Widowmaker sat at the roof of an old, condemned building. She checked the time. It was 21:44. She had about 16 minutes to fully prepare. It was unnecessary, a professional assassin like her needed no more than a few moments to take the position, spot the target, eliminate it, and disappear. That is how most of her solo missions went. This time, the operation's success depended on someone else's punctuality.
Talon sent Widowmaker to assassinate a well-known criminal mastermind. The organisation finally possessed evidences that his spies are leaking and selling Talon's secrets. Agents tried to track potential traitors and deal with them internally, but it appeared to be impossible. They were good at their job and knew how to remain under the radar.
Widowmaker received an order to kill the target during a transaction. It was supposed to happen in an apartment. Talon wants him to be eliminated right in front of his contact to deliver a clear message. They must know that they underestimated whom are they messing with.
The hotel was located about 750 meters away. Two minutes before 22:00 a distorted voice spoke to Widowmaker through her tiny earphone.
– The black limo turning on the hotel parking, left back seat.
She spotted the car immediately. She activated the infra-sight and increased the scope's zoom. Six people got out of the limousine. All of them except the driver went to the hotel. She recognized the target and set a tracking priority. Now all she had to do was waiting. An image of her prey having its head pierced by a bullet in front of an unsuspecting witness excited her. Those were the moments she lived for, the fleeting moments of spilled blood.
Widowmaker kept an eye on the target leaving an elevator on the eleventh floor in the company of four other men. Only he entered a room where another person was waiting. The man sat by the window, teasing her. She was biting her lips when her finger finally touched the trigger.
Everything was going perfectly until someone's hand rested on her shoulder right before the shot. The alarmed woman turned over instantly and confronted a masked man. She tried to knock him down with the rifle. The man expected such reaction and disarmed her. Widowmaker did not know how much time she had until the target leaves the hotel. She had to neutralize the threat immediately. She launched a venom mine at him. He shooted it midair. Widowmaker attacked through a poisonous cloud. They engaged in a fist fight, which made him throw the weapon. The man was clearly dominating. However, he only kept defending himself. He never attacked back.
The man accidentally took Widowmaker's right glove off and stopped an incoming fist. He ceased fighting upon looking at the woman's fingers. He slowly released Widowmaker's hand. She pushed him away and jumped for her rifle. She picked it up, ready to kill, but the man vanished. He was not even present in the infra-sight.
Widowmaker quickly looked at the eleventh floor of the hotel again. The target was just about to leave. She aimed inhumanly fast and pulled the trigger but nothing happened. The ammunition chamber was empty. She reached for a spare mag she was always carrying. It was gone too.
– Merde! HQ? Widowmaker here.
– Speak. – the distorted voice from earlier answered.
– The operation has been compromised.
– What happened?
– I've been attacked by an unknown enemy.
– What? That's barely possible. Your mission was top secret. It's far worse than we thought.
– I'm awaiting further orders.
– Proceed to the extraction point. We need to investigate the issue as quickly as possible.
– Understood.
Meanwhile, the masked man got into a car parked a few blocks away. The driver started the engine and drove away on a full throttle.
– Everything went smooth? – asked the driver.
– Yeah. Kinda... – the man answered, putting stolen ammunition into his pocket.
– Was it hard?
– It was without a doubt the hardest mission I've done in my life.
– I see.
– No, you don't. Believe me, you truly don't.
Widowmaker was sitting on a bed in her room, thinking about the strange man. There was something familiar in his eyes. His odd behavior during the fight bothered her more than it should have. He obviously did not want to hurt her. He just wanted to disturb her mission. After releasing her hand he gently touched her fingers before she pushed him away. Accumulation of thoughts became tiresome. Widowmaker stood up, locked the door and went to sleep. She could not suspect that the nightmares of the past will brutally remind her about themselves.
– Oh my god, what a performance. My legs are killing me. – Amélie said, sitting on a bench and rubbing her foot.
– Yes, it was fantastic! You've danced as you were truly inspired. I've felt like a novice. – Chloe laughed.
Chloe was Amélie's best friend from a ballet school. Not very often they had an opportunity to perform together. They had some sort of a friendly rivalry. They were taking bets which one of them will receive a louder applause. So far the score has been 4:2 for Amélie. Chloe was jokingly accusing Amélie of enchanting an audience unfairly with subtle winks and smirks.
– I finally have some free time. I can't wait for Gérard to pick me up.
Amélie's phone rang.
– Speak of the devil. Hi, honey! You have some kind of the sixth sense? I finished a few minutes ago. Yes, everything went great, I won with Chloe again. She just threw her shoe at me calling me a cheater. Poor, jealous girl. I'm so exhausted. Are you by any chance nearby already? What? What happened? Are... Are you alright? Oh... Alright, don't worry, darling. I'll rest a bit and wait for you in the "Roses Blanches" pub. Bye-bye, drive carefully.
– What happened? – worried Chloe asked.
– There was an emergency and Gérard had to help to deal with it. He just got into a car and will be here in about two hours.
– His work is so dangerous. You should convince him to change his job. I couldn't sleep knowing that my husband may engage in a mass shooting every minute.
– To be honest I'm really proud of him. I know he does that for a greater good. I just wish he could spend more time with me. Sometimes I start to feel lonely.
– So you two must talk about that. You are such a great couple. I don't want to see your relationship falling apart. Don't let it happen. Family should be his priority.
– I know you are right. It's just... not an easy topic.
– I realize that. I just want you to be happy. Take care of yourself, Amélie. Enjoy your free time.
– See you around, Chloe.
Chloe took her bag and left the changing room. Amélie felt terrible when a quiet voice in her head repeated that Gérard's job was more important for him. She really did not want to think like this. She took a quick shower, dressed up, and left the theatre through a back door.
The clock has just struck 23:00. There were not many people on the streets. Majority of the audience in the theatre waited for the next spectacle. Amélie took the shortest way to the pub. Her mind was still full of undesirable thoughts. She did not even notice a van that pulled over next to her.
– I'm sorry, miss. Could you help me? – A man asked.
Surprised Amélie approached the car, asking how she can help. The man quickly sprayed something in her face, which instantly made her feel dizzy. The back door opened. Two other men jumped out of them. They grabbed barely conscious Amélie, dragged her into the back of the van, and drove off.
Amélie opened her eyes. Through a blindfold on her face she could only see a bright light shining upon her face. Her mouth was gagged. She could not move. Her hands and legs were tied up to a chair she was sitting on. Multiple electrodes were stuck to her body, and she had a weird helmet on her head. Amélie was terribly scared. She heard other people in the room talking to each other.
– Do you think this is the right setting?
– They want us to do this as fast as possible.
– But that's dangerous. Are they ready for a possible failure?
– Maybe. Maybe not. I think they will achieve their goal. One way or another.
– She woke up.
The last sentence has not been said by someone in the room. The voice was distorted and definitely went from speakers.
– Take off her gag. Amélie Lacroix, do you hear us?
– W-who are you? – she asked, almost crying – What do you want? Let me out. Please.
– How do you feel?
– I'm scared. Please, let me out.
– Don't worry. Soon your fear will become just a reminiscence. Begin the process. We are expecting precise reports every day.
The distorted voice stopped. Amélie was compeltely terrified. What did he mean? What "process"? She could not hold tears anymore. She begged for letting her out.
– What are the readings? – a female voice asked.
– Fast heartrate, irregular breath, high adrenaline. Classic symptoms of fear.
– Excellent. Start the phase one. Fifteen minutes of stimulation, five minutes of break. Repeat the cycle for a hundred minutes. Inform me about any changes in neuron signals intensity, hormones, and brain activity.
Amélie heard activation of some kind of electronics. Before she could scream in fear, she screamed in pain. A searing pain filled every cell of her body. It was similar to electrocution, but was far away from being able to kill. It was a torture. Minutes were passing slowly. Finally, the pain stopped.
– No changes.
– I didn't expect effects that fast anyway. Continue after five minutes.
Amélie understood she was going to go through much more. Blindfold became already all wet from her tears. She screamed for help. She begged Gérard to save her. She begged anyone to save her.
– It's been one week, and we don't see much improvement.
– Increase the time of the stimulation by five minutes per cycle.
– A-again? She is close to her limits.
– Isn't that are we going for? In two days I'll begin administration of the serum. Reaction of her organism to it will give us the final answer to the experiment.
– Aren't we pushing slightly... too far? I keep hearing her screams in my sleep.
– If that's too much for you, I can easily find a substitute, but I would not expect the command to be forgiving. Science requires sacrifices. Proceed or prepare for consequences.
– Yes, ma'am, but it's not an easy job to torture people.
– Working on making them superior is not either. The life is not a fairytale. History of the humanity will never end with "They lived happily ever after."
– What are her reactions to the materials with Gérard?
– More and more neutral. I think we are getting somewhere. She became quite resistant to pain. Hormones' activity is barely caught by the machinery. Heartrate is only slightly higher than normal even during the stimulation. She didn't scream in days although it is possible that her throat just can't take anymore.
– You are one incredible individual, Lacroix.
– May I have a small request?
– What is it?
– Can we bring someone to clean up this place? The pain made her piss herself a few times and this whole place smells like a public toilet.
– Yes, I think it's a good idea.
– Unbelievable. It took us almost a month, but we did it. Except for basic functions her organism's behavior is close to a dead person. The results are unequivocal. She doesn't feel a thing. I honestly doubted it was possible to change a human like that. Do you think the process won't revert itself?
– I'm pretty sure a close observation is a necessity. Genetics is complicated and still not as advanced as I would like to portray. Anyway, we can call phase one a success. Now it's time for phase two, where I will demonstrate my magic.
– Are you expecting difficulties?
– It's quite easy to make a mistake though the process itself isn't a lottery. She should be ready in two days.
– I must ask out of curiosity. Did you consider ways to break one's will other than through an extensive pain?
– There are other methods, however, this particular one certainly has the biggest chance of a success. When a test object gets used to the stimulation, it becomes extremely vulnerable to the mind-clearing stage. Lacroix was surprisingly hard to break, but every single being has its limits. Alright, enough pointless talking. I have some more work to do.
– Wake her up.
Amélie felt someone patting her cheek. She opened eyes. Nothing blocked her vision. She was sitting in a small room with a big screen. The screen displayed three persons hiding in the dark.
– Hello, Amélie. – a familiar, distorted voice spoke – How do you feel today?
– I'm fine. – she stood up – What are your orders?
Amélie's voice was completely empty, missing any signs of emotions. She was talking like a person under hypnosis or during a sleepwalk. The light was barely reflecting in her dull eyes.
– Do you know who we are?
– Yes. What is your command?
– Excellent. Bring her!
The door behind Amélie opened. Two masked men brought a scared woman. She pointlessly tried to escape them. A third man entered a couple of seconds later with a gun in his hands.
– It's your first order: kill the girl.
The woman tried to scream at the top of her lungs, but gagged mouth did not allow her to do so. She cried and fought even harder. Her eyes begged for mercy. Amélie took the gun from the armed man. She aimed at the girl's head and pulled the trigger without hesitation. The bullet hit the victim between eyes, killing her instantly. As the blood started to run down the girl's face Amélie smiled and fired three more times.
– Enough! – the man from the screen ordered – Take the weapon from her.
Amélie handed the firearm back obediently. The men left the room, taking the dead woman.
– Incredible. Truly relentless. We gladly welcome you in Talon, Amélie Lacroix. Your first mission is to eliminate your husband, Gérard Lacroix. Do not try to kill him the first second you see him. You are going to be freed by Overwatch. We will arrange that. Return home, play your role and kill Gérard when he won't suspect it. Did you understand your objectives?
– Yes.
– Good. Also, try to not do this publicly. The longer no one will know about his death, the better.
– I'll have plenty of opportunities to complete the mission at home. Don't worry.
– We rely on you. Good luck. Someone will appear soon to show you where you can rest. HQ out.
The screen turned off. Amélie looked at the blood on the floor and took a deep breath. She wanted to kill someone else as soon as possible.
Talon began realization of the plan of assassination of Gérard Lacroix. Ten days after Amélie's last conversation with the command, Overwatch attacked the base. Security has been reduced to minimum. Talon secretly controlled the entire operation. Overwatch agents were so focused on rescuing Amélie that they could not suspect a thing. They found her deep in the base, locked in a cell with a simple electric lock. Hacking it took about two minutes. Two minutes that Gérard could not stand. That time felt like the eternity for him. Euphoria he felt while embracing his beloved wife was indescribable. He was holding his tears the entire time, but in this moment something popped in him.
– Amélie... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, honey. This would never happen if I... I was so blind. I just hope you will forgive me one day. I love you so much. Please, forgive me.
Amélie did not say anything. She was struggling with hugging her husband back. Gérard was certain his wife was in deep shock, so he took her home and promised to take care of her. He also took a month off work, strictly telling he will not participate in any operation until he confirms Amélie has fully recovered.
Gérard needed a few days to get rid of an intensive smell of alcohol from the house. He kept in secret his mental health and conditions he lived in from his wife when she was in Talon's hands. He was sitting with Amélie in the living room when his phone rang.
– Hi, Angela. I'm doing fine, but I'm worried about Amélie. She is so quiet since... you know. I think I should arrange consultations with our best psychologists. She doesn't seem to get better without a professional help. You will contact them? Thank you so much, you're an angel. What can I say more about Amélie's behavior? She doesn't want to eat; she has troubles with sleep. It's heartbreaking. I know I must stay strong. It's because of... No, I don't want to talk about it. Will you give me a call if you talk to therapists? Thank you so much. You have work to do? Alright, take care. See you.
Gérard sat next to Amélie and hugged her.
– Don't worry, darling. I'll do everything to help you regardless of how much health or money it is going to cost me.
It has been two weeks since Overwatch rescued Amélie. Gérard was hoping her mental health will slowly recover over time. His biggest dream became to see her smiling again.
It was getting late. Gérard was exhausted. He barely kept his eyes open which Amélie noticed.
– Go to bed, sweetie. – she said – You don't have to sit with me the entire night.
– I can't leave you alone.
– It's fine. Really. Get some rest. You will fall asleep soon anyway.
– I... Alright, but promise me you won't stay too long.
– I promise, don't worry.
– Goodnight, Amélie. I love you.
– Goodnight.
A clock was ticking slowly. Amélie was sitting in front of a TV for two hours. Eventually, she stood up and checked on Gérard. He was deeply asleep. Amélie went to his office, next to the bedroom. She opened a desk's drawer and took a gun Gérard was keeping there for safety reasons. Amélie made sure the weapon is loaded and returned quietly to the bedroom. She pointed it at her husband's head.
– It's all your fault. – she whispered in a cold voice tone.
Widowmaker's sleep was violently interrupted by a loud gunshot. She went outside her room to check what is going on. The entire floor was completely silent. Confused woman returned to the room and closed the door. She turned a small lamp on. The light revealed that her body was all sweaty. As she wanted to go back to sleep, her phone vibrated. It displayed a message from a hidden number. It only said: "Chateau Guillard". Widowmaker looked curiously at those two words, wondering what could they exactly mean. Not many people knew it was her family home. She put the phone back at a nightstand and tried to fall asleep again. She quickly realized she was not going to get much sleep that night anymore. Fatigue won with her overloaded mind shortly before sunrise.
Two days later Widowmaker arrived at Chateau Guillard. She was standing at the main gate, looking all over that abandoned place. The gate was sealed off. Widowmaker waited until no one was around and nimbly jumped over the fence. She entered the castle through a broken window.
The smell inside was terrible. A cool wind howled in empty corridors. Nearly every corner was inhabited by a patient spider, waiting for a prey. Every step released a cloud of dust hiding in soft carpets. Chateau Guillard felt like it was abandoned ages ago.
– What am I even doing here?
Widowmaker often repeated that question. She wandered around quiet halls for about an hour. She rested in the biggest bedroom with the highest balcony in the entire castle. In the middle of an old, creaky bed, there was a framed picture. It depicted a young girl. A young girl known as Amélie Guillard at the time. It was a photography from her 13th birthday when she received a gift she was dreaming of. It made her the happiest person alive. Widowmaker was mysteriously absorbed by the photo. Someone snatched her out of her pensiveness.
– Beautiful as ever.
– You?!
Widowmaker jumped away and pulled out a gun she was hiding under clothes. She did not expect to meet here the man who stopped her from completing her last mission.
– I was wondering who the hell are you, but it seems you are just an idiot.
– It's painful that you don't even remember my voice. However, I wouldn't blame you if you forgot it on purpose.
The man took off his mask. Widowmaker uncontrollably lowered the weapon.
– G-Gérard? No! – she aimed at him again – What kind of fucking trick is that? You are dead. I killed you personally.
– Amélie, did you ever confirm what you fired at that night? No, you didn't. You just pulled the trigger and disappeared. Take a look at this if you still don't believe.
Gérard took a ring off and threw at Widowmaker. It was a wedding ring. It had their wedding date engraved on the inside. She was wearing an identical one.
– It even has-
– The scratch, right? – finished Gérard – When I run a knife over it while we cooked a dinner together. Do you remember? You wanted me to try your homemade pizza, so you were trying to kick me out of the kitchen. I wanted to help you nonetheless, so you told me to cut some ingredients to get rid of me. God, I was terrible at cooking.
– Enough about the past. I couldn't care less. You might be some kind of artificial being. Similar to one of the Shimadas.
– Genji was never dead. He was critically injured, and his cyborg body allowed him to stay on this world. I suppose you still don't believe me?
– No, I don't.
– Maybe it's better. You deserve a detailed explanation which is the main reason of our small confrontation.
Gérard sat on the bed feeling awful because of the memories he was trying to forget. On the other hand, he treated them as a personal punishment for the worst thing he could have ever done.
– When you went missing I was losing myself. Days passed and I, or rather Overwatch, didn't have any clue what happened to you. I couldn't sleep, so I started to drink every night until I fell unconscious. I'm sure you remember the smell of our home. One day I received an e-mail. No subject, no text, not even an address it was sent from. It only had an attachment: a video. The video showed a man hidden in the dark. He told me he was a Talon's agent and that they kidnapped my wife. As a proof they showed a short footage of you, imprisoned and screaming in pain. Saying I was infuriated wouldn't be enough. I promised death to every member of Talon. I threw my computer through a window. Some time later it turned out that this video was the biggest mistake Talon could make.
– What do you mean?
– Amélie-
– That's not my name anymore. Amélie is dead.
– You've been the most important person in my life. I was truly happy that a woman like you chosen me. The words cannot describe my feelings when we rescued you, but I immediately knew something was wrong. I needed no more than a few hours to be certain you are a different person. Talon tried to kill me in the most creative ways. I became incredibly cautious. The mistake they made was showing you in an advanced laboratory, plugged in to weird devices. We knew about great scientists among Talon's agents. Kidnapping you and requesting nothing for your life became suspicious. You may consider this the second stupid mistake. I was ready to give up my life for yours every minute. Overwatch cleared my mind and kept me away from the alcohol. With clear mind we put the pieces together. I loved you but I wasn't stupid. The two weeks we spent together after the rescue were the most painful experience of my life. I knew you didn't love me anymore. I knew you were up to something. I had to sneakily drug you every night before I could realize your true intentions. I never fell asleep first.
– You son of a...! That's why I was always so tired. So what happened the last night?
– I couldn't take it anymore. My heart was in pieces. I knew I must disappear. The thing you shoot was just a well-prepared puppet. It may sound comical but I was hiding in the closet. I don't know what caused more pain: the fact you were ready to kill me without hesitation or the words you said before pulling the trigger.
Regardless how hard Widowmaker tried to keep her disbelief, the story was too accurate to not be true. Her organism started to react in strange ways.
– Maybe I should finish the job, then? This time I will confirm every detail ten times. I suspect you expected me to fall in your arms? Pathetic. I am Widowmaker, a Talon's most relentless and emotionless assassin.
– Emotionless? Let me ask you a question, then. Why did you visit the grave?
– I...
Widowmaker suddenly became silent. She could not find proper words. Something severed a connection between her mouth and the brain. Gérard spoke first, feeling all of his suffering accumulated throughout years striking at once.
– You know, Amélie? I thought I could just explain the past to you. Take away at least some of the burden from my chest and disappear. But it's impossible, I suppose. I... I still love you. My dream is to be with you again. I want our lives back. I'm a failure as a man. I couldn't protect the woman who was the light of my life. No apology would ever be enough... I deserve the death at your hand. The only wish I have is to not look into your eyes. It's too painful. Do what you must. I hope you will someday find your peace. I wasn't able to gift it to you. I'm sorry, my love. Farewell...
Gérard has turned his back at Widowmaker and waited. Seconds seemed to be hours, days even. Only sobbing Gérard was breaking the silence. He didn't hear a gunshot. He heard Widowmaker's voice instead, much softer than ever.
– May I ask you a question now?
Gérard nodded slowly. He preferred to not turn around, but the sound of Widowmaker falling on her knees made him to do so uncontrollably.
– Why didn't you save me?
– Amélie...
– When they imprisoned me... I've never been more scared in my life. The tortures are still hunting me in my dreams. I felt abandoned and forgotten. I hate my fucking life! I'm just a bitch on a Talon's leash!
This meeting, Gérard's voice, face, regret, and confession broke something in Widowmaker. Her feelings, locked up by Talon behind a mighty wall, began to leak through tiny cracks her husband unawarely created.
– How do you know I visited your "grave"?! You were following me?! And you did nothing?! Was it entertaining?! Watching me drugging myself with a growing pile of corpses?! Only a sight and a smell of blood made me feel anything! In those moments I could stop thinking...
Gérard moved slowly towards his wife.
– No, stay away...
He did not listen.
– Stay away! – she yelled, pointing the gun at him again.
Once more, the echo of a gunshot was not audible in the halls of Chateau Guillard. Gérard reached for Widowmaker's weapon. When his fingers grabbed it, she just let him take it away. He kneeled and hugged her like he used to years ago. She did not oppose. Her arms were just hanging limply along her body.
– Since we parted away, there hasn't been a single day in my life without two things: blaming myself and thinking about you. Literally. I promised to myself, and now I can finally promise you as well, that I will get you out of this mess. Today is the first step I made towards my goal. I love you. More than anyone...
She tried so hard to tell she hates him, but she could not lie like that even to herself.
– How can you love me? – Widowmaker asked with slightly shaking lips – I'm a disgusting monster. I cannot be trusted.
– Come. I'll show you something.
Gérard smiled, looking into her beautiful eyes. He took her in front of a dirty large mirror in the bedroom. He wiped off a thick layer of dust with his sleeve.
– Look. – he whispered.
Widowmaker approached the mirror in disbelief. A single tear was running down her cheek. It felt like ages since the last time it happened. Gérard hugged her from behind.
– People will always tell there is no magic in our world. They are convinced it's all tricks. They're wrong. What are you witnessing here, is magic in its purest form. The true self, your feelings and emotions, can't be artificially distorted forever. The most advanced technology and medicine never achieved that and never will. Personality is what makes us humans. Machinery and chemicals are not able to take it away.
– Gérard...
– Yes?
– Save me... Please...
– I'll never fail you again, Amélie.
– Thank you.
They stood before the mirror a bit longer. Amélie was admiring the tear – something she would laugh about an hour ago. She tried to force more by focusing on horrible things she experienced. She quickly realized feelings cannot be forced. She had to take small steps at a time. Her mind became a mess bigger than it ever was but she was convinced someone special is going to help sort it out.