Previously on Deadlypen's Overwatch canon:

The recalled Overwatch managed to topple Talon, kill Gabriel Reyes, and get reinstated as the U.N.'s peacekeeping force. In the process, they captured Widowmaker and turned her back into Ameile Lacroix. Through uncertainties, mental episodes, and depression, Ameile is now an Overwatch agent.

During a girl's weekend to Paris, Ameile meets Siegfried Paulis, a former Talon agent who claims to be hunting down other ex-Talon soldiers and killing them. He invites Ameile to join him and make this Overwatch business.

The chapters for these are going to be mostly named after songs from the Rush album, "Vapor Trails." It deals with loss, moving on, depression, that kind of thing.

Special props to ao3 user hot4nialler for coming up with Ameile's Overwatch callsign "Huntress."


Lukas Hase sat on a high-rise table with his 3 friends. It was their usual spot at the local brauhaus, and they were all deep into their third tall glass of Kolner beer, quickly spewing out what they thought of FC Koln in German.

"I'm telling, I'm telling you," one of the friends named Nickolaus went on. "When this new guy Falcao gets on the team, Koln will be unstoppable."

"You're so wrong!" Gerd responded. "The Uruguayans haven't played respectably since the First Crisis."

"He's turning it around, and we'll reap the benefits. We'll certainly be better than Dortmund I'll tell you that much."

"But can he score?" Lukas brought up, the one holding his alcohol the most. "Because that's why we bought the guy. To have a goal-scorer."

"Ooooh, the brain surgeon here thinks scoring is everything in football."

"Again, I just study the brain. I don't do surgeries."

"What about you Rolf? You've done business in Uruguay, seen the proud Uruguayans play. What do you make of this?"

"Well Uruguay is still devastated from the crisis," Rolf explained. "The Omnics really did a number on South America. Small wonder they're concerned more with rebuilding than producing good footballers. So any good player that does come up is like a godsend."

"See here Lukas? We'll have the whole country on our side. A nation of Koln fans. Brings a tear to my eye."

"Yeah, yeah," Lukas said bitterly, getting up from the table. "Uruguay is only one city anyway. This has been fun, but I should get going."

"Oh no," Gerd continued rambling on. "Someone's afraid to test himself."

"I at least like to keep my brain cells, since they're my profession."

"You still on to go to the Frankfurt game?" Nickolaus asked.

"Save a ticket for me. It really depends on work. See you then."

Lukas walked from the brauhaus to the nearest S-Bahn station, riding that until he reached the Humboldt-Gremberg district. Sobbering up a bit from the ride, he walked from the station to his apartment building, one of the last original rises not cleared out for some new stainless steel or glass building. He fumbled in his pockets finding the right key to open the front door.

Lukas walked the steps up the ramshackle building to his apartment on the third floor. The stairs creaked, as usual. Need to tell the landlord to fix that, he thought. Lukas' room was at the end of a hallway, with an unassuming crème colored door. He had a habit of knocking before going inside, even if he knew no one would be there.

"Step into my parlor," a voice on the other side called out.

Lukas immediately filled with panic. Who could be in there? The voice was soft, feminine, and very French. He was sure it wasn't the alcohol getting to him, so someone must be trying to rob him.

Lukas opened and got a quick look inside. In the darkness, with the help of some reflected light shining in from the window, he could see someone lounging in the desk chair. He also noticed glass from the window lying on the floor.

"What are you doing? Get out of here or I'll call the police," was all Lukas could muster before turning on the lights. The figure in the room revealed itself as a woman dressed in all black, apart from a flip-up translucent visor resting on top of her head, holding a colored rifle. Her boots ran all the way up her calves. She had full holsters wrapped around her wide waist. She adorned black gloves perfectly fitting her long fingers. Her black turtleneck and pants accentuated her bodily features. And her black hair hung lose, draping across her back and front.

"What good would that do? I am the police," the woman rose, showing herself to be much taller than Lukas.

"Who are you? What do you want?"

"Don't you recognize the face of your creation?"

Lukas finally put it together after a few moments, considering the visor and the rifle she was holding, a pristine combination of yellow and blue, with the Overwatch logo placed beneath the scope. It looked as if it had the capability for both sniping and close range. And the woman's French accent.

"Widowmaker?" Lukas muttered.

"Oh, now you remember. But sadly, I'm just Ameile Lacroix again."

"How did you find me? How do you even know who I am?"

"A fellow former Talon colleague gave me the names of everyone alive and walking free who turned me into that bitch. And lucky you, you're the first one on that list."

"This is breaking and entering. I see you're with Overwatch now. They'll discipline you for this."

"Overwatch has been chasing runts like you all over the world since Talon fell. They won't have a problem with one ex-terrorist."

"Please, I haven't done anything like that in years! I left before Overwatch started attacking them again! I've been trying to amend things!"

"Let's go over the evidence presented here. Lukas Hase. A Talon scientist specializing in the human brain. Trying to figure how to manipulate certain parts to create more effective, deadly soldiers,"

"Yes that's all true, but I swear I'm doing good now,"

"You'll speak up when I tell you to!" Ameile shouted grabbing Lukas by his shirt and throwing him on the bed. Fear continued to build inside of him. "When one day, Talon asked you to put all that knowledge of the brain to practical use. Brainwash one of their hostages to turn her into a super-soldier for the purpose of killing her husband. You were good, I'll admit that, but Overwatch has people of their own."

"How did you break the conditioning? The safeguards I put in your brain,"

"What did I say?" Ameile raised her voice again, slapping Lukas with enough force to keep him down on the bed. "I already said Overwatch has better people than Talon."

"You're here to kill me? That's it?"

"Obviously. But before I do, I want to make you understand some things about what you put me through."

"Ameile, everyone at Talon did horrible things. I'm guilty of that, I know."

"No! You don't understand! You Talon scum willingly joined. You wanted to harm people and cause chaos. Not me. I suffered as their labrat for nearly 10 years! All that time I'll never get back. Time I'll never spend with Gerard or anyone I cared about."

"You had no complaints when I was done."

Ameile endured the interruptions Lukas made to undercut her train of thought. But with that last one, it sent Ameile nearly over the edge. She pulled a pistol out of a holster and pushed into the German's forehead.

"I ought to kill you right now!" Ameile shouted, before collecting herself to return to her routine, pulling the gun away. "But there would be no satisfaction. You haven't understood yet."

"Ameile, I don't know what more I can possibly say. I was just following my orders. I had no choice!"

"Let me tell you a scenario I want you to play in your head. Close your eyes."

"No. You'll just kill me when I'm not looking."

"I'll kill you right now if you don't close them!"

Lukas obeyed, closing his eyes, but raising his fists, at least willing to put up a fight if anything happens. Ameile sat on the bed across from him, putting her pistol away.

"Do you have a partner or lover?" Ameile asked. "Anyone you care about very deeply?"

"I'm divorced. My wife left me six years ago."

"Well, . . imagine if you're still married. You and your wife live happily together. You're in your career of neuroscience while your wife; let's imagine she's a soldier. And this soldier made some very powerful enemies. But in return, she is too powerful to be stopped on her own. So instead of killing her, they target you instead."

Ameile reached out to grab Lukas by the arms. He flails them, trying to break free, but Ameile's fingernails dig into his skin, refusing to let go. "They kidnap you. Torture you. Try to break you. Turn you into a weapon for the purpose of killing your wife. Do you understand now? Having no control in killing the one you love? Could your mind handle that?"

"Ameile," Lukas mumbled in panic, "I was only following orders. Same as you."

"Do you want to know what happened when your conditioning did break? When my skin came back to this shade and my memories returned? I immediately thought of those I killed. And I panicked. I even thought about killing myself with the weight of all the bad I've done. Even with all the help I got along the way, I still think I'll never fully recover. But at least I can take solace in this. Open up your eyes."

Lukas couldn't feel the grip anymore, so he opened his eyes as ordered, thinking that maybe, something had changed. What he saw was Ameile standing over him on the bed, her head only a few inches from the ceiling. She was aiming the pistol right at his head again.

"In these last few moments of your life, I want you to think about everyone who died as a result of your actions. And I want you to think about me. About the life you robbed me of. Can you do that?"

Lukas just nodded, staring up at Ameile's face, too terrified to break eye contact.

"One last thing I want you to do for me. Tell all your Talon friends in hell that Ameile Lacroix is back."

With that last statement, Ameile pulled the trigger of her pistol, the bullet penetrating Luka's forehead. Blood and brains splattered on the pillows and bedframe as the body lay limp.

Ameile quickly dropped the pistol, jumped off the bed, and rushed for the bag she brought and unzipped. She grabbed a small plastic cylinder and opened it, reaching for one of the pills inside, the medication she had to take. When Ameile first went on Overwatch missions as a member, she constantly suffered from mental episodes by the end of the missions, manly involving Widowmaker memories. As part of her ongoing rehabilitation, Angela developed a medication to help suppress any stress. It certainly helped now.

Ameile went to work staging the cover-up for her act. Lukas' body would remain where it was, no need changing that. She took the pistol and ran the dead man's right hand all over it, getting plenty of fingerprints from him and only him. She placed the gun beside the hand, setting up a simulation of suicide. The pieces of glass lying on the floor had to go too, so Ameile gathered them and tossed them out of the window. There was only the sound of glass breaking when it hit the ground. At least they didn't hit anyone.

The window was next to a fire escape leading to a back alley. She had no problem sneaking in here, and she wouldn't have any trouble leaving. After disassembling her rifle, removing her visor and belt accessories, taking off her gloves, and storing the contents inside the bag, Ameile left the way she came in. She crawled out the broken hole and climbed down the fire escape. No one had seen her get away, but no doubt someone else in the building heard the gunshot. Right now, she didn't care about that detail. It was part of the staged suicide.

It was going to be a long walk to the Cologne train station. 2 miles at least. Need to get going lest she miss her train.

Ameile recalled the times Gerard took her to Germany, mainly on Overwatch business in Berlin. She got the same feel here, though the more industrialized cityscape left the traditional German structures by the wayside. The feeling came from the smells of bratwurst and sauerkraut from all-night restaurants and from whatever German she could hear passerby's speaking in. Considering how much Reinhardt was going on about taking the team to the next Oktoberfest in Munich, along with Siegfried, who she longed to see again, Ameile figured to herself this is something she would have to get used to.

Making her way through the Deutz district, passing by the city's hockey arena, Ameile got the feeling she was being followed. She didn't know anyone in this city. She did her job, and wanted to move on. What could anyone want with her? Did they know she just murdered someone? Ameile turned to look behind her and indeed, there were two people following her. But it wasn't any armed men she fears it would be. Instead, it was two girls, no more than teenagers, giddy with excitement.

"Sehen? Ich sagte dir es ist sie!" (See? I told you it's her!) one of them said. Ameile wasn't fluent in German, but did know enough to make out how excited they were to see her.

"Sprichst du Englisch?" (Do you speak English?) Ameile replied, her French accent not complimenting the German phrase well.

"Oh yes, of course," the same girl said, still trying to contain herself. "We saw you walking by the restaurant we were eating at a few blocks ago and Agatha here swore that it was Huntress."

"Well I was right, wasn't I?" Agatha said.

Ameile still hadn't gotten used to how Overwatch members were worldwide celebrities in the public's eyes. True, Gerard had to deal with the matter all the time, but she hardly found herself in that position. Even the recognition she got as a ballet dancer was nothing compared to what Overwatch got. It was odd, being recognized as a soldier. How did Lena, Angela, Winston, everyone deal with this so much?

"So you're fans of my work then?" Ameile asked.

"Yes, we're very gay for you," Agatha told her.

"Um, thanks," Ameile wasn't sure how to take that.

"We think it's about time Overwatch finally got some attractive women out in the field," Agatha continued on. "Mercy only does medical work, we hardly know what Pharah's body is like under that suit of hers, and we really don't like Tracer's voice. But oh, this beautiful, full, French woman who can snipe? We're down with that!"

Despite the adoration, Ameile started getting restless. These kids better not make her late for her train.

"What do you want? An autograph or something?" Ameile said eager to get this over with.

"We want a picture with you, me and Frieda here," Agatha offered, pulling out her phone.

"Okay, make it quick. I have to catch a train," Ameile responded, not seeing the harm. If Lena could mingle with the public so easily, why shouldn't she as well? Agatha and Frieda leaned against Ameile, with Agatha holding her phone up in the air. They made open-mouthed smiles and pointed their thumbs at the woman behind them. Ameile just gave a smirk, thinking the matter was silly. But hey, if it makes these people happy.

"And we're good," Agatha said, her and Frieda bunching up to see if their photo was okay. "Thank you Huntress! What's in that bag of yours?"

"Intel equipment," Ameile lied, having thought this out beforehand. "I'm here to investigate ex-Talon splinter group activity."

"Oh really? Did you find anything?" Frieda asked.

"I didn't. No need to worry. Cologne is safe. I really have to catch a train back to headquarters now. It was nice meeting you," Ameile rushed to say, starting to walk away from the two girls.

"You too Huntress. Keep on kicking ass!" Frieda and Agatha both called out, still giggling to themselves how they met an Overwatch agent.

Ameile reached a pedestrian bridge crossing the Rhine, seeing the station and the famous Kolner Dom on the other side. The Gothic cathedral was lit with yellow lights, making it an intimidating presence looking on from the Rhine. Maybe that place is still open, Ameile thought. Do I have time to pray? She ultimately decided against it, prioritizing making it to the station. A mental note was made to pray later.

The station as Ameile arrived was moderately populated. People were mainly getting on and off the U-Bahn, making their way home for the night. Some were gathered at the all-night café trying to get something to stay awake. Ameile couldn't be bothered with people-watching for long. She headed straight for the main gate, pulled out her crumpled-up train ticket from her pocket, presented it to the teller in a booth, and was told her train would be at platform 5, and it would arrive shortly.

Ameile reached the platform, with few others waiting for the train as well. The glass ceiling above her provided a view of the cathedral's towers. Whatever's inside there, Ameile thought, traditional Christianity, the Iris, or something else, let that forgive me for what I did tonight. Something that needed to be done. Something to let these demons rest at last. Her thoughts were cut short by an announcement overhead.

"Plattform fünf. Der Zug nach Madrid kommt." (Platform 5. The train to Madrid is arriving.)

Sure enough, the white and red-striped train entered the station, mostly full in the first two cars with travelers from Berlin. Ameile stepped into the fourth car, trying to avoid sitting next to anyone else. Ameile found a group of 4 seats facing each other, with enough room to let her bag rest beside her and to stretch her legs out. No one else in the car sat by her, making her relaxing all the more easy. In 6 hours, most of that time in her sleep, she would arrive in Madrid, where she would change trains en route to Gibraltar. By late morning, she would be back at the headquarters. Hopefully few would bother inquiring about her business more than they had.

Ameile pulled out her phone waiting for the train to leave. She started texting Siegfried, unaware if he was still awake at this hour.

Ameile: Lukas Hase is taken care of. Cross that name off your list.

She was surprised that the response came so quickly, less than a minute later.

Siegfried: Good to know. Were you caught?

Ameile: No one saw me. People will think it was suicide.

Siegfried: Ok. Take a few days to your own. I'll let you know about next target. :)

Ameile: ;)

Ameile put the phone back in her pocket, trying to ease herself into sleep. The overhead speakers came on, with an announcement to make. "Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, der Zug fährt ab. Diese Linie endet in Madrid ab, mit Zwischenstationen in Brüssel, Paris, Lyon, Marseille und Barcelona. Entspannen und genießen Sie die Fahrt." (Ladies and gentlemen, the train is about to depart. This line terminates in Madrid, with intermediate stops in Brussels, Paris, Lyon, Marseille and Barcelona. Relax and enjoy the ride.)

With the train leaving the station, Ameile felt her phone vibrating. Upon pulling it out, she saw Lena's name. It was half past 12. Why was she doing calling this time of night? Ameile told Lena earlier she would be in Cologne taking care of something, without going into too much detail, and would be fine. Still, she at least liked to hear the Brit's voice, unlike the German girls from earlier. It grew on her since they became best friends.

"Salut Lena, what is it?"

"Just wondering when you're gonna be back, love. You missed the mission briefing."

"I imagine my task is the same as every mission."

"Winston said he's going to have a one-on-one with you about this."

"What for? I just provide sniper support. Get on the rooftops and fire."

"But you don't know where you'll be positioned, where to go, how to get around."

"Need I remind you how skilled I am at jumping rooftops? Not to mention Satya's teleporters. Why's Winston so acted up?"

"This is our biggest lead on Sombra since Talon fell. He just wants everything to be perfect, you know? Nip any Talon resurgence in the bud."

"Look Lena, I'm on a train going back to Gibraltar right now. And I'm really tired. Can we talk about it when I get back?"

"No problem. Just letting you know you're gonna be in for it."

"When am I not, with all the stupidity you drag me into?"

"You know we need to be conscious of new recruits with peanut allergies!"

"Hiding the peanut butter is not how to do that!"

Lena was just giggling on the other side, and Ameile followed. She liked putting Ameile in embarrassing situations, like hiding all the peanut butter from Winston. Whether it was new agent hazing or just friends being friends, the two definitely got their kicks out of it.

"Sometimes Lena, I wish you did kill me so I wouldn't deal with your foolishness."

"Come on, you know you like it."

Ameile really did like the time she spent with Lena. The only downside was that they met under such bizarre circumstances. It isn't often that two people that first meet trying to kill each other end up being best friends. As Jack could attest, it's usually the other way around. Still, Ameile was grateful Lena was by her side, the Brit managing to get past the Widowmaker aspects Ameile wouldn't expect anyone to overlook.

"Lena, Lena curzzzzz. Oh no the signal is cutting out curzzzzzzz. The German countryside has no reception."

"We both know you're not getting out of talking to me that easily."

"Lena, I have a long train ride back, and I'd like to get some sleep."

"Okay, you go on to sleepytime junction then. See ya in the morning love."

"Adieu Lena. See you tomorrow," Ameile finished as she hung up. Upon turning the volume of her phone off and putting it back in her pocket, Ameile reclined her seat back, once again attempting to fall to sleep.


Soundtrack:

Came Back Haunted – Nine Inch Nails

One Little Victory – Rush