- 8 Years Ago -

"It's truly an honor to have you visit our fine city, Mr. Maximilien, this will surely go a long way in strengthening human and omnic relations." a well-dressed Middle Eastern man was walking alongside an equally well-dressed omnic, the two were surrounded by a small entourage. They were touring several of Oasis' important buildings, the one they were currently residing in was the university.

"Of course," the smooth yet still cold and metallic voice of Maximilien responded, "but the honor is mine, to be given a personal tour by the Minister of Tourism himself," he tucked his arms neatly behind his back as they continued down the long, ornate hallway, "it is my hope that we can come to be on good terms."

It was sort of an open secret that Maximilien was a fairly influential member of the Talon organization. A group that was known for playing both sides of the field, their goals being primarily focused on what benefited them. In Oasis, a person's reasons, motivations, goals, were not all that important; so long as they kept the peace and desired to further advance medicine and technology.

This particular omnic was also a businessman, being in his good graces would be mutually beneficial. Not that Oasis had any issues financially, it was just always a good practice to have a wide assortment of friends.

As the group arrived at their final tour destination, they were met with a very large and open room. It was the university's genetic's lab, seeing as their Minister of Genetic's had not graced them with her presence at the initial greeting, they decided to visit her directly.

"Dr. O'Deorain, busy as usual I see." the male Minister greeted upon seeing the redhead.

Dressed in what looked to be semi-formal clothes, covered by a form-hugging lab coat, Moira appeared as if she had been in the middle of getting ready but found something far more interesting to pass her time with. The tone in the other's voice was not lost on her though, but seeing as she was in the middle of prodding what looked to be a malformed frog creature, she blatantly ignored it.

"You do realize that your position as Minister comes with certain obligations..."

"Yes, obligations that far outweigh your own." The Irishwoman cut in, looking up at the door where the group was standing. Her gaze peering over a thin visor and studying each face, noting that some had chuffed at her directness.

A grunt of disapproval and resignation cleared the man's throat as he turned to Maximilien, "I apologize, I..." he stopped, the other had raised a hand to silence him.

"No, it's quite alright," the omnic walked further into the lab and paused to stare down at whatever bizarre experiment was being conducted, "what was so important that you felt the need to stand me up Miss. O'Deorain?"

Having gone back to her business but forced to look up again, the look she gave Maximilien was about as unreadable as the omnic's. She then set her tools down and stood up, now towering over the seemingly unfazed businessman.

"I'm glad you asked-" there was a hint of bite in her words, almost defensive, not that she could be blamed. After all, her reasons for being there were primarily centered around Oasis' lack of meddling and willingness to not allow morality to get in the way of progress. Or simply put, most people considered what she did unethical. "this is a test to see the viability of genetic modification and customization."

The omnic said nothing, which she took as reason enough to continue.

"With this, we would be able to not only advance human potential but completely irradicate certain biological illnesses." at this, her excitement had peeked through an otherwise perfectly professional explanation. Something Maximilien picked up on immediately.

"Fascinating," a word Moira had not expected to hear, "well, good luck. I look forward to seeing your progress."

Opening her eyes to darkness, Moira remained still and waited. It was silly really, she knew she was conscious and that she was not in cryo anymore. But there was a part of her that still wondered how she didn't notice not waking up for eight years. So, she would wait, wait until her eyes adjusted to the minimal light of her small room. Wait as the smell of dust and earth reached her nose and filled her head. The distant sound of doors and muffled voices and footsteps that passed by. And once she felt sufficiently sure that she was, in fact, awake, she slowly sat up and turned so that her bare feet touched the cold stone floor.

Most people didn't appreciate waking up and walking on a cold floor, Moira, on the other hand, welcomed it as just another means to ensure she was awake. It was still taking her some time to adjust, being awake, being in any state that wasn't nearly sterile. There was getting dirty doing lab work and then there was being in a constant state of being constantly dirt covered. Or maybe she was just feeling gross. At least in Oasis she could shower whenever she felt like it, which was often. In this new life, water wasn't exactly difficult to come by, it's just that the company was a bit of a deterrent.

It was at least welcomed that Commander Reyes, Gabriel, was for his own reasons giving her the benefit of the doubt. Whatever that meant in this case.

As she opened the door, towel in hand and standard issue bar of soap, the displaced scientist was met by the all too familiar gruff expression Gabriel wore. There were really only two reasons she could think of for him being at her door this early; one, he'd brought breakfast and intended on continuing his probing questions while she ate; or two, they were bath buddies.

Shy was never a word used when describing the giant of a woman, she was a doctor and a scientist after all. There were very few things she hadn't seen both in life and in her work. Besides, there were a great many other things she'd rather focus on than being bashful. However, privacy was a whole other matter.

"Good morning Gabriel," leaning against the door frame, Moira folded her arms, towel tucked between her elbow, "are you my chaperone this morning?"

A knowing smile appearing on both their faces as if that question really needed an answer. The two of them went on their way. Walking silently down a long, dull, metal hall until a door came into view. This was the communal bathroom so there were facilities for everyone. The only difference was that in the back was where you went to wash up since there were no actual showers.

As it came to her attention in her stay, this particular base was situated over a natural hot spring. It was a nice open air spring where one could soak away their worries and cares. The pool itself gave off a faint layer of steam and stopped at about six feet deep. At some unknown point, someone must have chipped away the sides to create little seats in the stone for those who were a bit shorter; or if someone just wanted to sit.u

Rather than just stand around and allow this moment to grow unnecessarily awkward, Moira set her stuff down and began lifting her shirt up.

"You're just going to undress right there?"

"Of course, why Commander," with only her arms left in the shirt, she peered over her pale shoulder at the man with an almost challenging stare, "are you embarrassed? Shy perhaps?" The grin that split her face was like that of a fox that found its way into the chicken coop.

Much to her surprise, Gabriel didn't get to where he was in life by being so easily antagonized. He just sniffed before taking it one step further and completely stripping down. Not bothering to even fold his clothes neatly before he climbed into the steaming water.

Letting out an amused huff while taking off the rest of her own clothes, Moira stepped into the water, thinking to herself that perhaps this wouldn't be so bad after all.

As she went about her almost methodical bathing regimen, Gabriel sat with his head and shoulders just above the surface. He watched, a little voice in his head telling him it was a little creepy but he knew his intentions.

He wouldn't lie to himself by saying she wasn't reasonably attractive. But despite everything they knew about this woman, it really was only what she wanted them to know. Knowing what her intentions were, who she was as a person. That much was still a mystery. Quite frankly, it made things much more complicated.

"You're staring..." Moira didn't even have to turn around to know this much. Her tone had grown almost bored, or it could have been the humidity. The way her face was flushed suggested that possibility.

"You don't seem real." this was perhaps a more personal observation, Gabriel's words enticing one of those etched eyebrows to lift in curiosity. Catching himself, Gabriel cleared his throat.

"I spent some time in Oasis," the subject changed, "it was part of a special program the military..."

"The soldier enhancement program?" Upon hearing this, Moira waded over to the other, "I was brought on a few months after it was shut down, so I never got the chance to study the results." The look in her mismatched eyes was that of genuine interest. Something Gabriel was a bit hesitant about, but didn't shy away from either.

Silence hung in the air as thick as the steam that rolled off the surface of the water. The scientist in Moira so very much wanted to study Gabriel. Her only reservation was the fact that he was also the one that saved her life. Normally something like that wouldn't be as big a hindrance, sacrifices and science were frequent bedfellows after all. Though when it came to this stern, handsome, faced soldier, she felt a slight pang of morality.

A heavy sigh broke the weighted silence, "You want to know what they did to me," Commander Reyes stated, "let's talk."

Dipping below the waters surface for a minute, then coming back up and slicking her hair back and out of her face. A look, Gabriel felt, strangely suited her. Moira held out her right hand, "What would you like to know?"

"Everything." He took the disfigured hand without hesitation. It was eerily cold despite the temperature around them. The skin was smooth but not clammy, like it had been out in the cold for a bit to long. Gripping it tighter and turning it over for a better look, Gabriel could tell that she had no feeling in the extremity. The discoloration wasn't as prominent as before, though dark purple veins did leave tracks over the surface.

"Starting with this..."

Moira's smile grew. This felt like the start to a very interesting relationship.

—

"So, the Omnics are planning something big? What exactly?"

A meeting had been called later that afternoon; those in attendance being; Gabriel, McCree, Hanzo, Fareeha, Brigitte, and Moira. This was the first time Moira was granted permission to fully interact with others on the base. A true test as to where her loyalties truly lie.

"As I explained to Gabriel, Maximilien's visits to our city were predominantly diplomatic. But he was clearly interested in other things, which in hindsight I must applaud his craftiness."

The sound of a disapproving grunt said what everybody was thinking, Hanzo Shimada's glare also spoke volumes, "This monster killed your colleagues and seized control of your home, and yet you honor his accomplishments?"

Her already thin lips had all but vanished, but she did not dignify the tattooed man's comment with an answer. There was no point putting effort into explaining her meaning, words only meant so much.

"But he failed to kill me," Moira offered instead, "it's no secret that Oasis prided itself in the scientific and technological advancements it provided. A prize to be won in any war. Had either side asked, Oasis would have been more than happy to share our knowledge in exchange for ensured protection."

Opening the holomap the group had of the city, Moira frowned a little at its inaccuracies, "But also for peace, what is the point in advancing the human race, if there's nobody left? If anything, taking control of Oasis was their big plan."

"Okay, but they've done that already," Fareeha crossed her arms, "Can you at least tell us what sort of tech you or the others were developing?"

"I can tell you what I was working on," Moira paused, she was always proud of her work, but she was also aware that there were those who did not approve of her methods, "before I was put under, I was in the testing stage of genetic customization. With a primary focus on eradicating disease and advancing human evolution."

She then pointed to the map, "My lab is here, if anything, if we could get my work I could help patch your lot up."

Gabriel took this time to study the faces of his team. They didn't seem completely convinced, something he expected at least. Honestly, her work did sound suspicious and very dangerous. It just felt way to similar to the program he had been a part of. Which had it's pros and cons.

"Is your arm a product of your work?" Brigitte asked quietly.

Holding up her right hand, Moira flexed her long fingers, "I aim to find that out," looking down, her hand had left a slightly discolored mark on the metal table, "after all, I don't appreciate others stealing my work. Or using it without proper supervision." And really, by that she meant without her supervision. But they really didn't need to know that.

"With that, the plan is simple, we infiltrate Oasis and gather her work," Gabriel started, McCree cutting in midway.

"Hold up, so the only intel we got from this lady is what exactly?"

"The Ministers rarely shared their personal projects, unless it involved the city as a whole. So like I said, I can only tell you what I was working on. But you really never know what you could find." Moira needed everyone to be on board with this plan, she couldn't find out more without her notes, her equipment.

Surely the Omnics had no use for her work but there was something on the edge of her mind that was making her second guess. Something she never did.

"Since my colleagues are dead, there's really nothing stopping you from finding their little projects, in the mean time I could get my equipment and notes," she flexed her right hand again, "it's a win-win. Plus, I know the layout of Oasis better than any of you."

While they didn't wholeheartedly like the way she disregarded her dead colleagues, nobody in that room could argue the fact that she had a point. Help her get her work, get some potentially useful tech.

"It's a long shot, but isn't that what you freedom fighters live for?"