10 - Bonfire Heart.
"So, Gerard knew about misanthrope?" Hans noted as he skimmed through the mission report.
Tracer sat munching on an apple in her gym clothes, "yeah, he must've gained access to it at some point" she took another bite. "Morrithon muth've figured he'd be on board with the whole killing my parent's thing." She looked about the room. It was her favourite part of the base mainly because of her friend Hans but also for the odd sense of serenity she gleamed from it. While the rest of the base buzzed, and droned, filled with the noises of urgency and operation prep, this room remained messy and in a state of chaos but it was comforting. The rest of the base reminded her too much of Overwatch.
"Jesus Lena, that's rough, I can't imagine how you must feel" he said, finally looking up at her.
"I've had enough time to rationalise it all now, hopefully the higher ups will put me back in the major operations soon." She replied, curling her toes and cracking them.
"So Mcree sabotaged the anchor?"
"Yeah, apparently he was forced to" Tracer said, trying to give her old friend the benefit of the doubt, he'd earned that much. "Hans?" she asked, changing the topic.
"Ya?" he replied, not looking up from his tinkering.
"Why did they do this to me? I mean I know you were kicked out of Overwatch but you know Angela, right? She couldn't do this, she always cared so much, for everyone… and for me"
Hans stopped and turned slowly, brushing his thick blonde hair out of his eyes. "It is… possible that she believes it was the right thing to do." He looked around for a moment. "Ah!" he said jogging to a bench on the other side of the room and burying his head inside a cupboard and rummaging around inside it. "What if progenitor is a solution to the omnic problem?" he added.
Lena pondered this for a moment. "Why try and send my parents a message then? Why kill them? What did my parents even want me to do?" she exclaimed in frustration.
Hans banged his head as he exited the cupboard. "Maybe it was unethical?" he said, rubbing the crown of his head and returning to his workstation.
"Must be one hell of a solution" Tracer said, curling her toes again and swinging her legs nonchalantly.
"It would have to be, for Angela, Ana and Morrison to take such drastic steps to reacquire it."
"Any luck finding it?" Tracer asked with a cheeky smile. As chief science officer, Hans had a seat on all the big meetings.
"We're working on it Tracer, you'll be back in the field to help soon so don't worry."
Tracer didn't reply, her past missions with Talon had been horrific. Three of her friend's dead, the rest of them turned against her, it was all too much.
"I've been meaning to thank you actually, bringing back the slipstream was one hell of a feat, it'll give us the leg up over them for sure." He grinned, bringing up the holographic projection of half the slipstream fighter. "You wouldn't happen to know where the other half is?" he asked jokingly.
Tracer was silent, near the bottom she could make out a tuft of hair, torn from Winston's leg as it had been lifted it off of his corpse.
"Tracer?"
"Oh, sorry!" she smiled "I wasn't actually on the recovery mission, needed medical attention and stuff. You'll have to thank the others yourself, Hans" Lena said with a half-smile. "and as for the rest of it, my best guess is that it's 30 seconds in the future" Lena hopped off the table and picked up her socks and running shoes. "It's all very timey wimey, love" she giggled.
Tracer hobbled out of the room, the balls of her feet ached from her work out as she strode, bare foot across the gantry overlooking the indoor garden. She stopped for a breather, observing the greenery in front of her as she thought about her new life. It had been a few months since she'd turned on Overwatch and she had kept Winston in her thoughts every moment since. She leaned upon the railing and watched Widowmaker enter the garden, curiously, she looked about cautiously and slipped between two bushes with a book in hand. Lena was reminded of their kiss on their last mission, since then, Amelie had been different with her. Amelie's switch from ice queen to flirtatious friend had caused Tracer many sleepless nights.
She was about to follow when she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Hans, leave me alone" she sighed, turning to face not Hans, but the man who ran Talon and who spoke to her before Emily was killed.
"It's pronounced, 'Tony', Lena" he said in a warm and familiar accent. It was soft and sophisticated, like her grandfathers, from Kent she assumed as she looked him over. He wore another suit, this one brown with a black shirt and tie. She saw the Rolex on his wrist as he removed it from her shoulder and Lena smiled, nodding slowly.
"Nice to finally put a name to a face" she said coldly.
"Discretion is our business Lena, it would not have been proper to tell you back then" he noted, placing a hand on the small of her back and leading her towards the elevator.
"I understand" Lena said quietly, acutely aware of her soaked gym wear as Tony wiped his hand on his sleeve before pressing the button.
The elevator rose above the base and headed for the office above the control tower. "I'm know you do, you've been very useful to us since you joined." He noted as he looked out over the base.
"Gee, thanks" Tracer said sarcastically.
"You'd prefer to have never discovered the truth?" Tony shot back, a sharp sting conveyed through his words.
Tracer thought for a moment and sighed "okay, okay" she said, reluctantly admitting the truth.
"Good." He replied coldly. Tracer spent the rest of the ride wondering if she'd offended him until the doors pulled apart and the pair stepped through. "You have a good run?" he asked as he poured two drinks.
Lena blinked, "oh my work out? Yeah, it was fine" she said, feeling the air of awkwardness between them. She looked away towards the kitchen, where the photo of her and this man was pinned to the fridge.
"Look," he said getting to the point, "we want to clear you again for active duty" he smiled hoping that she'd be pleased. Lena was, she loosened up and breathed a sigh of relief, nodding her approval and whispering her thanks to the man. "Naturally we'll need to get you up to speed but don't worry, that's what you're here for." Again, Lena simply nodded in affirmation, cautious to give away too much to the mysterious stranger. "The arctic base raid was a total success, thanks to you." He continued. "We discovered our first new lead in progenitor for years, we don't know much about it but it's the reason why your parents were killed, Tracer."
"Hans said you recovered the rest of the slipstream?" Tracer interjected, "what happened?"
Tony paused for a moment of deliberation before sipping on his drink. "We've been conducting various operations in regards to your condition, we want to try and help you" he said slowly.
"You already took off the inhibitor thingy, don't see what more you can do, unless you want to remove my control chip, too." Lena replied, crossing her legs on the seat as she slowly grew more comfortable.
"Well I'm personally convinced of your loyalty to us, It's Reyes you'll want to talk to about that."
"He said I was weak, I'm not sure he likes me."
"Well" he paused, "are you?
Lena looked at him angrily, about to mouth off at him for being an arse when she paused and smiled, she laughed and let out a small sigh. "Maybe I am, love" Lena said, with a cheeky half-cocked smile baked in such honesty that Tony couldn't help but reciprocate it.
"In any event, we secured the wreckage of the slipstream, and Hans has been working on improving the design of the accelerator."
"God, I hope not, all he wears is a lab coat" Lena joked but she was serious, she'd never seen him in anything else. "But thank you Tony, I appreciate it."
"And we appreciate you, Lena, you've helped our cause more than you will ever know."
Lena spoke solemnly and honestly, "I just did my job". She shuddered when reminded of the evil she had facilitated.
Tony smiled, "you always do" he said warmly.
"No, Tony, I used to do more" Tracer snapped. "I used to help people, the little guy you know?" she stood up. "I don't think I can fight out of revenge for much longer, it's killing me."
Tony paused and looked her over before leaning back in his large brown leather chair. "Talon was initially set up to keep Overwatch in check. We used to be part of blackwatch."
Lena's mouth dropped open "You mean?"
"We're trying to stop the world from ending, by any means necessary." He said rising from the chair as Lena stepped forward, placing both hands over the desk. "The truth is that Progenitor, whatever it is, has been a pet project of Overwatch for a long time, we know next to nothing about it."
"And that terrifies you?"
"You mean it doesn't terrify you?" he replied, stretching as he looked out of the window. "Tracer, whatever it is Morrison killed your parents to protect it."
Tracer swallowed, it was just another hard truth. "Why would you have Widowmaker kill Mondatta then? How does that have anything to do with progenitor?" she asked rationally.
"We believed that if progenitor had something to do with omnics, making them allies of humans would be incredibly dangerous. We've been operating completely in the dark." He sighed and downed a double shot. "Believe me, Tracer, we did what we had to. I hope, for my soul's sake, that I was right."
"Christ," Lena replied in shock. She looked around for something to add but Tony's sincerity took the words from her mouth. She saw in him a man forced into evil, not a man who desired to do evil. She stood back from him and headed for the door. "Thank you, Tony" she said "I appreciate it". He said nothing as the doors slid shut and the elevator descended. Lena walked through the bustling halls of the base, which looked out over the blue waters of the Seychelles, in a half daze as she plunged yet another syringe into her arm using the strange drug to help her make sense of things. The glimmer of the tempered steel supports burst into the barracks through a large window as she stepped inside and headed for the showers.
She ran it cold and shivered, feeling every icy droplet scratch at her skin as it washed away the sweat. It was still the morning but the sun was rising towards its highest point, and she thought of how indifferent it was, how apathetic the sun is to her problems. It made her feel small and vulnerable. Traditionally, Tracer would accept life as it came, she would choose to be happy almost in an attempt to spite life itself. She couldn't do that now, everything seemed too important, as if her very soul was at stake. Tracer switched off the water and looked at herself in the mirror. Colour had returned to her cheeks and she looked relaxed, her youthfulness returned to her and she smiled, shaking her sodden hair. It had grown long, she hadn't cut it since she'd joined Talon and it was a multitude of colours. She combed her hair in her mirror, looking over the black, browns, blondes and even shades of red which coursed through her hair. It was awkward at first but she pulled it back into a ponytail, while allowing for bangs at the side of her face. Lena pulled a white tee over her shoulders along with her accelerator and a set of skinny jeans over her legs. Then she slipped into a pair of pixie boots and beamed at her new look before pulling the tail of her hair through the back of a discarded Talon baseball cap and left the room.
Lena headed towards the offices next to the operations centre, it was where Reyes usually resided. The sun was beaming down on the staff and Lena giggled at a lowly lab technician who dragged a fan down the corridor towards an angry Officer of some kind. Lena followed and quietly slipped by the roaring inferno of a man as she sought out Reaper. She looked everywhere but couldn't find him until she heard an unfamiliar laugh. It was throaty and raspy like Reapers only in good spirits. She peaked into the recreational lounge and saw Reyes chatting with a Japanese man. He seemed familiar but she couldn't quite place it.
"ah Hanzo, I'm glad you came back!" Reyes said cheerily. "especially after picking up another girl, I've needed someone who doesn't make me want to smash my head into a wall"
"Hmph" he snorted, "Tracer's… personality is legendary" he said with a wry grin plastered to his face.
"Kids got issues, she's pretty quiet now in all honesty" he said truthfully. Lena, who listened on intently, was struck by Reyes' honesty and by his compassion. "I'm impressed she's stuck around as long as she has, to be honest."
"A girl lost in time deserves more credit, Gabriel" Hanzo replied. Lena looked behind her and around, and plucked up the courage to head in.
"Hi Love!" she said striding into the room and hopping onto the sofa. "Aww do us a favour? Pop the kettle on?" she giggled, looking at the kettle next to Reyes. Hanzo stifled a smirk as Reyes grunted and heated the water.
"I need to work, there's some preparations that must be made for the mission" Hanzo said, taking his leave, bowing slightly at Tracer before leaving the room. Tracer watched him intensely before turning to Reaper as he turned out of sight.
"I want to be back on the missions, Reyes" she demanded.
"ahaha" he laughed menacingly "you sure you're ready, girl?"
Lena shifted awkwardly as Gabriel stood over her, looming like an eclipse as she squirmed beneath him. "Yeah" she replied unconvincingly.
"Okay then." He said bluntly and handed her a cup of tea. Tracer's brow shot up in surprise. "What did you want it or not, girl?"
"Don't call me that" Lena said quietly, taking a sip from the cup. "Tony said you had to approve some alterations to the accelerator?"
"I have a few idea's yeah"
"Like what?"
"Miniaturise and compartmentalise the device itself, Hans and I reckon that instead of anchoring you in this time zone we can create a field around you if we split the accelerator into smaller pieces and activate some kind of nano field around you" he said.
"sounds complicated" Lena said, gulping down half the cup of tea.
"It is" Reyes said, rubbing his temples. "It will mean that as long as you wear the smaller pieces you won't need the large accelerator, unless of course you're going on a mission."
"You mean I could live normally?" Lena exclaimed, her face lighting up. "What do you need?"
"Go with Hanzo, we need to gain access to Overwatch's new encryption codes and your old accelerator data from a backdoor Sombra found in Overwatch's systems."
Lena nodded and headed for the door as Reaper grinned, pleased with his new protégé.
The VTOL hummed along nicely until they came upon the landing pads of the outer city. "Oasis is a beautiful place Tracer, blend in and get the data, I'll cover you." Hanzo said before dropping onto the roof below. Lena walked through the crowd, trying to attract as little attention as possible as she moved towards the data point. Widowmaker and Sombra had freed the encryption from Overwatch weeks ago and Sombra had been bouncing the data around the globe, creating a quagmire of digital footprints, making it impossible to trace. Now, all they had to do was download it from a random-access point.
Tracer's abilities made her acutely aware of her surroundings and while she could feel Hanzo's presence, occasionally noting a strange shift in the shadows, she also noted a second presence following her like a hawk. She entered a restaurant and walked though it quickly, entering a closed central area. In the middle, a hole in the floor vented heat from masses of hard drives and to the right was a small room, which contained the control point where the data resided. Tracer drew McCree's revolver and stepped inside, closing the doors to the room and starting the download.
Behind her however, emerged a figure who had followed her, a figure who's voice sent a shockwave through Tracer's spine. "Lena?" Hana asked, in disbelief. Tracer turned and aimed the pistol straight at .
"Hana? What are you doing here?" Tracer asked.
"Finding out Talon are up to" she said cautiously.
"We're just…"
"So it's WE now is it Tracer?" she spat.
"What?"
"You know what I mean Lena, you joined them!"
"I had no choice, I had to save you"
"Lena, I'm under arrest, the Korean government told me I could either work for them or rot in jail" she snapped "You didn't help me at all you just let them divide us"
"There's so much you don't know, Hana!" Lena replied shaking.
"Why didn't you trust me to face them together, why did you join them?!" she asked again, her voice cracking.
"They offered me answers Hana, about Morrison and about Progenitor" Lena begged "forgive me, please!"
Hana ignored her "How do you know what progenitor is?" she said, her eyes wide.
"wait, you do too?" Lena asked as Hana holstered her weapon.
"It's some kind of science initiative the Chinese are building for the UN" she replied calmly.
"The Chinese? They're boycotting the UN though, that's why they're harbouring Overwatch in shanghai."
"I'm not exactly told much Lena, now that I'm a prisoner." Hana said angrily and taking a step towards Tracer. Lena pulled out her gun and Hana froze. "Lena?" She asked in surprise "what are you doing?"
Tracer ignored her. "Progenitor. It's some kind of project that Morrison has been protecting, he killed my parents and he killed Emily to protect it." She said quickly as the download finished.
"What do Talon want with Progenitor, Lena?" Hana asked, taking another step towards her friend.
"Get back Hana!"
"Tell me!" she pleaded, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"I… I-I don't know" Lena stammered, she was close to tears as her friend finally realised what she'd done.
Hana let go and her eyes darkened. "It's true, isn't it?"
Tracer turned to her, putting the chip into a pouch on her hip.
"McCree, Ana and Winston, you really did kill them…" she stepped backwards.
Tracer was in tears but she held firm. "I'm sorry, Hana" she said and left the room, slipping into the sea of people who went about their lives none the wiser.
The next morning began much the same way the previous one had. Tracer got up as dawn broke, went for a run and hit the gym. She spoke with Hans who was busy analysing part of the data she'd recovered and she left around the same time to watch Widowmaker enter the garden. Tracer headed downstairs and looked around for the entrance to her hide away spot.
"Amelie?" she asked.
Amelie rounded the corner a moment later and stood with a hand on her hip. "What do you want, Cherie" she asked, running her hand through Tracer's hair.
"I want to talk" Lena found herself saying. She realised she desired Amelie in a way she never thought she would. "I want to start using the crystal full time, I saw Hana on the last mission and I just ran, if that were a dangerous mission, I could have gotten you-" Lena fumbled for the words as Amelie stood over her, smirking. "I could've gotten someone hurt."
"Aww Cherie" she cooed. "You have a debriefing with Reyes in twenty minutes, come find me after." She said as she returned to her hiding spot.
Tracer smiled a half smile and ran the other way, down the corridors and towards Reapers office. She tapped on the door and waltzed in. "How's it hangin' boss?" she said, taking a seat.
"It's good news for once, actually, we've now got Overwatch's encryption codes, which means we can listen to what they're up to."
Tracer nodded, "so I'm back on active duty?"
Reaper rubbed his temples. "Yes, but Hans is analysing your accelerator data, he's trying to miniaturise the system for you, we're bringing in some Vishkar hard-light architects to upgrade the design. One of them is even joining the team so be nice, or don't I couldn't give less of a shit." He said dismissing her with a wave of his hand.
Lena ran towards Amelie's quarters at a blinding pace, her legs ached from the workout but she willed herself forward, skidding to an abrupt halt as she reached Amelie's door. Her chest heaved as she opened the door, which felt heavy and stubborn in her timid hands. Amelie was sat on her sofa in a crop top and leggings, her brow lined with a faint layer of sweat. Her cheeks were pale, almost a reflection of her former skin tone and her hair was tied into a messy bun. She looked towards Tracer and smiled.
"Come" she said, grabbing a case and heading to the kitchen.
Lena followed and breathed heavily. "That's not crystal, that's your stuff" she said.
"non, Cherie" she said, "I made this for you, it's based on what I take."
"what does it do?"
"Everything mine does but slow your heart" she replied, flicking the vial and handing it to Lena along with the case. Amelie left her staring at her the small vial, which Lena loaded into a syringe. Lena noticed the door had been left ajar and headed towards it. She stepped inside, where Amelie stood with her own drug only completely naked. Their eyes locked and Amelie stepped forward, her breasts inches from Lena's as she gawked at the Frenchman's eyes, glued to the spot.
"I adore your new hair style" she said, placing a hand on Lena's hip.
"Thanks, love" Tracer replied, her voice was quiet and meek. "What's it like? Losing your emotions, I mean" Lena asked, looking up at the Amelie.
The woman smirked and took her shot, which Lena watched as it dispersed from her forearm and coursed throughout the rest of her body. "You still feel" she began as she discarded her syringe and placed a second hand upon Tracers back.
Lena looked at the syringe as Amelie removed her own clothes. She pierced her skin and flinched at the pain, which intertwined with the tingling sensation from Amelie's touch. Widowmaker came back up to face her.
"You can still feel, Cherie" she said, biting her lip, "you simply feel your most base desires". Their lips met. "To eat and drink," she began, nuzzling her face into Lena's neck. "To kill" she added, biting her earlobe sharply. "Even lust" she whispered as her wandering hand danced across Lena's most private areas.
Lena sighed deeply and closed her eyes as Amelie placed her free hand upon Lena's and injected the fluid into her veins. What came next was hard for Lena to describe, the world felt simple but everything seemed so intense. Every movement the pair made as they writhed upon each other seemed deliberate and refined, every sound their mouths moaned was crisp and clear and every colour, even in the dimly lit quarters of Amelie Lecroix, seemed vibrant and perfectly contrast against each other.
Lena let herself go and laughed in Widowmakers arms, finally at peace and finally fulfilled.