It was just another day at the headquarters. The bright orange, compact room was a little less clean than usual. Ana was laid down in the lower bunk bed, only in a grey shirt and baggy, boring-Overwatch's-blue colored shorts. By her side, in the floor, there was an empty chocolate box, filled with wrinkled aluminum papers, no candy left to sight.
She rolled over, smiling gently. Simple nights refreshed her a lot. She could just sleep, eat chocolates, and sleep even more so not to overthink things.
But soon, as she knew and feared, the duty came back at her with full force. As the A.I. recognized the woman awake, a call was received to her nearby communicator. She growled.
"Captain Amari, you have a call on hold with Commander Morrison. I'll put it on queue so he can remind it as soon as he's available."
"... Thanks Athena."
Lazily leaping off the bed, for a moment Ana felt like she was in her teenage years. Once having a day to wake up at noon, spin around the rye camps when she was feeling itchy, while a voice called for her. These times seemed to be from lifetimes ago; life was simple. She never thought about it after everything, but even with the so said duty in her blood, her early years were Ana.
Ana?
"ANA!"
Suddenly, the poor woman was cut from her daydream, a little dizzy with the shout. Recomposing herself, she buries the soft marmalade Ana deep down and goes back to the usual boss type.
"You mind waiting for people to have breakfast?"
"I already had mine so who says you didn't."
"Get a life."
She lights up the small stove in the room and roughly puts a teapot filled with water over it.
Ana works up the most 'kill me' tone in her voice. "What's it..."
"There's a report of some sort of trafficking scheme—"
"No. Shut up—"
"And although it may not be a big deal and we could even send some rookies to deal with it, I think it may have some sensitive information for them."
"Jack, you know what happened last time you sent me in a 'trading' mission?"
"... No?"
She sighs, grabbing her stomach. Her low head has eyes set to the blue flames of the burner, sparkling softly. A bitter taste runs down her throat.
The cozy flames were bright, their shine reminding her of the reflex in "Fareeha's" gold ornaments. For a moment, however, it all seemed too red again.
"Be ready at 3."
And communicator off.
Yet, she is frozen, her arms leaned over the counter. She could simply have said no, but somewhere in her guts she knew how stubborn Morrison is. She knows that it's not much of a burden, even if it interrupted her seemingly days-off. But above anything else, she wanted to believe things were in the past.
The water finally comes to a boil, and she throws some dry leaves in her cup. Picking up the teapot, she pours some of it's content in. The apparently inexistent color from the leaves flushes out, dyeing the water a cozy brown. It's scent travels through the room – a warm, tasteless thread of steam.
Ana picks up the cup, gently swinging it. And after some of the heat is gone, she gulps it in one go.
Her interiors are warm, yet still nothing can cut down the dread.
"ASAAAAADAAA!"
The girl hops happily into Reinhardt's arms, swinging her legs in the air.
"Oh, little Fareeha! Your mother will kill me if she sees this!"
"Come on! I'm not a baby anymooore!", she says, blowing a raspberry. "I can get in your lap if I want to!"
"Ehem."
Her fierceness is suddenly cooled out as soon as she lays eyes in Ana. Fareeha awkwardly steps back from the man.
"Oh, mama...", she murmurs, rubbing her left feet against the floor.
After a few seconds, she then jumps into Ana, who's a little taken by surprise.
"MAMAAAA! I'mmmm baack!"
"Oh—Fareeha! I can see that!"
The young girl smiles, her arms still tightly crossed around her mother, hopping her legs happily.
"Well, I don't want to disturb any of you ladies, so I'll get going..."
Ana scoffs. "No sense, Reinhardt! It is well enough that you served as the welcoming committee when this old woman here couldn't get her rear out of the bed."
"Oh, Ana, I know how well your nights off go, hohoho!"
They both chuckle, putting on a slight smile afterwards and awkwardly standing straight. Fareeha's eyes went from one to the other.
"Well, I have some errands to get to, so I will get going..."
"Oh, please uncle Reinhardt!", Fareeha cries — "You just got here!"
"Oh, mein kleiner habicht! We'll surely get plenty of time to talk again. I don't want to miss any details of that vacation of yours!"
Fareeha excitedly hugs the big man. "Hahah, sure will not!"
Ana slightly smiles. "Ahem..."
"Ahh, but at the time your mother surely can hear it too... bis später!"
As he walks away, the little girl excitedly waves her hand upright, making her oversized shirt wiggle, still resting her other arm over her mother's waist. "Bye uncle Reinhardt!"
Finally, she turns back to Ana, pulling a big smile. The woman smiles back.
"How did it go? ... Did you catch pox again?"
"Oh, not at all! Papa and I had some greaaat time together. I'm already missing him..."
Ana stares her daughter with a raised eyebrow.
"BUT I MISSED YOU TOO!", she jumps. "I am ready to go back to HERO LIFE!"
She sighs. "Fareeha..."
"There you are!"
They are taken back as Jack approaches them, arms crossed behind his back. The afternoon light shines through his long, blue coat. He almost looks like a living statue.
"I see our schedule has bumped into hers."
She bits her inner lip. "Apparently I can't even welcome back my daughter now?". Her head tilts weirdly, a devilish smirk in her face. Jack mostly maintains his composure, but inside it feels like he was struck by a spear.
"No... Of course not...", his thoughts seem to wander distant. "Very good timing, even."
The look Ana gives him is a most unusual one, as she is in a certain way both confused and suspicious. "What do you mean?"
"So, do you remember the details? Of the mission?"
She blows out a flock of hair out of her face, still holding Fareeha by her shoulders. "Barely. I just skimmed through."
The girl chuckles.
"Ugh…", Morrison rolls his eyes. "Just, take a look at it."
Ana brings up the mission details on her device. "A hotel?"
"This is so we can keep a low profile. Very low."
She is still staring at him.
"... However, we still fear that it may not be low enough—"
"No."
Fareeha looks at her curiously, still silent.
"No what?"
"I am NOT bringing her along!"
The girl stands still for a moment until her head clicks.
"Where? Where where where where where?!"
She is hoping like a bunny so much that Ana can't contain her hands on the girl's shoulders. The woman steps back, grumpy already.
"Ana, look— it's just to maintain a low profile! Indeed, the hotel is even a little far so they wouldn't suspect a thing. Interpret it as a family trip."
"I said NO Jack. Fareeha just came back from the States! She is in no condition to just—"
As she is midway through her phrase, Ana's head clicks, seeing Jack's apparently not convinced face. Her lips form a thin line as she slowly turns downside, only to see Fareeha's big eyes glimmer like a puppy's.
"Pleeeeeeeeeease?"
"No— I WON'T BRING MY DAUGHTER IN A MISSION JACK! I've said it already!"
"Vacation—"
"Shut your goddamn mouth or I will stuff it with sand."
He stands stills, arms crossed. The tension in the air overflows, an awkward silence in all the salon, some agents staring at the scene.
"Pleeeease?"
"Fareeha, please—", she knees down, forcing a poor man's smile in her face. "You just went on a trip, darling."
"But moooom, this could be my first ever mission!"
"Vacation", Jack reaffirms.
Her dark circles even seem to wear heavier. "Habibti— It's in the middle of—", she quickly activates a pulse device, showing a hologram with the information of the mission. "—... a snowfield!"
"So what? I love snow!"
"Fareeha..."
"Pleaaaase?"
Ana looks back at Jack. Fucker has the biggest smug ever seen.
She sighs, pressing her nose bridge, head down, for a few seconds before looking back at Fareeha.
"Okay— okay. You can go."
"YEEEEEEEEAAAH!"
"BUT— You will regret it. ...This is not a threat."
"... Yeeaahh?"
Ana stands still again, with a pompous stance that seems to only reflect her threat on Fareeha. She puts a hand on her waist and pulls Fareeha's luggage alongside her.
"Well, then", she presses her nose bridge again, "We better start packing already."
Jack winks and gives a thumbs-up, much to her discontent. "That's the spirit."
Ana barely looks at him, grunting. Mother and daughter leave the main hall to go to their room. There, Ana sits on her bed and opens the koffer.
Fareeha freezes at the last instant, not quickly enough, as her mother finds a unhealthy amount of snacks inside.
She immediately stares at Fareeha, who visibly has a chill down the spine.
Ana smiles. And then starts throwing the snacks out as Fareeha gets desperate.
"And this goes out, and this one also goes out, this one also goes out... Oh, wait, are these Takis?"
Fareehas's eyes shine with hope.
"That one... goes for me!"
"MOOOOM, NOO! Not the Takis!"
Ana squats and turns directly to Fareeha. "Listen up. Sam may stuff you up with all kinds of things you want, but that's not the Ana Way. The moment I turn away from you, I KNOW you will gobble up it all in one go."
"But moooom..."
She stands ups, picking some scarfs and jackets from their wardrobe and folding them in the air.
"We are going on a mission. That is no vacation, no place for kids, and as I said, you WILL regret it. Maybe that will change your mind into that obsession of yours about becoming a soldier."
"But..." — Fareeha timidly mumbles, both arms behind with one holding into the other and a leg behind — "You said yourself everyone at our family is a hero... Why I can't not be too?"
She rolls her eyes. "We talked about this already, Fareeha. There are various reasons as to why you shouldn't be getting into a battlefield at 12 years old..."
Her eyes rest coldly at the shining gold ornaments on her daughter's hair.
"This is a bitter life." Ana looks away, kneeling again to arrange the folded clothes into the luggage. "It may look exciting exactly because sometimes I am trying to forget... Forget about the things I've done. But I shouldn't."
Fareeha pouts. "But for what? You exploded a thousand omnics up! That is awesome!"
"You do know...", she sighs. "Omnics may be people too..."
"No uh, they're robots."
Ana instantly drops the clothes and looks at the girl with a inconsolable face. "Fareeha!"
The girl's eyes widen as she pulls her shoulders up and stands back. Ana sighs, resting her hand in her face.
"There is so much about it you don't grasp yet... You will, someday. Perhaps."
She finishes packing up and closes the koffer, placing her hands on it.
Fareeha stands uncomfortably, not sure what to do as her mother looks at her. Ana picks up a bag, throws in a handful of clothes, a pouch, the Takis and zips it close. She hangs it over her shoulder.
"We better not miss our flight."
"Yes, mama..."
A jet was already waiting for them at the roof. As always, Jack was nearby. Just like the light, he's everywhere. The Amaris approach him, who gives Ana a full head-to-toe glare. She pouts.
"Whaaat is it Morrison."
"That doesn't look like a proper vacation luggage."
She scoffs, posing with one hand on her waist, where her wriggly bag's strap rested. "Are we even reading the same files? Wasn't that supposed to be a mission?"
"Vaaacation Ana. Vacaaaation. It's not much."
"Well, you said it yourself you could had sent a rookie if it was nothing—"
"WELL MAybe I wanted to give you some rest!"
Ana raises an eyebrow.
"On my day off."
"Yes."
"In the middle of nowhere."
Fareeha stares her mother with a curious face.
"Yes- Why dont you go ahead, little Fareeha?" — Morrison smiles. "I have some matters... To discuss with your mother."
She picks her mother's bag and keeps her eyes widened, curious. Ana gives him a raised brow.
"Uhmm, okay mister Morrison."
The girl bouncingly walks to the jet, entering it and looking around with no pilot to be found. There was a panel with a world map and some prompts in a holographic fashion in the middle of the room, with too stairs in each side, with one leading to a cockpit. Fareeha burst into joy, widening her smile from cheek to cheek. She really was in a real-deal agent ship! She started jumping in excitement, with Ana arriving shortly after. The woman sighed, as she immediately went to the panel, closing the ship's door as Morrison stood outside. Fareeha cooled down and observed, quietly.
While the ship's A.I. handled the flight, Ana laid back into the blue colored sofa, sighing, her arms over the upper parts of the furniture and her legs crossed. She opened one of her eyes to look at Fareeha, who took some time to get closer. Ana turned to her, eyes focused and straightened out lips.
"Listen up. We will get to the hotel only, and I'm going to have some errands to do. You will stay in your room, with your tablet, doing whatever you want, so as long as you keep it down everything is fine. Is that understood?"
Fareeha pouts, despondently sitting alongside Ana. "Yes mother..."
Ana turns towards the windows, relaxed. A seat belt automatically folds over them both, much to Fareeha's surprise, who let out a gasp. The woman smirked.
"You may want to lay back a little. Did you arrange your luggage like I said?"
"Uhhhh..."
They both look at the randomly placed koffer in the middle of the room.
The ship finally sets course and rapidly rises into the sky, alongside the poor unattended koffer.
—
Finally, the ship lands in a small snow-covered hill. The thrusters knock of a high amount of snow around, not making for a very subtle landing.
The door opens to reveal a woman with a reddish welt across her face, and what seemed to be a cheeky, unamused face circled by a thick winter jacket.
"Mom... Walking is difficult..."
Ana scoffs, looking to the other side. The sky is nowhere to be seen, filled with white clouds that barely leave any blue to the sight. A tall house can be seen in the horizon.
"We better get going."
After a brief walk, they arrive at the hotel. The entrance section is two floors tall, but extremely narrow, almost like a cubicle. But the rest of the property seems to stretch over the back, with some parts only having one floor.
Fareeha gets closer after a few moments, breathing heavily. "Moooom, I can't waalk!"
Ana gives her a cold glare. "You will have to do much more than that if you want to be a soldier".
The little girl pouts. They both enter the hotel to find a cold and small hall, made mostly of wood. A woman with cheeks red as a pepper indifferently looks at them.
Ana approaches the balcony, handing the woman a paper. She picks it up, barely looking at Ana. The receptionist hands a key, immediately sitting back and looking straight forward.
Fareeha stands, a little confused. She then follows her mother, feeling a chill on the spine as the receptionist stares her.
They finally arrive at a small room, with just a double bed, a wardrobe, and a patterned mat on the creaky wooden floor.
Fareeha immediately gets the winter jacket off, being left only with a white turtleneck, much to the girl's relief. She opens her eyes to find Ana staring.
"Remember what I said. Don't do anything."
She shortly places a hand over the communicator on her ear. She then arranges her bag and looks at the girl.
"Here", she puts a thermos over the bed. "Savor yourself."
The woman immediately leaves for the door. "I will be back soon."
She closes it with little care, leaving a blustering noise that startles the girl. She blinks her wide eyes, in wonder. Sitting on the tall bed, legs hanging and hands crossed, she waits.
And waits.
She rolls over the bed, looks at the unending blinding snow outside the window, opens her koffer, finds no snacks, pouts. She opens the thermos, to find scalding tea. Tries taking a sip of it, burns her tongue, cries. Closes it.
She lies her back down in the bed, bored eyes staring at the ceiling.
"I regret it…"
After some time, the girl hears a murmur downstairs. As soon as she sits down, the door is opened with a slim, middle-aged man dressed in formal clothes. He gives her a warm smile.
"Oh, look if it's not a honorable host! Where are your parents little one?"
The girl retracts, with a suspecting look on her face.
"Come on, I don't bite…"
"I'm Fareeha…"
He claps his hands with a smile on his face, startling the girl. "Oh, Fareeha! What a sweet name!"
Her eyes wander to the side.
"Well, help yourself. This is a prestigious settlement. We have all kinds of food down in the kitchen!"
Fareeha's eyes widen. "Food...?"
"Why, yes, of course! What proper hotel doesn't have it?"
The girl stares for a couple of seconds. She immediately jumps off the bed, rushing towards the kitchen, not before hearing the receptionist scold over something. The table is set with a variety of baked goods and some cheese and cured meat. Her eyes glimmer, and she goes immediately over a jug of hot chocolate.
"Ahhh, awesome!"
"Indeed, it is", the man arrives shortly. He offers the girl a small mug, getting her curious puppy eyes look.
"R-Really? Can I have some?"
"Save yourself little girl."
She immediately pours some of the hot chocolate in her mug, blowing and swinging it so it cools down. The girl pulls a big smile.
"Thanks mister, you're the b…"
She looks around, finding herself alone. "…Est?..."
Fareeha spins, with the mug on her hand. The man was nowhere to be found. In the middle of her confusion, she feels a presence approaching, turning around to catch the tall receptionist with her always so angry tomato colored face.
The woman starts ranting in the same unknown language of before, grabbing the girl with force by her wrist. Fareeha shrieks, dropping the aluminum mug over the floor.
She continues to get a torrent of apparent swearing from the woman, who starts pulling the girl alongside her. Fareeha shrieks, trying to resist the pull and angering the woman even more.
"G-Gah! Let me go! Let me go! I'm telling my mom! Stop it!"
The woman loosens her grip over Fareeha's wrist, stepping heavily towards her. The girl shivers, running away from the scolding woman, who chases her.
What was happening? Was that guy imaginary? The thoughts crossed the girl's mind, and suddenly, she thought about it. Was THAT the mission? Bell pepper woman wants to capture her! Can not be!
They pass through a laundry room, with lots of buckets around. Fareeha swiftly jumps over them, while the angry woman ends up tripping over them, swearing even more. The little girl stops for a moment, turning towards the woman, pulling a smirk and a "Ha!". But it's not long before the angry lady gets up, continuing the chase.
Fareeha shrieks and starts running again, this time, passing through a dinner room, a corridor, and finally arriving at a metal door. She opens it to be revealed to a large number of computers, communicators and all the more high-tech gadgets, in a enormous contrast to the rest of the hotel. She blinks, confused. The holo-screens read a variety of terms. "Assault", "Captain", and a familiar name…
Before she could process it properly, the woman is behind her again. She approaches slowly, getting one of her hands from behind her back, holding a kitchen knife. Fareeha eyes widen.
"Tu vaikpalaikis…"
Fareeha shrieks. "Sikiyn!"
The woman advances, swinging the blade over the girl, who desperately tries to dodge. The assaulter even gets to smash broken one of the communication devices, glitching the rest of them. As Fareeha dodges to the side, the woman swings the knife again in her direction, cutting the girl's face. She cries, holding it to try cooling down the burn. The woman approaches again, but this time, Fareeha crouches, delivering a sweep kick to the woman, who immediately trips and falls, giving the girl time to run away from the room.
Finding herself in the main hall again, Fareeha looks, side to side. She tries opening the door, but it's shut. The girl's eyes widen in desperation, hearing the woman's heavy footsteps again. Fareeha turns her back against the door, leaning on it, as the red flushed woman approaches once more, with her hair all messed up and a even angrier, uglier face. Sweating profusely, she takes a deep breath before the woman swings the knife in her direction again.
This time, the trainings with her mom pass all over her mind again. She holds the woman's wrist with precision, much to her surprise. Fareeha uses the woman's own weight to roll her over, knocking her down on the floor and pressing her foot against the now defeated woman's neck.
"Ghabiun ghabiun ghabiun!", the girl celebrates, blowing a raspberry. "You got the best of it!"
She stops her celebration to have a chill run down her spine, stiffening her shoulders as she hears footsteps. Immediately looking at the side, the man from before at the passage to the corridor, the woman on the floor grunting.
"O Dieve! You really are a surprise, aren't you, mini-Amari?"
Fareeha looks at him with a ferocious stare. She picks up the knife from the floor. "Don't come close!"
The man gets his hands off his pocket to the air, surprised. "Wow wow woah, calm down, draugas. Your work here is done."
Her eyes widen, the grip on the knife loosening. "My work?"
The man then shrugs slightly, pulling a smile. "Your first mission! Isn't it? I imagined the daughter of the great captain Amari would not go slow on her heir's training."
Fareeha relaxes, still looking at him, the knife on her hand hanging down. "Really?"
"Of course! Why wouldn't she?"
He picks up a communicator from his pocket. "Here. Let's call your mom. Come"
Fareeha stares, still unsure. After some thought, the slowly approaches the man, who is still giving a big smile.
"Now now, give me that knife."
Her eyes widen, the grip on the weapon increasing. The man then finally gives in, pulling an scolding expression. "You don't want me to report that in, do you?"
The girl shrinks, handing the man the weapon. He smiles, opening his arms.
"Now come here, little soldier! Your mother will be so happy!"
She approaches, a little hesitant, as the man rests one of his arms over her shoulder. A chilling sensation takes over her gradually, specially when she sees the woman on the floor smiling. Her eyes widen alongside her mouth slightly opening, a cold breeze passing by her neck.
"Poow."
Before the man could even adjust the knife to Fareeha's neck, he was blown away by a shot straight to the head, knocking him over the wall, painting it. The now holey door opens wide, allowing the snowstorm outside to enter. A figure with a strange kind of gas mask holds a pistol up, standing before the slicing wind. The receptionist gets up, immediately rushing towards the figure, but it quickly spins around, giving the woman a kick directly in the face. She grunts in pain, knocked out on the floor, her eyes widened before the figure points the gun to her face.
Fareeha looks away before anything happens, only hearing the loud sound of the shot. She covers her head briefly with her arms, slowly letting them down. She looks at the figure's direction, a racing heartbeat.
The mask gets off to reveal none other than Ana herself. Fareeha's eyes widen, a slight but desperate enough smile in her face.
"MAMAAAAA!"
She rushes towards Ana, who puts the pistol down and caresses Fareeha's head.
"Shh… It's okay, habibti… Mama is here…"
Fareeha looks up, her eyes watery. "Mama, I don't know what happened! This— This bitch… She started chasing me out of nowhere!"
Ana scoffs. "Well, this WAS a mission. But it was not supposed to go this way…"
The girl's eyes widen. "What do you mean?"
The woman looks in the distance. The snowstorm outside continues to enter the room, flocks of snowflakes waltzing in the air.
"Something is off… We got to be more careful now."
The two stay silent, hugged into each other.
"I really got that gal."
"You did, habibti, you did."
She looks over the man, cringing a little, and then looking at her mother again.
"Well, if I had a gun—"
"Shush."