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Overwatch: Alive
Epilogue: Revived
How long had she been here?
In this place, between life in death. Ice keeping fire at bay, removing fury…taken in and out, again, and again, and again. And always, the question.
"Are you alive?"
The repeated question. The question that came out from the other side of the cryo-unit, piercing her ears like a knife through flesh. Worming its way into her mind and body. The question that once again, she could not answer.
Am I alive?
Could not answer, for she did not know who the question was addressed to. The one they called an agent…or the one who lurked inside?
Her heart, barely beating. Her skin, shivering. Her hair, long, black, and limp, speckled with ice. Once, she was said to have the grace of the swan. Now, she was but a wingless bird, that they bid come out of the nest.
How long had she been here?
"Are you alive?"
She heard the words, but not the voice behind them. She heard the words, but not the language. French, English, Spanish, German…the language was gone. All that was left was the question. All that was left was the need to answer.
"Am…"
No more words escaped her tongue. But perhaps it was answer enough, as the cryo-unit opened, allowing her to stumble from the ice-box into the tundra. Blinking, gagging, she pressed herself on the cold, hard floor, blinking in the gloom. Peering through the dark around her.
Dark below, where her feet felt its chill. Dark above, bereft of light. Dark around. Dark that began to fade, as she recognized it as her ally. She operated in the dark. The dark was her ally. Once, the dark had been her terror. She had sat upon a stool, shivering in the dark, the smell of sweat and urine rising around her…
She'd wanted to die. But now?
"Are you alive?"
Two figures walked forward. One, a towel. The other, a jumpsuit. The third, a man standing before her. Dark of skin and large of body. His right arm encased in gold.
"Are you alive?" he asked.
She had no answer. Because even now, still…there were two who could answer it.
She'd wanted to die, once. But the dark wouldn't let her. A woman, whose name had been asked, had not the strength to break the dark. Had instead, been broken by it. The dark had taken her, and bloodied her hands.
"Are you alive?" the man repeated.
She held up her left hand. Recalling that there had once been a small silver band on her fourth finger…special finger…there, no longer. Like blood. Washed out. Even if her hands would never again be clean.
There was a man, maybe…she'd been wearing white…he'd been wearing dark…was he of the dark?
"Are you alive?"
He had died. Once, she had wanted to die. How long since she was taken from the light? How long before…before…
She retched, toppling down. Phlegm coming down, upon the icy surface.
"Are you alive?"
She continued to cough. Splutter. Listen.
"Heart rate's too low."
"We need to-"
"No. We wait."
She fell upon the ground. Wrapped the towel around her. Recalling when the question had been different.
"What is your name?"
When once, she might have had a different answer.
"Are you alive?"
An answer that could not be used now.
"Are you alive?"
She curled herself into a ball. Part of her, a part that was meant to be dead, wanted it to end. The dark was around her. Why couldn't it take her? Why were they, whoever they were, doing this? The dark had no answers, but maybe in the dark, she could find sanctuary.
"Are you alive?" The man knelt down before her, and she dared meet his gaze.
"What is your name?"
She blinked. The old question. Asked, once. Long ago…
"What is your name?"
Once, the answer had been different. But now? There was only one.
"No name. Only designation."
Just saying those words…the chill began to leave her.
"What is your designation?"
She began to rise to her feet. Letting the towel cover her modesty. Answered, with the whisper of a spider.
"Designation: Widowmaker. Assigned by Talon, in aftermath of Operation Demeter."
Her heart began to beat.
"Are you alive?" the man asked.
Her mind began to drift.
"Are you alive?"
To a woman, telling her child about spiders.
To a man, upon the shores of a lake.
To swans, black and white, engaged in graceful dance.
"Are you alive?"
To a walk through the City of Light.
To being taken to the depths of Hell.
"Are you alive?"
To being 'freed' from purgatory.
To an estate, deep in the countryside.
To the feeling of taking a life.
Of another, dying inside her.
"Are you alive?"
She dared meet the man's gaze. Thinking…remembering…
"I…am…Am…e…"
Trying to forget, and in doing so, answering. The only answer that she would ever give. An answer repeated as often as the question, as long as she had lives to take.
The answer, at last, given.
"I am alive."
Fin
A/N
So that's that. Thanks to yellow for reviewing.
I actually debated as to whether to include the epilogue. The prologue was pretty much a given, in that was a way of setting tone, as well as plot - the sequence was too short to warrant a full flashback in the style of the other ones, but it's a key point in Amelie's transition from, well, Amelie, to Widowmaker. This, however, is admittedly only in service of tone, but decided to include it to bring things full circle with the prologue.