It has been three days since the incident, and the most that had been done was the completion of Gabriel's treatment and Lena's combat suit. After she finished those tasks, she started working on recruiting help for their cause. No one knows what ends she used to get information, but it was better than nothing. McCree stayed near her, occasionally helping out whenever she needed it. She hasn't slept since, and it was beginning to show in her face. She just…didn't look well.
Even after what he told her, Lena still believed everything that occurred was her fault. He just couldn't find the right words to tell her otherwise. It…made him angry. When he caught her walking down the hallway, he pulled her to the side.
"Lena, you gotta rest. You can't keep goin' like this."
"…I appreciate the concern McCree, but I've gone way longer without rest. I'll be fine."
"It's still not good." He heaved a sigh, both his hands resting on her shoulders now. "Did you bring any luggage with you?"
"I…left my stuff at the airport when I was dealing with…that woman." Just remembering what transpired at the airport and at the watchpoint made her angrier overtime. "You're not gonna go and get my stuff, are you? There's no guarantee it's still there."
"Airports have lost and founds. Should still be there, especially if they're still repairin' everythin'. Lemme go get your things, and you go relax. Away from your work."
"But…" The glare received by McCree was hard and menacing, and she merely sighed and folded her arms. They needed all the help they could get, and there was no time to relax. But, McCree had a point. She wasn't her usual self, and she was running on fumes. Even though she felt fine, her body felt the opposite. Best listen to it now instead of waiting for the consequences to take hold. "Fine. It's a medium sized red suitcase and a matching tote to go along with it. Should have my name and everything on it somewhere."
"Got it." He saved it to memory, and walked off. Lena slowly wandered to her private quarters, shutting the door and then leaning against it. At the moment, she couldn't force herself to move anymore. Her mind wandered as she brought her knees to her chest, her head dipping down slightly. She felt helpless, and she hasn't felt like this in a long time.
If only I finished my gear…everything would be a little simpler. But now I have to start from the beginning, because of my mistake.
Heels clicked behind Jack, following him frantically. She had given Gabriel a request—to pick up energy cores for weapons testing. Lena was against this, but the UN wanted to increase their strength with this new technology. She merely had to create prototypes from the material given. Easier said than done when the squad dispatched to retrieve said equipment is pinned down and needs immediate med evac.
"Morrison, they need help! We can't abandon them like this."
"The mission is top priority, Lena. If they don't survive, there is nothing we can do for them. Giving them what they asked for puts more of our soldiers in danger."
"So you're saying they're expendable?" Her voice rose in tone quickly, unable to believe what she was hearing. It only pissed her off more when Jack continued walking. "Jack!"
"I can't give them what they asked for. Sorry."
She turned away, swallowing thickly as dread began to build up in her chest. Gabriel's team was pinned down by a small team of omnics and it's apparent they needed relief immediately. Jack refused to give them support, but he didn't say he couldn't go in their place. That's when an idea popped in her head. She quickly made her way to the Blackwatch offices and opened the door.
"There should be some uniforms left in the back…" Lena scrambled to the back, opening the closets and grabbing the necessary gear. She ran back out and back to her lab, where she grabbed her own gear and put that on first before putting on the Blackwatch gear. They were not far from the watchpoint, but she needed to make haste. If things are as bad as they seem, most of them weren't going to make it. She slipped out the back on a motorcycle, quickly making her way to the mission site.
When she got there…it was just as she had feared.
Destruction was everywhere, that was normal. But the amount of blood spilled and no bodies in sight…it startled her. It meant that Gabriel's squad was alive, but not for long. The sound of gunfire was loud, and not far from her current position. Lena sprinted towards the carnage, and hid behind some debris. There were four Bastion units slowly advancing towards the group in recon mode. Things were looking really bad.
She glanced downward, muttering a string of curses under her breath. Off to the side was an anti-material rifle, but she was unsure if it was loaded or if she could deadlift it long enough to shoot off a round. It usually came with a stock, and earplugs. Her combat gear could dispatch of them easily, but it would take the squad with them. She couldn't afford to be reckless and attack head-on. No, she had to pick them off and lure them to her. To give them a chance to disengage and call for the nearest support point to pick them up.
Lena grabbed the rifle and headed towards a hill so she could move to a good vantage point. The grass in the particular area was tall, and could hide her and the rifle with ease. She crawled along the ground, levelling the scope with her targets. The Bastions were advancing quickly and time was running out. She checked the clip that was inside the rifle, taking a deep breath when it was full. It was probably never even used. Lining up her shot, she pulled the trigger, a loud boom being heard shortly after. The recoil was huge, the scope almost bashing her in the eye. She looked through the scope, to see if the shot hit its mark. Luckily, it did. The remaining Bastions looked away from the squad, scanning their surroundings to find the unknown threat. They were immediately picked off, their heads completely destroyed from the impact. The rifle was no more of use and she discarded it and headed down to their position.
"…Mother of god, what happened!?"
Soldiers were littered upon the ground, bleeding but still alive. McCree had gashes and cuts all over him, blood staining his uniform in large patches. All of them looked pretty bad, but none more so than Gabriel. He was shot in more than one place, blood pearling at the corner of his mouth as he coughed. His shotguns rested on either side of him, the cartridges empty and desperately needing to be reloaded. His upper clothing was taken off to put pressure on his wounds, but they were too blood soaked to be of any use. Most would've been dead by now, and his only saving grace was the supersoldier serum pulsing through his veins. He gazed up with little strength he had to look at her.
"What're…you doin' here, Lena…?" Even though he was in tremendous pain, he still could afford to be angry at her. "I thought I told you to stay at the watchpoint…"
She said nothing as she knelt down next to him, holding back her tears. McCree was doing his best to stop the bleeding. "This…is all my fault, isn't it? Your squad's injured, and no extra help is coming…god, you need to call the nearest support point for extraction. You're not gonna last. I'll go and get the energy cores myself, you guys go on back to—"
"Like hell you are…!" With a loud roar of pain, he stood back up on his feet. Adrenaline was coursing through him now, numbing his pain enough so he could move around. "No one gets left behind, Lena…you're comin' with us."
"Boss, your wounds." McCree tied a knot with the last of what remained of Gabriel's upper clothing. It would have to last for now. "Darlin', we gotta cut our losses where we can. Come on back with us, we'll explain to Morrison what—"
"I said I'm gonna go get the energy cores, dammit! Send a truck back at my position when you guys are out of danger!" She walked away from them, and towards the objective. In the distance, she could see the cores, and they were large. But why were the Bastion units protecting them? Just how significant were they? She grabbed onto the handle of one of the cores and pulled it to her. It was glowing with a bright neon blue light as she examined it.
A lone hand rested on her shoulder, which made her jump. She turned around, her limbs glowing as she prepared to release a large blast of power. She relaxed when she realized it was just Gabriel and McCree.
"Truck's here, Lena. Let's go." She looked back at the energy cores, and smiled. Both of them were a little bit uneasy. "What's that look for?"
"Looks like you guys are gonna complete your mission after all. I'll load up the cores, you just get on the truck."
"What about you…?" Gabriel asked. "I'm not leavin' you behind."
"I'm not going back with you guys. I'm not even supposed to be here, so…let's keep it that way. I'll be waiting for you at the watchpoint."
After loading up the energy cores, Lena teleported back to the watchpoint. Gabriel, with McCree supporting him, limped back to the truck reluctantly and got on. When they got back, Angela and her medical staff were waiting on them. Most were able to be worked on immediately, but those who couldn't were given painkillers just to hold them over. Gabriel was taken back into the one of the intensive care areas and all bullets and shrapnel were removed.
Lena changed back into her lab coat and business wear and ran to the infirmary to assist, if she could. Angela was frantically searching for more medical salve and sutures, and blood transfusions were running low. She reached into a cabinet above her and grabbed more vials, sighing and running to the back.
"How many CCs of morphine?"
"Ten should be enough for Reyes. Give small amounts of hydrocodone to the rest."
"Yes ma'am."
It didn't take long to stabilize most of the injured soldiers. Luckily, their injuries were not as bad as they seemed. Lena approached McCree, who couldn't seem to sit still in his assigned bed. "…Glad to see you're better than you're looking."
"I'm not the one you gotta worry about, I'll live. Why'd you stop here? Shouldn't you go see Gabe?"
"I…wanted to make sure all of you made it back in one piece. Just glad the mission was finished with everyone intact." She paused, noticing how bloody his bandages were getting already. "Look, just stay still and listen to what Angela says. I'll be back."
"Heh, no promises."
Going further into the infirmary, she could see how badly Gabriel looked. He was still conscious and alert, something completely remarkable with his injuries. Lena slowly made her way over to his bedside, her hand resting on the metal railing. The look he gave her made her rub the back of her neck out of nervousness.
"You're…gonna scold me, huh?"
"Why do you never listen to what I say?" He scolded. Even though he disapproved of her actions, the results were satisfactory. Holding her dead body in his arms would've haunted him more than he could admit. "I don't say it because I don't trust you, I just want you safe."
"We're soldiers, Gabe. It's what we do so others don't have to." Her hands dropped from the cold steel as she folded her arms. Her gaze wavered to the floor. "But…I should've been faster. That way, none of you would've been—"
"It's…not your fault. I should've seen those units from afar. The blame falls on me. Either way, the mission's complete, and the UN's happy for now."
A sigh was her only answer for a while. "…I don't understand what they want me to do with the damn cores. And for all the crap you guys went through just to find them…they'd better be worth it, or Morrison's not gonna like me."
"Heh…don't worry about me, I'll be up and movin' before you know it. Just go see what you can do with the cores. Make our hard work worth it."
Lena came back into focus as soon as she heard a knock at her door. She got up, opening the door to see Genji standing in the doorway. He looked a little guilty for disturbing her, even though she was doing practically nothing the entire duration of her time in the room.
"Um, Lena…I have some info that might be of use to you."
"What is it?" She asked. "Is it about the recruiting?"
"Yes. I had a person in mind, that would likely help us…if we play our cards right."
Silence filled the room as she began to think. Genji was the son of a feared yakuza boss when he was alive. He also dismantled his own family empire out of revenge, and roamed for a purpose shortly after Overwatch's downfall. She also remembered he had an older brother, whom was responsible for his near fatal injuries. He didn't mean him, did he?
"Genji, are you…talking about your brother?" She had to pop the question. There was no way he was serious about this. "The same person who caused your injuries?"
"Yes, the same. I know it sounds…crazy, but…it is better than nothing." He could see the hesitation and worry in her features, but he was adamant on his decision. "Our last meeting was less than satisfactory, but I think if you go to Japan to plead your case, he will take you seriously."
"…Approach the southern dragon as if I am one of his kind, huh?" Hanzo embodied more of the yakuza lifestyle than Genji, apparently. And after their previous encounter, he probably wouldn't listen to him anyway. An unknown person was necessary for this to work, and that person was Lena herself. "It's a stretch Genji, but I'll try. You'll be coming with, right?"
"Of course. You will be doing the talking. But first, please rest. You need a clear head, Lena."
She simply nodded, and he slowly shut the door behind her. Lena walked over to her bed, plopping straight on top of the bedding. She had no desire to sleep still, her mind still wandering with scenarios that possibly could have made their current situation better somehow. But what's done is done.
"God, Gabriel…where are you now?"
McCree pulled up to the airport, putting the car in park and exiting with Tracer. The exterior remained untouched from the carnage that ensued here not too long ago. However, the airport itself seemed abandoned…which was highly alarming. He palmed his revolver and entered the building.
"Something's not right here," He said. "Since when is an airport quiet?"
"Maybe it's naptime for everyone?" Tracer suggested, shrugging her shoulders. McCree didn't see the comedy at the moment, and motioned for her to follow. "Sorry."
He opened the doors, his eyes widening when he looked around the airport interior. Scaffoldings were built, but where were the construction workers? Then he saw the blood. God, it was everywhere. In front of them were Lena's suitcase and matching tote. It was too deliberate for it to be this easy. But who was here?
When McCree approached the bags, a small stream of black mist appeared in front of them. Instead of his traditional black outfit, Gabriel was dressed in all white, with a chrome owl mask as the finish. It was completely out of character, and McCree only tensed up more. His hand reached out for the bags slowly, his eyes unable to leave his mentor's visage.
"What're you doin' here?" He questioned, finally grabbing the handle of the red suitcase. "Lena has everythin' ready for you. You…you need to come back."
Gabriel's appearance here wasn't a coincidence. A pair of white shotguns materialized in his hands as his eyes never left the two people standing right in front of them. It was a warning to them, to keep them on edge. To let them know Talon was onto their plans.
And what better way to show dominance by waving precious bait right in front of you, and yanking it right back?
"I'll get the bags," Tracer volunteered, reaching forward to grab the suitcase and tote bag. "Come on. We can't do anything for 'im. Not right now."
But McCree didn't want to leave. He was right there in front of him, the opportunity as clear as day. The problem was that he wasn't strong enough. He couldn't handle Gabriel if he started a rampage. The only person that could stand against him was Lena, and she was more than motivated. But she was so drained physically, that even with her suit repaired she wouldn't be able to do much. So at the moment, he had no choice but to take her bags and leave. No point in biting off more than he can chew. He bit down on the inside of his cheek and released his grip on the revolver.
"Jesse!"
"…I'm comin'." He followed Tracer, and helped her load up the car before getting inside and leaving. In the distance, the woman used her grappling hook to slowly lower herself to Gabriel's position. Heels clicked against tiles, a slight smirk appearing over discolored features.
"Ah, they're leaving. Do you think that was wise, cher?" She watched as the car pulled off rather quickly. Gabriel's shotguns disintegrated into nothing, and he began to walk away. "You must still have some self-awareness left if you let those two live. And that woman…what was her name? Lena? If you didn't hesitate those two times, she'd already be dead."
"If you value your life, Widowmaker…you'll keep her name outta your mouth. She's not yours to worry about. She's mine."
The hostility in his voice when he mentioned Lena did make her flinch a bit. Gabriel was better off being an ally than an enemy. However, she would be a liar to say that his relations to Lena didn't interest her. Anything to have an edge over her adversaries was appreciated.
"Hmm, very well. Let us return to headquarters."
