Hey everyone. Just a quick note before this chapter begins.
So as most of you probably know, McCree recently had his name changed to Cole Cassidy.
Now I've been thinking this over for a while since they announced the rename and I've decided that I'm also going to go back and change his name in this story. For that reason, this chapter has been written under the impression I've already done that change.
Now, on with the show.
Hidden Motives
"Get up Jack. No one left behind."
Of all the ways today could have played out, this was certainly not one Morrison had considered. First they go up against Moira's latest project, which appeared to have her controlling the undead. Now Reaper stood above him, with a perfect opportunity to kill him. Yet here he was offering him a helping hand up.
The other agents still had their weapons trained on the former Talon agent, watching him carefully. Yet Reaper didn't seem at all phased by the amount of firepower aimed in his direction.
Cautiously, Morrison grabbed Reaper's outstretched hand and was pulled up from the ground. Moments later, his pulse rifle appeared in front of him, held up by no other than Reaper. The strike commander took his weapon, remaining silent as he stared down his old friend, before finally breaking it.
"Reyes."
"Morrison. Didn't know if you'd actually appear."
"So, that tip off was you then?" Morrison asked, motioning for the other agents to stand down. Slowly, they all lowered their weapons, yet they still remained ready to react if Reaper suddenly decided to attack.
"Yes. I needed some backup to take this place down... and I though you needed to know about Moira's little project."
"So what, Moira can control zombies now?" Cassidy said, turning his attention back to the numerous bodies on the ground. He half expected them to get up and start fighting again at any moment.
"They're not zombies." Reaper quickly clarified. "She's been trying to replicate Mercy's tech and she found this side effect instead. Then she decided that weaponising it was a good idea."
"We can't allow her to have this kind of tech. The damage she could do with it..." Morrison trailed off.
"For once, I agree with you."
"So what's our next move?"
Reaper looked back to Morrison, surprised that he'd asked him of all people and he briefly wondered if Morrison himself was thinking something similar.
"We need to destroy this base, along with her research." Reaper announced. "If I'm correct, this base should have a self destruct..."
"Why the hell does this place have a self destruct?" Cassidy asked.
"Containment. Or if they simply want to hide their research from a sudden attack." Reaper replied.
"Right..."
"As I was saying, get to the command centre and find out how to activate it. I'll go after Moira."
It wasn't clear if Morrison was thinking of objecting or if he wanted to suggest something different. It was clear from the other Overwatch agents expressions that they seemed very suspicious of Reaper, yet Morrison didn't push it. He looked up to the observation chamber where Moira had been standing, who'd disappeared shortly after Reaper had appeared, before slowly nodding.
"Alright then, we'll do it your way. How long do you want before we activate the self destruct?"
"Don't bother waiting. Just do it." After another nod from Morrison, Reaper then pointed at the observation room. "Fire a rocket at the glass."
The strike commander didn't question the request and instead aimed his weapon and fired. The rockets impacted the glass and ended up doing little damage. However, enough of a gap was created for Reaper to get through. Without another word, Reaper entered his wraith form and flew through the gap in the glass, disappearing as he ventured into the base, chasing after Moira.
"So, we're just doing what he says now?" Cassidy questioned, his tone making his disapproval clear.
"For now, yes." Morrison glanced over to Ana, who'd stayed quiet during until now. She took the opportunity to voice her own thoughts.
"As much as we may not like it, Jack's right. We can't let Talon have access to this kind of tech. We need to destroy this base and everything inside it."
"And what about Moira?" Zarya asked, finally adding her own voice to the conversation.
"We'll have to hope he can take her down." Ana replied, motioning up to where Reaper had disappeared moments earlier.
Both Cassidy and Zarya looked at each other, waiting to see if the other spoke up. Both of them had their own reasons for not trusting Reaper, yet right now, they knew there were more important matters at hand.
"Fine." Cassidy finally said, admitting defeat. "Let's destroy this base then."
With that, the Overwatch team began to move, heading back the way they'd came. As they were leaving, Morrison walked across the room, stopping where Mei's body was. He slung his rifle over his shoulder and knelt down, scooping up the fallen agent.
He wasn't leaving anyone behind.
While the Overwatch team headed back to the command centre, Reaper continued his hunt for Moira. He remained in his wraith form, moving through the base with a surprising amount of speed and soon found his target.
Further ahead, Moira had stopped and was talking to two Talon soldiers. She was currently facing the opposite direction, so she couldn't see Reaper approaching. However, one of the troopers had a good view of the corridor behind her and spotted the cloud of black smoke approaching.
The trooper immediately stepped forward and raised his weapon, with the other shortly following suit. Moira on the other hand turned briefly to see Reaper, before fading away and reappearing further down the corridor, running away from the impending bloodbath.
Reaper didn't waste any time on the two soldiers in front of him, appearing briefly to fire a shot at each one, before returning to his wraith form to catch up with Moira. Thanks to her own abilities though, Moira was able to stay ahead of Reaper, much to his annoyance.
This advantage did not last though, as Reaper, fuelled by rage, began to speed up, slowly but surely making gains on the Talon scientist. Unlike Reaper, Moira could only use her fade so many times and could only travel a short distance in comparison to Reaper.
The cloud of smoke moved closer and closer to Moira, who was still swapping between running and fading in an attempt to escape. Just before she could reach a turning in the corridor, she faded again to gain some much needed distance between herself and Reaper. Yet the former Talon agent was now close enough to attack and once she reappeared, fired his Hellfire shotguns.
The first shot hit her back and the force knocked her forward, almost to the ground. She was just able to keep herself standing though, moving quick enough to avoid most of the second shot. She faded down the next corridor she was about to run though, turning left as she followed it to her destination. Thankfully, help had finally reached her and was more than ready when Reaper appeared from around the corner.
Just as the former Talon agent emerged from a cloud of back smoke, he came face to face with Moira's backup. Sigma was floating in the centre of the corridor and as he appeared, Reaper was suddenly hit by a large chunk of concrete. He was thrown to the floor, firing two shots as he retreated around the corner. Sigma easily blocked the incoming shots, raising a hand and absorbing the damage.
With Reaper now on the back foot, Moira took the chance to throw out one of her healing orbs, as she peeled the device strapped to her back off. She was more than angry to find the device had been damaged, perhaps beyond repair. Clearly Reaper knew what it was and had aimed his first shot at it instead of her head.
"I'm surprised Reyes." Moira began, as a small squad Talon soldiers appeared, who'd been held back to reinforce Sigma. "You could have gone for a more lethal shot, yet you didn't."
"Destroying your research is more important than simply killing you." Reaper replied, readying yet another set of shotguns.
"Oh really? I'll admit I'm surprised. Contacting Overwatch to help you infiltrate this facility. Not something I ever expected you to do. After all, you left on such bad terms."
"You don't know me Moira." Reaper spat back, venom in his reply.
Moira scoffed. "Of course I know you Reyes. You're one of my greatest successes."
"Successes?" Reaper spat back. "You call subjecting me to this agony a success?"
"No need to thank me, I only saved your life."
Reaper fell silent and Moira knew he was planning his next move. He hadn't just ran out and attempted to attack and he was being far more patient than she expected. With that in mind, the Talon forces began to slowly move backwards, waiting for Reaper to inevitably rush forward.
They'd taken less than ten steps when he did just that, the black cloud that signalled his approach floating from around the corner and through Sigma's barrier. Reaper emerged from the black smoke moments later and aimed his weapons at Moira, yet she expected this and faded away before he could fire.
With his main target out of reach, Reaper focused on the other troopers instead. The small squad was quickly dispatched, only managing to get a few shots off, which did little to slow him down. Once the soldiers were down, Reaper focused on Sigma, firing a few shots and forcing him to use his Kinetic Grasp.
Reaper took the brief opportunity to look behind him, seeing Moira standing further up the corridor, simply watching the fight unfold. He turned and prepared to fire at her, yet Sigma's barrier flew past him, blocking any potential damage he could cause. When Reaper turned back to face Sigma, he heard Moira laugh.
"You were always far too easy to read Reyes and far too easy to manipulate."
"Manipulate?"
Reaper paused, considering Moira's words for a moment. Suddenly it all made sense. He'd long suspected that Talon had infiltrated Overwatch back in the day. Hell, it was painfully obvious they had, yet he never was able to find them before Overwatch fell. He also knew Moira was a lose cannon and was one long before she joined Blackwatch. It wasn't hard for him to fill in the details.
"So you were Talon's inside source."
Moira found herself chuckling, signalling to Sigma to hold off his attack. "Not at first, though I wasn't the only one. You see, Overwatch held my research back too much, while Talon were willing to give me everything I needed. So they formed a plan to take Overwatch down, by turning them against each other. It wasn't that difficult to do either. After all, you and Morrison were already arguing and more of Blackwatch were becoming increasingly angry with how Overwatch was being run. All it took was a few little pushes in the right places for it to completely fall apart... Though I will admit the result was perhaps a little more explosive than I imagined."
Reaper tightened his grip on his weapons, as anger boiled up inside him. If Sigma's barrier wasn't in the way, he'd have turned and fired at Moira. Before anyone could move however, an alarm suddenly blared through the facility, accompanied by flashing red lights.
"Facility self destruct activated. All personnel evacuate immediately."
Reaper glanced towards Moira, who had an eyebrow raised at the sound of the alarm. If she was worried, she wasn't showing it.
"Surprised?"
Moira didn't answer. Instead, she began moving backwards, speaking to Sigma as she did so.
"You know what to do."
Sigma simply nodded, as Moira turned and began running off, leaving Reaper to stare down Sigma, both waiting for the other to make the first move.
It was Reaper who finally moved first, raising his weapons and firing at his target. Sigma easily managed to catch the shotgun rounds with his Kinetic Grasp, before throwing his Hyperspheres in return. Reaper managed to avoid being directly hit by them and began moving forwards, continuing to fire his shotguns at Sigma.
At this point, the fight became more intense. Sigma recalled his barrier and moved it in front of him, the shield absorbing the incoming damage as best as it could. As the barrier began to crack and Reaper moved closer, Sigma pulled a chunk of the wall away and threw it, forcing Reaper to enter wraith form to avoid it.
Still in wraith form, Reaper flew forward and past Sigma, reappearing behind him and once again firing. At the same time, Sigma threw out another two Hyperspheres and both he and Reaper scored hits against each other, yet neither seemed to slow down. As the former Talon agent continued his assault, he was taken by surprise when he was suddenly lifted up and slammed against the ceiling.
"So, Talon finally let you off their leash." Reaper grumbled, as he stood himself back up, reaching for a new set of weapons. "You know you're just being used, right?"
Sigma raised an eyebrow. "Ah, I see Widowmaker has managed to poison your mind as well, with the same lies Overwatch told her."
Reaper grumbled at the response. "For someone who's intelligent, you're extremely stupid sometimes."
Before Sigma could reply, Reaper opened fire again, starting another intense fight between the two. Unlike their last fight however, neither one of them could really gain the upper hand. In the end, the looming self destruct countdown forced Sigma to cut the fight short.
He reached to the wall and pulled a chunk of it away, adding her another hole to the several now dotted around the corridor and threw it at Reaper, forcing him to react. Sigma took the brief opportunity he had to use his powers to grab the walls around him. The walls quickly began crumbling before completely collapsing, right where Reaper had been mere moments ago.
When the dust settled, there was no sign of Reaper, only the rubble which now blocked the way. After waiting a short moment, there was no movement from the rubble and no sign of Reaper. Sigma concluded that he was either stuck under the rubble, or simply blocked off.
Either way, Sigma didn't have the time to wait and see. The timer for the self destruct was still counting down and he certainly didn't want to be around when it inevitably hit zero. So, with one final glance at the rubble, confirming there was indeed no movement, the Talon agent turned and quickly began heading the same way Moira had.
Base command centre- Several minutes earlier
Meanwhile, back in the control centre, the Overwatch team had grouped back up and were waiting for Echo to finish up. Cassidy was currently carrying Mei, watching the door alongside Genji, Zarya and Ana, while Morrison was standing with Echo, watching as she finished copying the files on the system and then prepared the bases self destruct.
"I've finished copying the bases files and the self destruct is ready to go." Echo reported, turning to face Morrison. "Once it's activated, we'll have ten minutes to get clear."
"Is there any way to deactivate it from anywhere else once we start it?" Morrison asked.
"No. I've made sure it can only be disabled from here."
"Good work. Make sure to destroy this console once you activate it."
"Understood." Echo replied, waiting for Morrison to give her the go ahead. Before he did though, he activated his comm, contacting the troopers above ground.
"Fox, you read me?"
"Copy."
"Get back to the dropship. This entire place is going to blow."
"Yes sir."
With that, Morrison nodded to Echo. With a single button press, an alarm ran out throughout the base, along with a message to evacuate. Both Echo and Morrison moved away from the console, allowing the robot to fire a volley of sticky grenades at it, the explosion mangling it beyond use.
"Everyone move out! Get back to the dropship!"
The team didn't need to be told twice, everyone moving as quickly as possible back to the door they'd used to gain entry to the base. However, it seemed that Talon wasn't quite ready to simply let them leave and a small force was waiting for them at the exit.
Fortunately, the Talon forces seemed far more disorganised than the previous defenders they'd encountered and seemed to be made up of whatever troopers were left at the base. There were six troopers directly in front of them, which all fired in the direction of the Overwatch agents.
The Overwatch agents sprung into action, Zarya taking point and blocking the damage sent their way. Genji, Echo and Morrison took the opportunity to move into position and attack, each taking down two troopers in quick succession, while Ana and Cassidy held back, both covering their flank.
Once the six troopers were down, Zarya walked around the corner to where the exit was and once again deployed a bubble over herself, suspecting that there might be a few troopers left. Sure enough, there were two soldiers in front of the door, their rifles raised at the corner Zarya just walk around.
"Go on. Hit me."
The two troopers focused their aim on Zarya, yet neither fired a shot. Instead, they looked at each other, the one shaking his head at the other, before they both simply dropped their weapons on the ground.
"Get us out of here and we'll tell you everything we know."
By this point, Genji and Echo had moved next to Zarya, who's bubble had long since disappeared, both ready to attack the now unarmed troopers.
"Commander?" Genji asked, not taking his eyes off the two soldiers.
"Take them with us." Morrison replied, taking little time to debate the idea. "If they try anything, put them down."
"Understood."
With that, Zarya took the lead once again, running up the stairs with Echo and Morrison not far behind. Ana and Cassidy were next, then the two unarmed troopers, who were closely followed by Genji, who kept his shuriken ready in case they dared to try and attack.
With no further resistance, the Overwatch team made it to the surface and began running towards the dropship, making sure to be clear of the factory before the self destruct activated. As they did so, Morrison contacted Fox.
"Fox, are you at the dropship?"
"Yes sir. Everyone's accounted for."
"Good. We have two Talon soldiers in custody, so make sure you're ready for them."
"Copy that."
The team kept moving and when they were a short distance away from the base, they felt the ground suddenly rumble. They turned to see the large factory collapsing, burying the facility they were in moments ago.
Cassidy let out a short whistle. "Good thing we're weren't in there."
As the rubble settled, the team noticed a single Talon dropship take off, flying away from the now destroyed base.
"We best keep moving." Ana commented, noticing how Morrison had tensed up after seeing the dropship leaving, clenching his fist.
"Agreed." Morrison replied shortly after, seemingly shaken out of whatever trance he was in. "Fox will be waiting for us."
It didn't take the team long to reach their own dropship, where the Overwatch troopers were sat waiting for them. Upon seeing the agents, the squad of troopers all stood to attention, moving to take the two captured Talon soldiers into their custody.
"Fox." Morison began, the squad leader turning to face the commander. "Did you see any Talon forces outside of the base?"
"No sir. No one came out using the entrance we were at and the sniper didn't see anyone moving around either."
Morrison nodded, watching as Cassidy stepped on board the dropship, still carrying Mei, reappearing a few moments later. However, the Overwatch agent suddenly went wide eyed, raising his revolver behind Morrison.
"Behind you!"
Morrison quickly spun himself around and raised his rifle, the other agents and Fox doing the same. Before anyone could fire though, Morrison raised his hand, as a black smoke cloud swirled in front of them. A few seconds later, the smoke cloud finished swirling and Reaper emerged.
"Reyes."
"Morrison."
There was a pause, as Morrison debated his next words carefully. He'd managed to put some of the pieces together, yet Reaper's motives remained far from clear.
"So, I take it you sent us the tip off about this place?"
"Yes."
"Why? You could have easily dealt with this place alone. Why bring us here?"
Reaper remained silent at first, perhaps considering his response. After a short delay, he finally broke the uncomfortable silence.
"You needed to see what Moira was doing first hand. Her research is too dangerous to be ignored."
The strike commander lowered his weapon, sensing the truth in Reaper's words. Ana and Echo also lowered their weapons, yet the remaining agents all kept theirs raised, though this didn't phase Reaper at all.
"What happened to Moira?" Morrison asked.
"She escaped. Sigma was protecting her and it seems Talon has taken the chains off him."
"What do you mean?"
"Sigma has the potential to be extremely powerful but Talon have been holding him back, not wanting to lose control over him."
"I guess losing three of their best agents made them reconsider." Cassidy commented.
"Apparently so."
Morrison took a breath, knowing that the situation just became far more serious. He knew the damage Moira could cause with this power. She simply couldn't be allowed to have it.
"So what now?" He eventually asked Reaper. "What are you planning to do?"
"You need to take Moira out. I want to take Moira out... Our interests are aligned."
"You want to help us?" Morrison questioned, more than a little surprised by this.
"For now."
The strike commander paused once more, debating if this was even a good idea. He had no idea why Reaper had suddenly changed his mind but he knew full well he wouldn't tell him. There were only two people who might be able to get that information out of him and both of them were back at Gibraltar.
In the end, Morrison made up his mind. He let out another breath, before turning to Ana, wondering if he'd come to regret this decision.
"Ana, get on the comm to Winston and tell him we've picked up a guest."
Watchpoint Gibraltar
While events played out over in Australia, the agents that remained at the watchpoint went about their day as best they could. All of them had to be ready, in case Morrison called for reinforcements, yet so far he'd not done so.
With little else to do while they waited for news, Widow walked through the base, heading towards the medical bay. She'd decided to go and speak with Angela about her conditioning, specifically about her treatment.
Angela had said she would discuss this with Widow once she was ready, yet the topic hadn't been given the chance to be brought up, Talon's recent activity taking priority. Still, Widow knew she needed to have this conversation at some point and with both of them stuck here until further notice, now seemed as good a time as any.
Fortunately, Widow wouldn't be alone. She'd told Sombra her plans for the day and the hacker had immediately offered to come along, knowing how important this was for her.
"Don't you have work to do?" Widow had asked her, yet the hacker simply waved a hand.
"Nothing that requires me to stare at the screen all day. Besides, I need a break from it and you're more important anyway."
Widow couldn't help but smile at the comment, leaning over to give her a quick kiss. "Thank you Olivia."
When the two arrived at the medical bay, they were surprised to see it was fairly busy. It seemed that the medical staff were busy with check ups, with several soldiers sitting around the place. At least, that was what they assumed anyway. It didn't really mater to them.
"Hello. Can I help?"
Widow turned her head towards one of the nurses, who'd walked over when she'd seen them standing at the door.
"I was wondering if I could speak to Angela? Is she busy right now?"
"She shouldn't be too busy. We're just doing some routine check ups, so we can manage without her for a bit. I'll go and find her for you."
"Merci."
The nurse walked off, heading out of sight and returning with Angela a short time later.
"Hello you two." Angela said in greeting. "The nurse said you wanted to speak to me?"
"Oui. I wondered if I could speak with you... about my conditioning?"
"Of course we can." Angela replied, gently smiling at Widow. "I just need to finish up something first but it won't take long. So would you mind waiting in my office?"
"Not at all."
Angela hurried off back the way she just came, pointing Widow and Sombra in the direction of the office. When the two stepped inside, they were met with a small, basic looking office, which upon initial glance had little of note inside. There was a wooden desk, which had a computer and a holographic projector sitting on it. On the one side of the desk sat a large amount of paperwork, with more likely filed in the two filing cabinets that flanked the desk. In front of the desk were two chairs, which were clearly meant for those meeting with Angela.
Sombra closed the door behind them and the two sat themselves down, Widow taking a breath as they waited for Angela. The hacker noticed her tense up a little and placed a hand over hers.
"It'll be okay Amelie. Whatever Angela says, you'll get through it."
Widow gently nodded, taking another breath and doing her best to relax herself. Despite everything, Widow couldn't help but be nervous when talking about her conditioning. She hated finding out how Talon had turned her into Widowmaker and when it came to treating it, she didn't know what to expect. For all she knew, she could be stuck the way she was for the rest of her life. Part of her knew this was very unlikely, yet the thought was always in the back of her mind.
After a short wait, which felt a lot longer for Widow, Angela stepped into the office, closing the door behind her.
"Sorry for the delay." Angela began, walking over and taking a seat on the other side of her desk. "I didn't want to just drop what I was doing."
"It's quite alright."
Angela booted up her computer and typed away on the keyboard, bringing up Amelie's file.
"Okay, so before we begin I just want to double check. I know you two are close but as this is personal medical information, are you comfortable with Sombra being present?"
"Oui. Very comfortable." Widow answered, not missing a beat. Sombra knew a good amount already but she appreciated that Angela had asked first. It showed that she did truly care and wasn't prepared to do anything without Widow's consent.
"Okay then."
Angela pressed a button on her keyboard and a hologram of Widow appeared.
"So, since the last time we spoke about your conditioning, I've spent some time going back over the files Talon had to make sure I fully understood what they did. Now, as you know, there are two parts of your conditioning, the phycological and the physical. Physiologically, I'm glad to say the conditioning appears to have fully worn off."
A small smile briefly appeared on Widow's face, before vanishing as quickly as it appeared. Angela could tell that she was glad to hear that, yet she was still worried about what she would say next.
"This leaves the physical conditioning and after reading through your files, I've come up with a treatment plan for you. However, before I go into detail about this plan, I want to talk to you about a few aspects of your physical conditioning first."
Angela paused, looking over to Widow and seeing her nod, indicating for her to continue. The medic pressed another button on her keyboard and then motioned for Widow and Sombra to look at the hologram.
"From what I can see, Talon did a number of enhancements to your body. They enhanced your muscles, which increased your overall strength. Your bones have also been strengthened and they can take a much higher amount of force than most normal people. This is likely the reason why you've been able to grapple around and jump from rooftop to rooftop without sustaining any injuries. Finally, your stamina and speed is much higher than usual. In fact, from what I've read and seen, I wouldn't be surprised if you could keep up with the likes of Genji and even Lena in the right circumstances."
"Don't let Lena hear you say that." Sombra lightheartedly said, gaining a chuckle from both other women.
"Oui. I'm pretty sure she'd have us racing around, trying her best to prove otherwise." Widow added, her small smile reappearing as some of her tension lifted.
"I have no doubt she would." Angela agreed, the three sharing another chuckle before she returned to her original topic. "In any case, there is a reason I brought these aspects up specifically. With the treatment plan I have created, these aspects of your conditioning won't be affected and you'll retain them for the rest of your life."
Angela paused to let Widow absorb the information, watching as she slowly began nodding.
"That makes sense. There's no real disadvantage with leaving those parts alone. I can live with that."
"Okay then, let's move on to your treatment plan."
Mercy reached for the keyboard again and the hologram shifted, the image focusing on Widow's upper body.
"So, your treatment mainly revolves around your heart. Talon used cybernetics to artificially slow down your heart rate, which in turn reduced your body temperature and changed your skin colour."
Mercy paused briefly, pointing at where Widow's heart would be on the hologram.
"Surrounding your heart is a large amount of tech, which was originally used to modify your heart rate and makes sure to keep it at its current level. What I would do is use my nano tech to safely take control of this tech and then slowly begin to increase your heart rate back to its original level. This in turn would increase your body temperature and I believe this would also change your skin back to its natural colour."
"How long would this treatment take?" Widow cautiously asked, stopping Angela before she could continue.
"I won't lie Amelie. This isn't a process that will take weeks or months. I would have to increase your heart rate a little at a time, then wait in between for your body to adapt to the change before I increased it again. My nano tech will be able to speed up the process but it took Talon years to do all the changes they did... It will take just as long to undo it."
Widow leaned back into her chair, letting out a deep breath. Even before being told, she knew the treatment would take a while. Yet hearing it was still a lot for her to take in. Fortunately, she wasn't alone and felt the reassuring squeeze of Sombra's hand on hers.
"Hey. I know that's probably not what you wanted to hear but Angela knows what she's doing. She won't put you in any danger or take any longer than she needs."
"I know and I trust her with my life... it's just hearing how long it will take to correct this... it's not easy..."
Sombra scooted her chair closer, so she could wrap her arm around Widow. "I know... but I'm here for you, every step of the way."
Widow gently placed her head against Sombra's, silently thanking her for the support. After a few moments, Sombra placed a gentle kiss on Widow's head and the two sat back up, Widow still holding Sombra's hand as she asked her next question.
"Would there be any side effects with this?"
"There's always a risk with any medical procedure but going off your records, I don't believe there would be any major side effects. It's possible that you would initially feel unwell after having your heart rate increased, so I'd recommend you be kept out of the field for at least a week after a procedure. That way, I can monitor you to make sure everything's normal and you won't be under any unnecessary stress while you recover."
"Right..."
Widow trailed off, considering the information she'd been told. She stared at the holographic image of herself, running over what Angela had said again before she let out another breath.
"Okay... I can work with that... when can we start?"
"Whenever you're ready Amelie." Angela replied, with a soft smile. "The good thing about this treatment that I can adjust the time between each procedure, so we can go at your pace. So if you need some time before we continued, we can do that."
Widow nodded as a small smile creeped onto her face. "Thank you Angela."
"You're welcome Amelie. Just before you go, there is something else I do want to talk about. It's about your eyes and hair colour."
The hologram shifted again, this time bringing up an image of Widow's head and highlighting where her eyes would be.
"So, while we work through your treatment plan, I'm not planning on messing with either of these but I do want to mention them. First there's your eyes. Talon made some enhancements to your eyes, making them partly cybernetic. It made you more perceptive and your vision was improved but it also had the side effect of changing your eye colour. Now, there isn't any real benefit to removing the cybernetics in your eyes. In fact you basically have the same cybernetics Ana had, so I don't really think we should remove them. However, what I can do is use my nano tech to change the colour of your eyes to something more natural if you want."
Widow nodded. "If I wanted the cybernetics removed at a later date, would it be possible?"
"Theoretically yes, though I don't want to promise it. Your files aren't particularly detailed in this regard, so I'd want to run some tests before I even begin operating on your eyes. Even before I know the details, I can tell you it won't be a quick procedure and unless I find something indicating otherwise, I still wouldn't recommend it."
"I see. What about my hair colour?"
"Your hair colour is a lot simpler. It changed colour as a side effect of your conditioning and as I begin to undo what Talon did, it's possible that it might change colour again, though I can't be certain. However, even if it doesn't, once your heart rate is back to normal, I believe I would be able to adjust the colour to something else if you wanted."
Before Widow could respond, the hologram suddenly shifted, changing to the logo of Athena.
"Sorry for interrupting doctor Ziegler but captain Sojourn needs to speak to the three of you in Winston's lab. I'm afraid it is urgent."
"Thank you Athena. Tell her we'll be there shortly."
"Yes Doctor Ziegler."
Angela let out a sigh, as Athena's logo disappeared and the hologram returned. "Thankfully, there wasn't anything else I wanted to mention. I know that was a lot of information so is there anything you want to ask Amelie? Anything you want clarifying?"
Widow stayed quiet as she thought, shaking her head after a short pause. "Nothing comes to mind right now."
"That's okay. If you do think of anything though, don't hesitate to come ask. I'll also print a more detailed report for you, so you can read through everything we've talked about before we begin any procedures. Like I said earlier though, we can begin the treatment whenever you feel ready. So take a bit of time to read through the report and then once you're comfortable, come and see me. Is that okay with you?"
"Oui, it is. Thank you Angela."
With that, the three finished up their meeting, wasting little time and heading straight over to Winston's lab. Upon arriving, they found both Winston and Sojourn on the lower level of the lab, looking over a collection of data on the holographic table.
"Ah, there you three are." Sojourn said, stepping away from the table and over to them. "Morrison's team contacted us not too long ago and there's been a development."
"What sort of development?" Angela questioned.
"One where we need to tread very carefully. They're on their way back to Gibraltar... and they have Reaper with them."
"Gabriel? Did he come willingly?" Widow asked.
"Apparently he did. He's not causing any trouble for now but Morrison asked for you to take the lead when they arrive. You and Sombra know him best and Morrison thinks he'll be more cooperative with us if he sees some familiar faces."
"Oui, I agree. Does anyone else know about this?"
"Not yet. I'm going to call every agent here shortly to update them but I wanted to tell you first. You probably know how best to proceed here."
"Right. I'll come up with a plan and keep him under control."
"Good. Morrison's team's still some time out, so if you need anything, just let me know." Sojourn then turned her attention to Angela. "In the meantime, the team sent some data over and I need you to help Winston look it over."
Angela simply nodded in response, moving over and stopping next to Winston, as the gorilla began talking through all the data they had. Sojourn began speaking into her earpiece, coordinating with Athena to get the rest of the agents into the lab, while Widow and Sombra turned to head out, wanting a bit of space to think over a plan.
However, as they left, Widow noticed something had changed with Angela. Instead of her usual calm demeanour, she instead seemed agitated and uncomfortable. She even noticed the doctor clench her fist in response to what Winston was telling her, something that was very out of character for the usually calm doctor. Whatever she'd been told, it was clearly getting to her.
Later that day
Widow stood outside Winston's lab with her arms folded, Sombra standing alongside her as they waited for the dropship with Morrison's team on board to arrive. Sojourn had informed the rest of the agents about the situation and all of them knew what to expect. As far as they were concerned, they were following Widow's lead.
That's why this section of the base currently had no soldiers on duty. Widow considered that having Overwatch soldiers aiming their weapons at the first sight of Reaper wasn't exactly the best way of winning him over. Instead, the agents themselves would be watching him, all ready to attack if needed.
Ashe was currently equipped with Widow's Kiss and was lying down on the upper level of the lab in sniper position, while Bob covered her. Tracer was further back, causally leaning against the lab entrance but ready to spring into action in a moments notice.
Crouched down on the building next to the lab was Pharah, who was equipped with her Raptora armour and her rocket launcher. Inside that very same building was Hanzo, Wrecking Ball and Baptiste, the three ready to move in if a fight broke out. Inside the lab itself was Winston, Sojourn, Torbjorn and the Bastion. The other agents were all held further back, giving the illusion that they were off doing their own thing. In reality, they were all a short distance away, ready to strike if Widow gave the word.
Even though they'd prepared for the worse, Widow was confident that Reaper would behave. He already knew where the watchpoint was and if he wanted to attack Overwatch, then all he had to do was walk through the front door. That, along with the report they'd had from Morrison's team and the fact that he was searching for his own answers and Widow was almost certain he wouldn't attack.
If he did though, she wouldn't hesitate to take him down.
"You're unusually quiet." Widow eventually said, breaking the silence between herself and Sombra. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, it's just... last time we saw each other, me and Gabe didn't exactly leave on good terms. So things could be a little..."
"Awkward?"
"Yeah."
"I'll be okay on my own if you're not comfortable doing this." Widow offered, turning her head to face the hacker.
Sombra shook her head. "Thanks but I'll be okay. Besides, I'll have to do this at some point, right?"
Widow let a small smile creep across her face, as the dropship they were waiting for came into view. The Orca circled around and flew down towards he lab, landing a short distance in front of the two. After a few moments, the doors opened and the occupants stepped out.
The first person out was Cassidy, carrying Mei in his arms. Tracer leaned up from the door as the cowboy walked past the former Talon agents and into the lab, dropping her head as she saw Mei. Next off was the squad of soldiers, who headed off towards the cell block with the captured Talon agents. Ana followed shortly after, her rifle slung over her arm. She scanned over the area and quickly picked up on the setup Widow had created. With a quick nod of approval directed at the sniper, she headed inside the lab, intending to speak with Sojourn.
Not long after, rest of the occupants stepped off the dropship. Reaper was the first out, flanked by Morrison, with Genji, Zarya and Echo behind him, watching their guest for any sudden movements. Ashe focused Widow's Kiss on Reaper, keeping the scope aimed on him as he walked over to Widow and Sombra, stopping in front of them and folding his arms.
"Gabriel."
"Amelie. Sombra."
"Did you find the answers you were looking for?" Widow asked, referring to their last conversation in Junkertown.
"Enough of them." Reaper replied, turning his head to Sombra. "You're unusually quiet."
"Yeah well, I never expected you to willingly come here. Guess things are pretty bad, huh?"
"To say the least. Moira's our of control. She needs to be stopped."
Before the conversation could continue, Athena could be heard contacting the rest of the agents.
"All agents please report to Winston's lab."
"Seems Morrison wants to get this briefing over with." Reaper grumbled, going to walk into the lab but being stopped by Widow, grabbing his arm before he could pass her.
"Gabriel, I need to ask you something and I need you to tell me the truth."
"Fine."
"What made you decide to help us?"
Reaper didn't answer, instead turning his head towards Sombra. Widow quickly picked up on what he meant.
"Sombra, could you give us some space please?"
"Yeah, no problem."
The hacker took her leave, heading into the lab to join the rest of the agents. With no one else in earshot, Reaper finally spoke up, making sure to keep his voice low.
"It was Moira. Moira was the mole in Blackwatch, Talon's inside source, or at least one of them... She told me the reasons why she did it and that Talon used the rift between me and Morrison to take Overwatch down..."
Reaper trailed off and fell silent, turning his head away so that he wasn't looking at anyone. Even with his mask on and the fact he was extremely good at hiding his true feeling about anything, Widow knew something else was wrong.
"Why do I get the feeling there's something else that's bothering you Gabriel?" Widow asked, keeping her tone of voice soft. Her question was initially met with silence but eventually, after a surprisingly short wait, Reaper responded.
"She also said that I was easy to manipulate..."
Reaper trailed off again, almost like he was reluctant to continue, leaving Widow to ponder over the statement. It took a moment for her to realise what exactly he meant but when she did, Reaper's reluctance suddenly began to make sense.
"Moira gave you your powers. You're worried she messed with your head at the same time."
"Wouldn't put it past her..."
Widow had long since let go of Reaper's arm and was now struggling to come up with what to say. No one really knew what Moira had done to Reyes, even Reaper himself didn't really understand it. The only one who did for sure was Moira herself. That, along with her own experience at Talon, meant Widow could understand his concerns.
Before the silence could continue, Reaper decided it was best to move on.
"Morrison wants this briefing done as soon as possible. Best not keep him waiting."
Instead of pushing the matter, Widow decided it best to let it go, at least for now. She could tell Reaper wasn't keen on talking about it. So, she stepped aside and motioned towards the lab.
"After you."
As Reaper began moving towards the lab, Widow turned to Morrison, who was still nearby watching the events unfold. After giving him a nod, indicating that the situation was under control, she followed after Reaper, Morrison and the remaining agents not far behind.
It didn't take long for the last of the agents to arrive, as they were already nearby due to Widow's plan. Morrison took the opportunity to take off his visor and plug it into the holotable while the stragglers arrived, the device having recorded the last mission in its entirety.
Once the device was plugged in and Morrison got the segment he wanted to show ready, everyone huddled around the holotable, apart from a few exceptions. Ashe remained on the upper level with Bob, sitting on the stairs with Widow's Kiss. Reaper decided to lean against the wall, keeping his distance from everyone else, while the Bastion innocently sat at the back of the room, secretly ready for action if necessary. Both Mercy and Winston were also missing, the two reappearing from a door that lead to another part of the lab a few moments later. Just like earlier, Widow could tell something was off with Angela.
With all the agents now present, Morrison stepped to the table and began speaking. Sojourn had already briefed everyone about Reaper, so he instead went straight to the main issue at hand.
"The location we went to was a Talon research base, being used by Moira to develop her latest project. It's easier to show you what it is than tell you, so I'm going to play back part of the mission my visor recorded."
The room remained silent as Morrison pressed play, an image appearing on the holotable a moment later. No one said a word as they watched, seeing everything Morrison saw. The only sound heard was a few gasps when they saw what Moira had done to Mei, along with her other victims. Eventually, Morrison stopped the video and the image disappeared, Torb being the first person to break the silence.
"So Moira can raise the dead?"
"Do we have to deal with zombies now as well as Talon?" Reinhardt added, clearly troubled by what he'd seen.
Morrison went to explain, yet was cut off by Reaper, who leaned up from the wall he was resting against and moved over to the group.
"They're not zombies. Moira's trying to replicate Mercy's resurrection tech, using a sample of her blood she took when she was captured. While she was experimenting, she stumbled across this. From what I remember from a Talon briefing, she's using her version of Mercy's nano tech to reanimate a dead body and have it do whatever she sees fit."
"What? How is she controlling them?" Pharah asked, asking the question many wanted answering.
"I'm not exactly sure of the technicalities but I know she uses a device that she has to have strapped to her back. I recently managed to critically damage it, so she won't be using this tech anytime soon..."
Before Reaper could continue, he was suddenly interrupted by Mercy.
"Then we kill her before she can repair it."
Everyone turned to the medic, shocked at what they just heard. Of all people who they expected to say that, Angela was not one of them. It wasn't just what she said that surprised them though. The medic had spoken with pure anger in her voice, an anger that remained evident as she continued to speak.
"Everything that woman touches she corrupts. She's taken my life's work, the tech that's designed to save lives and twisted it beyond recognition! I'm sorry but just destroying her research and arresting her isn't enough. She has to die."
"Agreed." Reaper cautiously added, somewhat taken back from Mercy's sudden outburst. "Moira's out of control and she has Doomfist wrapped around her finger. The only way to make sure this project dies is to make sure she dies with it."
The agents all remained silent, all waiting for Morrison to speak. Yet the strike commander remained quiet, his face blank as he thought over the situation. He knew full well that both Mercy and Reaper had a point. Even if they destroyed her research, it would only slow Moira down.
There was no other option. She needed to be taken out.
"She won't be easy to locate." Morrison eventually said, turning to Reaper. "I assume you have an idea for finding her?"
"I do actually. We need to persuade one of the Talon council members to give up her location and the easiest one to convince is Maximilian. He's already given information up once before and he'd prefer Doomfist wasn't informed about that. All we have to do is apply a little pressure and he'll crack."
"What if he doesn't know where she is?" Morrison asked.
"Then I'm sure Sombra could come up with something."
Morrison looked over to the hacker, who shrugged her shoulders in response. "Max is an Omnic, so he's easy enough to hack."
Morrison nodded. "We need to find him first. Once we know his movements, then we can plan our next move. Sombra, see what you can find out. I'll have our techs look into it as well but you're the best we have. You might find something before them."
"Got it."
"Everyone else, you're dismissed."
Most of the agents slowly began to disperse, still wary of their guest. The only person who moved with any sort of speed was Mercy, who quickly made her way out of the lab. Both Tracer and Pharah took note of this, the Brit quickly blinking after the medic.
"I see she's still sensitive about her tech." Reaper muttered, once Mercy was out of earshot. He soon turned his head to Morrison, addressing him directly. "So, I assume you want me in the cells then?"
"There's no point. I'm pretty sure you can escape them without trying. I'll have a room set up for you but you're going to be under constant observation."
"Gabriel won't cause any trouble." Widow said, looking over to the former Talon agent with her arms folded. "Will you Gabriel?"
"No. Overwatch isn't my enemy and we're both after the same thing. As long as you don't try anything, I won't either."
Meanwhile, outside the lab, Tracer had quickly caught up to Angela, blinking over to her and gently placing a hand on her arm.
"Ang, you okay?" Lena asked, bringing the two of them to a stop.
"Im fine Lena."
"You sure? If you wanna talk..."
"I said I'm fine Lena!"
The sudden change in tone took the Brit by surprise and she actually struggled to find her next words. Eventually, she just lowered her head.
"Right... I won't keep you then."
Lena blinked away, letting the medic walk away as she headed back towards the lab, where Fareeha was currently standing in the doorway. She'd seen Angela snap at Lena and could see the Brit's hurt expression.
"She didn't mean it." Fareeha said, though the Brit quickly waved her off.
"I know she didn't. Just isn't nice when she shouts at you... All this stuff with Moira's gotten to her and she really needs someone right now."
"I'll go talk to her. She might open up to me a bit more."
"I'll make sure everyone gives her some space for a bit."
With a quick nod from Lena, Fareeha headed off after Angela, touching her earpiece as she walked to speak to Athena.
"Athena, where's Angela going?"
"She appears to be heading for her private quarters. I will inform you if she does otherwise."
Fareeha picked up her pace, taking a quick diversion to the armoury to drop off her weapon and remove her armour. Half way through removing her gear, both Brigitte and Torbjorn entered the armoury, the former stopping to help remover the last of her armour, while the latter was busy guiding the Bastion back into the room.
Once her armour was off, she gave a quick wave to the two Lindholm's before heading towards the agents barracks. She wasn't too surprised to see that the main door, which had been smashed open the other day by Reinhardt, had since been repaired. She knew Torb was planning to work on it today and he wasn't someone who messed around. The other doors inside the barracks were still damaged, yet the main one outside was the most important.
One short journey through the building later and she was standing outside Angela's room. As Athena hadn't contacted her since, she knew the doctor was inside. Taking a quick breath of air, Fareeha raised her hand and gently knocked the door.
"Ang? It's me... Can I come in?"
Fareeha's question was met with silence. She debated knocking again, not wanting Angela to keep everything to herself yet knowing better than to keep pushing, especially if she wanted to be alone right now.
Thankfully she never needed to decide, as the door gently opened, giving her enough room to step inside. As soon as she was in, the door was closed again and Angela turned around to face her. Fareeha could tell immediately that she'd been crying. Her eyes were red and her makeup around them was smudged.
"Hey, come here you."
Angela didn't resit, wrapping her arms around her girlfriend and feeling a gentle kiss placed on her forehead. She let Fareeha guide her over to the bed, a few more tears escaping as they sat down.
"I hate that woman." Angela finally managed to say, still holding Fareeha tightly. "That tech was meant to heal, to help people... Then she goes and does this... She's pure evil."
"I know... Is that what's made you like this? Your tech being used in this way."
Angela nodded, leaning up and letting Fareeha wipe away some of her tears. "I... I never wanted my work to be used to harm anyone. Seeing it used to create what she did... and then I took it out on Lena..."
"She knows you didn't mean it. She understands why you're upset and I'm sure you'll be able to make it up to her."
"Yeah, I'm sure I can."
Angela trailed off, her mind wondering off once again but returning to reality after feeling a gentle nudge from Fareeha.
"I know I can't make things better right now but is there anything I can do?"
"Just... just stay here with me. I think I could use the company."
"Sure thing. I won't go anywhere."
Angela hugged Fareeha again, resting her head against her chest as another gentle kiss was placed on her head. "Thank you."