It was eerily quiet on the Thames that night, noted Basil, as he stood watch on the docks of the warehouse. He hoped the rest of the night would be more interesting. A gang of rats? Maybe a drunken idiot that decided to step foot into the compound. He hoped it was the latter, he'd been waiting to test out his new gun for weeks. Sadly, Talon recruited well, and aside from that skirmish with those ex-Overwatch members several months back, they'd had no action whatsoever. Basil shuddered, poor Kenneth had his legs broken by that giant gorilla, now he was stuck in plaster for three months.
Yes, Basil decided, gripping his gun with vigor. If he ever got the chance to use his gun on those stupid agents-
His thought was broken by the feeling of something wrapping around his neck. Glancing down, he saw a tendril of light coil itself around his collarbone, before the it twisted sharply, and everything went black.
Adelaide hovered down from her perch on a nearby roof, using light particles to slow her down. Glancing around, she hoisted the man up, tossing in a supply crate and shut the lid firmly. Dusting her hands off, she surveyed the area.
Luckily Talon seemed to employ its most talented agents elsewhere, as the guards on the perimeter had proved simple at best. But she supposed stronger opponents lay inside, through several inches of steel that made up the doors to the warehouse.
Adelaide pursed her lips, before noticing a skylight on the roof of the warehouse, cracked open ever so slightly. But that was all she needed. Conjuring a platform, she floated up, grasping on to the roof before slipping inside.
She pressed herself against the wall. The warehouse was dimly lit. Perfect, she thought, sneaking a glance over to a large stack of boxes, marked for transportation. Two guards leant against it, well dressed in armor and combat fatigues. Three patrolled the catwalks above, and one guarded an exit at the back of the room. They were too close together to take them out quietly. No, she'd have to go in loud. She unclipped her pistol, switching the safety off and loading the chamber with explosive bullets. Luckily, she was prepared for loud.
She sent a light particle behind several boxes to the left of her and knocked over a small metal container. Instantly all guards were on alert, their backs turned to her and guns trained on that spot. She grinned, bringing her pistol up to aim.
"Right where I want you…" she murmured, before pulling the trigger, and the room exploded.
She managed to catch her first target right between the shoulder blades, and his shields dropped. Another shot and he was down, unmoving on the floor. The others were not so slow and immediately caught on to her ruse, turning their weapons to her spot. She threw herself back behind the wall, bracing herself as rounds impacted behind her.
"You only have yourself to blame Adelaide!" she yelled, brows scrunching up in annoyance. With a flick of her wrist she sent an arc of light particles out, throwing two guards down on the floor. With a break in the firing, she leant out of cover, firing more shots outward.
"You said to yourself you'd never work with Overwatch again, but nooo you just had to go and accept this stupid mission didn't you?!" she continued, ducking back behind the wall.
She heard fast footsteps approaching as a guard stormed round her corner, intent on catching her by surprise. She threw a light tendril up, grabbing his ankle before slamming him onto the floor. Jamming her heel in between his neck she twisted hard, hearing the snap of bone. Two down, four to go.
She growled in annoyance, sprinting from her cover and making for several large crates to her left. "You couldn't have just gone on holiday somewhere and sipped a martini could you? No, you had to play the stupid hero!" she cried out, reloading her pistol quickly before firing more shots.
"Who the hell are you talking to?!" A guard yelled.
"Myself, thanks very much!" Adelaide yelled back, leaning out of cover to check her positioning. Suddenly she felt white hot pain in her shoulder. Crying out, she inspected the wound, seeing blood seep through her gear. She gritted her teeth.
"Keep her busy!" she heard a guard yell, spotting him sprint to the back of the warehouse.
"Remain calm Adelaide…" she muttered, ignoring the bullets flying past her. "Remember what Grandfather taught you. Don't let your emotions rule you." But the wound pulsed even stronger in response, unheeding her words. She heard several sets of footsteps approaching and growled.
"Put your hands up freak!" A guard yelled, reloading his rifle. "You've got nowhere to run!"
Adelaide's eyes flashed golden, all notion of control forgotten.
"Don't call me a freak you bastard!" she screamed, throwing out her hands. Golden light spread across the floor, trailing up the guard's legs and anchoring them to the ground. Adelaide stepped out of cover, her gaze hot and furious. The guards aimed, but found themselves frozen, the light holding their limbs down.
Adelaide raised her hand, aiming it at the guards. A white light began emanating from her palm, growing stronger every second. With a roar she released it, powering through the guard's bodies and through the wall of the warehouse, leaving a crater in its wake. Debris rained from the ceiling as she dropped her hands, gasping for breath. Her knees shook with strain, and she collapsed, bearing her weight down on her arms. With heaving breaths, she mentally tallied
"That was...three guards." she said to herself, slowly standing back up. "But there were four left…"
She heard the loading of a gun from behind her and sighed. "Oh god." she moaned, before being thrown across the room.
Quickly standing up, she faced a mech, piloted by the final guard approaching her, guns on either side of each arm.
"You're gonna pay for this you bitch!" he yelled, engaging the mech's thrusters as he flew toward her.
Adelaide flexed her right hand, but felt no power there. Her shoulder had become numb and she'd burnt herself out with her last attack. Unable to conjure up a shield, she tried to move to the side in vain, before feeling the mech's metal arms dig into her abdomen with a thud. She heard the guard cry out, having misjudged the power of the thrusters. The two went careening out through the hole in the warehouse door and plunged into the Thames' dark water. Deeply winded, Adelaide fought for breath, before feeling the mech's hand clamp around her ankle, dragging her down into the depths. She struggled, feeling pressure build on her chest. The guard laughed through the mech's window, increasing the pain on her ankle.
"Looks like you're gonna drown here after all!" he sneered. Adelaide felt the last of her air bubbles escape from her mouth and looked up at the surface, seeing the brightly shimmering moon through the water.
She thought of Tracer, of Winston, of every Overwatch member as she drifted, the pain on her ankle numbing to match her shoulder. She thought of how yet again she had let those she cared about down. How she'd let John down in the past.
No.
Her eyes flared golden once more as rage ignited in her body. The thought of letting someone down again fuelled her, pushed her to fight. Using the last grains of her strength she fired a beam through the mech's window, striking the guard through the head. She would not submit to her fears any more. The mech's vice-like grip dropped from her ankle and like a shot she pushed to the surface, reaching for that precious oxygen that lay above her.
She burst out of the water with a gasp, weakly grasping the side of the docks. Pulling herself up, she allowed herself to collapse, choking up water with each inhale. Her body came back to life, bringing with it all the pain from her wounds. She cried out, curling up into a ball as she shivered from the cold air, her head hot with pain and fatigue.
After several minutes she slowly stood, favouring her undamaged leg as she limped to the exit. Taking a look at the smouldering wreckage, she allowed herself the pride at knowing the mission was complete.
"God…" she moaned, bracing a hand against a wall, the other clutching her side. "Charleston is going to kill me."
"I'm going to kill you." her butler stated quietly, tightening a bandage around her ankle with more force than necessary. Adelaide winced, fingers digging into her plush sofa.
"You've said that three times now already." she commented weakly. Charleston rose his head to stare at her. If the Omnic had eyes, she guessed they'd be burning through her skull.
"You are hereby on bed rest for a whole week." he said, standing up and packing away their medical supplies. Adelaide guffawed, testing the movement in her shoulder and ankle.
"I don't have a week Charleston." she replied. "I need to get back to normalcy, otherwise I'll go crazy."
"Is this what you call normalcy?" her butler countered. "Miss Adelaide you are badly hurt. There's no shame in taking a week's rest."
Adelaide sighed. "I guess I've been a bit rusty with my powers for a while." she admitted. "It's not like I've been training much as of late."
Charleston approached her, placing a gentle hand on her good shoulder. "Please take better care of yourself Miss Adelaide." he said gently. "I'd hate to lose my job, I rather like it to be honest."
Adelaide smirked. "You just like it because you get to wear fancy waistcoats." she shot back.
"Perhaps." her companion replied. "I'm also partial to the fancy aprons as well."
Adelaide chuckled, the tension dissipating in the air. "Alright, you win Charleston." she said, gingerly making for the stairs to her room. Charleston supported her, one hand pressed against the small of her back. "I'll take a few days off."
The Omnic's hand pressed a little harder than necessary and she yelped. "Alright alright!" she cried, "A whole week!. Charleston hummed, contented as the two made their way slowly to her bedroom.
Adelaide sat on her bed, running a brush through her hair as Charleston closed the curtains. "Do you think it's a good idea?" she asked.
"What is a good idea. madam?" Charleston replied, turning to face her. Adelaide was quiet for a moment as she put the brush down.
"Rejoining Overwatch." she answered, determination and fear mixed in her eyes. Charleston thought for a moment, seemingly focused on straightening out a bedsheet.
"I believe that something is needed to help the troubles of the world." he said, before turning to face his friend once again. "But whether or not you choose to help to solve these problems lies with you alone, madam."
He made for the door, dusting his palms off together. "I believe you should get some rest madam." he said. Adelaide nodded in reply. "Thank you Charleston." she said, heavy gratitude seeping through her words. The Omnic simply bowed, closing the door gently.
Adelaide lay back gingerly on her bed, staring up at the ceiling with only the sound of her breathing accompanying her.
"What should I do John?" she whispered, eyes sliding closed. Her question met with obvious silence, and she sighed, letting sleep overcome her.
Down the hallway, Charleston began a video call. "Charleston!" a cheery voice loudly rang through the speakers. "What can I do for you?". He bowed slightly, inclining his head.
"Miss Oxton, I believe there is something we must discuss."