#anti76

Everything’s too much. The screaming. The pain. The light. The grief. He can’t process it all. Too much. It’s all become a mass of confusion. Nothing is real. Everything is. They’re all screaming. They’re silent. He’s surrounded. He’s alone. He’s alive. He’s dead. He feels everything. He feels nothing. There’s pain. There’s relief. It’s a beautiful dream. It’s an awful nightmare.

----

The screaming has died down. The blur has faded. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Everything’s white. White... white...? white? white!? white! Jack jerks up harshly, his aching body protesting. There’s white! Shakily he brings up a resistant hand and waves it around, taking in the moving appendage with something akin to awe. Holy shit I can see! It takes a second for his disoriented mind to come upon a second realization. I can move too! I-thi-what? He stays in that kneeling position a while longer, happily looking down at his waving hands. This is-! I can’t-! Jack’s so blissed out that he doesn’t notice the very quiet hissing sound from one of the small room’s corners. And he isn’t even remotely prepared when the words slam into him like a freight train.

You didn’t protect them.

All his happiness and relief vanishes into thin air. Wha- He doesn’t have time to finish the thought before the words echo through the room again.

You didn’t protect them.

 Jack starts to unconsciously shake, the voice is familiar and the phrase dredges up pain that he doesn’t remember the cause for.

You didn’t protect me.

Jack lets out a broken cry of pain as all the horrors he’d managed repress flood forward again, new ones mixed in this time. Everyone he cares about, dying before his eyes over and over again. And worst of all is Gabe. Oh lord Gabe! He’s on the ground, broken and bleeding, eyes silently begging for Jack’s help. But he can’t do anything! Nothing... Jack has to watch, frozen in place as the first person to ever truly understand him bleeds out. The fierce light slowly fading from his dark eyes. Damn it! WHY?! Why does this have to happen?! Why do I keep seeing this?! Hot tears are running down his face, strangled cries coming from already ruined vocal chords. Stop... please... Each death makes that small crack a little worse. Each set of bright eyes gone glassy ruining him just the slightest bit more.

----

They’re gone for now. No they’re not gone, just stopped. No new horrors have decided to appear. Thank... Jack can’t stop shaking. God... He can’t think straight. It’s all a mess. Too many images flashing before his eyes like a gruesome slideshow. Reality doesn’t want to come back. Every inch of white is spattered by crimson. He closes his eyes and slowly curls up, head hidden behind his knees.

It doesn’t help.

The darkness is also a canvas for the pain. It doesn’t want to leave. I-I just want to go home... Jack’s chest tightens painfully and probably his worst realization yet occurs There isn’t any home anymore. I’m alone...

----

It’s finally stopped. No more. Jack’s panting, the force of his suffering leaving him exhausted. I don’t... I don’t know if I can take this... His breath hitches and tears threaten to start again. Can’t think about-! Distraction! Need one! He forces himself to open his eyes and look up, the harsh glare of unseen lights making the room blinding. Somewhere new. Need to focus on that. I’m somewhere new. Jack forces himself to stand, gritting his teeth as every part of him protests. He stands unsteadily and attempts to comprehend his surroundings through squinted eyes. The room is entirely white, with no defining features. It’s almost impossible to tell where the wall starts and the floor ends.

Jack slowly walks forward, hand held out in front of him like a child lost in the dark. It takes only a few steps before he brushes the wall. Moving sideways now, Jack hold out his other arm, testing to find exactly where the walls meet. Again, it takes only a few paces for him to reach the other wall. He stops there for a few seconds, hands on their respective walls. Almost unconsciously he turns, then backs up until he’s wedged himself in the corner. Slowly Jack sinks to the floor, dully noting the dark jumpsuit he’s dressed in. Once he’s sitting, Jack forces himself back, squishing into the corner as tightly as possible. He pulls his knees to his chest and curls up in that corner, waiting for whatever will happen to happen.

----

Jack doesn’t know how long it’s been. A while probably if his gnawing hunger is any indication. He slowly opens his eyes, blinking as the harsh intensity of the stark white surrounding him. Still here. He lets out a slow breath, an unrecognizable feeling settling in his chest. It’s not pleasant. He slowly uncurls, a combination of wary and almost apathetic.

Once out of the corner, Jack slowly draws himself up into a standing position the action making his stiff limbs protest. He looks about the room again, and unsurprisingly, nothing stands out. He considers going back into the corner, or perhaps choosing a different one, when something catches his eye. There’s a slight anomaly in the center of the room. A section a few shades darker than the rest. What in the-? Jack slowly walks over, an instant wariness taking him. Is this some kind of trap? He stops and kneels down next to the strange patch, and examines it. The first thing he realizes, it that whatever this thing is, it’s not flat. Perspective was playing tricks on him before, as the object in front of him is definitely three dimensional. What? Jack pokes the thing, curiosity having won out over his hesitance. To his surprise it shifts slightly. What is this thing? Carefully, Jack curls his fingers around the bit that moved, his brows drawing together when he can feel space inside the thing. It’s hollow? He pulls the thing upward, a mix of relief and further confusion flooding him as the top he pulls off reveals the tray of food hidden by underneath. What the hell? It’s a normal tray from what Jack can tell, several small plates sat next to each other, each holding a separate element of the meal. Why would someone hide this like that? And how did it even get here in the first place? Did I miss it before? Jack sits and muses for a few moments, before a loud growl pulls him back to the present. Well. It doesn’t seem unsafe? It was more of a question than an assessment. Jack eyes the food a little longer, his insistent hunger eventually winning out over trepidation. He begins to eat, thinking nothing of the ever so slightly off flavor, just happy to have something to sate his hunger.

Once finished, Jack places the top back on the tray, slightly askew to keep the previous and disconcerting illusion from happening again. He moves back to the corner (or maybe it was a different one? he couldn’t tell) and squishes back into the comfortingly cramped space. I’ll wait. I’ll wait until whoever placed this here comes back. Then I’ll get answers. Jack yawns after a few minutes, eyes growing heavy. Can’t sleep now. Need to wait. His eyes seem to close without his permission, and Jack falls into a dreamless sleep. When he wakes up, the tray is gone.

----

This happens several more times before the horrors return.

----

The nightmares are back again. Jack doesn’t know how long it’s been since the last time, but all the time in the universe wouldn’t have been enough. Every time one of his friends fall again, his heart aches. Their cheerful faces turned ashen and dead. It chips away at him, little by little.

----

It’s not as bad as before somehow. Maybe Jack is so broken that he doesn’t care anymore. Maybe it’s the nagging feeling that won’t go away. Something isn’t right here. That much is certain.

----

It becomes a cycle. Several meals, indistinguishable amount of time passing between each one, the tray always vanishing without a trace. The nightmares and visions coming again after some more time. They feel faker and faker each time. The horrific scenes that had made Jack scream in misery barely make him tear up anymore. They’re not real. That what he believes. They’re simply not real, and someone is screwing with him.

----

After the fourth or fifth time Jack barely reacts to the falsified deaths of his friends, things change.

Jack is lightly dozing when he hears a soft click. His head snaps up automatically, and he tenses, ready to deal with whoever or whatever comes through the door he just knows is in the room somewhere.

Noiselessly, a panel swings inward. Jack repositions himself slightly, ready to leap. As heavy footsteps enter, He freezes in place, all thought lost from his head.

He’s not in pain anymore. That’s good. I’ve got to remember to thank Angela properly. Maybe make her a cake? Buy some flowers? A new coat? A pistol? Hell if I know. I’ll be sure to think of something. Wouldn’t be the first time that I didn’t know what the hell I was doing. Jack lets out a soft breath, the sound oddly muffled. Okay? A pillow I guess?  While puzzling over the curious distortion to the sound, it takes a second for him to notice the lack of light behind his closed eyelids. Uhhhhh huh? Jack opens his eyes only to be greeted by all-consuming darkens. Oh. Uhhh this is fine. Panic begins to rise up in his chest. Completely fine. The panic starts to get worse. Maybe it’s just bandages? And the lights are off? And... and... His attempts at denial ring hollow. Am.. am I? But I saw Angela! And the HQ... The memories of everything that happened between him and Gabe rush to the forefront of his mind, causing Jack to grimace internally. Now’s not the time for that. I can work it out later. Hopefully. For now though, He forces his arm to move, intent on finding out just what happened with his face. Except nothing happens. W-what? I can’t move!? I- what? It’s then that a strange and honestly frightening sensation registers. He’s completely weightless.

Wh-what? Is-is this even possible? Jack struggles against the alien feeling, trying to hold onto some part of his grasp on the situation that he feels rapidly slipping away. Why. can’t. I. move? The panic grows worse now. He’s got no idea where the hell he is, what’s going on and if Gabe is alive or not. I can’t- His thoughts stop cold. Oh lord. What if I’m dead? The fear of the idea grips Jack for only a moment before the sound of his pounding pulse in his ears debunks it. Okay. I’m not dead. That’s good. So what do I do now? How unsure and shaken he is does nothing to calm Jack’s rapid heartbeat or slow the ragged breaths tearing at his already dry throat. Okay. First. Calm the hell down. I need to calm the hell down. He focuses on the air rushing in and out of his lungs, willing the erratic pattern to slow. Come on. Deep breaths. Even if it doesn’t seem like it, you’ve got this. You’ve done more nerve-wracking things before. Jack’s breathing begins to slow the slightest bit. Yeah. In and out. He shuts his eyes from the darkness, clearing his mind and focusing entirely on breathing evenly.

----

After an indistinguishable amount of time his breathing finally reaches something akin to normal, if still slightly fast and a bit shuddering. Okay. Better? Jack takes a deep breath, holding it for a bit before letting it out. Better. Time to prioritize. First thing? Take stock of the situation. He tentatively lets his eyes drift open, only to be greeted once again by the void. Okay. That hasn’t changed. So what about-? Jack closes his eyes again, keeping them open would be useless anyway, and turns all of his attention on trying to move. He wills his toes to curl or fingers to twitch, anything. Nothing happens. Okay. I can still feel everything, so some kind of drug maybe? He vaguely remembers Angela speaking of a medication that could do something along these lines. Or maybe not. He hadn’t really been paying attention honestly. Well, it would explain the weird pressing sensation. It’s not any kind of physical restraint, I know that. Wouldn’t be weightless otherwise. That’s another thing he has to take into consideration. Now, what could make be weightless like this? Surely not space. That’d be stupid. Some sort of new tech maybe? He considers this for a bit. I don’t know. Maybe. Whatever. On to something else. Talking. Can I talk? Jack tries to make his vocal chords work, to make his mouth form the shape of words, but it refuses. All he manages is a strange gurgle. Nope! Great. Fantastic. He’s not sure why, but this revelation worries him more than it probably should. Okay. All I’ve got in here, wherever here is, is the sound of my own breathing and heartbeat. But what about outside of this place? Jack strains to hear anything, anything at all that could be a connection to the real world. The world outside the apparent void. Nothing. O-oh. Okay. Just going to wait then. See if anything happens or changes.

----

Jack doesn’t know how long it’s been. Time seems to have lost all meaning here. He can’t even use his heart beat or breathing rhythm to keep time, what with it constantly fluctuating. The only option is to continue waiting.

----

He may have fallen asleep at one some point, but he can’t be sure. It was a dreamless sleep at any rate. Just how long has it been? Surely something would have happened by now? Jack opens his currently closed eyes, vainly hoping for something, anything to be visible. Nothing. He wearily closes his eyes again. Guess I have to continue waiting.

----

After another indefinite period of time and possible bout of sleep, Jack recognizes something strange. I’m not hungry. That’s weird. With how long it’s been I should surely be hungry. Or thirsty. Or hell, even need to use the bathroom! But no. Nothing. He frowns internally. Something is definitely screwy here.

----

More time passes, and Jack eventually comes to a strange realization. You know what? This is actually kind of peaceful. Despite the weirdness, this isn’t so bad. Could be worse. I’ve got a lot of time to think. And there’s nothing distracting me. The fact that I’ve got no clue where I am and what’s exactly going on isn’t optimal, but it definitely could be a lot worse. I don’t know what’s happened, but at least I’m not stressed anymore.

----

He’s gotten sick of this. The darkness. The lack of sound beyond his own breathing and the weird distorted quality to the sound. The inability to move. The stupid weightless feeling. Not knowing the time. Not knowing if he has slept or not. Jack’s sick of all this crap. The feeling of tranquility has long since passed. Please. I just want this to end. Hot tears pool, then drip down his face.

----

His thoughts have been getting worse and worse. There’s a constant unbearable emotional pressure in Jack’s chest. My fault... Failure...

----

“Jack!” It’s a feminine voice. He vaguely recognizes it. “Please Jack! We need you! I need you...” Wait... Angela! Jack’s eyes snap open and he immediately grimaces and attempts to shade them as the bright sun sears them. He’s laying down, hot concrete scorching his back through his shirt. Angela! He scrambles to his feet, hands burning as he uses them for leverage.

“Angela!” he hoarsely shouts once standing “Where are you!?”

“Jack...” His head snaps toward the source of the surprisingly weak voice. There! Angela stands few feet away, heavily leaning on her staff, her Valkyrie armor stained and broken.

“Angela!” Jack runs as fast and hard as he can, but can’t seem to get any closer to his friend as she slowly sinks toward the ground. “I’m coming! Hang on!” Only once she has almost completely collapsed is Jack able to close the distance between the two of them. He just manages to grab her, gently swinging the woman up into his arms. “Angela... what happened?” He takes in her state in a shocked haze. Her armor is more or less scrap at this point, shredded in multiple places and riddled with bullet holes. Almost every bit of it is splattered in blood, and there are a few terrifyingly large rivulets of the stuff running down her face.

“You, Jack.” Her voice is weak and eyes unfocused. “You didn’t do it. You didn’t protect them.” Her eyes drift closed “You didn’t protect...” Angela’s voice drifts off as her last breath exits her body. You didn’t protect me. The words are like punch to the stomach.

“Oh Angela... I’m so sorry... I-I was never cut out to be a leader! DAMN IT!” he howls, pulling his friend close, “WHY’D THIS HAVE TO HAPPEN!?” Jack’s eyes fill with tears as he tries to rationalize what just happened to his good friend.

----

The air is shattered by the sound of sniper fire, making Jack jerk into a sitting position. Who’s shooting?! He desperately scans the nearby skyline as more loud cracks rend the air. His gaze finally comes to a stop on a familiar figure hunkered down behind one of the crates up on the rooftops. Ana! Jack tries to force himself to his feet, but he’s moving unreasonably slowly. Come on! I need to get up! All he can do is watch in tense horror as Ana inches out from behind her cover and brings her rifle up, lining up a shot on some unseen enemy. Jack can see her pull the trigger, and the world shatters again as the unseen target is taken down. He breathes a sigh of relief. At least she seems to be okay. After a few seconds of the tense silence, Ana stands, doing a rapid survey of the surrounding area before deeming it all clear. She then turns, rifle held casually, and heads toward the side of the building where Jack assumes she’ll repel down from.

It only takes a split second, but Jack can clearly see it happen. A flash of something in the sky. The slight expression change on Ana’s face as the bullet pierces her skull. Her hands almost instantly going slack on her rifle. Then comes the sound of the shot. In reality, quiet as a whisper, but deafening as an explosion to Jack.

“ANA!” he screams, desperation and fear quickly filling him. Jack tries to make himself move, but he’s moving in slow motion. His eyes tearing eyes are glued to his friend and teammate as she slowly falls to the side, the force of impact taking her over the edge of the building. He watches as her precious rifle falls through the air, having slipped out of lifeless fingers. Jack can only miserably scream Ana’s name as her body plummets to the ground.

You didn’t protect them... Angela’s words echo through Jack’s head as he fruitlessly fights against whatever is keeping him in place. All he can manage to do is reach out as she hits the ground.

----

Everything is a blur of white. Jack’s head is spinning. The hell-? He blinks as the scene before him slowly comes into focus. The street has been obliterated, chunks of steaming asphalt litter the area and buildings are crumbling all around him. It’s nothing compared to what he sees before him.

Jack slides back slightly, a vague feeling of sickness and fear filling him as his eyes focus on the giant of a man hunched before him. Reinhardt’s armor is mostly intact, some plates are missing, but it’s only minimal damage all things considered. The man inside it is a different story. Blood freely runs down his exposed face, helmet having been flung off by the force of the explosion. When Reinhardt tries to offer Jack one of his trademark smiles, he coughs and blood spatters down his armor and onto the ground.

“Why? Why’d you do it?” Jack’s voice shakes, the spectrum of emotions he’s feeling not quite translating into sound, “Yo-you didn’t have to protect me...” He looks up into Reinhardt’s glassy yet still warm eyes, hoping for something, anything to tell him the older man would be okay. Reinhardt laughs weakly, more blood coming with it.

“I’m.. getting too.. old for t-this... Time for... a... new... generation...” He smiles slightly, the blood on his teeth making it more ghastly than reassuring. “Protect... them... Jack. Bring... tomorrow... hope...” The light in Reinhardt’s eyes fades and the smile drops off his face as pitches forward, falling lifelessly to the ground.

“Reinhardt!” Jack jerks forward as his friend hit the ground, “y-you should have just left me!” tears well up in Jack’s eyes as Angela’s words come to him again You didn’t protect them. “I can’t protect anyone! You’re the protector!”

----

Jack is already nauseated as his gaze settles upon the force gathered before him. Good lord. His hands go slack on the pulse rife as helplessness fills him. There’s no way we can win... He stares at the army of Omnics gathered in front of him, there has to be thousands. The only sane thing is to pull back.

“Gabe!” Jack yells, turning back toward where he’d last seen the team, “We really-“ He cuts off when all he sees is an empty space. Wha-? Where are they? He turns franticly, trying to find where the team had vanished to.

It takes a bit, but he finally makes out the small running form of their resident engineer.

“Torbjörn!” Jack yells, desperate to catch the man’s attention “We need to retreat and regroup with everyone!”

“No time for strategy! Just run! I’ve left these pieces of scrap quite the surprise and ya really don’t want to be in the blast radius!” Blast-? A bomb! Jack starts to run as well, rifle tucked close to his body.

“You’re a genius!” he yells once his path has taken him a bit closer to Torbjörn.

“You think I don’t know that? I’m not called a talented engineer for nothing you know!” Jack laughs slightly, his teammate’s flippant attitude easing him slightly.

“Careful! An ego like that could get you in a good deal of trouble.” Torbjörn lets out a breathless half chuckle at that.

“Tell that to the armor wearing buffoon!” Jack simply rolls his eyes slightly, ever since they’d met Torbjörn would jest at Reinhardt in some way or another, be it to the face or to someone else. Jack goes to reply, but cuts off once he notices how far behind him Torbjörn had fallen during their little conversation. He slows slightly, quickly turning and readying his rifle when the engineer cries out.

“Let go of me you bucket of bolts!” Torbjörn struggles, his metal arm caught in the grip of one of the humanoid Omnics.

“Hang on!” Jack lines up his shot and quickly releases a volley of shots into the Omnic. It doesn’t prove to be very effective, with the robot barely flinching.

“There’s not time for that now! Just get out of here! You’ve got ten seconds max!”

“But-!” Jack lowers his rifle uncertainly as the Torbjörn desperately gestures at him, waving him away.

“Go ya fool! It’s fine!” Jack backpedals, eventually turning to run forward as his nausea from earlier returns full force. You didn’t protect them! Angela’s words once again echo in Jack’s mind as the world shatters and his back is seared by intense heat.

----

He can’t breathe, harsh pressure is crushing his chest. Jack opens already tear filled eyes and is greeted by an all too familiar and painful sight. Gabe’s face, burning with rage and hate.

“So. It looks like you don’t fail at one thing. You’re always great at letting everyone down.” Wha-? Jack tries to form words, but the knee currently crushing the air out if his lungs won’t let him. The question must have been clear in his eyes, because the look Gabe gives him is absolutely withering. “You failed them all. Even when they didn’t have to listen to you or to look up to you. You let them die Jack. You didn’t protect them!” In a flash there are hands around Jack’s neck, and the pressure on his chest gets worse. “All of them Jack. Every single person you care about and are responsible.” An awful screeching sound starts up in Jack’s ears as horrible memories that aren’t his own flash before his eyes.

The plane exploding, the fear and panic as everything disappears into nothingness. Being able to see the world but not interact with it. Seeing people but being unable to talk to them. Lost in unknown places, time losing all meaning there. Cowering in fear as rage filled roars echo through unsettlingly empty halls. Seeing someone he trusts unconditionally laying broken on the ground. Desperately searching for scrap, working feverishly toward the salvation outside. Weakly fighting back as his own family member works to strike him down, nerves screaming with each half-hearted slash of the blade. Unearthly power ripping through him. His life fading away. Fighting with others, doing things that make him sick. Panic and fear, being chased and caught. The bitterness of realizing there are no real second chances. Being resigned to death as he bleeds out, not caring about the missing arm.

Jack twitches feebly, tears streaming down his face. The screaming in his ears gets louder as the images flash faster and the hands tighten on his neck.

“All of this, this suffering? It’s your fault. You should have done more. You should have known!” Gabe’s voice is sharp and loud, almost louder than the screaming. “You were supposed to protect them! Protect me! And now look at what’s happened!” The tears and the darkness slowly creeping into Jack’s vision should have made the sight before him an unintelligible mess, but he could see it all clearly. The room is burning. Rubble falling from the sky. Gabe’s face is mangled, body torn up and joints contorted at ghastly angles, blood soaking everything. Something small inside Jack cracks at the sight, the words, the pain and hate and fear.

I’m... a... failure... 

Doctor Angela Ziegler is just finishing her shift at the Triemli Hospital (known as Stadtspital Triemli in her native tongue) when a tremor runs through the building, a deep rumbling boom accompanying it. A sound she knows all too well. Angela practically sprints to the window, desperately searching for the epicenter of the explosion that just occurred. Her eyes search the skyline until they settle on a plume of smoke to the north-east of the hospital. Her already great need to help those in danger only doubles when she realizes which building has just been turned into a smoking pile of rubble.

"Scheiße!” she loudly curses. That’s the HQ building! Mostly everyone is out in the city or away but... Angela shuts her eyes, letting out a breath before opening them again. I have to go. She turns from the window and marches out of the office toward where she left her gear, determination burning in her eyes.

-----

Donning her Valkyrie armor took only a few minutes, it was made for quick response after all. But it still could be too long! Angela’s hands tighten on her Caduceus staff as the packed streets blur below her and the shriek of sirens fill her ears. I must go faster! The golden wings on her back glow brighter as the suit complies with her wishes, making her shoot across the sky like a falling star. As she approaches what is left of Overwatch’s headquarters; Angela slows, gently floating toward the ground and assembled emergency workers as she surveys what’s left. It isn’t much. The entrance hall has collapsed in on itself, leaving a fractured skeleton of blackened steel, which thick and heavy smoke billows through. The eastern and northern wings are all but gone. Shattered concrete rubble and splintered glass litters the ground, interspersed with ammunition from the wrecked armory and various odds and ends from both the offices and living quarters.

“Lieber Gott...” Angela whispers to herself. I haven’t seen destruction like this since the Omnic crisis was at its height. As soon as she lands Angela makes a beeline for the fire chief who is shouting orders to both the people nearby and into his radio.

“Situation report.” It’s a statement, not a request. The fire chief turns, looking slightly annoyed before he recognizes who’s speaking.

“Yeas ma’am. Preliminary reports say the building was mostly empty, with the suspension in effect and all. The east wing and north wing are completely obliterated as you can probably see. The west wing is mostly intact from what we can tell. There are a few blown out windows and some obvious cracks, but that’s all we know currently. Only the hall appears to be on fire. Likely some sort of fire bomb. We haven’t found any-” The chief’s report is interrupted by a frantic and high pitched cry;

“ANGELA! ANGELA THERE’S SOMETHING-” the cry is cut off as a police officer and fire fighter grab on to the arms of the young woman who had been running up, “Hey! Let me go!” she struggles for a second before turning back toward where Angela and the chief are standing, “They’re in there! They didn’t leave-!”

“That’s enough out of you!” the chief cuts in “Don’t you know this is a restricted area?” he gestures toward the two men still holding onto the woman “Take her somewhere safe.” Before they can get one step away Angela speaks.

“Stop. Don’t take her away.” The chief starts to protest, but Angela silences him with a stern look, “That woman is no random passerby. Her name is Janette, and she both the receptionist at the front desk here, and a personal friend of mine. Now release her.” The two men hesitate a second before releasing Janette. Once free she runs to Angela, panic and desperation written all over her face.

“You have to hurry! There’re in there I know it!” she grabs Angela’s arms as tears fill her eyes. Her grip is painfully tight.

“Jan, please,” Angela says in the most soothing voice she can muster, “You have to calm down. I don’t understand what you’re talking about. Who’s in there?” Jan releases her grip an Angela, opting instead to tightly hug herself as tears run down her face.

“T-the commanders Angela! Reyes and Morrison! They were in that explosion I know it! I saw both of them! As Mr. Morrison was talking to me, Reyes entered the hall looking livid about something! I was told to take the rest of the day off, and didn’t want to get in between whatever was about to happen, so I left, but I kept an eye on the doors even while out! I never saw them leave!” Jan dissolves into slightly hysterical sobs as dread ices its way down Angela’s spine. The-they’re in there? She turns to stare at the still smoking building. They were caught in that? There’s no way... she shakes herself slightly No. I have to have hope. There’s a chance they weren’t in there. That’s a lie and she knows it. They were in there. Without realizing it, Angela had started walking toward the wreckage and only became aware of that fact when the fire chief grabbed her arm.

“You’re not planning on going in there are you?! It’s still burning! And we don’t know how stable what’s left is! It could come down on your head!” Angela pulls her arm out of his grasp, and stands defiantly.

“I am not just Dr. Angela Ziegler. I am Mercy, and it is my job, no, my duty and my privilege to help those in need. If there is even the slightest possibility that someone is alive in there and in need of my help, I will go.” With that Angela turns, the wings of her Valkyrie armor shining brightly before she takes off, creating a great gust of wind as she does so. I must do this.

-----

The smoke is thick and suffocating as Mercy descends into the charred room that used to be a bright and welcoming entrance hall. She does her best to ignore the rush of sadness that seeing the place in shambles causes. The base is a wrecked as the organization is... Tears prickle at the corners of Angela’s eyes. She’d never completely approved of how Overwatch solved things, but it had been a chance to meet so many amazing people. She met some of her best friends here. And now it’s all in tatters. Mercy squeezes her eyes shut and forces her emotions down. There’s no time for that now. I have to focus. She gently lands on top of a slab of concrete and turns to look at the gauntlet on her free arm. “Scan for signs of life.” The suit instantly obliges, a small holographic screen appearing on her arm as the sensors in her suit search for any sign of vitals or, heaven forbid, the recently deceased in the wreckage. For a few tense seconds she receives no feedback. Come on! Please! She’s about to give into desperation when her suit gives positive feedback in the form of a soft chime. Instant relief floods her. “Assist.” The suit obliges, automatically flying her to the person it located.

When she lands, Mercy desperately looks around for a second, trying to pinpoint their exact location with her eyes. After a few seconds of no luck she turns to the gauntlet display, desperately looking at it for aid. There! The infrared scan shows a human shaped heat signature and the heart monitor shows a weak and sluggish, but still there pulse. “Don’t worry, I’m coming!” she calls, dashing over while taking care to not trip. What she sees when she arrives is worse than she could have imagined. It’s Gabriel Reyes, the Blackwatch commander, that’s certain, but... “Nein! Es kann nicht sein!” Mercy cries, taking in the extensive damage done to his body. Gabriel is wedged under a slab of concrete, rib cage horrifyingly deformed, one if not both shoulders are dislocated and neck his twisted at an unnatural angle. And that’s only the start of it... She bends down to get a better look at the damage while at the same time engaging the healing stream from her Caduceus staff. His face is only moderately damaged, some scratches and bruises here and there, but surprisingly well uninjured. There’s a deep gash on his temple, and when she carefully checks, Gabriel’s eyes are glassy and his pupils are unevenly dilated. No surprise there. Whatever made that gash would have caused significant trauma. Tears threated to well up in her eyes again, but Mercy determinedly blinks them away. You’re a doctor right now. This is a clinical examination. Stay professional. She moves on, checking Gabriel’s neck, but not daring to touch it. Definitely broken. The only hope is that the damage to his spine isn’t too severe. She moves on, eyes looking over his shattered rib cage, searching for anything that would indicate a compound fracture. Damaged organs is a given in this case. Not finding anything obvious she moves on to examine his arms. Not as bad as they could be. Several breaks but- She stops and stares at his wrist. Right where it should connect to his hand. Shitting hell. His hand is gone! The wound is clean, well, as clean as it can be. Shrapnel? Or maybe the concussive blast form the explosion? Shocked by the damage already evident, it takes a second for the frantic beeping of her armor to register. Panicked, Mercy checks the display on her arm. Gabriel’s blood pressure has gone down dramatically and heartbeat is horrifyingly slow. What do I do!? Oh lord what do I do?! She starts to panic I-I-I-I don’t know what to do! Panic starts to overwhelm Mercy when a quiet voice speaks to her Calm down Angela. You’ve done this before. She blinks, her rapidly accelerated breathing slowing slightly as her mentor’s voice comes back to her. There you go. Nothing to panic over. You’ve treated much less stable patients before. You saved the Shimada boy, didn’t you? He wasn’t nearly as strong as your friend is. You can do this. Mercy takes a few shuttering breaths before setting to work, her hands working on autopilot, grateful tears running from her eyes. Danke Papa.

-----

Her job is far from over, but most of Gabriel’s obviously bleeding wounds have been patched up and his vitals have stabilized somewhat, but are still worryingly low. Okay. Now to free him. She reaches down and tests the weight of the slab. Too heavy to lift normally, but...  “Engage enhancement” the suit complies, and a combination of energy and strengthening nano-bots wash over Mercy, making her feel incredibly lively. “Haaah!” she grunts, heaving the slab off of the bottom half of Gabriel’s body. Even with the strength enhancement, it’s really heavy. With a mighty crash the slab falls to the other side, leaving Gabriel free from the debris. She barely even has time to feel anything over that achievement before every alarm her suit had begins going off. W-what!?

“Heads up!” she shouts and instantly a translucent display appears before her eyes, “What happened!?” an accelerated readout of the last thirty seconds loops, and Mercy sucks in a sharp breath as in a matter of seconds Gabriel’s blood pressure plummets. He must have a severed artery! The debris must have been applying pressure and keeping him from bleeding out! In the few seconds that it took for her to figure that out, his blood pressure fell even further and heart rate fell to barely perceptible levels. Oh hell! Mercy thinks for half a second about what to do before grabbing Gabriel in her arms, careful to not jostle him too much, and taking off toward the mostly intact west wing. If I can get him to my lab, there might be a chance! She whips through the dust filled and slightly smoky halls, keeping a close eye on the vital monitor and praying that she’ll make it in time. It takes only a few seconds more for her to shoot down the familiar halls and land in front of her lab. Only the doors don’t open. No power! Fine then! We’ll do this the hard way! Mercy lines herself up in front of the door and winds up, unleashing a vicious kick on it. Her shoe leaves a sizeable dent, the combination of the still activated enhancement mode on her armor and adrenaline making her desperate strikes more effective than they should have been. “Come on!” She slams her foot into the door a few more times, eventually succeeding in breaking it down.

She rushes in, ignoring the throbbing in her foot and the shattered glass cracking under feet. She quickly but gently places Gabriel down on her exam table before rushing over to her experimental medicine cabinet. She fumbles with the lock for a second before the heart rate monitor flat lines and all rational thought leaves Mercy’s mind. She slams her fist through the glass cabinet, grabbing several of the small bottles within. Items in hand she turns and runs toward her exam table, all but slamming down the bottles down before hastily digging through her supply cabinet for several syringes.

“You’re not going to die on my Reyes! You hear me!? I won’t let you!” Angela’s hands are shaking so hard from the adrenaline and exhaustion that she can barely hold the syringe. It’s okay she lies to herself He’s only been down a few seconds. You can do this. She clumsily fills the first syringe with a strange looking, slightly red tinted solution. First apply the nano-bots to begin work on repairing his wounds and stop blood loss. She fumbles and misses his vein a few times in her haste before finally getting it. Okay. Now the stimulant. She grabs a second bottle and syringe, nearly dropping them before she can work the needle into the top of the bottle. Her aim is a bit better this time, and she hits a vein without much trouble. The monitor shows no change. Instinct then leads Angela to grab the bottle of morphine she had kept in the cabinet as well, but as she tries to get the syringe in it, the bottle slips out of her grip and shatters on the floor.

“Scheiße!” she swears. It takes a second for the realization that that was probably a good thing to hit her. If he wakes up, he’ll be in pain, but I’ll at least know he’s alive. She reaches for the fourth and final bottle, without really thinking as she mentally corrects herself. When he wakes up. Not if. She finishes administering the final drug, one that’s completely of her own concoction. It’s a mix between several cellular growth promoters and nano-bots meant to clear out dead cells. Now I have to wait. She can’t risk chest compressions with how ruined Gabriel’s ribs are. “You’re not going to die on me,” she whispers, tears running down her cheeks “You can’t... please...”

-----

Reyes is dead. Angela doesn’t know how long it’s been. Definitely long enough that if something was going to happen, it should have. She collapses into her desk chair, exhaustion catching up to her. She buries her face in her hands, and it really hits her. Gabriel Reyes is dead. I couldn’t save him. Angela’s shoulders shake as she starts to sob uncontrollably. Everything has gone to hell! Overwatch, my family, is going to be disbanded, is going to be destroyed! And now I’ve lost two of my best friends Reyes and Morr- Her head snaps up. Oh lord Jack! I got so caught up with Gabriel I forgot to look for him! I have to go! She forces herself to get up, drawing upon what little energy and will she has left. I have to. Need to... go. As Mercy slowly limps out of her now disaster zone of a lab, she catches the scent of... something. A smell almost familiar, but disturbingly wrong. Like gun powder and blood, but with something wholly unidentifiable. She turns back for the briefest seconds, naïve hope making her chest ache, before forcing herself to keep moving, eyes glued forward. In doing so she misses the faintest wisps of red black mist emanating from the body of her deceased friend.

-----

By the time Mercy manages to make herself come back to the destroyed entrance hall, the place is swarming with firefighters and medical personnel. The fires she hadn’t even acknowledged earlier are almost completely put out.

“Doctor Ziegler!” several voices cry.

“Oh! Angela!” she turns toward the voices numbly as the fire chief, a few rescue workers she recognizes from the hospital and Jan, now outfitted in safety gear of her own How exactly did she manage to get that? come running up.

“Did you find them Angela?! Are they-?” Jan’s voice cuts off when she recognizes the look on Mercy’s face. “n-n-no... n-n it... it can’t be...”

“G-” she chokes on his name, “Reyes is dead.” Mercy’s voice sounds as cold and numb as she feels “After finding him I did all I could. It wasn’t enough. I don’t know about Morrison. The initial area scan only gave me one confirmation.” Jan’s hands fly to her face as her eyes fill with tears.

“Does-does that mean...?” Mercy nods her head slightly, doing everything she can to not dissolve into tears as well.

“I would think so. But,” she forces herself to stand straighter, having hunched slightly from the burden of everything “I can’t give up! I have to-” she takes a step, only to almost fall over a piece of rubble. Luckily the fire chief, who’d been standing passively nearby reacts fast enough to catch her.

“I don’t think so Mercy. You’re exhausted.” He holds up a hand before she can protest “And I know it’s your privilege and duty to take care of people. But you’ve done enough. It’s our duty too you know.” He gestures to the small group around them and all of the others still sifting through the rubble. “We’re all here to help. And that’s what we intend to do. Now,” he turns back to Mercy “you and your friend should go get some rest, and you should get yourself checked out. That hand of yours doesn’t look so good.” Mercy glances down at the hand she had smashed through the glass cabinet. It’s cut up pretty badly, her glove not having done much to protect it. I... I didn’t even realize... she nods mutely before turning to leave. “Errr, one more thing.” She turns back. “Where exactly...? Uhh, where would...?” she knows what he’s asking about.

“My lab. West wing. Take the first left. The next right. Two more lefts. It should be on your right three doors down. It shouldn’t be hard to miss. The door is kicked in.”

“Right.” The chief nods before gesturing toward one of the rescue personnel “You, go and keep an eye on the area. We’ll be there to.. you know, in a bit. Got it?” the worker nods before heading off. “Alright then. We need to get back to work. Foster!” one of the younger looking workers steps forward. “You escort Dr. Ziegler and her friend out of here and to one of the paramedics. And return the Doctor’s staff to her while you’re at it.” The young lady nods.

“Yes sir. This way,” she gestures and begins to carefully pick her way through the rubble, Jan and Angela following numbly behind.

-----

By the time Angela has had all of her injuries patched up (her foot is definitely sprained, if not fractured, she has a good deal of burns from the fire she neglected to avoid in her haste, and there was a good deal of glass shards embedded in her hand) the sun is threatening to start setting. It’s been six hours... Feels like so much longer than that... Just how long was I standing there staring at Gabriel’s lifeless and- she bites her lip, hard, in an attempt to both stop her train of thought and try to keep from crying. Luckily, the perfect distraction arrives a few seconds later.

“ANGELA!” comes the boisterous voice of Reinhardt Wilhelm “Angela! Are you okay?” she looks up as the giant of a man wades his way through the still assembled crowd of bystanders and emergency personnel alike and ambles toward her.

“Reinhardt!” Angela’s eyes light up slightly and a bit of fuzzy warmth bubbles up inside her at the sight of her jovial old friend, “I’m okay I guess... But weren’t you home visiting Brigitte and her family? What are you doing here? And how’d you get here so fast?”

“I was visiting, yes, but decided to cut it short when I heard about what happened. As for getting here, I called in a few favors and now owe a few old friends a round of drinks.” He winks at her and Angela can’t help but laugh slightly. He’s always had quite the way with people. “Now. What exactly happened here, and what happened to you?” he gestures to the bandage covering Angela’s hand. The warmth that Angela had felt rapidly disappears, replaced again with the dull ache she had been feeling earlier.

“This,” she gestures with her bandaged hand “was desperation and carelessness making me stupid. As for what happened,” she lets out a deep sigh, “we don’t know all the details yet, but what we do know is that there were several explosives planted in the building. Demolishing the north and east wings and setting the entrance ablaze. The west either didn’t have a bomb, or it didn’t go off, since it’s mostly intact.” Reinhardt lets out a low whistle.

“That’s a good deal of destruction. Casualties?” Angela’s heart squeezes painfully.

“Because of the suspension and impending shutdown, the building was mostly abandoned, but,” she turns her head toward the ground, not willing to look her friend and teammate in the eyes, “We have two people confirmed to be in the building. One dead. One still MIA.” Her voice is so cold it makes her shiver.

“Angela,” Reinhardt’s voice is incredibly soft by his standards, “who are they?” The concern in his voice makes something snap inside Angela, and her heart feels like it’s cracking in two. She throws herself into the arms of her shocked friend, desperately hugging him like a drowning man holding a life preserver.

“I watched him die Reinhardt! Right in front of me! I couldn’t save him!” Angela’s words are muffled and garbed as she sobs and clings to Reinhardt, “I’m supposed to be a doctor damn it! A bringer of comfort and healing! A symbol of mercy! A savior! But I couldn’t save him! I failed! I failed him...” she starts to hiccup, choking slightly on her desperate breaths and miserable tears “I failed them both...”

“Angela...,” Reinhardt’s voice is soft and tender, like that of a father trying to calm a crying child. He gently wraps his arms around the bawling woman returning her embrace, “That’s it. Let it out. This pain will do you no good bottled up inside.” After a few minutes he begins rubbing gentle circles on Angela’s back in an attempt to offer her more comfort. It seems to work, with Angela’s desperate crying eventually easing until her breaths only shudder slightly.

“I watched Gabriel die, Reinhardt. And because I spent so much time working on him, I couldn’t get to Jack. He died alone and buried under his destroyed dreams. I know it.” Her voice is so soft that Reinhardt can just barely hear her.

“Ah.” Reinhardt is silent for a moment, “It’s not your fault Angela. You are an amazing doctor, but no one in infallible. You can’t save everyone.” Angela’s grip on Reinhardt tightens slightly. Determination burning in her hollow feeling heart. I can’t accept that. I’ll find a way. I won’t lose anyone ever again. Just as the two of them start to separate, a pair of footsteps approaches. It’s the fire chief again, and the look on his face is concerning.

“We’ve sifted through a good deal of the wreckage and haven’t found anything. We’ll keep looking, but,” he lets out a tense breath, “we may have to come to terms that Jack Morrison was obliterated in the blast.”

“no...” Angela’s hand flies up to cover her mouth. Is that why my suit couldn’t find anything? Because there was nothing to find? A fresh flood of tears threaten to spill from her eyes and Reinhardt gives her shoulder a concerned and reassuring squeeze.

“That’s not all. The person we sent to keep an eye on Reyes’ body? They’re dead. And so are the two others we sent to check on them. Not only that, but his body’s gone. There’s nothing on the table except a large stain of some strange substance.” Angela’s eyes grow wide with horror. Did? Did I-? Before she can say anything Reinhardt speaks.

“It must have been whoever bombed the base!” he thunders “They were not satisfied with destroying out home and family, no. They wanted some sick trophy as well!” Anger and pain are clearly etched on his face, and Angela can tell he’s acting this way to hide his grief, “I will find these monsters and bring them to justice!” Angela slips away as Reinhardt continues ranting to the hapless fire chief. She makes it away from any prying eyes before her thoughts make her visibly gag, as what Jan said and her fears echo in her head. What if-? What if-?! What if there wasn’t anyone else? The thought trickles like acid through her mind. What if this was an inside job? And- and-! What if Gabriel isn’t really dead? What if I somehow brought him back?

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jack knew things were going downhill for a long time. He probably couldn’t have put words to it, but it was there. The gut feeling that things were going straight to hell.

He’d had it ever since he’d been promoted to Strike Commander. Gabe had been understandably upset, he’d been the one to lead them during the Omnic crisis and arguably, was responsible for Overwatch even existing. He’d been passed over due to no lack of skill, no, it was nothing as understandable as that. Jack had been chosen over his good friend and partner purely because of political preference. The members of the UN had all agreed, he was the perfect All-American mascot. Born on a farm and raised out in the country, going on to join the army to protect his country. A man determined to bring out the best in everyone around him and bring a violet world back to peace. A bastion of righteousness and justice. John ‘Jack’ Morrison, Overwatch’s golden boy. What a load of crap. Hell, half of it wasn’t even true. It was all a huge game of politics, and he’d played right along.

He’d only realize this once the protests against Overwatch had started, and surprise, surprise, all of the political leaders had pointed all accusations at Jack. The best scapegoat is one that the public loves after all. It only whips the public into a larger frenzy when someone they love and idolize is turned into some corrupt liar. They feel betrayed. They become violent. They become irrational and it becomes impossible to deal with them. Maybe he would have had a better time of it if he could have asked Gabe for advice, or even vented his frustrations, but no. That was impossible. His promotion had been the beginning of the end. Their relationship fell apart, slowly at first. It started with little things, Gabe wouldn’t respond to any advances or soft and sweet words, instead turning away or simply sitting in stony silence, expression unreadable. Things only got worse as time went on, work picked up and Jack was forced to a thousand and one things at once leaving him with little time to even sleep, much less try to sort out relationship problems. The real end to everything they had happened when Gabe was made the commander of Blackwatch.

He was always gone, always doing the dirty work that Overwatch couldn’t. Infiltrating this organization or interrogating that person, assassinating some dictator or crime lord. Honestly it was the work of Blackwatch that helped keep the world in balance, dealing with the situations that couldn’t be publicized and would have had catastrophic effects otherwise. So much work, so many potentially fatal missions. And all for... what? Having to hide while the icon that so captivated the public received all of the credit? It’s a pretty shit deal.

Honestly though? Even knowing. Even understanding. Even faced with the reality that he’d probably be just as upset and angry. It doesn’t make this any less painful. If anything it makes it worse.

I could have prevented this. The words tear into Jack heart like knives as he stares down the man he still loves. Seeing the anger and hatred twist Gabe’s face is like torture. He looks nothing like the man that had cracked jokes during the hellish training and sassed the drill sergeant. The one who’d told stupid stories and tried to keep in high spirits even while the drugs from the enhancement program sapped his life and caused untold pain. Who had whispered sweet nothings in his ear. The man who had told him, ‘I love you.’ But he still is. The man standing before him, manic bloodlust and hatred in his eyes is still Gabriel Reyes.

“Gabe plea-” Jack flinches as Gabe’s harsh grow cuts him off.

“Don’t you f***ing call me that!” his grip on the small detonator in his hand tightens “You don’t deserve the privilege!” Jack flinches back again but doesn’t stop trying to reason with his former friend.

“Fine. Reyes, please, it doesn’t have to end this way! I know Overwatch is up shit creek and the public is in a frenzy over all of the information that leaked about both Blackwatch and some of our more questionable operations, but things it’s not completely over! At the very least Overwatch can be disbanded and we can all live as civilians. No more near-suicide missions! No more secrets! No more..... no more violence. Please-” Jack’s voice cracks “I don’t care if you curse my name for the rest of eternity. Just please don’t do this...” As his words trail off Jacks gaze drifts to the floor. A tense silence hangs in the air for a few seconds before Gabe’s bitter and mocking laugh splits it.

“As if,” He scoffs, “I’ll at least give you this Jack. You always were a naïve and hopeful dumbass.” Jack lets out a quiet sigh, the resignation and cynicism that he’d been trying so hard to fight back overtaking him.

“I know.”

----------

There’s an ungodly screeching sound in his ears and the air scorches his throat and lungs as he breathes. Wha... wha..t? What..? Jack’s head is swimming and the ringing in his ears and stars dancing on his eyelids aren’t helping. What... happened...? The burning air causes him to cough, snapping him to painful reality. His face burns, arms feel like they’ve been stomped on and an agonizingly heavy weight is settled across his torso. What is..? He tries to move, but to no avail. Gotta.. focus.. He takes a deep breath only to start violently coughing as the smoke and heated air chokes him. Fire...? and smoke... ringing and... bright light... explosion...? A bomb... The bomb! Oh hell-

“Gabe!?” Jacks voice is weak and raspy, barely above a whisper “Gabe! Can you hea-” he cuts off, coughing again, the smoke making his still closed eyes water. “Gabe!” his voice is louder this time, air tearing at his already mangled vocal chords “Gabe! Where are you?!” He breaks down into another fit of coughing. Need.. to.. find him. Jack forces his uncooperative eyes to open, only to be greeted by a massive blur. Smudges of black, grey, orange, red and blue litter his vision. ....shit. Jack tries to force his vison to clear, to make his eyes focus, but it only gets worse. Some of the smudges of blue get blocked out by a black blob. A blob that seems to be moving. What is-? His thoughts are cut off by a quiet, feminine voice.

“Don’t worry Jack. I’ll take care of you.” As the woman bends down, she comes into slightly sharper focus. Her face is soft and expression kind, her head adorned with a golden halo and golden white wings shimmer on her back.

“A-Angela is-is that you?” Jack does his best to reach for her, but his arm only weakly twitches.

“I’m here now Jack. Everything will be okay.” She reaches out toward him, “I’ll give you something for the pain, and then I’ll get you out from under that beam.” Relief from his screaming nerves was tempting, but there was one thing he wanted even more.

“Angela I need... I need you to find him. Find Gabe. Please... I need to know if he’s alive..” He can feel a gentle hand brush against his cheek, and just barely registers the sting as a needle is plunged into his neck.