Chapter Text
“To those we wish to protect, we make the dumbest actions that hurt them. To those we wish to hold the closest, we end up only pushing them away. To those we want to have forever, we end up letting them go… We are our biggest barrier to those we love.”
****
To ask yourself the question: "When did everything go wrong?", you would be lying to yourself once again. It was still funny how you asked the question nonetheless, then again you were always a curious one. Maybe too curious for your own good.
There you were, once such a strong resilient girl with a soul of natural care... You were more selfless than ever selfish and many adored you for it. Who wouldn't adore a girl who was smart, outgoing, and compassionate far beyond her years? It was no surprise for yourself and others when your studies and passions brought you into the UN's project of heroes, Overwatch.
A young vibrant soul like you, your knowledge, and fearless actions that put you on par with others like you and some older. You grew up with the golden age of Overwatch so joining the organization was the least you could do with your abilities. Your knowledge in technical sciences was what truly brought you onto the team, but your athletic skills and willingness to train was what made you a wonderful candidate for most missions. You wanted to help others like you remember others helping you as you grew up amidst the aftermath of the Omnic Crisis. It was a life you were happy with, and you gained many friends you thought would have your back forever.
That was a lie, as much as that hurt to admit. In a way, it was the answer to your first question. Things went wrong when everyone began to lie. To each other, and themselves. Even you were no saint, lying to yourself that everything was fine and even lying to others when things went downhill. Beneath the surface of everyone, they were boiling... It was only a matter of time before someone exploded. Or something.
You swear you still heard the ringing. Sharp and painful, your body aching the worst pain imaginable. Your uniform ruined and your arms and legs were scarred from debris that trapped you. How long had you been trapped? Hours? Days? You cried for help but no soul heard you... You were dead to not just them but the whole world. Many times of waking up and passing out, you forget how you even managed to escape with a dislocated shoulder, a broken collar bone, and a fractured femur. Those wounds would heal, but the trauma and betrayal you felt wouldn't.
You managed to get away, get help, and just stay dead... You didn't want hope or to be a hero anymore. You just wanted to live alone and to let the world fall away. The world didn't need heroes, at least... You didn't. You would get by. You always would.
Time would pass and you would remain in Switzerland despite the connection it held to you and the Overwatch background you chose to ignore. You had no one else to turn to and nowhere else to go so it ended up being your only option. A year after the incident and you were still recovering from the greater parts of your injuries the news reached you at home. The passing of the Petras act, the disbandment of all Overwatch activity... It seemed the world agreed with you and it did not need heroes. By now, it simply needed time. This was simply for the best, especially if others could not act mature enough for Overwatch to stay in action.
That was the end of your story. Correct? You would stay in Switzerland in your tiny apartment, working just down the street at a small repair shop for technical items... As one year would turn to five, you enjoyed the simple life. You put your knowledge to use in the greatest way possible and while it was not like before, you loved it nonetheless. The end.
What a shame that things don't end when the screen fades to black and the credits roll. It seems that the disbandment of Overwatch was just the beginning. The world was going through another change which was bigger than the last. Another Omnic Crisis, severe terrorist activity, and crime rates soared to their highest. Everywhere around you, the world seemed to be shattering once more but you tried to stand your ground that being a hero was not your calling.
Though in this time, if being a hero is not your calling... Then what is?
****
It was a late Autumn when you were working in the shop at night. It was roughly 11 o'clock at night and you were tinkering on a broken mobile holovid device a kid had dropped off to you that morning. He told you it had stopped working, and he was afraid to tell his mom he broke it, so he heard from his friends that you were good at fixing things like holovid devices and more. You told him you would have it fixed by the next morning, and the look on his face made your heart feel a bit warmer. Though you did wonder how the young boy got gum stuck in the charging port and had broken the parts inside that projected the screen as if he smashed it against a wall... You would probably never know.
"I swear. Some people just never stop impressing me with what they do." You sighed to yourself as you had just placed the panel back on the device and turned it on. The small screen lighting up made a smile come to your face as you had once again gotten something to work after being gone for. It was your greatest skill, and even when others told you something couldn't be fixed you would find a way to do so.
With all the jobs on your checklist complete, you finally could call it a night. You placed the finished device in your drawer to return to the boy the next morning and began to pack up for the night. Your body registering that it was thoroughly tired and worn out from the day's work, you turned the sign from open to closed with a small yawn you stifled with your hand.
As you were pulling the blinds down to hide the store's contents from unwanted eyes, you saw a faint glow in the distance. Not that of sunset or sunrise but it was a warm glow just the same as those were, though with it being 11 o'clock at night you doubted the first two options. Your next thought was that of a fire. It was common in this small town that a fire could spark from time to time, it was just what happened when something went wrong or a stove was accidentally left on. You thought nothing of it since it would not hinder your walk back home.
You shut the blinds, turned off the lights, and after checking everything once over you left the small building labeled merely 'Simple Device Repairs'. It didn't have your name, it wasn't flashy, it didn't draw any attention to you... It was what you wanted. You very rarely gave out your name, and if you did, it was just your first. Out of the billions of people in the world, what would be the chance that someone would recognize your name? Even if someone did claim you were once part of Overwatch, you would simply disagree and claim they had you mistaken. Things would end there for sure. While faking your death was an illegal act, you were claimed to be dead without anyone double-checking with you first. You just took advantage of their mistakes.
The moon was high above you as you wondered what the next day would hold for you as you walked down the empty streets. You had gotten into a nice rhythm of life as you got up early, did your daily chores, worked the shop until late, and then came home. It put your mind at ease and made you float along with life nicely.
A part of you deep down never forgot about your past completely though. When work would be slow or you would be spending time alone at your home, you found yourself fixing up your old weapons from your time as an agent. Or taking out your badly ruined and almost unrecognizable Overwatch uniform you hid in the back of your closet. The azure blue color discolored in some places as the patch had even begun to fray. It also became second nature to carry a concealed weapon with you. Despite the streets where you lived being quieter, there was always a possibility for danger.
Especially now as you made your way down the street in the dark of night. A few street lamps lit the way for you with their soft orange glow, but who knew what lurked in the shadows. In the distance, you could hear sirens. Possibly ones that were dealing with the glow you determined to be a fire earlier. It wasn't anything you needed to work about at least.
That was until you saw people further down the streets running. Screams grew louder and you were deeply concerned now. Children ran and some ran to you and past... That was when you saw the glow was not in one area, but around you. The town was being set on fire and each house followed suit to the next. It was chaos.
You still ran to your home. Maybe you could grab your items and make it out. Maybe you could go back to the shop afterward and save what you could there as well. Though as you reached your home, not yet claimed by the fire coaxing its way up the street, you noticed something even worse... Men and women in matching uniforms kicked women and children out of their homes, grown men laid bleeding on the ground. Many dead. You could not see a single face on one of the uniformed people, but you knew those outfits from your time as an Overwatch agent.
Talon. A radical terrorist group whose sole purpose was to cause and ensue chaos to mold the planet and population how it pleased. The sight of so many made your heart beat with fear. Very few missions you attended did you have to face Talon agents, but when you did it was Hell. Though you took out something from your bag before moving carefully. What it looked like were two identical pistols, though closer inspection would show the wiring and technical infuses you made to have them work better.
Around you, people screamed. Many were in pain, others scared... All of this around you, but you had no will to help. You were no hero. You refused to be one anymore. As selfish as it was, you had to make it back to your home. It was everyone for themselves in this world. That was what being a hero truly taught you.