- Doomsday - Volume One: Gods and Monsters

Chapter 24: Calm

It took a little while before the transport aircraft could properly land. There was no actual landing strip for the vessel, forcing Ray to simply park in the middle of an open pasture. He quickly earned the ire from the local cattle, who felt threatened that their land had been taken over, throwing the Orca death glares and impudent growls. It wasn't every day that a military unit decided to bother themselves with their side of the world, quiet and remote.

As the vehicle settled down, after a few minutes a small ramp shot out, soon followed by the bay door, metal joints unlocking, snapping and contracting. And, without much delay, the small unit disembarked. First Morrison, followed closely by Amari, then Ziegler and Lindholm, with Wilhelm bringing up the rear. Ray quickly exited the cockpit of the aircraft and spoke with Jack, just to understand what he would be doing for the next few hours. "You stay here, and you wait for us to call you." He responded. Ray wasn't upset with that order, perfectly fine to rest in the ship, where he felt most comfortable.

Free from the ship, the squad of five found themselves standing in the blistering cold, within a large, damp field, surrounded by sheep. The makings of a small village could be seen in the near-distance, with old roofs poking up, and chimney stacks spewing a dark smoke. Before they knew it, the sun would be saying its farewells, so it would have been best to start without delay.

One by one, they formed a single file line, marching towards the rural hamlet...

Now, while they had been granted authority to check and investigate the area, that was the limit of the help that the Overwatch Strike Team had been given by the UK government, the town had not been told of their arrival and thus there were no preparations, but they had been in far worse circumstances, so it didn't really bother them.

As they were walking, Jack couldn't help but notice how Angela seemed nervous, her movements skittish. And he was certain that Ana had noticed it too. For now, he only made a mental note. He could bring it up later in private.

However, with his mind on the young woman, it was strange to know that she was only seventeen, not even an adult. There were multiple backers who sponsored her admission into Overwatch as a potential new recruit. Yet, she volunteered for the position on the mission from her own initiative. Why would any greenhorn want to join a mission like this? He wasn't really sure. The pictures were confidential for a time, but the leak ruined much of the anonymity they held. Angela was sure to have seen the gruesome scenes just like everyone else had. And, she still chose to join despite the risks. Maybe it was because of how bloody the images were that pushed her to act. That, if she remained an onlooker nothing would change.

He admired that about her. Thinking back upon his own formative years, he was unsure whether he would have done the same. And, she was still only young. There were many years ahead of her still, but Jack knew that she was destined to do great things. It was something about her person, a calming presence of sorts, hard to exactly explain...

It wasn't long before the troop met the village outskirts, and they had obviously begun to gain some unwanted attention from the townsfolk. Large groups of people slowly gathered in crowds, eager to see the legendary heroes, the Overwatch Strike Force. Defenders of humanity and vanquishers of the Omnic threat. Most were also rightly confused. What were they doing up here? Nothing ever went on up here. It was strange.

Reinhardt, ever the showman, couldn't help but to wave at every man, woman and child, laughing loudly and with great gusto. He always enjoyed lapping up his fame and enjoying the eyes on him. Lindholm was the complete opposite, not caring much at all, and actively trying to evade prying eyes. Unlike Wilhelm, he didn't need the screaming fans to make himself feel validated. Or atleast, that was what he assumed the giant German believed...