Overwatch: Lost in Time

by Raven the Dragon

Before she was the face of Overwatch, Tracer was Lena Oxton, the pilot with Chronal Disassociation. With her accelerator gone, Lena must face what she fears the most: Herself. Demons come back to haunt her that McCree and Genji thought were long gone, and struggles hidden under a smile finally come to light. But it's too late. Lena Oxton might be gone forever.

21. Chapter 21- Morals

Overwatch-Lost in Time: Part 4: Silenced

Cover Art: http /imgur com/YBoucWC

(Also on my Raven6229 DA page)

Chapter 21: Morals

It was blindingly bright, yet it was endlessly dark. Hana was on fire, yet she was encased in ice. She was in pain, yet she could not feel it. She just knew she was in pain. She couldn't move. Hana had nothing to move. She felt trapped, yet far too free. There was no way to honestly describe the void of nothing and everything stretched out before her.

Was Hana dead? Is this death? No, it could not be. This must be chronal disassociation. Hana was lost in time. How long was she going to be here? A second? A minute? A day? A month? A year? Forever? D,va would have shivered if she had a body to move. No, Lena had come back from being "lost in time," so surely Hana would too.

But how long would Hana have to wait? She couldn't even track time correctly. If she tried to count the seconds, she couldn't measure the gap in time between them, because she was in time itself. Hana longed for the ability to stretch her arms out or to take a deep breath or to move at all. While she was here, the very concept of a body felt like such an abstract concept. It was difficult to fathom movement in this void of nothingness, like a vague idea from a dream one can hardly remember.

Hana was also bored. There was nothing to listen to save the endless droning of her thoughts running in circles. All she could do was wait for something, anything to happen.

She waited.

She waited.

Was her squad doing anything right now? When was now? Were they training or on another mission?

She waited.

Hana waited.

All she did was wait.

Hana wondered what Lúcio did about the stream they had planned. Maybe it was rash to rip the Toy off so suddenly.

More waiting.

What else was there to do?

Was this a bad idea? Most likely. Hana would have sighed. Here she was, experiencing exactly what she bargained for. It was hard to tell if it was wise or not.

Waiting.

Waiting.

Something.

Hana felt something. It was as though she was sinking, the dark light hot cold around her fading away, as though she was being tugged away. She wanted to scream, to cry for help, to struggle or do anything she could.

Hana felt her mind slipping, her thoughts changed, and light appeared. She heard a voice. She was somewhere, or somewhen.

…

Hana didn't know what was going on. She suddenly realised she was in Numbani, except it was a wreck. Buildings were damaged, the colourful streets with numerous shops were in shambles. Hana was moving. But she wasn't. She couldn't control herself. In the corner of her eye, Hana saw Tracer, as fine as she's always been in the propaganda. Hana wanted to call out to her, but her head remained ever forward as she ran around the man she had briefly seen on the Talon missions. It was Doomfist, the metal gauntlet secured to his arm. She was running towards him. It was only then that Hana realised.

She wasn't herself. Statistics and analyses started blinking into her view in Japanese of all things. Despite Hana never having learned much Japanese beyond a few simple sentences, she felt herself read and analyse them with brutal efficiency.

And yet, despite everything, the scariest thing of all was that the voice she heard thinking wasn't her own.

"Doomfist. Tracer is circling behind, I go in front."

Hana would have screamed. It was Genji's voice in her head. No. That wasn't it. Hana was in Genji's head. She was experiencing the events of the battle with Doomfist.

"Genji! Winston's down!" Tracer cried through a communicator that didn't appear to be in Genji's ear. It must have been in his helmet.

"He'll be fine! Just keep going!" Genji ran at exhilarating speeds, jumping and flipping around in ways Hana could never dream of doing. Genji dashed alongside the wall of a skyscraper, the city becoming a speck as his modifications kept him elevated. The wind rushed by, a slight whistling audible through the helmet.

Hana felt Genji's sense of alarm as Doomfist saw the ninja, hurling a car door towards him in a giant Frisbee of pain.

The city became a blur of pictures and colours as Genji flipped over, throwing ninja stars at Doomfist. The behemoth of a man instinctively blocked them with his gauntlet as Tracer fired a round of bullets into his back, earning an annoyed growl as he turned around to fight the time-hopping girl. Hana heard Genji's voice in her head as he thought.

"Lena is doing well with dodging, must find an opening."

Despite the thoughts being in Japanese, Hana understood them with perfect clarity.

"Moves onreaction,turns it into action. Learns our patterns. There!"

Hana felt Genji speed forward in an instant, his metallic limbs gifting him supernatural grace as he ran towards Doomfist.

"He sees me!"Genji thought in alarm as Doomfist slammed his fist into the concrete, creating a shockwave of debris. Genji launched himself upward, prepared to hurl more ninja stars.

The attacker momentarily ignored Tracer, grabbing the nearest car and pulling it off the ground as he threw it at Genji.

Hana mentally screamed right with Genji's roar as he pulled the sword out of his sheath. There was an enormous surge of energy as the cyborg sliced through the vehicle as though it was butter.

"Genji!" Lena screeched through everyone's comsas Genji, suspended in air, had no way of avoiding Doomfist as the man jumped at the cyborg. Pain blossomed in Genji's chest as the punch connected, sending the cyborg crashing to the ground. On instinct, Genji righted himself, digging his feet into the ground in a futile attempt to stop his momentum as he crashed into one of the cars.

Errors. There were a lot of errors. Red lights starting blinking onto the visor screen, Genji grunted and groaned as he strained to push past the pain and move, yet he could not. His joints were locking up, sparks flying from the circuits. Hatred and rage circled in Genji's head.

"Cyborg… Cyborg… freak of nature… not human… LENA!"In the corner of his eye, Genji saw Winston passing him, finally back up after the hit he took.

Tracer was running towards Doomfist. "Don't worry, Genji! I'll get this guy!" She laughed nervously as Genji strained to move, yet his damaged circuitry prevented his systems from functioning properly.

"Don't worry… don't worry…! I got this!" she rambled as she blinked around Doomfist almost too fast for eyes to track.

Almost.

"Lena!" Genji screeched in horror and outrage. Doomfist lunged, grabbing hold of Tracer's harness in the split-second Tracer was still, before tearing the back of it out. Tracer screamed in agony as the show of sparks cascaded from her accelerator in a bright blue shower.

"Lena! No…!" Winston muttered in horror into the communicator. Doomfist smirked, crushing the back of the accelerator in his fist, dropping the pieces of wiring, metal, and other components to the rubble. Tracer clutched her head, writhing mid-air as her body began to flicker and glitch and fade sporadically. Her voice was distorted as she cried out, the front of the harness starting to flicker off.

"W-w-W-WInsToN, HElP M-m-M-mE!" Winston and Genji watched in horror as Lena flickered back and forth across the street, until she reached out for Winston, eyes pleading as she vanished in a glimmer of blue light.

Genji bucked and roared against the failing programming that kept him immobilised, fury and rage roaring through his mind. Hana felt her mind invaded by his mental and literal screams of rage, making it hard to think her own thoughts. Genji became focused on Doomfist as he used sheer force of will and anger to pull himself upright, hardly able to move yet fully prepared to murder Doomfist.

In the corner of his eyes, Genji saw Winston, the Gorilla's skin taking on a reddish hue as his horrified expression melted into fury. Doomfist charged his gauntlet, charging to meet Winston as the two collided punches as Winston launched himself upward with a roar.

The shockwave was massive, nearly knocking Genji off his feet as the Gauntlet discharged energy, the street tearing itself up.

Doomfist fell, flying backwards onto the asphalt as Winston ran up to meet him, pinning the man to the ground as he roared again, his skin returning to its usual blue. Doomfist struggled, the gauntlet sparking and damaged with blood on his shoulders. Genji heard Winston through the microphone. "Never. Hurt. My Family."

Genji groaned again, straining against hissparkingand malfunctioning body as he made slow, strained steps over to where Doomfist destroyed the chronal accelerator, pain pulsing through his body like a heartbeat, each step enough to incapacitate a lesser man. It was almost too much for Hana to bear, yet she had no choice but continue as Genji, step after step to the mountain of rubble.

Genji found the pieces on the ground. Some of the metal was bent and distorted, some completely torn off with circuitry and technological components scattered throughout the rubble.

"Genji, are you okay?" he heard Mercy's voice through his helmet.

"Yes, Angela. I will be okay. The accelerator is broken, though."

"I understand, Genji," she responded, all business. "Winston will deal with the press and Doomfist. The authorities are ready to take Doomfist away. I will be down there soon with parts to repair your circuitry and the accelerator."

"Thank you, Angela."

"Of course, Genji. Just make sure to get whatever parts you can and get out of sight. Best keep quiet about Blackwatch right now."

Ten minutes later, Genji was on a nearby rooftop, watching the chaos below as Angela busily worked on the harness next to him. Movement still hurt, and the errors continued flashing on the screen, yet Genji would remain still until Lena was back. He wasn't going to let his freakish body get in the way of getting Lena back. There were cheers from the crowd below, Commander Morrison standing near Winston as the reporters and crowds asked question after question to the now-famous gorilla.

Mercy shook her head. "Genji, Lena said she is not conscious when trapped in time. We can leave her for a few minutes to take care of you."

That wasn't true. Lena had told Genji and McCree as much in secret. That meant Lena was out there, lost in a void of darkness, waiting to be rescued. Genji shook his head.

"I will be fi-fine, Angela," he assured, unable to stop the stutter as another spray of sparks shot from his chest. The doctor shot him a worried glance but kept working. The accelerator's components had been temporarily set in a small box, as the metal case that held it had been rendered completely unusable.

"Unfortunately, the front of the accelerator has disappeared with Lena, so the replacement parts should be barely enough to bring her back until we can rewire the harness to the emergency replacement parts."

Genji nodded. "Will activating it bring her here?"

The doctor nodded. "It should activate one of her "blinks," or something akin to that to transport her nearby. Once she's stable, I'll repair you."

Hana felt another pang of Genji's self-loathing at the word "repair."

"Are we ready then?" Angela asked as she inserted a final piece into the small plastic box. Genji nodded, stiffly, ignoring the sparks spewing from his neck. Angela connected two wires as the mess of parts began to glow a vivid blue. The twosome waited tensely for ten seconds until a blue figure started flickering in and out of existence.

"Tracer!" Dr Ziegler cried out as Lena rematerialized in the air, dropping to the ground like a rock as she hit the roof in a startled heap.

"Genji! Did we stop Doomfist?" Tracer shouted immediately, lunging up as she grabbed his shoulders. Her gloves kept her safe from Genji's sporadic sparking. Her eyes were wide with worry. "Are you okay? Is Winston okay?"

"Yes, Lena, all is well." The cyborg promised, his voice warm. "Winston is quite popular with the people," he added humorously. Hana could see the obvious relief in her eyes. Suddenly, Lena gasped, stiffening.

"My harness? What in the…?" She spun around, nearly tangling herself in the wires Dr Ziegler had busily been attaching to Lena's broken harness as she faced Genji.

Dr Ziegler smiled sheepishly, picking up the plastic box and handing it to the girl, some of the wires straining at the length. Lena scooped it up, smiling widely. "Oh man, thanks! Sorry that I broke it…" she added sheepishly.

"It is no problem. Now, Genji, it's time to heal you."

"I am fine, Doctor," Genji denied futilely. "Lena, how are you?"

Tracer tipped her head curiously, then shook her head and beamed. "As long as Doomfist is done, I'm right as rain!"

"She's lying."Genji thought as Hana abruptly felt pulled away from the scene in front of her.

…

Hana was back in the endless void. What just happened? What was that? Hana would have shuddered. It felt sowrong, not having control of her limbs. She felt like a trapped puppet being manipulated. And she heard Genji's thoughts. It was hard to not feel like she was violating his privacy. Would that happen again? Is that what Lena spent one year of her life suffering through?

It was horrible. How could anyone stand a full year of that torment?

As Hana waited for something to happen, she couldn't help but worry. Would she have to spend a year like this?

…

Sombra nervously knocked on the door to Lena's hospital room despite her throat still needing to recover. After a moment, the hacker pushed the door open, carrying a large case at her side.

"Hey, Girly," Sombra greeted softly. Lena was already watching her, paying no attention to the movie in front of her. The HoloVid was propped on her left leg, as she was unable to prop it between her legs anymore. "So, I spoke with the doctors," Sombra began as she sat down on the chair next to the bed, handing Lena a box with a generous amount of food stored in it. Lena started eating without hesitating, though her eyes were still blank and downcast. "They said you should be ready to begin training in about a week. You know, just to iron out any kinks that appeared during… Um… You know."

Lena's eyes flickered to Sombra then back to her food, her expression momentarily pained until she resumed her blank stare. "But the doctors did say you can talk a little now, though not too much, and you might have some trouble at first."

Lena didn't react, still watching Sombra while eating one of the sandwiches. She finished up the food in silence, passing the trash back to Sombra, who set it aside. "On that note, are you ready to remove the bandages? Lena stayed silent, yet she instinctively moved her hand to touch her neck, her eyes growing nervous. She never liked it when anybody messed with the bandages.

"Well, it looks like a yes to me," Sombra joked, already reaching for the bandage on Lena's right arm. The girl stiffened, looking ready to recoil. "Calm down, Lena. You'll be fine."

Sombra gently unwrapped the soft bandages as Lena watched, shivering.

"There we go… hey, they're looking much better this time around!" Sombra complimented as she threw away the wrapping for the doctors to deal with later. It was true, barely. The long burn trailing down the entirety of Lena's forearm had healed, though a nasty scar remained in its place, unlikely to improve.

"How does it feel?" the hacker asked, gently brushing her hand over the scar. The skin was rough and fragile like the smallest prick could undo any and all healing that had taken place in the past week. "Come on, try to talk," Sombra urged, prompting Lena to open her mouth for an instant.

Lena struggled for a moment, unable to get her tired voice to work properly, but soon enough she was forming words. "It doesn't…hurt…" the words were soft and strained, but they were words.

"That's good!" Sombra cheered, moving on to the other arm. The process continued itself, Sombra gently unwrapping each ribbon of cloth. Her arms, remaining leg, and torso were permanently wrapped in red reminders of what Reaper had done to her. Medals of honour for surviving, if one was to ask Sombra. Tracer remained quiet through it all, stiffly waiting with her eyes squeezed shut.

"Alright. One more bandage to go," Sombra encouraged as she set her hand on the wrapping on Lena's neck.

Lena gasped, recoiling and nearly falling off the bed, her eyes wide and afraid, breathing heavy.

"Oh jeez…" Sombra sighed, setting her hand on Lena's shoulder as the girl shivered violently.

"Come on, now… no need to be so upset." It was an obvious lie. Lena Oxton had every reason to be mad and scared and sad after what the boss had done to her. It was painful to see someone that Sombra had once been able to banter with-slash-against in such emotional pain.

Sombra forced away the twinge of guilt in her gut.

"Hey, hey, come on. I have no idea how to handle things like these!" Sombra joked, trying to calm the wounded soldier down.

"Sorry…" Lena muttered after several minutes of short, intense breaths as she lay her head against the wall.

"Ugh. I need to put a ban on the word 'sorry.' Now come on, let me take the bandages off, please?"

Lena obliged, remaining completely motionless as she held her breath. Sombra gently unwrapped the gauze on her neck. The collar had done a number on her. It was by far the most damaged part of her body, but it too was healing relatively well. A hideous burn scar still circled her, though. It was Lena's inescapable collar now. A collar of scars.

"See? Not so bad. How do you feel?"

"Fine…" her voice was soft, and her breath hitched as she felt the rough skin. She bit her lip, desperate to force out the tears already cascading down her cheeks. Lena grabbed a bundle of the covers, holding them to her face to muffle her weeping.

"I miss home…" she muttered in between sobs. Sombra frowned. Part of her wanted to tell Lena about how Hana had activated the Toy. Maybe she would try to flee.

Instead, Sombra set her hand on Tracer's shoulder, squeezing it gently.

"I know, Lena, but this is home for you now. You'll get used to it eventually. Now come on! I know what will cheer you up!" Lena looked up, her cheeks stained with cheers, as Sombra set the case she had brought on the bed.

"Ta-dah!" she cheered, opening the suit and revealing a prosthetic leg. The metal was smooth and clean with violet fabric covering the joints. There were no separated toes, though the metal there would easily substitute. Wires poked out the top, ready to be attached to the prosthetic clasp.

Lena's gaze flickered from the prosthetic to the clasp on her leg.

"Do you know how to put one on?" Lena shook her head.

Sombra nodded. "Okay then. Just swing your leg out, and I'll put it on for you, for now." Lena did as she was told, sitting on the side of the bed, motionless as Sombra attached a variety of wires to each other. Slowly, Lena regained feeling in her leg. Her knee. Her toes. When the last wire was fitted into place, Sombra secured the leg to the clasp with a satisfied grin.

"There we go! Try moving it!"

Lena began slowly, kicking the leg back and forth. The movements were fluid and smooth, the quiet hum of the machine matching her motion. Sombra watched her kick it back and forward a bit, testing all the joints with a downcast expression.

"I know it feels a bit lopsided, given the prosthetic isn't too flexible around where the toes would be, but you'll get used to it eventually."

Lena nodded, looking up to Sombra for further instructions. "Alright then, ready to try walking?" Sombra was grateful Lena was finally off the IVs from the past while, because she immediately tried to force herself up, only to immediately stumble due to her weaker leg having not been properly exercised in a long time. Sombra hurried to catch her as Lena grabbed on to the hacker's sleeve, using the woman as support to pull herself to a standing position.

Sweat was already forming on Lena's head as she struggled to stand, her arms trembling violently. Slowly, Lena took a tentative step with her prosthetic, her blank expression making it hard to tell what she was feeling. Sombra couldn't help but wish she was emote something other than sadness or nothingness.

Sombra couldn't help but feel responsible as she led the girl around the room. At the end of the day, Sombra was the one to hack the Slipstream jet. No matter what anyone said, it was because Sombra had hacked the accelerator that Lena fled to Talon in the first place. As much as Sombra hated it, she had been the one to bring Lena to Talon. Sombra had made the Toy. Sombra is making the weapon Reaper requested. Sombra had helped to make the Sympathiser.

"Okay, that's enough for right now," Sombra announced, her heart not in it anymore. Lena was panting, still not able to hold herself up without assistance. Her muscles were weak from the underuse and damage from her treatment. She should be okay in a couple days, in that regard.

Hopefully, the Sympathiser would help, too, if Lena agreed to using it. There was no way to force her to use such a tool.

…

"Whaddya guys want?" McCree greeted curtly. It was sunset at Gibraltar. Genji and McCree sat by the cliffs. Genji was in his meditation pose as McCree smoked his cigar, blowing out a puff of smoke as Efi and Lúcio walked up to meet them.

"We have a problem…" Efi began nervously, fiddling with her fingers.

"That's awfully vague." McCree retorted snidely, barely looking at the child.

"It's Hana," Lúcio continued, watching the ocean ruefully. "The 'Toy.' She tore it off."

McCree and Genji both looked up at this. "Pardon?"

"She was mad. She was so mad that she was being used against Lena. She thought if she took it off, Lena wouldn't have a reason to stay there."

"And it activated. She gave herself Chronal Disassociation," Genji deduced, standing up calmly. "Have you told anyone else?"

"Not yet… Though Efi sent Orisa to explain what happened to Winston," Lúcio admitted. We know he is going to freak. We wanted to ask your opinion on how to handle it, though."

"Why us?" McCree asked, raising his eyebrow.

"Well, we heard you guys have known each other for a long time. We figured if anyone would know what to do about it, it'd be you two."

Genji sighed, his robotic voice almost melodic. "There's not much you can do. If she just pulled it off, she'll be gone for several hours, most likely. After that, you'd best get her to the stabilisation chamber as soon as possible. It will make her less likely to fade through time. She won't be able to touch anything or speak at all."

"It ain't gonna be good for her psychologically," McCree continued, pinching the cigar between his index and middle finger. "Not bein' able to communicate sucks."

Efi nodded sadly. "Do we talk to her, or what…?"

"Definitely," Genji answered. "Don't patronise her by pretending nothing is wrong, but also try to avoid the topic of the condition for the time being."

"What exactly happens when she's gone?" Lúcio asked. "I heard the ghost thing, but…"

McCree winced. "She's nowhere, and she knows it. She'll be stuck in an endless void, fully aware but unable to do anything. Sometimes, she's gonna dream. That'll do the most damage to her. Lena kept those a secret from even us."

"Dreams?"

"Yeah, except they're real. Events that have happened or may happen. Her consciousness is transferred into a person there. She'll hear their thoughts, move as them. Only sometimes even be self-aware. She'll feel their pain, too," Genji explained, carefully avoiding looking at the horrified twosome.

"That's horrible…" Efi lamented. "She's going to feel a pain that isn't even her fault?"

"That about sums her up," McCree finished, leaning against the rocky bluff as the ocean crashed into the rocks below. "The fool…"

"We need to find a way to tell Lena," Genji mused, staring at the sea.

"Why would you do that?" Efi asked in shock. "That'd break her heart."

"True," McCree agreed. "But then she'll have no reason to stay with Talon. It'll be easier to get her back."

"And now Lena's sacrifice was for nothing…" Lúcio mourned, watching the cowboy and ninja sadly.

"Yeah. It was," McCree affirmed. "It ain't fair. It sucks, like a lot. But there's nothin' to be done about it."

Genji nodded. "Hana did what she believed was right, as did Lena. All we can do is try to help them now."

"It's so not fair…" Efi sat on the grass, holding her head in her hands. "Lena didn't deserve that punishment. She didn't do anything wrong! Now she's with the bad guys, and she went with them for nothing!"

"The world ain't fair, Sweetheart," McCree continued harshly. "That's why there are us heroes. We make it fair."

"That's an ideal Lena held close to her heart." Genji turned to Lúcio. "You guys cannot blame yourselves for this. Hana made her choice, and she must live with the consequences. All we can do is assist her in coping until we can find a way to make an accelerator."

"Even if it was a stupid decision," Efi grunted, crossing her arms.

"Yes. Even if it was a stupid decision."

McCree exhaled another puff of smoke. "Try to be near her when she comes back. She's gonna be scared. She'll be confused. Don't ask her about what her dreams were. Don't talk about how she can't talk. Just be a friend to her."

Genji nodded. "A friend is what she'll need most."

Lúcio looked up. "Do electronics work in the stabilisation chamber?"

"Most of em, no. Unless it's specially made to withstand intense electrical interference. That limits things to technology especially made for missions, or maybe communication HoloVids that have a lot of oomph to them."

Lúcio hummed. "Communication HoloVids…? I think I have an idea then. Thanks, you guys."

"'Course. Genji and I will be watchin' for her, too. Now hurry along, Winston probably wants to hear what happened from y'all."

Efi nodded. "Okay! Thank you, Mr McCree! See you around!" Efi skipped off, Lúcio following close behind, muttering something in the girl's ear. When they were gone, McCree turned to Genji.

"I guess I'm pullin' the book back out," McCree almost laughed. "Never expected to need it again. Glad I kept the darn thing."

"And I have a collection of hilarious stories of your 'exploits' I haven't told her, still," Genji teased, stretching despite not needing to as a cyborg.

McCree winced. "Yeesh. Can ya just go back to bein' all dark and broody?"

"You wish," Genji snorted.

The two were silent for several more seconds as they watched the waves of the water, the foamy spray shooting up several feet as the water hit the rocks.

"Do you really believe Lena is going to return to us once she knows about Hana?"

McCree sighed. "No, I don't. They broke her. You saw Widowmaker. She's barely human. Who knows what they're gonna do to her body now?"

"Getting her back will be… challenging."

McCree shrugged. "We've done harder before. I'll die before I let Lena sit in Talon's grasp. As for Hana… Guess we're doin' that same song n' dance."

"Lena would like that," Genji agreed. "I wonder if Hana is dreaming now."

…

It was dark out as McCree sat at the end of the Swiss runway, overlooking the expansive forest. His grey cowboy hat lay beside McCree. He was alone, staring out at the trees. Gabriel had given McCree a day off to train for another mission. Naturally, McCree spent the time taking a smoke.

"Who are ya?!" Jesse shouted, jumping to his feet and drawing Peacekeeper before he even consciously registered the soft footsteps in the grass behind him. It was Oxton, the girl chosen to test the Slipstream jet in a few days' time. She was wearing a standard Swiss uniform, which included a white top with blue bottoms. "Tracer" was written on a patch over her heart. Her callsign.

"Woah, Love, don't worry, it's just me, Lena Oxton! It's Agent McCree, right?" the girl held up her hands, though she wasn't actually afraid of McCree shooting. McCree huffed, putting away his gun as he turned away from the perky Brit. "What are you doing out here so late?"

"Good smoke spot," McCree answered curtly, hoping the girl would leave him alone.

Tracer strode up to him, standing all-too-close to his personal bubble as she looked into the trees next to him.

"I don't know. The runway doesn't strike me as the best place to 'have a smoke,'" she pressed, smirking. "Not to mention I see Agent Shimada here with you all the time, and he certainly doesn't smoke."

"And what are you doin' here, pray tell?" Jesse snapped, trying to get the girl to go away.

"Oh, just can't sleep. I get to take the Slipstream up in the morning. Decided to take a walk, and I saw you around."

"What? Ya nervous?" McCree asked sceptically. Tracer chuckled.

"You bet I am! I know there's nothing to worry about, but it's still nerve-wracking!"

"Uhhh-huh." McCree continued, hardly listening to the chatter.

"So whyareyou here?" Tracer asked after a moment, fiddling with the Tracer patch on her chest.

"Like ya need to know."

"I guess I don't. But It's not like you need to not tell me, either."

"I doubt someone like you would understand." Tracer quirked her eyebrow and cocked her head.

"Someone like me?"

"Ya heard me. Someone who doesn't even know what war is like won't understand what an agent thinks or feels," McCree snarled, still not looking at the Brit.

She hummed. "I guess that's true. But just because I don't understand doesn't mean I don't want to help."

"And what makesyathink I need help?"

"Well for one, you're standing by the runway at eleven at night."

McCree chuckled despite himself. "You really have no idea what I am, huh?" Oxton had no reason to associate herself with a murderer like him. Someone who has killed innocent people just for the heck of it.

"I know a bit about the Deadlock and what they've done, but the info is pretty limited. You've got one heck of a bounty on your head, you know that?"

"So ya do know, and yet you're not even afraid when I could shoot your guts out at the drop of my hat?"

This time it was Tracer's turn to laugh. "Come on! If you wanted to kill me, I'd be dead now. Why should I care about what you've done? What matters is what you're doing now, and that's saving the world from the shadows, one mission at a time!" Tracer seemed almostexcited,like she was talking about a comic book hero.

"That's certainly one way of lookin' at an agent," McCree admitted, watching the girl in interest. "But the world ain't that kind. Heroes aren't a thing. Just people like us doin' our job."

Oxton seemed amused. "That job is to save people. Sounds pretty close to a hero to me."

"Ya know, ain't heroes supposed to be on the moral up-and-up? What if a so-called "hero" isn't?" McCree asked, almost curious as he watched Oxton ponder his question.

"You said it yourself. I don't know war. Who am I to judge someone that has struggled with something I cannot even begin to comprehend? Who am I to decide whether a hero has lost 'the moral high ground?' Who am I to judge a hero even if they have?" Jesse considered this. It was a naïve statement and far too idealistic for this screwed up world.

"Maybe you'd wanna judge since it'll come back to bite ya if ya don't."

"I know it will, but come on, now. I really have no right to judge someone if I haven't been in their shoes now, right? Until I fully understand someone's line of thinking, their struggles, or their fears, I'm not in any position to judge who they are as a person."

"You could at least keep your guard up," McCree continued, intrigued by the pilot's line of thinking. No wonder the base had fallen for her so quickly, with optimism like that.

"Oh, rubbish! Don't be so callous! I have no reason to be wary around you.Benefitof the doubt and whatnot, you know? I need to give everyone a chance. Everyone deserves a chance, no matter what horrible things they might've done." Tracer's eyes seemed to sparkle in the moonlight as she slammed her fist on her palm. "And like it or not, you're getting that second chance from me!"

Jesse raised an eyebrow. "Those kinds ofidealsget you killed in a war."

"Yeah, I know. But imagine how much happier the world would be if everyone got a second chance! That's what I'll do! I don't care what you've done, or how badly you hurt me! If someone needs another chance, I'll be the one to give it to them! And if I get hurt, or even killed, it's my fault, and I'll take the consequences with no regrets."

Oxton had surprised Jesse, and that was hard to do. Someone so naïve and blind to the cruelty of the planet could form morals like that fairly quickly, but to say you'd lay down your life for the sake of a "second chance" with so much hope and determination in your heart?

McCree had to admit it was nice. It was a pity the world felt the need to beat that kind of hope out of people. Tracer knew the world had it in for people like her, yet she kept going. As Tracer stretched and yawned, he couldn't help but wonder how long it would last.

"Alright, all this talking has me beat. I think I'm going to hit the hay! I have to be up early for the big day tomorrow!"

"Do well," McCree offered, surprising himself as Tracer beamed at him. She waved at him as she bounded off towards the distant lights of the base.

Part of him hoped she didn't need to lose that optimism.

…

All at once, Hana felt herself returned the void, her memories and mind her own again. In a panic, she searched her memories as her squad, Lúcio, Efi, and everyone else came flooding back. She had turned into Jesse. She hadn't even had her mind. Hana found the idea horrifying. Just like that, at complete random, she had lost any and all sense of identity, being shoved into a mind in which she had no business in snooping.

Hana was relieved as her thoughts transitioned back to proper English and Korean, the memories of Jesse fading into obscurity. His thoughts during that dream remained vivid in Hana's mind. She could still picture the thick growth of brush he had stared at, with the burn of tobacco in his lungs.

Deadlock. That was a name that had faded from the news long ago. Hana hadn't realised what a prominent role it played in everything Jesse thought. "How would they think of me knowing about Deadlock?" "How would Deadlock think of me knowing I'm in Blackwatch?" "What would Deadlock do here?" "Do I fight like a Deadlock or a Blackwatch?"

The cowboy hid it well under his calm and even witty demeanour. Hana couldn't help but wonder if he still thought like that. It wouldn't surprise her.

And Tracer. That Tracer, from that dream, that was the real Lena Oxton. Not the thing on the HoloVid Reaper had shown. Hana wondered if Lena's ideals could survive her torture. Hana wondered if Lena survived the torture at all, or if she was just a shell of a person.

There wasn't much else to do aside from wonder here.

…

Sombra was idly holding a fairly one-sided conversation with Lena when Reaper walked in. Lena seemed to know who it was before he even entered the room, maybe by the sound of his footsteps. She immediately tensed up, this being the first time she'd see him since her last "session" with him. Her eyes widened, and she grabbed the covers in a bundle, shivering as the door opened.

"Glad to see you're recovering well, Oxton," Reaper greeted. "I was never worried. You're very resilient."

Oxton was shaking like a leaf, refusing to meet Gabe's eyes.

"Come on, Gabe. Let's just get to the point," Sombra begged, tired of seeing Lena in such a sorry state.

Reaper nodded, leaning against the wall. "Now, I was going to make you prove your loyalty, but I think you did that splendidly at the last base. You intercepted a shuriken from the cyborg meant for me. I was impressed, frankly."

Lena watched him, shying away as he brushed a hair out of her face. "Now, in a few days' time, you should be prepared to begin proper rehabilitation. We'll put you in the training field until you're ready, then it'll be time for your first mission."

Sombra rolled her eyes. "Gabe already made a uniform for you. He poured his heart and love into it."

Reaper ignored her. "We are missing one thing, though."

Lena waited, watching nervously.

"Your callsign. You're not Tracer anymore."

Sombra fiddled with her nails. "We've toyed with names like Scanner, Hourglass, even something like Venom or Jet. Decided we should leave it up to you."

Lena narrowed her eyes, staring intently at the bed sheets.

"Do not feel the need to decide immediately, but by the time you're sent to the training field, you'll need on." Reaper noticed how Lena watched him intently. "Unless you already have a call sign in mind?"

Lena nodded slowly, though remained silent, waiting for permission to speak.

"Then tell me, what is it?"

"Slipstream…" she muttered quietly. "Slipstream," she said again with more power to her voice. "I want Slipstream to be my callsign."

Sombra flinched in surprise. "You want to be named after the jet that did this to you?" she asked sceptically, gesturing to the pink, glowing harness by the bed.

"I think it's fitting," Reaper offered, his raspy voice smooth and melodic. "Agent Slipstream it is."

Lena nodded, keeping her head down.

"And this Segway's into the next thing," Sombra began after several seconds of tense silence. "The way you are now, Talon question how prepared you are to go on missions. Emotionally, that is."

Reaper stood up. "I will allow Sombra to explain." He left without further fanfare as the hacker rolled her eyes. "Gabe the socially eloquent… Anyway, Le-Slipstream, Reaper and I have worked out something that may help you with keeping your emotions in check."

Sombra pulled something out of a pocket on her coat. It was a small trinket, probably the size of a dime. It was flat and grey and completely featureless.

"We call this the Sympathiser, with a capital 'S.' The short version of what it does… It suppresses your emotions. More specifically, your negative ones, such as fear, sorrow, and guilt."

"Like… Widowmaker?" Lena rasped, tilting her head.

"Not totally. Some of the technology is similar, but Widowmaker had all her emotions repressed in a way that is coded into her brain. This won't be like that. This is going to suppress feelings of negativity when we want it to do so. We can change its effectiveness as well."

"So…" Lena began, trying to understand. "If I have that in, you can control whether I'm in pain?"

Sombra nodded. "Emotional pain, that is. If we numbed the physical pain, your reaction time would suffer. All this device does is numb you to emotional pain. It won't alter your memories in any way, shape, or form. You will still remember Overwatch, and you will still remember everything Talon has done to you, but these memories will no longer bring you pain."

Lena nodded blankly, finally understanding.

"Now, we're not forcing you to use this. In fact, I'd almost rather you not. However, this device is made to make things easier for you."

"Use it," Lena decided without hesitating. "It's all too much. Please, give it to me."

Sombra sighed. "You're certain this is what you want?"

Lena nodded again, her gloomy eyes pleading for relief.

"One other thing," Sombra added. "This thing is specially made. It cannot be surgically implanted or removed, since it will be directly inserted into your skull, in the layers of protection right next to your brain. It's made to be mostly destabilised, much like you. This way, it will pose minimal risk to your health. This also means you must be still and let us put it on since you don't sleep when destabilised, and that's the only way we can put it in such a precarious location. Likewise, if Overwatch were to try, they couldn't take it out without your consent, given it'll be in such a dangerous place to operate. So even if they drugged and nailed you to a hospital bed, they couldn't remove it."

"Okay…" Lena muttered, taking everything Sombra said into account. "Please… I still want it… When can I have it?"

Sombra sighed. "If you're so sure this is what you want, we can apply it right now."

"Please…" Lena begged, staring at the covers. "Just… I can't live like this. Just make it go away."

Sombra nodded slowly. "Okay. But again, you know that this means your emotions are going to be altered. You might not feel the same about anything. I'll ask one more time. Agent Lena "Slipstream" Oxton, are you certain you wish to have the Sympathizer applied?"

Slipstream did not hesitate. "Yes. Use the sympathiser."

Reaper took the liberty of re-entering, apparently having listened at the door. Lena jumped shying away.

"Wonderful. I'm glad to see you agree with our current arrangement. The doctors will be here soon. Within the next hour, you will truly and fully be Agent Slipstream."