Deadlocked
United States- Route 66
McCree and Sombra were currently sat inside the diner, both with a cup of coffee in front of them and a slice of pie in front of McCree. They'd sat at opposites sides of a table, exactly where McCree had sat the last time he was here. The two were currently killing time, waiting for the Deadlock Gang to return to their hideout. They didn't know what they were doing, yet McCree knew for a fact it wasn't good.
As they waited, Sombra had took a sip of her coffee, almost spitting it back out as she tasted it. She looked over to McCree, who was chuckling at her reaction.
"What did I tell you?" He said, as he slid his fork through his pie and scooped it into his mouth.
"Why did you order it then? You can't seriously like this stuff." Sombra replied, as she placed the cup of coffee back on the table and slid it away from her.
"I didn't say I liked it. You get used to it."
"I'll stick to real coffee thanks."
McCree chuckled again, eating a bit more of his pie. "Can't say I blame you."
Sombra sat back into her seat, her mind wondering off into thought. Normally she'd open her computer and look something up but right now, she lacked the motivation to do so. Sure she could search for any new information regarding Widow and Tracer, yet she'd been doing this on the dropship ride here and it was driving her insane. Every time she looked she hit dead end after dead end. She needed a break.
Eventually, Sombra noticed McCree giving her a sceptical look.
"I'm fine." Sombra quickly said, knowing what he was going to ask.
"You are anything but fine." McCree replied, seeing how Sombra was acting anything but normal. "Seriously, you need to talk to someone. Me. The doc. Anyone."
Sombra sighed. "I'm just... worried, okay... They need help and I can't find anything out. I feel so powerless right now."
McCree had another mouthful of pie, placing his fork down and chewing as his phone rang. He reached into his pocket and answered it, keeping his response brief.
"McCree here."
There was a short silence and Sombra couldn't work out what was being said. However, when McCree sighed and placed his head in his free hand, she knew it wasn't good news.
"Got it." McCree said, ending the call and placing his phone away. "Talon got Emily..."
Sombra lowered her head, knowing that the situation just got much worse. She knew that Amelie and Lena were friends, had been ever since they first arrived at Overwatch. She had no idea how Widow would react if Lena joined Talon.
"We need to find something." Sombra muttered.
"Agreed. Let's hope they aren't much longer."
Thankfully, they're weren't. The two had set up a small monitoring device in front of the gangs hideout. After waiting just over five minutes, an alert went off on Sombra's computer. She opened the screen and saw the door to the hideout open, along with numerous Deadlock members and one Talon operative who Sombra recognised instantly. Reaper.
"What's wrong?" McCree asked, noticing Sombra tense up slightly.
"They have company."
Sombra showed McCree the image of the Deadlock Gang, along with Reaper.
"What the hell's he doing here?" McCree asked, only gaining a shrug from Sombra. "Well whatever it is, it ain't good. Let's get over there."
McCree took one more mouthful of his pie, before throwing some money on the table. He and Sombra stood and began making their way towards the Deadlock Gangs hideout.
"How much do you know about Deadlock?" McCree asked Sombra.
"Enough to know who the current members are and that you're a former member. By the way, is there any truth in the rumour that you and Ashe dated?"
"Hell no!" McCree quickly answered. "Ashe is not my type to begin with, let alone the fact that she's completely crazy."
Sombra just grinned. "Don't worry, I believe you."
It didn't take them long to reach the large doors, that concealed the hideout inside. McCree placed a cigar in his mouth, considering how to open the doors.
"Don't suppose you know if they ordered a pizza, do you?" McCree joked, as he lit the cigar and took a puff.
After a brief moment, Sombra opened her computer, wondering how strong the security for the hideout was. Turns out there wasn't any security, so she quickly gained control of the doors and slowly opened them, keeping it as quiet as possible.
"That works." McCree commented, walking up to the doors and pulling out his revolver.
"How long would that have taken without me?" Sombra said, activating her cloak as the doors continued to open.
"Too long." McCree replied, as he focused on the opening doors. Once they were open enough, he aimed his revolver and threw a flashbang inside. One Deadlock member was standing right where he threw it and was unable to recover before McCree punched him, knocking him out.
Unfortunately, there was a second guard, who had now raised his weapon at McCree.
"Boss wants you dead McCree."
"That's a shame. Thought we might catch up on old times." McCree said, seeing Sombra appear next to the guard.
Within moments, she pulled out her weapon and hit the guard over the head, making him lose his footing and move forward. McCree used the opportunity to walk towards the guard, grabbing him and placing them into a headlock. The guard dropped their weapon, instinctively trying to free themselves to no avail. McCree made sure he didn't kill him, instead letting the guard go once they'd passed out.
With the guards out cold, McCree grabbed one by the leg and pulled him out of sight, while Sombra closed the doors, once again keeping it as quiet as she could. Once they were shut and the other guard was hidden, she turned to McCree.
"What's the plan then?"
"Simple. You go invisible and find out what you can. I'll keep them busy, see if I can get anything from Ashe."
"That doesn't sound like the best plan."
McCree chuckled. "True. It'll work though. Ashe has a score she wants to settle and we can't risk them destroying whatever info they have."
Sombra looked at McCree sceptically. "Fine. If a fight starts though, I'm helping you out."
"Fair enough."
Sombra cloaked once again, running off ahead of McCree, who moved slowly through the hideout. He didn't have much trouble, thanks to the fact that the rest of the gang were too busy watching the meeting. As he got closer, he was able to overhear some of the conversation between Ashe and Reaper.
"What do you mean our payment's been reduced? We had a deal!"
"The deal's changed." Reaper told Ashe, not at all phased by her attitude. "Blame the authorites in the UK, they stopped the shipment reaching the US."
"That's your problem, not ours! We could have been doing anything else at that time. Instead, we were sat waiting for a shipment that never came. We should have compensation for our time."
At this point, Reaper threw the case he was holding towards Bob, who was standing behind Ashe. He caught it with ease and opened it, showing the contents to Ashe.
"That's half of what was promised."
"Half isn't good enough." Ashe said sternly, stepping forward and poking Reaper with her finger. "I want what was promi..."
Ashe wasn't able to finish, as Reaper grabbed her throat and dragged her towards him. The other gang members, Bob included, raised their weapons, aiming as best as they could towards Reaper, while not hitting Ashe if they had to fire.
"Let me make one thing clear." Reaper began, seeing Ashe's eyes widen as she was held in place. "I'm not like anyone else you've dealt with from Talon. I'm not as patient for a start and I could easily wipe your little gang out without breaking a sweat. So, half is what you're getting. Have a problem with that?"
Reaper released Ashe, who cleared her throat as she composed herself. She signalled to the rest of the gang to lower their weapons and, one by one, they reluctant did.
"Perhaps I was a little hasty." She admitted. "At least we got something for our time. Most would just refuse to pay."
"Talon will continue to pay you for your time, so long as you get results. Assuming you're still willing to work with us."
"So long as you don't make a habit of this, I'm sure we can come to an agreement."
"Um, boss..."
"Not now." Ashe replied, dismissing whichever gang member tried to get her attention. However, as soon as she dismissed one, another spoke up in their place.
"Boss, you need to see this."
Ashe sighed in annoyance, turning towards the gang members in question. "What? What is so important that..?"
Ashe stopped talking as soon as she saw what the gang members were referring to. Right in front of her stood McCree, who was still smoking his cigar. As she looked at the intruder, the rest of the gang raised their weapons.
"Seems your security isn't up to scratch." Reaper commented, folding his arms and watching the scene in front of him unfold.
"Jesse McCree. You cost us a score the last time you were here." Ashe said, taking her rifle from Bob, who passed it to her.
"Seems you're making deals with the wrong people Ashe." McCree replied, finishing his cigar and throwing it away.
"Who, him?" Ashe said, pointing towards Reaper. "We have an understanding."
"Do you have any idea what that last shipment was?"
Ashe smirked. "Not really my concern. So long as I get paid."
"It was a girl Ashe. A teenage girl that Talon were twisting into a killing machine. That doesn't bother you at all?"
"Like I said. Not my concern."
McCree shook his head. "Human trafficking... That's not your style Ashe."
"Times have changed McCree. You of all people know that."
"Enough." Reaper's sudden interruption caused Ashe to turn towards him. "Talon will pay you a hundred thousand dollars if you kill him right now."
"A hundred thousand? I'm worth that little to you?" McCree replied, moving his hand over his revolver.
"Fine. Five hundred thousand dollars."
Ashe smirked again, turning back to face McCree. "Sorry Jesse. It's just business. KILL HIM!"
McCree grabbed his revolver, raising it and firing at the closest target. He took down his target and then ran for cover, avoiding the barrage of bullets that we're heading his way.
"Always the hard way Ashe." He said to himself, as he reloaded his weapon.
Meanwhile, the Deadlock gang continued to fire at McCree's hiding position, all while Reaper watched, his arms still folded. Eventually, Ashe realised that McCree had nowhere to go.
"Enough playing around. BOB, DO SOMETHING!"
Bob nodded at Ashe, before he dropped the case of money and began running forward. He passed McCree and then stopped a short distance away, turning around and aiming his weapons.
McCree raised his weapon to return fire, yet he never needed to. Bob suddenly lowered his weapons, before falling forward, deactivated. Behind him stood Sombra, who'd clearly hacked the Omnic and shut him down.
The rest of the gang began firing at Sombra, yet she translocated away, teleporting towards the back of the hideout. After a short time, she appeared next to McCree, using the same cover he did.
"Kept them busy then?"
"I thought I'd keep her talking longer if I'm honest." McCree admitted, before pushing Sombra back slightly and then firing his weapon, taking out a gang member who was sneaking up on them.
With that threat eliminated, McCree began thinking over his next move. It didn't take long for an idea to come to mind.
"Any chance you can cause a distraction?" He asked Sombra.
"Consider it done."
Sombra dropped a translocator down next to McCree, before cloaking and running behind the Deadlock gang. At this point, they'd stopped firing at McCree's position and we're waiting for him to make a move.
"Are you going to help?" Ashe asked Reaper, irritated by his inaction.
"Deal was you kill him, not me."
Ashe rolled her eyes, pointing at a couple of her gang members and telling them to push forward. She then pointed to another one and told them to flank around. It was a decent idea, if Sombra wasn't there.
Sombra had managed to find a small stash of grenades, obviously stolen. Remaining cloaked, she picked one up and pulled out the pin, throwing it behind the gang where she knew there wasn't anything important.
As the grenade detonated, the gang all turned different directions, trying to find the person who threw it. Even Reaper seemed slightly shaken by the sudden explosion and Sombra suspected that he knew she was here. With everyone on edge, Sombra took the opportunity to sneak up behind Ashe, leaning next to her ear.
"Boop!"
Ashe immediately turned around, firing her weapon behind her but hitting nothing. Sombra easily avoided the shot and walked behind Ashe again.
"Missed me."
Ashe turned again, this time pulling out her coach gun and firing it. The force sent her slightly backwards, yet she still didn't hit anything.
"Where are you?" Ashe said aloud, aiming her weapon around the room, trying to find the source of the taunts. After a few seconds, she heard the voice once again behind her.
"Been here all along."
Ashe turned and saw Sombra leaning against one of the supports. She, along with the rest of the gang, fired at her, only for Sombra to translocate away. What no one else had noticed was McCree moving into position.
"You know what time it is?"
Ashe didn't need to see McCree to know what he was doing. She ran to her left, taking cover just in time. The rest of the Deadlock gang members were taken out, a single shot killing each one. Reaper meanwhile wraithed the moment he saw McCree, moving away from the now lost battle and disappearing into the back rooms.
Now on her own, Ashe reloaded her rifle, breathing heavily as she looked to her left and right. She was now alone, Bob still wasn't back up and any other gang members wouldn't be back for at least another fifteen minutes. She quickly calmed herself down, taking a quick breath before walking out of cover, aiming her rifle in front of her as she moved towards McCree's last location. She had no idea where Sombra might be but she did her best to focus on one target at a time.
She quickly reached the cover McCree was using and walked behind it, aiming her weapon where she hoped he was. However, McCree wasn't here. With no idea where the two intruders were, Ashe began to walk backwards, slowly turning and scanning the area around her.
Eventually, she stopped moving, hearing someone walking and immediately realising it was McCree. She twisted herself around, intending to shoot him the moment she saw him. However, as soon as she saw him and raised her weapon, she felt an SMG against her head.
"Drop it."
Ashe sighed, lowering her rifle before throwing it away.
"And the other one."
Ashe removed her coach gun, throwing it over to her rifle. With Ashe now weaponless, McCree walked forward, keeping his revolver aimed at her.
"Go check the back room out. Be careful, Reaper's still around here." McCree told Sombra, knowing he could handle Ashe. Sombra removed her weapon from Ashe's head, before cloaking and running off towards the back room.
"Well, that's cheating." Ashe commented, as Sombra vanished from sight.
"What are you playing at Ashe?" McCree asked, intending to get as much information out of her as possible.
"We still on about that shipment?"
"Working with Talon. Why would you think that was a good idea?
Ashe shrugged. "Whatever makes us money."
McCree shook his head. "Do you know where the Talon base is?"
"Now why would I..."
"No more games Ashe." McCree said, not prepared to waste anymore time. "Yes or no!"
Ashe seemed to get the hint and got straight to the point.
"No. The best we got was a computer to contact them from. Said it was for security reasons. It's sitting in the back room."
If that were the truth, then McCree knew Sombra would find it. He suspected that Ashe was telling the truth though. This whole mission was a massive stab in the dark to begin with and it was very unlikely they would actually find something. However, there was still one more thing that McCree wanted to know and he hoped Ashe had an answer to it.
"Why was Reaper here?"
"We were meant to pick up some cargo from Boston and then drop it off somewhere in Nevada. They wouldn't tell us where until we'd confirmed the pick up. However, it didn't arrive. So he was here to explain why our time was wasted."
"Why him though? They could have sent anyone but they sent one of their best agents instead."
Ashe only shrugged again, signalling to McCree that she didn't know. He knew it was a long shot but it was worth a try nonetheless.
"You know, it never needed to be this way Ashe."
"We all made our choices. Now we just have to live with them."
McCree chuckled, pulling out a cigar and lighting it. "Suppose you're right. Sorry by the way."
"For what? The mess you've caused?"
"Nope. The headache."
Ashe gave McCree a confused look, not understanding what he meant. It all became clear once he pulled out a flashbang and then flipped his revolver around, so that he was holding the barrel.
"Don't you dare."
McCree didn't give Ashe the chance to move, throwing his flashbang before proceeding to knock her out. He then began searching for something to tie up her hands, so that she wouldn't be a problem if she woke up.
Meanwhile, Sombra had reached the back room and was slightly surprised to see that no one was there. With nobody to deal with, she quickly located the computer Ashe had told McCree about. It was a small laptop and without even turning it on, Sombra guessed that it was here so that Talon and the Deadlock Gang could speak.
She walked over to the laptop and gently opened it, pressing the power button and turning it on. It didn't take her long to find a number of messages from Talon, as well as a few documents saved onto the hard drive.
After opening up her own computer and hacking into the laptop, Sombra began a scan, hoping that she could find something that helped lead them to Amelie and Lena. At this point, she'd take anything.
"What are you doing here?"
Normally, Sombra would have spun around and aimed her weapon. Thankfully, she recognised the voice and knew she wasn't in any danger. Any immediate danger anyway. After a short silence between the two, Sombra slowly turned around and faced Reaper, not quite sure what to say.
Once he saw Sombra's face, Reaper knew something was wrong. Sombra looked extremely guilty and he had expected some sort of smart remark as a reply. Instead, she seemed to be struggling to find the words to speak.
"You're unusually quiet?"
"Gabe..." Sombra finally said, knowing she had to tell him. "It's Amelie..."
"What's happened?"
"She's... Talon got her. They captured her and Tracer..."
Reaper suddenly moved forward, turning into a cloud of smoke before reappearing in front of Sombra. Even with his mask on, she could tell he was pissed.
"What do you mean they captured her? You were meant to look after her!"
At this point, Sombra had started to walk back, forgetting about the laptop and the scan currently underway. She was honestly frightened and had no idea what Reaper would do next.
"We were on a mission... Her team was attacked..."
"Why exactly was she in the field to begin with?!" Reaper asked, his anger extremely clear in his voice.
"It... it was her choice." Sombra replied, finally reaching the side of the room and backing up against the wall. "She wanted to help Overwatch."
"I wanted her out of danger, out of Talon's hands! Now she's right back where she started!"
I'm... I'm sorry Gabe..."
"Don't call me that."
Before Reaper could continue, the laptop made a loud ping, signalling that something had been found.
"Guess you're looking for a base location then? Trying to find her before Talon does any serious damage?"
Sombra just nodded, before reluctantly opening her computer. Reaper leaned back, allowing her room to use her tech, yet she still felt very threatened by him. After glancing through the results of the scan, she found a location that one of the messages had been sent from.
"The messages on that laptop came from a base in Nevada." She reported, only to gain a light chuckle from Reaper.
"She isn't there. That base was destroyed recently."
Sombra closed her computer, completely out of ideas. She had nothing. No location, no rumours, no backdoor. All she could do was lower her head, felling totally defeated.
"I guess I'll have to get her out then."
"Do you need..?"
"You've done enough already. I don't need your help."
Reaper began to walk away but didn't get far. Sombra grabbed onto his arm, attempting to stop him. In response, he pulled out one of his weapons and aimed it towards her.
"I don't. Need. Your. Help." He repeated slowly, before he heard the sound of a revolver being readied. He turned around to see McCree aiming at him, with a flashbang in his other hand in case he needed it.
Reaper and McCree stared at each other, waiting to see what the other did next. It was Reaper who finally moved, lowering his weapon and stepping away from Sombra slightly. After staring at each other for a few moments longer, McCree spoke.
"You weren't given those guns to toss 'em around like trash!"
"I don't take lessons from you." He turned back to Sombra. "I'll sort your mess out. You just stay out of my way."
With that, Reaper vanished, turning into a cloud of black smoke and flying out of the room. Once he was gone, Sombra leaned back agaisnt the wall, before sliding down it and sitting. She honestly wanted to cry and was barely holding herself together. Any trust Reaper had in her was now long gone.
"How long were you there?" Sombra managed to ask after McCree placed away his revolver and walked over to the laptop.
"Long enough." He replied, looking at the laptop screen briefly before turning to face Sombra. "Care to fill in the gaps?"
Sombra took a deep breath. "Long story short, he told me to befriend Amelie and then tell him when her conditioning began to break down. I didn't do that. Instead, I broke her out. Turns out that's exactly what Reyes wanted to do all along."
"What? Why would he..?" McCree paused. It all suddenly began to make sense. "After all this time, he's still loyal to Gerard."
He looked down at Sombra, who just weakly nodded in agreement. While he may have known a little more about Reaper's motives, he still didn't know anything about hers.
"So why did you help her?"
"Because... because I saw her files. I saw what they put her through, what they did to her. No one cared about her and no one was coming to save her. In the end, I saw too much of myself in her. She needed someone... So, I was that person... Now I've failed her."
McCree moved over and sat down next to Sombra. He could tell that she was telling the truth, it was clear in the way she was acting. In all honesty, he was surprised she was still holding herself together the way she was.
"You didn't fail her. If anything, we failed her. We gave up on her. From what I heard, she trusted you with her life when you helped her escape Talon. You've been there for her while she recovered and you two are clearly friends. So, you didn't fail her. Trust me, we will find her again."
"Where do we even start? I don't have anything to go off."
"You're the world's best hacker. You'll think of something."
Sombra gave McCree a weak smile, before he stood up, offering a hand and helping her back onto her feet.
"By the way, what do you mean you saw too much of yourself in her?" McCree asked, walking over to the laptop and picking it up.
"I didn't have a good upbringing... or any upbringing if I'm honest... It's not something I want to talk about."
"Fair enough." McCree replied, considering that was the most any Overwatch agent had actually gotten out of her.
The two began to leave, heading back through the hideout. However, before they reached the main room, they heard someone shouting up.
"What the..? McCree?! McCree, where the hell are you?!"
They soon reached the source of the shouting and Sombra was slightly surprised at what she saw. Ashe had her hands tied up and was currently sitting against a crate of stolen goods.
"Untie me right now!"
McCree chuckled, handing the laptop to Sombra and walking over to Ashe. "You know, I think I'm good."
"Come on Jesse. It was only business. You always knew you were my favourite."
Ashe fluttered her eyes at McCree, acting as innocent as she could. In return, McCree leaned agaisnt the crate, looking straight at Ashe.
"Since you put it that way. No."
At this point Ashe gave up, realising she couldn't win. "I should have shot you when we first met."
McCree chuckled at her remark, patting her on the head as he walked past. "Till the next time Ashe."
"Um, McCree?" Sombra said, stopping the cowboy before he got too far. "What about the money?"
McCree thought for a moment. "Well, we can't exactly leave it for a criminal gang to use... Better take it with us."
"Wait, that's mine!" Ashe shouted, as she watched McCree walk over to the briefcase containing the money Reaper handed over. She could do nothing but watch as the two walked away with it.
"McCree! Come back here with my money! McCree! MCCREE!"
Watchpoint Gibraltar
While McCree and Sombra were on their way back to the Watchpoint, Soldier 76, Mercy and Pharah were just approaching the base. The journey had been practically silent, with only the odd word spoken between Angela and Fareeha.
Morrison was blaming himself for Emily's kidnapping, convinced that he'd made a bad call. If he'd just listened to Angela and gone for her earlier, perhaps she'd be here now. The fact that they'd failed and that Lena would now likely be working for the enemy had knocked his confidence. Angela had tried to tell him that it wasn't his fault, yet Morrison wasn't listening.
"Now approaching Watchpoint Gibraltar. Prioritising landing."
As the dropship made its final approach to the watchpoint, Fareeha noticed something different about the base. She quickly waved Angela over, wanting to make sure she wasn't imagining it.
"You seeing what I am?"
"I don't believe it... Jack, you need to see this."
"Not now Angela." He grumbled, wanting to be left alone.
"Seriouly Jack. You need to see this."
Morrison sighed, picking up his pulse rifle and walking over to see what Angela was talking about. Before he got to the window, the dropship landed and the doors opened. It was at this moment that Morrison saw what Angela was trying to tell him and he was left speechless at the sight.
The Watchpoint was packed full of people, each one busy with some task. There were engineers working on numerous dropships, soldiers patrolling the base and he even spotted Reinhardt, ordering people to various locations. As he stepped off the dropship, a group of four soldiers saluted.
"Commander Morrison. Welcome back." One of the soliders said. Ironically, it was the same soldier that had given Morrison Fareeha's equipment back in Egypt.
"At ease soldier." Morrison said. "Anything I need to know?"
"Captain Amari wishes to speak to you sir. She's in Winston's lab."
"Understood. Anything else?"
The soldier seemed to hesitate, before speaking up again. "Permission to speak freely?"
"Granted."
"Damn good to have you back sir."
Several nearby soldiers signalled their agreement, before a loud cheer followed. No one saw, thanks to his visor but Morrison actually smiled upon hearing this.
"As you were."
"Yes sir." The soldier turned around. "You heard the commander! Move out!"
Everyone went back to their tasks and the dropship that carried the team in took off again, moving back into the hanger so someone could look it over. Angela now stepped forward, stopping once she was next to Morrison.
"What exactly did you say when you did the recall?"
"What needed to be said. Seems you have some work to do doc."
Angela chuckled. "Seems that way. At least I'll have some help now."
"I'll help out if you need it Ang." Fareeha commented, which was rewarded with a smile from Angela.
"Thanks Faree. I'm guessing I'll need it."
The three parted ways, Angela and Fareeha heading towards the medical bay, while Morrison headed towards Winston's lab. On the way, he spotted some Crusaders, who were all grouped up and trading stories with each other. Once the leader of the group saw Morrison, he stood and did a warriors salute.
"Reinhardt told us you needed some help. So just point us at the enemy."
Morrison nodded towards the German, who nodded back, before the group returned back to their original conversation. As Morrison continued towards the lab, soldiers all stopped and saluted, signalling their respect. With each soldier he passed, Morrison's confidence returned, seeing so many people willing to follow him.
It wasn't long before he reached the lab, stepping inside and seeing a number of people on computers. Each one was co-ordinating with Athena, keeping track of incoming soldiers, supplies as well as communications. Oddly, DVa's Meka was still inside the lab and both Torb and Brigitte were currently working on it.
"Why is that still in here?" He asked Torb.
"It's heavy and everyone's busy. We can't move it to my workshop."
"There's a group of crusaders in the hanger. Go ask them to give you a hand."
"Crusaders? Reinhardt didn't tell me they'd arrived." Brigitte commented, before running off towards the hanger. Torb just shook his head, before slowly walking after her.
With both the engineers out of the lab, Morrison walked up to the main office, where both Winston and Ana were overseeing the entire operation. As he entered the room, both Winston and Ana turned to him.
"Status report?"
"Watchpoint Gibraltar is currently operating at eighty three point two five percent efficiency." Athena reported, with a number of graphs and charts appearing on the nearby screens.
"Good. What about troops?"
"I cannot give a total at the moment. However, there are currently seventeen full squads available for deployment, with more arrivals incoming."
"Whatever you said, it evidently worked." Ana commented, while Winston turned back to his computer, continuing what he was originally doing.
"Anything else I should know?"
"Zarya's reported that she's satisfied with Katya Volskaya's current security and she's on her way back." Winston answered, not looking up from his computer. "She should be back within the next few hours. Also, DVa is currently in Korea, something about Meka, though she wasn't clear. She said she'd be away for a few days."
"Okay. Any luck with locating Lena and Amelie."
Winston just shook his head.
"Keep me posted on any new developments."
As Morrison looked out of the window, watching the base operate once again, Ana noticed that there was something on his mind.
"Everything alright Jack? You seemed troubled."
There was a short delay, before Morrison answered Ana.
"I'll talk to you about it later."
Talon base- Unknown location- Two hours later
"I have to admit, I did not expect results so quickly Moira. Tracer perhaps but not Widowmaker."
Doomfist and Moira were currently sat at a desk, having an informal meeting between them. Doomfist wanted an update on the progress that had been made with Tracer and Widow. He knew what Moira had planned, after all, he was the one who'd brought Tracer's girlfriend to her. However, he had not exepect both Tracer and Widowmaker to agree to work with them so quickly.
"Miss Oxton was very easy to manipulate once her girlfriend was here. Widowmaker on the other hand was quite surprising. I had expected some resistance when Tracer went to talk to her. The fact she agreed to help her the moment she asked is... useful."
"Useful? How so?"
"I don't believe Widowmaker is the same woman she was before she left. I think she's more like her old self, before the conditioning. This means she's easier to persuade and manipulate. Miss Oxton is the key to this. From what I've seen, they trust each other. They're clearly friends. So, I do not believe that Widow will attempt to escape again. Not while Tracer has a reason to be here... They could be very valuable assets."
"Are you suggesting that we send them into the field?" Doomfist asked, suspecting where Moira's train of thought was going.
"Indeed I am. We have an insurance policy and a way to keep an eye on their movements. Even then, I'm certain they won't try to escape. So long as Emily remains in Talon's custody, they won't leave."
Doomfist took a moment to consider the proposal. "What sort of mission do you have in mind then?"
"Something simple, or at least simple by their standards." Moira sat back and thought. After a short pause, Moira had an idea. "Has anyone been sent to recover that data from Meka?"
"No, not yet. I had intended to send Reyes once he'd returned."
"I think Reyes needs a bit of a break. After all, he's been on two assignments in a short space of time."
Doomfist nodded. "Very well. I'll order the operation and have them deployed in the next couple of days... While we're on the subject of Reyes, has he been informed?"
"About Amelie? No."
"Good. Keep him out of the loop until he returns. I will tell him personally. Out of curiosity, how goes your research on the nanotech?"
"It is progressing. However, without Mercy, it's painfully slow. I've made breakthroughs, yet I still need more time."
"Then you'll have it. Your work is critical to our mission. Do you need anything else?"
"That body you recovered will be of great assistance. Mei I believe her name was... Otherwise, I can't think of anything right now."
There was another short silence, before Moira changed the topic once again.
"Morrison sent out another recall. Stood up and sent the message himself."
"Excellent. Everything is falling into place."
"We can't be sure if anyone will listen to him."
"Oh, they'll listen. With opinion of Overwatch the way it is, people will be more than willing to help them. Now all we need is for the UN to make its decision on the Petras Act."
"And what then? You've been rather selective when it comes to that part of your plan."
Doomfist smirked. "Once the UN revokes the Petras Act and Overwatch are reinstated... then we move forward with our plans. The world sees Talon as a great threat, a threat that must be dealt with. Despite their best efforts, we are always one step ahead of them. So, they must adapt to this new threat. Only through conflict will humanity evolve and Overwatch will be the catalyst to this conflict."
One hour later
It was just over an hour later when Reaper finally arrived at the Talon base. On his way back, he'd given a report on what had happened at Route 66, explaing how McCree and Sombra had interrupted the meeting and how he was forced to fall back. He'd been selective of what details he said though and had neglected to mention the conversation he had with Sombra.
As the dropship began its final approach, Reaper thought over what his next move would be. He knew Talon weren't being completely honest with him recently. After all, they hadn't told him they'd captured Fareeha back when Mercy was taken. Now the first he'd heard about Widow being captured was from Sombra. The more he thought about it, the more he considered they were suspicious of him.
Talon being suspicious of him was somewhat understandable anyway. Reaper wasn't particularly loyal to Talon or its cause. At first, he was simply using them as a means to an end, to track down the former members of Overwatch. When he realised that Widowmaker was in fact Amelie Lacroix, things changed.
Reaper's original motives may have been pushed aside but it didn't mean he's feelings towards Overwatch had changed. He still hated them and wasn't planning to lift a finger to help Tracer escape. However, he was determined to find a way to get Amelie out again.
As he continued to think, he thought of a number of ways to do this. One was to have her accompany him on a mission and then have her escape. Though he knew that would take time to do properly. Another option way was to use Tracer to make Amelie's escape easier. He'd have to consider further how that would work. Then there was he quickest and easiest way. Betray Talon. He didn't know if that was an appropriate option yet.
The dropship touched down at the base long before Reaper could decide what to do. He needed a lot longer to do that. Once the doors of the dropship opened, Reaper stood and walked out, not surprised when he found Doomfist waiting for him.
"I've read your report Reyes."
"You sure Sombra's out of the system this time?" Reaper asked, not needing an explanation of how Overwatch knew about the meeting.
"I'm sure. After the Numbani op, it was clear she was still in our systems. Her back door has been closed and the networks security is being tightened."
"Make sure whoever does it knows who they're dealing with. Never can be too careful with Sombra."
"Don't worry Reyes, they know. In any case, I have something to show you."
Reaper knew why Doomfist was here. It was obvious. Nevertheless, he played along.
"Must be important if your here waiting for me. Lead the way."
The two began walking through the Talon facility, heading towards the command centre. As they walked, Doomfist was approached by a few soldiers, each passing him a report which he nodded at, before passing it back and the trooper went about their business. Reaper didn't know what these reports said but frankly, he didn't care.
As they arrived at the command centre, Doomfist walked over to a small screen and waved Reaper over. Once he was close enough, Reaper saw a live feed of the firing range, along with three women, two of which he recognised.
"Recaptured Widowmaker I see. And you captured Tracer... Not bad."
"Thank you Reyes."
"Can't say I recognise the other girl. Who is she?"
"She's miss Oxton's girlfriend. As soon as we captured her, Tracer was more than willing to work with us."
"Why's she in the firing range then? Not making her an agent are you?"
"Not at all Reyes. She's... motivation. To remind miss Oxton what is at stake."
"What about Widowmaker?"
"She agreed to work with us after Tracer spoke to her. Not exactly sure what she said but it clearly worked."
"Didn't think it would be that easy."
"I must admit, I'm surprised by this as well. We're planing to send them both on a mission very soon..."
Reaper turned to Doomfist, slightly surprised by this development. "That's a bit risky don't you think? Tracer might not try anything while her girlfriend's here but there's nothing stopping Widow."
"We've thought of that. Both Widow and Tracer have been fitted with trackers, so we can monitor where they go. However, while you're quite right that Tracer won't likely try anything, I don't think Widow will either."
"And why's that?
"She seems to have some sort of loyalty to Tracer. Evidently they're friends. While Tracer is here, Widow seems willing to stay."
Reaper nodded, turning back to the screen and watching Widow and Tracer prepare for their mission. "You want me on their next mission then? Keep an eye on them?"
At this point, Doomfist folded his arms, glancing at the screen for a brief moment before looking back up at Reaper. "I thought you needed a break. After all, you've been on two missions in a row."
"Is it a stealth mission?"
"It is."
"Then it'll be best if I'm there. I can tell you from experience that Tracer is useless at stealth ops. She'll end up alerting the entire enemy force if you let her go alone."
"She'll be with Widowmaker, who is an expert at stealth ops. Besides, I'm sure they can handle themselves if anything goes wrong."
Reaper shook his head. "Fine. Just don't say I didn't warn you. Need anything else?"
"Not right now. I'll have someone find you if I need you."
Reaper grumbled to himself, before leaving the command centre. He began to walk towards his own quarters, the occasional Talon soldier stepping out of his way as he passed through. It wasn't a long journey and he quickly reached his destination. Once inside his quarters, Reaper closed the door and took a seat on a nearby chair.
Here, he began to think over the issue once again, trying to work out what he was going to do next. He knew it would be difficult to get Widow out at the moment, since Talon was watching her like a hawk. This wouldn't be as easy as just letting her escape either. He would have to plan this very carefully, thinking through every little detail. It would be difficult but it wasn't impossible. All he needed was a way to break her out.