The Overwatch Story

Chapter 1 - Chaos Within Order

It is a cloudy morning in London with the sun peeking out of the clouds at certain times. Lena Oxton stood at the window of her spacious apartment. She had just finished her morning exercise on the treadmill and had a coffee mug in her hand. She opened the window with her other hand embrace the wonderful morning breeze. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath enjoying the smell of the coffee in her hand and the flowers on the perch of the window. She lived on the seventh floor of a luxurious building with a wide city view. The building across from hers was also rich with perches and potted plants, but not as tall as hers.

A commotion from the street broke her focus and meditation. Even though she was high up, it was obvious that many people were gathered around the entrance of the building across of her own. There was a police patrol vehicle nearby and many officers around. This kind of treatment to Omnics has been present since Lena was a child when the war ended. She has never gotten used to it. It has gotten worse since Overwatch disbanded about 5 years ago. It's mainly because the omnics have now been forced to stay at quarantine zones and patrol officers are tasked with rounding up the remaining omnics. The quarantine zones are locations that have been provided for omnics to live in peace. One of them exists here on the outskirts of London, not visible from Lena's apartment window. They are not the best places to be for omnics currently. They are only given enough resources to sustain themselves but not enough to prosper and grow. This is just one of the ways several governments decided to keep the situation under control and prevent another uprising. Lena never believed in these methods to obtain peace. She always believed there must be a better way to live together. From seeing the uproar on the street, Lena knew what comes next, three omnics were being hauled out of the apartment building across from her and would probably be transported to the zones after questioning. Lena felt a smile on her face, that she immediately touched her cheek in surprise. She wondered why she would smile at this heartbreaking moment. However, deep down she knew the reason three people were able to stay in that building was because some humans were helping them. Which means some humans still see them as friends. Some humans still believe in peace and living together. She was very curious to know who was helping them. She would get along with them well. That thought was immediately followed by another devastating fact. The human helping them would now have to face the consequences of doing so. In London, it's strictly against the rules to help hide any omnics. One of the three omnics made a run for it. Lena didn't blame him for attempting to run. She clenched her fist knowing what comes next. She knew he would be shot on sight for attempting to escape. She closed her eyes. She just didn't want to see it...

All she wanted to do was go down and help. But Overwatch is no longer allowed to operate on their own accords. During the war, Overwatch was in the front line and making the calls on how to fight and win the war. After the war, Overwatch continued to operate in areas where the war was active. The people's support and love towards Overwatch grew. They saw them as heroes. However, several governments around the globe decided that overwatch should be disbanded. That their presence will destabilize the peace. But Lena knew the truth. The governments feared that the people would turn to overwatch and not to them. They wouldn't want to lose their position as leaders. As Overwatch continued to operate, they released The Petras Act which deemed any Overwatch activity illegal, and liable to prosecution. The act was enacted by the International Justice Commission and United Nations. At first Overwatch ignored the warning and continued to operate, but governments declared specific members as criminals that are disturbing the peace. That was enough to persuade the people to despise overwatch whenever they stepped in to help. Several members of the team disliked being called fugitives. Slowly but eventually, members began to quit and go their own ways until it was just Winston and Lena, who Lena still sees on occasions. It has been 6 months since the team operated on a mission together, and the name "overwatch" is now nothing but a memory of the past.

Lena closed the window but kept the curtains open to allow the morning light through. She looked at her unmade bed; too lazy to make it, she decided to take a shower and get ready. After drying herself up, she looked through her closet to decide what to wear. She wanted to wear something that wouldn't draw too much attention. A hoodie seemed to do the trick, so she picked out a blue one. She looked through her pants in the cupboard and chose to wear some graffiti designed leggings. Once she got into her clothes, she stood in front of her freestanding mirror and thought that blue sneakers would fit best with the attire. She tightened her laces, stood up, took a deep breath in and exhaled. She put her hands to the doorknob and left the apartment excited to see Winston, who happens to be her best friend.