Overwatch Headquarters, Switzerland – Two Days After Cerro Sangre
Overwatch Global Medical Command – Observation Ward 4
The scent of antiseptics clung to the air. Shawn Rose sat shirtless on the edge of a reinforced cot, electrodes trailing from his chest and back. When Gabriel reported his condition days ago, he was in a bad shape. But now that he got two days of rest, he was back at 100% operating power due to Body Supremacy.
Dr. Aven Mallick, Overwatch's senior medical officer, adjusted his glasses while studying the monitors.
"I have no idea what I'm looking at," he muttered.
Shawn gave a grin. "You keep saying that."
"From what was submitted, you shouldn't be alive. Fatal wounds everyone. At the very least, you shouldn't be walking. I've seen less trauma in crash victims. And yet, I notice that even when I took your blood just minutes ago, the wound has already healed."
"I'm built different," Shawn replied, dryly. "Must be a fluke of biology."
Mallick stared. "From the early tests, I can find that there is something in your bloodstream. But it can't be identified. If I find out you're using anything undeclared...."
"You won't," Shawn cut in, slipping his shirt back on. "Because I'm not."
Technically true. Blackline had never been declared or registered. However, it was his bioelectricity that the doctor was referring to. Easy to mistake it for an enhancement drug. Of course, he wasn't going to correct the doctor.
Barracks D – Medical Team Quarters
Rose's Thorns were grounded for recovery. The dorms had power, hot water, and silence which was a luxury none of them trusted. Just as quickly as they would cherish a real meal and a warm bed, they could just as easily be redeployed in minutes and go right back to rations and MRE's. Better to not grow accustomed to the privileged life, saves the disappointment.
Virginia sat cross-legged with a training drone, simulating triage under fire. Marco and Steve helped new medics gear up. Sonya was briefing six fresh recruits in the corner, her voice sharp and clear.
"You reach the wounded. You stabilize them. You get them out. You are the last line before a coffin. If you don't agree with anything I just said, then there's no shame in leaving now."
No one moved.
Spencer leaned against the wall beside Felix. "They look terrified."
"Good," Felix muttered. "Means they'll listen."
Lower Engineering Bay 3 (Restricted Access)
In the dim underbelly of the base, Shawn worked in silence. S3bastian stood guard near the door, arms crossed, oculars dimmed to stealth mode.
Rows of metal containers lined the bay with deployment crates labeled for shipment to Africa, Europe, and Asia. Each held dozens of Overwatch-approved medical kits.
Shawn opened one crate, quickly replacing the stimulant injectors with Blackline v3.0: heat-stable, indistinguishable in appearance, yet vastly more effective. Pain resistance. Recovery acceleration. Focus sharpening. Everything the field demanded but delivered quietly.
"You sure this version won't trigger scans?" S3bastian asked.
"It reads like a next-gen stim prototype," Shawn answered, resealing a lid. "Tests like it too. The only person who will question it, is the person who originally developed it. But he was killed during the start of the war. Meaning no one will notice."
"And if they do?"
"Then by the time they figure it out, it'll already be global."
Overwatch Briefing Room – Morning after Medkit Deployment
Commander Jack Morrison stood reviewing footage of Cerro Sangre, arms crossed. Beside him, Ana Amari scrolled through casualty reports and deployment stats.
"Rose's team got them out again," Ana said. "Even after a mountain exploded under their feet."
Jack didn't speak.
"But their vitals…" Ana continued. "He's pushing them. They shouldn't be standing. And yet…"
Jack looked over the medical deployment logs. He noticed a pattern.
Africa: Wound recovery rate up 18%.
Europe: Field medic death rate down 23%.
Middle East: Patient revival time cut in half.
Too consistent to be chance.
"What changed?" he asked, mostly to himself.
Ana looked at him for a long moment. "I think you already know."
Barracks D – Training Yard
The recruits were running live-fire drills under the watchful eyes of the Thorns. Steve timed extractions. Sonya shouted corrections. Virginia walked among the recruits, correcting grip, stance, dosage delivery.
Shawn returned to the yard, finished swapping out yet another shipment of medical kits with his Blackline. He looked out over the new recruits, saw their young faces still unscarred, hands still trembling.
They didn't know what war looked like yet. But they would. And when they did, they'd have something no one else did at first.
A fighting chance.