A/N: Woah, okay... this took forever to finish. I started this chapter a long time ago. So long ago... it was before Moira was added to the game. Fun Fact: I'd actually planned on inserting an OC talon healer kinda similar to Moira before her reveal. She's referenced in the beginning, but I went back and added Moira references in after the fact. Anyway, reviews are appreciated. Sorry for the wait!
Ch. 15
Present Day
Genji Shimada
The dropship was silent aside from the low hum of the engines. Genji was glad to finally have some peace and quiet. It had been chaos, not an hour earlier when a gust of wind had caused the shuttle to shake and knocked Bastion over. He'd ended up bending some of his armor plating. Torbjörn had, of course, gotten angry and started insulting Tracer's flying abilities. Tracer, obviously, defended herself which led to an argument that Zenyatta had to break up.
Finally, things had settled down. Fareeha was asleep, her head pressed up against the handle of the harness seat. Angela was beside her, a book held open across her knees and an intent look under her glasses. Torbjörn had taken to fixing Bastion in the corner. The bot would beep from time to time, saying something that none of the human members of the crew could decipher. Still, Torb would nod and answer with an accented, "Yeah, yeah." Zenyatta was meditating, floating above the seat at the end of the recreational booth that was nestled near the door. He seemed totally at peace despite how badly the aerial vehicle was rocking and shifting. Genji wished he had that sort of center. His master was impressive, and a paragon of focus.
He sighed, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. His idle mechanical body feeling locked up by the period of sitting. He needed to get up and move around, but flying had never been his favorite thing. The sensation of being airborne always made him uneasy and it was much easier to sit strapped in place than to trip and fall on his face when the ship shifts.
"Are you well, Genji?" a gentle voice asked from his left. He glanced over at Angela who was sitting beside him. She'd looked up from her book having noticed his fidgeting.
"I am fine, Angela," he assured. She looked at him critically, examining his expression thoroughly. He was caught in a white lie.
"Genji," she said sternly, knitting her golden eyebrows. Genji had forgotten he wasn't wearing his face mask. Having grown comfortable to having his countenance constantly disguised had made him used to not having to hide his expressions.
"Just… uneasy," he admitted. He shifted in his seat, bringing one mechanical leg over the other one.
"Pre-mission nerves?" she asked. "I always had those too. I would never have expected you to be nervous."
"Hmm maybe," he whispered. "It occurs to me that we never served much in the field together." Angela nodded.
"No, we did not. Neither Commander Reyes nor Strike-Commander Morrison wanted me mixed up with Blackwatch operations. 'Too dark,' Reyes would tell me."
"And they were right," Genji said firmly. "You would have greatly disapproved with our actions." Angela looked at Genji intently as she tapped her finger against the pages of her book.
"You're probably right. I would not have wanted to go out there. I didn't even want to send Lilith, but Reyes insisted that Blackwatch needed a field medic with Valkyrie capabilities." She sighed, her blue eyes turning sad at the memory of the young woman who had trained under her. Genji averted his eyes to the shimmering silver of his mechanical legs.
"Understandable," he said. "It was not an easy position to be in, by any means. And then Moira…"
"Moira," Angela said with distaste that warned Genji to not continue his line of dialogue. He knew better than to get her started on the former Blackwatch geneticist. Not that she was a pleasant for him either.
For a moment, they were silent. "I remember some nights when I couldn't sleep you would make me warm tea with honey," Genji finally said, changing the topic to something more enjoying. Angela smiled, beaming at the old memory.
"Seems like so long ago," she mused, kneading her hands together.
"Another life…"
"Another time." Their eyes locked. Angela's sparkled like the blue water that rested in the pond behind Genji's ancestral home. They were calming, and deep inside his internal conflict seemed to cool. The fires of anxiety extinguished by the cool waters. He smiled at her. The moment must have gotten too intense because Angela turned her head and cleared her throat. She shifted in her seat, crossing her right leg over her left daintily. "You must be ready to see your brother," she said, distracting from that moment of strange connection.
"I am worried about him… and Jesse," Genji admitted. "We received one message and then nothing."
"It's a dead zone, Genji. They will be fine. I am confident that no harm has befallen our friends." She grinned at him in encouragement, but Genji was not so optimistic.
"I do not know, Angela. I have a bad feeling…" He hung his head. "I am confident that Hanzo and Jesse can take care of themselves, but…" Angela shifted, leaning over towards Genji. She snaked her arm under his and intertwined the fingers of her right hand within the fingers of his left. He wished that his cybernetic armor wasn't on so that he could feel her skin on his. Still, the sensory receptors that lined his robotic body tingled and it made him shiver. He returned the gesture, squeezing her small delicate hand in his. Genji was almost afraid that he would hurt her if he applied too much pressure, but she didn't even flinch. Angela just smiled and leaned her body in closer.
"Don't worry so much, Genji," she hummed in her melodic Swiss accent. "Go meditate with Zenyatta find your… inner peace." Genji chuckled.
"I would but the rocking of the ship throws off my… internal balance and my physical one." Angela giggled, covering her mouth. That made Genji smile, the short exchange with his longtime friend keeping his mind off the possible peril that his brother and other friend could be in.
The carrier shifted, jerking everyone back. Genji, Angela, and Fareeha were slammed into their safety bars. Fareeha was jolted away by the sudden stop. She looked around with a momentarily confused look on her face. Torbjörn was sent nearly tumbling over if it weren't for Bastion catching him. Zenyatta didn't move an inch, seemingly supported by his own center of gravity. His posture shifted, however, lowering his hands and raising his head. He looked towards his pupil.
"Are you okay, my student?" he asked in a concerned tone, seeing the discomfort that must have been too plain on Genji's face.
"Yes, master," he answered between the head rushes.
"Sorry about that!" a chipper British accent called over the ship's com system. "We're almost at Destination Alpha, though." She cleared her throat dramatically, not bothering to shut off the communication before doing so. She then announced in her best basic air plane pilot voice, "This is your pilot, Tracer, speaking we are coming in for a landing in the outskirts of London! Please buckle yourselves in as we might experience minor turbulence upon our decent!"
"Coulda warned me before I was thrown clear cross the ship!" Torbjörn shouted to the cockpit. He picked himself up off the ground and made his way to the empty seat on the other side of the ship. Zenyatta did the same, taking his place in the empty row beside the Swede. Both pulled the safety bars over their head as the horizontal flight turned vertical and descended to the ground.
Finally touching the earth, the agents unhooked themselves from the seats. Genji stood up and stretched his mechanical joints. He was glad to finally be free of his restraints.
Sprinting down the stairs, Lena zoomed up to the others. She pulled her flight goggles from her eyes and plopped them down on top of her head. She grinned.
"Record time!" she announced with pep. "Boy, am I glad to be back in the good ol' United Kingdom!"
"Save the bouncing for after the debriefing," Fareeha said, smiling at the excited agent. She walked over to the holo-table in the center and waved for the others to gather around. She swiped her hand across the projected map, switching it over to an overview of London. She made a motion with her hands, pulling the map into King's Row. The others crowded in to see as Pharah began to speak. "Genji, Tracer, Zenyatta: Alpha Team," she announced looking at the segregated bit of the bunch. "Your primary goal is to locate and extract Agent McCree and Agent Shimada. Our missing agents are stationed here in this safe house," she highlighted an apartment building. An open window lit up bright blue. "Last status was on Agent McCree. He was just outside the dead zone and only uploaded some information involving Mission Beta. Since then we've heard nothing. With the high rate of Talon activity in the sector we are concerned that our agents are in danger. That's where you come in." Genji was actually impressed at Pharah's commitment. He had never quite realized how well she articulated all that military mumbo-jumbo that Reyes, Morrison, and Ana used to spout at them. It actually made him feel a bit nostalgic for the old Blackwatch days. "There are, obviously, a lot of dangers here. King's Row is a Talon hotbed at the moment, and discovery is a real possibility. Do not engage Talon unless you absolutely must! Talon has absolute control of all communication coming out and going into London. Contact can only be established once you are approximately five miles outside of the city." The image on the holo-map showed a blue blinking dome over London. "So, once you are in… you're pretty much on your own." Fareeha took a step back from the table. She looked at everyone with a serious expression. "Don't make us have to send another team to rescue you. We're shorthanded."
"Trust me, we're finding them," Genji said with assurance. Fareeha nodded.
"Good to know." She gave them a nod. "Still stay together. There's safety in numbers."
"Aye, aye, ma'am," Tracer said, saluting her. It seemed Genji wasn't the only one who recognized the amount of respect that Pharah seemed to command. Fareeha smiled at her.
"At ease, Lena." Tracer smiled, relaxing her posture.
"Zenyatta is your primary medic," Angela said, taking over the briefing. "He assures me he can handle most injuries, but in any case, I have compiled some healing remedies just in case." She smiled at Genji as she handed over the duffle bag, to which he slung over his shoulder.
"No harm will come to them in my care," Zenyatta said bowing to Mercy. Her smile grew.
"I have the upmost confidence you will keep your word."
"Now," Fareeha said, "it's time we get going. We need to be in India soon." Lena walked to the door, pressing a button so that it opened up. She pulled out her cellphone and checked her phone.
"Yup! Our ride should be here," she announced, bounding out of the drop ship. "Welcome to my homeland!" Zenyatta and Genji followed her out with nowhere near the amount of enthusiasm.
"Good luck!" Fareeha called. "We'll be counting on you."
"Be careful, Genji," Angela asked with a gentle but somewhat frightened tone. He smiled as he backed away.
"I'll see you soon," he assured as the hatch closed leaving the two groups separated from one another.
"Come on!" Lena called as she rushed away. Genji, nodded, turning from the drop ship and following off towards their mission.
Genji felt uncomfortable in London. There were too many people – too much population. It was like Paris all over again except about twenty times worse. He and Zenyatta had decided it'd be best to dress in oversized clothing to cover up their… omnicness… Genji could get by. He was still human, after all. However, he was worried about what people would say if they spotted his master. After the Null Sector Uprising a few years ago, omnics were unsafe and unwanted.
"Cheer up you grumpypuss," Tracer said, glancing over at Genji from the driver's seat. "You sulk anymore and we're going to have to get your Blackwatch armor back."
"I am not sulking," Genji defended. "I just feel unwanted here." He craned his neck to stare into the back seat. Zenyatta was staring out the window intently. He seemed to be enjoying himself despite everything. Genji could just not understand how he managed to always be so positive even when the view from the car was so bleak. "I am simply on edge. This place is not kind to us, and someone should be worrying about it."
"You say 'us' like you're not human."
"I am not – not wholly – nor am I omnic." He turned back to Zenyatta who had seemed to finally take note of the conversation. "Doesn't the suffering of the omnics here trouble you, master?" he asked in genuine curiosity.
"Of course, it does, Genji… My brother Mondatta gave much to improve their lives, but…" he paused which gave Lena a chance to add into the conversation.
"I'm sorry about what happened," she whispered. "I… tried to stop her," she said the pronoun with distaste, "but in the end…" She huffed, her grasp on the wheel tightening. "If I see her again…"
"Revenge is not justice, Tracer, you will benefit to remember that." Lena's tensed hands relaxed.
"You're right," she said, nodding. "I'm sorry for my outburst." Zenyatta laughed gently.
"If that is what you consider an outburst then perhaps I need not worry about you taking revenge." Lena smiled, pulling the car to a stop.
"This is it," she said, gesturing towards an old building across the street. She squinted hard at it before pointing to a balcony a few floors up. "That's the safehouse."
Genji focused in on the small glass door that led from the deck into the flat. He couldn't see any movement coming from inside, and all the lights were turned out. With the sun setting, it would be difficult to see without the assistance of interior lighting. They definitely weren't home.
"It's empty," Genji said with certainty.
"Yeah? Well, maybe they're just out doing mission related stuff… or…"
"Drinking?" Genji suggested. Lena giggled.
"Yeah, that too."
"I think we passed a bar on our way. Do you think you could run by there quickly and see if any of the employees have seen Hanzo or McCree?" he asked Lena. She nodded, jumping out of the car.
"No prob! I'll be back in a jiffy!" Tracer blinked away from the car, rushing down the street to fulfill her task. Genji turned to look back at Zenyatta.
"I'll scale up the balcony and let myself in. Go around the front. I'll unlock the door for you." He got out of the car, looking at his master who sat patiently in an oversized gray hoodie. "Call me if you see anything out of the ordinary."
"Be cautious, my student," the monk replied. Genji smiled, pulling up his hood.
"Yes, master."
Genji could have never prepared himself for what he saw when he reached the balcony. The window that framed the studio apartment was splintered, cracked like a spider web centering around a small bullet hole. He could tell instantly it'd been a sniper shot.
He felt justified in his worry.
As bad an omen as the outside casted – the inside was a hundred times worse. There was blood splattered on the far wall, staining the beige wallpaper. It also had seeped into the carpet on the other side of the bed. There was buckshot embedded into the drywall.
"Reaper," he muttered, running his metallic fingers over the holes.
The apartment had been totally ransacked. Furniture was tossed upside down. Cushions were torn apart leaving their stuffing strewn across the floor. Talon had very clearly been here and they'd turned it upside down looking for something.
Someone had been shot too. The trajectory seemed to line up with the bullet hole which most likely came from a sniper on the roof across the street. The blood didn't seem to be enough to confirm a death. However, Genji wasn't an expert on crime scene investigation. He could only tell for certain that there was an attack and that his brother and McCree were missing.
Genji could barely hear the knock at the front door over the sound of his heart beat pounding like hammering nails in his ear drums. He didn't even realize he had opened the door until Zenyatta was saying, "Oh my. What a tragedy."
Lena, who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere, followed up with an, "Oi! What happened here?" She gasped. "Oh no… Talon found them. But where are they?"
"Prisoners?" Genji finally said. "Or maybe fled injured. They could be dead…" he took a breath, trying to center himself.
"Jumping upon conclusions will not help us here," Zenyatta said, offering Genji one of his soothing, glowing orbs of harmony. Its warmth helped cleanse the fear that was stirring in his chest. He put a hand on Genji's shoulder. "We must look for leads."
"Good idea," Tracer announced. "Let's search 'round." She zipped across the apartment and began to rummage through an overturned sofa. Genji sighed. He nodded, stepping back and sifted through a drawer. He recognized the clothes as Hanzo's. They were messy and hanging out the side of the drawer which was obviously Talon's doing. His brother was a neat freak and he would have never allowed his belongings to be in such disarray. He skimmed through each drawer, finding nothing more than his brother's underwear. In the bottom drawer, as he pushed aside a kimono, Genji paused, coming across something a little more interesting. He squinted, picking up the manila envelope with a big red "CLASSIFIED" stamped on the front. That was very out of place. It was familiar to Genji as something he'd seen often while he was in Blackwatch. However, New Overwatch didn't bother with such formalities. They were essentially a group of vigilantes at this point – not a military force like in the old days. Genji flipped it open.
It read:
To: J. Morrison
From: G. Reyes
Subject: Hanamura: Failed Reconnaissance
Status: Not Sent
This report describes the events that led to the failure of the mission Hanamura: Reconnaissance. Actions taken by my team revealed our true intentions to one prominent member of the Shimada clan and therefor most likely the whole yakuza itself. We were forced to leave Japan due to the danger that came with our intentions known. We may have revealed all of Overwatch.
I lay the fault on my head, and am prepared to take full responsibility for the failure. However, it is the actions of our youngest agent, Jesse McCree, that revealed our presence when he…
The sensation of someone's gaze boring down on him pulled Genji's eyes from the pages. He turned, looking out the large cracked window towards the building across the street. Standing atop the ledge, was a tall blue woman with a large sniper rife and it was pointed right at Genji.
There was a millisecond of understanding between the sniper and the ninja – a fraction of time where their eyes met. The sniper had known she'd been compromised, and the target knew he was being hunted. At that point, it was a simple contest of who would react first. Her finger twitched and his hand found the hilt of his blade. The shuffled papers of the classified report penned by his former commander fell to the ground around his feet.
The loud crack of gunfire exploding like lighting in the night exploded from the woman's rifle, hurtling a bullet at the cyborg. Genji's body tensed, the glistening blade of his wakizashi slicing through the air at an inhuman speed. The steel of his wakizashi deflected against the traveling bullet. It ricocheted, launching it back out the splintered window and towards the sniper. There was no hesitation as she dodged the reflection, side stepping in an almost majestic spin. She rushed towards the edge of the building, leaping off and catching herself with the metallic chain of a grappling hook. She swung out of view.
"Widowmaker!" Genji alerted the others before dashing forward. He didn't bother to even head for the patio door. Instead, he just launched his armored body through the fractured window he stood parallel with, causing it to completely collapse into small flakes of glass that snowed across both the balcony outside and the sofa inside. He darted across the balcony, springing over the railing and propelling himself over the gap between the apartment and the building next door. It was a long jump, but Genji had no issue landing solidly on the hard brick that made up the roof of the next-door building. He didn't even hesitate as his cyborg amplified legs pressed him onward in the distance that the assassin had fled in. He could see her rushing, glistening rifle pressed to her chest, across the next building down. He chased her down.
Back at the safe house, Tracer had taken immediate notice of Genji's sudden departure. She ran to the window only to see a silver and green blur giving chase to a sprinting blue.
"Widowmaker?" she gasped. Her heart sped up, beating in her chest.
"What is the commotion?" Zenyatta asked with a concerned tone as he floated to the busted window.
"That's Widow… she's…" Tracer shook her head, cutting off her own sentence. "I have to help Genji!" she yelled. "Stay here!" Tracer rushed out the door that rested beside the window Genji had fled through. She rushed across the balcony, springing off the railing and blinking forward over the gap. She didn't have quite the self-propelled momentum as Genji could fathom, so instead of landing right on the parallel rooftop, Tracer's feet met with a grated fire escape. She zipped up the stares, blinking so that she could reach the top faster, and joined in the chase a few dozen feet behind Genji, who was gaining quickly on their target.
The buildings around them were beginning to thin out and Widowmaker was beginning to run out of places to fleet to. The line directly ahead would be ending soon, and that would leave her only able to jump across to the left. Genji, expecting this, leapt across and began to rush ahead on the parallel building. He had noticed Tracer join in the chase. She could keep on her tail and Genji would cut her off, essentially boxing Widowmaker in with nowhere to go.
Tracer was having a serious case of déjà vu and not the regular kind that came from the fact that she could rewind her own time. She couldn't shake how much this felt like the night she'd failed to stop the assassination of Mondatta. She chasing after a fleeing Widowmaker through the cold English air… It was all too similar. Something about that made her a bit uneasy. What if she failed again? But she couldn't!
With a determined huff Tracer blinked forward, closing most of the gap that Genji's course change had left. She was now right on Widowmaker's tail, sprinting hurredly behind her. The sniper was slowing, her speed falling well below what was required to stay ahead of Tracer. Not too far ahead was a large brick wall fitted with only a small shed with a door on the side. No other building was near, and there was nowhere further for Widowmaker to go. Tracer had her.
The small metallic crunch below her foot barely registered to Tracer due to the sound of her own heart pulsing in her ears. She never would have even noticed had the burning sensation in her lungs not followed. Her eyes began to water and sting at an exponential rate. She slowed, stumbling over her own feet until she collapsed with a clumsy spill onto the rooftop below. Tracer began to cough at an attempt to clear the ache in her chest and regain the breath that was quickly being sucked from her. Before her, Tracer could barely see what was happening. She grasped her chest. "Genji," she called, but her voice was small and raspy due to the poison she'd inhaled. "Help."
When her eyes started to finally clear she could only see one thing: the dark void that was the barrel of a gun pointed right in her face. She tried to blink, tried to rewind, something. However, nothing happened.
"I've had a few upgrades since our first encounter," Windowmaker said in a flat yet somehow gloating tone. "Don't worry, mon cheri, it's only temporary. However, so is the time you have left."
"Wh-what did you do?" Tracer managed to gasp out through the pain in her lungs.
"A simple EMP shock," the sniper replied, "I had help from a friend." Widowmaker took a few slow and deliberate steps forward, her long and toned legs placing one foot in front of the other, moving her in a swaying motion as her heels clicked against the ground. Tracer's eyes trailed from the sharp heels of her boots all the way up her leather clad jumpsuit to her sharp and emotionless expression. Her lava eyes sparkled with the thrill of the impending kill. Her finger twitched against the trigger with anticipation.
Suddenly, Widowmaker's head jerked to the side.
"One more step and her pretty little head will be non-existent," she said harshly.
Tracer hadn't even seen Genji approach, but Widowmaker had almost sensed his proximity. Genji stood there, shuriken in hand, staring the sniper down.
"Release her," he demanded.
"Now why would I do such a thing?" Widow's eyes turned back to Tracer.
"Where is my brother?" Genji called after her. Her amber eyes slid to the side, watching the ninja out of the corner of her eyes.
"Last time I checked I have the bargaining chip – not you." Her gold eyes glistened, but her face showed no expression. Genji glanced at Tracer, before turning back to Widowmaker. He lowered his arm, dropping it to his side. He didn't retract his shurikens, however.
"Agreed," he said.
"Genji, what are you doing?" Lena objected. "She murdered Mondatta!" Genji didn't reply.
"Go," he told Widowmaker, unwilling to risk his friends life for a grudge – or even information regarding his brother. Her golden irises flicked to him before moving slowly back to Lena, glaring at her through her rifle scope. There was… something in her eyes. A desire, perhaps. It was unnerving. Like a spider wrapping its lunch in a web.
"No," she said with an unusual amount of joy, her finger twitching on the trigger. She moved to pull it. Before she got the chance, a painful force slammed into her, causing her to tumble to the ground. She fell face first, her sniper rifle skidding across the ground to Tracer's feet. Tracer immediately jumped up, ignoring the burning her lungs and kicked it, knocking it across the rooftop. Genji was over Widowmaker before she could even react, his blade to her throat, pinning her in place.
Tracer glanced up to see Zenyatta, floating calmly behind the sniper. He pressed his palms together, recalling the orbs that he had flung at Widowmaker to returning around his neck.
"Zen!" she said with a smile. "How did you get up here so quickly?" Zenyatta, pivoted slightly, turning towards the door that led to the inside of the building the were atop.
"I took the stairs," he said in a pleasant voice, giving her a small nod. Tracer giggled.
"Thanks for the save!"
"That is my purpose, young one."
"My brother, where is he?!" Genji demanded from the downed sniper, pulling Tracer and Zenyatta's attention.
"Anger is not the way, Genji," Zenyatta said.
"I am not angry," Genji said, calming his tone. "I simply want answers. Now, where is Hanzo?" Widowmaker's dead eyes examined the cyborg's countenance.
"Who?" she asked, flat.
"The man who's window you punctured. They were attacked. A sniper bullet aiming at a target. Your bullet." Widowmaker sighed – like a woman remembering the kiss of a lover.
"Ah yes, the feeling," she hummed. "The beautiful spray of crimson on the wall. The harrowing screams of a cowboy mourning his loss. Perfection." She smiled.
"Cowboy? McCree. Where is he?" When she didn't answer he put presser on his katana. She shifted away best she could but didn't have much room to move.
"Taken," she answered simply.
"And my brother?" No answer. "My brother…" he pressed the blade harder, drawing a bead of red liquid from her neck.
"Dead," she moaned. Genji's threats wavered, his hold on the blade weakening. "I killed him myself."
"No," Genji said, renewed fire. "There was no body."
"A clean up crew was sent. The mess was, uh, dealt with," she drew out the words as if to tease him.
"No!" Genji repeated, anger flaring.
"Genji," Zenyatta said, touching his metallic shoulder. Genji relaxed, the pressure on Widowmaker relaxing as he glanced at his master. It was a mistake.
Widowmaker knocked the blade away from her, pushing her body up, and swinging her leg around in a 360. Genji reacted instantly, jumping over the trip, but the assassin's leg caught Tracer's, knocking the girl to the ground. Genji sliced his blade at the sniper. She blocked the attack with her arm, allowing the edge to bite into her skin so that she could regain her footing. She forced the blade down and spun around, fleeing to the unguarded edge of the building and leaping off. Genji chased after her but was halted by the drop. He could see the blue woman grapple the edge of another building with a wire and swing off around the corner, free.
"Kuso," he cursed, spinning around.
"Genji," Lena said gently as she stood up. "She could be lying." Genji nodded.
"A difficult one to read, she was," Zenyatta said. "She was filled with uncertainty when she answered, however. Perhaps, she does not truly know." Genji looked at the omnic.
"Perhaps, she does," he answered. He motioned to the abandoned sniper rifle. "Grab that," he instructed, heading towards the end of the building. "Let's go."