Love & War 6: Replicants
Chapter 3: Widowmaker
"One shot, one kill."
"Widowmaker is the perfect assassin, ruthless and efficient. She shows no remorse for the targets she kills. Once upon a time, Amelie Guillard grew up in her family's ancestral home of Chateau Guillard. She was known as a accomplished ballet dancer for most of her life. She married an Overwatch agent, Gerard LaCroix, who was spearheading an operation to take down an terrorist organization known as Talon. After many unsuccessful attempts to eliminate Gerard, Talon turned their attention to his wife. They successfully abducted Amelie and subjected her to an intense program of neural reconditioning. They broke her will, suppressed her personality, and even made her into a sleeper agent. Eventually, Overwatch agents found her and she returned to her normal life, but two weeks later, she killed Gerard in his sleep. She then returned to the organization and undergone training in a the covert arts, altering her form completely by drastically slowing her heart, which turned her skin cold and blue, numbing her ability to express any form of human emotion. This allowed her to be an exceptional sniper. From that point forward, she was no longer Amelie LaCroix, she would be forever known as "Widowmaker." One day, Widowmaker was assigned by Talon on a contract mission that went awry. However, she was plagued by recurring nightmares, including Gerard's death by her hand. Raw emotions were returning just as she was about to take a shot. She realized she needed to escape, realizing that Gerard had tried to stop Talon from spewing chaos around the world in their attempt to "strengthen" humanity. She botched the operation and led a life on the run until she encountered a young British former pilot and Overwatch agent named Lena Oxton, aka Tracer. With her time-traveling technology, they traveled 60 years into the past. They found themselves in Los Angeles, California, under attack by the duplicates of the citizens. They separated and fought as many as they could. Amelie eventually found a billboard, which showed a recruition of the Homefront Warriors, now led by a young African American woman, Melody Jones. Realizing that this is a opportunity to atone for her sins, she seeks out Melody in order to take back the life Talon stole from her."
"I am looking for one known as Melody Jones. I seem to have found you."
"So you have. What do you want with me?"
"I was caught in the middle of the assault outside Los Angeles. I was able to save some Innocents and took out hundreds of these so-called duplicates of the people. I understand you are seeking allies."
"We are, but how can we trust you?"
"My organization, Talon, betrayed me. I was their contract assassin. They took me in, suppressed my feelings and emotions. I lived a happy life in France, hence the name LaCroix. My feelings and emotions returned, and it happened during one of my contract missions. I botched it, and they turned against me. They sent other assassin's to kill me. Somehow, during my escape, I ended up travelling 60 years into the past, right here."
"You're from the future?" Jade asked, shocked of this revelation."
"Yes. I came here because regrets of the lives I took have plagued me. Including the death of my husband, by my hand."
"Why would you kill your own husband?" Asked Melody.
"I told you. I was emotionless. Up until now, I had freed myself of this oppression. I only wish to join your cause to atone for my sins."
Jade and Tanya put their weapons away. "So it seems you wish to redeem yourself," said Tanya. I happen to know a thing or two about that. Me and Jade both."
"I see."
"Listen... who are you again?"
"Amelie LaCroix."
"Sounds French."
"I am French."
"That makes sense. Do you have any form of training?"
"I'm a sharpshooter."
"Oh. Looks like I finally found my match."
"How so? You're a sharpshooter too?"
"I was an USMC scout sniper."
"Perhaps we should test ourselves one day. Does this agency have a shooting range?"
"It does. I wanna see how good you are and why they call you... Widowmaker."
"Défi accepté." (Challenge accepted)
