Ana and Jack crouched in the shadows as she navigated the narrow alleys, finding the routes through the labyrinthine tangle of streets and pathways, keeping an eye out for the patrols that circled like hawks. For once in her life, she was grateful for the city's patchwork infrastructure. In the shade of one of the massive, derelict cooling towers, the heat from the oppressive afternoon sun was a little more tolerable. It didn't bother Ana, but Jack was laboring. His genetic enhancement should have helped him acclimate and, more importantly, stop the bleeding but it was seeping through his shirt.
"You need to take better care of yourself," Ana said.
"You sound like Angela," Jack grunted as he coughed up some blood.
A police car passed overhead, lights flashing and then she signaled Jack to move forward.
Jack leaned against one of the walls behind Ana "Reminds me of Prague."
"Prague was your fault. Why you ever thought Reinhardt could be stealthy is beyond me," Ana replied.
Ana waited for a reply from Jack to defend himself. When he didn't reply, she turned around to see he had collapsed on the paving stones, out in the open. Not now, Ana thought as she rushed over to him trying to wake him up with no luck. She slung Jack's arm over her shoulder lifting him up and carrying him down the alley into her base - The Necropolis.
Jack drifted awake, which wasn't normal as he was always a light sleeper. His eyes adjusted rapidly to the dim light of the room as he sat up. He was on an old military surplus cot with a threadbare blanket. His side ached like hell.
"Finally," Ana walked over, silent in her steps. "Tea?"
"I'll take whiskey if you have it."
Ana rolled her eyes. "Yes. I happen to have that just in case you show up."
"Tea is fine," he smiled. " I've been shot before, Ana. It never felt like this." Jack grimaced as he shifted, twisting around to get a better look at the wound. There were three large gashes crisscrossed his back and sides, but they'd been stitched together with dark thread.
"Looks like a butcher went at this," he said as he ran his fingers over the jagged stitches.
"Well, you can take care of yourself from now on, if you like." Ana said before continuing "there is something very wrong with that wound. We should probably take you to a doctor. Dr Ziegler's not too far away. She's set up camp here in Cairo."
"No doctor," Jack said. "And especially not Angela." How would we even begin to explain this to her? I doubt she'd want to see us now. Two lost ghosts. Jack thought.
"You were always very stubborn. That wound needs someone to see it. Why has it not healed yet?"
"It should have. Maybe the shells were laced with a biological agent?" He asked as he looked around Ana's base. It was a mix of tactical equipment, military surplus, surveillance devices and some light touches of domesticity. The place was filled with antics that made it more of an archaeological site than an apartment.
"This place looks more of a museum than a base. What is this place?"
"It's a necropolis - A city of the dead. I found all these antics when I came in. I can't throw them away, can I? I figured once I'm done, I'd hand them over to an archaeologist I know, Dr Faisal"
Jack blew on his tea gently and took a sip.
"We tried to find you," Jack said somberly. "I used every resource at my disposal. Gabe even put McCree on it personally. Everyone tried to convince me you're dead and said I was irrational. But deep down I knew you couldn't be dead" And I was right, Jack thought.
"Dr. Lee, the one taking care of me in Poland kept me out of the system when I convinced her some dangerous people were after me."
"I'm dangerous?" he asked, playing innocent.
"You're a kitten, Jack," Ana laughed. Jack joined her in laughter before his wound started aching again. He held his hand to his side.
"Gabriel is out there. Talon is getting more powerful. They need to be stopped, everything that we've suffered - everything that you've suffered - needs to be made good on. I'm going to take them apart, piece by piece." He clenched his fists before slowly releasing them. "But I can't do it alone. I need your help."
Ana crossed her arms "You can barely stand. You fainted on the street. Even for you this is new. You're too pumped with adrenaline now to agree to go to Ziegler. I'll talk to you again when you wake up"
"Wake up?" Jack's eyes flashed to his mug and then looked back at ana. "Did you-?"
"I'm sorry, Jack." Ana said in an apologetic tone.
He collapsed on the cot.
—------------------
Doctor Angelia Ziegler's eyes opened to the light passing through the window of her apartment. She immediately shut them back as it was too bright for her and she was too tired to get up. She turned away from the window to try and get a few more minutes of sleep. Since Overwatch fell, Angela was on the constant move around the world, trying to find her place in the world again as a doctor. She moved to Poland, South Korea and Venezuela where people only knew her as Dr Ziegler, not Mercy. She devoted a decade of her life that has either been scrapped or reassigned out of her control since the downfall. She knew that Lena continued to help however she could in London, despite knowing the risks. Reinhardt is traveling across Europe, dragging poor Brigitte with him. Sojourn keeps a low profile in Canada and the last she heard from Genji was that he was going home to find his brother. Torbjorn was the wisest of all of them. He returned home to Gothenburg with Ingrid in retirement. However, wherever Angela went, she felt the echoes of overwatch and her own guilt over the problems Overwatch has left behind. This is the reason she is in Egypt. Overwatch was responsible for much of the country's suffering and she needed to help repair it. But the people had not given her the proper welcome and would always tell her to go home and that she had done enough damage. Deep down though, she knew that in their time of need, people will still expect her to come to their aid. She didn't become a doctor to be thanked.
Her eyes opened again as she felt that people needed her to attend her clinic. She's set up a medical camp in Cairo near her apartment. It's just a fifteen-minute walk. When she was going to get changed, her eyes landed on a large cardboard box at the back of her cupboard. The box holds her Valkyrie suit that she has not worn for over 5 years. She reverted her attention to her clothes, changed into her black dress attire, put her white lab coat and glasses on, and looked at herself in the mirror. She is a slender young woman with light skin and platinum blonde hair tied in a ponytail. When she went to unplug her phone from the charger, something caught her attention on the display.
Sombra Protocol:
Dr Angela, your life is in danger, be careful.
Baptiste
She stared at her phone trying to gain back control but it was not responding. After about fifteen seconds, the display turned to her regular phone screen. She has no clue what Sombra Protocol was and no idea who this Baptiste is either. This wasn't the first time she got threatened and threats have never stopped her from helping people. Her passion and care for others is far greater than her own need for safety. She picked up her coffee mug and walked out of the apartment.
The walk to the medical tent was comforting for Angela. The children on the streets are very fond of her as she tends to their needs for common injuries they get on the playground. Many would walk over to her tent at work to give her a quick hug before running away. There was a long queue at work of patients needing medical attention. Therefore, Mercy said hello to a few colleagues before going into her own tent. She arranged a few paperwork on her desk and gave her back to the tent entrance. She overheard some footsteps outside of her tent and the sound of someone being dragged. She turned around and, to her surprise, it was Soldier and Ana, two people presumed dead.
Ana was dragging Morrison as he was limping to keep himself up. "Angela, we need your help!" Ana spoke as she roughly dropped Soldier onto a stretcher on the side.
Jack looked good for a dead man, other than the gaping wound on the side. Angel thought that death has not softened his square nor hardened the innocent look he always had, despite the scars across his face. She thought the greatest scars must be his head. Angel tried to get some details but Morrison was as taciturn as ever. He has always been a textbook example of a difficult patient.
"Stubbornness is the only thing with a chance of killing him" Ana spoke from Angela's desk as she picked up Angela's coffee and poured some for herself.
"Did children play with thread and needle with the wound?" Angela said as she turned to see Ana sipping coffee. Ana still had the posture of a military officer but displayed softness that Angela didn't see before. She realized that Ana and Morrison must have both been through many changes since their presumed deaths.
"I know. Someone else said a butcher went at it. That's not why we are here. It's not healing, Angela" She said as she sipped the coffee and continued "Something is wrong. Maybe the bullets used had some biological agent?"
Angela gave Ana a sarcastic look before speaking. "I can try to run some tests, but this is an aid camp, not a genetics lab."
"Time isn't something we have a lot of," Morrison said dryly. "Just give me a few med kits. I'll make do."
"Jack. This is not what we discussed. Do you want another cup of tea to help you think?" Ana said in a soft but menacing tone and she poured another cup of coffee for herself.
"I'll see what I can scrounge up for you. And would you leave my coffee alone! I was planning on having it as I read through some of my letters" Angela burst out.
Ana laughed. "Sorry Angela, I was just thirsty. You have so many letters. Still got tabs around the world?"
"You wouldn't know, would you? Since everyone thinks you are dead" Angela said before beginning to realize her irritation. She should be happy to know that they're both alive. But they were the physical manifestation of something she was trying to escape. She looked at the biotic grenades on Morrison's shoulder strap that were probably items stolen from overwatch. She looked over to Amari's sniper rifle and the absorbable biotic bullets that have been made using the technology from her own research without her approval. These were reminders that Overwatch has gone ways that Angela didn't want.
"What are you doing Angela?" Asked Morrison from across the tent.
"Trying to find med kits," She shot back. "Like you asked."
"That's not what I meant," He was turning over an expensive medical scanner in his hands. "What are you doing in Cairo?"
"Let that go, that's delicate" She glowered at him. She let out a breath that she didn't realize she was holding. "There are people here who need help".
"Surely a hospital, lab or a university would be better suited to you," Ana said.
"As it turns out, being a prominent ex-Overwatch official isn't the sort of experience on your CV that people are looking for. I'd prefer to keep a low profile. More than I can say about the two of you".
Jack scowled. "What would you have us do? Fly to London and join up with Winston? You think the same people who brought down Overwatch won't take him down, too?"
Angela thought about Winston's recall. She thinks Winston doesn't question why things had fallen apart. He loved it and needed it too much to see how it had damaged and changed us all. Being in this room with Ana and Soldier made her realize that all of them were still broken. Doing the same thing that was done in the past would only lead to another disaster. The world didn't need that. Winston's heart was in the right place, but that means he was right.
"Let Winston play hero," Jack said dismissively. "I'll do what needs to be done. Reyes, Ogundimu, Maximillien, Vialli, Sombra, O'deorain, and the rest of them. They'll be dealt with."
Reyes. The mention of his name gave Angel a shiver. She thought he was dead. But seeing that Morrison was alive, she isn't surprised he would be too. Angela caught on to another name.
"Sombra" she said.
"You've heard of her?" asked Marrison.
"I got a threat this morning on my phone under Sombra Protocol that my life is in danger. I didn't give it much thought"
Soldier turned quickly to Ana before speaking "This place is about to turn into a bloodbath. People will get hurt. Mercy, patch me quickly, I need to get ready."
It's been a while since she was called that. She quickly went to his aid and thought about the countless people in the area about to get hurt. She looked around in her tent searching for something only to realize it was back in her apartment.
"I need to get my Valkyrie suit. Helix Security will only show up for battle but won't care for the injured" She felt a sense of responsibility as she mentioned her suit.
"We'll set up a post here. Go, we will regroup later," Soldier commanded.
Angela made her way back to her apartment as she quickly ran back. She opened her cupboard and took out the large packaging crate. The biometric locks snapped open with a satisfying thunk. She laid the pieces out: breastplate, the communications and scanning visor, the biotic charges, the propulsion system and the staff. Each in their specific, molded-foam padding for transit, Unused for some time. She ran her hand over the white breast plate to lift it from the padding and could feel the signs of damage from the time in the field. She fixed the claps and as the power turned on, it molded to her. The hand grips on the staff had been indented into the shape of her hands where she had clutched into it in desperate situations. The headset and processing unit came on last. It all still fit her, but she had forgotten how heavy it all was, which the wings helped with.
She heard explosions outside her flat. She went to look out the window to see rockets flying everywhere and buildings collapsing with people running in the streets. She realized a smoke trail was still in the sky and the rocket was directed toward her building. With no hesitation, she leaped out of the 5th floor window shattering the glass and spreading her wings open to fly. Her building exploded and crumpled to the ground.
Below her, Cairo unfurled to the horizon, a green city fading to brown in the distance. New agriculture installation along the Nile brought the river back to life. Along its banks were solar panels and massive battery farms that stored energy for the country. Below her, a battlefield of missiles, gunfire and troops roaming the street along with civilians running for their lives. She quickly turned to scan the environment below her but something caught her eye. A black mist was roaming the streets below her.
"What is that?" Angela breathed.
"Reyes," Jack said.
"That's not our concern, Morrison. We have people to save."
"That's your job, doctor. He is ours." Jack said before his and Ana's comms link went silent.
Jack was right. Angela has always tuned the battle to a low buzz and left it for others. She has always focused on saving lives and helping people. She never wanted to be Mercy but felt that it was thrust upon her. Her Valkyrie suit was to prove a point that her technology worked but teammates saw her as a combatant with them in battle. Therefore, little by little, Dr Ziegler grew smaller, and Mercy took her place.
Mercy's heads up display was insistent that there were life signs below her in the building she just escaped. However, it was impossible to see from the dust cloud. Acting on faith, she drove down through the plumes of smoke which tore at her eyes. Slowly her lenses filtered it out. She engaged her Valkyrie's maneuvering system and flew straight in to be greeted by a young girl with white tee-shirt and dark brown hair. She reminded her of so many children from the past that were trampled beneath the soldiers fighting for survival, victory and glory.
The girl waved her arm desperately trying to gain Mercy's attention. Amidst the rubble of the building Mercy asked "Don't move. Is your leg stuck?"
She nodded and looked exhausted, which reminded Mercy of her own childhood and her family torn apart. She immediately attempted to pull the large bricks of concrete off the girl. It would have been nice to have some help from Winston, Reinhardt, or Genji; they would have been perfect for this task. Nevertheless, she was able to get rid of the rubble using the power of the Valkyrie suit.
"You're-" She hesitated as she recognized who her savior was.
"Going to help you" Mercy finished her statement as she pulled back another slab of wall and flung it to the side. "What's your name?"
"Hanan," she said timidly.
"Let me do a scan." Hanan looked uncertain but remained still as a light blue wave washed over her from the Valkyries handheld scanning module. There was nothing broken. Just some cuts and abrasion, which she was bleeding from. Mercy knelt down and activated her biotic stream from her staff. Small mote of light, like dust glittering in the air landed on Hanan's skin. She flinched like she held her arm too close to a fire.
"It might be a little hot. Let me know if it's too much," Mercy informed her.
As her wounds healed, she nodded in amazement. "It's like magic."
"Science," Mercy said with a smile. "Much better than magic"
"I'll explain it to you, but first we need to get you to safety."
"We can't leave yet!" Hanan said. "My brother is stuck inside. We have to help him! Everyone else left. They wouldn't wait," She continued as tears were rolling down her cheek.
There was no way that Mercy would leave him behind. She tried to look for him using the scanner but the electrical interference made it hard. It wasn't the safest choice but with no other option, she had to go with Hanan to find her brother.
As they made their way down the collapsed stairs, they descended into the building which is heavily filled with dust and smoke. Mercy tore a bit of fabric from her skirt and made a makeshift mask. Alarms were ringing and shouting, and flashing lights still illuminated the area. As they exited the stairwell into the hallway, the ground creaked. As they got closer, she detected another life sign inside the room ahead. An older boy in a red shirt and yellow scarf, slumped on the ground. His arm was bent unnaturally, which Mercy was suspected was fractured. He seemed to be fading in and out of consciousness.
"Is that you, Hanan?" He asked, but his eyes were unfocused, looking somewhere up at the ceiling as he heard footsteps approaching.
Hanan dashed in front of Mercy and ran to his side as she choked back a sob. "Yes, it's me. I brought help."
"Don't worry. We're going to get you out of here," Mercy said.
Mercy was worried he would go into shock so she gave him a little stream of biotic healing before trying to remove any of the debris. As his breathing got better and his eyes began to focus on Mercy. "You're Mercy. I've seen you in pictures. My parents don't like you very much," he sounded embarrassed.
"Maybe when you see them later, you'll put in a good word for me?" Mercy smiles.
His facial expression changed as he nodded in joy, but even that small bit of effort seemed to cause him a great deal of pain.
"Okay, here's the situation. We need to get out of this building. Do you think you can walk?"
"I think, maybe?"
"Okay, not a problem," Mercy said. "We're going to take it nice and slow. Hanan and I will be right with you"
Immediately after giving them reassurance, Mercy heard the telltale sound of an incoming mortar. "GET DOWN!" she shouted and grabbed both of them trying to shield them both as best as she could. The wall exploded outwards, sending concrete and glass flying against her armor. She silently reminded herself to be thankful for Torbjorn's hard work in crafting the suit's armor.
"Is everyone alright?"
There was no response and her suit's display were down. She had to look for herself. Hanan was clinging to her in fear and curled up defensively terrified. Her brother wasn't moving - the shock of the blast had been too much and must have knocked him out. A cold sweat came over Mercy. It was as if the walls were closing in on them. The thought that this must have been how her parents felt in their last moments when their hospital was bombed haunted her. Mercy snapped back to reality and realized she couldn't wait it out here as the building was groaning and creaking more so now.
She stood up and carried Hanan's brother in her arms, feeling guilty she didn't know his name. The sound of her wing creaked, broken. She was battered. They ran across the uneven ground, jumping the gaps. The walls were closing in and she knew they weren't going to make it. The wall was collapsing; the building was collapsing; it felt like the world was collapsing on them. Her mind raced for possible escapes and found none. All she wanted to do was save the ones in her care.
Her reflexes kicked in and she threw herself over Hanan and her brother as the building came down crashing into her back and pushing them to the floor.
The world went dark.