It was a cold October day at one of the Calais' piers. The wind carried a freezing air from the North, and gray clouds covered the sky. From time to time a single ray of sunlight managed to peak briefly to represent nature's fight for a good weather. The La Manche channel seemed slightly fretful, like if it was aware of upcoming something awkward at least.
Lena tightened a red scarf around her neck and buttoned her jacket. She leaned over a barrier and observed the waves. She often glanced at a lower level of the pier. There were not many other people around. Lena started to feel worried. She reached for her backpack to get her phone and checked the time. It was 14:17. She was slowly losing hope. Every next minute made her sadness to grow.
Lena was ready to resign and leave at 14:30, but suddenly someone appeared on the lower pier. It was a woman in a long, cotton, brown coat, and heeled, leather boots. An elegant hat covered her head. Similarly to Lena, she leaned over a barrier and admired the view. At least it looked like that.
– Why did you bring me here? – the woman asked with a French accent.
Both of them kept looking straight forward, though Lena knew the question was directed to her.
– Why are you so late?
– That's not an answer to my question. I don't have time to stay for long, so make it quick.
– Do you... – Lena stuttered – Do you remember what's in three days?
The woman did not answer instantly. Lena could swear she heard a sigh despite the blowing wind.
– Yes, I remember. Why does it matter?
– Overwatch is organizing a party in Paris and... I... I mean... I thought...
Lena had problems finishing the sentence. She expected it was going to be hard to say, but not as much. Her mouth completely did not want to listen to her brain nor her heart.
– I did not traveled here just to listen to your stutters. I'm sure you know how risky this meeting is, right? They have eyes and ears everywhere.
– Alright, alright, I'm sorry, Amélie. I just-
– I told you countless times to not use that dead name – Widowmaker interrupted.
– I just wanted to ask if you could... appear there? – Tracer continued, ignoring Widowmaker's words – In the name of our old friendship?
Suddenly there was an awkward silence disturbed only by hum of the waves and screeching seagulls.
– Have you completely lost your mind?! – asked Widowmaker, a lot louder than she intended – You are asking a Talon assassin to casually appear among Overwatch agents?! I never expected you to be that stupid.
– Please, luv – Lena insisted with a sorrowful voice – I talked to some people for weeks to make this happen.
– And they gladly agreed, I suppose? With a condition that every single one of them is allowed to bring a gun but not me? If you want to get me killed or arrested just wait for a bit.
– Don't say such terrible things. I would never betray you. I told them I would take all the blame if something will go wrong. I just want to talk to you like we used to...
– Yes, your assurances will clearly make up for everything if someone will die in a shooting between Overwatch and Talon. That's the dumbest idea you ever thought of, silly girl.
– Angela and Reinhardt told they would keep a curious eye on you. Emily doesn't know who you are, so she has no problem with me inviting an old friend.
– Is that so? What about others, not so kind-hearted? Genji? McCree? And especially Jack and Ana?
Tracer did not want to tell Amélie that not all party participants know about her plans. She knew Jack would never agree. Or he would, but would also shoot Widowmaker on sight. Before Lena answered, Widowmaker continued her efforts to put the girl off on her idea.
– How can you even trust me? Did you consider I could appear in a Talon's aircraft and shoot the entire area?
– I know you won't.
– How come?
Lena blinked and appeared next to Amélie in a split second. The woman looked at her acutely.
– Because that's not how you work – Lena explained, looking through her goggles into the gold, threatening Widowmaker's eyes – You could kill me easily back in London. You didn't. I wasn't your target, right? Unless you receive an order, you won't take an innocent life, even from your organisation's enemies. Don't give me that look. Yes, we know more than you think.
– This meeting has ended – Amélie said, turning over and walking away.
– Do you remember the time we spent together? – mentioning the past made Widowmaker to stop – In shops? Cafeterias? For me you were the first person to contact whenever I had awful mood. You told me so many hilarious stories about you and Gérard. I remember two of your performances I managed to attend at. You were so talented and you certainly still are.
– You are still leaving in your small, optimistic world. Reality is much more brutal and unforgivable. The past doesn't mean anything to me anymore.
– If it doesn't matter why you keep answering to my mails, then?
Widowmaker did not answer.
– Our favorite pub.
– Que?
– The party will be there. It starts at 18:00.
– I don't need to know. I won't be there.
Amélie walked away, followed with Tracer's mournful eyes.
A few hours later Widowmaker returned to her temporary, rented flat. She did not want to live in Château Guillard until the renovation is finished. There was too loud, and the scent in the place was unbearable. She visits the castle occasionally to check progress of work.
Amélie took off her coat and left it on a hanger next to the door. She turned the lights on and shook her head over the mess she did not want to clean. She squinted her eyes, feeling that something is not right. Maybe she did not take a good care over this place, but she remembered the state she left it in. She certainly turned off her computer. Widowmaker never keeps electronic, especially her laptop, turned on when she is leaving, does not matter whether it is her place or not.
She approached the device, but did not see anything suspicious. Everything was in its place and no changes have been recorded. Suddenly, a short, loud snore came from the bedroom. Alarmed, she took a knife from the kitchen. Her rifle was also in the bedroom. Amélie grabbed the doorknob and slowly opened the door.
– You've made a big mistake – Widowmaker whispered softly under her nose, ready to kill the intruder.
She entered the bedroom and swore angrily, seeing Sombra sleeping in her bed. A few centimeters before Widowmaker's hand clutched on one of the most annoying in her opinion persons, and threw her out of the bed, Sombra disappeared. Out of the blue she was sitting on a chair behind Widowmaker, yawning and smiling.
– A shadow fooled a spider. Shouldn't a sniper lady be a bit more aware of her surroundings? – Sombra teased.
– What are you doing here?
– Classic Amélie, not even a "Hello", won't even propose a drink.
– You broke into my house, touched my property, slept in my bed, and you still expect hospitality?
– Ok, you got me there. Could you put that knife away? I feel uncomfortable.
– No, I'm still trying to deny my desire to put it in your guts.
– Calm down, chica, I just sent an e-mail from your computer – Sombra bent down to pick her translocator up.
Widowmaker organism was not able to show worries, but her mind felt uneasy thinking what Sombra could find. Breaking the most advanced security systems takes her a few minutes at most, she would steal all information from a personal computer in the blink of an eye.
– Care to finally explain what you are doing here? – Widowmaker asked again – What are you even doing in France?
– Looking for my favorite spider because our Chief Grouchy Officer asked me to.
– He's here too?
– Surprise! – Sombra merrily raised her arms – Exactly, in Talon's base in Bordeaux. I don't know what he wants. That mail I sent from your laptop has been just a report that I found you. We are supposed to go to the nearest airport as soon as possible.
– Can't this wait until tomorrow?
– Apparently not.
– Merde. There goes my sleep.
– Oh, since when do you care about basic human needs?
– Since there isn't an irritating girl around bothering me at everything I do.
– Aren't you lovely like always? A good thing you don't bite, a toxin from a single one would kill this whole city. Get your toys and we can go.
Olivia and Amélie arrived in Bordeaux at night. Sombra kept bantering her companion most of the travel time. She loved teasing anyone when given an opportunity, but her favorite target will always be Gabriel. The best-worst thing in her character was familiarity with everyone's patience border, which allowed her to continue such behavior while being unpunished. Some Talon's agents found that amusing until they become the target of Sombra's pranks and games. This girl just couldn't sit quietly and unnoticed for long, which is kind of ironic considering her incredible stealth abilities being crucial in most of her missions.
At the airport in Bordeaux Sombra and Widowmaker were picked up by an agent who took them to a secret, underground base in the worst district. They met Reaper there.
– Gaaaabe! – Sombra shouted – I missed you! Did you miss me too?
Reaper ignored her.
– How nice you finally joined us again, Widowmaker.
– Keep your sarcasm. What is this all about? – she yawned mid-sentence.
– I'll explain tomorrow. Go get some sleep, both of you. A really big, important day is coming.
– I won't sleep until you tell me if you missed me – Sombra pressed more.
– No – he answered coldly and left.
– He totally missed me, I'm telling you – Sombra said when Reaper disappeared in an elevator.
– Who cares? – Widowmaker shrugged – Where can I sleep?
– You? Anywhere, if you ask me. Oh my god, that look. I might be already dead – she pinched herself – Whew. I'm fine. Can't you take any joke? Alright, come with me, I'll show you your room.
The next day Reaper ordered Sombra, Widowmaker, and Doomfist to appear in a training room. He did not prepare any training sessions, but needed a calm place to explain his plan. The base in Bordeaux was not impressive in terms of its size.
Widowmaker and Doomfist were present on time. Sombra has not appeared yet.
– Where the hell is this annoying girl?! – Reaper was not a patient type.
– Is she really that important? – asked Doomfist – I'm quite certain we don't need her.
– Fine, then you will repeat her everything.
– Wait, wh-
– Silence! Now focus. We have a unique occasion to wipe Overwatch out. I simply cannot believe how foolish, mindless, and sentimental those idiots became.
– What do you mean? – inquired Doomfist, curiously.
– Our spies gathered an interesting Intel. It turned out that Overwatch is organising a birthday party for Lena Oxton in Paris. Probably all members will be there. Their relatives too. I admit I almost laughed when I read the report.
– You must be kidding, no one is that stupid.
– I wouldn't bother myself if the information was not certain and confirmed. We gained an access to one of their high security servers, deciphered messages, and we found some conversations about the event. All we need is one precise assault and Overwatch is gone.
Widowmaker felt something strange. In certain parts of her body, she felt a bit cold, and heart was beating unnaturally strongly. She also wiped a single drop of sweat running down her forehead.
– Wait a second – she spoke – what chances do we even have if all of them will gather in one place? We could take one or two, but the rest will instantly react.
– Do you doubt us? – Doomfist asked, slightly irritated – Aren't you always claiming that killing makes you feel alive?
– There is nothing interesting in getting yourself killed in the process as well. Winston alone defeated both of you.
– And you got knocked down by a kid. Your point is?
– My point is that this mission is a suicide.
– Widowmaker, your attitude becomes suspicious – Repear pointed out – Don't make me send you on one of Moira's operating tables.
In the middle of the conversation the door to the training room opened and belated Sombra joined the rest.
– Sorry guys, I-
– Why? – Widowmaker ignored Sombra's arrival – Because I'm able to analyze the situation and predict the outcome. A possibility to take down Overwatch blinded your mind this much? You should remember that me being stripped out of human emotions means I can always judge a situation with cold blood and raw analysis. I don't care what you think, and I'll repeat: assault on the party and all Overwatch members is a suicidal mission.
– Wait, what? – Sombra asked, completely surprised – Gabe, are you telling me you believed in that pile of crap?
Sombra started to laugh so hard she was not able to stand.
– What do you mean?! STOP LAUGHING, IDIOT!
Doomfist and Widowmaker observed Sombra in disgust. Raging Reaper caught the girl and lifted her up. It made her to calm down instantly because she understood Gabriel was serious.
– What. Do. You. Mean. By. Pile. Of. Crap? – Reaper asked very slowly, trying to keep his anger under control.
– I'm sorry, Gabe, calm down. I heard a rumor about that Overwatch's party, so I checked those stolen messages. They have been made by an AI. What's more, the security on hacked server was intentionally weakened by a third party. I thought the whole party thing was preposterous enough for you to ignore that, so I kept this for myself. I suppose they set a trap for us. This was supposed to be leaked and learned by Talon. I'm really sorry, don't be mad at me. You know I'm sad when you are mad at me.
Reaper angrily lets Sombra of and quickly walked away to the exit.
– Where are you going?
– I'm going to take a good care of our spies.
– Don't go too hard on them. Next time just ask me.
Infuriated Reaper left the training room. Doomfist sighed and did the same in silence, leaving Sombra and Widowmaker alone.
– A wonderful waste of time – Widowmaker said when the door slammed for the second time.
– My dear, you are the true master of a poker face – a mysterious smile appeared on Sombra's face – You should learn that game, maybe you will teach it a few other people after a year or two.
– Is this an introduction to your next mockery?
– Who knows? Anyway, have fun at the party, Amélie. I'm sure you don't want to disappoint your little Lena.
Sombra's words paralyzed Widowmaker. Amélie wanted to say something, but not a single word could leave her mouth.
– You owe me one. Don't worry, your secrets are safe with me. For now. Boop!
Sombra touched the tip of the Widowmaker's nose with her forefinger, winking at her at the same time, and disappeared. Amélie stood among several mannequins, still unable to move. A few moments later she threw her rifle across the room and punched hard all the mannequins, one after another. She felt a lot better after letting all that anger free.
– There will be one beautiful day when I'll finally fucking kill you. I promise.
Two days later the Lena's party was about to begin. As Talon's reports told, not only Overwatch members were present that day. Reinhardt brought Brigitte to introduce her to everyone, and Ana appeared with her daughter, Fareeha. Reinhardt was first to announce the entire nearby area with his loud positivity, how happy he is to see his old friends. His birthday wishes were probably audible at the top of the Eiffel Tower.
Brigitte quickly adapted. She got along with Fareeha nearly instantly, since she was incredibly interested in Ana's daughter's combat suit, which, sadly, was not brought with her. It turned out they had much more common topics.
Positive energy filled the bar. It became loud. Jack felt a bit out of the place. In his mind, he felt too old for such celebrating, but Ana kept reminding him what fun he used to have when no one looked.
A clock indicated that 19:00 passed a few minutes ago. All invited guests were present. All but one. Lena jumped on one of the tables to give a speech.
– My lovely dears! Can I have your attention? – she shouted.
Everyone stopped their conversations and turned eyes on Tracer.
– I'm not good at that, but first of all, thank you all for coming. I honestly doubted such party was possible, yet here we are. Thank you, I'm ecstatic to see all those happy, familiar faces. Don't think about this day as my birthday, consider it that special day, where we finally gathered together and got along with each other. Just have fun, luvs! Cheers!
Everyone made an emphatic toast. That brought a big, honest smile on Lena's face, which disappeared as quickly when she looked at a clock again. That did not go unnoticed by Angela, who followed her to the bar shortly after.
– Is everything alright, my dear? – Angela asked softly.
– Mmm? Yes, yes, of course – she answered nervously, reaching for a drink – All of this is just so much, I still can't believe we are here together.
Angela did not believe her, but understood Lena does not want to talk about her worries, so Angela took her to the rest of the guests to keep her mind busy. She whispered something to Emily, who instantly took her girlfriend for a small talk. Torbjörn gathered a few interested people claiming he knows a fun party game. Brigitte's worried look was saying otherwise. Concern decreased when Torbjörn said they were going to need a hammer.
The party slowly started to get wilder. Reinhardt and Torbjörn made a bet which one is going to be the first to empty a one-liter mug of beer, Genji tried to convince Jesse about superiority of a blade over a gun, Brigitte fell in love with Mei's Snowball. Tracer asked the bar staff to volume the music up a bit. Ana heard a song from her youth and took Jack for a dance. Everyone was having fun when the door to the bar opened. Silence filled the entire bar. Only music remained. Jack was first to interrupt the silence.
– What the hell are you doing here?! – he shouted, reaching for a weapon, but forgot he does not have one.
Guests suddenly became ready for a confrontation. Lena quickly squeezed through them to notice Widowmaker in front of the entrance. She appeared before her, quicker than anyone could react in any way and hugged her.
– I'm so glad you are here, Amélie.
– Lena, what are you doing?! – a few voices asked simultaneously.
– Happy birthday, chérie. Weren't they supposed to know about me?
– I... I'm sorry, I lied. I didn't tell anyone. Please, forgive me.
– Lena, hold her! – Jack said, jumping over a table and running towards them.
– Jack, wait! – Angela stopped him.
– What do you mean "wait"? Get out of my way! She is a murderer, a Talon's assassin!
– Look at her. She is unarmed.
– That's even better. We must take care of her before others attack.
– I'm alone – Widowmaker said.
– Do you expect me to believe you?
– Enough! – Lena screamed – She was invited by me.
– I think I misheard, like you said you invited her.
– That's right, I invited her because she is my old friend and I promised nothing will happen to anyone. We are not here to fight. We are here to celebrate. Amélie is as much of a victim as those she was made to kill, no one even tries to understand why she's doing such horrible things. She just needs help, but won't receive it if we are ready to shoot her on sight. I will take the blame for everything that will happen.
– Lena, don't bother yourself. I'm here just to wish you happy birthday and – Widowmaker reached for her handbag, triggering defence stance of other guests – give you this.
Widowmaker pulled a small, carefully wrapped box with a beautiful, red bow at the top.
– Don't open it! – Jack said.
Lena ignored him and unwrapped the gift. Widowmaker gave her a gorgeous pair of earrings and subtle gold-silver necklace.
– You didn't have to... Thank you, Amélie. Will you stay for a few drinks?
– I'm not welcome here – she looked around – I don't want to ruin your party with my presence. Everyone expects me to blow this place up. I'm certain you know too it will be better if I'll leave, don't look at me like that.
– Could you wait literally five minutes? I'll be right back.
– I-
Lena disappeared before Widowmaker finished the sentence. She was still carefully observed by everyone. Ana slowly approached her.
– I must admit you have a lot of guts to come here.
– Maybe I'm just an idiot.
– Maybe both.
– What do you want? Shoot me in the head or just tell how much would you like to do it?
– I'm not going to touch you. Lena is a wonderful kid, today is her birthday, and I want her to be happy. It seems she still cares about you for whatever reason, so I'll let you go for now, but I don't want to see you ever again. I assure you the next time you will appear in my scope things will go differently.
– Oh, so are you finally going to be a challenge next time?
– Arrogant as always. Such people are killed by their own pride. Consider this conversation as done.
Widowmaker quickly looked at Fareeha before turning over at the door.
– Amari?
– Anything else to say?
– Protect your loved ones.
– Is this a threat?
– No, an advice.
Widowmaker left the bar, but Lena appeared as she made a few steps outside. She was holding a package.
– I asked you to wait, didn't I?
– Yes, for five minutes. It was seven.
– Well, I- My hands were shaking, but here, take this.
Lena gave her the package which contained a big chunk of her birthday cake.
– If you want, you can share it with Gabriel, though I don't know whether he can even eat.
– Merci.
Widowmaker smiled slightly when she remembered the best bakery in Paris, where she spent a small fortune on their pastries. None of the women said goodbye, they did not want to. Lena knew there was a hope for Amélie, but she was afraid of consequences of Widowmaker's actions. Overwatch would definitely put her in jail, even after altering her personality back to the old one. Staying as Talon's agent, however, will keep making her do things she truly does not want to. Both scenarios ruin this poor woman's life. There might be no escape for her. For Tracer it was incredibly hard to defend Widowmaker from Overwatch and vice versa, but the fight for better tomorrow continues. She promised herself she would get her friend back, with a support of others or not.