aperture_high | mom and dad to the rescue

mom and dad to the rescue

[ Continued from here. ]

[ Jack had been right about at least one thing. Winston's decision to reboot Overwatch and take up that mantle was the same as painting a target on his own head, and it was only a matter of time before someone came to call. Given that Talon had already come after him once, he really should have been prepared for a second attempt. Winston may have been able to scare them off the first time, but he had information and resources that apparently meant something to them, and they wouldn't give in so easily.

They'd at least been smart enough not to come to Gibraltar again. It wasn't a stronghold, exactly, but with more and more members of the new Overwatch spending their time there, it wouldn't have been wise to make another try at breaching their defenses.

No, it was only when Winston finally made that big step and ventured off the island for the first time in years that Talon took its chance and ambushed him. Even with Lena at his side, they'd been overwhelmed by sheer numbers, and Winston still remembers her calling after him as they dragged his tranquilized body away.

They've kept him under sedation ever since he got here, which means that there's no ability to unleash that inner rage and tear the place apart on his way out. Lena will come after him ("You saved me once. Only right I return the favor, isn't it?"), but who knows how long it will take her to penetrate Talon's HQ. Until then, all he can do is endure, even as they poke and prod and sometimes cut into him, aiming to figure out how he works and what makes him so different from the rest of his kind.

He's put through the wringer, and while his body can take the punishment, even it can only handle so much. When he isn't being worked on, he does what he can to rest and conserve his energy. He knows he'll need it when the eventual rescue effort comes through.

It's the sound of gunshots and yelling that yanks Winston out of a deep, sedated rest. His body thrums with pain, but that's become a near constant since his capture, and he can ignore it. He fights against the heavy restraints holding him down as he strains to hear more of what's going on outside of his cell. Could this be what he's been waiting for? ]

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[Jack will worry about filling Winston in about Ana later, once they've made it to safety. He imagines Winston might be a little too addled to have questions, but now that Ana's said more than three words, it's likely the accent is recognizable.

If not that, well. She is chastising him for not opening the cage fast enough. That might be a pretty good indicator in itself.

Bridges to cross once they're all out of here safely. With the restraints gone, Jack is quick to join Ana at Winston's side, working his arm under his broad shoulders, grunting a little as he takes on some of the weight.]

I'm gonna need you to take point.

[Ana nods in return, even if it's a reversal of their usual roles--she simply won't be able to support Winston's bulk for any substantial amount of time. Best to let the actual supersoldier do the heavy lifting (quite literally, in this case).]

Come on, big guy.

[Ana disappears out of the room to announce that their exit is clear (for now), and Jack puts his back into it, hefting Winston up and pulling him along.]

[ Jack arrives just in time to prevent something tragic from happening, taking on the majority of Winston's weight as the gorilla struggles to push through that feeling that his legs are made of jelly. This entire situation is so surreal that a part of him still wonders if he's dreaming or hallucinating, but he'll go along with it for now.

If it isn't real, he'll wake up on the table feeling gutted. If it is real, then it's in his best interest to cooperate.

He watches as the other figure moves ahead of them, still trying to figure out if she's really Ana or if that's only wishful thinking. Speaking is still a struggle, but he registers the rough cadence of Jack's words.

Big guy. Jack hadn't called him that often, usually going with something a little more professional when they worked together, but it had cropped up from time to time, when he was feeling a little more relaxed. It's nice to hear it again.

They begin to move and Winston does his best to help with the effort, to put one foot in front of the other so that Jack doesn't have to literally drag him. He focuses on the glowing red of the visor, an anchor of sorts when his vision is still blurred at the edges. ]

Why are you doing this?

[ He has to know, even though he can already guess he won't get a straight answer. ]

[Super soldier or no, Jack's knees still buckle as he adjusts to carrying Winston's weight. He supposes he could just lift him--carry him over his shoulder, but if he can save his own energy by letting Winston do some of the work, he'll try that first. There's a part of him that knows they aren't going to be so lucky. It's only a matter of time before someone is alerted to the fact that a high-security cell is now empty.

Suffice to say, now isn't exactly the time for Jack to go on about why he's here and what they're doing and why. If they make it out, he'll address it later--or Ana will, more likely.]

We were in the neighborhood.

[That will have to be a good enough answer for now. Ana's at the end of the corridor, giving them a signal that the hall is clear and they can move on. So far so good, Jack thinks, until the alarm sounds.]

I'll tell you when we're in the clear. We gotta move.

[He's not sure if Winston's capable of it, yet, but that's a thinly-veiled request for him to see if he can't aid in their escape, one way or another.]

[ In the neighborhood? Winston takes that to mean that they had originally come here for some other reason, that they hadn't raided a Talon facility specifically to come after him. It's more or less what he would expect, though, given how "76" has handled things so far. Maybe he isn't the same person anymore, if he isn't as concerned with his people as he is with getting results.

Not that he wants to start tossing accusations around. Jack and Ana have still come to his rescue, whether it was coincidental or not.

Winston's head lifts up at the sound of the alarms, a low growl rumbling in his throat as he realizes that a fight is coming. He doesn't have his jetpack or his Tesla cannon, which means...

Well, for now it's still taking most of his attention and energy just to keep up with Jack, to put one foot in front of the other. ]

I'll see about getting... angry. You might have to hold them off for a while, though.

We'll consider it a last resort.

[--Ana says from down the hall. Jack nods in understanding, even though she's too busy looking out for guards to see it. The alarm, however, means they're going to have company sooner rather than later, and it's just a matter of seeing how much ground they can cover before they're forced to stop and fight.

Sooner rather than later, probably. They're not exactly moving very quickly, and with Jack doing all of the supporting, they're not going to be able to get the jump on the guards after them, either.

Ana slips down the hall and into the shadows, clearly intending to cut them off at the pass. Jack can barely offer a be careful as he keeps hauling Winston's weight, and soon enough, there's the sound of gunfire. Jack tenses under Winston's arm, then slips out from it.
He looks like he's about to take off after Ana, but after a moment he reconsiders, unholstering his sidearm and pressing it into Winston's hand.]

Wait here.

[He imagines, however, that there will be objections.]

[ A last resort. That's always how his rage-filled moments have worked, as it's not the easiest thing to trigger. Granted, Winston has plenty of reasons to be angry, given what Talon has done to him during his time here.

(The moment one of his saviors gets hurt, well, all bets are off.)

He doesn't feel any better about Ana taking point than Jack does, and as soon as the gunshots start Winston goes tense. The blood has started to flow again, the longer he's been awake, and slowly but surely all the sedatives they'd pumped into his system are wearing off.

When Jack releases him, Winston leans up against the wall. It's frustrating not being able to even walk in a straight line, but when Jack tries to shove a pistol at him, Winston growls and shakes his head, shoving it back with no small amount of strength. ]

I don't need that. [ He's never been one to fire a gun, and not simply because his fingers are too meaty to curl around a trigger. He's always fought as a necessity, rather than because it's something that comes naturally to him. At the end of the day, he's a scientist before he's anything else. ]

If they try to flank us, I'll deal with them. [ Winston manages to sound confident about that even though he still doesn't seem capable of standing on his own. It'll be fine; he'll make it work. He doesn't really have any other choice. ]

[Yeah, Jack is not quite thinking about the implications of giving a gun meant for humans to a genetically-engineered gorilla, but they don't have the luxury of time or resources. He looks almost surprised when Winston shoves the pistol back at him, like he's not sure how else he's going to defend himself, alone in the hallway. It makes him reconsider leaving, but there's still gunfire down the next corridor. Ana can hold her own, of course, but Jack is loath to stay in one place while she might need his backup.

He takes a brief moment to glance back and forth between the source of the noise and Winston, as if trying to decide where he's needed the most. Though his face isn't visible, it's easy to imagine the wince behind the mask.]

I'd feel a lot better if you took it.

[Even if he doesn't use it.]

[ Winston is a gorilla, Jack. He can handle himself just fine without a gun.

The mask might shield Jack's expression, but Winston can sense that he's conflicted. There are two people here who are in danger, people who used to be his responsibility, and he doesn't know where to put his attention. Winston can make that choice for him.

So fine, he'll keep the gun if it really makes Jack feel that better. He takes it back, but reaches out with his free hand and sets it flat against Jack's chest, then gives him a shove. Not too hard, but hard enough to make his feelings known. It's also a quick reminder to Jack of the strength that he has at his disposal. ] Go. I'll be fine.

[ That inner rage always manages to manifest when he needs it most, after all. ]

[Jack still isn't entirely convinced, the gun more meant to put him at ease than anything else, but there's definite commotion down the corridor, and he knows he's running out of time. Ana can ostensibly handle herself, and Winston is injured, but Jack knows that her talents are best used in conjunction with a real front-line fighter. Perhaps it's his intrinsic fear of losing her again that has him jumpy, fearing for the worst when she's following his orders once more.

So even though he knows it won't do much, Winston taking the gun gives Jack the slightest modicum of relief. He tells himself that he'll be quick--that he'll be back to Winston before anything has the chance to happen, the way that much clearer thanks to Ana taking out the guards up ahead.]

I'll be back. I promise.

[Jack isn't sure what his promises mean anymore, but it's all he really has to offer. He closes his hand over the gun in Winston's as a gesture of reassurance, then stands, vanishing down the corridor.]

[ I'll be back. I promise.

It's strange, but in that moment, Winston believes what Jack says with absolute certainty. There's no reason for him to trust him after everything that happened, after he left them to their own devices for so long when he could have announced himself much sooner. But the fact that he and Ana have come here at all means something, and while Jack's voice might be rougher now than it ever was when he was in command of Overwatch, it's also familiar enough to take Winston back to those times.

Back then, he'd trusted Jack Morrison with his life countless times. He'd had utter faith in him, and it's nice, to feel that again, if only for a brief moment.

After that, the man is gone, footsteps echoing down the hall, and Winston is alone. He has a minute or so that he spends pacing up and down, forcing his limbs back into functioning order, but that's when he hears urgent running from the opposite direction.

Well, it was only a matter of time.

Wherever Jack and Ana end up, a short while after that they'll hear an echoing roar, something rage-filled and monstrous, coming from where they'd left their favorite gorilla.

After everything that had happened, Winston wouldn't let them down. And if there was one way to bring himself up to full speed, it was by letting the simmering anger in him take over. ]

[Ana’s not any more over her head than she usually gets, but Jack arriving on the scene is a welcome relief. He’s much more efficient at dispatching enemies when they’re overwhelmed, and he clears a path to her and falls right in step, taking out the guards she’d previously been a firefight with before they even know what’s happening. Together, the two of them don’t need to think.

It’s only the sound of Winston’s roar that snaps them out of it, and Jack shares a glance with Ana that doesn’t need a verbal accompaniment. They both know what that is, and without saying a word, they’re both taking off back in the direction where they left Winston.

Jack is expecting his gun to be forgotten, so he raises his own rifle, rounding the corner back down the corridor, opening fire and picking off the guards that Winston is already laying into.]

[ Given the state that he's in right now, Winston isn't even aware of Jack and Ana's return. No, he's focused only on venting out the rage that's bubbled over in him, his vision tinged with red as he pounds the Talon guards against the walls of the cramped hallway, pummeling them into oblivion.

Between his fearsome rage and the help that Jack and Ana provide, soon the guards are cleaned out, either shot and writhing in pain or completely passed out after getting smacked around by a raging gorilla.

Finally Winston sees Jack and Ana at the other end of the hall, and the sight of them is enough to make him calm down. He settles back down onto all fours and clears his throat, locating his glasses to place them back onto his face.

Normally this is where he would apologize, but there isn't time for that. ]

It should take them a while to gather up reinforcements. We should go.

[ He says it as if none of that just happened, crossing the hall to join them. ]

[This isn't anything the two of them haven't seen before, but the sheer ferocity of the way Winston clears the hall has them both pausing, making sure it's really over before they even dare to approach. Winston meets them halfway, of course acting like nothing's happened, and it's clear that Jack, at least, is at a loss.

Ana, however, tries not to be shaken for long, meeting Winston in the middle and slipping under his large arm again, preempting him if he still needs help.]

Can you walk?

[With the adrenaline of the fight surely ebbing, she wants to make sure he can support himself the rest of the way.]

[ Both of them are concerned, Winston can sense that much, but Ana does a better job of shoving that side to come approach him again. With his mind once again clear after the rage, the details of the situation are hitting him all over again. Like the fact that she's alive. Two out of three of Overwatch's commanders, presumed dead, are standing before him. This time he won't let them get away without some sort of explanation. ]

I should be fine now.

[ The anger racing through him seems to have cleared most of the sedative out of his bloodstream, and so he tilts away from Ana's support, reaching out to give her some sort of comforting pat on the shoulder. It's feather-light; he would never want to accidentally harm his friends.

He looks to Morrison then, just as they'd always relied on him for direction in moments like these. ]

Do we have an escape route plotted out?

If you’re certain.

[Ana doesn’t sound entirely convinced, but reinforcements are likely on their way, and nobody has time to argue. They need to move, and they need to move quickly. If Winston is back on his feet, so much the better. Ana offers a wordless glance to Jack that seems to say more than the two of them need to verbalize, and a moment later they’re sharing a nod.

Jack doesn’t ask fro his gun back. He’s got his visor activated, scanning the corridor for any approaching signs of life. When he’s reasonably certain they’re clear (for the next few minutes, at least), he waves the group on.]

This way. There’s a back exit I scoped out.

[And, if they’re very lucky, no one will be in their way.]

[ The silent conversation between Morrison and Amari is something that Winston notices, but files away almost instantly. It's nothing he hadn't seen before, although usually not this up-close. Sometimes he'd catch them chatting in a hallway, or at the other side of the lab as they discussed Overwatch's latest project. It was the way that two people who had known each other for most of their lives would interact.

Winston has no idea what that's like, but he shoves any sense of yearning away to focus on their escape.

While he still doesn't need the gun, he doubts that Jack would be too happy if they left it behind, so he scoops it up in one of his hands and then follows after the masked pair of rescuers. He keeps his ears open for any other sounds of pursuit, but hopefully they've made it through the worst of it. ]

[They’ve wasted enough time as it is—they need to clear this facility before they’ve overstayed their welcome more than they already have. Jack imagines that Winston has an awful lot of questions (there’s no way he doesn’t know who Jack’s accomplice is by now), but he’ll have to save the answers for when they’re a safe distance from the facility. He imagines there’s going to be some recovery to do.

Jack’s gaze doesn’t escape Winston snatching up his pistol, and he holds his hand out for it, knowing full well it’s of more use to him than it is to Winston, and that it might be a better idea to leave both of Winston’s hands free. He leads the group down a long corridor, and then another, the sound of alarms and the footfalls of Talon operatives echoing behind them, but all he can do is ignore them, make sure they stay sufficiently ahead of the game until he’s finally pushing into the back recesses of the compound.

And then, they’re out. Through a back maintenance entrance, as Jack promised.]

Keep moving. We’re not clear of the perimeter yet.

[They won’t be fully safe until they fully leave this facility behind them. Then, maybe, they can talk.]

[ Recovery is definitely going to be necessary. While Winston's running on adrenaline now, particularly after his rage, his body still isn't in good shape after Talon put him through the wringer. The only thing that might prevent him from asking all those questions is if he ends up passing out as soon as they make it to safety.

He doesn't hesitate to return the gun to Jack, given that he didn't want it in the first place, and after that point it's a matter of putting one foot (and hand) in front of the other. The sirens are good motivation to keep moving no matter how his aching body might protest.

The fresh air is like a balm, and the urge to settle down right then and there is strong. It's Jack's warning that keeps Winston focused, as he nods, taking a look at their surroundings. It's an arid climate, some sort of desert, but beyond that he has no idea where they are. He hadn't been conscious for his transport here.

At least it's night, which means that it will be easier for them to slip away from any pursuers.

He pushes himself forward, moving past the other buildings dotting the complex, and glances at the impossible pair at his side. ]

Did you come here in a vehicle?

[ More importantly, is it one he can fit in? ]

Yeah. Keep moving.

[Jack isn’t counting on Winston to be able to get by on adrenaline forever, and he’s still not convinced Talon doesn’t have some kind of failsafe programmed in for a scenario just like this. Given what they did with Amélie, he doubts they’d want something they put time and effort in to escape so easily. He and Ana can give him a once-over when they’re back at base, but by then it might already be too late. Simply bringing him back to the Necropolis might compromise them.

But the thought of leaving Winston might be worse, so Jack tries to press on, biting down those thoughts. Ana won’t let them leave without him, he knows that’s for sure.

The dune buggy is hidden away in an outcropping half made of rock, half made of desert bushes, covered in sand-camo tarp. Jack gets right to work exposing it while Ana hops right into vehicle, sliding the cargo door open for Winston.

It won’t be a comfortable fit, but it’s what they have. He’s sure Winston won’t complain.]

[ They must both be wondering if Winston now presents some sort of danger to them, if Talon has left something inside of him that's going to rear its head later. He appreciates that they haven't questioned him about it so far, but he knows that will probably be coming. Better not to take it personally. They'd treat anyone that was recovered from a Talon facility the same way, after Amélie.

The dune buggy may not make for a comfortable fit, but it definitely could have been much worse. Trying to fit a gorilla into a regular car simply isn't going to happen, so Winston will take what he can get.

It takes some effort, but after pulling aside the tarp and stashing it away, he squeezes himself into the back, leaving the two seats up front for his rescuers.

Once they're all safely inside and on the move, Winston starts with his first question. He knows he should wait, but what else are they going to do in this silence? ]

What else were you after, back there?

[ They weren't just looking for him, he's guessing. ]

[Jack had argued that bringing Winston back to their main base is a mistake—that the risk of compromise is far too great, and they have plenty of other auxiliary safe houses that they could use for this purpose, ones that wouldn’t bring Talon right to their doorstep. Ana’s argument had been that the Necropolis is the most well-equipped, especially considering they didn’t exactly know what shape Winston would be in when they retrieved him. Jack sort of wishes he could turn his paranoia off—that he could have that kind of faith.

Ana helps Winston into the dune buggy while Jack takes the driver’s seat, wasting no time putting the vehicle in gear and crawling away from the base. They’re going to take something of a circuitous route, especially given that tracks will be easy to follow or spot from the air, and leave the buggy some distance away from the safe house. It means more walking when Winston isn't in quite the shape for it, but they have no other choice. Both Jack and Ana would rather lose a vehicle than the security of the Necropolis.

But that will be something to worry about in a moment. For now, they drive, and Ana takes to settling Winston in, checking him over for injury now that the adrenaline is ebbing. She still doesn't remove her mask, even though Winston must know who she is by now.]

We were there for you.

[She glances at Jack, knowing full well what he talked about with Winston during his short stay at Gibraltar.]

Is that so surprising?

[ As things stand, not much has been explained, so Winston has no idea where they're headed. All he really knows is that it will be safe. Even now, after learning that both Jack Morrison and Ana Amari had actually survived and had purposefully kept that information from the rest of them, he still trusts them. They'll get him to a place Talon won't be able to follow.

The jostling of the dune buggy over the sand dunes is somewhat comforting in a way that he can't explain, or maybe it has more to do with him being exhausted enough to pass out all over again. The only reason that he doesn't is because Ana approaches him to take stock of his injuries.

They came for him. He blinks a few times, slow and sluggish, as he works to process that. Despite everything that Morrison had told him back at Gilbraltar, he'd still decided to come to his rescue when push came to shove. It seems he can't divorce himself from Overwatch as much as he might have planned. ]

Thank you. [ He raises his voice a little. ] Both of you.

[ As for his wounds, he's littered with gashes, though most of them have at least stopped actively bleeding, his body making a bold effort to heal itself. That being said, he'll need stitches on a number of the cuts, and he can't do much about any red stains he might leave in the buggy. ]

I think I may just need to... rest my eyes a little...

[ His head droops and his body begins to slump toward Ana. ]

Rest.

[Ana won't ask any more of him for now. If he needs to close his eyes and sleep, he should do so, and she won't be intrusive. Jack is occupied driving the buggy back to their home base, so he's afforded some time. Her touch is gentle, ghosting over the wounds and taking mental stock of which ones will need attention. It's sort of difficult to see under the fur, but she'll manage, reaching for a nearby first aid kit and starting the process of cleaning them out. She tries to be as gentle as possible, as Winston sounds like he should just rest for a moment.

She'll allow him to drift off. When he wakes again, they'll be out of the dune buggy and into the safe house. From the looks of things, Jack and Ana are more than settled in. There are worktables, shelves of equipment, and a small kitchenette.

What they don't have is much furniture, and Winston will find himself on a bedroll, gas lamps casting warm orange glow in contrast to the cool stone walls.

Ana is nowhere to be found. Instead, Jack sits at a few computer consoles, clearly pouring over something.]

[ It's been a long while since Winston was able to wake up peacefully. Often times the Talon scientists would shock him out of sedation with a cattle prod, if they'd needed him awake for whatever they were measuring. Coming to with a cool breeze ruffling his fur and the warm glow of lamps around him is a welcome change to that examination table they'd kept him on for most of the time spent in captivity.

He blinks a few times as his vision clears. The sedative seems to have completely worn off now. That's good for his mental coherency, and less good when it comes to feeling the full sting of his wounds. He groans and rolls over to get a better look at the room he's in, if it could be called that.

There's stone walls with patterns painted on them, and something about the place feels very old. At the same time, he sees Jack and Ana's equipment and work stations, all of it just as modern as he would expect. It's a striking contrast, and for a moment he finds himself missing his work space at Gibraltar.

With some effort, he pushes himself up until he's sitting, grunting at the protests of his battered body. It doesn't take him long to spot Jack where he's set up in the corner, the hologram feeds' lighting casting a glow over his scarred face. ]

Where are we?

[Jack is busy consolidating the information they were able to take from today's mission--Ana had assured Winston that they were there for him, and while that was certainly true, he wasn't about to storm a Talon complex without grabbing everything he possibly could on the way out.

Or in this case, the way in. Most of the work Jack did was before they found Winston's location, and now he's combing through the data, trying to separate what he already knows from anything that might further their mission. Give them new leads. Ana has gone out for the moment, but she'll be back. In the meantime she's instructed Jack to keep an eye on Winston, and to administer more thorough first aid once he's awake.

Which seems to be now, if the stirring behind him is any indication. Jack clicks through the data for a few more protracted moments before he shifts in his seat.]

Somewhere safe.

[Winston isn't going to get an answer about their exact location, a precaution to keep them hidden from Overwatch as much as Talon. He and Ana could agree on that.]

How are you feeling?

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