(Scrapped) Overwatch: Playing With The Enemy

Chapter Three: Failure

Berlin, Germany

August 6th 2081

5:01 AM

Tracer's eye slowly drifted open. Her head pounded as she raised a hand to the side of it and felt it wet and sticky. She tried to get her eyes to focus bring that same hand down in front of her face. Slowly she saw crimson painted on her palm. Blood. Quite a lot of it. She was lucky to be alive. Reaper had hit her hard, he was enraged. Something must have happened on the roof with Mercy. "MERCY!!" she exclaimed aloud and staggered to her feet only to fall back down again. "No time to eat dirty, get up. W-Winston?" She called. "Here, we have people en route, stay put. Mercy is stable and healing according to Athena." Winston replied as calmly as he could not to worry Tracer. Before she could even reply to him an Overwatch shuttle appeared above her. Looking up at it made the world spin around her and black out again.

Overwatch Alpha, Gibraltar

August 6th 2081

2:17 PM

"Heavydamage to the lower abdomen, internal haemorrhaging, fractures and breaks alongthe pelvis, hip, base of the spine. Recovery with close proximity to staff, 3to 4 weeks." Said Athena as Angela lay unconscious on a bed in the infirmary.Winston stood looking over her and then scanned across to the other side of theroom where Lena was sitting up having a bandage wrapped around her head as wellas a IV line inserted into her arm filled with blood. "Thanks for coming backfrom the dead to help us out of there 'ld timer." She said with a playfulsmile. Jack Morrison, Soldier:76, had been the one to answer the call and gograb them from Germany. He was an old war dog, founding member of Overwatch andCommander of Blackwatch, the hush hush arm of Overwatch. He never liked beingcalled old timer or old man, even if he was. But with Lena, he just couldn'tget mad about it, especially after what had gone down before picking them up."It's a good thing you're hard headed kid. Most people would have slit like amelon." He replied with a half smile. It wasn't a time for games and jokingaround didn't belong here but he had to keep it little so that Lena's highspirit wouldn't fade away, he'd hate for her to turn out like him. The cynicalgrouch, a tired old war hand that couldn't let it go. He always felt betteraround Lena, looked out for her more than anyone else. Got teased for it a lot,'Dad:76' was a common nickname. It irritated him, but only slightly, the kidhad been through enough. Parents killed in a car accident when she was a girl,first responder turned adoptive father contracting cancer before she wastwenty, failed test flight making her a ghost and only anchored here by a bigbulky machine on her chest. His heart went out to her and in turn lifted hiswith her happy go lucky cavalier attitude. If she had no family left he'd makeOverwatch her family, always there to jump when she needed. "So, how are youreally feeling kid?" He asked breaking his own reminiscence. Lena looked at himwith a smile, and then let it flatten out and sighed heavily and that madeJacks face whence a bit, this was going to be a hard one. "We got there and wewere right, Widowmaker was making a break for it. At least forty Talon troopsafter her, four teams, ten per team. They had her pinned and we surveyed. Theywere organised, had a commander with them, Reaper." She paused for a moment andJack thought it was an odd quirk that when debriefing she was clear and usedfull words, no slang other than the twang of her accent. Another thoughtcrossed Jacks mind too, 'shit, Reaper', only going to get worse from here."Reaper noticed us and teleported up to our hiding spot. Told me to go saveWidowmaker if I could because he didn't care either way now that Mercy wasthere. He had business with her and I should leave. Mercy gave me a nod tellingme to go so I did. Don't know what their conversation was so you'd have to askher. Or him I guess. When I got to the ground I moved over to Widowmaker and weboth pointed guns at each other. But she lowered hers, before I did." "Before?"Winston asked interrupting. "Yea, before. I found it odd but lowered mine too.And then I think I screwed up." She went silent for a moment waiting to be toldoff. "How do you think you screwed up?" Jack asked placing a hand on hershoulder to offer reassurance. Lena took a deep breath again. "I asked her thesame thing I always do. 'what are you looking at?' and, well, she laughed. Notfull histerics or anything but laughed. And it wasn't malicious, it was softand a bit playful. She said 'An annoyance'... cherry? Cheree? Cher.. somethingFrench." She told them wrinkling her face trying to pronounce the word."Chérie?" Winston asked and both Lena and Jack looked at him blankly. "Whatbecause I'm a gorilla I can build a device that locks someone in the right timeframe but not know some French? It means sweetheart." He pointed out with ahuff. Jack and Lena looked back at one another for a moment and shrugged 'fairpoint' as Jack took a seat on the stool behind him. "She asked if I was thereto help her. Ithink she purposely passed those cameras so we'd see what wasgoing on and where they were. It was strange, when I told her yes she teased meagain because I didn't use one of my catchphrases." She stalled looking up toWinston and Jack. "Cavalry?" Jack questioned. "Undoubtedly." Injected Winston."Oi. Anyway, yes that one and she said it for me, again playfully, almostflirty, and I got worked up, not riled up though and I got distracted. Whileall this was going on Talon had stopped firing at us and Reaper was scream hishead off at Mercy and then there was the sound of a huge blast, I looked uponly to be greeted with the side of Reapers shotgun, hence the bleeding headand then I was waking up trying to call Winston." She finished nervouslyplaying with her hands. "To me it sounds like Widowmaker is breaking their holdover her and Talon isn't happy about it so send Reaper to drag her back." Jacksaid and Winston nodded an agreement. "Right, rest up here kid, look out forAngela. Winston and I can look further into this." He said standing up againand he stepped forward and put a hand on Lena's shoulder once more. "Widowmakeris no longer on the 'Shoot on sight' list, I don't think it's prudent if she'slooking for an out. We've known for a while that she was programmed and has orhad no control over her actions, some others won't take it that easily thoughbut that's the order we've given. Now rest up, ok?" He said calmly and Lenanodded back. Swinging her legs up she laid herself out on the bed and lookedacross to Angela. She looked bad and it made Lena worry but she knew that aslong as her staff was within a few or two it would cause the nanomachines toreplicate and regenerate her faster. Without her realizing, Jack and Winstonhad left the room and were walking down the hall. "I get the feeling things aregoing to get worse before they get better." Jack said as they walked towardsthe armoury. "I do hate it when you say that. It only means it's far morelikely when you say it, you have an old soldier's nose for these things."Winston said visibly uncomfortable about the situation. "You saw it too didn'tyou?" Jack asked as they walked through the large armoury doors. "Yes, I don'tthink she knows it yet though." Winston replied adjusting his glasses. "I'll dowhat I can." Jack said grabbing his signature rifle and loading himself into ashuttle. He waved Winston a simple but respectful salute, Winston was the onewho had the balls to recall everyone so Jack saw him as commander now anddidn't mind one bit. The engines whirled into life and Jack pushed the shuttleto ascend out the vertical hanger shaft and off to where he had followed thetrail of Talon before it disappeared.