is a little odd – usually when she leaves early on these nights out she wakes up to a number of blurry photos from Jesse and all-caps messages from Lena. Perhaps they decided to go home early too?
She texts Lena anyway, knowing she'll reply when she wakes up.
So how was last night? Hope you didn't have too much fun without me! ;)
Angela's head is hurting now and she has this vague worry that she might've had a bit too much to drink after all. She can't remember doing anything particularly embarrassing. Hopefully Lena will let her know if she did.
Taking her coffee outside, Angela curls up on the veranda so she can look out over the garden while she wakes up. The hydrangea and rosebushes are bursting at the seams. This is amazing considering most of Angela's time at home has been spent inside, all gardening neglected in favour of painting walls and stripping carpets. She expects she'll only have a few more days working from home before she'll be needed in HQ on a daily basis, so there's nowhere near enough time start on the garden now. She'll have to call up the caretakers today, arrange for them to stop by every now and again to keep on top of it while she's working all day in the city.
According to her weather app it's going to rain later on through until Monday – a typical washout weekend. Well, at least the temperature won't be so bad. Angela perks up when she's had her coffee and rewards herself with breakfast and a shower, figuring she'll make it a more relaxed Saturday than normal until her headache eases off.
She hasn't received a text back from Lena when she checks a couple of hours later. It's still fairly early in the day though, so she heads out to shop for groceries in town without giving it another thought. Lena finally texts her just as she's leaving the supermarket and Angela rushes to pack everything into her car so she can read it.
Hey doc course not, wasn't the same after you went! Probably good you left when you did though. Sorry for not texting to make sure you got home alright, you feeling okay today?
Angela's eyebrows lift up reading this. She texts back to ask if something happened, only having to wait a minute this time before Lena replies again.
Nah honestly nothing for you to worry about just blokes being blokes lol. How's your Saturday going?
Angela sits back, wondering if something did happen or if she's reading too much into it. Lena doesn't seem interested in providing the details either way, so it's probably best to let it go for now. She'll ask her about it the next time she sees her, perhaps sometime next week.
Angela spends the rest of her weekend working on the spare room downstairs, making the most of this cool, rainy weather. Winston emails her on Saturday evening with the schedule for next month. There's a team briefing she needs to attend first thing on Monday morning and then once the newbies have had their induction, Angela will commence their physical training later in the week. It's been a long time since she had to commute daily to London – been a long time since anything warranted her on full time duty. She suspects this is what the team briefing will be about, a slight sense of dread stirring in her stomach. Perhaps this period of peace is finally coming to an end. It's been an especially long one, this time. Almost a year without anything major happening in fact.
She wonders who else is in on the briefing when she arrives at HQ on Monday morning. Angela is a little late thanks to one of the trains being delayed, but she's still on time – just. She jogs through the corridor to where everyone is waiting outside one of the boardrooms and Lena comes over to greet her.
"Morning doc, you alright?"
"Yes thanks, sorry I'm late," she says. "Signal failure on the tube, as usual."
The briefing must be important as everyone is here, the Junkers and Lúcio clustered around the coffee machine. Angela catches Junkrat's eye over Lena's shoulder. He lifts his head in acknowledgement, grinning at her.
"Typical," Lena sighs, drawing her attention back. "Always happens when you're rushing to get somewhere, doesn't it?"
Angela's weekend was so busy in the end that she'd actually forgotten about Friday night, but there's no time to ask Lena what happened because suddenly the boardroom door opens and Winston is ushering everyone inside. The tables are set out in a horseshoe with Winston at the front ready to present. Angela steps aside allowing Ana and Reinhardt to sit before her, followed by Jack – and then Torbjörn, just as she goes to close the door. She turns to find the only empty space left is between Lena and, of course, Junkrat.
"G'day doc," he says as she sits down. He seems chirpy. "Good weekend?"
"Busy but good, thank you." Junkrat's eyes are still nice and clear, which is a pleasant surprise seeing as the rest of his face is dirty again. Angela smiles at him, anyway. "Dare I ask if it was a good weekend for you?"
"Aw, y'say that like I was up to no good." He says this so innocently that Angela raises an eyebrow at him.
"Were you?"
Junkrat laughs. "Nah, course not! Roadie and I were just having a wander around the city. There's so bloody much to do and see here!"
"Gosh, isn't there just. Where did you go?"
He lists off a couple of places even Angela hasn't heard of. She's not very familiar with Camden but she notices Lena bristle on her other side, clearly listening in. Lena goes there often if she remembers correctly, Camden being one of the more alternative and eclectic parts of the city. It doesn't sound like Junkrat's been on a weekend crime spree, at any rate, but it reminds Angela that she must ask Lena what happened after she left on Friday. Somehow she can't imagine Junkrat going on a night out without something happening, good or bad.
Suddenly Winston clears his throat, and everyone looks over to him.
"Sorry for the short notice on this one," he says. The atmosphere outside felt pretty airy for a Monday morning, but Winston looks stressed, meaning whatever news they're about to receive isn't good. "I just want to preface this by saying I don't think any of us need to panic, just yet, but – there's a bit of situation you all need to be aware of."
The atmosphere certainly isn't airy anymore. Angela straightens up, bracing herself for whatever is coming next.
"Ah - you'll have to accept my apologies for bringing you into this before we've even done your induction," Winston adds, then, addressing the new recruits.
"I think it's good to get some immediate hands-on experience," Jack says, smiling confidently at them. "Any questions, just ask. We understand this'll be new to you."
Winston switches on the projector behind him and everyone looks up at the display. It's a map of Tokyo with several locations circled in red.
"In May we received field reports of an increased omnic presence in and around the greater Tokyo metropolitan area," he says, gesturing at the circles. "Japan's Ministry of Tech were able to correlate the numbers for us to a replacement line of food service units in Shinjuku, and other machinery for a new university campus in Otsuka. All of these omnics were automated – non-AI."
"Wuh - hold on a minute," Junkrat says, scowling. "You mean to tell me there's still active omnic production in Japan?"
"There is indeed, just the same as here and in America," Ana says, answering on Winston's behalf. Junkrat seems shocked by this.
"I thought Omnica had been shut down!"
"All reinstated omniums are government owned nowadays," Lena says, folding her arms. "Didn't you know that?"
Junkrat clearly did not judging by the look on his face. He glances around in disbelief. "And – and what, nobody has a problem with this?"
"The crisis ended years ago," Ana reminds him, gently. "Production guidelines are stricter than they were then. Omnics are part of daily human life now."
Angela can feel Junkrat prickling beside her. He does not seem happy at all about this, but it looks like Winston wants to move the subject along before they go off topic. He points back to the map, where the display has changed to a world view with a few other locations circled.
"Anyway, we noticed that this increased presence was occurring elsewhere at the same time. Again, when we made contact with the relevant authorities, all the increased numbers matched up to similarly automated replacement units. So… not a problem, right?"
"Bit funny that all these replacement units were needed throughout so many locations at the same time," Lena says.
"Our thoughts exactly," Winston says. "As we first noticed this happening in Japan, we were able to trace back the issue to a software update rolled out from an omnium in Ibaraki prefecture."
"And a patch was issued, correct?" Ana asks.
"That's right. We didn't hear anymore until last month when Genji reported a rogue omnic just outside Otsuka, weeks after the patch was supposedly live."
Angela leans forward in her seat. "He's alright, isn't he?"
"Genji is fine," Winston tells her, and she sits back again, sufficiently reassured.
"Thank you."
"However, there have been a number of incidents which have occurred in the same area since then." Winston pauses to adjust his glasses. He grimaces then, looking down at his notes. "And… last week, the Ibaraki omnium had to be decommissioned in the wake of some automated units suddenly displaying symptoms of aggressive AI activity."
Ah. There it is. The scenario nobody wanted to hear.
"It was only found in units with a particular processer which had been shipped from the same omnium," Winston adds, hastily. "We're assuming that some of them were shipped out of Japan in error which would explain why we've had malfunctioning units in other countries."
"Well, how many?" Ana asks.
Winston pauses. "That is something we don't know, yet."
"Oh no," Hana murmurs. It's a succinct description of what everyone in the room is feeling. Winston lifts his hands in a calming, 'slow down' sort of motion.
"I know, I know, none of you wanted to hear this. I certainly wish I didn't have to hold a meeting on it. But we've had this happen before and nothing has come of it. We're just erring on the side of caution here – nothing more than that, at the moment."
Hana is visibly distressed. Lúcio bunts his shoulder against hers and offers a reassuring smile. She smiles back appreciatively, but it's plain to see what's on her mind. The last thing any of them want is yet another crisis.
"Looks like it's back to business," Ana says, rubbing her temples.
"Hey, we've had a pretty good run for the last year," Jack says. "We knew it wasn't going to last forever."
"And we're already one step ahead," Winston says. "This is precisely why we're sending you three over to Tokyo – it's a precaution more than anything."
"Flight's tomorrow, right?" Jesse asks. Ana nods, and Hana looks marginally less distressed now, nodding too.
The display changes again as Winston discusses some other data that's been compiled over the last few weeks. Beside her, Angela notices Junkrat slouching back in his seat, arms folded tightly over his chest. While she's disappointed that he's reacted in such a close-minded manner, it also isn't very surprising. She can't tell if Roadhog feels the same but she can feel tension in both of them. Angela hopes they'll realise how different the world is today. It makes her want to say or do something to reassure them, but sadly they know as much as she does.
Everyone has different concerns. Winston spends about an hour fielding questions but it would appear that even he doesn't have many answers.
"Ultimately this could all be an innocent coincidence," he says then, shutting off the projector. "But I'll be honest, everyone needs to be prepared should it develop any further. We will keep you updated as soon as we learn more."
"And our outsourced agents are aware?" Reinhardt asks.
"Yes, all of them. We've also contacted Vishkar so that if necessary we can bring Satya on-board again."
Winston is referring to Fareeha, Mei and Zarya, who are subcontracted to Overwatch when needed and mostly report to the Japanese headquarters. Zenyatta and Bastion are also based in Japan but Angela is relieved that nobody has mentioned them by name. She'd like to think that Junkrat is already aware of Overwatch's omnic agents as they are now his colleagues, too, but even if he is, somehow she doesn't think he'll be happy about potentially working with them in the future.
"Thanks for your time everyone," Winston says. "Please stay positive. I know this isn't good news, but there are more of us now than ever and we're going to work together. I cannot, and will not, allow another crisis to happen. And I don't think any of you will, either."
He always shoulders the responsibility of bearing bad news like this in a way that's somehow still uplifting. There's a ripple of thanks from the team then, and he's about to adjourn the briefing when he suddenly remembers something.
"Oh, right, I can't believe I forgot – we have good news as well! I'm sure you've already said hello but please, everyone, if you'd like to welcome on-board our three newest agents."
The newbies make their formal introductions, some of the tension in the air lifting as they offer a couple of sentences about themselves. Reinhardt scolds Winston for missing the toast on Friday night, and when Winston says he'll organise a big Halloween event to compensate everyone looks around excitedly. There's nothing quite like planning a party to relax the mood of an otherwise depressing meeting. Halloween is always one of the highlights of Overwatch's working year, along with the Christmas party and New Year. It's a good reminder that regardless of what happens, life has to – and will – go on.
Winston goes through the other Monday morning updates and then everyone is filing out, the omnic dread lightened into excitement for several upcoming social events. Angela gets herself a coffee from the machine and watches the three new agents disappear down the corridor with Winston. Junkrat still doesn't look particularly happy, his face sullen and his hands in his pockets as he skulks behind the others. Hopefully when he's up to speed on everything the mere existence of omnics won't provoke such a kneejerk reaction from him. Ana was right, after all – they are simply part of human life nowadays.
"Can't believe it's almost lunchtime already," Lena says, leaning against the wall beside Angela. "Fancy getting a sandwich with me?"
Angela checks her watch. "Gosh, you're right. Let's go now so we beat the rush."
They head out of HQ and across the street to Lena's favourite coffee chain. She tries to pay for them both, as usual, but Angela insists, so Lena goes to find them a table instead.
"What do you think about all this then?" she says, mixing her iced coffee with the straw.
"It's not good, is it," Angela says. "I'm wondering if the newbies have been brought on board specifically for this."
"Surely they would've told us before if that was the case," Lena says, looking worried. She's referring to the veterans – to Ana and Jack. Angela shakes her head.
"I don't know. Sometimes it feels like they're kept in the dark just as much as we are, these days."
Back when Ana and Jack were in charge, their bespoke and cooperative approach to management meant the tight-knit team they fostered always knew what was going on. Ever since Overwatch was bought out by the government neither Jack nor Ana seem privy to the same information they used to be years ago. Apparently the new higher ups prefer to use Winston as their mouth piece instead, drip-feeding information on a strictly need-to-know basis. Angela doesn't like that Overwatch has become so impersonal and business-oriented, but nonetheless, it's brought everyone together again – and ultimately still pays the bills.
"Talking about being kept in the dark, can you believe Junkrat this morning?" Lena asks incredulously. "Is he just completely oblivious to the world around him or something? It's like he's forgotten what year we're in."
"Oh, you mean – the omniums?" Angela hums. "I did think it was a little odd that he wasn't aware."
"Hope he realises he's probably going to work with a couple of omnics in the future," Lena huffs, referring to Zenyatta and Bastion.
"So long as he tries to get along with everyone that's all we can ask for," Angela says. "You never know, he might feel differently once he's met them."
"Mm." Lena stirs her iced coffee again. "He didn't make a particularly good impression on Friday, if I'm honest."
She was about to take a bite of her panini but Angela immediately puts it down. She suspected that whatever happened on Friday would be linked to him in some way, but she was rather hoping it wasn't anything bad.
"I've been dying to ask you about that – what happened after I left?"
"Ugh," Lena says, rolling her eyes. "We went on to the club and everyone started drinking a lot. Like a lot. And I mean - that Roadhog, he was alright, but Junkrat was so – loud."
Angela grins at her. "And you're not when you've had a few?"
"Well, yeah," she scoffs, "but he was obnoxious. Kept spilling his drink everywhere, got it all over Hana's jacket. I told him to watch it and he didn't like it, then he spilt beer over my bloody shoes and had the nerve to call me 'your majesty' when he finally managed to apologise!"
"Oh dear," Angela says, feeling guilty that she actually finds this quite funny. "It sounds like he was having a good time with you though, despite your poor shoes. And Hana's jacket."
"Yeah, too good a time if you ask me. Then he was – ugh." Lena wrinkles her nose and sits back in her chair. "Doesn't matter."
"What?" Angela leans forward, intrigued by this morsel of gossip being dangled in front of her. "Tell me!"
"Oh, doc, it was so embarrassing," Lena says, shaking her head. "There was this- girl at the bar and he started chatting her up while we were waiting for drinks. Like full-on going for it."
Angela's eyes widen. "Really?"
"Yes! It was SO cringeworthy. He wasn't getting the message at all, coming on way too strong. Calling her gorgeous, insisting on buying her a drink and all that."
"What happened? He wasn't rude, was he?"
"Not rude, just… arrogant? Weird? He must've thought she was up for it because she looked… Not to be rude or anything, but sort of just." Lena pauses, probably not wanting to be mean.
"Wild?" Angela supplies, imagining the sort of person Junkrat would go out of his way to flirt with.
"That's – yeah, that's one way of putting it," Lena says, grinning despite herself. "Anyway, she told him to sod off and he got sulky after that, which was pretty funny. They left not long afterwards, he and Roadhog."
"Gosh," Angela says, surprised at how... well, surprised she is by this. It lends more credit to her theory that Junkrat and Roadhog aren't an item - not that it matters either way - but this is still nowhere near enough proof for her to be certain.
"Yeah. Typical bloke response to being way too forward," Lena shrugs. "The club was crap though, you honestly didn't miss out on anything. Er. Aside from Hana having too much to drink."
"Oh no. She wasn't sick this time, was she?"
Lena winces. Angela groans.
"We kept telling her to drink more water but you know how stubborn she is!"
"Yes, just like someone else I know, funnily enough!" Angela says, narrowing her eyes at Lena, who immediately looks away.
"No idea who you're talking about!"
They laugh then, the conversation shifting to cover the rest of Friday evening. It doesn't sound like the sort of club Angela would ordinarily enjoy but she's a little disappointed to have missed out after all. She probably would've been able to coerce Hana to drink more water for one thing, but for another, Angela also can't help feeling curious about the woman at the bar – the one Junkrat was flirting with. She can understand being irritated if he was spilling his drink everywhere, something even she's done before when she's been really drunk, but Junkrat being a bit too forward with someone wasn't quite what she was expecting when Lena intimated that his behaviour had been problematic.
"Oh my god, did you see Lúcio and Hana during the meeting though?" Lena asks excitedly, pulling Angela out of thought.
"Yes!" she says, immediately matching Lena's excitement. "I just knew they'd get along!"
"Yeah, the three of us were hanging around Shoreditch yesterday and I was basically a third wheel - couldn't get a word in edgeways!"
"That's wonderful!" Angela says, delighted to hear this. "I mean - not that you were a third wheel."
"No, no, I know," Lena laughs. "I was more than happy to be, though. Not sure if they like like each other yet but it's still early days."
Angela sighs dreamily. "Is it bad that I'm already rooting for them?"
"Doc, I think we're all rooting for them," Lena says. "Screw what HR think, I think we could do with a good romance to gossip about!"
"Oh, absolutely!" Angela says. HR haven't needed to worry about any interpersonal relationships between the agents thus far, but the communications that went out a couple of years ago indicated that if any were to happen, they'd need to be declared officially.
"Speaking of, I've been meaning to ask - how's everything going with you?" Lena asks. "It's been sooo long since we had a proper catch up."
"With me?"
"Yeah! Any guys I need to know about?" Lena waggles her eyebrows. "Any girls, even?"
Angela laughs, looking down at her coffee with an embarrassed smile. "Oh, no, I'm afraid it's the same as ever for me."
"Aw, you're joking! Aren't you still doing Kindling?"
"Gosh, not for a long time. I've been too busy working on the house to even think about it," Angela says. In truth, she disabled Kindling along with her other dating apps a couple of months ago, after a particularly disappointing date in the city with a man who was only interested in sex. In hindsight, perhaps even that would've been preferable to nothing at all. Angela can't remember the last time she was with anyone like that.
"So no dates?"
"A few! Just none that were worth pursuing."
"Awww," Lena says with a pout. "That's such a shame."
Angela smiles, flattered by Lena's concern for her love life. "It's fine, really, I'm happy as I am. Work is very fulfilling and it seems like I wouldn't have time for a relationship even if I was looking for one now."
"Agh, I suppose that's true. Still, anytime you need a wingwoman, I'll be ready!"
"I'll be sure to keep that in mind," Angela chuckles. While she does appreciate Lena's sentiment, it's going to be a while before she's ready to throw herself back into the excruciating world of online dating, especially now that so much of her time is going to be dedicated to Overwatch. She doesn't even have time to potter around in the garden, much less cultivate a relationship. Never mind. Work is more important, anyway.
Once lunch is over it's time to head back. Lena is meeting with Winston to assist with the afternoon induction, and Angela has some documentation she needs to grab from her office before she can leave for the day. She doesn't bump into anyone else before she leaves, so she sends out a couple of emails on the train home – one to Ana, Jesse and Hana wishing them a safe journey to Japan, and another to the newbies, detailing the schedule of their physical training and when they'll need to arrive at HQ. The three of them will be spending the next few days in a classroom with Winston, learning about Overwatch's history, going over health and safety protocols and essentially signing their lives away on dozens of legal forms and other paperwork. Angela has no doubt that they'll all be bored out of their minds by the time they're in her hands, though hopefully raring to go as a result.
There are a few replies by the time she gets back home and settled in her office, but nothing comes through from Junkrat or Roadhog until the evening. Seems like they've only just arrived home - unless they're off out again, replying from their phones. Angela closes her laptop and grabs her phone too, figuring she can read what they've said while she's preparing dinner.
To: A Ziegler
From: M Rutledge
Subject: RE: Physical Training – Schedule
Hi,
Thanks. Will be there.
R
Succinct, yet polite. Angela smiles, tapping open the email from Junkrat.
To: A Ziegler
From: J Fawkes
Subject: RE: Physical Training – Schedule
Training best not be as boring as induction. Felt like I was gonna explode from being so bloody BORED.
Angela laughs reading this. She can picture Junkrat clearly, sitting at a desk in the classroom twitching like mad from having to sit through hours of presentations. He was twitchy enough during his medical exam, but even that would've been more engaging than the induction. She types out a reply to him.
To: J Fawkes
From: A Ziegler
Subject: RE: Physical Training – Schedule
Isn't that a normal feeling for you?
Angela sends this off before dinner, aware that it isn't a hugely professional communication to send to a new colleague but reasonably sure Junkrat won't mind. She checks her phone again after she's eaten to see a new email has come through from him.
To: A Ziegler
From: J Fawkes
Subject: RE: Physical Training – Schedule
Exploding? Yes. From boredom? NO!
Oh dear. Angela is grinning while she types out her reply.
If you can survive the next few days, I will endeavour to make training as fun as possible!
That's probably a bit better. She refreshes her emails before taking a shower and then again afterwards, but nothing comes through. Angela's phone doesn't buzz with Junkrat's response until she's in bed reading an hour or so later.
That's a pretty big if but as it's you doc I'll do my best!
Angela is charmed by this but feels a pang of guilt, too, thinking about Winston having to conduct the induction in the first place. As boring as it is for Junkrat it's also an additional responsibility on poor Winston, who gets lumbered with even more paperwork than she does.
Make sure you do your best for Winston as well! she writes, easing some of her guilt. Junkrat's response comes through quickly this time, just as she's ready to switch off the bedside lamp to get some sleep.
Lol will do. Cheers doc!
Angela is smiling when she puts her phone aside. If Junkrat's emails are anything to go by, training is probably going to be even more entertaining than she thought.
The weather is as cool and rainy as it was over the weekend during the next few days, which is convenient while she's working from home. Just as Angela thinks the English summer is already over before they've even hit August, however, the temperature decides to ramp up again on Thursday morning, and the underground train is hot and stuffy as she makes her way back to HQ. All the weather reports on her phone detail an incoming heatwave throughout England. Luckily she's going to be spending most of this heatwave in an air-conditioned environment, so it seems like she's commuting to London at just the right time.
The newbies are waiting for her in reception. As per instruction they are suitably dressed in shorts, t-shirts, and comfortable shoes. Angela rounds them into the elevator so they can head down to HQ's training facility.
"So, how was your induction?" she asks them. The collective ugh that follows makes her chuckle into her hand.
"Brain-meltingly boring," Junkrat groans.
"Winston is real nice and all but I'm sorry, there is no way of making health and safety regulations interesting," Lúcio says. "Doesn't help that we had to share yesterday's presentation with some of the new guys from… what was it, finance?"
Junkrat groans even louder at this, clawing at his own face. "We spent an entire hour going over car parking arrangements because Dave kept asking questions. An entire hour! JUST GET THE BLOODY TUBE!"
Angela doesn't hide her laugh this time. Their financial department has a reputation for its staff being quite … pernickety, to put it politely. Even Roadhog is shaking his head.
"It was tedious," he grunts. "No bearing on what we've been employed for at all."
"I'm sure Winston finds it just as tedious," Angela says, sympathetically. "Everyone has to go through it and I don't think any of us enjoyed the induction period, honestly. On a positive note, you're now ready to move on to the interesting stuff. No more presentations!"
They all puff out a unified sigh of relief, and Angela is excited for them as they reach the basement. The training facility here is a large area split off into two main parts – an extensive practice range and a thoroughly kitted out gym. Lúcio, Junkrat and Roadhog all have varying physical abilities, making it essential to note their strengths and weaknesses so that missions can be appropriately delegated. Angela herds them into the gym to begin some cardio exercises, attending them individually to get them wired up for monitoring. This seems to be well within Lúcio's comfort zone but Roadhog is a little more furtive about getting on the treadmill.
"This isn't a race," Angela assures him, patting his arm once she's fixed a band around his bicep. "Just go at whatever speed you find comfortable."
Roadhog nods before starting to jog at a very careful pace. Angela looks down at her tablet as the corresponding app becomes populated with various numbers, pleased by the convenience of having this information collated electronically. It'll give her a good indication of their general fitness levels without needing to waste time making notes.
When she heads over to Junkrat, Angela stares at him. He grins obliviously at her.
"Your face is dirty," she says.
"Oh, er, is it?" Junkrat laughs nervously. "Hadn't noticed."
Angela fishes in the pocket of her labcoat for her travel-sized handwipes. She whips one out, making him flinch.
"Clean, please," she instructs, remaining stern in the face of Junkrat's obvious aversion to this. He takes the wipe with a grumble and cleans himself, shoving it away when he's done.
"There," he huffs.
"Thank you." Angela takes it from him with a smile. "How have your eyes felt, by the way?"
Junkrat softens a little at this. "Better," he concedes, looking away from her when the treadmill prompts him to enter his age and weight. "Not stinging anymore."
"Wonderful. They're even clearer than the last time I saw you so the drops must be working."
Junkrat smiles when he looks back at her, though it's still sort of begrudging.
"Thanks, doc."
"Not at all." Angela straightens up then, clearing her throat. "Now, let's have a look and see how you manage on here."
She stands back, watching Junkrat critically as he walks. It's a strong pace that's made jarring from his pegleg, and while he moves with confidence Angela can see that his mobility is limited. She frowns, knowing there's no workaround for this that wouldn't involve a new leg. Hopefully it won't inhibit him too much when it comes to the more intense workouts she has planned.
Angela takes them through more cardio exercises throughout the day. Lúcio excels in the pacer test and Junkrat's general fitness is satisfactory despite his inability to run. Even Roadhog is able to move relatively quickly in short bursts, and while he requires regular breaks, he copes better than Angela had anticipated. She's happy with their performance when the end of the day comes, dismissing them early so she can spend the rest of her shift updating their medical profiles. Angela also needs to formulate individual fitness programmes for them – something more intense for these first few weeks in preparation for any upcoming missions, and then a regular workout regime to maintain their physical fitness during periods of downtime.
This is easy for Lúcio and Roadhog, but Angela sits at her desk in the training facility's office and stews over what exactly she should do for Junkrat. He didn't struggle with anything today but working out in a gym isn't nearly the same as deployment to an unknown area on unknown terrain. None of the other agents with prosthetics are at nearly the same disadvantage. She worries about how he's going to move around the battlefield when, not if, he's needed in a fight.
It's almost six o'clock when Angela is finishing up, having left Junkrat's programme as a job for tomorrow. London is stifling when she leaves HQ. Home is probably going to be stifling too, a thought which occurs to her just as she settles on the air-conditioned train. By the time it reaches her stop Angela doesn't particularly want to get off, dreading the blanket of heat she knows will hit her when she enters the house.
Thankfully it doesn't turn out to be so suffocating when Angela does arrive home, but unfortunately the weather reports coming in the next day indicate that the temperature is going to soar even higher. Angela grimaces as she reads them, hoping that this is just the British press' usual hyperbole, but the sun is scorching overhead when she leaves the underground. Angela is sweating by the time she greets the newbies, but they're all so eager to get started that she's able to forget about the terrible heat outside.
Once they're back in the gym Angela explains what will be covered today – weights and core exercises, not as a competition but to measure their physical strength. Junkrat's grin sharpens like he's especially excited for this, rubbing his hands together like he can't wait. Angela stops him before he joins the other two with a tap on his shoulder. He blinks around at her.
"Something wrong?" Junkrat asks, looking confused. When she narrows her eyes at him he frowns back at her, annoyed.
"Oh c'mon, doc, really?"
"Yes," Angela says, procuring the packet of handwipes from yesterday. "Really."
Junkrat makes an irritated sound before hurriedly scrubbing his face. It makes sense that he was spilling his drink everywhere on their night out when he can't even keep himself clean. What on earth is he doing that's making him so dirty every time she sees him? Does he simply not bathe? He doesn't seem to stink of body odour if that's the case – just of diesel, like he did in the pub last week. Perhaps he has some sort of vehicle-related hobby after work.
"Better?" he asks, pushing the used wipe back at her. Angela sighs.
"Acceptable," she says, waving him off. "Go on, I'll be over in a moment."
Push-ups are the first order of the day. Lúcio's cardiovascular capabilities far outshine his physical strength meaning that unfortunately he struggles through them. Junkrat, on the other hand, breezes through his, though as Lúcio points out he does have quite an advantage.
"Seriously? Come on, man, he's got a cybernetic," Lúcio says, frowning at Junkrat's arm.
"We tend to measure strength including any cybernetic enhancements, but I understand your point," Angela says. Junkrat stops and stands up, smirking at them both.
"Oh, you want me to do them with one arm? Shoulda said."
Angela and Lúcio watch with wide eyes as Junkrat quite suddenly disengages his metal arm, sets it carefully on the floor, and resumes the push-ups with his right bicep tucked behind his back.
Wow.
"Show-off," Roadhog grunts. Junkrat just laughs, a breathy sound as he's concentrating on maintaining his balance. When he can't do anymore he stands up, wiping his human arm over his forehead to catch some of the sweat that's collected there.
"S'too hot," Junkrat says, pulling off his shirt. He straightens up and smirks at Angela while still catching his breath. "How was that then? Alright for you, Miss Mercy?"
Angela can't say anything with the other two here but she is actually very impressed.
"Yes, I suppose that was alright," she sighs instead, grinning when Junkrat scoffs at her.
"Y'gotta be kidding me! Tch, some people are never satisfied!" he says, reengaging his cybernetic arm. Really, Angela thinks he has every right to be cocky – no wonder his abs are so toned when he's strong enough to do one-armed push-ups like that. Not that she's been looking, of course.
Roadhog is unable to do his push-ups without the use of raised benches due to the size of his belly. When he does, he outperforms Junkrat by a considerable margin, which is about what Angela was expecting.
"Gosh," she says, when Roadhog finally stands back up. "I think we have a winner."
"What?!" Junkrat cries at her. Lúcio looks similarly affronted.
"You told us it wasn't a competition!"
"We can't all be winners," Roadhog says, smugly. Angela tries to stop laughing so she can assure them both that it was indeed just a joke, and then they're all laughing as well, watching her trying to compose herself.
After a good break and hydration, bench presses are the last exercises before lunch. Lúcio's upper body strength is evidently his weakest point as he's unable to complete as many as the other two. Junkrat exceeds Angela's expectations here thanks again to his cybernetic, but Roadhog is stronger than both of them combined. He's able to lift the heaviest weight in the gym without issue. He might even be stronger than Reinhardt, a feat Angela had considered impossible until today. These Junkers are nothing if not surpassing expectation!
"When you've returned from lunch we'll go through the obstacle course," Angela says, grouping them together when the bench presses are done. "That'll be a true test of your endurance."
The boys head up to the cafeteria and Angela checks her phone to find that Lena has texted her. The timing is perfect - she's able to meet her at the coffee chain outside HQ for lunch before heading back down for the afternoon training. Everyone is in good spirits from a productive morning and having a decent break, and Angela is delighted to see how much they enjoy the obstacle course despite how physically demanding it is.
"Gosh, you've all done so well," Angela tells them, handing out cups of ice cold water when they've finished. Lúcio's shirt is off too despite the air-conditioning in the gym and he takes the water gratefully, gulping it down.
"Thanks doc," he gasps out, beaming at her. "This is way more rewarding than the induction. No disrespect to Winston, just – man, it feels good to push yourself!"
Angela smiles. "I understand that. Being part of Overwatch means there's a constant expectation to challenge and improve yourself – to be the best that you can be. Seeing all of you working so hard makes me feel very positive about your future here with us."
Lúcio looks touched by this. So does Junkrat, to be fair, and while Roadhog is harder to read with that mask covering most of his face, his shoulders soften a little like he is, too.
"Anyway, I think now is a good time to finish," Angela says. "I know it's a little early but you've earned it."
The boys pull their shirts back on and Lúcio bids them goodbye. Angela is tapping away on her tablet when Junkrat walks over to her. He grins when she looks up at him, hands in his pockets and face flushed from all the exercise.
"Wanna join us for some bevvies?"
"Oh," Angela says. She wasn't expecting to be invited out. "Thank you for asking, but I don't think I can today."
"Aw. Lots to do?"
"Not too much, but enough to keep me here for a while yet."
Junkrat pulls his hands from his pockets, scratching his human arm with metal fingers.
"Could always join us later on if ya wanted," he suggests. "It is Friday after all!"
Angela would love to take him up on this. It's such a pleasant surprise to be invited out for some casual Friday drinks, but their fitness programmes need to be completed before next week. She shakes her head.
"It's probably best if I pass. Thank you, though, I do appreciate the offer."
"Alright," Junkrat says, looking a little put out. "Guess we'll see ya next week?"
"Yes, I'll see you then. Have fun tonight – but make sure you get some decent rest, too. The practice range will be even tougher than what we've done in the gym so far."
Angela looks over his shoulder to see Roadhog over by the exit waiting for him. She lowers her voice anyway so only he can hear. "You've also set quite a bar for yourself today, Junkrat, so I'm hoping to be similarly impressed next week."
Junkrat's eyes widen at this. He breathes out a laugh like he can't quite believe she's just complimented him.
"Well, alright then!" he says, face sharpening into a look of determination. "I won't letcha down, doc!"
He seems sufficiently challenged by her compliment, just as Angela intended. She waves him away before heading into the office, pleased with herself when she sits down to commence work. Now that she's got a better picture of Junkrat's capabilities it's much easier to plan a regime for him, but Angela still can't quite get over those one-armed push-ups earlier - how strong he is despite his deceptively slender physique. She grins thinking about how offended Junkrat looked when she refused to praise him earlier. Looks like she was right – training has been entertaining, though she's happy she was able to compliment him after all.
The newbies' programmes are finished just before seven o'clock. Angela is satisfied from being so productive, but when she gets home to a house that's much hotter than it was yesterday her good mood wanes somewhat. It's now too late in the evening to call up the engineers for her faulty air-conditioning units, so she drags a couple of fans upstairs in the hopes that it'll cool the temperature.
Hours later when she's lying naked in bed, sweating and unable to sleep, Angela wonders if she should've accepted Junkrat's offer after all. She would've been exhausted going out for drinks after such a long day at work, but being tired out in London seems preferable to her current condition, lying wide awake at 3:48am because her bedroom is still too damned stuffy. Next time she'll definitely say yes.
The weekend comes and goes. Angela gets a few hours of sleep during the day but there are no call-out engineers available on Saturday, meaning she's still without air-conditioning while the temperature remains high. Even looking online to buy new units is fruitless as everywhere is totally out of stock. None of the stores locally have any, either - a side effect of living in a country so ill-equipped to deal with heatwaves – so Angela buys a few more electric fans instead and tries to keep the curtains drawn as much as possible while she's in the house.
Having slept terribly once again on Sunday, Angela is grateful to be back on a cool train to London on Monday morning, and treats herself to an iced coffee before meeting the newbies in reception once again. It's going to be another busy week but with their fitness programmes completed, Angela has three less jobs to do, so she can spend all of Monday introducing them to the practice range – though not before taking Junkrat aside once again.
"Have we gotta go through this every damn time?" he asks, scowling at the handwipe being held out in front of him.
"It would appear so," Angela says.
Junkrat rolls his eyes. Once his face isn't smeared with grime she leads him over to the entrance of the practice range. It's a large area that's populated with some automated training bots and therefore suitable for testing mobility and weaponry. Over the next week Angela will be studying them individually to get a better picture of their combative capabilities. She guides them through the range before handing over three pistols to get started, and the boys share a look of confusion.
"For target practice," Angela explains. Lúcio studies the gun like it's an alien object, and Junkrat's nose is wrinkled, holding it away from his body like he's repulsed by it.
"I'm no good with guns," he says.
"Yeah, I'm uh- I'm not so good either," Lúcio laughs.
"Well, yes," Angela says. "That's why you're going to participate in some target practice."
"Is it optional?" Roadhog asks.
"Compulsory I'm afraid. Everyone needs to know how to wield a basic pistol in the event of an emergency."
Junkrat squints at her. "Where's my frag launcher?"
"Up in the engineering department, along with your sonic amplifier, and your scrap gun," Angela says, nodding at Lúcio and Roadhog respectively. "I'll be handing them back to you tomorrow, so for today these pistols will have to do."
This elicits a drawn out sigh from all of them, but Angela remains firm and ushers them along with a smile. They weren't lying – neither Junkrat nor Lúcio have very good aim though they're a little better after several rounds with stationary targets. Roadhog isn't bothered about using the pistol, probably because his own gun requires a good degree of skill, but it's clear they're all out of their comfort zone with this. Angela praises them for their efforts when training is over, hoping that positive feedback will encourage them to keep practicing, and they seem happier for it afterwards.
The next day all three of them are excited to receive their proper weapons and are already in the practice range awaiting her arrival. After Lúcio and Roadhog have been given theirs, Angela holds Junkrat's frag launcher away from him when he reaches for it, almost making him stumble. She's holding a handwipe in her other hand. When Junkrat spots it the groan he gives is so melodramatic she has to bite back a laugh.
"You really enjoy tormenting me like this, don'tcha?" he says, scratching a hand through his hair.
"As much as your skin enjoys being clean. You know that the solution to this is by bathing once a day, don't you?"
"Who's got time for that?!" Junkrat scoffs. She can tell he's on the verge of being really annoyed but Angela lifts her eyebrows at him and his face collapses into something pleading instead. "Alright, alright, I got it, I'll – do the thing, whatever! Please can I have my frag launcher now?!"
Angela surrenders it with a sigh, smiling helplessly as Junkrat bounds over to join the others with it hugged to his chest. What a case he is!
Lúcio is the first to be evaluated this week. There's a viewing deck which overlooks the practice range, and Angela watches him through the reinforced glass window as he skates around the bots below. He moves so gracefully that watching him is interesting enough to take Angela's mind off how tired she is, but when lunchtime comes she's definitely in need of a coffee. By now the two who aren't being evaluated are capable of getting on with training themselves – another job Angela doesn't have to worry about – but she's wishing she wasn't so damned tired all the time. Lúcio's evaluation in the practice range comes to an end, and when it's Roadhog's turn the next day it's still a sweltering 33 degrees in the city. There seems to be no end to this heatwave in sight.
It's frustrating because part of the reason why she relocated to England was specifically to avoid this kind of weather, aside from also needing to be close to London for work. While a heatwave is rarer here than elsewhere the entire country struggles to cope whenever one does strike. It isn't so bad spending the day in an air-conditioned office, but the house has been stifling every time she's come home this week, and Angela has subsequently spent every evening sweating a lot and getting very little sleep.
By Thursday she's exhausted. This is especially frustrating as it's Junkrat's turn for assessment, and she's been looking forward to seeing what he can do all week. Still, she's not going to let a few bad nights affect her work, so Angela chugs an iced coffee and puts a big smile on her face when she greets them down in the practice range. Junkrat had managed to avoid her yesterday morning, fleeing while she was preoccupied talking to Roadhog prior to his evaluation, but when Lúcio and Roadhog head off to the gym for their warm-up he stands and faces Angela with folded arms.
His face, of course, is filthy.
The caffeine has invigorated Angela enough to match his poise. She straightens up, both of them staring each other down as though they're about to draw. Angela's hand dips into her pocket. Junkrat drums his fingers on his arms. He challenges her with a grin that she immediately returns.
"Something on my face, doc?"
"You could say that."
Junkrat narrows his eyes like he's daring her to come closer, so she does. His eyebrows lift up a little like he wasn't expecting this but he's still grinning at her, standing his ground in this great battle of wills.
"Oh, I'm sure it's nothing," he purrs.
"Mm. I thought you might say that."
Angela quickly reaches up so she can scrub that damned dirty face herself, but Junkrat instantly jerks his head away from her. When she tries again and he does the same thing, jutting his chin down into his chest like a cat trying to avoid being stroked, it's as hilarious as it is infuriating. He looks so bloody ridiculous that Angela bursts out laughing, and Junkrat tips his head back, cackling like he's won.
"Ah-haaaaah, I gotcha good that time!"
"Honestly!" she huffs, putting her hands on her hips.
"Aw, m'sorry doc," he says, not sounding sorry at all. "Here."
Angela almost flinches when Junkrat suddenly leans towards her. She blinks at him – at his face that's now just inches away from hers.
"Lemme have it," he says. Oh, right – now he's going to let her. Angela wouldn't normally indulge such bratty behaviour and tries to give him a scathing look, but it's impossible to pretend that she's really angry when Junkrat's petulance is so amusing.
"Seeing as you have so kindly offered, it looks like I have no choice!" she says, hand darting up before he can pull away. Junkrat is laughing when Angela wipes his face, nose wrinkling and eyes squeezing shut as she rubs his skin clean. When she's satisfied she taps his nose gently to indicate that she's done, and Junkrat pulls away from her, beaming.
"You are absolutely hopeless!" she tells him, tutting. "Go and get yourself warmed up!"
"Cheers doc!"
And off he heads to the gym. Her mood buoyed thanks to this amusing shenanigans, Angela finds it easy to forget her tiredness by the time Junkrat is back in the practice range ready to start his assessment. She looks down at him from the viewing deck, folding her arms.
"I hope you realise I'm expecting nothing but excellence from you today!" she says, communicating with him through the practice range's intercom.
"And that's different to usual, is it?" he calls up. Angela laughs.
"Good point. How about perfection, then?"
Junkrat grins so widely it almost looks sinister. "Oh, that's much more like it," he says. "Bring it on!"
Fun though it is to joke with him like this, Angela has to put her work hat back on as the training bots filter into the range. She watches Junkrat carefully over the course of the morning. Despite his poor aim with the pistol he's adept with his frag launcher, banking his shots in very creative ways to destroy the bots coming for him. For someone evidently too disorganised to bathe daily, Junkrat's combat technique is more calculated than Angela thought. He seems to relish causing chaos in the range, grenades bouncing off every available surface, and he laughs maniacally whenever he manages to destroy more than two with one shot. It's actually quite fun to watch him, though Angela is still doing so with a critical eye.
There are some bad habits she makes a note of and his lack of mobility remains a pertinent issue, but when it's time to break for lunch Angela is pleased with his performance and congratulates him on a good morning. Jack and Winston come down to see how the newbies are doing when it's time for Junkrat's afternoon session, and while Angela is physically flagging from a week of hot days and even hotter nights, she gushes about their brilliant performance.
"Excellent news," Winston says. "So there are no issues?"
"None that are too pressing," Angela says. "Just a couple of things I need to address with Junkrat."
"Ah," Winston says, frowning. "Yes, he was a little… stubborn during the induction."
Oh, no, that's not good. Angela laughs it off. "I meant his mobility and a couple of his habits on the battlefield as opposed to Junkrat himself. I think he's better suited to practical learning than theoretical."
"More hands on, is he?" Jack asks.
"Much more, based on what I've seen so far," Angela says. Winston is still frowning at her.
"Is he willing to upgrade his cybernetics yet?" he asks.
"I… have not discussed the subject anymore with him, to be honest," she says, wishing she had a better answer than this. Jack and Winston share a very brief look, and something cold drops in Angela's stomach. She swallows.
"How's Junkrat doing in general?" Winston asks her then.
"So far he has exceeded my expectations," she says, honestly. "He's physically fit, very strong and has shown a can-do attitude towards everything I've thrown at him." Aside from washing his face once a day, Angela thinks, but she keeps that one to herself.
"Is he a team player?"
"I – I think so, yes," she says, immediately regretting her hesitation.
"Mm."
Angela bites her lip. She's got this niggling feeling that Winston and Jack haven't come down to check on the newbies but instead only on Junkrat, as they haven't grilled her on Lúcio or Roadhog like this at all.
"I was just about to start his afternoon training when you both came down," she says then, smiling. "As his limited movement has been my biggest concern I was rather hoping to address it with him."
"By all means, don't let us stop you," Jack says, smiling encouragingly. "If you don't mind us sticking around."
Angela guides them to the viewing deck. Junkrat is standing below them, tinkering with his frag launcher while awaiting further instruction. Part of the evaluation involves each agent having to deal with a horde of bots to see how they cope under pressure, so he's got a stockpile of concussion mines and his trap with him in preparation for it. Angela calls down to him in warning, and when the horde comes Junkrat sails through it like it's nothing, making easy work of all the bots filing into the range.
Angela is a little uncomfortable having Winston and Jack beside her watching him like this, wondering if Junkrat's skills are as impressive to them as they are to her. She glances at both of them, trying to assess their judgement but unable to read their expressions. All she can do is hope that what they're seeing is sufficient.
"Well? How's that?" Junkrat asks when the horde is over. He's got his hands on his hips, chest fluffed in pride from what he undoubtedly thinks is a job well done.
"Very good," Angela says through the intercom.
"Very good? S'that all?" he asks incredulously. Angela chuckles, and she's relieved when Winston and Jack laugh, too.
"Perhaps I was expecting more of a show," she says, though in truth she isn't disappointed at all. The goal of the horde exercise is to destroy the bots as quickly as possible, not to make a fireworks display out of it, but with Jack and Winston beside her Angela doesn't want to appear soft.
Junkrat makes a very indignant sound. "Well, if there's a round two I'll give you one!"
"No round two, unfortunately. We need to address your lack of mobility first, as running isn't an option."
"You wanna see mobility, do ya? Alright. I can do that."
Angela grins down at him, as curious by this instant assertion as she is pleased.
"Go on then," she says. "Impress me."
These seem to be the magic words judging by the surprised look on Junkrat's face. He immediately grabs a couple of his concussion mines and glances between the floor and the window of the viewing deck. Angela frowns. What exactly is he planning?
"It'll be interesting to see how his projectiles cope against a fast moving target," Winston observes, drawing her eyes over to him. She opens her mouth to tell him about Junkrat's performance this morning – the creativity of his technique and the skill it takes to utilise such an unusual weapon - when quite suddenly two explosions go off.
Just as she looks back out of the window Angela screams, because all of a sudden Junkrat himself comes crashing through it. Jack instantly grabs her out of the way as he lands with a hard thud against the floor in front of them, and he groans, sprawled out with glass shattered around him. Angela stares down at him, so shocked that for a second she can't move.
Grimacing, Junkrat drags himself up onto his hands and knees, shards of broken glass sliding off his shoulders. His metal arm seems to have taken the brunt of the impact but he landed with such force he's almost certainly broken something.
"Oh my god!" Angela says, letting go of Jack. She kneels beside Junkrat immediately, streaks of blood surfacing all over his body from dozens of cuts. He attempts to smile when he meets Angela's eyes but it's evident that he's in a lot of pain.
"Guess I overcooked it a bit," he says, the laugh that follows a croaky and winded sound.
"We need to get him to medical," Angela says, whipping around to face Winston and Jack. "Tell Roadhog and Lúcio they can finish for the day!"
"I'll call the nu-" Winston starts, but Angela cuts him off.
"No," she says firmly. "I will take him."
They don't look at all impressed by this but she doesn't have time to care about it. Lúcio and Roadhog can deal with having an early finish today, and she'll leave Jack to worry about reporting the damage to finance, because Angela needs to get Junkrat looked over, right now.