The Hidden Enemy
"I don't think we've been introduced."
Brigitte was face to face with the leader of Talon. A number of questions ran through her mind. Was her cover blown? Did he know who she really was? Had the drone been discovered? She had little choice but to put on a fake smile, hiding her lack of confidence as best as she could.
"Astrid. Astrid Larsson." Even though she was nervous, her voice gave away nothing. Brigitte raised her hand out, wondering if Doomfist would accept the handshake. "And you are?"
He did just that. A strong, firm handshake. "Please, call me Akande. I've not seen you here before. Are you new in the area?"
"My family are considering expanding our business into the area, so we're here looking into potential locations." Brigitte replied, sticking to her cover story.
"What is your business?" Doomfist asked, showing genuine interest in Brigitte's story.
"Larsson Engineering. We do special modifications to customers vehicles. So cars, bikes, vans. We've even done a few aircraft in the past."
Doomfist nodded his head. "So what made your family go into mechanics? I assume it's a family business?"
"Yes. My father was an engineer during the Omnic Crisis. After the war, he didn't have anything else to do, so he set up the business. It was only a small garage at first, then it grew and me and my mother became involved."
Doomfist nodded his head again. "It's an inspirational story. I think it's good to see the world moving on from the crisis and beginning to rebuild. I must ask, if you're here looking to expand, why made you come to this party then?"
"I heard about this charity event and decided to come along. Give something back to the world, know what I mean?"
"Indeed I do. Many of the guests have a similar reason for being here."
"Is that why you're here then?" Brigitte asked, as a she took two drinks from a passing waiter, passing one to Doomfist.
"Not quite. I know the owner of the casino and he's helped me out a few times in the past. So I come along to these events when I can." Doomfist paused to take a sip of his drink. "Have you had chance to play any games yet?"
"I've played a few games, though I'm not very good. Maybe I I just need more practice."
There was a small chuckle from Doomfist, as a worker for the casino walked over.
"Excuse me sir. They're ready for you."
"Thank you."
"You off somewhere then?" Brigitte asked, as the casino employee left.
"A private table for some of the regular customers and friends of the owner." Doomfist replied, though Brigitte suspected this to be a lie.
"I see. Well, good luck."
"Thank you. Perhaps we could continue our conversation later?"
"I look forward to it."
As Doomfist left, Brigitte turned and let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Clearly, despite her concerns, her cover was still holding up. Brigitte decided to return to the games, trying her best to blend in after her encounter with the infamous Talon leader.
Meanwhile, Sombra's drone was making progress through the vents, walking towards its destination. As it reached a junction of four vents, it looked to its left and then to the right, before continuing along.
"Are you sure you know where you're going?" Morrison asked Sombra, as she directed the drone where it needed to go.
"Yes, I'm certain." Sombra said, as she opened up the plans for the casino on her computer. "There's a section of the basement that's completely sealed off, yet there's venting heading down there. Chances are that's where the meeting is."
As the drone continued, it eventually came to another junction, with one of the vents heading downwards towards the next level. Sombra moved the drone towards the opening and it began to walk down the side of the hole.
As it reached the bottom, Sombra couldn't help but be impressed with Torb's handiwork. Her original design never let her control the drone in this way and instead relied on a smaller grappling hook similar to Widow's. However, Torb had decided to increase the grip on the drones feet and it was proving to be an invaluable feature.
Now on the correct level, the drone turned itself around and began walking again. After a turn left, the drone came to another vent cover. Sombra moved the drone and began to unseal the vent, taking out one of the screws before she suddenly stopped, as someone passed next to the vent.
Once Sombra was sure they'd passed, the drone removed the second screw and then lifted the panel up, walking out of the vent and then placing the panel back in place. Sombra turned the drone in the direction of the passerby and was surprised at who she saw.
Reaper walked away from the drone, turning left when he reached the end of the corridor. The drone chased after him, Sombra guessing that he was heading towards the meeting room. This wasn't too hard a task, the drones black paint job meant Sombra could hide it in the darkened corridor with ease.
Eventually, Reaper reached a large metal door, guarded by two Talon soldiers. Sombra stopped the drone a short distance away, the built in camera and microphone letting her see and hear everything.
"Name?"
"Seriously?" Reaper growled back at the Talon guard. "Who else looks anything like me?"
"It's procedure sir. Name?"
"Reaper."
"Real name."
Reaper growled again in annoyance. Fortunately, Doomfist appeared before the situation escalated any further.
"It's okay trooper. You can let him through."
"Yes sir."
The troopers stepped aside, letting Doomfist and Reaper walk past. As he did, Reaper turned to the one trooper, giving him a death glare before walking on.
"I do wish you'd give the troopers less grief Reyes." Doomfist said, as the two made their way towards the meeting room. "Take those two. They're only doing their job."
"They shouldn't ask me dumb shit then." Reaper grumbled in response.
"Reyes, we both know why they're asking that. Until we know where Sombra is, we can't take any chances."
"I'm pretty sure she's nowhere near here anyway, let alone dressed up as me."
Sombra couldn't help but chuckle, as she moved the drone back down the corridor towards a different vent panel. She opened it and walked the drone past the guarded door. Once it emerged, the drone continued to follow the two Talon operatives until they came to a stop in front of a large, wooden door. There were no guards near this door and Talon clearly didn't expect anyone to get this far inside. If they did, Reaper alone would be enough to handle them.
Doomfist opened the door, standing to one side and letting Reaper through first.
"After you."
Reaper didn't say anything and simply walked through. As the door closed, Sombra managed to see that they'd just entered a large boardroom, evidently where the meeting was taking place. She manoeuvred the drone towards the door, using the shadows to keep it hidden. Thankfully, there was a small opening next to it, another vent that went up above the boardroom.
Sombra found herself questioning the number of vents she was finding. The reason they were meeting here was because they were concerned about her infiltrating the meeting. Surely Talon wouldn't be this naive and neglect to monitor the vents. Would they?
As she moved the drone into the vents once again, Morrison noticed Sombra hesitate.
"What's the matter?"
"It's too easy. Talon are meeting here because they're worried about me... yet they're not monitoring any of the internal vents. There's way too many in this place not to do that..."
Cautiously, Sombra moved the drone forward, walking the drone up the vent system and above the boardroom. Once she reached level ground again, she contacted Widow.
"Widow, is there any movement outside the casino?"
"Negative."
Sombra picked up an earpiece, placing it in her ear so that only she could hear Widow.
"It's too easy. Talon has the casino locked up tight so that no one can get in without them knowing, not even me. Yet they're not watching the internal vents... something isn't right."
Widow was silent for a few moments, checking over the building with her sniper. "Talon can be overconfident at times. If they think no one can get that far, they may not have thought about it."
Sombra moved the drone forward again, going slow while she debated what to do. All her instincts were telling her that she'd missed something, yet she didn't see anything that confirmed this. Perhaps Widow was right and Talon had genuinely not considered anyone would get this far inside. After a short time, she took off the earpiece and opened the communication channel to the entire team.
"I'm approaching the meeting. Stay sharp and be ready to move in if needed."
"Understood." Genji replied, on behalf of the team.
The drone finally reached a small panel above the board room, where Sombra could see down into the entire room. It was at the edge of the room, so she couldn't make out any of the files that were on the table. Yet this was as close as she could get without being spotted. As Moira walked into the room, Sombra began recording the meeting.
"Now that we are all here, let us begin."
"Where's the Vishkar guy?" Reaper asked, seeing an empty chair. Without Sanjay around anymore, someone else had taken his spot on the council. Yet they weren't here.
"Since the authorities are investigating Vishkar, we thought it best he stayed away for now. He's sure we'll make the right decisions in his absence." Moira explained, picking up the file in front of her and opening it. Inside were the contents of the meeting, including reports on planned missions and ongoing projects.
Doomfist now opened his file. "Firstly, we need to address the recent... security breach we've suffered. As you all should know, both Widowmaker and Sombra have betrayed Talon. We have confirmed that Lacroix is now working with Overwatch and, while we cannot confirm it, we can assume Sombra has also joined them."
"How did this happen?" Maximilian asked. "Sombra I can understand but how did we not realise that Widowmaker was about to go rogue?"
"She obviously hid any sign of her conditioning failing from us." Moira answered. "Evidently, the conditioning she received was not as concrete as we first thought."
"Even so, there must have been some sign that the conditioning was failing." Maximilian looked towards Reaper, who turned his head and stared down Maximilian in return.
"There was no sign. There were multiple people who could have spotted something, including Akande. If I'd seen something, I would have informed the council long before this happened. Despite what you think, not every person who's worked for Talon is brain dead, especially Sombra. If Sombra and Widow are both at Overwatch, then clearly they both planned this. It simply seems that Widowmaker wasn't as perfect as you thought."
There was noticeable venom with Reaper's final sentence, showing that he wasn't happy with being accused by Maximilian. Doomfist quickly interrupted, not giving Maximilian the chance to respond.
"I agree with Reyes. Lacroix accompanied me to this very casino shortly after I escaped prison. I saw no sign of her conditioning failing. She managed to fool us all. Despite how valuable an asset she was, she's become a very great threat. As for Sombra, her abilities alone are reason enough for us to be concerned."
"So, how are you planning to deal with them?" One of the council members asked.
"If possible, I believe we should attempt to capture them. Both are valuable assets to us and it would be a shame to waste their talents. However, if that's not possible, then they should be eliminated. Are we all in agreement?"
Everyone nodded, signaling that the first matter was decided.
"Very well, let us move on. The second item on our agenda is to bring everyone up to speed with Moira's current projects. Before she begins, I should tell you that I've put her in complete control of Project Indigo. She will decide if and when to restart the project as well as the procedures that will take place. Now, Moira, if you would."
Moira stood up, picking up the file in front of her.
"Thank you. Now, as you all are aware, I've been working on replicating Mercy's nanotech. This project was going well, until Sombra broke her out of my facility. Since then, progress has been slow. Recently, I managed to make a breakthrough. However, it yielded an... unexpected result. If you would all look at page three of the file, it clarifies what I mean."
Everyone turned the pages of their files, apart from Doomfist, who had already seen the images in the file. As the council members looked over the pictures, many of the members expressed shock and displeasure. It was only Reaper who seemed unaffected by what he saw, his face hidden behind his mask.
Meanwhile, Sombra cursed to herself, annoyed that the drone couldn't see the pictures clearly. She couldn't risk moving the drone any closer, otherwise it could be detected. She'd just have to satisfy with what she could get. From what the drone was able to see though, she could tell Moira was up to no good.
"This was a result of your work on the nanotech?" Maximilian said, shocked at what he saw. "Surely you did something wrong."
"Without Mercy, it is extremely difficult to make progress. This was simply an unintended effect of my research. However, I believe we could use this to our advantage."
"Use this?! Have you lost your mind?" Another council member said, in total disbelief at what they just heard.
"I can assure you I am sound in mind. The way I see it, Talon exists to better humanity by giving it new challenges. We all know what our ultimate goal is and why we keep attacking targets around the globe. This will give us the push that is needed to complete that goal."
The council was silent while the members thought over the proposals. It was clear that many members were not comfortable with what Moira was suggesting. Eventually, Maximilian broke the uneasy silence.
"If this went wrong, it could be disastrous. Are you sure you can control it?"
"I can assure you all that all further research will be done in a secure facility, far out of the way of any major cities. If there is any risk of this going wrong, or if the project is doomed to fail, I will terminate it immediately. Does this ease your minds?"
"Partially." Max replied, pausing while he thought over the proposal. "Very well. I believe Moira should continue this research, for now. However, given the nature of the results, this project should be monitored heavily by us. Regular updates."
"Agreed." Doomfist said, looking at the other members of the council. One by one they all nodded their heads, all be it reluctantly. Reaper meanwhile remained unusually quiet, appearing to stare at the file in front of him.
"I suppose if this goes wrong, I'm the one who'll end up clearing it up?"
"I thought you liked shooting things Gabriel? Besides, I will take measures to make sure that does not happen."
Reaper groaned slightly, placing his head in one of his hands. Eventually, he gave his answer.
"Fine. Mess with Mercy's nanotech as much as you want. Just don't be surprised when it all goes wrong."
Moira signalled that she was finished, allowing Doomfist to continue. "This brings us to our third matter. As Moira has already stated, Mercy's nanotech is proving harder to crack than we first thought. It appears we need more resources and new minds in order to work it out. Therefore, I believe we need a new expert on the matter."
Doomfist turned the page in the file, shorty followed by the other council members, to a picture of a young girl.
"This girl is Efi Oladele. She lives in Numbani and is a brilliant inventor. She has made notable achievements in robotics and artificial intelligence. Her most recent creation was the rebuilt OR-15 known as Orisa. Both me and Moira consider that she will be able to see something we are missing."
"She's a child. Are you sure you want to go down this route?"
"It's unlike you to care about anyone Reyes." Moira pointed out.
"I don't care. All I'm saying is that this won't likely sit well with some people in Talon. Not to mention that she'll be guarded by that tin can, as well as any person on the street who won't stand by while a child is taken. How do you plan to get her anyway? It's not like her whereabouts are known at all times."
"Fortunately, we are in luck." Doomfist began, turning the files page once again. "There's an event at the Numbani Heritage Museum in four days time which is dedicated to her. She will be in attendance, as well as some high value targets. I have already begun the preparations for a large force to be deployed in the city, which I will lead personally. If we aim to attack those high value targets, no one will realise what we're really planning to do."
"And the tin can?"
"I'm sure I can handle one Omnic, Reyes. Normally, I'd allow you to deal with it but I have another task for you. I'll tell you about it later."
"What happens when we're done with the child?" Max asked.
"We drop her back in Numbani. Despite what people think, I'm not completely heartless. I'm sure that with her talents, she will only be in our custody for a few days to a week maximum. Are there any objections?"
The council members looked between one another, clearly unsure about this plan. Talon had done many unethical things already but it had never kidnapped a child before. This move would likely anger the world even more. Perhaps that was what Doomfist wanted. They also knew that not everyone at Talon would agree to this. In the end though, no one raised any objections to the plan. It wasn't often that anyone objected to Doomfist. Why would now be any different?
"I will take that as a no. In which case, I believe it is time to take a break, in order to keep the party cover story in line. We have covered all the main issues, so it's only finances, asset information and recent op reports. So, I say we reconvene in an hours time."
The council members all stood and began to leave. Everyone expect Reaper, who Doomfist signalled to stay. Once everyone had left the room, Doomfist leaned forward, resting his arms on the table as he spoke.
"I'm afraid you won't be on the Numbani op because I have another task that requires your attention."
"Fine. What do you need?"
"Katya Volskaya. Sombra had something on her and it poses a risk to our ultimate goal. Volskaya is valuable and it would be very unfortunate if whatever Sombra knows became public knowledge."
"So where do I come into this?"
"I want you to go over to Russia, find out how bad that information is and what Sombra wants from her in return for not releasing it. She's currently away from her office, on some business trip and she won't be back for a day or two. Once she returns, I'm sure that she will be more than willing to talk to you, given your reputation."
"Volskaya isn't going to just tell me what Sombra has on her."
"I don't need to know what the information is, only how dangerous it is. If it risks her position, then we will need to act. This would also give us leverage against her, which would mean she'd owe us a favour."
Sombra couldn't help but feel slightly betrayed as she watched as Reaper and Doomfist stood and left the room. She hadn't told Reyes about what she did in Volskaya and had taken measures to make sure she'd covered her tracks. The fact that Reyes knew didn't sit well with her, especially since it appeared he'd told Doomfist about it.
Sombra knew that the financial information wasn't mission critical, since she could likely acquire that herself. Nor were the previous op reports. The longer Brigitte stayed in the casino, the more likely it was that her cover would be blown. So, she slowly began to move the drone back down the vents, back the way she came.
Fortunately, security hadn't gotten any stronger since the meeting, so she had little trouble moving the drone back through the casino. After slowly moving past the guards near the metal door and climbing back up the vent system, the drone was approaching its entry point. Once it was close enough, Sombra phoned Brigitte.
Brigitte was watching a game being played when she heard her phone ring. She quickly stepped away and answered.
"Hello."
"I got what we needed. Pick up the drone and then get out of there."
"Sorry, you have the wrong number." Brigitte hung up the call and moved back towards the toilets. They were still empty, so she was free to move to the vent. The drone stepped out shortly after she arrived, closing up the panel like it never used it. Once sealed, the drone turned around and looked up to Brigitte, making a small nodding movement. She picked up the drone and placed it back on her leg, hiding the drone under her dress.
With the drone hidden, Brigitte made her way towards the exit, being careful not to raise any attention. As she neared the door though, she was stopped in her tracks by someone calling out to her.
"Astrid. Everything okay?"
Brigitte turned to Doomfist, quickly thinking of an excuse. "I'm afraid I have to go. I just got a call from my father. He says I need to get back to him urgently. He won't say why but I can tell it's not good."
"It's quite alright. I can organise a car if you need one."
"No, thank you. I have a car not too far away."
"Very well, I hope everything is alright. Maybe we will see each other again some time."
"Thank you. Perhaps we will."
Brigitte turned and quickly walked out, hoping that no one would try to follow her. Widow soon had her sniper scope over her, making sure no one attempted to try and stop her leaving.
"She's outside."
"Keep her covered until she's clear." Sombra said.
Brigitte walked towards where Genji and Hanzo were, staying alert as she passed by the guards outside. Once she was far enough away from the casino, Genji emerged from his hiding spot and waved her over. Brigitte quickly walked over to him, Hanzo checking that she wasn't being followed before they all disappeared into the shadows.
"She's clear." Genji said, as Brigitte took the drone off her leg and passed it to him. "Intel secured."
"Excellent. Make your way to the extraction point."
"Understood."
"Acknowledged." Widow watched as Genji, Hanzo and Brigitte disappeared, using the darkness to mask their escape. Once Widow was satisfied no one was following them, she deactivated the sniper configuration and stood up. She walked to the edge of the roof and grappled down to the ground, keeping herself hidden as she slowly made her way back to the dropship.
Watchpoint Gibraltar- Two hours later
Once the team returned, a wave of relief swept through the base, most notably from Torb, who seemed to become far more protective of his daughter upon her return. It had been communicated over the comms that Brigitte had ended up face to face with Doomfist and had managed to walk away without a scratch. That in itself was a miracle.
Everyone was also amazed that Brigitte was able to simply walk out of the casino, with no one realising that she was working with Overwatch. Due to this, there was a lot of praise being given to Brigitte, as well as Sombra and Widow, who had both been crucial parts of the plan.
Shorty afterwards, Sombra took the drone to the lab and herself, along with Winston and Morrison, went over the data captured. Now everyone was in the lab, listening to the key parts of the recording.
"So." Torb began, once the recording had finished. "Talon's going after a child. Another thing to add to the long list of reasons to hate them."
"We need to protect her." Lena announced. "No matter what Doomfist said, we can't allow them to take her."
"Agreed." Winston said. "Athena's already confirmed that the event is going ahead. Assuming Talon keep to their timeline, we have four days before they attack."
"Maybe we should send someone out to Numbani and make sure Talon doesn't move earlier." Lucio suggested.
"The issue is that Talon would know we're onto them the second one of us turns up in Numbani." Hanzo added shortly after.
"Actually, I would likely be able to do that." Zenyatta said. "While an Omnic would have likely drawn suspicion in the casino, Numbani is accepting of my kind. Talon do not know I am here, so I could easily keep an eye on the young girl without alerting Talon to the fact that we know."
"That's not a bad idea. However, on top of this planned kidnapping, Talon's making progress with creating their own nano tech." Morrison added.
"How is Moira making that much progress." McCree asked.
"When we were captured, I was forced to write down how my resurrection tech worked." Angela admitted, Fareeha placing a supporting hand on her shoulder as she recalled her time at Talon. "They were forcing me to build another one of my staffs."
"But I destroyed it when I got you out." Sombra said. "So Moira would have had to start from scratch"
"Exactly. Even with what I told her, I don't know how Moira is making that much progress so quickly. The only way is if she already had..."
Angela went wide eyed, realising a crucial detail.
"Ang?" Lena asked, worried by the face she saw.
"My blood... Moira took some of my blood."
One by one, the agents realised what that meant. Angela's blood contained nano tech, which Moira now has a sample of.
"Moira is clearly using that sample to create her own nano tech." Morrison said, Angela nodding in agreement. "What concerns me more is what that 'unexpected result' she made a big deal of was."
"We don't know?" DVa asked.
"Moira didn't outright say what it was and the drone wasn't close enough to make out what the file said." Sombra answered, slightly annoyed that she couldn't get all the information from the meeting.
"Whatever she's done, if Moira's interested in it, it's bad." Angela concluded. "Everything she touches becomes corrupted in some way."
"We need to destroy this research as soon as we get the chance. However, considering all the security breaches Talon's had recently, it'll be difficult to find much information that'll help. For now, we need to focus on protecting this girl."
Everyone nodded in agreement at Morrison's comment.
"Athena, what do you have on the target?"
"Efi Oladele is an eleven year old girl who has made notable achievements in robotics and artificial intelligence. She received a grant from the Adawe foundation, which she used to purchase various parts after Doomfist's attack at the Numbani airport. This lead her to build her most recent accomplishment, an upgraded and advanced OR-15 named Orisa. While I cannot be sure, it seems like Orisa's main purpose is to protect Efi and Numbani, like the original OR-15's"
"It doesn't matter how upgraded this Orisa is, if Talon go in with a large force, it'll be a one sided fight." Reinhardt said.
Morrison thought for a moment, considering what to do. "Zen, I want you to deploy to Numbani. Try and find Efi or Orisa and, if you can, warn them about what's coming. Hopefully, we can warn her in time and get an advantage over Talon for once."
"I understand. I will make sure to keep a low profile while I conduct my search of the area."
"Good. Genji, Hanzo, you two, along with the Bastion, will be our first response team. If Zen alerts us that Talon's attacked early, you'll be the ones there the quickest. Hopefully that won't happen. Your main objective will be to assist Orisa during the battle and keep Efi safe."
Genji and Hanzo both nodded, turning to the Bastion, which was at the rear of the lab watching Ganymede. It turned its head and nodded twice, before it returned to what it was doing previously.
With that, Morrison continued. "The rest of us will prepare for the upcoming battle. Until I say otherwise, it's all hands on deck for this mission. Any questions?"
"What about Volskaya?" Zarya asked, worried about the possibility of Reaper going to find her. "If Talon are taking an interest in her..."
"Winston and I have already agreed to keep an eye on Volskaya. We'll discuss this more tomorrow, when we have more information. Right now though, it sounds like Talon don't have any reason to harm her. However, we need to make sure they don't hold her to ransom. The likely plan will be to deploy you to Russia to warn her about Reaper."
"Isn't everyone going to Numbani a bit overkill, Jack?" McCree asked, putting a cigar in his mouth and lighting it.
"We don't know the size of Talon's force yet. Unless we find out, we assume it's as large as the one which attacked Washington. Anything else?"
"I need my Raptora armour."
Fareeha's comment caught some agents by surprise, most notably Ana, who was obviously not happy. Before she could object, Morrison spoke up.
"We'll talk about that in private. If that's everything, Zen, you'll be deployed to Numbani tomorrow. As for the rest of you, I suggest that you get some rest. Dismissed."
The agents slowly began to make their way to their quarters, some stopping to talk among themselves before they moved on. The most notable group was Lena, Sombra and Widow, who had stopped to check in with each other. Angela had also stayed behind, wanting to be nearby in case the conversation between Fareeha and her mother became heated.
"Mum, I know what you're about to say. I'm sorry but I can't just sit back while the rest of you go into a batte, especially when you and Angela are involved."
Angela couldn't help but blush slightly, flattered by what Fareeha said. Ana meanwhile put a hand to her head and sighed.
"Why do you have to be so... adamant?"
"I learnt from the best."
Ana chuckled. "I suppose you did. Fareeha, I want to keep you safe. Talon taking you and Angela simply shows what I mean. I can't lose you Faree..."
Fareeha took one of her mothers hands. "Mum, I understand and even if I haven't shown it in the past, I'm grateful that you care so much... but I just can't stand by why my mother and my girlfriend go into a fight without me. Just as you want to protect me, I want to protect you and Ang."
Ana sighed again, looking over Fareeha's shoulder to Angela. She raised a finger and signalled Angela to walk over, something she did very quickly.
"Angela, if she goes into this fight, do you promise to keep my daughter safe?"
Angela smiled, not having to think about the answer. "I will. I promise."
"Fine. I don't like it but fine... Getting your armour is going to be a whole other issue though."
"Don't worry, I'll handle it." Morrison said, believing that he knew someone in Helix Security that would likely help.
With that, the three women walked away, heading towards their quarters. As they left, Angela tapped Fareeha's arm.
"Faree, does your father know you're okay? We've not really spoken about it."
"Don't worry Ang, he does. Me and mum discreetly sent a message over to him a few days ago."
As everyone now made their way out of the lab, Sombra stayed behind, intending to speak to Morrison. Widow turned around and gave her a puzzled look.
"I just want to have a word with Morrison. See you later."
Widow nodded, knowing what she wanted to speak about. She turned back around and followed Lena out of the lab. This left three people, Winston, Morrison and Sombra.
"I'm guessing you didn't know Reyes knew about Volskaya?" Morrison asked Sombra, while Winston began checking over his computers and setting them up to scan for information over for the night.
"No. I thought I'd covered my tracks and that no one knew. Hell, even Amelie didn't know until Zarya went for me. I have no idea how he managed to find out... If I'm honest, I think we will need to send someone over to Russia."
"So do I..."
Morrison trailed off, thinking about the situation with Reyes. He was very clear about them helping Amelie but this was different. It was Overwatch vs Talon business. No one could guess how he'd react. On top of that, if they sent too many agents or even the wrong agent, Talon would likely realise that Overwatch knew their plans. He needed to tread carefully.
"I'll decide what to do tomorrow. For now, tell me if you find out anything else."
"Will do."
Sombra turned and began to walk out the lab. Before she could reach the door, Morrison spoke up again.
"And Sombra. Nice work with the casino op."
"Thanks."
While Sombra and Morrison were talking, Lena, along with Widow, Angela and Fareeha had made their way towards their personal quarters, while Ana had split away from the group, going off to do her own thing.
"Hey Ang." Lena said, breaking the silence between the small group. "Mind if I'm a little bit nosy?"
"If you must be Lena." Angela knew this was likely a personal question and if she had to take a guess, it was something about her relationship with Fareeha.
"Have you and Fareeha been on a date yet?"
"How did I know?" Angela said, Fareeha and Widow chuckling as she rolled her eyes. "No, we haven't."
"We haven't really had the chance to." Fareeha added.
"Well, why not go on one tomorrow? There's time until our next op. The two of you deserve to spend some time together."
Angela and Fareeha looked at each other, considering Lena's suggestion.
"Now that I think about it, I can't really do much until my armour arrives. So I'm up for it if you are Ang."
Angela thought for a moment. In all honesty, she wasn't doing much tomorrow but still wanted to be around just in case she was needed. However, during the evening, no one would likely be doing anything, so she would be free then.
"Yeah. I'd love to. How about dinner tomorrow evening?"
"Sounds perfect." Fareeha replied, smiling before she let out a yawn. "Anyway, I need to grab some sleep, so see you tomorrow."
She leaned in and kissed Angela. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight Faree."
As Fareeha left, Angela turned back to Lena, seeing a large smile on her face. "You know, you two are so cute together."
Angela blushed slightly. "Thanks Lena. I better head to bed myself. Goodnight you two. See you tomorrow."
"Night Ang."
Once Angela had left, Lena looked towards Widow, who had an eyebrow raised at her.
"What?"
"Are you this nosy with everyone's love life?"
"Eh, only friends really. I had this one mate who was really into this girl but he was too nervous to tell her. So, I went over and spoke to her one day. Turned out, she felt exactly the same and was also too nervous to say. So I played Cupid and got them on a date. Since then, I always nudge a friend who I can see is really into someone."
Widow chuckled at Lena's story, shaking her head as she did. "Remind me never to discuss my love life with you. I'll never hear the end of it if I tell you anything about it." She joked.
"Wait, you're attracted to someone?" Lena said, giggling as Widow rolled her eyes at the question. She knew Lena was joking, yet as she thought over the question, her mind couldn't help but start wondering.
"Amelie. You okay?"
Widow snapped out of her thoughts. "Um, oui. I'm okay."
"Sorry. That wasn't something I shouldn't have joked about..."
"No, it's perfectly alright."
"Are you sure? You seemed to go off into your own world when I said it."
Widow stopped and thought again. "Oui, the joke didn't bother me. Sombra helped me bring that part of my life to a close... but there's something else that's bothering me..."
"Wanna talk about it? My room's not far away if you want to keep it private."
There was a short silence, until Widow nodded. "Oui. I'd like to."
The two slowly walked to Lena's quarters, making light conversation until they arrived. Lena's quarters was very similar to Widow's apart from a few minor differences and some decorations that Lena cleary brought herself. Among them were a couple of framed pictures of herself with a red haired woman. Widow could tell that Lena and this woman were close.
"Who's the girl?"
Lena looked over to Widow, seeing her holding one of her pictures. "Oh, that's Emily, my girlfriend."
"How do you two keep a relationship going when you're working for Overwatch?"
"It can be difficult at times but Emily gets me. She understands why I'm doing this and always supports me. We keep in contact while I'm away and I go back to visit her as often as I can."
"She sounds like a great person." Widow said, as she placed the picture back down.
"Yeah. She's the best thing that's ever happened to me." Lena sat down on her bed, signaling Widow to sit down next to her. Widow slowly made her way over to Lena, sitting herself down as she tried to work out how to explain her issue.
"So, what's up Amelie?"
"I'm not sure how to explain it but it's about what you said."
"You mean being attracted to someone?"
"Oui... It's been years since I've felt anything like that, years since I've even thought about it so I don't know exactly how to feel... How do I know if I'm... attracted to someone?"
Lena thought for a moment. "You just kinda do. With Emily, I knew I was for quite a while because I loved spending time with her and I trusted her. She was one of the few people I was able to talk to about this." Lena tapped her coronal accelerator, indicating what she was on about. "In the end, I listened to my heart and it said to tell her... I'm guessing that there's someone that's made you ask about this?"
"I... I'm not sure..."
"It's Sombra, right?"
Widow's eyes immediately snapped to Lena. "How did you..?"
"I picked up on something earlier today. From what I gathered, you seem to be able to open up to her easily and you both look like you trust each other."
"I trust her with my life and she's helped me move on, helped me forgive myself..." Widow tensed up, unsure if she should tell Lena about the message. "Can you promise not to tell anyone this next part?"
"My lips are sealed." Lena replied, which seemed to make Widow relax slightly.
"She showed me a message from Gerard. He told me to move on with my life, to stop blaming myself for something I couldn't control... Sombra helped me through all of this and I consider her a friend... a good friend. Yet I don't know if that's all I feel or if I should be feeling this so soon after my memories returned... Is it right to feel like this?"
"Of course it is Amelie. You can't help how you feel. We can't live in the past and I'm sure that Gerard would want you to be happy."
"Oui. I know he would."
"So, if you think you're attracted to Sombra, maybe you should give it a go. Spend a little time with her doing something normal. If you still feel the same way, then listen to your heart and talk to her about it. You two seem to be good friends, so I'm sure she'll understand. You never know, she might feel the same way."
Widow thought over Lena's words, slowly nodding. "Okay. I'll try that. Thank you for listening Lena."
"Happy to help. I know this kind of stuff is something you've not dealt with for years now, so if you want to talk about this anytime, then just come find me. I'm more than willing to help."
Lena gave Widow one of her classic bright smiles, one that Widow couldn't help but smile back at. "Thank you Lena."
With that, Widow stood and left Lena, stopping to say goodbye before leaving for her own quarters. Once she was gone, Lena leant back on her own bed, a large smile on her face as she thought over the possibility of Amelie and Sombra in a relationship.
"Guess I have some work to do."