"Oh, watch over me,
While you choose who you're going to be.
Oh, watch over me,
While you show the globe what you're going to be." - Dan Bull

"Here are your things, Mr. O'Conner," I smiled politely, handing the man a bag.

I stood in front of a two story house, the outside painted white while the front door was a bright cherry red. The man at the door looked to be in his early forties. He had slightly tanned skin with brown hair, wore a white dress shirt with black pants and shoes.

Mr. O'Conner reached into the bag, ruffling through the belongings before looking back up at me. He nodded with approval. "Thank you very much, Ms. Ivery."

"It was nothing, really," I assured the man. "Happy to help."

"Kids! Come get your things!" The man shouted, poking his head inside the foyer of the house.

A pair of squeals could be heard as a boy and a girl came rushing to the door. Mr. O'Conner pulled out a pair of hand held gaming devices, handing them to his children. Their faces lit up once they finally held their precious technological possessions after nearly a week of impatiently waiting. Before they looked like they were ready to be taken to the dump! Screens were cracked, buttons were missing, one of them was even nearly split in half! Now they looked completely brand new, like they were just bought from the store.

"Thank you, Hope!" They cheered.

"You're very welcome," I replied, my smile growing ever so slightly.

The two children scurried off deeper into the house as Mr. O'Conner handed the bag back to me before reaching into his back pocket, pulling out his wallet. "I owe you big time, Hope. Do you have any idea how hard it is to keep kids entertained nowadays?"

"They weren't that bad, were they?" I questioned, raising a brow at the man.

He glanced my way, giving me a blank stare.

I shook my head. "Never mind, don't answer that."

"Here you are," He spoke, pulling out five twenty dollar bills and extending the money towards me. "Buy yourself something nice."

"Hundred?!" I exclaimed, snatching the money. "But I only charged you half of that for the repairs!"

"Call it a tip for getting them fixed so quickly," The man shrugged.

"They're gaming systems, not super computers," I giggled, stuffing the money in my pocket.

"That they are," Mr. O'Conner chuckled in reply. He took a step back inside the house, placing a hand on the door. "Have a goodnight, Hope."

"You too, Mr. O'Conner," I waved, stepping down the front steps. "Goodnight!"

The man waved goodbye as he shut the door. I turned around, making my way across the driveway and out into the street, zipping up my leather jacket as a chilly breeze whirled by me, blowing my hair in the wind. It can get quite cold in Vancouver, especially during the fall. There's that, and if there's the chance you live right near the ocean.

But I had to admit, the view along the pier was pretty cool. Even more fantastic if it's a full moon.

As I walked along the pier, I took the time to shove the bag I used to carry the game systems back into my backpack before pulling out my headset, plugging it in to my phone. Music blared in my ears as I walked to the beat of the song that was currently playing.

I reached into my pocket, pulling out the money Mr. O'Conner gave me as I counted the bills. I still couldn't believe he had given me this much!

"I must be better at repairing stuff that I thought," I quietly muttered to myself.

Reaching over to the left side pocket of my backpack, I unzipped it, pulling out my wallet as I quickly shoved the money inside. Inside my little pocket bank were gift cards I've horded over the years, saving them in case I run out on cash, some loose change, my health card, and my old college student ID card.

Name: Hope Ivery
Program: Computer Engineering & Programming
Year: 2075-2076

It's been two months since I graduated from VanTech. I was practically guaranteed a job after I graduated since I interned at a partnering company that supplied all the technology and equipment for my school. The company was also famous for making weapons and such for the world famous "Overwatch". They were an international squadron of heroes that saved the planet from the historic Omnic Crisis many years ago. After that, they fought against terrorists and have gone out of their way to help anyone in need. Sadly though, one thing led to another, and after the death of Overwatch's co-leaders, the United Nations created the "Petra Act", deeming all Overwatch activities illegal. That was just a little over a year ago.

Since Overwatch got shutdown, the company lost a lot of money and eventually filed into bankruptcy, and then right before I graduated, the company shut down and went out of business.

Now? I'm basically out of a job.

It's not like I didn't try to apply anywhere else. I did. They just haven't really gotten back to me, that's all.

As I continued my walk down the pier, I noticed a fairly large piece of paper flying in the wind. It soared its way over towards me and smacked my left leg. I stopped, reaching down and clutched paper in my hand. Before tossing it away, I pulled it up in front of me to see what was on it. Here I was just moments ago thinking about Overwatch, and what do I see on the paper? Or should I say poster?

The Overwatch insignia was up on the upper right corner as a few of the heroes each looked up into the sky. I took in their appearances, recognizing each of them. There was Tracer, Mercy, Winston, Reinhardt, and one of the leaders of the organization, John "Jack" Morrison. My face saddened a bit when I saw him. One of the reasons Overwatch was shut down was because there was some sort of infighting between the two leaders, and they both perished along with the destruction of Overwatch Headquarters.

"I wonder what the other Agents have been up to?" I thought.

Tracer and McCree were a few of my favourites. Years ago I had a few posters here and there in my room, and even one in my high school locker. Heck if I can remember correctly, I'm pretty sure I was close to buying a Winston plushie at one point in time. Those were good times, however whenever there is good, there always seems to be a snippet of evil lurking in the shadows. Overwatch was most famous for ending the big Omnic Crisis and other terrorist attacks that happened many years ago.

I had lost my dear grandparents in one of those battles. There was a sneak attack, and they ended up getting caught in the crossfire. I wasn't even born yet, although I do remember my mother telling me about the late night after the attack had happened, and how Mr. Morrison himself gave herself and dad the terrible news. He said that he and his team did everything they could to protect them and anyone else that was caught in the battle. 

I sighed with a heavy heart, rolling up the poster. There was a time when Overwatch was absolutely adored by the public for all of the incredible things they've all done to protect our planet. But now, they're just considered criminals, rouge mercenaries.

Instead of throwing the poster away, I decided to keep it, stuffing it into my backpack as I crossed the street, making my way off of the pier and entering an apartment complex. I passed a few buildings before entering the fourth one to my right which had a spectacular view of the ocean. Taking the elevator up to the fifth floor, I made my way through the hall and unlocked the door at the very end.

"I'm back!" I called, shutting the door behind me.

I slipped my shoes off as I walked down a narrow hallway and into the living area/kitchen. Cooking some soup at the stove was a boy just a few years older than me. That's my brother, Dave. He had short black hair and blue eyes with a lean, thin build. He wore a long sleeve navy blue shirt with black jeans.

"Hey sis," Dave greeted. "How'd it go with Mr. O'Conner?"

"Great!" I exclaimed, tossing my backpack on the couch. "He gave me 50% more than I offered."

"Seriously?" he asked with amazement, glancing over at me.

"Seriously," I chuckled with confirmation, taking my jacket off. "Speaking of money, I have to pay my share of the rent."

"You don't have to do that Hope," Dave assured me as he poured the soup into the pair of bowls on the near by counter.

"But I want to," I persisted, leaning against the opposite end of the counter. "Dave, you've been kind enough to let me stay with you until I get enough money to find my own place and get an actual job. The least I could do is pay the rent in exchange."

"Are you sure?" he asked with concern, locking eyes with me. "I appreciate the offer Hope, but I want you to keep the money for your benefit."

"But I feel guilty though," I pouted. "Come on, if not half, let me pay 25% then."

Dave processed the proposal in his mind for a few short moments. He sighed, shaking his head before extending his hand towards me. "Alright, deal."

I smacked his hand with mine, shaking it. "Pleasure doing business with you Mr. Ivery."

"And you as well, Miss Ivery." He teased in reply.

*******

Once dinner was over, I helped my brother clean up the kitchen and gave him my portion of the rent. Since I graduated college and after the whole Overwatch shutting down thing, Dave had been kind enough to take me in and let me stick around at his place until I found myself a job. Well, one that pays better than my repair jobs anyway.

I was back in my room, checking my emails to see if any one of the places I applied for job at had gotten back to me today. Just my luck, none of them replied. I huffed with a sigh, leaning back against my chair.

"That's just great," I muttered.

I glanced over at the time displayed on the bottom corner of the screen. 10:45pm. I huffed, rubbing my eyelids. I was tired from a day of non-stop repairs and deliveries. Besides, who knows what else I may have to get fixed up tomorrow. I shut down my laptop, closing it as I got up from my desk.

Scampering over to my bed, I reached for my backpack to toss it to the side, yet I froze. I carefully unzipped the backpack and gently pulled out the Overwatch poster that I found on my way back home. Unrolling it, I took a good, long, solid look at the poster, looking at the confident faces of the Overwatch agents. 

Memories of the story about John Morrison visiting my parents entered my mind once again, as my grip on the poster tightened. Despite the horrible outcome, Overwatch did everything they could for them, and they never gave up. That's what truly made them all heroes. With all the recent violence that's been going on now, we could really use their help. More than anything.

I rummaged through my desk drawer, finding some tap as I snapped off a few pieces before tapping the poster up on the bedside wall.

Satisfied, I changed into my pyjamas and got ready for bed before shutting off the lights and snuggling into the blankets. My eye lids were so heavy I could have sworn if I stayed up any longer, I would just flat out collapse and sleep on the floor.

I think I maybe got a few good hours of sleep until I was suddenly woken up by a strange noise. It was a loud "BOOM!" that snapped me awake as I spazzed out and fell out of bed.

"Ow..." I groaned, rubbing my side as I slowly stood up to my feet.

Looking around for the source of the noise, I walked over to my window, sliding it open as I took a peek outside along the beach. It didn't look like anyone was around, and no other lights were on except for the street lights that flickered on and off for a few seconds after the noise went off.

"What was that?"

I scanned the area one more time before something caught my eye. It was a faint spark of light, coming from the far end of the beach. Was that were the noise came from? Was there an explosion of some sort? Did someone get hurt?

Those thoughts rattled in my mind as I quickly grabbed my hoodie and a pair of flip flops from my closet, slipping the added attire on before climbing out the window and jogging my way down the fire escape. Once I touched the ground, I made a B-line for the beach, crossing the street and stepping onto the sand. I ran as fast as I could across the beach. It was a little hard to see considering it was quite dark out.

Finally after for what seemed like forever, I finally made it to the end of the beach. I was met with a metal fence, all broken and bent. The lock that kept it shut was snapped and casted aside as danger and trespassing signs hanged by a uncomfortable angle. I carefully stepped over the fallen parts of the fence before making my way over towards this building. It looked like some sort of factory or a warehouse of some kind?

Whatever cause that noise to wake me up had pushed the front door wide open. I quickly slipped inside, making my way up the staircase. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Why did I even decide to come here? What would I find in here?

Once I reached the top of the staircase, I stepped into a large room. In the middle was a table with metal parts and gizmos sprawled about, and even more of it was all over the floor. There was a giant tire tied to a rope that dangled from the ceiling. To the end of the room was another staircase that led up to the second floor catwalk where another room was sealed off, filled with computer screens and systems.

Whatever happened here, it sure caused one heck of a mess.

"Hello?" I called out quietly. "Is anyone in here?"

"Intruder Alert!" A female computer like voice echoed.

I screamed, the voice startling me as red lights filled the room. Out of nowhere, something dropped from the ceiling. Scared, I collapsed to the floor as metal bars crashed around me. I was trapped in a cage.

"Who are you, and what are you doing here?" The voice questioned.

Frantically catching my breath, I rose to my feet, grabbing a hold of the bars. "I didn't mean to intrude! I heard a loud noise and saw this light coming from here. I was worried there was some sort of explosion and rushed over to see if anyone might needed some help! Honest!"

There was a sudden grumble as a massive figure jumped down from the catwalk, swinging around on the tire swing before plummeting to the floor.

"Athena, what is going on here?" A male, baritone voice spoke up.

"Apologies. This intruder triggered the alarm, and I took proper security measures." Athena answered.

"I'm sorry, sir, I didn't mean to trespass into your---" I took another quick look around the room. "--workshop."

The figure took a step, or for some reason it looked like a crawl forward. I still couldn't get quite a good look at his face, but it looked like he had black hair and piercing yellow eyes. "Who are you? Are you a Talon Agent? Why did you come here?"

A Talon Agent? Wait the heck was a Talon Agent? Although that name did sound awfully familiar...

I gulped nervously. "My name is Hope. Hope Ivery. I heard this explosion--- it woke me up, and when I noticed that it came from here, I just wanted to make sure no one was hurt." 

The figure stood in his place silently before sighing, stepping out of the shadows. "My apologies. I was working on one of my inventions and it kind of back fired on me. I was not aware the blast was so loud. Athena, disable the security system."

"As you wish," Athena acknowledged.

It was still a little hard to see the man through the bars. It looked like he was wearing some sort of white and black armoured suit. But when Athena ascended the cage back up towards the ceiling, it was then I finally got a good look at the man.

Only, he wasn't a man at all.

It was a gorilla.

"... Winston?"