"I take it you're-" Zenyatta never finished the sentence, as he was picked up effortlessly by Zarya around the throat and forced into the air, hanging by his neck.
"You dare" She threw him down onto the settee and glared. It was one of the few times the Zen had felt fear in his life.
"Listen! It was important to hide it from you. From everyone. If we hadn't then-
"Then what? Maybe he could have been captured. Maybe then people wouldn't have to die because you and your "grandmasters" weren't cowards!"
"Don't call them that" Zen replied quietly. "It was not an easy choice"
"Of course it wasn't! But when is it? When do you fight back against how things are set against you and when do you stop playing the game and tell the fucking truth!"
"In my opinion, if it upsets the balance of power then the truth should remain hidden"
Zarya placed a hand over her face. "Peacefulness. I forget how toxic it can be"
"What? Oh, Aleksandra what you said was absurd"
"No. It isn't" she looked down on him. "By choosing the peaceful option you allowed people to die. Instead of taking action for your mistakes you allowed them to run rampant and cause further issues. You could have hunted him. You could have done anything else. You refused to take action, but sometimes that is the only way to improve things"
"Channeling the October spirit are we? Trying to break the system?"
"Funny" She shook her head. "You'd never had said that before. You used to be so useful"
"What do you mean?"
"You saved lives in Numbani. And seeing the decimation firsthand... For that, I'm going to give you the opportunity to tell the world before I do"
Zenyatta for a moment couldn't believe what he heard. When he finally understood he began to shake.
"No. No, Zarya please!"
"This can't be allowed to continue Zen. People deserve to know what he has done"
"What would that achieve!"
"What did you achieve by keeping it hidden?" Zarya retorted. No malice was I'm her voice. Merely stating the truth and Zenyatta felt it.
