A Critical Choice

Watchpoint Gibraltar- Command Centre

The command centre was as busy as ever. Several computers were being operated by personnel and papers were ran between stations, which had information about the base, as well as any intel that anyone found.

Morrison glanced over to a screen on his right, which was currently tuned into a news channel and analysed the image. After a few moments, he shook his head, turning back to watch the rest of the room.

Morrison had lost count of how many times he'd repeated this process. The future of the Petras Act would be decided today yet the UN seemed to be taking their time coming to a conclusion. They'd been in session for hours now and had still yet to take a vote. Morrison was beginning to think that they were doing it on purpose, delaying it for as long as possible. Despite this delay, he knew that they'd been voting soon. After all, they could only put it off for so long.

"Relax Jack." Ana said, noticing him glance towards the screen. "They'll vote when they're ready."

Morrison sighed. "They seem to be taking their time doing it. I'm starting to wonder if they're just doing it to taunt me."

Ana chuckled. "Well, that's certainly possible."

The two went silent for a moment, watching the rest of the Overwatch personnel as they operated the command centre. Eventually, after a short moment, Ana broke the easy silence, sensing that something was bugging Morrison.

"What's wrong Jack?"

"Who says there's something wrong?"

"Jack, we've been friends for a long time now. I know when there's something on your mind."

Morrison stopped and considered his reply for a second, before answering. "I'm trying to get my head around everything and two major questions are bugging me. The first one is Talon. They want the Petras Act revoked but what then? What's their endgame after that?"

Ana could only shrug. "I'm guessing we don't have any intel that will help answer that?"

"No. There's nothing we can find that even comes close to helping us there. Then there's Reyes. He's no longer with Talon and they're clearly not on good terms. So what's he planning? What's his next move?"

"I'm guessing we have no intel on him either?"

"There's even less than what we have on Talon. Reyes has gone completely off the grid... and all that does is worry me."

Before Morrison or Ana could continue their conversation, one of the techs in the lab shouted out to Morrison.

"Commander, there's something you need to see."

Morrison quickly walked over, leaning down so that he could see the screen the tech was sat infront of.

"What is it?"

"We just got sent a data package, though I can't work out who from."

Morrison looked at the unknown files currently on the screen. "Athena. Have anything to say?"

"I can confirm that these files do not contain any malware." The AI replied. "However, I am unable to determine the source of them."

Morrison sighed, before motioning to the tech. "Guess we have to open it then."

The tech clicked on the files, attempting to open them. However, they were met with the sight of a box, asking for a specific password for something he'd never even heard of.

"Um... sorry sir, I have no idea what this is."

"I do. Everyone look away for a second."

The techs all turned their heads and Morrison typed a code into the computer. The password was in fact an old identification code for the position of Strike Commander, that only Morrison knew. Once the code was entered, several files were suddenly revealed, along with two videos. One was addressed to Lena "Tracer" Oxton, while the other was addressed to Morrison himself.

When Morrison clicked on the video addressed to himself, he was greeted with an black screen. However, a few seconds later a woman with a British accent began speaking.

"Commander Morrison. We have discovered a number of suspicious transactions where money has been transferred between multiple accounts. We believe that these accounts are owned by Talon and are being used for various different reasons. However, the accounts are based in several different countries and we don't know who we can trust. Therefore, I have been authorised to pass this information onto you. Use it well."

The video ended, with a number of the techs wondering who had sent the message. Morrison on the other hand turned and faced Ana.

"Well. That's interesting." Ana said.

"British accent, the secrecy surrounding the files and she was authorised to pass it on. No doubt about it, that was British intelligence."

The room fell silent as Morrison looked over the information that had been provided. After a quick glance, he realised that this was far more complicated than it first appeared.

"Athena, pass on the video to Lena when you consider it the right time and then see if you can make any sense of this."

"Yes commander."

"Everyone else, keep up the good work."

The video to Lena disappeared first, Athena saving it elsewhere for another time. Then the rest of the files vanished from the computer, reappearing on the holographic table in the commander centre. Athena then went to work deciphering what it all meant, something she was quite capable of doing even when she was running the rest of the base.

Two hours later

A few hours after they'd left, Lena and Emily were walking back into the base, arms once again locked together. Lena hadn't wanted anything too large for lunch, so the two walked to a small sandwich shop, one which Lena knew sold excellent food and bought one for each of them. They then found a nearby park and sat on a bench, enjoying the sounds of the birds as they ate their lunch.

It had been a while since Lena had been able to spend time with Emily and not have to worry about Overwatch. Ever since the original recall, she'd been spending more and more time away from home and sometimes she wondered what her life would be like if she wasn't an agent. Emily was extremely understanding and Lena couldn't be more grateful. Yet Lena couldn't help but think about how their relationship would be if she'd never had her accident.

Despite this and everything that had happened, Lena wouldn't change anything for the world. The world needed heroes and she knew how important a role she was playing in the fight agaisnt Talon. She also had the most amazing girlfriend in the world and someone who had stayed by her side even after everything they'd been through.

This was something else Lena had been recently thinking about. Emily was so understanding, so supportive and where anyone else would have likely ran, she'd stuck next to her after all she'd been through. Emily meant the world to Lena. She was the reason that Lena kept going, the reason she had to fight. She completed her.

Lena couldn't help but smile at her thoughts, as she cuddled closer to Emily, the two now approaching the building Lena's quarters were in.

"Thanks for today Em. It was nice to have some me and you time."

"Yeah, it was..." Emily drifted off and it was clear to Lena that she was thinking about something herself.

"What's up luv?"

The two stopped walking and Emily took a moment before answering.

"Okay, don't bite my head off when I say this... I've been thinking over this for a few days now and I've come to a decision... I want to join Overwatch."

Lena was very surprised by this. She opened her mouth to say something, only to close it moments later. After another pause, she managed to reply. "What do you mean by join Overwatch?"

"I don't mean fighting, I don't think I'd be very useful there." Emily clarified, seeing Lena relax slightly as she said this. "I've seen first hand what Talon are capable of, how far they're willing to go and I can't just stand by at the sidelines anymore. I think I could really help here. Even if it's just helping Winston or Angela out, I'd be doing something good."

Lena stopped to think over this. She could see where Emily was coming from. After all, she couldn't exactly just return home to her normal life. Yet she wanted her to be sure about this.

"It's a funny life at Overwatch and it's not like anything you've experienced before." Lena said, taking Emily's hands as she spoke. "That's why I never asked you. I didn't want to put that burden on you... So I want you to be one hundred percent sure about this."

"I am sure Lena. I want to be by your side, helping to make the world a better place... and I want to be there for you."

Lena went silent again, before she nodded her head. "Okay. If you're sure this is what you want, then I'll support you all the way."

The two hugged and Lena kissed Emily's cheek.

"So, how about we go back to my room? We could watch some tv, maybe a film?"

Before Emily could answer, she received a text. She pulled out her phone and saw that the message was from Winston, informing her that Lena's surprise was ready.

"Actually, I have one more thing to show you."

"Show me? Have you been up to something?"

"Maybe... but you have to close your eyes."

Lena complied, closing her eyes before she giggled, as Emily placed her hands over her closed eyes.

"Hey, they're closed." Lena playfully said, feeling Emily lean in closer to her ear.

"I know. I just don't trust that they'll stay closed."

Lena giggled again. "You know me too well. Lead the way then."

Emily began to gently lead Lena towards her surprise, having a basic idea where she was going. Thankfully, Athena had noticed the two were on their way and informed Winston, who came and helped her the rest of the way. Eventually, they reached the lounge and Emily removed her hands.

"Okay, you can open your eyes now."

When Lena did so, she was greeted with the sight of a DJ table, with Lucio standing behind it, running a few songs through his headphones. There were a number of speakers and a few disco lights dotted around the room. She also saw Winston, who walked over to speak to Lucio briefly, before turning and smiling at Lena. Not quite understanding what was going on, Lena turned to Emily.

"So, remember when we started dating, we went to that nightclub in London?" Emily began, taking note of the confused look Lena gave her.

"The one that played music from the 80's and 90's?"

"That's the one. Well, I wanted to do something for you to help take your mind off everything. So I thought about recreating that date here, inviting a few of the others to join and just let our hair down. I know it might be a little cheesy..."

"No... no it isn't. I really love it Em." Lena said, hugging Emily with a large smile across her face. "You really did all this for me?"

"Well, I came up with the idea. It was these two who put it together."

At this point, Lucio took off his headphones. "Let me correct you there. She came up with the idea, I put all of this together. He just supervised." He said, pointing towards Winston.

Winston pretended to look offended and Lena chuckled at the two as they joked around. "Yeah, of course he did Lucio. Totally believe you. So, when's the disco start?"

"I'm ready to go whenever." Lucio replied. "Just say the word."

"Well, how about we start in half an hours time?" Lena suggested. "It'll give everyone chance to finish what they're doing."

"That's cool. It gives me chance to go grab something to eat beforehand."

Outside Winston's lab- Ten minutes later

Hanzo stood overlooking the cliff, watching the ocean as it gently moved. Nearby sat Zenyatta, who was deep in meditation. Hanzo decided to leave the monk alone, wanting some quiet himself as he thought.

When he first agreed to help Genji, he did so to help him find and rescue Mercy. A lot had happened since then and Hanzo has been thinking about where he stood in this conflict. He'd made it clear to Talon that he wasn't going to join them but now he had to decide if he was really a part of this fight.

As he continued to watch the ocean, Genji walked up and stopped next to him.

"I suspect there is something you wish to talk about." Genji said, guessing that the reason his brother was here was because he was deep in thought.

"Indeed there is. Since I have made it clear to Talon I will not work with them, I have been considering my place here at Overwatch."

"I see." Genji knew Hanzo had only agreed to help find Angela and had been clear that he would decide whether or not he would stay. Since Hanzo had stayed and fought with them in Numbani, Genji had considered he was intending to stay. However, he could not be certain.

Hanzo took a pause, admiring the scenery for a short time before he continued.

"I have been thinking over what you said when you came to me for help and I have come to realise the truth in your words. Our family had indeed lost its way and you did what you thought was best. There is no changing that now. Perhaps there was a time where I would have taken Talon up on their offer, to restore our family's name to its former reputation... Now, I do not believe I would."

Genji didn't respond, staying silent and simply nodding his head before Hanzo continued.

"You were also correct when you said the world is changing and that it will not wait for me to be ready to act. You have decided to walk down the path before you... It is time that I do the same."

Hanzo turned to face Genji, extending out his hand. "I will stay and fight with you. It is the right thing to do."

Genji shook the hand, smiling under his mask. "I am glad to hear that brother."

As the two shook hands, Zenyatta briefly looked up, nodding his head in approval before returning to his meditation. It was a motion that didn't go unnoticed by Genji, yet he decided not to comment on it, instead continuing to speak to Hanzo.

"Now that you've decided that you're staying, Perhaps you would be interested in a party? Athena has informed me that one is taking place soon and it would be a good opportunity to get to know the other agents better."

Hanzo thought over the proposal. "I do not know if a party is my sort of thing. I consider it is more you're style... but I agree I should get to know the others better."

"I'm glad to hear that. How about you master? Will you be joining us?"

Zenyatta looked up from his meditation once again, this time floating up from his sitting position. "I believe I will. Perhaps it will help me learn the appeal behind such events."

Twenty five minutes later

The party had already started when Widow and Sombra arrived, the two deciding not to be too early. They'd also made an agreement not to outright say anything about their relationship, at least not tonight anyway. The party was meant to be for Lena, so Widow didn't want to become the centre of attention. That didn't mean they couldn't drop hints however.

From outside the lounge, it was impossible to tell there was a party even happening, thanks to the advanced soundproofing in the walls. It was one of the few upgrades Winston had decided to put into the base, suspecting the agents would need a place to blow off some steam after difficult missions.

When they stepped inside, it was a completely different story. The room was full of agents, with only Morrison and Ana missing, both busy in the command centre. Even the Bastion was present, sat near the back of the room, observing as the party unfolded.

The room itself definitely looked the part too. The lights had been dimmed so that the disco lights were more prominent and next to the lights was Lucio, who was standing behind his DJ table, currently playing Blue Monday by New Order. In the middle of the room were Lena, Emily, Angela, Fareeha, Hana and Genji, all of which were dancing along to the music. At one edge of the room, Hanzo leaned against the wall, chuckling to himself as he watched Genji dance at a surprising speed. Next to him was Zen, who was nodding his head to the beat.

At the back of the room was a large wooden bar, which was surprisingly void of alcohol. Widow guessed this was due to Morrison. After all, having nearly every agent hungover the next day might not exactly be a good idea. At the bar stood McCree, acting as the bartender, along with Reinhardt, Winston and Zarya. Torb, Brigitte and Baptiste were also part of this group but were sat on bar stools instead.

Shortly after Widow and Sombra had entered, Lena spotted them and waved, before she returned to dancing, clearly enjoying the party. Instead of joining in, something Sombra said she intended to do, the two walked over to the bar, leaning against it as McCree walked over.

"Evening ladies. What can I get you? We have anything you want, so long as it doesn't contain alcohol."

"Morrison?" Widow asked.

"Yep. Can't say I argue with his logic though."

Sombra rolled her eyes, gaining a laugh from the nearby group, before she asked for a lemonade, Widow asking for the same. The two then turned and watched the other group dance, as Genji took over the dance floor. Everyone stopped and watched the ninja, a few cheering as he got carried away.

"We get it brother, you can dance. Please stop showing off." Hanzo joked, causing a laugh throughout the room. Genji stopped and raised his arms at Hanzo, clearly joking around himself, before the group began dancing again.

As the party went on, the rest of the Meka pilots arrived, as well as a couple of crusaders. The crusaders didn't stay long, speaking briefly with Reinhardt before leaving again, not wanting to intrude. Hana meanwhile waved the group of pilots over to her, introducing them to the other agents they'd yet to meet.

As they approached, Lena stopped dancing, knowing that this could be a potentially awkward moment. She didn't object to the pilots being at the party and had actually been the one who suggested Hana invite them, saying they needed to feel like part of the team. However, she'd yet to speak to Yuna since the incident back at the Meka base and had yet to clear the air.

"Hey, Yuna right?" Lena asked, gaining a nod from her as Hana began to introduce the agents to the pilots. "About what happened before... I'm so sorry that was how we met. I hated every second of it but I had no other choice at the time."

Before she could continue, Yuna spoke up.

"Don't worry about it. I understand why you acted the way you did. Honestly, I would have done exactly the same thing."

Lena gently raised her arms, offering a hug. The Meka pilot accepted and the two quickly were smiling again, any tension between them evaporating. After their introductions, the Meka pilots split up, some walking over to the bar and finding something to drink, while the others stayed with the rest of the group, dancing as a new song began playing.

The music changed another two times, with Winston moving to the dance floor after some encouragement from Lena. He couldn't help but begin dancing, surprising some agents with how well he could dance. Eventually, Lucio changed tracks once more and Lena stopped upon hearing what it was, turning towards Emily with a large grin.

It was Stayin' Alive by Bee Gees. This particular song had been played at their original date and Emily knew she had to have it play again this time. Once she saw her grin, Emily stepped in front of lena and she placed her arms on her waist.

"Ready?" Lena asked.

"Do you even have to ask?"

The two began moving with the music, Lena taking the lead and guiding Emily along with her. She soon reached for Emily's hand and she spun herself around, before spinning back the other way.

At this point, the two had gained an audience, with the group of dancers giving them some space. The group at the bar also turned to watch, McCree informing them something was happening with a "look at them two go." The two lovers didn't mind this one bit, since the exact same thing had happened during their original date.

As the two continued dancing, Emily spun once more before the two changed what they were doing. They started with a few moves that they'd picked up from an old film they once saw, Saturday Night Fever, which gained a cheer from the agents. However, they weren't done yet. As the track continued, they began to do the Charleston.

The room were stunned into silence for a second, before the cheers returned, this time louder. The room was amazed by them. Firstly, most of the agents had seen Lena dance this before but had no idea Emily could dance it too. However, the two were in perfect sync, not only with each other but with the music too. It fitted extremely well and everyone loved it.

As the track neared the end, the two stopped the Charleston and Emily spun herself back to Lena, the two facing each other as they danced. The rest of the room soon faded into the background, as both Lena and Emily focused on each other. Right now, there was no one else but them, together in this moment.

They both stopped dancing and slowly leaned in for a long kiss. The rest of the agents all cheered louder than before, yet neither of them even heard it, lost in the moment.

When they finally returned to reality, they found themselves the centre of attention, with every agent in the room applauding them. The two couldn't help but smile and Emily felt herself blush ever so slightly. A few seconds later, they both took a bow, as the applause began to die down.

"Nice moves you two." Reinhardt said, raising his drink as he spoke.

"Thank you Reinhardt." Lena replied, Lucio keeping the music off for a moment so she could speak. "Before we continue, I'd like to say thanks. Not only to Winston and Lucio for helping set this all up, but to everyone for coming tonight. It's nice for all of us to just spend time together as a team."

"You know we'd be hard pressed to miss any party." McCree stated, gaining another cheer from Reinhardt and a laugh throughout the room.

"Can't argue with you there McCree. Now, if you all don't mind, I'd like to have a drink with my amazing girlfriend, so Lucio... you know what to do."

There were a couple of aww's before Lucio spun a green record in his hand and almost slammed in back onto his decks.

"Yeah, let's drop the beat!"

The music restarted and the dance floor came back to life. Lena noticed Angela and Fareeha had begun dancing together, the blonde's arms around the others waist. She giggled at the sight, glad that the two were finally together. After all, it took them long enough. Winston also decided to take a break, walking over to the bar and standing next to Lena and Emily, while Brigitte took his place on the dance floor.

Moments later, they had a drink in front of them, McCree waisting no time pouring what they asked for. Shortly after, Lena turned to Winston.

"Hey big guy. Got a sec?"

"Of course Lena. What's up?"

At this point, Emily had moved next to Lena and wrapped her arm around her, knowing what Lena was going to ask.

"So I'm going to get straight to the point. Em's been thinking things over recently and she's decided she wants to join Overwatch."

Winston was taken back for a second, not expecting Emily to agree to that.

"Are you sure Emily?"

"I'm positive." She replied. "I'll admit I'm no fighter but I can't just stand back and do nothing anymore. Even if it's just helping you around your lab, I'll be doing something good."

Winston stopped to think it over. "I'm sure I could find something for you to do... but even then, you'd have to be trained to defend yourself, in case we're ever attacked."

"I can do that." Lena quickly said. "And I'm sure some of the others will help."

"I will gladly help out." Widow stated, gaining a smile from both Lena and Emily.

"So will I." McCree added, overhearing the conversation. "Hell, Emily's practically one of us. We'd all be more than willing to help."

Winston looked towards the rest of the group at the bar, seeing Reinhardt and Torb nodding in agreement. From the look on her face, Zarya didn't seem too sold on the idea and Baptisite couldn't really comment, being a new addition to the team.

"Alright then." Winston finally replied, admitting defeat. "If you're absolutely sure that this is what you want Emily, then I'll speak with Morrison. I can't promise you he'll agree but considering everything that's happened, I think he will."

"Thank you Winston." Emily said, smiling at the gorilla before taking a sip of her drink.

"One more thing." Lena quickly added. "We have some stuff at our apartment that I'd like to be able to go and get. Any chance that could be arranged?"

Winston was able to give an answer to this much quicker than his previous one.

"That should be possible. We've been monitoring the area and keeping an eye on your apartment. Thankfully, there's been no sighting of suspicious activity and your apartment appears to be clean. I'll run it by Morrison but as long as the situation doesn't change, we might be able to put a team together tomorrow."

"If you can, that'll be great. Thanks big guy."

Lena moved forward and hugged the gorilla, which in turn made him smile. "Happy to help. Now, do me one thing Lena. Forget about Overwatch for tonight and enjoy the party."

Lena gave Winston one of her famous salutes. "Aye aye."

In return, Winston rolled his eyes, gaining a giggle from Lena, before he headed back to the dance floor, being called over by Lucio to join the rest of the dancers. Lena then turned back to her drink, picking up her glass and tapping it against Emily's.

"Cheers."

"You know, those were some pretty good moves." Sombra said, after they took a swig of their drinks. "You two make quite the pair."

"Thanks Sombra." Lena replied, taking another sip of her drink before continuing. "You two planning on getting on the dance floor later?"

"I'm planning to. I'm not sure about Amelie though."

"I was certainly considering it." Widow said, taking a sip from her own drink far more elegantly than she needed to. "I think I just need a good dance partner."

"How about Sombra then?" Emily suggested, joining the conversation.

"It is an option." Widow replied, taking another sip of her drink. "I'm just not sure if she could keep up with me."

Sombra turned to face Widow, taking note of her seductive tone of voice. "I'm pretty sure I could. Question is, could you keep up with me? After all, you were a ballet dancer. Perhaps this isn't your type of dancing."

Widow simply smirked in return."I'm sure I could pick it up."

"In which case, care to dance?"

"I'd be delighted."

The two leaned up from the counter and began heading over to the dance floor. As they left, Lena watched with a raised eyebrow, before turning back towards the bar. She'd picked up on the flirtatious tone between the two of them and it didn't take long for her to put the pieces together.

"So, do you think Amelie spoke to her?" Emily asked, making sure she wasn't overheard.

"Yep, I'm pretty sure she did."

Talon facility- Unknown location

Doomfist was currently walking through the Talon facility, heading towards Moira's current location. Ever since Reaper had gone rogue, the mood at Talon had changed. Overwatch were a threat, yet they were nothing compared to Reaper. He had knowledge of Talon bases, operations, tactics and it would likely be his mission to make life a living hell for them.

Even though this very base was one of the few Reaper didn't know about, It was only a matter of time before he found out the location of it. Not that this concerned Doomfist though. Reaper's betrayal was a problem and it needed to be dealt with, yet Doomfist was confident that Sigma, along with Junkrat, Roadhog and some of his best soldiers would be able to take him by surprise and kill him once and for all.

After a long walk through the facility, Doomfist arrived at the chamber Moira was currently using. This base had been designed for the creation of experimental weapons, equipment and anything else Talon considered it needed. So Moira was more than happy to use it to continue her work into the nanotech.

Once the door to the chamber opened, Doomfist was greeted with the sight of Moira, with a glowing dark red orb floating in the palm of her hand. Upon closer inspection, he could see that it wasn't an orb as such but a swarm of small nanobots. Around the chamber were a number of tables, each with a corpse on them. The one Moira was standing next to had a familiar face lying on it. The deceased Overwatch agent, Mei.

"I see you've made progress."

"Quite a lot actually. In fact, I do believe I've almost perfected it."

Doomfist was pleasantly surprised by this revelation. However, since Moira was currently working on two major projects for Talon, he wasn't too sure which this one actually was.

"Forgive my ignorance but which project is this? The resurrection tech or the other one?"

"The other one. While I've made progress with the resurrection tech, it will take much longer before it is even functioning correctly." Moira replied, a hint of frustration in her voice.

"I have faith you will crack it. Now, perhaps you could show me the progress you've made with this project."

Moira smirked and had Mei still been alive, it would have sent chills down her spine. Moira motioned for Doomfist to follow her, leading him to a small room at the side of the room. The door had a glass panel at the top, allowing Doomfist to see inside the cell like room. When he saw inside, Doomfist knew this was game changing.

"You said you've almost perfected this?"

"I still have a few issues to sort out and I will have to replicate the nanobots before this can be used in the field. That will take time and resources."

"Then you will have them. Three of our best agents betrayed us and Talon has suffered a number of defeats lately. This however shifts the balance of power back into our favour. Overwatch and the world will have no choice but to adapt to this new threat."

Watchpoint Gibraltar- Command Centre- Two hours later

The Command Centre was more or less empty now, with only a few key personnel remaining. Morrison was now sitting at one of the screens, waiting for an update regarding the UN decision. At this point, the vote had been made but for security reasons, it was held in secret. Now the world had to wait for the outcome to be released to the public.

Ana had lost count how many times Morrison had checked a news site for any updates and as he went to do it again, she walked over and slapped his hand away from the keyboard.

"If you try to look up the result one more time, I'm going to tie your hands together and then drag you down to that party everyone else is at."

Morrison knew Ana wasn't serious about tying his hands together, yet he knew she probably would drag him down to that party. Although he normally wouldn't mind, he wouldn't be able to relax properly until he knew the decision. So, he gently pushed his chair away from the screen and turned to face Ana.

"I'm surprised you're not down there yourself."

"Well, I considered you'd be stressing out over the Petras Act decision and that someone needed to keep you sane. Seems I was completely right."

Morrison chuckled, as Ana pulled over a chair and sat herself down. "Yeah, maybe I am a little on edge."

"That's putting it lightly."

"I haven't asked but how are things between you and Fareeha?" Morrison asked, changing the topic.

"Things are better between us. I thought it would be more difficult to get her to even talk to me, let alone forgive me. Yet, after all the time I spent away from her, she wants to get to know me again. It's good to be able to make amends and spend some time with her."

"I have to ask... her father... I have Overwatch watching him but... what does he know?"

"He knows Fareeha is okay."

"What about you? Does he even know you're alive?"

Morrison noticed Ana look down towards the ground slightly, though he couldn't tell if this was out of shame or regret.

"No. Unless Fareeha has told him and I'm pretty sure she hasn't, Sam doesn't know. I don't know if I'll tell him though. He's likely moved on and I don't want him involved in all of this."

"Fareeha didn't move on." Morrison pointed out. "She kept looking for you, even when everyone else said you were dead."

"That's true I suppose... Perhaps when all of this is over, I'll contact him and tell him the truth. Until then, it's better if he stays in the dark."

Morrison nodded. "I can understand that. Though if you want my advice, don't wait too long... I made that mistake before."

"Excuse me, Commander." Athena said, just as Morrison finished. "There has been a development regarding the UN decision."

"Put it on the screen Athena." Morrison replied, moving back to the computer he was just at. On the screen were a number of news stories, all reporting on the same issue. Morrison stayed silent, as he read the headlines again, making sure he hadn't misread them.

Ana saw how Morrison froze up and had to walk over. Unlike Morrison though, she only had to read one headline for the message to sink in.

BREAKING NEWS: UN votes to revoke Petras Act.

"Do we tell them?" Ana eventually asked, unsure how to proceed.

"No, not tonight." Morrison replied. "Let them enjoy that party, they need it. Besides, we don't need to tell them. They'll find out one way or another."