Old Soldiers
You gave her the information?
Yes Ma'am, though I'm not comfortable lying to her.
I understand your concern Captain, but right now we need to let them be. The world is changing faster than anyone cares to admit and Overwatch currently has the best chance against Talon.
Boston- United States- 00:26am
The city was deathly quiet, only a few people were moving around at this time in the morning. A young man and woman walked through the city, heading towards a group of apartments. They seemed like any normal couple, heading home after a night out. However, neither one of them noticed someone following them, keeping themselves hidden as the couple advanced.
Eventually, a man dressed in a black coat and hat stepped out from the shadows, holding a pistol at the couple. The second person ran up behind them, aiming another weapon at them. All the couple could do was panic, seeing no way out from the ambush.
"You two are coming with us." The man in the coat announced. However, before anyone could react, the second armed man fell down, a large dart imbedded into his neck. Upon seeing this the remaining armed man turned to flee, only to be met with a fist to the face. With both armed men down, the couple laid eyes on their saviour and it wasn't who they expected.
The legendary Soldier 76 stood in front of them, hitting his target again with his rifle to make sure he was unconscious. He looked up at the couple, who stepped back slightly as his gaze met theirs.
"Thank you." The man said.
"What did they want?" Soldier 76 asked.
"He said they wanted us to go with them." The woman answered, pointing at the unconscious man below 76.
Soldier looked at the man below him for a few moments, before shifting his gaze back up to the couple. "Here's a bit of advice. Be aware of your surroundings. Lots of people prey on the unaware. Now go." With that, the young couple departed, quickly walking away from the area. Another woman walked up to Soldier once they were gone, a rifle slung around her arm.
"So, any idea why they targeted those two?" Ana asked, checking her sleep dart gun in case of anyone else stumbled across them.
"Not a clue. Let's ask this one." Morrison replied, kneeling down on the man below him who was beginning to wake up. Once he did, he desperately tried to escape, only to be held in place by Morrison.
Morrison now pulled out his pistol, placing the barrel next to the mans head. He immediately stopped struggling.
"Why did you target that couple?" Morrison demanded to know.
"They were an easy target. A client wants a couple to be videoed being beaten up, sent one of their own to oversee it. No idea why, like I care really." The man replied, slightly on edge thanks to the gun to his head.
"Where were you going to take them?"
"Yeah, like I'm going to tell you." He replied, slightly more confident than before. His answer was met with a bullet to his knee. He cried out in pain for a few moments, before Morrison placed his hand over his mouth, keeping him quiet. Any confidence he had quickly vanished.
"Wrong answer. I know your client is Talon, so tell me what I want to know." This was enough to get the man to speak.
"Okay. Okay. We were taking them over there, top floor." He pointed up to a derelict apartment block, only a few streets away. Now Morrison had all he needed.
"Thanks." He pulled the trigger, killing the man instantly. He stood up and walked to the other man, firing his weapon and killing him as well.
"Was that necessary Jack?" Ana asked, clearly not fond of killing unarmed prisoners.
"They were part of a criminal gang who's working for Talon. They had it coming." As Morrison placed his pistol away, a nearby phone began to ring. Both Morrison and Ana looked across the street to see a small payphone, waiting for someone to answer it. The phone stopped ringing at one point, falling quiet for a few seconds before ringing again.
"That might be for us." Ana said. "Better go answer it."
"So you want me to just walk over there and answer it, even though it could be a trap?"
Ana looked up and down the street a few times before turning back to Jack.
"Yep. No ones around, so it's not likely a trap."
Morrison simply sighed as he walked over to the phone. He checked it over before grabbing the phone and slowly placing it to his ear.
"Hello?"
"Morrison." Jack instantly recognised the voice.
"Winston? How did you get this number, let alone find me?"
"Look to your left and up."
Morrison did just that, seeing a small CCTV camera facing him. He quickly connected the dots.
"Athena?" The camera moved up and down, imitating a nod. "Very funny. So what do you want?"
Winston breathed in, thinking very carefully about what he was going to say. "It's Fareeha."
Morrison tensed up, looking over at Ana before answering. For Winston to contact him regarding her couldn't be good news. "What's happened?"
"Angela went over to visit her in Egypt... Talon captured both of them... they're torturing them. We have some intel but not much."
Morrison thought for a moment. This was not good, Ana's daughter was in harms way and there was nothing they could do.
"What do you need?" He asked, knowing what Ana's reaction would be.
"We need you, both of you. I know you don't want to rejoin but..."
"We're following a source on a criminal gang here in the US. They're working for Talon and I have a suspicion why, but I can't be sure. We'll finish up here first and go from there. I'll contact you when we're ready."
Morrison told Winston any details he needed to know, including the number of a phone he recently acquired, before hanging up the call. He turned back to Ana and slowly walked across the steeet. He had no idea how to explain this one to her.
"So, who was it?"
"Ana... it was about Fareeha..."
Ana went wide eyed, tensing up as alarm bells went off in her head. "What's happened?" Morrison didn't reply, his head sinking slightly. "Jack. Tell me!" Ana said, her tone now more forceful.
"Winston told me Angela went over to visit her... While she was there... Talon captured them."
"No. No, not my Fareeha. Anyone but her!" Ana said, panic very present in her voice. She had images of her daughter at the mercy of Talon. "Do you know what they'll do to her Jack? They'll torture her, break her and then twist her to do their bidding, just like they did with Amelie." Ana couldn't cope, dropping to her knees as tears began to flow. Her rifle fell off her shoulder as she wept, no longer important to her.
Jack kneeled down next to Ana but before he could do or say anything, Ana spoke again.
"Don't you dare Jack. Don't you dare try and tell me everything will be alright. We know the score. This is a death sentence to anyone who we can't get to in a matter of days. I won't let Amelie happen again, not to Angela and especially Fareeha. I don't care about your war, the state of the world or even what Talon plans to do. All I care about is getting my daughter back. I'm going to find her, with or without you!"
Morrison was left stunned into silence. Ana had said all of that without raising her voice and all of her anger had been shown. Honestly, it scared him a little.
"I wasn't going to argue Ana. I knew her as a little girl. I'm not going to stand by and let her and Angela get tortured by them. Winston has Overwatch looking for them and I'm sure he's contacting everyone he knows. We'll find her."
Ana let out a deep breath, placing her rifle back on her shoulder. "Where do we even start? They could be anywhere."
Jack stood back up, offering a hand for Ana and helping her up. "I think we should keep following this lead."
"How is this lead relevant?" Ana asked, almost sarcastically.
"Think about it. That guy said they were going to film a couple being beaten up. We know that they're working for Talon and it's too random to be related to crime. Who would struggle to watch that? Who wouldn't be able to stand by without wanting to help them?"
"Angela." Ana answered, realising where Jack was going. "In all honesty, you might be right."
Jack now turned to look at the tower block. It was an old, derelict building that clearly hadn't been used for many years. It would be a perfect location for a criminal gang to operate out of. "So, we hit the top floor and find the link to Talon. Hopefully, there'll be something that'll get us a step closer to Fareeha and Angela."
"Very well." Ana agreed. "Let's move."
The two ran towards the tower, both fully aware that time was against them. Once they arrived, Morrison walked to the main door, opening it slowly while Ana covered him. There was one gang member guarding a set of stairs and one elevator. He had his back turned to the door, so he didn't see who hadn't walked in.
"You're in the wrong place, turn around and leave." The gang member said.
"Which floors your boss on?" Jack demanded to know.
"I ain't telling you. I suggest that..." The gang member turned around, seeing Soldier 76 standing in front of him.
"You sure about that? Is your boss worth dying over?" The gang member thought over his options. He decided very quickly what to do.
"I suppose not. He's on the top floor, meeting with a 'representative of a client,' whatever that means. The top's had all its walls taken out, apart from a couple of rooms. The one you want has a large metal door on it. Go to floor 14, the 15th floor button doesn't work and the stairs don't go all the way up. Now if you don't mind, I've just remembered somewhere I need to be."
The gang member went to walk away, only for Jack to grab him in a headlock. "You don't get off that easily." The criminal had little time to react, as Morrison snapped his neck and dropped the body.
Ana walked in shortly after, looking down at the lifeless criminal before walking over to Jack, who had called the elevator down.
"We're going to the 14th floor and fighting our way up. Watch out for the Talon agent, he's more use to us alive." Morrison said, checking his pistol as he did.
"Any idea where he is?"
"Likely floor 15. He's meeting with the gang leader. I know you have a lot on your mind right now, so I'll manage the gang members, keep me patched up if I need it." He placed a hand on Ana's shoulder, reassuring her.
A worn out ping announced the arrival of the elevator, which Jack and Ana stepped inside. Jack pressed the button for the 14th floor, the doors closing as the elevator moved. Upon reaching the 14th floor, Morrison raised his rifle and prepared to fire. Sure enough, there was one gang member waiting at the doors.
"I thought I said no..." Once the gang member saw Morrison, he knew he was done for. "Crap." A bullet quickly entered his skull, killing him instantly. The noise alerted the other gang members on the floor. A couple ran towards them, but they were quickly gunned down by Morrison. Ana hadn't even fired a single shot yet, letting Morrison do all the work.
After a short walk, they found the stairs to the top floor. Opposite the stairs, a number of gang members had set up, aiming straight at the stairs. Morrison suspected something was up, so he hugged the wall, peering out down the corridor. Once he saw the ambush, he simply stepped back a small distance, before rolling out from behind his cover and firing. Helix rockets zoomed down at the gang members, hitting the ceiling above them and causing it to collapse. With the defenders buried under the rubble, Morrison turned around and walked to the stairs, where Ana was waiting.
"After you." She said, once again allowing Jack to take the lead. As the two of them ascended to the top floor, Morrison heard a number of gang members panicking.
"What the hell was that?"
"I don't know man! It must be another gang!"
"What do we do?"
"Stop them getting any further. They can't beat us in our own territory!"
Morrison had stopped just below their vision. He decided to use fear to his advantage. He activated his Tatical Visor.
"I'VE GOT YOU IN MY SIGHTS!"
This very quickly caused a panic among the gang.
"OH SHIT, IT'S 76!"
"WE'RE DEAD!"
Morrison now stepped up the stairs, firing at anyone his visor picked up. Sure enough, the dead doorman was right, the top floor had been stripped and remade for the gang. The defences they had provided very little help against him, as one by one the defenders fell. Some even tried to flee or hide, an action that was futile against Morrison. He had no time and was not prepared to accept any surrender.
After a few minutes of Morrison's barrage, someone barked out an order.
"FALL BACK, PROTECT THE BOSS!"
The remaining gang members did just that, moving to a large metal door, clearly bulletproof. Four of them went inside the room, while the remaining six stayed outside, aiming down the passageway that lead to them.
"Stay down, it's Soldier 76!" One of the gang members said, his voice muffled by the large metal door. A number of gun shots, as well as screams of fear and pain followed from outside the room. After a few moments, the building fell deathly quiet. The occupants of the room guessed what had happened. They were the only ones left.
"He can't get through that door, it's bulletproof." One gang member announced, something he came to regret saying seconds later.
"Wanna bet." Morrison commented through the door, sending the occupants scrambling to cover the door. Jack stepped back, aimed his Helix Rockets and fired. The explosion ripped the door from its hinges, as well as causing parts of the wall to be launched at the defenders.
The four gang members near the door were all flung back from the force, two being killed by the detonation. Another was crushed by the large door falling on him. The last one had a large cut on his leg and was unable to stand. Upon seeing Morrison's red visor, he simply started to plead.
"No. No please, No!" He was quickly silenced by a pistol round to the head. The gang leader now attempted to pull his own weapon, a final attempt to kill the attacker. Morrison was simply too quick, hitting the leaders arm with another pistol round and stopping any chance of him fighting back.
"Which one of you's the gang leader?"
"You bastard. What do you want with me?" The injured leader said, holding his bleeding arm.
"Oh, nothing. I was after him." With that, Morrison fired, killing the gang leader with a clean bullet through is head. He now turned to the remaining man. He was wearing a black suit and obviously didn't have a weapon. "Now, you just saw me take down this entire gang without breaking a sweat. You going to talk? Or do I have to persuade you some more?"
The Talon agent simply nodded, shaking at the sight of Morrison. Whatever Soldier 76 wanted, He would willingly give it. Morrison now analysed the room, seeing two wooden chairs along with a number of torture tools. There was a camera facing the chairs, along with a computer connected nearby.
"You sent out two goons to capture a couple, then bring them back here. Why?"
The Talon agent hesitated for a second, picking his words carefully. "We captured a high value target the other day. The person in charge of their conditioning requested this, so I was sent here to broadcast it live. I don't know all the details and frankly I don't want to." Morrison stepped forward, his masked face inches away from the Talon agents. "Where is that prisoner being held?" He demanded to know.
"I don't know."
"What do you mean you don't know? STOP LYING TO ME!"
"I telling you, I don't know! I wasn't stationed at that base! The equipment is all pre set, all I do is carry out the orders of whoever's at the other end of the link. I don't even know who they are!" The Talon agent was almost pleading, seeing how Soldier gripped his rifle tighter as he shouted at him.
"So where were you stationed?"
"A cover location in Rome." He pulled out a business card. "It's at that address." Morrison snatched the card and placed it in his pocket for later use.
He now considered his next move. If everything was pre set, then all he had to do was start transmitting and then trace the location. Fortunately, he had a USB with a program ready for just a situation. The only challenge was keeping whoever it was on the other end from hanging up before the trace was done.
"I'm guessing you know how to start the transmission?" He asked the Talon agent.
"Yeah. They said contact them once we were ready. They'd then give further instructions on how to proceed."
"Good. Contact them and say your ready to go." The Talon agent did just that, sending a message on the computer. Morrison inserted the USB and set up the program, ready to trace the signal. A few minutes later, there was a reply.
Very good. Give us a few hours and then we'll start.
"A few hours." Morrison stated aloud. "Guess we have some time to kill. Take a seat."
The Talon agent didn't register what he meant at first, going wide eyed once he realised. "Wait. We can talk about this. I helped you..."
Morrison simply stared at the Talon Agent, causing him to panic more. He turned and attempted to flee out the ruined door, only to be stopped by Ana, who was standing in the doorway. A sleep dart was fired into the agents chest, working immediately and sending him falling backwards.
"He didn't say you could leave."
Jack walked over, picking up the now unconscious agent and slamming him into one of the wooden chairs. He tied him up, making sure he couldn't escape.
"Need to vent?" He asked Ana, knowing that she needed to let out some anger. She simply replied with a small nod. She wouldn't normally do this, however, this time there was far more at stake than ever before.
Hanamura- Japan
As events unfolded in Boston, Genji was busy infiltrating his old home. After seeing what Talon were doing to Angela and Fareeha, he knew he couldn't just sit around waiting for intel. He knew Overwatch would need all the help they could get. So, here he was, trying to once again recruit an old friend.
Genji climbed up a large wall, jumping over the top and gaining entrance to the area. This was a long shot and Genji knew it. He began to walk, heading to the exact same location that he did the first time he was here. Once he arrived, he saw who he was looking for, kneeling in exactly the same place as before. Genji jumped down from the upper levels and walked behind him.
"My answer has not changed since the last time brother."
Genji simply stood still, expecting a more lengthy explanation.
Hanzo now stood, picking up his bow as he did. "Talon has been trying to recruit me. They promised me that our family's former glory would return if I did. I have no intention of joining them. So why do you think I should join you?"
"Because it's the right thing to do." Genji replied.
"Is that what you truly believe Genji? You helped them tear our family apart."
"We had lost our way. I understand this now. I wish it could have ended differently... but Overwatch helped form who I am today."
"And what is that?"
"A better person." Hanzo simply shook his head, clearly not agreeing. Genji had hoped he and his brother were on better terms than this. At least they weren't trying to kill each other this time.
"Hanzo... we need help. Angela, the woman who saved my life, has been taken by Talon. They're doing unthinkable things to her..."
"What makes you think I'd help? As soon as I did, I'd make an enemy of Talon." Hanzo interrupted. Genji simply lowered his head. Hanzo was not in a listening mood right now.
"If Talon are trying to recruit you then they will make you choose eventually. What then?"
"My path is not yet decided. It seems that yours is Genji. I'm sorry, but this is not my battle."
"Brother, please. She's a very good friend and I owe her my life..." Genji pleaded, trying anything to get Hanzo to budge, however, it all was in vain. Hanzo never moved once. Genji finally admitted defeat, turning to leave. Just before he walked away, he spoke up once more.
"The roads we travel are long and shrouded in darkness. They will not always take us where we wish to go... but I will travel down mine nonetheless. The world is changing Hanzo and it will not wait for you to be ready. The past is what it is, there is no changing that now. It is time to pick a side."
With that Genji left, walking back to the dropship. It wasn't a long walk but it felt a lot longer due to the circumstances. He had hoped that Hanzo would be ready to join him. Clearly he was wrong. As he arrived at the dropship, the doors opened and he stepped inside. The doors remained open as Genji walked over to the main console and contacted Gibraltar.
"Winston, come in."
"Genji, any updates?"
"No Winston. I wasn't able to persuade him. Any news I should know of?"
"Lena and McCree are heading towards Egypt, following a lead. I've also contacted anyone who we've worked with before. Some have already said they'll help."
"Good to hear." Genji now thought for a moment. A while ago Torb had managed to befriend a Bastion unit. Genji has taken it to his master to watch over it six months ago. That Bastion could be invaluable in the next few days. "Remember that Bastion we sent to Nepal?"
"Yes. It could be very helpful."
"Exactly my thoughts. I'll head over and pick it up before I return..."
"Don't you mean we?" Genji turned around at the sudden interruption to see Hanzo, leaning against the door of the dropship. "You are right, the past is what it is. I must decide where I stand..."
"So, you will help us?" Genji asked.
"This once, yes. As for the future, we shall see."
"Very well then. Me and Hanzo will head to Nepal and bring the Bastion back." He announced to Winston.
"Very good. I'll keep on contacting anyone we know. Winston out."
Hanzo now stepped on board the dropship, the doors closing as the shuttle began its take off procedure. As the dropship took off towards its destination, Hanzo broke the silence.
"You have a Bastion?" He asked Genji.
"Yes, we do."
"Why is it sitting in Nepal then?" Genji simply chuckled to himself before replying.
"It's a long story..."
Egypt- Near the Temple of Anubis- 2 hours later
Lena walked through the streets, stopping in a small square and looked for any sign of the target they were after. She and McCree had split up upon landing and had patrolled the entire area at least once. Lena trusted the intel from Ross, all they needed to do was find the hooded man.
Once she was done analysing the area, Lena moved on. Both Lena and McCree were incognito, something that was far easier for McCree than Lena. All McCree had to do was change his clothes. Lena had her accelerator which simply gave away who she was a mile away. Fortunately, Emily had come up with a cunning plan a while back. She had bought Lena some pieces of clothing that were a little too large for her. She simply put on one of these larger shirts and coats over her accelerator and suddenly she was a different person.
Unfortuantly, the Egyptian heat meant that a coat would probably make her pass out. Luckily, one of the larger shirt's was enough to keep the accelerator from being noticeable. She was also wearing a pair of sunglasses, making her blend in as one of the tourists.
"Thank god this isn't an issue back home." She thought to herself. She had gone out in King's Row with her accelerator so many times that no one thought anything of it anymore. Anywhere else and she stuck out like a sore thumb.
Lena now passed by the restaurant that Angela and Fareeha were ambushed in. She knew it was there since the entire street was cordoned off and police were all over the building. It was unlikely there was any evidence left inside anyway. Lena simply moved on, not dwelling on what may of happened inside that building.
"Uh! Where is this guy?" Lena groaned, getting sick of walking around the same area. She activated her earpiece "McCree, any luck?"
"None as yet. Keep searching, he's got to be around here somewhere."
Lena sighed heavily before continuing on. The guy they were looking for was their only lead to finding Angela and Fareeha. They needed to find him before... The thought of Angela becoming a Talon agent made Lena shudder. There was no way she could pull the trigger on Angela, even if she had no other choice. Lena hoped that it wouldn't come to that.
As Lena continued on, she found herself in a market square, filled with people buying and selling goods. She analysed the area, having to do a double take when she saw something. It was someone wearing a grey hoodie with the hood up, very similar to the one the man they were looking for had. He was currently looking over a food stall, purchasing a small bowl of food before walking to another stall, looking over some clothes.
Lena pulled out a small picture, analysing the figure from the CCTV. Once the man turned around she confirmed the identity. They were a match.
"McCree, I've found him. he's in the market square, near the restaurant."
"I'm a few minutes away, keep him in view but stay out of sight."
Lena looked back towards the target. He had turned around and was walking towards her. She quickly walked over to a market stall as he passed on by. Lena thought the disguise had worked, the target clearly hadn't recognised her. She turned around and began to follow him out of the market square, following close by but not too close. They walked a short distance before he turned into an alley. Lena stopped for a few seconds, before slowly following him.
She was very cautious, keeping an eye out for any potential traps. However, she realised very quickly that the man had disappeared. Lena ran to the end of the alley, reaching a dead end.
"What? Where did he..." Before she could finish, someone came up behind her, grabbing her in a headlock with the intention of suffocating her.
"I don't know who you are, but you followed the wrong person."
Lena tried to break free but his grip was too strong. Instead, she focused her energy on her accelerator and recalled out of the headlock. The man fell backwards, falling onto his back as Lena disappeared. As she reappeared, the man managed to pull out a pistol. Lena had time to react, blinking out of the way of three shots before she reached him. She quickly kicked his weapon out of his hand, climbing on top of him and hitting him in the head. He managed to push Lena off and stand up, turning and running away. Lena wasted no time, recovering and running after him.
She blinked out of the alley, quickly finding her target and chasing after him. The target was very fast, clearly he'd had training. As they ran through the streets, Lena activated her earpiece.
"McCree! He's onto me! He's heading back towards the market!" She shouted, blinking forward to keep up with her target.
"Stay with him. I'll try and cut him off."
They ran back through the market, pushing through a number of people and causing a large commotion. Once through, the hooded man ran towards a gap between two buildings, heading towards the Temple of Anubis. Lena followed close by, still blinking to keep up. As the man reached the end of the alley, a metallic hand suddenly stopped him dead in his tracks. The force sent him straight to the ground and he was unable to recover before a second hit landed on his head, knocking him out. Lena now stopped running, walking the last few steps to the now unconscious target.
"Wow... he could move." Lena said, breathing heavily.
McCree dragged the target back into the alley and pulled the hood off his head, stopping for a few seconds as he saw his face. "I'm not surprised he gave you a run for your money. He's former Blackwatch."
"You know him?" Lena asked, as McCree pulled out a cigar, fumbling in his pockets and finding his lighter.
"Unfortunately." McCree lit his cigar before continuing. "He was one of our intelligence gatherers, sent in before the main team. Micheal... something. I can't remeber his full name."
"We should get him back to the dropship, interrogate him when he wakes up. We need to find Angela and Fareeha soon." McCree didn't reply, instead picking up the unconscious man up and throwing him over his shoulder.
"Um, it's a little too obvious we knocked him out if you carry him like that luv." Lena said, chuckling slightly.
"I'm going a quiet route, don't worry." McCree now walked out of the alley, hitting the mans head on the wall as he turned the corner. "Oh, I'm so sorry." McCree said sarcastically, gaining another chuckle from Lena.
One hour later
The hooded man awoke in the Overwatch dropship. He was sitting on the floor, with his hands cuffed behind his back. As he looked around, his eyes rested on McCree, who was sitting nearby with his revolver in one hand and a cigar in the other. Lena meanwhile was no where to be seen. Opting to stay outside while McCree extracted the intel they needed.
"McCree. Long time no see." The prisoner joked but McCree was in no joking mood.
"You know why I'm here Micheal. Just tell me what I want to know."
Micheal chuckled to himself. "Mercy and her friend I'm assuming. Well, I don't know anything about that." A bullet landed next to him shortly afterwards, hitting right next to his leg.
"That's not the answer I'm looking for." McCree said, smoke coming from his revolver.
"That's the only one I can give. I was here long before Mercy was captured, I just got reassigned to follow her. Here's the best part though, I'm being reassigned again, Anubis is no longer the main target."
McCree was now a little confused. "What are you talking about?"
Micheal simply laughed again. "You don't know do you? Overwatch doesn't know, this is fantastic."
McCree finally ran out of patience, getting up and walking over to Micheal, forcing the barrel of his revolver next to his head. "I don't have time for this, where is Mercy? What's Talon planning?"
What McCree hadn't noticed was that Micheal had reached for a small pin he had hidden in his clothes. He started to work on the handcuffs, trying to unlock them.
"I don't know where Mercy is, it's above my pay grade. All I was told was to follow the one target and then Mercy walked straight into our hands. I wasn't told where they were going afterwards. As for what we're planning... all I'll tell you is that it's something big, something that will change how the world sees us. Or at least impact the United States in a big way."
McCree went to speak once again but Micheal stopped him. "Now, I'd love to stay and reminisce on the old days, but I have more important things to be doing. By the way, nothing personal."
Micheal suddenly broke free of his handcuffs, pushing away the gun to his head before McCree could react. He rolled to his side and reached for a knife he had hidden in his boot. He now lunged forward, intending to plunge the knife into McCree's side, however, McCree was ready. He rolled backwards and aimed his revolver, seeing Micheal sprinting straight at him. He knew he had no time to do anything else, so he fired, a perfect shot landing on Michael's chest. One bullet was all it took to bring the former Blackwatch agent down.
"You've lost your touch." McCree walked over to the dying man, kneeling down next to him. "Where are they Micheal?" He asked softly.
"Sorry mate. I honestly don't know... I don't owe Talon anything, so if I knew I'd say." Micheal coughed up a small amount of blood, as he breathed his last breath.
The dropship doors now unlocked and Lena ran in. "MCCREE! WE NEEDED HIM!"
"I didn't have a choice. He didn't know anything anyway. It was a dead end..."
Lena punched the side of the Orca, something she quickly regretted, holding her hand in pain. "That's it then. We have nothing to go on..." Lena's head now dropped. "I've failed them."
"We'll find them Lena."
"How McCree? We have nothing! Nowhere to even start looking! How can we hope to ever find them, let alone find them before Talon's finished with them!"
"McCree, Lena, are you there?" Winston had contacted them through the ships computer, McCree answering for the two of them.
"We didn't get anything. This source was a dead end." McCree reported.
"Someone else found something. We have another lead." Lena's head quickly shot back up. Seemed that not all was lost. "I need you two back here ASAP."
"So, who was it?" Lena asked.
Talon facility- Unknown location
Angela and Fareeha were fast asleep on the cold, concrete floor, the two of them cuddling one another. They were awoken earlier that day and subjected to another round of physical abuse. They were separated, forced into different rooms, before several Talon soldiers went to work on them. Angela healed the damage they caused to her, yet Fareeha was unable to, meaning every bruise and cut they caused was still visible. This bothered Angela, a lot. One part of her said that she didn't want her here, wanted her safe from all of this. Another part of her however knew that Talon would be far further with their goal if she wasn't here. Fareeha was doing a great job keeping her together.
A loud scream was suddenly heard through the base, shaking Angela right out of her sleep. The sudden movement also woke Fareeha, who quickly turned to check on Angela.
"What's wrong?" She asked, seeing that Angela was shaking slightly.
"I heard someone screaming... Oh god, what are they doing to them? That'll be us soon..." Angela hugged Fareeha tightly. All her life, she helped those who needed it most. Now, she couldn't help anyone and it was a form of torture in itself. They fact that they would soon be subjected to a similar fate simply scared Angela further.
Fareeha had little time to comfort her, as the door to their cell opened and two Talon troopers walked in. They quickly picked up the two prisoners, dragging them out the cell and through the base. After a short walk, they turned into a small room, with two chairs set up and a computer connected up to a large screen. The two women were strapped to the seats, the restraints tighter than usual.
Once secured in their seats, Moira walked in, two lab assistants following close behind her.
"Don't try to resist." Moira said plainly, before one assistant walked up to Angela. They had a small syringe in their hand, which quickly made its way into Angela's arm, extracting some of her blood. Fareeha was next, a separate syringe used. The assistant then walked over to Moira, giving her the blood samples.
"Why do you need our blood?" Fareeha asked.
"Future reference." Moira replied, turning to face the two prisoners. "Now, remember what I said Angela. You are going to help me complete a little project of mine."
"Like hell I am!" Angela's sudden objection irritated Moira, but she expected it. After all, she wasn't broken yet.
"Yes, I thought you might say that, which is why I had a special show made just for you. I want to show you what will happen if you don't help us." Moira now turned to the other assistant, who was standing next to the computer. "Start the show."
The assistant typed a few words and the large screen activated. However, once the image appeared, Moira was less than pleased. There was a man in a suit, tied up and beaten to a pulp. It was amazing that he was still alive.
Moira sighed, placing her head in one of her hands. "I thought I made my instructions clear. A couple of lovebirds and they were not to be harmed until we began."
The man simply looked towards the camera, desperately trying to speak. "MA'AM, IT'S..!" He was quickly silenced with a bullet to the head. The sudden scene made the two assistants jump, the one moving away from the computer. The two Talon soldiers also lost their composure, clearly surprised at what they just saw.
"Brilliant." Moira sarcastically commented. "So go on, who's actually there?"
A figure now moved into view, someone that filled Angela and Fareeha with hope. Soldier 76.
"Moira. Seems the Witch is still alive after all."
Moira was left stunned. Of all the people she expected, Morrison was not one of them. How did she know it was Morrison? Reaper had brought it to Talon's board of directors attention after he fought him and Ana. Clearly, Overwatch had called in for support and he had answered.
"Look what I have Morrison." Moira returned, pointing at the two prisoners. "Two very important people. So think about your next move very carefully."
Morrison simply stood, staring at the screen for a few moments. It was safe to say that the Talon personnel were becoming very uncomfortable, even thought he wasn't in the room. Eventually, he spoke. "Someone has a message for you."
Morrison walked aside, letting Ana take his place. Fareeha's face lit up as she saw her mother, which in turn made Angela smile.
"You've crossed the line Moira. No one messes with my daughter." Ana said, calmly.
"And what are you going to do about it?" Moira returned. "You don't even know where she is. How can you possibly hope to find her."
Ana stepped closer to the camera, giving a glare that sent a chill down the spines of the Talon agents. "Oh, I'll find her. I'll take down any Talon agent that dares to stand in my way, burn any bases that I find and then, just to finish off, when I find you, I'll rip your still beating heart out with my bare hands, you cold hearted bitch!"
Fareeha was stunned by her mother's outburst. She had never heard her speak like that. It honestly scared her a little. Thing was, if she was a little scared, then the Talon agents were far more frightened.
Moira meanwhile was stunned into silence. Something told her that Ana wouldn't hesitate to follow up that threat. She quickly regained her composure. "You and who's army?"
"I don't need one."
Moira scoffed. "And why is that?"
"Because I'm an army of one." Morrison said, letting the words sink in.
Moira finally had enough, walking over to the computer and shutting off the video connection. Moira considered her options. Her original plan had been to capture a couple somewhere else in the world, have them tortured to death to break down Mercy, then send the video to Overwatch as a warning. Instead, all it had accomplished was raising the spirits of her captives. She now turned to the two Talon troopers.
"These two haven't had a wash today. Run them an ice cold bath, then throw them in it." The two prisoners were able to share a glance, before being dragged out of the room. This left Moira with the two assistants.
"Well, guess I'll try another method. Do we still have that rejected stock from Indigo? What was her name... Veronica?"
"Yes, she was scheduled for termination in a few days." The one assistant answered, taking no regard to the fact she was talking about another human being.
"Excellent, have her brought to room twelve. I have one more use for her."
Menawhile, ten rooms down, Angela and Fareeha had been forcefully stripped of their clothing, apart from their underwear and lead to a large room with a square, metal cover over it. The cover was lifted up to reveal a small pool of water, filled with ice. The two women were pushed into the water, before the pool was covered back up.
Once the cover was down, a small light illuminated the pool, leaving Angela and Fareeha alone with each other. The pool wasn't very deep, only reaching half way up their bodies. However, they were both shivering due to the icy water. Fareeha moved over to Angela, wrapping her arms around her. Angela didn't object, immediate understanding what she was doing, sharing body heat.
"Good idea." Angela said, shivering as she did. Both women wrapped their arms around the other, rubbing each other's backs to generate any heat they could. "You okay Faree?"
"Yeah, just not used to the cold. You okay Ang?"
"Yeah, I think I am. Just a bit cold myself. At least there's a bit of light in here."
"What were the chances of Mum and Jack finding that location?" Fareeha asked, gaining a smile from Angela. "I've never heard her speak like that before..."
"She's looking for you... and judging by that, I don't think anyone will be able to stop her."
Neither one would admit it, but despite the cold, both were quite comfortable around the other, even with barely any clothes on. Perhaps it was simply due to the cold and both wanting to warm up very quickly. Or maybe it was something more.
Angela thought back to what Lena said, before all of this started. 'You two are perfect for each other.' Maybe Lena was right. Here she was, huddled up with Fareeha, wearing practically nothing and it felt... right. She was comfortable around her. Angela pushed the thought aside for now, it was clearly just the situation they both were in.
"Get your emotions in check Angela. We're just friends... that's all we'll ever be." Angela thought to herself, though she was starting to doubt her own thoughts, something she knew was incredible dangerous right now. She had to stay strong. What she didn't know was that Fareeha was having a similar conflict herself, equally unsure about her feelings towards Angela.
After ten minutes, the cover was lifted and the Talon troopers ordered the two women out of the water, something they didn't argue with. They quickly got dressed, before being led back to their cell. Once the door shut, the two women simply sat at the back of the room, hugging and comforting one another.
Boston- United States
Morrison cursed aloud. "Damn it! Moira cut the connection before the trace was complete. I don't have a concrete location."
Ana lowered her head, she was so close to finding her daughter. "Did you get anything?"
"I got a country... Italy."
"Italy?" Ana asked, surprised. "Bit coincidental, that Talon agent was from Italy."
Morrison pulled out the card the agent had given to him, looking at the address. He pulled out his phone and contacted Winston. "Winston, I need a ship to Italy, double time."
"On route. Do you need backup?" Winston asked.
Morrison looked up at Ana, who simply shook her head. "No. Stay ready in case we find out anything. Morrison out." Jack ended the call, looking up at Ana once again. "How come you didn't want backup?"
"Think about it Jack. That's my daughter, so I'll do whatever it takes, even if i have to beat the information out of them."
"Ana, this isn't you..."
"So what, you expect me to ask nicely? We don't have time for that, I need to find her!" Morrison hated to admit it, but Ana was right.
"Let me do it. I'll get the information out of any Talon agents we find. Keep your hands clean." Ana nodded her head. She knew why Jack had said that. He didn't want her to have that on her conscious. The fact he was Soldier 76 would also help any 'interrogation' they were forced to do.
"Thank you Jack. I know I'm not myself right now..."
"You don't have to explain yourself Ana, I understand. Now come on, lets find her."