Mid 2064
It was early morning and yet everyone in the Blackwatch Division was wide awake, prepped for their missions they had trained, researched and anxiously waited for. There were several smaller teams slated to head out early due to the importance of the type of mission, Gabriel's team was the first to depart followed by others.
Within the last free moments before heading towards the landing pad, there were a few early birds in the locker room that gathered their gear and spoke briefly of their missions or promises of wild debauchery adventures afterward. After the few early souls gathered their things they left only two people.
"Kallista," Gabriel started as she looked at the woman checking the status of his gear for his mission all while she collected things for her upcoming mission. "Can you stop for a moment?"
Gabriel sighed, Kallista arched an eyebrow as she looked at the man over her shoulder.
"Come here. Let me check your suit...it's still a prototype," Gabriel said as he motioned for the woman to come over to him.
"It's not that big of a deal," Kallista said as she walked over to the man. Gabriel took the device from her and linked it to her suit, in minutes he had accessed the new Helios System and checked for gaps.
"The security of the suit is lacking, you're going to fix that right?" Gabriel asked.
"Of course," Kallista replied as she watched the man's hardened features, she could tell that there was something bothered him.
"You've been tense lately," Kallista commented as she continued to watch the man focus on the device. He quickly glanced at her and down to the device in his hands again.
They checked each other's gear before they went on missions, he did the same thing with Jesse, Malik, and Natalie when they were sent on missions in the beginning. Only this time, there was something on the man's mind, she noticed he began acting strange weeks ago and the incident that led him to the med-bay late that night only caused Kallista to pay more attention to the man.
He wasn't one for sharing his feelings in public but under the right circumstances, you could get an answer from the man.
"How is the fit?" Gabriel asked.
"Fine," Kallista replied.
"You've gotten clearance from Sabina and Mikael right?"
"Yeah," Kallista replied.
"Don't forget what you're supposed to do," Gabriel began.
"Naturally," Kallista sighed.
"Keep your mask on at all times,"
"I know," Kallista said firmly as her sharp blue eyes met his rich mocha-colored eyes. Silence fell between the two for a moment, Gabriel was the first to look away. Within a few minutes Gabriel had finished reviewing the stats of her suits and results of tests beforehand, he quickly looked over her form.
"So are you just going to ignore my question?" Kallista asked as the thought of the night before flashed before her eyes, his blood on her hands.
"Kallista," Gabriel sighed and finally looked at the smaller woman. With a sigh, he reached out to caress her cheek as and held her gaze. It was a simple gesture and yet Kallista's heart hammered in her chest as she held the man's gaze.
All of his attention focused on her, no hints of avoidance, or anger but the opposite. Soft, warm, but still pensive.
"Kallista...I want to-" Gabriel began. Kallista pursed her lips together in an attempt to hold back words that she couldn't say but something caught her attention which caused her to hesitantly move away from the man.
"Hey Reyes everyone is ready to...oh...ohhh I'll go,"
Talli had been assigned to another mission had entered the locker room unaware that Kallista was in the locker room as well. Thankfully, Kallista's enhanced hearing hear the woman as she approached and was able to move from the close proximity of the man and make it appear as if they were talking. Gabriel hesitantly turned his attention from Kallista and to the woman that awkwardly peeked into the locker room, her eyes shifted between the two of them.
"They don't have to wait for me to see them off," Gabriel replied.
"Right…um the Strike Commander was looking for you," Talli said as she stood shyly in the doorway.
"You should go see what he wants," Kallista said as she went to her locker and began to gather her things. Talli quietly slinked back from the doorway still in earshot of the locker room, curious to know what she had interrupted.
Gabriel pinched the bridge of his nose before he went behind the woman and picked up his duffle bag from the bench.
"Kallista," Gabriel began.
"Hm?" Kallista replied as she closed the door to her locker, keeping her back to him. She knew that she couldn't face him, she didn't want to look like a fool if he finished what he was going to say. Even if she didn't know.
I think we should end this.
This was fun, thanks for the memories.
A simple phrase could end or change everything that Kallista felt. Kallista bit down on her bottom lip to keep herself in check as she waited for the man to continue, she heard the man sigh softly and shift his duffle bag before he continued.
"When...I get back...we need to talk...about us," Gabriel said quietly. Kallista could sense the hesitant in his words as if he didn't want to mutter the very words that came from his mouth.
"..Ok…" Kallista replied as she slightly turned her head away from the man as he slowly walked out of the locker room. Kallista cursed under her breath as she shakily ran a hand through her hair.
She didn't want to wait. She didn't want to hear what he had to say. She cursed again.
She already knew that she fell hard from him and was too attached and just a simple phrase could break the glass floor underneath her feet.
Kallista sighed heavily as she banged her head on her locker.
"Gabriel. Stop being an asshole and go get seen by Dr. Hasibuan or Angela before you leave," Morrison said as he followed the man's stride.
"I did. I was cleared. End of Story," Gabriel replied as he continued out to the flight pad.
"You were not properly cleared. You ignored Dr. Hasibuan's requests and -" Morrison started.
"What are you? My Mom?" Gabriel chuckled as he stepped out onto the landing pad.
He nodded to his team as he walked past them and stopped at the ramp to enter the carrier. Morrison crossed his arms as he stared at the back of the man's head, Gabriel turned to look at the man as he moved out of the way as his team entered the carrier. Lyudmila nodded to both of two men silently as she was the first one up the ramp. Both of them nodded to the woman and turned their attention back to one another.
"Look…" Gabriel started.
"Don't-" Morrison started as his attention shifted from the man and followed the petite woman that walked up the ramp, she looked over her shoulder at Morrison as she entered the carrier.
"Yer worried about nothin' Commander. He'll be fine...he's always fine an' we'll watch his back," Jesse commented as he was the last one up the ramp. Morrison rolled his at Jesse and focused back on the smug man in front of him.
"Look...you worry too much, and you worry about the wrong things," Gabriel said as he took off his hat and scratched his head.
"I place my worry in things and people that are known to create issues. You are one of those people," Morrison replied.
"Oh? That's the first I've heard this. I thought I was the one usually fixing problems," Gabriel sarcastically replied as he placed his have back on to his head.
"She is more than capable of completing her mission while remaining safe. Her self-preservation is high. Nor did she ignore a Doctor's request," Morrison replied.
{Commander Reyes! Don't you dare ignore me, I will find you and drag you back-}
Gabriel grimaced at the woman's voice that came through his earpiece, it was as if she knew that Morrison spoke about her. He took out the small earpiece and shoved it into his pocket.
"Gabe. When you get back we're talking about this. You know this isn't like you," Morrison commented.
"You're not the only person I need to talk to," Gabriel muttered under his breath as he thought back to the locker room moments before.
"What?" Morrison questioned.
"Nothing. Focus on the shit storm that's happening in Japan, we can talk about that when I get back," Gabriel said as he began up the ramp.
"Gabriel!" Morrison called after him as he heard the engines beginning to start up. Morrison frowned as he moved back from the ship and to the safety of the garage. Only moments after he stepped into the safety of the garage he turned his attention to the woman that approached from the stairs.
"Kallista?" Morrison asked surprised. His eyes flicked to the small back she carried and to the suit she wore.
"Strike Commander," Kallista nodded.
It was rare to see the woman outside of her office, let alone the Blackwatch Division. If she was out of her office there was a chance that something that only she could accomplish.
"I suppose you're going on a mission?" Morrison asked as she stopped next to him.
"I am…I suppose Reyes didn't completely fill you in on my dossier," Kallista smirked and shook her head. Morrison sighed heavily and dragged his hands down his face a clear sign that the man kept him in the dark about her mission.
"I'll look into it later, is that the new suit?" Morrison asked.
"Yes, right now it is in its Overwatch form, meaning it is taking on the appearance of an Overwatch Uniform," Kallista replied.
"Oh? I assume the original is Blackwatch?" Morrison questioned.
"Surprisingly no, it's just an unmarked catsuit…for now at least. It is just a prototype after all," Kallista replied.
"I see. Are you ready for your field mission?" Morrison asked and noticed her attention was focused elsewhere. The soft whir of a smaller carrier ship slowly descended onto the other landing pad catching the attention of the two and more.
"Hey Commander," Magnus said as he walked past the man and towards the smaller sleeker carrier ship. Idoya followed closely behind the man, nodding to Morrison as she passed, Morrison nodded to the two acknowledging them as he turned his attention back to the woman in front of him.
"Strike Commander," Danica nodded to the man as she too made her way to the carrier.
"You're all set to go?" Morrison asked.
"Yes," Kallista replied
"Good. I assume Gabriel contacted the appropriate members of the government for where you're going but if you have any issues you can contact Verona," Morrison began.
"Don't worry. I'm not like Gabriel," Kallista replied with a smirk before she began towards the landing pad.
"That is true," Morrison trailed off as he watched the woman walk away.
He remembered when they first apprehended her and how belligerent she was and now she seemed liked a completely different woman. Morrison sighed heavily as he watched the woman get into the carrier. He needed to look into what exactly her mission was and why conveniently forgot to tell him of her mission.
Morrison thought back to Gabriel and the incident that was reported to him, he knew the effects of the SEP was still strong but this recent bout worried him.
"ETA is about four hours on cruising speed, should we go over mission details again?" Danica suggested as she scrolled through the information on her datapad.
"The mission itself seems to be simple enough, but we should just in case," Idoya commented.
"Sounds good to me," Magnus commented.
Kallista held open her hand creating a small holographic screen to that everyone could see, she then expanded it making it bigger.
"Look at you and your fancy suit," Magnus chuckled.
"Do favors to get rewards or just put yourself out there to try new things," Kallista replied
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Magnus sighed.
"We're meeting with the CEO of Sterling Manufacturing, Sterling Black. We are meeting with him for a few different reasons. The first is to question him and his partner about the kidnapping the occurred 3 months prior," Kallista began.
"So that's the CEO was kidnapped," Idoya commented.
"Yeah. It was all over the news their PR had a hard time with it. It was a shit show," Magnus chuckled.
"Do we know of the other CEOs that was kidnapped?" Idoya asked.
"The CEO of Pavetti Technologies, Quinn Pavetti, the daughter of the old tech mogul Callister Pavetti. Carmelo Mendoza of Mendoza Pharmaceuticals, " Kallista replied. "They all have connections to another investigation that Blackwatch is monitoring,"
"Will Black Will we make contact with her while we're in Detroit?" Idoya asked.
"So serious Idoya," Magnus commented.
"Sorry...it's my first real-time on the field," Idoya replied softly.
"Don't apologize. It's great that you're here. You've also come a long way from what you were before," Danica spoke up.
"Yeah…" Idoya commented as she looked at Kallista for reassurance, Kallista nodded with a small smile.
Kallista knew that Idoya had come a long way from her recovery from almost being beaten inches from death. It took a lot to convince the woman's therapists and the reassurance from Konrad and, one of the nurses assigned to Blackwatch, to let her on this mission. Gabriel was hesitant, Lyudmila insisted and Kallista welcomed it.
"We are currently meeting with Mr. Sterling Black and his partner only. I do have some suspicions that Ms. Pavetti is in Detroit but with no intention of meeting with Blackwatch," Kallista replied.
"Then?" Idoya asked.
"That leads to the second reason for why we are meeting with Mr. Black," Kallista began.
"In addition to being kidnapped, his company is one of the leading manufacturers in creating omnic parts. Granted the Ominium isn't active but there are signs pointing to him and few others about illegal activities," Magnus cut in.
"It's not the most opportune time to have something like that happen, especially when tensions are so high," the man finished as he shifted in his seat.
"What do you mean?" Idoya asked.
"There was a recent omnic attack in the city of Detroit and in retaliation, an Omnic sanctuary was attacked," Danica said as she handed the datapad to Idoya. Idoya quickly took the datapad, her eyes quickly scanned through the news article.
Kallista flipped through images attached to the news article on the holographic screen. Various images of heavily damaged buildings, on fire, bodies strewn about both human and omnic. Silence fell between the small group as Idoya looked over the information on the pad in her hands. Kallista was the first to break the silence.
"For the final reason, the Cheshire cat has been the suspect of all of this. Being the bearer of bad news, Detroit could easily explode into war with all of the tension that has been simmering," Kallista sighed.
"We don't have any motives, nothing else to really go on as to why the Cheshire cat is doing all of this...we can assume but that only does so much but from what we know it just looks like they are inciting hatred for Omnics," Danica commented
"We have to stop them. I cannot let them incite hatred against omnics, they deserve as many rights as humans...this-" Idoya began, her voice firm with controlled anger as she started the digital image on the datapad.
"I know...and that's why I wanted you to come with me," Kallista replied as she closed her hand ending the holographic screen.
"There's something else going on…but I'll hold off on that," Kallista added.
"You think so?" Danica sighed.
"She needs evidence…right…Director," Magnus said and focused his gaze on her. Kallista glanced at the man and rolled her eyes.
"Sure…," Kallista replied.
"Whatever that means," Idoya began as she motioned between Kallista and Magnus. "I trust Kallista," Idoya cut in as she could feel the tension between the two.
"Thank you Idoya. At least I have someone on my side so far," Kallista nodded.
"You two remind me of siblings that always fight," Danica laughed slightly.
"He's no brother of mine," Kallista huffed.
"I wouldn't be related to her. She's adopted," Magnus huffed.
"Right. Anyways, since we got the gist of the mission details covered we have at least three hours left," Danica commented.
"We're going to arrive at Mr. Black's private airport around 0700 hours and transported to Sterling HQ after we arrive. We won't have much time for rest so it might be best to get some rest or read up on what's going on in the US," the red-haired woman replied.
"Sounds like a plan," Magnus replied as he took out his laptop
We have now reached the Atlantic Ocean, now switching to cruising speed. Estimated time of arrival to Detroit Michigan, 4 hours and 56 minutes.
Kallista leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes, she could feel a slight throb at the back of her right eye. The beginnings of a migraine but then again she was stressed and the mission wasn't helping her.
It was a simple and straightforward mission, but different in a sense that there was more to Sterling Black than what Blackwatch was going to investigate. After Overwatch's mission to rescue the two CEOs that were supposedly kidnapped by the Cheshire cat and exposed some of their dirty laundries but there was something that was bothering her about the whole situation.
This wasn't the first time the Cheshire cat had appeared to the world, this time their method was different. Kallista gently began to rub her temples when she felt her cell phone vibrate in her jacket pocket. She figured it was an update from Malik on what she had asked him to do before she left.
It was a message from Gabriel.
[Reyes: Even though I don't need to tell you this, but watch your back while you're there]
[K. Kaines: I will. Don't worry about me, your mission is more important.]
[Reyes: You're more worried about me than I am]
[K. Kaines: You always have your worry placed on others instead of yourself]
[Reyes: You sound just like him. Are you scolding me too?]
[K. Kaines: Are you talking about Morrison? LOL!]
[Reyes: Who else do you think I'm talking about?]
[K. Kaines: Aww he cares about you Gabo…]
[Reyes: I can feel your sarcasm Kallista]
[K. Kaines: Ha. Ha. Ha...you know I don't have the right to scold you, it's not my place]
[Reyes: You think so?]
[K. Kaines: ...am I supposed to think different?]
[Reyes: I was just curious...]
[K. Kaines: Are you...hinting at something Reyes?]
[Reyes: Am I?]
[K. Kaines: Reyes...why are you like this?]
[Reyes: Do me proud out there Kallista]
[K. Kaines: You're such a jerk…]
"Reyes you ass," Kallista whispered to herself causing Danica to give her a confused look.
The team arrived in the United States and landed with no issues, when they arrived they were greeted by a woman dressed in black from head to toe, her crimson hair pulled into a tight bun and black-framed glasses sat neatly on the bridge of her nose.
"Welcome to the United States," one of the crimson-haired women began as the team moved over to the sleek black car.
"Thank you," Kallista nodded.
"We are running right on schedule and would like to remain that way if you are all set to go please enter the vehicle," the woman said as she opened the door to the vehicle.
"Let's go," Kallista said as she turned to the others.
Idoya and Magnus nodded to Kallista and Danica before they got into the vehicle, Danica nodded to Kallista and followed suit.
"I assume that you are Kaines from the Overwatch Intelligence Division. My name is Ava MacAllister, a pleasure to meet you," Ava said as she extended her hand.
"You're correct, and nice to meet you," Kallista shook the woman's hand before getting into the vehicle with her
Within minutes they were escorted into Sterling HQ and was greeted by the CEO Sterling Black and his partner. The office itself was minimalistic, cold, organized a snapshot into the personality of the man. Kallista quickly looked over the man noticing the finer details, his perfectly slicked-back hair, the fine detailing on his suit, the black gloves the man wore, and the smug smirk on his face. She quickly eyed the man standing casually next to the desk and assumed the man was Sterling's partner.
"Mr. Black thank you for allowing us to assist you in the situation. I am Danica from Overwatch and these are colleagues-" Danica began.
"Magnus, Intel Division,"
"Lumbre,"
"Kaines, Co-Director of the Overwatch Intel Division. I will be in charge of the investigation while Blackwatch is here. Hopefully, this will take no longer than a half-day," Kallista introduced herself and told the two men of their plans.
"Straight to the point, I like that," Sterling said as he leaned on his desk, his attention on Kallista.
"In all honesty, I didn't think Overwatch would send such a high-level agent into the field…I'm surprised," Sterling commented. "I assume the mask is for your protection?"
"Yes," Kallista began. "This is a sensitive matter and I would like to make sure that it is handled carefully,"
"Those who hide in the shadows and masks. Are the least trustworthy," the once silent man spoke up man said
"It is for my protection and nothing more. Please do not let the mask deter your trust in Overwatch," Kallista replied.
The man scoffed at Kallista's comment and narrowed his eyes at her. Unfazed, made a mental note to be cautious of the man, on the other hand, Sterling seemed a bit more relaxed and easy-going.
"This is my partner-" Sterling began.
"Carmelo Mendoza of Mendoza Pharmaceutical," Carmelo replied.
"I hope you take care of this ASAP, everywhere that Overwatch touches raise tensions," Carmelo commented bitterly.
"That sounds like a generalist statement Mr. Mendoza. I can go over everything that myself and colleagues will do to lower whatever reservations you may have. We will make this a quick as possible," Kallista began, she noted the two men glance at each other before turning their attention back to her.
"My colleagues and I will record your accounts on the kidnapping along with the staff that was involved. While that is happening myself and Magnus will run diagnostics on your company's system and networks for remnants of the hacking from the Cheshire cat," Kallista explained.
"How quickly can you capture them? They are clearly a menace to society and the world," Carmelo asked.
"We will do our best to work as quickly and efficiently as possible," Kallista replied.
"That sounds promising, I hope you deliver. I don't think Overwatch can lose more of their image around the world," Sterling commented underhandedly.
On her left side, Kallista caught a glance of Magnus stiffen next to her. In recent months there had been articles that damaged Overwatch's image and the restrictions that were put on Overwatch by several different governments did nothing to help Overwatch's image.
Kallista and her team worked in tangent with the Official Overwatch Intel department and PR to help repair Overwatch's image, but there were some places where even she couldn't touch.
"Danica-" Kallista began as she turned to the red-haired woman behind her.
"Before you being on your little investigation I have a few rules that you need to follow or we may have problems," Sterling began.
"Alright," Kallista nodded and placed her hands behind her back as she listened.
"You are to be escorted to the server room, my office, and the conference room. If you would like to see any additional rooms you will need permission from myself," Sterling began. "Just because you are recognized the United States' government and around the world doesn't give you access to all my domain. Everything you find will be reviewed by myself or Carmelo," Sterling continued as he started to approach Kallista and stopped in front of her.
"Anything else?" Kallista questioned.
"No,"
"Good. Dani, Lumbre," Kallista began.
"Understood,"
"I assume you two need access to the server room. Eve," Sterling called.
A woman almost identical to Ava walked in adjusting her white-framed glasses as she stood by the door and waited for her next orders.
"Take them to the server room. We're going to the conference room on level 3" Sterling ordered as he turned to Carmelo.
"Of course, Sir," Eve nodded and motioned for Kallista and Magnus to exit the office. Danica and Idoya watched as the two exited the office with a knowing look.
"I am Eve MacAllister, I am sure you've already met my twin sister," Eva began as she began leading the two down the hall towards the server room.
"Yes. We've had the pleasure of meeting her," Magnus replied.
"Was your sister involved with the kidnapping?" Kallista asked.
"Unfortunately yes, she was taken captive, bounded and dumped in the storage room," Eve replied as she rounded a corner, Magnus and Kallista followed.
"How often do you schedule routine maintenance on your network's security?" Kallista questioned.
"Daily," Eve replied.
"Who has access to the server room?" Kallista continued to question the woman before they made it to their destination.
"Myself, Ava, the IT department, Mr. Sterling and Mr. Mendoza," Eve replied.
"Security Cameras?"
"You'll have to request access to those," Eve replied as she looked over her shoulder at Kallista. Kallista noted the strange color of her eyes, they were the same orange color of her hair.
"Alright," Kallista replied.
"Is the maintenance done manually or remote?" Magnus questioned.
"90 percent is done remotely from the IT department on level 5, monthly they conduct manual maintenance," the woman replied.
"Have you heard of any concerns about the security before the kidnapping?" Magnus questioned.
"You can see all of the queries that have been made by all personnel within the building here," Eve said as she motioned to the door in front of them.
"Thank you. I assume that you will be outside watching us correct?" Kallista asked.
"Yes, unless I am needed elsewhere," Eve replied.
Kallista nodded to Magnus and entered into the server room, Magnus followed her as he took note of the woman's answers. Once inside the two quickly surveyed the room taking note of the two terminals before they moved to begin their task. Once the signature click of the door was heard, Kallista began to speak in a hushed tone.
"Everything is normal so far, but the feeling of this place isn't right..." Kallista began as she began to access the nearest terminal to her.
"I know," Magnus replied as he attached a cable to his laptop and connected it both to his computer and the second terminal.
A brief pause set between the two as they worked before Magnus spoke.
"I was able to locate some of the signatures from the cyber-attack, it looks like there's some deterioration and some jumbling but some but you can tell it is from the Cheshire cat," Magnus said
"How much deterioration is there? Kallista asked.
"It's a bit difficult to tell…but it's there," Magnus replied
Kallista looked over the maintenance files of the building's networks before she glanced at the man on the floor. The signature from the Cheshire cat had already begun to deteriorate and any run of the mill hacker's signature would start to deteriorate if anyone were to look at it and overtime if left undiscovered would fade.
Kallista pursed her lips together the automatic deterioration sounded familiar to her but she couldn't place a finger on it. She tried to think back to times where she and some others had gotten into scuffles with other hackers and automatic deterioration of one's signatures did not ring a bell.
"That look tells me you know something. Care to share?" Magnus asked as he looked at her.
"Not yet, I need to make sure of something first. I need evidence," Kallista replied coolly.
"Evidence about the Cheshire cat…that's what you were talking about before we arrived," Magnus replied.
"Possibly, I do have my suspicions,"
{Can you hear me, Kalli? Kalliiiiii~ Hewwoo?}
"Are you like twelve Malik?" Kallista asked.
{Age is nothing but a number, I mean if I look 12 I guess that's a plus? Luckily I have a fake ID}
"I guess that's why you're the Director…huh…always steps ahead," Magnus commented quietly.
{I finished most of the research you asked me to do and there are some interesting pieces like you said there would be}
Kallista sighed at the Maliks' sorry attempt to imitate a British accent as he began to explain some of his findings from his research.
"Even I can do a better accent than that," Magnus chuckled.
{Hey, Mags. Eat my entire ass}
"I'll pass sweetheart. You're not my type," Magnus scoffed.
"Malik, please continue," Kallista sighed as she looked over her shoulder and to the door. She could hear that there was movement outside the door, footsteps several feet down the hall.
{There's a 99.8 percent chance of your theory being correct, but that is extremely high from just a..uh...what do they say?}
"A hunch, hypothesis, etc," Magnus chimed in as he focused on Kallista who seemed to be deep in thought.
{Yeah that. I guess that's what expected from Miss MIT & Harvard}
"Flattery will get you nowhere Malik," Kallista scoffed.
Magnus opened his mouth to say something but held back.
She wanted to be sure of a theory she concocted during her sleep deprivation episodes. She knew that Magnus was suspicious of her due to her reaction to the message that she received. But she wanted to make sure, she wanted to make sure she had all the evidence she had before she even uttered a word about the Cheshire cat to Gabriel.
Once she had everything gathered, she would tell him but not a moment sooner.
"Don't look at me like that, you know I need more evidence, Kallista replied.
"Is that the running joke today or something?" Magnus asked just as the server room opened. The door to the server room slid open to reveal Carmelo and Eve behind him
A check-in already.
"Yes, hello how can I help you?" Kallista asked as she glanced over her shoulder at the two. She noticed that Eve stood at the door while Carmelo approached Magnus on the floor.
"Have you found anything yet?" Carmelo asked and blatantly ignored Kallista. Magnus glanced at Kallista, clearly noting that the man had ignored Kallista completely. She turned her attention back to the terminal in front of her.
"The Director and I have found something but they are a bit corrupted. Right now, I am going to compare it to some of the things that we have to see if they match. I need to reconstruct pieces of it but that will take me no time," Magnus replied.
"Anything else?" the man asked.
"No," Magnus replied.
"I'll be back to check in on you," Carmelo began as he finally turned his attention to Kallista at the second terminal.
"Will this be a constant thing?" Kallista asked as she turned to look at the man.
"While you are here, yes. I am making sure you're looking at anything outside of your search field," Carmelo replied.
"We are not interested in Sterling Manufacturing or Mendoza Pharmaceuticals. You do not need to worry about us reaching out of our search purview," Magnus spoke up.
"Keep in mind that myself and my partner was held at gunpoint we are wary and suspicious of all. Don't forget that," Carmelo said he moved towards the door. Magnus and Kallista glanced at each other before they turned their attention back to the man as he walked out of the room.
Kallista watched as the door slid closed and listened to the soft murmurs that no normal ear could pick up.
"If they find anything you alert me immediately."
"Yes sir"
"I understand their paranoia, but Mendoza has it really bad," Kallista commented as she turned from the terminal.
"Should we have announced that we come in peace when we arrived?" Magnus sighed.
"Getting a jolly laugh out of them would have been better…but it's a bit late for that," Kallista replied as she pulled out her cellphone.
"Ah, missed opportunity," Magnus commented as he focused back on his work.
"Exactly," Kallista said as she moved towards the door.
"Where are you going?" Magnus questioned.
"I am going to check in on Dani and Idoya. See the Mayor of Detroit and then check in with Verona, Kallista replied.
"Ah…keeping appearances. Will you take off your mask?" Magnus questioned.
"I probably shouldn't…and besides Reyes told me not to take off my mask," Kallista replied.
"Such a good girl, Director," Magnus crooned.
"It's for my protection you idiot," Kallista scoffed as exited the room, behind her Magnus snickered.
Nearly twenty minutes later, Kallista found herself at an outdoor café and in front of an old friend. She leaned back in her hair as she quietly studied the woman across from her and took no notice of the curious glances of the people as they walked by on the streets.
It had been nearly six years since Kallista had returned to the United States, she was painfully aware that since her capture, she indeed had been under some type of house arrest at the Overwatch Foundation in Switzerland.
Things seemed different, but the same.
"I didn't expect for you to reach out to me so soon," the woman said before she sipped on her coffee.
"I didn't expect for you to meet me so quickly. Planning ahead are we Camille?" Kallista questioned the dark-haired woman.
"Planning ahead? No. You know I work better when I do impromptu things. I hopped on a jet and hauled ass here," Camille replied, her emerald green eyes focused on Kallista across from her. Kallista tapped her nails on the marble patio table as she waited for the woman to speak again.
"We know the situation...its common sense," Camille replied as she placed a piece of her ebony hair behind her ear and over her shoulder.
"I hope so because it sounds like there's a shit storm that's about to happen," Kallista replied bluntly.
"We've been watching. Long story short, it's a copycat, using Cheshire cat as a scapegoat to incite a rebellion against omnics basically leaning towards war… again," Camille sighed before taking another sip of her drink.
"A copycat, huh," Kallista sighed.
"It is what it is. I don't know where these people IF it is more than one got the original code from. But based on what's been happening here this can only go one way," Camille replied.
Camille Tesfaye, also known as Dead Fox Hound, she was one of the founding members of the God Brigade within Anonymous and a longtime friend she met at MIT years ago. The two women and a few other members created the Cheshire cat – the coding, the imagery, the behavior, everything.
As soon as Blackwatch's eye was turned to the Cheshire cat, Kallista began to recognize some patterns and behaviors that were similar to what they had created. She just wanted to make sure, she watched as some events played out just to see how the Cheshire cat would react and the kidnapping of Sterling Black and Carmelo Mendoza gave her pause.
She wasn't sure that it was the same and needed more evidence before she spoke to Gabriel and before she could do that she needed to speak to one of her closest friends.
"Camille," Kallista began.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I already have what's left of the original," Camille said as she dug into her designer purse, pulled out a black lipstick tube and placed it in front her. Kallista smirked as she looked at the tube, she knew what it was it and it served as a reminder of when they were in graduate school together.
It was the easiest way to give information to one another without being suspected. Women with an expensive brand lipstick who would suspect them?
"This is a good lipstick brand…"Kallista commented.
"Only the best for those who deserve it…you look so tired Kallista. They treating you ok in Blackwatch?" Camille asked.
Kallista laughed a bit, she didn't tell her what had happened but I knew the woman was smart enough to figure out things with subtle hints, and the fact that she was the one to send her the message.
"I'm fine but also very exhausted," Kallista replied. "How is everyone else though?"
"Kalli, c' mon. You've been out of school for a bit you should be living a life of luxury right now. But anyway, the last time I heard everyone was doing quite well for the most part," Camille began. "Samantha recently got married, Gwen is pursuing her Ph.D., Diana has been traveling, Brigit has her own office now and just recently started practice, and our sweet Gabriella just scored a really big job as a freelancer. We're all doing well," Camille replied as she tapped her white nails on the edge of her coffee tumbler.
"That's good to hear, and you?" Kallista asked.
"Oh, you know…being busy," Camille replied with her signature smirk.
"Of course, you could never sit still you were always a busy body," Kallista laughed.
"I mean I get stuff done that's the important part," Camille shrugged.
"That you do," Kallista nodded and smiled. Even with a smile on her lips, it hid the pangs of jealousy of her friends being able to live a normal life and pursue their non-illegal goals.
It made her think, would Overwatch release her if she captured the mole, would she be able to live a normal life?
"But I also just want to point out that you're not in a maximum prison and that's good," Camille began.
"Yeah," Kallista nodded.
"But still I wouldn't let your guard down. Let us know if Squad or the Brigade needs to step in," Camille said and finished off her drink.
"Anything?" Kallista asked.
"Anything. Goddesses or not," Camille said.
"I'll keep that in mind. Of course, I won't be able to fully pay you back right away," Kallista replied.
"I'll add it to your list of shit you owe me," Camille said as she waved off the woman.
"Oh gee thanks," Kallista replied sarcastically.
After a quick hug and goodbye, Kallista quickly made her way back to Sterling HQ.
{Kallista come in... Kallista!}
Kallista heard Lyudmila's voice calling out for her to respond, she had forgotten to put the earpiece back in after her short conversation with Camille. Digging into her hoodie, she placed the small earpiece into her ear.
"Lyuda what's-" Kallista started.
{I need you to get back to Europe, there's an emergency.}
Kallista knew that Lyudmila would never contact her if there wasn't a serious emergency, especially when the woman herself was already on a mission in Italy with Gabriel and others. The tone of the woman's voice shook Kallista to her core. Lyudmila was usually calm and collected regardless of the situation but this time, Kallista could hear the panic in her voice.
Something terrible had happened.
"Lyuda what's going on? What happened?" Kallista began.
{Kallista...Reyes has been taken}
