Chapter 26: Aftermath

"She can't consent to a surgical procedure in her condition!" Angela argued firmly.

"It won't matter what she can consent to if she's dead!" Sombra shot back.

Both of them were at each other's throats with Genji attempting to calm both of them down. His mostly cybernetic body being the only reason Sombra hadn't clawed him to pieces trying to get at Angela.

Although she had been trying valiantly to hide it, Fareeha would admit to being somewhat jealous around Genji. It was understandable that he felt a strong connection to Angela after she saved his life and quite literally rebuilt him, but that didn't keep Fareeha from occasionally feeling a stab of jealousy that she tried to firmly stamp down. At the moment, however, she couldn't be more grateful for his help. Everything was in chaos.

Winston was busy trying to figure out what happened, Zarya and Satya were comforting Lena who was now fully aware but devastated to the point of being incomprehensible, and Genji was trying to keep Sombra from killing Angela while Fareeha kept an eye on Reaper who was currently sitting in with Amélie. Not to mention Adriana who had gone from silent suspicion towards every Overwatch member around her to outright hatred at the news of what happened to Widowmaker.

Sombra had currently gone from screaming demands to snarling some rather creative curses in Spanish while Genji held her back from Angela who was now leaning away from her. Sombra insisted that Angela remove or disable the hormonal control device now in Amélie's head while Angela argued that with Widowmaker apparently unreachable it was impossible to get consent for that kind of procedure.

"It could kill her!" Sombra screamed furiously.

"So could taking it out!" Angela shot back and that finally make Sombra flinch back. "I don't know what its going to do Amélie all right?" she finally confessed. "I don't know if it will help make her better, okay? I don't know if her body and brain are even capable of regulating hormone levels and emotions on their own anymore after that device taking over for so many years. Taking it out could completely destabilize her hormonal levels, putting what little mental stability she has left at risk as well as the rest of her health. I'm a doctor Sombra! I'm not telling you no just because I enjoy seeing people suffer!" Angela's voice sounded on the verge of tipping into hysteria herself.

"Amélie..." Sombra started.

"The old Amélie is gone!" Angela shouted and pointed to the room. "Talon destroyed her! They broke her spirit and her mind. She's gone and she's not coming back," she yelled before lowering her voice. "Whatever else I may feel towards or think about Widowmaker the one thing I believe with all my heart and soul is that she loves Amélie more then I do. More then any of us do. More then we ever will. Widowmaker would die for her without hesitation if she could or fight off an army to keep her safe. But even she accepted the extent of Amélie's mental illness and current intellectual disability. Even Widowmaker knew that she would never fully recover mentally or emotionally from what Talon did to her... from their torture and what they forced her to do to Gerard," Angela's voice shook as she said it.

"Widowmaker told me that herself, privately, after I voiced concerns about how possible treatment could affect Amélie's condition," Angela spat out. "It was one thing when Widowmaker was here and able give consent for herself and for Amélie to undergo a potentially life threatening procedure. Its another to ask the same thing of Amélie in the condition she's currently in," she paused to take a breath before adding, "Not only is it unfair to her, its unfair to Widowmaker and its unethical for me as a doctor. Amélie's life isn't in danger yet. There are other methods I can pursue to help her. Believe me I wouldn't put her at risk if I thought there was something better I could be doing. And if... if I determine that she is mentally capable of making such a big decision for herself and understanding the possible consequences it could have for Widowmaker as well then I will gladly, gladly change my mind," Angela concluded.

"The best thing we can do for Amélie is figure out what happened to Widowmaker and get her back as soon as we can," Fareeha pointed out.

"That's enough Sombra. All this yelling is just going to upset Amélie even more," Genji said gently. That more then anything else so far seemed to get through to her. Sombra deflated and looked over to where Fareeha was standing. Or to be more accurate to the door she was standing next to.

"Fine. But I'm not leaving her. You don't want to take that thing out of her head fine. But you people still did this to her so you had better figure out how to fix it," Sombra snarled as she shoved Genji away from beside her and stormed off. Angela went and sagged down into a chair across the hallway and buried her head in her hands.

"This is my fault. This is all my fault. I examined Amélie. I did psychological checks, medical tests, everything I could think of and I missed it. I missed all of it and now Gérard is dead and Amélie's mind is... is," Angela stopped her words choked off by emotion.

Genji walked over and put a hand on her shoulder.

"What can I do to help?" Genji asked quietly. Angela shook her head and was silent for a while before taking in a deep breath and looking up. She was clearly exhausted and struggling to focus. How long had she been awake?

"You... you still have to go back to get Atlas. That can't get pushed back and Sombra isn't going to leave now. Take Vincent and just... do what you can," Angela said weakly. Genji crouched down in front of her and squeezed her hand.

"We'll be back as soon as we can okay? Why don't you get some rest?" Genji suggested. Angela started to shake her head but he just pressed harder. "You know you need to with all the work you've been doing or you'll crash. Zenyatta can stay behind instead and watch over the other patients while you rest. There are still others here as well and medics on their way to transport the rescued prisoners to better hospitals. If anything absolutely requires your attention then rest assured someone will wake you up," he told her.

Angela was starting to waver a bit and Fareeha knew Genji could see it.

"You're barely able to stay awake as it is. Let Fareeha take you back somewhere to sleep for a bit. Then she'll be back to make sure Amélie is still okay. You'll be able to look after her health better with a clear head. Your tired now and a lot more likely to make mistakes. You know that," Genji added gently.

"I... I..." Angela wavered and finally broke. "Fine. But just for a bit. Is she really all right?" she asked lifting her head up.

Fareeha glanced over her shoulder through the window into the door. As long as either Reaper, Sombra, or Adriana stayed close by Amélie was fairly manageable. She wasn't calm and she certainly wasn't okay but neither was she violent or in any immediate danger. The rest... the rest they still had to figure out.

"As long as someone she's comfortable with stays nearby Amélie will be okay," Fareeha said. No need to point out that the three of them here were most definitely not on that short list anymore. Especially after her violent outburst earlier. "I know its only been what? Four hours since it happened but Reaper, Sombra, and Adriana have already demonstrated that they are willing look after her. Plus they know how to use the sedatives if necessary. They probably have more experience dealing with that device in Widowmaker's head then we do," she added as a reminder. "And as for Amélie she... she just really wants Widowmaker back," she added and Angela's face fell at that.

"Winston still hasn't said anything?" Angela asked desperately.

"Athena said he's getting close to some answers but it will still be a few more hours yet. Lena is asleep again. Satya gave her a mild sedative," Genji answered before Angela could ask.

Angela sighed again and stood up reluctantly.

"You swear you'll let me know if something happens?" Angela asked as Fareeha went over and put an arm around her.

"Promise. Everything will be in good hands," Fareeha promised.

"Okay... okay. I'll rest. But just for a bit," Angela said stubbornly. Fareeha didn't argue, instead she looked past her and mouthed a silent "thank you" to Genji who simply bowed his head slightly in return.

Winston groaned and leaned back. He had been bent over his computers or Lena's accelerator for more hours then he could count. It was time to take a break whether he liked it or not.

Angela was dead asleep going on half a day now, something she would most likely be very upset about when she finally did wake up. Genji and Vincent had left on the fastest jet available here to take care of Atlas and, if all went well, make arrangements with Efie's parents and the appropriate representatives from the Numbani government. The medics Angela had previously contacted had arrived to take the worst of the patients they had rescued. Another round of transports and medics should be arriving roughly six hours from now.

According to the monitor he had set up specifically to watch Amélie it was Adriana who was in with her now. Sombra had, with great reluctance, left quite a while ago on an errand Adriana sent her on. Satya was sitting with Lena and Zarya sitting outside Amélie's room in case she was needed to carefully, but firmly subdue her again. Fareeha had risked going in the room to try and give Amélie some food and now had a rather nasty looking black eye and other bruises as a result. It might have been worse if Zarya hadn't been nearby to help pull Amélie off without hurting her. Amélie's outbursts combined with Widowmaker's strength and flexibility made for a dangerous combination. Thankfully Adriana had intervened as well and managed to get Amélie to settle down.

Meanwhile, Razor had stuck around to make sure the other patients were in good hands with the new doctors and helped Adriana with the list of things she needed before disappearing to a corner of the base somewhere.

Winston wasn't sure exactly what Adriana wanted Sombra to go and buy but he hoped it helped Amélie. He finally had a picture of what exactly Lena had done to Widowmaker but it wasn't a good one. Fixing it would be even harder. Not impossible, few things were, but difficult. Keeping Lena from trying to solve it herself was likely going to be the hardest part.

"You know you won't be able to stop her," Athena chimed in. Winston abruptly realized that had muttered that last part aloud.

"I can't just let her go either. Not in her condition. It puts enough stress on her body when she's at normal health. I don't know if she'll be able to handle the strain now. That's not even mentioning the added emotional toll it will have on her," Winston argued.

"Lena may be distraught now but the moment she is able to more calmly process what she did to Widowmaker she will try and fix it. You will only be able to stop her for so long," Athena warned him.

Winston sighed and stared down at the accelerator and its new harness in his right hand. Athena was right and he knew it. The worst part was that he had no other alternatives. No good ones anyway. He was the only one who could figure this out and anything he could possibly come up with would take weeks at best to create. Even then the accuracy of any devices he made wouldn't be assured.

Lena would be faster, more accurate, and more adaptable. But letting her go would still put her at serious risk on its own. The added complications of her current health and mental state only made the outlook more worrisome.

Winston rubbed his eyes and pushed back from the computer. He needed to rest but he didn't want to keep the others waiting around for answers.

"Rest first. Lena should hear this explained also as soon as she is able to," Athena offered.

"I know, I know. Set a reminder for me and compile my notes. In a way that won't leave the others feeling more confused instead of less," Winston added quickly.

"Understood. I'll see if I can come up with some easy to understand diagrams to help as well," Athena offered him.

Winston thanked her and went off to grab some sleep. Maybe with some rest his brain would come up with a better solution he hadn't thought of yet.

"Are you sure its all here? What took you so long?" Adriana asked as she tore through the bags of supplies. Sombra had finally returned nearly a full day after she had left. Now they were in the kitchen are of the base going through it all. Well Adriana was going through it all, Sombra was busy grabbing some of her food as usual.

"No hay de que," Sombra said dryly. Adriana ignored that as she started taking everything out and organizing it.

"Yes its all there. Took forever to find the coloring books you wanted. Went to six bookstores before I finally figured out that an art store would probably have it for sure. Still took three different stops though before I found what you had on the list. Don't even get me started on that stuffed... thing you wanted," Sombra added although half of it was muffled. Adriana jerked her head up towards the stoves and saw Sombra busy stuffing her face.

"Cálmate! No te pongas enojada. I'm using a plate," Sombra managed to get out around her mouthful of alambre while giving Adriana a shooing motion with her hand. She picked up a couple tortillas to put on her plate as well before hunting around for something. Probably silverware.

"You've been gone since yesterday. There are plenty of places you could have stopped in Spain," Adriana chastised as Sombra finally finished chewing.

"Ahh, but nothing tastes as good as a recipe handed down from your madre," Sombra said with a grin. "Hey, is this.. what is it again? Arroz caldo? And where do they keep the silverware in this huge place anyway?" she said a moment later. Adriana sighed heavily and went over to the cabinets beside the stoves. She grabbed a bowl and pulled out the large silverware drawer.

"Use a spoon to take it out," Adriana warned her. She couldn't decide which one to make so she had made both dishes. Its not like it would go to waste here. Someone would eat it.

"Gracias!" Sombra said happily as she picked up what she needed.

"Just try and leave some for the others. Amélie still needs to eat when I'm done with this," Adriana said. Sombra just rolled her eyes and put her food down across the island from Adriana. She grabbed a stool nearby and hopped up to sit and eat.

"So what's all that for anyway? I mean obviously you said its for Amélie but how exactly is it going to help?" Sombra asked. This time thankfully she did it before stuffing her mouth.

"We don't know what happened to Widowmaker yet or how long it will take to get her back," Adriana explained. She refused to entertain the idea that Widowmaker might be gone forever. It wasn't possible. She wouldn't accept that.

"So in the meantime I'm not going to let them keep Amélie locked up like... like a prisoner. She's only going to get worse if they just keep her in that medical room. I'm taking her to stay with me until Widowmaker is back. Amélie knows me and and I can handle it fine," Adriana stated. She had already moved things around in her room to prepare.

"As for all of this both of them were connected right? So these are all small things to remind Amélie of Widowmaker and to help keep her calm. Stuff I can't just go back to the villa to get. Music, books, shows, those bath soaps and oils Widowmaker always made me special order for her from Spain. Small things that will make Amélie more comfortable while someone figures out how to fix this mess," Adriana said firmly. She didn't care what that doctor, Angela, had to say about it either. This was there fault. This was all their fault.

Sombra interrupted her thoughts when she reached out and grabbed her hand. Adriana looked down and realized that she had practically shredded one of the bags in her frustration. "We'll get her back okay?" she said with surprising gentleness.

"Why would they? Why would they care?" Adriana demanded, her voice cracking. "Widowmaker is gone, Amélie is back, isn't this what they wanted all along? Why would they risk anything to help bring back a murderer who has killed their own members?" she asked bitterly. Widowmaker wasn't just some random soldier she had been forced to watch over she was someone Adriana respected, admired and looked up to.

"Because they are a bunch of goody two shoes who can't keep their noses out of other people's business. They'll feel responsible, which they should, and because of that they'll feel obligated to do something. Believe me these hero types are all the same," Sombra said pointedly. Adriana's mind caught on the strange foreign expression but before she could ask what it meant Sombra started talking again.

"Now go call your girlfriend, complain to her until you calm down, and then go take care of Amélie when you feel better," Sombra said. Adriana opened her mouth to object but Sombra was already smacking her hand away from the bags.

"Go! Vete! Scram!" Sombra said.

"Fine! Fine!" Adriana said but she still didn't move.

"Oh what now?" Sombra demanded.

"Talon confiscated my burner phone after I got off the plane and the last one I used to call her was Reaper's a little over a day ago," Adriana confessed.

"Ay dios mio... here. Just give it back and don't lose it," Sombra said reaching into a hidden pocket to take out a cell phone.

"I'll be right back!" Adriana promised. She was already dialing Raina's number. Adriana had considered asking if her girlfriend could be brought here as well where it was safer but she didn't trust Overwatch enough to ask for such a personal request just yet. But at least Adriana could hear her voice again and reassure her that she was still all right.

Adriana just hoped that these "heroes" could figure out what happened to Widowmaker. She didn't trust them before and she especially didn't trust them near Amélie now after the way they had failed her before. She also knew that neither Sombra nor Reaper would maintain their cool for very long either if some good answers weren't forthcoming about what happened. But until then it was her responsibility to look out for Amélie until Widowmaker returned. That was the at least she could do.

Angela pursed her lips and kept her mouth shut as Adriana slowly walked out of the room with Amélie on her arm. Being stuck in that room clearly bothered Amélie and she didn't trust any of them to get near her. If Angela wanted to help then she needed Adriana, Reaper, and Sombra to be able to tolerate her presence at least even if they all hated her at the moment. Or in Reaper's case hated her more then usual.

Amélie's eyes darted back and forth, narrowing dangerously with her lips pulling back in a snarl as she spotted Angela.

"Now remember what you promised," Adriana said firmly and Amélie's expression instantly crumpled.

"I have to be good for when Widowmaker gets back. That means I have to let... her help sometimes. Like if I start getting really upset and my head hurts," Amélie mumbled. The reluctance in her voice was obvious as was the negative emphasis she put into the word "her" when referring to Angela.

"That's right and you are going to stay with me until Widowmaker come's back," Adriana said shifting her gaze over to glare at Angela who grimaced slightly.

"They won't put me back?" Amélie asked. Her worried eyes darted back over to the sterile medical room and Adriana patted her arm reassuringly.

"No they won't. But you have to try and keep your promise too. I'm going to help you do that. Sombra and Reaper also," Adriana promised. Amélie chewed on a finger, her eyes growing more distant. Angela could see her mind shifting and losing grip again even before she started talking.

"I don't want to be here. I don't want to be out. Widowmaker said I didn't have to come out anymore. Not ever again. When is she coming back? I want to go back to her. I want to sleep again. She promised me," Amélie repeated desperately. She had apparently been saying different variations of that all day and asking the same question on and off.

"We're going to find her. But you have to be strong until then okay?" Adriana said gently but Amélie shook her head.

"I can't. I can't anymore. I have Widowmaker. She keeps me safe. She keeps all the bad things away. Is that why she shut me away? So the bad stuff couldn't hurt me? Did someone bad take her away?" Amélie asked urgently.

Angela frowned slightly but she didn't know what that meant. Shut away where? Was being shut away somehow different from Amélie's usual state when Widowmaker was in control? It certainly sounded like it but trying to ask Amélie to explain it would likely have mixed results at best.

Angela had been asleep for 16 hours total and she hadn't been happy to hear that when she finally woke up. Now Winston was the one passed out and the rest of them were still no closer to figuring out what happened to Widowmaker. At least Lena was awake and somewhat calmer now but she kept demanding to be let up to see Winston. It had taken a lot of convincing and a few threats from Zarya before she finally agreed to stay put and not go running off across the base in her hospital gown to grab her chronal accelerator. That had only been accomplished after Angela swore that they would all have a meeting to go over things as soon as Winston was up.

Granted that also resulted in Lena pinging Athena every ten minutes to see if Winston was up yet but at least she was still in bed and not straining her body even more.

"Widowmaker is okay isn't she? She's going to come back right?" Amélie asked again her hand pulling on Adriana's arm. According to Zarya and Zenyatta she had been asking it on and off the whole time Angela was gone.

"Of course she is. We're going to bring her back as soon as we can," Angela promised. Amélie's face clouded once again with a scowl and she pressed into Adriana.

"Until then lets get you someplace better. You can take a nice bubblebath and go to sleep in a nice comfy bed," Adriana offered attempting to steer Amélie's mind back on course.

"Will you sing to me afterwards? When I got upset and we couldn't sleep Widowmaker always sang a lullaby to me until I felt better," Amélie said quietly as she walked away with Adriana.

"Of course. I know just which song you're talking about," Adriana replied. Angela sighed as she watched them head off.

"You'd think Widowmaker was a guardian angel the way Amélie talks about her."

Angela startled and turned around to see that Fareeha had come up behind her.

"Sorry didn't meant to scare you. Winston is up and got your message. Wants everyone to meet as soon as they can," Fareeha explained. Angela hummed in acknowledgement as she thought over what she had said before.

"I guess from Amélie's point of view Widowmaker might as well be. She's protected her, tried to keep her from any further emotional damage, and takes care of her as best she can," Angela mused.

"Its all she talks about during the times her mind is... well," Fareeha trailed off awkwardly and cleared her throat. "Widowmaker this, Widowmaker that, when is she coming back? Over and over. I'm most surprised though by how Reaper and Sombra have stepped in to help. Adriana I expected. She's been looking after Widowmaker for years now after all but I just didn't expect this kind of... loyalty from them I guess. Although I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Reaper... Gabriel wasn't always like this," Fareeha added thoughtfully. Her eyes darted over to Angela who just nodded at that. The Gabriel, Reaper discussion was a whole other subject that still needed to be addressed.

"I know what you mean. Part of me is happy to see them so willing to look after Amélie when she's like this and the other half is crushed that she can't even stand to look at me without wanting to punch my face...in," Angela said trailing off as she finally took in Fareeha's face. Specifically her swollen right eye that was now heavily bruised. Angela raised an eyebrow questioningly and waited for an answer.

"I tried to help out and Amélie let me know rather emphatically with her fists how much she appreciated it," Fareeha explained simply. Angela winced and lightly touched it making Fareeha wince.

"That definitely looks like it hurts. I'm going to have to take a look at that," Angela said already slipping back into "doctor mode."

"You could always kiss it and make it better," Fareeha suggested with a half smile. Angela smirked and moved closer to her. She placed a lingering kiss over the bruise. Then another on her cheek.

"There. Both for your bruise and for trying so valiantly to act like you aren't jealous every time you see Genji talking to me," Angela said pointedly.

"Uhhhh," Fareeha said eloquently.

"You haven't been doing it very well but I do appreciate the effort as well as your time working so closely with him these past few days. Especially considering everything that's been going on even before this," Angela told her. "Really, it has been such a weight off my shoulders knowing that a feud between you two isn't another thing I have to try and deal with at the end of the day," she said honestly. Fareeha looked embarrassed.

"Genji's a good guy and he's been a big help. Even if most of his time does seem to be spent keeping Sombra from touching computers she shouldn't be near," Fareeha said with a smile.

"He was... a lot angrier when we first met. Angry, depressed, frustrated. Not to mention my patient and still in a very vulnerable state emotionally and physically. I'm proud of how far he's come though. Zenyatta has been a good influence on him. We could all use some of that same calm right about now," Angela added closing her eyes heavily. A moment later they popped back open as she realized something.

"Wait Zenyatta is still here isn't he?" Angela said abruptly.

"Yeah, he stayed behind while Genji and Vincent went to take care of Atlas. Genji called me and said that everything is going smoothly. Another day or so and everything should be taken care of with Efie's parents and the Numbani officials," Fareeha answered. "I think he's already in the meeting room with Winston," she added as a subtle verbal reminder.

"I want Zenyatta him to examine Amélie if she'll let him. She won't let me get close without getting even more stressed out then she is already and I think he might be able to pick up on things that I'm overlooking," Angela said patting herself down until she found her mobile phone. She set a reminder for herself to speak to Zenyatta before putting it away.

"Speaking of Winston did he say anything yet?" Angela asked hopefully as they finally started walking to one of the conference rooms.

"Only that he knew what happened and that Widowmaker was still alive. Although he seemed... different for some reason," Fareeha added hesitantly. "I saw him talking with Sombra and handing her something. I know she was probably baiting me intentionally but the way she spoke made it clear that wasn't the only time either. Winston looked really guilty afterwards but wouldn't answer when I asked what was going on. Just said he would tell us later after the meeting. I don't like it, but I know Winston. He wouldn't put us in danger," she added.

"You think something else is going on? Reaper has been unusually well behaved despite his skulking around. Even Sombra has, mostly, kept her hands to herself. There has to be a reason for that beyond just supporting Widowmaker," Angela stated.

"Do you think maybe he made a deal with them? Would Winston do that?" Fareeha asked her.

"If it meant keeping us and the rest of Overwatch safe? Absolutely. We're the only family Winston has now. Even if that safety was just temporary he would still take it," Angela said as she thought about it.

"Let's worry about that later. He said he would tell us after the meeting right? We'll talk to him about it then. For now we need to focus on figuring out what happened to Widowmaker and what we can do to help Amélie in the meantime," Angela stated firmly.

She already had a vague idea of what might have happened to Widowmaker but for Lena's sake she really, really hoped she was wrong.

AN: I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter and I hope you're all enjoying the new Uprising event in game! There are still some skins I want to get but I got Widowmaker's new Talon skin so all is good even if I'll never consistently get play of the game with anyone besides Reaper. I also love the new PVE event and the fact that it reinforces my headcannon of Gabriel Reyes being a pretty chill guy before he became Sir Edgelord Master of Darkness.

I'm already hard at work in to the next chapter with a bit over 1,000 words finished already as of this being posted so hopefully it won't be too long before it goes up. Thanks for reading everyone!