*Talon Base: Medical Bay*
Lena's voice is carried over for all to hear from the screen, birthing a new sense of dread and hope from Quillion.
"She's here?" he thought.
How was she here? He made sure that there is absolutely no way they could've tracked them to Italy, especially after disabling her Chronal Accelerator. Worse, He has yet to fulfill his promise, he must get out before she makes a mistake.
Gritting his teeth and praying that they are indeed close to the first stage of escaping, he twisted his wrists violently again. Miraculously, it did the trick. A hiss then a loud clanging sounded from the machine hanging above him, followed by a siren.
"You truly are a fool, aren't you?" Moira called out, looking away from the screen.
"Should we sedate him?"
"No, he can't move even if he wants to, two of you" she pointed, passing a keycard to the two doctors closest to her "Prepare the machine, I shall return with the canisters" she instructed before fading away.
"I still do not understand why can't one of us take the canister" one of them grumbled as they approached the table.
"Bah you know her… No one can go near her supplies"
Attending the machine, they pulled out the empty containers and inspected the tubes that lead down to the restraints keeping Quillion down. He gulped, now it is the most crucial moment, this is their only chance to escape… All he needs to do is to wait for them to loosen the restraints just a little bit…
"I don't see any problems with the tubes"
"Still, we should at least check"
"Nah, we will just tell her it's fine"
Quillion's hope was crushed. This was their only chance and it is gone.
"This is why men are disgusting" Widowmaker called out.
"Ignore her" one of them warned, himself finding it difficult not to glance at her.
Ignoring him, the other man stopped.
"What do you mean? Not all of us are bad" his colleague asked eagerly. He had his eyes on the Assassin ever since he joined Talon, but he never had the chance to speak to her until now.
"Always doing things half cocked and your performances are always unsatisfying" she said, her French accent much more elaborate than normal, Quillion saw that she is even swaying her body ever so slightly.
Her chosen words seemed to have an effect on the men, slowly hypnotised by her charm, so much so that even those across the room, men and women alike, are beginning to stare at her. They had worked themselves through an ordeal that has heavily taxed their minds and bodies which would lead to one inevitable outcome: No one in the room could resist her, even Quillion had to fight to remain focused.
"Especially you, you have always been a disappointment" she continued, glancing down to the doctor who replied.
"You've been watching me?"
"I thought you would be different but today you have shown your true colours"
"W-What?"
"That you are a lazy person who does not even want to check a few tubes… And here I thought I could take an interest in you"
The words triggered a childish emotion in his mind as he sprang into action, quickly loosening the restraints.
"Hey hey! Careful! Remember this guy could still be dangerous!" the other warned, but his body also jumped onto the opportunity to earn her favor.
"Nah, the doctor said he can't even move, it'll be fine" he said hastily, his face red with excitement as he worked clumsily, his eyes jumping back to Widowmaker like a lizard.
"Don't forget to check his feet chere" she said.
Firmly immersed in her charm, they barely thought about it twice as they turned their attention to the restraints at Quillion's feet, even forgetting to rebind his hands, saying that with broken wrists, they could easily overpower him.
The instant he heard the click and the metal bars shift away, he attacked.
Both doctors found themselves flying into the walls, their bodies crumpling onto the ground. The others rushed to secure him but it was too late. He attacked them with surprising speed and made quick work of them.
Once the room was silent, he pulled out a jacket from one of the bodies, covered his wounds and limped to Widowmaker.
"You're gonna pay for spitting into me" he gasped, releasing her as the restraints responded to the keycard.
"Can you fight?" she asked emotionlessly, dropping down to the floor.
"Nope… Not unless you find some medkits here"
A whooshing sound came and a loud clanging noise echoed. Moira just dropped the canister and is now looking at them with a hint of fear.
"I suppose I cannot talk my way out of this?" she asked, unable to Fade away so soon.
"Looks like that's your medkit" Widowmaker said.
"Distract her for me would ya?"
To give Moira some credit, she did put up some sort of a fight, throwing a strange purple orb that seemed to suck the life out of them, but armed with a whole canister of healing sprays, she stood no chance.
"Now what are we to do with you?" Widowmaker asked, licking her lips as she looked down at Moira who is gasping for air under her heel. She is going to enjoy this kill, especially after days of torture.
Hearing a clatter of metal, she looked behind and saw the healed Quillion walking towards her with a knife on hand, which annoyed her. Moira is her prey, not his.
"Step aside, she's mine" he seethed.
"I think you are mistaken, she's my kill"
"And now I'm here to finish the job"
She shuddered slightly, not only those words but even the way he said it reminded her of Reaper. However, she stood her ground.
"No"
"She killed Emily and cut me apart like a frog, she will die by my hands"
"Aww… You have suffered and deserve justice, why don't you line up behind everyone else?"
"Move"
"Besides, she's mine" Widowmaker growled, stepping on her victim harder as forgotten anger bubbled forwards, the memories of torture and brainwashing came roaring back into her mind.
"She's mine!" Quillion shouted, shoving her aside and dropped to one knee, the knife raised over his head with both hands and drove it down.
Their argument gave her the time she needed. Disappearing in a cloud of smoke, the knife snapped into two as the blade meets the steel floor.
"No!"
He looked around desperately but she was gone, doubtless to somewhere where she can lick her wounds and, worst still, live another day.
"You really are an idiot" Widowmaker sighed, her emotions drowning away, leaving nothing but slight annoyance that a kill had been denied.
Breathing heavily, Quillion sat down on the cold floor, thinking what to do next. They are unarmed and deep inside enemy territory, which means the smart thing to do is to join Overwatch. However, he doubts that they have forgiven him for what he had done, so their best chance of survival is to sneak away whilst they battle it out.
Walking over to the screen that is still showing the battle outside, he realized that their only means of escape is through the elevator, as the Middle is still alive with battle and Doomfist is moving to the Harbour, where, concerningly, Mei and Reaper seem to be waiting.
Finally his eyes turn to Lena, who is carrying his doppleganger. Why is she carrying him? There was no way she would have forgiven him so soon after what he had done, why is she risking her life to rescue him?
"Why do you do it?" Widowmaker suddenly asked.
"What?"
"Why go through all that just to avenge someone who you do not love?"
"I made a promise" he said bluntly, ignoring the snort from her.
"I've done things to many who made promises and every single one broke it, non, your motivation is something else"
When he did not answer, she traced his eyes to Lena then chuckled.
"I see… You love that one don't you?" she smirked.
"Shut up, let's go" Quillion said, throwing away the empty tank. No sooner did it hit the floor when he bent over and coughed violently.
"You are still injured?"
The answer is a hand covered in blood. He looked at it for a moment as if trying to discover the secrets why he is still in this state, surely an entire container should've been enough? Out of curiosity, Widowmaker walked over to the table and picked up one of the reports.
"Well this is interesting"
"What now?" he asked shakily, wiping his mouth.
"Whatever promises you have kept, you better fulfill them soon unless you get help now"
Flipping over the X-Ray, all he saw was a bunch of useless black and white images, however all of them are of his brain and lungs, which can't be good. If Widowmaker was indeed as forward as she makes herself to be, his time is limited, therefore his options became a single option.
"Where are our weapons?"
"Most likely the Armoury"
"Go get them, we end this at the Harbour" Quillion said, scanning the keycard and gesturing for Widowmaker to go while glancing at the screen.
"And where would you be going?"
*Talon Base: 'Straight' Route*
Winston flew backwards as a boulder knocked him out of the air, almost landing on Morrison, who jumped out of the way and fired at their new foe while Angela quickly added a healing stream. Sigma emitted a blue glow as he absorbed another hail of bullets, replenishing his energy shields.
"So you are the famous Soldier 76, I must say I am disappointed"
"You must be Dr Siebran, where are your shoes?" Morrison asked sarcastically behind cover, only for a pair Hyperspheres to bounce off the walls at him.
"One does not look down when contemplating the universe" was the reply, pelting more rocks at them.
Slapping down a Barrier Projector, it provided temporary relief as the projectiles bounced off its surface.
"We need to change tactics"
Het universum zingt voor mij!
They found themselves lifted up into the air violently, even Angela's Valkyrie Suit could not escape the unforeseen grips of gravity, which sent them slamming back onto the ground with crushing force, knocking her out immediately.
"What was that?" Winston groaned as he rubbed his head and checked her pulse.
"Something about the universe singing, which doesn't make any sense" Morrison said, throwing a Biotic Field to the ground.
"There is no obligation for the Universe to make sense to you" Sigma called out, intensifying his attacks.
"Then let me tell you something that you definitely do not understand"
"What would that be?"
Sigma watched as Soldier 76 stood up to his full height, a red screen panel illuminated in front of his visor.
"Time for me to get serious"
"Futile!" Sigma laughed as his Hyperspheres tore open the barrier.
Flicking his hand, he redirected them at Morrison but he was already gone.
"Looks like he ran aw-"
He felt himself lurch forward as rockets exploded at his back, followed by a flurry of shots, chewing away his shields faster than he could ever calculate. Turning around, he threw out his barrier to block the damage but the shots simply shifted themselves, the hail of bullets continued to hit him accurately.
With shields at 10% and degrading fast, he focused his mind and formed the black hole in front of him to absorb the attacks, only to be horrified that the incoming fire stopped.
"No!" he shouted when he could no longer maintain his Kinetic Grasp.
Taking full advantage of this opportunity, Morrison resumed his attack, forcing Sigma into the corner. With no other option, he retrieved his barrier and placed it directly in front of him, this time finally protecting him but only temporarily as it began to crack.
"I just need time, I just need to check the math, give me time to check the math!" he shouted, his eyes crazed as Morrison continued his assault.
Before he could say another word, a chain of electricity pierced through the barrier, stunning the scientist and his mind.
"Universe! Sing! Sing for me!" he begged, his arms and face stretched towards the heavens.
Nothing happened. Nothing except that gravity that he once controlled slipped out of his body, his feet touching the ground, and the weight of his armor became heavy. He tried to regain control, but it was in vain, his body is now too heavy.
However the biggest insult is that he began to fall. Fall? Him? The only one in this pathetic species who truly understood the Universe?
Sharp, unbearable pain came from his knees as he fell upon them. He looked at the people who gave him this great insult one last time, his mouth moving to give them a curse, but he was swiftly knocked out by the butt of Morrison's rifle.
The Talon Troopers watching from afar immediately dropped their weapons and ran, leaving the way clear for them to proceed.
"What happened?" Angela groaned, coming around.
"We secured Dr Siebran" Morrison said matter of factly, ripping off Sigma's armor and handcuffing him.
"What are we going to do with him?" Winston asked.
"He is too dangerous to be left alone, take him with us, we will turn him in after we destroy Talon"
*Talon Base: Right Route*
The trip is mostly uneventful save for the panting and groaning from Quillion, who is still dragging his feet as Lena pushes forward.
"Common luv, walk!" Lena scolded.
Something is strange about this. Even back in Overwatch, whenever he is injured, he has never allowed himself to show weakness when he could help it. No matter how many bones he had broken or how crushed his spirit was, he has always forced himself to move, especially since his legs do not show any signs of injuries.s
"What did they do to you?"
He did not reply, merely looking down, seemingly getting weaker.
"Don't forget what I said to you the last time we met, keep moving!"
"I'm… Sorry…"
"For what?" she asked.
"For failing the mission, I should've been more careful"
"Well... Cavalry's here, so everything's gonna be alright"
"Yeah… Thanks Leena..."
She almost stopped in her tracks. For a moment she thought for sure that the way he called her name was different.
"Not good" she thought, could they have been too late? Have they already messed with his mind like what they did to Amelie?
She remembered years ago how they scoured every country to find her and only after months of desperate searching did they recover her with her mind barely intact. After she murdered Gerard, Morrison hypothesised that Talon must have broken her early and purposefully kept her in the dark to give them a false sense of security when they found her.
Could Talon have perfected their torture methods to break someone as strong as Quillion within a day? If so, they do not have the resources to rehabilitate or help him in any way. As much as it hurts to even consider, she could not risk the others to a potential sleeper agent, regardless of her relationship with the person.
"What is your mission?"
"What?"
She threw him against the wall and pointed a pair of trembling pistols at him. If he is a sleeper agent, he will be a dangerous foe, he must not have any opening, but if she is wrong, she is now pointing her weapons onto her friends, an action she could never forgive herself for.
But as Morrison said, right or wrong can be figured out in the future.
"Leena? What are you doing?"
"What is your mission?!" she shouted again.
Shock and confusion looked back at her, only to slowly change to disappointment and contempt. To have Quillion look at her that way was soul crushing, he had never looked at her this way, there has always been a hint of joy when he spent time with her, now it's just cold darkness behind them.
Her expression changed as she lowered a pistol and shot his leg, looking at him carefully as he cried out in pain and fell to the ground.
"What are you doing!" he cried.
"Who are you?"
"I-" he let out another cry of pain when she shot the other leg.
"Now!"
He lay still for a moment… Before leaping forward at her, his arms outstretched like a vampire.
Easily dodging the attack, Lena Blinked to the side and fired a barrage at him, strangely enough, her attacks merely bounced off the body.
"Heh… You are definitely different from what they told me, that's for sure" he said, each word changing rapidly between accents and tone, his face melted and shaped itself into the image of a young woman, seemingly now reaching her forties.
"Where's Quil?"
"You know, it is rather interesting that you did not ask "Where are they", didn't think you'd fall in love again so soon, especially after we killed your last one"
SS28 did not even see the Pulse Bomb, but she heard it beep for a second before it exploded at her chest, setting off a Chain Reaction that was never in the records. Stunned by the extra damage, she ragdolled in the air for a moment before finally falling to the ground.
Tears of rage streamed out of Lena's eyes as she stared at the body. Did she finally do it? Did she finally kill one of Emily's murderers? Then why is it so unsatisfying? And why is she shaking so much? Is it because she has never actually killed another human before?
Leaning against the wall, she felt her legs weaken rapidly as a new weight was added to her. A terrifying new baggage that she will now have to carry for the rest of her life.
Before she could collect herself, a stinging pain shot through her body. Looking down she saw a hand had dug its nails into her stomach, blood gushing out of it. By reflex she Recalled to prevent damage, only to be slashed in the back.
"Well, all that time in the simulation is not a waste of time" SS28 laughed.
Narrowly avoiding another slash, Lena tripped, her legs still not recovered from the shock. Adjusting her aim, she focused her shots at her head, but was all blocked when SS28 clasp her claws and formed a netlike shield.
Realizing she could not attack or run effectively, Lena quickly changed her methods. Quickly lowering the power usage of her Chronal Accelerator and holstering her pistols, she Blinked back up, formed a stance and waited as 28 closed the distance.
Slashing with her claws, she growled in annoyance as Lena Blinked rapidly but ever so slightly, her person barely moving but her being shifted around so quickly that a blue glow emitted from her constantly.
Spotting an opening, she stabbed a claw impatiently as the frustration of the inability to catch a nimble prey finally boiled over. This was also the opening Lena was waiting for.
Taking control of the wrist, Lena shot her other arm forward and sent 28 crashing the ground with a perfect Full Shoulder Throw. Any regular person would have their bones broken, or at least dislocated, especially when slammed onto a concrete floor, but to Lena's surprise, her opponent only suffered a large bruise.
Lena waited again for another attack, which came quickly. Redirecting the attack, she threw the less experienced 28 crashing back down onto the ground once again. She could not help but smile now, making a mental note to thank Genji for the extra combat lessons. Confident, she waited for another attack, watching her opponent carefully and kept her distance.
"Leena?"
Despite the mispronouncing of the name, the voice is hauntingly familiar, especially when 28's hair turns red.
"No…" Lena muttered, hoping just by saying no, the face would stop transforming.
"Why didn't you save me Leena?"
She froze as she was now looking down at a perfect copy of Emily, who scrambled back to her feet and looked at her with those eyes.
"Y-You're not real"
"Why did you let me die Leena?"
Lena couldn't move, her body locked in place even as a false image of Emily approached her, seemingly for a hug, a hug that Lena craves for, just one last time...
"Join me Leena… Join me in death…"
A gunshot rang out, snapping Lena out of it as Emily's head snapped to the side, the bullet just barely pierce her skin. Having distracted her attention away from Lena, Quillion bulldozed 28 away, crashing her to the ground, grappling with her until he came up on top, knelt on her neck and pried her mouth open with the muzzle of a Talon pistol.
"You first" he growled.
"Look out!"
Géill do mo thoil!
He barely rolled away as a brilliant beam of purple and gold shot towards them. Pulling Lena around a corner, he peeked out and saw SS28 scrambling away under the beam. He dropped to a knee to take potshots but a tentacle from a floating purple orb attached itself to his hand, sucking the life out of him, saved only when Lena pulled him back.
Noticing that Moira is merely pinning them down and not attacking, he turned his attention to Lena.
"Are you hurt? I saw you walking away with her, how'd you find out she wasn't me?" he asked hurriedly as he checked for damages.
"She had your eyes wrong"
"Ahh o- Huh?" he paused, can't help but blush as his heart fluttered, she knows what his eyes look like?
She looked at him carefully for a few seconds and placed a hand on his cheek, her gentle hands making him blush harder. Then she smiled.
"You really are Quil"
That's it? That is all she has to say? Nothing about him hurting her? What about her saying that she will kill him? Where was all the anger or rage that he deserved from her?
"W-What? That's a terrible test!" was all he could say.
"Fine, who has the biggest tits in the Universe?"
He blinked, what? Then he remembered the conversation they had so long ago. A happy memory.
"Hera, queen of the gods, Zeus's sister"
"Do I pass your test for a proper test?"
He couldn't help but chuckle at her wit, glad that at this time, he is permitted to work as a team with her.
"Where's Amelie? Widowmaker" she added after seeing his confusion.
"That's her name? She went to the Armoury to get our weapons, she'll be at the Harbour soon"
The beam stopped, followed by the sounds of a crowd, something being slammed down on the ground and Moira shouting something.
Poking her head out, she saw what seems to be the last remaining resistance Talon can put up. Everyone is heavily bandaged and looking desperate, almost as if they were forced to be there.
"Good, they should scatter if we attack" she thought, only then spotting the automatic turrets. They will need to be fast to break through them.
"We can take 'em, Zero Trace?" she said, checking her pistols and resetting her Chronal Accelerator.
He was quiet for a moment, knowing deep down if he activates his Rage again, he will tear his body beyond repair. However, this could be his last chance to give his all for Lena, to do something that can help her progress in life, even if it costs his own.
"Quil?"
"Ladies first" he smiled, ignoring the pain as his body finally complied to his demand for Adrenaline.
*Talon Base: Harbor*
Doomfist and his Enforcers walked cautiously into the Harbor, concerned that no one else was there, but with Overwatch close behind them, they do not have any other option but to hurry to one of the boats.
"Is everything ready?" he asked as they boarded, which is strangely steady despite the storm outside.
"Yes sir, security detail is waiting at the airport"
Nodding, he motioned for them to proceed. Untying the boat, the Captain set the boat to reverse.
"Well? Get us moving"
"We got a problem!" one of the Enforcers shouted.
Looking down closer, they saw that just underneath the water, they had been frozen in place. Dipping his hand down, he felt that it was extremely solid, it could even potentially withstand his punches.
"How about the other boats?" he asked.
"They're all frozen! We can't move!"
"Grab some explosives, we are blowing our way out of this"
"Won't that damage the boats? SIr?" the Enforcer added quickly.
"Then don't"
As they gathered what grenades they had on their person, Doomfist jumped into the water, feeling the cold ice blocks with his toes.
If only Sombra and her posse did not fight for Overwatch and corrupted some of his best agents, he would never find himself to be in this situation.
He must not be captured here today, nor can he be defeated. The world is broken and weak, unable to see that only through suffering can it see progress. Through war and pain will society unite to fight their common enemy. Only through an evolution of man and machine will humanity be able to make the next step.
He felt like he was back in the battlefield where he lost his arm. It has been that long since he last felt insecure about his abilities, about his vision, his goals. He thought defeating Overwatch would be as easy as turning his hand, however, he had never considered that the Ape would be so desperate as to hire a powerful mercenary of their own, this Soldier 76 is deadly.
"Where is Reaper?" he called out to the Enforcers, who are grunting for some reason, probably tying the grenades together, but none replied.
Theorizing what happened, he gripped his gauntlet into a fist and felt it hum to life. If they set an ambush here, he will be more than happy to meet it. Jumping up onto the dock, the first thing he saw was that all his Enforcers lying dead around their grenades, their bodies mangled and have deep gashes around their faces, but the attacker was nowhere to be found.
"Strange, it is not like Overwatch to play dirty" he thought.
The sound of a few people running in alerted him and he was about to punch towards the direction when Moira and SS28 stumbled in, both out of breath.
"Good, we made it Doctor…"
"What happened here?" Moira asked, seeing the dead bodies in front of Doomfist.
"We are trapped, now we just have to wait for the enemy to come to us"
Before they could debate whether they could escape by other means or to stand and fight, multiple doors flung open at almost the same time.
"Get on your knees!" Morrison shouted, his rifle at the ready, Winston with Sigma slung over his shoulder and Angela behind him.
"Yeah! We made it!" Lena shouted happily, Quillion panting heavily next to her.