The Hunter | Overwatch

Echoes of the Titan

The Next Day, 5:30 A.M.

The chill in the early morning air clawed through Shaun’s uniform, leaving a deep ache in his bones. Around him, Overwatch engineers and soldiers scrambled in an organized frenzy, adjusting controls and calibrating settings on the Siege turret. The imposing metal structure, a tracked monstrosity with multi-barreled cannons, loomed over the crew like a sleeping giant, waiting to be roused.

Shaun watched the scene with frayed nerves. Last night’s nightmare lingered in his mind, the Titan’s approach replaying in flashes, punctuated by the terror-stricken faces and the roar of collapsing walls. His eyes darted between the engineers and the turret as if expecting the nightmare to spill into reality at any second.

“Oxton.” Chase’s voice snapped him back. She stood by his side, her gaze set on the Siege turret. “We’re almost ready. Torbjörn had some issues with the power core, but Dr. Liao helped patch things up. Should hold up...we hope.”

“Right. Good,” Shaun managed, his voice strained. He wanted to be anywhere but here, the fear pulsing beneath his skin like a second heartbeat. Yet, Chase’s calm focus drew him back, anchoring him.

---

The light of dawn was barely cresting over the city as they arrived at Spadina Park. Snow crunched beneath their boots, and a biting wind clawed through the trees, adding to the already charged atmosphere. Shaun could hear the distant, rhythmic thudding of the Titan, each tremor in the ground setting his nerves on edge.

“Positions,” Jack’s command echoed through their comms. The soldiers scattered, taking cover behind barricades and debris, their weapons trained on the open field where the Titan would soon emerge. Shaun huddled behind a fallen tree, his grip on his rifle so tight his fingers ached.

“Two minutes until target arrival,” Grayson called out from her position by the turret controls. “Stay sharp.”

Shaun’s heart raced as he strained to hear the sound of approaching footsteps over his own ragged breathing. His mind flashed back to his dream—machines tearing through his team, leaving nothing but rubble and blood. He pressed his back against the tree, trying to ground himself.

“Stay with me,” he whispered, more to himself than anyone else.

---

The Titan appeared on the horizon, a towering mass of armor and machinery, its massive legs crunching through snow and debris as it closed in on their position. Shaun’s blood ran cold at the sight. Even at this distance, he could see the guns mounted along its sides, their barrels gleaming in the morning light.

“Fire!” Jack’s command cut through the silence. Helix rockets and bullets pelted the Titan’s exterior, barely scratching the surface. Shaun lifted his rifle, aiming at a weak spot near the Titan’s shoulder joint, but his hands trembled, his vision blurring as panic clawed at him.

He barely registered the missile streaking toward him until Chase’s shout jolted him. “Shaun, move!”

He dove, snow spraying up around him as the missile exploded against a nearby boulder. Shrapnel rained down, and a cry of pain from Sergeant Mason snapped Shaun back to his senses. He wanted to move, to help, but his legs felt locked in place, rooted by the cold weight of fear.

“Thirty seconds to activation,” Grayson’s voice crackled in his ear, pulling him back to the present. Shaun forced himself to his feet, gripping his rifle as he fired at the Titan, each shot feeling futile against the massive warbot’s armor.

The Siege turret’s power core began to hum, a low, ominous sound that filled the air. Shaun’s fear flickered, momentarily giving way to a glimmer of hope as the turret charged, its barrels glowing with raw energy.

“Ten seconds!” Grayson called out.

Shaun’s heart pounded in time with the countdown, each second stretching into an eternity as he watched the Titan close in. He braced himself, waiting for the turret to fire.

“One.”

The turret erupted in a blaze of light, the recoil shaking the ground as it unleashed a barrage of energy rounds. Each shot slammed into the Titan with bone-rattling force, blasting away chunks of armor in a shower of sparks and metal. Shaun’s breath caught as the warbot staggered, its movements slowing under the relentless assault.

Cheers erupted around him, the soldiers shouting in victory as the Titan teetered, finally collapsing in a massive heap. Shaun wanted to join in, to feel that rush of relief, but his body felt numb, the memory of his nightmare still clinging to him.

---

“Evac now!” Jack’s voice cut through the cheers, a reminder that they weren’t out of danger yet. The ground shook with the force of the Titan’s fall, and Shaun scrambled to his feet, his legs unsteady as he stumbled after the others.

In the chaos, he spotted Chase lifting Sergeant Mason, who was barely able to walk, his face pale with pain. Shaun wanted to help, but the fear rooted him in place, a knot of shame tightening in his chest as he watched Chase shoulder the weight without hesitation.

He forced himself to move, barely making it into the evac vehicle as it began to ascend. As they rose, he looked back at the destroyed Titan, its hulking form sprawled in the snow below. The sight should have filled him with pride, a sense of accomplishment, but all he felt was the hollow ache of his own fractured courage.

Chase caught his eye, giving him a reassuring nod. He managed a weak smile, but he couldn’t meet her gaze for long, the shame of his fear pressing down on him. They had won, but Shaun couldn’t shake the feeling that the real battle was still raging inside him.

---

Back to the Present Day

The room was still, tension mounting as Shaun wrestled with his thoughts, searching for words. Across from him, Chase hadn’t moved, her stance unwavering as she waited. Shaun’s pulse thrummed in his throat, his mind pulled between the battlefield and the interrogation room.

“There were… too many of them,” he began, voice barely above a whisper. “I thought… I thought I could handle it.”

The admission tasted bitter, and he looked down, avoiding her gaze. The memory surged forward: the relentless weight of fear, the towering form of the Titan, and the helplessness that had spiraled beyond control. The Titan hadn’t been supposed to be there—its massive, armored figure had loomed above, casting an endless shadow. He’d felt the ground tremble beneath him, its colossal arm slicing through the air. In the moment it had locked its gaze on him, he’d known no amount of training could prepare him for such power.

Chase’s eyes narrowed, a hint of understanding breaking through her hardened expression. “But you didn’t handle it, Oxton. We need you focused—there’s no room for hesitation when lives are at stake.”

Her words hit like a slap. He fought to keep his face blank as every failure, every slip replayed in his mind. Did he have it in him to be what they needed, when his nightmares and doubts loomed at every turn? Finally, he looked up, meeting her gaze with raw honesty he rarely allowed himself. “I don’t know if I can keep doing this,” he confessed, his voice barely masked. “It’s like… I’m always one step from losing control.”

The silence between them was thick, and for a moment, Chase’s sternness softened. Her gaze held something deeper than command—a flicker of understanding that bridged the chasm of his shame and her expectations.

“You don’t control something like that, Oxton. It’s not about power—it’s survival.” She leaned forward, her voice softening. “But that’s why we need you at your best. Control doesn’t mean you never slip. It’s about finding the courage to keep holding on when you do.”

Shaun’s knuckles turned white as he gripped the table’s edge, her words digging into his fears. “Every time I close my eyes, I see it… feel it,” he whispered. “I don’t know if I’ll be fast enough next time.”

Chase uncrossed her arms, her voice taking on a resolute edge. “You faced down a Titan, Oxton. Control isn’t about overcoming everything thrown at you—it’s about finding the strength to face it again.”

The weight of her words settled over him, grounding him. The Titan wouldn’t be his last challenge, but maybe now, he had something more to hold onto when he faced it again.