Chapter Text
To no one’s surprise it was Hana Song, more famously known as D.Va, who found the arcade just a bus ride away from the new old base. Lúcio was the first person she took this information to after loudly bemoaning the fact that he’s never been to an arcade before.
“Never had a chance growing up,” Lúcio Correia dos Santos explained as his friend stared at him slack-jawed over breakfast. “Then with the touring I didn’t have time.”
Things would be simple if it ended there with two friends and a night out, but ex-commander Jack Morrison overhead the conversation and brought up security concerns. Hana assured the soldier that she figured out a safe route and scoped out the area to make sure it’s secure. Still, Jack was not convinced. Despite all of her skills and accomplishments, Hana has little experience with undercover and covert ops. A blessing in its own way as far as he’s concerned, but his point remained. So Hana, with an impish grin, came to the conclusion that this just means he has to come with them. After all, who better to assess and maintain the arcade’s safety than the infamous vigilante Soldier: 76? He walked into that one to be fair.
Word spread quickly through the small group, and arcade night gathered a few more attendants. Hana mentioned the plan to Lena Oxton who insisted Winston put his work down for a few hours and enjoy a night out. Then Jesse McCree, who will take just about any excuse to leave the base, joined on, and Genji Shimada decided that some nostalgia wouldn’t be remiss.
And that is how we find our heroes not as heralds of a new age, but as a motley crew taking public transit.
“Don’t know how you talked me into this,” Jack mutters with his arms crossed as he slouches back in the worn seat.
“It was your idea,” Hana cheerfully reminds him. “Because I don’t have the,” she pauses to shift into the deepest and gruffest voice she can manage, “necessary undercover experience to properly assess the location.”
“Doesn’t explain why I’m here if you already have covert ops agents tagging along.”
“Genji doesn’t count. McCree really doesn’t count.”
Across from them the cyborg ninja in question is both amused by the conversation and a little curious as to why he doesn’t count.
“The point is,” Hana continues, “you’re already here so you might as well relax for once.”
“Actually, I agree with the young Ms. Song,” Winston pipes up from the back of the bus where he’s claimed an entire row of seats. “Should anything happen while we’re here then someone at base will notify us immediately, and a little relaxation can go a long way. In fact there are numerous studies documenting the positive effects of—”
“That’s the spirit, Winston!” Lena cheers, not unintentionally cutting him off.
“Fine,” Jack says, though it sounds more like a snarl.
“Well this’ll be an interesting night,” Jesse chuckles as Hana twists around in her seat to pull a chord and call for a stop.
As promised the bus takes them right to their destination where they depart, some with more ease than others judging by Winston’s profuse apologies, and gather in front of the arcade. The first things that draw their attention are the double doors that also function as brightly lit advertisement with game logos and special events scrolling across the opaque black glass. Flanking the doors the massive panes of glass that make up the extensive window-front are treated so that patrons can see out but passersby can’t see in. The effect results in a near perfect reflection of the quiet street broken by erratic flashes of light from the other side. Mounted above the door is a sign announcing the arcade’s name in twisting neon lights.
“So what do you think?” Hana asks Lúcio who stares up at the neon sign.
“Hey why’re the windows blacked out?” Lúcio asks. “That ain’t welcoming.”
“Neighbourly concerns,” Genji explains. “Many find the light irritating.”
“Basically there are a bunch of people in the world who don’t know how to have fun,” Hana says, and no one misses the pointed look she gives Jack.
“Well the night ain’t getting any younger,” Jesse says as he steps forwards to open the door. A blast of sound and cold air rushes out of the building, earning a mixture of reactions ranging from barely contained excitement to disgruntled dread. “After you.”
The arcade is best described as an organized mess with the more traditional cabinets taking up the majority of the space before moving into games that require increasingly complex equipment. Greeting them at the entrance are the crane games enticingly stuffed with adorable characters, but those quickly blend into what many call carnival games. At the very back by the washrooms and vending machines is a small pizza vendor that also provides open-use tables and chairs.
The group stands in awe as they’re assaulted by an unending surge of light and noise. Countless voices meld together into an indistinguishable blur of catchphrases and congratulations, but drowning out the electronic voices are enthusiastic sound effects that clash against each other in a cacophonous symphony punctuated by the shouts of over-excited gamers. Cabinets flash bright amid the low lights like a neon dance party, and promises of wealth and glory display proudly across increasingly colourful screens. The cold air blasting down from the ceiling is more for the machines’ sake than the patrons. It carries with it the faint smell of pine air freshener, but the further back you go the stronger the faint smell of greasy pepperoni and cheap cheese becomes.
“Welcome to paradise!” Hana declares, raising her voice to be heard over the noise.
“Nostalgic,” Genji remarks fondly. “I wonder if they have some of the older classics.”
No one else comments as all they can do is stare in awe at their new surroundings. The bright lights in the dark space are hard to adjust to, and the noise is reminiscent of a battlefield with so much happening all at once. Hana takes their awestruck expressions as an achievement and quickly ducks away from the group to pay for an evening of gaming for everyone.
“Man, where do we even begin?” Lúcio asks, breaking his silence once Hana has returned.
“That’s why you’re lucky you have a professional with you,” Hana says. “I like to go for the new games first. Then settle in with my favourites so I can work on my high scores.”
“Alright, how does this work?” Lena asks as Hana hands her a card stamped with the arcade’s name and logo. “I’ve only ever used the token ones.”
“It’s like a PC bang where you pay for time not games played. The games where you can win prizes are extra and you load that money onto your card too, but you get a few rounds for free. Don’t worry, I only put on an hour to start in case you noobs call it quits. My treat.”
“Taking a break is also advisable,” Genji adds. “Even though it is cheaper to buy more time at once, you lose time when you stop to eat or drink. Or if you decide to leave early. Unless you are certain you’re going to stay, it is not generally worth it.”
“Hold up a second,” Lúcio says. “Hana, how much time is on yours?”
Hana’s terrifying grin is answer enough, and the musician decides it’s best if he doesn’t push the subject.
“Why do I get one?” Jack asks as he turns the card over in his hand. “I’m not here to play.”
“Why?” Hana echoes. “Because it’d be fun and you need to learn to have some? Relax, old man. The timer doesn’t start until your first game, so I guess if you’re really going to be no fun I can use it another day.”
“It would be rude to turn down a gift,” Winston points out. “And we should all make the most of our time here since we made the trip.”
Jack mutters something under his breath that no one catches, but he’s not leaving and everyone takes that as a good sign.
“Alright, team!” Lena declares. “Enough talk, let’s play!”
And with that Lena grabs Winston’s hand, or at least two fingers given the size difference, and drags him off down a random aisle. Jesse tips his hat in a silent farewell before ambling off towards the section reserved for carnival games.
“So I have no clue where to start,” Lúcio says, turning to Hana. “Can I just watch you play first?”
“Sure,” Hana says. “I hope they have the bullet hell that came out last month. I can’t believe I missed it!”
Hana chatters on about the new mechanics in this new game as Lúcio follows her to the section reserved for an eclectic mix of newer cabinets. This just leaves Jack and Genji, the former of which still doesn’t know why he’s here.
As a trained soldier and now vigilante Jack’s always on high alert for the potential that something will go wrong. Nothing seems to be amiss though, and having Genji and Winston nearby alleviates some of his concerns. For obvious reasons most of them weren’t able to bring weapons to the arcade, but a full-grown gorilla is formidable even unarmed and there has never been a civilian brave enough to tell Genji to lay down his weapons.
“So,” Jack says. “There couches or something?”
“Usually in the back,” Genji says with a chuckle. “Shall we?”
Jack nods his assent and follows the ninja past the flashing lights through to the back of the arcade.