Chapter 6: Smiles
Dear Journal,
It's been three months, two weeks, and five days since I returned. It's finally my birthday. Though, I don't think I'm any older. My hair hasn't grown, the few injuries I have from the Slipstream crash neither bleed or heal, and I look exactly the same. Does that mean I should change my birthday by the amount of days I'm like this? Who knows?
I had two more dreams since I last wrote in here. In the first one, I was a ninja from the Shimada clan named Genji Shimada. He had been disobeying his clan, rejecting his family's legacy. His brother, Hanzo Shimada, had to kill him as punishment. It feels weird when I say it here, but since I truly was Genji during that dream, it made perfect sense. Genji knew he was about to be killed, yet he made no efforts to resist as he was tied to a post. His arms were bound by the wrists with a coarse rope. He was at the base of a mountain, somewhat secluded. The rocks were a pale brown, and one was stabbing into his knee from where he was sitting. He had been stripped of his clothing, and Hanzo stood over him, his expression grim. He held a sword; the steel was polished and smooth. Genji was chuckling to himself out of a sense of resignation, knowing his life was coming to an end.
Hanzo had raised his sword, and shouted, at the top of his lungs "Ryuu ga waga teki wo karau!" Because I essentially was Genji, I understood the meaning perfectly. "Let the dragon consume you." Out of the blade, a bright, blue dragon emerged, gracefully arching across the sky towards Genji as Hanzo swung the katana. His tattoo sparked with energy. The dragon flew into Genji, sending searing pain through him, like fire flooding his veins. His blood spilt through horrible burns and cuts. The dragon looped around and hit Genji from the right side, this time clamping his jaws around him, his teeth sinking into his arms and legs. It felt like knives; the blood stained the rocks, making them look almost pink. His shoulder's felt as though ice was creeping over them, with led weights forcing him to the ground. He slumped, his head bobbing to the ground as he choked on some of his blood. Genji fell to the ground as his vision dimmed. It wasn't like most other dreams, though. He grew colder, and breathing laboured, but it wasn't as… final feeling as Genji blacked out after watching as Hanzo drop the blade to the ground and walk away. In most dreams, I can feel it as the breath leaks from the person's lungs, but this time, it was as if he was just falling asleep. Maybe he died shortly after that. I'm not sure.
In my second dream, I was a climatologist named Mei-Ling Zhou. Except, that time, I was merely seeing through her eyes, feeling what she did, and hearing her thoughts. I was still conscious. I could still think like me, though had no control over what happened. It wasn't as bad as the first dream. She and a few other scientists were in a place known as Ecopoint: Antarctica. A blizzard hit, and everyone took shelter inside. The heaters were not working, so everyone was bundled up together in several layers of jackets. The wind could be heard outside, like the howling of wolves. I stayed as Mei for weeks afterwards, even if I only vanished for a few days in real time.
After the snowstorm, communications went down. The scientists had to ration their food. Mei was always hungry, yet never once complained. Her hunger was like a monster eating her stomach from the inside out, yet she readily ate the smallest portions, sometimes even giving part of hers to others. It was very admirable. She was acting so truly selfless, not acting out of any sense of obligation. I wish I could be that selfless. I've been worrying so much about my Chronal Disassociation, that I've been dropping my smile.
Mei even smiled as her comrades and her locked themselves in cryostasis chambers. They were running out of food and needed a way to survive. One at a time, Mei helped them in, offering words of comfort as they prepared to freeze themselves in time. When all her friends were freezing, she closed her pod as the cryostasis began. It was like spiders crawling over her skin, which turned into needles. Everything started to fade as movement grew difficult, breathing, laboured. Everything faded to black in a weird, fuzzy way. Mei was smiling the whole time.
I don't know how she did it, does it, will do it, whenever it was. Here I've been, in a room specially designed for me, with a journal, a stack of books Winston gave me today, and Overwatch's best doctor, Angela Ziegler, helping me. Yet I've been sitting here, moping! The other day, Winston walked in on me while I was crying! How could I, when people like Mei didn't utter a single complaint? I can't let anybody see me like that again. I need to smile; I have so much to be grateful for. I won't let Winston see me like this again!
Despite all this, I can't help but worry about how nonchalant I've become about all of this. In my dreams, I've died more times than I can count. Sure, there's been a few pleasant dreams, bur most of them are horrible and violent. It's terrifying at first, but now I'm just not as intimidated by the concept of death. How will that affect my mind if when I can return to normal? The thought in and of itself is scarier than death at this point.
I also feel like I'm prying into people's personal matters, infiltrating a very private aspect of a person's life: their mind. I have no right to be in another person's head, hearing their thoughts; at the same time, I have no choice. I know things that I shouldn't know. Secrets about friends and foes alike. Even things about Dr Ziegler and Winston. I know about Harold Winston, I know about what happens to Gabriel Reyes, I am aware that Overwatch won't last forever. It is going to crumble and will need to be rebuilt from the ground up.
The thing I hate the most about my dreams is that I'm losing myself. Every time I lose consciousness in a dream, I am not looking at the world through my eyes. I share the point of view as someone else. Their wishes, motivations, personalities, and morals. If I'm a member of some criminal organisation, I think and breathe like that person. How do I continue to be myself when I physically can't think on my own?
I just don't know. I'm yet to see a future where I'm me. It may be a coincidence. I hope it is. I cannot handle this for much longer. I can only hope and pray that Winston manages to fix my condition. In the meantime, I'll just keep smiling.
Cheers,
Lena Oxton
Winston's voice trembled as he read the final line, her name written in a surprisingly neat cursive that he didn't know Lena could write in. The room was quiet enough that a pin dropping would sound like an explosion. Winston turned his gaze to Angela, who's hand was covering her mouth, her eyes wide with a single tear dripping down her cheek.
"She… dreams?" Angela asked, as though she wished it weren't true.
"No, she doesn't dream. She goes to other times, and becomes other people!" Winston realised with dawning horror.
"She knew about Overwatch's collapse the whole time. She knows about… Gabriel," Mercy muttered, avoiding eye contact with Winston. He didn't press.
"I never told her about Dr Harold Winston; there's no way she should've known."
"I knew Lena hated her time in the stabilisation chamber, but her time out of it… I didn't even know she was conscious when not here," Mercy admitted, ashamed. "To keep such vivid and violent memories to herself… It's downright self-destructive. To think she felt Genji's pain as her own… Genji was minutes away from death when I found him. If Lena was present for all of that, I can't even imagine how she must've felt. Genji disobeyed his clan! He knew the punishment, and had accepted it! Lena did nothing to deserve that!" Mercy had fallen to the ground on her knees, her head in her hands.
"And what was that about the climatologist? We lost touch with that base a long time ago but were never able to regain contact with them. What if they're still there? We'll need to go there to make sure they're okay!" Winston muttered distractedly. "Lena was there for weeks? Starving?"
"We both know she wrote quite a bit in this notebook. I cannot even imagine what else she experienced. Why did she keep it to herself?" Mercy asked, almost pleaded.
"She didn't want us to worry more," Winston mumbled, barely loud enough for her to hear. "She thought it would be selfish. She thought it would be whining."
"Of course she did. What else could you expect from Lena?" Angela admitted, rubbing her temples. "I wouldn't last a month having dreams like that. How long was it until we were able to make the harness?"
Winston sighed. "It was roughly a year. I should've worked faster. Still, we need to stop brooding. It won't help anyone. Let's just get to work and- "
"Don't try to sweep this under the rug!" Angela shouted, making Winston jump. "She's been dreaming out graphic depictions of people dying, and she hasn't told us!"
"That was her choice. There's nothing we can do about what happened."
"Well, what if she's reliving what happened right now? Who knows what she's dreaming right now. Maybe she's going through the jet crash, or the explosion in the Swiss headquarters. Maybe she's Fareeha, right now! She could be anywhere, experiencing any pain imaginable! How could you just act like it's nothing?" Mercy shouted, pacing frantically around the room. "For a full year, she hasn't been able to feel anything except pain! And it's our fault!"
"It is not our fault! It's mine, and we both know it! I was the one to suggest she fly the Slipstream! I was the one to clear the teleportation matrix for a test run! Stop pretending like it's your fault! It's mine, and we both know it. Now, while Lena is out there, dreaming about who-knows-what, we're sitting here, brooding like a couple of children! Now hurry up and act like a soldier! We're going to make her a makeshift harness that can stabilise her barely until we can get the original back, and we're doing it now! I've already failed to save one person that's family to me; I'm not messing that up again!"
Mercy was at a loss for words. She stuttered for a few seconds before Winston turned and walked away, tilting his head as if to say "come on." If he noticed, he didn't do anything about the single, long tear trailing down his cheek.
As they walked in an awkward silence to the lab, Winston couldn't help but wonder whether or not Lena's dream was as miserable as the one's she had written about.
…
"Alright, it may have taken over a year since the Slipstream, but I think we're finally done, Angela!" Winston delighted in his handiwork before him. "Hopefully, this chronal accelerator will fully stabilise Lena."
The two of them had been working tirelessly in Winston's lab on the device that could finally anchor Lena. The lab was a cluttered mess, with electronics strewn about the place. The duplicate of the Slipstream's teleportation matrix that Winston used to destabilise any of his gifts for Lena still shone brightly in the room, its blue light being the primary light source at such an indecent hour. Winston's armour and shield generator equipment lay in a small corner, gathering a thin layer of dust.
Their masterpiece was centred between them. It was two rounded cylinders only a few centimetres thick, secured by a leather harness. It was powered off, but when on, should emit an energy that secured any "electrical anomalies" nearby. The device could rest comfortably on Lena's chest and back. The fabric had been specially synchronised so that both Lena and anyone else could touch it.
"Should we go try it out?" Winston asked, excitement tipping his voice.
"I suppose we should." Dr Ziegler was smiling enthusiastically as well.
They both made their way to the stabilisation chamber, where Lena was sitting by the windowsill, her legs being gripped firmly in her arms. She didn't look sad, but she didn't look particularly happy, either. When she saw Angela and Winston, she smiled cheerily, as though nothing were wrong.
"Lena, mind trying this on for us?" Winston asked her, holding up the harness for her to see. She was curious for an instant; then she seemed to realise what it was for. She jumped up, her smile widening as hope flooded her eyes. She bounded over to them with the patented "Lena" spring of her step, bouncing up and down and Winston helped her put the harness on.
She put the device on quickly, rubbing the leather with her non-corporeal hand. It looked good on her and seemed to be a perfect fit, even if it looked somewhat out of place with her pyjamas she had on.
"Now to power it on…" Winston mumbled, gesturing to Dr Ziegler, who had more grace than his unwieldy gorilla hands.
They waited with baited breath as Angela pushed one of the buttons on the back of the device. It powered on, a blue, gear-like circle, similar to the one in the Big Ben tower in King's Row, glowed as brightly as the teleportation matrix.
The effect on Lena was immediate. She seemed to wince in pain, yet her smile was unwavering. She held up her hand and watched as it solidified, the background no longer visible behind it. Her smile somehow managed to widen even further when she saw she was back completely. She was still completely silent. Slowly, she hobbled over to the side of the room, her eyes set on one of the many thick cables suspended in the air. Tentatively, she reached out to grasp it. She recoiled in surprise when her hand succeeded in moving it, as she brushed her fingertips along its smooth surface. Winston and Angela watched eagerly as she reached out once more, gripping the cable weakly in her hand. The chord seemed to tremble with her as her body shook like a leaf.
Lena's eyes were that of wonder, lighting the gloomy room up more than her harness.
"Lena, your wounds have started bleeding!" Mercy warned, noting that blood was seeping through some portions of the girl's pyjamas, but not enough to be a health risk.
Lena smiled widely and started laughing. It was bright and cheerful and seemed to make the room even brighter and more pleasant. She paid no heed to her wounds as she sang her rejoice.
"Winston! Dr Ziegler! Thank you! Thank you thank you thank you thank you!" It was the first time they'd heard Lena's voice in a long time. She charged at them in a bright, blue blur. It was faster than anyone should ever be able to move. She collided with them, laughing happily while Winston and Mercy fell to the ground in a heap, with Lena on top of them.
"Woah, Lena! How did you move that quickly?" Winston asked her, somewhat dazed.
Lena stopped laughing and looked puzzled. "I did? I don't know. I never moved that fast before!" Lena scrambled up and tapped the harness distractedly. "Well, I feel perfect! I've never felt better!" Lena turned to run to the window. Once more, her harness brightened, and she seemed to almost teleport to the window. She let out a shout of surprise. "Woah! You're right! It's like everything just turns into a blur, and I can go anywhere!" Lena turned and tried to run back to Winston, the blue blur once more enveloping her, and she abruptly turned and looped around him. "Wow! This thing is awesome! The best thing I've ever seen and felt!"
"Incredible! It seems to be simultaneously destabilising and stabilising her instantaneously, allowing her to manipulate her body's concept of time," Mercy explained, smiling, yet still perplexed.
"This day just gets better and better!" Lena blinked once more, running in circles around the two of them. "I don't know how I could ever thank you two! I can't believe this! You guys need to show me around Gibraltar! For being here a full year, I haven't really seen much! I have so much I need to say, so little time! I can't believe I'm finally back! We need to get some food! I've missed flying in jets- Ow!" Winston nearly stumbled, trying to keep his eyes on his overjoyed friend, who had tripped. She landed with a thud, her momentum carrying her into a wall.
"Lena! Are you okay?" Mercy insisted, running to check on her patient. "Don't harm yourself!"
Lena groaned. "Hah… yeah. I'll be fine. I don't think anything could ruin this for me! Ow, my leg…" Lena forced herself up, still not having dropped her smile. Suddenly, she gasped, drawing the attention of the two scientists again. Blue light seemed to coat her body like paint. Then, she started moving backwards, her momentum moving in reverse until she was exactly where she had stood a few seconds earlier. She flinched in surprise. "What? My leg… it hurt a few seconds ago! And I moved really weird, though it felt so normal."
"Lena, did you just rewind your time?" Winston asked rhetorically. "You seemed to move in complete reverse, as though you recalled back to where you were!"
"So I can blink forward and recall back? That's cool and all, but I'm thrilled just to be able to leave this room! Come on! Can we get a bite to eat from the kitchen? I need some tea, also! Anything but this place!"
"O-okay." Winston agreed. "Come on; I think we have some teabags still. I'm not sure if it's the right kind, though."
"I haven't eaten in a year! Anything will be fine! Let's go!" Winston and Mercy struggled to keep up as Lena blinked ahead of them, smiling all the way.
The kitchen was surprisingly well-stocked, with many different foods from many different cultures, probably due to the diverse set of agents in Gibraltar. Many of them shot her odd glances as she sped past them all. Everybody knew about the girl being kept in the chamber, and most of them had seen her every rare once in a while, but this was the first time they'd seen her outside of that room. Naturally, she greeted everyone with a smile and a laugh, speeding through a room, assessing every little detail of it, before running back to Winston and Angela. They followed her through the various rooms until they reached the kitchen, where she did not hesitate to begin making herself some tea, along with a simple peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Angela simply brewed a mug of coffee, and Winston ate straight out of a peanut butter jar. They all sat at a table next to a window, where the sun was just beginning to rise, turning the sky a pale grey.
"So, what do I owe you guys?" Lena asked after several minutes of silence, save the clattering of the teacup and the chewing of her sandwich.
"What ever do you mean?" Mercy asked, surprised.
"Well, I spent a year in that stabilisation chamber, and this harness couldn't have been cheap. I know I probably can't cover it all, so I'll do whatever I need to do to make it up."
"Oh, you do not need to worry about that," Angela assured, taking another sip of her coffee. "The malfunction you did not cause was reason enough to get Overwatch to supply money for the chamber, and we were able to receive funding for the study of your harness."
"Really? Great! So, what is this thing called anyway?"
Winston shrugged. "I've been thinking of calling it a chronal accelerator."
Lena laughed. "Okay, perfect!" They devolved back into silence for several more minutes. "Really, though, I can't thank you guys enough. Thank you for not giving up on me."
"It's not trouble at all," Winston assured, dipping his finger into the peanut butter jar.
"But it is! You spent a full year trying to fix me up. There were many occasions where I worried you would give up on me. I don't know what I would've done had you done that. I'd probably go insane, honestly," to both Winston and Mercy's surprise, she was completely serious. "So really, thank you two so much for helping me."
Mercy chuckled. But of course. We couldn't just have you blinking into nothingness for eternity."
Lena seemed uneasy for a moment, "Right. Nothing. I'd always get sucked into a black void. Not exactly fun, but hey, I'm fine now! Oh! That reminds me. How long of a battery does this thing have?"
It was Winston's turn to chuckle. "I wouldn't exactly call it a battery, but it has roughly eighteen hours of power storage, with an energy cell that will not be damaged by overcharging. If it runs out, it taps into a backup supply, but it'll start beeping warnings at you. We also made a charging station for it. We'll put it in your room after this."
"The stabilisation chamber?"
Mercy laughed again. "Of course not! There's no point in keeping you in there anymore! Truth be told, we've had a room prepared for you for a while, but we never had any way to show you. We can move all your things in there tonight, get you some actual clothes tomorrow, and figure out where to go from there the day after."
"You guys… you spoil me!" Lena began laughing brightly again, yet tears sprung to her eyes once more. "I can't believe this! I don't think I've ever had a better day in my life!"
It took the three of them a mere ten minutes to collect Lena's stuff and make their way to her room. Winston had grabbed the charging station, which was fairly bulky, but looked like it could comfortably fit the harness on its prop stand. Angela had helped Lena gather her belongings, which consisted of a large journal, several series of books, some sketchpads and pencils, the tattered Slipstream outfit Lena refused to let anybody dispose of, her books about piloting jets, and the second set of pyjamas. The good doctor led Lena to her room, which was far better than she could have ever hoped. It was fairly large, with pale blue walls, a dark grey nightstand and dresser with a dusty lamp and a digital clock on it, and a queen-sized bed with creamy orange covers.
They put her books and sketchpads away on the nightstand, though Lena set her journal on top of it along with a pen. Winston had set out her charger, which used a powerful European charger to operate.
Lena yawned and relished in the exhausted feeling in her bones. Mercy watched her with a smile.
"Why don't you get some sleep once you're settled in? Tomorrow we'll work on getting you things for your room."
Lena hesitated. "If I take off the chronal accelerator, will I disappear again?" She ran her fingers over the device nervously.
"No, as long as you are near the device, it should keep you here," Winston explained, eliciting a sigh of relief from Lena. Slowly, she unclamped the straps on her shoulder, and gingerly pulled off the device. Carefully, as though it were a piece of treasure, she set it in the charger. A small, orange light on the charger indicated it was functioning properly.
"Really, Winston, Dr Ziegler, I cannot thank you enough. It's been so long since I've been hungry or tired or in pain. I've missed it. Thank you."
"Of course, Lena. We will see you tomorrow," Mercy assured.
"Yes, sleep well," Winston demanded, shuffling out of the room.
For the first time in a year, Lena lied down on a bed, crawled under the warm, secure covers, and slept, easing her mind into a numb state of blissful rest.
…
That… was a pleasant dream. Lena had grown used to terrible and violent dreams, but that one was surprisingly wonderful. It was a breath of fresh air, so to speak. Even the darkness of the void around her seemed less ominous and foreboding after such an enjoyable experience. It was definitely one of her most cherished memories, something she replayed in her head time and time again whenever something was bothering her. If she needed to be happy, that memory was one of the first things to which she would think back. It reminded her why she wore her smile. It was amazing how easily bad memories stockpile, wearing the person down like lead weights, but all it takes is a few good memories to lift a person back up.
Lena wondered what Mercy and Winston were doing. She hoped it was something that would help them rescue Fareeha soon. Lena could only pray that she was doing alright. In the meantime, tormenting herself with her worries was a useless waste of her time. Instead, she opted to relish in the pleasant feelings lingering behind after her latest dream, in anticipation of her next one.
…
It had been a full day if Fareeha were to guess. The bread they brought her to eat was hard and bland, but she accepted it wordlessly. Widowmaker had the nerve to untie her arm bindings, knowing there was nothing she could do to escape. Now, Fareeha sat on the metal table, her back against the wall.
"You remain so stubborn," Widowmaker chided, leaning nonchalantly against the wall. "Do you truly believe those cobbled-together-fools from the remains of Overwatch will be enough to find you and release you?"
Fareeha said nothing. Surely, if her mother were alive, she would come to help as well.
"Oh, and if you think sweet old Ana would come to your rescue, then think again. Come now, she's been alive all this time but did not once make contact with you. Why on earth would she do so now? Join us. I wish to release you from this cell, but we require your complete devotion," Widowmaker explained, her voice calm and controlled.
"You will not get me to kill my mother."
"I would rather do this without violence. My coworker is very eager to get his hands on you. You're much better off agreeing to help."
"You cannot fool me into doing such a thing."
"You truly believe your mother is still the hero on the pedestal that nobody can blemish? I thought you were smarter than that, little Fareeha," she chided, staring absently at her nails, though no care was in her eyes concerning their appearance. "Why on earth would she keep out of the limelight, doing so much hide her survival from even her closest friends? Not to mention all the illegal things she has done. She is considered one of the most valuable outlaws in the world."
"Pretending that Talon does not do things that are plenty illegal themselves?" Pharah retorted, propping her head up with her arms, which lay flat on the wall.
"She destroyed a factory that manufactured Omnics. She stole technology from Russia that prevented them from defending themselves. She has been seen working with the Junkrat and Roadhog. All that, and many, many more sins were committed by her. You believe her to be a picture of prim, untouchable perfection. She isn't the idol you wish she were," Widowmaker continued, her voice sounding somewhat pitiful.
"Do not believe that I will believe such a one-sided story. If she did something like that, there is another side to the argument you are not telling me," Fareeha countered, closing her eyes as though it were a casual conversation.
"Hmm, clever girl. Very well. She teamed up with those two outlaws to destroy a factory where the Omnics had defective chips that made them controllable by the God Programs, and the technology she stole was originally from the Omnics, given to Russia in secret. What does this new information change, though? She still killed thousands of Omnics being made; she still partnered with international criminals to do it, which, mind you, they only team up for a substantial sum of money, and I doubt she used her own for that; she still stole technology Russia was using for self-defense.
Pharah sighed, turning her gaze to the ceiling. "My mother's moral compass and mine were always tuned differently. She was doing what she believed to be just. I do not condone her actions, but I can understand them."
"In other words, nothing I say right now will convince you." Widowmaker sighed, almost sadly. "My coworker and I had an agreement. If you don't agree to help us, he is going to try to convince you next, and his methods aren't quite as painless as mine."
Fareeha gave a nonchalant shrug. "Never have been good at talking."
"I am sorry that you feel that way." With that, she got off the wall, stretching. Then, without any other words, she turned and left the room, leaving Fareeha to wait for her punishment.
…
Winston and Angela had been working tirelessly in the lab, trying to manufacture a new harness. With their limited resources, it was not going well. With the one they were making, Lena would likely not be able to perform her blinks and recalls, and it would burn out after a few days of use. Hopefully, it would be good enough to buy them the time they needed to save Fareeha.
"Winston, two new alerts." Athena's voice cut through the room like an alarm, startling them both out of their feverish work.
"Yes, Athena?" Winston asked, carefully removing his glasses to rub his eyes as he just noticed a slight headache.
"Jesse McCree has made it on the premises, and is now waiting for permission to enter."
"Oh! Let him in!" Angela commanded eagerly, setting down a mess of wiring. She had been working with. Seconds later, the door opened, and a man dressed as a cowboy walked through. He wore spurs and a red poncho, he had a cybernetic arm which held a cigarette, and a pistol was tucked securely in its holster. He wore a large cowboy hat, which seemed to show some wear, but was otherwise in good condition.
"Howdy, Angel. Howdy, Winston." He greeted in his thick Western accent. "How goes it?"
"Jesse! It is nice to see you again!" Angela ran forward, embracing him in a gentle hug, which caused him to stiffen with surprise.
"Woah there. The Angel I knew never hugged me. Who are ya and what did ya do with my doctor?" He teased good-naturedly, tipping his hat to her. He gazed around the room. "So, are we all that's answered the call so far?"
"Not really," Winston began, his good mood dropping. One of us has been kidnapped by Talon, and the other is currently fading through time."
"Lena? Where's her harness?"
"Stolen by Talon. We're going to try to get it back."
Jesse grew sombre. "And who did they take?"
"Fareeha Amari," Angela admitted, fiddling with a loose hair.
It was silent for several seconds. The hum of the lights was as loud as a droning alarm.
"…Talon took WHO?!" Both Winston and Angela jumped, not expecting such an outburst. "They took the little Spitfire that was Ana Amari's daughter? How DARE they!? I'll wring all their necks myself, those Talon scumbags!"
"We still have no leads as to the whereabouts of her, though," Winston admitted sadly.
"If I may interrupt," Athena began in her melodic voice. "The other message may provide some information. It is from Genji Shimada."
"Really? Read the message, if you please!" McCree nearly shouted.
"Genji, here. I received word from someone trustworthy. Meet me in the arcade near the Shimada property in five days; someone is meeting us soon after. It's important. Something about Fareeha." After reciting the message, Athena offered her commentary. "This was sent yesterday, though I had no ample opportunity to tell you."
"And you have confirmed that it is really from Genji?" Angela asked with a mixture of eagerness and anticipation.
"Yes, Dr Ziegler."
Jesse jumped at the opportunity. "Well, what are we waitin' around for? Let's go already!"
"We're waiting for Lena to come back. You're free to wait in her room for her. We're trying to make a makeshift Chronal Accelerator," Winston commanded, slightly annoyed. "We'll head out as soon as this is done and she is back."
McCree sighed. "Roger that. I'll be lettin' ya know as soon as she returns. Lemme get some food from the kitchen, first. Was a long trip."
Mercy seemed to remember something. "How did you get here anyway?"
"Trade secret, Angel."
"Nice to see you haven't changed a bit, Jesse."
…
"D,va online!" Hana greeted her chat as her Twitch stream went live. Immediately, the viewer count surpassed quadruple digits. Her MEKA was pleasantly cool, with its paint job freshly redone. Her handler's voice cut through her headset.
"Remember, just try to destroy as many of the outposts for the Sea Omnium as possible. There are several islands for you to set your MEKA down on, just be wary of your fuel supply. The bombs on your suit need to be perfectly dropped, so be wary."
"I know, I know! You only debriefed my squad and me fifteen times earlier!" Hana snapped, making the chat box explode with "Lols", "ROFLs," "XDs," and various other laughter acronyms.
"Is your stream up and running?" One of her squad mates commed her. It was C6piders, often referred to as either Spiders or Seasick. His voice was determined, yet mildly shaky with nerves, though you wouldn't be able to tell by just looking at him through his baby blue mech. "Might be nice to have a few thousand people to send an SOS when we end up in a fiery pile of scrap on a beach."
"Rainbows and sunshine, you are," Another one of her squad mates, Q-Ball, joked. He was next to her in his black and white mech.
"My bad. Time for the happy times in the fun frolicking fields of battle," Spiders retorted, some of the nervousness leaving his voice.
Her final squad mate, Asi9, commented in her singsong voice. "Hey, if you're going down, pick me up some cool seashells!" She was unusually nervous as well, with bombs securely attached to her purple mech.
"Noted. I'll find a conch shell for you. A nice memento of our happy explosion-fest," Spiders agreed sarcastically. "Anyway, D,va, we're ready to move out at your command."
"Alright, activating thrusters! Let's head out! You were all pinged the coordinates of the first drop zone." D,va pushed the ignition buttons, listening to the familiar thrum of the engines. The mech rocketed upward, her squad following closely behind out of the large hangar.
Soon afterwards, a rainbow of other squads took off, splitting into different directions. The sky was overcast, making the ocean look like a grey void prepared to swallow them all up. It was deviously peaceful.
"So, it may be a bit late to be asking this, but what's the plan?" Q-Ball asked, his voice particularly calm.
Spiders cut in. "Get to the Omnium outposts, blow them sky-high. The usual."
"So what's the plan?" Q-Ball reiterated without missing a beat.
"Seasick, Q-Ball, you guys fly on our flanks, watching for Omnics. Asi9, put up your back cams and fly behind me. If anything approaches, blast them out of the sky while staying in formation as often as possible."
Hana's stream was beginning to calm down as the hour wore on. Donations continued to funnel into her account, which would be going to MEKA.
"Man, this chat is giving me more 'are we there yet?' questions than a toddler on his way to a theme park," Hana joked to her squad as they flew on.
"Hey, at least you guys get to be excited!" Q-Ball countered good-naturedly. "Seasick looks about ready to piss himself."
"Hey! What'd I do to deserve that?"" C6piders whined, not really taking any offence. "I can't help it if I have a weak bladder!" This caused another explosion of laughter in the chat.
"I'll never understand what's so funny about piss jokes," Asi9 admitted, poking fun at the boys, who offered only grunts in response.
"Remember guys, our handlers said this was serious business," D,va chided jokingly.
"You say that like you give a crap about what they think," Q-Ball retorted, his mech hiccupping for an instant as he jolted the controls.
"The handlers can hear this conversation you know!" Asi9 not-so-seriously warned, her melodic voice happily chastising her friend.
"You say that like you give a crap about what they think," Q-Ball repeated, moving his mech in a jolting, bouncing method as he worked the controls.
"Unlike you, I don't plan on getting lectured by them. I'm long overdue for another livestream. Any chance I can get a host on that, D,va?" Asi9's purple mech arched gracefully, moving in fluid motions as she worked the thruster, wary of the explosives on the suit.
"Of course, of course. I owe you for keeping my chat entertained." At that comment, the chat filled with comments of people being either insulted or amused, to which D,va only replied by typing her signature ;) into the box.
"Hate to ruin the fun, but we're coming in on the coordinates, and things aren't looking too hot. The general chats are blowing up," Q-Ball admitted sadly, referring to the special chat clients all MEKA pilots had.
At once, the other three pilots opened their channels to see, much to their dismay, that many of the gamers were struggling. Several were sending out an SOS, to which extraction crews were already working on. A few had admitted that their mechs were going down, offering horrid farewells to their crews before abruptly switching to offline mode. Feeling slightly sick, D,va shut her chat client off, causing her chat to surge again with messages of pity.
"Hey, Omnics from the left!" Q-Ball shouted, all of his joking personality having evaporated. Flying towards them was perhaps a half-dozen Omnic fighters, which looked like small fighter jets, but without a cockpit. A large Gatling gun was stationed on each of them, which began firing immediately.
"Shift thrusters sideways, turn to engage! Q, Spider, fire up the defence matrix! We'll take them down!" D,va commanded instantly, rotating the mech, so it was flying sideways. The rest of her squad followed suit.
"Roger! Routeing power to forward barrier!" Spider called as green projections of light shielded D,va and Asi9.
The familiar booming of the clips unloading filled the air. Acting on reflex, D,va began to fire back, aiming for the wings of the fighters. Simultaneously, tiny lasers reached out and evaporated the bullets with a small hiss.
"It won't work! The jets are too far!" Asi9 admitted through grit teeth. "Our ammunition is too widespread for them!"
"That's okay, just hold them off until we can drop the explosives! Then we'll engage! We're almost there!"
Unfortunately, three of the six jets broke off from the others, swooping above group onto their other side, firing from there.
"I gotta turn to deflect! Q, You're on your own with those three!" Seasick shouted, turning to evaporate the other bullets.
"Roger! How long until the drop zone?"
"Almost… almost…" D,va muttered, focused on trying to enforce the jets to keep their distance. "Asi9, now! Drop load one!" The response was immediate. Several small cylinders fell into the infinite abyss of the ocean. Several seconds later, the group heard several resounding booms as the ocean seemed to twist and distort with the explosion.
"Alright, focus on defending me!" D,va told asinine, who immediately broke off to help Q-Ball deal with the jets. She dipped beneath them, activating her thrusters as she fired into their underbellies.
"My bullets aren't affecting them! We may as well be using pea-shooters!" She screeched as she continued to pelt the bottoms of the jets.
"Aim for the guns, then!"
"Roger that!" With that, Asi9 expertly rolled out from beneath them, firing her guns at one of the jets, which only seemed to be slightly annoyed, turning the gun to face her. She let out a small shout as the booming of the gun began. Quickly, D,va turned her defence matrix to her friend, easily deleting all the bullets.
"Thanks, D,va! I got this one!" Powering up the thruster, she launched her mech to the jet, crashing directly into the gun. It fell off with sparks flying throughout the sky, the twisting of metal clearly audible. The jet teetered and careened towards the ground. "Alright, that's one… two… one of the jets is gone! Where did it go?"
"Couldn't tell you." Q- shouted through grit teeth, the stress audible in his voice. "It just dropped down. I kinda have my hands full, though, with this one here! Go help Spider!"
Asi9 flew over to Spider's side, where he had remained completely silent and concentrated, assisting him by powering on her defence matrix while D,va continued to fly.
D,va counted to three in her head. On three, she released the second pouch of bombs, watching as they fell into the watery depths. A fountain of metal scraps and parts awaited them when the bombs went off.
"One more! Oh no!" D,va shouted in horror. "The other jet! It's below me!"
"On it! You take this jet!" Q-Ball shifted his defence matrix to the jet below D,va, which was moving in complex dips and rolls. D,va took over the defence matrix for the other jet, which was strafing around sporadically.
"Crap! D,va! This one was hiding a second gun!" Q-Ball warned as D,va felt something pop off of her mech. Much to her dismay, it was the final bag of bombs, as they tumbled into the grey void.
"The bombs are gone! We're almost to the third drop zone, though! Just hang on!" At this point, D,va spun her mech around to charge at one of the jets on Spiders. She knocked off it's Gatling gun, then charged above them, grabbing their attention and causing them to fire at D,va.
"Alright! Defense Matrix's down! Everyone dive-bomb! On the count of five, Spiders and I will self-destruct! Spider, make it go upwards! I'll go into the ocean! Catch us, you guys!"
"Are you insane?" Q-Ball shouted fearfully, already preparing to follow her orders.
"Yes, now do it!" With that, Spiders charged his mech directly up, with the other jets following him. Q-Ball followed him after several second's count. D,va charged directly down, with Asi9 following her closely.
"Let's blow this joint up!" Spider's battle cry echoed through their headsets as his suit lit of brilliantly, ejecting him in the process. He free fell for several seconds, before being caught by Q-Ball, who dove towards the ground to escape the blast. The explosion was incredible, shaking them to their core. However, the mech suit was specially designed to let the power source explode while causing minimal damage to the armour. However, the Omnics were not. They immediately splintered and exploded, their scraps falling into the abyss below.
Now it was D,va's turn. "Activating self-destruct sequence! See you guys in a minute!" she shouted to her Twitch, just before hitting the waters. She was launched from her mech, with Asi9 immediately catching her in the awkward arms of the suit. They watched with baited breath. Suddenly, an explosion of scrap metal told them that their plan had worked.
It was silent for several seconds. "So that is that," Q-Ball remarked emotionlessly. Let's get back to the Game Cave. Can you guys call your mechs back?"
D,va and Spider both pressed the recall buttons on their mechs. C6pider's mech appeared first, its baby blue parts that had been specially made reconfigured and connected, forming the mech as it made a beeline for a distant island, which would take roughly ten minutes to reach. Soon after, D,va's mech followed.
"Detour time!" Asi9 called, following the robots with D,va, Q-Ball and Seasick trailing close behind. They used the few seconds of solitude from the Twitch stream to allow themselves some relative quiet. D,va had to hold her headphones on as the wind tried to yank them off. She had the human decency to leave her mic flipped up so as to prevent killing her squad's ears. She still couldn't help but agree with Q-Ball, though.
"I can't believe that worked. Good Lord, this job is the worst. I can't wait to get back to the Game Cave and relax. I haven't been this tense since my first mission."
"You say that every mission!" Asi9 argued in an attempt to keep the mood up. "Regardless, look alive. We'll be live soon."
They reached the mechs, which Hana got in without complaint, despite the seat being soggy and the controls loose and mildly unresponsive.
"Ready guys? Going Live in 3… 2… 1… D,va online!" D,va greeted her chat with a wave. Well, it worked! We're heading back for some R&R!"
The flight back took a couple of hours, during which D,va had signed off for good. When the quad landed, they each helped themselves out of the mechs, stretching their sore muscles. Asi9's long, red hair was frizzy and tangled, with her purple and gold suit showing some signs of mild bloodstains.
C6pider's scruffy, blue-dyed hair seemed to need another coating, as it had lost some of its shine, though aside from that, he seemed alright. Q-Ball's suit was covered in sweat, and his black, long hair was in desperate need of a wash, but he didn't appear to be bothered by it. Wordlessly, the group ignored the congratulations from their handlers as their mechs were taken away for maintenance. D,va led her group to the Game Cave, which was a huge living room equipped with dozens of TVs, Computers, and other gaming systems that were all in perfect condition, thanks to the tender care of all the professional gamers. D,va noted with dismay that only two or three other squads were back, some of them missing members. Despite this, the few people that were there stood up and cheered as their group walked in and took their seats on the soft couches.
"I can't believe we actually survived that. I can't believe they so greatly improved the Omnic drones," Q-Ball commented as he leant against the arm of the leather couch.
"We won, at least. Can't complain," Spider commented, fiddling with his messy hair. "Blowing up the mechs was genius, D,va. Plus, it gives our handlers something to be annoyed by. I can't really complain about that, either." He grinned cheekily.
"I agree. Thanks for getting us out alive once more, Commander," Asi9 thanked graciously, bags showing under her eyes.
"Come on, none of that 'commander' bull. I'm just worried about next time, or the time after that. I don't know how much longer we can hold this together," she confided, her voice low.
"Hey, don't worry. We'll figure something out," Q-Ball assured, turning to look at another group that had walked through the door. They seemed to be missing a person, their faces were solemn, and they had several cuts and gashes, though they seemed to be hanging in there. Everyone cheered.
The next two hours were filled with delighted cheers. Every time a new group walked in, everyone would cheer. It was something of a tradition between the MEKA pilots. Some squads arrived battered and missing most of their squad, but everyone still cheered for those who had returned.
Tonight, they would grieve for those who they lost, with every streamer there hosting D,va's as they counted and mourned the deaths.