A/N: Dear reviewer, I'm not dead.

The Overwatch base was well hidden but still relatively close to the capital city of Richmond. As Cooper and Angela drove up to it, he noted that it seemed small. Angela explained that most of the base was underground. It was built into a hill that had been hollowed out and tunneled under to form a network of tunnels and hangars that had access to the outside from a select few points. It was more of a bunker than anything else.

As they neared, a small set of hangar-like doors retracted to allow them entrance. They drove in to a cavernous room filled with multiple other vehicles ranging from civilian sedans to armored transports. A dozen sleek aircraft that looked like oversized fighter jets neatly lined one wall. He recognized them as the famous troop transports Overwatch used to get around the world so quickly. From what he could tell looking at the open hatch on the back of one, at least ten people could cram into the seats that lined the walls of the interior. They got out and walked to the barred window of a booth in the wall. A man sat at a desk in the booth working diligently on a computer and didn't notice them until Angela knocked on the glass.

"Dale," she said sweetly, "I left the rental over there. All the paperwork should be inside if you could get someone to return it."

The man grunted and returned to the glass surface of the computer, "I'll get somebody on it."

Satisfied, Angela continued to lead Cooper deeper into the base. Uniformed soldier and scientists in lab coat would occasionally pass as they made their way through the wide corridors. The base was a giant maze of hallways and doors. The magnitude of it overwhelmed him. The structure could easily house a thousand people. From what he had seen in the hangar, many of them could be mobilized as well.

"You will be given a personal workshop here" she said as she moved to a door on the right side.

She pressed her hand on a small glass panel next to the door and it slid open. Inside was a large room with a high ceiling. On the far end, the roof cut down sharply to a small corridor that appeared to be a miniature shooting range. Workbenches occupied most of the space along the walls. The right side was dominated by a desk with the silent reflection of a holo-computer shining flat on its top. On the left there was an area cleared for any larger projects he might work on. Everything seemed cutting edge and well stocked; a far cry from his garage.

"We have the latest equipment. You can requisition anything we do not have readily available, within reason of course." Angela closed the door and continued down the hall. "Naturally, you will be required to go through a strict training regimen. You are a special case due to your ability but everyone here goes through the same basic training. I will contact you with the details later."

They went further down the hall until they reached a door that was slightly larger than the others. Angela tapped the corner of the glass panel next to it and a small microphone appeared in the center.

"Winston, I have the new one you were so interested in with me."

After a moment, the door slid open and another famous member of Overwatch stood before them. Cooper was in awe at seeing him in the flesh. On the holovids was one thing but face to face felt surreal. The scientist adjusted his glasses and looked over the new member. A smile broke out on his face and he held out his huge hand.

"A pleasure to finally meet you. I'm happy you decided to join our organization."

"The pleasure is mine." Cooper replied with awe slipping into his voice.

Winston chuckled and let go of his hand. "I look forward to working with you in the coming days. I'm sure we can do great things together."

He nodded to Angela and retreated to his lab to allow them to finish their tour. As they walked through the rest of the base, they passed the mess hall and recreation areas. Soldiers milled around them in black uniforms with light blue accents. It felt alive and happy, everyone around him seemed relaxed. He could see himself enjoying life here. They eventually came to his personal quarters and Angela signaled it was the conclusion of their tour.

"I will send you a wake-up call with your first meeting tomorrow morning. For now, you have the rest of the day to yourself. I would advise you take this time to rest and prepare for tomorrow."

With that, the doctor left and Cooper entered his room. It was almost exactly like the dorm room he had in college. There was a bed in one corner with a desk and light in the other. A small closet on the right corner closest to the door hung open with three sets of clothes hanging from a bar inside, uniforms he had seen the other soldiers wearing.

It had been an exhausting day. An exhausting week. Without even bothering to take off his clothes, Cooper crawled into bed and fell asleep.

0

0

Early the next morning Cooper woke up to a ping from Angela on his desk. From there he was instructed to meet with his first trainer at the base's main training ground just outside the enclosed bunker of the base. From there he could see the open hangar bay with a score of sleek transports sitting idly in their ports, waiting for when they were needed to fly anywhere on the globe. The short woman in front of him eyed him with a cool gaze when he walked in. Her hair was cut to her shoulders and framed a face where ice blue iced peered out at him. If he were to drop dead right there, Cooper didn't think this woman would care in the slightest.

"I will be your training officer for all tactical and basic training" she said, "You will address me as 'ma'am' or Major. You will not complain. You will do exactly as you are told without question. Are we clear?"

Her voice held the same monotone and cold tone the entire time.

"Yes ma'am." Cooper replied.

He spent the next two hours running the standard obstacle course that you would see in any of the holovids. By the time she told him to stop, he was covered in mud and exhausted. Cooper grabbed his knees and tried to keep himself from falling as his head spun. The Major wordlessly cuffed him on the side of the head and sent him reeling.

"You will never do that again" she glowered, "I expect you to stand up straight and at attention after every exercise. Do it again tomorrow when you join the rest of the soldiers in their training and there will be consequences. Run it again."

It took Cooper a moment to process her words. When he did, the temptation to walk away and quit spiked. He hated this. He felt like throwing up, collapsing, and sleeping for a week. His first day and he was ready to give up.

How pathetic he thought to himself. How could he stand side-by-side with the greatest heroes on earth like this?

The Major stood glaring at him silently and he nearly cringed. Grudgingly, he turned back to course and began a tired jog to the first obstacle. She was gone when he finally returned.

Cooper struggled to not collapse as he made his way back to his quarters. He kept a hand firmly on the wall until he got to his room and pushed his hand to the panel next to the door. A small door in the back corner led to a shower only slightly larger than he was. Cooper peeled off his grimy clothes, turned on the water, and sat on the floor with his arms around his knees as water poured onto his head. He stared at the drain, resisting the urge to break down. He had to do all of that again tomorrow. An hour later, Cooper shut off the water. The young scientist put on one of the two clean uniforms in his closet before leaving for the mess hall.

The dining area hall was almost as big as the hangar he had first seen. Other than the much smaller rec rooms scattered throughout the network of hallways, it was the only place on the entire base to get a real meal. Circular tables were scattered throughout the majority of the room while a small section was cleared along one wall where the food was doled out. The noise of hundreds of conversations echoed off the walls. Cooper got in the quickly moving line as meals were handed out at an impressive pace. He was soon at the front and had a tray shoved into his hands before being hurried along. Another minute of searching and the new soldier found a table pushed close to one wall that was empty. He ate silently as he looked out at the mass of people in front of him. They were going through the same thing he had on a daily basis. He barely survived the first day. Cooper could hardly imagine it. He wasn't made to be a soldier like the heroes that Overwatch was built around. He was a scientist playing at being a soldier. It didn't matter how much good you wanted to do or how much you wanted to help if you lacked the power.

"Well you look like you just got wrung out and left to dry" said a deep voice to his side.

Cooper was startled out of his reverie and turned to the person that had spoken. He almost choked when he saw the tower of a man standing next to him. The dark brown man looked almost seven feet tall with corded muscle showing on every part of his body. He rubbed his bald head as he set his tray down across from Cooper and took a seat.

"I don't think we've met before." He said.

Cooper cleared his throat . "This would be my first day actually."

"That explains things. I take it you met the Major then? She greets most new recruits." he said with a chuckle. "I don't think anyone else here is capable of making a man feel as shitty as you feel."

Cooper couldn't help but laugh with him. After a moment the man reached over the table and held out his hand for the scientist to shake.

"My name is Raymond by the way. Most people that know me just call me Ray though."

"Cooper" he replied as he shook Ray's hand, "Jack Cooper."

"Don't take what the Major says too seriously Cooper. She comes off as cold but she's training you to stay alive out in the field. Despite how it may seem, you can bet she'd move heaven and earth out in the field if it meant saving someone. I would know, she's my squad leader."

Cooper couldn't help but shudder at the thought of being under her command.

"She certainly came off as…abrasive?" he remarked, searching for the right word.

Ray let out another laugh and waved the other man off.

"We're friends here, no need to beat around the bush. She can be a downright bitch. For what it's worth, it gets easier to deal with as time goes on."

The helpless mood Cooper was possessed by earlier seemed to all but disappear as they talked. Ray kept things light as they went on, telling him more about life on the base and people he should probably know.

"How long have you been with Overwatch?" Cooper asked before taking a bite from the cut of meat that he still couldn't quite identify.

"I signed up a few years before they were shut down." He answered, "When the recall was sent out, I couldn't say no."

Ray picked up his cup and stared at it as he swirled the water in it around.

"I have a wife and a little girl you know. Every time I see them, I know I'm doing the right thing. I know exactly what I'm protecting. To have my daughter look up to me and call me a hero, that makes it all worth it."

He drank the last of the water and picked up his tray.

"Still plenty to do today. I hope we can talk some more later." he said.

"Definitely" Cooper replied with a nod.

Cooper finished eating soon after and returned his tray. He walked through the halls with his head held a bit higher after that. On the way back to his room, the device they had assigned to him vibrated into his pocket and a message from Winston asking Cooper to meet him in the his lab that the young soldier and Angela had visited yesterday.

He made his way there and pressed on the panel next to the door. Moments later it slid open. Inside, Winston was staring at the monitor in front of him. He tapped a button on the glass surface of the desk and turned to Jack with a smile.

"That uniform suits you."

"It's a lot more comfortable than I thought." he replied.

The lab was structured much like his own. Workbenches lined the walls and the desk Winston was sitting at dominated the side of the room closest to the door. On the other side, there was a large open space that currently housed a bright pink mech.

"Is that-"

"Hana Song's Meka" Winston finished for him, "Just needed a few small repairs."

"May I?" He asked, stepping toward the mech.

"By all means."

It was truly a marvel. Small and made for extreme maneuverability, the most outstanding features were the thrusters jutting out the back. Cooper could only imagine what it was like to be strapped into this machine during a firefight. His jump jet kit didn't even compare. Not only that, but its owner was famous. Hana Song was famous in very sense of the word. Not only was she a revered fighter, she was also a sensational actress known worldwide.

"We will be working together very often from this point forward, Cooper" Winston said as he got up from his desk, "You have a very bright mind. I'm excited to get to know you."

"The feeling is mutual."

"Wonderful! I would love to learn more about the science behind your invention. I can only wonder at how the application of that technology will change my current projects."

For the next few hours, Cooper and Winston discussed the careful science behind the thrusters in his jump kit as well as clever manipulation of the micro-fusion generators inside.

"Just being able to look at this thing is already giving me so many new ideas." Cooper said as he examined the expert repairs Winston had done on Hana's mech.

"You seem quite taken with it" Winston mused with a grin on his face.

"And you aren't? It's a marvel."

"I have detailed schematics on it you could take a look at if you are this interested. I'm sure Hana wouldn't care less if you had them."

Coopers face lit up. "I would love that. Thank you."

Soon after, Cooper was back in his own room. The thought of training under the Major again still filled him with trepidation but no longer came with a sense of hopelessness.

0

0

The next day there were hundreds of soldiers out on the field. Despite this, Cooper could easily make out Raymond in the crowd and hurried to join him. The bigger man was standing next to two other people he had never seen before.

Ray noticed him approaching and waved a hand in greeting.

"Cooper! Let me introduce you to two of my squad mates."

Behind him stood a man and a woman. The woman was only slightly taller than the Major with bright green eyes and a smile plastered on her face. Her golden hair was cut short, forming a disheveled mess that stuck up in all directions. The man next to her looked as plain as they come. Close cropped hair and a lithe build marked the standard hallmarks of a soldier. The only thing unique about him were the bags under his eyes and his tired posture.

"The lovely lady here is Silva and the guy that looks like he's ready to pass out is Biscuit." Ray explained, "Don't worry too much about him. He always looks like this."

"Nice to meet you" Silva said kindly while Biscuit gave a nod.

"Did they give you your squad assignment yet?" Ray asked.

"I haven't heard anything." he replied.

Cooper hadn't thought about it at all. Angela hadn't mention him being put in a specific squad. Before he could ask any questions about the process, a whistle blew and the Major climbed on to a large rock near the center of the field. It was time to start their exercises.

The gauntlet was just as exhausting for Cooper as it had been yesterday but less intimidating. Running it as a group was far better than suffering it alone. The Major stood on a boulder watching everyone run with her freezing gaze. Anyone that stopped was given a quick verbal lashing and forced to keep pushing themselves. It was still hell, but a more tolerable one. Ray and Silva ran the obstacles as though it were a leisurely stroll while Cooper and Biscuit struggled to keep up. Biscuit looked about ready to collapse as he plodded along with drooping shoulders. On more than one occasion he actually did. Despite being a under fire from the Major, her words seemed to have little effect. How the soldier could be so apathetic against her harsh tirade was a mystery to Cooper.

The sun was already high in the sky when their dismissal to independent squad exercises was called. Cooper waved goodbye to his friends and went off to his personal workshop to examine the schematics Winston had loaned him in greater detail. The technology behind the mech was fascinating. To create a vehicle hard enough to protect the user but light enough to fly was no simple task. That wasn't even mentioning the field it could project that completely absorbed the kinetic energy of any small object that flew its way. The possibilities were endless. The young scientist poured over the mechanics of the machine and had soon filled the digital whiteboards that covered the wall over the workbench with notes and ideas. He wanted to start right away. He hauled his armor and jump kit from his room to the workshop and began putting his theories to the test. Cooper plotted out a new framework for lighter armor using the superior resources Overwatch had left at his disposal. After that, he replaced and improved upon the patchwork modifications he had done to the jump kit. The young man lost track of time until his stomach groaned loudly and demanded he eat something. He walked to the mess hall filled with excitement and satisfaction from the day's progress. The next two days were much like that one. However, the third was one that would set him down the path of ruin. The beginning of the end.

They were breaking from their regular training to do squad specific exercises. The Major had sent him a message earlier that morning to meet her for his assignment. She found her at her usual spot on the training field looking at a tablet with a frown on her face.

"Cooper," she called, "I have your assignment. You will be with my team."

Cooper felt a mix of joy and dread. While it meant he would be working with Ray and the others, he was now under the Major's direct command. Training was bad enough, he shuddered at the thought of spending every day with her.

"You know what I expect. Disappoint me and I will have you removed from this organization. Are we clear?"

"Yes ma'am." He replied stiffly.

"Good. Follow me to the squad training grounds. We will introduce you to the squad and get you acquainted with how we operate."

The introductions were easy, considering he had already met all of them. He was met warmly by his friends Cooper was given a new rifle and told to watch his new squad run a small course by the Major. They moved through a small maze of walls made to imitate an urban setting. The group went through it with stunning efficiency. They moved as a single mass, keeping a careful vigil in every direction as they move. They hardly needed to talk as a slight movement of the hands or a pat on the soldier communicated everything they needed to know. The metal targets posted within the maze were tagged the moment they came into view. Cooper had never seen people work in such a synchronized way.

The rest of the training period was spent teaching him how to meld with the squad. They taught Cooper how they cleared a building systematically, how they formed up in an open field and in cramped interiors, they even taught him how far apart the members should stand from each other in different environments. It was an overload of information that was not made lighter by the Major's swift reprimands when he made mistakes. The young soldier took much away from it though. Ray had even told him that he was picking it up much faster than most. They did this for hours before the end of the session was finally called.

A week of this quickly turned into a month. The days passed in a blur, broken only by his research after training. Cooper found himself running to Winston's office with a bundle of rolled papers in his arms one day after a squad exercise. The excited smile on his face never faltered as he ducked around the other soldiers in the hall. By the time he reached Winston's office, he was out of breath.

"Winston, I have something I need to show you." He panted out after pressing on the panel next to the door.

The door slid open and Winston stood there with a confused look on his face. Cooper pushed passed him and unloaded the papers on a nearby desk.

"There are a couple of things I've been working on ever since you gave me the schematics for the meka, but there was one thing keeping me from actually bringing them to fruition." The young scientist explained.

He unrolled the papers and flattened them across the desk. Winston adjusted his glasses with widening eyes. Cooper finished laying out the schematics and turned to look at the hero..

"I need you to help me build an AI."

A/N: Writing this chapter felt like pulling nails. I have a road map for exactly what I want to happen but I need to build a foundation for it to have any impact. That is what this chapter was and party why it took so long to make (the other being that fanfiction is a relatively small part of my life right now and not a priority). It isn't as pretty, polished, detailed, or entertaining as I want it to be but if I stayed on this any longer I might never have finished it. Chapters will most likely come out quicker now that I managed to plow through this. Sorry for the wait but i couldn't be helped.

~Junior