C'est la Mort
The room was black with an ambient red glow resonating from a mysterious seated figure. The bright headlight turned on and beamed down upon the idle woman, revealing her restraints and weaponry that were displayed in front of her on the table. She was eerily silent and stared ahead with amber eyes and a coy blue smirk on her face.
"What happened to Gérard?" An older man asked in a familiar voice from behind his mask.
France use to be the land of love and revelry. The streets of Annecy use to be bright and filled with life. Now the city lies in ruin after the Omnic Crisis. Despite the tremendous amount of damage, the French government vowed to restore the city back to what every francophile dreamt it to be. Overwatch offered to help in its recovery as it was now in its Golden Age. They created ties with a man of great status, Gérard Lacroix, who ended up joining Overwatch after his valiant efforts in taking down terrorist organizations.
Jack Morrison, one of the heads of Overwatch, gladly accepted the new agent and they were now allied with France. Every month, the agents would take a trip to Annecy to discuss their plans involving the restoration of the country as well as the termination of Talon, the most infamous of terrorist groups. The meetings were normally held in Gérard's mansion as he was a very wealthy man.
"The people of France have a sense of hope now that you all are here," Gérard stood at the dinner table with a wine glass raised up high, "My wife and I rest well at night, knowing that we can continue to have a bright future."
"Being a mother myself...I know how important it is to have an impact on the ones we love," Captain Ana Amari states with a glass of water at hand, "We are more than honored to help your family and your people."
"To Overwatch," Jack Morrison raised his beverage to the toast.
"To Overwatch," The other agents responded in unison. The night was filled with delicious food, drink, and the sounds of traditional French music radiating the room. Arriving to the scene was a tall, slender young woman in a black pencil skirt and blazer with a ruffled white blouse underneath. She wore a brunette ponytail up high and had a few strands of hair decorating her widow's peak. Her name was Amélie and she was Gérard's beloved wife.
"Pardonne moi for being so late," She apologized as her high heels tapped against the marble floor.
Gérard smiled, "No worries, ma cherie. What matters is that you are here and well."
They were the absolute definition of the perfect couple. They communicated and worked together as both spouse and coworker. They made most of the Overwatch members simply want to settle down and retire to a peaceful living because they practically idolized their relationship.
"I love your outfit, Amelie," Doctor Angela Ziegler complimented the French woman.
"As I love yours," She responded modestly.
Captain Amari joined in on the conversation and asked, "Do you have plans on visiting any Overwatch bases soon?"
"I would love to...but my heart tells me I should stay here until I feel that all is well."
"I understand," Amari nodded, "Just know that you are always welcome to visit."
"Merci beaucoup."
Soon, Jack and his right hand man Gabriel Reyes rendezvoused with the women and Jack asked, "So...thinking about having any little ones?"
Amélie lightly laughed, "Gérard and I have talked about it...but for now, we are happy as we are."
Amari elbowed the man's side, "They are both so young...they need time to enjoy their freedom."
Amélie placed her fists on her hips and asked the men inquisitively, "Perhaps I should be asking you two about your plans for spouses and children."
Gabriel shook his head with a chuckle, "It's hard to the find time that kind of stuff...I mean you heard what Ana said...we need to enjoy our 'freedom'."
They all share a laugh and continue their time together.
Amélie was adored by the Overwatch agents. She was charming and eloquent with everything she said and did. She collaborated a lot with Gabriel as the two shared a lot of similar characteristics and tactics when it came to handling certain situations. She also spent a lot of time socializing with the Captain and they even considered each other rather good friends. Nevertheless, she never directly worked with Overwatch in their missions. She was a pacifist and merely stood by on the sidelines.
All seemed well as France began to pull itself back together. Omnic and human relations were still a bit hindered but thanks to wise speakers like Tekhartha Mondatta, they brought a sense of security to both man and machine. Gérard continued to take down sectors of the Talon organization and he seemed almost unstoppable. He was an absolute threat to the terrorists from all across the board and they knew that he must be dealt with immediately. It would be a difficult task as he was well guarded and never in the same place at a time. They thought long and hard for what had to be done until finally, they realized there was one person in the world that he trusted and that person can be used against him.
Amélie was taking a stroll in the city. She wanted to buy flowers for the garden from the local flower shop just off the river. She was a regular customer so they knew her quite well. They had flowers already cut just for her and they gladly gave her more than what she paid for. Amélie was grateful for their generosity and was making her way back home. Along the way, she stopped as she noticed something moving about one of the stems to her Calla Lilies. It was a spider that had been hiding just beneath the leaves. In fright, she dropped the bouquet and took a few steps back before inspecting herself of any stray arachnids. She never liked spiders. She had always feared them ever since she could remember. She waited a few minutes before picking the bouquet back up again and to her relief, no spiders.
As she continued her journey, a black car pulls up next to her by the sidewalk.
"Ey Madame!" A man in sunglasses rolls down his window, "Do you mind telling me where le Chateau is?"
"The palace? It is in the haute-savoie department," Amélie pointed towards the approximate direction of the site which happened to be the opposite way the man was going.
He hangs his head out the window and looks back. He then looks at the woman and smirks, "How bout you come on in and show us yourself? I don't trust these damn navigation machines to take me to my location…"
Amélie felt uncomfortable by the stranger so she turned him down politely, "Sorry...But I must return home…" She turned her back to him and continued to walk away.
The man scoffed at her before harshly patting the side of his door. Suddenly, the sounds of the back doors slid open and two tall men in suits exit the car. They quickly walk towards the woman and the moment she glances back at them, she begins to run. She throws the bouquet of white flowers at them in attempts to distract them yet the men do not alter their pace. They easily catch up to her and grab her by each arm. She begins to kick and scream, wanting to cause enough commotion to get any bystanders to notice. A third man arrives and subdues the woman with a rag of chloroform pressed against her nose and mouth. The moment she inhaled the substance, her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she passed out.
The room was pitch black and silent. Amélie awoke to this isolation and panicked, wondering if she were still even alive. She winces at the introduction of a spotlight beaming down on her pale face, almost blinded by its radiance. When her eyes were able to adjust, she looks down at her body and notices that she's tightly bound to a chair with polyester rope.
"Where is Gérard?" A dark male voice asked from the shadows.
Amélie tried to find the owner of the voice yet could not tell where he was so she simply yelled, "I'm not telling you anything!" She could feel her body trembling beneath her binds. Tears soon began to well up in her eyes as fear began to consume her.
"I know you're scared...but we're not going to hurt you."
"Please...Let me go! I want to go home…" She pleaded.
"I'm afraid we can't let you do that…" He speaks in a low voice before snapping his fingers and speaking to other people in the room, "We'll begin her training now."
Amélie was pronounced missing the night she did not return home. Gerard was so distraught by the news that he held off every meeting and mission he had planned just so he could focus on searching for his wife. When Overwatch heard of the news, they immediately went to his side. It was a shock that something like this would happen to Amélie of all people. She was someone who did not have enemies, someone who would not even create them in the first place. Thus, Gabriel took this opportunity to lead the search of their missing friend and ally.
It was about a month until Overwatch could receive any leads to her whereabouts yet as the days passed, the worse her treatment grew from Talon. They subjected her to electric shocks, waterboarding, electronic harassment, brainwashing and other cruel practices to suppress all sense of whom she was and demolish any fragment of hope of ever being rescued. They turned her into a sleeper agent, a powerful weapon that can be used against the people she once knew and loved.
Eventually, they simply let her go. They drove her to a warehouse just outside the city and left her there like an unwanted puppy. Most people would feel overjoyed to be released from captivity, however, Amelie found herself feeling absolutely nothing. The emotions of the people around her had no effect on her own sensibilities. Within an hour, she was tracked down and found by the organization she once adored.
"Amélie! Are...Are you okay?" Gabriel asked as a few unfamiliar squad members joined up with him. He was shocked to see that she seemed virtually unscathed.
"I'm fine." She responds placidly, unable to make eye contact with him.
Gabriel removes his coat and places it around the woman to protect her from the wintery air. He gestures for the team to get the car ready and drive her back home.
Upon their arrival, Gérard runs up to his wife and embraces her. He practically weeps for joy yet she simply stands there like a stone statue. He looks at her and cups her face asking, "What did those bastards do to you? Are you in pain?"
"I'm fine." She replies simply. Her eyes stare blankly at the man she once married. It was difficult to see his wife in those eyes. Perhaps, she was still in shock after being captured. It will take time for her to recover, Gérard convinced himself.
A week passed and Amélie spent her days sitting alone in the dining room. She barely spoke a word to anyone and would only do so if asked a question about her own well-being. When asked about Talon, she refused to relay any sort of information. Gérard wanted revenge for whatever Talon had done to his wife yet his fellow Overwatch members convinced him to hold back and let them handle it.
"You need to stay here with her," Jack tried to reason with the man, "We don't want you ending up in the same situation as she did."
"Why did it have to be her?..." Gérard asked rhetorically, "I'm obviously the one they want...I simply don't understand…"
Captain Amari took pity on the man and she looked at her fellow companions whom had run out of words to say. She sighed and suggested, "Get some rest, Gérard...Amélie is home and she will be back to normal in no time. I promise."
That promise stuck with the man for the following week. Gérard was patient and willing to do whatever it took to restore his wife back to normal just as he did with the city; He had hope for her as he had hope for Annecy. He convinced himself that she was getting better. That even the micro expressions she displayed on occassion was a step closer to her return.
She never did.
It was a night that appeared like any other; the moon was bright and the air was cool. Gérard rested beneath the covers of his king-sized bed as his wife was present at his side. Her eyes were closed but she could not sleep. She knew that today had to be the day.
"It is time," She heard a male voice state through an earpiece that was deeply lodged in her ear canal by Talon.
She made her way out of bed, as if in a trance, and walked over to her drawer. She pulled out a 9mm Beretta pistol with a silencer attached to the barrel. She checked the chamber and released the lock once she saw that it was fully loaded.
Amélie stares down at Gérard's resting body before lifting her weapon. She was required to shoot him in the chest so that his last moments would be slowly filled with pain and betrayal. Despite Talon's tight grasp on her, she knew she could not do something so barbaric to a man she adored.
She gazes at him for a long moment before cocking her gun. She softly whispers, "Je t'aime, Gérard…" Before fatally shooting him in the cranium instead. He dies instantly and painlessly regardless of the blood and bone matter decorating the white bed sheets. Despite this, she felt a surge of pain rush through her heart. A heavy feeling inside her chest yet at the same time, she could not bring herself to respond to it.
"Mission complete." She contacts the overseers.
"Very good. We'll pick you up in 10."
From that moment forward, she had completely given up who she once identified as. She undergone further training and would never return to her former self. In her place would be Widowmaker, a cold-blooded creature who lived for the kill. Her friends and her family were artifacts of her past; to their knowledge they simply believed that Amelie was missing once again.
Overwatch was devastated by the loss of one of their most valued members and friends. It was unknown to them of what exactly happened to Gérard yet soon, they would face their own disbandment after the "deaths" of Jack Morrison, Gabriel Reyes, and Ana Amari. It was by some fate however, that the four of them would cross paths years later.
Reyes joined Talon under the name of Reaper for unclear reasons. He and Morrison had gone their separate ways which only led them to darker paths. Upon joining Talon, Reaper almost could not recognize who Widowmaker was. He only identified her by the characteristics of her face such as her button nose and pouty lips; other than that, she was virtually unrecognizable with her blood deprived skin and violet hair.
"Welcome to Talon," She greets the masked man, "I usually detest newcomers but apparently they say you're good at what you do."
"Likewise." He responds in a guttural tone. He cocks his head slightly, "You're...Amélie...right?"
Widowmaker glares at him and replies, "She's dead. And so is Gabriel Reyes…"
Widowmaker now sits in the interrogation room with its ambient red glow, facing Soldier 76 who asks her about the man she once married. She gazes at her gun and then at her grappling gauntlet. The venom mine next to them added a purple blinking light that reflected off the other objects.
She laughs to herself and responds with a wicked smile,
"Amélie killed him…
and then she killed herself."