Revised on the 5th of October 2017
Days had passed since their deployment to Lena's homeland and the agents had still come up with nothing. They observed more protests and rallies on the streets, some having violent encounters with the police, but that wasn't exactly uncommon these days. So, they still haven't found anything. And they were getting rather bored.
At the hotel room desk, Nathan had fallen asleep as he was in the middle of field stripping his rifle. He didn't need to strip it down, but being stuck in a hotel room and wandering around the same old block was starting to get dull. Surprisingly covered a lot of ground in this city, but it was nothing like the open Mojave.
The room door opened and "Amelia" came in holding two paper bags and a cup holder with two soft drinks. She sets them down on the bed and grabs one of each, going to Nathan's sleeping side. She nudges him awake with the bag, the paper rusting against his head.
"Wakey, wakey," she says, stirring the man.
"Uuh, er-wha-?" he wakes, rubbing his eyes. "What is it?"
"Food's here."
The man looks and sees the bag and cup, taking both in his hands and setting them on the desk, brushing gun parts away.
"Thanks."
"Don't mention it."
They ate in relative silence in the moments following, Nathan keeping to the desk and munching away on a fried fish fillet with French fries, Lena eating on the bed while watching television. It was a local newscast, focusing on the unrest on the streets, all of it Omnic related. And of course, King's Row was at the center of it. The Brit could only sigh as she watched what was unfolding mere blocks away. It wasn't a war zone by any stretch, but she felt the need to get out again and recon her home one more time.
"I need to get back out there," Lena said aloud.
"You just got back," Nathan said, swiveling his chair. "You've been out there non-stop."
"Well, someone has to be there, looking out for the rest of them."
"We still have to figure out what to look for. Even though we don't have much to go on. Still, stop wasting your time and energy. At this rate, you're just going to run into a wall."
"Hey!"
Nathan just held up his open hands in faux-submission as the Pilot regarded him with an annoyed look. Though, she did look back at her meal, seeing there were only nibbles on it, apparently too focused on what was on TV and what she planned on what to do next.
"Ugh, fine!" she relented, tending to her food. "But as soon as I'm finished I'm heading back out!"
"On a full stomach?" he asked, somewhat concerned.
"Eh, fast metabolism."
The Courier rolled his eyes at her energy, the spunk that she had. She kind of reminded him of himself, when he was younger. An eager adventurer wanting to go out East and explore the territories. The good that did him.
However, it kept him wondering ever since they left Gibraltar.
"Gotta ask, Oxton," Brin questions, turning to face her again. "How do you do it?"
"Do what?" Lena asks, her face scrunching up.
"That... Energy you always seemed to have a reserve off. Jumping all over the place. Do you ever get tired?"
"No way! I live for this! Swerving, speeding, blinking all over the place. Giving baddies what's coming to them. Saving people, being a part of something greater! It's why I'm here, really."
That made Nathan frown more than anything, despite her answer being very detailed and sounding very sincere.
"Huh, you're sure as hell enthusiastic," he mused, as he stares blankly to the side.
"And you're not?" she asks, furrowing her eyebrows.
The Courier only gave her a deadpan look, accusing her of not remembering what had happened prior to them working together.
"Oh, right, you didn't have much a choice, did you?"
"Did I?" he asks, not expecting an answer. "Nevermind. Dumb question."
"Why is it dumb? Surely, that would be something you'd wanna know, innit?"
"It's something I don't really want to think about."
"Why?"
"I don't like thinking about yesterday and all the shit that happens. Is that a good enough answer, for you?"
Hearing that, Lena's expression turned a bit somber as she placed a hand on her glowing chest piece. The man across from her noticed, eyes drifting back and forth between her and the device.
"I guess you have a past with that, don't you?" he asks, but not to pry.
"Yeah," she muttered. "You could say that."
They ate in relative silence again, until Lena finished and was ready to set out again. Nathan had to use the bathroom, so that gave her ample amount of privacy to switch into her gear. Once he was done with his business, he came back to an empty room with an open window, the curtain flapping from the wind. Probably explains the lack of Tracer and the room being colder than it should be. He goes over to it to close it and let the heat stay in, but as he was about to, he spots a group of men in dark clothing make their way across the street. They had other people with them, too, and one of them was the receptionist.
'The hell is she doing with them?' he asks himself. 'Where are they going?'
He notices other groups of individuals making their way down the same direction and sees a mass of them convening at a what looks like a cathedral. There was even a double-decker bus unloading people filing into the large door. Just what in the hell were they there for?
Nathan lets out a hum, planning on what he should do. He turns around and walks to the bed, where his gear still is. Donning his black armor once again, he decides that taking the Carbine will be the sensible choice. He isn't going to do much with a Brush Gun in an urban area like this. He also brought along another Stealth-Boy, as he was expecting to do some infiltration. He left the hotel room and made his way to the ground floor not having to worry about a receptionist keeping watch anymore. Nathan got back onto the street, now darker but still well-lit enough to where he had to stay in any shadows he could find. Peering from around the corner of a wall, he could see the cathedral just ahead, people still filing while others were posted outside and keeping watch.
He fastened the Stealth-Boy to his forearm and flipped the switch, the stealth radiation washing over his form and making him nigh invisible. Exiting from his cover, he takes a less direct route and goes through the alleyway that was immediately right of him. It gave him ample cover and darkness to hide behind, but he still hugged to the wall. The cathedral came into view again, and he could see an entrance on the side, an unattended door. The Wastelander snuck over to the door and, while keeping an eye on the main door, slowly opened it to the point where there was enough space for him to squeeze through. After going through and closing the door slightly he hugs to the wall of the hallway and as he reaches another doorway, he peers inside to see many people inside. There was equipment, crates, and supplies scattered throughout. Most of the people had makeshift weapons, knives, bats, pipes, apparently anything they could get their hands on. However, some of them walking around with guns. And they didn't look like the common rabble.
Suddenly a voice spoke out, silencing the crowd and bringing all attention to the back of a church, where a command center with monitors and computers seemed to be set up. Standing in the middle of it was her, the Receptionist, and she had beaming pride in her voice. The acoustics of the cathedral helping her project greatly.
"Ladies and Gentleman!" she yelled, the interior architecture of the church echoing her voice for all to hear. "Today is the day we finally rid not just King's Row, but all of Britannia, of the Underworld!"
Boisterous cheering and applause responded to that statement, going on for moments until it died down for her to speak again.
"For many of us, this is revenge for the hardships we faced years ago. Revenge for the loved ones we will never see again, brutally gunned down by those damn machines! But this is not just revenge, this is also justice!"
Another standing ovation garnered from that, even though there were no chairs.
"Before, sympathetic 'Benefactors' who like us suffered greatly because of the Omnics, helped humanity by assassinating the so-called 'peaceful' machine that was deceiving our fellow Britons. And with their help again, they have bestowed us the privilege of killing them off and making sure they will never harm another human soul, again. Unlike our Russian brothers and sisters, there will not be a 2nd Omnic Crisis in London!"
More applause and cheering, a fervor purveying through this crowd that refused to go away.
'At least she knows how to rile a crowd,' Nathan thought, shaking his head as he watches the scene unfold. 'And here I was beginning to think she was a friendly face'
"Now, you shall take to the streets and cause havoc, making way for our friends to deliver the bomb to the very heart of the enemy. Go now, and give Britain its independence!"
The crowd of rioters cheered and ran out of the front door, brandishing their weapons and other tools of anarchy. However, two of them for some reason decided to take the path less traveled, the hallway where the cloaked man was. He hugged to the wall, controlling his breathing, hoping they wouldn't notice.
Thankfully, they passed, completely unaware of who else was with them in that hallway. Nathan went back to the corner and peered from it. There were still some people left, but they did not look like run-of-the-mill hooligans dressed in hoodies and wielding chains. They were armed with proper weaponry and had gear like vests and armor. There were around 2-3 squads of them, and they were all huddled around an older man in a similar outfit.
"Alright, lads," he said, giving a pep talk to the others in a thick Scottish-accent. "This has been a long time coming. We're getting paid to scrap some bots. I don't think I need to motivate any of you of what we're about to do. Let's get the job done!"
They left, leaving Nathan alone in the cathedral except for some other guards and the Receptionist, who was at the command center. Nathan brings a gloved hand to the side of his helmet and tries to reach out.
"Tracer!" he calls out over to the radio at a hushed volume. "Tracer, where are you?!"
"... Nathan?" she finally says after a few moments of radio silence. "I'm watching over the rally and keeping an eye out for trouble. Where are you?"
"I just saw a crowd of people leave the church near the hotel to go start a riot."
"Church? You mean the one near the 'The Meridian'? How many?!"
"Like I said, enough to start a riot. But that's not all, there are some mercs here, too. They're armed and they were talking about 'scraping bots'. A majority of them took to the streets already."
"Oh, God..." she said, her peppiness and fervor now replaced with apprehension. "I'll get Reinhardt on the line and leg it over there as soon as I can!"
"No, stay there," Nathan commanded. "I'll take care of things here. You just-"
"Just what? We need to be there. You'll be all by yourself."
"You need to watch over the crowd and make sure those thugs don't cause too much trouble. And then we'll meet up and clean up the rest. How's that sound?"
"... Don't take too long."
At that, he released his hand from the comms and snuck over into the large, center room. There were around three guards left, two patrolling the floor and the other sitting on a crate looking at something on his holopad. Nathan made him his first target and grabbed him when the others weren't looking. His first target struggled until a blade was driven into his throat, thrashing violently until he silently passed. Releasing his body, Nathan spots one of the other guards and slowly sneaks up on him. Getting close, he then wraps his arm around the front of his neck, forcing the merc lean back far and almost trip. The Courier applied more pressure at an angle and before driving the still wet knife into his throat, making sure to do it slowly and quietly. Even if his victim shook like they were having a seizure and muffled screams vibrated against his arm. It was working. Unfortunately, his Stealth-Boy decided that was enough and gave out, the cloak crackling with electrical sparks as it did.
"Wha-Contact!"
The Courier ducked assault rifle fire as he brought up his own rifle and returned fire, landing two successive shots on the merc and sending him to the floor. He then swiftly drifted his barrel to the stage, aiming it at the hotel receptionist, who was now wide-eyed. She looked to her right and saw a handgun on the table, immediately dashing to it. However, as she wrapped her hands around the grip, Nathan fired a well-placed shot and knock it out of her hands. She fell to the floor, screaming and clutching her now bloodied hand. He walked up to the woman, bending down to wrap a hand around her throat and hoist her into the air, her hands clamp around his forearm.
"Tell me what's going on around here," he demanded, his mask inches from her face. "Who planned this?"
"W-we did, the p-people of Britain," she gasped under his grip. "W-who else?"
"Bullshit, then what were those mercs about? Who sent them?"
"Some people, who understand our cause..."
"What are they going to do? What are they planning?"
"Th-they never told us. They wanted us to make a distraction for them. To achieve their goal. Try and stop them, traitor."
She then spat on Nathan's visor and smiled. The tall armored man then promptly slammed his metal head into her face and knocked her out, making her limp in his hand. He unceremoniously threw her to the ground as he reached for a bandana and started wiping the saliva off his mask. Looking to the command center and the computer, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a white flash-drive, remembering what McCree did back at Egypt and deciding to take after. Going to one of the computers and figuring out where the port was for a few seconds, he sticks it in and the image of Athena pops up on the monitor and establishes a connection, downloading whatever she could.
He leaned against the desk, watching the progress bar slowly creep to the monitor so he could pull it out as soon as it finished. His thoughts were disturbed however when he heard multiple booming sounds go off in the distance, seeing the light of the flames from the church's windows. His helmet's radio then came to life.
"Brin! Where are you?!" Lena screamed into his ear. "Rein's here but everything just went to hell really quick and now the armed men are on the streets with some... Thing!"
"Just hold on!" he said, going back to the monitor. "I'm downloading some data. As soon as it's done, I'll get there as soon as I can."
The computer then beeped, signaling it was done. Nathan took the flashdrive and turned around to run out, but he wasn't expecting to see the receptionist now up, and with a pistol up to his head. The man paused and stood there, waiting for her to make her move as he slowly raised his hands up, flashdrive still in his right. Pistol trained on his head, she held up her bloody free hand, Nathan glancing at it before he complied and slowly dropped the memory stick in it. She smiled, while he scowled under the helmet.
"Looks like you're going nowhe-"
She didn't have time to respond when Nathan's left hand swiped her arm to her left and getting the pistol's muzzle away from his head, lightning fast. Simultaneously, he unholstered his sidearm and shot it from the hip, landing two shots on the woman as she fell to the ground, letting go of both the pistol and thumbstick. He stepped over to the thumbstick and bent down to pick it up, the woman writhing on the ground. As he got up to leave, he squeezed the trigger one more time and sent a round through her head.
The Courier now found himself back on the London streets and they were much different from what they were just half an hour ago. If they intended for there to be a riot, they certainly did a good job making it so, as there were fire and people running to safety. He didn't know where Oxton and Reinhardt were, but he could guess that they would be where everyone else was running from. He didn't have much trouble weaving through crowds this time, as everyone parted for the tall imposing figure like a rock in a river. It was probably the gun or the armor, or both. However, as he was running he noticed one of the metal walls on a building opposite of the hotel was opened, upturned like a garage door. There was also a dead mercenary lying in a pool of his own blood. They were hiding something in there, and it was under their noses.
He pressed on, following the noise of the fighting, and noticing the thugs were all over, wreaking havoc. Wrecking windows, overturning dumpsters, and cars, and committing arson on some establishments. He spotted one group beating down on an Omnic with pipes and decides gunning them down with his carbine was the best option as he went along the street. His shots echoed throughout the cobblestone street as he began picking targets. Shooting and scooting the entire way, he finally catches up to the rest of the team and sees that hulking set of Power Armor, currently producing a blue shield that blocked oncoming fire from a group of mercs up ahead. He could see a blue flash across the rooftops and sending rapid blue energy fire down on them. Nathan ran up to the Knight and started firing through the shield.
"Ah, you have finally joined us amidst battle!" the German announced, somehow sounding elated under all the gunfire. "Splendid!"
Nathan didn't respond as he shot down a few mercs who stayed out of cover for too long. Then, the blue flash appeared and something fell next to the mercs, who had little time to react as the device detonated and sent them flying. Tracer then blinked in front of them.
"Come on boys!" she exclaimed. "They're getting away!"
They followed, running across the cobblestone as they turned the corner and the rest of the mercs finally came into sight. There was more than a dozen of them, heavily armed and surrounding a floating, red cylinder with a blue glowing coil at its center. Some of the mercenaries broke off from the main group and opened fire on them, sending Tracer blinking and Reinhardt to activate the barrier, the shots rippling the field of blue energy like water. The Courier returned fire, taking out a few and forcing them to either back-up or take cover wherever they could. As the two marched further, the Waster notices one of them throwing something and sees it fly towards them. He raises his rifle and after tracking it for a second, fires and detonates before it could get close to them.
"Well done, my friend!" Reinhardt said, complementing the shorter man on his aim. "Didn't know you had it in you. A fine shot!"
The Courier decides to return the favor and unhooks a fragmentation grenade from his belt, thumbing the pin and pulling on it, he tosses it and lands it just in the middle of them. It detonates, the shockwave knocking anyone caught in it about and the shrapnel slicing anything it flew against. The sharpshooter takes the opportunity to run through the barrier and take them head on while they were dazed, Reinhardt following with metal stomps. Seeing soldiers dazed or wounded, he swiftly fires before they can retaliate. The Knight sends those still standing flying through the air, or into a wall. Tracer reappears, helping them clean up stragglers.
After that, the group ran up to the entrance of a tunnel made entirely of metal and immediately were fired upon. The Power Armored German brought his shield up just in time, especially as two RPG's impacted the shield and shook the ground around them. Shaken, their rifleman brought up his carbine and peering through the dust ahead, fired at a figure holding some kind of tube, making him fall off a platform and into a pit. The rest of the hired guns fired as they retreated further into the tunnel.
"Alright!" the Brit said, spinning her dual guns. "Let's finish this!"
"Right behind you!" the German boomed.
"Yeah, let's just-" the Californian was about to say until he heard something that made him pause.
"No, please!"
He heard the shrill scream of a woman calling out in distress. An alley next to them the source of the echo. He stood still as he focused on listening to the sounds for further confirmation.
"Please! Stop! Help!"
The Courier bolts off like a hound towards the source of the screaming, certain something was happening to her. Something unforgivable and that made his blood boil hotter than any desert sun. The others yelling after him as they see him running away.
"Hey! Where are you going?!"
He ignored them as he ran around a corner and continued running until he abruptly stopped in his tracks, seeing what was unfolding in front of him. It was the group of loiterers from earlier, dressed in their dark clothing and brandishing their weapons, but there was a woman there. The same woman he saw get kicked out of the bar with her "boyfriend". And those men were pinning her down and planning to rape her.
The Wastelander balled his fist to the point where he could himself trembling and feeling all the sensations in his knuckles disappear. He bared his teeth under the mask and his breathing became raspy. As he grabbed the hilt of his knife and pulled it from its sheath, one thing was certain: those men signed their death warrants!
He barreled towards them, the men oblivious to the impending Courier until it was too late. One of them, the one in a hoodie, looked up and widened his eyes in shock just before he was tackled to the stone and off the woman. Instantly, the Bounty Hunter drove his blade through the man's boxers, piercing flesh and making him scream. The hoodie tries to grapple at him, but Nathan strangles and easily forces him to the ground as he repeatedly drives the blade through him. The more he repeats the motion, the more he slices and mutilates flesh, the easier it becomes to pull it out and repeat. After it felt like he no longer had genitals, he removes the blade and plunges the blade into his abdomen, watching his face contort and scream in excruciating as he does it. Not enough to sate the Courier, however.
Approaching footsteps cause him to look up, and narrowly dodge a bat to the cranium before he delivered a well-placed uppercut to the thug's face. He gets up from the human pincushion and stares down at the rest of them, seeing them get their weapons up and ready. The man in the duster still has his fist balled and shaking, not even bothering to reach for his gun. He decides to let them make the first move.
"Come on," he calmly mutters under his mask, loud enough only for him. "Let's have some fun."
They charge, the one closest to him swinging at him with a crowbar. He sidesteps it and grabs the arm carrying the tool and sends a left hook directly into his face, before delivering a jab to him in the gut and swiping his feet from under him. Quickly followed by a man with a hammer, Nathan blocks it with his forearm and sending a right hook into his face. Staggered, he grabs his head and drives it into his armored knee, cracking his skull open with his enhanced strength. He turns to his left to stop another thug coming at his side, grabbing his neck with one arm while he blocked his hand with the other. Spotting another man charging at him with a board, the helmeted brawler headbutts the one he's holding and hurls his dazed form to the charging man and knocking both to the hard street. Screaming then catches the Courier's attention, seeing a man dashing towards him with a knife. He ducks under the first swipe as he seizes him by his midsection and lifts him into the air. The knife wielder panics, slashing desperately at the cloth before he is slammed into the ground. The concussive force reverberates through his body as one of his shoulder blades fractures, causing him to clutch at his side.
The Courier steps back, unscathed, and looks at the good work he's done, looking at them all writhing in pain. For now. A small, devilish, and blood-thirsty smirk forming under the helm.
Soft whimpering caused him to lose that smirk before looking over his shoulder and back at the woman. The blonde was pressed up against the wall, hugging her legs close to her chest. She was looking at him, in the eyes, and he couldn't but help stare back at the poor woman. Sparks veered his eyes to the left and saw the damaged hull of an Omnic with a pretty sizable dent in his head. The Courier didn't even notice him in the beginning.
"Sod this..."
He instinctively reached for his pistol, unholstered it, and brought the barrel up to the eyes of the bat-wielding thug. In the split second in before he squeezed the trigger, he saws the man's eyes go wide in dread. Staring down the last thing he would ever see. The gun went off with a bang and the rioter's lifeless body toppled over. This prompted the others to make the smart decision for once and run away. The man holding the gun had other plans and quickly gunned all of them down before they could even get ten yards away. After he made them all fall to the wet street - the barrel of his .45 still smoking - a groan to his left grabs his attention, seeing the hoodie try and crawl away. He walks over to him, not even bothering to hurry as he stands over him and bends down to grab the handle of the knife still in him and painfully forces him onto his back. His red eyes stare down the hooligan's as he brings up the barrel to his head, and delivers two shots to his cranium.
As his head slumps back and blood starts to spill from it, the Courier retrieves his knife with a sickening squelch and stands up. The blade is glossed in bodily fluids, which he tries to flick off before he wipes the metal against his sleeve. Hearing more whimpering, he looks back to see the woman still there, still in the fetal position, and still giving him wary eyes.
A blue flash goes off next to her and the form of Tracer reappears at the woman's side. Hearing stomps behind him, he sees Reinhardt catching up, unsure of whether the German had concern under his helm. Nathan continued examining the blade, the conversation they were having with the blonde becoming white noise. Barely seeing his reflection in the rust, he wipes his gloved fingers across it before he flips it and sticks it into its sheath. An orange glow turned his head.
"Molotov!" he called out as he brought up his .45 and shot the bottle out of the air, letting its contents rain free.
Reinhardt brings up his barrier, the blue shield protecting those behind him from the fire.
"That was close!" the German said, the fire slowly dying off his shield.
"And we need to get back to the bomb!" Lena exclaimed, now standing.
"You two go ahead. I'll get these two back to safety!"
Lena stopped in her tracks, turning around to looks at Reinhardt with a worried expression.
"Are you sure about that big guy?" Oxton asked, not happy they were going to be split up.
"It is not safe here anymore!" Reinhardt stated, pointing a big metal finger to the civilians behind them. "One of them is too injured to move and the other still needs assistance. You'll do fine without me, now go!"
Tracer didn't feel right with this. Of course, the civilians had to safe. They were always a priority, but without Reinhardt, their chances of stopping the bomb could significantly dwindle. For someone always fast on her feet, this was mind-wrenching.
The sound of more gunfire from the tunnel broke her train of thought.
"Looks like we wasted enough time," remarked the duster-wearing man next to her. "Are we gonna go or not?"
She nodded and started running alongside him, but looked back to see the man in power armor hoist up the Omnic over his shoulder and the girl in one of his hands, soon running to whatever safety they could find. She silently wished them good luck and looked forward, blinking ahead to gain more ground while Nathan tried to keep up.
They were now in the tunnels, metal walls and ceilings surrounding them and the sound of machinery and electricity pervading their ears. The air becoming a stale the further inside they went into this tunnel. The sound of fighting up ahead was much more pronounced, however. They ran further up ahead and saw the group of mercenaries with their bomb were dangerously approaching what seemed to be their destination, but halted, as they were engaging some unseen entity from the left hurling blue bolts of energy at their forces, even cutting a few of them down.
"Who else is fighting them?" Tracer asked, watching from afar.
"Who cares?" the Courier answered as he charged his rifle. "Light 'em up!"
Tracer nodded in agreement and swung out her Pulse Pistols before she blinked off, engaging the enemy as she evaded their fire. Nathan brought up his rifle and started firing, rapidly taking them out with precise shots before they smartened up and returned fire. He ducked, weaved, and rolled to evade their fire, making sure to pop off a few rounds and land some hits in between his evasion. The soldiers being distracted and taking fire from all sides, the blinking Brit now had a window of opportunity and targeted the red payload.
"Bombs away!" she called out as dropped a pulse bomb directly onto the bigger bomb.
The immediate explosion rocked the interior and sent people and body parts flying, wiping out most of the armed men near the bomb. The bomb itself was still afloat, however, its hull visibly damaged and the lights still glowing.
Nathan ran up to the bomb, his rifle still at the ready, as Lena blinked up to his side and inspected the explosive in front of them.
"God almighty, this thing's tough," she remarked, shaking her head. "Any idea of how we'll get rid of it?"
"If it's a bomb, we can disarm it," he stated, matter-of-factly. "Just need to figure out how."
Machine gun fired pinging off the red shell and nearly missing them caused them to spin around and see more mercs coming from behind, a few of them brandishing heavier firepower. Brin immediately started firing at them but retreated to cover behind the bomb. Oxton started blinking in and around of them, taking some out when the opportunity presented itself. The man with the rifle kept firing back from behind, the occasional burst of enemy fire forcing him back down. His unrelenting rifle fire and the feeling of his barrel getting scorching hot made him not notice from the person approaching him.
"Hello, friend!"
Nathan looked back, surprised, to see the floating Omnic from earlier there, somehow still seeming tranquil amidst the gunfire.
"The hell?!" the man exclaimed. "What are you doing here?!"
"Well, it appears the paths we have taken have led to the same goal," the machine ambiguously stated. "It is good to see that I am not alone in protecting the innocent."
The man couldn't but help raise an eyebrow at the machine, but that went away when he saw a figure approaching from behind.
He pushed the Omnic out of the way and tackled the man with the rifle. Pinning him to the ground, he saw it was the older mercenary from before, the one he saw give a speech to the rest of the group. He looked worse for wear, burned, and singed from Oxton's bomb minutes earlier. He gave the mask a dirty look.
"You bastard!" he cursed out, baring his teeth. "Betraying your species like this! Do you know what those damn things have do-!"
He got cut off as a blade sliced through his throat, causing blood to flood out and stain his pale skin. His eyes went wide as a death rattle was the last thing that escaped his lips. It was clear the man holding the knife didn't really care what he had to say. In his mind, people like him were a dime a dozen. It wasn't until the merc's head slumped back and his eyes glazed over did he finally retrieve his knife and got back up.
"A regrettable loss," the Omnic next to him murmured sorrowfully.
The man just looked at him with his red-eyes, wondering what he meant by that. The shockwave of an explosion and something bumping against the payload snapped their attention to the front. The man ran up and saw a more disheveled form of Agent Oxton lying on the floor, burn marks and black stains on her, trying to prop herself up with her arms. He bent down and tried to help her up, but she kept murmuring something.
"R-r-" she weakly lifted her arm and pointed ahead, Nathan following her finger. "RPG..."
The Courier's saw a figure in the distance holding the silhouette of a cylinder. He hastily brought up his handgun and unloaded his mag, dropping the figure as the pistol's slide locked back. Unfortunately, he fell to reveal another figure, holding another RPG and already having it aimed at them. The warhead rocketed towards them, the flame emanating from behind lighting the dark hallways. Nathan had little time as he took Lena's form and shielded it with his body, clenching his eyes shut.
"Experience Tranquility!"
He heard the warhead go off, shaking the ground as it did. But he did not feel the flames washing over him, nor the shrapnel embedding into his skin. The Courier dared open his eyes and looked up, almost being blinded as a golden glow almost as bright as the sun shone in front of him. And in the center, was the Omnic, floating with multiple golden translucent arms coming out from behind him as he holds his actual arms to the sides, in a manner of hand gestures. The orbs that orbited his neck now formed a circle behind him, not deviating from their positions. Nathan could only stare in awe at what this robot was doing, questioning how it was enough to save them from an RPG. The soldier with the RPG looked equally befuddled, giving Nathan enough time to get his rifle and taking him down with a short burst.
After that and a few moments of silence other than the glowing humming of the Shambali Omnic, he let down his arms and his orbs went back to floating around his neck as the glow dissipated. The Courier stood up, breathing heavily as he looked around and surveyed all the damage. He looked down and saw Lena getting up, apparently feeling better all of the sudden as if her pain dissipated. He looked back and saw the bomb, active but with no more mercenaries to guide it to its destination. However, blue lights from farther away caused him to look ahead to the raised platforms on either side of the bomb's intended destination. Blue dots of varying number and patterns rose from the darkness, groups of them. They belonged to other Omnics, with some humans among their ranks, who had come out of hiding to see that they were all going to live another day. Thanks to the two humans and Omnic before them.
Crowds, man and machine alike, gathered around the orca colored dropship as they eagerly took in the sights of something that had been gone for so long. Many had their phones out, taking pictures or videos of as much as they could. Others, especially those further in the back, had to crane their necks and push people aside to even get a good view. One little girl in a light green sweater with a cartoon onion on it had the fortunate luck of sitting on her mom's shoulder, showing off a big grin as she cast her eyes upon a spiky-haired girl with a glowing chest piece.
On the other side, Nathan just waited patiently beside the dropship ramp, his arms crossed, as he watched Oxton and Wilhelm interact with the crowd; the latter doing poses in his armor for some reason. He looked to his left and saw Lena was waving at him, beckoning for him to come over. He raised an eyebrow, questioning why she wanted him to come over. The Courier shook his head, not wanting to leave where he was. She only beckoned further and didn't stop until the taller man groaned under his helmet and reluctantly walked over to where she was. When he got close enough, he saw who she was talking too. The blonde woman and the Omnic he saw at the bar. The woman who was almost raped.
"She wanted to talk to you," Tracer said to the Courier before she addressed the couple. "Go ahead, love."
The Courier looked at the woman, expectantly. The blonde was a bit hesitant until she looked back at her boyfriend, who placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"Hi," she nervously greeted. "I… We just wanted to thank you for saving me from those men back there. Even if you were…"
"She's very grateful, mister," the Omnic spoke up, speaking for her. "And I don't know what I would be doing without her. So, again, thank you so much."
He regarded them with lethargy. Really, he just felt tired and wanted to get out of here, out of the cold.
"Your welcome," was all he uttered to them, barely being heard through his helmet's speaker before swiftly turning on his heels and going back to the ship. The small smile on the blonde's face faded away as she looked at her spouse uncertainly.
After the others said their goodbyes and waved to the crowd, the three finally got back onto the dropship and ascended off the ground. The crowd cheering for them as they blasted off.
In the cabin of the ship was the red hull of the bomb, deciding to bring it back to Winston for study and to make sure it didn't fall back into Talon's hands again. At the cockpit, the three were huddled around a holovid with the face of the gorilla.
"Mission accomplished, Winston!" Lena elatedly declared. "And it looks like we got our hands on some handy ordinance."
"That's great to hear! Good job!" their boss congratulated, grinning ear-to-ear. "Now, you just need to rendezvous to Germany to pick up the team I dispatched there, and you'll be back home in no ti- Who's that behind you?"
Confused, the three turn around and are shocked to see the Omnic Monk levitating there, contrasting them by looking serene as he always seemed.
"Hello!"
"The fuck?!" Nathan let out. "How did you get in here?"
"I let myself in," the machine answered. "I would like to offer my assistance."
"What? Why?" grumbled the low voice of Winston from the holo-chat. "Who are you?"
"I am Tekhartha Zenyatta, formerly of the Shambali Clan. Though, you may call me Zenyatta, if you wish. As for why I am here, I believe that our paths align to the same virtuous goal, so I wish to accompany the 'new Overwatch' and help it prosper, and in turn, the world. I am very sure you are all capable of such a task if earlier was any indication."
"Are you sure about that? This isn't something you can commit to on a whim. This job is dangerous, and you may just be risking your life the more you'll stay with us. Are you certain?"
"Shall I continue wandering throughout the world, helping only those I come across despite the suffering enveloping all around? Or should I be a part of something larger than myself? If accepting a monk into your ranks seems... Unorthodox, then think of me as a recruit, willing to do my part."
The cockpit became silent, uncertain of what to do with Zenyatta, offering his services as if on a dime. Obviously, they couldn't just throw the machine off the dropship, nor abandon him at the most convenient place to stop by and drop him off. They couldn't ignore that their ranks were thin, however...
"Well, it's an honor to meet a member of the Shambali," Lena said with a smile on her face. "Mondatta was an inspiration to me!"
"To us all!" Zenyatta responded warmly. "I miss him greatly, and I feel joining you in your endeavors will help bring the world closer to what he envisioned."
Again, there it was, more evidence of this schism between man and machine. While it did pale in comparison to the evidence they had sitting right in the cabin, it only made Nathan further wonder why there was such a divide between the two. Why are Omnics ridiculed, treated as badly if not worse than mutants back in California? What the hell was the "Omnic Crisis" he kept hearing about, that had claimed the lives of many loved ones? How long has it been since? But Nathan just kept his mouth shut this time.
"Well, I guess that's it then!" Reinhardt stated, patting Zenyatta on the back, causing his orbs to sway a bit. "Welcome aboard my metal friend!"
"Not so fast... Rendezvous with the team at Germany first, guys," Winston said, as he regarded the Omnic with hesitation. "And then we'll see."
