Chapter 1
Scene 1
{London Pub} Oxton was sitting at a counter with an empty glass in hand, just twirling it absent-mindingly. [Pub owner] "Hey, you're Lena Oxton." No she wasn't. She was just taking Lena Oxton's identity while the real one was locked up somewhere. [Oxton] "Have you heard of the serial murders going on recently?" [Owner] "Going on for about a month already. It's sad, all those people, right?" [Oxton] "You got something strong?" [Owner] "Coming right up." He walked into a backroom to search through the liquors he had, and after Oxton checked to see if she wasn't being watched - which she wasn't - she hopped over the counter and followed him in. She took a latex glove out and put it over her hand, and grabbed a knife as he kept searching. [Owner] "Found it-" He turned around, and was shocked that Oxton followed him. But it didn't matter, as she slit his throat and threw him into a case of liquors. [Oxton] "Victim number 19. Have a horrible afterlife." She dropped the knife into his chest and walked out the back door, looping around to reach a tattoo parlor that she'd visited only an hour earlier. It was pickup time. She waited outside for a few minutes until she heard the door open, and there was Emily, who was rubbing a new sore spot on her left shoulder. [Oxton] "Enjoying the new tat?" [Emily] "I never got one before, Lena. It feels-" [Oxton] "-exciting?" [Emily] "Sort of. But I'm not sure how you'll like it." [Oxton] "Come on, Em. Show it to me." Oxton was ready to see the effects of her hypnosis on Tracer's wife, and she rolled up her sleeve to reveal a tattoo of a snake. [Emily] "I didn't get a chance to see what it was. I asked for a random tattoo." Actually, Oxton paid the guy to do a snake, and paid extra to keep it secret. [Oxton] "Want me to tell you or do you want to wait to see for yourself, love?" [Emily] "I'm curious. What tattoo is it?" [Oxton] "A snake. A really awesome one!" Oxton pulled Emily into a kiss, and even lifted Emily into the air a bit. [Oxton] "It's getting late, love. I've got something really good planned at home." [Emily] "Over the past month, you've been showing me a side of you I never knew existed. And I'm liking it." Of course Emily liked it; that's how hypnosis works. [Oxton] "I'm glad you appreciate how wild I once was." Oxton pulled Emily into a deeper kiss this time, and maybe even got a little grabby. [Emily] "Not out here, you fighter pilot!" [Oxton] "Right. You don't want to show anyone our relationship." [Emily, scoffing] "You wish!" [Oxton] "Come on, Emily. I'm preparing us a good night tonight."
Scene 2
{London flats, nighttime} The streets were empty, devoid of any activity at night. Even the street lamps had shut off, as no one in their right mind would wander the streets with the moon all the way in the sky. But in one empty alley, a portal opened, and someone was shoved through before it closed. [Tracer] "NO! I can't let you risk yourself!" But she couldn't go back; it had already closed. Tracer looked around to check her surroundings, and she was back in London. But she wanted to go back through the portal. And yet she couldn't, and leaned against a wall to think for a bit. And then she remembered the data drive in her hand. [Tracer, realizing] "He told me to get this to Overwatch." She thought to herself for a while, then remembered everything happening in London; how most nights Oxton would set up a live camera feed while she . . . She was going to confront Oxton, and she was doing it now. She blinked down the streets in search of her home address, and it took a while in the darkness before she found her and Emily's flat. All the lights were out, which was a good sign, but she was still on edge. She looped around the home and took the spare key out from under a piece of broken sidewalk, and unlocked the front door. She was careful to open it slowly, and crept inside while looking for Oxton. The only source of light was the glow from her accelerator, but it did little to comfort her as she approached the bedroom. One hand on the doorknob and she pushed it open, and Emily was out like a light, makeup smudged everywhere while wrapped up in the bedsheets. But Oxton was nowhere to be found. [Tracer] "Em?" Emily didn't respond, and Tracer checked her pulse and caught a whiff of Gin. [Tracer, worried] "What has she done to you?" [Oxton] "Told ya I'd be back." Tracer tried to react, but Oxton had restrained her by the accelerator, preventing her from using her abilities. [Tracer, mad] "YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS!" Tracer landed an elbow shot to Oxton's face as they fell to the floor, objects being scattered everywhere. And that woke Emily up. [Emily, groggily] "What kind of dream is-" [Oxton] "She's trying to kill me!" [Tracer] "You stole my identity!" Emily couldn't tell the two Tracers apart as they struggled on the ground in front of her. [Oxton] "Em, remember when we saved Fareeha from-" [Tracer] "She set it up so look like a hero-" [Oxton] "This imposter popped out of nowhere and broke into our home!" [Tracer] "She's the imposter!" Tracer managed to throw Oxton into a glass unit, shattering it and presumably knocking Oxton out. Emily saw all the damage done, and looked Tracer in the eye. [Tracer] "I'm here, Em. I'm-" Emily punched Tracer in the head with her prosthetic hand, knocking her out as Oxton crawled out of the glass. [Emily] "Who is she?" [Oxton, lying] "No clue." Oxton pulled out a pocket watch and swung it until Emily became transfixed on it. [Oxton] "What happened tonight never happened." And it was followed by a finger snap, and Oxton put Emily back into bed while tying up Tracer. [Oxton] "Hypnosis can do just about anything. Even tricking wives into attacking their spouses."
Chapter 2
Scene 1
{Watchpoint: Gibraltar, the next day} [Mei] "-you once lost power on the Mars colony?" [Jiayi Teo] "Only the heating. We slept like sardines that night. Young Juno really liked being all together that night." [Mei] "She liked the heat, didn't she?" [Jiayi] "Hey, didn't we pull something similar in grad school?" [Mei] "I don't remember that." [Jiayi] "We both drank a lot and slept in a bed together. I woke up first and rolled you onto the floor to spare you the embarrassment." Mei chuckled and poured herself a little more liquor, and Jiayi grabbed some for herself as well. [Jiayi] "I didn't know your little friend could draw." Mei looked where Jiayi was pointing, and saw that Snowball had grabbed a marker and was drawing pictures. Mei grabbed one of the pictures, and Snowball pointed to Mei's arm with a question mark. [Mei, confused] "Snowball, why does this stick person have blood on their arm?" Snowball then flashed a date, and Mei knew what it was. [Jiayi] "What is it?" [Mei] "Snowball's talking about the day Reinhardt and I were fighting a baddie. But why are you drawing something so . . . disturbing?" Snowball chimed and its display showed a picture of a broken bone, which for Snowball was the closest thing it had a picture to what it was trying to say. [Mei, concerned] "Snowball, I think you need a break." Snowball was still displaying a question mark, but it eventually left. [Jiayi] "My birthday's tomorrow. Did you get me anything?" [Mei] "I'm not telling you what I got! That would ruin the surprise!" [Jiayi] "Just a hint?" [Mei, joking] "No!" They both laugh as Emily enters the room, and Jiayi notices her new look. [Emily] "I hear someone has a birthday coming up!" [Mei] "Find something for Jiayi tomorrow!" [Jiayi] "I find it hard to believe that you're now into eyeshadow, highlights, and- hold on a minute!" Jiayi pulled down the collar of Emily's turtleneck, revealing something that immediately flustered Emily. [Emily, flustered] "H- HEY!" Emily quickly pulled away from Jiayi while pulling the turtleneck back up. [Jiayi] "Was that a hickey?" [Emily, flustered] "It could just be a bruise." [Mei] "Emily?" [Emily] ". . . fine, it was one." [Jiayi] "Looks like things are going well with Lena, aren't they?" [Emily] "They are." [Mei] "Speaking of which, where is Lena?" [Emily] "She caught a cold and didn't want to get anyone else sick. But she'll get over it."
Scene 2
{Tracer and Emily's home, London} Oxton had the news on in the background while she filled up a bucket with ice and water. [Reporter] "There has been another murder last night, whether it's by the same serial killer or a random murder is unknown. Local constables have been unable to round up any suspects for the crimes. I heavily urge everyone to lock your doors and windows at night, and purchase at-home alarms." Oxton shut it off and brought the bucket over to Tracer, who was unconscious and tied up in a chair. She dumped the whole thing over her head, and Tracer was startled awake. [Tracer, angry] "YOU!" [Oxton] "You really shouldn't be breaking and entering someone's flat like you did. Oh, and I'm keeping this." Oxton held the spare key up for Tracer to see, and tossed it to the side as she searched through cupboards. Tracer tried to wriggle out of her restraints, but then realized that her accelerator was no longer on her. [Oxton] "I hid your accelerator somewhere in the home. Only I know where it is, so even if you broke free, you could run too far and disappear." [Tracer] "You stole my life." [Oxton] "And you're blaming me for you setting all your codes to Mach-T and writing it in a sticky note in your wallet?" Tracer bit her lip as Oxton pulled out a teakettle, and tried to open it up. [Tracer] "Family heirloom. Hasn't opened in decades." [Oxton] "Then I'll microwave a mug." Oxton filled a mug with water and put a teabag in it, and put it in the microwave. [Tracer] "That's not how you make tea-" Oxton just gagged Tracer with a washcloth and turned the news back on, and turned it up. [Oxton] "This is my favorite part of the day." [Expert] "A serial killer takes lives in some sort of premeditated acts, like tracking someone down before killing them, stalking a house, you get it. But this one seems to be acting through impulse alone. Some murders happen in the middle of the night, and others happen in the middle of the day. There's no pattern" Tracer's eyes widened as she heard the report, and she immediately turned her gaze towards Oxton, who was pulling the mug out of the microwave. [Oxton] "It's called a part-time job." Oxton then pulled the washcloth out of Tracer's mouth. "Now, you're going to tell me how you escaped from Chronoguard. I was told that no attempts had succeeded. So, how'd you do it?" Tracer refused to talk, and the silence was making Oxton annoyed. [Oxton] "How did you do it?" [Tracer] "You'd have to kill me before you find out." Oxton stared Tracer in the eye for a few seconds, then dumped the tea along Tracer's arm, causing her to scream from the hot liquid. [Oxton] "I'll keep doing this until I get my answer." [Tracer, in pain] "You'll never get one." [Oxton, smirking] "We'll see."
Scene 3
{Watchpoint: Gibraltar} Juno had gotten her gift placed in a box, and Lúcio brought out a few bundles of wrapping paper for her. [Lúcio] "Pick your fancy. Red, green, white, there's a few." [Juno] "I have never used wrapping paper before. It was a fire hazard on the Mars colony." [Lúcio] "I'll show you how to wrap a present. First, pick a color." Juno looked at the different options, and eventually settled on a bright purple wrap. [Juno] "Will this suffice?" [Lúcio] "It'll do. So, what'd you get your mom for her birthday?" [Juno] "On the Mars colony, she always talked about her time in graduate school with Mei-Ling Zhou, and how they had fun. I performed research on traditional fun activities for that sort of place, and there were several present possibilities." [Lúcio] "And what'd you come up with?" [Juno] "I discovered that it is customary to supply alcohol to-" [Lúcio, shocked] "Do not give her a bottle of alcohol!" [Juno, confused] "I am uncertain why gifting someone an item from their past is a bad thing." [Lúcio] "It's not appropriate to give someone liquor like that. Where did you even get alcohol?" [Juno] "I asked Lena for assistance." [Lúcio, confused] "Let me get this straight. You asked Lena to buy a bottle of alcohol so you could give it to your mom?" [Juno] "I did." [Lúcio] "And she was completely fine with it?" [Juno] "She was." Lúcio tried to think up an explanation for what Oxton did, but gave up and called her directly. [Lúcio] "Lena, you there?" [Oxton, faking] "Got a right nasty cold here. You alright?" [Lúcio] "Did you buy liquor for Juno?" [Oxton, faking] "She spoiled the surprise?" [Lúcio] "Why did you buy her liquor?" [Oxton, faking] "She said she knew what she was doing-" Oxton threw in a cough or two to pass off the cold. "-she told me she knew her mother well enough, and I don't know Jiayi that well." [Lúcio] "Did you ever give your mom liquor on her birthday?" [Oxton, lying] "And then some." Lúcio hung up the call and opened the box, pulling the liquor out and discarding it. [Lúcio] "Juno, there's some things you don't gift to others. What else does your mom like?" [Juno] "She has also talked about being with others, but I highly doubt a terran would fit inside a birthday gift." [Lúcio, chuckling] "Nope- wait, was that a joke?" [Juno] "It was." [Lúcio] "That's a good one." Juno smiled as Lúcio searched the room, and looked through some pictures. [Lúcio] "Does she also like anything to do with space?" [Juno] "My mother loves astronomy." [Lúcio] "Well, look what I found." Lúcio presents a map of the known galaxy, and Juno takes it and looks at it. [Juno, excited] "I believe this is what one would call a perfect gift!" Juno then hugged Lúcio, and he kissed her on the forehead.
Scene 4
{Tracer & Emily's flat} [Oxton] "The last cup was 50 degrees. I'm filling a pot with 65 degree water right now." [Tracer] "If you kill me now, you'll never figure out how I got out." Oxton finishes filling the pot with the water and brings it over to Tracer. [Oxton] "I don't want to kill you-" [Tracer] "Yes, you do." [Oxton] "You're right. If you weren't so valuable, I would've killed you the moment I saw that you'd run home." [Tracer] "What were you doing last night?" [Oxton] "Seducing your wife until she fell asleep from pleasure, and then killed someone. Only way I can get away with it. Did you know that she felt like you lost your touch in the relationship after Doomfist was gone?" [Tracer] "Don't-" [Oxton] You gave her a bouquet after he was officially declared gone, and she thought it was plain. She appreciated it, but it felt the same as celebrating a birthday, christmas, anniversary, and everything in between. At some point, it got repetitive." [Tracer] "You manipulated her into thinking that!" [Oxton] "I didn't even need to hypnotize her for that; she already thought that and was just being nice about it." Oxton grabbed the pot and held it up to Tracer's face. [Tracer] "It's not going to work." [Oxton] "We'll see about that." A knock then came from the door, and there was a silhouette of someone outside the window. [Oxton, annoyed] "Make a noise and he dies." Oxton then got up and splashed her face with something to pale it, and grabbed a tissue while opening the door. [Oxton, faking illness] "Hello?" She even threw out a fake cough to pull it off. [Man] "I was going to ask for help with the serial murders, but not if you're sick." Oxton then closed the door and returned to Tracer, finding that the pot was splashed onto the floor. [Oxton, pissed] "You're just making things worse for yourself." Oxton then pulled out a cup and filled it with water, and brought it to Tracer. "Last chance before you're burned. How'd you escape?" Tracer refused to respond, so Oxton cut Tracer's right arm free from the rope and plunged her hand into the cup, causing Tracer to scream. And Oxton kept her hand in there for more than a few seconds before pulling it out, and it was red all over as blisters began to form. Oxton then wrapped a bag of ice around Tracer's burned hand, which from being suddenly burned and frozen, caused more pain. [Oxton] "I'll give you a while before you decide to cooperate." Oxton then left the room as Tracer clutched her hand close, and once she was sure Oxton was gone, she kicked the data drive under the oven. She didn't know what was on it, but she wasn't going to let it fall into Oxton's hands.
Chapter 3
Scene 1
{Watchpoint: Gibraltar} Winston was sitting outside the watchpoint on a cliff, waiting for the new arrivals to, well, arrive. He'd sent out a lot of calls in the past week, and a lot of them were accepted for the party. He hadn't paid any attention to the footsteps approaching until they were right next to him. [Emily] "How's it going, big guy?" [Winston] "I'm just waiting for the new batch of guests to arrive. Gibraltar hasn't been so packed since the Christmas after Doomfist was defeated, but there's plenty of room for everyone." [Emily] "The more, the merrier. Sorry that Lena couldn't come." [Winston] "Catching a cold is something that happens to everyone. Not even she can outrun it." They both chuckle as a jet passes overhead. [Emily] "Looks like some more guests have arrived for one birthday." [Winston] "It IS the first birthday of the Red Promise crew being celebrated here since they returned to Earth. I got permission from the United Nations to allow everyone to meet here, and give them a few days break on their mandatory community service." [Emily] "Sounds like this will be a crazy birthday party." A second, smaller ship then dropped out of the clouds and landed at the watchpoint, and D. Va climbed out as the jet landed. [Genji, exiting] "I believe we got here at the same time." [D. Va] "Naw; I totally beat you guys!" [Zenyatta] "To treat all life as a competition, would be to see only what is in front of you, rather than what is around you." D. Va stuck her tongue out to Zenyatta as Kiriko then got out, followed by Hanzo. [Hanzo] "If the Hashimoto catches wind of us being here, then they'll attack our home." [Kiriko] "I hired someone to pop into the apartments every once in a while. They spy on us, they'll see us." The group then entered the watchpoint, and D. Va opened up the door to reveal Lúcio pulling wrapping paper and tape out of Juno's hair. [Lúcio] "-I turn away for a minute and- how did this happen?" [Juno, chuckling] "I do not know!" [D. Va] "Already having fun without us?" That caught the pair's attention, and they stood up to address the newcomers. [Hanzo] "Are you familiar with any of us?" [Juno] "I am familiar with Kiriko." [Genji] "I hope you formed a friendship." [Juno] "We did not. I found a word in a dictionary, and according to its definition, she was being racist to me on the day of Brigitte's baby shower." [Kiriko, stammering] "I- I wasn't- I didn't mean-" Genji bopped Kiriko on the back of her head, and Hanzo brought her closer to Juno. [Kiriko] "Well, I'm sorry that I said Martians were clumsy and slow with bathrooms." [D. Va] "Is there more?" [Kiriko] "And I'm sorry for stereotyping your conflicts." [Juno] "Apology accepted." [Hanzo] "Now shake on it." Kiriko held out a hand to Juno, and she shook her hand.
Scene 2
{Tracer & Emily's flat} [Tracer, in extreme pain] "BLOODY HELL, THAT HURTS!" [Oxton] "And that was 68 degrees." [Tracer, in pain] "And you couldn't bother doing it to my other hand?" [Oxton] "Nope. It'll be in increments of 2 until you tell me how you escaped." [Tracer, in pain] "You keep it up, I'll be long dead." Oxton was getting annoyed, and pressed an ice pack directly against Tracer's burned hand, causing her more pain. [Oxton, annoyed] "Just tell me already." [Tracer, in pain] "Not a chance, bitch." Oxton just gave up at that point and pulled out a communicator, and dialed a number. She waited a minute, and it didn't pick up. [Oxton, frustrated] "Unable to contact? IT CALLS THROUGH THE BLOODY MULTIVERSE! Might as well open up a portal and-" Oxton stopped and turned her gaze back to Tracer, and put her communicator away. [Tracer, in pain] "It won't work. You can't break me." Oxton grabbed the pot again and started filling it up again, but saw something. So she stopped and reached under the oven, and to Tracer's panic, Oxton retrieved the data drive. [Oxton, suspicious] "What's this?" Tracer couldn't tell the truth, but any lie she could think of would have her double-check it just in case. She needed something so unbelievable that Oxton wouldn't check. [Oxton] "I'm waiting. What is it?" [Tracer, reluctant] "It's . . . not something I'd want to-" Oxton grabbed the chair that Tracer was tied to and threw it to the ground, and just about stomped on her hand when Tracer said it. [Tracer] "It's porn!" Oxton was taken aback by what Tracer said, and had trouble figuring out what to say for a bit. [Oxton, confused] "You hid a data drive full of porn under your oven?" [Tracer, lying] "I was wild back then. Just destroy it or something." Oxton was still having trouble processing what she heard, but once she figured out what she was going to do, the smile returned to her face. [Oxton, smirking] "Looks like I'll be hiding this somewhere where Emily can find it, and have her see a brand-new side." Oxton put the data drive on a desk near the front door, and Tracer was relieved that she wasn't going through it. But her relief was short-lived as Oxton brought the pot of water over. [Oxton] "70 degrees. Talk." [Tracer] "No." [Oxton, annoyed] "You're in no position to argue, weakling. TALK!" [Tracer] "I'd rather die." [Oxton] "That can be arranged." Oxton took Tracer's burned hand and plunged it into the pot, and she screamed from the pain again as the burns received new burns. It felt like it lasted a while, but Oxton took it back out fairly quickly and pressed ice against Tracer's hand, exacerbating the pain. [Tracer, in extreme pain] "No matter what you do, you won't get the information you want." [Oxton] "You think you're so strong when confined to a chair, but I'll show you just how powerless you are." [Tracer, in pain] "I'm what you call an underdog."
Scene 3
{Watchpoint: Gibraltar, rec room} D. Va had gotten into the video games, and was pulling up the high scores for Starcraft when Juno entered the room. [D. Va] "You play these types of games?" [Juno] "I do not." [D. Va] "Want a demo from the number 1 gamer in the world?" [Juno, intrigued] "Who is the number 1 gamer in the world?" D. Va gave Juno a look and waited for her to figure it out, but it didn't look like it was going to happen. [D. Va] "I'm the number one." [Juno, embarrassed] "Oh! I did not realize. I do not follow world gaming news." [D. Va] "It's alright. You interested in a game?" [Juno] "No, thank you." [D. Va] "Suit yourself." D. Va started a new game and began playing, and Juno was watching at first as D. Va just explored the game world, interacting with characters at a fast pace. She couldn't even read what they were saying; D. Va was just skipping all the dialogue. [Juno, confused] "Do you not need to read what they are saying?" [D. Va] "I've played this game so many times that I memorized what they say. Speaking of which, do you ever use contractions when you talk?" Juno had never thought about that before. Talking as she normally did was just natural for her. [Juno] "I do not. Speaking as I do now provides more clarity than mixing words together." [D. Va] "Anyone would know that I'm and I am are the same thing. Try it." [Juno, hesitant] "Alright. I am." [D. Va] "I'm." [Juno] "I'am." [D. Va] "No pressure." [Juno] "Alright. I am ready-" [D. Va] "Come on." [Juno] "I'm not doing anything wrong, am I?" D. Va raised an eyebrow when Juno said it, and she realized what she said. [Juno] "It feels unnatural to use such speech." [D. Va] "Keep going, and you'll get used to it. So, I heard that you're out of this world." [Juno] "On the technical term, I am. I was born and raised on Mars." [D. Va] "Cool. What was it like up there?" [Juno] "Well, the sunsets on Mars were blue, and each day was 37 minutes and 22 seconds longer." [D. Va] "Guess you did a lot of sleeping in." [Juno] "I did not." [D. Va] "There's another one for you. Didn't. Combination of did not- Damn it!" D. Va's character was killed by someone teleporting in and one-shotting her, and teleporting around to secure more kills. [Juno] "I thought it was just a game?" [D. Va, annoyed] "Not when there's a hacker. Time to go god mode." D. Va typed something into a console, and when the hacker tried to kill her again, nothing happened. [D. Va, into mic] "Bye, guy." D. Va then insta killed the hacker with another command, and then banned him from the server. [Juno, confused] "What was that?" [D. Va] "Admin privileges. Allows me to take care of others who ruin the game by cheating, and everyone is happy for it." [Juno] "Intriguing." [D. Va] "A little birdie told me that you'd like to see more of the world." [Juno] "Who told you?" [D. Va] "A little birdie. The party's not until tomorrow, and Tokki can get to Korea in 5 hours. You up for a girls trip between the 2 of us?" [Juno] "I will have to ask my mother first." [D. Va] "How old are you?" [Juno] "Almost 21." [D. Va] "Then you can make these decisions on your own. You coming?"
Scene 4
{Tracer & Emily's Flat} Oxton was filling up the pot again, and measuring the temperature while Tracer was confined to a chair at the table, her right hand blistering and peeling. [Oxton, frustrated] "That was 76 degrees of water that I put your hand into. I'm skipping and going straight to 85 degrees." [Tracer, in pain] "You'll end up killing me before you get the information you want." [Oxton, frustrated] "Your fault for making this so difficult." She practically slammed the pot in front of Tracer, and a few drops hit her in the face. [Tracer, in pain] "No matter how hard you try, you won't get the information you want. You just can't break me." Oxton then grabbed a knife and nicked Tracer's burned hand, and plunged it into the water, causing Tracer extreme pain from the burning water also getting in through the cut. Oxton pulled her hand back out and flung the whole pot full at Tracer, burning the rest of her body as the water soaked through her clothes. Oxton waited for a few minutes for Tracer to recover from the full body burn, but didn't bother with any ice this time, leaving the burns to sit unmitigated. [Tracer, in extreme pain] "That . . . that only . . . only tickled. I was . . . was thirsty anyway." It hurt for Tracer to smile from the burns on her face, but one still slipped through. And Oxton was pissed. She took out a lighter and used it to burn Tracer's right hand further, and yet the pain from it wasn't as bad. [Tracer, in extreme pain] "I won't talk." Oxton's lighter ran out of fuel, and she threw it at Tracer's face when the door was knocked upon. [Oxton] "Talk, or the visitor dies." Tracer couldn't think properly due to the pain, so Oxton let the man in. [Man] "I heard a scream . . ." He saw 2 Tracers, and Tracer realized what Oxton was going to do. But it was too late; she had already stabbed him with a knife and dragged him out back. Tracer looked away as Oxton buried the body, and she returned about 15 minutes later wiping the dirt off herself. [Tracer, enraged] "You wanted to prove you're a better version of me? Well congratulations; you're a better monster than I would've ever allowed!" [Oxton] "I'll take that as a compliment. Now, I'm going out to kill someone. Don't leave." Oxton shoved Tracer into a closet and tied her to the bar hanging the clothes, and shut and locked the door. [Tracer, regretful] "Em, I'm sorry that she got to you. Please figure it out and fight back before it's too late."
Chapter 4
Scene 1
{Busan, South Korea at midnight} Juno was engrossed with the sights of the city, as almost every building had something to advertise. Most buildings had a picture of D. Va posing with a bottle of soda in hand, but she couldn't read the language. [Hana] "Pretty nice, isn't it?" Juno didn't hear D. Va; the sights were too distracting, but not in a bad way. But D. Va eventually got Juno's attention by snapping her fingers in Juno's ear. [Juno, flinching] "Hey!" [D. va] "You weren't responding. What do you think of Busan?" [Juno, excited] "This city is beautiful! It reminds me of the time I got to see Lijiang!" [D. Va] "So you've seen the UK, China, and now South Korea." [Juno] "I also saw Mexico." [D. Va] "You've seen a lot. Tell me; if you had to pick one country as your favorite, what would you pick?" [Juno] "I have asked-" [D. Va] "I've." [Juno] "Contractions in terran speech are still very confusing." [D. Va] "Sorry. Continue." [Juno] "Alright. I have asked myself the same question of my favorite location on Earth many times, but there is no clear answer. Everything is just so varied!" [D. Va] "Who doesn't like a good ol 'variety every once in a while? Speaking of which-" D. Va took Juno's hand and pulled her into a building, where someone was singing into a mic on stage. [D. Va] "You know what karaoke is?" [Juno] "I do not . . . don't, as they say." [D. Va] "Karaoke is a little thing where you sing along to a song." The audience cheered, and they ushered D. Va on stage to pick a song. [Juno] "What kinds of songs are available?" [D. Va] "A lot." D. Va hit random, and the music began playing. [D. Va] "Never heard this one before." [Karaoke Machine] "Do, do, do- (on repeat)" [Juno] "The song is called 'I Was Made For Loving You', written by a man named Kiss. [D. Va] "Kiss is the band, silly! Listen." The do's just about wrapped up, and now it was D. Va's turn to read the lyrics. [D. Va, singing] "Tonight, I wanna give it all to you. In the darkness-" [Juno] "What kind of song is this?" [Audience member] "Rock 'n roll!" [D. Va, singing] "And tonight, I wanna lay it at your feet. 'Cause, girl, I was made for you. And, girl, you were made for me." The whole audience stomped twice, and Juno was confused until she realized it was part of the song. [D. Va] "I was made for lovin' you, baby, you were made for lovin' me! And I can't get enough of you, baby, can you get enough of me?" Juno liked the song as D. Va kept singing, and she was pulled on stage and given another mic by D. Va. A list of lyrics popped up with a line pointing where to read and at what pace, and Juno picked up pretty quickly. [D. Va and Juno, singing] "I was made for lovin' you, baby, you were made for lovin' me! And I can't get enough of you, baby, can you get enough of me?" Juno was really liking this, and she felt excited, and . . . amorous, even.
Scene 2
{Watchpoint: Gibraltar, sunset} The gang had been playing a few games throughout the day, and right now they were going through a round of charades, with Mei acting the subject out. [Emily] "Olympic jogger?" Mei shook her head and kept on imitating running, with an occasional turn around. [Khiem Van Minh] "Sonic the Hedgehog?" [Mercy] "Who?" [Khiem] "Pop culture of the 2020s. Now I feel old." [Mei] "Keep guessing." [Winston] "A speedster?" Mei nodded and kept dashing around, and even grabbed a blue light. [Reinhardt] "Tracer!" [Mei] "Ding! You got it." [Reinhardt] "My turn!" Reinhardt got up as Mei sat in a chair, and got into a kneeling position. [Soldier: 76] "The crusaders." [Reinhardt, smirking] "Not this time." [Khiem] "Knight in shining armor." [Reinhardt] "Damn, you're good." Others kept going up, and Mei noticed that Emily was leaving, so she followed her. [Mei] "You alright?" [Emily] "Fine. Just bringing Lena a little something to help with her cold." [Mei] "Like dinner?" [Emily] "Something like that. Take care of yourself, love." [Mei] "Right back at you." {Busan, midnight} D. Va and Juno had left the nightclub after singing a few songs, and they felt the lingering heat from the crowd in the small building. Tugging at the collars helped a little, but the sweat on them didn't go away that way. [Juno] "I still feel too warm in this environment." [D. Va] "It's not just you. The atmosphere in that building had a lot of people doing a lot of activity. We need baths." [Juno] "Is there a place that is still open?" [D. Va] "I know a place." D. Va led Juno into a bath house and paid the clerk at the counter, then went into a locker room. [D. Va] "That gives us an hour. Just put your clothes in that chute and they'll be cleaned while we soak in the bath." Both D. Va and Juno stripped down and put their clothes in the chute, and Juno was left in her undergarments. [D. Va] "You gotta take that off too." [Juno, flustered] "Wha- I am expected to remove my personal undergarments as well?!" [D. Va] "That's how it works in South Korea. Besides, it's midnight here thanks to the timezone change, so it'll be just us." [Juno, nervous] "May I decline using this establishment?" [D. Va] "Juno, with all due respect, we stink. Gotta clean up somehow." D. Va walked through the door to the bath area, and Juno hesitated before taking the rest off and going through the doors. And Juno was relieved that the steam was thick enough to obscure D. Va's body, and she got in the bath across from her. [D. Va] "Feels nice, doesn't it?" [Juno, relaxing] "It does feel pleasant. I am sorry for my earlier hesitation." [D. Va] "Not a problem. Some people just need to get used to other cultures first." [Juno] "I can relate." Juno closed her eyes to appreciate the bath, and when she opened a minute later, D. Va was right next to her with the shampoo. [D. Va] "You know how there's that one spot on your back that you can't reach? You mind getting it for me?" [Juno, flustered] "You want me . . . to wash your back?" [D. Va] "Don't worry; I won't tell anyone." Juno worked up the courage to squirt some shampoo onto a hand, and began scrubbing D. Va's back. [D. Va] "Thank you, Juno." [Juno, blushing] "You are welcome."
Scene 3
{London, dusk} Emily was walking back to her home after a quick flight, carrying a box of food for her wife. Take a left, a right, and another left, and she found the flat she was looking for. She didn't see the motorcycle in the driveway, so it looked like her wife was out. But at this time of night? She brushed it off and walked up to the door, unlocking it. {In the closet} Tracer hadn't been able to think about what Oxton might have been doing while she was tied up in the closet. The pain from the burns had never subsided, but her body had numbed a bit to cope. She thought she had failed, and now she was paying the price. But then she heard the front door open, and thought it was Oxton, so she started kicking at the door. It took a few minutes until she heard it unlock, and she braced for the attack that she thought was coming. But instead, she was met with a voice. [Emily, confused] "What are you doing in there . . ?" She trailed off as she saw the burns on Tracer's body, and that she was tied to the clothes bar so that she couldn't get out. [Emily, horrified] "Lena, what in the bloody hell happened?" [Tracer, exhausted] "Water . . . please." Emily immediately ran and filled a bottle, and brought it to Tracer's lips so she could drink. [Emily, concerned] "What happened?" [Tracer, relieved] "Remember the Oxton incident? Where an evil version of me took my place? She's done it again, since last month." Emily heard how long it was going on, and her eyes slowly widened as she recalled all the memories with Oxton. [Emily, horrified] "Since last month?" Tracer nodded, and Emily suddenly felt very self conscious. [Emily, horrified] "You- she, whoever she is . . . she used your identity to-" [Tracer] "I know. She told me every time." [Emily, upset] "If you want to end things because she charmed me-" [Tracer] "Em, you had no way of knowing. She even hypnotized you so you would go along with it." Emily slowly pulled Tracer into a hug, which hurt a bit for Tracer. [Emily, tearing up] "I'm so, so so so sorry for not suspecting anything." [Tracer] "You did, many times. She just hypnotized you every time so . . . no matter what, nothing will change between us. I promise you that." Emily nodded and activated the laser module in her prosthetic hand, and began to cut Tracer free. But then they heard a vehicle outside. [Tracer] "It's her! Give the module to me and I'll cut myself out. You stall her." [Emily] "Got it." Emily disconnected the laser module from her prosthetic and gave it to Tracer, and shut the closet. And now, to stall Oxton.
Chapter 5
Scene 1
{Busan, past midnight} Juno was drying off after the bath, feeling hotter than what she would've expected. Maybe it was lingering heat from the water; she wasn't sure. But she felt good from it. [D. Va] "All good, Juno?" [Juno] "I am alright." Juno got dressed and met D. Va outside the bath house, who was searching the streets for food. [D. Va] "You hungry?" [Juno] "I am." [D. Va] "Then how about I treat you to some korean-style cuisine?" [Juno, excited] "I'd like to try the local food!" [D. Va] "There's another contraction you used." [Juno] "Oh. It appears I did use another one." D. Va led Juno into a fast food establishment and got a menu for her. [Juno] "There are a lot of options to pick from!" [D. Va] "You ever had pizza?" [Juno] "I have not!" [D. Va] "2 ham slices and a vanilla shake." [Juno] "I will take a water." [Worker] "19 credits." [D. Va] "Guess you don't play favorites with superstars, don't you?" [Worker] "No." D. Va fished a few credits out and handed them to the worker, and she and Juno found a table. [Juno] "I am learning many new things today." [D. Va] "Glad you get to see South Korea?" [Juno] "I am. But I have a question: why is there a north and south Korea?" [D. Va] "Put simply: politics. The north ran out of money when Japan went bankrupt, and they isolated themselves from the world. There's rumors that they're willing to open back up, but those rumors have been around since before I was born." The worker then brought the pizza slices to them, and set the drinks down before leaving. [Juno] "I have never consumed pizza before." [D. Va] "No time like the present." Juno picked up the slice and looked at it, and then took a bite. [Juno] "Hot! The pizza is burning my tongue!" Juno immediately gulped down some of her water. [D. Va] "You gotta let it cool first. Yeah, I should've told you before you took a bite." D. Va put a pair of straws in the shake and scooted closer to Juno. [Juno] "What is this?" [D. Va] "A milkshake. You ever had one before?" [Juno] "I have not." [D. Va] "In Korea, it's common for people to share shakes. Come on." D. Va took a sip out of the shake, and Juno did the same. And the taste was awesome as Juno pulled out, and cast a look towards D. Va. She felt really happy to be with her, and her heart fluttered at the thought of spending more time with her. It reminded Juno of being with Lúcio. And that shocked her back to reality, and she found herself attracted to D. Va when she was already with Lúcio! Her mind raced, and she put an end to the train of thought by dumping the water on her face. [D. Va, shocked] "Juno, what are you-!" [Juno, hysterical] "I am sorry! I am experiencing an unwanted emotional-" She didn't finish and ran out of the establishment. [D. Va, confused] "What the fuck?"
Scene 2
{Tracer & Emily's flat} Emily was waiting in the bedroom for Oxton so she could confront her, but she didn't seem to be coming. She only pulled up a few minutes ago; what was taking her so long? But eventually, Oxton entered the bedroom. She knew Oxton was not her wife, but she had to act like she was. [Emily] "Looks like your cold's gotten better, love." [Oxton] "I'm a fighter. It was only there for a few hours before I was feeling right as rain." [Emily] "I brought you some food." Emily handed the box of food to Oxton, and Emily waited for Tracer to confront her. But it was taking longer than it should've to cut the ropes. [Oxton] "Ohh, you brought back chicken wings?!" [Emily] "Sure did, love. I'm going to take a shower so-" [Oxton] "That can wait, can't it? Come on, Em." Emily knew what angle Oxton was playing at, and she wasn't about to be seduced by someone who looked like her wife. But it was taking an awfully long time for Tracer to cut the ropes, and Emily needed to stall as much as she could. [Emily, nervous] "You sure? You just had a cold." [Oxton] "I bounce back quickly." Oxton got on the bed and started stripping down, but Emily hesitated before eventually sitting next to her. She glanced down the hallway towards the closet, and she knew she couldn't see Tracer's progress. She just needed to trust she could get out. And to keep stalling, she let Oxton pull some of the clothes off of her. [Oxton] "You seem tense, love. Everything alright?" [Emily, nervous] "I'm a little worried. About us." [Oxton] "We've come so far together. We defeated Doomfist together, saved Overwatch a few times, and that was all to help us grow. Our bond is unbreakable, even if it changed a bit."Emily was doing her best to stall Oxton so Tracer could get out, but it was taking seemingly too long. She had no clue when Tracer would free herself, but she had to keep stalling. Oxton finished pulling the rest of the clothes off of Emily, and she got them both under the covers. [Oxton] "You seem like you don't want this." [Emily, nervous] "I do. I'm just . . . Snowball drew some disturbing things today." It was all she had to stall. [Oxton] "Like?" [Emily] "Wounded people." [Oxton] "Mei's a great person. She'll have Snowball feeling better by tomorrow." She felt Oxton reach down there and pull her close, and she saw a syringe on the ground. A sedative. She realized that Tracer wouldn't be coming out of the closet.
Scene 3
{Busan hotel} D. Va had tracked down Juno after she ran out of the fast food restaurant, and checked themselves into a hotel for the night. D. Va had already gone up to the room, but Juno stayed back to make a call. [Kiriko] "I'm not buying whatever you're selling." [Juno, nervous] "It is Juno." [Kiriko] ". . . Sorry. Thought you were a telemarketer. I was about to turn in for the night, but if you're calling now, then it must be important." [Juno, nervous] "It is. I am conflicted." [Kiriko] "Conflicted? About . . ?" [Juno, nervous] "Love. I have fallen in love." [Kiriko] "Yeah, I know. With Lúcio." [Juno, nervous] "And yet I fell in love a second time." [Kiriko] "Really?" Juno nodded, but realized that Kiriko couldn't see through the call. [Juno, nervous] "I did." Kiriko thought about what to say for a while before responding. [Kiriko] "So who's the other pretty boy?" [Juno, nervous] "It was not a boy. It was Hana." [Kiriko] "Hana." Again, there was a pause as Kiriko processed what Juno said. [Kiriko, surprised] "Hold on . . . you're bisexual now?" [Juno, confused] "What does it mean to be bisexual?" [Kiriko] "You like boys and girls. But back to the topic. You fell in love with THE Hana Song, the international superstar?" [Juno] "I did." [Kiriko] "You must have a thing for celebrities. Lúcio is a world champion in sports, and Hana is the literal definition of a superstar, according to the world." [Juno] "What do I do about the situation?" [Kiriko] "Well, why do you like Hana and Lúcio? What makes them attractive?" [Juno] "Well, Lúcio is humble, kind, patient, and he helps me with things I did not think I would experience. But Hana is more assertive, carefree, and encourages me to try more things. They are 2 different people, and yet I fell in love with both of them. It is a paradox." [Kiriko] "Love triangles happen all the time. Shakespeare wrote a story where Hermia and Lysander were in love with each other, Demetrius was in love with Hermia, and Helena was in love with Demetrius. It worked out in the end." [Juno] "But how does that apply to what I am going through?" [Kiriko] "It took a conflict for Demetrius to realize that Hermia didn't love him, and he - along with some fairy magic - decided to be with Helena. What I'm saying is that you'll have to figure things out with Hana and Lúcio. Figuring it out on your own won't work as opposed to talking to both of them." [Juno] "How would I talk to them about being in love with both of them?" [Kiriko] "Just say what you want to say. Speak from your heart." [Juno] "Alright. I will do that." Juno then hung up the call and headed up to the room that was booked for her and D. Va, and opened the door to find her getting in bed. And her heart quickened when she saw that there was only one bed, and no couch to rest on. [D. Va] "Another norm in Korea. If you want, I can take the floor-" [Juno, nervous] "That will not be necessary." D. Va pulled the covers off so that Juno could get in next to her, and the room suddenly seemed a lot smaller and warmer as she lay down next to D. Va.
Scene 4
{Tracer & Emily's Flat} [Emily, quietly] "Take off your accelerator." She had a plan to stop Oxton after she realized that Tracer was put to sleep by her imposter. She knew she couldn't take someone much faster than her, so she was trying to convince Oxton to give it up. After all, she didn't know that she knew the truth. [Emily, pleading] "Please. I want to appreciate who you are without that hunk of metal." Oxton seemed suspicious and just about reached for her pocket watch, but she remembered that this is because of her hypnosis, and let her guard down. [Oxton] "Whatever you say, love." Oxton let Emily remove the accelerator, and it was quickly discarded by tossing it aside. Oxton smiled and leaned in to kiss Emily, and that's when she finally made a move, throwing her out of the bed and pinning her to the wall with her prosthetic. [Emily, enraged] "What the bloody hell have you done while posing as my wife!?" [Oxton, choking] "I don't know what-" Emily switched to pinning Oxton with her arm so she wasn't cutting off the air flow. [Emily, enraged] "You brainwashed me day after day to keep me from suspecting you!" Oxton realized that Emily knew, and stopped trying to hide it. [Oxton, smirking] "You fought back a couple times. I'll just-" [Emily, angry] "Not without your accelerator, you're not." Oxton's smile almost instantly disappeared when she realized she let Emily get rid of her accelerator, so she held her hands up. [Oxton] "Fine. Call whoever you want to call for this situation." Emily turned her head for only a second to grab the phone, and that's when Oxton made her move and tackled Emily to the ground. [Emily, mad] "Don't make me kill you!" [Oxton] "You already would've if you could." Emily managed to throw Oxton through a shelving unit, and she began phasing in and out. Worried, Emily dragged her back closer to the bedroom where her accelerator was, and she stabilized. [Oxton, panting] "You . . . saved me?" [Emily] "I'm no killer. Even if you deserve to die." Emily cuffed herself to Oxton and pulled her up, but that's when Oxton wrapped the chain of the cuffs around Emily's neck, choking her as she made her way towards her accelerator. Emily refused to let it happen, so she unlocked the cuff to free herself and threw Oxton into a wall. Emily walked around the bed to get to Oxton, and to her horror, she realized she threw Oxton towards her accelerator. Emily immediately tried to defend herself, but Oxton blinked and restrained her while pulling out the pocket watch. [Oxton] "Look at it-" Emily didn't let Oxton continue, as she crushed the watch with her prosthetic. Frustrated, Oxton punched Emily in the face, sending her tumbling to the ground. [Emily, exhausted] "You can't win. You just won't." [Oxton] "Tell that to the author." Oxton then knocked Emily out and dragged her to the closet, opening it to put her inside alongside an unconscious Tracer. This was going to be one hell of a reunion.
Chapter 6
Scene 1
{Over the Yellow Sea, morning} Juno was riding D. Va's mecha as the latter was piloting it back to Gibraltar after the night in Busan, and she hadn't been able to talk to D. Va about the previous day. The tension in the air was heavy, and it only got heavier with the silence. [D. Va] "Juno, we gonna talk about something to pass the time or not? We've got a few hours before we make it back." [Juno, nervous] "I apologize for the silence." [D. Va] "Being quiet isn't a problem. It's just going to get awkward if someone doesn't-" [Juno, nervous] "I have fallen in love with you." And now the awkwardness was worse with the confession, and D. Va had to process what Juno had said. And she eventually decided to put Tokki on autopilot and climbed out to sit next to Juno. [D. Va] "Say that again?" [Juno, apprehensive] "I have fallen in love with you." [D. Va] "Aren't you already in a relationship with Lúcio?" [Juno, apprehensive] "I am. And yet I began to find you attractive as well, and I am not talking about the gravitational kind of attraction." [D. Va] "I get that a lot from fanboys. But you've told me that you don't follow world gaming." [Juno] "I do not." [D. Va] "So it's not just admiration?" Juno shook her head to the question. [D. Va] "Then what qualities do you see in me?" [Juno] "You are willing to assert yourself when the situation calls for it, and you are willing to show others the ropes, as they say." [D. Va] "And how does that compare me to Lúcio?" [Juno] "He is also kind, but he is not as assertive as you." [D. Va] "Yeah, Lúcio's a chill guy who plays by the rules to help others. But I'm the kind of gal who puts herself out there and sticks up for what's right. And you're capable of doing the same thing." That brought a small smile to Juno's face, and she felt a little dreamy. But then she caught herself and turned away. [Juno, flustered] "You complimented me when you knew I was distressed like this!" [D. Va] "I didn't mean to! You know- you know what? I'm going to call someone for you to talk to." D. Va pulled out her phone and tried to place a call, but it wouldn't go through. [D. Va] "Aw, I thought I paid extra for international calling privileges. Guess it'll have to wait until we get back to Gibraltar." D. Va climbed back into the cockpit of Tokki and took it off of autopilot, and Juno's gaze lingered on her form. And again, she caught herself and looked away, but not without wondering what this would mean for the future.
Scene 2
{Tracer & Emily's Flat, morning} Oxton was watching the news on her serial killings, chuckling as the officers kept running in circles to track down whoever's behind the murders. [News Anchor] "Victim number 22 was discovered in Saint Paul's Cathedral. His name was Francisco Martiniz. A memorial will be held tomorrow to-" Oxton got bored and shut the tv off, and headed to the closet to check on Tracer and Emily. They were still unconscious from yesterday's events, so she shook them awake. [Emily, groggy] "Wha . . . Lena?" [Tracer] "You." [Oxton] "Me. I believe I've already met Emily, on the day of me crippling Angela." [Emily] "Turns out you led me down a path to saving your life, along with the rest of the world." [Oxton] "Had to get rid of you somehow before you discovered me the first time. Then I was able to get settled in. But now . . ." Oxton handed the pair a newspaper depicting the serial killings, and Emily realized what Oxton was up to during every night she couldn't remember. And Oxton pulled out the watch on a chain that Emily broke during their struggle. [Oxton] "Looted it off Maximilien from my universe. He knew how to hypnotize others that didn't want to cooperate." [Tracer] "And now you can't because it's broken." Oxton started swinging the watch back and forth, and Tracer and Emily initially paid it no attention. But as it kept swinging, they slowly became fixated on it until they were under Oxton's thumb. [Oxton] "Tracer, how did you escape from Chronoguard?" [Tracer, hypnotized] "Someone else helped me." [Oxton] "Who?" Tracer slightly shrugged as she didn't know. [Oxton] "Alright. Emily, any events happening today with Overwatch?" [Emily, hypnotized] "We are celebrating Jiayi Teo's birthday party with a lot of guests." [Oxton, to self] "That'll work." Oxton removed Emily's prosthetic and attached the chain to the top of the doorframe to keep it swinging, and she pulled a cup and jug of antifreeze out. [Oxton] "Tracer, you're no longer valuable to me." Oxton filled the cup with the liquid, and poured it into Tracer's mouth. "Now swallow." Tracer did what she was told under the spell, and it went down her throat. [Oxton] "Very good. Now, when I snap my fingers . . ." Oxton thought about what to tell them, and decided to have them suffer just a little longer. "When I snap my fingers, you'll remember what I did while you were under this trance." Oxton snapped her fingers and took the watch back, and Tracer and Emily's faces filled with fear. [Oxton] "I'll be back to collect the body." Oxton tossed Emily's hand to the side, then left the home and locked the door, leaving Tracer and Emily to their presumed fate.
Scene 3
{Watchpoint: Gibraltar, mid-morning} D. Va's mecha was making its approach to the watchpoint, and once they had landed, Juno jumped off while D. Va climbed out. [D. Va] "Not too bad of a journey, wouldn't you agree?" D. Va turned to find Juno, but she had already ran into the base. And as Juno ran through the watchpoint, she searched for someone who could help her process the mix of emotions she had been feeling all day. It took a while before she found who she was looking for, and was relieved. [Jiayi] "Did you enjoy your girls' trip?" [Juno, apprehensive] "Mostly. There was an unexpected conflict." [Jiayi] "Alright. What happened?" [Juno, nervous] "I am sure you're aware of my relationship with Lúcio." [Jiayi] "Did he dump you?" [Juno, nervous] "What does- no he did not. It is more complicated than that. I am not sure you may understand." [Jiayi] "Try me." [Juno] "Alright. I fell in love a second time during the girls' trip." [Jiayi] "Alright. So who's the second love interest?" [Juno, nervous] "Hana Song." [Jiayi] "Hana? From the M.E.K.A. Squad?" [Juno] "Yes. It happened spontaneously and without any idea that it could happen." [Jiayi] "Did you tell anyone else?" [Juno] "I talked to her and Ms. Kiriko." [Jiayi] "And what advice did they give you?" [Juno] "Kiriko told me to be honest with both of them." [Jiayi] "Then what are you waiting for? They're both here." [Juno] "I wished to consult you first." [Jiayi] "And you've talked to me. But I think you're forgetting something." Juno looked confused, then she remembered the date. [Juno, excited] "Happy birthday, mother!" Jiayi pulled Juno into a quick hug before sending her off, and she began searching for Lúcio. But she didn't get very far when she was pulled aside into the kitchen. [Mercy] "Juno, a quick question. Does your mom have a preference for what icing to use on her cake?" [Juno] "None that I am aware of." [Mercy] "Looks like I'll just use whatever we have." Oxton then entered the kitchen as Juno left. [Oxton] "The guests are getting restless, Angela." [Mercy] "Baking a cake is no easy task. It's cooling right now." [Oxton] "And then the icing. What kind are you mixing?" [Mercy] "Chocolate. You're welcome to try some before I coat the cake with it." [Oxton] "Can't wait." [Mercy] "I heard you had a cold yesterday." [Oxton] "It wasn't a horrible one. But now Emily has it. Sorry she couldn't attend." [Mercy] "I'll save her a slice." Mercy turned to grab some extra ingredients, and Oxton put a few drops of something into the icing that was being mixed. [Oxton] "I'll placate the guests as much as I can. But I can only tell so many stories before they start demanding cake." [Mercy, chuckling] "Patience, Lena." [Oxton] "Sounds like you've got your patience back after what happened. And your skills?" [Mercy] "I've only got a few things left to learn, then I'll be a complete doctor again. My hands still shake, but I won't let that stop me from helping others." [Oxton] "Glad to hear it. Welcome back, doctor." Oxton then left the kitchen and threw an empty bottle into a trash can, then entered the party room. She couldn't wait for the effects of her little 'addition' to the cake.
Scene 4
{Tracer & Emily's flat} [Tracer, saddened] "Emily, I'm sorry for getting us in this position. I should've been more careful and kept my guard up." [Emily] "Lena, this isn't your fault. There was absolutely no way of knowing that she'd be back. [Tracer, saddened] "I know. But I was being an idiot with keeping things from falling back into her control. I wrote the only password I use in a sticky note that I kept on my person." [Emily] ". . . yeah, definitely not your brightest idea. Are the burns healing?" [Tracer] "I'm not sure. My whole body's numb." [Emily] "We're getting out of here, Lena." [Tracer, saddened] "That seems hard to believe. We both know she put the antifreeze in me. It's only a matter of time before-" The doorknob to the closet started jiggling, and it opened as Emily's prosthetic fell outside it. [Tracer, confused] "Em? Did your bot hand just open the door from the outside?" [Emily] "I was going to surprise you with the remote communication upgrade. Sorry to spoil it." Emily's hand crawled up the ropes binding them and burned them with a red laser, cutting them free. [Tracer, ecstatic] "Em, you're one hell of a planner!" They shared a kiss as Emily pulled themselves off the ground and ran for the exit. But Tracer stayed back, and when Emily looked, she saw Tracer's hand fading in and out. [Tracer] "She hid my accelerator somewhere. Can't leave the flat without it." [Emily] "Then let's find it." They began opening every cabinet in the home for Tracer's accelerator, pulling out assorted items in search of the blue glow that would give it away. And after a minute, they couldn't find it. [Emily] "She hid it well." [Tracer] "I know." Emily stopped when she saw a data drive on a bedside table. [Emily] "Lena, what's this?" [Tracer] "Data mined information to stop Chronoguard. It's who Oxton's working for." [Emily] "And she didn't look at what's on it?" [Tracer] "I told her it had raunchy stuff. But it definitely doesn't." Emily hid the drive in a cabinet and kept looking for the accelerator, and stopped when she saw the carpet was moved. And they pulled it up to reveal a set of loose floorboards. [Tracer] "Bingo!" Tracer tried to get the boards open, but her right hand - which was burned repeatedly - had trouble getting the right grip. So Emily pulled it open, and Tracer's accelerator sat there plain as day. Emily pulled it out and helped Tracer put it on, and she did a few blinks to test it out. [Emily] "Now we're getting you to a hospital-" [Tracer] "That can wait. You heard what she asked for; she's planning something at the birthday party! If we don't get there, then who knows what could happen?" [Emily] "You also have antifreeze in your body!" [Tracer] "Then give me a blood transfusion. You're universal." Emily looked Tracer in the eyes for a while before conceding. [Emily] "It'll buy you some time before you really need a hospital. We need to get there quickly."
Chapter 7
Scene 1
{Watchpoint: Gibraltar, later} Everyone was throwing a party for Jiayi as the food was being served, with Moira bringing out most of the dishes as the guests were chatting. [Khiem] "We've been through a lot this year, and it's only February. Let's focus on the good stuff today, shall we?" [Soldier: 76] "First birthday of the red promise crew since leaving Earth. That's quite a feat." [Harry] "I had my birthday in transit to Earth." [Jiayi] "Yep. I'll be sure to mention you." The crowd kept talking as Juno pulled Lúcio and D. Va aside to talk in a private area. [Lúcio] "What'd you want to talk about?" [Juno, nervous] "I . . . I am . . . why is this more difficult than I originally thought?" [D. Va] "Do you need a minute or do you want me to tell him?" [Lúcio, confused] "Me? Juno, is something wrong?" [Juno, nervous] "There was an unexpected development with . . ." Again, Juno couldn't find the words to her response. [D. Va] "You want me to tell him?" [Lúcio] "Tell me what?" [Juno, nervous] "I have . . . been caught up in a . . . love triangle. Involving you and . . . Hana." An awkward silence followed for a while as Lúcio thought of what to say. [Lúcio] "So you love both of us?" [Juno, nervous] "I do. I did not intend to find love a second time." [D. Va] "Hey, at least you fell in love with another good person." [Juno] "That's a good thing. But I am still unsure what to do with the situation." [D. Va] "Just pick one to be with." [Juno, confused] "Are you suggesting that I stick with one person, and not interact with the other?" [Lúcio] "You can still be friends with the other person." [Juno] "Alright . . . I am thinking . . ." [Hanzo] "This food is a disgrace!" And that earned him a whack from Asa, which made Kiriko laugh a bit. [Kiriko] "Nice of you to make it, mom." [Asa] "It's only for today. Then I'm going back to Japan." [Hanzo] "Make her apologize for using the scabbard of her sword to attack me." [Kiriko] "Nope. You deserved that one." Jiayi held up a glass and started clinking it with a spoon, silencing the crowd. [Jiayi] 'Thank you everyone for coming here today. I didn't think my birthday would be turned into such an event, but here we are. Years ago, Project Red Promise was sent to Mars to expand the reach of humanity. Today, we're honoring that step." Everyone clapped as Khiem dragged Juno into the crowd, and let her speak. [Juno] "Greetings, everyone. My name is Juno Teo Minh, and Jiayi Teo is my mother. I am very excited to be here on this day. Months ago, I was sent to bring my family home. And today, well, I think we know how that went." Everyone chuckled as Mercy brought out the cake, and everyone sang the song. [Other Tracer] "I hope the author doesn't get sued for this." [Everyone] "Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to Jiayi." [Mei, finishing] "Happy birthday to you!" And Jiayi blew out the candles as everyone cheered, and Oxton went up to Mercy. [Oxton] "Quite the celebration, isn't it?" [Mercy] "You can say that." [Jiayi] "Who's ready for presents?" More cheering as Oxton held out a hand to Mercy, and it made her uneasy a bit. [Oxton] "This is a day of celebration. Besides, I'm sure Chronoguard has the evil Tracer behind 4 layers of bars. She's gone." Oxton waited, and for the first time in a long while, Mercy held who she thought was Tracer's hand. [Oxton] "Who's having their gift opened first?" [Jiayi] "Juno's." Juno brought her present to Jiayi, and she got ready to unwrap it. But then the doors were barged open. [Tracer] "Oxton! You're done."
Scene 2
Everyone was confused when they saw Tracer at the doorway, and they did a double-take to confirm that 2 Tracers were already with them. [Genji, drawing sword] "I know two Tracers sounds weird, but there definitely shouldn't be three here." The realization that there were once again 3 Tracers struck Mercy hard, and she quickly pulled out of the hand hold with Oxton as she began hyperventilating. Luckily Moira came in to help her calm down. [Oxton, playing along] "I don't know what's going on here, but-" [Tracer] "You know bloody well what's going on here. You stole my-" She stopped and ducked behind the doorframe for a trash can, so Emily took over. [Emily] "You stole Lena's identity last month and used it to orchestrate chaos. The death of Freja Skov? That was you." [Soldier: 76] "Actually, I was responsible for that-" [Tracer, rejoining] "She hypnotized my wife! How do you know you're not hypnotized?" Juno, from her angle, saw why Tracer needed the trash can, and immediately started worrying. [Juno, worried] "Are you unwell?" [Tracer] "Ask that bitch. She poisoned me!" [Oxton, deflecting] "I have no idea what you're talking about-" [Emily] "You know exactly what we're talking about! Putting her in a trance to put antifreeze in her, just like the Lijiang Hospital fiasco that happened?" People were starting to become suspicious of Oxton, but she had a way to maintain control of the situation. [Oxton] "How do I know you're not just accusing me so you can take Overwatch for yourself?" [Pharah] "She has a point. She rescued me and my girlfriend." [Emily] "Only because she knew she was being watched?" [Oxton] "This is getting tedious. Are we just going to argue back and forth until someone slips up?" [Other Tracer] "No. I've got it! What color were the tablecloths at Lena and Emily's wedding? Only the true Tracer would know it-" [Oxton and Tracer] "Blue!" [Other Tracer] "Damn it." [Mercy] "What was discussed during the therapy session after the initial King's Row attack between me and Lena?" [Oxton] "Well, I was upset that I didn't get to help out as one should've, and asked for tips to prove myself." Oxton was smiling once she finished, but it faded when she saw Tracer smiling at her. [Tracer] "Wrong. I talked to her about the slipstream failure." Oxton was about to counter, but the Other Tracer quickly cut a big patch of hair out of Oxton's head. [Other Tracer] "If there's going to be a fight, I want to tell the two apart." Everyone pulled out their weapons and aimed at Oxton, but she pulled out one of Tracer's pulse bombs. [Oxton, mad] "I'll kill everyone here if I have to!" [Soldier: 76] "Don't try anything you'll regret." [Oxton] "I don't have regrets." Oxton hit a button on her communicator, and portals began opening as soldiers rushed out with weapons. [Oxton] "Kill whoever you can! Tracer's mine."
Scene 3
The whole room opened fire as Oxton charged into Tracer, and they blinked down the hallways while Oxton opened fire with Tracer's pulse pistols. Tracer had to improvise by grabbing a spare pistol and firing back at Oxton. [Tracer, angry] "You're not getting away with what you did!" Oxton held up the finger and blinked behind a corner, and Tracer chased after to keep fighting. And in another room they came face to face again, weapons raised. [Oxton] "While we're at it, why don't you tell me where the Vanadium is?" [Tracer] "I'm not-" She stopped as the effects of what Oxton did started to take hold, and her vision and hearing blurred a bit. When the clarity came back, she was on the ground, disarmed. [Oxton] "Tell me where you hid the Vanadium, and I'll take the antifreeze out. Simple as that." [Tracer, nauseous] "I'd rather die." [Oxton] "In an hour, that'll actually happen." Tracer fired a few more rounds at Oxton, and she let the bullets hit before recalling to undo the damage. [Oxton] "We have the same abilities. Even if you hurt me, you won't actually hurt me in a way that matters." Oxton fired back with the pulse pistols, and Tracer blinked to hide behind a table. Then Oxton slid the pulse bomb next to Tracer, and it blew up in her face. She then recalled to undo the explosion, and Oxton landed a few shots to the legs. [Oxton] "The Vanadium, and I'll spare you." [Tracer, in pain] "Never." Oxton sneered and dragged Tracer through the halls, where it was chaos as Chronoguard officers and Overwatch agents exchanged fire, both sides losing numbers. [Oxton] "This is your fault. If you had talked earlier, then there wouldn't be this much bloodshed." Oxton kept dragging Tracer along as someone ran up to her. [Camacho] "Oxton, we found a vault that hasn't been opened since the last time you were taking Tracer's place." [Oxton] "So that's where she hid the Vanadium." [Tracer, nauseous] "I won't let you get your hands on it." [Camacho] "You're outnumbered against us. We're getting our hands on the Vanadium, and then our plan will finally be complete." The 3 headed down a few levels in the base as the effects of the antifreeze were taking hold, and they reached a small vault. [Oxton] "Open vault A-1 13, code Mach T." [Athena] "Invalid security code." [Tracer, nauseous] "I didn't use that password for that one." [Camacho] "Not a problem." Officer Camacho pulled out a drill - the same one that Tracer saw her ally use when getting the data drive to her - and began breaking into the vault, ignoring the alarms that went off. [Oxton] "Admit it, Lena. You've lost. You're dying. You're all alone down here. No friends, no family surrounding you." [Tracer, nauseous] "At least I have people who'd miss me." The vault door then broke as the drill finished its work, and Camacho stepped inside. [Oxton] "Vanadium city, here we come!"
Scene 4
[Camacho, angry] "IT'S A FUCKING TEDDY BEAR!" Oxton was surprised when Camacho exited the vault holding a teddy bear, and Tracer was the one smiling now. [Oxton, pissed] "You hid a teddy bear IN A BLOODY VAULT!?" [Tracer, nauseous] "It was a good idea that actually paid off." Oxton was pissed, so she took Camacho's stungun and used it on Tracer, making her scream with pain. [Oxton, pissed] "I'm done playing these games! Where's the Vanadium!?" Oxton kept firing, and eventually Camacho pulled her back. [Camacho] "You're killing her." [Oxton] "Relax; I'm only lighting up her hand." Oxton powered it up again and prepared to fire, but she heard another weapon activating. [Mei] "Please stand down." Mei had somehow gotten to the vaults amid the chaos upstairs, and she - along with Snowball - was holding her ice blaster at the pair. [Camacho] "I suggest you put it down." Camacho then pulled out a handgun and opened fire, but Mei was just as quick, shooting a stream of ice that stopped the bullet while putting him in an ice block. [Mei] "Bad Tracer, I ask that you also-" [Oxton] "Nah." Oxton then fired the stungun at Mei, electrocuting her and dropping her to the ground. Tracer then tackled Oxton to stop her, but quickly lost balance as Oxton pushed back. And before Snowball could attack Oxton, she grabbed it and threw it like a baseball, sending it flying until it hit a panel, shocking it. [Camacho] "No fighting back." Mei tried to push herself off the ground, but her right arm didn't respond. [Mei, afraid] "I can't- I can't feel my arm!" [Oxton] "Hey, electricity does shut down whatever we used to fix the nerve!" Oxton kicked Mei in the face and pulled out the pulse pistols, pointing right at Tracer's head. "Any last words before you're finally out of my hair?" [Tracer, nauseous] "3." But Tracer had to throw up a bit, and Oxton was getting impatient. [Oxton, annoyed] "What three words?" [Tracer, nauseous] "Look behind you." But she didn't even need to look, as Mei used her left hand to fire an icicle at her, and it pierced the accelerator, sending her into a glitchy mess before stabilizing. She quickly felt the wound, and there was blood. [Oxton, in pain] "Looks like I'm taking you with me." Oxton almost fired a shot at Tracer, but a second icicle from Mei impacted her back. And she stood there for a second before falling limp on the ground. [Tracer, nauseous] "Thanks-" A little more vomit escaped Tracer, and Mei tried to drag her to get help, but she could only do so much with one arm. Luckily Snowball was there, and they helped Tracer to the medical bay as they heard Chronoguard pulling out.
Chapter 8
Scene 1
{Watchpoint: Gibraltar, medical; the next day} The steady beep of a monitor was the only thing that signaled Tracer was still breathing as Emily sat next to her, her face now devoid of the makeup that Oxton had gotten her to wear. After the attack, the medical room was flooded with patients, and only so much could be done. [Emily] "Mei, how are you feeling?" Mei lay on a bed next to Tracer, and she was flexing her arm as if to figure out why it went limp while Oxton attacked. [Mei, saddened] "I'm not sure. Moira ran a brain scan on me and saw that I had a few missing memories, but that doesn't explain why my arm died yesterday. It's not even a robot arm." [Emily] "We'll figure it out. Just like we always do." Emily then heard Tracer begin to move, and she got up to talk to her. [Emily] "How are you feeling, love?" [Tracer, weakly] "Did we-?" [Emily] "We fought them off. And Oxton's no longer around. Mei made sure of that." [Mei, saddened] "I didn't want to kill her, but . . . if I didn't, then she would've killed you." Tracer held up her right hand, and saw that it was in a cast. [Tracer] "3rd degree burns and electrocution. How long?" [Emily] "A while." Tracer then tried to get out of the bed, but Emily kept her there. [Emily] "You just had surgery." [Tracer] "To get antifreeze out?" [Emily] "Not just antifreeze. It killed one of your kidneys, and Oxton killed the other one herself. She wasn't using them anymore, so Winston did something with quantum mechanics so it would sync to your displaced timeline, and Angela transplanted them." [Mei] "And because you were the same biologically, they said you wouldn't reject them." [Tracer] "I can still move around." Emily tried to stop Tracer again, but she grabbed her accelerator and leaned against a wall to explore the medical bay. And she pulled open a curtain, and to her horror, she saw dozens on beds, most of them flatlining. [Tracer, upset] "How many?" [Emily] "Lena-" [Tracer, upset] "How many lost their lives because I poked my nose around?" [Mei] "It wasn't your fault-" [Tracer, upset] "How many!?" [Emily, reluctant] "Almost a hundred. Along with a couple hundred more being treated." Tracer kept walking through the bay and pulled open another curtain, and saw more beds with people grabbing cold hands as the bodies were being zipped up. [Kiriko, saddened] "They're gone. The Shimada are no more." And behind her, she saw several more bodies, one of them holding a bloodied gift that hadn't been opened. And at the bedside, Juno had her head buried in her arms as the bodies were being zipped up. They had pushed Chronoguard out, restored Tracer's identity, ended the threat that Oxton posed by existing, and kept the most dangerous things to exist out of enemy hands. They had technically won. But was the cost too great?