Three days had passed when the search for Danica ended and when she had finally returned back to the Overwatch base. Three long torturous days in the arctic waters, surrounded by prime hunters of the dark depths. She had managed to escape in an emergency pod, but the pod had been damaged and forced her out of the capsule. Exposed to the bone-chilling water, wind, Killer whales and more.
It was a miracle that she was alive and it would be only a matter of time until the knew the full effects of what happened.
"Director Kaines,"
"Mikami," Kallista greeted him as she stood near the man's desk. Although Danica didn't report to Kallista, she still felt responsible for what had happened, responsible for whatever was to come next with the woman. She felt as if she could have done better, prevented the slaughter that happened on the ship, that she could have prevented what happened to her.
Kallista felt guilty. Guilty enough that she kept tabs on the woman's recovery, she needed to see for herself what was happening, she needed to be sure she was getting the best care there was available in both Overwatch and Blackwatch support.
She needed to know.
"It has been a while Director, what can I do for you?" Jin questioned.
"I have a couple of questions about Malik and about Agent Bradley," Kallista began. She could see the man tense at the mention of Malik's name. It was quick and would have been missed if she weren't looking at the man.
"Ok. I'll help as much as I can," Jin replied.
Kallista glanced over the man, taking his demeanor before she spoke, she knew of the rocky relationship the two, they had a relationship but it was a complicated and seemingly one-sided relationship. They relied on each other during the torturous experiments Talon had put them through in order to achieve their far-fetched goals. He, Jin Mikami was the only who could decipher Malik when others couldn't. He knew Malik's extensive medical history and how to treat them and was used as a middleman to understand her stubborn colleague.
"Has Malik taken their medication and attended their therapy session regularly?" Kallista asked.
"Mmm...Malik hasn't attended a check in with me in several months, but I have received updates from Dr. Ziegler, Dr, Hasibuan's complaints and a few updates from Nurse Doubek but I have not seen them in person," Jin began as he pulled a datapad from a neat stack.
"I can only assume that they have," Jin finished as he looked up from the pad in his hands. Kallista picked up on the man's hesitation, there was more but she didn't have time to dive into their emotional baggage and based on how often Malik avoided Jin. There were tons of it.
"May I ask why?" Jin questioned.
"Simply put, I need them to be fully there so there are no complications on a future mission," Kallista replied.
"I think I understand but how is this different than their other missions?" Jin questioned.
"It's confidential," Kallista replied firmly as she shifted her weight to her other leg. Jin continued to stare at the woman silently as he became lost in his thoughts.
"It's quite rude for you to stare," Kallista commented.
"S-Sorry. May I ask one more question?" Jin questioned.
"It depends on what it is," Kallista replied.
"Will he be alright? They're not getting into something that's going to get them killed…." Jin trailed off. Kallista placed a hand on her hip and pursed her lips together.
"You're still worried about them even though they avoid you like a plague. You must be really smitten with them," Kallista sighed. Jin looked away from her at that moment, she knew that she had struck a chord within the man.
"It's none of my business, but it really depends on how Malik and if they'll do some reckless shit," Kallista replied.
"That sounds like they're getting themselves into danger," Jin replied.
"Blackwatch is dangerous, Overwatch is dangerous. You should know that even if you're tucked away in the labs. Your pacifist ways may work in Overwatch and off the field to some extent, but not in Blackwatch. We do what Overwatch will not," Kallista replied.
"I understand...but I digress. Is there anything else you wish to discuss Director Kaines?" Jin asked as he changed the subject.
"Danica Bradley. I need you to monitor her mental health and stability," Kallista began.
"Agent Bradley? I believe that Nurse Asuka is in charge of her care and recovery as well as Nurse Doubek. But I will make sure to check in on her," Jin said as he pulled up a holo-screen of Agent Bradley's medical files.
"Thank you. You can send updates or any concerns to myself, Lyudmila or Reyes," Kallista added.
"Understood," Jin replied as he scanned the woman's files. Kallista nodded and exited from the man's lab.
He sighed softly as he leaned back in his chair, lost in his thoughts. He didn't need her to tell him about what Malik was getting themselves into, he knew there would be a day where they would want to use both of them to explore Talon or to use their unique skills to weaken the organization. Not to mention the propaganda, the riots, and murders were just the beginning of a whole other issue.
It wasn't hard to see where everything was leading to.
After she had stopped at Dr. Mikami's office she made her way to the med bay to check on Danica herself. She had seen her when she had first returned, her lips and skin were speckled with red blotches and her limbs a pale blue. Her clothes were practically frozen, tattered from the treacherous arctic winds and water, the bandage and gauze she used for an injury had broken into pieces and stuck her skin.
Even with her severe condition, Gabriel believed she would pull through and Kallista was inclined to believe him, but she needed to see it for herself.
The soft beeps of heart monitors and the quiet murmurs of nurses and medical staff filled Kallista's ears as she entered the large sterile room and quickly glanced around. It didn't take long for Kallista to find Danica, the woman that had saved her, Reira Asuka, a young newly trained medic that had joined Overwatch almost a year ago.
"Miss Asuka, "Kallista began quietly as she moved over towards her. The woman quickly looked over her shoulder and towards Kallista.
"Ah, Director Kaines. I didn't expect to see you so soon," Reira began.
"I had time before my tasks today. How is she?" Kallista asked as she focused on the sleeping woman on the hospital bed.
"I see. She's progressing a little slow but she's recovering," Reira replied as she too looked at Danica.
"That's good news," Kallista replied and sighed heavily.
"I'm glad that we didn't have to amputate any limbs due to the severe case of hypothermia...she has some muscle deterioration, but it's minor," Reira began to explain.
"That doesn't sound like good news Reira," Kallista commented.
"I-I know but we've already conducted extracorporeal rewarming with success and her brain function is normal, even with the minor muscle deterioration but her strength will return when she begins therapy. With enough luck on my side I will have her back to Blackwatch in no time," Reira nodded.
"I can tell she's in good hands. Please take your time, If she needs rest and time we will handle it," Kallista replied.
"Y-yes. Of course. Um, shall I continue to report to Commander Reyes? " Reira questioned as she looked down at her datapad.
"If that's what he told you then you should follow his orders," Kallista answered as she looked to her cell phone.
"Understood," Reira nodded.
"Alright then, thank you for updating me, If you can't get in contact with Reyes or Lieutenant Dontsova please contact me," Kallista said as she turned to walk away.
"Understood Director Kaines," Reira replied softly and nodded as she turned back to the unconscious woman on the bed.
"We have to move otherwise the longer we wait the worse it will become," Lyudmila commented as she crossed her arms.
"If we act too quickly it could put Blackwatch in the under the spotlight and add more fuel to the flame that's under our asses," Gabriel replied.
"We already have eyes on the ground and we-" Lyudmila began.
"You already know that agents- No, Overwatch agents are being targeted by Talon and let's just assume that Null Sector and Talon are working together. That's another shitstorm that we have to dig through," Gabriel sighed.
"Another shit storm," Lyudmila sighed.
"There's too much shit going on in Eastern Europe and jokes aside, Talon planned all of this shit. They planned all of this and we didn't even fucking see it coming," Gabriel hissed as he stood from his chair and went over to the large holographic screen. He zoomed into four different countries that were already highlighted on the screen.
"These four countries are where Null Sector first appeared. Croatia, Austria, Hungary, and the Netherlands. They began with these countries and then branched out to Latvia, Estonia, and Ukraine," Gabriel began to explain. "Currently, there's no sign of Null Sector in these countries but at the same time South Korea's homegrown anti-omnic group started making noise again," Gabriel sighed.
"All the signs point to being planned," Lyudmila commented.
"Overwatch missed its mark. All of this was planned so strategically that Overwatch is slowly being overwhelmed by the world depending on them to police their country," Gabriel grunted as he slipped off his beanie and scratched his buzzed head.
"The biggest concerns should be in South Korea. We were there before but it's worse and to be honest I can see it taking a turn for the worst…" Gabriel trailed off.
There was a short pause between the two before Lyudmila spoke.
"Are you saying...war...Reyes?" Lyudmila questioned as she turned to look at the man.
War.
A second Omnic War, a Second Omnic Crisis.
Something the world didn't need, there were still countries that were still healing from the old wounds and scars of the first crisis. There were still those who had not yet recovered from the trauma, the horrors of war and yet there were those who thrived in it, she was one of those people. It was all that she knew and yet she wanted to avoid it at all costs.
"Normally I wouldn't even utter the word, but it's possible," Gabriel sighed. Lyudmila remained silent as she moved to sit down, the possibility of war would be devastating
Were they ready? How long would it take them to be read? Would she be able to perform without issue, be cool, calm and collected?
Would she be able to pull through this war?
"Let's keep that in the back of our minds for the moment, about that new agent from the Frost Network," Gabriel began.
"Yes. Kallista and I have been in contact with our contact in the Frost Network and also with the Recruitment Director," Lyudmila began.
"I heard that you chewed them out," Gabriel chuckled as he sat across from her. Lyudmila scoffed as she leaned back in her chair and placed her ankle over her knee.
"They know they could have gone and retrieved this agent since they want her to be in their ranks. Don't they have people to do these sorts of things?" Lyudmila scoffed.
"They do, but this is different. We have the contact and it's better if we dealt with them instead of them. They're a close contact-" Gabriel started.
"Close contact? You sounded like you wanted to strangle the woman. Mamma Jelli was it?" Lyudmila commented as she stifled a chuckle.
"Evangeline…" Gabriel sighed and clicked his tongue as Lyudmila snickered across from him.
"How did you come across this contact if you don't mind me asking," Lyudmila questioned.
"Evangeline or should I say Mamma Jelli and I have a rocky history, unfortunately," Gabriel scoffed.
"A rocky history? " Lyudmila asked.
"It's been a while since I've seen you this curious about me Lyuda," Gabriel scoffed again, the woman shrugged gently.
"I mean I already know you won't tell me about you and Kallista and I'm not one to pry. So, humor me, Reyes, you can't always be the mysterious alpha wolf of the pack," Lyudmila chuckled. Gabriel chuckled at the woman's comment, she was right in a way.
"She used to work directly under one of the Blackwatch Squad leaders before she decided this wasn't for her," Gabriel began.
"Mmmhm," Lyudmila replied, a small smirk on her lips.
"Don't give me that judgemental look, Lyuda," Gabriel sighed.
"I'm just listening," Lyudmila tilted her head slightly.
"Yeah. Sure…" Gabriel shook his head at the woman.
"Anyway...I'll keep my lips sealed until necessary," Lyudmila began.
"And this is why you are my right-hand woman Lyuda. Morrison and Ana are already aware of this and more than likely swamped in other meetings," Gabriel spoke up, thankful that the woman decided to drop the previous subject.
"Of course," Lyudmila nodded as she stood.
"In the meantime, you can expect to be on the field more. We need to see the situation for ourselves. Overwatch won't have the manpower to lend assistance, as they handle the other side of things," Gabriel commented.
"They handle the cleaner things while we handle the dirtier things," Lyudmila commented.
"Our way of life. It's been like that for a while," Gabriel added.
"Did you two have a thing together?" the woman suddenly asked.
"It's complicated," Gabriel replied.
"Complicated? Wow, Reyes-" Lyudmila began.
"It's not like that," Gabriel waved off the woman's suggestive comment.
"Right. I'll let Kallista know that she has competition," Lyudmila laughed a bit as she exited from the room.
"Dontsova! Get your ass back here!"
"You ate what?" Aleks commented as his eyes switched between his monitors.
[Why do you have to say it like that? It was one of the most delicious things I've eaten in a while]
"You make it seem like the food in Zurich is terrible," Aleks replied.
[I mean...it can be better. There's nothing like a home-cooked meal...not saying that the chefs at the base aren't good but there's something different about it]
"I'll be sure to let the chefs know how you feel," Aleks snickered.
[Don't do that. I'm serious.]
"Heh. Why don't you cook for us when you get back? I've never had authentic Czech cuisine before," Aleks suggested as he closed one screen and opened another.
[Sounds like a plan to me. I'll make you one of my favorite dishes]
"We'll be waiting. But before I close this channel, how did your Salutem work?" Aleks questioned.
[I didn't have to use as much, which is a good sign. I may have to adjust the makeup of the serum though. Some of the agents said they felt sick, which isn't a side effect]
"You're supposed to heal people not make them sick," Aleks scoffed as he began to take note of what the man had said.
[Hey. We're supposed to do a lot of things...and we don't but hey. I'll make it work]
"Is that how Dr. Ziegler's students work?" Aleks chuckled.
[Hey. I'm working on it, give me a break]
"Right. I'm closing this channel. I'll see you in a few weeks. Sleep well and good luck on the rest of your mission,"
[Ahoj~]
"Coffee delivery," Magnus said as he entered the office with a travel tray full of travel cups.
"You actually went out to get coffee?"Linda spoke up.
"Might as well go all out," Magnus shrugged as he placed one cup by Aleks and one by Linda before he sat down at his own desk.
"Thanks, Mags,"Aleks thanked him as he switched holoscreens.
"Thank you, Magnus, "Linda said before she inhaled the sweet aroma of her coffee.
"It's so much quieter without Malik and Kallista," Magnus commented.
"Yeah," Linda commented.
"Both busy with missions and all the other things that are about to explode," Aleks commented casually.
"Lucky them," Magnus scoffed.
"Basically, Malik gets to work with Overwatch on a special assignment, and Kallista is swamped in the Cheshire Cat, PR and who knows what else," Aleks added.
Linda glanced at the two men silently, tension, uncertainty, the reports from the recon crew all pointed towards one thing. They didn't want to admit it, nor did they want to acknowledge it, it was too soon.
Even as they worked the word was at the tip of their tongues but they all refused to even utter the word. Everyone within Overwatch and Blackwatch was trained for war and there was less in the ranks that had experienced it.
Would they be able to deliver?
"I heard that Kallista is looking to add at least two more to the team… You know, just in case of emergencies, Magnus began.
"Oh? Where did you hear that from?" Aleks asked.
"Through the grapevine," Magnus replied as he sipped his coffee and side-eyed the man.
"Does she have any candidates in mind?" Linda questioned.
"Ellias Kallo? And she was looking at a few other people from Langley," Aleks replied.
"Langley? As in the United States?" Linda questioned.
"Yeah, but who knows she's busy with this recruitment mission Reyes assigned her to…" Aleks sighed.
"Didn't he kick you off of that mission to take it over" Magnus commented.
"He did and I will say that I am a little surprised," Aleks replied a bit sour. It was rare for Gabriel to provide support for missions that could easily be handled by one of the Blackwatch Intel crew or by Overwatch Intel.
He insisted and of course Aleks relented.
"Hah..I'm appalled that I wasn't assigned to the mission," Magnus scoffed.
"They knew that you'd be a terrible fit," Aleks bit back.
"Ok children, please calm down I can cut the tension between you two with a knife," Linda spoke up. Magnus and Aleks both huffed and continued to work in silence, until-
"Who is on the mission anyway? I don't have access to it for some reason," Magnus asked.
"So far, The lieutenant, Director Kaines, and McCree," Aleks replied.
"They choose McCree over me?!" Magnus exclaimed.
"Hold on now. It might not seem like it, but give McCree some credit…he has past experience with this," Aleks began.
"Bullshit," Magnus scoffed.
"He's talking about McCree's time in Deadlock, " Linda commented. Magnus huffed as he sunk into his chair, a pout on his lips.
"Ok and?" Magnus replied.
"You're acting like a child," Linda frowned.
"I am trying to figure out the reasoning behind me not being chosen for this mission. That's all," Magnus replied.
"How about you actually focus on work while we have the time to? Weren't you supposed to continue Malik's decryption and deciphering of the Talon tech?" Aleks started and took a sip of his coffee.
"About that…." Magnus trailed off.
It was late evening when Gabriel had gotten a break, he found himself in the Cafe reaching for a steaming cup of coffee to drag him through the rest of the day. On his way out of the Overwatch cafe, he was immediately stopped by one of his agents.
"Pops we gotta talk. I gotta tell you something. Big. Huge. Super important," the shorter woman said as she began to drag him towards the nearest table.
"Pops? Talli-! What the hell are you doing?"Gabriel growled as she forced the man to sit and sat across from him, a large smile on her lips. Gabriel looked at her confused, she was normally rambunctious, bubbly and loud but there was something different about her that he figured out almost immediately. With one quick glance over he saw the small diamond ring on her finger.
"Well. Do you notice anything different? "Talli asked a large grin on her lips.
She was beaming.
"I do, but I'm waiting for you to show me," Gabriel said and sipped his coffee. As soon as the words left from his mouth she quickly held up her left hand and pointed to the ring on her ring finger.
"Well, well, well," Gabriel chuckled. Talli giggled excitedly at the man's reaction.
"So he popped the question to you?" Gabriel repeated.
"Yeah! I was surprised of course...we've been dating for more than a year now...but I'm sure you knew that since you know everything that happens here," Talli laughed.
"True. Are you happy?" Gabriel asked, a small smile on his lips as he watched the woman across from him. He could tell that she was nervous, giddy to the point she fidgeted with the nails and hair as she talked.
"Y-Yes...I'm just nervous...like I feel so inexperienced when it comes to things like this. I can build you a reactor for a small ship or reverse engineer a pieces of Talon equipment in a few days, I can get my hands dirty and whatnot, but this...I have no clue what I'm doing when it comes to this….I have no clue what I'm doing I had to ask others and rope people even, I even got Kallista in on this," Talli laughed.
"Did you now?" Gabriel chuckled at the thought of the woman being dragged into wedding planning.
"Yeah. She and the others said they would help after they settled somethings," Talli glanced at the man before she looked away nervously.
"Hey...you know...since my father is...would you do me the honor of handing me off?" Talli began. Gabriel chuckled again as he leaned back in his chair, he could see the woman's face turn red with embarrassment.
"You know I see you as a father figure...and it would be a great honor to -" Talli began.
"I would be honored to. Everyone has their bratty moments but you are all family to me," Gabriel replied.
"Aww pops...that means a lot...thank you. It really means a lot to me…" Talli trailed off
"Of course," Gabriel nodded.
He did have to admit that he was happy for the woman and the future that she had ahead of her. It reminded him of his long-time dream of leaving all of this behind and to retire from Overwatch and start a new life even with his old age.
"So...when are you and Kallista gonna get married and have kids?" Talli questioned.
"Come again?" Gabriel questioned, caught off guard by the woman's sudden question.
"You heard me," Talli huffed.
"That's not something we were even thinking about, I might not even stay-" Gabriel started.
"Bullshit Reyes," Talli replied.
"You two are the perfect power couple and belong together. I won't stand for anything else," Talli said as she crossed her arms, Gabriel frowned at the woman as he placed his cup onto the table and leaned back in his chair.
"My business is my business for a reason Talli. It's best that you keep your nose out of if," Gabriel suggested firmly.
"Marry Kallista, and have a kid or kids and I'll consider it," Talli replied.
"Excuse me?" Gabriel started in disbelief of the woman's bold statement.
"When you marry Kallista and or have a kid, whichever one comes first, only then will I and the others stop being nosy," Talli replied.
"Talli-" Gabriel growled.
"Gotta go boss," Talli smiled as she patted him on the back and quickly retreated. The man scoffed at the woman's brazen nature. Sure he allowed them to speak their minds, engaged in meaningful conversations, gave them advice, a shoulder to cry on, whatever they needed. They were his family, he took their burdens, complaints without batting an eyelash. He was there for them but left himself closed off to those who weren't close to him, those who had suffered and grew with him.
He was a private man, the fewer people that knew about his business, the better. And yet, they stood next to him without a second thought. They wanted him to be happy with the piece of solace, the piece of happiness that he managed to find, managed to hold on to and something that wasn't temporary.
Every now and again he had doubts about everything, nothing was ever certain in Blackwatch. He knew that he could die tomorrow from one mistake, but he kept going. Despite the doubts, despite the questions of would he survive to live his wishful dream.
Would they both survive?
Would they still be together in the end?
What did Kallista want?
Gabriel sighed heavily as he ran a hand down his face and scratched his beard before he stood. He had an interrogation to conduct, he needed to focus.
The day had nearly passed when Kallista had left from the Overwatch division, she had training sessions, medical assessments, and testing completed on her before she had moved on to her next task with the R&D department and yet she still had to do her work with Blackwatch. Kallista was on her way back to her room, her attention focused on the copious amounts of messages and emails she had received while she worked she didn't see the blond that stood in front of her.
"Kallista-"
Kallista flinched as she looked up at the taller man, it was Morrison.
"Morrison- what can I do for you?" Kallista asked as she took one more glance at her cell phone before she gave the man her full attention. With just a glance she could tell that there was something that bothered the man, and to be honest it was rare for the two of them to speak to one another.
"I need to talk to you about something," Morrison began.
"Do we need to step into a conference room?" Kallista questioned.
"No, that's not necessary," Morrison replied. Kallista arched her eyebrow as she quickly looked over the man.
"Oh? Alright then," Kallista replied and waited for the man to continue
"I want to ask about Natalie," Morrison began.
"Ah, yes Natalie," Kallista nodded. She already knew what he would ask her about, there weren't many reasons as to why the man needed to speak to her.
"What would you like to know?"
"I saw that you suddenly processed transfer papers for her and conveniently omitted a clear reason as to why. I'm surprised Reyes didn't catch that," Morrison commented.
"Reyes was the one who wrote the request. I just processed it," Kallista replied coolly. "I didn't ask questions,"
"And that surprises me,"
Kallista shrugged.
"As far as I know, she was transferred to the base in Texas because they needed her specific set of skills of a few various missions," Kallista began.
"That's vague, Kallista," Morrison replied.
"Skillset, she's kinda close to family and old colleagues that could be an asset to future endeavors…catch my drift?" Kallista said as she flipped her hair over her shoulder and crossed her arms. Morrison studied the woman for a moment before he spoke, out of the few times he had seen her she was dressed casually, but now she seemed to be in uniform, besides the midriff.
"I would be inclined to believe that if I felt like she wasn't hiding or ignoring me," Morrison replied.
"I can't help you with that part," Kallista replied.
"Clearly," Morrison huffed. "But..."
"You would tell me if there's something wrong with her right?" Morrison asked softly.
Kallista blue eyes focused on the man as she tilted her head at the man's question. Kallista glanced at the digital blue lights above the Overwatch logo plastered to the wall. It was well past midnight, nearly 2 AM, Natalie was definitely on a small transport carrier to the United States.
"You're getting worked up over nothing. There's nothing wrong with her. She's just being Natalie," Kallista replied. It took the man a moment before he replied to her.
"Alright, I believe you," Morrison nodded and walked away, Kallista watched as the man disappeared down the hall.
It was nearly 3 AM when Kallista returned back to her room and had time to herself. The entire day had been dedicated to training for her upcoming mission, tech and equipment testing with the R&D Department in Overwatch, mission debriefs, planning and a little PR.
Since her encounter with the Cheshire Cat in that strange digital space, there had been a few questionable articles about Overwatch being circulated around on the internet that proved to be distracting and presented questions about Overwatch's image, let alone mentions of its Spec. Ops group. Blackwatch wasn't mentioned by name but it was a matter of time before it became problematic.
Freshly out of the shower and dressed in a large T-shirt, Kallista grabbed her cell phone turned her attention to a flood of messages she had received instead of the worry the uncertainty that scratched at her brain.
Beep beep
Kallista hesitantly looked up from her phone and towards the door. The footsteps she had heard were familiar but not enough to determine who was at her door, let alone who would visit her this late instead of opting to send her a message. Kallista walked over to the door and opened it slowly, she was surprised at who was at the door.
"Mikael?" Kallista began.
"H-Hey...Kallista," The taller man replied nervously with a smile. Kallista quickly glanced over the man, it was really rare for him to come to her room and to her to so late at night. Mikael quickly glanced Kallista from head to toe before he adjusted his glasses.
"Am I interrupting anything?" He asked sheepishly, Kallista huffed at the man's question and opted to ignore it completely.
"Is there something wrong? Are you ok?" Kallista asked.
"I take that as a no...but I'm fine...I just need to talk…may I come in?" Mikael asked.
"Sure," Kallista replied as she stepped away to let him into her room. Mikael thanked her and quietly entered her room, Kallista closed the door behind him and turned her attention to the man.
"What's going on Mikky?" Kallista asked as she grabbed a pair of shorts and quickly slipped them on. Mikael was silent as he pulled the chair from her small desk and faced her bed. Kallista moved over to her bed and sat down as she waited for the man to speak.
"I don't want to beat around the bush," Mikael began.
"Ok. On with it then," Kallista nodded.
"Remember how I said I was always that I wasn't really cut out for Blackwatch and I did the things necessary for a mission and what not?" Mikael began.
"Yeah," Kallista replied.
"Well..." Mikael trailed off.
It wasn't hard for Kallista to tell where this was going, she remembered the conversation that she and man had several times. Mikael wasn't a man known for killing, of course, he did it, it was part of his job, his life in Blackwatch but there was always a glint of remorse, sadness in his eyes when the adrenaline died down.
"Get on with it," Kallista urged the man as she crossed her legs.
" I...I just don't know if it's right. I don't know what I'm doing anymore...I just need...something I don't know, some type of direction. Something to tell me that I'm not abandoning everything I've worked for...that if I leave...nothing bad will happen," Mikael started, hesitation in his voice.
"You're the only one that knows what's direction is best for you Mikael. No one can tell you which way is right or what direction is best for you," Kallista replied. Mikael sighed as he leaned back in the chair, he took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"I don't want to be a disappointment...I don't want to lose everything that's here," Mikael sighed.
"Overwatch, let alone Blackwatch isn't going anywhere and I don't understand why you would think you would be a disappointment. Who would be disappointed in you?"
"Everyone, Overwatch, Blackwatch...Reyes…" Mikael trailed off.
"Mikael. I know for a fact that everyone, including Reyes, would tell you to leave if you wanted to. You are not obligated to stay, you've already put more than enough years into Blackwatch and Overwatch. Leave if you need to. Don't let Overwatch or Blackwatch stop you from doing what's best for you," Kallista replied.
"And that's the hard part," Mikael said as he leaned forward, his elbows on his knees as his head hung, defeated.
"Mikael...Mikky...Bones…" Kallista began when the man snorted.
"I haven't heard that in a while," Mikael chuckled.
"I know, that's why I said it. But I think you already know what to do, give yourself a deadline and follow through with it," Kallista replied.
"Easier said than done, Kallista," Mikael replied.
"I understand that...but you already know what you need to do...I'm not sure why you keep trying to convince yourself otherwise. Nothing will happen to Overwatch or Blackwatch, we'll still be here," Kallista sighed. Mikael sighed softly as he slid his glasses back on to his face and looked at her across from him.
"Yeah...I'm just overthinking things...you're right...Reyes told me to leave if I wanted to…"Mikael began as he leaned back in his chair.
"I would imagine so. I'm sure Lyuda said to do what you need to do," Kallista commented.
"That's exactly what she said," Mikael chuckled, Kallista chuckled as well.
"That's our Lieutenant," Kallista replied.
"Yeah...thanks for listening to me rant a bit...sorry if I interrupted your booty call," Mikael chuckled.
"He's not my booty call," Kallista frowned as she watched the man stand from his chair, a smirk on his lips.
"Oh? I don't remember saying a name, Kallista," Mikael chuckled.
"There's only one person that you would consider 'my booty' call," Kallista said as she crossed her arms.
"Oh? Are you two something more then? Banging the bossman Kallista?" Mikael asked as he made his way towards the door.
"Get the hell out of my room," Kallista hissed
