The Middleman, an overwatch fanfic

Chapter 1

Scene 1

{Watchpoint: Gibraltar, training area} Juno is entering the training room, equipped with her mediblaster, space boots and space suit. [Winston, over speakers] "Alright, Ms. Minh. Even though you asked for a challenge, I'll be putting you through a beginner's course." [Juno] "I asked for a challenge because I want to test my skills to the best of my ability!" [Winston, over speakers] "I know, but you just got that metal from the surgery out of you. I don't want you to overexert yourself." [Juno] "Do not worry. I will be fine!" The doors then open, and Juno speeds into the training room, waving at the Overwatch members spectating her. She had almost memorized everyone's names; Lena and Emily Oxton, Angela Ziegler, Moira O'Deorain, Brigitte and Jamison Fawkes, Ramattra- she was cut off from her daydream by a training bot jumping out from behind her, and she fired her blaster until it broke into pieces. She then moved onto her robot 'teammates' in need of healing, and she used her blaster accordingly. And once her 'teammates' were healed, she threw out a speed ring and raced through the rest of the course, arming a pair of pulsar torpedoes. She targeted several more allies and enemies, and right as she was about to hit the button to fire, a tank enemy punched her into the ground. She struggled to get up, due to the pain of her surgery. [Mercy] "Time out!"

Scene 2

{Overwatch Medical} Mercy is tending to Juno's minor injuries from the training session, as well as giving her something for the soreness of the surgery. [Juno] "I do not like having to wait in a room while my injuries slowly heal up." [Mercy] "Unfortunately for you, it can't be avoided. Saving lives is no easy matter." [Juno] "I know, I know. But I am sure that there is a quicker way to treat my injuries." [Mercy] "None that would heal you properly." As Mercy is finishing up, Soldier: 76 walks in with news. [Soldier: 76] "I've got news for you, Juno. Remember that company that we hired to get your folks off of Mars the week after your first surgery? About an hour ago, they just confirmed the pickup. Your family is coming home, and you'll see them in 2 months." [Juno, overjoyed] "Thank you Jack!" She jumps off the medical bed to hug him. Slight mistake, as that amplified the pain from her training accident. [Soldier: 76] "I'm sure that you've been told to take it easy many times by now." [Juno, in pain] "I know. But I do not care." [Soldier: 76] "I'm pretty sure you need a break." [Juno] "But I do not want a break." [Soldier: 76] "I could order you to take it easy, you know." [Juno, disappointed] "Fine, I will take a break. But I do not know what to do." [Soldier: 76, thinking] "Well, there's going to be a party tonight. You could get a gift." [Juno, excited] "I would love to get a gift for the party! But I do not know what kind of gift I should get." [Soldier: 76] "Just get something that a child would like."

Scene 3

{Nearby town} Juno is wandering the nearby town, asking around for anyone that was willing to give her something for free. And after an hour, she was having no luck. [Juno] "Sir, I am asking if you are willing to provide me with a gift for a party!" [Mr. Charles] "What kind of party?" [Juno] "Oh, right! It is a party where you bring gifts for a kid!" [Mr. Charles] "I got nothing. Look elsewhere." Disappointed, Juno keeps looking around as the man keeps an eye on her. [Mr. Charles, into earpiece] "Hey, he wanted to take down Overwatch, right? I think I found a chance." [Operator] "Routing . . . I'm putting you through to the Middleman." [The Middleman] "You have a plan?" [Mr. Charles] "Yep. It involves a gift and a person that you can manipulate." [Middleman] "Do it." The man disconnects his call, and he walks over to a kid. [Mr. Charles] "Hey, buddy. What's that?" [Kid] "It's a teddy bear." The man smiles at this, then takes the toy and runs off into an alley, searching for Juno. and after a few minutes, he sees her passing by the alley. [Mr. Charles] "Hey, girl! I got something for you." Juno then enters the alley with him. [Juno] "What is that?" [Mr. Charles] "It's a kid's toy. I'll give it to you, but you have to do something for me first." [Juno] "Of course! I- wait a minute. Does it have anything to do with my suit?" [Mr. Charles] "No, of course not! I'd just like to look at that cosplay helmet you got there." [Juno] "What is a 'cosplay'?" [Mr. Charles] "Nevermind. It'll only be a few seconds, and I'll give it right back." After Juno thought it over, she removed her helmet and gave it to the man. And after a few seconds, she began to feel a little dizzy from how thin the atmosphere was in comparison to the colonies. Thankfully, he handed it back, and she quickly reattached the helmet, allowing the pressurized air to refresh her senses. [Mr. Charles] "All done. Here's the child gift you wanted." Juno then takes the teddy bear from the man. [Juno] "Thank you, kind stranger!" She goes to hug him, but he stops her before she can put her arms around him. [Mr. Charles] "I don't do hugs, ma'am. Now, do you want to be late for your little party?" [Juno, realizing] "Oh moons! I am going to be late!" She then rushes out of the alley. [Mr Charles, into earpiece] "It's tuned. Tell him that he can set up a connection."

Chapter 2

Scene 1

{Watchpoint: Gibraltar} Juno had just arrived back at the watchpoint as people were gathering, and she saw a banner reading: Baby Shower. [Juno] "Baby shower? How many terrans are needed to wash a baby?" [Tracer, approaching] "There's the person I wanted to see! Juno, right?" [Juno] "Yes, that is right! My name is Juno Teo Minh, but you can call me Juno!" [Tracer] "Well, it's nice to meet you, Juno!" [Juno, curious] "What is that thing on your chest?" [Tracer] "Oh, that's my chrono accelerator. Keeps me from turning into nothing." [Juno, confused] "You can cease to exist if that chrono accelerator stops functioning?" [Tracer] "Well, not exactly. I'd definitely disappear, but it's not like I'm gone forev- hey, the party's starting!" [Juno] "Right! But I have a question: why are so many terrans needed to give a baby a shower?" [Tracer] "Wha- oh, it's not that! A baby shower is providing gifts to-" [Soldier: 76, interrupting] "Lena, you're up. And could you take my place? I don't want Junkrat calling me Jackie in front of a crowd." [Tracer] "No problem!" She then blinks through the doors, leaving Juno shocked. [Juno, shocked] "How did she- I mean, how did she do that?" [Soldier: 76] "The chrono accelerator allows her to move at speeds faster than the human eye can see. So, what gift did you bring?" [Juno] "I got a small bear toy!" [Soldier: 76] "Nice. Where'd you find it?" Juno is about to respond, but that's when her helmet went staticy. [Middleman, through helmet] "If you tell him that the toy came from an alley, you're dead. If you tell him you can hear me, you're dead. Understand?" [Soldier: 76] "Juno, are you listening?" [Juno, nervous] "Yes, yes! I am listening! The toy came from a . . . a trade! They asked for the white coins." [Soldier: 76, sighing] "Credits are meant to be used for other things. But I guess you had to improvise." Juno nervously nods her head. [Middleman, through helmet] "That's good. Keep doing what I say, and you won't have to worry about anything." Tracer then comes back from the room. [Tracer] "She's upset that you didn't make an appearance." [Soldier: 76] "I'll find a way to make it up to her. Juno, it's your turn." [Middleman] "Go through the doors, and act natural." Juno then walks through the door, and she finds herself surrounded by a lot of people, unsure of where to go. [Juno] "Please excuse me, but what do I do?" [Bystander] "Give your gift to the one at the table!" And so Juno wondered about until she saw a table, and Brigitte was the only one sitting at it. [Middleman] "Act natural." Juno then went over to Brigitte, and only then did she notice a detail she didn't see before. [Juno, confused] "Why is your belly rounder than everyone else's?" This comment silenced the entire room, and Juno couldn't help but feel as if she did something wrong. [Middleman, sarcastically clapping] "Well done. Wow. Never heard a bigger embarrassment in my life. Find a bathroom, and put some water on your face." Embarrassed, Juno quietly set the bear on the table, and then quickly left the room.

Scene 2

{Bathroom} Juno dashed into the bathroom and locked the door behind her, intending to shut out everyone else in the watchpoint. [Middleman] "I told you to act natural back there, but I guess-" [Juno] "Who are you? Why are you using my helmet to talk to me?" [Middleman] "Call me the middleman. I've been waiting a while to get revenge on Overwatch, and you've become my best option. Juno, was it?" [Juno] "Only my friends call me Juno." [Middleman] "Alright, I'll just call you Teo. Now listen up, I need you to locate any and all files relating to God Programs." [Juno, confused] "God Programs? Why are you-" [Middleman] "I'm not explaining myself, Teo. Find a way to get it done, or else I'll make you suffer." [Juno] "I have already gone through pain since my arrival here on Earth." [Middleman] "What about the pain of someone else?" [Juno] "My friends here are experienced. I have learned that they will not accept pain that you give them." [Middleman] "Jiayi Teo, project Red Promise. Khiem Van Minh, project Red Promise. Shall I go on?" [Juno, panicking] "You have my . . . you do not have my family! They are currently traveling home in a spaceship!" [Middleman] "And who do you think owns that spaceship?" [Juno] "The parent company?" [Middleman, annoyed] "And who do you think owns the parent company?" [Juno] "I was told that someone named Alexander-" [Middleman] "You really are an idiot. Alexander was a cover name! I own the parent company. I sent the ship. My pilot is armed. You're in no position to argue, so I suggest that you- someone's coming. Do not mention me." [Kiriko, through the door] "Who's in there?" [Juno, nervous] "I am currently using this bathroom! Please wait!" [Kiriko, through the door] "How long does it take for a martian to use a standard toilet?" [Juno, panicking] "I will be out soon!" Eventually, Kiriko just teleported herself through the door, startling Juno into falling onto the ground. [Kiriko] "Jeez, how clumsy are you people?" [Juno, nervous] "A bathroom is not meant to be intruded upon!" [Kiriko] "And a bathroom isn't meant to be held up for who knows how long. Get out." [Middleman] "Do as she says." Juno then makes her way out of the bathroom. [Middleman] "Very good. Now, the info on the god programs?" [Juno, nervous] "I'd . . . I'd at least like to know why you are doing this." [Kiriko, through the door] "If you keep talking to yourself, people are going to think you're crazy!" [Middleman] "She's right. Don't make yourself suspicious, otherwise my pilot will test out his gun." [Juno, whispering] "But I don't have access to the other stuff." [Middleman] "Then find a way. I don't care what you have to do to get me the information, but if you don't-" [Juno] "I know, so stop talking to me!" [Kiriko, opening door] "You got something you want to say to me?" [Juno, nervous] "No, no! Nothing at all!" [Kiriko] "That space trip must've done something to you." Kiriko then leaves Juno alone. [Middleman] "The data. NOW." After thinking about her options, Juno decides to head down to the data center.

Scene 3

{Watchpoint: Gibraltar, hallways} Juno is nervously wandering down the halls, trying to find her way around. [Middleman] "Do you not know where the data vaults are?" [Juno, nervous] "I have never found a reason to explore beyond where I am authorized to go." [Middleman] "And now you have a reason. Find the data vaults." So Juno kept exploring the watchpoint, looking for some clue to the location of the data vaults. She turned a corner - and hid back around to dodge the eyesight of two Overwatch guards. [Guard 1] "Did you see something?" [Guard 2] "Yeah. I can see your eyesight is off again." [Guard 1] "No, I swear I saw something." [Guard 2] "Oh! I didn't know you swear." [Guard 1] "You know what I mean!" Juno held her breath as they walked by, and once she was sure they were gone, she could breathe again. [Middleman] "Very good, Teo. Keep going." [Juno] "Tell me why you want the information on the god programs." [Middleman] "I want the info so that your family will be released. KEEP. GOING." And so Juno turned the corner again, and she wandered down the hallway in search of the data vaults Max wanted her to look for. [Juno] "What is a god program?" [Middleman] "A god program is nonya." [Juno] "Nonya?" [Middleman] "Nonya business." This joke makes him laugh, but this just confuses Juno. [Juno] "I do not understand." [Middleman] "It's a joke, kid. You're supposed to laugh." [Juno] "But I do not find it funny." She turns another corner, and almost bumps into Brigitte. [Brigittie] "Find what funny?" [Juno, panicking] "A joke someone told me! They said something about nonya." [Brigitte] "I've heard that before. Hey, about the party earlier-" [Juno, nervous] "I- I would not like to talk about the party!" [Brigitte] "It's alright. You're new here, so it's to be expected." [Juno] "How does one expect-" [Brigitte] "I said it's alright. You don't have to worry about it. Also, I liked the teddy bear you got." [Juno] "You did? Thank you!" [Brigitte] "You're welcome. And to answer your other question from the party, my belly's round because I'm carrying a kid." Juno was initially confused, but then she came to realize what she meant. [Juno, surprised] "You are- you are pregnant? Congratulations! I was told that it is a big matter! How long have you been pregnant?" [Brigitte] "About 3 months now." [Juno] "I would like to talk more! But-" [Middleman] "Fine, I'll leave! Damn enforcers of this place . . . Got a mandatory hour away from you, so go for it. But you will be recorded, so don't try anything." [Brigitte] "But?" [Juno, relieved] "It is nothing. Where shall we talk?"

Scene 4

{Watchpoint: Gibraltar, bar} Juno and Brigitte enter a bar, and Brigitte finds a table for the both of them. [Juno] "I have never heard of a bar room existing here before today. What is a bar in this context?" [Brigitte] "Your folks up there never told you what a bar is?" [Juno] "They told me about the unit of measurement and metal pole. But not a room." [Brigitte] "Alright. So, a bar is a place where you can order drinks. Usually it's some form of alcohol, but you could also get water." [Juno] "I would like to try this 'alcohol'!" [Brigitte] "Slow down, space girl. You drink too much and you'll get drunk." Juno didn't understand, but right as she was going to ask, a waiter came by. [Waiter] "What drinks will the 2 of you be having tonight?" [Brigitte] "I'll just take a water." [Juno] "What drinks are available?" [Waiter] "We have beer, wine, whiskey-" [Juno] "I think I will try those 3!" Juno then hands the waiter some credits, but he declines. [Waiter] "As long as you're a guest here Ms. Minh, you don't have to pay for drinks." [Juno] "Oh. But I will pay anyway!" The waiter then takes the credits and marks it down as a tip, then walks off to get the drinks. [Juno] "Do you not like alcohol?" [Brigitte] "I do, but alcohol and babies don't mix. And in case you were wondering, I prefer Punsch." The waiter then comes back with the drinks. [Juno] "Could I also try Punsch?" Juno gives the waiter another tip, and he walks off again. [Brigitte] "So, what are you trying first?" [Juno] "I am not sure. But my family taught me a trick for this! Eney, meney-" [Brigitte] "Why don't you try the wine? The red one, by the way." Juno then takes the glass of wine, and she tries a sip. She spat it out as soon as it hit her tongue. [Juno, disgusted] "The wine does not taste good!" [Brigitte] "It's alright. What do you want to try next?" Juno looks at the 2 remaining glasses, and grabs the goldish one. [Juno] "Which one is this?" [Brigitte, drinking water] "That'd be standard beer." Juno then takes a sip from the beer, and she spits it out just as quickly as the wine. [Juno] "The beer also does not taste good." The waiter comes back with a glass of Punsch, then leaves again. [Brigitte] "2 left. Flip a coin?" [Juno] "Flip a what?" [Brigitte] "Nevermind. Whiskey or Punsch?" [Juno] "I think I will try the whiskey." She then takes a sip of the whiskey, and this one stays in her mouth a few seconds longer than the other ones. But in the end, the result was the same: Juno spitting the drink into a napkin. [Juno] "I will finish with the Punsch." And so Juno took a sip from the final glass, testing its flavor. [Brigitte] "Well? What do you think?" [Juno, after swallowing] "I like Punsch now!" [Brigitte] "Good. But remember; don't drink more than you can handle." [Juno] "Ok. So, I heard from other terrans that it is common to make what is referred to as 'small talk' during these types of social interactions. What should we talk about?" [Brigitte] "Well, what do you want to talk about?"

Scene 5

{About an hour later} [Brigitte] "And after we put an end to the Blademaster crisis, me and Jamie got engaged. He proposed while we were dangling off the side of a missile." [Juno, intoxicated] "How does one multitask in such a situation?" [Brigitte] "Well, he thought we were going to die, so he got it off his chest. And the rest is history." [Juno, intoxicated] "That is a delightful story. I would like to change the subject. Do you know if you are going to have a boy or a girl?" [Brigitte] "Well, Jamie and I decided to go with a surprise. A little mystery is always fun, don't you think?" [Juno, intoxicated] "Mysteries are not fun in my experiences." The waiter then comes back. [Waiter] "Are the 2 of you finished here?" [Juno, intoxicated] "I would like another glass of-" [Brigitte] "Actually, yes, we're just wrapping up." The waiter then leaves them alone. [Brigitte] "How many glasses of Punsch did you have?" [Juno, intoxicated] ". . . 3?" After thinking about what to do, Brigitte then held up a pair of fingers. [Brigitte] "How many fingers am I holding up?" [Juno, intoxicated] "My family did this a lot back on Mars! You are holding up 2 fingers!" [Brigitte] "Damn. Can you follow me out?" Juno nods and tries to get up from the table, and almost falls to the ground right as Brigitte catches her. [Brigitte] "It's confirmed: you're drunk." [Juno, intoxicated] "But I feel fine!" [Brigitte] "That's what it feels like to be drunk." Brigitte then helps Juno out of the bar and through the hallways. [Brigitte] "Which way is your room?" [Juno, intoxicated] "The way to my room is through the hallways. The hallway to take is . . . it is . . . what was the question again?" [Brigitte] "Athena, where is Juno's room? She's drunk." [Athena] "Juno Teo Minh's room is room 402." Brigitte then helps Juno to her room, and also helps with placing Juno's eye on the scanner. And once her identity was confirmed, the door opened for them. [Brigitte] "I'll be heading off, so . . . get some rest, and drink plenty of water." Juno nods her head as the door closes behind her, signaling the lights to turn on. Juno then stumbled to her bed as her helmet went staticy again. [Middleman] "So, how'd your hour go?" [Juno, slurring] "It went well. We tried several drinks." [Middleman] "It only took you an hour to get drunk!?" [Juno, intoxicated] "You said I could do what I wanted." [Middleman] "Damn it. In your current state, you're useless to me." [Juno, intoxicated] "That felt a little rude." [Middleman] "I don't care. I expect you to continue your mission in the morning. Get some rest to kill off the alcohol in your system." Juno then crawled onto her bed, and tried to get to sleep. [Juno, intoxicated] "I have not had anyone talking to me in bed in a while. Mr. Middleman, do you know a good story?" [Middleman] "You want me to read you a bedtime story?" [Juno, intoxicated] "Please?" [Middleman, after a few seconds] "Fine, I'll do it just for you. Have you heard of mother goose?"

Chapter 3

Scene 1

{Watchpoint: Gibraltar, midday} Juno had been asleep for a long while. And once the sun had reached just the right spot on the horizon, the solar rays were finally able to give Juno the signal to wake up. [Juno, hungover] "Why do I feel like this?" [Middleman] "Excess alcohol. Happens when you drink too much." This startled Juno, who thought the events of yesterday were just a dream. But with him speaking to her, it confirmed that yesterday was reality. [Middleman] "Drink plenty of water, otherwise you'll arouse suspicion." Juno staggered into the bathroom to pour herself a glass of water, and drank the whole thing in seconds. She then went to deal with the other matter, but then remembered that he was still listening. [Juno, embarrassed] "Could you stop listening for a minute?" [Middleman] "And let you send a warning? Nope." [Juno, embarrassed] "But I need to use the toilet." [Middleman] "I'll filter out the lavatory noise." [Juno, embarrassed] "And the helmet cameras?" [Middleman] "Don't look down." [Juno, embarrassed] "But-" [Middleman] "Just get it over with already." Juno didn't want to do it, but she knew her body needed to dispose of last night's waste before something worse happened. So, she closed her eyes to try to make it seem as if she was alone, and used the toilet. [Middleman] "Remember; you're looking for data on the god programs." [Juno, heavily embarrassed] "Please . . . don't . . . talk to me like this." [Middleman] "Just making sure you're aware." And after some time, she had finished with the toilet, and leapt off and covered herself back up. [Middleman] "There you go. That wasn't so bad, was it?" [Juno, embarrassed] "It was a very bad experience!" She then finished up in the bathroom and left for the day, once again heading down to the data vaults. [Juno, still embarrassed] "Why do you want the information so badly?" [Middleman] "Last time I told you it wasn't your business, and it still isn't. I suggest that you-" [Juno] "Hold on. Are you planning to use the information to harm Overwatch?" [Middleman] "No, of course not! I'm using the information to harm one person!" [Juno, shocked] "That is horrible!" [Middleman] "Teo, the world is horrible. Who'd notice if one random person did something?" [Juno] "I would notice! I am sorry, but I can no longer help you with your request." [Middleman] "Think about your family, Teo. Would you want to be the one responsible for their deaths?" This stops Juno in her tracks as she contemplates what he's saying. [Juno] "I would like to see a picture of them alive and well." [Middleman] "Sure. Once you get me the information, of course. Is that acceptable?" [Juno, thinking] "After I get you the information on the god programs, you will send me a picture of my family, alive and well. Agreed?" [Middleman] "Done. Now find the damn data already." Juno then continues her search for the data vaults.

Scene 2

{Data vaults} Juno had finally found her way to the data vaults, finding a large door with a keycard scanner on it. [Juno] "Mr. Middleman? The door has a scanner installed." [Middleman] "Pass by the door while looking at it. I'll figure out what kind of scanner it is." Juno then hovers by the door, pointing her helmet cameras at the scanner. [Middleman] "They really tightened security after the Vanadium incident. Wentmaster 23-70, 6th generation. It knows every keycard that's ever been registered, and it knows if a card was stolen. I'll have to find some new threat to convince one of your friends-" [Juno, panicking] "I will not let you hurt my friends! There must be a different approach to this!" [Middleman] "What do you have in mind?" [Juno, thinking] "I could take a card-" [Middleman] "I just said they'd report it-" [Juno] "I know. But if they are unable to find it, then they would shut down the lost card and create a new one." [Middleman] "Then you'd have to steal the new card, which brings us back to square 1." [Juno, confused] "What do you mean by square 1?" [Middleman] "Meaning we're back where we started. Taking the new card would shut it down as well." [Juno] "How about when they create the new card, I offer to deliver it?" [Middleman] "You're onto something. If they give you a card, then you'd have clearance for a few minutes before they figure out that you're not delivering it." [Juno] "Do not worry; I am very fast!" [Middleman] "Then what are you waiting for? Find a card and hide it!" Juno then speeds back down the hallways in search of a card.

Scene 3

{Soldier: 76's office} [Junkrat] "It was just a milkshake! I didn't account for how powerful those mixers were." [Soldier: 76] "Just get it cleaned up." Junkrat then leaves, and Soldier: 76 notices Juno by the door. [Soldier: 76] "Come in." [Juno, entering] "Mr. Morrison? I have a question." [Soldier: 76] "Fire away." [Juno, confused] "You want me to use my mediblaster?" [Soldier: 76] "No, sometimes when someone says 'fire away,' they mean ask your question." [Juno] "But why not say what you want to say instead of using odd phrases?" [Soldier: 76] "Sometimes, people use phrases because others get it. Just ask your question." [Juno] "Right! My question is . . ." [Middleman] "Ask if you could be a full time Overwatch agent." [Juno] "What would I need to do to become a full time member of Overwatch?" [Soldier: 76, thinking] "Well, you'd have to talk to Lena about that one. She proved herself capable, while I was just brought in and expected to excel." [Middleman] "Got it. His card is in his back pocket. Grab it without him noticing." [Juno] "Mr. Morrison? How did Lena prove herself?" [Soldier: 76] "We were fighting in King's Row, and I was taken out of the fight. She took my place and turned the tide." [Juno] "So if I have to prove myself, I have to remove you from a fight?" [Soldier: 76] "No! Everyone has a different way to prove themself, whether that be in a battle or saving lives. I think you're more suited for the second one. Just stick to your talents, and you'll do all right." [Juno] "I have many talents! I can glide very fast, and I can fire healing pulsars, and I can-" [Soldier: 76] "I get it. But you'll have to find your purpose. It can be difficult, but you'll find it." [Juno] "How did you discover your talent?" [Soldier: 76] "I have a record of it. Somewhere" Soldier: 76 turns around to look through something, and Juno quickly takes the keycard. [Middleman] ""That's good. Now put it in your pocket or something." [Juno, whispering] "But I do not have pockets." [Middleman] "What kind of spacesuit doesn't have- alright, toss it under- no, he'd see it. Put it under your suit." [Juno, whispering] "Under?" [Middleman] "You know, pulling the collar out and dropping the card down your breasts." [Juno, embarrassed] "You want me to do what?" [Middleman] "He's almost found what he's looking for." Juno starts to panic, and after having a second to think, she did what Max suggested: she stuffed the keycard in the chest area of her suit. [Soldier: 76] "Found it. I found my purpose when fighting in the Omnic Crisis. The military ordered me to fall back, but I heard people still in distress. So I, along with my friend Gabriel Reyes at the time, dove into the crowd and fended off the enemy while everyone got out. Zero casualties that day. That's how I found my purpose. And one day, you'll find yours." [Juno] "Thank you for answering my questions, Mr. Morrison!" [Soldier: 76] "Please, just call me Jack." [Juno] "Got it, Mr. Jack." Juno then leaves as Soldier: 76 puts the records back. [Soldier: 76] "Athena, could you pull up the records from the Oxton incident?" [Athena] "A keycard is required for that action." Soldier: 76 reaches for his keycard, only to find that it's gone. [Soldier: 76, mad] "Athena, round up everyone that visited me in the past hour! My keycard is missing!"

Scene 4

{Interrogation room, 15 minutes later} Several people are waiting outside the interrogation room along with Juno, who is silently panicking. [Junkrat] "I didn't do anything wrong today!" [Juno, panicking] "I have never been in this situation before." [Junkrat] "I've done this several times in Junkertown! Trust me, tell them what they want to hear, and you'll be right, mate!" [Juno, panicking] "But I did not do anything right!" [Middleman] "Don't you dare tell him what you did." [Junkrat] "What'd you mean you didn't do something right?" [Juno, panicking] "I . . . I just talked to Mr. Jack with a question! It is my fault that you are all here!" [Mercy] "Juno, you shouldn't be beating yourself up over accidents and coincidences. It's not your fault that we're doing a pat-down." [Juno, upset] "But it is my fault! I-" [Middleman] "Composing message: test your gun on the passengers. Choose your next words very carefully, Teo." [Juno, hesitating] "I- I . . . I was the last one to visit Mr. Jack before this all started. He must think that I caused this mess." [Middleman] "Good girl." [Mercy] "Juno, that's just a coincidence. You can't predict everything that's going to happen." [Juno, nervous] "I feel like someone-" [Middleman] "Don't you dare finish that sentence. You reveal me to them, they're dead." [Mercy] "You feel like someone . . ?" [Juno, nervous] "I feel like someone might be trying to mess things up here. I have only been here 2 months, and something has already happened." [Mercy] "Juno, it'll be alright. This sort of thing has happened many times, and every time, we got it sorted out." The door then opens and Tracer walks out. [Tracer] "Passed with flying colors. Jamison, you're up next." [Junkrat] "Let me show you how it's done!" Junkrat then enters the room, shutting the door behind him. [Junkrat, through door] "I did it!" [Soldier: 76, through door] "Out." Junkrat then exits the room. [Junkrat] "Told ya! Tell them what they wanna hear, and they'll see you right!" [Kiriko] "He let you go because you're too stupid to actually pull something." [Junkrat] "Can't tell if that's a compliment or a complaint. Space girl, he wants you!" And so Juno slowly made her way to the room, closing the door behind her.

Scene 5

[Soldier: 76] "You were the last one with me when I noticed that my keycard was missing. I doubt you took it, but tell me: did you take it?" [Juno, nervous] "I . . . I did not." [Soldier: 76] "Why are you nervous?" [Juno, nervous] "I have never been in this type of situation before. I do not know how to handle it." [Soldier: 76] "It's simple: just answer my questions while I read your vitals." [Juno, confused] "Am I ill?" [Soldier: 76] "No, not at all. The vitals check is to determine if you're telling the truth." [Middleman] "If he puts that detector on you, it's over. Stall while I recalibrate your helmet." [Juno, nervous] "I have never done such a thing before. Is it dangerous?" [Soldier: 76] "No. It'll just attach to your wrist, and read it that way." [Juno] "My wrist?" [Soldier: 76] "Or your arm. Whatever you prefer." [Juno] "It is not invasive?" [Soldier: 76] "You have nothing to be afraid of, Juno. It just sticks to your skin like a latex glove." [Middleman] "Done. Your helmet will skew the results." [Juno, nervous] "I am ready." [Soldier: 76] "I'm going to need you to take off your glove." And so Juno did exactly that as Soldier: 76 set up the monitor. [Soldier: 76] "For the baseline questions, what's your name?" [Juno, nervous] "My name is Juno Teo Minh, daughter of-" [Soldier: 76] "You don't have to go that far. What is your profession of choice?" [Juno, nervous] "My profession of choice is to become a medic." [Soldier: 76] "Have you ever had alcohol before?" [Middleman] "Say yes. I'm skewing your response." [Juno, nervous] "Yes, I have had alcohol yesterday." [Soldier: 76, confused] "Something you don't want to talk about?" [Juno, nervous] "No, I do not wish to talk about that subject." [Soldier: 76] "That's alright. Next question" And so they spent a few minutes answering questions, with Max sometimes feeding Juno what she was supposed to say next. [Soldier: 76] "Next question: did you take my keycard?" [Middleman] "Inducing negative skew. Say no." [Juno, nervous] "No, I did not take your keycard." [Soldier: 76] "Theoretically, if you did take my keycard, why would you do it?" [Middleman] "Say that if you did, you would've wanted to look at it." [Juno, nervous] "I did not take your keycard." [Soldier: 76] "Not answering my question. If you took it, why would you have done it?" [Juno, nervous] "I . . . I would have only wanted to see what it would have looked like." [Soldier: 76] "I see. But I put the card in the back of my pants. Why is it no longer there?" [Middleman] "If you say anything to give me away-" [Juno] "Did you put it in the back of the pants you are currently wearing?" [Soldier: 76] "Why of course- wait. So you're suggesting that I may have misplaced it at home?" [Juno] "I am only asking a question." [Middleman] "Good job, Teo." [Soldier: 76] "I wouldn't have forgotten something as simple as that. I'm not that old." [Juno] "If you do not mind me asking, how old are you?" Soldier: 76 was about to respond, but then he stopped to think. [Soldier: 76] "Damn, maybe I'm that old. Athema, tell the card department to create a new one and shut down the old one." [Athena] "Acknowledged. The keycard department is fulfilling your request." [Soldier: 76] "Sorry for putting you through something so stressful. Would delivering a keycard be better for you?" [Middleman] "Yes! Take the chance." [Juno] "I would like to do that! If you are alright with it, I mean." [Soldier: 76] "It's fine. Ask Athena for directions." [Juno] "Thank you, Mr. Jack." [Soldier: 76] "You can drop the mr. Just call me Jack." Juno nods and leaves the room. [Kiriko] "So how'd it go?" [Juno] "It was alright."

Chapter 4

Scene 1

{Keycard room} Juno had just entered the room that makes the keycards when one of the workers walked up to her. [Worker] "Do you have authorization to be here?" [Juno] "Jack sent me." [Worker] "Jack Morrison?" [Juno] "That is correct." [Worker] ""And I'm assuming that you're here to pick up the new keycard?" [Juno] "That is also correct." The worker writes down some notes as he goes over to the other workers. [Middleman] "You're getting better at this." [Juno] "I still want my family unharmed." [Middleman] "And have I sent a message to harm them? I've kept my word during our little teamwork thing we have going here." [Juno] "This is not teamwork. It is a forced mission that I do not want to be a part of." [Middleman] "And I was going to invite you to work for me." The worker comes back and hands Juno a keycard. [Juno] "Thank you sir. I will deliver this to Jack." Juno then left the keycard area, and began to speed towards the data vaults. [Middleman] "Think about it. While you've been working, you came up with ideas that I wouldn't have thought about. We make a good team like that, don't you think?" [Juno] "I'm only doing this to save my family. After that is done, I am not doing anything for you again." Juno then arrived at the door to the data vaults, and pulled out the new keycard. [Middleman] "At least consider my proposal." [Juno] "I will not." She then swiped the card, and held her breath as it processed the input. [Middleman] "You'd get to travel the world. Try out everything it has to offer." [Juno, intrigued] "Travel the world?" The scanner then buzzes, and the door opens, revealing a lot of computers. [Middleman] "If you accept, I can get you a home wherever you want." [Juno, entering] "Anywhere in the- no! Stay focused Juno. Stay focused." She then made her way to a terminal, and she typed in her search query of god programs. [System] "Please scan your identification card." And so she swiped the card, and the system pulled up the data she was looking for. [Juno] "Which god program are you looking for?" [Middleman] "Refine your search to Anubis." Juno did what she was told, and got one result. [Middleman] "Good. Grab one of the nearby data pads and download the data." Juno grabbed a data pad and inserted it into a transfer port, and swiped the keycard to confirm the download. [System] "Estimated time: 1 minute." [Middleman] "Good job, Teo. Now sit back and relax." Juno waited a few seconds, but curiosity had a better idea. She decided to open the file on the Anubis god program, and played a video file. [Video] "It was built to maintain ecological balance, of all things. For conservation, its goals could not be achieved without the end of humanity, and it used us to carry out its plan." Juno then watches in horror as war machines created by Anubis attack people all over the globe, seeing people run for their lives. [Video] "We had no control. We were like puppets, and Anubis was our master." Then, the video cut out as the data pad was ejected. [System] "Transfer complete. Have a nice day, Jack Morrison." [Middleman] "All done. Now, if you could just-" [Juno] "You want to use the data to kill an Omnic, is that correct?" [Middleman] "You're imagining-" [Juno, angry] "Is that correct!?" The alarms then go off as the doors open, prompting Juno to duck out of sight with the data in tow. [Middleman] "Get out of there."

Scene 2

[Guard] "Intruder! Put your hands in the air!" [Middleman] "They haven't identified you yet. You turn yourself in, they die." [Guard] "I SAID PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR!" [Middleman] "Teo, it's one life in exchange for 26. Do you want them to live or die?" [Guard] "PUT! YOUR! HANDS! UP!" Confronted by all the pressure - Max berating her, her family's survival, her friendships, and the current situation - she went into autopilot, arming and firing pulsar torpedoes at the guards. She then dashed out of the way of their gunfire, firing her mediblaster at them, but doing no damage. [Middleman] "That gun of yours is in healing mode. They are no longer your friends; they are your enemy. And what do you have to do to fight your enemy?" Instinctively, Juno switched her mediblaster into damage mode and fired again, this time wounding some as others took their place. [Guard] "We need backup! The intruder is armed!" Juno kept firing at the guards until she ran out of ammo, and tried to reload. However, one of the guards got a lucky shot on Juno's hand, causing her to drop the cartridge and scream in pain. [Guard] "The intruder is female, and she's out of ammo. Push forward!" The guards then ran towards Juno, who sped away and hid between computer racks. [Guard] "Spread out and search the racks in pairs. Make damn well sure that she doesn't exit this room without wearing restraints." [Juno, to herself] "I am a criminal." [Middleman] "Don't stop to think." [Juno, sobbing] "I am nothing but a criminal." [Middleman] "Exactly. And if they arrest a criminal like you, all 26 members of Project Red Promise get sucked into the vacuum of space." Juno silently reloaded her mediblaster and used it to patch up her hand, but some pain still remained from the bullet's path. [Juno, upset] "I never wanted to hurt others." [Middleman] "Teo, we almost never get what we want. I wanted to live a normal life running a distillery, but Overwatch arrested me because I knew someone who knew a bad guy. Never got to stand trial, and they put me with other criminals. I've been rotting in here ever since." [Juno, upset] "And the Omnic you want to kill?" [Middleman] "He tried to kill me because I acted in self-defense. Like I said, the world is a horrible place, and sometimes we have to fend for ourselves. Overwatch helps the well-known and leaves the rest to the dirt." Suddenly, a guard rounded the corner and spotted Juno. [Guard] "Free- Juno? You don't have clearance to be here!" [Middleman] "Besides, I only said I'd kill because I needed a reason to keep you around. I was only going to use Anubis to talk to my aggressor." [Juno, hesitating] "I- I can explain-" [Guard] "HANDS IN THE AIR, NOW!" [Middleman] "I'm just a guy trying to set something straight with a bad person. If it makes me the bad guy that I'm different from Overwatch, then so be it." [Juno, upset] "I- I am sorry. I never considered your side of the-" [Guard] "Who are you talking to?" [Juno, nervous] "If you could allow me to explain-" The guard then shot Juno in the leg, dropping her to the ground screaming. [Guard] "ONE! LAST! TIME! HANDS IN THE AIR!" [Juno, in pain] "I . . . I am sorry! Please forgive me!" Juno then shot the guard with her mediblaster, causing him to drop his weapon. [Guard] "I need-" She then tackled the guard to the ground, engaging him in a fist fight until both of them were covered in blood and bruises. Juno then grabbed his gun and pointed it at the guard's face, with her finger over the trigger. [Guard] "So that's it then? Kill me? Pathetic." Juno hesitates to pull the trigger for a long while, but eventually sets it on the ground and slides it away. [Juno, sobbing] "Please . . . forgive me." Juno then crawled away and started prying open a vent. [Guard] "My grandfather had more balls than you ever could!" Juno ignores this, and she crawls into the vents, closing the cover behind her.

Scene 3

{Overwatch medical} Moira and Mercy are working on an experiment. [Moira] "And once you've calibrated the scanner, what do you do next?" [Mercy] "You reinitialize the focusing lens." [Moira] "Correct. I also have another proposal for you." Moira hands Mercy a brown packet, and she tears it open, revealing multiple pages of blank paper. [Moira] "It's to help you with getting your signature back." [Mercy] "Sounds tedious." [Moira] "You'll figure it-" [Guard, over intercom] "Attention all personnel: Juno Teo Minh has been identified as highly dangerous. She attacked several security guards and escaped into the ventilation system. As of a few minutes ago, she has been injured in the leg. We are now in lockdown." All the alarms blare as Mercy and Moira leave the room, not noticing an overhead vent cover being opened. [Middleman] "Can you still hear me?" Juno ignored him as she used one of her drones to grab a first aid kit, then closed off the vent and turned on a light on her helmet. [Middleman] "Are you alright?" [Juno, broken voice] "I almost killed an innocent person." [Middleman] "You were acting in self-defense. He shot first." [Juno, broken voice] "Because I took something that didn't belong to me." [Middleman] "They gave it to you." Juno just opens the kit and grabs a bottle of alcohol, and pours some onto her wounded leg, screaming into her arm as she does so. [Juno, in pain] "Is it worth it to steal information to talk to someone?" [Middleman] "I tried to talk to my aggressor from the inside of a prison cell, but the guards won't allow it. So, I have to try the other method." [Juno, in pain] "Then how are you talking to me?" [Middleman] "I have my tricks." Juno then takes out a pair of forceps and a mirror, and positions the mirror for something. [Middleman] "That guard should never have shot you. Sometimes heroes go too far when they try to help people." Juno then started digging for the bullet, biting into some gauze so that she wouldn't give away her location. [Middleman] "Here's a joke to distract you. It's about construction." [Juno, through gauze] "Fire away." [Middleman] "It's- oh, right. I'm still working on it." [Juno, through gauze] "What?" [Middleman] "My joke is about construction, but I said that I'm working on it, which is a term for construction." [Juno, through gauze] "I do not- oh! I get it now!" [Middleman] "There you go, girl!" Juno then finds the bullet with the forceps, and puts more gauze into her mouth. She then ripped it out, and if it weren't for the gauze in her mouth, she would've screamed until she had to take a breath. Once the pain had subsided, she grabbed a needle and stitches, and proceeded to close up the open wound. [Middleman] "I wasn't expecting to put you through that kind of pain." [Juno, in pain] "It is alright." [Middleman] "Your behavior towards me has changed. Do you no longer see me as a bad guy?' [Juno, in pain] "You are still a bad person. But you seem misunderstood. Some people do not see that." [Middleman] "Well, I'm glad you see that."

Scene 4

{Data vaults} Soldier: 76 had just entered the data vaults with his gun fully loaded, looking around for any signs of intruders or threats. Then, one of the guards staggers towards Soldier: 76. [Guard, wounded] "It was Juno. She broke into the vaults." [Soldier: 76] "Impossible. She doesn't have any way to get in here, let alone do anything." [Guard, wounded] "Minutes before we noticed the breach, the system logged your keycard being used to access the vaults." [Soldier: 76] "That's not- wait. The guys in the keycard department gave her the new card. But there's no motive to turn against us." [Guard, wounded] "We'll figure it out once we catch up to her. She's wounded." [Soldier: 76] "Who fired first?" The guard hesitates to answer the question, prompting someone else to answer for him. [Guard 2] "She did, but it didn't hurt us." [Soldier: 76] "You're telling me that you provoked her?" [Guard, wounded] "She was an intruder. What were we supposed to do?" [Soldier: 76, mad] "Your orders are to not shoot unless they shoot first! Her doing something that doesn't harm you is not an acceptable excuse to attack!" [Guard, wounded] "She broke into the data vaults to steal something! For all we know, it could launch a nuclear warhead right at us!" [Soldier: 76, mad] "Confirm, then engage; your second order! This has happened too many times under your command. Give me your badge, keycard, and weapon." [Guard, wounded] "You're not saying-" [Soldier: 76] "You're fired. Don't make me arrest you for resistance." After some hesitation, the guard hands his things to Soldier: 76, and leaves as another person comes in. [Junkrat] "What in the world happened here?" [Soldier: 76] "Juno broke into the vaults and stole classified data." [Junkrat] "Why?" [Soldier: 76] "I don't know. But if she's planning something, it could be disastrous for all of us."

Chapter 5

Scene 1

{Juno's room} Guards are looking through Juno's room to find clues to her recent behavior, but haven't found anything conclusive. After an hour of searching, they eventually gave up and left. And once the door had closed, Juno opened the overhead vent and entered her room, somberly looking at the state of it. [Juno, upset] "They . . . they . . ." [Middleman] "Ransacked?" [Juno, upset] "Yes. They ransacked my only home here on Earth." [Middleman] "I suggest you take a few minutes to yourself." And so she crawled onto her bed and tried to fight her tears. [Middleman] "You can't fight emotion forever. At some point, you'll have to give in." And once it was said, she couldn't stop crying for a few minutes. And once she was finished for now, she looked at the data pad. [Juno, upset] "You wanted this data on the Anubis God Program to open a communication with the Omnic that attacked you, right?" [Middleman] "That's all I want." [Juno, upset] "I want to see a photo of my family. Then I will send you the data." [Middleman] "Done. I'll be pulling some strings for a minute, and you should get a response within the hour, pending the interstellar latency." Juno then went to look through the fridge, finding something that wasn't in there before: a bottle of Punsch. It was also tagged with a note: 'Enough for several glasses. Enjoy. -Brigitte' Juno began to tear up from the note. Brigitte must've dropped it off in her sleep. [Middleman] "If you want to go for it, I'm not stopping you." Juno took the bottle to the counter, and was about to take out a glass when Max stopped her. [Middleman] "Don't use a glass for that. They'll figure you out." And after thinking it over, Juno pulled the stopper out and drank straight from the bottle.

Scene 2

{Briefing room} The Overwatch team is discussing the series of events that have happened recently. [Kiriko] "She was weird from the start. Shouldn't have given her a place here." [Moira] "We saved her life, and in return she endangers ours?" [Tracer] "She's our friend! Friends don't turn on each other like that!" [Kiriko] "In case you weren't listening, she ATTACKED several of your security guards here!" [Tracer] "She did it in self defense!" [Kiriko] "Self defense, my ass. She broke into the data vaults, and she stole classified info. That's enough to warrant a provocation." [Junkrat] "If I may interject, a friend of mine once taught me the lesson of context. Without it, we shouldn't be judging-" [Kiriko] "Shut up, idiot." [Emily] "That's enough. Kiriko, get out." Kiriko then gets up and leaves, but not before saying something back. [Kiriko] "I stopped a nuke!" She then closed the door behind her. [Brigitte] "Jamie's right. We shouldn't be trying to kill her without understanding the whole story." [Soldier: 76] "Here's what we have for her story: she accepted our help, and we helped her in return. Once she received news that her family was coming home, she turned on us. Anything I'm missing?" [Junkrat] "You're missing the context behind why she did it." [Soldier: 76] "From what I can tell, she doesn't need us anymore. Her family is safe, so she doesn't need to . . ." He trailed off as the wheels in his head began to spin. [Emily] "Jack, what are you planning?" [Soldier: 76, thinking] "She cares about her family. Maybe we can use that to our-" [Tracer] "Absolutely not! If we hold her family hostage, we're no better than the criminals we work hard to put in the slammer!" [Soldier: 76] "And what would you suggest?!" [Tracer] "We can comb the building for her! Anything that doesn't involve revenge!" [Soldier: 76] "That plan would work if Agent Sombra hadn't left after we gave her the replacement arm. She hasn't answered our calls over the past year, and who knows where she is? At the moment, our hands are tied, and who knows how much time we have?" [Brigitte] "It's wrong to threaten lives for personal gain!" [Soldier: 76] "This is far from personal. Juno stole classified information on who knows what, doing who knows what with it!" Kiriko then reentered the room during their argument. [Kiriko] "I suggest we put this to a vote. Majority strategy gets put into play." [Soldier: 76] "Agreed. All in favor of a manual search for Juno?" Tracer, Emily, Brigitte, Junkrat and Mei all raised their hands. [Soldier: 76] "And all in favor of using leverage to smoke her out?" Him, Kiriko, Moira, Ana and Reinhardt all raised their hands, signaling a tie. [Soldier: 76] "Ramattra, you're the tiebreaker. Which plan do we use?" Ramattra thinks about both options for a while, but eventually comes to a decision. [Ramattra] "As long as they do not get hurt." [Soldier: 76] "Done. Prepare a message to broadcast all over Gibraltar. Tell her that if she doesn't turn herself in, then we'll threaten them. All 26 passengers of the return ship." [Tracer, shocked] "You can't be serious!" [Soldier: 76] "I'm dead serious." Everyone then leaves as Tracer walks over to Ramattra. [Tracer] "I can't believe you'd use hostages to find someone." [Ramattra] "I hate his plan as much as you do, but a manual search would take hours while she gets a head start. But if he goes too far, then I will relieve him of duty." [Tracer] "You promise?" [Ramattra] "On my proverbial heart."

Scene 3

{Juno's room, later} [Juno, slurring] "It was a long journey, but my ship made it to Earth without any difficulty." [Middleman] "Except for the surgery you mentioned on day 1" [Juno, slurring] "Oh, yeah. I did have to go through a surgery on day 1." [Middleman] "Did spending a huge chunk of your life on lower gravity do something?" [Juno, slurring] "No. I asked for help, and the people I asked attacked me after I helped them." [Soldier: 76, over intercom] "Attention Juno Teo Minh. Remember the return ship that your family is on? If you don't turn yourself and the data in within the next hour, we'll tell the ship to turn around and go back to Mars!" [Middleman] "Don't listen to him. I own the ship and company, remember?" [Juno, slurring] "But his threat feels real." [Middleman] "As real as the message your family sent back? It just came in. I'll be playing it on your helmet's display." After a few seconds of waiting, a picture of Juno's family showed up on her helmet. She smiled at the picture, but then it played, indicating that they had sent back more than a picture. [Jiayi Teo, video] "It's nice to finally speak to you, Juno! Even though we're not home yet, we're on our way back!" [Khiem Minh, video] "Mars is like a little red dot drawn on the window of the ship. I'm sure you're well aware of dots on windows, considering how you always got into the markers!" [Jiaya Teo, video] "We are excited to hear about your experiences on Earth! I'm sure you've already tried an ungodly variety of foods that aren't protein bars, but something tells me that you haven't forgotten its taste." [Pilot, video] "Running low on room for the datastream." [Jiaya Teo, video] Wrapping it up! We wish you a good night for every night you've slept, and a good morning for every day you've awoken! We will all see you soon!" The video then ends, and tears are running down Juno's face again. But these were different; rather, they were tears of joy. [Middleman] "Overwatch hired my company to help them. They can tell me to endanger your family, but I won't listen." [Juno, slurring] "A friend told me about finding my purpose. But I am not sure if this is my purpose." [Middleman] "Would psychological readings during situations help?" [Juno, slurring] "It would." [Middleman] "Alright. When you took the first keycard, your helmet detected exhilaration. And during the fight in the data vaults, you were afraid, but at the same time, although subtle, you were somewhat excited with fighting." [Juno, slurring] "That feels like a lie." Max then displays the timestamps of her heightened emotional moments, which matched the times of her mentioned actions. [Middleman] "How does one find purpose?" [Juno, slurring] "Trying new things." [Middleman] "And you tried self defense." [Juno, slurring] "I did." [Middleman] "So, what are you going to do next?" [Juno, slurring] "I am going to send the data on the Anubis God Program." [Middleman] "No objections?" [Juno, slurring] "Only one. If you use the data to harm people, then I will find a way to stop you." [Middleman] "Wouldn't expect anything else."

Scene 4

{Juno's room, one hour later} A guard, as well as several Overwatch members, have entered Juno's room to conduct another search. [Tracer] "I hope she's alright." [Soldier: 76] "You shouldn't show appreciation for the enemy." [Tracer] "She's our friend. At least, I thought she was." They keep searching until the guard gets to the fridge, and notices something off. [Guard] "There was a bottle in here last time I checked." [Ramattra] "She came back here. But for a bottle?" [Kiriko, joking] "Maybe she got thirsty." [Guard] "Maybe we should amend the guest rules. 'Any guest is allowed, as long as they are unaffiliated with terrorists AND do not bear the family name Kamori.'" Right as Kiriko is about to argue, Ramattra points something out. [Ramattra] "She made a mess with the bottle." Everyone walks over to where Ramattra was pointing, and they see that some of the carpet was stained with Punsch. [Kiriko] "Always knew she was a klutz." [Ramattra] "Hold on a minute. Someone please hand me a flashlight." The guard hands Ramattra a flashlight, and he shines it over the stained area. [Tracer] "I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be looking at." [Ramattra] "I think I have an idea. Could you lend me your goggles?" Tracer obliged, handing Ramattra her orange goggles. He then shined the light through the goggles, which brightly illuminated the stain marks. [Junkrat] "So it's a mess. We've already agreed on it." [Ramattra] "It is more than a mess. It is a pattern. The stain is a curved shape, similar to a sphere. Or . . . or a helmet!" [Kiriko] "No fucking way. She's smart enough to spill a bottle in a pattern?" [Ramattra] "It is more than a pattern. It's a message. 'Helmet hijacked. Return ship hijacked. Hijacker always watching and listening. Coerced under threat of everyone on return ship dying. Sorry.'" [Soldier: 76] "Well . . . someone tackle me or something. I was wrong, and-" He was cut off as Junkrat answered his request, tackling him to the ground. [Junkrat] "I told you about looking for context!" [Soldier: 76, mad] "Get the hell off me!" Junkrat immediately did what he was told and helped Soldier: 76 up. [Soldier: 76] "As I was saying, I was wrong to not consider what she may have been going through. I let emotion cloud my judgement." [Ramattra] "It happens. Just do what your heart says, and you'll make the right choices." [Tracer] "Alright, now that we've got that cleared up, send a message to all personnel without using the intercom. Tell them to pretend to fight Juno, but drop to the floor after a few fake hits. That'll buy us some time to figure out who's on the other end of her helmet."

Chapter 6

Scene 1

{Vents} Juno is crawling through the vents while carrying her bottle of Punsch. [Middleman] "20% and waiting. That data packet you found is abnormally large." [Juno, slurring] "How big was the Anubis God Program supposed to be?" [Middleman] "I don't actually know that. Just keep going through the vents and you'll find the exit. My associate will be waiting outside in a black limousine." [Juno, slurring] "What is a limo-" The vent under her suddenly collapses under her, dropping her into a hallway with several guards. [Guard] "Uhh . . . Freeze!" [Juno, to self] "please get my message" She then fires healing shots at the guards, and they drop to the floor as she speeds away. Then, the alarms go off. [Middleman] "No point in getting back into the vents. Find an alternative!" [Juno, slurring] "Athena, where do I go to leave the building?" [Athena] "Unauthorized voice access detected in section 31." [Middleman] "Maybe I shouldn't have let you drink that booze." Juno then dashed in the opposite direction, fake-firing at more guards and heading deeper into the watchpoint. [Middleman] "I'm tapping into your helmet's display. It'll allow you to partially see your enemies through walls. Coworker used this technique, actually." [Juno, slurring] "I do not have the time to respond!" Juno used Max's adjustment, avoiding Overwatch guards before they could find her. And after some time, she stepped into a hangar bay. [Middleman] "This is good. Get one of those jets working and you'll be home free." [Juno, slurring] "And what is done next?" [Middleman] "Well, you'll meet my associate in the limousine, and I'll set up a home for you to live in." [Juno, slurring] "Where would the home be located?" [Middleman] "The Americas, Europe, India, wherever your heart desires. Except for Australia; that one's a radioactive catastrophe." [Juno, slurring] "What has happened in Australia?" [Middleman] "I'll tell you about it while you fix up one of the retired jets."

Scene 2

{Hallways} The guards are still laying down on the floor, unsure if Juno is gone. Then, Tracer came by. [Tracer] "Cost is clear. She's in the hanger." She then makes her way to the hanger, silently opening one of the side doors so that no one would hear. And once she was in, she started covertly looking for Juno. [Juno, distant] "What is Omnica Corporation?" Tracer then spotted Juno on top of an old jet, and quickly ducked out of sight. She got another look through a reflection, and saw Juno seemingly talking to herself. {Juno's POV} [Juno, slurring] "But if Omnica Corporation was the best, then why did it shut down?" [Middleman] "Corruption, embezzlement, there's a list. It started when-" He kept talking when out of the corner of her eye, she saw a blue glow that wasn't there before; it was Tracer. Juno then moved her head so that the side cameras wouldn't pick up Tracer's movement, and Juno got to see Tracer blink across the room. [Juno, slurring] "That is an odd explanation. How did it happen?" Max starts talking again, and Juno, out of the corner of her eye, sees Tracer at a panel and gives her a signal. Juno then powered on some couplers, and Tracer started messing with the panel at the same time. [Middleman, staticy] "What the hell is going on?" [Juno, slurring] "I am realigning the power couplers of the jet." [Middleman, staticy] "So that's what's disrupting my comm link with you?" [Juno, slurring] "Is it?" [Middleman, staticy] "Just keep working." {Tracer's POV} [Tracer, whispering] "Tracer to 76, come in 76." [Soldier: 76, whispering] "I read you. I'm currently looking into the company we found to plan the rescue. What's your status?" [Tracer, whispering] "I'm tapping into Juno's helmet, but it's not easy. The hijacker must've done something to complicate this sort of thing." [Soldier: 76, whispering] "Lena, there's something I need to talk with you about, regarding the attack in the vaults. Even though Juno's being manipulated to do this, one of the guards noticed that Juno seemed . . . enthusiastic when she was fighting. Although she quickly lost her enthusiasm in the one-on-one fight, I'm concerned that in the future, she might take pleasure in attacking people." [Tracer, whispering] "Jack, we both know that emotions can grow out of control in desperate situations. Remember when Doomfist had Emily? I lost myself to anger when he showed me her hand, and I set fire to the bridges I'd worked hard to build. It took a while to fix them, and I still regret throwing that torch in the first place." [Kiriko, through comm] "It could also be menopause." Tracer then overhears some sort of scuffle on the other end, and then Soldier: 76 comes back. [Soldier: 76, whispering] "Kiriko's no longer welcome here. She's a little too insensitive." [Tracer, whispering] "Did you punch her or something?" [Soldier: 76, whispering] "Or something."

Scene 3

{Juno's POV} [Middleman, staticy] "Upload at 65%. Limited bandwidth, corrupted downlink, this is getting better by the minute." [Juno, slurring] "How are those factors better?" [Middleman, staticy] "It's called sarcasm, kid. Basically hard irony. How are you doing with the repairs?" [Juno, slurring] "I might be almost finished." [Middleman, staticy] "In your current state, you may have missed something. I'll run you through the checklist: Power?" [Juno, slurring] "Check." [Middleman] "Engines?" [Juno, slurring] "Check." [Tracer, in comms] "Busted for your crimes? Check!" [Middleman, shocked] "Lena Oxton! How . . . Juno, you've betrayed me. They will die because of you." [Tracer, in helmet comm] "Only you can hear me now. He doesn't have any cards; I've checked." [Juno] "Cards?" [Tracer] "He doesn't actually own the ship! Alexander Marcus is a real person, not a made up identity." [Juno, nervous] "Uhh . . . do it." [Middleman, nervous] "You're serious?" [Juno] "Uhh . . . yes?" [Middleman, nervous] "Fine. Composing message: Kill them all." [Tracer] "Send the message." [Middleman, nervous] "You're well aware that I'm going to kill 26 people, right?" [Tracer] "Can you?" [Middleman, hesitating] ". . . This means the blood is also on your hands. You know that, right?" [Juno] "Right." [Tracer] "You can't do it, can you?" [Middleman, hesitating] "Alright, fine! It was one big bluff that almost paid off in the end. The only valuable card that I had in my deck was that god-fangled helmet. Everything else was complete . . ." [Juno] "Thank you Lena." Tracer then blinks up to the jet. [Tracer] "You're welcome. Nice trick with the water on the floor, and pretending you drank the whole thing." [Juno] "It was Punsch. And I may have had a little bit." [Middleman] "That's sweet. You forgot to stop the upload, which is now complete." [Juno] "Then what are you waiting for?" [Middleman] "Time to get rid of that Omnic that tied me to that wine barrel so long ago." Over the comm, they then hear a documentary of the Omnic Crisis, to which he shuts off within seconds. [Middleman, annoyed] "So that's why it took so long. You renamed the full documentary of the Omnic Crisis so that I wouldn't notice you sent me a bogus file." [Juno] "That is right." [Middleman] "And you were never intoxicated either?" [Juno] "That is also right. Like one of my friends said, I played a long con, which I still do not understand the full meaning of." [Middleman] "Well, you beat me. Remember that associate I mentioned earlier? Be sure to greet Mr. Charles right before he kills you." The helmet link then cuts out as the alarms go off again, signaling a breach.

Chapter 7

Scene 1

{Hallways} Juno and Tracer are running down the hallways in search of their intruder: Mr. Charles. [Juno, panicking] "This is all my fault! I should have tried to reach out for help sooner!" [Tracer] "You couldn't have known he was bluffing! Hell, I didn't even know he was bluffing!" [Juno, panicking] "Mr. Charles is going to attack people here! I caused this to happen!" [Tracer] "Juno, you didn't do this; Maximilian did." [Juno, confused] "His name is Maximilian? He only told me that his name was the Middleman." [Tracer] "I'll add that to the list." The 2 turn a corner and stop to see bullet holes in a wall, spaced as so to spell out 'Hi'. [Tracer] "That's certainly . . . creative." They turn another corner, and find a security guard with a map torn into his jacket. [Juno] "Is this a map?" [Tracer] "Looks like it. It's pointing us to the briefing room." [Juno, nervous] "Is it a trap?" [Tracer] "Could be. Athena, are there any intruders in the briefing room?" They wait for a response, but one does not come. [Tracer] "Sounds like Mr. Charles took out Athena. We should hurry!" [Juno] "I have something that could help us get there quicker." Juno then tosses out a speed ring, and they both run through it, reaching the briefing room quicker than if they were running normally. [Tracer] "I'm going to have to talk to your folks once they're back!" [Juno] "That would be appreciated. Now, I am ready to confront Mr. Charles!" Tracer inputs a code into the door, and it opens for them. They then enter the room, to which - from the shadows - Mr. Charles sets off an electromagnetic pulse, shutting down Tracer's abilities and disabling Juno's hover boots, which drops her to the floor. Before they could figure out what's happening, Mr. Charles drops a heavy metal beam on the pair, pinning them both to the floor. After confirming that they're trapped, he puts a foot on the beam.

Scene 2

[Mr. Charles] "Lena Esma Oxton, it's a pleasure to be the one to kill you in revenge for murdering our leader, Akande Ogundimu. And Juno Teo Minh, you'll be the first, last, and only natural-born martian that I'll ever put a knife into." [Juno] "Wait a minute . . . you are the one that gave me the teddy bear!" [Mr. Charles] "That I am." [Juno, confused] "Hold on . . . Lena, is it true that you killed a man?" [Tracer] "First of all, he burned down my home, kidnapped my wife, mutilated her, used his men as punching bags, killed his own men, burned down an entire city, killed thousands of innocents, and tried to send a rampage of murderous robots to kill millions. Second, I offered to save his life after he tried to kill me several times!" [Juno] "Then Mr. Charles has the same desire of the other alcohols; not good." [Tracer] "You tested liquors? Are you even old enough for that?" [Juno] "How old do I have to be?" [Tracer] "21." [Juno] "Then I am not old enough." [Tracer] "Shit. I'm sorry; someone should've asked before you-" [Mr. Charles, interrupting] "Now that we're all acquainted with each other, I believe that it's time for the both of you to die." Although they couldn't see it, they both heard him loading some sort of gun; possibly a large one. [Tracer] "Could I at least get your full name, Charles?" [Mr. Charles] "Charles isn't even a part of my name. I use Mr. Charles to keep myself anonymous so that no one can find me." [Juno] "I have white token pieces in this building! Maybe I could-" [Mr. Charles, laughing] "I can't be bribed. My salary is far too high for you to guess." He then put the barrel of a shotgun to Tracer's head while also pushing her head into the ground. [Mr. Charles] "Any last words?" [Tracer] "A few. During your monologue, I was able to restart my accelerator!" She then blinked out from under the beam and punched Mr. Charles in the face, knocking him out. She then looked over to Juno, who was now suffering the full load of the metal bar. [Tracer, grabbing bar] "Are you alright?" Juno nods as she tries to lift the bar off of herself, but to no avail. [Tracer] "Your boots! Use your boots!" Upon hearing this, Juno activated her hover boots, allowing her to start shimmying out from under the bar until she was free. [Juno] "Thank you, Lena." They are about to hug, but Tracer then takes a shotgun blast to the leg, dropping her to the ground. She then recalls to undo the damage, but Mr. Charles just shoots her once she finishes, dropping her again, this time with her in pain. [Mr. Charles] "Don't you go thinking I didn't do any research. Sure, you can undo some damage, but you can't do it twice in a row." Juno then tried to use her mediblaster to heal Tracer, but he just shot it with a sidearm. Juno quickly took a look at it, seeing the healing mechanics damaged. The damage mechanics, however, were still in working condition. Mr. Charles then reloaded his shotgun and prepared to fire at Juno, but once again, she went into autopilot.

Scene 3

Juno dodged to the left as a streak of shotgun shells whizzed by her, narrowly missing as they impacted the wall behind her. She then fires back as Mr. Charles rolls behind a chair, to which he then throws across the room. She ducks under the improvised projectile and arms a torpedo, but Mr. Charles shots the torpedo before it can launch, blasting her to the side, and into a wall. Mr. Charles then shoots a support beam, dropping some ceiling onto Juno. [Mr. Charles] "Well, this was fun. If you don't mind, I'll be putting your friend out of her misery." Mr. Charles walks over to finish off Tracer, not noticing Juno arming a second torpedo with her other drone. After locking onto him, she fires, which burns his shotgun out of his hands. [Mr. Charles] "If you're trying to put me through enough pain to dissuade me, I'll let you know that I can't feel pain." He then grabs his sidearm from before and shoots down Juno's other drone, then walks towards her. [Juno] "I have heard stories of criminals before. Every time they say they will win, they end up losing instead." [Mr. Charles] "you just had surgery recently, didn't you?" He then stomps on Juno, right in the area where she had her surgery, causing her to scream in pain. [Tracer, in pain] "You're sadistic, aren't you?" [Mr. Charles] "I am not a sadist. I merely do what I'm told. And right now, I've been told to squash you like bugs." He then reloads his sidearm, giving Juno the opportunity to grab him by the leg, knocking him off balance and sending him hitting the floor. Juno then uses her hover boots to get out from the rubble, clutching her side as she did so. [Mr. Charles, getting up] "Hurts, doesn't it? I wouldn't know." He then tries to tackle Juno, but she boosts over him with her hover boots, and tries to kick him in the back. However, he rolls to the side and shoots at her boots, disabling them and dropping her to the ground, with her in pain again. [Juno, afraid] "What are you going to do to us after you are finished?" [Mr. Charles] "Nothing. It's more efficient to bounce around than to stick around. But I do have one thing I want to do." He then pulls Juno's helmet off and tosses it to the side, with her coughing a little from the relatively thin air. [Mr. Charles] "I'm done with you at the moment." He then walks over to Tracer while reloading his gun, and Juno slowly gets back up. [Juno, drained] "I . . . am not finished!" [Mr. Charles, annoyed] "You have no weapons. I'm pretty sure you are." He then turns back to Tracer, and Juno runs at him, tackling him to the ground. She then starts throwing punches as he shoots his gun wildly, most of the bullets missing, but one manages to lodge itself in Juno's shoulder. Juno didn't feel the pain at this point; she was just trying to stop him from hurting her friend. And at some point, she managed to knock him to the ground, and threw his gun across the room. They then start using their fists, getting blood on each other until Juno landed a lucky blow to the head, disorienting him as she went back for something. And when he came to, he saw Juno pointing the gun right at his face. [Mr. Charles, exhausted] "Well? What are you waiting for?" Juno wanted to pull the trigger; she wanted to do it so badly. [Mr. Charles, exhausted] "I can see that look in your eyes. It's the look of a sadist." Juno turned back, and one look from Tracer told her all she needed to know; that this wasn't the right course of action. As the sadistic look faded from her eye, she threw the gun across the room as Tracer threw her a pair of handcuffs. [Juno] "Mr. Charles. I believe you are under arrest." [Tracer, finishing] "For breaking and entering, assault, attempted murder, and firearms possession." [Mr. Charles, exhausted] "The one promise I made in life was to never be arrested, whether that be escape or other means. And because escape is not possible, it'll be the other means." He then pulled out a knife, and stabbed himself in the heart. Panicking, Juno quickly found her broken drone and tried to get a healing torpedo working, but it was no use; the bullet had done too much damage. [Tracer] "I wish he didn't have to go out that way." Juno then found her helmet and reattached it, appreciating the pressurized air. [Juno, relieved] "I know you mean that. Would you like help getting to medical?" [Tracer] "Gladly."

Chapter 8

Scene 1

{Overwatch medical, the next day} Tracer and Juno are being examined for their injuries by Moira after their new surgery. [Moira] "It's astonishing how a single man managed to inflict so many injuries upon the both of you." [Tracer] "He did research." [Moira] "Research is a powerful tool." She then walks off to run some tests with Mercy, leaving Juno and Tracer alone to chat. [Juno, upset] "I almost killed him yesterday." [Tracer] "But you didn't. That's the important-" [Juno, upset] "You do not understand. Not only did I have the means to kill him, I also WANTED to kill him." [Tracer] "And you didn't kill him. Motivation to do bad is always tempting. I didn't think I had bad motivations until the Vanadium incident, but that's a story for another time. To put it simply, your actions define who you are, and you chose not to kill." [Juno, upset] "But that does not explain why I wanted to kill him." [Tracer] "He was trying to kill you. It's understandable." [Juno, upset] "But I do not understand." [Tracer] "Frankly, I don't either. Motivation is a tricky thing to figure out, but as long as you follow your heart, you should be fine." Moira and Mercy then came back with the results. [Mercy] "Lena, there's some shotgun shells that we missed. Moira's going to have to operate again." [Tracer] "Blast. Don't let me stop you." Moira then wheels Tracer away, but Mercy stays behind. [Mercy] "How are you feeling Juno?" [Juno, upset] "Conflicted. Yesterday I almost killed a man." [Mercy] "I can understand that. But did you kill him?" [Juno, upset] "I almost did." [Mercy] "But did you?" [Juno] "I almost-" [Mercy] "It's a yes or no question. Did you kill him?" Juno thinks about this for some time, and she is unable to come up with a proper answer. [Juno] "He said something about being a sadist." [Mercy] "I'm sorry. If he enjoyed hurting you-" [Juno] "You do not understand. He said that I am a sadist." [Mercy, confused] "He said that you're a sadist? But- but I highly doubt you enjoy hurting people." [Juno, upset] "I am not sure myself. The Middle- Maximilian, I think, pointed out that while I was attacking people, my helmet recorded activity that suggested I enjoyed it. And when I had Mr. Charles' gun, he saw a look in my eye. He called it the look of a sadist." [Mercy] "Lena told me that you had your helmet off during the briefing room brawl. You normally utilize a thicker concentration of oxygen, right?" Juno just nods her head. [Mercy] "I did some research. Typically, when transitioning between different pressurizations of a certain atmospheric content, brain activity can temporarily change. When he removed your helmet, you weren't thinking straight. As for the data vaults, you were under an immense amount of stress." [Juno] "I refuse to accept that explanation." [Mercy] "It's the only one we have." Juno then tried to get out of her biobed, but that only caused the pain from being in a fistfight to wash over her, forcing her back onto the biobed. [Merc] "You'll have to stay here for a few days, I'm afraid. Is there anything I can get for you?" [Juno, in pain] "Can I please have my mediblaster?"

Scene 2

{Prison, days later} Maximilian is playing cards with other inmates, who are waiting for him to make his move. [Inmate 1] "We don't have all day." [Max] "I'm not sure if I want to trade to keep." [Inmate 2] "How 'bout I make that choice for you?" [Max] "Nah." [Inmate 1] "Next topic: you never told us what happened to the sting op with that haywired payphone." [Max] "I now have a full copy of the entire documentary of the Omnic Crisis, which I didn't ask for." Max then puts his cards on the table, and the other 2 inmates were not happy. [Inmate 2, angry] "You cheated! Again!" [Inmate 1] "Why do I even bother playing against you if you're just going to cheat over and over again?" [Max] "You can't if I cheated." A prison guard then walks up to the cell. [Guard] "Maximilian! You have a visitor." Max then gets up to leave, but not before pissing off his cellmates again. [Max] "Someone dropped this." He then tosses a card into the room, signaling that he DID cheat. One of the inmates just throws the table against the wall as Max is escorted to the visitors' room. [Max] "So, who's visiting me this time? Another associate?" [Guard] "She said she was a friend." [Max] "Who?" Max is then seated and handcuffed to a table, and Juno sits across from him. [Max] "And here I thought that you were at the bottom of a list of people that wanted to visit me." [Juno] "I did not expect to be here either. It took a few days to sort out my feelings and thoughts, but I came to a conclusion." [Max] "I'm waiting." [Juno] "A friend told me to follow my heart, so, I am going to forgive you." [Max, confused] "I extorted you and pitted you against your friends. And you're going to forgive me?" [Juno] "Yes. I do not like having unresolved feelings. I talked to a guard and gave him several credits to allow me to talk to you once a week." [Max] "That's bribing a lawful official. That could get you in here along with me, as it's a crime." [Juno, confused] "Giving money to some people is a crime?" [Max] "Welcome to the crime club." [Juno] "I do not wish to be in the crime club!" [Max] "I'll wire some funds to that guard so you won't keep breaking the law." [Juno] "You would do that?" [Max] "I'm already here for life. Only thing that they did in response to what I did a few days ago was give me a few more years and tighten security. But that does mean you'll be affiliated with a criminal." [Juno] "All I care about is that I would be affiliated with a friend." [Max, confused] "You consider me a friend?" [Juno] "In a way." [Max] "I never had a friend before. Just associates and business partners." [Juno] "It must have been lonely for you, was it?" [Max] "It was lonely. But if you'll consider me a friend . . ." They then shake hands, and a guard comes in. [Guard] "Time's up." Juno then starts to leave. [Max] "Before you go . . ." She then turns back to him. [Max] ". . . bring a box of playing cards next time. I'll teach you poker." She then smiles and leaves, and the guards take Max back to his cell. [Inmate 1] "Even though you don't have a real face, it seems like you secured a sweet deal." [Max] "No. Just a good friendship."