Crystalline Universe: Team Fortress 2/ Overwatch

Officers and soldiers rushed across the hallway of the Talon military headquarter. There was an air of panic and shock in the war room as many high-ranking members of the army and air force discussed the possibilities to contain the allied offensive.

Amongst the confusion, Mazzatello and Segreto marched through the crowd of worried generals.

[Mazzatello] - "The Allied forces launched their offensive through Denmark and Italy and is menacing to encircle army group center and cut it off from army group south. Immediate actions must be taken and fast. "

[Segreto] - "I heard of It this morning. The judge sent only the 21st tank division there and apparently, the Allied forces were serious about that offensive. "

[Mazzatello] - "God! This is disastrous! This could mean a prolonged war that will drag on for many years to come and result in many extra millions of casualties! "

Mazzatello was hyperventilating, he was showing signs of concern and emotion.

[Segreto] - "What's wrong, friend? You don't seem like your usual self. "

[Mazzatello] - "It's nothing, it's just... the current situation... is gonna get a lot of our men killed... "

[Segreto] - "And I thought you were unable to feel any emotion. "

Mazzatello froze. Segreto's words made him realize the changes that occurred to his mental state. Mazzatello turned his head and stared at Segreto's eyes; they were staring back at his. He felt it, the cold stare that pierced his soul and stared directly at his deepest secrets.

[Segreto] - "It's not the men in the army, friend, you have something else that is haunting you. "

Mazzatello's heart dropped, the fear was building up inside his heart as he felt Segreto glancing directly at his insecurities.

[Segreto] - "You seem paranoid recently, Mazzatello. And on top of that, you showed emotions, something that you claim you can't feel. What is going on, friend? "

[Mazzatello] - "This... this is none of your concern, mister Segreto. "

[Segreto] - "Let's go to my office, friend. Let's relax over some coffee. "

[Mazzatello] - "I'm sorry, I need to- "

[Segreto] - "If you wanna salvage the current situation on the front, you first need to calm down. So for the sake of those soldiers, I must insist! "

Later, inside Segreto's office, Mazzatello sat quietly with a cup of steaming coffee in front of him. Segreto took a few sips out of his cup and proceeded to stare at Mazzatello with his glowing green eyes.

[Segreto] - "We are all friends here. Nothing gets out of this office and we hide nothing from each other. Deal? "

[Mazzatello] - " *pause* D... deal. "

[Segreto] - "Alright, now tell me, what's on your mind, pal? "

[Mazzatello] - "I need to find Mike! I need to find him and make him pay for everything he has done to me! "

[Segreto] - "What did he do? "

[Mazzatello] - "He killed my friends! His henchmen and him, they all need to die! "

Segreto calmly pulled a cigar out of a box on his desk and slowly puffed at it a few times before resuming the conversation.

[Segreto] - "Mike... the descendant of a family of assassins. With the same blood as Sniper. "

[Mazzatello] - "I beg your pardon? "

[Segreto] - "Sniper's family is the Mundys and Mike, he is part of it. Only a few of the high-ranking members of Talon knows this secret. The only reason Mike is running right now is because Sniper is trying to hunt him down. He betrayed Sniper after finding out that Sniper killed his parents. "

[Mazzatello] - "How do you know all of this? "

[Segreto] - "Because I was a close friend of CR-455. Sniper's previous successor, who sadly was killed by Mike as well. "

[Mazzatello] - "Why are telling me all this? "

[Segreto] - "Because everything in this world has a reason. When you can only see one side of something, you fail to see the importance of the other. "

[Mazzatello] - "Mike is an enemy of the world, what's important about his other side? Besides, if he is against Sniper, he is against me! Not to mention my friends! "

Segreto secretly smirked, he knew he got Mazzatello right where he wanted him to be.

[Segreto] - "Sniper only ever sent Lapidazione after Mike, then after his death, he refused to send anyone after him and his henchmen... don't you find this strange? Then one after another, your "friends" or teammates went rogue after him and Sniper didn't seem to bother with any of this. With 5 of his Divine Servant dead and yet no response from him. "

Mazzatello's curiosity gradually started to show.

[Segreto] - "My friend, everything has a reason behind it. What is Sniper's reason for being so hesitant? Perhaps a test of your loyalty? Perhaps to see when will you snap as each of your friends gets murdered. Perhaps the moment you set out to hunt Mike down, he will replace you. "

Mazzatello smashed his fists on Segreto's desk and stared at Segreto with fury.

[Mazzatello] - "Outrageous! Lord Sniper will never do such a thing! "

[Segreto] - "The world isn't just black and white, friend! Maybe you should consider if you are at fault for the death of your friends. Because you can't see beyond what those above want you to see. "

Mazzatello stopped, he was in shock as he heard those words being spoken in front of him.

Segreto's eyes stared right through his heart, they stared at his younger years. The image of a teenage Mazzatello crying at the corpse of his dead adoptive mother was reflected on top of those sharp eyes. Like the scope of a sniper rifle, Segreto's eyes aimed his shot at Mazzatello as he opened his mouth.

[Segreto] - "The lies and deceptions. We are all puppets to those possessing greater power than us. Wishing for nothing more than a simple life, wishing for nothing more to wake up seeing everyone we love alive. Mother, sisters, father, brothers, wife and children. "

Mazzatello received the critical hit he never expected as the dark memory of his past slowly caught up to him.

[Segreto] - "But without our knowledge, the next day, they are dead, shot in the face with blood splattering all over the room. Mike... how old was he back then? 23? Waking up to find his wife missing and his children slaughtered. It might as well have been a second tragedy since he had also to witness his mother being murdered by Sniper with his b.a.r.e hands. "

The haunting image of his dead adoptive mother flashed inside Mazzatello's head. Tears slowly began to build up inside his eyes as his legs gave up on him. On the other hand, despite all the dark memories these words invoked inside Mike's mind, the young man behind the mask didn't even flinch. He was empty and emotionless. Instead of feeling pain, he smirked as he focused entirely on Mazzatello.

[Segreto] - "Heh! "

With tears, Mazzatello used his remaining forces to climb back onto his chair.

[Mazzatello] - "I'm sorry... I lost my composure. "

[Segreto] - "It's alright, friend. We need to be able to be more than slaves to the people above us. When I saw you, I saw someone with passion, someone with potential, someone that deserved more than what he is given. "

[Mazzatello] - "I thank you for your time. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to take my leave. "

[Segreto] - "Of course, friend, the p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e was mine. "

[Mazzatello] - "But I still don't understand... why are you showing so much mercy on Mike. "

[Segreto] - "To defeat your opponent, you must see all of his sides. But there are mysteries about him I can never discover unless I'm put in his position. For example, why is he fighting against Sniper, the very man that raised him? "

[Mazzatello] - "I acknowledge your wisdom, mister Segreto. You possess a truly vast amount of knowledge compared to me. What suggestion do you have for me as of right now? "

[Segreto] - "Follow your path, hunt him down if that's what your heart calls you to do. Your heart may rest in peace only when you accomplish your destiny. "

[Mazzatello] - "I understand, thank you. "

After a salute, Mazzatello quietly made his out of the office and just after closing the door, a man exited the shadow beside Segreto.

[Vanier] - "He will go after you, lord Mike. "

[Mike] - "That's exactly what I want. To push his ego far enough for him to come after me. "

[Vanier] - "Won't you be in danger? "

[Mike] - "His power is beyond mine. He can easily defeat me in battle but Sniper won't allow it. It will be the very man he dedicated his life to serve that will kill him for me. "

[Vanier] - "Oh? "

[Mike] - "Sniper wants his revenge against me. He won't allow anyone else to kill me besides himself. "

[Vanier] - "I see... a truly flawless plan to eliminate one of Talon's top executioner. "

[Mike] - "That's right, our time is close, Vanier. He is my last target before Sniper. This is the beginning of the end! "

*Australia

The cloud above Rick's camper van roared with thunder as the rain started to fall. Rick slowly walked out of his vehicle and stared at the grim sky.

[Rick] - "Did I repeat my past mistake? "

The droplets of rain soon blurred his vision by covering the surface of his amber sunglasses.

*Somewhere in Asia

Kady stared out of the window in her bedroom with a concerned look as rain poured over the glass. The voice inside her head was driving her toward madness but she was afraid to tell anyone about it. They were torturing her ever since they started to speak with her, each sentence felt like a knife that was threatening to cut her heart open.

[Kady] - "Please stop... I need to know who you are. "

She subconsciously let a few droplets of tear flow across her cheeks.

*Somewhere in Europe

Azur stared out into the night sky on a hotel's roof. There was no moon or stars, only darkness. Azur kept trying to find something in the sky, she believed that she could find it since there was no cloud.

[Azur] - "When will the stars appear... heh... silly me, stars can never be seen in the big cities. "

While Azur kept looking into the sky, the rest of her team slept in their rooms below.

*Somewhere in a Talon base of operation

Mazzatello left his military uniform inside his office, left his hat on his desk and dressed in his dark executioner coat. He stared himself in the mirror, he saw himself but not as the dead man he used to be but a lively reborn person.

[Mazzatello] - "I'm sorry, lord Sniper. But I need to avenge my friends. "

Without any more delay, Mazzatello left his office discreetly and exited the base without anyone noticing him. He is determined to find Mike and make him pay for the death of his friends.

*Talon headquarters in China

Sniper observed the military parade that going on through the balcony of his palace with Divine Maiden and The Judge by his sides. The wave of XX soldiers in their dark ceremonial uniform passed through followed by the tanks of the Liberaforza.

Amongst the tanks were battlegroup Lys with Carl-Emile commanding the leading heavy H-25 panzer followed by the tanks of his 3 fellow tank commanders: Miho, Sebastian and Erika.

Carl's eyes glanced at Sniper and his henchmen with spite as he passed by the balcony.

*In Segreto's office

Mike took off his mask and puffed his cigar while holding a glass of rum in his other hand. In the room beside him, behind closed doors, Vanier dropped his shield and hugged his companion RP-12 or best known as Rasputina.

Mike's finger swiped through the piles of files displayed in front of him through a hologram.

[Mike] - "After I finish off Sniper, you'll be my next target, Kadyn. This way, I'll be able to purify my mind and ascend peacefully onto my rightfully destined throne. "

Mike smiled with the same diabolical facial expression as seen on Sniper's face.

To be continued... Next Chapter: [Mazzatello's redemption (part 1)]