Within the dimly lit lab, only a few sounds were punctuating the silence; the light clink of metal on glass; the low buzzing of the few fluorescent lights switched on; and the distinctive french voice of one Doctor Virgil Ziegler; currently hunched over his work desk and peering at a slide in his hands most shrewdly, all while speaking to the computer's voice recorder.

"Commencing cure test attempt number 589... Serum ENT-1089, Series 5, Compound 23. Beginning live tissue sample testing..." There was a bite of exhaustion to the man's voice, making what would normally be a very lovely accent to hear harsh and husky. Over a decade of smoking likely hadn't added to any softness in Virgil's voice, and there was the slightest slur to his speech that betrayed some form of relaxing drug in his system, be it an opiate or simply alcohol. Pressing his eyes - puffy with lack of sleep - to the microscope before him, Virgil held his breath as he watched the serum take hold of the cells on the slide below. The yellow hue swirled around the purple-pink tissue of the Organism, and a smile quirked upon his lips as he watched it begin to eat away at the flesh. However, his smile swiftly faded as the tissue fought back, swallowing up the serum and replacing it's lost cells in seconds. Letting out a sound that was half-way between a defeated sigh and irritated groan, Virgil slumped back in his seat, alleviating the itch in his eyes by rubbing them dejectedly.

"Test attempt 589 - Failure. Remove serum from list, begin synthesis on next compound. As per usual..." Not only was Virgil annoyed at the inevitable outcome of failure, but annoyed at himself - he'd been testing this for a decade, of course it wasn't going to be easy. Taking it like a sore loser would do nobody any good. Especially himself.

"Good morning, Doctor Ziegler." Jumping slightly as the voice of Athena filtered through the rather quiet lab, he shielded his eyes as all of the lights flicked to life in the lab. Blasted AI. Standing up with a light scowl directed at the speakers where she made herself known, he ignored the AI's greeting and busied himself with cleaning up his workdesk; scattered with papers, stacks of cups where dregs of coffee stained the inside; over-filling ashtrays containing scents of something far more potent than tobacco and nicotine - to start with, he made sure to collect any contaminated slides and place them in the nearby incinerator. While he himself was no longer infectious thanks to his current serum, he couldn't guarantee that the tissue samples were safe for the others in the facility. It wasn't worth the risk to try and find out anyway.

"Good morning, Doctor Ziegler." The AI's tone was more insistent this time, and Virgil sighed as he stretched.

"What's good about it?" This was usually his reaction to the common greeting at the start of everyone's day; he always thought back to of the opening scenes in The Hobbit. Was he being wished that it was a good morning, or was it good whether he liked it or not? Was it that the well-wisher felt good on this particular morning, or was this morning simply one to be good on? A funny quote, for him - it showed the pointlessness of so many social niceties that many did automatically, for some reason. As for Athena, she chose to ignore this question of his; having known the Doctor for long enough, she knew not to indulge his philosophical reasonings of societal norms - especially when he was in this state.

"It is currently 7AM - you have not rested in over 30 hours." By now, Virgil seemed to have noticed the smell radiating from clothes that probably should had been washed days ago; but when Virgil gets to work with a supposed "eureka" moment like he had 3 days ago, he tended to forget about such things. Heading to his bedroom (Attached to his personal lab, of course; he wasn't sharing his work-space with anyone else in this place.), he removed his shirt and threw it haphazardly somewhere, deciding tidiness could come after a good shower.

"That's not true, I had a power nap not 8 hours ago." He replied to the AI, one eyebrow raised.

"Doctor, you know as well as I that a half-hour "Snooze" does not equate to a power nap."

"It does if you enter a REM cycle."

"Which you didn't."

"Are you measuring my eye-movements again?"

"How else would I know?"

Admitting defeat on that front by simply ignoring any further messages from Athena, Virgil ducked into the shower in the hopes she'd leave him in peace for at least ten minutes. Thankfully, she did - but his shower was not as soothing as he had hoped. Once more, his failures rested on his mind, and he found his hand travelling to is lower back as it often did in these melancholic moments of his. The damned thing attached to his spine was nut a mild annoyance on most days, and even had some additional uses... but he did not like failing. Especially with lives - his life - on the line. As usual, the spot on his back felt bruised; a near permanent sensation, but it was not the worse of the symptoms he lived with. Already he could feel a migraine blossoming behind his right eye, as any medication he had administered earlier began to wear off. Pressing both hands against the cool tile and leaning against the wall, Virgil exhaled slowly as the hot water pounded onto his bare back and shoulders, water droplets trickling through his hair and dripping from his down-turned face. He had thought that coming back to Overwatch would do him some good, but this new facility wasn't doing much for him. While the showers and personal quarters were definitely better than the old Swiss HQ, it didn't feel like Overwatch anymore. Firstly, with the older ones gone - the real damned heroes. Jack, Ana, Reinhardt... even Gabriel. They'd been replaced with children, ones that he figured were too comfortable here in Washington. The building was like some rich person's fancy home in the mountains, and while appearances certainly could deceive, he disliked it all the same. There was nothing militaristic about it; nothing that reminded him of the older days.

"If you hurry, you'll be able to have breakfast. Angela is also giving out assignments, if that interests you." Athena's voice cut clear across the sound of the trickling water, and Virgil's brooding came to an end.

"Ça m'intéresse rarement. Maintenant, laisse-moi tranquille pendant cinq minutes!" He snapped at the AI, wishing he could chase it away like he could a physical person. One day he'd build Athena a robotic body, just to trap her in it and physically keep her out of his private rooms. Even the cursed AI seemed to have become more annoying over the years. "Ah, Mon Dieu Virgil... keep your damned head straight." Sighing again and closing his eyes against the steaming water, he remained there for a good few more minutes, unmoving.

By the time Virgil decided to actually leave his room and see what these assignments were (He'd be damned if he was left with some kind of baby-sitting job for showing up late.), he both looked and smelled distinctly better than before. Scents of tobacco and other pungent odours had been chased away with soap and plenty of toothpaste and mouthwash; his tangle of dark hair had been washed and tamed, brushed away from his face and still damp from his shower. The smell of breakfast didn't tempt him in the slightest - he'd never been a morning eater, and despite what Athena said about "Coffee, gin and diazepam being an unhealthy diet", he'd happily wait until later. However, seeing the rest of the group clustered around the kitchen, an incredulous scoff left his lips. They looked like the world's most dysfunctional family unit; the setting was too reminiscent of a cheesy sit-com, and Virgil couldn't help but shake his head slightly in disbelief. Some task-force they were going to be.

"Winston, you need to put a leash of that AI of yours. I've already told you and her I don't like to be interrupted. Especially in the shower." Any glare from the frenchman was hidden from the others with dark sunglasses - while Virgil himself hated the cliche of idiots wearing sunglasses indoors, the migraine was full on now, and any shield from light was a blessing. Pouring himself a black coffee and taking some painkillers with a gulp of the steaming liquid, his gaze now turned to his cousin as he leaned against the counter. "However, something of assignments was mentioned. Care to interrupt this episode of Happy Families to give them out, Angela?"

Sombra's teasing smile towards the omnic swiftly slipped from her face as the trio were joined by two others; firstly Ceridwyn, then "Scorn", as she liked to be called. Now, Sombra admitted that Talon had a big 'evil' aesthetic going on. Gabriel looked like Santa Muerte's brooding cousin; Widowmaker was... well, surprisingly attractive after the tortures she'd had to endure, but still had the creep factor going on. When Sombra had joined, she had thought her outfit would bring a splash of colour to the place, make it a little less cliche. But Ceri? First of all, Sombra was surprised that Reaper had even allowed her to join; probably because he'd rather have her here as a grunt than someone actually useful in Overwatch, but still. The girl dressed as though she were colourblind, and the constant stream of over-the-top happiness grated on the Mexican hacker's nerves far too much to be comfortable. Naturally, the child had been banned from any of Sombra's quarters from the beginning (Sombra had not been amused when being told by Reaper that Ceri was to become a Security Officer; Sombra's domain, and in her opinion, no place for annoying children. Naturally, she'd delegated the task of training to some other Talon grunt, ensuring a distance from the kid.), but there was no way of cutting off all contact.

Ignoring Ceri's sunny greeting, Sombra turned back to Peacere. "I probably have plans. Need to see what our Lord and Saviour Reaper has to say first, but I have some stuff to do in the meantime." She answered vaguely, shrugging her shoulders. Sombra couldn't help but smile about his comment over breakfast - robots said the funniest things sometimes. Perhaps they forgot just how often humans needed to eat and drink? Once again, she was reminded of the sad reality about the omnic's lack of taste. That would be an interesting thing for to try and invent - but she had doubts over whether Peacere would appreciate the effort. As for Sampson's request, she chuckled lightly.

"I don't eat in the mess hall - the cooks there seem to have never heard of seasoning, so I'll leave the tour to the circus act." Her tone was notably scathing, still some laughter in her voice as "Scorn" showed up. While not a child, she certainly acted as such with her silly face painting. Still, Adala was easier to deal with than others, so the joke was not aiming to insult her. Mostly, anyway.

As she was just about to turn away, Sombra paused, an alert shining before her eyes - with her implants, only she would see it, and good job too. Her search results had finally given her something... and it didn't look good.

"Mierda." She muttered, tossing her unfinished breakfast, plate and all, into a nearby bin, throwing up her holographic keyboard with a wave of her hand and inputting new orders, fingers flashing across the buttons. Glancing back to the others, Sombra closed down the hologram. "If there are any missions today, you'll be made aware sooner or later. New guy, I have only one rule. Stay out of my room and my office. Same applies to the dog." Flashing another smile at Sampson, she left the group and made a swift beeline back towards her quarters - she had some messages to send.

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About 15 different pages were up on Sombra's screen; door locked tight as she peered over them all, the uncomfortable feeling of worry prickling her skin. Police reports, CCTV footage, generic social media and of course, messages from her "friends". All told the same story; McCree had attempted to hide, and failed at it. Obviously one of the bounty hunters had recognised him. Several others were sighted in the area, some opening fire. However, not at McCree. Sombra didn't consider this suspicious in the least - it made sense to take out competition before collecting the prize... but something more was bothering her. Had she missed some information, passed over something important? Tutting lightly at her own ineptitude, she opened up two new messages screens - her own encrypted network.

_{TO: Conejo
Long time no see, amigo. It's about time we met up to have some more fun! Not the reason for the message however - it's about an old mutual friend of ours, McCree. Not sure whether you've heard or not, but he's in some trouble. I can't reach him, so it's up to you; consider it returning a favour. Best grasp I have of the situation is that there are casualties already; the damned Cowboy doesn't know the meaning of the phrase "Lay low." Carson City - follow the shooting, you'll find him quick enough. Keep in contact with me, I can be your eyes in the sky - I'm bringing in the big guy too, in case you were worried you couldn't handle it yourself. (:}

_{TO: Hammerhoff
Carson City. Cowboy needs some help. Be a good tank and help the ninja extract him - they could use the fire power. Not to mention the hammer.}

The messages were quite safe to send; neither Talon or Overwatch sensors could pick them up, thanks to her talents. She only hoped that they would get to McCree in time. Realising something with a chuckle as she inputted the coordinates, she added another note to both messages before sending.

<sub>It appears to be quite the "Mexican stand-off" over there.
- S</sub>

Slumping back onto her chair, Sombra kicked off her shoes before tucking bare feet under her, settling in for what would clearly be an arduous mission. Putting in an earpiece, her violet-hued eyes darting between each screen shrewdly.

"Ugh... what am I missing?" She muttered to herself, brow furrowing into a scowl. Something was sticking out here; and she'd find out what - or who - it was before the day was done.

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“Yo.”

Looking up from her yogurt as the sound of yet another familiar voice entered the kitchen, Angela couldn’t help but smile, her bright blues flicking over until they came to a rest upon Genji’s figure in front of her- once more he hadn’t come down to breakfast… she knew the reason behind his actions; he was a powerful man… one who had enemies, and one who needed to keep an eye out for all and any who might wish to do him harm… though that wasn’t going to stop her from doing all she could to try and break down those walls that he had built up, even if it was to just get him to share a meal.

“Genji..! Good morning..!” Pushing away from the bench that she had been leaning up against, her smile only seeming to grow as she slowly made her way across the kitchen, her heels making that all too familiar ‘click’ on the floor with each step she took closer to him, the spoon she had been using once more returning back to the yogurt, the handle resting up against the side of the container as she came to a stop in front of him, her (now) free arm reaching out to wrap around the back of his neck in a gentle hug before she pulled back, the smile never once leaving her soft pink lips as she took up the place beside him.

“Doctor Zeigler, hello! Athena informed me that we would be receiving new assignments this morning… Although I seem to have arrived too early.”

Relaxing her body, she lifted the spoon once more, slipping it through her lips and letting the yogurt rest on her tongue a few moments before she swallowed, taking a spell longer to think over what he had- so Athena had been the one to seek him out; luring him out of his room, and into the company of others with the temptation that was going on an assignment. It took everything she could not to chuckle out loud.

“Ah, c’mon Genji! It’s never too early to report for duty. C’mon, eat your breakfast and let’s socialize a bit!”

Shaking her head lightly from side to side as a soft chuckle fell out through her lips, Angela took a hold of the spoon once more, mixing around the yogurt for a few moments before taking another couple of spoonfuls- ah, Winston… how she had missed him so during their forced time apart…

“Winston, you need to put a leash of that AI of yours. I've already told you and her I don't like to be interrupted. Especially in the shower. However, something of assignments was mentioned. Care to interrupt this episode of Happy Families to give them out, Angela?”

Doing her best to ignore her cousin’s jibes, though unable to stop herself from rolling her eyes at his words, Angela let her bright gaze flick back up to Genji for a moment before she moved once more, scooping up another spoonful of yogurt before she held it up, her body cornering him as best as she could as she leant in, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly though in a playful manner as she pressed the end of the spoon against his lips, “..I wish to speak with you and Lucas about a particular assignment before it is handed out; the matter at hand is rather… sensitive. However…”

Tilting her head lightly to the side, she leant just that little bit closer, her chest resting softly against his though it was clear that she was not wavering in her choice to keep the spoon held where it was, hovering against his lips, her eyes never once leaving his own as she continued to hold his gaze, “..I respect your choices; nevertheless, you know my stance Genji… You saw me have some with your very own eyes; with this very spoon to be precise… you know I would never allow such a fate to befall you. Now please, humor me..?”

The air on the mountain was fresh, crisp and a little harsh on the throat but Reinhardt didn't mind. He pulled in mighty lungfuls of it and admired the view; the sun was barely cresting over the sea of clouds and mist hugged the foothills far below. It was a glorious sight, worth rising before the dew had properly settled, dressing in darkness and silence before running up the mountain with a heavy weight attached to your back. In fact, worth exactly that, the German reflected as he unclipped the sled full of armour from his waist. In his younger years, such a run would've barely slowed him down and he would've been ready for a few dozen push ups at the top. As it was, it took all he had to not bend over double and wheeze.

Instead, he carefully settled down next to the sled and selected the right shoulder plate. A recent run-in with a group of armed bandits had left a charred smear of black on the pristine gunmetal grey of the metal and he'd be damned if he'd let such a hoodlum leave a permanent mark on his armour. Out came the brush, the polish, the scourer, the file and all the kits that kept the aged crusader plate looking as well maintained as it had the day he was issued it. Admittedly, it took more than dogged determination and polish to keep the mechanics of the suit running, but then that was why he had a squire.

The squire in question was sleeping in the van a long way below, having barely stirred when he gently suggested that she might like to accompany him on a brisk morning run. Another change, he mused, methodically working at a rent infused with superheated ash. When he'd been a part of the real Overwatch, he wouldn't have stood for such laziness. Jesse had tried to feign sleep once but had learned his lesson when Reinhardt had simply laughed, tossed the teenager over his shoulder and done the run carrying the young cowboy still dressed in his boxers. The next time he gently suggested a morning run, the young lad had sprung to attention, saluted and scrambled into his training gear in record time.

The scamp can't be quite so young now, I wonder what he's up to... cracking heads and making trouble, I'll be bound. There's a man not destined for the quiet life, not unlike myself. The thoughts were comforting, though skirted the edge of being depressing. Thinking of Jesse meant thinking of someone else, someone who'd been close to them both and had taught the boy everything he knew with secrets to spare... No, better to focus on the marred plate in front of him than get mugged down that memory lane. One of the grooves was clogged with soot and carefully working a finger through it to dislodge the dirt was both oddly satisfying and helpfully distracting.

Still, his mind was inexorably drawn back to the past, as it always was these days. He was wallowing in memories, happy and sad, when a beep from the armour in the sled brought him back to reality. Sorting through the different pieces, he found the helmet and carefully put it on. The blipping notification in the HUD told him he had a message from an anonymous source, signed only as '- S'. So, he thought grimly, the spider wants to talk. Perhaps it was a mistake to agree to communicate with her, but who else is doing anything to protect Overwatch these days?

<sub>TO: Hammerhoff
Carson City. Cowboy needs some help. Be a good tank and help the ninja extract him - they could use the fire power. Not to mention the hammer.
It appears to be quite the "Mexican stand-off" over there.
- S</sub>

Slowly, almost reverentially, he took off the helmet, placed in back into the sled and replaced the cleaning equipment as well. With the same steady pace, he pushed the sleigh to the lip of the plateau he was on, staring down at the far off shape of Rocinante, the van he and Brigitte used to travel from place to place. Without shifting his gaze, he unclipped the Comms device from inside the helmet and tuned into the vehicle's PA system.

"Brigitte! Arise! We have a quest!"

Silence was the only response for a handful of seconds, as the girl was nowhere near her mic and had probably just been jerked from sleep by the sudden noise, but then a tired and angry voice responded.

"I already told you, I don't want to climb that stupid hill!"

"Ha! I have already done that and cleaned my armour too! No, I mean a real quest! We are going to Carson City, an old friend is in over his head."

"... Oh. Fine, shall I drive Rocinante up to meet you?

"No, I am coming to you. Turn her around and open up the back!"

Without another word, Reinhardt leaned his weight on the sled forward. With terrible purpose, it overbalanced over the ledge and started to slide forward. The Crusader Armour's weight quickly made it pick up speed, the air whipping past his face. Faster and faster he raced down the mountainside, trying to steer by shifting his weight from side to side and to wrench the sides of the sleigh by the straps. As is always the case, his descent was far faster than his ascent but this time it was more exciting too. The run up had been tiring, the ride down was death defying and thrilling.

In the distance, he could see the van. It was speeding along parallel to his path, clearly Brigitte trying to line them up. She had correctly guessed his intentions, bright young thing that she was, and hadn't even tried to talk him out of it. For a fraction of a second, he heard another voice in his head, scolding him for such a reckless, needless stunt. After all, he could've run back down again, couldn't he? No need to risk his life in such a way, just to show off? The voice was familiar and he missed it greatly, but for now he blocked it out. It hadn't been heard outside of his head for too long to have any good advice to offer, and was a mere echo of the real thing.

Rocinante was close now, straight ahead with its rear doors open and its ramp down, bouncing on the uneven ground. Skillful driver that she was, his squire was in the just the right position so now the execution was down to him. Waiting until the sled was about the crash into the bouncing ramp, he leapt across and used his own weight to stabilise it. A second later, he jumped again, this time over the sled as it came crashing into the back of the van. The immense mass of its load seemed almost too much for the old girl to handle and for a few second, it seemed to be about to spin wildly out of Brigitte's control. Then, with a groan and splutter, the engines signalled their acceptance of the burden.

As return of the vehicle came back to the squire, she glanced back at Reinhardt's sweating, grinning figure lying atop his armour.

"Well, now that you've terrified every living thing in the area with your carrying on, what's the plan?

"Go to Carson City, rescue Jesse, drink to our victory."

"Ah, I see. You've got the big picture and I'm handling the unimportant details, like where your friend actually is, right?"

"Yes, well deduced my squire, you'll make a knight yet! Now give me some peace, I must don my armour!"

Brigitte rolled her eyes. The old man could be so very oblivious, his mind probably already planning out a heroic speech or reliving the last time he'd pulled the cowboy's fat from the fire. Still, she'd seen him throw himself in front of gunfire for others enough times to know his heart was in the right place and still found something funny in his knightly airs and graces. She still wasn't sure that he wasn't secretly messing with her, but didn't mind playing the part of the loyal squire at all. He was clearly a man in need of some company, some companionship and when they had met, she'd been in need of some structure, some purpose. He liked action and purpose, not planning and details, while she'd rather be in the van than on the field.

So she span the wheel to put them onto the road proper with one hand and tuned into the local police band with the other. If she knew Jesse McCree (she didn't actually know him at all, she'd just heard so many of Reinhardt's stories) then he'd be attracting an awful lot of bullets and attention. Another day, another gunfight...

Location: Overwatch Headquarters - Forks; Washington Interactions: Dr. Zeigler (@Vicier), Fareeha Amari, Erika Striker (@Kaithas), Winston (@Lmpkio), Asbjorn Hagen (@December), Ajax Amari (@Ajax Amari), Genji (@Jacobite), Ansgar {@Eisenhorn}

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Lucas chuckled to himself, as Reese’s licked his face, and gently cradled the puppy in his arms, smiling amusedly as the pup wagged his tail, ”Ah, well. I’ll clean the pup up, then see about helping you clean up, Ajax” He said, shifting to wrap the dog in his shirt, folding it around Reese, even as he still wore it. His good mood was ripped away, in the space of a few seconds, as Virgil entered, narrowing his eyes with distrust to Angela’s cousin. Lucas didn’t particularly like Virigl, nor did he trust him. Something he was sure that Virgil knew about, yet Lucas couldn’t speak out against the man, with Angela letting him have another chance.

He said, frowning as he watched Angela try to coax Genji to eat. He watched as she pressed herself against Genji, managing, although he didn’t know how, to keep his expression neutral. He turned slightly, lowering his gaze to the pup in his arms. He didn’t really know why the sight of Angela trying to entice Genji to eat like that was unnerving to him, but it was. He knew she was only doing it to make sure that Genji ate, that the man wasn’t going to end up killing himself through lack of nutrition, yet it bothered Lucas all the same, and he shifted a little uneasily.

”I’ll just go and clean this little one right up and then be right back, if you still wish to talk” He said, his tone a little shaky, although he knew no one would really notice, as he clicked his fingers, Remus falling in by his side, giving the wolf pup a slight nudge with his snout before doing so. Taking Resees to get cleaned up, he filled a bath tub with water, adding in some pet friendly bath soap, and setting the pup in the water, Remus sitting outside the tub, as if to guard Reese’s and make sure that the younger dog wasn’t going to try and escape, as Lucas grabbed a few things, turning back to wash the pup off, before cleaning him, letting his own thoughts wonder.

Lucas had known Angela essentially his entire life. She was family, certainly, so why should it have troubled him so much? As he scrubbed Reese clean, Lucas tried to push the scene fron his mind, instead trying to focus on the wriggling pup. He didn’t know what he could do. He normally talked things through with Angela...but if Angela was the reason for this troubling thoughts, who could he go to? He didn’t really want to trouble his sisters. He sighed, and bowed his head a moment.

There were times when Lucas wished he had his father. Or anyone he could look up to that was a parent figure. Not that he had ever scored well in that department. He didn’t know what to do, as he splashed water on Reese to rinse his coat, leaning against the tub. He’d get through it, just like he did everything.

He soon returned with the wet pup, bundled in a towel, to the kitchen, rubbing him as he walked, and handing the pup to Ajax once more

Location: Overwatch Headquarters - Forks; Washington Interactions: Dr. Zeigler (@Vicier), Fareeha Amari, Erika Striker (@Kaithas), Winston (@Lmpkio), Asbjorn Hagen (@December), Ajax Amari (@Ajax Amari), Genji (@Jacobite), Ansgar {@Eisenhorn}

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Fareeha gave a soft sigh, as despite efforts, Reese made a mess, although thankful, especially for Ajax, it wasn’t on the couches, which was all Angela had cared about. ”Its alright, Ajax. It wasn’t on the couches, its easily cleaned up, don’t worry about it” She said, giving her younger brother a smile, ”Just make sure it’s cleaned up and I’m sure you can still go on a mission, if Angela has one for you” She reassured him, even as she finished off her breakfast, and rinsed the plate out, so as to make it easier for whoever would be cleaning it later. Shifting, she glanced around at everyone ”To those not going on a mission today, I do expect you to be in training, regardless. There is always room for improvement, after all.” She said seriously, starting out the kitchen, ”i have some fun training planned for today. Self awareness” She chuckled to herself, at her own little private joke, glancing back at the others.

”if you need me, Angela, I’ll be around, Call me on the coms”, She said, as she reached the door, moving around the returning Lucas, she stopped, glancing back as Genji made to excuse himself, despite the offer of a mission. It wasn’t the first time, and Fareeha often found it suspicious that Genji did this after receiving a communication of some sort. Fareeha was a great believer in trusting your teammates, your comrades in arms, and yet lately she found herself suspicious of things like this. If one couldn’t trust those you worked with...how could you fight the enemy?

She knew that others didn’t have the same loyalty to Overwatch as she did, and yet, she expected them to always have Overwatch’s best interest at heart. She knew this wasn’t always the case, and she turned back around. ”Genji, if you’re worried about working with someone you aren’t quite comfortable with, you don’t need to go making an excuse to not do so.” Ever the diplomat, Fareeha knew how to speak between the lines, and get her point across in ways that weren’t accusatory. While she’d love to believe it was just that, she doubted it wasn’t. ”We all have to learn how to work together, we never know when we may be thrown into situations that leave us paired with those we wouldn’t normally work with. However, Angela said she wishes to speak with you, that is more, I think, because she respects your opinion and wishes your advice, then it is to throw you together with anyone” She said, leaning back against the door frame, and crossing her arms, before shrugging and pushing off the door frame, heading out the room once more, she paused. The training room was already set up to what she wanted, and she had a little bit of time. Having not seen Juliette at breakfast, Fareeha sought the girl out, wanting to make sure that all was ok and having a soft spot for the girl. And just because the security system hadn’ gone off, didn’t mean that nothing could have happened to her.

There was generally one location where you could find Juliette a majority of the time, and so Fareeha hunted up the music room, hearing the lovely singing as she walked down the hall towards and then the voices of Athena and Juliette. She knocked on the door, smiling ”Good morning, Juliette”

Sampson watched Sombra leave, noticing as she paused for a moment and muttered to herself. Curious. Almost as curious as the presence of a desk and a wastebin in the middle of this hallway, but that was a thought for later. Talon’s sense of interior design was the least of his concerns.

The hacker was… troublesome. She was good, he knew that much, but the way she grinned like she knew everything he didn’t was disconcerting. As was Ceriwedyn. Really, all of them except for the omnic, and he was off-putting in his own way. Part of him longed for the days of putting lead through circuits in the cold Siberian tundra, but then he remembered that this entailed living in the cold Siberian tundra and decided to count his blessings.

He felt a small buzz come from a device in his pocket. The Cicada was chirping again. This wasn’t the actual name of the phone, but God if it didn’t sound like one. Given to him by Vishkar after taking care of a particularly troublesome rabble rouser in Brazil, he swiftly had the device jailbroken and connected to the various illicit Vishkar comm sats the company used for its less legitimate business. The end result was what amounted to a perfect comm link to his contacts, untraceable and compact. Glancing at the screen, it looked like he had a notification on a firefight rapidly developing in Carson City. Pulse fire, snipers in the alleys, and Jesse McCree in the middle of it all. Not too unusual, he’d seen bounty hunters waste more lead on each other than their quarry before. Still, this was some pretty serious ordinance.

Regardless, from the direction the cowboy was traveling, it looked like he would be near L.A. soon. The situation was dangerous, but Sampson trusted him not to get caught, stuffed, or shot quite yet. The mercenary was on contract right now, but that could be a lovely team building exercise. Besides, when he gave his soldiers the opportunity to make a few mil, he had the feeling they may appreciate it.

Shaking himself from his reverie, Sampson looked back to Peacere, the only one still standing with him. The robot maintained the neutral expression only an omnic could, leaving his thoughts an enigma. Oddly enough, Sampson thought he liked him best so far. He was sane. “Colorful bunch. I’m gonna go eat, but you’re welcome to join. I’ve got a few ideas that I feel like you’d appreciate, though we’re really gonna need Miss Sombra for most of ‘em. I’ll send her a memo.” He nudged the cold metal with his elbow as he winked, setting off after Ceriwedyn.

”Ceri, yes. And you are?”

Walking with a speedy step to maintain pace with the skipping teen, Sampson rattled off his introductions. “Sampson Dubois, callsign: Sellsword. Mercenary, currently working as C.O. of Kestrel squad, leading Fireteam Veridian. Acquisitions, infiltrations, holding objectives, etc. And,” He added, his hand resting on the drooling mutt beside him. “Currently recruiting other special agents.”

“I’ve read your file, and I’m interested. Security officer, means you must not get off-base too often. I think that’s a waste. If you’re interested, I’ve got a potential op coming up. Live fire, exciting, maybe even could make some money off of-”

Catching up to the young woman, he was immediately stunned by the state of the kitchen, namely that it was a kitchen. Full facilities, cookware, the whole shebang. Small, obviously intended for officers. Jimmy panted at his side, drooling slightly from his crooked jaws. He would have to clean that up later.

He looked to the girl, splitting a grin. “Pardon. ‘S been some time since we’ve eaten. Not what I was expectin’ as a mess, but I reckon it’ll do.” Opening the fridge, he tried his best to hide that his mouth was watering. Jimmy continued to drool.

---

---

As Winston gets up to do the dishes, Phoebe looks at him and suggests that she may gladly do them herself.

”Really, I’m more then happy to do it, Winston Sir-”

"No, it's OK." Winston replies while waving his right hand, "I can do them this time. But thanks for the offer."

Smiling back at Genji, after telling him to sit and chat with them, the great ape gave himself a simple brief two minutes to wash the dishes before supplying his breakfast. He doesn't wash the dishes that often, in fact almost rarely, yet surprisingly he does it rather well. Dr. Ziegler taught him a bit about dishwashing back during the glory years of Overwatch, so that was a start. After putting the last dish on the drying rack, Winston takes a plate and supplies himself with eggs and bacon, sitting down next to Angela and an empty seat.

Merely a minute or so later, Virgil Ziegler came into the room with a rather tired and grouchy face. Looks like he was working all night or so. The great ape also tends to do the same thing, but compared to Mr. Ziegler, his was nothing. Virgil could be awake for over 24 hours working on a particular thing without sleeping, eating, or drinking. It was an unhealthy life style to live perhaps, but he sure did have the courage and patience to do such things. Winston looks at him with an innocent curiosity, scratching the side of his head.

"Oh hello Mr. Zielger," he greets him with a friendly smile, "I supposed you stayed up all night as well huh? Or maybe... two nights?"

The frenchman seemed gleered at him, shaking his head groggily.

"Winston, you need to put a leash of that AI of yours. I've already told you and her I don't like to be interrupted. Especially in the shower."

Winston simply sighs and raises his arms in a "I-dunno" pose.

"Hey i-it's not my fault she's acting like this!" he replies back, "She's just going based off her protocol morning procedure. I didn't program her originally to be that impulsive."

He pauses as he takes a bite out of a piece of bacon.

"But if it makes you feel better, even I get annoyed by her sometimes..." he continues, "But you gotta admit Virgil, her omnic-heart is in the right place you know?"

---

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---

---

“..no, I will not excuse you...”

Returning the spoon to the depths of the yogurt container, Angela placed it down upon the kitchen counter, her gaze once more lifting up to meet with that of the man she had been speaking with- the man who, until a few moments ago, had been asking her for an assignment she had been more than willing to give… all she had wanted in return was his council… This wasn’t the first time he had just up and left after receiving a message on his communicator, and she was sure it wasn’t going to be the last time; but either way, she was getting sick and tired of it happening.

“..I will not excuse you; nor will I excuse this behaviour…” Pausing a moment, Angela let her words to him hang in the air before she gave any sign that she was going to continue, doing her best to make it clear to all that this type of behaviour wasn’t going to be doing them any favors in the long run as she seemed to finally put her foot down, “..I will not stop you from leaving Genji; do what it is you think is best, however, you best be ready for the ramifications that come with walking out…”

She was done; clearly, with everything that had been happening. And hell, he wasn’t even the only one that it was happening with- truly, when was the last time she’d even had the pleasure of seeing Reinhardt with her own two eyes..? The people within the organization; ones who seemed to demand trust in their comrades, though there was clearly a double standard going on. Trust and respect were something that needed to be earned, not demanded… and if they wanted it, then they were going to have to give it in return.

It was as simple as this: enough was enough, and she wasn’t going to stand for it any longer than she had.

“..I have several assignments that will need to be completed; some of which are just a tad more… delicate than others.” Holding his gaze a few moments longer, Angela tore her eyes away from his to instead look around at the others in the room, her smile gone from her lips as the topic turned to what everyone else in the room had been waiting for, “There are two possible recruitment missions, one of a rather… sensitive manner, another that requires gathering information, and several escort missions of various importance.”

Once again she fell silent, allowing the information that she had just shared with the group to settle before she even began to think about handing the assignments out to those listening- many of them were eager to get going… some hadn’t been on a mission in quite some time; she could sympathize with their plight. She herself had been cooped up in the base for months, unable to spread her wings and to explore the what the world had to offer; though with her workload almost tripling in such a short amount of time-…

“Dearest cousin; you wished for me to cut this episode of happy families short in order to give out the assignments I have in my possession, well… let me do just that.” Seeming to have forgotten all about the yogurt which was still stood on the counter, Angela allowed her gaze to glide slowly over those surrounding her in the kitchen- all those familiar faces… those of whom she had grown so close to over the years. This was when she saw them light up- when she saw each and every one of them in their element; doing what they loved the most… even if they didn’t wish to show it.

“Winston dear… Erika… the both of you have been assigned to one of the several escort missions. I want you to keep in mind that this is of high priority; be sure to work together, and stay safe… the details of this mission, as well as the co-ordinance will be sent to your communicators. I suggest you both go and gather anything you will need; please pass by office before you leave.”

Nodding to the both of them so that they knew they could leave, she turned back to the others, her bright blue eyes once more hovering until they fell to a rest upon the next one that was to be called into duty… her cousin… though by no means had he given her a reason to allow him back into the field- she had given him a second chance… now he once more had to show her that he deserved as such… It was touch and go; but she believed in her heart that he would step up, and soon become one of the finest agents that she would ever have the pleasure of working with.

If only he could cut the attitude back for even a minute…

“Virgil- I want you to take Ansgar for his physical. This is also something that is of high priority, as I will not have him in the field without first being signed off. This must be done and completed as soon as possible.” Pausing for a brief moment, Angela let her mind wander slightly; perhaps this was a chance to see if he could rise to the challenge… if he could work with others without being an utter asshole to them… there was only one way to find out, “Once you have signed him off, I want the both of you to report to my office where you will receive your briefing about the assignment you shall be working together on. I shall have the mission files ready for when you come to see me.”

That was two down… two out of the four main assignments that she was going to be handing out this morning at least.

“Asbjorn… Lucas… Ajax- I want you to come with me to my office. There is a matter of importance I wish to discuss with you all. The rest of you are dismissed; and do not forget, training begins in one hours time. Have you not been given an assignment, I suggest you get ready for whatever it is that Fareeha has planned for you.” Motioning for the three boys to follow, Angela turned and began to lead the way out of the kitchen, seeming to not even pay too much attention as she wandered the many hallways, eventually once more arriving at her office.

“Close the door behind you- we four have much to discuss…”

姐さん
<sub>You caught me just as ᴠᴀʟᴋʏʀɪᴇ was sending me on a mission! I've been looking forward to getting one all week, but since it's for you... (๑•̀ㅁ•́๑)✧

I will do my best to breakaway and assist ᴇᴀ𝚜ᴛᴡᴏᴏᴅ. The world would be a darker place without his cowboy cosplay. This one's on the house if I manage to get there in time to be of assistance, although you could buy me a drink next time I'm in town~

I hope we meet again sooner rather than later, S. And be careful. I don't like the group you're running with.</sub>

- 源

The light "ping" sound of a new message drew Sombra's survey of the many screens in front of her, puzzled glare being replaced with a smirk at Genji's reply. First of all, she still had no idea what that word meant. Translation online was a shaky thing to trust to start with, so she was pretty sure he didn't mean to call her "a wife". Or, at the very least, that wasn't the real translation of the word - either way, she doubted Genji fully understood her own nickname for him, so she was happy to be in the dark about it. A snort of laughter escaped from her at the rest of the first sentence. Sombra knew quite a bit about the prestigious Dr. Ziegler; about both of them, actually. She was more than aware that Mercy wasn't as "holier-than-thou" and innocent as she pretended to be, and as for her much darker cousin, Sombra was sure there were even more skeletons in his closet. Although having only just come back, and flying under the UN's radar, Sombra actually found herself to be disappointed at the lack of activity from Overwatch. Nothing like what they were before; she remembered hearing the stories as a kid, and was expecting something more. Perhaps it was their lack of a competent leader? Or maybe just because the majority of the old ones hadn't answered the call, from what she knew of from her contacts?

<sub>TO: Conejo
Oh, refusing to do the Angel's chores for little old me? You'll get a slapped wrist for that one. I guess I'll have to buy you several drinks if all goes well - not that I mind. You've always been a fun drinking partner; you last longer than the cowboy at least.
I'll keep you posted on McCree's status. Try not to get shot, okay? You're no good to me full of bullet holes.

-S</sub>

Sombra purposefully ignored his comment about her own safety, a gentler smile adorning her face as she read the message over again. She'd never pegged Genji as a worrier, but in her opinion, it was sweetly misplaced in this situation. Talon had about a handful of competently active agents at the moment, so she had no concerns at where she was. Reyes was too busy building up some kind of evil master-plan to even pay attention to her possible disloyalty; not that she'd made it obvious, that was. She did as she was told, as long as it benefited her in some way. In this instance, however... no matter what Sombra told herself, it wasn't all about power. McCree was fun, and would be no use to anyone dead. Besides, the last thing she wanted was for some two-bit merc to get their hands on that amount of money for killing an amigo of hers. They didn't deserve such a hunting prize; and the aid she'd just called in would make sure they realised that. Carson City was going to be even more of a bloodbath now.

"Wait..." The muttered word left her lips suddenly as she leaned forwards, staring intensely at one of her screens. Maximising and enhancing the page, she watched the small, 10 second CCTV clip on a loop as she peered at one specific corner. The footage was grainy, and with the endless flashes of gun muzzles and dust kicked up into the air, it was almost, almost impossible to see anything. But there, taking down one of the mercs. A flash of white hair, a battered jacket, and a very familiar visor. The blurred image of a "76" on the gunman's back was clear for only a moment before a ricocheted bullet hit the camera, knocking out it's feed. But Sombra didn't have to see anymore than that. That was Soldier: 76, a vigilante who had taken to the streets some years back; and to a select few, better known as...

"Jack Morrison." Sombra whispered, a wicked, yet almost child-like grin appearing on her face. "Ohoho! Things just got twice as interesting now!" Settling back into her chair, she sent off her message to Genji with a laugh, deciding not to tell him about the old Overwatch leader being present. Perhaps it would make for a pleasant surprise for him.

---

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”It’s alright, Ajax. It wasn’t on the couches, its easily cleaned up, don’t worry about it” She said, giving her younger brother a smile, ”Just make sure it’s cleaned up and I’m sure you can still go on a mission, if Angela has one for you” The simple words brightened up his day again. Fareeha always knew how to cheer him up, or comfort him, or care for him. He thought how he was so lucky to be able to grow up with her and Ana guiding him…especially through his more reckless years. To think he was more calm now than before.

“Really!? Then I’ll get to it!” Ajax smiled bright. His happiness returned instantly and it showed very clearly as he ran off to clean himself. In minutes he started cleaning the entire room just to please Angela enough to possibly get an assignment. He wanted to prove himself in the field and felt out of everyone he needed to prove himself the most. He even began to clean up after breakfast much to the surprise of everyone as he never did this, but he didn’t start cleaning up the kitchen until after he made sure the other room was spotless. He was trying to prove he was responsible enough to take an assignment as well as trying to practically bribe Angie into giving him one.

Then…she started handing out assignments… “Winston dear… Erika… the both of you have been assigned to one of the several escort missions. I want you to keep in mind that this is of high priority; be sure to work together, and stay safe… the details of this mission, as well as the co-ordinance will be sent to your communicators. I suggest you both go and gather anything you will need; please pass by office before you leave.” Oh no…first assignment and nothing. He already didn’t like this. His hope was already fading. “Virgil- I want you to take Ansgar for his physical. This is also something that is of high priority, as I will not have him in the field without first being signed off. This must be done and completed as soon as possible. Once you have signed him off, I want the both of you to report to my office where you will receive your briefing about the assignment you shall be working together on. I shall have the mission files ready for when you come to see me.” Alright maybe this wouldn’t be so bad? Maybe he still had a shot…but then, in his mind, that all changed.

“Asbjorn… Lucas… Ajax- I want you to come with me to my office. There is a matter of importance I wish to discuss with you all. The rest of you are dismissed; and do not forget, training begins in one hours time. Have you not been given an assignment, I suggest you get ready for whatever it is that Fareeha has planned for you. Close the door behind you- we four have much to discuss…” To Ajax, this was a death sentence. It felt like he was being called into the principal’s office. He hated this feeling. Maybe he had overdone it with the “kiss up” antics and Angela had noticed. He figured that he was being brought into the office to discuss his punishment. Close to a thousand different options raced through Ajax’s head…none of which were good. Due to this he walked into the office a bit slouched and none too happy with what he believed would happen next.

Location: Overwatch Headquarters - Forks; Washington Interactions: Dr. Zeigler (@Vicier), Fareeha Amari, Erika Striker (@Kaithas), Winston (@Lmpkio), Asbjorn Hagen (@December), Ajax Amari (@Ajax Amari), Genji (@Jacobite), Ansgar {@Eisenhorn}

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Lucas watched Genji as him turned his back on Angela, apparently under the impression that a punishment from Angela would be quite slight, yet from one glance at Angela, Lucas knew that Genji had not only crossed a toe over a line, but was so far from the line that it was a dot to him. He shook his head, knowing that Genji would regret just walking away like that. No matter the reason. And Lucas wasn't sure he wanted to talk it through with Angela, feeling that as far as he was concerned, the man deserved it. He knew that that thar was petty, but for the moment, Lucas didn't care. He watched the others, trying to judge their reactions, even as Angela began to hand out missions.

Winston and Erika. An interezting combination, really and he hoped the two would be able to make it work, he gave Erika a smile and said "just don't impale yourself, i can't always be around to be a steadying pole!" he said jokingly, nodding to Winston, wishing them all the best. He frowned slightly over the next pairing, Virgil and Ansgar. While he had no problems aith ansgar, he had always thought Angela trusted too easily, and just hoped that her cousin wouldn't betray that trust, the chance that Angela was giving, if only for Angela's sake. And then it was his turn. He smiled although Lucas didn't mind much if he got missions or not, he was more then content being usefuk where ever he was required. Still holding Reeces, he shifted, watching everyone as they began to movs, gaze landing on Ajax as the young man seemed quite disheartened. He went over to him.

Lucas dropped his hand onto Ajax's shoulder, still holding the wrigggling Reeces, and gave the young man a reassuring smile. He gave Ajax's shoulder a squeeze, and handed him his puppy, before removing his hand, and saying "do not worry, Ajax. I'm sure its good news, and that you aren't in trouble" he said, letting Ajax continue on his way to Angela's office, waiting for Asbjorn to enter before he did himself, shutting the door behind him, he leaned against the wall, watching them all, quite at ease as he crossed his arms, ready to listen. One might think he wasn't prepared to listen, when in fact, he was already taking things in, watching Angela a moment to see what she was going to say, curious to know what this was about, He knew at times that there were sensitive missons at times that needed this secrecy, so rather then ask questions, he waited patiently.

Watching his cousin incredulously, even Virgil's headache seemed to pause in it's throbbing at the ridiculous scene before him. He had to admire Genji's measured - and even pleasant - response to such actions, but had their places been swapped, Virgil would have slapped the damned spoon from Angela's hand. What was she thinking? This was no way for a leader of such an organisation to act. Scoffing lightly at the thought of what Jack - or God, Ana - would have said upon seeing such a painful act of flirting in front of the entire team, Virgil finished the remainder of his coffee and refilled it almost immediately. It was clearly going to be a very long day. Even Morrison Jr. seemed put off by it, which was interesting to notice - normally he worshipped Angela.

Glancing at Winston as the gorilla replied, Virgil felt just the slightest bit annoyed as he said "Mr. Ziegler." He hadn't been a "Mr." since he was around 24, receiving his Doctorate. As a general rule, it was insulting to not use a Doctor's earned title, but it wasn't worth the mention, not this morning when Virgil's ire was being tickled by most things.

"I'm sure you have your own heart in the right place, Winston... as for Athena, I think she simply enjoys annoying people." He replied with a dry chuckle, sipping his coffee.

Having already returned Genji's peace sign - ironically, of course - Virgil's curiosity was indeed piqued at what had come up all of a sudden for the young warrior. Something to do with his family? Although, he didn't look particularly worried at it, so perhaps not. Whatever the case, Fareeha's assumption seemed a bit over the top. Did she seriously think he'd make up a message just to avoid working with somebody? He doubted there was anyone on this team quite that immature. Well, he hoped so anyway. And then speaking of over the top...

"No. I will not excuse you."

Virgil watched on at Angela's overreaction to Genji's need for leaving; this, paired with a disapproving look by Lucas, made him realise that Overwatch was in dire need of some form of professional leading. Threats of punishment, because Genji had his own things to do? Had Angela's IQ suddenly plummeted? Surely she remembered Genji's network of contacts, the various people either in or close to Talon and the Shimada Clan that gave Overwatch so much intel?

"Mon dieu, Angela, calme-toi." Virgil snapped as soon as Genji had left, glaring at his cousin. "Vous n'avez personne ici, et nous sommes libres de prendre soin de nos affaires. Vous savez qu'il fait de bonnes choses pour nous, et vous agissez comme s'il avait enfoui un couteau dans vou dos?"

Throwing his coffee mug in the sink, Virgil walked over to Ansgar, still looking at his cousin. "Arrêtez d'être si irrationnel et agissez comme un leader damné! Mon Dieu, si Jack pouvait nous voir maintenant..." Rolling his eyes, he motioned for the German soldier to follow him down the corridor towards the labs, still muttering under his breath about "pointless breakfasts" and "childish women."

Finally turning his attention to Ansgar, Virgil found that he didn't mind this partnership. The man was a stoic soldier, and had survived just about as much shit as Virgil had. Soldiers and Doctors tended to work well together on the battlefield, in Virgil's opinion. He only hoped they were given an assignment suited to their talents. An timid escort mission would likely annoy them both, considering the power Ansgar alone had in him.

"This shouldn't take long, Sergeant. I would imagine you've had a physical before?" He asked as they entered the lab; not Virgil's own, but one of the many dotted around the base. Virgil's lab and room were off limits to all, and a secure lock made sure it stayed that way. Well, unless you were a pedantic AI, that was.

Two bursts. All it took to turn everything off, even for just a second. The thug dropped, McCree’s head whipping back with his jaw practically unhinged. It was a mistake, training the rifle on the cowboy. Jesse dove into the alley, snatching Peacekeeper and whipping back to snap off a few shots. Jack hissed, a bullet singeing the shoulder of his jacket. The revolver was stilled focused on him, even as he threw his rifle and brought a hand to press onto the freshly bleeding wound.

“Jesse!” Jack cursed, biting off the order that nearly slipped his tongue. He gritted his teeth, watching Jesse’s ferocity drain from his features until paleness finally overtook him. “Shit.” Jack bounded into a sprint, watching as the cowboy lost a war with his own mind and collapsed onto the grimy, soot blacked alley.

Pressing a hand to his communicator, Jack barked up to Ana, “Need assistance! He’s down. Still breathing, but it’s shallow and irregular.”

“Understood,” Ana said in a grim voice, good eye peering down the scope to see the scruffy edges of the gunslinger around the corner of the alley. She hopped down onto a fire-escape Something tight gripped her heart with suffocating force. She assumed it was guilt. “Sending him a pick-me-up. We need him awake and moving.” It went directly against the action plan for the operation Jack had insisted upon, but she wore the trousers now.

Deftly lining up her shot and pulling the trigger, a dart shot out and directly hit its target: McCree’s chest, just to the side of where she knew his mechanical limb would be. A second dart escaped her gun, eagle eyes having spotted the wound on Soldier:76.

A black vehicle sped around the corner with a low hum. In response, she called out, “Reinforcements incoming, your left. We need to either get out or fortify what we’ve got.” Ana was the eyes in the sky––the last one to leave, the one to secure escape routes from above.

With a terse growl, Jack scanned the surrounding environment with his visor in an attempt to locate either an escape route or a way to fortify their position. Noting only the dumpster, Jack growled and dashed behind it to force it into place. With their newfound, makeshift cover Jack could now freely assault whoever piled into the small chokehold they had set up.

A number of armor clad figures swooped from the car in a hail of bullets that pelleted the front of the dumpster. Jack could hear the metal tear and melt away, sizzling and burning from the heated shots of bright blue. He returned as much fire as he could, taking out a man peeking from the back of the car’s hood and nailing another’s leg from the large space beneath the hovering vehicle.

“A-Ana,” Jesse croaked, dazed and delusional, but no longer unconscious, “Ya lookin’ gorgeous as ever. What’n angel - shit, heaven is real. Wh-where’s Gabe?”

A wistful smile twisted on Ana’s face as the voice came through the crackle in her earpiece, hidden by her mask. The cowboy always did know how best to be a charmer, and how best to find the best angle to twist the knife for Jack. Ana took flight and hauled herself up and over the ledge to the roof of the building adjacent to her temporary sniper’s nest. “There’s an old Blackwatch safe-house down by the railway line, 76. If you can get him lucid, Jesse can show you the way.” Ana informed him, voice straining as she put her aging, tired muscles to good use. “We’re going to need to take these mooks out first to get there.”

Her hand dropped down to her belt as she removed one of the small capsules there––an explosive canister of pure biotic material. The rifle slumped down to her hip. The darts themselves left traces of the direction they were fired from, royal purple in colour, that would give away her location behind the enemies. “On three, I’m going to scatter them. Thin the herd, and head east. I’ll catch up.”

”Three.”

”Two.”

”One.”

Ana launched the grenade into the centre where the hunters were grouping up around the entrance to the choke-point, and when it cracked open as it was intended to, the contents dissipated into the air causing cries of pain and panic.

I’d rather be an Alchemist than a Queen, Ana had said to Reinhardt once upon a time. The technology that she used seemed even to her like magic. Although an argument could be made for both.

Down. One.

Down. Two.

Headshot - Three and Four.

Jack’s boot smacked against the center of the heavy, metal dumpster. It slid screeched, toppling over as it caught on the pavement and pinned the last bounty hunter beneath it. The last thing he saw was the red, blue, and black of a soldier’s tactical visor before the spray of bullets ended him.

With the last of the hunters down, and no immediate threats to preoccupy him, Jack swiveled his body toward the slumped over cowboy. He found a small nest in the corner where his fingers dug the dirt and grime from his eyes. It brought memories flooding back, ones Jack didn’t have a right to remember.

Gabe. Commander. Please, it hurts-

Jack squeezed his eyes shut, the screams in his ears dying down to a high-pitched whine until they finally hushed under the racket of Jesse’s current groans. A few strides and he was hauling Jesse up from under his shoulder, his rifle hanging loosely from his hands, safety already on. No mistakes. He didn’t bother exchanging a word, just a few grunts as he lifted Jesse over the dumpster and bodies and into the car still hovering at a halt diagonal to the alleyway.

A few cruisers, along with a number of sirens, sounded off in the distance. The hunters would get to them first before the police had a chance to arrest anyone. Jack shoved Jesse into the cramped back seats, ignoring the protests from the cowboy as he slid into the driver’s seat. East, she said. Slamming his foot against the gas, Jack whipped the vehicle around and made off in a cloud of dust.

It took longer than necessary to wake Jesse up without any physical contact. Jack settled with throwing one of his biotic stations behind him, satisfied with the ’konk’ of metal hitting thick skull bone.

“Whussa’?” Jesse groaned.

“Up and attem, soldier,” Jack growled out, knowing full well Jesse wouldn’t be able to parse together his voice behind a concussion, “There’s a Blackwatch base not far from here; I need to know where it is.”

“What? Blackwatch. Ain’t no… no Overwatch, no more.”

“McCree,” Jack barked, flicking a pointed look at the rearview mirror, “Sit up, cowboy. Listen.”

As if long dormant instincts finally kicked in, Jesse snapped to attention - though immediately regretted the decision due to the fuzziness turning into dizziness turning into nausea. Jack gave him a moment. “Blackwatch safe house. Carson City. Now.”

“Southeast, sir. Follow the tram tracks down to the outskirts; there’s a warehouse far on the edge; it’s under that. Passcode should still be the same: Morrison Eats Dicks, sir!” Jesse rattled off the information, though he nearly passed out from lack of oxygen quickly afterwards. Jack grit his teeth, choosing the best option and not further crippling one of Blackwatch’s best agents. After all, Ana would have his hide if he let her precious baby get even more injured than he already was.

They pulled up to the area not long after, Jack hiding the car behind a number of metallic crates near the entrance. He hauled a barely conscious McCree through dust ridden floors until the cowboy pointed out an inconspicuous looking pile of containers. Once they’d found the secret entrance, they sat at the hidden doorway for what seemed like an hour.

Jack finally conceded, rolling his eyes behind the visor. “Morrison Sucks Dick,” the yellow light turned an angry red, “I said the thing!”

“No, sir, it’s: Eats Dicks.”

“Dammit, Morrisoneatsdicks.” Jack growled. The ding that followed sounded far too smug to his aged ears.

Slowly trudging down the corridor, Jack found himself at a small, compact bunker equipped with provisions that could last them a few weeks, if they were careful. He looked around, spotting a doorway that likely led to a closed off bathroom. Or perhaps a small bedroom for whoever found themselves stuck here. He gave a small shout, letting McCree slip down to the floor where he made himself home with his hat over his eyes.

“Ana?”

“Shrike,” the woman in question corrected through their comm-link. Though her end had been silent for the past few minutes, it was clear that she had been keeping tabs on their conversation through Jack’s end of things. What she was doing out there, however, was her own secret to keep. It must have involved some exertion, because she was out-of-breath when she had to cobble a sentence together. “I’ll be there shortly, Commander. I’m just tying up a few loose ends.”

The link cut out briefly to the sound of a passing car. “Also, don’t take the password too personally. I made a similar one in the Costa Rica safehouse for Gabriel when I was angry at him.”

Asbjorn silently watched the morning's proceedings, taking a swig of cranberry juice every once and a while as he attempted to shake of the night's horrors. The visions of fire and frozen, forested mountainsides had filled his dreams again. The burning Omnics, the demon in the sky raining hell from above... The skeletons of the scorched, left behind and forgotten. The iron hands, clasping his neck, burning their mark into his flesh-

Asbjorn jolted himself back to the present, pushing the thoughts of his nightmares of the night from his childhood out of his mind. Ajax had entered the scene with a content but filthy puppy. Asbjorn smiled and gently stroked its ears, pulling his hands out of the way when it tried to nip him. Many different social interactions went on around the Norwegian, however he was lost to the world, buried in his food. The bacon stood no chance, the eggs as good as dead. Soon, the entire meal was gone, including an ungodly amount of cranberry juice. Asbjorn wiped the crumbs from his mouth and placed his dishes in the sink, gently patting Winston's massive shoulder in a show of appreciation.

Genji's appearance and subsequent endurance of Angela's flirting caught Asbjorn's attention; the ninja didn't normally appear this early in the morning, however his mention of missions quickly stole Asbjorn's attention. As Angela leaned in close to the man's body, Asbjorn turned to Erika and rolled his eyes, pretending to gag. A small chuckle was followed by the impatient drumming of his fingers as he waited for the pair to cease flirting and for the missions to be delegated.

“..I will not excuse you; nor will I excuse this behaviour…” The conflict pulled Asbjorn's attention as he focused on Genji. It was uncharacteristic of his to refuse a mission after waiting for so long, however the man was quite mysterious, so it was natural for Asbjorn to be confused. “..I will not stop you from leaving Genji; do what it is you think is best, however, you best be ready for the ramifications that come with walking out…”

“..I have several assignments that will need to be completed; some of which are just a tad more… delicate than others. There are two possible recruitment missions, one of a rather… sensitive manner, another that requires gathering information, and several escort missions of various importance.”

“Winston dear… Erika… the both of you have been assigned to one of the several escort missions. I want you to keep in mind that this is of high priority; be sure to work together, and stay safe… the details of this mission, as well as the co-ordinance will be sent to your communicators. I suggest you both go and gather anything you will need; please pass by office before you leave.”

“Virgil- I want you to take Ansgar for his physical. This is also something that is of high priority, as I will not have him in the field without first being signed off. This must be done and completed as soon as possible.” Pausing for a brief moment, Angela let her mind wander slightly; perhaps this was a chance to see if he could rise to the challenge… if he could work with others without being an utter asshole to them… there was only one way to find out, “Once you have signed him off, I want the both of you to report to my office where you will receive your briefing about the assignment you shall be working together on. I shall have the mission files ready for when you come to see me.”

Finally, after many other delegations, it was Abjorn's turn.

“Asbjorn… Lucas… Ajax- I want you to come with me to my office. There is a matter of importance I wish to discuss with you all. The rest of you are dismissed; and do not forget, training begins in one hours time. Have you not been given an assignment, I suggest you get ready for whatever it is that Fareeha has planned for you.”

Angela's word set Asbjorn's heart racing. The idea of a mission as delicate as the woman made it out to be had to be worthwhile. The skillsets of the chosen individuals had a clear theme; each was gifted in recon and subtly. The fact that he had been selected to go on a mission with Lucas was also significant to him. Asbjorn had never been the most respected member of Overwatch. That wasn't to say he was disrespected, however his combat capabilities were often overlooked. Lucas was the son of Jack Morrison. He had always been a tier higher than Asbjorn, however with them now going on a mission together, Asbjorn felt as if he was now being considered as a highly capable member.

The three men followed Angela at her behest, making their way through the winding halls to their office. As they entered, Lucas rested his hand on Ajax's shoulder. "Do not worry, Ajax. I'm sure its good news, and that you aren't in trouble."

Asbjorn let out a lighthearted chuckle, filled with energy. When the four finally entered Zielger's office, Asbjorn moved towards the window, leaning against it in the corner of the room, watching the rest of the room in anticipation.

“Close the door behind you- we four have much to discuss…” Lucas followed her instructions after everyone had entered and leaned against the wall.

"What's the mission?" Asbjorn spoke bluntly, eager to get down to business. The reserved tone Angie's voice possessed concerned the Norwegian to a small degree, however he pushed it aside. He remained calm and collected, determined to remain professional.

Interacting with: Peacere @Kaithas, Sombra @MiddleEarthRoze Sampson @Tominas, scorn @Argetlam350

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Troubled. Ceriwedyn watched Sombra go. She knew the older woman despised her, yet Ceri didn't know why, and that left her feeling like she had done something wrong, even if she hadn't. It left Ceriwedyn feeling saddened, alone and desperate to do anything she could to make Sombra like her even a little bit. Yet Sombra seemed to avoid her like the plague, even though Ceri was good at what she did.

“I’ll leave the tour to the circus act”

Ceri visible dropped, she knew she could be...active, but she doubted Sombra meant that in a good way, and it hurt. All Ceri wanted was to be accepted...she knew Selena liked her. Or hoped that she did. Looking down at her plate, Ceri gave a soft sigh, her bright spark dimmed for the moment. As Sampson caught up with her, telling her something, Ceri stopped, looking at him, eyes bright and hopefully, a little bounce in her step now. ”Oh? Oh really, Mister Sampson? Really?” Ceri did spend a lot of time on the base, rarely going out, and at times thought it was just to limit what she could do, so this offer was actually quite exciting, and Ceri looked at Sampson, ever so hopeful.

”I don't need money, Mister Sampson. I just want to be useful. I'd love the chance to actually do something. And i promise I'll do well, really! And then they can see that i am an asset, and not a liability! Thank you, thank you, thank you Mister Sampson!” she said in an excited rush, thrilled for the opportunity. There were times where she thought she just got overlooked. That she wasn't really anything impressive, but all she wanted to do was help the base out. Smiling brightly now, Ceriwedyn watched Sampson and gave a giggle at both his and the dogs reaction. ”well, help yourself.” she said, moving to lean against a counter.

She smiled sweetly, all doubts gone for the moment, as she happily watched the pair. Someone wanted her. Someone thought she might be a good fight, and wanted to let her in on a mission. That was almost enough to make ner start dancing on the spot.

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If you are not willing to look stupid, nothing great will ever happen to you. Words to live by. Of course, Jamison was never afraid to look stupid. He often didn't think things through, let alone contemplate them afterwards. Yet with Raelene...all he wanted was the best for her. Jamison sighed as he fiddled with her arm, intent on fixing the few miniscule parts that were necessary for it to function right. The task was oddly complicated, and yet Jamison didn't seem to have any issues with it. Having first created his own prosthetic arm, and then Raelene's, it was really an old trick. Especially when you thought of all the bombs and mines he'd created over the years.

He just wanted Raelene to be safe. Why couldn't she understand that? She was a lot brighter then him...she could have a future...there was no doubting her skill...Jamison grimaced to himself as he carefully manipulated a piece, making sure not to damage anything else. What was he meant to do? He was her guardian, even if he was a poor one at that. There weren't many things that, many people, that Jamison cared about. Mako...Raelene. They were people he'd do anything for, and yet, he seemed to be screwing things up, in one way or another, with all of them.

Jamison wasn't good with emotions. And he was never good with being rational. Reaching up absently to run his prosthetic hand through his hair, Jamison shook out dust from it. ya never could escape the sand out here. It will be everywhere which didn't actually both Jamison. He'd been covered in a lot worse, after all.

Was it so wrong, to want her safe?

Why was it so hard?

He shifted slightly, and studied the arm, before nodding satisfied, and putting his tools away. He slipped them in a back pocket, knowing full well that if he was careless they'd be stolen quicker than he could explode a bomb around these parts. There was a difference between being stupid and being...well. stupid. Did one look foolish, stupid trying to apologise? Jamison wouldn't really know, it so rarely happened. Jamison had to remember that no matter what, no matter her enthusiasm with explosives, or her inability to fear getting dirty, Raelene wasn't a guy. She was a girl. A teenager.

Hormonal.

Jamison shuddered. It was such a horrible word, really. Emotions. Thrown together with biological...needs...urges. it was enough to drive a man into his booze. What was Jamison meant to do? He was still half a child himself. He didn't know nothin bout girls. ‘Cept that ya needed a bloody manual for them. But...it was his little Rae Rae....he couldn't be mad at her, could he?

”Rae Rae…” Jamison said softly, looking over to his cousin, a troubled look on his youthful features, damaged by both his living and having lived in junkertown.