~O~
Memoria
That morning, Olivia didn't notice Natalie in bed.
She looked around, but didn't see the other woman and no signs of her clothes anywhere. She stood up, stretched and yawned before making her way to the bathroom to wash up. A little note was stuck to her mirror and she plucked it off, reading it out loud.
"'I'm sorry, but I was called in to work on a new project," she read, "'I made you breakfast. It's in the fridge. Enjoy. I'll see you later, I hope'."
Olivia chuckled, shook her head and set the note back on the mirror. That was just how Natalie was; always leaving little notes for her around the place and preparing her breakfast. It was definitely taking her time getting used to the domesticity of life with her. After all, she'd never had that before. It was easy to lose someone in her life, which was why she kept an emotional distance. But Natalie was there. Still there after all this time.
Yeah, she was.
Meanwhile, Natalie had been busy at work tending to a new suit of armor for a Talon Heavy Assault trooper. She murmured softly under her breath in snippets of Afrikaans. Trap Jaw was pacing back and forth, spotted an energy saw and took hold of it in his teeth, content to lay down and chew on the tool.
"Alright," she said, looking up at the Heavy Assault trooper. "I have a new design I'd like to try! I think it'll help with your charges and should make you more aerodynamic."
He grunted an acknowledgement. Then, he looked around the work-space, tilted his head. "Do we do it here?"
Natalie shook her head. "What? No! No, not here. Out. Outside." She ushered him to the training yard with a few pats to his armored back. "Now, please."
There were troopers in the middle of training and Natalie whistled toward Trap Jaw, who had been following her. She gestured to the place beside her near a table.
"Bly." she said.
Trap Jaw growled and took a seat where she indicated, curling up and shutting his optics. Natalie looked satisfied and looked up at the trooper. He didn't need a command as he made his way to the field to begin the first test. She gathered a tablet and it lit up.
"Natalie!" a trooper walked up to her with a smile on his face. "How've you been? Getting any sleep?"
Natalie laughed, a hollow sound. "I've been getting a good deal of it." she told him. When she caught his funny look, she smirked, but it was false. "Between my nightmares."
"That's terrible to hear."
He looked out toward the Heavy Assault Trooper. "I hope you fix that charge of his. We've lost two already in the field due to faults. That's why we have you here."
"Don't worry. It's childsplay." Natalie assured him, "I have high hopes that this one will work."
He nodded and walked away, leaving her to her work.
A bang from a hammer froze her where she stood.
She swallowed thickly, shut her eyes and leaned against the table, counting softly to herself.
"One..." she whispered, "Two...Three..."
The shaking in her hand stopped when she heard Akande's voice behind her. She opened her eyes with a start and he was approaching, carrying a tablet in hand.
"Natalie, I have a new assignment for you," he said.
Natalie calmed her racing heart, swallowed thickly and wiped her eyes with one hand before smiling at him, a sickly feeling still on her face. She had to focus on her work and his orders, not seem weak in any way. That was what she had sworn would never happen again.
"Of course, Akande."
"You are the inventor of Talon," he explained, handing her the tablet, "I want you to oversee the business deal regarding transfer of a ship. It's armed with new sonic weaponry, but there's a new system in place that we will be utilizing. You know what to look for."
Natalie nodded and studied the tablet, switching it on and studying the details of the mission. "Of course. Does he know...?"
Akande smiled thinly, eyes darkening somewhat. "He knows he is not to have guns present while you're there." he assured her.
Natalie looked relieved by the news. Trap Jaw looked up at her, hissing softly and she ran a hand across the head of the creature. She was appreciative of the decision to keep guns away from her while she was alone and making business arrangements with whomever Akande chose.
"You will be meeting with Sanjay Korpal to make this transaction with Kim," Akande continued, "It was developed within Vishkar."
"Vishkar?"
"Yes. As you know, Sanjay is our eyes and ears of the corporation," Akande smiled a little, "He's young, eager to prove to us how great he can be of service." He eyed her up and down once. "Somewhat like you were when you first became one of us."
Natalie chuckled now, lowering her eyes. "Of course." she replied, "When do I leave?"
"Now, preferably."
"Even during my tests of the new - "
A loud crash cut her off in mid sentence. Natalie and Akande looked over toward the Talon Heavy Assault Trooper and found him lying on his side, grunting and struggling to stand back up. Akande made a thoughtful noise and Natalie sighed with disappointment.
"Too much armor on the top half," she complained.
O
Trap Jaw was present with her along with Sanjay Korpal.
Natalie tapped her fingers against the arm rest of the chair, eyeing her surroundings; a lavished room of fine, Middle Eastern decor, curtains and furniture. The breeze outside comforted Natalie as she sat close to the balcony overlooking the city below.
"You seem anxious, Natalie." Sanjay's smooth voice pricked up with amusement.
"No. Just thinking." Natalie replied.
Trap Jaw yawned.
"Your pet. It's marvelous," Sanjay glanced briefly down at Trap Jaw. "Did you build him yourself? I sense Omnic technology was used in the process?"
"I built him with Omnic technology," Natalie explained, "Dr. O'Deorain assisted with the biological tubes that keep him functioning."
"I see." Sanjay looked at her arm and leg. "And Vishkar technology works wonders for you." When he caught her uncomfortable look, he smiled reassuringly. "Why are you so ashamed by it? Many of us have augments and grafts these days. It's what we do to improve humanity."
"And unlike many of us, I didn't have much of a choice." Natalie bit out a small whisper in Afrikaans before she looked down at her hand. "They took that choice from me."
"Hm." Sanjay made a thoughtful sound. "Well, choices have always led to chaos, as we believe in Vishkar. Free will, decision... It always ends poorly until there's someone to help you. Because sometimes, people don't understand what they want in life. Vishkar helps them with that. It's what's best for humanity."
Natalie scoffed, rolling her eyes. "I don't believe that."
"A shame."
Then, there was chatter in the hallways and both stood up from their seats, watching a man enter with a large, muscular bodyguard at his side. Trap Jaw hissed softly and Natalie made a reassuring sound before focusing on the man. He was smiling brightly, holding his arms out to shake Sanjay's hand in a warm, familiar way. Sanjay was also smiling - but it was too wide. Too forced. But still, he knew how to put on a face for others.
He played the game well. Natalie could see why Akande found him useful.
"It's good to see you, Kim!" Sanjay said, shaking his hand. "This is our inventor, Natalie Krige." He gestured to Natalie, who gave a half-smile in response. "I hope you don't mind; she will be looking over the new ship before we make the exchange."
Kim looked at Natalie with a bright smile. "Of course! Right this way."
They were led out of the room and into a vast hangar; Natalie's eyebrows went up the moment she was presented before the ship. It was an enormous stealth ship, brand new with black and silver paint. She whistled, impressed by the sight.
"Oh my." she said.
"Yes!" Kim was eager to present it to her. "The latest in sonic weaponry, stealth and speed!"
Natalie made her way to the ship, happy to begin overseeing everything involved. Sanjay was leading Kim and the bodyguard toward a table to handle the transaction. Trap Jaw had been sniffing the bodyguard curiously, grunting and hissing.
The bodyguard pushed him aside with one small hand. "Stop it." he grunted.
Trap Jaw snarled and his teeth seized a gun at the man's belt that he'd hidden behind his coat, knocking him to the floor. The bodyguard gave an angry shout, jumping to his feet and kicking Trap Jaw in the side of his head. It dropped the machine dog for only a second, giving him time to take his gun and point it at him.
"I'll kill you, you stupid mutt!" he shouted, terrified.
Trap Jaw let out a rattling snarl, baring his teeth.
But Natalie's metal hand closed around the bodyguard's wrist, twisting hard enough to pop the bones out of place. He let out a yelp of pain and was forced to fall to his knees. Natalie punched him across the face with her free hand and it dropped him flat on his back.
Kim and Sanjay immediately rushed over and watched the bodyguard lying there, hands up and pleading with her as she stood over him, eyes wide, teeth bared with several angry, shuddering breaths.
"Natalie, wait!" Kim insisted, one hand raised. "Wait, please."
Natalie took a moment to calm herself, shaking, heart racing. She evened her breath, stared down at the gun as the bodyguard was brought to his feet. She aimed it at him, set her jaw and spoke severely.
"I said..." she whispered, tone frigid. "No. Guns."
"He didn't know, Natalie," Kim reassured her, "I'm sorry."
Natalie looked at Sanjay, who smiled cautiously. She looked down at the gun, then grunted with effort as she broke it across her metal leg, splintering the weapon to bits. She handed the pieces back to the bodyguard, gave him a cheerful smile now.
"No guns. Again. Yes?" she told him, with a rough pat on his shoulders.
She turned to resume her attention to the ship as ordered. But she had to shut her eyes and calm herself with a few moments of counting in her head.
O
Olivia sat in Calaveras that evening with Lethabo.
The Omnic was holding a book of photos in his hands; the edges of the book had been scorched from fire, covered with dirt and worn paint.
He also looked better for the wear; his optics had been replaced, his body re-modified and he even wore new clothes. Life had been good to him and apparently, so had Natalie. The days they had spent with Lethabo helping her relearn parts of her life had helped them both.
"This album was buried at the site," Lethabo explained, "I was lucky to find it!"
"Yeah," Olivia replied, paging through the book. "Lucky."
She noticed a photo of Natalie - a teenager - posing with a baseball bat, one leg propped up on the broken statue of a man. She furrowed her brow with amusement and glanced at Lethabo.
"Oh. She destroyed the statue of our chief of police," he said, with a laugh. "I remember that. She asked me to take her picture because she wanted to never forget it."
Olivia looked up when Natalie entered Calaveras. She smiled, waved one hand for her to come over to the table. Natalie looked exhausted, but otherwise half-smiled and walked over to join them. Lethabo was happy to see her as well, but his concern rose when he saw the distracted look on her face.
"Natalie?" he said, "Are you alright?"
"Yes, yes, I'm fine," Natalie assured him. "A long job, that's all."
Olivia put an arm around her and chuckled. "Ah, novia, don't worry. You're done, now I'll get Sergio to bring us something good, yeah?" She looked over her shoulder to the bar. "Sergio! Venga!"
"Okay!" Sergio yelled, from beneath the counter. A muted thud, followed by a curse in Spanish.
Natalie was curious, so she rose and walked up to the counter, leaning over it to see Sergio kneeling, struggling to reach something beneath the sink. She furrowed her brow, tilted her head and he growled out another curse, straining with one hand.
"Mierda!" he hissed, annoyed. "El hijo de perra."
Natalie laughed. "Such language, Sergio."
He glanced up briefly at her. "I'm sorry. I just..." he said, frustration in his tone, "I dropped my favorite shot glass back here and I can't reach it."
"Here, let me help you."
He sighed, sat up and scooted away as Natalie wandered around the counter. She knelt down, slid onto her side and peered under the sink. Grunting, she strained as she reached for the object in question and pulled it from the floor. It was an old, metal and dusty shot glass. Natalie studied it for a moment before handing it to Sergio. He was happy to have it back, it seemed.
"Thank you, Natalie," he said, with a bright smile, "This was a gift from my daughter. I'd be so upset if I ever lost it."
"I understand."
"I lost her in the Omnic Crisis," Sergio told her, with a sad smile. He glanced briefly toward Lethabo and sighed through his nose. "I didn't hold it against them, you know, when it had happened. It did take time, but I forgave them and moved on."
Natalie's smile disappeared somewhat, her eyes clouding in thought. She shook her head, returned to her spot at the table and Lethabo looked at her.
"Natalie, I found something that I think will definitely help you with your memories," he told her, "This photo album was at the ruins of our old home."
He pushed it toward her and Natalie smiled a little, paging through it. She stopped at a picture of herself, hugging Lethabo and she chuckled, tapping the part of the photo with her face with one hand.
Her smile disappeared again.
"Your mother took that when you received your first job," Lethabo explained, "I'd taken you there. You were happy. You'd considered me a..." He trailed off, hesitating to finish the sentence.
"A what?" Natalie asked, frowning at him.
"A...well," Lethabo laughed uncertainly. "A father."
Olivia raised her eyebrows and looked at Natalie, expecting her to laugh at the thought. But Natalie didn't. She just smiled warmly at Lethabo and exhaled softly.
"I know. I understand my real father was not a man," she replied, "I remember that he left us to the mercy of the Omnics. But you were there. You were always there, helping me. Raising me as a father should and for that, I am grateful."
Lethabo chuckled. "Of course. And I am always grateful for that day you saved my life."
Sergio walked up to their table, setting down drinks in front of them. Natalie looked down at her drink - a strong glass of whiskey and ran her fingertip around the rim as she continued to look at the photos in the album. She stopped at a picture of Sasha and her features softened with a smile of anguish.
O
Olivia couldn't help but remember what life was like before.
She was watching the beach below, to the various tourists and locals enjoying themselves in the sand and she remembered how it had been when she was with Los Muertos; they caused chaos in their wake and it had been fun for a while. That was how they'd passed the time in the dark when Mexico had been without power for months. They'd called themselves "revolutionaries", but Olivia always knew better.
Trap Jaw grunted at her side.
Olivia looked down at the robotic hound and chuckled. "Hey, what do you want, perro?"
The metal animal growled softly and took a spot beside her, lounging, content. Olivia made her way indoors and found Natalie working on undressing herself at the side of the bed. She had her back to her and Olivia saw the patches of scars, reminded of the incident once more.
"NAT! FUCK. NAT!"
"Careful. This place could go at any second."
"Nat!"
Natalie rubbed her shoulder and Olivia sighed, taking a seat behind her and reaching around, wrapping her arms around her waist with a small noise. Natalie murmured her approval at the contact and smiled.
"Hey, do you think I could stay here with you tonight?" Natalie asked her.
Olivia gave her a laugh. "Really? You're asking me that?"
Natalie giggled and lowered her eyes. "Of course. I suppose that was a little silly to ask, huh?"
At her side was the photo album and Olivia picked it up to page through it herself. She glanced over at Natalie, watched as the woman wiped down her metal leg with a cloth before noticing an interesting paper taped into the photo album. She furrowed her brow curiously and read it.
"You applied to Overwatch." Olivia said.
Natalie stopped wiping her leg. She chuckled and her tone was colder now. "Yes. But I never made it."
"Why?"
"I wasn't qualified." Natalie explained, her voice still darker than it had been before. "They didn't want an 'uneducated inventor with no prior experience' among them." She sighed now and just looked disappointed. "I wonder what life would have been like if I had been a member of Overwatch."
Olivia chuckled. "You wouldn't have met me, duh."
"That would be terrible." Natalie agreed, laughing gently and kissing her cheek. "But I don't know if that's entirely true. You do have your ways, after all."
Olivia took pride in that compliment, but only because it was from Natalie. Still, she was curious about Natalie's application to Overwatch. Maybe she would look further into it.
And that evening, she did; while Natalie slept in the bed, she was at her console, scrolling through data and information as easily as it was to breathe. She came across a revised statement and scoffed, shaking her head with disappointment as she worked through checking the previous one.
"Revision? Please," she muttered, "You think it's that easy to hide it?"
She only needed to rewrite a few things in the file and found the original manuscript. The more she read, the more she began to feel a bad taste in her mouth. She dared a look toward a sleeping Natalie and continued to research the history of De Aar.
It had originally been a place of terrorism, drug and weapon trade. The reason Natalie had been refused entry into Overwatch.
Signed by Ana Amari.
Her father had participated in many illegal trades to earn money, but had kept it under the guise of a good, paying job before the Omnics attacked the town. She was being punished for him. And while Olivia, in part, had been happy to see Natalie with them and her; she hadn't deserved that.
Did she know?
Did she want to know?
Olivia murmured thoughtfully, rose and walked out of the room, stepping outside to talk with an old friend. She brought up a screen and Baptiste's face appeared into view. He smiled when he saw her and she laughed, noticing the background of his hiding space; complete clutter.
"You hiding out in a closet, mijo?" she asked.
"No. I'm underground," Baptiste told her. "Have you heard from Mauga? He's heading to Venice soon and I'm taking care of these sick people."
"How'd they get sick?"
"They've been hopped up on this drug," Baptiste explained, with a frown. "And they're going through withdrawal. It's making them drowsy and coughing up blood."
"Drug..." Olivia frowned thoughtfully. "Red Dust?"
Baptiste nodded his head. "Yeah." he said, realization lighting his features. "Do you know about - Of course you do. You have your ways."
"I do," Olivia said, "But you have to stay low. Don't let them know you're there and I'll give you a heads up if something changes."
Baptiste had turned his back on Talon; he'd gotten wise to their ways and wanted to do better for others. Olivia could understand that, to an extent. After all, she wasn't loyal to Talon and had no problem turning her back on them if it benefited her. But they had the means and the money to get her where she needed to go; so for the time being, she would use them as she saw fit.
But then, she began to wonder about Natalie's place - it was a fleeting thought that came quickly and out of nowhere. She had not thought about what would happen if Natalie was challenged with this idea. Would she remain loyal to Talon if the time came to leave it? After all, Akande had given her a chance when no one else would.
Would she follow Olivia?