Disclaimer: Merry Christmas, I give you all the gift of truth. We don't own Overwatch. Ho Ho Ho.
Author's (Alec) Notes: Happy holidays. I hope you've all seen the new Overwatch comic. If not Something here might confuse you. Besides that I have a Christmas gift for you coming out tomorrow (12/25). Hope you all enjoy.
Chapter 7: Tu Me Fais Chantage
The backdoor of the restaurant was Sombra's portal, a way into the sterile environment that she had known better than the back of her hand. Avoiding being seen was a breeze, escaping the eyes of the chefs setting up in the kitchen, preparing for the inevitable opening and dinner preparation approaching them. The programmer navigated with an ease that little had known exploring through the back systems of the restaurant, navigating her way straight to the manager's office, a small room tucked towards the back of the hallway. With a grip on the handle, she thrust the door open, exposing the woman in question sitting quietly at her desk, the noise of keys tapping filling the air. "Hey there."
Amélie's gaze parted from the computer screen as the door opened up, the manager in question peaking over the thin rims of her sleek reading glasses. Immediately upon recognition, her gaze lowered, eyes narrowing as she looked over the programmer. "You better have a good reason to be here after the stunt you pulled during the delivery." She spat, emotion kept hard and tight in her voice, lacing every word heavily with spite.
Sombra slipped in, shutting the door behind her with a click soft enough to forget that it had ever made noise in the first place. "I already said, my bad. Isn't that good enough?"
Her lips tightened, kept small and narrow in the middle of her, allowing no possible reaction to escape. The glasses were shed, placed neatly and folded next to the black plastic keyboard poised towards the middle of her work station. "No. Now what is it." She demanded, no sign of a question in sight.
The metal tips of the chair's legs opposite of the desk scratched against the floor as Sombra pulled it out from its position, lazily draping herself over the wood. "I found out about Gérard's killers and you greet me with a 'You better have a good reason'?" She said mocking the other women.
Amélie froze in her place, every instance of movement escaping her as her mind raced, thoughts elsewhere, away from the moment. Her eyes drifted, resting on the programmer in front of her, gaze empty as it rested on the soft angles of the other's face.
A slight snicker escaped the other's lips. "With that look, it's no wonder people think you killed him." anyone could see clearly the lack of amusement on the manager's face, expression only hardening, eyes narrowing and scowl sinking deeper into her lips as the smirk remained ever present on the programmer's face. "I only kid, of course."
Sombra sat up slightly in her seat, reaching forward to grab a paperweight from on top a small stack of files sitting towards the edge of the desk. She rolled the glass orb in the palm of her hand, peering into the dome, inspecting the bit of life trapped inside. The petals of the dark red rose circled delicately into the middle, each one curving over slightly as the young blossom exposed itself for all to see; the blood red of its petals staining and splotching, the veins dark enough to view. Surrounding the base remained the medium green leaves, holding and caressing the young flower frozen in time. The programmer's gaze parted, resting back on the manager as she placed the weight back from where it had come from; the only time she had done as such. "Why did you remove all of the cameras in here?"
"Tell me what you know." Amélie stated plainly, her eyes having never left the other woman.
She gave a slight shrug, any worry or possible threat the other presented given the situation at hand completely thrown away and forgotten. "I know you have a soundproof room with no cameras. People are starting to gossip."
"What are they saying?"
"That you're having meetings in here with rival gangs." The flat of her palm was raised slightly, fingers spread and poised, gesturing along with her words. "That you're planning something."
The other woman leaned back into the slightly cushioned leather of her desk chair. "And what do you think?"
Sombra sat up, leaning over onto the desk as she rested her elbow onto the hard surface, resting her head in the open palm of her hand to support it. "That you have secrets."
"Doesn't everyone?" The manager asked, words soft and tight in her throat.
A slight shrug was all she presented. "Si, but not everyone has secrets that I don't even know about." Their gazes connected, eyes locking with each other as she continued. "So how about an exchange of information. I'll tell you about Gérard, and you tell me what you're doing in here."
Amélie glanced away, eyes tearing from the other as she examined the screen set up beside her. "And maybe Gabriel should learn who is playing around with the orders."
"So we are at an impasse." A slight sigh, a hint of irritation lacing her words making its way out.
"No. You will tell me or I will tell Gabriel everything." Amélie calmly stated.
Sombra shook her head slightly. "Aye, you don't play around.." There was a pause, the programmer taking a second to step back, blanketing any frustration that began to grow accompanying the loss of information without any reward. "They have a score next week on the docks. Gabe is planning to get to the buyer before they do. They're sending in the men who killed Gérard." Eye contact was made yet again, her gaze narrowing onto the other's. "They don't know about you yet, so I would keep my head down if I were you."
Without any other word or thought, Amélie parted their gazes as she placed the small framed reading glasses back onto the bridge of her nose before directing her attention to the computer screen in front of her yet again, completely shutting the other out without so much of a thank you.
As four o'clock approached, the waitstaff began to file in, each one clocking in before assisting for the awaiting opening. Hana approached one of the touch screen computers in the side room, logging into her employee profile as she signed herself in for the day and officially started her shift. After logging back out, she turned around, ready to provide the assistance needed.
The second she took a step, she was immediately stopped, smacking hard into the person standing in front of her. She stumbled slightly, becoming flustered at her first mistake of the night. "Sorry, I.." The new hire began, catching herself as her gaze rested on the shorter man in front of her, taking a moment to really look at him.
His stature sat at a good few inches shorter than her, making the young waitress tall in a way she never was. Standing in contrast, his segmented hair stuck out in slight contrast from the formal clothing of his uniform, his long hair pulled back into a ponytail. Upon fully recognition, Hana let out a small giggle. "Lucio!" She then wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug. "I didn't know you worked here too. Did you just get the job?"
Lucio smiled, returning the tight hug his old friend had given. "Nah, been here for a while." As the pulled away, he raised his sleeve covered arm slightly. "Broke this a while ago. Just got back today."
The young waitress couldn't help but let out a small gasp, hands raising up to her mouth, fingertips covering her lips. "Oh my god, what happened?"
"Skating, of course. How else?" He gave a slight laugh as he made his way over to one of the now vacant computers, copying as the waitress had done just a few moments ago.
Hana couldn't help but roll her eyes, almost exasperated by the other's problematic actions. "That's not the last time. You need to get off of those things."
He simply gave his head a shake, fingers tapping away at the touch screen as he clocked himself into the shared network. "No way. I'll die before I stop." With one more jab to the slow system, he logged out of his account once again before turning back to his friend. "So, how's the gaming going?"
"Diamond 1, almost challenger." She winked, accenting her accomplishments with a hint of sass.
He planted an open palm on her back, giving her a firm and solid pat. "That's great! I knew you could do it."
With the room now empty, save for the two friends and their idle chatter, it took little effort to notice that something was not right in her restaurant. The manager entered through the doorway, face falling as she eyed between the two goofing off during hours. "Do we have a problem here?" She asked, voice cold as ice, sending a chill through the room that made the two freeze.
They jumped a little, the sudden presence putting an immediate halt to the conversation at hand. Hana laughed nervously, eyes parting from the harsh gaze of the manager and resting on the floor. "No ma'am. Going right to work." And with a sudden, unwanted force, the two old friends had to separate their paths without another word, each one going an opposite way as the two aided the restaurant's preparation.
Hana found herself at the tables, stack of plates by her side as she placed them out in the according arrangements, trying her best to get them as perfectly as she had been originally shown. Upon placing her second to last bit of flatware in its appropriate spot, her hand slipped, the plate falling to the ground, bits of ceramics flying as it shattered in its place. Immediately her eyes darted around the room, taking in the sight of everyone staring over at the source of the loud, sudden noise; her own mistake. As her gaze landed on Amélie's, her heart sank, the manager's eyes burning right through her as the older woman's scowl was clear for all to see.
Lucio hurried over from halfway across the room, lending a helping hand in cleaning up the mess; assisting in removing the fragments from the hard floor. "Don't worry about it, Hana. It happens to everyone" He said as soon as the mess was completely removed, floor free from any possible reminder of her mistake.
The young waitress only gave a sight nod, her heart sitting heavy in her chest as a sense of shame washed over her, eyes fixed on the ground. Her old friend couldn't help but feel some ounce of guilt, him reaching out to give her arm a comforting pat; a silent sign of his support. Despite this, it didn't feel like enough.
She turned around in her place, the rubber flats of her shoes making little to no noise against the hard ground as she made her way back into the POS room. Tucking herself in past the view of the doorway, Hana leaned herself against the wall opposite of the touchscreens, gaze fixed on nothing as her mind ran. The previous situation played over and over in her head as the weight of it sank into her, creating her insides heavy and numb.
A sudden tap was felt on her shoulder, tearing the waitress from her current emotional crisis into an air of alarm and panic. Hana couldn't help but jump slightly, a scream bubbling up in her throat as she was taken by surprise once again. The sight of the programmer filled her vision, her palm creeping over the other's mouth as she silenced her. "Calm down, niña, it's just me."
"Stop sneaking up on me." She said, moving her head away from the other's hand, words spit out as she still tried to calm herself down.
"I'm not. You're just not looking around."
"Yeah.." Hana leaned back against the wall, not wanting to outright admit her fault.
Her scarred eyebrows knit together in the middle, the slightest bit of concern growing on her face "Something wrong, niña?"
The young waitress gave a slight huff, crossing her arms in front of her as she wrapped them around chest, hugging herself. "I don't think Amélie likes me. I'm afraid she's going to fire me." Her words were soft and slow, a reluctance laced heavily with each word as the fear of the possibility washed over her.
"Not your first accident, was it?" Sombra asked, joining Hana as stood next to the younger woman, shoulder dipping down and making contact with the wall behind them.
She shook her head slightly, the hold around her chest not letting up. "Far from it."
"You need to get some dirt."
Hana raised an eyebrow, silently questioning the other's life choices, and moreso, her insinuated influence on the younger girl.
Sombra continued "If you just get some dirt on Amélie, you can keep your job as long as you like."
"What do you have on her?" She asked, voice kept quiet as if discussing highly confidential information.
A smile began to creep across her face, part of her finding intrigue in Hana's interest. "Nothing yet, but If you want to help me get some I can protect you from her."
"How can I help?" Hana said in defeat.
The older woman gave a slight shrug."She made me take the cameras out of her office, so I think she is hiding something. If anything suspicious happens just record it on your phone."
Hana raised her eyebrow. "Really? That's it?" A small laugh broke the seriousness of the conversation, the younger woman shrugging off the other and her attempts of savior. "I think you have seen too many spy movies."
Without any contrary word, Sombra shoved aside any doubt the other had. "You in, niña?"
Hana released a small, slow breath of air, no other possibilities presenting themselves to her. "I guess."
"Good, now just remember to come to me. Don't go threatening her alone." The programer said trying to be as clear as possible.
"Why are you doing this?" The young waitress asked, gaze fixed on the other as
"She got on my bad side. Plus, it would be sad to see you leave so soon." Sombra stated simply before departing from the room, leaving the waitress alone with her thoughts yet again.
Lena made her way over to the second table of the night, one of the larger ones towards the middle of the room, a circular surface seating a group of all girls. Pulling out the small notepad from her half apron, she flipped it open to a free page. "Hello, I'm Lena and I'll be your waitress for the evening. Can I interest you in any wines tonight?"
Upon hearing the name, all eyes shot up from the menus lain out on the table and fixed onto the server in question. She did not register the stares until one of the women spoke up. "Tracer?"
Lena was taken aback for a moment, a smile growing as she looked around the table, greeted with the sight of old friends and teammates looking back at her. She felt almost speechless, words unable to form as she looked around. A nervous laugh made its way out when full realization was hit.
A redhead seated one person away from her broke the momentary silence. "Hey."
The waitress couldn't help but laugh a little more before replying. "Emily," she said, at a complete loss of belief for who was in front of her. "What are you guys doing here?"
One of the other teammates cut in, a blonde sitting across from the server. "On our way to Brazil. Thought we would have some fun in New York before meeting up with the rest of the team."
Lena's heart sank a little, her teammate's words carrying a reminder of what she did not want to think about. "That's next week, right? I wish you guys loads of luck."
Emily chimed in, the corner of her lips turned up into a smile. "Yeah, do you want to come? I'm sure everyone would love to see you."
The waitress pulled herself back from the distraction of the excitement of the situation, remembering where she was, and at this point, who she was. "Can't. Sorry. I'll be working." The grip on her notepad tightened slightly as she poised her pencil over the paper. "Speaking of which, can I get you anything?"
One by one, they placed their orders, each one having been distracted as well by the old teammate they had thought was long gone.
After all was settled and the bill was paid, the redhead spoke up yet again. "We should hang out before I have to go." She lifted her small purse up from off of the floor and fished through it, producing a small scrap of paper and a pencil, taking a moment to scribble something out. "Here's my number. How about you meet me outside during your next break." She left following after the rest of her team. As she began to stack the dirtied plates, the waitress paused as she glanced over the table, eyes fixed on slips of paper sticking out from underneath the check. She gingerly set the stack down, grabbing for one of the notes and unfolding it, gaze scanning over it.
'Good to see you again, Tracer. If you ever need anything, just call. Whenever it is. We are still family.'
All notes had messages of love and support, almost making her want to cry.
An hour passed by, signaling the start of her break. She parted through the thick door and to the back of the restaurant. The waitress made her way around to the front until she almost stopped in her place, anxiety of the situation growing as she approached the redhead standing idly on her phone, back leaning against the worn brick of the building. "Heya."
Upon hearing the other, Emily looked up from her phone, face alighting with a smile as she stashed the device into the pocket of her slim black dress. She pulled the other woman into a hug, holding her tight in a way that she thought she would never be able to do again. Tears began to creep into her field of vision, a fact that she tried to ignore the emotion overcoming her. "I've been so worried about you," she choked out.
Lena returned the hug full force, holding her teammate with a little too much history shared between them close to her. "I'm sorry. I guess I've just been busy."
"Lena," Emily began, pulling away as concern washed over her face. "It's been almost two years."
The waitress's eyes drifted to the ground, fact of the matter that she had been trying to escape for too long catching up to her as her old life and all of its features was presenting itself in front of her yet again. "I guess time really does fly."
Emily caressed the other's cheek, bringing her head and gaze back up and focused it on herself. She gave a small smile to the other as their gazes rested on each other. "You need to call Winston. If I was this worried, think about how he is."
Lena gave a small nod. "I know," she began, words coming out soft. "I owe the big guy a hug." Part of her found it amusing how every aspect of her life she had tried to leave behind was presenting itself to her again all at once, overwhelming every thought she had tried to suppress over the years.
"Yeah, you do. And you owe me an explanation and a date." A smirk pulled at the corner of her lips.
It took little to no time for Lena's cheeks to grow a dusting of light pink, staining her face with her embarrassment. "I'm free tomorrow," she offered.
Emily only smiled, giving the waitress's hands a small squeeze. "Good, now don't forget to call Winston."
Any sign of enjoyment drained from Lena in an instant, her blood almost running cold upon hearing his name again. "Right. I'll do it first thing tomorrow." Despite the overwhelming negative emotions bubbling in her subconscious, she pushed through, giving her best attempt to remain her usual joyous self everyone else had come to know and love.
"You better." She leaned in, pressing her soft lips to the middle of Lena's forehead, allowing them to linger for a second before pulling away. "I gotta get going. Keep in contact this time, okay?" And with a small wave, she turned away, soon disappearing amongst the group of pedestrians.
"Promise," Lena sighed, watching her walk away as the girl she had once known and loved left again. Now left alone with her thoughts, the ex-olympian looked down at her phone, deciding to take action now rather than later; the longing for him becoming too much.
She dipped back into the side entrance to the restaurant, leaning against the wall as she tapped out the number before placing the phone to her ear; the noise of ringing clearly heard. After a few seconds, the answering machine beeped, an automated voice greeting her instead.
'You have reached the voicemail for 0-2-0-7-9-4-6-0-3-5-8. Please leave a message at the beep'
As soon as the tone was heard, she began, finding slight difficulty in her words. "Hey there, Winston," she paused slightly, his name dragging out towards the end. "Just wanted to tell you that I'm safe." Her speech paused yet again as she continued, each word becoming harder and harder to say. Lena gave a slight chuckle at her own inability, attempting to push on and work through it. "I'm sorry it's been so long since I last contacted you." A slight sigh parted her speech once again. "Over a year now.." She placed a hand over her mouth, closing her eyes as she tried to hold back the tears that began prickling at the corners of her eyes, threatening to spill over. Taking a deep breath in and letting it out slowly through her nose, she removed the hand poised over her lips as she continued. "I." It was just too much. Her voice had begun to shake, its wavering clear in the slight instance of speech she had released. "I." She tried again, finding no easy way to continue. In a moment, she pulled the device from her ear, stopping the message prematurely as the screen faded to black, the call put to an end. Lena wrapped her arms around herself as the tears she had been trying to hold back began to silently fall. "Winston…"
Author's (Kate) Notes: Winston is not a gorilla in this. Sorry to disappoint. Also for an added note, the ranking Hana was mentioning is for League, not Overwatch. Sorry if there was any confusion.
