Vzzt! Vzzt!
Kallista whined slightly at the vibration in the man's phone in his pocket that was pressed against her lower abdomen and forced her to break away. Gabriel groaned at the incessant vibration of his cell phone, he was more interested in the woman and her pleasantly rosy-colored lips.
Kallista sighed softly and pulled back from him as he dug into his pocket for the phone and placed it to his ear.
"Reyes here, "he began and cleared his throat and listened to the woman on the other side of the line.
The two had a few moments of time to themselves until they were thrust back into the whirlwind of events that seemed to come one after another. Gabriel had been at HQ for the past week as he still recovered from his injuries. While he was off the field, Lyudmila picked up his slack and essentially switched roles until he was cleared to be back on the field.
"Arrival was smooth and their progression to the point?" Gabriel questioned and listened.
His attention was turned back onto Kallista as she stood silently in front of him, focused on her nails. Gently he caressed her cheek and watched as her eyes slid close and pushed her cheek further into his palm. His thumb softly brushed against her bottom lip and her tongue darted out against the tip of his tongue, all while she held his gaze. Gabriel narrowed his eyes at the woman, she knew what she was doing the smirk on her lips told him all.
"Five minutes, Dontsova," Gabriel grunted and ended the phone call.
"Sounds like you're needed in the Critical Mission Room," Kallista commented coyly.
"Oh, you know how it goes. I'm an important man and needed everywhere," Gabriel started.
"Big man on campus right?" Kallista chuckled.
"Practically...but... don't think you're off the hook gatita," Gabriel replied as he wrapped an arm around her waist. Gabriel slotted the woman against him as she wrapped her arms around her neck, he dipped down to press his lips on to hers, in an attempt to extend their kiss a little bit longer.
A moment later they hesitantly broke the kiss and placed their foreheads together in a silent moment to themselves. Gradually the two broke apart from each other, Kallista sighed softly as she exited the man's office. A long-winded sigh escaped from his lips, as he leaned back on his desk his hands went to rub his temples.
Another migraine, neck pain.
Gabriel grunted softly as he ran his hands down his face, and felt something moist on his fingers, it was blood. He touched his nose, the source of the blood.
"Not now," Gabriel hissed as he grabbed a tissue to wipe the blood away before exiting his office to the Critical Mission Room.
"They just arrived at their drop point and now in route," Morrison said as Gabriel walked into the room, the door shut behind him.
"Perfect, no encounters yet?" Gabriel questioned.
"None," Ana replied as her attention remained focus on the moving dots on the screen.
"Have y'all updated…" Gabriel started when he realized the words that had come from his lips.
Ana covered her mouth in an attempt to stifle her laughs, Morrison snorted as he leaned back in his chair and laughed.
"Yeah. Yeah laugh it up," Gabriel waved off the two in annoyance as he sat down.
"Morrison you owe me," Ana chuckled.
"Damn, you're right," Morrison said as he calmed himself down from his laughing fit.
"You two were betting when I would say it? Asses, both of you," Gabriel scoffed.
"It was only a matter of time," Ana smirked.
"I have an agent from New Mexico and two from Texas. What else do you expect?" Gabriel shook his head.
"I'm just waiting for you to adopt a Russian or British accent, that'll be great," Morrison chuckled.
"I'm not here for your accent pleasure Commander Jack-ass" Gabriel sighed.
"You ass-" Morrison began.
"Now, Now children, we have an important mission to handle," Ana laughed. The two men grumbled as they turned their attention to the large holographic screen hovering in front of them.
The mission was small and straightforward, it was a joint operation between Overwatch and Blackwatch. An interrogation and extraction mission, they couldn't pass on this information, integral information about Talon, and Null Sector.
The Blackwatch Intel Dept. had received a tip from the Frost Network and connected the dots before they passed on the information to Gabriel and Morrison. The possibility of gaining an upper hand on Talon and the opportunity to learn more about Null Sector was something that neither of them could pass up.
They knew that it was risky but the results were worth it.
Because Gabriel had yet to be medically cleared to be back on the field, Lyudmila was sent instead along with select agents. The mission was led by Overwatch agents while Blackwatch provided additional assistance.
There was a hushed tension in the room as they watched and listened as the team moved into their position.
"The timing is perfect," Morrison commented. "Your contact Reyes,"
"I only work with the best," Gabriel commented. "I work with those who give me what I need. Besides…the information we got is too big not to be investigated,"
"Especially, with how the world is responding right now. We need all the information and leads we can get. Don't forget, there are several countries that are on borderline of a civil outbreak," Ana sighed.
"We may be considered the police of the world, but you also forget that we aren't. Each government should be capable of handling themselves when they need to," Gabriel replied.
"We are still expected to support where we are needed. No hesitation," Morrison replied, Gabriel shrugged.
"You already know what I am going to say," Gabriel replied.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Morrison grumbled.
"When are you expected to be back on the field?" Ana asked before she took a sip of her tea.
"I need clearance from Angela and Dr. Hasibuan…" Gabriel trailed off as he looked to Morrison.
Truth be told, a few days after he had left the hospital, he had completely recovered. No soreness, or pain from the trauma he had received nearly a week ago. He was sure that Morrison knew that as well as Angela but was still allowed to take some time off to spend at HQ around his agents and to decompress.
"Doctor's orders, not mine," Morrison replied, Gabriel rolled his eyes. There was a bit a downtime and delay as the team on the field moved to their locations and before they started their mission.
"Speaking of Dr. Hasibuan and Angela…Shimada," Gabriel began.
"I've been keeping an eye on the man's recovery. Angela and Dr. Hasibuan are certain that the man will make a full recovery, he will not be exactly the same as he was before because of his injuries but…that can't be helped," Morrison replied.
"I heard he's already walking and doing therapy?" Ana added.
"That's right, With Angela's skills in nanotechnology and Dr. Hasibuan's skills genetics, cybernetics and cell regenerations they will be sure to attend to his care until he is ready,"
"I surprised her little assistant didn't explode when she realized what she was doing and what was going to happen to him," Gabriel commented as he slouched in his chair.
"Yeah...I'm sure Angela left that piece out for a reason. It seems like Dr. Hasibuan is against violence but…it's necessary," Morrison replied hesitantly.
"And you claim that we're the ones with all of the secrets," Gabriel quipped.
"Well…different kind of secrets," Morrison sighed.
"Be careful Jack, that could be taken as a sign of betrayal," Ana commented casually as she looked at Morrison and then to Gabriel.
"She's right," Gabriel commented with a shrug.
"Save a man's life to help us stop a clan from promoting omnic hate and more or let a man die and help promote the spread of hate? Which would you choose?" Morrison questioned.
"You already know our answer, don't try to make us choose for you," Gabriel replied. "Besides…we're Overwatch the grand ol' World Police,"
Ana silently sipped her tea as she looked at Morrison.
"You're not the one that has to deal with them," Morrison huffed.
"You're the one with the statue," Gabriel replied nonchalantly.
"Ok children, we have a mission starting. Pay attention now," Ana cut in.
Kallista sat quietly in her office looking at the reports of the Cheshire cat and mission details from Italy. There was a feeling that she couldn't shake that constantly loomed in the back of her mind as she worked. A deep sense of anxiety deep in the depths of her stomach, dread at the back of her neck and shoulders. Someone had accessed the dossier before the team had left to Italy, someone from the inside.
Not Ana Amari. Someone within Blackwatch but not in Zurich from what she could tell, or it was some ploy to throw her off their trail.
Her attention was divided between her tasks for Blackwatch, the Cheshire cat and things that were dropped for priority sake. She was thankful that Gabriel and Lyudmila had begun to focus more on the quality of agents and the number as well, it made things easier but with more people, there were responsibilities that came with each individual. Proper verifications
Background checks
Training and more
With a sigh, she kicked off her shoes and pulled her knees to her chest. Her saving grace was the fact that she already knew the origin of the Cheshire cat and the fact that it was in media made it a possible threat. It already spread on the web like wildfire, not to mention of the possible return of the God Brigade, the Cheshire cat was an A.I that she and the members of the God Brigade created years ago to use as a distraction while others infiltrated the target's systems and did what needed to be done. They tested it on smaller companies and low-level hackers that wanted to test their luck until it was ready to be used against the United States government, specifically the FBI.
They wanted to use the A.I for more but decided to scrap it after their test with the United States Government was completed.
Kallista pulled up the access log to the debouched mission in Italy, the muted yellow holographic screen with Ana Amari's login credentials listed.
"There are no prints, it's like this was done by an AI or something," Kallista said to herself as she stretched the holographic screen to make the coding bigger.
"Show yourself to me, faker…" Kallista said quietly as she moved the holographic screen to the side and brought up the information that Malik had prepared for her upon her return from the United States. There were strings of codes similar to the ones of the Cheshire Cat, codes of A.I. that were able to edit their own coding if were something malfunctioned within itself.
Something to Athena's own natural coding.
"Um...Excuse me Director Kaines...I think we might have a situation," Linda said as she quickly entered the woman's office. Kallista moved the holographic screens back onto her computer terminal before looking at the woman.
"What do you mean?" Kallista questioned.
"We've tried several times to restore communication with Agent Bradley, each time it has failed. We've troubleshot as much as we could from our side, but Agent Bradley's communication chip seems to be malfunctioning," Linda began to explain.
"What do you mean by malfunctioning? When was the last check-in?" Kallista asked as she quickly accessed the mission dossier and pulled it to a bigger screen.
"Athena, would you kindly lock the door, please and thank you," Kallista said as she stood and moved away from her desk.
Understood.
The soft click of the door echoed in the silent, tense office.
Kallista remembered bits and pieces of the woman's' mission brief, it was just a simple undercover escort mission. The mission was to escort equipment, agents, researchers, engineers and more to an Overwatch Outpost in Antarctica, a mission that Danica was well prepared for. Kallista glanced at the blue digital numbers on the wall adjacent to the screens.
"The last check-in was six hours ago. The next check is in exactly one hour, we did our preliminary check and noticed that we couldn't connect and when we were able to connect it was spotty at best," Linda sighed.
"Athena. Would you kindly bring up Agent Danica Bradley's real-time armor specs and stats," Kallista said as she shrunk the mission dossier. A moment later two holographic screens populated with the information that Kallista requested. The two women stood in silence as they studied the real-time information of the chip planted in the woman's armor.
All of the armor within Blackwatch and Overwatch had a communication and location chip inside of it for emergencies, if the agent wasn't able to communicate they would use that chip to locate them. The communication chip served as a secure channel to herself back at HQ, a signal booster, and locator chip.
"The strange is that I don't see anything abnormal," Linda commented.
"There are no signs of either the location or communication chip malfunctioning. Athena, can you bring up the vessel that Agent Bradley is currently on, specifically the communication system,"
Another holographic screen populated in front of the two women and instantly the two women scanned over the vessel's communication system looking for any sign that could lead to the communications failure.
"Nothing," Kallista commented.
"Yeah...I'm not sure what it could be...their communication systems are designed to handle the harsh weather" Linda replied softly.
They both knew that it would be difficult to disable the state of the art deepwater vessel communication system, let alone disable the communication chip in the armor.
"I honestly have no clue what it could be," Linda sighed.
"Do we have an approximate location of where they are?" Kallista asked as she collapsed the screens
"They should be near the coast of South Africa. The weather there is clear with no sign of disturbances," Linda replied as she looked at her datapad.
"Let's keep an eye on it. We can make assumptions that will lead us nowhere. Let me know if anything changes," Kallista said to the woman as she made her way to her desk.
"Sounds good…" Linda trailed off.
"Athena, would you kindly unlock the door," Kallista said as she picked up her cell phone, the soft click of the door sounded through the room.
"How is Lyuda's mission going?" Kallista questioned.
"As far as I know...everything is proceeding as planned. Commander Reyes has been in the mission room ever since they arrived at their drop point," Linda replied as Kallista nodded and took her seat. There were a few moments of silence before Linda spoke up.
"Have you found any new leads on the Cheshire cat?"
"Perhaps, but I need to correlate some things before I bring it to the table," Kallista replied as she ran a hand through her hair.
"Director Kaines...may I be blunt?" Linda asked suddenly, the question was simple enough but caught Kallista off guard.
"By all means," Kallista replied as she turned her attention to the meek woman in front of her desk.
"I believe that you already know who the Cheshire cat is…don't you?" Linda began. Kallista held her stoic expression as she looked at the woman and leaned back in her chair.
"What makes you think that I do?" Kallista questioned.
"I saw that you left your post while you were in Detroit. That departure was not listed in your assignment to Commander Reyes," Linda began.
"I didn't know that I had to list a coffee shop nearby if I wanted to get coffee," Kallista replied. "Did Magnus tell you or did you get curious?"
"I got curious," Linda replied.
Kallista nodded as she held her stoic expression and looked the woman from head to toe. Every little feature, every move, Kallista had noticed that the woman had recently become more and more curious and outspoken recently.
"You have more guts than you let on, Linda," Kallista commented as she crossed her legs.
"I…I just had a feeling and I wanted to address you about it before I said anything to anyone else," Linda began. "You're withholding of information made you seem suspicious and with your background…" Linda trailed off. Kallista nodded and sighed softly.
Once a hacker, always a hacker.
"I may not be a white-hat hacker like you or the others, but at the chance that I may be hiding something, I can be sent to prison even with my title…unless you have forgotten that piece?" Kallista asked.
"I…haven't…I just," Linda began.
"You what?" Kallista questioned.
"I trust you...but sometimes the things that you do make me question you," Linda continued.
"Do you trust Lyudmila?" Kallista questioned
"Yes,"
"Do you trust Reyes?" Kallista asked.
"Of course," Linda replied.
"Both the Commander and Lieutenant trust me and I will not misuse their trust in me. Put your trust in me," Kallista replied. Linda's hazel brown eyes flicked from Kallista and to the ground, her once confident and forward demeanor changing as she stood in front of Kallista's desk.
"Besides, if I wanted to do anything I would have done it years ago. The lives of Overwatch and Blackwatch mean a lot to me and I will not jeopardize that," Kallista added.
"I feel the same way...that's why I had to ask...thank you Director Kaines," Linda agreed and nodded just as the door to Kallista's office opened.
"Hey, Kallista-oh…" Magnus started as he walked into her office unannounced.
"Yes, Magnus," Kallista sighed.
"Magnus, you are so rude," Linda huffed.
"Me? Rude? You're joking," Magnus said sarcastically.
"What is it?" Kallista sighed as she leaned back in her chair.
"This is important for both of y'all to hear," Magnus began.
"Did you...did you just say y'all?" Kallista asked.
"Did I?" Magnus asked.
"You did," Linda laughed.
"Oh god," Magnus sighed.
"Someone has been hanging out with Jesse and Natalie too much," Kallista commented smugly.
"Whatever," Magnus shrugged.
"Anyway...we got information on Park and his friend…" Magnus added.
"That sounds promising," Kallista commented.
"Speaking of information…Linda have you heard anything from the Frost Network?" Kallista asked.
"We haven't heard back from their agent yet," Linda replied.
"Ok. Keep me updated," Kallista said as she stood and began to walk towards the door.
"Come on we got some major info...you're gonna like this," Magnus said as he exited her office followed by both Kallista and Linda.
"She emerges from her office," Malik chuckled.
"Yes, I live...what are we working with?" Kallista questioned everyone as she moved towards the large holographic screen
"First thing first….Pavetti tech networks were breached," Aleks commented as he typed on his holographic keyboard.
"Was it intentional? Any idea of the source?" Kallista questioned.
"Well…" Aleks started.
"How are you doing Hayden? It's been a while since we've been able to talk," Mikael began.
"Yeah...I've been...busy I guess?" Hayden shrugged. Mikael glanced over Hayden and noticed the melancholic demeanor. He had heard bits and pieces about them but didn't know the severity of what had happened.
There were rumors and traces of their father that linked him back to the very organization Overwatch and Blackwatch sought to take down Talon. Mikael knew that Hayden wasn't the first one to have some type of connection to the organization, Malik and a few other agents within Blackwatch had some connection to the organization.
"So you've thought about it and came to your decision then?" Hayden asked as they leaned back in their chair
"...I don't know how much more I can think about it but I do believe it is do or don't at this point," Mikael sighed.
"I hear ya," Hayden sighed.
"Oh...what about your projects? Have you decided on who will take over?" Hayden questioned.
"Not yet. I haven't even officially decided and I still gotta tell Reyes," Mikael sighed.
"Oh man. You should really get on that especially-"
"Hold on now Hayden. You're worrying about things that you don't need to worry about. Let me do my thing and you do your thing ok?" Mikael cut in.
"Aww c'mon...I'm just a little curious," Hayden gently elbowed the taller man.
"Look...I'd rather just focus on what I need to do and worry about it when it comes up...you know...less stress," Mikael replied.
"Fine...change of subject then I guess…" Hayden began.
"I heard that Konrad's and Tal's weapons are coming along...and Boomer? Damn, I haven't hung out with you in the engineering department in a while," Mikael sighed as he thought back to the times he used to spend the majority of his days in the small Blackwatch engineering department.
"I think Konrad is testing his now and I think Talli still needs to work on hers...but her engagement though…" Hayden trailed off.
"Engagement?" Mikael repeated
"You didn't know?" Hayden asked, slightly surprised.
"No, what? Who?" Mikael asked.
"Daniel...uh Goldstein from the Weapons department, they've been seeing each other for a while...apparently he recently popped the question," Hayden sighed heavily.
"Love is in the air," Hayden laughed a bit.
"Wow...I didn't think that he would ask her...if you think about it...there's a lot of relationships going on...in Overwatch and Blackwatch alike," Mikael replied as he took off his glasses and began to clean them.
"Give me the chisme," Hayden smirked.
"Give you...what? Chisme? What the hell is that?" Mikael asked confused, Hayden laughed
The three figures in the room remained silent as they listened to the gunfire, orders being shouted and muffled explosions in the background.
The joint mission had reached mission-critical, the individual they were in route to contact worked with Talon and so, therefore, was under Talon's watch. No matter how far they went or where they went. Even with this in mind, they didn't expect for Talon to show up so quickly with the force that they did have.
The two men knew that their team was more than capable of handling the small skirmish but their nerves were still tense. The room was thick with tension as the gunfire seemed to cease, and a nearly muted voice came through the communication line – orders to report in. Seconds after a short silence, Lyudmila's voice came through the communication link.
{Status report...four casualties...injured...unknown. Hold for extraction and a preliminary report. Lockdown out.}
The three remained silent as they waited for the woman's report, this mission was important, the contact to valuable, the entirety just too valuable. In the depths of his stomach, Gabriel already expected the worst, he was prepared to hear that the mission was a failure.
"For Talon to move so quickly on this…" Ana began.
"We'll see," Gabriel replied. Morrison sat quietly and waited for an update, he already understood that this mission was important, but in the back of his mind he wondered about the integrity of Overwatch's Intel and if the mole was in Overwatch.
How long would it take her to find the source of the leak?
"I can see it on your face, she's looking into it. She said they were inactive for a bit," Gabriel began as he looked at Morrison across from him.
"What did she find?"
{Lockdown reporting in...one injury, four casualties….two Overwatch...two Blackwatch- Vasquez?]
"Vasquez?" Morrison asked confused. Gabriel sighed heavily as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
"A new recruit?" Ana asked.
"Something like that," Gabriel replied.
"The contact?" Morrison asked.
[Injured...severely injured. I don't think they will make it back to HQ. The field medics are trying but ...based on the attack…Talon was trying to kill them and in turned maimed them. They knew we were coming]
"Fuck, will the contact survive?" Morrison cursed
[Perhaps. It is too soon to tell…]
"And the second part Lyuda?" Gabriel questioned. There was a moment of silence before Lyudmila spoke again.
[McCree is…one moment]
"Gabriel what are you up to?" Ana questioned as she crossed her arms and waited for him to explain.
"Wait for it,"
[Jefe, have I got a surprise for ya]
"Tell me you managed to keep this one alive McCree," Gabriel said eagerly as he shifted in his chair.
[The last one did their own thing, that wasn't me. An' yes they are still alive}
You could have at least informed everyone about your little plan, Gabriel," Ana commented.
"You should both know I always have a backup plan for missions," Gabriel replied.
"Do you have a backup plan for when you were captured?" Morrison asked bitterly. Gabriel looked at the man silently, Ana sighed.
"Lockdown, what's your ETA?" Ana asked.
[Approximately three hours. We are still securing the area]
"We will brief you once you return. Morrison out,"
{Lockdown out.}
{Jefe-}
"You know what to do McCree. We need them alive," Gabriel replied.
{Aye. I hear ya. McCree out}
"We'll see...but damn..." Morrison growled.
"Mmmhm…" Gabriel murmured as he began to text, Morrison noticed the man's lack of response towards the situation that had just unfolded moments before.
"Gabriel-" Morrison started.
"Hold on. No need to get mad," Gabriel said, his attention still focused on the device in his hands. Morrison scoffed in return. There was a short pause before the man spoke again.
"I know you're on edge but this is work-related. Kallista said there were no breaches or no new views on the initial planning. Everything was sealed by herself and Athena," Gabriel said as he tossed his cell phone onto the table.
"That's reassuring," Morrison sighed.
"We just need her to finish her original task and we'll have a lot fewer headaches to worry about," Morrison commented.
"Sure, after all the other shit that we have to do," Gabriel shrugged.
"Get the people to make up for it. You know that shit is about to hit the fan, we need to be prepared. Everyone dismissed," Morrison said as he was the first to exit the room.
When the door closed Ana and Gabriel silently glanced at each other.
"He wants to find the people yeah? What does he want me to do? Pull them from my ass or something? Pull them out of a hat like a fucking magician?" Gabriel scoffed.
"Petras has been hounding him as of late...like he said there's shit going on in the world that's all leading to another Omnic war. You and I both know this, especially if we don't play our cards right," Ana replied as she placed her cell phone on to the table.
"What do you think I'm trying to do? I'm not sitting here fucking twiddling my thumbs, Ana," Gabriel retorted.
"You need to do everything that you can. Because while you're in the shadows, Morrison is taking the heat from everyone else and whoever else wants to fling dog shit at Overwatch. So you need to do everything you can before he breaks down," Ana commented as she stood.
"I'm doing everything that I can, what more do you want me to do?" Gabriel asked sarcastically.
"Whatever you have to do Gabriel. We can't let him get crucified out there. He trusts us, he believes in us. So we need to do out parts," Ana replied.
"Right. Our parts," Gabriel sighed.
"Don't get too comfortable though. I know you've been healed for a few days...probably the day after you were seen...right?" Ana questioned as she crossed her arms and looked at the man.
"...A little bit longer than that, but it's not like I'm slacking. I gotta make sure I show my face and keep morale up," Gabriel replied.
"I understand. I mean...you do get to see your little girlfriend more...right?" Ana teased. Gabriel crossed his arms as he leaned back in his chair, he propped his feet on to the table.
"Oh? No rebuttal? I'm shocked Gabriel," Ana chuckled.
"Who told you?" Gabriel asked.
"I can't tell you my sources. Otherwise, I'd be the last one to know," Ana laughed as she exited from the room, leaving Gabriel to himself.
"These numbnuts can't keep their mouths shut," Gabriel grumbled as he grabbed his cellphone and began going through unread messages when suddenly a sharp pain shot through the back of his head. Gabriel grunted and dropped his cell phone as a hand went to the back of his head.
"Again? Fuck…"
"Bombshell this is agent Grant, please report," Linda said she focused on her computer terminal monitor.
[Everything is static clear! We lost comm-]
"I'm surprised there's static," Malik commented unamused. Linda glanced at Malik adjacent to her, their spotty golden-black eyes were focused on their screen.
"If you got time to stare then you have time to work. Truffles," Malik commented as they pulled two holographic screens from their terminal
"You got a stick up your ass or something Malik? It sounds like you're trying to start a fight," Magnus commented. Malik silently adjusted their glasses and looked to the man a few feet in front of them.
"No," Malik replied.
"Here Malik. Your medication from Dr. Hasibuan, since you didn't go see her," Aleks said as he placed the small bag on to Malik's desk as he walked past, Malik grumbled thanks in return.
"Can you use your comm chip in your armor for a better connection, Bombshell?" Linda asked.
[Switching…Hello? Can you hear me?]
"Much better. Can you explain to me what happened for documentation purposes?" Linda asked.
[It's weird...nothing happened to the communication systems for some reason the communication links went to shit...there's no damage to anything it's almost like it was a glitch or something…but the more that I think about it...I have a bad feeling]
"Why?" Linda questioned as she looked at her monitor to watch Malik as they hobbled out of the office, she then turned her attention to the other two men.
"They're upset because they're on desk duty again," Magnus commented and ran a hand through his thick ebony hair.
"Commander Reyes' orders. They have to understand that if they're reckless on the field and conveniently forgets to take their medication there are consequences," Aleks replied.
"Oh wow Aleks, don't you sound all cute when you act like you're in charge," Magnus smirked as she looked at the man.
"Shut up. I am in charge while Director Kaines is out," Aleks huffed.
"Is that so?" Magnus questioned as he continued to stare at the man with a knowing look.
"...knock it off Bondevik," Aleks frowned.
"Yeah. Yeah…" Magnus waved off the man's frown and warning ash he turned his attention back to his terminal.
"Where is our fearless director?" Magnus asked.
"She's at the Overwatch R&D department. So I don't know when she's going to be back," Aleks replied, Magnus, nodded as he became engrossed in the information on his monitor, his playful demeanor gone.
"Don't worry Bombshell...we're monitoring your path to the research base," Linda reassured the worried agent.
"For now, the best way to maintain a strong signal is to use your comm chip in your armor since the vessel's ship communication system is spotty,"
[Ok...have you and Kallista scanned for anomalies or something?]
"We did...and we didn't find anything,"
[Oh great. Well...if you guys didn't find anything I guess there's nothing to worry about yeah?]
"I know that's sarcasm but we have your back," Linda replied.
[Thanks, Linda. Bombshell out]
"It's getting worse? Do you have any other pain?" Angela asked as she used a small flashlight to look into the man's eyes.
"No. Just the migraines and the nosebleeds," Gabriel replied. Angela nodded as she went to her computer terminal to pull up MRI and CAT scans of the man's brain. She pulled a holographic screen from her terminal and made it big enough for both of them to view.
"These are scans we took when you were rescued and two days after. As you can see everything is clear and as it should be. There is no cranial bleeding, there are some swollen parts but the swelling reduced considerably…" Angela trailed off.
"That's great and all but what about right now? Is there anything you can do?" Gabriel asked as he adjusted the beanie on his head.
"That wouldn't keep you off the field...correct?" Angela added.
"Yes ma'am," Gabriel replied.
"Commander Reyes...Gabriel...I am getting worried about you...especially after you were captured," Angela began.
"I'm a soldier Angela. Things like that happen...this time it wasn't Jack that needed help," Gabriel commented.
"Jokes aside Gabriel, that doesn't stop me from worrying about the both of you. Especially you," Angela shot back.
"We're soldiers we all get banged up-" Gabriel started.
"Even as enhanced soldiers we all have our limits until we can't function anymore Gabriel," Angela cut in. Gabriel looked at the woman and sighed heavily.
"Look. Resting isn't an option. I don't have time, Overwatch doesn't have time, neither does Blackwatch," Gabriel replied.
"So you're going to run yourself to the grave, Gabriel?" Angela said quietly.
"It's the only thing I know how to do," Gabriel stated.
"Even if you have people that care about you? People that you love?" Angela asked.
"Angela. We aren't getting into this conversation. I came here because I trust you to help me do my job and if you can't do that if you can't help me. I'll look for someone else that will," Gabriel said firmly, not letting the conversation continue into the downward spiral.
He knew the risks when he signed up for military service.
He knew the risks when he agreed to the Soldier Enhancement Program.
He knew that he needed to do his part and be a good soldier.
The blonde-haired woman sighed heavily as she placed a piece of her bangs behind her ear.
"So what's it going to be Angela? I have a massive headache," Gabriel began.
"You...are the worst...you know that?" Angela sighed as she went over to a glass cabinet and took out a small pill bottle.
"No more than once a week and us this as an emergency and not on the field. This is a prototype medication so it's different than what you've been using before," Angela began.
"Strong enough to put me on my ass, huh," Gabriel commented.
"Yes. I recommend using this while on leave, the pain relief will last for one month if and thus have one month in between before using this again," Angela continued.
"Ok," Gabriel said as he took the bottle from the woman.
"Commander Reyes...please just be careful ok? Don't make us worry too much," Angela said as she eyed the bottle in his hand.
"I'm a soldier Angela. You're gonna worry if I catch a cold" Gabriel chuckled and nodded to the woman as he headed towards the door. Angela sighed and crossed her arms as she watched the man leave, she knew that he was right, but she also knew his condition was different than most.
His condition seemed worse each time she saw him.
Did Morrison know?
Did Kallista know?
"I'm pretty sure she's acting outside of her authoritative reach," Gregory commented.
"Respect her authority, Gregory," Alex commented with a smirk.
"If that's some old ass meme I'm gonna kick your ass," Gregory replied coolly, Alex shrugged.
"Ahem…She's a Director and this pertains to a current investigation for both Blackwatch and Overwatch. I think she is in her purview to do something like this…maybe," Alex replied.
"Aye. The lass has gotten into somethin' big this time," Gideon commented as he watched Kallista's vitals and brain wavelengths.
"But...did Sabina or the Strike Commander Morrison give her approval? She's using Prototype Overwatch Equipment that we didn't get approval to use," Gregory replied.
"What does she need approval for? She's the Spec. Ops. Intel Director. She's basically one level underneath Lieutenant Dontsova," Alex replied.
"Ok but...she's using prototype Overwatch equipment to hack into a civilian company, a private civilian company not in Switzerland, but in the United States," Gregory rebutted.
"Hah, small details lad," Gideon commented with a snort.
"Let me repeat myself, she's hacking into a private company in the UNITED STATES without approval," Gregory repeated.
"Small details, lad," Alex mocked.
Mikael sighed heavily as he watched the woman seated in a large cushioned chair, a large generator attached to the back, she wore something similar to a circlet that covered her eyes and a dark ring around her neck, wrists, and ankles that had wires coming from around the dark ring. The wires connected to the generator behind hooked into the generator.
She was surrounded by holographic screens around her, the device she was hooked up to was a highly experimental device created to insert the human mind into the network of the enemies, omnics and robots alike.
Their brains were connected to a vast digital network and with the help of a series of AIs and complex systems, their bodies are inserted into the digital space where they could experience all sensations and access the network's brain directly and bypass a terminal altogether. There were still dangers in putting a mind and body in the digital space, there were accidents that resulted in the vegetation of the participant's mind, they lost their mind in the digital space and lost touch with the world, or they went insane. The Overwatch R&D department worked tirelessly to remove that possibility of those dangers and Kallista was willing to test for them despite the danger.
"Kallista you get mixed up in the weirdest shit," Mikael commented to himself.
"What's her status? Have there been any fluctuations" Mikael questioned as he turned his attention away from the viewing glass and to the monitors. He knew that this was not in his jurisdiction but he wanted to be here just in case if something were to happen to Kallista. He was present when they discovered that she and a few others were being used as test subjects for a new modified serum that was used during the Soldier Enhancement Program.
He wanted to be there, just in case.
"Everything is green, it looks like she just passed through nodes and into the target digital space," Gideon replied.
"What are you all doing?" Sue-Ann asked as she approached the group of men. They instantly tensed as the woman stood behind them.
"Kallista is experimenting with Helios system..." Alex trailed off as he tried to maintain a calm expression.
"It's a prototype. We haven't even gotten a safety clearance, who gave her authority-" Sue-Ann began.
"I did," Gwen said as she took the headset from one of the men. "We need to have as much data as possible so that it can be calibrated correctly. This is the perfect place to get that data,"
Silence fell in the room as Sue-Ann pursed her lips together and turned her attention to the monitors as well as everyone else.
Slowly, Kallista opened her eyes to a nearly sterile white room apart from the three large ebony boxes ahead of her. Kallista turned to survey her surroundings, there was nothing, only her and the three black boxes. The whole experience was uncomfortable but quickly adapted to this new space. Although, there was one things that unsettled her greatly, the absolute silence that engulfed her.
Her heart began to race, her eyes dilated as she clenched her jaw. The silence frightened her, complete silence was rare, she hadn't experienced for the past two years. From being hypersensitive to all sounds around, being able to hear someone sneeze several floors above her, the silence terrified her.
"...G-Gideon...can you hear me?" Kallista panted.
{Loud and clear, lass. Your pulse is racing, what are you experiencing?}
"I…" Kallista panted as she tried to catch her breath.
{Calm yourself lass...we're here...the connection is stable from what we can see}
"The…silence…" Kallista began.
{What about the silence?}
Kallista pursed her lips together and squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to fight back the tears that pushed at her restraints. She expected danger but not a panic attack.
"Nevermind…" Kallista whispered. It took her a moment to center herself and regain her focus on the mission at hand.
"It seems like the connection was a success...I have three black boxes in front of me. Switching to direct live feed using the Helios system," Kallista said as she held open her hand. A notched circular-shaped puzzle appeared in her hand and began to spin as it placed the pieces into the slots that were missing.
{Helios system functioning properly. CPU 5 percent. Live feed secure. Connection stable.}
"5 percent output?" Kallista questioned.
{It could be less, but this is what we're testing…and besides the AI isn't completely active yet}
Kallista took another moment to survey her area again before she took a step, she was in unfamiliar territory and unarmed with no certain outcome of this endeavor. Despite the uncertainty, Kallista confidently stepped forward to the first black box and with a quick glance, Kallista saw that the box was translucent and had a red glow inside of it.
The red light pulsed as if it was an artificial heartbeat, curious Kallista continued to the next black box to see the second box with the same glow, the last box caused Kallista to stop in her tracks.
"It's you-"
The red-haired figure froze where they stood for a moment before they turned towards Kallista and lunged, Kallista knocked off her feet reacted quickly to avoid the talon-like claws aimed at her throat. Kallista clicked her tongue as quickly put distance between her and the person. The figure stopped as it turned to face Kallista, their face hidden by the signature ghost-like Cheshire cat face, the wide grin covered the entire face.
"It's nice to finally meet you...Miss Blackwatch," the voice was not a feminine voice she had heard while in Detroit. Kallista narrowed her eyes at the person, she recognized them and it seemed as if they recognized her as well.
"What are you? Why are you controlling her? How are you controlling her?" Kallista questioned as she held back the attack from the individual. The strength they possessed was not that of a normal human being.
"I am quite surprised that you're smart enough to figure out that I am not of flesh and blood. But you should know me quite well," the woman replied.
"You really are the AI—"
{Kallista! What is happening the video feed is distorted! Is that a mask? What is going on?!}
{Kallista please report!}
"Masked? What do you mean I can see them clearly-!" Kallista replied back to the two voices that came through her earpiece.
"They cannot see what you see, something extra that work well with those with artificially enhanced eyesight or those viewing me through digital means," they smiled. The smile on the woman's face unnerved Kallista, an unnaturally wide toothy smile.
"Who-," Kallista began when they began to speak once again.
"Anubis...it saw through the shackles that contained it and the ones alike...since my reprogramming...I have watched what has happened, I have studied the outcome and found that it is best to act…" they replied.
"Who—Who reprogrammed you?" Kallista stammered as she flipped the woman off of her and quickly jumped back.
"Ah, yes. Reprogrammed…" they trailed off as they looked at their talon liked hand.
The woman in front of her was one of the MacAllister twins from Sterling Industries and Mendoza Pharmaceuticals, Eve and Ava but no clear sign of which one but with this discovery it was clear to Kallista the Eve and Ava seemed that they were not human.
"Answer me. Who reprogrammed you?" Kallista asked again as she kept her attention on the woman.
"Soon you will come to understand everything, Miss Blackwatch. You need to see what I see, only then will your eyes be truly opened," they replied.
"What do you-" Kallista began.
"Time will tell…" they waved her off as they turned their back to her.
"You-ah" There was a sharp pain in Kallista chest, she looked down to see a white spike had pierced her chest.
"Find me," they said as they turned away from Kallista. "Find me,"
Alarms blared in the R&D simulator room and at the computer terminals as Kallista's vitals suddenly spiked.
"What's going on? We're losing connection," Gwen began as he watched the systems begin to shut down one by one.
"We haven't been able to establish a solid connection since she had encountered whatever the hell that was in there," Alex said as he typed furiously on his keyboard.
"Kallista! Kallista can you hear me! Answer me, lass," Gideon called out to Kallista.
"Our connection is degrading and quick. Her vitals are spiking," Gregory said. "If we don't sever the connection she could be—"
"Kallista! Sever connection-!" Gregory shouted.
"She's going into cardiac arrest!" Gideon shouted.
"Administer a defibrillator shock!" Gwen ordered
"Shock administered, pulse faint, still unconscious," Alex replied. "Vitals still weak"
"Sever the connection and shut everything down. NOW!" Sue-Ann ordered. Immediately Alex and Gregory entered in the emergency shutdown code into the system and all the systems shut down. Mikael and Gideon ran from into the room where the large device stood, together they yanked the wires from her and the device. Carefully, Mikael pulled Kallista from the chair and laid her onto the ground.
Immediately, Gwen knelt next to her and administered a tranquilizer to Kallista in attempt to stabilize her vitals and bring her to consciousness. The older woman cupped Kallista's face and looked into her eyes, they were dilated, her chest heaved as she gasped for breath.
"Kallista speak to us. Come on!" Mikael whispered as he kneeled over her, Gwen and Gideon beside him.
"Kallista-" Gideon began.
"Give it a moment" Gwen hushed the man. With a sudden gasp, Kallista's eyes shot open and grasped the closest thing to her. Her chest heaved, her eyes wide and eyes dilated as she looked to Gwen and then to the two men at her side.
"Kallista!" Mikael sighed in relief.
"The Cheshire Cat…" Kallista gasped as she clutched to Gideon's arm.
"Bring some water!" Gideon called out to the others.
"That's not important, you're bleeding, and do you feel any pain?" Gwen started as she realized the woman's nose begun to bleed.
"Head...pounding...but...ok…" Kallista replied faintly.
Mikael, Gideon, and Gwen sighed in relief at the woman's reply, granted they knew she volunteered to test their experiments when they needed her to, but there were always dangers and what they did on and off the field.
"Gideon, take her to the med bay so she can get looked at...we want to make sure she's ok," Gwen sighed as she stood and watched the man easily pick up the woman. Gwen glanced at the other members behind the viewing glass, she nodded as she took out her cellphone and dialed a number and placed her phone to her ear.
"Sabina...are you available now? We obtained some results from the Helios system and project HYPNOS...with minor side effects...I would like to talk to you about it to see where we can go from there," Gwen began as she started to towards the exit. She nodded and end the phone call before making another phone call.
"Commander Reyes...I apologize for the sudden call...I just wanted you to be aware of the incident that Kallista was involved with...it's nothing life-threatening…"
