Widowmaker looked down the barrel of the rifle and straight at Hanzo Shimada, heir to the Shimada Clan. Her finger twitched on the trigger, reflexively, almost against her will. Such an easy, easy shot. Such a…
Road Hog was breathing heavily beside her. It had not been easy, sneaking into the heart of the Hanamura village. For one thing, village was the wrong word. It was a city, yes, but more than that too. The heavily populated area was more of a military outpost, surrounded in a patchwork quilt of air force runways, training grounds, medical facilities, hangars full of transports and machinery, armouries, barracks, political gathering spaces, and more. She knew her quarry would be in the Shimada Castle, but that would be even harder to sneak into. Alone, perhaps, but with Road Hog…
She had settled for a tall building, from which she could watch the castle, just beyond the temple. Too far to hear what anyone was saying, but she could see Hanzo talking to someone. He disappeared, obscured by the cherry blossom trees that covered the grounds, then reappeared a moment later in a different window.
'Who are we killing?' Road Hog asked, voice deep and guttural. So, he knew that much of the plan, at least. Not that it had been hard for him to guess.
Widowmaker paused before answering.
'Shimada. He is a very dangerous man.'
'So take the shot.'
'Not yet.'
Road Hog grunted again. He seemed, if anything, bored. The guards had stopped looking for them a while ago, either doubting that they would make it this far, or else called away to some other emergency. Road Hog thought he had overheard someone talking about a break-out at the medical facility, but Widowmaker thought that seemed unlikely. The Japanese were unlikely to let their own wounded wander about.
A city does not escape a virus that causes each and every newly dead corpse to rise in hunger and violence by letting the wounded stray. Too risky.
'How long have you wanted to kill him for?' Road Hog asked, as if this were a perfectly normal question. Perhaps, in these times, it was. Even Japan, the crowning glory of humanity since each other culture was wiped out by the Fallout, seemed to hold little more than a façade of normality. Beneath the surface, around the corner, death waited. War lurked. Secrets slept.
'I was told to.' Widowmaker found that she could not stop herself from replying. It had been so long since anyone asked, since anyone cared. And not even Soldier 76 knew about this mission, despite the fact that he had been her closest confidant since she took her posting at the American underground facility.
'By who?'
'Don't worry about it.'
She was able to stop herself that time. There would only be trouble if she mentioned Talon. Road Hog might not fully understand what it meant to be part of Talon, but the others might. Tracer, for example, knew enough of their history to know that they were one of few groups that had opposed the original Overwatch team. And she was such a groupie for them she would probably consider Widowmaker a personal enemy for it.
But that wasn't really fair. None of it was personal, at least not for Widowmaker. She'd never chosen to work for Talon. They had taken her, brainwashed and tortured her, and when that hadn't worked they had captured her husband and forced her to do their work. But that was a long time ago. Things had almost changed since then…
Almost.
'Take the shot.' Road Hog insisted. 'Junkrat and the others will be out there looking for Genji, we should…'
'They are not our problem.' Widowmaker watched as Hanzo moved around the room, picking things up and putting them down absently. He was not wandering for its own sake. He was engaged in conversation, distracting himself with idle movements. The sort of thing someone did only when they were talking to someone who was sitting still. He was fiddling, impatient no doubt.
'What do you…?'
'If they are not back at the Mantis when the mission is complete we are leaving.'
Road Hog growled deep in his throat. 'Are we just?'
'Yes.' Widowmaker had no interest in a discussion. She would happily leave the bigger man behind if it came to that. They had bonded somewhat breaking past the outpost of soldiers, but she would hardly consider him a brother in arms. Besides, Soldier 76 was watching the Mantis, and he followed Widowmaker's instructions only. He was a clone, hardly enough brainpower to make a decision, let alone disobey.
'Not sure I like that plan.' Road Hog grumbled.
Widowmaker did not answer because she did not care. She did not like a lot of things that had come her way in the past few years. She had not liked when Talon used her the first time. She had not liked when they held her husband ransom and used her again. She had absolutely hated escaping, leaving her husband to die.
She had been furious when Talon recaptured her a few months ago. But they had wounded her to the point that she was more dead than alive. She had, in fact, died. Something had saved her – Reaper and Mercy, those two strangers, seemed to be part of it – but it was more than she deserved.
And now she was brainwashed again. Not even death had spared her from that. She had no particular interest in the Shimadas, and yet here she was preparing the assassination.
Hanzo picked up his bow. He looked ready to fight. He had no idea Widowmaker was in the tower watching him. If he was angry at someone it was someone within the same room.
'Just take the fuckin' shot.' Road Hog snorted.
Hanzo stepped back. The person he was speaking to was moving now. She could see the shadow, but not the person. She had to be ready to take the shot, just in case…
It was Hanzo's father, head of the Shimada Clan. He was pointing at Hanzo, gesticulating with fury. They were arguing, she thought. It was the last thought she had before she pulled the trigger, and the General and Defender of the Japanese people was taken out, blood splattering the wall behind him.
The eldest Shimada brother looked up in her direction, immediately fixating on the point the bullet had come from. There was a glare in his eyes – she could see it through the rifle's sights.
But she was far enough away that by the time he reached her she would be far…
An arrow thudded into the wooden wall beside her face and she jumped back. Road Hog looked down, noticed the arrow, and gaped without comprehension.
'Is that…? He asked.
'Yes.' Widowmaker rolled out of the line of sight and stood, pulling Road Hog back as she did so. A second arrow hit the wall where he had been standing a moment ago.
'Hell of a shot.' Road Hog mused.
'He is. Time to go.'
They ran. She did not have to check to know that Hanzo would be sprinting from the castle, through the temple, towards the tall building. He would want his revenge. The question was could Widowmaker and Road Hog reach the bottom and find safety before the heir to the Shimada Dynasty cut them off?
And if he did, could she kill him?