Tap.
Tap.
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Angela constantly taps a pen against her clipboard, looking Amélie over. The sound is driving the sniper just a bit crazy as she sits upright on an examination table. Amélie and Angela are in the Overwatch med bay's examination room. Fareeha stands just outside, incase anything, happens...In case Amélie tries to kill Angela...
Amélie sighs, she understands it. She doesn't trust herself either. It's just unsettling to know that the younger Amari is outside, waiting for any sign of evil, ready to wring her neck. She did kill Fareeha's mother after all, so she knows that all she'll get from the woman is hostility.
"From what you're saying... it sounds like Talon tried to completely brainwash you... delete your memories, your identity, your everything... then they made this new personality for you, a cold unfriendly killer... A thing that Talon doesn't believe in, is the possibility that souls exist. I know they do, I have ... worked with bringing back the body with a soul and my technology..." Angela taps her pen to her chin softly, pacing around Amélie.
"Did it work? And how does this pertain to me?" Amélie asks, watching her, skeptical of what the doctor is saying.
"Yes..." Angela bites her bottom lip, her eyes distant and sad for a second, "and no... but... still, my theory about souls was proven. This pertains to you because the soul holds who you are, genetically and mentally. Talon's error is that they only blocked away your feelings and memories. They never did anything with your soul, and that is how you can regain different feelings and memories from certain people and situations."
"Okay..." Amélie doesn't fully understand what Angela is saying, "How can you fix me?"
"It will be difficult, and maybe dangerous since I'm working off of a theory."
"Oh really-"
"Hush! I understand that it sounds bad said like that! Anyhow, in order to delete the mind Talon created for you, I would have to delete your mind in a whole as it is now... a complete brain wipe... and hopefully, after a bit of coaxing, you will regain your memories and therefore, yourself. Since it has already been done to you once..." The doctor frowns and and begins tapping her pen against her clipboard again, "there is a chance your memories won't come back..."
"And... what if my memories don't come back?" Amélie tilts her head, her insides twisting for she already knows the answer.
"Well..." Angela's lips twist into an uncomfortable frown, "You will stay brain dead for I will not develope a new identity for you..."
"Oh..." Amélie frowns and blinks, "So, I could potentially never come back?"
"Yes." Angela looks away, "I know it sounds terrible, but it is all I can think of-"
"I will do it." Amélie narrows her eyes, determined, masking how scared the idea makes her.
"You... you will?" Angela is rather surprised at the sniper's readiness. She looks up at Amélie with concern, noting the fear sparking in the woman's eyes. Amélie takes a deep breath and nods.
"I have nothing to lose now." The sniper reaches into her pocket instinctively, finding the silver dog to be there. She rubs it, feeling a bit of comfort from it's presence. Angela notices her actions and eyes her cautiously. Right, she isn't trusted here. Amélie pulls out the dog and shows Angela, "It's Lena's favorite monopoly piece..."
"I know." Angela nods curtly, visibly relieved that it isn't a weapon, "May I ask why you have it?"
"I don't know... it reminds me of Lena... I... stole it after we played monopoly." Amélie frowns, staring at the little, silver dog, "It comforts me..."
"That's understandable." To Amélie's surprise, Angela nods, smiling softly, "Everyone needs something to remind them of their loved ones."
Amélie opens her mouth to protest, but then closes it, Angela is right. She closes her fingers around the dog, Lena may feel betrayed, but, that won't change Amélie's feelings. What are her feelings? She knows she cares for Lena, enough to want to fix herself for the girl, but, how much does she truly care? What word would she use to describe her caring? Friendship? ... Love? She isn't allowed to dwell on this because of a commotion outside of the room.
"Lena, Angela did not want me to let anyone else in there." Fareeha's voice is muffled by the door, but still legible.
"I want to speak with Amélie!" Lena's voice sounds exasperated.
Angela clicks over to the door and opens it.
"Come in Lena." Her voice is soft, with a hint of darkness in it. She sounds like a doctor about to tell someone their loved one could die. Though, she is about to do exactly that.
Lena slips past Fareeha and Angela, walking to Amélie.
"I'm so so sorry for reacting the way I did. I was just shocked and angry... You may of been lying in the beginning, but you told me the truth in the end, and that says so much about how you're changing. I am... unsure if I can trust you again just yet but, I want to say I am sorry I slapped you... and... I still care about you... I just... I don't know what to believe." Lena awkwardly rubs her arm.
Amélie stares at Lena in shocked silence. The girl had come back, and is apologizing to her. Shouldn't it be the other way around?
"Lena... I care for you too... I am sorry for betraying your trust... I will make it up to you. As you know, Talon made me into this, they made me a cold emotionless spider, and as much as I try, the spider still takes over. She is the reason I killed Gérard. She is also the reason I almost killed Angela, why I was planning to kill you. To be honest, because of her, I can't trust myself anymore." Amélie looks at Lena, her eyes full of guilt, regret, and determination.
"Yes," Angela approaches the two, "Amélie asked me for help with this, other personality. It is what Talon created in her to make the perfect soldier. I have devised a way to delete the 'spider'-"
"Then let's do it!" Lena blurts out loudly, "if it can make Amélie herself again then what are we sitting on our arses for?!"
"but," Angela frowns uncomfortably.
Lena furrows her brow, visibly deflating as she picks up on the somberness of the two others. Her heart begins to beat a bit faster, a small ball of anxiety wiggling to life in her stomach as she worries what the 'but' could be.
"In order to delete the spider, I must wipe Amélie's mind. Since Talon has done it once..." Angela bites her lower lip hard, causing an indent to be left behind when she opens her mouth again, "Amélie has a possibility of not regaining her mind."
"... and... What does that mean?" Lena knows already, she just doesn't want it to be true. The anxiety grows, traveling in her veins and spreading throughout her body.
Amélie chooses now to speak up.
"I could become brain dead..." She flinches as Lena snaps her vision from Angela, back to her.
"No..." The anxiety in Lena bursts and she almost growls, "NO! ... That can't happen! That... no... Angela, she is changing! There has to be a less dangerous way to help her fight the spider! Some sort of medicine you could prescribe to her that will help?! Something! Anything!!," Lena looks frantically between the two, "Amélie, you could die!"
"I know, but I asked for this, I must do this, to save myself. If I die, think of that as a punishment for my crimes." Amélie murmurs, her eyes focused on the floor.
"Amélie! Don't say that! You killed because of Talon, they are not your crimes." Lena frowns, trying her best to reign in her anxiety.
"I pulled the trigger. I enjoyed the killing, Talon or not, they are mine, and will forever be." The sniper sighs softly, "Here." She holds out her hand, the silver dog glinting in her palm.
"What?" Lena looks at the monopoly piece confusedly.
"It's your's, I stole it when you weren't looking. I guess it reminded me of you... it was comforting to have it for a little while... I'm sorry for taking it but... no more secrets, especially if I might... well... die soon." Amélie frowns guiltily, glancing up at Lena then looking away.
"Keep it..."
"Really?"
"If it reminds you of me, you should keep it Amélie, you need it more than I do. Besides, I've always liked the thimble as well, so I don't mind." Lena closes Amélie's hands with her fingers, "But you are right, no more secrets, not because you may die, for you won't die. But, because if we are going to be friends again, we need to be able to trust eachother." She smiles at the woman in front of her, her hand still clasping around Amélie's.
"Merci." Amélie nods softly, her gold eyes now staring into Lena's brown. They sit there like that for a few seconds, each wanting to say more, but not finding the right words, until Lena pulls away.
"So... when are you doing this Angela?" The girl asks the doctor softly.
"I will need to get some equipment ready, but as soon as I am done, we'll be able to begin." Angela places her clipboard and pen down, "So if you'll excuse me, I will go do that." She exits from the room quickly, leaving Lena and Amélie alone.
They sit in silence, the air around them uncomfortably heavy. About a minute goes by before the intense quiet becomes unbearable. Amélie opens her palm and looks at the dog, then glances up at Lena.
"I'm-" She begins but is cut off by Lena, who is also trying to pierce through the quilt of quiet.
"Amélie I-" Lena stops when she realizes that Amélie was speaking, "Nevermind, you speak..."
"No, you go ahead." Amélie shakes her head, gesturing to the smaller woman.
"No you-" Lena gets cut off by Amélie.
"Okay, let's not be cliché, you say what you want to say, then I will say what I want to say." Amélie huffs in a small bit of exasperation.
"Alright... well, Amélie I agreed no secrets, so I have to say something."
"Hm?"
"Well, I...I..." Lena frowns, "I wanted to ask that, after you are all fixed up, if we could play some more go fish together?" Lena's face doesn't look like that was what she really wanted to say, but Amélie accepts it.
"Alright, if-"
"When."
"...When, the spider is gone and my memories are back, I would love to play more go fish with you." Amélie smiles gently. "Okay..." The sniper sighs, "I would just like to say, that I am sorry for everything. You helped me regain myself, and I was just using you... I feel... I feel terrible."
"I wanna forgive you but... I can't now, I think I will though, just give it time." Lena smiles weakly and Amélie nods in understanding.
They fall back into silence, this one slightly less uncomfortable then the former. Lena sits down in a chair at the right of room and Amélie remains on the examination table. The quiet draws on for quite a while, both parties lost in their thoughts. They both seem to sit in the silence for hours, but, then Lena huffs loudly and stands. Amélie looks at her questioningly and the girl just frowns at her.
"Don't do this." Lena commands softly.
"But Lena we've already-"
"No Amélie, we can wait, and something safer will come along! Something that you don't have to risk your whole life doing!"
"It's either a risk to my safety, or to someone else's Lena."
"But-"
"No, you don't seem to understand. The spider has been whispering to me to kill you and Angela ever since I woke up here. In a moment of weakness, I could lose control of myself. I am not letting the spider even get that chance."
Angela re-enters the room abruptly ending the other women's argument with her presence.
"My equipment is ready..."
Amélie nods and stands, she feels a hand touch her shoulder and she turns, looking at Lena. The girl's face is filled with worry, Amélie smiles at her reassuringly.
"Don't worry, I'll play go fish with you again. For now, adieu ma cherie." The sniper turns away and walks to Angela. She has no idea if that was a lie or the truth, she hopes she was being truthful. Angela nods to her and she proceeds out of the room with the doctor. Lena stays behind and watches them go sadly.