Chapter Text
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Be it shield, gun, or stitches, we will help those who cannot help themselves. We can make a difference. We are hope. We are honor. We are courage. We are justice.
We were all those things once.
Once.
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[Five years after the disbandment of Overwatch, a mercenary called “Reaper” is approached by Talon agents -]
“That’s a pretty limp-noodled way of describing it, but okay sure.”
…
[Five years after the disbandment of Overwatch, a mercenary called “Reaper” is surrounded by Talon agents -]
“Whoa, hey, don’t misconvey it now - sure it was dramatic, but you make it sound like they had me cornered, which totally did NOT happen.”
…
[Five years after the disbandment of Overwatch, a mercenary called “Reaper” is confronted by Talon agents -]
“Really? ‘Confronted’ is the best you got here? And why is the focus on Talon anyways - I was the one actually doing my renegade revenge business thing, they were just following me around like baby pumas and - hey, wait, where are you going? Who’s going to write the introduction?”
…
“...Guess I’ll take a crack at it. I’ve read enough King. My aesthetic game is wicked sharp, like, literally. And Jack always said I was the funniest person in Overwatch -”
“No, I didn’t.”
“...Okay, but you thought it though. Same difference - I basically know all your thoughts anyways.”
“...I mean, you’re not wrong.”
“Alright, tater tots, let’s try punching a couple of shotgun pellets into this puppy -”
“Holy hell, phrasing, Gabe -”
[Five years after the utter collapse and annihilation of Overwatch, the rogue badass mercenary called “Reaper” was perfectly fine, in the middle of doing his bad boss thing, when shit hit the fan. He was about to put a blast of hot shotgun plasma and molten pellets into some corrupt CEO’s skull when the Talon squad shadowing him decided to take a couple of crack shots at him through the window of the CEO’s office -]
“I was getting bored just watching you posture and saunter about, salaud -”
“I was not posturing and sauntering, you spider ballerina you - you’re just jealous because your sniper rifle is not nearly as sick as my shotguns - don’t roll your eyes at me, Widowmaker -”
“Tell them that they should just skip this and go to chapter one for the more accurate version, mon ami.”
“I’m in the middle of writing the introduction summary crazy cool inside-jacket-of-the-hardcover-duster hook thing -”
“...Are you, though, Gabe? That cursor is just sitting there, not typing anything -”
“Get off my back, Jack, I’m trying my best here -”
“This is your best?”
“Li’l known secret - the boss ain’t never wrote them Blackwatch reports. I did all o’ them.”
“Don’t even try to lie about that, boy - and when did you get here??”
“Oh, I been sittin’ here, drinkin’ my tea, watchin’ y’all bicker like six hens in a five-nest chicken coop.”
“...There aren’t even six of us here, what.”
“Jesse, you grew up in a motorcycle gang - have you ever held a chicken?”
“Sure have, Soldado Papito - I get like one o’ them pre-cooked rotisserie chickens like once a week.”
“Mira, I am trying to write here, douchenozzles!”
[Five years after the utter collapse and annihilation of Overwatch, the rogue badass mercenary called “Reaper” was perfectly fine, in the middle of doing his bad boss thing, when shit hit the fan. He was about to put a blast of hot shotgun plasma and molten pellets into some corrupt CEO’s skull when the Talon squad shadowing him decided to take a couple of crack shots at him through the window of the CEO’s office. After a brief tango and a blur of shotgun pellets, Reaper decides to let the poor suckers live and listens to their suggestion that he join their organization. He’s not particularly enthralled with the idea, but a certain sniper in the group catches his attention. When he recognizes her as a ghost from Overwatch’s past, he accepts the offer to cooperate with Talon, and begins unraveling a long, deep, super complex mystery that seems to move the larger, seemingly disparate forces that connect the world together.]
[Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, the more interesting conspiracy and more intriguing protagonist finally show up in Chapter 3 -]
“...You always did have a high opinion of yourself, Jack, but god damn -”
“...Okay, how’s this?”
[Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, the vigilante soldier who is totally not as cool nor as badass nor as amazing as the rogue mercenary starts to uncover a not nearly as interesting conspiracy deep on the files of Watchpoint: Grand Mesa -]
“I mean, better, but damn, Jack, you don’t gotta drag yourself that hard -”
“Aww, Gabe, I’d rather you drag me real hard instead -”
“Oh, uh...Won’t say no to that now -”
“Aaaaand this cowboy’s out for the count, folks. Don’t gotta see these two old dudes get like this. Ain’t this supposed to be a slow burn too? What the hell…”
“Well, so unlike the vaquero, I’m sticking around because someone has to do something about this mess -”
“Sombra, when the hell did you get here?”
“...Been here all along, boss.”
“Ah...Your invisibility cloak. Got it.”
“...No, I’ve just been sitting here watching this disaster unfold by people the world considers ‘heroes’ -”
“Uh, perdón muchacha, but I’m an anti-hero. I don’t appreciate you lumping me in with aging-Captain America-who-robbed-a-76 over here.”
“I’m not a hero - not anymore. And I don’t need the edgy reboot of Skeletor on my team anyways.”
“...I wear skintight black leather though, Jack.”
“Oh trust me, Gabe, I’m very aware of how tightly your clothes fit you -”
“Alright, I’m stopping this nonsense right now - ¡Venga!”
[Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, the vigilante soldier (who is pretty lost and dense about the conspiracy that destroyed his old organization finds several much-needed clues in the emails of Watchpoint: Grand Mesa. Little does he know that a feared, shadowy hacker is feeding him breadcrumbs to lead him right to the dangerous work she doesn’t want to risk handling alone -)]
“While Sombra’s version is technically correct, I do believe she is missing many critical and important details in her representation of the situation -”
“Oh look, the talking monkey is here to give us The Scientifically Correct Report on things.”
“Right, because - what was it - ah, yes, ‘rogue badass mercenary’ clearly captures exactly who you are, Commander Reyes - never mind the fact that you’re some sort of ‘Soul Eater’ OC who got out of control -”
“I do not want to hear that from a Sun Wukong knock-off.”
“WHEN ES IT MY TURN TO TELL ZE STORY”
“Holy shit, Reinhardt - where the hell did you come from?”
“ZE SECRET PASSAGEWAY ES VERY STEALTHY”
“Why haven't you put a tranq dart in him yet, Ana?”
“...And why would I put a tranq dart in my beautiful knight, Jack?”
“Some of us still like our eardrums, Ana.”
“Some of us also like hearing Reinhardt’s wonderful voice, Jack.”
“...You’re dating again, aren’t you?”
“...He called me ‘lovely,’ Jack. I am weak -”
“Amari, por favor - have some self-respect -”
“Gabriel, I do not want to hear about self-respect from the man who got wound up by his partner’s self-drags.”
“...Jack’s self-deprecating humor is hilarious though…”
“...Araña, how did Overwatch ever manage to function?”
“...Not very well, cherie.”
“Can I get back to writing the synopsis of my cool hacker spy thriller novel?”
“I do not care.”
“That’s my favorite spider!”
“Oh, no, you don’t, Sombra - I’m the protagonist, I get to write the synopsis!”
“You’re not the only protagonist here, Gabe -”
“Technically, there are as many protagonists as there are perspectives! And life is all about perspective!”
“Thank you, Chief Scientist Obvious.”
“Well, Gabe, it’s almost like every single person has a slightly different story to tell...But these stories only make sense when we all tell them together -”
“Not you too, Jack. I thought you were done with this idealistic bs.”
“But Gabe, you of all people should know that every person is the protagonist of their own story and every villain is the hero of their own adventure. And after all -”
[“The world could always use more heroes.”]
“...Yeah, screw this peace-loving nonsense - I’m going back to taking names and kicking asses.”
---
[Five years after the disbandment of Overwatch, stories set deep under the surface of history begin to move, shift, coalesce, and collide.]
[A rogue mercenary called “Reaper” decides to cooperate with Talon - but his true interest is in understanding what happened to the sniper who looks a lot like the ghost of a ballerina he once called a friend. He finds himself sinking into a strange world, its axis tilted between revenge and redemption. With a painful, almost brutal slowness, he begins to ask questions he knows he might never find answers to. He knows he might be burned over and over and over while searching for them, but damn, if he isn’t gonna look badass while doing it.]
[Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, a vigilante called “Soldier: 76” breaks into Watchpoint: Grand Meas and finds clues of a conspiracy that has woven a mesh so fine around the globe that it can hardly be seen. He also finds a pretty kickass gun. Geared with a visor he built himself, securing his brand new heavy pulse rifle, and struggling with a heart still broken, he tries to find ways to make the pieces fit again, though he knows he’ll cut himself on the edges of the glass over and over and over. But still, he must try.]
[Somewhere in the shadows, a hacker named “Sombra” begins to make her moves - her collection of pawns, adventurers, bounty hunters, soldiers, and reapers has grown large enough that she can finally begin playing the game. But as she walks the line between her unique sense of justice and her love for power, she may find herself walking right into a trap she herself had a hand in creating. Can she follow the shadows down into the truth, or will she be hunted the whole way?]
[Sitting close to the center of the web, yet stuck in her own mind a whole world away, the sniper deemed “Widowmaker” finds herself at a loss for what to do with her new “associate” Reaper. She does not know, she does not know, she does not know if she can trust him or if his anger will burn the both of them to ashes. The whispers of lost spiders in her head tell her to stand strong, stand strong, but how can she stand strong when the web beneath her begins to snap free?]
[Old knights and ghosts suddenly find themselves alive again in the dense forests around Eichenwalde. A bounty hunter named “the Masked Shrike” searches for a way to protect those closest in physicality and furthest in spirit from her. Her vision and abilities are not what they once used to be, but she must still level her aim towards friends and foes alike if she is going to brave the living nightmare coming for her loved ones.]
[Two assassin brothers start on separate paths, each one seeking answers to questions they had forgotten in their angers. The younger walks a fine line between harmony and discord, looking for clues in a place that touts itself as peaceful. The elder seeks out redemption in every shot he takes, but his true intentions remain hidden behind stormclouds and stormbows. Both of them carry more answers than anyone realizes, but neither of them know the questions being asked.]
[Which are harder to break - old habits, or old hearts?]
[Every protagonist has a perspective. Every perspective tells a story.]
[The world could always use more stories.]
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Hey y’all - this is the revamped information page for “Old Habits!”
There were mixed opinions on the first form of the Information page - some people genuinely loved it, and others genuinely disliked it. Both opinions were and are fair. In a perfect world, a lot of this information would be in some sort of appendix type-thing that a reader could reference as they choose, but since AO3 doesn’t work like that, we’re stuck with this kinda weird hybrid system.
To clear a few things up: READING THIS PAGE IS NOT NECESSARY.
If you got to this point and are already getting bored, I’d recommend scrolling to a “Next Chapter” button and just launching yourself right into the story. You won’t miss much here. But if you’re the kind of person who enjoys, well, reading the appendices at the back of fantasy and sci-fi novels, then this stuff is here for you. That’s all this is.
Some of the disclaimers from last time:
The main ship is Reaper76 (Gabriel/Jack), but there are implied ships of Anahardt (Ana/Reinhardt), McHanzo (Jesse/Hanzo), Pharmercy (Fareeha/Angela), and Genyatta (Genji/Zenyatta). Platonic/familial relationships include a father(s)-son relationship between Gabriel/Jack and Jesse, a sibling-type relationship between Winston and Athena, a mentor-mentee relationship between Reinhardt and Brigitte, a strange sibling/working relationship between Mako and Jamison, another strange sibling/working relationship between Satya and Hanzo, and a massive “team as family” system between the entire Overwatch cast, particularly the Strike team.
There will be no explicit sexual content in this fic. I can almost guarantee you I will only really be writing related sexual content for Reaper76 and no other ships. Explicit sexual content connected to this fic will be posted individually for separate “enjoyment” (yall know who you are - but I ain’t judging, because this is exactly how I am too, lol). There will be fluffy “shippy” content written for other ships. Those will be posted separately too.
Potentially distressing content: Depression, anxiety, PTSD, depersonalization - I want to say something very, very clearly: There are no major character deaths planned for this fic or any others I write. Perhaps that is “spoiling” my own content, but I want everyone who is interested in my writing to rest assured that you will never have to read something that ends in death. That said, in certain moments I write from a very personal, very emotional place and draw from personal experience, and I have had both of my current beta readers say that some of the scenes that are emotionally intense touch on very raw, very real nerves. I’m not saying this to brag, but just to supply a warning. I plan on tagging potentially distressing chapters with notes in the beginning so if you wish to skip over that stuff for the funnier parts or the action scenes, you will have the ability to do so.
This does not mean there are “no deaths” - background “cannon-fodder” characters die constantly. I would say that if you can handle things like the Pharah, McCree, Ana, or Old Soldiers comics, or the Hero or Infiltration animations, you can handle the “background deaths.” I consider all of this to be part of “canon typical violence.”
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Other Handy Info:
Talon Network:
A global terrorism network being run by unknown individuals “at the top.” No one knows the group’s exact motives. Talon is not based on any real-world terrorism group or organization (that should be almost immediately apparent).
Canon background characters with almost no real information!:
- Gabrielle Adawe: called “the Under-Secretary-General” of the United Nations during the Omnic Crisis, she is “a key architect” in developing and establishing Overwatch. In Old Habits, she is approximately 68 years old at the start of the fic, and currently lives in Numbani. Her country of origin in Nigeria
- Sanjay Korpal: Only depicted as Satya’s boss in Vishkar, here Sanjay is given the title of “Lead Design Architech.” He currently works in the Numbani branch, securing contracts there for new building projects.
- Guillermo Portero: the CEO of LumériCo and a recent president of Mexico. Portero was a military figure during the Crisis. In Old Habits, he is the commander of Mexico’s “Fifth Military Zone” (the Gulf Coast states) during the Crisis, and the first person to recognize the importance of the Laguna Verde Nuclear Power Plant.
- IngridLindholm: literally does not have a name (3/3/2018 edit: SHE HAS A NAME)! In Old Habits, Ingrid is Angela’s aunt on her father’s side. Ingrid is a nurse that Overwatch met during their European battles, and she began a relationship with Torbjörn shortly after meeting him.
Omnic God Programs: The primary “antagonists” of the Omnic Crisis, the God Programs were a group of “Super AIs” with unique abilities that could alter the flow of a battle. They required massive power sources and computer systems to sustain them. The first person to develop tactics to properly counter them was American Supersoldier: 127 - Gabriel Reyes. The Overwatch Strike Team’s main mission was to capture and quarantine God Programs in something called “waking isolation” - a special state of quantum computing that trapped AI entities as “massive” as the God Programs in a mindnumbing emptiness for near eternity. All members of the Strike Team, including Gabrielle Adawe, considered this inhumane.
- Anubis: the Omnic God Program from Cairo depicted in Pharah’s comic “Mission Statement.” During the Omnic Crisis, Anubis was captured and put in waking isolation. As part of the Human-Omnic Accord Act negotiations, Anubis was released from “waking isolation” and permitted to begin “rehabilitation.” Anubis is currently in “rehabilitation confinement” by Helix Securities in the Temple of Anubis in Giza, Egypt. Presently, Anubis is the only “canon” God Program. God Ability: Mind-control.
- Mokosh (“Mother Goddess”): the Omnic God Program from Siberia. Mokosh was by far the most notorious of all the God Programs during the Crisis - for a long period of time, she gained control over 30% of Russia’s land through her network of Central Cores. After much effort, Russia pushed her back and forced her to “go dormant.” In an effort to destroy every trace of her, the Russian forces destroyed the majority of her Omnium, with Jack and Gabriel “saving” the last offline Omnics and sending them to Mondatta. Mondatta was Mokosh’s protege and her “first medical officer” before giving up violence and war altogether. It is not know how she survived the destruction of her Omnium. God Ability: Unknown
- Quetzalcoatl (“Feathered Serpent”): the Omnic God Program from Mexico. Like his namesake, Queztacoatl struck like a snake early on in the Crisis, quickly moving forces from his Omnium near Texcoco into Mexico City, rapidly destroying the Federal Government and the Federal District Armed Forces. With the loss of Mexico’s central leadership, the energy infrastructures collapsed, resulting in the event known as “La Medianoche.” Portero spent much of his war efforts pushing Quetzalcoatl’s forces back and reclaiming territory westward from Dorado. God Ability: Power Control. Unique Omnic Forces: Quetzal Scout Units
- Ryuujin (“Dragon God”): the Omnic God Program from Fujiwara, Japan. Similar to Quetzalcoatl, Ryuujin made a quick move on Tokyo, using his submersible Omnic forces to launch a surprise attack through the bay. With the collapse of the Japanese government, and no aid from Japan’s long-standing ally the United States, Japan rapidly fell into a state of lawlessness, with yakuza empires spreading to fill the void. A pseudo-form of feudalism was adopted until the Shimada-gumi cemented its power in central Japan. Ryuujin seemingly “disappeared” in the middle of the Crisis, and the Fujiwara Omnium surrendered soon after that. It is unknown what happened to the God Program, but Overwatch and Blackwatch heavily suspected that the Shimada-gumi has him contained somewhere. God Ability: “Tide-Changing Jewel.” Unique Omnic Forces: Sea Serpents
- Kehci Manito (“Great Spirit”): the Omnic God Program from Detroit, Michigan. Kehci Manito ruled the region around the Great Lakes for several years before combined Overwatch-U.S.-Canadian forces managed to enclose in on the Omnium. Kehci Manito was difficult to capture to their shapeshifting abilities and their ability to manipulate electronic waves. Kehci Manito was captured by Overwatch and put in confinement for many years, until they were released as part of the Human-Omnic Accord Act negotiations. Kechi Manito is currently one of the God Programs that oversees Numbani. God Ability: Shape-shifting/EMP disruptions. Unique Omnic Forces: Thunderbirds
- Anansi (“Spider”): the Omnic God Program from Ibadan, Nigeria. Anansi’s Spider Units and OR14s were a formidable force - their increased legs meant they had improved flexibility and speed. Spider Units in particular were rapidly adopted by other God Programs in different regions of the world. The West African Coalition struggled against them, until Adawe and Overwatch helped coordinate an attack on Ibadan. Anansi was captured and put in waking isolation for many years. He was released as part of the Numbani negotiations, and oversees the city. He would do anything to prevent going back in isolation again. God Ability: Web-connectivity. Unique Omnic Forces: Spider Units and OR14s.
- Rainbow Serpent: the Omnic God Program from the Gibson Desert, Australia. The flat, open terrain of the Gibson Desert proved to be a massive tactical disadvantage to the Southeast Asian-Australian-Zealand forces, as the Rainbow Serpent was able to simply put stationary Bastions in sentry mode and gun down anything that came remotely close. It maintained these massive battlefronts due to its ability to move between Central Cores. The Rainbow Serpent maintained control over much of Western Australia until close to the end of the Crisis, when it humanity began to send all remaining forces to fight it. After Mokosh “disappeared” the Rainbow Serpent panicked and surrendered. It was eventually given a huge swath of land in Australia by the government as a sort of “peace treaty,” but the residents of Junkertown attacked and destroyed it. It is believed to be dead, but Mako swears that in certain lighting, Jamison’s skin looks a little...off. That’s probably just the radiation, though. God Ability: “Well-jumping”
- Basket Ogress: the fledgling Omnic God Program from Seattle, Washington. “Younger” than the other God Programs, Basket Ogress was just beginning to flex her powers when Overwatch struck. One of the first God Programs captured by Overwatch, not much is known about her. Gabriel estimated her “emotional intelligence and sentience maturity levels” to be on par with a child’s. Gabriel waited until her consciousness was “asleep” and then destroyed her isolation container, an action that his entire team agreed with. When asked why he would “destroy such a valuable AI asset,” he responded with “it’s fucking inhumane, cruel, and abusive to leave a child locked up for the rest of their lives, especially when you only see her as ‘an asset.’” Upon hearing the news, the other God Programs disagreed over the Overwatch Commander’s actions - some understood why he did it, others refused to tolerate such a crime. God Ability: not yet developed.
- The Athena “AI”: almost nothing is known about her in the United Nations database. The report filed by Jack Morrison states that “the enhanced gorilla scientist, Winston Winston developed this artificial intelligence in the Lunar Horizon Colony. She is his intellectual property and with his permission will be deployed as an AI for the organizational structure of Overwatch.” Many within the United Nations protested Athena’s incorporation into Overwatch’s servers due to “her obvious God Program name.” When “nothing terrible happened,” ambassadors eventually settled down and “forgot” about her. All that is known is that Athena is “extremely loyal” to Winston and refuses to work or “exist” separately from him. She assisted his work at Lucheng for a brief period of time. She has a strangely personal and strong relationship with Shimada Genji. God Ability: ???
- Snowball “AI”: [ERROR: no information found]
Deadlock Gang: a massive drug and arms-trafficking gang that effectively ruled the American Southwest in the wake of the Crisis and La Medianoche. They had their main hide-out in the canyons west of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Breaking up their network and putting down their empire was a massive undertaking by Transitional Overwatch, with a “final showdown” that went very awry when a young shooter with a “deadeye aim” and a fusion revolver critically injured eight of Gabriel’s agents during a bitter push. He was finally stopped when he was physically tackled, but his plan worked - many members of Deadlock’s “leadership” escaped arrest. The main leader of Deadlock, Terry Hernandez, was put in prison. “No one knows” what happened to the “six-gun shooter.” Recently, Deadlock has started to return to power - without Overwatch or Blackwatch to put a stop to them, they are slowly and steadily reclaiming their territory across the Southwest, reaching as far west as Los Angeles and as far north as Grand Mesa. It is unknown what is “fueling” their growth.
Los Muertos: an anti-corporation and pro-anarchy gang that sprang up out of disillusioned rurales fighters in Dorado when they felt that the newly restored Federal Government was not running the country well. Early Los Muertos members believed that President Portero was demanding far too much out of the physical Laguna Verde Nuclear Power Plant system, and also far too much out of the workers there with little compensation. They are currently vehemently opposed to the partially-state-run LumériCo and the “new fusion power grid” that is proposed to go online by the end of 2076. In an effort to begin escalating their protests, they started engaging in the newly reemerged drug and arms-trafficking Deadlock network, and started “recruiting” more members. The second generation leadership is far more ruthless and ambitious than the first generation members. Many citizens of Dorado no longer support their efforts or consider them threats to the city. They have a tenuous relationship with “Sombra.”
LumériCo: A semi-state-run corporation focusing on developing fusion-based technologies, mainly for energy, but there are a number of suspicious activities that seem to be occurring, based on internal email correspondences. It is unknown where the designs for their fusion cores came from, or how they were developed. Portero claims he has “hired the best physicists in the world to produce them.” Winston is suspicious of such a claim because he was never offered a job.
United European Defensive Front: the European Union’s solution to the Omnic Crisis was to join its various nations’ forces together into a single cohesive unit. Even after the end of the Omnic Crisis, the Front was kept together in case of disasters. The most well-known and infamous program adopted from the German National Forces was the Crusader Supersoldier Program. Reinhardt Wilhelm is the only currently living member of the program.
U.S. Supersoldier Enhancement Program: This “secret” program was run jointly by the CIA and USSOCOM in an effort to stay on par with the Russian and Chinese supersoldier programs. 150 of the best soldiers or cadets from the ages of 18-25 were recruited to join the program. They were given injections of both natural and artificial hormones, proteins, “bio-recyclable” carbohydrates, and endorphins, among other things. Studies from the program show that the candidates developed improved glial cells, more efficient muscular tissue, and denser cortical bone. The non-decaying proteins and carbohydrates are reutilized by the body during times of high stress, providing an extra boost of energy under duress. Participants were made to engage in “simulations” for the first half of the program; after the Omnic Crisis began, participants were directly deployed to the field. Participants were ranked based on unknown criteria - the top ten participants at any given time were given special privileges and benefits, but also more responsibilities. Participants were called “Candidate: [number]” in the simulation facility and “Soldier: [number]” in field duties. When the Crisis broke out, the program was moved to the Bakersfield front to help fight in the war. At the front, the soldiers were made to test experimental weaponry that was too dangerous for a normal human to handle. Upon being recruited by the supra-national task force Overwatch, Reyes and Morrison seized the property rights to the Heavy Pulse Rifle and the plasma-powered modified shotguns. In 2076, it was believed that all the SEP participants are dead or “decommissioned” - however, a vigilante with superhuman abilities and reflexives has recently appeared, single-handedly defeating Helix Security forces in old Watchpoints across the United States.
Everybody else is made up. Don’t get too attached to any of the OCs, kids - that includes the God Programs. You’ve been warned.
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The Potential Questions, Character Profiles, and the Timeline for “And Overwatch For All” have been moved to a separate page, just for them. You can find them [Here].