Overwatch: X Year Later

Prologue: The Fall of Overwatch

It was a busy winter night in Zürich, Switzerland, and the streets were covered with blankets of snow as tiny, white specs danced through the air. The temperatures continued to drop as November transitioned into December, but it was like this every year, so you'd never hear anyone complain about the constant cold weather. Well, anyone except for Astrid Ziegler Shimada.

Astrid was born in Switzerland, and spent most of her life there, so of course she quickly began to dislike the constant cold weather. Her mother, Angela, and father, Genji, were often busy with Overwatch-related business, so she felt very distant from both of them. Since Astrid was young back then, only ten years old, her mother did not want her anywhere near the Overwatch Headquarters, especially with what her father was going through. As time went on, things only got worse.

Two years after the Null Sector Uprising, Astrid overheard a fight that her parents were having. She was preparing to go to sleep after spending time with Angela on her one day off, and then heard yelling from the living room. Tiptoeing silently from her bedroom, she peeked around the corner of the hallway and into the living room, where Angela was pacing back and forth with her hand to her head.

"I do not understand, Genji. I have tried everything to make your life-our lives-better. Verdammt, we have a daughter now! She needs both of us in her life," Angela said, her voice cracking in between quick, sharp breaths as tears started to flow from her eyes, "You can't leave..."

Genji crossed his arms and closed his eyes, not looking at Angela directly. "Angela, please do not misunderstand. I appreciate everything you've done for me. You saved my life, gave me a beautiful child, and have continued to show me love and affection in my darkest times. Still, I can't continue like this. I do not want to end our relationship, Angela, and I do not want to leave our daughter, but I am no help in the state I am in. This constant stage of anger is overwhelming, and I need to overcome it on my own," Genji explained, standing up and placing his hand on Angela's shoulder. The woman quickly pulled away from his touch, not saying another word as she continued to silently weep. Genji sighed, placing a kiss on Angela's head. "I'm going to say goodnight to Astrid before I leave..." he said, and then headed towards the hallway.

Astrid's mind was spiraling with emotions, but she managed to quickly run back into her room, the sounds of her feet pattering against the wooden floor thankfully unheard by her father. She dove for her twin sized bed and quickly covered her entire body with the covers, shutting her eyes and lying still. A few seconds later, Genji entered the room, silently approaching Astrid's bed and sitting on the side of it. Astrid slowly opened her eyes as if she were asleep, and then leaned up. "Hey dad." she whispered.

"Hello, Astrid," Genji replied, managing to crack a fake smile, "I will be going on a trip for a while, out of the country. I need you to listen to me closely, okay? You have...powers and capabilities beyond what you think. You're brave, you're smart, and you're a leader. No matter what, I want you to stay strong, okay? Not just for me or your mother, but for yourself as well."

The young girl's eyes began to tear up once more as she nodded, jumping forward and giving her father a hug. "I-I promise," she hiccupped. After a few seconds, Genji stood up, tucking Astrid under the covers. He walked towards her bedroom door, looking back one final time before leaving, shutting the door behind him. Astrid laid in silence on her bed, the tears no longer flowing from her eyes as thoughts emerged in her mind.

"I have to be strong," she thought, "for my loved ones and myself."

Five years had passed since Genji's departure for self-peace, and Overwatch's situation had only worsened since. People began to protest against the organization, claiming that they were corrupted and dangerous. Things including high-profile mission failures, mismanagement, abuse of human rights, and many other things. Every night when Angela returned from a long day either working at the Overwatch Headquarters, or assisting at the University Hospital of Zürich, she always looked so worn out and unhappy. Her biological years finally were catching up to her, it seemed.

Astrid was sitting on the floor in front of the living room television at home, an empty pint of vanilla ice cream lying next to her. She was watching a report on Lúcio's "Synaesthesia Auditiva" concert from the night before, since the concert took place at 3 a.m. in Switzerland, and she accidentally slept through it. Listening to Lucio's music always seemed to keep her at peace, and honestly, she needed it at a time like this. On this same day last year, the Overwatch Headquarters was destroyed in a devastating explosion. She remembered running to the sight of the ruin, where she found her mother crying on the ground in front of the rubble, a woman with short, brown hair kneeling next to her. However, she didn't care about remembering the pain on people's faces. What haunted her until this was the pain she didn't see. It were as if people didn't care about the deaths of these Overwatch agents.

The girl's thoughts were interrupted when Lucio's concert report was suddenly switched to Breaking News taking place at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands. The Peace Palace had received a major renovation a few years ago, and yet, it still looked like a place from the early 2000s. Every single benched was packed with people and omnics in official-looking suits, murmuring amongst each other. At the front of the room where the leaders from countries around the world, each with a badge that portrayed which country they represented. When the camera angle changed, Astrid immediately recognized the three sitting across from the leaders. On the left was Reinhardt Wilhelm, on the right was Torbjörn Lindholm, and in the middle was Angela Zieglar.

Astrid didn't bother to pay much attention to the conference; she knew how it would end anyway. She wished that Overwatch didn't end up the way it was now. The reports about how Overwatch saved the lives of many innocent people and helped those in need always made her want to follow in her parent's footsteps and become an agent as well. However, as the minutes passed, her dream was officially shattered by the spoken words transmitted from the television.

"From this day forth, Overwatch is officially disbanded."