Chapter Text
“The second omnic crisis continues to devastate Russia. The conflict between omnics, and humans has now claimed over 15,000 lives.
Winston lay in his bed looking up at the ceiling. The news report ringing again, and again in his head.
15,000 lives lost.
And yet the UN refused to do anything.
Every second they spent in indecision violence would escalate claiming even more innocent lives. Then again what else did he expect from the very people that had shut down Overwatch, that had destroyed his family? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Yet even now there were worse problems than the omnic crisis in Russia. A problem that could, if left unattended threaten the world as a whole.
Talon.
The very thought of the organisation brought bile to the back of his throat. By themselves they had wreaked havoc all across the globe, attacking important government facilities, stealing valuable tech, and powerful weapons.
When Overwatch was around they managed to keep the organization at bay, but after the UN decided that they were a bigger threat than any terrorist group they stood unopposed. Talon had tried on numerous occasions to obtain Overwatch data, never really succeeding. This time though they had come too close.
Talon had attacked Gibraltar two day’s ago, trying to take all the data on Athena’s servers. Nearly killing him in the process, but he managed to repel the attack, and stop them before they got anything important. The attack had convinced him to do one thing.
To begin the Overwatch recall.
Well at least try to, he still needed to modify one of the satellites he had to broadcast the recall message, and to also make a recall message.
He looked over at the clock on the wall 6:34 pm.
A bit late to be doing work, but if he was awake he might as well work on what needed to be done.
With a grunt he rolled out of bed, his muscles protesting at the sudden movement
He called out to the AI as he stretched his sore muscles. “Athena.”
“Yes, Winston,” the AI’s monotone voice responded.
“Can you have the satellite in storage sent to my lab?”
“How are you feeling Winston?” she asked ignoring his request.
“A little sore, but otherwise i’m ok. Now please can you get the satellite?”
“Very well.”
“Thank you.”
The satellite that he was going to use was among the very first satellites they had which the omnics could not take control of. The spacecraft had advanced stealth technology, which made it almost impossible to trace. The only problem was that this satellite had crashed about 20 miles of the coast of California in the pacific ocean about eight years ago, it was supposed to get fixed, and sent back into space. Unfortunately that day would never come, Overwatch was disbanded before the satellite had been ready for launch leaving the machine partially fixed, and abandoned in the storage room.
He would have to see if it was worth fixing, or if he should just find another way to get the Overwatch recall out, well he'd find out soon enough. Winston left the room headed for his lab. He emerged from the crew quarters to find the sun setting, casting the entire base in a warm orange glow. The sunset had always had a stunning effect on Gibraltar. It was one of the many things that had brought him back to the base. Winston stood there for a moment reminiscing about days long gone before continuing to his destination.
He finally reached his lab, entering the giant chamber like room. The place was still a complete mess , he hadn't really cleaned anything up since Talon had assaulted the base, and well who could blame him you wouldn't be up and running about if a two tone spacecraft fell on your back. Speaking of which.
“Athena,” he called out. “Do you need help getting the satellite in here?”
“No, I am perfectly capable of lifting a 8,000 pound machine without hands… or body,” The AI responded.
Athena’s sudden sarcasm caught him a bit off guard. “Um…, let me go help you,” he was about to leave when her voice came back.
“No need, it should already be entering the room.”
As if on cue the big metal doors opened allowing two hovering platforms to float in.
His heart sank when he saw the satellite.
He had expected the satellite to be damaged, but this was insane. He walked over to examine it. The outer shell was charred, the front was completely smashed in revealing broken circuitry boards, and exposed wires. The satellite solar panels sat on the second platform behind the first one, actually upon closer inspection they seemed to be the only pieces in good condition.
He leaned in examining the panels. “Wait, Athena were the solar panels the only thing that they fixed?” he asked as he turned his attention to the rest of the satellite
“According to these files… yes.”
Winston groaned in frustration “This will take me weeks to fix. Is there a possibility that there might be another satellite somewhere in storage?”
“No, i'm sorry Winston, but this is the last remaining Overwatch satellite. All the others have either been destroyed or repurposed by the UN.”
Winston sighed softly as he pinched the bridge of his nose, he began to think on what he could do. It would take him weeks to fix this satellite, in that time Talon could launch another attack, and next time he might not be so lucky. So what could he do?
It would be impossible to contact them all without the satellite. Well that wasn't entirely true, but it was the only way to contact them without the UN finding out. So what could he do? He needed to find a way to obtain another satellite or another piece of technology with enhanced stealth capabilities.
Hm, what could he do? He didn't exactly have much in the technology department. All he had was Athena, and every thing the UN had neglected to take when they had abandoned the place. The only place he could think of was the RAF base here in Gibraltar, but they might not like it if he ‘borrowed’ some of the tech they had.
Damn it, what he really needed was a satellite, but the one he had would take too long to repair. He thought about his dilemma, the only satellites that would work had to be high-grade military satellites.
That was another problem if he managed to get his hands on any of them , the country he took it from would most likely notice and probably destroy the base.
He groaned, there was once a time when this wouldn't have even been a problem. Overwatch had over 20 satellites in orbit around earth, some as big as passenger planes others as small as shopping carts. After Overwatch had been disbanded most had either been left to drift out into space or repurposed into weather satellites, navigation, reconnaissance etc.
If he had one of those satellites he could monitor Talon activities keep them from hurting anyone again, but most importantly he would be able to initiate the recall, but it was impossible.
Or was it? Could he do it? The risks would be high but if he could pull it off, Overwatch had a chance of coming back. An idea began to form in his head, growing bigger as he calculated the odds.
He would retake one of their repurposed satellites.
The plan he had would be in no way easy, there were countless things that could go wrong, hundreds of variables to go over. There was also the fact that if even one thing went wrong his plan would be destroyed and any chance Overwatch had of coming back with it, he had to do everything at the right time, but he was sure he could do it.
He turned filled with determination, and began walking towards his office. “Athena, I want you to access the nearest repurposed satellite.”
“What are you planning?”
“I’m… we’re going to infiltrate the computer of one of our old satellites, and cut the connection with its UN server.” Winston stopped talking as he leapt up grabbing the edge of the pathway, and swung up. “Then we’ll take control of the satellite before they even know what's going on, and use it the way it was meant to be used.
“Winston, the unauthorized access of any government server is punishable by prosecution. Not to mention that this would also qualify as Overwatch activity,” Athena pointed out.
Winston finally reached his desk. He sat down on the large wheel he used as a chair, and switched on his computer. The screens soon blinked to life, all except one. Athena’s screen remained off.
He sighed “Athena i'm tired of just sitting here doing nothing, tired off the world not doing anything,” He closed his eyes remembering the countless lives they had saved. “When we were around the world was a safer place. Now i'm going to do this with or without your help.”
He watched for a while waiting for the screen to turn on, when it didn't he turned back to his computer, and began the search for a satellite that would suite their needs. Then a small ping caught his attention. he looked down just as Athena’s computer came to life.
Athena's voice came “Very well, I will help you Winston. I just hope you understand the consequences.”
He smiled at her “I do, but this is the right thing to do Athena.” he turned back to the computer, and with Athena's help continued his search.
They soon found a satellite that would best fulfill their purpose. This one had been repurposed into a weather satellite which was currently somewhere over France.
Now to gain access to the satellite they would first have to establish a connection with it and match their frequency, next they would need to forcefully cut the connection with any of its servers leaving it defenseless, and finally if everything went well gain complete control over the spacecraft.
But, as always it's easier said than done. If anything went wrong even the tiniest detail could jeopardize the entire thing, but they could do it they had to do it.
“Okay, Athena I need you to establish a reliable connection with that satellite, before I can begin the transmission.”
Winston observed as Athena began to establish the connection. Her monitor changed from the familiar logo, into an image depicting his face and a little satellite. A single white line stretched between the slowly growing bigger.
“Hm, creative,” Winston mentioned, motioning towards the monitor.
“Winston just because i’m an AI doesn't mean I can’t have a little fun,” she pointed out. “Now please I need to concentrate.”
“Hm, oh yes sorry I’ll keep quiet,” Winston sat silently while Athena kept on working.
Finally after what felt like hours Athena finally spoke.
“Okay…,” the white line connecting them stopped moving. “Reliable connection established Winston,”
Suddenly all of Winston's servers began to fill with data on the satellite. What condition it was in, where it was, how many times it has needed maintenance, and the connection it had with the UN at the time. This would all prove useful.
“Good, now we need to match their frequency,” Winston began typing at his keyboard inputting a series of commands. “That should do it. Now the hard part.”
He turned back to his keyboard once again. He looked up just as a 3D image of earth appeared. It showed the orbit the satellite took around earth. A button on Winston’s keyboard began to glow bright red.
“Okay, I'm going to cut their connection to the satellite, when I do that you need to connect with it before they find out, understood?”
“Yes, Winston.”
Winston took a deep breath. If this didn't work the chances of Overwatch coming back were close to nothing, he shook his head trying to rid himself of the thoughts. This would work, and Overwatch would return. He looked at the glowing button placing a finger over it. “Here goes nothing,” and pressed it.
To his right the screen monitoring the satellite signal strength with the UN servers flatlined. The signal from whatever place UN officials were using to monitor the spacecraft was cut, which would give them a small window of opportunity to take over before they were able to regain control.
“Go Athena, you have two minutes.” he said
The AI did not respond. Instead a percentage bar popped up on the screen in front of him, slowly filling up. The bar continued to fill.
Suddenly an alarm sounded on one of the monitors.
Athena's voice came “Winston! My presence has caused several defense protocols to activate.”
“Defense protocols? What kind of defense protocols?” he asked looking at the now flashing image of the satellite.
“My scanners indicate that if all unauthorized access does not stop within the next 30 seconds, on board thrusters will push the satellite out of orbit and into a free fall towards earth.
“No... ,” the satellite would be destroyed, there had to be someway to stop the protocol. ”Athena, is there anyway to cancel the protocol?”
“None that could be accomplished within the next 22 seconds.”
There had to be a way there was always a way. He raked his mind trying to think of something anything that could help them.
Suddenly an idea flew into his head when Athena had been attacked by Talon’s virus her defense mechanisms had also been heavily impaired. They could use their own virus to cripple the satellites defense systems. “Wait, Athena use a virus to stop the protocol!” he shouted over the beeping alarm
“Winston a virus could severely impair the satellites communicative system.”
Winstone quickly thought about the possibilities that if they did this it could render the satellite useless. He made up his mind, and answered. “It's a risk we should take.”
“Very well,” she responded “commencing upload of virus program 2X-36,” Athena began uploading the virus.
Winston looked at the monitors silently hoping the virus would work. Athena's voice coming over the speakers startled him. “Winston the virus worked the protocols have been deactivated, and the defenses around the computer within the satellite have been weakened,”
He barely had enough time to look over at his monitor just as the bar signaling the progress of Athena's ‘unconventional acces’ filled up. His screens went black. He held his breath as the bar disappeared, waiting for something to happen, then on his monitor two words appeared in neon green color ‘input command’. He nearly leapt out of his chair with joy, he had control of the satellite, Overwatch had a chance to come back.
Wait. Athena did mention the virus could cause damage to the satellites communication system. “Athena, how much damage did the communication systems receive?”
He waited as Athena performed her analysis. “The damage was quite extensive, but nothing permanent. The satellite should be running at 100% capacity shortly, but for the moment it’s signal radius is limited to around 800 miles.”
Winston leaned back placing his hands on his face. He chuckled, they had done it. He wanted to shout out in happiness, but there were still things to be done. For one, the UN would likely notice one of these satellites missing, and he still needed to find a way to convince all former Overwatch members to come back, just because he had the means to recall them didn't mean they would all come back he needed to motivate them to come back.
While he pondered on what to do he saw something fall on his desk, he reached out picking it up. It was a picture of him and Lena.
Superhero Tracer to most people, family to him. They had taken the picture at Overwatch HQ, Switzerland, were a meeting was held with all agents to discuss the accusations people and the UN were making, and what would happen should Overwatch be shut down. It hadn't been the best day, but Lena kept on smiling encouraging everyone to keep their heads up, assuring everyone that everything would be okay. Two weeks later the dase was destroyed, Overwatch was disbanded, and they were forbidden to have any contact with former agents.
He hadn't spoken to her in years. Perhaps it was time to change that.
“Athena, what time is it in London?” he looked down at the picture again remembering the good old days.
“It is currently 9:34pm,” she responded.
Nine, would it be too late to call her? He almost laughed at his own question, the chances of Lena being asleep right now we're about as likely as him giving up peanut butter. He looked at the picture once more before pacing it back on his desk, a call was due.
“Athena could you pleas-,” he stopped as Lena’s profile appeared on his screen, a phone icon under her name.
“Anything else Winston,” Athena asked
He smiled “No, that's it thank you.” She could read him like a book.
He looked at Lena’s profile eyeing the phone icon. He had to admit he was a bit nervous, but who could blame him after Overwatch fell he had secluded himself, Athena had been his only companion for the past five years.
But he would have to talk to people again, so it might as well be his best friend.
He sighed thinking about what he would say, and pressed the button.
***
Rain fell silently over the streets of King’s Row, London. People headed home after a hard day at work, omnics walked silently back to their underground residence.
The streets lay empty, all except for the small huddled figure walking down the road. Brown spiky hair bobbed up and down with every step, she was wearing jeans and a black leather jacket. One could easily identify her.
Lena Oxton.
Had she paid a little more attention to her surroundings she might have noticed the black SUV that had followed her ever since she had left her flat. The man in the SUV pulled over as she entered a building with large wooden sign in the shape of a pig, a chorus of cheers could be heard as she walked into the pub.
The man moved the vehicle into a position from where he could see the entrance better, couldn't have her get away. He leaned back watching the door for a while before reaching over to the passenger seat beside him where he kept a clear glass tablet. He turned the tablet on, opening a file he had gotten two days ago.
The file contained everything Overwatch knew about Lena Oxton (call sign: “Tracer”), apparently Talon had launched an operation to retrieve this information, and anything else they could get their hands on. In the end this was all they had managed to get, but apparently this was all they wanted. The file had been sent to all agents stationed in England at the time. They had been tasked with locating Oxton which surprised him, the only missions Talon ever sent them on were to eliminate people that had gotten on there bad side or that knew too much. Oh well far be it from him to question the organization's motives.
He glanced down at his watch, 9:30.
He pulled out a phone, and called his superiors.
“This is Griffin, I have located the target,” he looked over at the building. “She’s at a local pub called the Crimson Warthog.”
“Okay, make sure she doesn't leave i'm sending another agent to help you.”
“Sir with all due respect I think I can handle her,” he said as he looked back at the pub.
The man on the other line laughed “Careful Griffin, don't underestimate her, she may look small and defenseless, but she’ll take you out in a blink of an eye,” the man paused “literally. Besides, this isn't one of your normal missions someone wants to talk to her first.
Griffin paused who could possibly want to talk to her “Do you know who it is?”
“No, all I do know is it's someone from HQ,” he responded. Voices sounded in the background. “Okay I have to go you know what to do, we should get there in about an hour, and for god's sake don't lose sight of her,”
With that the call ended. Griffin sighed and shoved the phone back into his pocket. He didn't know what was going on, but whatever it was it must be really important if one of the big guys was coming all the way from Germany just to talk to her. Well they didn't pay him to question them so he got out of the car, and headed into the Crimson Warthog.