Damn it, Ana. I told you I'm not cut out for this stuff. I've got talon to look out for and have got a tail to deal with too. Who are you kidding McCree? Be honest with yourself. You're enjoying this. Let's deal with this tail and see what happens. This guy's been on us since Egypt. As a tracker, he's good. But let's see if he can keep up.
Jesse McCree has traveled on multiple trains to get to the train station at Bucharest, Romania. He had a tail following him all the way from Egypt. Since he knew this tracker wasn't good, he kept them close to see how it played out. However, McCree is getting close to his destination and he needs to lose his tail now.
The tail was a middle aged afro Caribbean man, who was wearing a gray t-shirt, dark cyan overcoat and a red and green scarf. He kept a distance from McCree at all times and tried to stay hidden, which he wasn't doing very well. He was speaking to himself. He changes trains three times. Went into the city before, moved through the crowds and doubled back to the station. He knows what he's doing. I thought he was being careful. But there's something about the way he dodges around. I can tell the difference between caution and intent. He knows I'm following him.
As he was having his thoughts, he lost sight of McCree between the crowds. He rushed forward pushing the strangers out of his way. Quickly. I have to relocate him before the trail goes cold. No. I can't lose him.
From the side of his vision, he noticed McCree's red cape going through the maintenance door on the side. He quickly rushed to follow. He opened the door into a dark hallway. The only light was coming from behind him. It was odd for the maintenance hallway to have no light. He turned on the switch next to the door and the lights wouldn't turn on. He looked straight on the floor to see broken glass. The ceiling light was broken. Did I walk into his trap?
The tracker had a militarymonocle which he activated to be able to see in the dark. However, he felt thebarrel of a gun touch his back and heard the hammer of a revolver get cocked.
"Wait! Wait! I don't want to fight you." The tracker said as he turned around.
"Save it. I know Talon tactics when I see them." McCree said as he whipped his revolver at the tracker.
The tracker took a hit to the left side of his face. He turned around quickly and grabbed both of McCree's arms tightly. "I want to HELP YOU! I want to HELP OVERWATCH! Why won't you listen?"
The tracker bent his knees ever so slightly and his boots began lighting up. It was too fast for McCree to realize what was going to happen. They both bounced up and hit the ceiling and crashed back down again. The tracker fell onto his side unable to catch his balance. McCree, however, rolled forward avoiding taking any damage before landing. McCree stood over the tracker with a revolver pointed at his face.
"Neat trick. Now hands up. Nice and easy," McCree ordered.
The tracker complied. "My name is Jean-Baptiste Augustin. Talon Trained me, yes. But I am not one of them. Not anymore." Baptiste closed his eyes and continued. "I was a combat medic with the Caribbean coalition when I decided to join Talon. At first the missions were as expected. Simple mercenary intervention- Rescues. But I didn't ask enough questions. In time, it became clear Talon was not working to end conflict. They were creating them and profiting from them. So, I left. And They have been hunting me ever since. I managed to survive, and learned I was not the only one they were hunting. They were hunting a whole list of agents with their call signs, last verified locations. Even known and likely overwatch agents. Angela Ziegler - mercy - was on that list. I knew her humanitarian aid mission was in Cairo and thought I should alert her. Sombra agreed to send an alert to her. But when I arrived in Egypt, she had already left but there was still trouble there. And then I saw you. You're on their list, you know."
McCree lowered his weapon and peeked outside.
"I can give you the list. I only-" Baptiste said before being cut off.
"Nice story to kill time, here comes your crew," McCree said.
In the Train station, heavily armored guards were walking around and kicking over anything in their path. They were looking for someone. McCree was uncertain if his cover had been blown and he still doesn't trust Baptiste.
"They want me more than you... This was your escape route. What were you planning to do after putting a bullet in me?" Baptiste asked sarcastically.
"I... Was planning to improvise." McCree replied with a smirk.
An announcement was made across the station asking all passengers to board the train before it departs.
"This doesn't mean I believe you but we need to work together to make it on that train before it departs," McCree pointed out.
"Agreed. Glad you're seeing sense, cowboy. You know, I never understood why your Talon file was subtitled impulsive and reckless," Baptiste replied.
They both snuck out of the maintenance room hiding behind some barricades a few meters away from the train. While they were waiting for the right moment to make a run for it, the doors to the train closed. An announcement was made for people to step away from the platform as the train was about to depart.
"We need to get on that train. That's our way in." McCree said, pointing at a hatch on top of one of the carriages on the train.
"We'll have to get past those talon agents and their security drone. Let me handle this." Baptiste said as he ducked out of cover and used his burst rifle to fire at the drone. The drone lost control and crashed onto one of the two agents.
That opening was enough for them to make a run for it to get on the train. McCree was able to pull himself onto the train. However, Baptiste turned around to fire at the agents running from a distance. He tossed a matrix screen in front of himself and began firing through it. His bullets became much more effective and deadly. The agents were falling one after the other. As the matrix dissolved, an agent snuck up behind Baptiste and pointed a gun to his back.
"Any last words, traitor?" The Talon agent said.
Blam! Pew! Baptise heard two shots fired from two different guns.
"Don't just stand there!" McCree said. He was standing on top of a moving train with smoke climbing out of his revolver. He put an arm out to pull Baptiste onto the moving train.
Baptiste took a look at the agent on the ground realizing McCree just saved his life. He pulled a walkie-talkie from his body. He then took McCree's arm and was pulled up. He felt a sharp ache to his side. He examined himself and found a bullet wound to his side. The second shot he heard was from the deceased agent on the ground. The bullet has only grazed him, which was probably because the agent missed his shot thanks to McCree.
"You... Ngh... You came back for me." Baptiste said while holding onto his side.
"Yeah, pretty impulsive and reckless of me." McCree said while turning around to open the ceiling hatch. "Don't get misty, now. Get in, we'll patch you up inside-"
A feminine voice with a French accent interrupted McCree. It came from the radio device in Baptiste's hand. "Hello, Baptiste. Think you can hide from Talon forever?"
Baptiste took the walkie and replied. "Look. I won't spill any of Talon's secrets! Just stop chasing me!"
"Do you know what happened to the last man I trusted?" Widowmaker asked menacingly.
Baptiste knew she was referring to her dead husband. A shiver went down his spine realizing how determined she is to get her kills once she gets a target.
"You know what? Fine. Keep chasing me. You can send your people to find me. They will get what's coming." He said as he tossed the walkie off the train since it could be tracked.
Baptiste held his side as it ached. He held up his wrist and a yellow burst of energy radiated from his body. The wound to his side healed almost instantly.
"A healing pulses. That some sort of nanotech?" McCree said, perplexed. yeah, Mercy is not going to like you for using her work, Mcree thought to himself.
"I'll tell you about it inside."
They walked through the carriages with many eyes turning to their attention. However, McCree didn't seem bothered. They sat down across from each other.
"Mighty courageous of you making your last stand there. Pretty dumb if you ask me... but courageous."
Baptiste scoffed. "I've faced worse odds."
"You know, if you were a smart talon agent, you'd set it up so you could save my life and I'd end up owing you."
"But I'm not."
"Not a talon agent? Or not smart?" Mcree asked sarcastically. "I have business to settle in Russia. You keep quiet and lay low till we regroup again and maybe you get the chance to get connected with Overwatch."
"What are you getting at?" Baptiste asked intrigued.
McCree thought about how he was given the opportunity to redeem himself in the past by joining Blackwatch. "You know. Somebody gave me a chance once, when no one thought there was any good in me. Who am I to say you don't deserve a chance like that." Mcree paused before continuing. "You mind telling me why you're hunted just for abandoning Talon?"
Baptiste thought about the time he spent in the Caribbean Coalition and about his time in Talon. He thought about the people he saved but the greater number who got hurt because of his negligence.
"Because Doomfist doesn't like traitors and I am on Widowmaker's hitlist now."
"Doomfist? That guy is a nuisance even in prison."
"Prison has never stopped him from communicating with Talon. Since Overwatch fell, Talon was able to build connections everywhere. I just want to set things right. Overwatch did good for the world. If I can tip things in their favor... Even a little bit... Then I will." Baptiste said, determined.
After about 10 hours, the train was about to reach its destination in Siberia, Russia. McCree was looking at the television that's mounted to the wall on the train. It was on a news channel showing the Null Sector airships invading several countries. His left metallic wrist was beeping. He looked over to and saw an incoming message. He assumed it must be from Winston and ignored it. I hope everyone is alright. I'll be there. Just hold on tight.
_____________
This is a hard land. We are hard people. Proud of our strength. Enemies have tried to destroy us. We never fall. My father died holding the line. When my people needed me, I gave everything to defend them.
"Alexandra Zaryanova! What you did after the world championship was truly heroic. Can I have your autograph?" A soldier, about 5.5 feet tall, reminded Zarya of her sisters.
Zarya is one of the world's strongest women and is 6.5 feet tall. She is a celebrated athlete who sacrificed personal glory in the world championship for athletes to protect her family, friends and country in times of war. She uses her strength as a proud soldier in the Russian Defense Forces (RDF). Russia is the only country in the world that is distrustful and against all omnics. They have never sought help from any organization during the Omnic Crisis. Overwatch offered assistance but the RDF refused to allow foreigners to fight for their motherland. When the crisis ended, Zarya was only a child but was aware of the destruction brought by the Omnics to her home and as she grew older, she swore to gain the strength to protect her people from all threats. Currently Zarya is stationed in an RDF base near her hometown, Novoanskoye. Every day, the RDF fights against the remaining operational bastion units from the previous omnic crisis along with the newly emerged Null sector warbots.
"Of course!" Zarya replied, laughing along with her comrades as she signed the magazine. She lost her smile after a few seconds. Am I fighting for the nation or the people? She thought.
When Zarya was asked to track down Sombra, she thought she was doing it to protect the nation. She successfully tracked down and found Sombra. However, she learned that she was tasked to hunt her down to protect people's personal interest. Sombra showed her the truth behind Volsakaya industries and that Katya Volskaya, the CEO of Volskaya industries and weapon manufacturer for the RDF, was getting technology from omnics. On her return, she confronted Katya about the accusation and Katya confessed. Their conversation ended with both agreeing to keep this information a secret as the repercussions would be catastrophic for the nation. However, it made Zarya question her enrollment and presence within the RDF. For now, the only thing keeping her going, is the thought of protecting her family.
The base alarm suddenly started beeping. The enemy is here. Zarya thought. She dropped the pen from her hand as she pushed the magazine back into the soldier's chest rushing out the door. People were running out of their shelters holstering their weapons. At the end of the path, she saw the commander handing out rifles. She ran over to him quickly.
"Commander!" Zarya called out.
"Zarya. Omnic forces have broken the northeastern front! We are sounding the general retreat to consolidate defenses around the city of Krasnoyarsk and oversee its evacuation. Your platoon leader has your orders!"
Northeastern defense? Novoanskoye! That was all that Zarya heard.
"What about Novasnkoye?" Zarya asked, concerned.
"We won't make it in time to save them. It's already lost. Our orders are to focus on Krasnoyarsk." The commander turned around and shouted to the remaining soldiers. "Arm up and get to your positions! Report to the hangar for immediate deployment!"
Zarya stood there thinking in silence as the commander gave his orders. She thought about her family and friends who are probably scared and defenseless. She understood the decision to retreat but could not in good heart join her platoon leader.
"Commander. Permission to-"
"Do what you have to do," The commander interrupted her and walked away leaving Zarya standing alone.
Zarya stepped into the weapon's vault to pick up her Particle Cannon. It is a two-handed cannon with an energy center that releases short-range beams of destructive energy. It is connected to her suit and gets powered up the more energy it absorbs in combat. Once she was ready, she stepped out of the vault with one goal in mind; reach Novoanskoye.
She began walking out of the base on the road before hearing a man call out to her. She was surprised to see him in Russia.
"Alexandra Zaryanova. Need a ride?" A man wearing a cowboy hat and a red serape was driving an old pickup truck outside of the base.
Since the RDF wasn't going to give Zarya a vehicle, she appreciated the ride. After a few minutes on the road, they were below Zarya's hometown. Smoke was rising from where the town was located. The road beneath them shook with every explosion they heard.
"So, you want to go toward that?" Asked McCree
"You don't have to come. I go where I'm needed," Zarya Replied
"Funny you should mention that. You know who I am, don't you?"
"You're ex-overwatch. I've seen your face before."
"Then you know I'm pretty handy in a fight-"
"Thank you," Zarya interrupted. "But when we get to Novoanskoye, you should take your truck and head West. I don't expect we'll meet again.
McCree scoffed. "This isn't my truck. In my defense, the keys were in the car," He smirked. "And that's not really my style. Listen, you lead the way, I'll cover you."
When they reached the foot of the village, Zarya stepped out of the vehicle and told McCree one last statement before walking toward the town in a hurry.
"This isn't your fight." This is my fight. My town. My people. Zarya thought as she powered her weapon and rushed into town.
The town was overrun. Omnium bastion warbots were everywhere. Homes were on fire. Bodies were everywhere. At the distance she saw a family running for their life away from some units. She charged forward putting herself between the units and the family.
I will draw them all to me to give my village the time it needs. Even if this is the last thing I do.
The units surrounded her and continuously fired. Zarya's weapon allows her to deploy energy absorbing particle barriers around herself. These barriers can sustain a certain amount of damage before breaking. Moreover, the more damage they sustain, the more charged up her cannon becomes and the stronger her energy beams are.
I've never pushed the absorption rate this hard. The barriers are failing. But I won't fall. Not yet. I will stand until everyone is safe!
Zarya was all powered up but was being overwhelmed by the units around her. She just needed an opening to unleash all of the built-up energy.
An opening was finally here. The constant firing at her stopped for a second and she immediately took the opportunity to blast powerful bursts of explosive charges from her cannon. The automatons blasted into pieces and a moment of silence was born. She realized McCree by her side. He must have created that opening she needed.
"Thought you could use some help."
"You set them up. I will knock them down!" Zarya said as she smirked.
They looked around to see an incoming number of automatons from a far.
"What's the objective here? Mass destruction? Win a medal?" McCree asked sarcastically.
"Mass destruction? No. The people need time to evacuate."
"So, we draw the enemy's fire?"
"Yes. Let them come!" Zarya said as she readied her cannon for another battle.
Another fearless battle came to an end and they had a moment to breathe. The next wave was already here. The automatons will never back down as they are only programmed to fight until they eradicate everything in their way or be destroyed. As they were getting overwhelmed, McCree saw an opportunity where all the enemies were coming from one direction. He stopped firing for a few seconds to take a deep breath. He was getting his heart rate to slow down to focus and take out multiple enemies at once. However, the automatons were not going to allow that. Zarya was a step ahead of them and produced a particle barrier around him. McCree was impressed by the barrier as Zarya turned around to face the Automatons again. She readied her cannon and fired a gravitation surge that drew all the enemy combatants into one location.
"Fire at will!"
"Step right up," McCree said as he opened fire multiple times at the automations taking them out.
A path has become clear to Zarya's home. She looked back at McCree and nodded at him before heading towards it.
"Looks like you bought yourself an opening. I wouldn't waste any time. Just don't take too long." McCree told Zarya as she disappeared in the fire and smoke.
Zarya had a worried look on her face. She was hoping they were okay. They might have escaped. Zarya tried to be optimistic but the horrible thought of finding her sisters' bodies haunts her.
"Sasha!"
A voice called out to Zarya. That was her nickname. Only her sisters called her that. She immediately turned to the voice to see a group of people hiding behind a broken wall. Amongst the people were her sisters, Ira and Marisha. She hugged them tightly.
"Sasha. We were nervous. We saw the RDF retreat. We couldn't leave, we were surrounded."
"Is this everyone?" asked Zarya.
"Some already fled. This is the last of the survivors. Where can we go? We have kids with us."
Zarya put a hand on her sisters' shoulders. "We're going to get you all out of here. Gather up the children. When I move, you move with me. As quickly as you can." Zarya looked down onto her cannon. "The omnics will regroup. Don't be afraid. Are you ready?"
They nodded at her. She took a peek to check if the coast was clear but realized it was too silent.
"I don't know how many are still -" Zarya's words got interrupted as she realized McCree was standing over a load of destroyed automatons.
"Now that's how it's done." McCree said as he tossed a piece of an automaton behind him.
Zarya turned over to her family and gave them another hug.
Novaonskoye is gone. The omnic forces will strip what remains and push forward. My superior officers left it to its fate. But Fate can be changed. I fight, I live, for a world where my family is safe. I made a promise and I will never abandon it.
Zarya walked over to McCree to speak to him. It was the first time they stood face to face. McCree realized how short he was in comparison to her.
"You saved the whole village. It was damn foolish to go in there alone like that. Foolish... And brave, too" McCree said whilst realizing he said something similar to Baptiste.
"Thank you for helping me save them."
"Listen. What would you think about doing this more often? Lending your strength to people who might not survive without it? The world's going to hell, Zarya. The RDF won't miss one soldier, but overwatch could use your strength. Let's join them and we can figure all this out." McCree said as he realized Zarya was thinking and considering what he was saying. "The Talon hits, Null Sector activity, Omnium attacks here-"
"Enough talk! I'm in."
Zarya's family got into a car and drove away to the main city, Krasnoyarsk. She was at ease because they would be safe there. She and McCree headed back to the, now abandoned, RDF base. Baptiste was waiting for them at the foot of the base. He was sitting on one of the military boxes. Next to his feet were a few talon agents tied up.
"So, your mission was a success, I guess?" Baptiste asked whilst waving at Zarya.
"Looks like you were busy too." Mcree mentioned as he looked down at the agents.
"I had to deal with them. That is why I couldn't join you as planned." Baptiste stood up to greet Zarya. "My name is Jean-Baptiste Augustin. Baptiste, for short. I am a combat, Medic."
"Zarya. Good to meet you Baptiste." Zarya replied as she shook his hand.
McCree looked around the nearby hangars from afar. "Hey Zarya, the IDF wouldn't by any chance have left us an aircraft that we can use. Would they?"
Zarya laughed as Baptiste spoke. "If it is a jump ship you want, I know a Talon base with just what you need."
"Fine by me. But I thought you weren't giving away Talon's secrets?" McCree asked sarcastically.
"Well... Sometimes, having agents track a person down to kill him changes their perspective."
Baptiste hopped back into the back of the pickup truck while McCree got into the driver's seat. Baptiste explained that they need to get to Mongolia to get to the base. Zarya was staring at the sun as it was setting.
"What say you, Zarya? Are you in?" McCree asked.
Zarya took a deep breath and looked back at McCree with a smirk.
"Warmup's over. Let's do this."
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Credit to Artists: Kai Fine Art, Nesskain