Recall
Watchpoint Gibraltar - Several hours after the Numbani operation
The agents once again had gathered in Winston's lab, though the mood was completely different to before. Although the battle in Numbani was a victory, it felt anything but. Lena and Amelie were gone, taken by Talon and Mei was missing, presumed dead. No one really knew what to do next.
Right now, everyone was watching Sombra, who was busy trawling through Talon's systems, hoping she'd find something. At the same time, Morrison, Ana and Winston were looking though every piece of intel they had on Talon, seeing if they could work out where Lena and Amelie were taken.
Unfortunately, they weren't getting anywhere. A lot of the intel was outdated and was about Talon bases and operations that had already been destroyed. Hell, Morrison even remembered destroying a few of these bases himself. Morale only dropped further when Sombra shouted out in anger, as her screen went from purple to red.
"DAMN IT!"
Sombra picked up a glass test tube, which just happened to be the closest thing she could find and threw it towards the back of the lab. DVa's Meka currently sat here, still heavily damaged from the last fight and the glass test tube impacted it, shattering into pieces. Normally, Hana would have told the culprit off, yet she didn't this time. She simply looked up at her Meka, before looking back down at her feet.
"What's wrong now?" McCree asked, almost dreading the answer.
"Talon found my back door!" Sombra replied, calming herself down slightly. "I can't get back into their systems."
"Can't you just brute force it?" Fareeha asked.
"I could, though Talon will be able to stop me. All they'd have to do is take their network offline and I'm stuck again." Sombra lowered her head, completely out of ideas. She almost wanted to cry, though she managed to hold any tears back.
Just then, Morrison stormed out of Winston's office and stopped just short of the stairs.
"Someone must know something! Anything!"
The room was silent, before McCree spoke up.
"What about the Deadlock Gang?"
"What about them? Now isn't the time to be chasing unconnected leads."
McCree stood up, taking his cigar out of his mouth. "Hear me out. Deadlock's been getting messages from Talon very recently. It's a hell of a long shot but maybe they'll have something that'll lead us to Lena and Amelie."
Morrison thought over the idea. "We don't have anything else to go off. Fine, go check it out. Need any backup?"
"I'll be fine on my own."
McCree was only able to walk three steps before Sombra spoke up.
"I'm going too."
McCree quickly turned around. "No offense but you're not exactly in the best mind frame."
"I can't just stay here and do nothing. If they have the intel we need on a computer, I can find it in seconds. It'll take a lot longer otherwise, time they don't have."
Morrison hated to admit it but Sombra had a point. Despite the fact he could tell she was shaken up by Amelie's kidnapping, she would be helpful on that mission.
"Fine, you can go too. Assuming that isn't an issue McCree."
"Not at all."
As the two left the lab, it was Angela's turn to speak.
"Jack, we need to go to King's Row."
Morrison sighed, knowing what this was about. "Angela, we've spoken about this. We've tipped off that Captain Jameson. He said he'll get to her..."
"Jack, there's a serious possibility that Talon will find out about Emily. If they capture her as well, Lena won't be able to resist. Lena loves her. She'll do whatever they tell her to in order to keep her safe, including fight us if she needed to."
"Lena wouldn't betray us. Would she?" Reinhardt asked, uncertainty in his voice.
"If I was in her position and it was Fareeha... I would. Anyone would to save the one they love."
Morrison groaned. He hated it when Angela was right, especially in this situation. However, with the discussions about the Petras Act still ongoing and what just happened in Numbani, getting Emily would be difficult.
"The political situation is sensitive right now. We can't send in an entire team to get her, it'll draw way too much attention and will tip off Talon at the same time."
"Me and Ang will go." Fareeha said, stepping forward and stopping next to Angela. "We'll get to her and bring her here."
"And what if Talon attack us here?" Torb asked. "We don't have the manpower to fight off an entire army, especially if they want Emily that bad."
That statement seemed to hit home for many of the agents. They were vastly outnumbered and they couldn't win this fight alone. They could hold out until the Petras Act was revoked, yet Lena and Amelie didn't have that long. After thinking it over, Morrison knew there was only one option.
"Athena. Initiate the Recall."
Winston looked straight at Morrison, surprised he of all people said that. "I already did it and very few people listened. Why would they this time?"
"Because this time I won't ask."
One by one, the agents realised what Morrison meant.
"A direct order from Jack Morrison... That might work." Ana admitted. "Are you sure?"
"I'm positive. Athena, you ready?"
"Standing by for confirmation."
At that moment, something changed in the watchpoint. Every agent suddenly had hope, as they listened to Morrison give his orders.
"Athena, prepare a dropship to King's Row. Angela, Fareeha, get to the hanger and wait for me there. The rest of you contact anyone you know. I don't care who they are, if they're willing, get them here. Move out!"
Everyone sprung into action. Angela and Fareeha headed towards the hanger, while the other agents began to contact various different people. Morrison meanwhile stepped into the office, placing his visor back on. He walked over to the computer and activated the recall. Within seconds, the camera above the computer went live and Morrison began his message.
"Attention all former members of Overwatch. This is Soldier 76... You've probably heard a lot about me. Some of you will think I'm a vigilante. Others will think I'm a criminal. Despite this, no one knows who I am. I think it's time for the truth."
Slowly, Morrison reached for his visor and removed it, showing his face to the world.
"My name is Jack Morrison, former Strike Commander of Overwatch. For years I've been working in secret, trying to find out who was behind the fall of Overwatch... That's no longer important. What's important is Talon. They're larger than anyone realises, they have agents all over the world and are capable of far more than we've currently seen. They've captured Tracer... and it won't stop there. They won't stop until they've accomplished their goal. Not unless we stand in their way. This is no longer about the Petras Act. It's about doing what's right. Overwatch needs all the support it can get. Which is why I'm not asking for help. If you're ready to stand up agaisnt Talon, then I'm telling you that we need you. Morrison out."
With the message sent, Morrison stepped away from the monitor and picked up his pulse rifle and visor, heading towards the hanger. He just hoped that message was enough.
King's Row- Lena's apartment
Emily opened the door to Lena's apartment and stepped inside after a long day. After closing the door and locking it, she placed her bag down, took off her coat and made her way to the kitchen, making herself a cup of tea.
Despite how long they'd been living together, it still felt strange when Lena wasn't around. Emily knew it was for a good reason. Overwatch were doing good work, even if it wasn't exactly legal. It didn't stop her from worrying about her girlfriend though.
Today was no different. The attack on Numbani was dominating the news and no one really knew what Talon's goal was. Fortunately, whatever their objective was, Overwatch had stopped them. However, the attack had been thwarted some time ago and Emily still hadn't heard from Lena. Usually, Lena would contact her after any mission to tell her she was safe. The fact she hadn't was making Emily nervous.
To try and take her mind of her concerns, Emily opened the fridge and looked for something to cook for dinner. As she was looking, her phone rang. She closed the fridge door and pulled her phone out of her pocket, seeing that the caller was Angela. Whenever she called, it usually meant Lena was injured. While sometimes it was a social call, she doubted today was one of those.
"Hey Angela." Emily said, answering the call.
"Emily, I need you to listen to me very carefully."
"Okay, you're scaring me. What's happened?" Emily asked, now very worried. The way Angela spoke made it very clear something was very wrong.
Angela took a deep breath. "Talon took Lena."
Emily leaned backwards, almost falling to the floor. "No. No they can't have..."
"Emily, listen to me. Talon has Lena and it's very likely they're coming for you next. We need to get you to safety."
Despite the severity of the situation, Angela seemed to remain calm, which helped calm Emily down a little. "Okay. What do you need me to do?"
"You need to get somewhere public. Talon won't try and take you in the open... at least I hope they won't."
Emily thought for a quick moment, coming up with an idea. "What about the pub? The one we took you to when you last visited?"
"That'll work. Go there and make sure you're not followed."
"Okay. What about Lena?"
"We're going to find her. Right now, we need to keep you safe, that's what she would want."
"Yeah... Yeah, you're right..." Emily's nerves returned as she worried about Lena. Who knew what she was being put through right now.
"Stay calm Emily. I know this is tough but we'll get her back. Trust me."
"I do. The pub, right?"
"Go. I'll meet you there."
Emily ended the call and immediately ran for her coat. As she put it back on and found her keys again, she looked out of the apartment window to see if anyone was acting suspiciously. Thankfully, she seemed to be in the clear. With that, she locked up the apartment and began walking towards the pub, making sure she kept an eye on her surroundings.
Talon base- Unknown location
Lena gasped for air, as her head was pulled out of a bucket full of freezing water. She coughed and spat out water, before taking a deep breath of air. To her left was Widow, who was currently squirming as her head was held underwater. After a few more moments, the Talon soldier behind her pulled her back up, letting her cough and take a much needed breath.
Talon had entered the cell containing Lena and Widow some time ago and immediately went to work. They tied their arms behind their back and then brought in two buckets filled with water. There wasn't even any real reason why Talon was doing this. They were just doing it to pass the time.
After a final dunking, Moira stepped inside the cell, watching the two prisoners cough heavily. Neither had broken so far, though Moira expected this. However, so long as Emily was captured, things would definitely change.
"Okay, that's enough for now."
Lena and Widow were thrown to the floor shortly afterwards and the soldiers untied their hands. The soldiers then walked to the door, each seemingly satisfied with the job they'd done.
"We can skip past these unpleasantries." Moira told the two women. "All you have to do is agree to work with us."
"Go to hell." Widow replied, the venom in her voice clear. Strangely, Moira actually smiled when she heard this. She then turned to Lena, who was still breathing heavily on the floor. She looked up at Moira and then stuck up a finger.
"Piss off. Never gonna happen."
"We shall see, miss Oxton."
Moira turned and left the cell, the large metal door slamming shut behind her. Now alone, Widow moved to lean against the wall and Lena crawled over to her, placing her head agaisnt Widow's and closing her eyes.
"Are you okay?" Widow asked, placing her arm around Lena.
"Yeah, I'm alright. What about you?"
"Oui. I'm fine."
The conditioning that Talon gave Widow meant that she could resist torture a lot longer than most people. Yet Lena was struggling and Widow could tell. She had to be there for her.
"Are you sure you're okay Lena?"
Lena didn't immediately say anything but eventually opened up. "I'm worried about Emily. If they get her Amelie... I don't know what I'd do. On top of that, I'm scared... This place is pure evil..."
"Angela won't let them take her. They'll keep her safe. Trust me Lena. We will find a way out of this."
King's Row- One hour later
Emily sat in her local pub, the one she and Lena went to all the time. She ran her finger over the top of an empty glass in front of her, previously filled with a soft drink. She couldn't drink alcohol at a time like this. She needed to think clearly and frankly, she was too worried about Lena.
She couldn't get her mind of Lena and what she was going through. Images flashed through her mind of Lena being hurt in the most vile ways, breaking her will one step at a time. She didn't want to imagine the woman she loved being subjected to that, yet she couldn't help herself.
The usual customers in the pub had also picked up on Emily's mood, realising very quickly that something was wrong. Lena and Emily were in here quite often, so they all knew how happy the two were together. After they signalled to the bartender, he stepped in front of Emily and poured her another drink.
"Right, I've never seen you like this before. What's happened?"
"I can't tell you. It's for your own protection."
"What's that supposed to mean?" The door to the pub opened and the bartender looked up. "Nevermind. That answers my question."
Emily turned around, half expecting to see an armed Talon soldier behind her. Instead, she was relieved to see Angela, dressed in her armour and holding her healing staff. She immediately stood up and hugged the medic.
"Am I glad to see you Ang." Emily said, shedding a tear.
"It's good to see you too Emily."
As the two hugged, Fareeha contacted Angela.
"Ang, we have a problem."
Angela and Emily separated, both slightly concerned by what they just heard. "What's wrong?"
"There's a group of people heading towards the building. They've clearly got an agenda."
"Understood." Angela turned towards the other customers. "You might want to get out while you still can."
The customers looked to the bartender, who shrugged his shoulders. One then spoke up on behalf of the group. "No offence but we have no intention of leaving. Let them come."
Mercy nodded, seeing their loyalty to Emily. They clearly weren't going to allow Talon to take someone they knew. Just then, a group of five men barged into the pub, taking position so that no one could leave through the front door. Angela placed her arm in front of Emily, stepping in front of her.
"We want the girl. Give her to us and no one gets hurt."
"If you want her, then you're gonna have to go through everyone in here." The bartender announced, as the other customers stood up. The group of thugs didn't seem phased though.
"We're all ex-soldiers. None of you will be able to stop us."
"Are you sure about that?"
The five thugs were too busy staring down the occupants of the pub to hear the front door open. When they turned around, they were greeted by the sight of Soldier 76 and no one knew what to say.
"What's the matter?" Morrison said, looking down at his pulse rifle, currently in his hands. "Oh, I see. You think I have an unfair advantage because of this. Okay, how about I put this down right here."
Morrison placed his rifle on the nearest table, before looking back up at the five thugs. Their confidence was gone, replaced with a slight amount of fear. They knew what Morrison was capable of, even without his weapon.
"Now, before we begin. Do any of you want to leave?"
The five thugs attacked, Hoping they could take Morrison by surprise and overpower him. However, he was more than ready for this. He blocked the attacks of one thug with ease and grabbed his shirt, forcing him towards the other end of the pub. The thug fell to the floor and quickly got back up, yet he was soon back down, as one of the customers smashed a bottle over his head.
The remaining four thugs continued to attack Morrison, trying their best to overwhelm him. However, Morrison was in his element, keeping up with the four enemies with ease. As one target tried to punch him, Morrison grabbed his arm and broke it, before throwing him back at another target.
"Go. I've got this." Morrison ordered Angela, knowing he could finish off these three quickly.
Angela turned to the bartender, who pointed her in the direction of the back door. It was currently closed, yet it was unlocked, giving them an escape route. Just before they left, the bartender spoke up.
"Stay safe Emily."
"I will."
Once the two had left the pub, Mercy contacted Pharah, speaking as they made their way back towards the street.
"Pharah, is it clear?"
"I can't see anyone else but stay on your guard."
Angela signalled Emily to stop, before taking a quick look around the area. Just as she signalled to Emily that it was clear, three more thugs appeared, each holding a pistol in their hands. They fired at Mercy, who ran back the way she just came, pushing Emily back into cover. The three thugs soon stopped firing, aiming at where the two women were hiding and calling out to them.
"Come on out and no one gets hurt!"
The threat was short lived, as Pharah managed to fly down close to them, before firing three rockets at her targets. The thugs realised too late that she was there to put up a fight and were quickly taken out of the picture.
"Thanks." Angela said, as Fareeha landed next to her. She gave a quick wave to Emily, who returned the gesture. Shortly afterwards, Morrison emerged from the pub, holding his pulse rifle. He made his way over to the others, the original five thugs nowhere to be seen.
"What's the situation?" He asked.
"The area's quiet. Too quiet." Fareeha said, reporting what she'd seen as she flew over the district. "There's a lack of anyone in the district and I think there's more Talon forces hiding in the area, waiting for us."
Morrison considered their options. All they had to do was get Emily to the dropship. The best method would be to have it land on a nearby rooftop and then have Pharah fly Emily up to it. That idea was put on hold though, as a Talon dropship flew over, stopping a short distance away. Several armed Talon soldiers jumped out, before the ship flew away, clearly not wanting to hang around.
Once they were in view, Morrison and Pharah opened fire, while Mercy held back with Emily. A few Talon soldiers fell to the Overwatch agents, before they were forced to turn around, as they began to take fire from behind. They didn't last long after that, taking fire from multiple directions.
Once the Talon soldiers were eliminated, a small four man squad of soldiers ran around the corner. They raised their weapons at the agents, only to lower them seconds later. Morrison signalled to Pharah to lower her weapon, taking note of the UK flags on the soldiers arms.
"Captain Jameson I presume?"
"Nice guess." He replied, as the small squad positioned themselves defensively, watching all angles. "Got here as fast as we could."
Morrison nodded to Jameson, before contacting Athena.
"Athena, how fast can you get a dropship onto one of these rooftops?"
"Ten minutes." Athena replied.
"That'll have to do."
Just then, another Talon dropship flew over, offloading troopers further away.
"Captain Jameson, come in."
"Jameson here."
"Talon forces just pilled into the King's Row underground station. They need to be cleared out."
"Roger that."Jameson sighed, not liking the situation. "How are those dropships getting through?" He asked.
"They're not appearing on radar, so we're having trouble tracking them. RAF jets are in the air but can't engage over population centers. However, we can determine that there aren't that many in the airspace."
"Understood. Tell them that an Overwatch ship will be danger close. Jameson out." He turned to Morrison. "If we go and deal with the underground, we might be able to pull some of Talon over there."
"You need any backup?"
"We should be fine. Focus on getting her out of here."
Morrison signalled that he understood, before Jameson and his squad moved out, heading towards the station. Once they were gone, Morrison turned around, intending to tell everyone to head further into the district. Instead, he saw Angela knelt next to Emily, who looked extremely shocked by what just happened.
"Just breath Emily, you're okay." Angela said, trying to calm her down.
"I've... I've never seen someone get shot before..." Emily replied, shaking and breathing heavily. She was panicking too much, so Angela placed her hands around her head and looked straight at her, needing to calm her down.
"Look at me. You're okay. We'll get you out of this, I promise you. Just breath. In. Out."
Emily took a deep breath in and then let the trapped air out through her mouth. She repeated this another two times before finally nodding to Angela.
"Sorry."
"Don't be, you're not used to this kind of environment. Just stay close to me, okay."
"Okay."
Once Emily was calm enough, Angela helped her up, before they walked over to Morrison and Fareeha. At this point, Morrison had come up with a plan, though he hated how basic a plan it was.
"Talon can't be planning to take Emily by dropship, the airspace is too crowded. So, we're going to head towards the Mondatta statue and hold up inside the nearby hotel. Athena will get the dropship as close as she can."
Just as he finished, another dropship hovered above them, intending to offload more troopers. However, it was forced to abandon this plan, as a jet flew over at incredible speed.
"Guess the Air Force is keeping them busy. Let's move."
It didn't take them long to get to the hotel, only having to deal with the odd Talon thug here and there. Emily still squirmed at the gunfights but thanks to Angela, was able to keep herself calm. As they reached the hotel, they ran upstairs to the next floor, holding position until the dropship arrived.
"Wait a second." Morrison said aloud, realising something off about the entire situation. "The UK is one of the major players in trying to revoke the Petras Act. So why on earth are Talon attacking them again?"
"Because of Emily." Angela answered, believing the answer was obvious.
"Think about it Angela. First Mondatta, then they did that failed attack not too long ago. Now, instead of trying to take her quietly, they send soldiers. Surely they know that'll just strengthen the arguments for revoking the..."
Morrison stopped, finally having a good idea what Talon's ultimate goal was. If anything, it just worried him further.
"The Petras Act... They're playing us all."
"Wait. You mean..?"
"They want the act revoked. They want Overwatch back. Unless they've suddenly gone sloppy, there's no other reason why they're acting so recklessly here."
"Why would Talon want Overwatch reinstated?" Fareeha asked, confused by Morrison's train of though. "All we do is keep interfering with their plans."
Before Morrison could explain further, he was interrupted by someone outside, calling into the hotel.
"Overwatch, we know you're in there. The building is surrounded. Come on out."
Morrison peered over the balcony slightly, confirming who was there. Doomfist stood with at least seven troopers, all armed with rifles. They'd obviously been in the area some time, as another two stepped out of the nearby cathedral, both pushing a man and a woman out in front of the hotel. They forced them down on their knees and aimed their weapons at their heads.
"Crap." Morrison muttered, walking back over to the others. "They have hostages."
The Overwatch agents held position, knowing that they couldn't give up Emily. However, it seemed that Doomfist had also thought of this and addressed the agents once again.
"We have two hostages out here. We also have twenty hostages inside the cathedral. If I give the order, every one of them dies. However, if we get the girl, we walk away and no one dies. It's your choice but time's running out."
"Jack, we have to do something!" Angela pleaded, hoping he had a plan. Unfortunately, he didn't.
"The second we attack they're dead and we are not handing Emily over!"
The stand-off continued, with neither side making a move. Eventually, Doomfist broke the silence.
"Come on out Emily. The lives of those people are in your hands. Think. What would Lena do?"
Emily closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She had no idea what Lena would do in this situation. However, she knew what she was going to do. She was scared and frightened at what lay ahead but she wasn't prepared to let anyone die for her. Slowly, almost reluctantly, she made her way back down the stairs.
"What are you doing?" Morrison asked, running over and grabbing her arm.
"I'm not about to let those people die for me."
"If you go, there's no guarantee we can get you back."
"I don't see any other way to save them. Now please... let me go."
Morrison released Emily's arm, reluctantly stepping away from her. Angela lowered her head, while Fareeha peered over the balcony, seeing the opposition they were up against.
"I'm sorry Emily. I promised you we'd keep you safe."
"This is my choice Angela. Make sure those people are safe."
Emily gave Angela a smile, before continuing to walk down into Talon's hands. Once they saw her, the Talon soldiers aimed their weapons at her and demanded she walked over to them. Doomfist grinned, clearly pleased with how easy it was to make Emily give up.
"I'm here. Let them go."
Doomfist gave the signal to the troopers and they let go of the civilians. They quickly ran off, not once looking back. One soldier then walked forward, grabbing Emily and pushing her away. As the Talon squad began to leave, Doomfist spoke up one more time.
"By the way, in case you're thinking of following us, the cathedral has been rigged to blow. It can be stopped but only if you go in and disable it."
Morrison was now filled with rage. "What is it with Talon and explosives?!"
"We can handle it." Fareeha said, Angela nodding in agreement. "Go get Emily back."
Morrison didn't need to be told twice, running to the edge of the balcony and jumping off, while activating his tatical visor.
"I'VE GOT YOU IN MY SIGHTS!"
Doomfist was slightly surprised by this, yet he was out of view of Morrison. He moved and grabbed Emily, throwing her over his shoulder before running towards the extraction point. Morrison ran after the Talon squad, gunning one of the troopers down in seconds. He moved as fast as he could, determined not to let Talon escape with Emily.
Fareeha and Angela meanwhile flew out of the hotel and then entered the cathedral from the top. They soon found the other hostages, tied up next to a barrel fitted with an explosive. They flew down, making sure there weren't any traps left by Talon and Fareeha knelt down next to the device. The timer read that they had one minute thirty left. Next to the barrel we're a set of instructions, conveniently left by Talon. However, they weren't written in English.
"Ang." Fareeha said, after a quick glance at the instructions. "I need your help."
"I don't know how to defuse a bomb." She replied, unusually calm considering the situation.
"The instructions are in German. I need you to translate."
"You can read German." Angela commented, as she knelt down next to Fareeha.
"Better safe than sorry. Now, talk me through it."
Angela took a breath. "No pressure then. Okay, first push the button marked defuse."
Fareeha quickly found the button, pressing it. "What now?"
"Now a keypad should have appeared. Input the following four codes. One, one, two, seven."
Fareeha entered the code as quickly as possible. "Next."
"Six, two, five, nine."
"Next."
"Three, eight, two, five."
"Last one."
"One, six, nine..."
"What's the last number Ang?"
"It's not here. They've covered it up."
"What? There's has to be something else."
"No. It just says to push confirm."
Fareeha looked to the keypad again. "One in nine chance. Pick a number."
Angela thought for a brief second. "Three."
"Three it is."
Fareeha imputed the last code and pressed confirm. Yet the timer didn't stop. With less than a minute left, she didn't have time to keep trying. So she stood and began to open the barrel of explosives.
"Get out of here Ang!"
"I'm not leaving you!" Angela defiantly replied. Fareeha didn't have the time to argue with her, so she just accepted her help.
"Fine. Tell me how long's left."
Angela knelt back down, facing the timer. "Thirty two. Thirty one. Thirty."
"Count slower."
Fareeha soon had the barrel open and was looking at the inner workings of the bomb. It wasn't like any bomb she'd seen before, not that she'd seen that many bombs. It was made of parts, most likely found at a scrapyard. While she didn't know what some of the parts were, she recognised a car battery, likely from an old type of car.
"Twenty seconds!"
With no other ideas, Fareeha reached into the barrel and gripped the car battery. It moved quite easily, yet it was surrounded by cables. She frantically moved anything in the way, trying to get the battery out.
"Ten seconds!"
Once the cables were clear, Fareeha pulled the battery out and it disconnected from the bomb. Despite this, the timer still continued.
"Five seconds!"
They didn't have enough time left to escape, so Angela stood up and hugged Fareeha. As the timer ran out, the bomb began bleeping quicker and quicker. Fareeha closed her eyes, hugging Angela tightly.
Yet the bomb didn't explode. It just turned itself off.
Angela and Fareeha opened their eyes, slightly confused at first. After a few seconds, Fareeha started to laugh.
"How did you..?" Angela asked, still not sure what just happened.
"They were using the battery as a detonator. No battery, no bomb. Once in a while, Torb actually says something useful."
Angela joined in with Fareeha's laughter, before kissing her cheek. "I love you."
"Love you too. Now let's get these people out of here."
Meanwhile, Morrison was still chasing after Emily, following them as they made their escape. They took an unusual route through a building, leaving through a back door and then continuing through the city. The escape route lead them through areas populated with civilians and they all ran for cover, as the Talon squad ran past.
Two troopers stopped, aiming their weapons back they way they came and held position, while the rest of the squad continued on. Morrison appeared shorty afterwards, briefly taking cover before running out and gunning down the two enemy soldiers.
"They went that way mate." One of the nearby civilians said, pointing in the direction the Talon squad had ran.
"Thanks." Morrison wasted no time, running after them once again and quickly catching up. Normally, Morrison would have fired at the enemies, yet he couldn't risk hitting Emily. After a long chase through the streets, with Morrison occasionally taking cover to avoid being hit, the Talon squad turned into a backstreet between two buildings.
Morrison ran up and stopped just around the corner, peering down the street. Two of the soldiers were aiming at the entrance, while the remaining one and Doomfist were no where to be seen. Since the street turned to the right, Morrison guessed they were down there.
After activating his tatical visor once again, Morrison rolled out of cover, firing at the two soldiers and eliminating them. As he continued towards the corner, he heard the distinctive sound of a van being started. Morrison realised he was working with mere seconds and so ran around the corner.
The last remaining trooper was waiting for him, grabbing his rifle and pushing Morrison back. He wrestled with the trooper, trying to free his rifle before he simply let go of the weapon. He'd seen Doomfist pushing Emily into the van and climbing inside, preparing to leave. Morrison pulled out his pistol and shot the trooper in front of him, causing him to fall to the floor, just as the van doors slammed shut.
Morrison ran forward, firing at the van as it drove away, attempting to disable it. However, it was no use. The van turned the corner and disappeared into the city traffic. All Morrison could do was lower his weapon, as he watched the van leave with Emily.
"The hostages are safe. Where's Emily?"
Morrison didn't immediately answe Angela, who'd contacted him through his earpiece. Instead, he walked over to his pulse rifle and picked it up, before reluctantly answering the question.
"They got her."
"Jack... it wasn't your fault." Angela replied, hearing the guilt in his voice. She didn't know if he'd heard her, as he contacted Athena almost instantly.
"Athena, pick us up. We're done here."
Talon base- Unknown location- Two hours later
The day had been long for Lena and Widow. After the dunking they had to endure, they were left in their cell to recover, only being disturbed when Talon supplied them with a small portion of food. The two didn't speak much, neither really knowing what to say. Instead, Lena had found herself cuddling up to Widow, trying to take her mind away from the place she was in.
This was a slightly unusual experience for Widow. Even since she'd first arrived at Overwatch, Lena had been there for her. She'd supported her as her memories returned and had helped her to recover some of her items she owned beforehand. She'd even helped her decide to admit how she felt about Sombra. Not that she ever got the chance to do that.
Right now though, Lena was not herself. Her bubbly, cheeky attitude was gone and she was quiet, pretty much silent. So Widow did what she thought she needed to. She did her best to reassure Lena and gave her someone she could turn to.
Thankfully, Lena still had her accelerator, still inside a clear box in the corner of the room. Talon hadn't attempted to mess with it as they didn't really understand it. However, they had found a cable to charge it up with, meaning there was no way Lena could escape.
Without any warning, the door to their cell opened and three Talon grunts stepped inside. One moved over to the accelerator, picking it up. The other two walked over to Lena, placing a bag over her head so she couldn't see and then pulling her away from Widow, dragging her out of the room.
She had no idea where she was being taken or what Talon had planned for her and Widow. The best idea she had was that Talon were splitting them up to torture them, believing that it would weaken their resolves.
It didn't take long for them to reach their destination and Lena was forced down into a sitting position. The bag was removed from Lena's head and she found herself blinking a couple of times, her eyes adjusting to the bright light above her. After a few seconds, she found herself focusing her eyes in front of her, seeing a sight she hoped she'd never see.
In front of her was Emily, restrained agaisnt the wall in the same way she was when she first arrived. Lena couldn't believe it. Talon had done it. She had no clever remarks or jokes to lighten the mood between her and Emily. Talon had won. She was beaten.
After a short moment, Moira stepped into the room, smirking at the silence between the two lovers. It was clear that Lena felt guilty, probably blaming herself for the entire situation. Now it was time to exploit that guilt.
"I think we all know what will happen if you don't agree so I'll make it simple. Work with us Lena, or Emily here will suffer."
"Don't do it Lena!"
Moira could only chuckle at Emily's defiance, knowing that Lena couldn't resist. She waved at one of the guards who flicked a switch, activating Emily's restraints. Lena closed her eyes, trying to block out the image of Emily being electrocuted by the restraints. It was taking all of her willpower to stop herself giving in. However, eventually Emily couldn't help but scream out in pain and at that moment, Lena's willpower broke down.
"I'LL DO IT, OKAY! JUST STOP! PLEASE!"
Moira raised her hand and the restraints shut off, leaving Emily breathing heavily. She weakly looked up to Lena, seeing her girlfriend broken by Talon. Seconds later, the restraints released and Emily was grabbed by Moira, who threw her towards Lena. She quickly crawled the remaining distance and they both hugged, not wanting to let the other go.
"Let me make this clear miss Oxton. You will do exactly as we say. If you don't, she suffers. You will obey every order we give you, if you don't, she suffers. If you fail any mission we give you, she suffers. Understand?"
"Completely." Lena replied, not looking up at Moira.
Satisfied with what she'd accomplished, Moira stepped out of the room, along with the other Talon soldiers. Once they were alone, Lena didn't hold back any longer and began to shed tears.
"I'm sorry Emily. I'm so sorry I couldn't protect you."
"Don't be. This wasn't your fault Lena and I would never blame you."
"But if I'd..."
"Lena, don't blame yourself for something you didn't do... I love you Lena."
"I love you too. I love you so much Emily."
They hugged for another ten minutes, before Lena realised that Emily was shaking. She responded by taking off her jacket and placing it over Emily. Afterwards, the two hugged tightly, keeping each other warm.
Time passed, though Lena and Emily didn't know how long, before the door to their cell opened again. Inside stepped two Talon guards, one of which picked up Lena's accelerator. The other told them to follow him and the two women cautiously stood, following the two guards through the base.
They were lead into another room, that was very different to the one they'd just been in. The first thing they noticed was a large bed, along with a table, chairs, drawers and even a bathroom. On the bed were some clothes, which Lena quickly realised were replacements for her current clothing. The two looked at the guards confused, as they placed down Lena's accelerator and then took it out of the box.
"Get yourself cleaned up and then meet Moira outside." They told Lena, before The two guards left, leaving the two women alone. Emily went to take off Lena's jacket, intending to give it back to her. However, Lena stopped her.
"Keep hold of it for a while. I think you need it more than me."
Emily placed the jacket back on, while Lena stripped out of her clothes and stepped into the bathroom, taking a very quick shower. Talon hadn't really subjected her to anything major and so she had very few injuries. Despite this, the warm water still felt like heaven to her, washing away the dirt that she'd managed to acquire.
After she'd showered and dried herself off, Lena stepped out of the bathroom, seeing Emily sat on the bed and still wearing her jacket. Reluctantly, Emily passed Lena her new clothing and Lena got herself ready. Once changed, she placed her accelerator on, gave Emily a kiss and then stepped out of the room, intending to find Moira. It didn't take her too long, since Moira was waiting for her a few steps away.
"Ah Lena. I have something I need you to do."
"What?" Lena replied, not wanting to be around Moira for a second longer than necessary.
"Amelie won't work with us, not willingly anyway. Her conditioning means that she will last a long time before she begins to break and frankly I don't have the patience for that. So, I want you to convince her to help us."
"How am I supposed to do that exactly?"
"You'll think of something."
Meanwhile, Widow had her eyes closed and was doing her best to keep herself calm. Talon hadn't done anything to her since Lena was taken and it was worrying her. Why hadn't they done anything to her and why had Lena been gone so long? The answer to these questions soon presented itself, as the door to her cell opened and Lena stepped inside.
Widow looked at Lena, seeing her wearing her new outfit. It looked similar to her original, except for the fact that it was completely black. Her call sign was still written on her leggings, yet it was written in red. Widow knew what this meant. Lena must have broke and joined Talon. As the door to the cell closed, Lena walked over to Widow and sat down in front of her.
"They have Emily. I'm sorry Amelie... I couldn't sit and watch her being tourtured. Not if I could stop it."
Widow just slowly nodded. "I'm guessing they want you to convince me to join you?"
"Yeah... Though I'm not here for them." Lena gently placed her hands in Widow's, gripping them for support. "I don't know if I have the strength to do this alone Amelie... I'm not asking for Talon, I'm asking for me. Please Amelie, help me."
Widow sighed, shaking her head at the situation. "What will they do if I say no?"
"I don't know." Lena admitted. "If I had to guess... They'd hurt Emily."
Widow lowered her head. Despite everything Talon had done and how much she hated to do this, Lena was her friend.
"Okay. I'll do it."
"Really?"
"Oui. I'm not doing this for Talon. I'm doing this because you're asking me and because of Emily. I can see how much she means to you."
Lena leaned forward and hugged Widow. "Thank you Amelie. I know this isn't what you wanted..."
"You don't have to explain yourself Lena. I know you wouldn't ask unless you had no other choice."
The door to the cell opened and Lena was allowed to take Widow to her quarters. Once they arrived, Emily jumped up from the bed, seeing Widow for the first time.
"You must be Emily."
"Are you..?"
"Widowmaker? Oui. Though I prefer Amelie." Widow analysed the room they were in, trying to work out what base they were in. This was definitely one of her old quarters, yet Talon had changed the layout of the room, so she didn't immediately recognise it.
"What now?" Lena asked.
"I don't know." Widow replied, giving up trying to work out which base she was in.
"You two will come up with something." Emily said. "I know you will."
"I hope you're right luv."
Lena and Emily both sat on the bed, while Widow sat on a nearby chair, lost in her thoughts. She was trying to work out how the three of them could escape. With every solution she came up, she knew they wouldn't work. There was still some hope however. Widow knew that there was one person in Talon who would still be willing to help her.