"So, what did you mean when you said 'you had business to attend to'?"
The Courier walked alongside McCree, as the men walked through the desert. The Wastelander was still unsure why he was following his new acquaintance in the first place, but decided to go along with it for the moment.
"Well, since you told me about where you're from, only fair for you to know about me as well." Jesse said. "I used to be a part of an organization named 'Overwatch'. It was… how do I explain it? Basically, an international peacekeeping force, founded during the Omnic Crisis."
"The what crisis?"
"Jesus… never mind, I'll explain that later."
"International peacekeeping force… Sounds too good to be true." the Courier remarked.
"It was. There were some bad apples in it." McCree admitted, earning him a look from Tom. "Overwatch had a covert ops division, called Blackwatch, which did all the dirty work that Overwatch couldn't do publicly. Assassinations, blackmail, torture, you name it. And… uh, I was a part of it. Before you ask, I ain't proud of it."
"Noted. What happened next?" Six asked with interest.
"There was a big scandal with Blackwatch's leadership going after Overwatch's leadership, and it escalated. It's a long story, but it ended up with Overwatch being disbanded and made illegal." Jesse summarized. "That was the end of it, until one of my former colleagues decided to recall former Overwatch agents and start anew."
"So… you want to rejoin them?"
"I'm still on the fence about the whole thing. The world's goin' to shit these days, and something big is comin', but I don't know if I want to go back. I could just ride off into the sunset and be done with it all." McCree sighed, unsure what to do.
"Now, I'm not really the guy to advise people on such things, but you already got yourself involved once you freed that robot. You don't strike me as the type of guy who turns tail once the thunder rolls." the Wastelander pointed out.
"You're right, I ain't." Jesse agreed, pulling out a small piece of paper out of his pocket. "Well, I got a note from an old friend, she wants to meet up. It's probably about the Recall."
"And you want me to follow you why exactly?" the Courier asked.
"If you want to repair that device of yours and go home, I can only think of one person who can fix it for you, and it's the same person who initiated the Recall in the first place." McCree explained.
"Define 'fix'. This thing wasn't meant to travel through time or whatever the fuck it did, fixing it isn't going to return me home."
"Well, maybe he can adjust it then, I don't know, I ain't a scientist." the cowboy rolled his eyes in annoyance. "On a side note, where you're from doesn't sound like a good place."
"It isn't."
"Well, why would you want to go back?"
That… was actually a good question. Tom didn't really feel a particular sense of attachment to the place. In fact, he very much hated what humanity had done 200 years prior to turn the world into the hellscape that it turned out to be. There was only one thing about the place that he actually liked.
"Well… All my friends are back there. Yeah, it's a terrible fucking place, but it's the only kind of life I know." the Courier shrugged.
"What were you up to back home, anyway?"
"It's a very long story, but to summarize, I was a courier at first, delivering packages throughout the Wasteland." Tom recalled. "Then, something happened that inadvertently dragged me into a three-way power struggle for the control of the Mojave. Remember what I told you at first, about Caesar's Legion?"
"Yeah. Somethin' about slavers, right?"
"Yeah, they're the most brutal assholes around, think they're the Roman Empire. They were one of the big players in said power struggle. At least, until I killed their leader, right in their camp."
"From the way you described him, sounds like he deserved it." McCree pointed out, intrigued by his story.
"He did. As I said, he was a slaver. He was also a mad tyrant, with a knack for crucifying entire towns, subjugating tribes and erasing their identities. And don't even get me started on what the Legion did with captured women." the Courier spat with disgust.
"So, you're sayin' you're some sort of hero back home?"
"Didn't say that. While I did take out Caesar, I did some bad shit as well." Tom immediately dismissed that notion.
"I can relate." McCree lowered his head. "I didn't think politics were the thing a guy would deal with after the world's ended. Or that anyone would know what the Roman Empire even was."
"It's been 200 years since that happened. There's still a fair bit of fighting over food and clean water, but society's gotta rebuild somehow." Tom stated. "So, where are you meeting this friend of yours?"
"Cairo, Egypt. Half a globe away."
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that in the Old World, people needed documents to travel to other countries." the Wastelander pointed out, sarcasm clear in his voice. "And also, men wearing power armor and carrying weapons in public also wasn't a common sight. See where I'm going with this?"
"Relax. Egypt is somewhat unstable these days, so people carryin' weapons are pretty normal there. As for how we're going to get there… I've got my ways."
As it turned out, McCree's 'ways' included flying to Egypt on some sort of strange flying vehicle, which the cowboy called a "dropship", seemingly more advanced than the Vertibirds back home, piloted by one of his friends.
"Thanks, Ray. I owe you one." Jesse thanked the pilot as he and the Courier disembarked the dropship in the outskirts of Cairo, the pilot nodding and flying away as the Wastelander and the cowboy were left alone. "Now, I suggest you leave that armor somewhere hidden. Wouldn't want anyone stealing it."
"Will do. And don't worry about that last part, it needs special training to use." the Courier said, picking a spot to leave his armor in and promptly exiting it, still wearing the Advanced Riot Gear from the Divide, without the helmet.
"Hmph. You're younger than I thought you'd be." Jesse pointed out, taking notice of the scars that adorned his face. "What's your name, anyway?"
"Thomas Kryzanowski. Friends call me Tom." The Wastelander introduced himself.
"Pleasure to meet you." the cowboy tipped his hat. "Let's go."
After a few more minutes of walking, Jesse and Tom reached the more bustling part of the city, which was intriguing for the Wastelander. Not even Vegas, in all of its splendor, was as lively as Cairo was. The huge crowds of people gathered on those streets was not something one would see in the Mojave Wasteland, and it perplexed him. True to Jesse's words, the rifle slung over his back didn't attract any attention from the locals, in fact many of them were armed themselves.
"Let's see here… ah, yes, here we are." Jesse said, arriving at a building with a sign that the Courier couldn't quite read. Opening the door, the two men entered what appeared to be a bar, with Jesse looking around the establishment in search of his friend, before setting his eyes on a table in the farther corner and walking towards it, his other-worldly companion following suit.
Sitting at the table was an older woman, possibly in her 60s, with a slightly dark skin color, wrinkled face and white hair. The most notable feature on her face was a tattoo under her good eye. The most notable feature about her was the eyepatch covering her right eye.
"Thought you were dead and gone." Jesse addressed her. "Guess I was wrong."
"When did you realize that it was me?" the woman asked with a smile, sipping her tea.
"Soon as I found it." the cowboy replied, taking a seat, noticing of the bottle of beer on the table. "Ana Amari, one of the few people in this world who could ever draw a bead on me."
"After all these years, I know how you think." Ana said, and took notice of the Wastelander awkwardly standing nearby. "I didn't know you were bringing a friend."
"I don't know if we're friends yet, but he's a solid guy. Helped me out quite a bit. You can trust him, I think." Jesse smirked. "Tom, meet…"
"Ana Amari. I've heard." the Courier interrupted him. "Pleasure to meet you, ma'am. The name's Thomas."
"Pleasure's all mine." the woman nodded, then turned to McCree. "It's nice to see you. It's been far too long."
"Yeah. You too." Jesse replied, a smile on his face, then addressed the Courier. "Hey, look, Ana and I are going to catch up, if it's okay with you."
"Sure. I'll be outside." the Courier nodded, giving the two some space and leaving the establishment. Grabbing a pack of 200-year old cigarettes from his pocket, he put one in his mouth and lit it, taking a draw. He stood like this for quite some time, not bothering to head inside the bar. As time passed, he noticed some strange movement on the roof of a nearby building. Looking up, he saw armed men dressed in some sort of uniform. Sensing trouble, the Wastelander went inside the bar. Reaching Ana's table, he overheard some of their conversation.
"The recall to Overwatch. You're going back, aren't you?"
"Maybe, maybe not." Jesse replied. "What about you?"
"Since the recall, Talon has put an alarming number of agents in the field, hunting down former Overwatch operatives." Ana sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. "There's word that the old Gibraltar Watchpoint facility was breached and the agents' information was stolen. Whatever Talon is up to, they don't want Overwatch coming back."
"All the more reason to return." Jesse remarked.
"You're not the only one from the old crew I've seen recently." Ana said, taking another sip of her tea. "Memories… perhaps it's best they stay buried. It's time for my generation to move on."
"Overwatch will need leaders, people like you to get back into the fray." McCree told her.
"Is that what you really want? To repeat the past?" Amari asked, looking down. "And you sound like you haven't quite made up your mind."
"We could've caught up like this online." Jesse pointed out, losing his smile as he saw something in the reflection on his bottle. "Why did you want me here?"
"I wanted to see you again, in person. Perhaps one last time." Ana replied. "And…"
The Courier, who has been quiet during their conversation, suddenly chimed in. "I don't wan't to interrupt your reunion party, folks, but you two may have visitors."
"I noticed." McCree said, rising from his seat and drawing his revolver, Ana following suit. A group of men in combat gear and white masks rushed into the building as he did it, however Jesse took care of them by fanning his revolver, taking the men out quickly. The group rushed out of the bar and into one of the bazaars, only to be ambushed by more of them.
"Are those the 'Talon' people you were talking about?" the Courier asked, drawing This Machine from his back.
"I'm afraid so." Jesse remarked.
The Wastelander and Jesse fired a volley of well-aimed shots at the group of Talon operatives at ground level, while Ana took swift care of a sole sniper on the rooftop with her tranquilizer rifle. With the pathway clear, the trio ran through the market, encountering another squad of masked men firing at them, which the Courier promptly took out by rapid-firing his Garand, emptying the entire clip into the enemies.
"You know this market, which way are we going here?" he heard Jesse ask Amari.
"This way." Ana replied as they ran into an alleyway, only for the trio to be completely surrounded by Talon operatives. This time, with a lot more snipers on the roofs and balconies.
"You know, I'm really regretting not bringing my power armor for this." the Courier remarked as the group stood back to back, the Talon mercenaries slowly approaching them.
"Relax, it's goin' be just fine." Jesse smirked, then turned towards Ana. "How much further?"
"Just past that opening there, in the spice shop." Ana said, her grip on the rifle tightening. "Get through that line, and we're home free."
"Fuck this." said the Courier, activating V.A.T.S, his Pip-Boy rapidly conveying information into his brain as time slowed down to a halt, allowing him to pinpoint each target before firing eight shots in succession, all eight of them hitting Talon operatives in the head. To say that everyone present was shocked was an understatement, however Ana and Jesse were quick to break out of their stupor as they dispatched the rest of the operatives.
"That's some fancy shootin', partner." Jesse remarked as the group entered the spice shop, closing the door behind them. "Mind explainin' how you did that?"
"Not the time, McCree." the Courier remarked as Ana opened up a trapdoor behind the counter.
"This way. Quickly." she said before walking down the stairs, the two men following suit.
They entered an underground room full of exquisite rugs, and the Courier noticed they weren't alone, as he saw a man with the same skin complexion as Amari opening a curtain, revealing a door behind it. Ana said something to him in a language that Tom didn't understand, and opened the door, motioning for him and Jesse to follow her.
"Where are you taking us?" Jesse asked, unsure what to make of this place.
"My hideout. I had another one in the desert, but it was compromised. This is a backup. One of several, actually." Amari replied.
Behind the door was another room, full of weaponry and ammunition, where the Courier saw multiple monitors on the wall. On one monitor, he saw a large, muscular woman with… pink hair, shooting a group of robots in snowy terrain. On the other, there was a young girl with Asian features, in a pink, egg-shaped machine. The rest of the monitors showed similar footage of various strange people fighting robots and the same masked men that attacked the trio.
"You weren't kidding about Talon." Jesse said, looking at a monitor which showed a large group of Talon operatives. "This is all part of some big picture, isn't it?"
"I don't doubt it, but it's difficult to say what, exactly." Ana shook her head, leaning on the wall. "Chaos breeds chaos, whether there's a guiding hand behind all the trouble or just opportunists sensing a rising storm…"
She pulled out a flash drive out of her pocket, handing it to Jesse. "Here. I have files for you."
Jesse accepted the flash drive as he inspected it, before stowing it away. "What's in them?"
"Details, data about the global threats I've been monitoring, and more." Ana explained. "All this danger, all this adversity… It's threatening to swallow up a lot of people. But do you know what else it does?"
Amari pointed at the monitors behind her. "It breeds heroes. There are exceptional people out there, fighting hard. But they are disorganized, each in their own corner of the globe, capable of more than what they know. You can show them how to fight a winning battle, together. I called you here because someone has to lead them, to show them how to save the world. I believe that someone is you."
Jesse looked down, his expression saddening. "If I do this, I'm leaving behind what Overwatch was, who I was…"
"Good." Ana smiled. "Take it from an old soldier. Learn from the past, but leave it there."
The Courier listened to their conversation with interest, pondering Ana's words. He definitely understood Jesse's struggle to cope with the past, remembering how utterly devastated he was once he found out that the tragedy that struck Hopeville was his own doing, even if it was an accident. He briefly became lost in his thoughts before Ana pulled him out of them.
"And you." she addressed him. "I don't know you, but I trust Jesse's judgement. You've certainly proven yourself capable, and you could do a lot of good as part of Overwatch."
"I'll consider it, ma'am." Tom responded with doubt in his voice.
Amari nodded. "I'd suggest you lay low for a bit, gentlemen. The bazaar is going to be crawling with authorities after the stunt Talon pulled." With that, she left the room.
Tom pondered her words. Courier Six was many things, but a hero? That was a difficult question to answer. Heroism was a foreign concept in the Wasteland. The closest people who came to mind were the Followers of the Apocalypse, and they struggled even with the Courier's help. Taking out Caesar and saving the NCR from nuclear annihilation were certainly things that could be considered heroic, but then again, that didn't erase the fact that he was responsible for the destruction of the Divide. It being an accident did little to ease the Courier's guilt for his involvement. Then there were the hundreds of people he killed willingly, be it raiders, Legionaries, or anyone else who got in the way. The Mojave Wasteland just didn't breed heroes.
Tom turned his head towards the monitors. While not fully understanding what was going on in them, he understood that those people were what's considered 'heroes' in this place. He saw them risking their lives, fighting these… robot things, and Talon operatives, quite possibly not out of selfish gain, but genuine desire to help people, and, as Amari put it, 'save the world'. The Courier was still unsure how committed Overwatch really was to its ideal of heroism, especially after hearing about its dark side from McCree, but nevertheless, he considered Amari's offer.
"Strange bunch, aren't they?" Jesse broke Courier out of his thoughts, moving next to him.
"I guess." the Courier shrugged. "So, you're going on a bit of a recruitment drive, then?"
"Pretty much. If I'm goin' be answerin' the Recall, I might as well bring some reinforcements."
"Uh huh. And I'm guessing I'll have to accompany you on that journey across the world to gather these guys and recruit them." Tom remarked, turning to another monitor that displayed Talon operatives attacking some unknown location.
"Only if you want to. I can send you to Winston right away, if that's what you want."
"Fuck it. I don't have anything better to do anyway." the Wastelander relented. "So, those Talon guys, they're the big bad around here, right?"
"Yup. They're a terrorist organization, who want to sow chaos around the world" the cowboy narrowed his eyes.
"What are their motives? People don't usually turn to stuff like that without a good reason." Tom inquired. "Even Caesar had a justification for all the shit he did."
"Yeah, they have an entire manifesto explainin' their actions. Basically, they think that humanity can only be strengthened through turmoil and conflict." Jesse explained.
"They're not exactly wrong, speaking from experience." the Courier commented, earning a look from Jesse. "Don't get me wrong, their idea to to 'strengthen' humanity or whatever is bullshit. Caesar also had his own deranged ideas on how to do that. But I will admit, the average Wastelander is much tougher than most people in this place."
"That still doesn't justify none of what they are doin'." McCree said sternly, shaking his head.
"Never said it did." the Courier relented, then pointed at another monitor, the one with the pink-haired woman. "What are those things, anyway? I've never seen robots so advanced."
"They're called Omnics, and yeah, they're very advanced. They're tough, smart, but more importantly, they're sentient." Jesse explained.
"You mentioned an 'Omnic crisis' before. What was that all about?"
Jesse sighed. "Thirty years ago, some of the omniums… uh, factories which made the Omnics, went rogue, churning out tons of those things, who went on to attack human cities. There was an AI here in Cairo, named Anubis, which took control of these things on a global scale. It wasn't pretty, but in the end, the Omnics were defeated."
"So even this place isn't all sunshine and rainbows, huh." the Courier mused. "But wait, if that crisis was ended, then what's that on the screen?"
"Well, a second Omnic crisis broke out in Russia somewhat recently. And just a few days ago, one of the most prominent Omnic leaders, who advocated for peace, got assassinated. Like I said, the world's goin' to shit."
"It's still weird how none of those things happened where I'm from. It's like this is an alternate past, or something. Without the bullshit that caused the humanity to shoot itself in the foot, that is."
"I wouldn't say that." Jesse winced. "Something similar happened in Australia, where an omnium was destroyed by an anti-Omnic group. Thing is, omniums are powered with nuclear fusion cores, and by destroying it…"
"They basically detonated a fucking nuke. Why am I even surprised?" Tom scoffed, turning away from the monitor. "With situations like these, I understand where the Brotherhood's coming from."
"The Brotherhood?"
"Story for another time."
A few days later…
October 26, 2076. Cairo, Egypt.
In the aftermath of a Helix attack on a set of warehouses owned by Talon, Captain Fareeha Amari was deep in her thoughts. While the attack was successful, it did little damage to Talon's operations in Egypt. Just a few days ago, Talon attacked a marketplace in Egypt, seeking to eliminate someone. However, their target proved to be much more capable, and left behind dozens of Talon operatives dead or incapacitated. Helix tracked the remaining attackers to a set of warehouses on the outskirts of the city, and razed them to the ground.
Currently, Helix cordoned off the perimeter, leaving a crowd of onlookers behind the barricades. Fareeha turned to one of her subordinates, a trooper in a suit of armor similar to hers.
"Make sure the perimeter is safe, then bring in the medics to tend to the wounded." She ordered. The man saluted in response, and went on to carry out her order.
As Fareeha took her helmet off, her training kicked in as she noticed people who didn't belong in the crowd. Namely, a very familiar cowboy and an unknown man in a duster standing next to him. Her eyes widening, she approached McCree.
"What… what are you doing here?" she stammered, surprised to see her friend. Jesse tipped his hat in response.
"Well, I was in town, thought I'd visit." McCree smirked, then tapped the man on his shoulder. "Tom, meet Fareeha. She's an old friend of mine."
"Pleasure to meet you." the Courier extended his hand, which the woman shook with a surprisingly firm grip. He noted that she sported exactly the same tattoo as Ana had under her eye, but didn't comment on it.
"Likewise." Fareeha replied with a smile.
"Look, Fare, could we talk someplace private? I ain't here just to catch up." the cowboy's face adopted a serious expression.
"Certainly. Meet me at the Helix headquarters after I finish up here." she said and was about to leave, but the Courier stopped her.
"Excuse me, could you mark its location on my map here?" he pointed at his Pip-Boy. "I've got some business to do in the meantime, and I don't know this town very well."
"Of course." she nodded, looking at the screen of the strange contraption, noting the markings on it. "'Pip-Boy, Model 3000.' Interesting, haven't seen anything like this before."
"It's one-of-a-kind." the Courier explained. Technically, he wasn't wrong, as RobCo quite possibly didn't exist here.
"I see." Fareeha said as she looked over at the map, then pointed at a location on his map. "Here, this is where it's located."
"Thank you." Tom said as he marked it on the map. "I'll see you both there."
"Wait, where are you going?" Jesse stopped him, slightly confused.
"I left something here, remember?" the Courier reminded him. "I'll join you as soon as I retrieve it."
"Try not to get yourself in trouble." the cowboy smirked at him as the Wastelander rolled his eyes.
Tom left the premises as he looked at his Pip-Boy in order to find where exactly he left his power armor. Thankfully, the device kept track of it, and pointed to an alley just a few blocks away. He began walking through the streets cautiously. As he walked on by, the Courier had a strange feeling that he was being watched. He looked over his shoulder, but couldn't find anything suspicious. Shrugging, he continued his path, being careful not to get lost in such a huge city.
The Courier soon arrived at the empty alleyway, where his power armor stood, gathering dust. As he was about to approach it, that exact same feeling of being watched returned. Not willing to take any chances, the Courier sneakily activated the VATS, intending to find out who it was that was tailing him. Indeed, he pinpointed the presence of a well-hidden lone figure behind the entrance of the alleyway, spying on him. He deactivated VATS as he decided to take matters into his own hands.
"Listen up here, friend. I know you're spying on me, and I know where you are. You have exactly five seconds to come out of your hiding place before I enter this here power armor and tear you apart limb from limb." Tom said as he put his hand on the valve on the back of the armor.
He didn't have to wait for long, as the person spying on him revealed himself to be a somewhat tall, dark-skinned man with a strange visor over his left eye and a rifle on his back. The Courier immediately pulled out one of his sidearms, A Light Shining in Darkness, and aimed it at the man, who promptly raised his hands.
"Wait. I don't want to fight." he said in a strange accent.
"I'm the one with the gun in my hand. It won't be a fight, more like an execution." the Courier remarked, the pistol still trained on the man. "Who the fuck are you and why were you spying on me?"
"I was tailing your friend, Jesse McCree." the man admitted. "I want to help Overwatch."
"A likely story. How the hell do you even know that Overwatch is back in the first place? I thought that was supposed to be a secret." Tom questioned. "How do I know you're not one of those Talon fucks we fought a few days prior?"
"My name is Jean-Baptiste Augustin." the man introduced himself. "I'm not with Talon. Not anymore."
"So, you're a defector?"
"Yes. I was a combat medic with the Caribbean Coalition when I decided to join Talon. At first, the missions were what I expected. Simple mercenary interventions, mostly rescues." Baptiste explained. "But I didn't ask enough questions. It became clear later that Talon was not working to end conflicts, but created them, profiting from them. So I left, and they've been hunting me ever since."
"How did you know that McCree would be in Cairo?" the Courier continued his interrogation.
"I didn't." the ex-Talon operative clarified. "I managed to survive, even killing some of them, when I discovered that I wasn't the only one being hunted. They had an entire list of known and likely Overwatch agents. Angela Ziegler, Mercy, was on that list. I knew her humanitarian aid mission was in Cairo, so I arrived here to warn her, but by then she had already left. However, I still managed to find McCree. He was also on the list."
"Do you have it on you?"
"Yes. It's in my backpack." Baptiste confirmed.
"Slowly hand it over."
The ex-mercenary obliged, being careful enough to avoid any sudden moves as he reached for his backpack and grabbed the sheet of paper. The Courier, still aiming the .45 at him, grabbed the list and gave it a look. Sure enough, the name Baptiste mentioned, Angela Ziegler, was on it, as well as some other names he didn't recognize. Fareeha Amari was also on the list, confirming the Courier's suspicion that she was related to Ana somehow. Right below her name, he saw "Cole Cassidy, better known as Jesse McCree."
'So that isn't his real name, huh? Interesting.' He thought to himself as he put the list away.
"Alright, you're off the hook. For now." the Courier said as he holstered his pistol.
"That woman you just met was Fareeha Amari, correct?" Baptiste inquired, lowering his hands.
"What of it?"
"It might be best if we hurry. She is also on the list."
Realization dawned on Kryzanowski as he immediately turned the valve on his power armor, opening up and entering it immediately, equipping This Machine as he ran in the direction of the Helix headquarters, with Baptiste following him.
In the meantime…
Helix Security International headquarters. Cairo, Egypt.
"If you're here about the Recall, Lena has already sent it to me." Fareeha, dressed in a more casual attire, said as she and McCree walked through the hallway. "And then Reinhardt. And Brigitte."
"And?"
"My place is here. With Helix. Egypt is stabilizing under our guard, and I can't just abandon my mission."
"And I'm not askin' you to." Jesse put his metallic hand on her shoulder. "You grew up wantin' to be a hero, and now you are one. Is this where you're most needed?"
"I believe it is." Fareeha said, shrugging off his hand as they exited the building. "Look. When I was a child, yes, I wanted to be a part of Overwatch…"
"And now I'm right here, askin' you to be. Sounds like we're all asking you to be." Jesse remarked as they approached a bridge overlooking the Nile. "Something else is keeping you here. Or someone."
"My mother was…" Amari began, only to be interrupted once again.
"Your mother, well… she regrets keeping you from Overwatch." McCree said, crossing his arms over his chest. "She did you wrong. The way I see it, you don't have to believe what I say. You can just hear it from her yourself."
As he said those words, he pointed behind her, where Ana Amari stood, listening to their conversation. Fareeha's eyes widened at the sight of her mother.
"Fareeha. We should go somewhere else, it's too open here." Ana stated, looking over her shoulder.
"Is that what you have to say to me?" her daughter asked, her eyes narrowing.
"No, of course not. I hoped my letters…" Ana said with a distraught expression on her face.
"I'm not a child waiting anxiously to hear from her absent mother." Fareeha interrupted her. "If you want to speak directly, I am here to listen."
"I see…" her mother sighed, looking to the side. "Nothing is ever as we imagine it. I've thought of this moment many times, what I would do, whether you would welcome me…"
However, she cut her speech short as she noticed something in the distance.
"Draw your weapon." she commanded as she aimed her rifle. Fareeha was confused until she followed her gaze, immediately spotting the squad of Talon operatives running in their direction.
"Raptora system! Protocol six!" Fareeha screamed into her intercom as she grabbed her rocket launcher.
"Talon! It's an ambush!" Jesse yelled, unholstering his revolver and opening fire.
"Hold them off! I've alerted Helix!" the younger Amari ordered as she pressed a button on her backpack, causing it to shift into a wing-shaped jetpack with shoulder pads for extra protection as a helmet with a visor materialized on her head.
She flew high into the sky, shooting rockets at the Talon operatives, successfully taking several of them out as McCree and Ana were about to make their escape, only to be intercepted by another group of mercenaries. Fareeha was about to intervene, only to notice two figures running towards them. One of them was what she assumed to be a man in a large, dark gray suit of armor with yellow lenses, which closed the distance between him and the mercenaries in no time, alerting them to his presence with loud, metallic clanging of his armor. As the Talon operatives turned around to face him, he grabbed one of them by the head and squeezed his hand, the force being enough to crush everything above his neck into a fine red mist. The shocked terrorists watched as the Courier grabbed the rest of his body and tossed it into the air, sending it hurtling into the sky as the rest of his teammates screamed in fear. One of them tried to open fire on the Courier, only for his bullets to bounce off the metal frame of the armor as the man dispatched the rest of them.
"Thought you'd need some help." the Courier remarked as Baptiste arrived as well.
"Who are you?" Ana narrowed her eye in suspicion as Fareeha flew down, listening to their conversation.
"Relax, Ana, it's Tom. But I don't know who the other guy is." Jesse said, staring at the newcomer.
"I'll explain later. We're still not out of the woods yet." The Courier pointed to the other side of the bridge, where yet another squad of Talon operatives.
"I can punch a hole through their lines, allowing you to escape." Fareeha said, reloading her weapon.
"Why? I can just take them all out." the man in the power armor asked, disapproving of the plan.
"If we prolong the chase, we could lead more of them out. Perhaps even the entire cell." Fareeha explained. "Just get to the docks, my mother knows the way."
"Fine…" the Courier said as the younger Amari flew into the air once again, bombarding the squad of terrorists as the group ran, the Courier in front of them to absorb the hail of bullets coming their way while Ana, Baptiste and McCree took out the enemies with their respective weapons. The plan was going well, as the group noticed more and more Talon operatives behind them as they ran into the docks. Until…
"Fareeha!" Ana screamed as she noticed a mercenary firing at her daughter with a rocket launcher of his own, landing a direct hit on her.
Thankfully, Fareeha's armor seemed to take most of the impact as she released a barrage of missiles from her back, taking out the entirety of the terrorist cell as the Courier shielded his allies with the power armor, taking some damage as well. The younger Amari flew down, wincing in pain as the group noticed a bleeding wound in her side.
"You're hit!" Ana pointed out as she ran over to her daughter.
"I'm fine, mother. It's nothing…" Fareeha tried to dismiss her as she released a pained groan.
"Don't be silly. Let me look at you." her mother insisted, tending to her immediately.
"I'll call a medic." the younger Amari protested, but in vain.
"I'm more than capable. Sit." Ana ordered, setting her daughter down and grabbing a pack of bandages.
"Pleasure's… all mine." Fareeha winced as she turned to her mother. "When did you…"
"Habibti, I decided I'd rather preserve life than take it. I have too many regrets, too many to count." Ana explained, bandaging her wound. "The killing I've done. Sometimes I close my eyes and see the faces… but more than that, I regret the way I tried to steer you away from the life you wanted."
The older Amari put her hand on her daughter's shoulder as she finished patching her up. "Fareeha. I'm so sorry for holding you at arm's length all these years. For interfering with you, for abandoning you. For every way I disappointed you. I can't possibly express the weight of it all." she apologized as a single tear ran down Fareeha's cheek. "And then to see… to see the incredible woman you became despite what I put you through. If I could take it back…"
Fareeha removed her mother's arm from her shoulder. "You can't take it back, mom." she said, getting up and beginning to walk away.
"No. Of course not. But perhaps I can set some things right." Ana lowered her head, closing her eye. "The world suffered enough for my mistakes. now it needs heroes again. And you need a team that will help you achieve your full potential, more than Helix can. You should go with Jesse."
Fareeha contemplated her words, before approaching her mother, and giving her a firm hug, surprising the older woman. "It's good to see you again. I wasn't sure I'd ever get the chance."
Ana smiled as she hugged her back, a tear running down her good eye. They hugged like this for a while, before they broke off the hug. As Fareeha was about to fly away, she was stopped by the newcomer in the group.
"Miss Amari, if I may…" Baptiste said, getting her attention. "I'm a combat medic. I can further treat your wounds."
He clenched his fist, releasing a yellow pulse in her direction. Fareeha's eyes widened as the wave washed over her, closing her wounds and healing her.
"Oh. Thank you." The younger Amari said in gratitude, slightly surprised.
"A healing pulse. That some kind of nanotech?" McCree asked, intrigued by the newcomer. "I didn't catch your name, by the way."
"My name is Jean-Baptiste Augustin, but you may call me Baptiste. It's an honor to meet all of you." he introduced himself to the group. "I have something I need to tell all of you…"
Baptiste told the group everything he already told the Courier, providing them with the list as well. While Ana initially was unsure on whether or not he could be trusted upon hearing that he was ex-Talon, his actions in assisting the group as well as providing them with this information got her to lighten up.
"But why is my name on that list? I'm not an Overwatch agent." Fareeha asked as she read out the names.
"Former and likely Overwatch agents. They didn't know for sure, so they added you in for good measure." Jesse mused before offering her a hand. "Overwatch has an open door for you, Fareeha. It's up to you if you want to walk through it. You know how to reach me."
Fareeha looked down for a moment, before shaking his hand with a smile. She bid farewell to the rest of the group as she flew into the air, flying away in the direction of the Helix headquarters.
The cowboy then turned towards Baptiste. "I have business to settle. In the meantime, you keep quiet, out of their reach before I contact you. I'll have someone look into you, and if you're legit…"
"What are you getting at?" Baptiste asked him with interest.
"You know, someone gave me a chance once. No one thought there was any good in me." Jesse said with a smile. "Who am I to say you don't deserve a chance like that, if that's what you want? What do you want, Baptiste?"
"I just want the chance to set things right." Baptiste responded, lowering his head. "Overwatch did good for the world. If I can tip things in their favor, even for a little bit, then I'll be ready, McCree."
"Good." The cowboy said, nodding his head. "And another thing. I've decided not to go by that name anymore. Figured I'd be more honest with both my team and myself. My real name's on that list, as you might've seen."
Baptiste nodded as he walked away, leaving only Ana, Cole and the Courier in the docks.
"Where are you off to next, Cole?" Ana asked with a smirk, emphasizing his name.
"I'm thinkin' Russia."