The Apes Strike Back

by RealM1NEPR0

Here's a movie pitch for you! A woman freezes herself for 9 years, and- WHAT IS THAT? Visitors from the moon are pissed at what happened, and want revenge. And they may help the team uncover hidden truths. -This story contains themes of sexual content-

Chapter 1

Scene 1

{Antarctic Peninsula} A group of stage workers were charting out the inside of Ecopoint: Antarctica for layouts, measurements, and more. One of them tried to open a series of tubes, but they wouldn't open. [Worker 1] "These things won't budge." A second guy walks over and tries to open it, and it doesn't budge. [Worker 2] "What's even inside these things?" The first guy shrugs and wipes the fog off the glass, and doubles over to try not to throw up. [Worker 1, nauseous] "Corpses! They're full of corpses!" [Worker 2] "MR. GLITCHBOT!" They hear someone walk into the room, with a director's cap, data pad and a cup of coffee. [Hal] "Did you find anything?" [Worker 2] "Did you drag us out here to make a movie based on frozen zombies?" [Hal] "Nope. I dragged us out here to make a movie based on climatologist Mei-Ling Zhou's struggles and journey here." [Worker 1] "We could've just built a set of this place at Holleywood." [Hal] "Then it wouldn't be authentic. The last movie I've produced- what was it called? Right, Hero of my Storm, was criticized for being 'unauthentic'. It's a fictional world ravaged by storms! Of course it won't be authentic. So we're filming in the actual location." [Worker 2] "Why do you even have a coffee cup? You're an Omnic." [Hal] "I think it completes the look- is that a telescope?" Hal-Fred walks over to a telescope and takes a look through it, observing the sky above. [Hal] "And it's already calibrated. I can see a satelite with this." [Worker 2] "You haven't told us who will be playing the part of Mei." [Hal] "Find someone short, smart, capable of preforming scientific calculations . . ." He trailed off as he started messing with the telescope, and the other 2 took notice. [Worker 1] "Mr. Glitchbot?" [Hal] "I'm pretty sure satilites aren't supposed to get bigger." One of the workers takes a look. [Worker 2] "That's not a satilite. It might be part of an old ship that's now de-orbiting." [Hal] "Record it!" The worker pulls out a camera and starts recording. [Worker 2] "It's not burning up. Looks like it'll be landing." [Hal] "Where?" The worker looks up from the telescope, and sees a flame streaking through the sky, and getting bigger. [Worker 1] "Here, maybe." [Hal] "This would be great for that production on the backlog! That one called: 'They came from beyond the Moon'! They wanted authenticity! This is authenticity!" And right as he said that, the object deployed parachutes, and now they were confused. [Worker 1] "You sure it's an old ship part? Because it's trying to land without crashing." The object then landed in front of them, the parachutes burying Hal-Fred. The 2 workers approached the object, trying to figure out what it was. And then they were impaled by makeshift spears. Screeches followed from inside, and the passengers tore the ship apart from within.

Scene 2

{Watchpoint: Gibraltar, Kitchen} Mercy and Moira were working together to cook something, with Juno by a fire extinguisher. Just in case. [Moira] "It's not going to catch fire." [Juno] "I am aware of that fact. I prefer to, as they say, 'be safe rather than sorry'." [Mercy] "If something does happen, it looks like you'll be the first to intervene." [Tracer, entering] "Almost finished? The guests are getting restless." [Mercy] "It'll be another minute." [Tracer] "You said that minutes ago." [Moira] "Einstein's theory of temporal relativity; your perceptions are slower because you're bored." [Tracer] "Guilty as charged. I'll tell them to wait a little longer." Tracer then leaves the kitchen. [Juno] "I have never celebrated a non-family member's birthday before." [Mercy] "You'll figure it out." Moira then removes the pancakes from the griddle, and Mercy haphazardly pours more batter to replace them. [Juno] "I have a question to ask." [Moira] "Alright." [Juno] "I know 2 weeks ago you got engaged at the hotel. When is the date of marriage?" [Mercy] "Well, we've been thinking. But we haven't settled yet." [Moira] "Perhaps at the end of January?" [Mercy] "But what about where? That's tricky." [Moira] "So maybe not at the end of January." [Mercy] "First batch is finished. You can take the plate out, Juno." Juno then grabs a plate of the pancakes and takes it through the door, seeing everyone gathered at a long table; Mei, Reinhardt, Lúcio, Soldier: 76, a few she didn't recognize yet, and Tracer. And she thought she was seeing double when she saw 2 Tracers, but her vision checked out. [Juno, confused] "Lena, why am I seeing 2 of you?" [Other Tracer] "She didn't tell you? I guess the author waited to play me. I'm Lena Oxton as well, but from another timeline." [Juno] "I am pleased to meet you!" [Sojourn] "You ready to put the pancakes down?" [Juno, realizing] "My apologies. I was told today is a birthday for someone. But for whom?" [Sojourn] "Looking right at her." [Juno] "Happy birthday! Ms . . ?" [Sojourn] "Vivian." Juno then sets the food down and they start taking pancakes. [Vivian] "You mind saving some for the rest of us?" [Brigitte] "I'm eating for 2 here." [Sojourn] "How 'bout you, Mako? You big on sharing?" Roadhog just grunts and stuffs a whole pancake under his mask. [Sojourn] "I know I've missed a bit since my retirement after Detroit. I saw the Petras hearings, but could you catch me up on the rest?" [Emily] "Well, Jamison and Brigitte are getting ready for her 3rd trimester, we spent Christmas escaping a burning hotel, and . . . what else?" [Reinhardt] "Me and my friend Mei here saved countless people!" Snowball chirped in response and sprayed some ice against Lúcio's chair and Mei's arm. [Mei] "Someone's excited." [Junkrat] "You saved how many?" [Mei] "We didn't count." [Sojourn] "What matters is that you helped others. If you somehow made it out unscathed like Reinhardt somehow does-" [Mei] "I got a scar." [Soldier: 76] "Scars look good." The group chuckles as Mercy and Moira bring the rest out. [Sojourn] "Looks like a marriage ceremony is imminent." [Mercy] "You'll be invited as well."

Scene 3

{Antarctic Peninsula} The 2 bodies from the stage workers were sprawled about as the apes checked out their surroundings, jabbing the walls with their spears to test the strength. One ape grabbed a prototype weapon and sprayed ice everywhere by accident, earning a beatdown from the other apes. A big one screamed, and they stopped their attack as the big one pulled a parachute off a lump. [Hal] "If you want money, you'll have to- monkeys?" The room filled with angered screeches while the big one screeched back, prompting them to stop. [Hal] "What do you want?" The big one ripped an arm off the dead person and took a scoop of dripping blood, painting a pattern on a wall. [Hal] "Pictionary? Cool- wait a minute." Hal-Fred grabbed a piece of chalk and drew a cleaner picture, earning screeches of anger towards the symbol. [Hal] "You want Overwatch? Why?" Several apes ripped open medical kits and stabbed the bodies with empty syringes. [Hal] "Vet checkups- no, that's not right. Medicine?" The apes were getting annoyed with lack of communication, so the big one pulled a frayed photo out of the wreckage and shoved it into Hal-Fred's face. [Hal] "Moira O'Deorain? She was a controversal . . . you don't like the experiments!" All the apes roared with rage at the mention of experiments. [Hal] "But what does this have to do with Overwatch?" The big one pointed at the moon, and Hal-Fred realized. [Hal] "Overwatch created the Horizon Lunar Colony, and they brought you to experiment on. And now you want to see them?" The big one nodded, and Hal-Fred pulled out a phone. [Hal] "I'll try to find some service out here, then I can get you a call." Hal-Fred dials a number, and waits for the recipient to pick up. [Hal] "Silverman Studios, this is Hal-Fred Glitchbot- NO, do not put me on hold! This is a serious-" He hangs up after hearing a melody play, and dials another number. [Hal] "911, I have an emergency! This is Hal-Fred Glitchbot from Holleywood, and I'm at Antarctic Peninsula! I'm held hostage by a group of- I don't what to call them! They want to see Overwatch!" Before he hangs up, one of the apes brings a crude drawing of something else. [Hal] "And they also want to see a hamster in a ball! They're threatening my life here!"

Scene 4

{Watchpoint: Gibraltar} Tracer is carrying the cake out from the kitchen, and everyone is ready and waiting. [Other Tracer] "We singing the birthday song without the author getting sued for it?" [Juno] "Who is the author?" [Other Tracer] "I can see the 4th wall." [Emily] "Vivian, you ready?" [Sojourn] "Are you ready?" [Mei] "On 3. 1, 2, Happy-" [Winston, barging in] "Am I interrupting anything?" [Other Tracer] "Well, you just about saved the author from a legal issue." [Tracer] "What is it?" [Winston] "A message from the United Nations that came in an hour ago. There's a hostage situation in Antarctica, and whoever's down there wants a face-to-face with us. They also requested to see a hamster." [Moira] "A hamster?" [Winston] "Specifically, one in a ball." [Junkrat] "Hamster in a ball . . . hmm . . . They're talking 'bout the champ of The Reckoning! Famous event in Junkertown, Wrecking Ball is undefeated except for-" [Roadhog] "They wanna talk to the ball." [Tracer] "But why are they doing this?" [Winston] "We don't know. The UN sent a group down to assess the situation, and if they feel it needs us, they'll give us the greenlight." [Emily] "They could get themselves hurt, or worse." [Tracer] "And yet, we can't do a bloody thing without them saying yes beforehand." Tracer's communicator then rings, so she steps out of the room to answer it. [Chronoguard Boss] "Oxton, they need to get out of Gibraltar before we can send the extraction team." [Oxton] "I can't go anywhere without a thumbs-up." [Boss] "Then try-" She hangs up the communicator right as Emily walks in. [Emily] "Trying to work around the system?" [Tracer] "Nothing you need to know at the moment." [Emily, confused] "Nothing I need to know? Lena, I thought-" [Mei, entering] "I'm worried for whoever's at Antarctica." [Tracer] "So am I. But there's nothing we can do without approval." Emily then recieves a call and takes it, listening to the other end. And once the person on the other end finishes, Emily turns to address Tracer and Mei. [Emily] "Their team went dark. We've been greenlit." [Tracer] "We're obviously bringing Mei with us. She knows the area." [Mei] "And what about their request to see Wrecking Ball?" [Tracer] "We can send Jamison to pick up the undefeated contender from Junkertown." [Emily] "Got it. Well, this was a short discussion." [Mei] "I'll tell the others." Mei then leaves the pair alone. [Emily] "Lena, are you hiding something?" [Tracer, lying] "I'm picking out a birthday gift for you. Can't have you knowing what you're getting now, can I?" [Emily] "We can't have that." [Tracer] "I'll get you once the jet's prepped." Tracer then walks off, and yet Emily still felt as if something was amiss.

Chapter 2

Scene 1

{Antarctic Peninsula} Hal-Fred was recording the apes' activities; ripping open ration packs, tearing metal apart to fashion new weapons, and overall just looking around. The big one took notice of the camera and grabbed it out of Hal-Fred's hands, staring into the lens. [Hal] "Careful! That is a very expensive high focus, high capture rate camera. Do not-" The big one crushed it with his hand, leaving Hal-Fred without a camera. [Hal] "You're all being very inconsiderate. I'm out of here." Hal-Fred tried to leave, but the apes raised their spears. [Hal] "So I'm a prisoner?" They all just stared at Hal-Fred, and he stared back. Then they heard screeches from outside, and the doors opened to apes carrying more victims, and unconsicous apes. They were all screeching at each other as Hal-Fred took a look, and saw that the dead men were special forces, and that the unconsicous apes were tranqualized. The screeching stopped, and Hal-Fred turned to see that the apes had gathered around him with weapons raised. [Hal] "What now?" The big one pointed at the Overwatch symbol from earlier, and ripped a patch off one of the men for a comparasion. They were not Overwatch. [Hal] "They sent send others before Overwatch! You have to be patient!" They weren't having it. They closed in on him, but one of them screeched something that made the others stop. One of them found a photo of Winston. [Hal] "Winston. Of course! I can bring him down here as well. It'll take time." One of them jabbed Hal-Fred with a spear, the tip dinking off his metal body. [Hal] "If you kill me now, you won't get your requests!" The big one seemed to understand, as he screeched and the others moved away. Then he brought one unconscisous apes over to Hal-Fred. [Hal] "I'm not a doctor." Weapons were raised. "But I directed a few medical scenes." Hal-Fred looked them over, and pulled the tranqualizer darts out while the others watched him. Hal-Fred them slapped one of the unconscious ones in the face, and the others almost attacked. But when they saw that ape waking up, they understood and started waking up their comrades in similar fashion. [Hal] "Now can I leave?" Again, the apes raised their weapons when he asked. "Guess not."

Scene 2

{Overwatch Jet} Tracer, Mei, Mercy, Moira, and Emily were preparing the jet for their journey to Antarctica, double checking to make sure anything wasn't forgotten. Weapons, check; medical supplies, check; other equipment, check. And then the doors opened for one more passenger. [Emily] "Winston? You're joining us on this mission?" [Winston] "The kidnappers changed their demands. They want me as well." [Tracer] "The more, the merrier. Athena, are we ready?" [Athena] "Preparations are almost complete. All that is left is to finish fueling the jet." [Moira] "Shouldn't take too long." Tracer then heads to the cockpit for a view, and takes the time to call someone. [Chronoguard Boss] "Progress?" [Oxton] "Me and the main guys are leaving in a few minutes. The Fawkes' are leaving as well." [Boss] "Very good, Oxton." [Oxton] "Put her on for a minute." There was static, and then she was put through to someone else. [Oxton] "Hey, Lena. How's it feel to have your identity stolen a second time by the same person?" [Tracer, through comm] "I swear, if you touch Emily-" [Oxton] "There's going to be a lot of touching, love. And the best part? She won't tell the difference between me and you. After all, we're the same on the surface." [Tracer] "You. Bitch! I won't let you-" Oxton then hung up before Tracer could finish, and Emily entered. [Tracer] "Flight check's complete. Now it's time for the good bit. Ready?" [Emily] "As ready as you are." [Tracer, into pa] "Attention all passengers! We'll be rolling down the runway and flying through the air in a minute. Our destination: 100% chance of cold!" Tracer then puts the jet on full throttle, and it races down the runway until it lifts off the ground. [Tracer, into pa] "We are now airbourne! Feel free to move about the cabin while we fly towards out destination." [Emily] "Lena?" [Tracer] "What?" Tracer grimmaced when she realized her tone, and Emily noticed. [Emily] "Are you alright?" [Tracer] "Totally fine! I'm piloting a jet with my #1 wife sitting right next to me! I just thought I saw something bad, and was worried we were going to crash." [Emily] "We're fine, Lena. But are you?" Tracer could feel the suspicion from Emily, so she had to improvise. [Tracer] "Well . . . I may not have gotten enough sleep lately." [Emily] "Well, you can tell me what's wrong." [Tracer] "You'll always be there for me, huh?" [Emily] "I was there for you. It's only fair." [Tracer] "Thank you, Emily."

Scene 3

{Junkertown} A second jet landed just outside Junkertown, and Junkrat, Brigitte, Roadhog and Sojourn got out. [Sojourn] "Been a while since I've been out in the field." [Brigitte] "You haven't missed too much." [Sojourn] "And what about you? You're fine out here given the circumstances?" [Brigitte] "As long as my armor still fits, I can help. Even if I had to adjust it a few times to accommodate an extra passenger . . ." Roadhog knocks on the large entrance, and a junker opens a listening hole. [Junker] "Who is it?" [Roadhog] "Mako." [Junker] "You again. If you're still with Junkrat, she's gonna kill you." [Roadhog] "What if I told ya he's a captive?" [Junker] ". . . She still wants his tongue cut off for the biscuit incident, and you executed for treason." [Roadhog] "Send her." They hear the junker leave. [Brigitte] "Treason!?" [Junkrat] "Me and Roadie here knocked down the Junker Queen's summer shack years ago, accidentally took out Outback Bill's food stand, and a few other things. But that was before I met you." [Brigitte] "And you didn't try to apologize for that?" [Roadhog] "She didn't listen when we did." The main door then opened, and the Junker Queen was standing there. Menacingly. [Junkrat] "Queenie! Hey, I know we haven't always been on the best of terms, but we can still work things out! All we request is a favor." [Junker Queen] "Nah. Guards! Get the knives for-" [Roadhog] "We wanna see the champ." [Junker] "You!? The champ!?" He laughs, but the Junker Queen silences him with a missed knife throw. [Junker Queen] "You're not getting to the champ." [Junker] "Not unless you have a death wish!" [Junkrat, realizing] "We do have one! We'll fight in the Reckoning to see him!" This time it's the Junker Queen who laughs, but she realizes they're serious. [Junker Queen] "You want to fight the champ?" Roadhog grunts in agreement. [Brigitte] "We need his help. If we have to take a risk to find it, we'll do it." [Junker Queen] ". . . Fine. But a few demands. You win, you get the champ. I win, I get all your tongues." [Sojourn] "So we're all fighting then?" [Junker Queen] "Not all. I'm not letting a baby into the arena." [Brigitte] "Take that back." [Junker Queen] "Not you, idiot! Talkin' 'bout your baby." [Brigitte, sheepishly] "Right. Sorry, I overreacted a bit." [Junker Queen] "Question for the white haired one." [Sojourn] "Name's Vivian." [Junker Queen] "Fine, Vivian. Are you more human or more machine?" [Sojourn] "Why?" [Junker Queen] "More machine. Got it."

Scene 4

{Antarctic Peninsula} Tracer-[VENTURE HERE! CHRONOGUARD REPLACED THE GOOD TRACER WITH A BAD TRACER! FIXING THEIR EFFORTS TO HIDE THAT!] Oxton's jet landed just outside the Ecopoint facility, but was sliding along the frozen tundra. The jet eventually stopped after a bit, and the door opened to hit everyone inside with snow. [Oxton] "Blimey, it's harsh out there! Almost reminds me of London!" [Winston] "Athena, you may provide the parkas." Everyone put on a parka, and they stepped out of the jet, the snowstorm's haze blocking out their view. [Mei] "I can't see the ecopoint!" [Oxton] "Back to the jet!" Everyone got back inside as Oxton restarted the engines, the jet slowly sliding across the ice in search of ecopoint. [Moira] "Guess you could say we overshot it." [Oxton] "I've never had to land on ice before." As the jet sped up across the ice, all the alerts went off when the ecopoint facility came into view. She immediately reversed the engines, and they managed to stop before hitting anything. [Oxton] "Tracer, 1; Ice, 0." She shut down the engines and opened the door again, and it was a much shorter walk to get inside. And once they were inside, Winston shut the door to keep the heat inside. [Emily] "We're inside. Now to find whoever's here." The group searches through the facility in search of the hostages and captors, checking every nook and cranny so as to not leave a stone unturned. Oxton got a call and tried to answer it, but it was completely staticy. [Oxton] "We're on our own while that snowstorm is raging." [Mercy] "We've handled worse." [Moira] "We could tie the knot here." The whole group laughs at the joke, save for Oxton, who stayed a little behind the group. Oxton looked and saw Emily sneaking a glance at her, and Oxton could feel the suspicion. So, as Emily made her way to Oxton, she quickly whipped out her communicator and made a quick search, knowing that it would fix the problem. [Emily] "You're usually in the front." [Oxton] "I know. But I thought I saw something." [Emily] "Like what?" Oxton points to a random dark corner, and Emily heads over to check. Oxton held her breath, thinking that she may have accidentally given herself away, but was relieved when Emily noticed something in the corner. [Emily] "Someone's been hurt here." Mercy checks it out and finds a small puddle of blood, along with footprints. But the shape of the footprints was odd for her. [Mercy] "Winston? Were there any other apes like you in the Lunar Colony?" [Winton] "There were, but they stayed when I left . . ." He trailed off as he saw the footprints, and stepped in the blood puddle. And after stepping next to the footprint, he saw they were similar. [Winston] "They requested me and the hamster because we were also experiments on the moon. The apes probably left the same way I did; a small ship." They hear screeches in the distance, and the group continues as Oxton leaves her communicator behind. Risky move, sure, but anything to throw off the suspicion. Emily went back to grab it, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Emily seeing the search she planted. Suspicion averted.

Chapter 3

Scene 1

{Junkertown Arena, weapons room} Junkrat, Roadhog, and Sojourn were preparing for the Reckoning as the crowd cheered from outside, with Junkrat grabbing more bombs, Roadhog taking several canisters of Hogdrogen, and Sojourn was tuning her cybernetic limbs. [Junkrat] "Vivian, those arms are already the best in the world! You don't need to mess with 'em!" [Sojourn, joking] "Are you saying my arms are better than your mechanical one?" [Junkrat] "Wha- No- I mean-! HRRG!" [Sojourn] "It's fine, Jamison. It's only a joke." [Junkrat] "It wasn't a funny one. Mako ain't laughing, is he?" Junkrat looked at Roadhog, and he wasn't making a noise that could suggest amusement. If only he had his mask off could Junkrat truly tell if he was ganged up against on the joke. [Sojourn] "Do you ever use more than explosives?" [Junkrat] "Explosives have solved many of me problems. A guy scammed us, we blew him up!" [Sojourn] "That's murder." [Junkrat] "'Justified' murder! And that was before I reformed. I'm a completely reformed man!" [Roadhog] "No you're not." [Junkrat] "Fine, maybe I've got a minor problem or 2. . ." [Roadhog] "Several." [Junkrat] "New topic! Why a railgun when you could have a machine gun?" [Sojourn] "It's lighter, and doesn't jam." {Champ's room} The Junker Queen is prepping Wrecking Ball for the upcoming fight. [Junker Queen] "You drink from a cup or that thing attached to cages?" [Wrecking Ball] "The pilot prefers shot glasses. They are tiny." [Junker Queen] "We don't have that." [Wrecking Ball] "Error: Profanity detected." [Junker Queen] "If I knew what you said, I'd probably try to pry that escape hatch open to teach you a lesson. How are the guns?" [Wrecking Ball] "The quad cannons are operational." [Junker Queen] "And the cable?" [Wrecking Ball] "Primed." [Junker Queen] "And you?" [Wrecking Ball] "Pumped. The hamster has been waiting to get revenge for the incident of the biscuits." [Junker Queen] "We all want revenge for that. And when everyone sees their favorite champion take those suckers down for what they did, you'll be a star." [Wrecking Ball] "The pilot is in awe." [Junker Queen] "I knew you'd be excited."

Scene 2

{Ecopoint: Antarctica, cryo room} The group entered the cryostasis room in search of the captors. There were 5 pods with a malfunction warning, and one already wide open. [Mercy] "Mei? Do you need a minute?" [Mei, tearfully] "Yeah. Yeah, I could use a minute." The group stops to allow Mei a moment, and Emily subtly leads Tracer-[STILL REVEALING IDENTITIES] Oxton into a side room. [Emily] "Why?" [Oxton] "I beg your pardon?" Emily holds up the communicator Oxton left behind, already pulled up to a recent search. [Emily, reading] "How to spice up marriage." She then looks Oxton in the eye. "Why?" [Oxton] "Well . . . you weren't supposed to see that." [Emily] "Are you not happy anymore?" [Oxton] "I didn't say that." [Emily] "Answer me." [Oxton] "I can't put it in a way that won't hurt your feelings-" [Emily] "Then just say it." [Oxton] "Now?" [Emily] "Right now." [Oxton] "Alright. Ever since Doomfist was defeated in Detroit, everything felt alright. But over the past year, things started to seem . . . stale. Every day, we head into Gibraltar, do our jobs, head home, talk, and get ready for the next day. Gibraltar was new after Doomfist, but it's been almost 2 years since something new happened. And after a while . . . I guess I started to wonder if we could spend the rest of our lives together in a monotonous relationship. I didn't want to tell you because . . . I thought I could figure it out myself." [Emily] "You're always trying to do things on your own. You should've come to me sooner and we would've figured it out by now. Sorry; I've always thought it would be simple." [Oxton] "Marriage isn't always simple. Just look at Jamison and Brigitte." [Emily, chuckling] "Yeah, they've been a mess at the start, but they seem to have figured it out. Hopefully we can too." [Oxton] "Thanks for understanding, my favorite wife." [Emily] "Right back at you, my love." Oxton pulls Emily into a hug, and Emily didn't notice the cruel smile on Oxton's face. The deception worked. [Mercy] "We're ready to continue!" [Oxton] "On our way!" Oxton and Emily rejoin the group as they open another door, and they see the room full of a dozen enhanced apes, keeping Hal-Fred close. [Hal] "I told you they'd come! It was all about patience." One of the apes recognizes Moira, and before anyone could react, it screeches, leaps towards her, and bites her, causing Moira to scream in pain. The big one screeched at the one that bit Moira, and it spits in her face before rejoining the main group. [Moira, in pain] "Back to the jet for me." [Mercy] "I'll accompany you." Mercy escorts Moira out of the room, and the big one screeches towards Winston. [Winston] "Alright. Yes, I understand you." [Oxton] "What's he saying, big guy?" [Winston] "His name is Chkalkakalkakal- it goes on for a while, but he's allowing us to call him Chkal." [Oxton] "And the reason they're attacking?" [Winston] "They want Overwatch and Lucheng Interstellar to pay for the experiments performed on them."

Scene 3

{Junkertown Arena} [Junkers] "WRECKING BALL! WRECKING BALL! WRECKING BALL!" This was the chant they repeated as Sojourn stepped out first, much to their disappointment. Junkrat and Roadhog tried to follow, but the gates slammed shut before they could. [Junker Queen, announcing] "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Reckoning! In one corner-" [Junkers] "WRECKING BALL! WRECKING BALL! WRECKING-" [Junker Queen] "SHUT UP, YA' DRONGOS!" All the junkers slowly quieted down, and she could speak again. [Junker Queen] "As I was saying, in one corner, we have Vivian! Vivian . . . Vivian what's-her-last-name." [Sojourn] "Chase." [Junker Queen] "Yeah yeah, Vivian Chase. From Overwatch. Remember when Doomguy attacked? Yeah, she fought him." The junkers' reaction was mixed, with some cheering and others booing. Brigitte was obviously cheering from the audience, as she couldn't fight. [Sojourn] "Aren't my . . . acquaintances supposed to be here with me?" [Junker Queen] "Not yet! You're the warm-up." Sojourn looked back to where she entered, and the gate kept Junkrat and Roadhog from entering. [Junker Queen] "And in the other corner, we have your favorite champion-!" [Junkers] "WRECKING BALL! WRECKING BALL!" The other gate opened up, and a large metal ball rolled out into the arena. [Wrecking Ball] "He says: Get ready to rumble." The junkers cheered as the Junker Queen sat back in her chair. [Junker Queen] "Ya know the rules: 1; queen can't fight unless the champ is beat. 2; everything else goes." Sojourn pulled out her railgun and powered it up, and Wrecking Ball just stood there, waiting for the signal. [Junker Queen] "SCRAP 'EM!" Wrecking Ball launched a grapple towards Sojourn, and she utilized her cybernetic legs to slide under the cable and fire at the large ball. A few shots ricocheted, and Wrecking Ball returned fire with his quad cannons, and Sojourn evaded. She fired a disruptor shot at the ball, but it ignored it and rolled close to her, and she tried to dodge. But the ball was quicker, and rammed into her, slamming her into a wall. And before Sojourn could get up, the ball fired a small pulse at her, causing her arms and legs to shut down. [Brigitte] "THAT'S CHEATING!" [Junker Queen] "No rules in the Reckoning, baby! Except for me joining when the champ is down." Sojourn was stuck lying on her back as Wrecking Ball grappled to the spire in the center, and it started swinging around it. [Junkers, chanting] "SCRAP! SCRAP! SCRAP!" Their chant continued as Wrecking Ball gained speed, and all Sojourn could do was watch when he released, and barreled towards her in flames.

Scene 4

Sojourn expected to be crushed by Wrecking Ball, but a hook stopped him from hitting her at the last second. [Wrecking Ball] "Velocity change unexpected." Junkrat and Roadhog had managed to break through the gate while Sojourn was fighting, and Roadhog flung the ball into the center spire, also knocking Junkrat into the air in the process. The crowd leaned in for a look at the champion, waiting for a response. [Wrecking Ball] "Gyroscopic harness compromised. He says: That's coming from your pocket." The champion wasn't able to move, and the crowd went crazy at their champion being defeated. And Junkrat landed right in front of Brigitte. [Junkrat] "Disappointed in staying back?" [Brigitte, eating] "They have donuts, so it's not all bad." [Junkrat] "Gonna eat the whole box by yourself?" [Junker Queen, mad] "THAT'S CHEATING!" [Brigitte] "No rules in the Reckoning!" [Junker Queen, mad] "ALRIGHT, YA SCOUNDRELS! YOU MAY HAVE BEATEN THE WRECKING BALL, BUT YOU'RE NOT BEATING ME!" The Junker Queen jumped down into the arena, right as Sojourn's cybernetics came back online. Junkrat joined Roadhog and Sojourn as the queen pulled out a knife and battle axe, a determined look on her face. [Junkers, chanting] "FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!" Roadhog broke the standoff by firing a large clump of assorted scrap at the queen, knocking her axe away. But she used a magnet on her arm to get it back, and charged at them with both blades swinging. Junkrat chucked a mine in her face, but she stabbed it and returned the favor, cutting Junkrat in the leg. Brigitte tossed out a health pack to Junkrat, Roadhog restrained the queen with his chain, and Sojourn disarmed her. [Junker Queen] "Y'all playin' dirty, ya know!?" [Roadhog] "No rules. Yield" The queen shook her head, so Roadhog grabbed her axe and got ready to swing. [Roadhog] "Yield." [Junker Queen] "You can't do it, Mako. I know you." [Junkrat] "But you don't know me!" Junkrat snatched the axe from Roadhog, and swung it at the queen. And that broke her resolve. [Junker Queen] "ALRIGHT ALRIGHT, I YIELD!" The crowd was silent, unsure what it meant. "Still in charge around here. And Fawkes? The champ's yours." [Wrecking Ball] "The hamster did not agree to-" [Junker Queen] "You're going with them!" [Wrecking Ball] ". . . He says: fine." Brigitte cheered first, and the rest of the crowd joined in as Wrecking Ball walked over on legs. [Junker Queen] "So you didn't need that harness thing!?" [Wrecking Ball] "No comment." [Junkrat] "You heard the queen! The ball is helping us out!"

Scene 5

{Antarctic Peninsula, Overwatch Jet} Tracer Oxton was walking out of the ecopoint to find the jet, intending to keep an eye on Mercy and Moira. She pulled out Tracer's communicator to try to contact the number from earlier, and it barely gets through. [Static] "Tracer- evidence- .. at -Gibraltar-" [Oxton] "It'll have to wait until I get back to Gibraltar. Nasty snowstorm out here." She hung up the communicator and entered the jet, searching for them. She made her way to the back, but before she could open the back door, Mercy burst through, and they were both startled by each other; Mercy just about stabbed Oxton with a needle out of fright, and past trauma. [Mercy, realizing] "Lena! I- I'm so, so sorry, I thought-" [Oxton] "I know. How's Moira?" [Mercy] "Not good. The one that bit her must've been carrying something that I don't recognize. We're going to have to find a doctor more equipped than I am." [Oxton] "You're already a world class medic. I believe in you." The specific phrase seemed to unsettle Mercy, and Oxton noticed her subtly reaching for her needle again. Oxton didn't know what it was, but she remembered: when she posed as Tracer the first time, she called Mercy the same thing before poisoning her. [Oxton] "Is something wrong?" [Mercy, nervous] "No, I'm fine! I'm . . ." Oxton thought about what Tracer would do, and to keep her cover, she offered Mercy a hand, and yet she couldn't bring herself to take it. [Oxton] "It's alright, Angela. There's nothing to be afraid about." [Mercy] "I know that. It's just that . . . I'm worried." [Oxton] "About . . ?" [Mercy] "She could come back. The evil you, I mean. And if she does, she could do worse. Like-" [Oxton] "Like when I- SHE couldn't kill you with Vanadium? You survived, and she's gone. That's what matters. Well, that and not letting her mess with you from beyond her cell in another universe." [Mercy] "There is that." [Oxton] "So, ready to save another life? Doctor?" [Mercy] "I am. I think." [Oxton] "Call me once you get to wherever you're going, alright, love?" [Mercy] "I will." Oxton steps out of the jet and watches it fly away, and another jet comes to replace it. Oxton paid no attention as she stepped back into the Ecopoint, grabbing an Antarctic Pearlwort flower as she closed the door. She listened as the apes continued their screeching, with Winston trying to calm them down. Emily noticed Oxton first, and left to approach her. [Emily] "So what were you thinking about when you felt our marriage was getting stale?" [Oxton] "A few things. And I figured I'd start simple." Oxton offered Emily the flower, and Emily took it. [Emily] "I've never seen this kind before! What is it?" [Oxton] "A symbol of me working things out with you." [Emily] "Oh, you." Emily pulled Oxton in for a kiss, and Oxton almost pushed Emily away out of surprise. Almost. Luckily, Emily didn't notice, and went back to the others. Oxton was going to have to get used to that.

Chapter 4

Scene 1

{Sojourn's Jet} The jet was flying above the clouds, on its way to the Antarctic Peninsula. [Junkrat] "So, champ, what was your favorite fight in the Reckoning?" [Wrecking Ball] "He says: Shut up." [Roadhog] "Happy with us?" [Wrecking Ball] "Generic disapproval response." [Brigitte] "If you want, we can leave you alone." [Wrecking Ball] "He says: Yes." Junkrat and Roadhog then left the room, but Brigitte stayed behind. [Brigitte] "I'd like to help fix the gyroscopic device." [Wrecking Ball] "The gyroscopic harness is fine." Brigitte then hears something inside the ball rolling around, and stopping after a few seconds. [Wrecking Ball] "The pilot is dizzy. He doubts you can repair a unique system." [Brigitte] "I'm a quick study." Brigitte waits for a response, and then the top hatch opens up, revealing Hammond. [Brigitte] "Aw. You look cute." [Wrecking Ball] "The hamster's temper is rising." [Brigitte] "Sorry. Wasn't aware that you didn't like being called cute." Hammond pulled out a repair kit and opened it up, revealing an assortment of tools. He then pried the outer shell open, revealing a smaller ball suspended by wheels, but some were jammed, others cracked, and one was even missing. [Brigitte] "So how does the gyroscopic harness work?" [Wrecking Ball, translating] "There are 3 layers: the living compartment, the harness, and the shell. The shell is used for defeating enemies in the arena. The harness measures rotation and adjusts the living compartment so that it does not rotate." [Brigitte] "Genius." The hamster starts removing the damaged wheels, and Brigitte follows suit. [Brigitte] "You know how to make small talk?" [Wrecking Ball, translating] "He knows how." [Brigitte] "What's it like in Junkertown? Always fighting to see the sun another day?" [Wrecking Ball, translating] "As the champion, I am free to see the sun whenever I please. Question for you: how much comfort do you take in risking an unborn infant in the field?" [Brigitte] "I think of it as showing my child the world. But when the situation calls for a fight, I take extra care. I added a second layer to my armor, and took some of my papa's old designs to make it more resistant. My turn: what do you like to eat?" [Wrecking Ball, translating] "The hamster likes to eat vengeance for breakfast, with a side of bacon. What do you prefer?" [Brigitte] "I eat healthy, but I've been leaning into richer foods. Gotta support the little guy." [Wrecking Ball, translating] "You know the gender of the infant?" [Brigitte] "I don't know. Went for a surprise." [Wrecking Ball, translating] ". . . The details about the automatic biological scan performed upon you will be kept private. What foods do you prefer?" [Brigitte] "Donuts, blueberry ice cream, and I got a new taste for chocolate. Even had a few donuts at Junkertown." [Wrecking Ball, translating] "Junkertown food contains radiation." That comment made Brigitte freeze, and she suddenly rushed to the medical bay with urgency. [Wrecking Ball] "Junkertown food is as radioactive as a banana. Prank successful."

Scene 2

{Ecopoint: Antarctica} [Winston] "We're deeply sorry for what you went through on the lunar colony, but that does not justify you killing several people." Chkal screeched a response. [Oxton] "What's he saying?" [Winston] "He says that it was the only way to get our attention." [Mei] "Murder is wrong." Chkal screeches again. [Winston, translating] "Is it wrong to kill those who kill you every day, and bring you back the next to kill you again?" [Emily] "You survived." [Winston, translating] "And suffered for years. And you even partner with the torturer." [Oxton] "You mean Moira?" All the apes just about started screeching in rage again, but Winston quickly defused the situation. [Emily, whispering] "Lena, is Moira alright?" [Oxton] "Angela said she needed to find a doctor more . . . capable than she thinks she is. She'll be alright." {Kanezaka} Mercy was not alright. The jet had landed minutes ago, and she couldn't bring herself to get out. She hadn't been alone in an unfamiliar place in months since the incident, and she was just about to have a panic attack. But her fiancée needed urgent help, and now. So she pulled out her Valkyrie swift response suit, which she hadn't worn in the time after she was poisoned. She had even neglected to fix the hole on the back where Oxton's needle hit her, or clean off the blood there. Now it was a permanent feature. She stripped herself of her clothes and put the suit on, and put on her coat to cover the back as she pulled out her healing staff. She knew it was modified somehow, but she didn't look it over. She made her way to the back where Moira was lying on a bed, skin now a shade of pale. [Moira, nauseous] "Looks like my immune system hasn't adapted completely after the reset from the universe crossing." [Mercy] "You'll be fine." Mercy powers on her healing staff and uses it on Moira, providing her another leg to keep her from dying. Mercy lifted Moira into her arms and flew above Kanezaka in search of help. They could feel the wind blowing past them as Mercy started to land in the back alleys, and Moira could tell Mercy was getting steadily fearful from her surroundings. Moira raised a hand to calm Mercy, and they heard someone running up to them. [Milena] "God, what now?" [Mercy, afraid] "Who are-" [Milena] "Milena Mahon, and Moira needs help. If you could-" She didn't finish as she pushed her way past Mercy, unlocking a hidden door and ushering them inside as she turned the lights on. [Moira, nauseous] "Unknown ape-borne disease." [Milena] "And it got rid of your mutations as well?" [Moira, nauseous] "I never had mutations-" [Mercy, confused] "Milena? How did you know who Moira is?" They then hear the door open to someone, and they see Moira at the door. But Moira was already on a bed, and there was Moira at the door. The Moira that worked with Doomfist never died, and now there were 2 Moiras; the one that was engaged to Mercy, and one one that worked with Doomfist. And when Mercy realized the one who presumably died was still alive, she felt her heart beating a little faster.

Scene 3

{Sojourn's Jet} The jet was starting to get close to its destination - Ecopoint: Antarctica - and Brigitte was frantically trying to call a number, and every time it went to voicemail, she called it again. And she finally got through. [Ana, annoyed] "This couldn't have waited? It's night time where I'm at right now." [Brigitte, nervous] "Sorry to bother you, but I accidentally ate food contaminated with something radioactive!" [Ana, tired] "What dose of radiation was it?" [Brigitte, frantic] "I don't know!" [Wrecking Ball] "0.7 μSv." [Ana, tired] "That's less than the dose from a banana." Brigitte is confused, but she realizes what Wrecking Ball did. [Brigitte] "Not funny, hamster!" [Wrecking Ball] "He says: lol." [Ana, tired] "Did you already take anything?" [Brigitte, worried] "20 milligrams of Vilthol." [Ana, tired] ". . . That stuff doesn't work properly without any radiation to soak up, so be prepared for your body to get rid of it." [Brigitte] "Get rid of it, how?" [Ana, tired] "I suggest you camp out the rest of the day on a toilet." Brigitte then hangs up the phone. [Brigitte, glaring] "Not cool, champ." [Wrecking Ball] "The hamster is attempting to hide his amusement. He is failing." Brigitte rolls her eyes and locks herself in the bathroom. {Kanezaka, Isolated Room} (From now on, OG Moira will refer to the one that survived Doomfist's fall, and AU Moira will refer to the Moira currently engaged with Mercy) Mercy still couldn't believe her eyes at the sight of the original Moira standing in front of her, and the original Moira was also surprised that Mercy of all people would pay her a visit. [OG Moira] "I see you've discarded your hippocratic oath, Doctor Ziegler. Bringing a weapon and brandishing it for all to see." Mercy didn't even realize that she had pulled out a needle in self-defense, but she didn't bother lowering it. [Milena] "Hold on- Moira? I thought-" OG Moira looked behind Milena, and saw herself on an operating bed. Milena looked between the 2, and when she realized that there were suddenly 2 of the same person, she just about passed out, but OG Moira kept her from doing so. [OG Moira] "You'd better have a very good explanation for this." [AU Moira, nauseous] "Multiversal travel. I'm from another universe." [Milena] "Why?" [Mercy, anxious] "You should be dead, Moira. Not you, Moira- O'Deo– . . . It doesn't matter. We're leaving." [OG Moira] "Then she'll die." [AU Moira, nauseous] "I heard you were considered-" [OG Moira] "Unethical? Downright dangerous? Lethal? It no longer matters now that the world thinks I'm dead." [Mercy, agitated] "And you're ok with her, Milena?" [Milena] "I don't like her methods either, but her results are hard to ignore." [OG Moira] "I can help your friend-" [Milena] "You're not turning her into another monster." [Mercy] "I'm watching to make sure-" [OG Moira] "Not in my home. Milena, find her a bed or something-" [Milena] "I'm not letting you hurt her." OG Moira pulls out some medical equipment and shoos Mercy away, but she refuses to leave. [OG Moira] "Do you want to watch me operate on her?" [Mercy] "I'm not letting you hurt-" [OG Moira] "Let me put this another way: GO." OG Moira put a hand over a weapon, and Mercy backed away into another room. She heard Moira and Milena doing something, but she didn't know what. She found a couch and layed down on it, intending to get some rest, but her eyes wouldn't catch even a single wink.

Scene 4

{Ecopoint: Antarctica} [Winston] "We are still waiting for Wrecking Ball to arrive. You just have to be patient." Chkal screeches annoyance, and just about pricks Winston with his spear to make a point when Hal-Fred interjects. [Hal] "If I may, Mr. Chkal, sir, king ape, I'm going too far- ANYWAY, maybe what you guys need to get all this tension off your chests is a little story time. Tell them the whole sequence of events that led to you wanting Lucheng dead. I mean- it's already dead, but still-" One of the other apes gets up to make a move on Hal-Fred, but Chkal stops them. Then Chkal screeches, and Winston listens to the head ape. It went on for a while, so Emily excused herself and pulled Oxton aside. [Emily] "Anything else you want to talk about concerning our marriage?" [Oxton] "I'm thinking up ways to rekindle it. Funny; you can survive a whole lot of bloody things, and yet it can't prepare you for what everyone else deals with. But I am working it out. With you." [Emily] "So what's your next step?" [Oxton] "Once we sort out their anger, I'll take you to a rock club I snuck off to in my youth." [Emily] "You? A bad girl?" [Oxton] "I matured after I learned things could happen since the Slipstream. But I'm willing to show you what my youth years were like." [Emily] "Something tells me I might like it." [Winston] "They've finished." [Oxton] "What did they say?" [Winston] "They were originally regular apes living with their respective communities, before Lucheng came in. They thought it was exciting to see space from the moon, but then they learned the truth. It hurt to go through their medical enhancements, and some did not make it." All the apes lowered their heads for a few seconds, then Chkal gestured for Winston to continue. "They explored one day, and were all confined for it. Only 2 actually explored, but the punishment was excessive for them. So they broke out and killed all the researchers." [Emily] "We're sorry for what you went through. But if you were really smart then, then why didn't you try to tell anyone your grievances?" Chkal screeches again. [Winston, translating] "The researchers didn't listen to their drawings on the wall." [Mei] "But why come to us if you're mad at Lucheng?" [Winston] "They needed a way to find Dr. Chao, the head researcher of the colony, along with Wrecking Ball, or Hammond." [Oxton] "Oh yeah, we know Dr. Chao. We sponsored her for the lunar colony research." All the apes stopped moving, and this seemed very unsettling for the group. [Winston] "I think we may have said the wrong thing." [Oxton] "How was I supposed to know that we weren't talking about her?" [Winston] "You couldn't have known, Lena." Chkal screeches again, and all the other apes start screeching. [Oxton] "Winston?" [Winston, shocked] "They believe we're just as responsible for what happened! We need to-" All the apes charge at the group with weapons, and Emily, Oxton, and Mei jump into the vents while Winston buys them time. But he's overwhelmed quickly, and the apes rampage through the station. [Hal] "So I'm free to go?" No response. "I'll take that as a yes." Hal-Fred then hides himself in a locker.

Chapter 5

Scene 1

{Kanezaka, OG Moira's lab} Mercy had gotten barely an hour of sleep when the nightmare came back, startling her awake in a cold sweat. It had been months since the memory of the imposter crippling her had resurfaced, and she knew why: she felt unsafe again, with . . . without her Moira by her side to promise her a sense of safety. She knew she wouldn't be able to get any more rest, so she searched for AU Moira, and found Milena wrapping up a treatment with OG Moira out of sight. (With OG Moira gone, AU Moira will be referred to as Moira) [Mercy] "Why do you work for her?" [Milena] "She saved my life. In my culture, when someone saves your life, you stay by them until the debt is repaid." Milena then administers a stimulant, and Moira begins to wake up. [Mercy] "You don't have to listen to culture." [Milena] "But I have to listen to my mom. And don't worry; your personal clone is making a full recovery." [Moira] "I'm from another universe. Common confusion." [Milena] "Oh. Then . . . wait . . ." [Mercy] "What?" Milena pulls out a datapad to double check something while Mercy helps Moira off the bed. [Mercy] "Did anything happen to you while-" [Moira] "You'll have to ask Dr. Mahon. I was sedated." [Milena] "I kept Moira- MY Moira, Diabhal, this is confusing-" [Moira] "You're Irish as well?" [Milena, nodding] "Anyway, I made sure she didn't pull any extreme experiments on your Moira." [Moira] "What did you mean by clone?" [Milena] "Well, you said it was a common confusion-" [Mercy] "There's something you're not telling us, is there?" Milena hesitates once she finds what she's looking for on the datapad, but eventually sets it aside somewhere. [Milena] "Moira took a blood sample- I threw it out after she got a reading, so no experiments. But . . . your genetic code was equivalent age-wise to that of an adult." [Moira] "Because I am an adult." [Milena] "Right. But there was an irregularity in the nucleotides, so we looked into it. And . . . it suggested that you progressed from conception to adulthood in a period spanning days, taking place months ago. Biologically, you look, talk, smell- that was weird, but you're basically an adult. But in reality, you're not even a year old. You're a clone." Mercy takes the datapad and looks through the data, but she didn't understand it since she was still relearning all the skills the Vanadium took from her, so Moira looked at it. And as she read, Mercy saw the expression on Moira's face slowly grow more confused, until she was shocked. [Moira] "I don't understand- I remember living in my universe before Angela." [Milena] "Memories can be faked." Moira kept looking for something to prove Milena wrong, but everything was correct. Mercy put a hand on Moira's shoulder to comfort her, but Moira didn't notice. [Mercy] "Other things have happened; this is no different." [Moira] "This is saying everything I did was for nothing. I'm a nothing." [Mercy] "That's not true-" Moira just left to get some air, and Mercy followed her outside.

Scene 2

{Ecopoint: Antarctica} The screeches of the apes filled the surrounding area of the vents as Oxton, Emily, and Mei crawled away from the cryo chambers, putting as much distance between themselves and the apes. But even though they were in the clear at the moment, tension still hung in the air as they kept crawling, and Emily thought she knew what it was. [Emily] "Lena, it wasn't your fault. You couldn't have known." Oxton thought about some sort of witty remark that Tracer might use in this sort of situation, but came up dry. [Mei] "You've fixed a lot of problems, Lena. We can fix this one as well." Emily put a comforting hand on Oxton's shoulder, but she jerked away at the touch, worrying Emily. [Emily] "Lena?" Oxton still couldn't think up a cheerful phrase, so she did the next best thing: she stopped crawling and rested her head against her legs, wrapping her arms around as well to feign a feeling of failure. [Oxton, quietly] "This is my fault. Winston's in danger because I talked, and to think that talking is the one thing that got someone hurt . . ." Emily sat next to Oxton, wrapping her arm around her neck. And this time Oxton mustered enough restraint to not push her away. [Emily] "Things don't always go the way we want it to, love. Look at me; I've gotten a hand replaced after it was cut off, and I didn't ask for that. But I acknowledged it and moved past it. I bounced back. You can too." Oxton felt the cold metal of Emily's replaced left hand in her own, and she almost smirked. Almost. [Oxton] "But I put my best friend in danger. He'll never forgive me for that." [Emily] "Remember when you technically died after stopping the King's Row Uprising? He forgave you for that after fixing your accelerator. And he'll forgive you for a mistake." Oxton had to really pinch herself to get a tear out of her eye, but she did. [Oxton] "Thanks, love. I needed that." The vent was then ripped open by an ape, and the three were dragged out in front of Chkal, who was screeching at them. [Mei] "We're sorry that-" They paid her pleas no heed, and raised their weapons to attack. But then they heard something approaching down the hallway, and rounding the corner. Wrecking Ball stopped upon seeing the apes, and Hammond got out for a closer look. [Wrecking Ball] "The mammal is confused as to how you-" The apes seemed to cheer, and grabbed Hammond. [Wrecking Ball, translating] "PUT THE PILOT- . . . The hamster likes being pet . . . The hamster is embarrassed that the previous phrase was translated." Chkal put Hammond back in the mech, and they all walked off, leaving the trio behind. [Mei] "What just happened?"

Scene 3

{Hanamura Gardens} Mercy had somehow lost track of Moira after running from the hidden labs, and she was looking everywhere. She checked every shop she saw, every alley, quite literally everything. And it wasn't until she found a cliff overlooking Kanezaka that she finally found Moira. [Mercy] "Moira?" Moira didn't respond, and Mercy moved closer to see why, but she couldn't find an answer on Moira's face. [Moira] "I'm sorry." Moira took a step, and Mercy realized what was happening, so she pulled Moira back before she could fall. [Mercy] "That's not going to solve any problems!" [Moira] "You don't know that." Those same words reminded Mercy of her own attempt months ago, how she felt just as helpless. [Mercy] "I said those very same words, on a very similar cliff. I thought I was alone . . . You're not alone here. You have me. I care about you." [Moira] "You care about whatever Moira created me-" [Mercy] "No, I care about you. You're a person-" [Moira] "I'm a clone-" [Mercy] "-You became your own person, and one that I love." [Moira] "But I'm a clone. A nobody." [Mercy] "You're not a nobody. You helped me learn what I lost; you helped save the life of someone who quite literally fell out of the sky. You think a nobody could've done that?" [Moira] "Well-" [Mercy] "It's a yes or no question." Moira hesitated for a while, thinking of how to answer. [Moira] ". . . Yes." Mercy sighed in annoyance. She thought they were getting somewhere, but Moira didn't think so. So she got up and pulled Moira along for a walk. [Mercy] "You're a real person, whether you think it or not." [Moira] "Where are you taking me?" [Mercy] "To see a friend." Mercy led Moira through the streets of Kanezaka, and they passed by the alley where Moira's life was saved. And there were several police officers going through it, taking several unidentified experiments as evidence. [Moira] "What happened here?" [Mercy] "I couldn't stand to let her off the hook after she assisted Doomfist in his activities, so I left an anonymous tip." Mercy kept pushing Moira through the streets, and they eventually reached an apartment. Moira tried to back away, but Mercy kept her from leaving as she pushed a buzzer. [Mercy] "Genji Shimada? It's Angela." [Genji] "Am I being called back to Overwatch?" [Mercy] "No. It's . . . difficult to explain." [Genji] "Then you'd better show instead of tell." The door opens, and Mercy leads Moira into the apartment.

Scene 4

{Cryo Chambers} The apes were all screeching at once to Wrecking Ball, attempting to communicate, but no one voice could be heard over the others. [Wrecking Ball] "Speak one at a time, the pilot cannot- Do not hurl profanities at the hamster." Chkal whacked some of the apes in the heads to quiet them down, and they did after some time. The top of the mech opened up for Hammond to pop out of, and they began their conversation. And it went on a while before Winston woke up. [Winston] "You?" Hammond chittered at Winston, and the mech was about to translate, but Winston held up a hand to signal that he already understood. [Winston] "I didn't mean to leave you behind on the moon. When the riots started, I thought you had already-" Hammond continued chittering, and that confused Winston. [Winston] "You're only mad that I borrowed your screwdriver for the ship? Well, I'm sorry for that." The trio then arrived. [Emily] "Winston!" [Winston] "I'm alright." [Mei] "What did they say, Mr. Wrecking Ball?" [Wrecking Ball, translating] "They are mad that Lucheng experimented on them." [Oxton] "And your decision?" Everyone waited for what Wrecking Ball would say, and they waited quite a bit. But his mind was made up. [Wrecking Ball] "Lucheng needs to suffer as the pilot did." The apes cheered, but the group pulled their weapons - Oxton with Tracer's pulse pistols, Emily with a wrist-attached module, Mei with her endothermic blaster, and Winston with his tesla cannon. Hammond chitters something to the apes, and Chkal then ripped a locker door open, pulling Hal-Fred out. [Hal] "Oh, come on! That was a good hiding spot!" [Wrecking Ball] "The pilot has seen traditional horror movies involving lockers. And now that we have a hostage, the pilot advises you to get out of his way." Oxton really wanted to just kill them and get it over with, but that would've blown her cover. So she motioned for everyone to slowly back up as Wrecking Ball and the apes exited the ecopoint. The team rushed out shortly after, and saw the group entering the jet Oxton piloted, but not the second one a ways away. Oxton then pulled out a pulse bomb and armed it, taking aim. [Emily, worried] "Lena, what are you-" [Oxton] "I'm taking out the landing gear before they can take off." Oxton then chucked the bomb, but Chkal noticed and caught it, inspecting it before tossing it to the side, causing it to explode with no impact. The group then ran out to the jet, but the engines blew them away as it took off, leaving them in the frozen desert.

Chapter 6

Scene 1

{Genji's Apartment} Genji and Kiriko were sitting across from Mercy and Moira on the floor, who were trying to wrap their heads around the whole situation. [Genji] "So you didn't know you were artificially created until today, and now you don't know what your place in life is?" Moira nods her head. [Mercy] "She needs help." [Kiriko] "Who created you?" [Moira] "I'd rather not." [Kiriko] "My bad." [Genji] "Do you know what meditation is?" [Moira] "Too much." [Genji] "Alright, sit down criss-crossed, with your hands resting on your arms." The technique came naturally to Genji, Kirikok, and even Mercy, but Moira struggled. So Kiriko helped her get into position. [Genji] "Breathe in, and breathe-" [Moira] "I know how this works, and it's not going to help." [Kiriko] "With that attitude, it definitely won't. Give it a chance." Moira gave Kiriko a look, but she closed her eyes and breathed. [Genji] "Pick the earliest memory that you can recall." [Moira] "Any memory?" [Genji] "You won't be judged, if you're worried about that." [Moira] "Fine. My earliest memory is me in a biology class in 2nd grade. The teacher was making a joke related to human excretion." Kiriko tried to suppress a smirk, but it showed up anyway. And if there even was one on Genji, it couldn't be seen under his cybernetic body. And Mercy was trying her absolute hardest to not laugh. [Genji] "Would you mind going into more detail?" [Moira] "I would mind." [Genji] "Please?" [Moira] ". . . fine. She said that a special element can cause a handful of poop to blow up a bathroom stall." Again, Genji and Kiriko suppressed a laugh, but Mercy lost it. And it took her a while to calm down. [Mercy] "Sorry." [Kiriko] "Heard from the rigged Petras trials about your emotional instability. It's not your fault." [Mercy] "Thank you." [Genji] "What can you tell me about the classroom itself?" [Moira] "Every picture on the backboard was some form of an eye. It was an art project." [Kiriko] "There is a deeper meaning to the eye. Some refer to it as the window to the soul." The phrase Kiriko used dredged up some bad memories for Mercy, and Moira noticed. She took Mercy's hand, and she allowed it. [Genji] "We're making some progress here. Poop jokes aside, what else can you tell me about your childhood?" [Moira] "You mean my fake childhood?" [Genji] "It's up to you if it's fake or not."

Scene 2

{Sojourn's jet} The whole team - save for Brigitte - was gathered in the jet's main compartment, trying to figure out a strategy. But they couldn't think of anything. [Junkrat] "I can't believe the champ hung us out to dry like that! We won his respect- well, maybe not completely, but still-" [Roadhog] "Angry." [Sojourn] "We all are, Mako. This is one hell of a birthday, I'll tell you that." [Emily] "Mei, you were part of the Ecopoint team. Do you know where they might be going?" [Mei] "Lijiang Tower in China. It's where Lucheng's officers are." [Emily] "Sounds like a good plan, right, Lena?" Oxton didn't respond, too absorbed with trying to keep everything from falling apart around her. And then she felt the presence of a metal hand on her shoulder. [Emily] "It's going to be alright, Lena." [Oxton] "You don't know that." Emily pulls Oxton into a private room so they can talk without anyone overhearing. [Emily] "Are you alright?" Oxton really wanted to kill Emily then and there, but she would've been noticed if she did. So she had to keep up the act. And she had to pinch herself again. [Oxton] "No. I'm fighting multiple battles at once, and- and I'm not sure I'm winning any of them. First I thought it was just repairing whatever's been growing between us, but now we're dealing with angry apes, and I'm not sure if Moira's alright from the bite. It's too many pieces to keep track of, and-" Emily pulled Oxton into a comforting hug, and she wiped her tears away. [Emily] "It'll be alright. You've bounced back many times before, love. You'll think of something, like you always have." [Oxton] "I know that. But I'm still worried about keeping everyone safe. And next time . . . there might not be a next time. Em, if anything happened to you again-" [Emily] "Nothing's going to happen. Because you'll be there." Oxton wasn't sure whether she should kiss Emily at that moment, but Emily made the choice. And this time, Oxton didn't try to push her away. In fact, Oxton couldn't seem to get enough of Emily's tongue [Emily] "Ow. You bit my tongue." [Oxton] "Sorry, love. I'll make up for it." [Sojourn] "Oxtons! We got something over here!" Oxton and Emily both returned to the main area, where a map was pulled up. [Sojourn] "Our jet is almost at Lijiang. We leave now, we should get there before anything happens." [Emily] "Is Brigitte still here? Never noticed her." [Junkrat] "The hamster pulled something, so she's poopin' like crazy-" [Brigitte, from bathroom] "THEY DON'T NEED TO KNOW THAT!" [Junkrat] "Sorry, Brig!" [Roadhog] "She's stayin'. We're going." [Oxton] "Hold onto your arses. I'll be pushing this jet's speed to get there before they hurt anyone."

Scene 3

{Lijiang Tower} The apes' jet made a rocky landing, crashing into the gardens as the landing gear broke under the strain. And once the jet stopped moving, its passengers got out and stormed up to the entrance. [Wrecking Ball] "Bring forth the director." The apes brought Hal-Fred towards the front. [Hal] "I'm useless to you! Just let me go already!" [Wrecking Ball] "You are needed to open the proverbial drawbridge." [Hal] "And what am I getting out of this?" [Wrecking Ball] "You get to live." [Hal] "I'm not doing it!" [Wrecking Ball] You arranged for a family reunion. We deserve to return the favor. What do you want in exchange for letting us in?" Hal-Fred crossed his arms across his chest to show defiance, so Hammond rummaged through his mech until he found something. [Wrecking Ball] "He says: How does a 500 framerate studio camera with multi-adaptive lens play in swaying your opinion?" [Hal] "There's no way you have one of those." The mech then opens up, and a camera is produced. [Hal] "hrrr . . . alright, fine. But I'll be recording everything." Hal then takes the camera and starts rolling, then hits a buzzer for the tower. [Operator] "State your purpose." [Hal] "Recording a documentary on Mei-Ling Zhou. We need to access some records here for reference confirmations." [Operator] "Stand by." {Genji's Apartment} [Genji] "And you won an academy award for advancing the field of genetics as well?" [Moira] "It doesn't matter anymore. None of it ever happened." [Kiriko] "Moira, we're trying to figure out who you are beyond a clone." [Mercy] "And you became your own person. That at least has to stand for something." [Moira] "Your encouragement isn't helping as well as before." [Genji] "So you say you're not your own person. If that's true, then you wouldn't have come here to pursue Angela." [Kiriko] "If you believe you're still nothing, then you wouldn't be here talking. Tell me: what's common among all of your memories before meeting Angela?" [Moira] "Order, experiments-" Moira thought deeper about the question as she searched her memories, and she had one more similarity. "And an eye. A set of dots above and below." [Genji] "And after you met Angela?" They waited for an answer, but Moira couldn't find one immediately. [Mercy] "What was common after we met?" [Moira] ". . . Nothing." [Mercy] "After we met, everything that happened was something that your creators couldn't predict. You were all on your own. You made the choices." [Moira] "Whoever created-" [Mercy] "They didn't choose. YOU did. Starting in your lab, YOU choose to follow me. YOU choose to look after me. YOU were making the choices after that, and you alone." Moira couldn't think up a counterargument, so Mercy pulled Moira into a hug.

Scene 4

{Oxton's Jet} The Overwatch group was flying into China, storm clouds rolling in as Oxton piloted the jet towards Lijiang Tower. Everyone seemed on edge, and the sound of approaching thunderstorms didn't help. But not Oxton. She appreciated the silence that came from the stress of others. [Sojourn] "The jet that Wrecking Ball stole reported a crash landing just outside the tower. They could already be inside." [Oxton] "I'll let their security know. How's the big guy doing?" [Sojourn] "Winston doesn't want to fight, but he knows he might have to. And you?" [Oxton] "I know I can't save everyone; Doomfist taught me that. But I'm going to try anyway." Oxton had to save people. After all, others would be watching, and if she wasn't helping, then she'd be found out. [Sojourn] "I know you'll try." [Oxton] "Before you go, Vivian? I'd like to ask a favour from you. Do you have any tips for surprising someone close to you?" [Sojourn] "Something up with Emily?" [Oxton] "I'd rather not go into detail. Ideas?" [Sojourn] "Well, just make sure it comes from the heart." Oxton shakes Sojourn's hand in acknowledgement and sets the jet to autopilot, then searches for Emily. But in the middle of her search, she got a call, so she found Tracer's communicator and answered. [Tracer] "Cheers, love." She couldn't stand saying that, but had to keep up appearances. [Mercy] "Lena, are you there?" [Oxton] "Sure am, Angela. Is Moira alright?" [Mercy] "She's doing just fine over here. Aside from an identity crisis, she's-" [Oxton] "Identity crisis? That does not sound fine." [Mercy] "We're working through it. How about you guys? Did you talk things out with the apes?" [Oxton] "Not exactly. We're working through it here. I'll call you once everything's alright." Oxton then hung up the communicator and found Emily, who hadn't noticed Oxton behind her. A perfect opportunity to play Emily like a fiddle. Oxton made a silent approach and wrapped an arm around Emily, startling her. [Emily, startled] "Lena! What are you-" [Oxton] "Trying something different. Em? Can I ask you something?" [Emily] "Anything, love." [Oxton] "You ever feel like you know something bad's going to happen, and you can't do anything to stop it?" [Emily] "Once. After I lost my hand to Doomfist, I knew a final battle was going to happen. So I decided to do something about it and joined you in the fight against him. Boy, you didn't want me hurt again." Oxton forced a chuckle, and luckily Emily reciprocated. [Oxton] "You feel like something could happen now?" [Emily] "Something's definitely going to happen. All we can do is prepare. And with enough preparation, we can figure it out. Like that one fictional guy, dressed in black, like a bat . . . Batman. Always has a plan." [Oxton] "Right now, we might be working on the fly, but I've figured out a way to mend our little rift." Oxton was the one to pull Emily into a kiss this time, and Emily let her. And Oxton went the extra mile to really show some fake affection, even dropping an arm down Emily's back to reach for the lower parts. Emily just about pushed Oxton away for that, and Oxton released her hand. [Oxton] "I'm not very good at mending relationships." [Emily] "We'll work on it." Emily pulled Oxton back into the kiss, and Oxton resumed her touching. And she even felt Emily reaching back.

Scene 5

{Genji's Apartment} Moira was looking out the window to watch the streets outside, pondering the words of her friends and fiancée. [Mercy, entering] "How are you . . ." Mercy trailed off as she saw a few drops of blood on the counter, and saw that Moira had cut herself with a knife, but closed the wound with a bandaid. [Mercy] "Did you-" [Moira] "I did. But I didn't go any further than what was needed to look at a few drops. Even the blood is artificial." [Mercy] "What about when you went against regulations to diagnose someone and cut yourself? What did you use to heal the wound?" [Moira] "Biotics." [Mercy] "Alright. And once the wound was closed, your blood created more blood out of non-cloned resources." [Moira] "The genetic information is still cloned." [Mercy] "Does one's own body matter when it comes to life? Genji and Kiriko are Japanese, and we see them as one of us. Lena is British, Jack is American, Vivian is Canadian, Ana is Egyptian, and Juno is Martian. Do you see them as a hodgepodge of random occurrences?" [Moira] "Of course not. They're people." [Mercy] "And we consider you to be a person as well. That at least has to amount to something." [Moira] "You don't see me as a clone?" [Mercy] "Nope. I see you as my loving fiancée, who is kind, sticks to ethics, and wouldn't hesitate to help others however you can." [Moira] "And yet, I'm not a real person." [Mercy] "You're real to me. That's what matters." Mercy pulls into a hug, and after some thought, Moira wraps her arms around Mercy to return the favor. [Moira] "So you admit I might not be real, but you don't care?" [Mercy] "I don't. All I see is another person." Moira pulls herself away, then pulls Mercy into a kiss, and Mercy kisses back. And they didn't notice the brick crashing through the window until it hit Mercy in the face, knocking them to the ground. Kiriko heard the noise and rushed over, placing an ofuda over Mercy to mend the wound. [Genji, realizing] "It's the Hashimoto! But they've been underground for the past few months!" [Kiriko] "What happened to Mary and Milena?" Mercy recognized the second name, but not the first. But she didn't need to think to figure it out: She had called the cops to arrest Moira and Milena, and she had no idea that they were keeping the Hashimoto at bay." [Mercy, panicking] "I'm sorry, I- I had them arrested for- for unethical practice." [Kiriko] "You WHAT!? They were working from the shadows to keep the Hashimoto from attacking! I alone couldn't keep up with them, and now-" Another brick crashed through a window, and Genji caught it before it hit Kiriko. [Moira] "Angela, it's alright." Mercy didn't hear her; all she could hear was her own heartbeat, her pulse quickening, breathing accelerating, and everything else was drowned out. [Moira] "Shit; Angela, don't you dare have another panic attack on me right now!" Another brick through the window; this time, Genji deflected it and sent it back to whoever sent it. Out of options, Moira pulled Mercy into a deep embrace, and comforted her until Moira could tell Mercy was starting to calm down. [Moira] "It's not your fault, Angela. In a way, it's mine. Had I not been bitten, none of this would've been happening." [Mercy, breathing] "It's not your fault. It's mine." [Moira] "No, it's not. But our friends could use our help now. Are you in?" Mercy took out her Orb of Stillness from her bag, and allowed herself to calm down. [Genji] "You never told me you visited Master Zenyatta." [Mercy] "Sorry . . . I'd like to help. I'll evacuate the citizens to keep them safe."

Chapter 7

Scene 1

{Lijiang Tower} Oxton's jet landed close to the tower, the heavy rain obscuring the horizon as the wind picked up. And once the door opened, the team - minus Brigitte - got out with weapons locked and loaded. [Winston] "Where's the other jet?" [Oxton] "We can figure that out later." Oxton took a few glances at the tower, and saw cameras in many places. She knew she had to actually help people, or else everyone would know she wasn't Tracer. Damn. {Lucheng control room} Someone was sleeping at the long dormant controls, oblivious to the alert that something had left the moon. And she was woken to the sound of the doors being ripped open by Chkal, and the woman put on a pair of glasses to see what the disturbance was. [Wrecking Ball] "Doctor Serena Chao." Wrecking Ball analyzed her appearance, as it wasn't what he remembered from the colony. [Wrecking Ball] "You have lost 36% of your-" [Chao] "You don't have to point out my age." She got out of her chair, taking out a cane to support her weight. "And- is that . . . Specimen EHB-03?" Chkal screeched at Dr. Chao, but Wrecking Ball held him back. [Wrecking Ball] "He is no longer Specimen Eastern Hoolock Gibbon 03. He is now Chkalkakalkakalkakalkakalkakal." [Chao] "It is an experiment-" [Wrecking Ball] "He is an ape. You fail to see that." [Chao] "Just as you fail to see that you don't need to fear the outside world anymore. How long have you been cooped up in that ball?" [Wrecking Ball] "How long have you- Error: Profanity Detected." The apes raised their weapons, but Chkal didn't wield a spear. Instead, he held up the prototype ice blaster from the Ecopoint. [Wrecking Ball] "What is happening?" Chkal screeched in response, and Hammond popped the hood to talk face-to-face. The mech stopped translating, so Chao couldn't understand. [Hal] "I don't know what's going on here." [Chao] "You let them in?" [Hal] "That or my life." Chkal fired a warning shot of ice at the ground, and pointed to Chao. And Hammond thought about what they had talked about for a long time before eventually going back into his mech. [Wrecking Ball] "She has already paid for her crimes. She is old, weak, dying, and suffering. Killing her now would end her punishment." [Chao] "You're basically calling me out for old age." Chkal screeched and tried to close the distance between him and Chao, but Wrecking Ball pushed back. [Wrecking Ball] "Murder will gain us nothing." More screeching. "Do not insult the hamster." The other apes grouped up around Chkal, weapons raised at the mech. [Wrecking Ball] "Untranslatable battle cry." Wrecking Ball popped out his pair of Quad Cannons and let loose at the apes, but only a dozen rounds were unloaded before the apes tore them off. [Wrecking Ball] "Damage sustained. Engaging backup plans." The mech retracted its legs and launched a grapple, barreling through the apes as if it were a bowling ball. Half the apes ran after Wrecking Ball, Chkal was giving out commands, and Hal was recording it all without any other choice.

Scene 2

{Kanezaka} [Hashimoto Goon] "The Hashimoto controls this area now! You are to offer tribute, or suffer the-" He was interrupted by a group of people walking up to him - Mercy, Moira, Genji, and Kiriko. [Kiriko] "We're offering you a chance to run back to whatever hole you crawled out of." [Goon] "No way. We heard that Mary and Milena are gone, and without them dropping our guys-" He noticed Moira, and he pulled out a pistol. [Genji] "Put it down." The goon didn't listen and fired at Moira, and in the blink of an eye, Genji was there with his sword, deflecting the bullet harmlessly to the side. And it was chaos; the rest of the Hashimoto opened fire at the group as Genji kept blocking bullets, and Moira and Kiriko fought back, with a draining beam and kunai respectively. But Mercy was frozen in fear, unable to concentrate. It had been a long time since she was in a situation like this, and especially after what Oxton did to her, she couldn't cope with the stimuli. The group hadn't even noticed that Mercy wasn't there until the Hashimoto closed the distance. [Kiriko] "We're down one! As if things weren't already-" [Genji] "Look out!" Genji jumped in front of a bullet for Kiriko, and the gang opened fire on Genji, the bullets bouncing off the metal plates. But they wouldn't hold up under an assault forever. Moira looked behind her and saw Mery cowering behind a dumpster, quite possibly on the verge of another panic attack, and she promptly disengaged. [Kiriko] "What the hell are you-!" Moira ignored her as she reached Mercy, and pulled her off the ground. [Mercy, afraid] "I can't-" [Moira] "Can't what!?" Moira already knew the answer; she wanted to hear it from Mercy first. [Mercy, afraid] "I can't- I'm not a healer." [Moira] "Then why'd you bring your staff?" Mercy had forgotten about it, and she pulled it out. [Mercy, afraid] "I can't shortcut life saving, but the long way around has been too long for me to . . . I'm not a doctor." [Moira] "Maybe not. But right now, we need a combat medic. If you're not a full doctor, then what are you?" Genji made a rough landing next to them, with some holes in his plating. Some bullets had gotten through. [Moira] "I'm going back out there to help. If you stay here, I'll understand." Moira then ran back out to help Kiriko, and Mercy looked at her staff. She didn't know what the modifications to her equipment did, but now was a time to test it. She powered it up and healed Genji, and pulled him off the ground. [Genji] "Glad you chose the right path?" [Mercy] "I am." Mercy then switched on the modifications, and the yellow beam turned blue, enhancing Genji. He then jumped out there and fought back, slicing the Hashimoto's weapons. Moira and Kiriko pressed back with Genji, and retreat was beginning to look like a good option. And within the next few minutes, the Hashimoto were gone. [Mercy] "We did it!" Moira pretty much jumped into Mercy's arms, and they shared a heartfelt kiss as Kiriko looked away. [Moira] "I take it you're feeling better?" [Mercy] "I am." They smiled and kissed again.

Scene 3

{Lijiang Tower} The Overwatch team rushed to the officers housing Lucheng Interstellar, and found a disarray of records and such. Oxton was the first to enter the main room, and saw that all of the monitors were destroyed, and several items were tossed on the ground. [Oxton, calling out] "Dr. Chao?" No response came, so Winston turned on the lights, revealing a trail of blood leading to a closet. Oxton blinked to it and opened it up, and Chao was dead. Oxton couldn't care less, but she was in the company of others. [Oxton] "Oh my god. We're too late." Winston saw the sight after Oxton, and out of respect, she closed the doctor's eyelids. [Winston] "I pray that she finds peace after-" He was interrupted by the apes returning, stabbing Winston all over with spears. But all that did was anger him, and he turned red as he roared at them, and tackled Chkal himself. The rest of the group was forced to fight as the apes engaged, but the apes were tough to harm. Oxton aimed for the heads, but one of them punched her aside. So she used her recall ability and fought back, and saw that the rest were starting to gang up on Winston, and he could tell he was outnumbered. Junkrat lobbed a mine to separate them, and one of the apes was blown out the window to his death. The storm outside was suddenly very audible, and the rain sprayed over everyone as they kept fighting, and Chkal got the upper hand. He threw Winston against a metal beam, and while Emily's healing lasers from her robotic hand helped, it didn't stop the assault. Oxton thought of what Tracer would do and leaped at Chkal, putting herself between him and Winston. [Oxton] "You want to hurt my friend, you'll have to go through me!" She almost choked on her own words, but no one noticed as Emily joined in, taking Oxton's hand. And Sojourn joined the link, along with Junkrat and Roadhog. For a moment, Chkal looked confused, but he simply knocked all of them down with a single spear swing, and kicked Junkrat and Sojourn into a wall. The rest of the apes fought as Chkal dragged Emily towards the window, and Oxton saw a security camera out of the corner of her eye. Damn. She still had to act like a hero. [Oxton] "Don't-!" Chkal picked Emily off the ground and threw her out the window, and Oxton knew she couldn't not rescue her unless she wanted to be exposed. So she used her blinks to jump out of the window after Emily.

Scene 4

Emily's screams couldn't be heard over the raging storm as she began to plummet down the hundreds of floors. She closed her eyes to not watch her own demise, and suddenly, she was pulled towards someone. Emily didn't dare open, but she peaked, and saw that Oxton had jumped out with a long cable and intercepted her midair. [Emily, relieved] "LENA!" Oxton knew there were still cameras watching, so she had to keep it up. [Oxton] "STILL A FIGHTER PILOT AT HEART!" Oxton kissed Emily with no restraint, and it was the kind of situation where Emily allowed Oxton a little leeway on where she grabbed. Oxton circled back around and tossed Emily to a safe landing spot - much to Oxton's annoyance - and almost jumped down to join Emily when she was struck by lightning. [Emily, distraught] "LENA!?" Oxton fell to the ground unconscious, and Emily quickly dragged her back inside the tower while fanning out the smoke. [Emily, worried] "Lena, talk to me!" No response came, and Emily checked Oxton's pulse. Completely stopped. Emily stopped thinking and pulled her prosthetic off, and pulled a few wire attachments out of the connectors on her left arm. Emily threaded them under Oxton's accelerator, and tapped her robot hand over the circuitry, electrocuting both of them. Emily's hand was fried, but she didn't care. [Emily] "LENA!?" Emily waited for a response, and almost broke down in tears when Oxton woke up. [Oxton, weakly] "Bloody hell, that was . . . shocking." Horrible joke, but it was the best Oxton could do in Tracer's place. And it worked, as Emily kissed Oxton, and Oxton was too weak to even react. [Emily] "You scared me, you know that, right love?" [Oxton, weakly] "Bounced back. I'm just going to do it again."

Scene 5

{Upper Floors} Chkal had tied up the Overwatch team with cables, with Winston having the most restraints. Chkal was screeching to them about something, and Winston knew what he was saying, but decided not to tell the others to keep their spirits up. [Junkrat] "What's he sayin'?" [Winston] "You don't want to know." An elevator opened next to them, and the janitor had his back to the group, so Chkal pressed a random button and sent the guy on his way. [Sojourn] "Talk about only hurting a select group." Chkal pointed to Sojourn, and the apes grabbed her and began pulling, only for her robot arms and legs to snap. And they were all confused. [Roadhog] "Got insurance?" The rest of the apes screeched and pulled out their spears, and Winston saw something on the ground; a little red dot. Winston found the source to be something, and he didn't recognize it. But the dot signaled for someone to stand there, and Winston figured it out. The apes charged to Sojourn, but Winston leaped on top of her, shielding her. [Sojourn, groaning] "Winston, you're crushing me." [Winston] "My apolog-" Chkal pulled Winston off of Sojourn and tossed him aside, but Winston kept provoking Chkal until he had enough, firing an ice blast at Winston. [Mei] "Hey- you thieves!" Chkal froze Mei's body, and Snowball started fighting back. The apes swatted around to hit the little bot, but it was too fast for them. And soon enough, Chkal was standing over the red dot. And Winston held him there, but Chkal threw him away. And when Chkal turned to see the window, he was hit by a giant ball on a cable, rammed through several walls. All the other apes were confused until they saw Hammond strutting towards them. [Junkrat] "It's the champ! THE CHAMP! That's why he's the-" The other apes screeched and chased after Hammond, and he climbed to the outside of the tower. And once every last one was outside, Hammond tied a metal cable around them, and headed back inside. [Mei] "That's not going to hold them-" Luckily lightning is attracted to metal, and struck the apes before they could break the cable. The mech rolled back to Hammond, covered in blood. [Wrecking Ball, translating] "He says: Stupid animals." The elevator next to them opened, and Emily carried Oxton out. [Oxton] "I suppose we're a bit late to the party?" [Wrecking Ball] "They are all gone. You're welcome, intentionally misspelled." They heard clapping from down the hall, and the group saw Hal-Fred with a camera. [Hal] "That was-" [Oxton] "No one can know it actually happened." [Hal] "Of course. It'll be the next big hit!" Oxton pulled out Tracer's communicator, but it was fried from earlier. [Emily] "I'll tell the UN what happened. Take a break, love. You need it."

Chapter 8

Scene 1

{Nightclub in London, days later} Emily was waiting at a table while watching the news on a tv. Eyeshadow was new for her, as it was a requirement to get in the building. [News Anchor] "Mr. Glitchbot, what caused the death of Doctor Serena Chao?" [Hal] "We were working on the animatronics for the apes, and she had a heart attack. Dr. Chao collapsed, and she fell on a sharp object. She lost too much blood." [Anchor] "And how do you plan on honoring her legacy?" [Hal] "We'll work her story into a documentary." They continued in the background as a glass slid next to Emily, and she looked to see who it came from. [Oxton, loudly] "Haven't been here since I got my motorcycle. Whadya think?!" Almost yelling was the only way to hear each other in the place over the music, and it was the only way Oxton could get away with it. [Emily] "I take it the lightning didn't affect you too much?!" [Oxton] "Nope! How's the makeup working for you!?" [Emily] "I'm getting used to it!" The current song ended to allow a new one to play. [Oxton] "I Fought The Law, by The Clash! One of my favorites!" One of Tracer's favorites, actually. Oxton pulled Emily to the dance floor and considered leaving her there, but decided to keep up her games. [Oxton, singing along] "I fought the law, and the law won! I needed money 'cause I had none!" Emily didn't know the lyrics, so Oxton just helped her dance along. [Emily] "I've never done this before!" [Oxton] "Just follow my lead!" Oxton guided Emily through whatever she could come up with, and luckily Emily was following along. Oxton slipped her a glass of water, and she gulped it down. Then she offered a glass of Gin, and Emily didn't notice. Perfect. [Oxton] "You gonna copy me all night long, love!?" [Emily] "Not a chance!" Emily pulled off her own dance, and Oxton just followed along. Another glass of Gin made it to Emily, and it was downed quickly. [Oxton] "Best night of your life!?" [Emily] "Aside from our wedding ceremony!" Oxton pulled Emily in close and kissed her without any intention of holding herself back, and the effects of the gin were beginning to show. Oxton got away with a lot more touching then what one would've allowed, and Emily pulled Oxton to the floor. [Emily, buzzed] "This is a complete waste of time! But I don't care!" [Oxton] "Neither do I, love!"

Scene 2

{Tracer & Emily's home} The door was flung open as Oxton and Emily stumbled through the home, both leaving the lights off for comfort. [Emily, drunk] "Best night ever?" [Oxton, slurring] "Aside from our wedding, remember?" [Emily] "We reek of Gin!" [Oxton] "I know!" Emily laughed as Oxton guided her into the bathroom, and Oxton took the opportunity to make a call. [Oxton] "Did you get what you wanted?" [Chronoguard Boss] "We sent an officer into Gibraltar, but she was unable to locate the vault where Tracer is keeping the Vanadium. Tracer isn't talking either." [Oxton] "Speaking of her, put her on the line. I've got an incentive for her." Oxton then waits through some static, then the line reconnects. [Tracer] "What have you done?" [Oxton] "Let's see; a scientist is dead, your friends are now my friends, your wife thinks I'm boozed, and I'm about to seduce her. Tell us where the vault is, and I'll leave her alone." [Tracer] "Even if I told you, you wouldn't hold up your end!" [Oxton] "Suit yourself." Oxton then muted the new communicator and turned the screen off, leaving the call running as she set the communicator on a shelf. [Oxton, whispering] "You get a front-row seat to the action." Oxton knew Tracer was saying something, but she didn't hear it through the mute. Satisfied, Oxton walked into the bathroom, and Tracer heard the shower shut off. It was followed by teasing and laughing, but Tracer couldn't see what was happening from the angle. And then she saw it; Oxton had pulled Emily out of the shower and onto the bed, with no clothes on at all. Tracer was powerless from her cell as she saw Emily strip Oxton down, and saw Oxton's accelerator tossed aside, long forgotten as Oxton did what she said she would do.