*Gibraltar: Overwatch*
Three days passed like a blur and Gibraltar was bombarded by almost everyone who mattered in the UN. Despite Gabrielle Adawe's efforts, waves of auditors, sanctioned investigators, insurance company representatives, and for goodness sake, even some bankers showed up to question them about things they would've never even considered Mountains of meaningless paperwork, procedures and investigations had been conducted, all in the name to avoid as much financial or public relations support as legally possible. The hours that had been wasted only to go through an almost endless seam of checklists and maddeningly slow processes, destroyed all hopes and efforts to uncover the identities of their enemies or even to send the bodies back to their families for burial.
None, however, was more frustrated than Angela Ziegler, who finally had enough.
"Do you understand what we do here? We are doctors not magicians!" she shouted at a group of cowering auditors.
"We-we're just saying that with your… Expertise, many more could've been saved and-"
"GET OUT OF MY OFFICE!" she screeched, all patience vanished in an instant "AND IF YOU DARE TO WITHHOLD PAYMENT TO THEIR FAMILIES, I WILL PERSONALLY COME AND LOOK FOR YOU!"
"I think I'm hearing something" Lena said, still too loudly.
That's good, treatment working
"Did Angie say how long I'll be in here?"
A week
"Is she here? Can I see her?"
Brigitte turned around, just in time to see Angela shoving the last auditor out of the room before slamming the door behind them, and shook her head.
She's occupied
Lena nodded and felt herself sigh, which is a strange and terrible feeling, to only feel herself sigh, or do anything really, and is unable to hear it. At the very least, she was thankful that her vertigo was cured the moment she was submitted into the ward, later learning that this speedy treatment was because Quillion had been around long enough for the Medical Centre to have a surplus of advanced medication to treat it.
Speaking of advanced medicine, she was surprised to see that the base has expanded dramatically since she left. Many new faces, floors, and departments, the place no longer feels like the home where she could find comfort and safety after missions, now it is a giant, well oiled, but cold machine, reminding her of what it once was just before it collapsed…
An example of this was that now she is in one of the new ICUs instead of the large, multi-bed room from before where patients can see and encourage one another through thick and thin. Though this was definitely an upgrade, it was too lonely for Lena, as new regulations only allow up to two visitors at any one time, unlike before when everyone can come and go as they please.
"Where's Winston and the others?" she asked.
Stuck in a meeting with UN investigators
"Oh ok… How's your dad?"
He is still sleeping
"Any idea who attacked us?"
No
Stumped, Lena leaned back and tried to focus on the magazine that Brigitte brought for her but she barely read the first sentence of the page she had been staring at for the past half and hour. So many questions buzzed through her mind but no one is able to give any answers.
"What's going on? No one attacked Overwatch when it was weak... Now at the height of its power, someone sent a missile after my shuttle and even sent a force to attack the base" she thought to herself.
Lena, sorry I need to go
"No worries luv, take care"
Brigitte nodded and squeezed Lena's shoulder before exiting the room.
Still slightly dizzy from the medications, Lena put the magazine aside and got out of bed to leaned against the fake window, playing with the buttons to change the scenery that is being live streamed around the mountain, already missing the freedom that she had enjoyed over the months with Lox and Hana, and wondered if they felt the same.
From what Brigitte wrote out to her, Lox is facing some disciplinary action but was assured that it was not severe, as Morrison (to their surprise) was lenient to their joyride, and Hana's situation would've been hilarious if Lena could be by her side now since her presence has become almost a mystical thing here. About a day after the attack, the news spread like wildfire that even reached the city of Gibraltar itself.
Hana Song has arrived at Gibraltar: Overwatch.
At first Morrison and Smith tried to keep her presence a secret, but it was impossible when the guards that Smith assigned to watch over her began sending 'private pictures' with her signature back to their families, who in turn shared it throughout the Internet. Coast guards were arranged to dissuade anyone who even fantasizes about sailing to the mountain to see her, which thankfully, was not too common. Regardless, Morrison did not need to worry about her safety, as the guards are almost as loyal to her as they were to Smith, so he turned his attention to the Korean Army, who were demanding answers for why their best pilot, who had been sighted all over the world randomly, ended up with the UN's military. To make things more entertaining, a grateful Chief Minister called Overwatch to thank them for the sudden boost in Gibraltar's tourism income…
However, once the UN got involved, the mood immediately shifted. Unable to vent their wrath to avenge their comrades nor time to enjoy even recover from the shock, everyone has been on edge ever since.
"Bollocks… To be bogged down by all this nonsense when we could be looking for the ones who sent those buggers..." Lena thought.
She needs something to do, especially somewhere far away from here... It was still too soon for her to be back. She still had not found the answers she was looking for. How could she face her with the same words that Quil had with his loved ones? Reaching down to her bag next to the bed, she was disappointed to see that there was only one item she brought back for her...
The worst part was, there is nothing forcing her to see her today, she could always avoid going to see her, but she could not shake off the guilt building up inside her at the very thought. When has it been so hard to see her? She had always thought about her and they have always enjoyed each other's company even when there were nothing to talk about... Why should she fear being in her company now?
Feeling a tap on her shoulder, she looked around and saw Angela smiling at her while holding up a sign.
Everything alright?
This was the first time Lena saw Angie since they arrived and was a bit surprised to see her out of the 'Dragoon' armor, making a mental note to ask if she found a way to get out of it or Genji helped (perhaps maybe even she herself can try it on one day). The thing that stood out most however, were her eyes, shades of green can be seen at the edges of her blue irises now, the two colors complementing each other in a strange but beautiful way.
"Yeah…" Lena said, hugging her friend, needing the support for what she was about to say.
Do you need anything?
"Angie… I want to see her… Can I see her please? Now?"
Angela could feel her friend's need and fear in those words, so much so that her professional side told her that rest is what she needs now, not this, she could visit anytime after she recovers.
Lena felt her writing something and when she looked at the board, she smiled.
Follow me
*Overwatch: Data Storage*
A few levels lower at the other side of the base, and after settling in, Quillion and Amelie head to the Data Storage Room, which was thankfully empty as everyone had been called out to entertain the UN and their personnel.
"Anything?" he asked, looking at the article that she was reading.
"No"
"Athena, are you sure this is it?"
"All abbreviations and synonyms have been presented as on screen" was the reply, flashing the already filtered, hundred page collection with thousands of possible abbreviations and synonyms for HLC, each unlikelier than the last.
"We are not getting anywhere with this, it will be easier if we go look for it in the field" Amelie said, pushing the screen away in frustration.
"No. Beating down each crime boss is going to take too much time"
Even as the words came out of his mouth, it was filled with doubt. It may very well be true that they could narrow this list even further if they penetrate into the underworld's network instead of Overwatch's. However, as hypocritical as it may sound, he does not plan to be involved or to start another war, even if he had to kill the ones who attacked them.
"Corporal Quillion, if I may, there was a report that Lieutenant Oxton asked me to compile for you should you return" Athena asked.
"Hmm? She did? What is it about?" he asked in surprise.
"Yes, it is a report on the progress that the UN had with the reinstated country of Malaysia" Athena said, sending him the report on the screen with the command code for him to unlock it.
Quillion sat back, not knowing what to do. He would have lied if he said he had not thought about what the UN had done to his home, especially since the news or the Internet has been quiet about the whole ordeal. With the answer available to him now, he was not sure if it was anxiety or excitement that paralyzed his throat.
He must've pondered for a bit as Amelie's cold hand made him jump when she grabbed his.
"Read it, I will continue the search" she said.
Nodding slowly, he finally read the words on the screen.
Malaysia Selamanya
His jaw dropped when he saw what had transpired in his country. Though it looked like they were any progress made, he could tell by the foundations that there was great focus to reconstruct many of the designs that he was extremely familiar with, making him laugh when the report described this as an effort to 'reconstruct heritage sites'.
"You can build heritage sites?" he asked the AI, unable to believe that this contradictory concept is a reality now.
"It is still an extremely new practice" Athena responded.
He fought back tears when he saw many of the blueprints were impressively accurate to his memories, a beautiful blend between technology and nature. However, some were just outrageously ambitious, but he shrugged it off as some sort of 'modern standard' for buildings.
The pretender Agong's properties were all reclaimed and auctioned off, most of the income from that is used to help the villagers and reconstruction efforts. Flipping through some pages, he found the most important chapter of the entire report. It was a single page report, as if someone forced them to include this in and he was glad that it was included.
The Waterfall.
It has become a Natural Preserve, guaranteeing peace for everyone he had buried there. Unconsciously, he raked his fingers across the screen, allowing himself to feel the emotions of longing that he had left behind.
That was when he saw the flashing alarm on his wristband. It was an hour past the estimated event.
"Why didn't it make a sound?" he thought, horrified.
Immediately he snapped a look at Amelie, who was making her way out the door. With little time, he threw his arms around her.
"Release me!"
"Not until you remember who you are" he said.
"Let me go!"
"No"
Her anger flared and flung her head back, almost breaking his nose. Feeling his arms slack, she whipped around and speared his stomach with her knee. When he doubled over, she clasped her hands around his neck and pinned him to the ground.
Excitement coursed through her veins and she could feel a smile stretching across her face. She could feel it, his heart trying to pump blood into his head, his neck pulsating harder with every passing second, his lungs becoming desperate as he gasps for air.
It has been so long since a kill… So very long…
However, she must be out of practice when his arm escapes her foot and, to her frustration, manage to dig his fingers between her thumbs, giving him room to breathe.
"No!" she growled, trying to press down harder but found it impossible to remove his hand.
"You are Amelie Lacriox... Not Widowmaker…" he choked.
She threw her whole weight down at his neck, trying to ignore the rising panic inside her as the need for this pleasure is dissipating, but his strength is too great.
"You don't… Need this"
Desperate, she looked around for a weapon, but as she did so, he knocked her arms away and wrestled her until she was firmly secured under him. She struggled hard against him, many times almost successfully breaking through his arm or leg locks, but he held firm, ensuring her cold body does not have leverage.
"Amelie Lacriox! That's your name!" he yelled.
"Lacriox is dead!" she shouted back before spitting right into his eyes.
He quickly wiped away the cold spit and was about to activate his Battle Rage to end this quickly when he froze at the sight of the person under him.
It was Moira, with her hateful gaze and nauseating grin. Suddenly he was back in the room with bright lights, his hands and legs were locked in place on that cold table, unable to stop the scalpel that digs uncontested into his flesh...
That was the opening that Widowmaker needed as she expertly twisted her body, broke away from his grips and locked his neck in a perfect triangle chokehold. She could feel him struggling harder now, but there is no escape for this little fly, soon he will be in the eternal sleep by her hands...
"Here's where we keep our computers, I'm sure you'd-" a man said before pausing at the sight.
"Help him!" a girl yelled and the men pounced on command, prying the two apart.
"Wha-" Quillion coughed and was confused when he saw that the girl who yelled was Hana, standing behind a wall of armed men.
"You okay Tim?" she asked, earning him a mix of jealous and confused looks from her bodyguards.
"Let me go!" Widowmaker shouted, kicking down the one grabbing her and was about to break his neck when she was tackled off by three others.
"Don't hurt her!" Quillion ordered, quickly taking control of the situation by forcing her face to look at his, praying that their backup would work.
La toute petite araignée a grimpé le long de la gouttière
La pluie est tombée et a emporté l'araignée
Everyone watched in amazement as Widowmaker's struggling became limp and her face turned from murderous to sorrow as Quillion continued the song, even her gaze became softer.
Le soleil s'est levé et a séché toute la pluie
Et la toute petite araignée a regrimpé le long de la gouttière.
"Mon dieu… Did… Did I?" she mumbled, looking around.
"No, you're fine, you're fine" Quillion comforted, nodding to the guards to release her.
"What was that? It sounded like Itsby Bitsy Spider" Hana asked in wonder.
"Did I do that?" Amelie asked in shame, looking at the multiple bruises littered all over Quillion's face and neck.
"Nah… I've always looked this ugly" he said and coughed again when he tried to laugh it off.
Without a word, Amelie pushed him aside and exited the room. Hana tried to study her face but it was covered by her long hair.
"Do you need us to take you to the hospital?" Hana asked, to which he shook his head.
"I'm fine… What are you doing here anyway?"
"I… I was bored and these guys were showing me to the computer room, do you need any help?" she said, trying to hide her burning curiosity at what drove them to fight in the first place.
"Nope, I can handle this" Quillion said before going after Amelie.
*Gibraltar: Overwatch Meeting Room*
"Now that we have settled that issue, we would like to move on to another affair that is of huge importance for the UN" the representative said, closing the file and pulling out a new one.
Winston and Reinhardt had to hold back a groan and looked at Morrison, who remained motionless since the meeting began. They had poured through every possible possibility known to man why the defenses could not have been better than they should've been during the attack, especially when one of the attackers could penetrate deep into the facilities and, almost effortlessly, destroy the evidence that the UN entrusted them with.
"Because of the recent attacks, the UN had spent enormous amount of resources to keep things quiet to maintain your image, therefore we must take all necessary steps to ensure that your next task is successful"
"It is paramount that the Pax Aeternum Treaty is to be signed without incident" the man continued, pulling out another file from his bag "And since your team was 'relieved' from the last task we gave you, we would appreciate it if you can guarantee that you can do your job… For once"
Reinhardt made a move to respond but Morrison held up his hand.
"I promise you sir, that we do everything in our power to make sure that it will be signed without any problems"
"A promise?" the man snorted, slipping the files back into his bag "How much guarantee can a promise be?"
"Oh you will be surprised" Morrison replied with such certainty that the man scowled.
"We shall see" he said, packing his things and standing up.
"If I may ask sir, when will the UN give us the location where the Pax Aeternum will be held?"
"Doubting you own abilities now? I thought Overwatch prides itself in 'adapting to situations'" the man sneered.
"With respects sir, you are naïve if you think we do not need to know" Morrison responded calmly.
The man scowled and walked out of the room. The moment the doors close, Morrison walked over and locked the door before nodding to the other two, allowing them to voice the frustrations that they impressively held back.
"What's his problem?" Reinhardt exclaimed, standing up to stretch.
"He is not comfortable to deal with us" Winston replied, reaching down under the table where he hid his peanut butter.
"Why? We saved the world!"
"As criminals"
"And we stopped Talon"
"As criminals"
"We were the first to respond when the Null Sector attacked Paris!"
"As criminals"
"Enough, we have been tasked to oversee the peace ceremony and we must succeed" Morrison interjected, ending the conversation "First thing's first, do we know who attacked us and why?"
"We could not trace where they came from, it was as if they just entered our airspace, but their objective was clear, to destroy the rocks that were sent to us from France" Winston replied.
"Are there any samples left?"
"No, whatever chemical it was, it melted everything, sorry Jack..."
"The only ones who would attack us so directly is Talon… But I cannot imagine Akande has the vision to prepare splinter groups or backups in the case Talon is destroyed..." Morrison continued.
"New terrorist groups?" Reinhardt added.
"Perhaps… But with that kind gear and coordination… There is only one that would have that kind of power"
"You don't mean…"
"Who else could it be? No one but IT has the power to rival ours in such a manner, the one that we have been ignorant for too long..."
"Sounds like we have another fight on our hands" Reinhardt said enthusiastically.
"Agreed, if they were behind the First and Second Omnic Crisis, then there is no reason for us to believe they are not planning the Third" Winston said with concern.
The three remained silent for a while, each privately processing the terrible reality that the Third War could very well be brewing. As much as Morrison and Reinhardt lived for war, they were sick of it, let alone Winston, who still dreams to show humanity its potential for good and advancement. They looked and understood one another immediately.
The Pax Aeternum Ceremony must not fail.
"Commander, there is an emergency!" Athena said hurriedly.
"What is it?"
As a response, the holovid turned on and to everyone's horror, it was a still image of an eye. The backdrop was purple and there were two sets of three dots, one located above and the other below the eye.
Omnics, hear me.
This is your Mother and I am ready to embrace you.
The world is yours. Always has been.
If any humans wish to join our cause.
Bow at the eclipse.
"Where is this being played?" Morrison asked when the video replayed in a loop.
"Across all channels everywhere around the world, no one knows who it is except us, the image matches exactly with the files that Sombra left us and-" Athena replied.
Silence.
"Athena?"
"That's it, forgive me, was browsing through the files"
"Very well, analyze this and locate its source"
"Yes Commander"
"At the eclipse... That's next month... The Pax Aeternum?" Winston speculated, which Morrison nodded.
"Sounds like they want to crash the party" Reinhardt said.
The doors swung open again, an out of breath UN official who looked like he had just seen a ghost.
"Commander! We've got a problem! There's a message from someone called Mother and we believe it is declaring war against humanity again! We must find them and stop them!"
He looked at the two men and gorilla, expecting them to jump into action, but they merely stared back.
*Gibraltar: Memorial Grounds*
Located away from the busy part of the mountain and facing East, there was something almost mythical to see all the greats in one place and the sun shining down on them. Many of the names have been largely forgotten to the world, but all agents knew who they were and what they had done, and out of respect for their memories, Angela and Lena bowed their heads slightly before entering the grounds.
"Take as much time as you need" Angela wrote, standing back to give Lena some privacy.
Nodding, Lena fought back tears when she saw Emily's name etched on the slab, and bent down to brush away some dirt and the dead flowers that she recognized were the same ones she placed months ago during the funeral.
"Heya… It's me…" she said, hoping she would hear her.
Oh how she herself wished that she could hear something. The wind, the rustling grass, the ocean, just anything else but this deafening silence, anything for her to cling to. Just something that she could imagine to act as her voice while she rests in the grave.
"I got to see some sights recently! I mean… It's been quite a ride, ya'know?"
Silence.
"Hey remember that time we used to run around London? That was neat eh?"
Deafening silence.
"Oh here, I've got something for you" Lena said quickly, pulling out the scarf from her bag "Won this in a carnival just last month, and… and… I thought you'd like it"
The scarf was green, similar to the one that Emily mistakenly thought was hers on that Christmas day. It was a day that is second only to the moment she said yes to her proposal, the day when she decided that she was ready to settle down in this crazy world with the woman whom she loved.
Then realization hit her like a set of bricks when she looked to the graves next to Emily's. It was supposed to be some innocent comment about how she has company, but when she saw that the slabs were noticeably cleaner and with flowers that were still alive, she began to sob.
It was the strangest and most terrible sensation. She could feel her throat vibrating, her lungs expanding and contracting, hot tears that flowed down her face, she could feel it all, but could not hear it... She could not even hear herself say "I missed you" or "I'm sorry", she couldn't even hear herself cry over Emily's grave.
"Damn it! God damn it!" she felt herself yell out, throwing herself onto Emily's slab, slamming her head on the cold stone foundation.
"Why?!" she continued, hitting her head on the ground and reveling the pain that is almost as sweet as it hurts "WHY?!"
Before she could cause more damage to herself, a pair of arms pulled her to a sitting position away from the ground.
"Let me go Angie! Let me go!" she begged and before she could fight her off, she felt a prick on her arm.
"I'm sorry Lena…" Angela said, feeling her friend going limp in her arms.
This was a mistake, she should've followed her doctoral instincts and forced Lena to remain in the Medical Bay, even if she knows full well Lena would just leave when her back is turned, especially with her vertigo cured. All the debating with the insurance companies about sending the bodies back to their waiting families, must've triggered her more humanly nature to overshadow her professionalism.
"Dr Ziegler, do you need assistance?" the groundskeeper panted, running over at the sound of the commotion.
"No, thank you Zack" she replied, carefully adjusting her grip on her friend.
"She must've meant a lot to her"
"In more ways than you know"
Nodding, Zack pulled out a handkerchief and begin to clean the slab.
"Oh you don't need to do that" Angela said.
"It's no problem ma'am, it's the least I can do, I'll make sure this grave will be in better condition when the Lieutenant returns"
*Overwatch: Private Quarters*
"Hey Amelie? Open the door" Quillion said, knocking on the door.
She had locked the door just as he tried to turn the knob and he could barely make out the springs of the bed when she sat on it.
"Remember what we agreed? No locked doors? Common, open the-" he said and paused when two staff members walked by and looked at him strangely.
"Hey, we can talk this out" he said, now in French.
Silence.
"Look it's not your fault alright? Both of us forgot, it was either the explosion or us jumping into the water that must've damaged the wristband, that was why it didn't alert us"
Silence again.
"Athena, can you open the door?" he asked.
"No" was the answer.
"No as in you can't or you don't want to?"
"I think it is obvious that she does not want to see you"
He almost laughed at such an unexpected answer from the AI, but he collected himself and decided that her diagnosis could be correct, remembering his shame to have his own traumatic episodes and the embarrassment to have someone else to depend on just to pull him out.
"I'll be in the Mess Hall if you need me, should be just the floor below" he said.
She did not reply and looked at his shadow walking away from under the door, an unfamiliar sense of gratefulness for the AI. Looking down at the object that she managed to rescue from the chateau, thankful that the frame survived the blast and the water had not damaged the photo. Her fingers brushed over the face of Gerard, his face melting away the numbing effects that Talon forced into her.
She is no longer Widowmaker. She is Amelie Lacroix, not Widowmaker. She is not an unfeeling killing machine anymore, she is just a woman, a normal civilian who is trying to make amends to her past. That when she saw the tattoo around her right forearm.
Araignée du soir, cauchemar
Deep inside, she could feel a sense of fury trying to burst out at this tattoo, but was frustrated when she could not differentiate between anguish and the murdering intent when her Widowmaker persona took over. Groaning, she rubbed her eyes and lay on the bed, trying to clear her thoughts. These few days had been extremely taxing on her to say the least and she needed to calm down, and she knew exactly what she could do to achieve that.
Problem was, she must not do it.
Like an addict, she tossed and turned violently as her desires grew exponentially, the need rippling through her body like fire when a seductive voice worked its way into her heart.
"In a sense, we are now in enemy territory" it whispered, making her shiver "With expansion means more people, more people means more options…"
She clutched her pillow hard, trying to ignore the voice.
"Just a nobody. All you need to find is a nobody and no one else will be the wiser"
The words rang clear as day, each syllable made her slow heart flutter, her lips dry as she started panting in need, all desperation to hold onto her abstinence soon melted away. This self torment was not worth it. What is wrong to feel alive again? Why does she always have to deny the thing that made her feel good?
"Kill… I need a kill…" she whispered, reluctantly getting out of the bed and made her way to the door, slowly discarding her clothes.
"This will be a good kill" she thought, trying to justify this small indulgence "To remove a single, useless worker here, all organizations have those, just a quick taste…"
As luck would have it, when she opened the door, a guard was walking by and stopped dead in his tracks when he saw her, who was wearing nothing but her underwear and looking at him with a strange, lustful gaze. Like a fly, he flew right into her web.
Opening the door wider, she licked her lips in anticipation and beckoned him in, adding to her excitement when he complied. Like a fly, he is slowly being wrapped deeper into her web.
He made a move to kiss her, but she slapped his face and kept a certain distance. She does not want to kill him yet, she had been denied this meal for months and she planned to enjoy it. Thinking this was some sort of foreplay, the guard undressed himself and she grew more excited to see his well built body.
The prey is strong. If she were not careful, he could easily overpower her and he would be the victor here. Which is why this is the best prey she could've hoped for. A dangerous prey will always be the best prey. To end his life right here, right now, to hold the power to erase years of achievements and hard work is intoxicating her mind and soul.
"Yes. I need to feel better" the voice said, drowning out all doubts.
It was time for the spider to strike.
Without warning, she pounced. The man didn't know what hit him, but his training prevented an instant kill, putting a hand over his neck in time before she could complete the headlock. Growling, her vice tightened as he struggled to break free from the hold, thrilled to feel his desperation to throw her off him. It was not long before he started fighting to take a breath… To stay conscious… To stay alive…
She could almost feel it. The sensation to be alive at the expense of another's, feeling his heart that is desperately trying to pump blood into his brain as he struggled as her own. Oh how she missed the feeling of hot blood or throbbing hearts…
However, before she could reach the climax, a pair of hands loomed into view and pulled her arms apart, allowing the man to breath.
"NO!" she shouted, looking at the intruder angrily, and saw that it was Quillion.
Like a balloon, all emotions of frustrations or excitement disappeared in a pop, replaced with almost unbearable shame.
"Get out" he said to the man, kicking him out of the room with his clothes before slamming the door shut.
Both of them stood there awkwardly, one trying to react properly to the shame, while the other thought hard for the words that were not driven by anger or disappointment. To buy some time, he pulled a jacket out of the wardrobe and held it out for her with his head turned. Only after he was sure that she was properly covered did he talk.
"I'm sorry, I should've not left you alone and..." he began and stopped.
He had to pause to stop shaking. If Athena didn't shouted at him about this, she could've been thrown into the detention rooms... She had promised him that she would do everything in her power not to kill anyone anymore and he trusted her! That was the plan! Once they finish the chair, he would leave the chateau and she will re-enter society as a private and quiet…
"You want to do something for me?" she whispered.
"What is it?" he asked hopefully, thankful that her mostly emotionless nature equates to direct questions and requests.
"Get out"
*Jack Morrison's Office*
Jack let out a long sigh as he sat behind his desk, almost wishing that he did not accept this post. He had forgotten how hard and sensitive these politics are and it seemed to have only become more complicated over the years. The worst part was that despite the UN signing in agreement to have Overwatch be the lead researchers for science and to maintain the integrity of this peacetime, the cost was that they lack any form of autonomy.
Fearing another Blackwatch incident and to protect their investments, the UN placed tight procedures for any major decision that Overwatch wishes to make, be it training the next batch of soldiers or send aids somewhere, they will need to sign requests forms and wait for a week at best to receive the green light to act, which he expects will seriously hamper their efforts in the near future.
It is true that the crime rate across the world has decreased dramatically in the public sectors, but it is only a matter of time before criminals will take advantage of the peace, the key players being IT and Sombra. Thankfully, these tight procedures of reporting still have loopholes and if no one from his staff mentions that McCree and Genji are missing, he can still conduct these secret missions.
He was halfway signing through a stack of papers when Athena spoke.
"Commander, report"
"On screen" he said.
"Lieutenant Oxton, Corporal Zero, and Ms Lacroix are finding it difficult to adapt back to, in your words, 'the real world', Ms Song has calmed down and is currently playing Star Craft 2 with her Security Detail" she reported, showing him the live feed from the security cameras.
"Good… The sooner they realize that vacation is over, the better" he said, pointing his pen to Lena and Quillion.
"If I may Jack, may I know why you accepted them back so quickly? Policy dictates that they must go through court martial and-"
"Because as good as Genji and McCree are in the field, it is better to have more out there" was the simple reply.
"How about Ms Lacriox and Ms Song?"
"Continue to monitor Widowmaker, I'll decide what to do with her soon. Hana Song will return to Korea when the time is right, I receive reports that the military is desperate to have her back"
"When the time is right?"
"Politics. The UN is still trying to figure out what to tell the Korean authorities why and how she ended up in Overwatch… But to do that, they need Lieutenant Oxton to give her testimony about how and why she convinced Ms Song to join her, but that will be after Dr Ziegler discharges her"
"Very well"
The room is quiet once again, saved for the constant scribbling from his pen. After a period of time, he looked up and was surprised to see the glow on his desk that indicated that Athena is still present.
"Yes?" he asked.
"I just want to say that I am still surprised that you sent Genji and McCree out on missions together"
"And why is that?"
"From past records, they would normally require the guidance of Captain Amari to control them"
"They're grown men, I trust that they will put their differences aside" he replied slowly, each word becoming more uncertain than the last as her words gave birth to uncomfortable realization.
"Yes sir, have a good day Commander" she said.
"Wait, have our messages reach them yet?"
"No Commander, there is a storm and we can expect delays between our communication with them"
"Very well, thank you" he said and the light faded out.
Morrison continue signing the papers but unable to shake off Athena's words that echoed in his head, such as 'surprised' and 'together'. Sure it was true that in the past that whenever this pair worked together, they need to be controlled with a short leash, a leash that Reyes and Amari held. Now he had gave them autonomy and some freedom, surely they will not betray his trust right by being responsible, right?
Right?
"Winston get in here!" he yelled as he pressed the call button, wiping off the sweat appearing on his brow.