- Hello, friends. Here's hoping you're all having a good start in the new year. It's been a long damn time since I last wrote a chapter for this story. I figured it wouldn't hurt to give this another shot again.

- Overwatch is still one of my favourite games. I haven't touched any of the other free to play games that's been released since then. I wish Blizzard had kept the single player campaign and continued it in Overwatch 2. I would love to have seen how the story plays out. If anything, the good guys deserve to score a few major wins against Talon and Null Sector.

Enjoy.

...

Genji raised Ryu-Ichimonji above his head. The blade of his sword had been polished to a bright silver sheen and was now glistening in the warm sunlight. As usual, he'd woken up earlier than most of the other Overwatch agents and performed the same daily routine before indulging in breakfast.

Regular maintenance was required to be done twice a day on his swords so they wouldn't lose their edge. Failing to do so even once could prove to be a costly mistake on the battlefield. Genji carefully put both Ryu-Ichimonji and Wadou-Ichimonji back into their sheaths. His stomach soon began to growl a bit. It was time to partake in the most important meal of the day.

As Genji rose to his feet, Cole Cassidy walked into the armory. He tipped his trademark hat to him with a friendly smile. "Howdy, Genji. Fine morning we're having."

The cyborg ninja was obliged to agree. The sunrises here at Watchpoint Gibraltar were always spectacular to behold. "It is indeed. Welcome back, Cassidy. Were you successful in your mission to rally more allies to our cause?"

"Sort of. Do you know if Winston is awake? The folks I brought with me want to discuss some business with him."

He then stepped aside to allow the pair of individuals accompanying him through. One of them was a large omnic while the other was a woman dressed in similar old western style attire like Cole's. Their paths have never crossed until now but Genji had a feeling he'd seen her before from somewhere.

Cassidy patted the large omnic on the shoulder. "The big fella here is called Bob. Bob might look a little scary but I can assure you he's quite a friendly guy."

"Greetings, Bob. It's nice to meet you."

Genji gave him a cordial nod. Bob took off his little bowler hat and bowed his head in return. The woman allowed herself to smirk a bit. Most people had a tendency to just ignore her longtime faithful friend or talk badly about him simply because he was an omnic. She appreciated Cole's fellow Overwatch agent treating Bob with some common courtesy.

"And this is Ashe. I think I told you about her before. She and I used to be partners in crime back before I joined Overwatch."

"From your time in the Deadlock gang." He correctly surmised. "It's a pleasure, Ms. Ashe."

She lazily waved to him. "Likewise. No need for the miss, just call me Ashe."

"As you wish. If you're looking for Winston, I believe he's in his office. I do not know if he is still asleep though."

Cole scratched at his beard. "Huh...I'll go take a look. Best if we get this business sorted out ASAP. Let's go, you two."

"Think I'll just stay behind and hang out with your buddy for a bit. I'm still feeling kind of jet-lagged. You flew us halfway across the world for most of the night after all."

"You sure you don't want to join in on the discussion?"

Ashe sat down in a nearby empty chair. "We both know I don't have the patience for talking business. Bob has all the relevant data you'll need to show anyways. You just need to explain to this Winston fellow what happened and the reason we're here."

Her former co-leader of the Deadlock gang grew thoughtful. "I guess there's no harm in that. Would you mind keeping an eye on Ashe while we're gone? She won't cause any trouble but it doesn't hurt to be careful."

Genji didn't have a problem with that. "As you wish. Just don't take too long."

"Don't worry, I'll make sure to keep the talking short. Let's go, Bob."

He and the omnic with a mustache walked across the room to go through another set of doors. Genji was left alone with Ashe, who leaned back in her seat with folded arms. She didn't plan to voice it but a part of her was somewhat curious about what Cole's friend looked like behind that silver mask.

"May I ask what brings you both to Watchpoint Gibraltar? Last I heard, Cassidy wasn't exactly on good terms anymore with your gang."

"There's an understatement if I ever heard one. To put it simply, we're here to join your ragtag band of vigilantes. Those pyschopaths from Talon came to our territory a few days ago and tried to 'recruit' us to their crazy cause."

He quickly figured out what happened next. "You refused but they weren't really giving you a choice."

Ashe frowned. "We may be a bunch of thieves and robbers but we're not murderers. As you probably guessed, Talon didn't take kindly to that and decided to attack us instead. Our gang held out for a while but they eventually overwhelmed us with their heavy artillery. A lot of us didn't survive their onslaught. The few that did...well, they're in no shape to fight anymore."

"I'm sorry. You have my utmost sympathies."

"Thanks. It's pretty much just Bob and I now. We're burning at the bit to hit back at those bastards, which was why I contacted Cole. Working with you all in Overwatch is our best chance at making them pay for what they've done."

Genji could understand her wanting vengeance, probably a lot better than most. The agents that did answer Winston's recall unfortunately weren't many. There was only a handful of them now to fight back against Null Sector and Talon if they ever revealed themselves again. Having her and Bob join their ranks would prove to be a boon. Something first needed to be made clear though.

"We could certainly use a bit more firepower but Overwatch was formed to help save people during these times of conflict." The cyborg ninja said in all seriousness. "That goal still remains the same...and I hope your desire for retribution will not get in the way of that."

The leader of the Deadlock gang just stared at him for a moment before she slowly nodded. "Don't worry, Bob and I won't cause any unnecessary trouble. The only people we're gunning for is Talon. If you need us to help with getting the civilians to safety, we'll do what we can."

Genji silently approached her. Ashe cocked her head quizzically to the side, wondering what he was planning to do. The answer soon revealed itself when he extended his arm towards her.

"Then I look forward to working with you and Bob. Cassidy used to say you were one hell of a good shot with your rifle. Our enemies will have much to fear if that is true."

A grin graced Ashe's face as she shook hands with him. "Trust me, I can shoot better than him any day. He mentioned how you were practically an artist in cutting down the bad guys. I can't wait to see that for myself."

Her stomach soon let out a growl when she pulled her hand back. Ashe must not have eaten anything during the long flight to Watchpoint Gibraltar. It also reminded him of the fact that he himself didn't have breakfast yet.

"I was just about to get some food before you all arrived. Would you like to join me?" Genji asked, pointing in the direction of the mess hall.

"Won't say no to some good grub. A hot plate of scrambled eggs and fried bacon would sure hit the spot."

...

In the mess hall...

The coffee was almost done brewing. Mei looked away from the coffee maker and turned her gaze towards her table. Brigitte was already seated, dozing away atop a pile of books. The poor girl had been working hard for most of the night. She was doing her best to help her father uncover a way to remove those strange devices those Null Sector subjugators forcibly placed on omnic civilians.

From what was mentioned so far, it seems both Lindholms were getting close to finding a safe method of removal. The main problem though was what happens after that. They still didn't know how to recover the personalities of those poor captured omnics.

The climatologist let out a quiet sigh. Would that there was a way she could help them out with their research. Alas, this was completely outside her field of expertise. The light on the coffee maker finally turned green and Mei poured herself some coffee. At the very least, she would help make sure Brigitte ate well and was getting enough rest.

"おはよう, Mei-san."

Looking to the right, she saw Genji enter the mess hall. There was a strange woman accompanying him. "Good morning. Who is this?"

"An old acquaintance of Cassidy's. She's here to discuss a few things with Winston." The cyborg ninja said before he turned to Ashe. "You go ahead and get some breakfast. Just tell the omnic chef over there what you want. I'll be with you shortly."

She took off her hat. "Alright. You want me to order something for you too?"

"A serving of grilled mackerel with some hot green tea, please. You have my thanks."

Ashe greeted Mei with a subtle nod before she went to go speak with the chef. Genji glanced over at the sleeping Brigitte. "...Was she working late again last night?"

Mei took a sip of her freshly brewed caffeine. "Yeah. Brigitte is really determined to help Torbjorn figure out a way to save those captured omnics. Between doing this and working in the field though, she's wearing herself out."

"Her dedication is admirable but working to the point of exhaustion doesn't seem wise. Attempting to do anything while tired leads to careless mistakes."

"Reinhardt asked me to help look after her whenever he's away. At the very least, Brigitte doesn't skip any of her meals when I remind her it's time to eat. She just goes back to her research immediately afterwards. Either that or she's busy repairing and upgrading her armour."

Genji folded his arms. "Hmm...perhaps we should let Brigitte sleep in until lunchtime today. There aren't any missions for us to go on anyways."

Mei smiled. "That's a good idea. I'll go tell Winston and Reinhardt. I'm sure they'll agree she deserves a long break."

"You are a good friend, Mei-san. In the meantime, I will make sure Brigitte retires to her quarters."

The climatologist left to go find Reinhardt first. At this early hour, the German crusader was probably lifting weights with Zarya in the gym. Genji walked over to the sleeping woman in silence. A quiet laugh escaped his lips when he got a closer look at her. She was snoring away without a care in the world and drooling a bit onto her books.

"Brigitte? Wake up." He whispered, shaking her gently by the shoulder.

Brigitte's snoring stopped abruptly as she opened her eyes. "Huh? What-what time is it right now?"

"Seven thirty in the morning. I understand you're tired but it would be better for you to sleep in your own bed instead out here on the mess hall table."

"I guess you're right. Just let me finish looking over the data papa sent and then I'll-"

The cyborg ninja took the datapad away before she could reach for it. "That can be done later. It is obvious you need to rest, Brigitte. You'll be able to work better with a refreshed mind. Mei or I will come wake you when it is time for lunch."

Brigitte wanted to protest but she could tell by the tone in his voice that he was dead serious. Nodding with a reluctant sigh, the young redhead moved to stand up...only to find her legs have gone completely numb.

"Uh-oh." She muttered.

"What is it?"

"I think I've been sitting here for too long. My legs have fallen asleep and I can barely feel them."

Genji raised an eyebrow but it soon made sense after he thought about it. Sitting still for so long meant blood flow in the body would inevitably slow down. It usually takes most people a moment or two to regain movement in their limbs again at a normal pace.

He turned around and got down on one knee. His hands motioned for her to climb onto his back. "Climb on. I will carry you to your quarters."

Brigitte was surprised for a moment. "Wait, what? Are you sure?"

"It's no trouble at all. As I recall, you used to ask us for piggyback rides quite a few times back then."

"I was a kid! Being carried around was a lot of fun. Screw it, why the hell not? It's not like I can walk right now anyways."

She carefully placed her arms around his neck. Once the young lady was secure, Genji stood up and began to leave the mess hall. He walked past Ashe along the way. The leader of the Deadlock gang was munching away on a strip of fried crunchy bacon. His order of grilled mackerel and green tea sat across from her. The meal was still warm and awaiting his return.

Ashe raised her cup of coffee to give them a toast, smirking all the while. It was funny to see the cyborg ninja giving someone a piggyback ride. Genji headed to the right after he stepped past the doors. The young Lindholm's room was just down at the end of the hall. Brigitte rested her head on the soft fabric of his hoodie. It was surprisingly comfortable despite the hard metal armour underneath that covered his back.

Brigitte held onto him a little tighter with a sleepy smile. "Hey, Genji? Thanks for helping me. I'll have to find Ms. Mei later and thank her too. If it wasn't for her, I probably would've starved myself without even realizing it."

Genji let out an amused chuckle. "We're glad you were able to avoid such a fate. No thanks are needed but it is appreciated nonetheless. Everyone here is a valued teammate or friend. It is only natural and right that we look out for each other."

...

- This story started long before much of the official lore in Overwatch was released over the years. As such, there are elements that don't match up to canon. The most prominent one is perhaps Pharah being in a relationship with Angela and Genji when she's canonically lesbian like Tracer.

- I'm still holding out hope Blizzard will regain their senses and continue the PvE story mode. Until next time, friends.