Revisions made on the 17th of September 2017


Watchpoint: Gibraltar, Mediterranean, Europe

2076

Winston and Reinhardt were in the viewing room looking through the glass as they observed Angela interrogating the man, now named as a "Nathan Brin". They had been there for at least an hour, Nathan currently droning on about a paramilitary organization from his world. Neither the Knight nor the Scientist could believe anything he was even saying. They listened intently, nonetheless, noticing the details that interested them the most.

"I really don't believe anything he's saying," said Winston shaking his head all the while. "But he is creative. I'll give him that."

"Is such a thing even possible?" asked the hulking man next to him, scratching his head. "This would be in your field of expertise, would it not?"

Winston regarded the old German, his face scrunching up the more he thought about it. Remembering the sleepless nights designing and building the teleportation matrix, and writing countless equations and running countless simulations to account for every possible scenario. The scenario of ending up in a different dimension was one of them, but one that had such a low percentage of even occurring that it was less than insignificant. That's what the math showed. However, if Lena's incident was any indication; There was still the chance.

"I don't know," the Scientist sorrowfully answered, closing as he rubbed them into his fingers. "But I refuse to accept that as the ultimate truth, at least right now. We'll just go along with it and if there's no other viable conclusion to draw by that time… We'll see."

Reinhardt only nodded, out of sympathy really, as he could tell his furry friend was torn by this. They both fell back into silence as they continued observing the exchange between Nathan and Angela. They noticed their conversation had also become quiet as the latter was now writing up some notes onto her holopad while Nathan intently watched her, his eyes drifting between the tablet and her. After finishing the last few notes, Dr. Ziegler stood up from her seat and addressed the Waster with a nod and a "thank you", before she made her way through the door and left the man alone in the room. As soon as she left, the man then started to mess around with the "computer" strapped to his forearm.

'Should've confiscated that from him,' Winston thought to himself as he curiously watched him operate what appeared to be buttons and dials. 'How on Earth does it even function?'

The sound of the door opening behind them turned both of their backs to the glass, as Angela stepped through with the holopad in her hands.

"Enjoyed the show?" she greeted with a question.

"You mean freakshow, right?" Winston cheekily responded. "I honestly don't know what to make of anything that man said."

"Agreed. If I didn't know any better, I would've written him off as being very delusional or schizophrenic, but that still doesn't explain the items he brought with him."

Reinhardt spoke up, saying, "Well, he certainly was quite detailed in his story and of the world he is from. An irradiated land filled with degenerates preying on the weak? Sounds like a place I would visit, bring some justice to the land!"

"I'm sure that would go over well," the blonde replied, rolling her eyes.

That ushered a deep chuckle from the gorilla next to him, amused by his friend's somewhat misplaced beaming pride.

"Well, if there are ever any dragons where he's from, I'm sure a Knight will be needed," he said. "Now, what's our next course of action?"

The group contemplated for a moment, trying to formulate a plan and decide what else to do with the man in the next room. Angela thought it would be best to call a base meeting and inform the rest of the agents as to what has happened. She knew they were all getting anxious about who exactly their visitor was. Relaying her suggestion to Reinhardt and Winston, they agreed it would be a good idea to not keep their colleagues in the dark any longer.

"Sounds like a plan!" boomed Reinhardt. "I'll get onto organizing the others into the conference room while the day is still young."

"I'll join you, too," Winston added. "I'll just tell McCree to escort, uhm, 'Brin' back to his cell. What about you, Dr. Ziegler?"

"I'll head to my office to set up everything and organize the notes we've all compiled on him," she answered. "I'll see you there!"

The Knight and Scientist left the Doctor alone in the viewing room, shutting the door behind them. Alone, Angela let out an exasperated sigh, the day becoming much more complicated than she expected it to be. It was barely noon! Taking another deep breath to calm down, she turns around to the glass and almost jumps to see Nathan staring at her. However, she becomes a bit more relaxed a few moments later when his eyes darted to other spots of the glass – showing that he couldn't see through. Then, the door opened and in came McCree, cigar in his mouth and hand on his holster as he approached the chained man. Released from the table, Nathan stood up and was escorted out of the room and towards his cell with McCree behind him. The door eventually closed, leaving a vacant interrogation room. Dr. Ziegler had to get ready for the impromptu meeting they'll soon have, and hoped it would go smoothly.


"You've got to be shitting me," drawled out McCree, sitting in one of the chairs situated around the conference room table.

Everyone on the base was currently occupying their own seats around the table. Lena, Jesse, Torbjörn, Hana, Reinhardt, and even Genji - who had returned from a trip to his homeland - were all encircling the black round table. Brigitte was there, too, sitting next to her Swedish Engineer Father.

When they were all summoned to this briefing they all knew it had something to do with the man-from-nowhere and hopefully clue them all in on who they were dealing with. After the impromptu presentation by Angela and Winston, everyone except Reinhardt was left practically speechless by the information they were given. Sure, some of them have had encounters of the strange and bizarre in their years of Overwatch, but this had to be one of the more asinine stories they've heard.

"Is this what they were discussin' in there, Reinhardt?" Jesse asked, looking at his bigger friend for some clarification.

"Yes, my friend," Reinhardt confirmed. "I was there to hear everything, catch every single detail. Although, Angela did leave out the 'Steel Brotherhood' part, which I thought was pretty interesting."

"'Brotherhood of Steel'," the interrogator corrected. "But yes, while inane as everything that man has told me sounds and that he has significant... Brain anomalies that could explain this behavior, he has not exhibited any other symptoms that could suggest any delusional disorders. It also, unfortunately, provides some explanation for his background and the technology he brought with him. "

The members of the table started to murmur and glance at each other. They all were still unsure of this Nathan Brin, and whether they could trust him. With all the problems and troubles the newly reformed Overwatch was being pelted with, having a prisoner was unfortunately added to the list.

"Why are we even keeping him here?" Torbjörn asked. "Why not just take the technology for ourselves and cut him out from the equation?"

"Then that would make us thieves, not heroes," Winston responded intensely, not liking what his fellow engineer just suggested. "It would also leave us with technology we would not understand and have to resort to meticulous and tedious reverse engineering before it could be of any use to anyone. Besides, if this exchange is going to work smoothly, we still have to uphold our end of the deal."

"And that is…?"

"Helping him get back home."

Torbjörn could only narrow his eyes at Winston, seeing how implausible that seemed.

"Hmph! And how do you plan on doing that?"

"Well, as you might've already guessed, teleportation technology also exists in his world," the gorilla-scientist stated. "He actually possessed quite a device in his pack, something capable of teleportation."

"'How do you know it even works? Have you even seen him use it?"

"If him appearing in the middle of my room in a bright blue light is any indication... It definitely would be something to examine."

If they were all honest with themselves, they didn't like this plan at all. The idea of having to cooperate with a stranger whose story is built upon what sounds like something from an old Twentieth Century movie was completely asinine. Not to mention, this exchange was built on rewards that promised really nothing for either side. No one was a definitive winner and made it seem all that pointless. Or so it seemed.

"Winston," Brigitte spoke up, her pseudo-boss regarding her. "Is this technology really worth all the trouble of having that guy here? We already have enough on our plates, as it is."

The Gorilla thought about her question and his expression changed but hardened as he thought about it. He breathed in deeply before huffing out, in apparent frustration.

"I'm not going to lie to you guys," he started as he addressed not only Brigitte but the rest of the team. "This 'new' Overwatch is in a very precarious position in the world today, and we are only but at a fraction of the capabilities of what this organization once possessed. If we are to increase our chances of survival, this might be the technology we need to utilize. It may not immediately bolster us to our former glory but could give us a fighting chance. Something we'll need if we're to go up against the likes of Talon."

Everyone fell silent as Winston finished, knowing that the Overwatch of today was nothing like the Overwatch in the past. Everyone signed up for a reason, because of how they saw the world and refused to just stand by and watch it collapse on itself. Even Hana, the newest member of the reformed Overwatch, knew why she joined the very group the world now considered "criminals". They were the ones after all that swooped in to help MEKA fend off that gargantuan Omnic plaguing her homeland, causing her to join in the first place. She wanted hope and chance to fight for a brighter future. If this was one risk the team had to take to ensure it…

"Fine," Torbjörn muttered, the bearded man still grumbling in disapproval. "If this can help Overwatch get back on its feet, it's better than nothing."

The dwarf got off his chair and made his way to the exit. "However, when you're off chasing science fiction, I'll be working on modern marvels in my workshop! Good luck!"

The Scientist could only help but smile at his engineer friend's quips, seeing that at least his work ethic hasn't waned all these years. "I guess that's it then. Nathan Brin will help us, and we will in return help him. Any objections?"

No one had really had an outright objection, just tons of questions. Mainly about the world Nathan Brin is supposedly from and whether they could see him or speak to him. They still didn't trust him and were going to be careful around him.

"Just so we're clear," McCree started. "You ain't just gonna let him roam around the base freely, right?"

Winston and Angela exchanged looks, before the former replied, "We're not sure… It'd be rather inconvenient to have someone escort him all the time with our limited numbers and such. However, Athena would keep him on 100% surveillance if he's active. We'll keep a close eye on him."

McCree only grunted in response, before rising from his seat and stretching his arms above his head.

"Welp," he said. "I'm gonna go hit the hay. Been a long day and I doubt it'll be the last, especially with him around. Good night, y'all."

With that McCree said his exchanges and made his way to the barracks, the other members of the team soon following suit. It wasn't long until the conference room was barren, with only the presenters left. Putting together back their notes.

"Well, that went better than I expected," Angela remarked as she looked over her holopad. "I wonder if introducing him to them would be a good idea. What do you think?"

"I think we should take this slow for now," Winston replied. "I have a feeling our new 'friend' will have a lot to get acclimated to. Best not to rush things. Good night, doctor."

And with that, the scientist was off to his lab/bedroom, to retire for the night.


Nathan was unfortunately back in his cell, lying down on the rather comfortable bed because he had nothing better to do. Well, he could try escaping from his cell and getting the hell out of the base but since his cell door couldn't be picked and there was still the problem of being on an entirely different Earth, he decided his best option would be just staying put. He still didn't know what to think of this "Overwatch" group but he was still largely unscathed, unlike the other times he's been taken as prisoner. There were probably the only ones that could help him get back home or his best chance. He just had to wait and see what they had in store for him. If it wasn't for his Pip-Boy's clock he wouldn't know it was already well into the night, otherwise, he would be sleeping. He still didn't like it, though, being caged up doing nothing. He was getting antsy. The wanderer felt like he had to get up and do something to at least take his mind off things.

The blonde, Dr. Ziegler has visited not so long ago, informing him that she had just debriefed the rest of Overwatch about him and have decided that they would cooperate with each other. Him in advising about his technology and them in getting him back home. She also said that all of them didn't really believe his story and to expect them to be more than suspicious about him. It didn't bother him in the slightest. He chuffed at the thought. He was still rather unsure what working with this Overwatch would ultimately entail.

'An international peacekeeping force,' he remembered the Doctor say, what they described themselves as. 'Sounds more like a mercenary group, to me.'

Still, there were some things he was worried about, like wondering where Cooper was and if he was okay. That dog was probably the closest thing to a friend he had left. He couldn't possibly be in this world as the Transportalponder could only transport the user. The thought of Cooper being scared and alone brought more discomfort to his owner. More than he needed.

Grumbling at the fact he was just staring at the ceiling for some time, he rolls over in bed and shuts his eyes. The self-inflicted darkness sort of puts his mind at ease, able to clear things a bit. It seemed to be working, as he soon was edging more into a trance. It was as if he was dreaming, but it was just a memory from long ago forced its way into his mind. He began to relive it vividly and was grimacing at the thought.

It was the first time the Legion sent assassins to him, in retaliation for killing Vulpes Inculta and his squad at Nipton. Nathan could not believe his eyes at the atrocities he saw, and if it wasn't for the grenade rifle he had on hand, he would've been strung up on a cross or worse. It came back to bite him in the ass when he was just wandering the Mojave sometime after, making his way towards Novac when he spotted crimson over the hill. He didn't even have time to prepare for battle when the assassins started firing at him. They were well-equipped, hardened veterans of the Legion, and he was just a lowly Courier at the time. He barely made it out with his life, where not even the use of a grenade rifle and that Eye-Bot he picked up tipping the odds in his favor. He ended up crawling to a desolate shack and using up all the healing powder on his seeping wounds. He stayed there for half a week, using up all his supplies. The next time he saw crimson, he just bolted for the nearest settlement.

Opening his eyes at the "nightmare" and frustrated, he rolled over onto his other side and faced the outside of his cell. He wasn't expecting to see a short Asian girl there staring at him through the glass.

Sitting up instantly, he regards the girl with a surprised look. The girl jumps, backing up a bit from the glass as her eyes widen, but quickly regains composure and looks at Nathan dead in the eye. The man glares back at her, a bit pissed that someone was watching him in his sleep. Hated having eyes on him. However, there was something about this girl that stood out to him, something that hasn't with the others he has seen. This one seemed young.

"The hell do you want?" he derisively questions.

The kid wasn't having any of it.

"I dunno," she responds, shrugging her shoulders, and folding her arms in an effort at bravado.

'Great,' Nathan remarked in his head. 'She's a smartass.'

"Listen, kid," the forty-year-old began. "I-"

"Who are you calling a kid?" the kid interrupted him, unknowingly proving his point.

"Well, because you watch people in their sleep, I assume you have the manners of one."

The girl huffed at him, before saying, "I wasn't 'watching you in your sleep'. I was just checking to see if you were still in your cell. Make sure you weren't causing trouble."

Nathan looked around the insides of his cell and raised his hands at the small, unassuming confines.

"Where else would I be?" the prisoner asks, more confusion that frustration in his tone. "Seriously kid, what's your angle?"

The pale-skinned girl only stood there, frowning as her eyes looked at him as if she was sizing him up.

"Wanted to see 'the Wastelander' with my own eyes..." she explains.

"And?"

"You don't look like much."

Hearing that, Brin shook his head and got off the bed, rising to his full height of Six-Foot-Six-Inches. She was a bit surprised by that, not thinking he was going to be that tall, but composed herself as he walked closer. It wasn't long until the muscled, broad-chested man was mere feet away from the slim, petite young woman. The Wastelander towered over her, looking down on her with a scrutinizing gaze. To her credit, the girl didn't budge, not fidgeting much. He doubted her bravado would be intact if there wasn't glass between them, though.

"What's your name?" the bearded man asked.

"DVa," she stated, matter-of-factly.

"That can't be your real name."

"As if I'll tell you my real name."

Nathan brought up his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose as he growled out of frustration. He was going nowhere with this dumb kid and only felt like he was wasting his time.

"Listen... Kid," the older man started, despite the protests of "DVa". "It's late, going to have a big fucking day tomorrow, and you're doing yourself no favors being here, especially with that attitude."

"You're not my dad," she remarked.

"No, but I was your age once, and if half of what Dr. Ziegler told me about this Overwatch group is true, then you are out-of-place."

"What makes you think that?"

"That type of attitude, that bravado... Cut the shit, kid. It'll do more harm than good."

The Courier emphasized his point by raising one of his hands, brandishing the scars riddled over the back.

DVa grimaced a bit at seeing the wound and began to note all the other scars that littered his arms. She even saw the long one on his face. Wondering what exactly he did to earn those.

"This isn't the Wasteland," DVa stated. "People aren't exactly scrounging around in ruins fighting over canned beans."

"That's a really gross oversimplification," Nathan rebutted. "But you don't need to be in a wasteland to piss off the wrong people."

The young woman opened her mouth to speak up but held back as she realized there was some truth to that. Their world may not be the charred remains of nuclear war like he supposedly is, but she would be lying if she said it was peaceful. It was anything but that. She wouldn't be in an Overwatch Watchpoint, otherwise.

Nathan turned around and walked back to his bed.

"You still got your youth, kid," he said. "Don't waste it."

"I'm not a kid!" she said, stamping her foot in frustration like a rabbit. Nathan only dismissingly waved his hand behind him before climbing back into his cot. Hana let out a groan of frustration and decided to leave him. It was late and their exchange would've gone nowhere. At least the prisoner was left finally in peace. Ready to get some rest for tomorrow.

The more he thought about tomorrow, the more he felt weary as he unconsciously yawned. Sleep was finally going to take over and he more than welcomed it. He might need the energy or what might be in store for him. Burrowing further into the comfortable cot of his cell, his eyelids slowly encompassed his eyes and turned his vision black.

It was short. It didn't last long.

His eyes shot open and met the concrete ceiling once again. Grimacing, he sat up in bed and brought his hands to his face to wipe away the drowsiness. He brought up his Pip-Boy, being slightly blinded by the screen, and looks at the clock. He only seemed to sleep for around three hours, more of a nap at most. He lies back down on the bed to go back to sleep, but footsteps in the hallway bring him back up.

'It's not even morning, yet,' he tiredly remarked. 'What do they want no-'

He was expecting to see Brigitte, Dr. Ziegler, or even that girl to arrive by his cell door. Instead, he saw a man draped in a black hood, with a bone-white mask adorning his face. Nathan instantly rose from his bed but shortly realizes he was still powerless to do anything as he was behind a glass barrier. He doubted the figure was a part of Overwatch. Not to mention he was dressed like the Grim fucking Reaper!

The "man" stares at him through the glass, his eyes hidden under the skull mask. His head cocked to the side a bit, indicating he seemed confused about something. Nathan likewise returned the gesture, his face hardened and waiting for the man to make a move. The reaper spoke, his voice low, grim, sounding as if it was synthetic.

"So…" the dark figure said, drawing out the sound. "You must be their new pet. What are you doing here?"

"I'd ask you the same thing," Nathan responded lowly.

The figure laughed, sounding ragged with each breath.

"I was here to collect, but now..." he stated, menacingly.

Smoke started to bellow from his form, which started to dissolve and mix in with the gas until he was nothing but a cloud. The Wastelander could only stare in pure bewilderment as the cloud seeped through the holes of his cell. Then, without warning, the cloud rushed into him and hurled him into the wall. Nathan yelped in pain as the cloud reformed back into the hooded figure, who now held him up against the wall by his throat. He clutched at the metal claw gauntlets that were holding his neck in a vice, feeling them dig into the skin. The taller man was surprised by his sheer strength, not even able to make the arm choking him budge even with his own strength and implants. It felt like being choked by a super mutant. Whatever he was, it was obvious he wasn't human. The reaper only stared at him, his expression unchanging because of the mask. His black holes roaming up and down Nathan, his face got closer, inches apart from his. Nathan gritted his teeth through pained breaths, awaiting the worst.

"... Not you," the reaper said, in some twisted act of mercy. "Not yet…"

Pressure then was relieved from his throat and Nathan fell to his knees, rubbing his neck as he gasped for air and cough. He hears wind rushing and looks up to see the man disappear into the ground as if he sank through. Nathan gets to his feet and stares at the spot, waiting and preparing for another assault. After some long moments, he relaxes his stance and falls flat on his ass. His ragged breathing echoes throughout the cell, still trying to recover from the encounter. Just then, the lights black out completely in the hallway, before a red dim replaces them. A voice echoes throughout the hallway and snaps him out of his pain. It's Athena, the Artificial Intelligence he met one time in the interrogation.

"Attention," she blares, sounding very alarmed. "Multiple Talon intruders detected! Repeat, multiple Talon intruders detected! All agents prepare for battle!"

An alarm echoes throughout the entire base. The door to his cell opens on its own, surprising the prisoner as he stumbles to his feet. He wearily makes his way to the door and peers throughout the hallway, seeing it empty. The other cells haven't opened on their own, for some reason. He doesn't question it, seeing it as his own opening. He bolts from his cell and to the door that will lead him to the rest of the base. He didn't know what the hell was happening, but he'd be damned if he stayed in one place.