From the Shadows
An Overwatch Story
---
Part One
---
"So how does it feel, knowing you've condemned this world to fire in the fullness of time? That you'll soon become the new Master of Talon and gain the power not only to make your enemies suffer in this life...But the next?"
The wraith known as Reaper could only cock his head, cowl and mask hiding his emotions as the man before him posed a question. A man dressed all in white, but he was anything but pure. The only sounds in the room were the ceiling fan above, and the sound of a body being dragged away to who knew where. A body that only moments ago had been a man: Trevor Ogilvy, superior officer of Talon who had made the grave mistake of trusting Reaper. And now he was dead, the first of many sacrifices made in the name of his ambitions. Yes…everyone who had ever stood in his way…they would be nothing. He couldn't help but laugh.
"It feels great."
"Sir!" The door flew open with no warning, and a Talon operative burst in. Just as he did, the man in white vanished without a trace, as if evaporating into the air like he had never existed in the first place. The operative had not noticed him, nor had he noticed anything else out of place; the body was gone, leaving Reaper the only one in the office. "Um…Reaper, sir, have you seen Mr. Ogilvy?"
"Ogilvy…?" Reaper didn't bother to feign any surprise or innocence. He fixed his gaze on the operative, who shrunk back accordingly. "He's…indisposed at the moment."
"I…I see." The operative cleared his throat, making a split-second decision that would save his life…for now, anyway. "In that case, Ms. O' Deorain has asked for assistance. That…that thing outside-"
"The Cyberdemon."
"Y-Yes. The…Cyberdemon, it…it's out of control! So many men have been slaughtered by it already, a-and we need backup to deal with it! She's been trying to hold it back, but…"
The operative trailed off, shuddering from a sudden and violent chill. From behind him, Reaper returned to tangible form, clouds of smoke dissipating around him.
"We shouldn't keep her waiting. Let's move."
---
"You're late."
She glared at him, but then again, she glared at everyone. There was no real anger in her, just mild irritation. Probably nothing more than annoyance at being unable to run her experiments as soon as she would like.
He put his hands up in the air, trying his best to force a smile and keep an air of humor around them. "Sorry, sorry. You know how those meetings get. Törbjorn loves hearing himself talk."
"Mm." She ignored him, looking over some paper as she pointed to the examination table. It was clear she couldn't care less for his excuses; she really couldn't care less about anything Overwatch-related.
He sighed and took his seat, covering his mouth to cough as he did so. "Ugh...Got anything for that, doc? It's been happening more frequently now..."
"Just more tests," she replied curtly, putting the paper down and walking to him.
"Give me anything you've got. I'm ready."
"Are you now. And I suppose that little bomb from last week has nothing to do with that?"
A pause. "What exactly do you mean?"
"You have the peculiar habit of increasing your desire to participate in my experiments whenever you desire to prove something. Am I wrong to assume that's the case here?"
It was his turn to glare. "So what if it is?! We can't keep letting Talon get away with this! That attack on Blackwatch…you know if we don't do anything, Antonio will walk away with no repercussions!" His nails dug into the cushion on the table. "It's wrong! These cowards hiding in the shadows, doing whatever they want…and we just let them!"
"They just let them." She examined the syringe she just filled, holding it up to the light. "You know if you all adopted my line of thinking, these bombings would never happen. These pretenses of ethics and morality…that killing the enemy-"
"-makes you just as bad as them." He sighed. "Morrison used that line today. Again. Mister All-American Hero. Hmph…no wonder he got that promotion."
"Let him have it. Morrison doesn't understand anything but rules, as do all the others do." She looked at him. "I'm nowhere near a spiritual person, but I think you were put into Blackwatch for a reason. You don't let these so-called rules stop you from doing what's right. Why let them stop you now?"
"………." He was silent, contemplating her words. Finally, he chuckled. "Y'know, Moira…I think this is the most I've ever heard you talk to me. You finally opening up?"
Her response was to insert the syringe. "You're the only person who's ever given himself up to me in the name of science. I suppose I can spare you a few words of advice."
Silence soon fell over them as the tests were to begin. But then…
"Say…how would you feel about a little trip to Venice?"
---
The shadowy organization known as Talon had risen in infamy over the past few years. With the dissolution of Overwatch, their time to move had not been wasted. Organizing attacks around the world, from assassinations of key figures to the destruction of landmarks, Talon had made a name for itself as something to be feared.
But today, in the belly of its Saudi Arabia branch, they were the ones who were afraid.
"Don't let up!" A woman's voice rang out in the arena, but it was next to impossible to hear over the rest of the din: screams, gunfire, and the ungodly shrieks of the Cyberdemon. The monster batted away at the operatives, knocking whoever was unlucky enough to get too close into the walls of the arena. Blood dripped from its jaws, where those with even worse luck had seen up close. There was no sign that this creature was going to be defeated anytime soon, and operatives on standby stood in fear, knowing they would have to face the monstrosity next…as well as their impending doom.
"Keep fighting! Aim for that thing on its chest!" The woman called out again, from a conccealed spot in the shadow of the arena. Her focus on the Cyberdemon kept her from noticing the cloud of black smoke materializing beside her until it took tangible form.
"Took you long enough," she huffed.
"Ogilvy and I had some business to take care of," Reaper replied, looking at the beast. "I take it your biotics haven't proved very useful."
"They are ALWAYS useful, but something is different in this case. Once this thing is felled, I can examine it." She paused, deciding to tell him more. "When I try to drain its lifeforce, something unusual happens."
"Unusual?"
"It doesn't matter." She replied quickly, watching an operative get crushed by the Cyberdemon's claw with indifference. "I can't figure out what it is until that abomination stops killing our men."
"What's the body count now?"
"Fifty-one."
CRUNCH.
"Fifty-two."
Reaper nodded, taking a pause to look over the slaughter. "The Cyberdemon is powered by that power core on its chest. Take that out, you take out the Cyberdemon."
Moira scoffed. "Would've been useful to know about that thirty casualties ago. I already have them shooting at the core-"
"'Take it out' as in physically rip it out."
"And how exactly do you propose we do that? The closest anyone gets to it is the beast's mandible!"
"I can get to it easy. But I need it weakened if we have a chance." He turned his head to her. "Did your biotic energy have any effect?"
"Did my biotic energy…of course it had an effect! Even on something as otherworldly as that." She seemed offended that he had asked at all. "I presume I'll be needing to keep it busy while you handle the power core?"
His answer was to vanish into smoke again. Moira rolled her eyes, rushing along right behind him. "Clear the area!" she ordered any remaining operatives. "We're going to finish this!"
They didn't need to be told twice. Within seconds, the field was cleared out, leaving the two former Blackwatch agents alone with the Cyberdemon. As the cloud of black pooled around the arena, Moira took her place before the creature.
"You!" As she called out to it, it reared its ugly head in her direction, roaring as it readied to grab at her. The geneticist was ready, however. Vanishing into a shadow of her own, Moira moved to the right, dodging the massive arm, and raised her own.
"Bend to my will, as all others have!" A violet beam shot from Moira's hand, striking the Cyberdemon square in the chest. It shrieked in agony, attempting another swing at her, but it was slower, weaker. She had attempted this before, but it had merely repowered itself…that, and the unusual feeling had started to settle in, so she withdrew. That same feeling was now creeping back into her, combined with the creature's life force.
"Ugh…Reaper!" Her head was pounding, and her vision started blurring. But she couldn't let up! This beast…if it went unchecked, who knew what damage it could do to Talon? To her laboratory?
"…I can't…much longer!" It was getting hard to breathe. Reaper…where are you? You know how to defeat this thing!
"Reaper...hurry...!"
…how do you know how to defeat it?
"Reaper..."
What had you done with Ogilvy?
"Reaper!!"
What have you done to Talon?
"GABRIEL!!!"
…
…
…
Pop!
The smoke surrounding the Cyberdemon turned tangible, and to the floor leapt Reaper, power core in hand. The monster clumsily started for him, but it was all in vain; without the core, it was finished off in just seconds. The Cyberdemon fell to the floor, facedown in the remains of its carnage. It was finally over...but not just for the beast.
Thud.
"Miss O'Deorain!" Operatives rushed to their commanding officer, who had crumpled to a heap on the ground. The first there checked her pulse, giving a brief nod to indicate that yes, she was still alive. Reaper watched silently as they began to move her away, until a voice from behind took his attention.
"A fine mess you've gotten us into, Gabriel." The suave tone couldn't hide the robotic whir of an Omnic voice bank, making the speaker obvious.
"Maximilien." Reaper looked over his shoulder towards the Talon council member, not bothering to give him proper respect as a superior. "You're a long way from Monaco."
"Xiulan called an emergency council meeting just a few hours ago. Something about a…Cyberdemon?" Maximilien surveyed the scene, noticing the creature laying among blood and severed limbs. "...I had been under the impression it was some sort of hacker. Not a-"
"A literal demon?"
"Y-Yes." Maximilien's gaze wandered to the unconscious Moira, and he shook his head. "Poor Moira…it appears she'll be missing the meeting. What a pity; it would be useful for us if she could research that thing."
"We have other scientists. I'll get a team started on it."
Maximilien scoffed. "Will you be attending this meeting, too? Seeing as how you're already giving orders as if you're a council member…"
The wraith turned around, now fully facing the Omnic. "That's because I am."
"W-What? Xiulan never said anything about-"
Reaper pointed to the field, towards a headless body. Its Rolex watch glistened amongst the carnage. "Ogilvy didn't quite make it."
Maximilien was taken aback. "Trevor! But…what? How did he-"
"We can discuss things further at the meeting. We have...many things to discuss." Reaper started for the exit, leaving Maximilien alone to process this all. Once again, his mask hid his expressions, which was honestly for the best; this outcome had put a smile on his face, one that wouldn't be leaving anytime soon.
Mhm…it really did feel great.
---
End Part One
An Overwatch Story
---
Part One
---
"So how does it feel, knowing you've condemned this world to fire in the fullness of time? That you'll soon become the new Master of Talon and gain the power not only to make your enemies suffer in this life...But the next?"
The wraith known as Reaper could only cock his head, cowl and mask hiding his emotions as the man before him posed a question. A man dressed all in white, but he was anything but pure. The only sounds in the room were the ceiling fan above, and the sound of a body being dragged away to who knew where. A body that only moments ago had been a man: Trevor Ogilvy, superior officer of Talon who had made the grave mistake of trusting Reaper. And now he was dead, the first of many sacrifices made in the name of his ambitions. Yes…everyone who had ever stood in his way…they would be nothing. He couldn't help but laugh.
"It feels great."
"Sir!" The door flew open with no warning, and a Talon operative burst in. Just as he did, the man in white vanished without a trace, as if evaporating into the air like he had never existed in the first place. The operative had not noticed him, nor had he noticed anything else out of place; the body was gone, leaving Reaper the only one in the office. "Um…Reaper, sir, have you seen Mr. Ogilvy?"
"Ogilvy…?" Reaper didn't bother to feign any surprise or innocence. He fixed his gaze on the operative, who shrunk back accordingly. "He's…indisposed at the moment."
"I…I see." The operative cleared his throat, making a split-second decision that would save his life…for now, anyway. "In that case, Ms. O' Deorain has asked for assistance. That…that thing outside-"
"The Cyberdemon."
"Y-Yes. The…Cyberdemon, it…it's out of control! So many men have been slaughtered by it already, a-and we need backup to deal with it! She's been trying to hold it back, but…"
The operative trailed off, shuddering from a sudden and violent chill. From behind him, Reaper returned to tangible form, clouds of smoke dissipating around him.
"We shouldn't keep her waiting. Let's move."
---
"You're late."
She glared at him, but then again, she glared at everyone. There was no real anger in her, just mild irritation. Probably nothing more than annoyance at being unable to run her experiments as soon as she would like.
He put his hands up in the air, trying his best to force a smile and keep an air of humor around them. "Sorry, sorry. You know how those meetings get. Törbjorn loves hearing himself talk."
"Mm." She ignored him, looking over some paper as she pointed to the examination table. It was clear she couldn't care less for his excuses; she really couldn't care less about anything Overwatch-related.
He sighed and took his seat, covering his mouth to cough as he did so. "Ugh...Got anything for that, doc? It's been happening more frequently now..."
"Just more tests," she replied curtly, putting the paper down and walking to him.
"Give me anything you've got. I'm ready."
"Are you now. And I suppose that little bomb from last week has nothing to do with that?"
A pause. "What exactly do you mean?"
"You have the peculiar habit of increasing your desire to participate in my experiments whenever you desire to prove something. Am I wrong to assume that's the case here?"
It was his turn to glare. "So what if it is?! We can't keep letting Talon get away with this! That attack on Blackwatch…you know if we don't do anything, Antonio will walk away with no repercussions!" His nails dug into the cushion on the table. "It's wrong! These cowards hiding in the shadows, doing whatever they want…and we just let them!"
"They just let them." She examined the syringe she just filled, holding it up to the light. "You know if you all adopted my line of thinking, these bombings would never happen. These pretenses of ethics and morality…that killing the enemy-"
"-makes you just as bad as them." He sighed. "Morrison used that line today. Again. Mister All-American Hero. Hmph…no wonder he got that promotion."
"Let him have it. Morrison doesn't understand anything but rules, as do all the others do." She looked at him. "I'm nowhere near a spiritual person, but I think you were put into Blackwatch for a reason. You don't let these so-called rules stop you from doing what's right. Why let them stop you now?"
"………." He was silent, contemplating her words. Finally, he chuckled. "Y'know, Moira…I think this is the most I've ever heard you talk to me. You finally opening up?"
Her response was to insert the syringe. "You're the only person who's ever given himself up to me in the name of science. I suppose I can spare you a few words of advice."
Silence soon fell over them as the tests were to begin. But then…
"Say…how would you feel about a little trip to Venice?"
---
The shadowy organization known as Talon had risen in infamy over the past few years. With the dissolution of Overwatch, their time to move had not been wasted. Organizing attacks around the world, from assassinations of key figures to the destruction of landmarks, Talon had made a name for itself as something to be feared.
But today, in the belly of its Saudi Arabia branch, they were the ones who were afraid.
"Don't let up!" A woman's voice rang out in the arena, but it was next to impossible to hear over the rest of the din: screams, gunfire, and the ungodly shrieks of the Cyberdemon. The monster batted away at the operatives, knocking whoever was unlucky enough to get too close into the walls of the arena. Blood dripped from its jaws, where those with even worse luck had seen up close. There was no sign that this creature was going to be defeated anytime soon, and operatives on standby stood in fear, knowing they would have to face the monstrosity next…as well as their impending doom.
"Keep fighting! Aim for that thing on its chest!" The woman called out again, from a conccealed spot in the shadow of the arena. Her focus on the Cyberdemon kept her from noticing the cloud of black smoke materializing beside her until it took tangible form.
"Took you long enough," she huffed.
"Ogilvy and I had some business to take care of," Reaper replied, looking at the beast. "I take it your biotics haven't proved very useful."
"They are ALWAYS useful, but something is different in this case. Once this thing is felled, I can examine it." She paused, deciding to tell him more. "When I try to drain its lifeforce, something unusual happens."
"Unusual?"
"It doesn't matter." She replied quickly, watching an operative get crushed by the Cyberdemon's claw with indifference. "I can't figure out what it is until that abomination stops killing our men."
"What's the body count now?"
"Fifty-one."
CRUNCH.
"Fifty-two."
Reaper nodded, taking a pause to look over the slaughter. "The Cyberdemon is powered by that power core on its chest. Take that out, you take out the Cyberdemon."
Moira scoffed. "Would've been useful to know about that thirty casualties ago. I already have them shooting at the core-"
"'Take it out' as in physically rip it out."
"And how exactly do you propose we do that? The closest anyone gets to it is the beast's mandible!"
"I can get to it easy. But I need it weakened if we have a chance." He turned his head to her. "Did your biotic energy have any effect?"
"Did my biotic energy…of course it had an effect! Even on something as otherworldly as that." She seemed offended that he had asked at all. "I presume I'll be needing to keep it busy while you handle the power core?"
His answer was to vanish into smoke again. Moira rolled her eyes, rushing along right behind him. "Clear the area!" she ordered any remaining operatives. "We're going to finish this!"
They didn't need to be told twice. Within seconds, the field was cleared out, leaving the two former Blackwatch agents alone with the Cyberdemon. As the cloud of black pooled around the arena, Moira took her place before the creature.
"You!" As she called out to it, it reared its ugly head in her direction, roaring as it readied to grab at her. The geneticist was ready, however. Vanishing into a shadow of her own, Moira moved to the right, dodging the massive arm, and raised her own.
"Bend to my will, as all others have!" A violet beam shot from Moira's hand, striking the Cyberdemon square in the chest. It shrieked in agony, attempting another swing at her, but it was slower, weaker. She had attempted this before, but it had merely repowered itself…that, and the unusual feeling had started to settle in, so she withdrew. That same feeling was now creeping back into her, combined with the creature's life force.
"Ugh…Reaper!" Her head was pounding, and her vision started blurring. But she couldn't let up! This beast…if it went unchecked, who knew what damage it could do to Talon? To her laboratory?
"…I can't…much longer!" It was getting hard to breathe. Reaper…where are you? You know how to defeat this thing!
"Reaper...hurry...!"
…how do you know how to defeat it?
"Reaper..."
What had you done with Ogilvy?
"Reaper!!"
What have you done to Talon?
"GABRIEL!!!"
…
…
…
Pop!
The smoke surrounding the Cyberdemon turned tangible, and to the floor leapt Reaper, power core in hand. The monster clumsily started for him, but it was all in vain; without the core, it was finished off in just seconds. The Cyberdemon fell to the floor, facedown in the remains of its carnage. It was finally over...but not just for the beast.
Thud.
"Miss O'Deorain!" Operatives rushed to their commanding officer, who had crumpled to a heap on the ground. The first there checked her pulse, giving a brief nod to indicate that yes, she was still alive. Reaper watched silently as they began to move her away, until a voice from behind took his attention.
"A fine mess you've gotten us into, Gabriel." The suave tone couldn't hide the robotic whir of an Omnic voice bank, making the speaker obvious.
"Maximilien." Reaper looked over his shoulder towards the Talon council member, not bothering to give him proper respect as a superior. "You're a long way from Monaco."
"Xiulan called an emergency council meeting just a few hours ago. Something about a…Cyberdemon?" Maximilien surveyed the scene, noticing the creature laying among blood and severed limbs. "...I had been under the impression it was some sort of hacker. Not a-"
"A literal demon?"
"Y-Yes." Maximilien's gaze wandered to the unconscious Moira, and he shook his head. "Poor Moira…it appears she'll be missing the meeting. What a pity; it would be useful for us if she could research that thing."
"We have other scientists. I'll get a team started on it."
Maximilien scoffed. "Will you be attending this meeting, too? Seeing as how you're already giving orders as if you're a council member…"
The wraith turned around, now fully facing the Omnic. "That's because I am."
"W-What? Xiulan never said anything about-"
Reaper pointed to the field, towards a headless body. Its Rolex watch glistened amongst the carnage. "Ogilvy didn't quite make it."
Maximilien was taken aback. "Trevor! But…what? How did he-"
"We can discuss things further at the meeting. We have...many things to discuss." Reaper started for the exit, leaving Maximilien alone to process this all. Once again, his mask hid his expressions, which was honestly for the best; this outcome had put a smile on his face, one that wouldn't be leaving anytime soon.
Mhm…it really did feel great.
---
End Part One