"So."
"So."
"We don't tell Emily any of this, agreed?"
"Agreed."
Lena gave an audible sigh of relief. Less because Emily wouldn't know about this, and more of that they were finally out of that hellhole. Said hellhole being 'outside the Overwatch building'. Even Archer was as relieved as her, if his expression was any indication.
"I'll be honest, I didn't think it would be that bad." The taller man rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"Right?!"
Despite the still ongoing reconstruction efforts, as well as the general advisory to stay out of the affected areas, there were a lot of people outside of the London Overwatch a bit of them were fans of her, as much as the idea shocked her. Their actions during the London Uprising had been seen by just about the entire world by now, and they were being praised for their actions in preventing more unneeded casualties.
However, alongside the supporters, there were also their detractors. Some of which were also protesting right outside. When coupled with everyone else, the media being the third most populous group, it was an absolute shitstorm.
Two groups trying to argue with each other, with the third basically egging them on. It was a recipe for disaster just waiting to happen.
Or, more specifically, waiting for her.
The moment she had gotten near the building, after giving out more autographs and taking more selfies, to Archer's eternal amusement, the fuse was lit.
It all started when a single protestor spotted her. She couldn't quite remember what they'd said, but it was apparently enough for a lot of people to get angry.
It turned into a full blown riot just moments later. Thankfully, it was quickly dispersed when Reinhardt practically stormed out the building with his rocket hammer. Needless to say the instigators were quickly cowed down.
All of it was, of course, caught on camera. With hope, Emily wouldn't know of just how it all technically started because of her. That hope was only very slightly bolstered by Archer's unlikely solidarity with her.
"No matter what day and age, it seems that humans will always be humans." The man in question sighed, an air of disappointment around him. Lena raised an eyebrow.
"That's a bit harsh, innit?" She knew that while Archer could be a bit pessimistic, she didn't think that he would be that cynical about the sudden onset of violence. She opened her mouth to question him once more, before he interrupted her with a snort.
"I was more so talking about humanity's penchant for recording everything and anything that catches their interest. Except, instead of pen and paper, they've traded their tools with phone cameras."
"Oh."
"Well, I suppose I can also add humanity's penchant for speaking without thinking, eh?" A smug smirk told her that he knew exactly what he was doing.
She smacked his arm, a retort already on her lips when the front doors opened. In came a tired looking Reinhardt, hammer propped up on his shoulder. He looked every bit his age, unlike the normal, chipper attitude he wore. His face immediately lightened up upon seeing both Lena and Archer, making his way towards them with a grin.
"Hah! I see you've had the Overwatch special!" Lena squinted at the man, his grin looking more and more fake the longer she did. For another moment, Reinhardt held the grin, before he sighed in defeat, his shoulders loosening in defeat.
"Aye, it's that bad." He waved his hand, "Normally, we'd let them get everything out of their system, let them protest for a couple days. Couldn't help to butt in when they were speaking ill of Genji, though." Reinhardt gave a fierce scowl as he said the last part.
Lena furrowed her brows in confusion, "Genji? What'd they say?" She was almost morbidly curious what could make the crusader as angry as he was.
"Things I wouldn't want to repeat with any company, let's leave it at that." He sighed, and the pilot exchanged looks with Archer, the latter of which shrugging, though he had probably heard what it was, considering his enhanced senses.
'Archer?' A raised eyebrow.
"Trust me, if I told you, you'd probably be out the door before I could finish." A shake of the head.
'That bad?'
"Yes, that bad."
Reinhardt gave a laugh, less forced and more genuine this time around, "Well, I'm sure they've learned their lesson. Shall we, my friends?" He gestured towards the inside of the building, to which they both nodded.
They headed further inside, Lena feeling the slightest bit of foreboding.
Despite being at the center of the fighting, the Overwatch building they were in was surprisingly intact. Where the first attack, what she thought of now as a probing tactic by Null Sector, punched holes that took days and weeks to fix, the walls that were broken just the other day were already pristine.
Her staring must've been noticed, as Archer spoke in her head, "You must've not noticed when they did this, huh?"
'When would they have done this anyway? I don't think you could build walls, paint them, and let them dry that fast.'
"They didn't."
Reinhardt was leading them through a series of hallways now, one that Lena recognized as the path to the war room. He kept mostly to himself while doing so, having pulled out a data pad and started fiddling with it while walking. He had given them an apologetic look when he had done so, telling them that it was somewhat important.
Lena waved it off. It gave her the perfect opportunity to talk with Archer after all.
"When they fixed up the place the first time around, they swapped out whatever they could with some modular pieces. Essentially, they prefabricated walls and had them in storage whenever they needed to be replaced. Smart, honestly."
'Huh. Those don't look like prefabs.' She'd seen 3D printed walls and buildings before, and they would all usually look the same, hence why they were only really used for mass construction. The bits and pieces that she could see were way too different, in size, shape, and even number of windows.
"Overwatch is also a UN funded organization. I'm pretty sure there's a difference."
Another minute or two of arguing the benefits that the UN gave later, they had made it to the meeting room.
When they entered, the usual suspects were already there. Commander Morrison, Commander Reyes, Angela, Genji and Winston were all gathered and seated, having some quiet conversation between them. Along with them, there were a bunch of people that Lena could only describe as 'colorful characters'.
The first person she saw was an older woman, wearing the same type of uniform as the commanders. She had a tattoo under one eye, and was talking with both Morrison and Reyes in the background. She looked familiar, but Lena couldn't quite put her finger on why.
With them was a man that looked a bit out of place. Instead of the uniform that Overwatch was known for, he wore a standard business suit, and complete with the thin mustache, he looked every bit the stereotypical businessman.
One was a redhead with tubes going down her arms, and into the pointed fingers of her gloves. She wore a black and red uniform, complete with beret, and had tanks of purple and yellow fluid strapped on her back. Lena didn't know how she could sit comfortably with those, if she was honest.
Finally, was a cowboy with a metal arm.
She didn't even know what to say about the last one.
The moment they entered, the conversations stopped, and Morrison nodded his head, "Good, you're here. Take a seat, and we'll start."
Reinhardt took the empty seat near the older woman, exchanging pleasantries with her, while Lena and Archer took the ones nearest Winston.
"Been here a bit?" She whispered to the gorilla.
"No, just got here myself." He whispered back. Her response was interrupted when Morrison coughed to get everyone's attention.
"Introductions first. Most of you know each other, but for those you that haven't met, this," He gestured to the older woman, "Is Captain Ana Amari." Lena couldn't help the small gasp that escaped her lips, even as Morrison continued to gesture at the suited man, " And Agent Gérard Lacroix. They're here to help coordinate Overwatch's response with Blackwatch."
Lena was glad to see that she wasn't the only one openly surprised at the announcement. Angela, Winston, and even Reinhardt stared at the commander the moment he spoke, with said man not even flinching.
"As for the rest," Reyes cut in before anything else could be said, "Well, you can introduce yourselves."
"Doctor Moira O'Deorain." The woman spoke curtly, then stayed quiet.
A beat, then a snort from the cowboy, "You know, you need to relax a bit, Moira." He tipped his hat towards them, "Name's Cole Cassidy. Call me Cassidy."
"Right." With a sigh, Reyes continued, "These two are part of Blackwatch, specifically its strike team. Now, the rest of you?"
That was their queue. One by one, they introduced each other, until it came down to just Archer himself. Predictably, he stood out. None of them knew his actual name, and Lena was just the slightest bit curious as to how he would answer.
"Nobody but a humble Archer."
She should've expected that.
"...That your actual name or just some sort of code name?" Cassidy raised an eyebrow.
"Why can't it be both?" Archer returned with a smirk.
"Right, can't argue with that logic." Cassidy shrugged after a moment, before reaching into his pocket and grabbing a cigar of all things.
"No smoking." Ana Amari spoke with a firm tone, and Lena had to resist the urge to go and ask for a signature, "They're bad for your health, and the ventilation is still under maintenance." With a grumble, Cassidy shoved the cigar back into his pocket.
"With all that out of the way, let's begin this meeting proper." Morrison gathered the attention of everyone once again, a holographic map opening in front of him, detailing the surrounding area.
"We've gathered you all here to address the elephant in the room. Namely Null Sector, and their apparent connection to…magic, and the supposed magical community that up and disappeared in London." You could hear the distaste when Morrison spoke, "Archer, as you've shown yourself to be the only one knowledgeable here about the topic, I will leave the floor to you."
Raising an eyebrow, yet standing up regardless, Archer spoke as he made his way to the front, "You're showing me an awful lot of trust. How would you know if what I say is even real or not?"
"I don't." Morrison bluntly spoke, "But we've got a common enemy in Null Sector, and I'm banking that you won't be able to handle an entire army by yourself, not when that Ravager unit is leading them."
The white haired man snorted, "Well, you've got me there. First things first, tell me what you know of Chaldea and its operations."
"This is relevant, I'm guessing?" A nod, "Fine. This goes for all of you - nothing leaves this room without my express permission." He waited for a round of confirmations before speaking once more.
"Officially, the existence and operations of the Chaldea Security Organization were a closely guarded secret. All that we know of them is that they're a UN funded organization, and that its head was Marisbury Animusphere, back in the early 2000's to the late 2010's."
"Unofficially?" Archer probed, a lilt of interest coming through. In fact, just about everyone, except Reyes and Captain Amari, were leaning forward in interest.
"Nothing." Morrison grimaced, "All files, the ones that exist anyway, are completely redacted."
"He means it literally too." Reyes continued, "The documents that prove they existed in the first place only have the logo and the name of the organization on display, and nothing else."
"Reyes!" The commander glared at the other man, who shrugged in response.
"Beats beating around the bush."
"Right, looks like I'll need to start at the beginning then." Archer was rubbing the side of his temple as he spoke, an exasperated look on his face, "As some of you know, magecraft exists in this world. I myself am an example of this, as I am a Heroic Spirit."
"We were informed of that, yes." The redhead, Moira, spoke up, an interested gleam in her eyes, "I would wish to conduct some studies whether your genetic composition is different to that of a normal human, considering what you claim to be."
"Hm. As long as those tests are non-invasive, we can discuss it later." Satisfied, the woman leaned back into her chair with a nod.
"Now, to keep it brief, the London Clock Tower is part of the Mage's Association, a group of organizations that largely keep the existence of magecraft a secret to the general populace. Marisbury Animusphere was part of the Clock Tower, specifically as the head of the Department of Astromancy."
"What's horoscopes got to do with any of this?" Cassidy spoke up, who by now Lena was starting to understand was someone who spoke their mind when they felt like it.
"Astromancy, not astrology. Astrology does fall under it, but astromancy also covers divination and the like."
"Huh. Neat."
"You four seem to be taking the idea of magecraft existing to not be surprising at the least." Archer looked at them questioningly. It was Lacroix that answered, a tone that belied his amusement at the question.
"We were all shown the video of the spirit dragon. Hard to say magic isn't real when you've seen that."
"Ah. Fair enough. At any rate, that brings me to a clarification that needs to be said. Magecraft isn't Magic. True Magic is Magic. Essentially, I'll be referring to magecraft as 'something that can be done through more mundane methods', and Magic as 'something that requires a miracle'. "
"Example being?" Lena took a glance at the captain, who was taking everything down and writing on her own datapad, alongside Morrison himself.
"Fire. A mage can spew out fire from their fingertips, but the same can be done by a man with a flamethrower. But yes, when I refer to things as magecraft, it's because it's not unique to magi. Most of the magi within the Clock Tower used magecraft, though there were a select few that used True Magic." Archer held out a hand, and a shimmer of blue. She could feel the tension in the air skyrocket when he did so.
In an instant, a wooden sword formed in his hands.
"This is called Gradation Air, or Projection Magecraft. I can form weapons and armor through the use of mana. However, these are hollow inside, and they break easily. Projection has long been considered as magecraft since any skilled blacksmith could make a sword. Nowadays, you've got your hardlight tech, which just adds insult to injury to any Projection users."
The sword disappeared in a similar flash of blue. The tension rocked back into nothing, prompting a soft sigh of relief from the pilot.
She was under no delusions that Archer knew what he'd done.
"Regardless, I am digressing for a bit. Going back to Marisbury, back in the 1990's, he managed to successfully create, using a mix of magecraft and the technology at the time, a near perfect simulation of the planet. Using it, he could accurately predict the direction that humanity would take up to a hundred years into the future. He named it CHALDEAS."
"That's…" Winston began as a silence permeated the room, as the implications of what Archer told them settled, "That's just impossible. Just the amount of energy needed to do so would be beyond what entire countries produce!"
"Exactly. That's why Marisbury went to Japan in the early 2000's." He nodded towards Genji, "You heard it from the dragon that something happened back then, and to, again, make it short, there was a ritual there that involved fighting a war between seven Masters and Servants. Servants being Heroic Spirits like myself, and Masters as the summoners, or whoever the Servant is bound to."
Seven pieces materialized in front of him, looking like fancified chess pieces.
"Seven Servants. Each a Heroic Spirit in their own right. However, you couldn't just summon a whole Heroic Spirit. No, to do so would require the true manipulation of the soul, beyond the purview of magecraft. Instead, they're shoved into one of seven Classes as determined by their legends: Saber, Archer, Lancer, Rider, Caster, Assassin, or Berserker."
As he spoke of each Class, he laid down a piece on the conference table, placing the Archer piece directly in front of himself.
"The prize, whoever won the war, was an omnipotent wish granting device - a Holy Grail. It would grant almost any wish you could think of. Fortune, beauty, even the reincarnation of a person." He snorted, a bitter one, "Marisbury used it as a battery."
The room fell into a deeper silence, the weight of Archer's words hanging heavily in the air. The concept of using something as profound as a wish-granting device merely as a power source was difficult for many to digest. Lena could see the mix of disbelief and realization dawning on the faces around her. The implications of such power, and the lengths to which people would go to harness it, were staggering.
Morrison finally broke the silence, his voice tight with controlled emotion. "You've yet to say anything about what the Chaldea Security Organization even did, and yet, you're saying that this...Grail was the key to Chaldea's operations? And what does this have to do with Null Sector?"
Archer looked Morrison dead in the eye, "Everything."
Lena could feel her heart drum in dread. The tone that Archer spoke of was grim.
"With CHALDEAS in hand, Marisbury petitioned the United Nations to create Chaldea - the organization - to safeguard humanity. That is to say, he would use CHALDEAS as a means to predict humanity-ending scenarios and prevent them from happening. However, Marisbury would never see the fruits of his labor, as he died a few years before Chaldea was fully set up.
"Fast forward to 2016, and Chaldea had made significant forays into a mix of technology and magecraft. Oxton." She jumped at the mention of her name.
"Y-Yeah?" She winced at the stutter.
"That chronal accelerator of yours. Winston, I'm going to guess that you based it off on something along the lines of the Rayshift theory?"
The scientist blinked at being addressed suddenly, "Ah, yes? I found the patent when I was looking for a way to solve Lena's chronal disassociation." Winston's voice gained a bit more fervor as he spoke, "It was ingenious, especially when it was developed back in 2015. A constant quantum observation of the subject to prevent the loss of integrity! Trust me when I say, I was surprised it was even created in the first place!"
"Indeed." Archer chuckled, "I was just as surprised when you managed to miniaturize it to such a degree that I didn't recognize it the first time I saw it."
Winston's eyes widened, "You mean to tell me that Chaldea made this?"
"It was one of Chaldea's main methods of preventing Proper Human History from ceasing." He stared at Lena as he spoke, "Time travel, back into certain points in spacetime wherein humanity died out due to some event."
"Okay, now you're just pulling my leg." Cassidy was now actively smoking, the captain too busy recording Archer's words to properly chastise the cowboy, "Magic, magecraft, sure. I fought with a guy that has spirit dragons, I can believe that. Time travel? Come on."
"You're free to believe whatever you want, but the fact remains that one, such a technology was even created nearly fifty years ago, and two, that same technology was needed to fix an issue with Oxton being chronally disassociated."
"If time travel really exists, then why the hell don't we see time travelers do some wacky shit all over the place?"
"They did." The somber tone caught Cassidy off guard, "In 2019, all life on the planet was to cease existing."
"Explain." Ana had stopped typing and was now staring at Archer in no small amount of alarm.
"The points in spacetime that the dragon mentioned were no accident. They were deliberately created by an enemy of humanity - a Beast. Come 2019, without Chaldea's interference, the entire planet would've been incinerated."
"...Alright, we're due for a recess." Morrison stood up, a frown on his face, "We'll come back to this later, for now, take a breather."
They would need it. Lena sure did.
A/N: If you like what I do and want to support me, check out my P-atreon at P-atreon•com(slash)Almistyor.
And a special thanks to: FireRogueWolf25, brutalcrab and Tassimo.