Chapter Text
Dr. Angela Ziegler sat looking out the window of the empty dropship. She watched as the misty forests below slowly began to give way to mountainous terrain. According to the tablet sitting in her lap, they were rapidly approaching the small village of Lukla, where they would stop to pick up her old friend and companion for the mission.
The dropship passed through a thick cloud bank, so Dr. Ziegler turned her attention to the files in the tablet that provided the details about her mission. She was being sent to investigate a possible abandoned Talon base, located deep in the Himalayas. The reason she and her companion had been selected for the mission was because it was believed to be an abandoned scientific research base. Because the base was beyond a doubt abandoned, it was deemed a low risk mission, which only required two capable scientists.
As Dr. Ziegler studied the files for clues, the dropship emerged from the clouds, and she was greeted with a spectacular view of Mount Everest, radiating in the afternoon sun. She would have stared at the mountain until they landed had her tablet not started beeping.
Looking down, Dr. Ziegler saw that there was an incoming video message from the young mech pilot, Hana Song. She answered the call immediately.
Hana's face lit up the screen, very close to the camera. Dr. Ziegler could tell from the enclosed space and the sound of howling wind that she was calling from inside her mech.
“Hey, Mercy!” exclaimed Hana, smiling brightly.
“Good afternoon, Hana,” said Mercy, returning the smile. “To what do I owe the honor?”
“I have some information about your mission,” she replied. “A couple of days ago, I did a few fly-by's of that base you've been sent to investigate. I would have stayed to help you but I was called back for another mission. Anyways, it's definitely abandoned, no signs of life anywhere. The only problem is the walls.”
“What about them?” asked Mercy, frowning.
“They're too thick,” explained Hana. “My scanners could barely get through them. You're going to need some serious firepower to get inside.”
Mercy sighed. “So how are we supposed to get inside?”
Hana smiled at her. “I'm glad you asked, because I've already solved your problem. I'm sending some help your way. They're coming in from Paris, so they'll probably arrive an hour or two after you land.”
Mercy squinted suspiciously at her tablet. “They? Who exactly are you sending?”
Hana smiled, looking almost malicious. “You wouldn't like the answer. Good luck on your mission!”
With that, Hana disconnected the chat, leaving Mercy staring at her own reflection in the dark screen. She looked tense already.
“Wonderful...” muttered Mercy dryly as she set down her tablet and returned to looking out the window.
Half an hour later, the dropship slowed to a hover and gently touched down in a small field outside the village of Lukla. The side door slid open, and in stepped the famous climatologist, Mei Ling Zhou. Mercy stood and embraced her, having not seen her old friend for over ten years.
“Angela, you haven't aged a day!” exclaimed Mei, stepping back and giving Mercy a fond look.
“The same can be said of yourself,” said Mercy as she closed the doors and signaled the pilot to take off. “How was your expedition?”
“It was wonderful!” exclaimed Mei, setting down her large travel pack. “The climb up the mountain was exhausting, of course, but the ice core samples I collected along the way are worth it. Between the samples and the measurements I took during the climb, I'll have my own mountain of data!”
Mercy laughed, feeling her spirits lift. “I meant to ask about the view.”
“Oh...” Mei mumbled, blushing. She continued to smile.
The last two hours of the flight went by much quicker. Mei had been assigned to the mission due to her scientific background and the fact that she was an expert in navigating the treacherous icy mountain terrain they would be facing. She had gotten the message that she had been assigned to this mission when she was halfway through her descent from the summit of Mount Everest, so she decided she would stay in the village at the base of the mountain and wait until Mercy came to pick her up.
As they flew towards their own base camp, Mercy explained the details. She told Mei everything they knew about the abandoned base, and she explained that it was too treacherous to fly directly to the base due to the terrain. Because of that, they would have to set up a small base of operations at the opposite end of an old unused hiking trail, which would lead them to the Talon base.
“We have to land here,” explained Mercy, pointing at the spot marked on her digital map. “This area is wide enough and the winds are weak enough to let a skilled pilot drop off three units of a shelter pod, along with any passengers. The shelter we'll be staying in was set up two days ago. We'll stay here tonight, hike across to the abandoned base, gather what we can, then come back here for extraction. Ah, there it is.”
Mei looked out the window and saw what first appeared in the dying light to be three long rectangles sitting in the snow. As the dropship drew closer, she saw that they were shelter pods, one large main area with two small units attached next to each other. The solar panels on the roof glowed orange in the evening sun.
The dropship touched down, and Mercy slid the door open, hoisting her bag onto her back. Mei picked up her large hiking bag and left her samples on the dropship, instructing the pilot to deliver them to Winston to be stored and analyzed.
They stepped off the dropship and were instantly up to their knees in snow. They trudged their way to the base, while the dropship took off behind them, whipping up the snow around them.
Mercy reached the door and entered a passcode, and the heavy door clicked open. They stepped inside and were instantly greeted with a breath of warm air.
The main unit was relatively large, with a small kitchen on the right and a sitting area on the left. The kitchen could double as a lab, and the sitting area held several advanced computers that they would likely need for analysis. Across from the entrance were two more doors, where the other two units were attached.
“Those are the bedrooms,” said Mercy, gesturing to the doors Mei was looking at. “I only had two brought out, but it appears there may be more people joining us on this mission.”
“What do you mean?” asked Mei as she set her pack down.
Mercy went straight for the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. “Our dear friend Hana Song scanned the base and said the walls are too thick for us to get through, so she's sending... backup.”
Mei frowned. “Did she say who she was sending?”
Mercy shook her head. “She told me I wouldn't like the answer. I haven't a clue what she means, but she told me they would be arriving about an hour after we landed.”
“That is... a bit ominous...” admitted Mei. “But either way, I trust her judgment.”
Mercy poured her coffee into a mug and sipped.
They spent the next hour preparing for their mission in the morning. Mei synced Snowball to the base's radio, navigation, and weather station, while Mercy prepared six individual medical kits for emergencies.
A mere hour and a half after they landed, the sound of a dropship filled the air again. Mei and Mercy both went to the windows by the door and watched as the ship slowly descended.
Biting her lip, Mercy picked up her tablet and called Hana. The video chat connected after a few seconds, and she saw Hana in a greasy t-shirt, standing in her workshop.
“Evening Mercy!” exclaimed Hana, smiling guiltily.
“Who did you send?” asked Mercy without prelude.
“Are they there yet?”
In response, Mercy flipped the camera around, and all three of them looked out the window as two men were seemingly thrown from the open door of the dropship. They fell three meters and landed in the soft snow, and the dropship took off without landing. The two men stood up, and Mercy instantly recognized them from both the local news and the criminal database that Overwatch had access to.
“Hana...” growled Mercy.
“Their names are Junkrat and Roadhog, and they're international criminals. You'll love them! Bye!” With that, Hana disconnected the video chat.
Mercy sighed and looked out the window for a moment. The powerful behemoth who towered like a mountain was Roadhog, she knew, and the scrawny man who looked like a burnt skeleton was Junkrat. She remembered from their files that they were experts in demolition, and the pieces clicked into place.
“I recognize them!” exclaimed Mei, frowning. “Aren't they criminals?”
“Yes, they are,” said Mercy as she opened the door.
Roadhog and Junkrat both looked up at her the second the door was opened. Roadhog was dressed in a large, warm-looking furry jacket, complete with a hat, gloves, and thick warm boots. He barely acknowledged the cold. His partner, however, was shivering like a drowned rat. He was wearing a jacket and good pants, but not much else.
“Right this way,” Mercy called from the door, beckoning them inside. Roadhog took the lead and carved a path through the snow, and Junkrat followed in his footsteps. Mercy noticed that Junkrat was limping heavily, and in another moment she noticed that he had a prosthetic leg that was clearly not made for snowy conditions. She realized that Roadhog was dragging his feet to make a larger path for Junkrat to follow.
They reached the door, and Mercy stepped aside to let them in. Roadhog's massive frame filled the room, and Mercy noticed that Junkrat was also quite tall, even though he was hunched over and hugging himself for warmth.
“Bloody hell!” stammered Junkrat, still shivering. “It's fucking cold here!”
Mercy cleared her throat a bit. “Um... it's nice to meet you,” she said, slightly awkward. “I'm Dr. Angela Ziegler.” She held out her hand to shake.
Junkrat ignored her and limped into the kitchen, where he picked up the scalding hot coffee pot and hugged it to his chest to stop the shivering. He then poured himself a cup.
Mercy was staring at him, so it startled her when Roadhog gently took her tiny hand in his massive one and gave it a delicate shake. He then turned to Mei and held out his hand, and she reluctantly shook it.
“I'm Roadhog,” he said, his voice deep like thunder. He looked across the room at Junkrat, who was already on his third cup of coffee. Junkrat raised an eyebrow and acknowledged the look.
“Oh, right, uh, I'm Junkrat,” he said, before squinting at Mercy and Mei. “You're Angela, and uh... what's your name?”
“Mei,” she said stiffly, her face expressionless.
“Right. Anyways, we're here because the Diva told us we were needed... to blow some shit up,” explained Junkrat.
“That appears to be the plan,” admitted Mercy. “Shall we eat some dinner and discuss the mission?”
“Sounds like a plan, Doc!” said Junkrat, clearly eager about the promise of food.
Dinner lasted for three minutes, and consisted of rations that were warmed in a pot of water, along with more coffee. Junkrat ate like he was starving, and so did Roadhog, though it was a mystery how he ate with his mask on. Mercy had looked away for a few seconds to pick up her tablet, and when she looked back his food had been gone. When she asked Mei later that evening, Mei admitted to not having seen either.
Once dinner was over, Mei brought over a hand-held projector and set it on the table, bringing up a holographic map of the area. Their current location was indicated by a large golden dot, and the base they were sent to investigate was marked with a red X. The map showed several paths along the mountain, one of which was highlighted.
“Okay,” said Mei, still sounding a bit stiff, “we are here, and the base is here.” She pointed to the map. “There are old hiking trails littered over this mountain range, and this one that I've marked is the one we are going to hike on tomorrow. It's the shortest route to the base.”
“Doesn't seem that far,” muttered Junkrat, who now looked extremely tired.
“It should be approximately six hours to the base, then six hours back,” said Mei.
Junkrat's small smile dropped and he suddenly looked a bit pale. “Whoa, hold up, we didn't realize there was gonna be walking involved! You expect us to be out there in the snow and cold for twelve hours?”
Mei looked like she was going to say something that would cause more trouble, so Mercy interrupted.
“Unfortunately, we cannot fly there,” she explained quickly. “Because of the landscape and winds, it would be impossible to land a craft anywhere near the base. Walking is far safer. I'm sure we could figure out a way to make the journey easier.”
Junkrat grimaced and looked at Roadhog.
“I could also lend you some warmer clothes,” suggested Mercy.
Junkrat perked up at this. “Do ya have mittens? I would kill for a pair of mittens...”
“Here,” said Mei, walking over to her hiking bag and pulling out a single large mitten. “I lost the other one on Mount Everest, but I can see that you only need one.”
Junkrat put the mitten on his left hand and smiled, clearly pacified. “This'll work.”
Mei sat back down at the table and started to move the map again. “Anyways-”
She was interrupted again, but not by anybody at the table. There was a distant rumbling noise, and the ground started shaking. It shook for less than a minute before stopping.
“Ah, yes,” said Mei, “I forgot to mention... this mountain range recently became host to an active volcano. In fact, the base we are investigating seems to be built into the side of the volcano. The closer we get to the base, the more earthquakes and rock slides there may be.”
Mercy nodded. “Yes, the less time we spend here, the better. These mountains are treacherous, and the weather can change at a moment's notice.”
Junkrat and Roadhog looked at each other for a minute.
“The big guy's right,” said Junkrat, turning to face Mercy and Mei. “This keeps getting more dangerous by the second. We want to know, what's in it for us?”
Mercy was afraid this topic would come up. “What do you mean?” she asked, deciding to play naive for the moment.
Junkrat sighed, sounding exasperated. “First the Diva bullies us into agreeing to drop our vacation plans and help you, then we get kidnapped by your crazy pilot and dropped into frozen Hell, where you tell us that we have to walk for an eternity towards an active volcano, blow up one thing, and then walk all the way back? Altruism only goes so far, mate. We want payment.”
Roadhog nodded in agreement.
“And don't promise us money,” snarled Junkrat. “We've got plenty of that, plus we all know that Overwatch is flat broke.”
Mercy thought for a moment. “Well... I'll have to run this by my superiors, but if you help us with this mission, we could potentially... ignore your past crimes, as well as any minor future ones.”
Mei stared at Mercy, shocked that she would be willing to compromise with world-known criminals. Junkrat and Roadhog, however, looked like they were considering it.
“Okay, Roadie and I will talk about it,” admitted Junkrat. “You must really want whatever is in that base.”
“I'm sure it will be valuable to all of us,” said Mercy, feeling relieved. She knew they would accept her offer. Something told her that these two were practiced in dealing in favors and secrets.
“Well then,” said Mercy, standing from the table and clapping her hands together, “since we're so far north, we only get a few hours of daylight. We need to leave at least three hours before daybreak to make it to the base and back while we have light. We're going to keep this mission short and sweet, so we'll leave tomorrow. The weather forecast is relatively stable, which is rare for this time of year, so we have a limited window of opportunity. Hopefully by this time tomorrow, we'll be on a dropship back home.”
The evening wore on. They went over the plan a few more times, and Mercy managed to find a warm hat, a scarf, and a large pair of fluffy socks for Junkrat. Then, once the darkness had truly settled in, they went to bed.
Because Mei and Mercy were supposed to have been the only two on the mission, there were only two bedrooms with single beds. Mercy and Mei took one room, and Junkrat and Roadhog took the other.
It was difficult for Mei to fall asleep. The wind picked up after the sun set, and the howling sounded eerie echoing through the jagged peaks around their base camp. They didn't have any more big earthquakes like the one after dinner, but every so often she could feel tremors, and hear the rumbling coming from the distant mountain.
Not only were the sounds of the mountains preventing her from sleeping, but she could also hear Roadhog and Junkrat from the other room. She heard them whispering to each other for a bit, and when they fell asleep she could hear Roadhog's loud snoring and Junkrat's persistent cough, which had gotten worse after dinner.
She was nervous about working with them. While she tried her hardest to be optimistic, she was finding it difficult with these two. They were criminals, thieves and murderers. She wondered what Hana had been thinking, sending them here.
It wasn't until Mercy rolled over in her sleep and wrapped an arm around Mei that she was able to relax. She felt safe with Mercy here, and the human contact was reassuring. Besides, she knew that Mercy would keep everyone in order. As long as she and Mercy stayed together, everything would be okay.
Feeling reassured and safe, Mei finally fell asleep.