Mercy stared at the letter from Joy for a while and read it several more times. Her heart sank.
When exactly did these events take place? Why had she not heard of anything? Did she ever receive anything from Faith?
Or did she truly forget about this city? About the people here?
No matter which way she turned, she ended up blaming herself. Despite not remembering any plea for help, she should have kept in contact better. Somehow, in some way. So why didn’t she? Did she forget those closest to her in her attempt to help the world?
Junior’s last accusation rang in her ear...
“Oh, well I’m sure the Priest and the Levite thought the same thing...AS THEY PASSED BY A DYING MAN ON THE STREET!”
Maybe there was some truth there. After all, she made it a point to take all of her work and research with her to Overwatch.
Yet she left all her patients at the hospital...
Mercy felt sick. She could fix this. She was here now! She could fight this “scary robot” easily. She’s faced plenty of Omnics in her lifetime. So what if this one could fly? She had seen worse. Besides, she was part of the original team that captured Marcion. Even though she was all by herself this time, she had faith she could do it again.
Her eyes narrowed as her confidence and vengeance swelled up inside her. She would take the fight to them, and she knew exactly where to start this personal war: the Omnic following her.
She exited the room cautiously and looked around. Unlike the first Null trooper that snuck up behind her, no sight or sound betrayed this one. She gave a deep breath and deactivated her staff. Darkness consumed her eyes and temporarily blinded her. As her eyes adjusted, she purveyed the area one more time, hoping for just a glimpse of whoever was around. Her heart beat heavily in her chest. After all, if she wanted this hunter to strike, then she had to give it an opening.
Mercy reached the lobby staircase without incident. Her boots, back on tile, echoed once again through the open area. Lightning struck outside, illuminating the entire space for a brief moment. Mercy immediately scoured the area while on the stairs. She looked up and saw a humanoid shadow flash on the wall of the upper floor, but a lobby bench hid the actual Omnic from her view.
“Found you...” she thought to herself.
Mercy continued on her path of going up some of the stairs before making her move. A small smirk formed on her lips.
“Say ‘Ahh’...”
At the speed of light, she put one foot up to the staircase railing, stretched out her wings which illuminated bright gold all around, and flew directly at her predator. The force of the impact sent the poor Omnic flying as Mercy relentlessly jabbed and grappled the monster up into the air.
Through the bloodthirst, Mercy came to the realization that this Omnic was different. Though the lobby was concealed in darkness, something felt off. Her hands usually vibrated as the metal staff careened onto a metal chassis. But this...
This creature wasn’t metal...
She pushed the creature down and slammed it harshly to the floor. She then activated the golden healing beam on herself to get a good look at this Omnic.
Her eyes widened. Her heart tightened. Her blood froze in her veins.
This creature was human...
...And she knew him...
“Junior...?” She staggered.
The eyes of Junior oozed pure black under the staff’s light. The pupils and irises were erased from his hideous face. An abundance of stitches covered his head and neck as he looked up at Mercy.
Mercy didn’t realize she dropped her staff out of shock. A million thoughts raced through her mind now.
“Junior...wha-what happened?” She sputtered.
Junior’s eyes looked at Mercy uncaringly—like he didn’t recognize her.
“You...arrive...finally.” The voice of Junior sounded metallic and coarse.
Suddenly, Junior kicked Mercy away from him and rolled backwards, quickly getting on his feet. His stance was crooked and crouched as he braced for another attack.
“P-Please! Let me help...” Mercy extended out a hand desperately. She wouldn’t fight her family.
Junior grabbed Mercy’s hand and yanked it toward himself as he brought up his knee to her stomach. The remaining air in Mercy’s lungs shot out of her mouth as she dropped to the floor. Without any delay, the hand of Junior clenched Mercy’s throat and tossed her toward an empty table to the side.
The wood of the table splintered and cracked under Mercy. Her head was spinning now. Without thinking, she unholstered her pistol and pointed it directly at her assailant—directly at Junior. She froze in hesitation.
The familiar creature refused to give the same cordial reluctance. He grabbed a piece of splintered wood and slammed it against Mercy’s wrists, forcing the pistol to fly toward the stairs. His hand returned to Mercy’s neck as he lifted her off of her feet.
“Expected...more...from an angel...” the unfamiliar voice chimed. “But...I guess... you’re only...” The hand tightened hard on Mercy’s throat. Her vision blurred as her eyes rolled back. Her wings fluttered freely.
“...Human.” The word dripped with cold hatred.
The wings of the Valkyrie suit instantly sparkled as Mercy ignited the suit’s full strength. Angelic beams of gold and silver light emerged from the suit, blinding Junior. With this newfound strength, she twisted and broke free from his deadly grasp.
She coughed as air returned to her. Through blurry eyes—and a few tears—she swooped down and grabbed her staff on the ground and rotated around to the stairs, where her pistol lay unused near the ledge. Rather ungracefully, Mercy flew straight toward her weapon; any chairs or tables in the way were simply batted aside. Once she had all of her equipment, she pushed off some steps and continued flying upward.
A shrill scream from Junior rang in her ears as she retreated. Several strange robotic voices answered in discordant harmony.
More were coming.
Mercy reached the top floor of the University’s medical building and changed to a horizontal trajectory. She needed to leave, and with the wings, any type of window was a potential exit.
Suddenly, a door in front of her slammed open and out popped an Omnic, a Null trooper like the one she first ran into. Mercy gave a silent prayer of thanks that she hadn’t run into any more old friends like Junior. She quickly rammed the robot to the floor and slammed the butt of her staff into the computer brain of the Omnic. Sparks flew around her feet as the robot ceased to function.
More metallic footsteps approached behind her, so she spun around and came face to face with an OR-14 model. This model had four legs, a large machine gun and an extendable blade. The Omnic charged like a horse.
Mercy had no desire to fight this robotic creature—especially at close range. Plus, she deduced that she was now in an unending cycle where she would destroy one Omnic and another would simply take its place. And after some time, she would eventually face Junior again if she stayed. The very thought knotted her gut.
She needed to leave and hide.
She dived headfirst into one of the classrooms adjacent to her and shut the door. She jumped up and pulled a large desk in front of the frail entrance, hopefully barring it for some time.
Mercy had no desire to remain at the University. She jumped out the window at the back of the classroom and used her wings to keep her afloat. As she left the premises, she peered through the rain and noticed that the Bastion unit from earlier was still nearby...
...Waiting for her.
It had repositioned and was closer to the building, but was in its turret form ready to strike. Sure enough, it looked up at Mercy and unleashed a devastating barrage of bullets.
Luckily, Mercy was high enough to be out of the Bastion’s effective range. However, some bullets still reached her position. Mercy curled up in a ball and rotated so that her wings and armor would take the hits and not her exposed head. She could feel sparks from her wings tickle her neck as bullets pierced the joints and circuits of the wings. Her right wing began spazzing, causing her to toss and turn while falling back to Earth. She tried to guide herself down to the ground gracefully, but she crashed on the pavement of a back alley.
She groaned as she picked herself back up. No broken bones, no concussions. Given the circumstances, that landing was much better than she anticipated!
She turned her head and examined her right wing. The gold light allowing her to fly fluttered randomly on and off. It was badly damaged. She would need to repair it if she wanted to keep her flight advantage. For now, she would just have to pray that it worked if she needed it--when she needed it.
Mercy used the staff’s healing beam to heal up any scrapes, bruises, cuts, and flesh wounds caused by her assailants. Thankfully, her staff worked just fine.
Taking a deep breath, she continued on the move, doing her best to be stealthy through the streets of Zurich. If she were to fix Junior and save the city, then she needed all the medical supplies—and answers--she could get. And there was only one place nearby she could get those.
When exactly did these events take place? Why had she not heard of anything? Did she ever receive anything from Faith?
Or did she truly forget about this city? About the people here?
No matter which way she turned, she ended up blaming herself. Despite not remembering any plea for help, she should have kept in contact better. Somehow, in some way. So why didn’t she? Did she forget those closest to her in her attempt to help the world?
Junior’s last accusation rang in her ear...
“Oh, well I’m sure the Priest and the Levite thought the same thing...AS THEY PASSED BY A DYING MAN ON THE STREET!”
Maybe there was some truth there. After all, she made it a point to take all of her work and research with her to Overwatch.
Yet she left all her patients at the hospital...
Mercy felt sick. She could fix this. She was here now! She could fight this “scary robot” easily. She’s faced plenty of Omnics in her lifetime. So what if this one could fly? She had seen worse. Besides, she was part of the original team that captured Marcion. Even though she was all by herself this time, she had faith she could do it again.
Her eyes narrowed as her confidence and vengeance swelled up inside her. She would take the fight to them, and she knew exactly where to start this personal war: the Omnic following her.
She exited the room cautiously and looked around. Unlike the first Null trooper that snuck up behind her, no sight or sound betrayed this one. She gave a deep breath and deactivated her staff. Darkness consumed her eyes and temporarily blinded her. As her eyes adjusted, she purveyed the area one more time, hoping for just a glimpse of whoever was around. Her heart beat heavily in her chest. After all, if she wanted this hunter to strike, then she had to give it an opening.
Mercy reached the lobby staircase without incident. Her boots, back on tile, echoed once again through the open area. Lightning struck outside, illuminating the entire space for a brief moment. Mercy immediately scoured the area while on the stairs. She looked up and saw a humanoid shadow flash on the wall of the upper floor, but a lobby bench hid the actual Omnic from her view.
“Found you...” she thought to herself.
Mercy continued on her path of going up some of the stairs before making her move. A small smirk formed on her lips.
“Say ‘Ahh’...”
At the speed of light, she put one foot up to the staircase railing, stretched out her wings which illuminated bright gold all around, and flew directly at her predator. The force of the impact sent the poor Omnic flying as Mercy relentlessly jabbed and grappled the monster up into the air.
Through the bloodthirst, Mercy came to the realization that this Omnic was different. Though the lobby was concealed in darkness, something felt off. Her hands usually vibrated as the metal staff careened onto a metal chassis. But this...
This creature wasn’t metal...
She pushed the creature down and slammed it harshly to the floor. She then activated the golden healing beam on herself to get a good look at this Omnic.
Her eyes widened. Her heart tightened. Her blood froze in her veins.
This creature was human...
...And she knew him...
“Junior...?” She staggered.
The eyes of Junior oozed pure black under the staff’s light. The pupils and irises were erased from his hideous face. An abundance of stitches covered his head and neck as he looked up at Mercy.
Mercy didn’t realize she dropped her staff out of shock. A million thoughts raced through her mind now.
“Junior...wha-what happened?” She sputtered.
Junior’s eyes looked at Mercy uncaringly—like he didn’t recognize her.
“You...arrive...finally.” The voice of Junior sounded metallic and coarse.
Suddenly, Junior kicked Mercy away from him and rolled backwards, quickly getting on his feet. His stance was crooked and crouched as he braced for another attack.
“P-Please! Let me help...” Mercy extended out a hand desperately. She wouldn’t fight her family.
Junior grabbed Mercy’s hand and yanked it toward himself as he brought up his knee to her stomach. The remaining air in Mercy’s lungs shot out of her mouth as she dropped to the floor. Without any delay, the hand of Junior clenched Mercy’s throat and tossed her toward an empty table to the side.
The wood of the table splintered and cracked under Mercy. Her head was spinning now. Without thinking, she unholstered her pistol and pointed it directly at her assailant—directly at Junior. She froze in hesitation.
The familiar creature refused to give the same cordial reluctance. He grabbed a piece of splintered wood and slammed it against Mercy’s wrists, forcing the pistol to fly toward the stairs. His hand returned to Mercy’s neck as he lifted her off of her feet.
“Expected...more...from an angel...” the unfamiliar voice chimed. “But...I guess... you’re only...” The hand tightened hard on Mercy’s throat. Her vision blurred as her eyes rolled back. Her wings fluttered freely.
“...Human.” The word dripped with cold hatred.
The wings of the Valkyrie suit instantly sparkled as Mercy ignited the suit’s full strength. Angelic beams of gold and silver light emerged from the suit, blinding Junior. With this newfound strength, she twisted and broke free from his deadly grasp.
She coughed as air returned to her. Through blurry eyes—and a few tears—she swooped down and grabbed her staff on the ground and rotated around to the stairs, where her pistol lay unused near the ledge. Rather ungracefully, Mercy flew straight toward her weapon; any chairs or tables in the way were simply batted aside. Once she had all of her equipment, she pushed off some steps and continued flying upward.
A shrill scream from Junior rang in her ears as she retreated. Several strange robotic voices answered in discordant harmony.
More were coming.
Mercy reached the top floor of the University’s medical building and changed to a horizontal trajectory. She needed to leave, and with the wings, any type of window was a potential exit.
Suddenly, a door in front of her slammed open and out popped an Omnic, a Null trooper like the one she first ran into. Mercy gave a silent prayer of thanks that she hadn’t run into any more old friends like Junior. She quickly rammed the robot to the floor and slammed the butt of her staff into the computer brain of the Omnic. Sparks flew around her feet as the robot ceased to function.
More metallic footsteps approached behind her, so she spun around and came face to face with an OR-14 model. This model had four legs, a large machine gun and an extendable blade. The Omnic charged like a horse.
Mercy had no desire to fight this robotic creature—especially at close range. Plus, she deduced that she was now in an unending cycle where she would destroy one Omnic and another would simply take its place. And after some time, she would eventually face Junior again if she stayed. The very thought knotted her gut.
She needed to leave and hide.
She dived headfirst into one of the classrooms adjacent to her and shut the door. She jumped up and pulled a large desk in front of the frail entrance, hopefully barring it for some time.
Mercy had no desire to remain at the University. She jumped out the window at the back of the classroom and used her wings to keep her afloat. As she left the premises, she peered through the rain and noticed that the Bastion unit from earlier was still nearby...
...Waiting for her.
It had repositioned and was closer to the building, but was in its turret form ready to strike. Sure enough, it looked up at Mercy and unleashed a devastating barrage of bullets.
Luckily, Mercy was high enough to be out of the Bastion’s effective range. However, some bullets still reached her position. Mercy curled up in a ball and rotated so that her wings and armor would take the hits and not her exposed head. She could feel sparks from her wings tickle her neck as bullets pierced the joints and circuits of the wings. Her right wing began spazzing, causing her to toss and turn while falling back to Earth. She tried to guide herself down to the ground gracefully, but she crashed on the pavement of a back alley.
She groaned as she picked herself back up. No broken bones, no concussions. Given the circumstances, that landing was much better than she anticipated!
She turned her head and examined her right wing. The gold light allowing her to fly fluttered randomly on and off. It was badly damaged. She would need to repair it if she wanted to keep her flight advantage. For now, she would just have to pray that it worked if she needed it--when she needed it.
Mercy used the staff’s healing beam to heal up any scrapes, bruises, cuts, and flesh wounds caused by her assailants. Thankfully, her staff worked just fine.
Taking a deep breath, she continued on the move, doing her best to be stealthy through the streets of Zurich. If she were to fix Junior and save the city, then she needed all the medical supplies—and answers--she could get. And there was only one place nearby she could get those.