Overwatch: The Alternate Future

Chapter 5: Torbjorn

Outside Volskaya Industry

Another day, another job. Torbjorn rolled over as a colossus mech launched a missile at him and narrowly missed his dwarven head. The giant robot reminded him of the A.I. Titan he once built – regrettably. Another missile flew towards him and again Torbjorn skipped out of the way.

I need to get closer.

Titan was not the first. In his entire life, Torbjorn Lindoln had made multiple mistakes. Creating devastating machine that greedy lowlifes used them as weapons were among those mistakes. Creating the Bastions units were another.

The mech's hand stormed downwards but Torbjorn rolled to the side.

I am too old for this.

At least he can say that this thingamagibe was not one of his inventions. Although he had to admit that the Russian's Syvatagor design was ingenious.

Something white and round leaped out from nowhere, knocked the head of the mech and sent it crashing down. As the dust settled, on top of the sleeping mech's head was a gorilla. A big goofy bespectacled doctor-looking gorilla in armor.

"Excuse me for dropping in," Winston the gorilla said, lifting his glasses as a polite gesture.

The Swedish dwarf with a prosthetic crab arm walked towards the head of the mech – the control centre, obviously. If it was indeed a mech, then it must have a pilot. Torbjorn whipped out his Forge Hammer and smashed the blue screen, splinters of glittering glass fell out and inside was an old familiar friend. A thin pale man with a goatee and fellow engineer, Sven.

Torbjorn took hold of Sven's shirt and yanked him nearer so only their noses were half an inch apart.

"Hello Sven." Torbjorn flashed his angry grin. "Found a new toy?"

"Hi Torb." Sven smiled back. Sven was never usually this cheeky when cornered. "This little thing. I borrowed it. But you can have it if you want."

Torbjorn did not understand what that meant but with a push of a button, Sven ejected out and slipped away from Torbjorn's grasp. There was a beeping sound and Torbjorn only had a second to register that Sven had activated the mech's self-destruct system. Winston dragged Torbjorn away from it and placed down a tablet, generating an energy dome around them.

"This will protect us," said Winston and so it did when the mech exploded.

Roaring red and orange flames enveloped the dome but none could seep through. It was somewhat magnificent to see the explosion from inside the explosion.

"Nice kit," Torbjorn complimented.

"A new model," Winston replied. "I called it the Barrier Projector. Still needs some works."

The flames subsided and left behind a broken mech and a destroyed city. Lucky no one was hurt. Everyone had enough common sense to run the other way when a giant mech was attacking their city. Only this engineer was foolish enough to head in and stop that machine. He almost failed too if it wasn't for Winston.

"Winston, still using that feather duster of a gun?" Torbjorn eyed Winston's Tesla Cannon. It was his way of saying thank you. "How's that working for you?"

"Now is not the time for unsatisfying joke," Winston replied. "Overwatch needs you."

"Not interested." Torbjorn walk away.

"You haven't even hear what I have to say," said Winston.

"Don't need to." Torbjorn like a Scrap Collector began collecting whatever useful leftover junks from the mech. "I have spent enough years at Overwatch. You do not need any more weapons from me."