Just wanted to say real quick that I'm so grateful for all the reviews and favourites that this story has got so far! Honestly, I wasn't expecting much at all. Hope you like this new chapter, loves!
Quick disclaimer that I don't own Overwatch or the characters, I mean if I did, all the gays would be canon.
Lena yawned, rubbing at her tired eyes before taking a sip of her coffee. She hadn't slept peacefully; the assassin had constantly plagued her mind until the early hours of the morning, causing her brain to unsuccessfully shut down for the night. She was knackered, to say the least. She sat in the cafeteria, which was pretty empty, save for a few agents. At least the normal bustling had returned to the base, making the atmosphere feel more homely.
Groaning, she lay her face down on the cold table surface, which felt soothing to her throbbing head. She probably looked like death warmed up, felt like it too.
The Brit didn't even have the energy to look up as someone approached her table and sat down, deciding to close her eyes instead. She felt a single finger prod her head a few times before grumbling and batting it away, glancing up to see who it was.
"You look terrible. Late night, was it?" Hana's grinning face coming into view as she rapidly blinked her eyes into focus.
Lena thunked her head back down and grunted in response, not in the mood for idle chit-chat. For how normally cheery her demeanour was, she wasn't much of a morning person, especially without a decent amount of sleep. How Hana could stay up late on her live streams all night and still be perfectly functional the next day, was beyond her.
"Bad dreams? Or was there a girl involved?" Lena could hear the smirk in her voice. She almost snorted at how close Hana's guessing was. She'd wished for some peace and quiet, though if she knew Hana at all, the younger girl wouldn't let it go.
Propping her elbows on the table and resting her chin in her hands, Lena opened one eye to squint at Hana as best she could.
"Sod off."
Hana laughed, giving Lena her undivided attention. That was surprising, usually there was a game console or phone in between them. "Oho so there is a girl involved. I knew it!" She looked pleased with herself. "Come on then, who's the unlucky girl?"
"You cheeky little- it's none of your bloody business!" Lena growled, a faint blush tainting her cheeks. She was tempted to tell the gamer exactly who she was thinking of, just to wipe the grin off her face.
Imagine the horror on her face, I'm almost tempted.
"Aw come on-"
"Lena, a word please?"
Angela chose the exact right moment to make her way over to their table. Lena sighed in relief, thankful to be spared the hassle of Hana's interrogation. Dragging herself to her feet, she left the table to follow Angela, pausing to turn back and pull a face at Hana before making her way through the door.
The medic didn't speak a word until she had led Lena down the hall and into her med-bay, ushering the girl in and closing the door firmly behind her.
The med-bay was bright and clean looking, various medical apparatus were stocked on the nearby shelves. She's definitely not struggling for any medic supplies, Lena thought, noticing the many medical kits and sterile instruments decorating the walls and littering the counters. She noticed a rather scary looking machine hanging from the ceiling, looming over her.
Nursing the mug in her hands, Lena sat down in the nearest chair, waiting for Angela to speak first; the silence stretched on, making her fidget in her chair. Did she overhear Hana talking about a girl? Is that why she called her in here?
God, I hope she doesn't go into her 'mother mode'.
Angela sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "I overheard Hana, please don't tell me this girl is who I think it is…"
Even worse. Bollocks.
Lena's eyes widened, no longer feeling sleep deprived. She hadn't expected Angela to already guess who it was, at the most she had expected to be given a talking to, maybe even lectured or forced to endure her advice.
Was there any point in trying to deny it? Really? Lena wasn't much good at lying, Angela knew this especially.
…
Course she'd try.
"I-I, um... who?" Lena gave her a look, feigning innocence.
Nailed it.
Angela's eyes narrowed at the young girl. So this is how she wanted to do this. "Lena, I am serious."
She sighed. No point in hiding it, the medic knew her too well- that and she was a crap liar. Setting her mug down on the closest surface, she turned back to the older woman, not quite looking her in the eye.
"It's nothing, honest. Not like I'm boinking her, Ange."
Angela wrinkled her nose at that but didn't say anything, waiting for Lena to continue.
"I just… We talked. Y'know, when you called my comms link? I think I'm making a bit of progress- or well, she didn't try to shoot me… this time." She mumbled the last part under her breath. Lena kept out the part about Widowmaker's curious ogling, thinking it was best that Angela didn't know.
The medic blinked in surprise. Whatever she was expecting, it wasn't this. The fact that Widowmaker had actually talked to Lena instead of attacking was unnerving. Did she have a motive? Was she trying to gain her trust? What was the reason for the sudden turn around?
As far as she remembered, the assassin never gave anyone the chance to even come close to talking to her. A woman of few words. Always shoot first and… shoot more later. Never talking. At least, that was what Widowmaker was like, Amélie was another story altogether.
"Ange?"
The doctor was pulled out of her thoughts at the call of her name, looking over the young girl. She looked so small without her accelerator casing, noticing the small circle of light beaming through her shirt.
"I actually wanted to ask you something, love." Lena told her, looking down at her twisting hands that rest in her lap. Angela leaned back against the door, arms crossed and waiting for her to continue.
"Do you reckon it'd be possible that her reconditioning is failing? She seems to be showing a bit more emotion than usual, and I get the feelin' she doesn't care much for Talon, like when she heard you say my name-"
Angela's eyes widened, bringing a hand up to her mouth in shock. "Mein gott, you failed to mention that she acquired your name, Lena!"
"It's alright, really! It actually looked like she was a bit reluctant to spill my name to Talon, that's what I wanted to tell you. When I asked her if they had files on us, she replied with- 'not as many as they would have liked'." she recited, trying and failing to put on her best Widowmaker impression. "She said 'they', not 'we' or 'us', it's like she's not associating herself!"
It looked like Angela struggled to form words; opening and closing her mouth a few times without uttering a word. The medic wondered if the girl was really onto something, or if she was grasping at short straws. If she was onto something and Widowmaker actually was reaching out to her, it could change everything. So many possibilities could arise, like breaking Talon from the inside.
If Widowmaker wasn't however… Angela didn't want to think about what could happen to Lena. For all they knew, the assassin could be on a mission of her own. Gain the girl's trust, extract information- what if Lena became the next Talon pet project? The medic tried not to visibly shudder at the thought.
Through her silence, Lena took it as an invitation to carry on. If she could gain Angela's approval, it could prove useful.
Deciding to bite the bullet, Lena chose to be blunt with her next question.
"I know this is asking a lot, Angie… And I expect you want more proof, but if you'd be willing, I'd like your help to bring Amélie back."
The look on Angela's face… you could have sworn Lena had hit her.
"You want to do what?!" The medic gave her an incredulous look, as if questioning her sanity. "Lena, you cannot be serious…? We don't even know if Amélie is still-"
Lena cut her off, a look of desperation passing over her features.
"I know what I saw!" She stood up, walking up to the shocked medic and grasping at her hands. "Please believe me when I say that I know she's in there somewhere, and I'm sick to death of seeing her suffer."
The pleading look on Lena's face made the doctor's features soften, a pitying expression taking the place of her incredulous one. A sad smile gracing her lips.
"It is not you I don't trust, Süße. It's her I don't trust."
The Brit sighed and gripped Angela's hands tighter in hers, desperately. "Put your trust in me then, doc. I can do this."
Despite the situation being one of uncertainty and mystery, Lena's voice never wavered. Confidence and determination laced through her tone, and she seemed to be firmly committed to this cause.
It almost made the medic believe her.
Almost.
"I'll… think about it. I would be grateful for some more proof and I'm making no promises. If Widowmaker is a willing participant then I shall help, but this is for you, Lena."
The look on Lena's beaming face could have brightened anyone's day; her eyes widened, creasing in the corners from how widely she was smiling, a huge grin splitting her cheeks. It was a look of pure happiness.
Surging forward, Lena planted a big kiss on the medic's cheek, making a loud mwah! noise. She excitedly bounced on her feet. "You won't regret this, love! You're the best!"
The medic blinked a few times in surprise, not expecting Lena to be as exuberant. She gave the girl a small smile in return.
The Brit bounded out the door, unable to control her dizzying excitement and leaving the doctor alone with her own thoughts.
Angela only hoped that Lena was right about all of this.
The flight back to the Talon Base had gone pretty smooth for Widowmaker, despite the fact that a Talon doctor was persistently badgering her. She sat in the dark cockpit, tuning out most of what her newest annoyance was talking about.
She never saw his face, as usual, most Talon operatives wore masks. Whether it was at their choosing or a formality, she wasn't sure. He wore a dark grey lab coat which hung from his scrawny frame.
At first, he started asking question about how well her conditioning was holding up, if she needed any maintenance. Even after declining, he still insisted at least on giving her a coolant, something to slow her heart down but not enough to suppress her emotions, or make her forget.
She feigned disinterest as she felt the sharp pinprick of a cold needle point pierce the skin of her neck. It wasn't painful, the assassin rarely felt pain- or rather, she was used to it. The pain of reconditioning had made any other type of pain feel like a tickle.
The assassin sighed in relief as she felt the cold liquid seep through her veins; her heart slowing down to its regular speed- almost to a stop, but not quite. She still felt the slow beat against her chest.
Thump…. Thump…... Thump.
After pulling the syringe from her neck and disposing it, the man checked over his supplies, as if wondering what else to give her. Before he could ask however, the French woman interrupted him.
"That will be all. Merci, docteur." She stood up, sauntering her way over to a quiet corner, her hair swishing back and forth after her. Most of the time, the assassin wished to be alone; people irritated her to no end, and this man was already trying her otherwise perfect patience.
"But-"
"Do you want to know what I really need, docteur?"
She fixed him with one of her famous glares, her cold, golden eyes narrowing and boring into his. It wasn't wise to let slip too much emotion, lest Talon think that she was cracking, though the fear showing through the man's actions was worth it.
"A kill."
If only looks could kill.
"R-right." He coughed, his slimy voice sounding rather pathetic to her ears. He started hastily packing away his things and backing away slowly out the door, as if afraid he might startle a dangerous predator.
That's right. Courir, petite peste.
Widowmaker loved the way she could instill fear upon someone, or at least she felt a small amount of satisfaction. Even the agents at Talon were afraid of her, many going so far as to avoid her altogether. To many people, that might sound rather lonely.
Widowmaker preferred the quiet loneliness however.
She sat down on one of the many Talon stamped cargo crates, keeping her back ramrod straight. The deep thrum and rattle of the ship doing little to relax her.
With nothing else to do and to keep herself occupied, the assassin chose to look over her weapons. Keeping the maintenance up on her gadgets was something she did often, one of the few things she actually enjoyed doing. It kept her busy, enough so that her mind wouldn't wander too far.
Her weapons were her most prized possessions, or rather, her only possessions. She hadn't taken anything from her old life, apart from her late husband's life.
Gérard…
That made her pause. The assassin remembered him vaguely, even now. She supposed he had been handsome, now that she thought about it; with his dark curly hair, the piercing blue eyes and the whiskery stubble that was considered fashionable at the time.
She loved him, or at least she had loved him. As soon as Widowmaker was born, she felt nothing towards the man. Killing him was easy, even though it was her first kill.
Ah, my first kill.
Widowmaker remembered that particular memory vividly.
A small bullet wound right between the eyes as he slept; the blood gushing from the wound she left behind. She remembered standing at the foot of the bed, still clutching the pistol in her hands as she looked down at his still, unmoving body, still covered by the cream bed sheets which were slowly becoming blood stained.
She had stood there for quite some time, the feeling of emptiness taking over. Not quite Widowmaker but no longer Amélie either. She felt nothing, not alive like she was promised, just nothing. Nothing as she looked down the barrel of the gun, which was still smoking from the shoot she had taken.
It was Ironic actually, that he'd died from the gun he'd given to Amélie for protection, the gun she'd kept a hand on underneath her pillow as she slept. The French woman hadn't even hesitated when placing a bullet through his head.
She always wondered why she hadn't felt anything, but how could she? How could she feel anything after killing an unmoving target? There was no thrill, no excitement, it felt as if she had aimed at a statue.
A jolt from the ship's engine pulled her from her thoughts, a slight throbbing sensation split through her temple, making her grimace. Thinking about memories, whether hidden deep or close to the surface always tended to cause her headaches.
She often had dreams, small glimpses of her life before Talon. The assassin wrinkled her nose at the thought. She used to be weak, a pitiful, overshadowed housewife. Talon had enhanced her, made her into a super weapon, their best sniper. Widowmaker was superior in every way. She was better now, wasn't she?
… Am I?
She looked down at the blue skin of her arm, tracing her fingertips over the black lines that made up her tattoo.
Cauchemar. A living nightmare.
Amélie was never given the option on whether or not she wanted to be altered- no, brainwashed. Never got given the choice on whether she wanted a normal life, or a dangerous one.
Now that she thought about it, she wasn't given many choices at all. Always told what to eat or how to dress, given the minimum amount of sustenance, just enough to be able to survive. The same thing everyday.
Her life was dull, thought it was mostly all that she remembered. How could she miss something that she had forgotten? The thrill of the kill was the only thing she looked forward to, the only thing that made her feel.
That and…
Tracer.
She scowled. The foolish girl was starting to become bothersome.
Although their meetings were spontaneous, making her look forward to each and every one. Tracer felt more like a dance partner than her enemy; they had learned each other's moves, making it almost impossible to hit the other.
Not that she would admit it, but she felt some enjoyment from the ex-pilot's company. Something like a spice added to flavour her dull life.
Widowmaker let out a small sigh.
Doesn't help to dwell on such things.
She procured a rota from Reaper as soon as she had arrived on the aircraft earlier. Looking down at it now, she noticed that she had a new assassination mission tomorrow, which she needed to prepare for.
With any luck, a certain Overwatch agent would be there to entertain her, and that tomorrow would bring her the answers that she needed.