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sleepy-writer · 7 years

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Heroes never die...

In random skirmishes. They die in climatic battles, or peacefully of old age. That much Reinhardt knew.

“Das ist nicht akzeptabel, Reinhardt.” Balderich snarled, sitting on his chair in the main base of the Crusaders. “I cannot just abandon the field when Omnics are this close. It’s a matter of a day – perhaps two – until they arrive there. We do not have the time to argue now.”

“We both know that this battle will at best be a draw with both sides death.” The Overwatch-affiliated Crusader countered sharply, having arrived a few hours previously to coordinate the Crusaders with Overwatch. “It’s why only a proverbial handfull of Crusaders will stand here, after all. Not to win, but to buy time.”

“And you dare demand that I not make that stand? It is my birthplace, my hometown and has been the seat of my family for centuries! My parents evacuated it yesterday with the rest of the people.”

“All the more reason for you not to go there.” They were not alone in the great, central room of the building, but what others were there did not speak up for either side. “You are the last of the Von Adler-dynasty. It will end with you if you die there. And die you will.”

“And I should just let others do the battling for me then!?” The griffon-clad Crusader shot up from his seat. Unlike the others, he wore his armour nearly all the time. Crusader armour had in-fact not started as something to be used in war, but had been adapted from a full-body suit designed to help him deal with the weak joints he suffered from because of his gigantism. As such, he towered over and outbulked his fellow German by a fair margin.

“Yes.” Despite having to look up, Reinhardt did not back away. “Heroes do not die in some random skirmish, Balderich. They die happy and old... or if need be, in the final battle.”

“These are not stories, Reinhardt, and you know it. This is reality.”

“Reality still needs heroes. You are the face of the Crusaders, almost of Germany. You cannot be risked on a suicide-mission!”

“Reinhardt is right.” Someone spoke up, one of the other Crusaders speaking up now, stepping forward. “Germany needs you, Balderich. The Crusaders need you. Don’t you think your parents cannot lose their son after losing their ‘ancestral home’?”

“Did all of you get on board with this!?” The older man looked around incredulously. He didn’t even need to wait for their answers, able to see it in their eyes. “You are insane. You’ll die there.”

“And you wouldn’t?” One of the small group sitting at the table in the corner spoke up. “It’s all Bastion-units, Balderich. You hopefully remember how well our defense of Stuttgart went, right? We just barely managed.”

“Das kann jetzt nicht euer Ernst sein.” Their leader almost fell back into his seat. “And who do you suggest will lead you?”

“I will.” Reinhardt answered. “It was I who brought up that you should stay, I might as well have the decency to take your place then.”

“You’re of Overwatch.” Balderich’s eyes narrowed. “You are a liaison, not a combatant right now.”

“Overwatch defends the innocent from the Omnics... regardless of who and where they are.” Reinhardt pointed out dryly. “Even if they are Balderich von Adler in Germany.”

“I can’t ask that of you.”

“You are not asking. I decided... we decided.”

“What... what am I supposed to tell them though!?” The proud Crusader deflated in defeat. “Don’t you dare die, Reinhardt... That counts for all of you. Das ist ein Befehl.”

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

“Die Satelliten zeigen keine Activität in Eichenwalde.” A female sitting on the opposite side of the room informed him. “Die Kämpfe sind vorbei.”

“Scans?” He asked, feeling a weight on him as if he was carrying the world.

“The army has pushed them back... almost 200 kilometres.” Another male spoke up in answer. “Satellite-scans show no signs of life in a radius of aproximately 20.”

“Scheisse.” Balderich looked at the other Crusaders in the room, seeing his dread mirrored in their faces. “The comms? Shields? Anything?”

“All silent.” The female that had spoking before softly answered him. “Most for hours.”

“Reinhardt Wilhelm?”

“One of the last to go offline. Want me to hail him?”

It was silent for quite a while after her question. “Don’t bother.” The griffon-armour clad male rose from his seat. “Arrange a transport if Eichenwalde has been secured.”

“Yes, sir. The frontline has been stable for at least an hour. Shall I do it now?”

“Do it.” He gestured to some of the other Crusaders. “Attend me.” They followed him down the hallways leading to the small hangar that held the few aircraft of the Crusaders.

The least he could do after they decided to die for him was confirm their deaths himself... and inform their families as well, now that he thought about it. Burials would probably have to wait until they had enough time.

“The plane on A3 is ready for takeoff in 10, sir.” Came a voice through the intercom. Nodding in the direction of the security-camera, he boarded it, waiting for the pilot and other necessary crew.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

They landed outside of the city, the medieval streets too narrow to land anything larger than a bird. He had them land from where the Bastions would have arrived: he wanted to know who had died where.

Four were dead at the chokepoint leading into the city. Deep gouges led outward from their position. He smiled weakly at them having used a well-known tactic when several Crusaders were together; half used their shields for cover while the other half would firestrike through said shields and switch as necessary when shields got broken. Four had died despite said tactics... Probably when shields broke faster than expected.

“Joseph, Tobias, Aaron und...” The male kneeling beside them hesitated on the last one. The Bastions had driven over him in their pursuit of the others, leaving him near unidentifiable.

“We can identify him later.” Balderich sighed. “Send for a Recovery-team... and have Base plan out the Memorial-route.” He wanted to inform the families as soon as possible.

“Yes, sir.”

Five more had fallen on the fall-back to the keep. Two of them had been equally crushed. Arriving at the outer gate leading to his ancestral home, he saw another six dead. They had used the chokehold tactic here as well. The doors themselves had been smashed from their hinges.

Another had died immediately inside the fortress-walls, having apparently held the quick route against the enemy to allow the others to reach the fortress quickly enough to take another defensive position while the Omnics either had to take the long route, or waste their time getting through him.

“Stephan.” Came the sad verdict. Balderich flinched at the statement. He had insisted on only single volunteers – people who left only siblings or parents as family behind – leaving for Eichenwalde but Stephan had had children... he had insisted on coming regardless.

He send one of the men to check if someone had fallen on the long route, heading the short route himself. The doors of the keep were still closed. Perhaps they had managed to hold...? No, they would have made contact by now if that had been the case.

It became all too apparent what had happened when they entered the venerable stronghold. Reinhardt had used the two smaller entrances as chokeholds, funneling the Bastions through those. At some point, the omnics had needed to blast through their own dead to get inside. Seven more had died here before they had decided to fall back again to the central room of the fortress.

“That makes how many now?”

“Twenty-three. There had been twenty-five, their Commander not included.” So only three had survived past this point, Reinhardt included.

He almost didn’t want to see what was left of the main room... or rather, what had been left of the three men that had managed to move there.

Balderich moved there regardless, though perhaps slower than he had through the city.

The two had had survived for the fallback with Reinhardt were dead halfway through the hallway. Reinhardt himself had managed to reach the ornate chair.

“Oh mein Gott.” Someone behind him said. Balderich had to resist some far more choice words. Apparently robots now knew the meaning of ‘cruelty’. Laying on the steps to the right of the chair, his arms were crushed. What weak points there were in his suit of armour had been peppered with bullets. Unlike most of the others, the Overwatch-Crusaders was drenched in his own blood.

“Für das gehe ich sofort zur Hölle.” Balderich whispered under his breath, walking towards the fallen Crusader. Hesitating briefly, he reached for the other’s helmet. Only to which he wished that he had not done it. Reinhardt’s eyes were open, blood running down from his mouth.

“Base has send the recovery-team.” Someone informed him, even while he kept staring at the downed male.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Their plane landed on the landingpad of the Overwatch-base at Gibraltar. Inside were Balderich and four other Crusaders, coming to inform the rest of Overwatch of Reinhardt’s fall. He hoped they would forgive him for this.

“Attention: Reinhardt Wilhelm back on base.” Almost immediately after they had left the plane, the automized detection-systems had recognized the helmet he was carrying under one arm.

By the time they had reached the stairs, someone had already arrived at the landing-pads in answer to the announcement. It was a small girl, one he recognized as the young Egyptian that was in one of the pictures Reinhardt had shown him. Fareeha, he believed? She looked so excited and happy when she bounced down the stairs towards them, only to end up looking confused. “Where’s Rein?”

Oh, of all the people they had to encounter first, it had to be the child! “I... I fear he won’t be coming, Kleines.”

A child during the Omnic-crisis, he knew she would know what it meant. Children had to grow up fast with murderous robots around every proverbial corner.

He could see the change in her face from confusion to horrified realization. Lip trembling, her eyes trailed over his form until they settled on the helmet under his arm. At least he had cleaned it so she didn’t need to see the other’s blood.

He flinched when she turned away, running back into the compound and screaming something. Sighing once, he followed her inside.

Apparently, she had been calling for her mother as he encountered the girl in arms of a woman that was so obviously related to her. Morrison and Reyes were with them, having followed the female when she had run in answer to her child’s cries.

Others were arriving as well, alerted to the commotion.

“Balderich?” Morrison greeted him. “What brings you here?” He heard the dread in the voice, worsening during the sentence when he noticed Reinhardt’s helmet.

“I think you know.” The German Crusader moved closer to the group. “Reinhardt... Reinhardt Wilhelm has fallen. He died.”

There were horrified gasps in answer, and the wail of one small child.

“How!?” Gérard Lacroix demanded in horror, his fiancée hiding her face in his neck. “He was a liaison! He was not supposed to be anywhere near danger!”

“He... insisted.” The leader of the Crusaders kneeled down briefly to place the helmet in front of the group. “Insisted on taking my place... for Eichenwalde. I think you might have heard of it already?”

ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS OF GERMAN

“That is unacceptable, Reinhardt.”

“You can’t be serious right now.”

“That is an order.”

“The satellites show no activity in Eichenwalde. The fights are over.”

“For this, I go to Hell immediately.”

#Overwatch #Reinhardt #balderich #Pharah #Ana amari #fanfic #fanfics #fanfiction #one-shot

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