AN: Only one more chapter left until my personal favorite chapter! I hope you guys enjoy this one, of course!
"Vous etas un putain d'imbecile! Comment osez-vous entrer dans ma maison!"
An empty wine bottle soared to the far end of the room, shattering into a thousand pieces, the sheer force of the throw chipping the hard-stone wall, just barely missing the girl it was aimed at.
"Foutre le camp!"
A second bottle was thrown, this time coming much closer to its intended target, the shattering glass reflecting off the wall sending shards towards the hacker. One piece grazed her cheek, leaving a small red cut, barely deep enough to draw blood. "Hey chica, calm down! I'm just trying to help!" Sombra tried to reason, hoping to calm down the furious French woman using empty wine bottles as projectiles.
"Nom de dieu!" Widowmaker grabbed another bottle but was stopped short as Sombra tossed her translocator and teleported herself to the assasisn's side, grabbing her arm and effectively stopping the throw. Widowmaker didn't backdown, whipping her leg around Sombra's midsection and pulling the hacker down with her, her hand never leaving the neck of the bottle. Hitting the ground with a thud, she attempted to yank her arm out of Sombra's grip, causing the hacker to clamp down harder, using her long nails to dig into the blue flesh.
"Aïe! Laisse-moi!"
"No, puta. I'm not letting go until you calm the fuck down!" Sombra yelled at her aggressor, her grip continuing to tighten around the French woman's arm. She had dealt with situations like this before, down in the streets of Dorado, but never had she fought hand-to-hand with someone as dangerous and vicious as the woman she currently held onto. This was basically a death sentence, and all because she wanted to do the right thing and help her friend out. This was exactly why she preferred to not do the right thing.
"Sors de moi!" Widowmaker continued to fight, her mind acting on the instinct to survive rather than the desire to make sense of the situation. Her teeth clenched together, blood dripping from the lip she had accidentally bit down on during her fit of rage. Nothing made sense and the room was spinning. She had woken up to find someone in the room with her and instantly began to fight instead of taking the time to recognize who it was. This was the flight response that Talon had instilled on her from months of extensive torture and training.
"Calm down, chica! It's just me. It's Sombra."
"Non! Je te tuerai!" Widowmaker tried to fight back but she felt abnormally weak as the room continued to spin and her brain pounded even harder in her head. From the moment she had awoken she couldn't process colors, the world seemingly a grey landscape, but ever so slowly, hints of purple began to appear and with it, a sense of calmness and familiarity.
"See? It's just me." Sombra practically cooed as she felt the assassin's body loosen up in her arms.
Widowmaker looked at her attacker's face and finally recognized who it was holding onto her so tightly. Her vision cleared, and color returned to the room. Her already slow heart beat began to level out, closer to its usual speed, and the spinning room seemed to slow down to a crawl. "Sombra? What the hell is going on?" Widowmaker finally lowered the volume of her voice as her sanity crawled back to her.
Purple nails retracted from blue skin as soon as the hacker realized her friend was returning to normal. She had returned to the room to check on the sleeping assassin only to catch her when she was waking up, giving the woman no time to adjust to the new presence in her usually empty home. It was instantly down hill from there as Widowmaker resorted to her Talon ingrained protocols of attack and kill. Sombra let go of Widowmaker and pushed herself up to lean against the wall as the assassin moved over and did the same before bringing her hand to her face and applying pressure to her temples with her thumb middle finger.
"I was going to kill you." Widowmaker stated, letting go of her head and bringing her hand down to her lap to join the other one. She didn't make eye contact with the other woman, instead electing to observe the scrapes that marred her usually pristine hands.
"I know. Are you good now? Because, if you aren't, I've still got some fight left in me." Sombra chuckled, attempting to lighten the mood. She absolutely hated serious moments like this. They were always so uncomfortable for the woman who preferred to spend most of her time behind a screen, observing people from afar.
"I'm… fine." Widowmaker hesitated, still unsure of what was going on.
Sombra took in a deep breath then hoisted herself up, using the wall for stability, then reached her hand towards the assassin who continued to sit on the cold floor. "Come on, now. The floor is no place for a beautiful lady like you. Eres muy hermosa." Sombra smirked while tossing the assassin a wink.
A snarl was the only response Sombra would be receiving as the assassin ignored her hand and pushed herself up on her own. "I don't need your help", she growled as she stood straight up and pushed past the hacker.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot you were too busy letting alcohol help you." Sombra responded sarcastically, rolling her eyes at the passing by sniper.
"You can leave now."
"Actually, I can't. I came here to bring you back."
"I am not coming back."
"Gonna be honest, chica, it doesn't sound like you have much of a say in the matter", Sombra replied as she began to follow Widowmaker out of the room and into the library where most of the assassin's gear was stored. "Moira misses you!"
"You can tell Moira that I would rather die than put up with her shit any longer."
"I don't know if she would be okay with that. Afterall, you are her favorite guinea pig. Also, death is probably what's gonna happen to you if you defect."
"I refuse to remain her guinea pig. I am the best assassin in the world! I am not some toy to be played with." Widowmaker growled as she sifted through the military grade containers that decorated her floors.
"So, you'll come back if she stops treating you like a lab rat?"
"Hmmm…" Widowmaker thought for a moment, "Oui. But, since she won't ever agree to that, you can, once again, tell her I would rather be dead. Now, why are you still here? Do you need something else?"
"Nada. Just wanted to make sure you were okay." Sombra replied, sounding almost sad at the assassin's usual emotional distance.
Widowmaker sneered as she peered over her shoulder to look at the Mexican hacker who was still standing there. "I'm fine, now leave."
I'm so happy", Angela muttered, feeling soft, wet kisses moving slowly down her stomach. She hadn't felt this amazing in years, always keeping distance between herself and others when it came to intimacy. Tonight, was different. She had gone to bed after a long day in the lab, only to hear a knock on her door moments after she had laid down on the soft mattress. Upon opening the door, she found Fareeha standing there, sweating, her face a deep blush of crimson, her eye's flowing with desire.
Before Angela could say hello, Fareeha grabbed onto her, pushing her body into the doctor's while crashing their lip together. A tidal wave of lust flowed through Angela's entire body as she felt the Egyptian's soft lips against her own. Before she could process what was happening, she pulled Fareeha into her room, the door sliding shut behind her, her body being pulled towards the warm bed sheets.
Both women fell to the bed with a thud as they continued to ravage each other's mouths. Words of encouragement were whispered as the women clung tight to one another on the small mattress. Clothing was quickly ripped off as Fareeha took control, tearing the sleepwear from Angela' body, and kissing down the doctor's soft skin as she went.
Between Angela's muttering and the sound of Fareeha's kisses on her stomach, that moved dangerously close to her most private parts, a soft knock on her door couldn't be heard. As the women continued, they began to make even more noise, their naked bodies clashing together, but as they pushed forward, the knocking grew louder.
Suddenly, Angela could hear someone shouting her name from the other side of the door as the knocks continued, waking her from her daze. Her eye's fluttered open and she looked down the bed where Fareeha was, only to find the other woman was no longer there. The uncomfortable wetness she felt under the sheets quickly making her aware of what exactly had just happened. A dream. It was just a dream.
Angela quickly sat up from the bed, blood quickly rushing to her head, bringing her cheeks to an even deeper shade of red than the dream had already caused. She hadn't had a dream that vivid in ages, let alone a dream like that with someone like Fareeha. It was because of that talk with Lena the previous day, the doctor attempted to convince herself, still very opposed to the idea of becoming intimate with her very platonic friend.
As she approached the front of her room, she quickly fixed up her ruffled bed hair and tossed a robe around her, then unlocked the door, allowing it to seamlessly slide open. It was as if the dream she had just had was about to happen again. Thankfully, it was not, she told herself. "C-captian Amari", she stuttered over her words, the images of the dream still very fresh in her brain.
"Um, are you okay? You're very red. Is it a fever?" Fareeha attempted to bring her hand to the doctor's forehead, but it was quickly swatted away.
"I'm fine. Just got up too fast. Headrush."
"Oh, okay." Fareeha brought her hands together behind her back, her brows furrowing and eye's squinting in confusion at the breathlessness of the older woman. "Well, Winston asked me to come get you. Said it was strange you were still asleep. Apparently, you two are speaking to Lena today about the incident in France?" The tall Egyptian woman composed herself quickly, getting to the business at hand before becoming slave to small talk.
"Ahh yes, I must have slept in. How unlike me." Angela smiled cutely as the Egyptian averted her gaze. 'Still playing this game, are we?' Angela said to herself, noticing Fareeha still couldn't seem to make eye contact with her. "Is everything okay with you?"
Fareeha cleared her throat before responding, "Oh, yes, I'm fine. I just – I need to get back to training my men. I'll, uh, I'll see you later." Before Angela could blink, Fareeha had turned around and was on her way back down the hall towards the training center of the watchpoint. Angela just rolled her eyes, growing increasingly irritated by the friend who was still actively avoiding her.
The doctor stepped back into her room, allowing the door to slide shut, and returned to her bed to make it. In a few short minutes she collected her things and readied herself for a much needed shower. Thankfully, key Overwatch members had their own bathrooms, allowing them their own private space to clean up, away from the communal showers that the rest of the Overwatch employees had to use.
The shower faucet sputtered on, the cool water quickly turning warm as Angela twisted the knob to a hotter setting. She stripped of her pajamas and stepped into the steaming shower, hastily covering herself in the clean water that poured from the shower head. She let the water splatter down on her face as she slapped her cheeks, attempting to snap her out of her sleepiness. Memories of her dream, still fresh in her mind, threatened to distract her from the task at hand.
The logical side of her brain fought with the emotional side, telling her repeatedly that Fareeha was just a friend. Only a very good friend. One of the best she had ever had. One of the strongest, most loyal comrades by her side. Her best friend who also happened to be distractingly attractive. Her arms were strong, her dark skin was soft, her dark hair rested lightly above her shoulders, some pieces braided up to keep loose strands out of her face. And the tattoo under her eye… Angela turned the water temperature down, hoping the cold water would cool her off and stop her mind from going places she didn't want it to go.
The Egyptian woman was so alluring though. She radiated this strength and coolness that Angela had never seen before, yet at the same time, she had this dorky side that only the people closest to her were allowed to see. She carried herself with dignity and honor, with care and compassion, with innocence and with a veracious allure that couldn't be matched. She was amazing. She was spectacular. And, holy shit, Angela was so, unexplainably gay for her.
Like, as gay as Lena. Possibly gayer. Okay, so maybe not that gay. Angela wasn't even sure if that was humanly possible at this point. What was even harder to believe, however, was that she had fallen for Fareeha and she was just now coming to terms with something that, if she was honest with herself, had been culminating ever since she had returned to Overwatch after Winston had practically begged her to return.
She could still remember the day she arrived and saw Fareeha for the first time in years. The last time she had seen the young Egytian was at Ana's funeral. She wasn't even 20 years old yet and Angela could still remember the pity she felt for the young woman who had lost her mother. A lot had changed since that day, and Angela could remember how enamored she was by Fareeha when she had seen her again after so many years. She had written off her attraction as simple intrigue, but now it made so much sense. Angela was attracted to Fareeha.
The doctor shut off the water she had been wasting for the last several minutes and stepped out of the shower, grabbing a towel that was hanging on a rack nearby to dry off. What was she going to do with this new information? Was she supposed to say something? Or should see keep it inside as to not ruin her professionality in Overwatch. Of course, she had already attempted to get into Fareeha's pants, so she could throw professionality out the door. She had already seen what her previous actions did to the girl, and it wasn't a mistake she wanted to repeat again. She needed to talk to the Egyptian and clear the air between them. That would be a good start. She could figure out the rest from there. After all, she was Angela fucking Ziegler, the most brilliant doctor in the world. This was simple compared to the many problems she had already solved in the past.
Mission reports were a common occurrence when Overwatch agents returned from the field. Before the first crisis, these reports were recorded and filed by leaders in the organization, like Morrison, Reyes, and Captain Amari, but leadership had changed greatly since the reestablishment of Overwatch, leaving Winston in charge - A decision that was never officially made, but assumed when the genetically modified gorilla made the call to bring the organization back from the dead.
While filing reports wasn't his favorite thing to do, he did understand the importance of keeping track of these things for both organizational and legal reasons, even if Overwatch wasn't following the law based on its newfound existence. This report, however, was different than any he had done before. Never in the history of Overwatch had the gorilla lost someone so special to him. Everyone in the organization was important to him, but he had an especially soft spot in his heart for Lena.
Typing the words, "Agent Lena Oxton, codename: Tracer, was dead for at least an hour before her body was discovered" was something he never wanted to type, so thankfully, the report didn't end there. Unfortunately, Tracer's resurrection so late after death brought up a new plethora of problems neither Winston nor Angela had dealt with before. Most agents, when resurrected by Mercy's staff, reported feeling dizzy, lightheaded, and sometimes nauseous after being brought back, but this was only because they had been resurrected shortly after death. This wasn't the case for Lena.
After many brain and body scans, Angela was able to conclude that Tracer had been dead for approximately 2 hours before being resurrected. In most cases, resurrection would be impossible, and even if it did happen, the brain would have been without oxygen for too long, causing serious and irreversible brain damage in the patient. Lena's brain scans showed little damage, despite being dead for 2 hours, baffling Angela as she studied each minute detail in the neuroimages. The only conclusion she could come up with concerning the lack of brain damage was the probability that Lena's time displacement condition kept her mind and body in some type of stasis.
Little damage didn't mean 'no' damage, however, and further study would be needed before Lena could be released from the medical lab, especially concerning the spots that were abnormally dark in the magnetoencephalography scans Angela had taken earlier in the day, designed to visualize brain activity by sending magnetic waves through the brain to record electrical pulses. Areas of Lena's brain weren't as active as they were supposed to be, which was symptomatic of death in brain tissue cells when oxygen wasn't present for an extended period of time. Winston typed out each detail of Lena's condition as Angela recounted her findings to him, before continuing to Lena's room to hear her side of the story, or at least, what she could remember of it.
Lena's eyes brightened up at the site of her furry friend slouching through the doorway of her temporary room, but her body was still too weak to jump up and greet him with her usual hug. "Hey, big guy", she said while smiling at him with a toothy grin.
"Lena", Winston smiled back, "It is good to see you awake and smiling", He continued, elated that his friend was alive and okay, despite what she had just gone through the day before. "How are you feeling this morning?"
"Bored shitless. You?" Lena sighed, wishing she was back in the field instead of sitting around in a hospital room, surrounded by boring furniture and the scent of isopropyl alcohol. In fact, she would rather be back in France drinking at a sad excuse for a pub.
"Well, at least you aren't dead!", Winston exclaimed, failing at his attempt to make light of a serious situation.
Lena laughed anyways, knowing how scary it must have been for Winston to receive the call that one of his closest friends had died. "Might as well be, 'cause this is hell", the time traveler winked despite her equally bad attempt to lighten the situation.
"Heh, well I know this isn't exactly fun, but I need to ask you for your official mission report." Winston continued, getting down to the business at hand.
"I already told Angela, I don't really remember what happened." Lena shrugged.
"Not even who did this to you?"
"Nope."
"Hmm…" Winston rubbed his furry chin with his hand before continuing his questions. "Anything you do remember?"
"I'll give you what I can", Lena started. "I checked into my hotel when I got to the worlds shittiest vacation destination. Then went to the pub for a drink to make the place more bearable and hopefully pick up some chicks."
Winston groaned at Lena's unnecessary information before urging her on, with a nod of his head, to continue.
"I do remember making eye contact with this attractive woman with long hair, but she ran off before I could ask her back to my room." Lena smirked as she continued to inappropriately explain each detail, knowing how uncomfortable human sexuality made the gorilla. "But after that, I had another drink then I left."
"Do you remember anything specific about the woman?"
"It was too dark to see details. Like I said, she had long hair and she appeared to be attractive. Her hair was dark and she was tall and skinny, but that is all I could make out. At first, I thought her skin was kind of blue like Widowmaker's, but I figured that was because of the lighting. Actually… now that I think of it, it did seem a bit strange the way she rushed out of the place when she saw me looking at her… You don't think it could have been the blue bitch, do you?" Lena's eye's widened at the realization that the woman she had seen could have possibly been the assassin.
"I can't believe I forgot! I knew that town name sounded familiar! We had a cargo ship headed there to drop off supplies at a local hospital, which is why we chose to send you there. We knew it would be a nice chance to get out of the base and then we would have an agent in case something bad happened with the supply delivery." Winston explained to the suddenly confused Brit.
"Why didn't you tell me you were sending me there for a mission!?" Lena questioned, growing frustrated by the lack of communication with her before the trip.
"Because I didn't send you there for a mission. I wanted you to get out of here and do something fun for once instead of sulking around the base with nothing to do, and it just so happened that we had a place for you to go. I didn't want to send you there thinking it was a business trip." Winston continued, hoping to settle the young woman down. "Anyways, that isn't important. What is important is the relevance of the location!" The gorilla grew excited as he realized that Lena may have had an encounter with the assassin.
"Annecy is where Amelie's family is from. They were a family of high nobility many decades ago. They even owned a small island in the middle of Lake Annecy, but it has been abandoned since the omnic crisis. Technically, Amelie was a baroness of the family before she became Widowmaker. If my guess is correct, she is the rightful heir and owner of the chateau. Lena, I think you had a run in with Widowmaker." Winston realized.
"Wait… Chateau Guillard? Baroness? Are you talking about that giant stone house in the middle of that lake near the hotel?" Lena was in slight shock as she too began to understand the connection.
"Yes. That's the place!"
"Now that I think about it, I kind of remember being there… But I can't seem to remember anything else…" Lena wracked her brain, struggling to remember the details of that night. "But I don't understand. Widowmaker wouldn't kill me."
Winston raised a brow at that statement, "Lena, she killed Mondatta, she almost killed Ana, she has killed many of our agent and hundreds of innocent people in the past. What makes you think she wouldn't kill you too?"
"Because, she had the chance before, but she didn't take it. I remember the way she looked at me after she killed Mondatta. She never had any intention of killing me. Maybe some of Amelie is still in there?" Lena questioned, growing hopeful at the possibility that the worlds greatest assassin wasn't as resilient or evil after all.
"Impossible. There is no way. She is an entirely different person since she disappeared. She's probably the one who killed Gerard, her own husband." Winston argued, rubbing his chin again as he organized his thoughts.
"Time travel was impossible. Resurrecting the dead was impossible. Who's to say Amelie isn't still in there somewhere?" Lena argued back, the loudness of her voice raising as she questioned the possibility that one of her biggest enemies wasn't exactly as she seemed. "Winston, what if she's still in there?"
"Even if she was, it wouldn't matter. The blood of so many innocent lives is on her hands. She would still have to pay for what she has done."
"But what if it wasn't her fault? What if she became Widowmaker because Talon did something to her? I had met Amelie several times before she disappeared. She wasn't the type of person who would kill her husband and become an assassin by choice, mate. That doesn't make sense."
"I'm sorry Lena, but I doubt that is the case. I know how much you want to save everyone, even those who do evil, but not everyone can be saved." Winston lowered his head, feeling bad for practically stomping on Lena's entire perception of life.
"Whatever. All I'm saying is that I don't think it was her. At least, I'm not convinced…" Lena pondered, still struggling to remember what happened the other night.
Winston shook his head before pushing his glasses back up his nose. "I'm sorry Lena, but Widowmaker has given us no reason to think she wouldn't kill you. Can you remember anything else?"
"Sorry, mate, but that's all I've got." Tracer finished, unable to recall any more details. "But hey, could you do me a favor and get Angie in here? My head is killing me…" Lena asked as she brought her hand to her head and rubbed the back of it, wincing slightly in the process.
"I'll let her know. Now, rest up. And try not to give the doc too hard of a time." Winston snickered as he stepped back towards the door leading out to the lab.
"Heh, only in her dreams, big guy!"
