"You look troubled,"

"Hm? Oh...it's that noticeable," Jesse sighed

"With your normally smirking mug and your constant talking, it's noticeable," the cerulean haired woman replied bluntly.

"Moira sweetheart, that hurts but it tells me that ya do pay more attention to me than ya let on," Jesse chuckled until the woman punched him in the arm.

"Ow!" Jesse launched as he rubbed his arm. The cerulean blue-haired woman sat down next to him relaxing back in her seat.

"Well?"

The crooked grin on the man's face slowly faded as he began to think back on what troubled him. It was Blackwatch and more importantly, Gabriel was heavily on his mind. He already knew that there was something happening within Blackwatch; he had managed to get Aleks and Magnus to slip him some information with all the unnecessary deaths and sudden abandoning of posts was worrying.

He knew that asking Gabriel about it would just lead to a dead-end, especially with him hiding whatever sickness was plaguing him. He would refuse to admit it and with Kallista being injured his wellbeing was the last thing on his mind.

"Where do I even start?" Jesse sighed heavily and draped an arm along the back of the sofa the two sat on.

"Wherever I guess," Moira shrugged. "But give me the short version,"

"The most troublin' thing is that Reyes is sick as a dog and refuses to rest. He's gonna work himself to death," Jesse began.

"Ah," Moira nodded "I heard agents have been talking about that…I guess he's really dedicated to the job..."

"I dunno if that's what you'd call it but I dunno what to do 'cause we all see it," Jesse began "An' cause Kalli has been gone she hasn't seen it yet and you know there's no way in hell Reyes is gonna utter a word,"

"So what are you gonna do cowboy?" Moira asked as she slyly moved closer to the man.

"I dunno," Jesse sighed as his head lolled back against the sofa. "Dunno if there's anythin' I can do...I just know we ain't prepared for a shit storm that's for sure,"

"Kallista is a perceptive woman, right? She'll see it," Moira said as she yawned.

"Yeah for the most part," Jesse replied

"What about the Lieutenant?" Moira murmured.

"She's dealin' with everythin' else that Reyes isn't dealin' with, basically the agents," Jesse replied.

"Hm," Moira replied. Jesse sighed again and unconsciously wrapped an arm around her as he continued to explain his worries to the woman leaning on his chest.


"Let me officially welcome you back, Director Kaines. Although I was under the impression you would be out for another week or so," Morrison began.

"I thought the same thing, but here I am," Kallista replied.

"You injuries,"

"Manageable," Kallista replied.

Morrison nodded at the woman's answer, he only saw reports of her injuries and knew they were injuries that could have any normal person out for months or even a year.

"I'm back because this double agent or agents that you enlisted me to expose are on the move again," Kallista began.

"Gabriel informed me before you came," Morrison replied as he made it aware that the man wasn't present. "I'm not sure the reasoning behind it but…their sudden activation so to speak,"

"I am positive it is connected to the fall of the Cheshire cat. I have done my own analysis of the sentient AI and to put it simply the Cheshire cat was a cover for something else, something older," Kallista replied.

"What do you mean by older?" Morrison questioned

"To be determined,"

Morrison shifted uncomfortably at the woman's answer, or the lack thereof. The woman had taken care of the threat and there was now a different threat that would shake Overwatch to its core. The pressure, stress, and responsibility of the Overwatch Foundation in addition to the officials of the United Nations critical eye on him, and the Foundation was wearing down on him and the morale of his high-ranking officials.

"Don't worry, I already have my suspicions but as you know I am not the one to give unreliable information," Kallista began.

"Something would be better than nothing," Morrison replied.

"I am quite certain that Verona would prefer reliable information," Kallista replied.

"I am aware that you are stressed, concerned for the future of Overwatch and I hope Blackwatch but unreliable information will do nothing for you,"

Morrison scoffed at her response, it was prim and proper just as her accent. But then found himself chuckling to himself as he almost had forgotten who he was dealing with. A former hacker that was bent on exposing Overwatch, but instead became the Intel Director of their covert-ops division.

"You know...you've changed…" Morrison began as he stood.

"I have been here for seven years...on house arrest," Kallista replied.

"Is that what you're calling it?" Morrison chuckled.

"Anything to make myself feel better," Kallista replied casually. "You forget I was a socialite in my previous life,"

Though she had shown loyalty to Overwatch with no signs of attempting to escape or hide, she was confined to the walls of Overwatch bound to Blackwatch, to Gabriel, and would be for as long as they deemed necessary.

"Whatever works...I suppose," Morrison said and sighed as he moved in front of his desk and leaned on it. "But...you're right, I jumped ahead. I want this handled as quickly as possible,"

"I understand-"

At that moment the door opened to Morrison's office and Gabriel entered. Their attention focused on the man as he stood quietly in front of the man's desk.

"What?" Gabriel asked casually.

"Everything alright?" Morrison asked.

"Yeah, the phone call took longer than expected," Gabriel replied simply.

Kallista glanced at the man as did Morrison, she didn't notice anything visually wrong with him but she knew that something was something on his mind. She had been gone and out of the loop for a few weeks while she traveled and was thankful that Aleks and Elias periodically gave her updates while away. But with Gabriel, it would take much longer to determine what was on his mind.

"The Director here was giving me a slight rundown on what the origin of the Cheshire cat and what we're possibly up against," Morrison began. "And the possible reasoning for what seems to be a smear campaign in the making,"

"Uh-huh…" Gabriel nodded.

"While I was supposed to be on medical leave, I'll be here on base to help clean up and mitigate the situation," Kallista replied.

"We could always use the expertise of Fata Morgana," Morrison replied.

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Strike Commander," Kallista replied with a smile.

"I tried," Morrison shrugged. "Whatever you plan to do, I need it in my hand to share with Verona so that she is not blindsided by any of this,"

"I'll make sure it gets done, among with other things," Gabriel replied

"Yes, Boss," Kallista replied casually as she stood, a small gasp escaped from her lips. Immediately Gabriel's focus was on her as was Morrison's.

"And take it easy until you're completely healed.

"Naturally," Kallista said as she made her way to the exit and gave the two men a small smile, and left the two men alone.

"Anything else?" Gabriel sighed

"No...but is everything alright with you?" Morrison asked.

"Better now that this Cheshire cat business is over," Gabriel replied, Morrison nodded.

The sentient AI that Kallista informed him about had nearly pushed every nation in the world to isolation, thus heightening the tensions around the omnic population in each country and possibly barring Overwatch and the United Nations from alleviating those tensions.

"Will she be able to help?" Morrison questioned.

"I think you're relying on my Intel Director a bit too much, Jack," Gabriel smirked. Morrison pursed his lips together as he watched the man's cocky smirk grow. Gabriel quickly glanced over the man before sighing and crossing his arms.

"She fucking took down a sentient AI that was about to put the world in a shitstorm, you tell me,"

There was a tension-filled pause that fell between the two men as they looked at each other, it wasn't until Morrison spoke did the tension begin to dissipate.

"They're putting more pressure on us...though taking care of the AI helped…." Morrison trailed off. Gabriel grimaced slightly, he already knew how Blackwatch let alone Overwatch was being scrutinized on all of their actions, and now this unexpected wave of allegations against Overwatch and Blackwatch. He was already aware of what was coming, especially how things were progressing around the world, it would only get worse.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Tell me something I don't know already," Gabriel sighed.

"Bring me something to give them to get them off our backs for a bit," Morrison said.

"I'll do my best, boss,"


"I...think I'm finally done…"

In the development lab, Idoya had been tirelessly working on her self given project of creating a weapon of her own design as well as providing maintenance and assisting with other engineering projects on the docket.

"What does it do?"

Idoya adjusted her goggles and looked at the half cyborg man sitting adjacent to her, she looked at the man and then to the gauntlets on the table.

"I'm sure you're well versed with weapons, right Genji…" Idoya began

"Perhaps," Genji replied stoically, Idoya chuckled slightly.

"These are custom made gauntlets, one of a kind," Idoya replied "Good for…"

"Good for?" Genji asked as he sipped his nutrient pack, he noticed the woman trailed off and seemed to look at the weapons on the table.

Idoya paused for a moment as she thought back on her reasoning for creating these specific gauntlets, the catalyst for her agreeing to join Blackwatch, revenge. The honorable reason for dealing with the crime in Mexico had morphed into an act of silent revenge, revenge against those who took everything from her, those who left her for dead.

Most of her time at Blackwatch was recovering from the injuries she had suffered, therapy, missions, building herself up for this moment, and her transfer to the Blackwatch safe house in Mexico. Once there she would deliver her own justice to those who did her wrong all under the guise of Overwatch keeping the peace.

She knew it was wrong, but it was the only thing that gave her comfort.

"Um…" Idoya began and muttered something nearly inaudible, she pulled her attention from her weapons and focused on the man.

No one in Blackwatch knew how the man arrived at Overwatch but understood why the man was in Blackwatch. The Shimada Clan was under Blackwatch's surveillance and had been receiving information on the Clan from an unlikely source, the second heir of the Shimada Clan. Once considered a double agent, now he was their comrade.

"Have you...ever thought about revenge?" Idoya asked cautiously as she turned and faced the man. She could see that man's crimson eyes focused on her as he remained silent.

"I had everything taken from me by people I worked for, people I trusted," Idoya began as turned slightly and focused back on the gauntlets. "They killed my partner, burned nearly everything related to me and left me for dead...dios mio if it weren't for Reyes and Kallista I would have been dead"

"So...you are here for revenge?" Genji asked.

"I…"

"I have not thought of revenge…" Genji began. " I do understand that would be an option but I do not think that revenge is needed,"

Idoya sighed softly and crossed her arms.

"I was told not to talk about things like this and here I am talking about revenge, dios mio," Idoya sighed again.

"Blackwatch has many members that have been wronged…" Genji began again. "That does not mean that I have to do wrong to the person that wronged me,"

"You're right but Overwatch...Blackwatch protect the people and when there's people out there that have done wrong-"

Idoya stopped as she looked at the man, his crimson eyes on her, stoic, lacking emotion.

"What will you do after your justice? Will you continue to give your justice or the justice they are meant to have?" Genji asked.

"They will get the justice they deserve either by my hand or by the Mexican government. Whoever gets them first," Idoya replied firmly.

"Ah. Another side of Blackwatch," Genji said.

Idoya sighed and slipped off her work gloves before running a hand through her hair, she knew that her resolve for her sense of justice against those who wronged her was wrong, she was aware of it.

"I have watched many of our comrades and I learn new things about everyone. Konrad wants to redeem himself by helping others, McCree wants to do good for Reyes, Lieutenant Dontsova wants forgiveness, Malik wants to prove themselves and be accepted...the Intel Director…." Genji trailed off in thought and shook his head.

"You want justice even if it is by your own hand," Genji commented

"You are very observant Genji," Idoya chuckled

"I know," Genji replied.

Idoya crossed her arms as she studied the man, periodically the man would spend time shadowing some of the members of Blackwatch as part of his therapy and for a sense of camaraderie. They were all warned not to speak of certain topics with the man as they were unsure of how the man would react but as they spoke her curiosity got the best of her.

"But what do you want Genji? It seems you can tell what others want but what about you?" Idoya asked.

"I…" Genji began. "I do not know what I want. I do not know if I want this life,"


[The longer you stay with Overwatch the worse it'll be, Hayden]

"You don't know that. We are working our asses off to protect everything and you're telling me to abandon it?" Hayden shouted at the video image in front of them.

[ I would rather you live for your mother instead of risking your life with no reward!]

"Reward?! Not everything is about receiving a reward Finley! What about peace for the world? A stable future for children? I don't need recognition for that!"

[What about your future Hayden? Don't you want a future-]

"The future won't be safe if we don't do something about it, so I'm doing something about it." Hayden replied firmly.

[Hayden. What happened to you this isn't-]

"I've grown up Finely. I am not the same person stealing to live, stealing to provide for my mother and I," Hayden began. "I've grown up, I've seen the world and I've gotten this far and I'm not giving up,"

[Hayden…]

"I've beaten hunger, I've beaten death, I've felt abandoned, nearly forgotten by my own parents! I'm done running away from my problems nor am I giving up,"


"Well, well, well look who decided to show up," Magnus commented. "The Queen of Blackwatch in the flesh,"

"Shove it, Magnus," Kallista replied as she walked into the office and stopped in the center of the room.

"That's awfully mean of you, I was just trying to welcome you back," Magnus laughed.

"Welcome back, Director," Aleks nodded to the woman.

"Welcome back Director Kaines," Linda smiled.

"Long time no see Director Kaines," Elias nodded.

"I appreciate it, but that's enough outta you lot," Kallista began as she smirked. "We have a lot of work to do and catch up,"

"Even in your condition, Director?" Aleks began

"Condition? Did Reyes do what I think he did?" Magnus smirked.

"Magnus please mind your business," Aleks sighed heavily.

"Oh-"

Kallista crossed her arms and she looked unamused at the man, she knew he was trying to lighten the mood despite being nosey as they all were in their own ways.

"No I am not pregnant," Kallista replied.

"Lemme guess...you're injured from a...fight," Elias smirked.

"An incident," Kallista corrected. "But that is neither here nor there, I'll be on base from now on, but before I was rudely interrupted we have some investigating and clean up to do,"

"Athena, please broadcast the local and international news side by side please,"

On cue, the large screen in front of the office turned on and displayed the local and international news next to each other. The local news showed a report on Overwatch while the international news showed a replay of the wreckage of the ambush on Overwatch's transport team. As the news continued, Kallista picked up a datapad and began to populate holographic screens around her, within these screens were articles of Overwatch's clandestine service and more.

"Holy Shit," Elias commented as he saw the holographic screens floating around the woman in the center of the room.

The others focused on Kallista and the screens that populated around her, on each of the screens was information about Overwatch and Blackwatch.

"How much of this is out there?" Aleks asked.

"A lot of these articles and information is still on the dark web and will eventually make its way to the public through normal channels," Kallista began. "How long they've been there...on the dark web approximately 2 months,"

"As you already know some of this information has made it to the public already and have caused some...issues," Kallista added.

While she was resting in her hotel room she was rudely alerted to a smear campaign against Overwatch with hints of Blackwatch within the news segment. That prompted her to return to the Foundation instead of staying away.

"Yeah, the PR team was able to counter it but they won't be able to counter all of this...if this is what's coming," Aleks replied worriedly.

"It will be an absolute shit show," Kallista replied.

"You think it's gonna be that bad Director?" Elias asked as he looked at the petite woman in the center of the room. Kallista looked at her colleagues in the room before she walked through the holographic screens.

"Can Blackwatch be trusted? Blackwatch, Overwatch's clandestine service. What's the point? Overwatch's dark past? Overwatch the real threat to peace," Kallista began to recite titles of articles.

"Can Overwatch really be trusted? Who is watching Overwatch?" Kallista trailed off as she stopped by the door of the office and turned to face her crew.

"Can Overwatch really be trusted?...just that question alone can make the foundation within the United Nations quake," Kallista said.

"Damn...it's really that bad...huh," Magnus commented.

"There's nothing easy about this job Magnus," Kallista replied and ran a hand through her hair. "As part of the Clandestine Service for Overwatch, we must keep our identities hidden and clean up messes. This is one of those messes,"

"It's what we do best," Aleks murmured.

"We plan, we move and conquer in silence," Kallista replied.

The Blackwatch intel crew nodded quietly at the woman's words, they were under pressure from not only the missions, dossiers, prep, reporting, the United Nations, and now public relations management via the dark web. They would need to use their skills as well as unconventional resources to start to combat what was coming their way.

"So when do we start?" Magnus asked.

"Now," Kallista replied nonchalantly. "Aleks with me, everyone else please begin to compile current Blackwatch dossiers, agents that are on those missions, as well as the agents that were KIA or went MIA as well as those mission dossiers…"

"Woah, Woah, Woah lady you're asking a lot and you just got back," Magnus began to complain jokingly.

"I'm expected to produce big results and to do that I need information, and I am depending on you all to help me with that," Kallista said as she entered her code to her office and walked inside with Aleks behind her.

"Oh shoot...I didn't get to ask about Malik," Elias sighed.

"Malik will show up when we need them the most, don't worry," Magnus replied.

"I guess," Elias replied confused as he caught a glimpse of his silent female colleague. She wore a pensive look as she reclined casually in her chair, silently.

"All this work and not enough people," Magnus sighed and began gathering and sorting through information.

Elias took a quick glance at Magnus and then back to the woman, her pensive look was focused on Kallista's office.

"So who is doing what?" Elias suddenly blurted out.

"I can take on the current mission dossiers," Magnus replied

"I suppose I can take the KIA mission dossiers," Linda added quietly.

"Well I guess that leaves me to the current operator unless Malik shows up," Elias replied.

"Yep," Magnus replied with a grin.

Aleks watched as the woman sat down, pain laced in her features despite the pain she turned on her small terminal. There were so many things on the tip of his tongue, it wasn't hard to figure out there was something going on within Overwatch, as while Kallista was away he took her place in meetings and was able to gain some insight as to pressures that Overwatch and Blackwatch were facing.

"The look on your face tells me you want to ask what happened," Kallista said as her fingers seemed to glide over her blue holographic keyboard, in moments she was granted access to the Overwatch and Blackwatch networks.

"If I haven't been informed now…" Aleks trailed off. "I supposed I wasn't supposed to know,"

Kallista continued to focus on the screen in front of her and a small feminine laugh slipped past her lips.

"Let's just say I am a rare case and traveling for me outside of Switzerland is a bit difficult," Kallista began.

"So a covert-op," Aleks commented.

"Correct, to put it bluntly, I was injured in a fight against Carmelo Mendoza," Kallista replied simply. "Elias is only slightly aware as I contacted him for other reasons,"

"You're kidding," Aleks began shocked.

"No," Kallista smiled as her crystal blue eyes focused on him. Aleks looked at the woman confused, tilting his head as if he was trying to process what she had just told him. Kallista smiled.

"Please give me a rundown on the office, what has happened while I've been gone," Kallista began and focused back on the screen in front of her.

"Um…sure,"


It was near midnight when Kallista slowly made her way to his room, the door opened to reveal the man dressed but a bit disheveled. Without a word he opened the door wider letting her into the room and silently closed the door behind her.

"I'm surprised you're still awake," Gabriel commented quietly.

"I am too but I took a muscle relaxant so we shall see how long that lasts," Kallista replied.

Gabriel chuckled slightly as he looked at the woman from head to toe before he spoke.

"Go lay down, you've been hard at work"

"I will...but...are you...ok?" Kallista asked quietly. Gabriel slipped off his beanie and went over to her.

"What makes you think I'm not?" Gabriel asked, he saw her crystal blue eyes look at him from head to toe before she spoke.

"You seem...different is all," Kallista replied.

Since their meeting with Morrison earlier in the day, there was a weight on her chest, threatening to crush her if she didn't figure out what was going on. She was worried, worried that something had happened and that he wouldn't tell her. It was like him to do so and she hated it, he wanted her to trust him so why couldn't he do the same?

It terrified her that she would find out at the last possible minute or too late.

"It's all in your head, you've been gone too long. Did you enjoy your little trip?" Gabriel waved off the woman's unspoken concern for him, he could see it in her face.

"It was a lovely vacation, I wish it were longer," Kallista replied cheekily.

"Too bad. You're stuck here...forced to come back to me otherwise you'd be whisked off to maximum prison," Gabriel smirked.

"I'm quite aware, I know I look appealing in handcuffs but not behind bars," Kallista replied with a sigh.

There was a moment of silence that fell between the two as they looked at each other.

"You're afraid to touch me aren't you?" Kallista stated. Gabriel was silent as he looked down at her and sighed heavily. His silence and hesitation to answer was all she needed to know.

"I'm fragile, but I'm not that fragile," Kallista replied, Gabriel chuckled.

"I...don't want to hurt you..." Gabriel trailed off.

Kallista suddenly grabbed the front of his hoodie and yanked him down to her level, she pushed her lips onto his without hesitation. Hungrily, greedily he kissed back deepening the kiss until the woman pulled back, a string of saliva hung from their lips.

"If you were hurting or causing me any pain I would tell you, I remember the safeword," Kallista began. " Don't assume anything or you'll make yourself look like an ass,"

Gabriel wiped some of the saliva from his chin as he chuckled and soon laughed at the woman's brazen behavior before he stood to his full height. He gently pulled her to him wrapping an arm around her shoulders, he could feel the warmth of her body warming his cool form, and how taut her body was, she was still sore. But despite that, he could feel her relax in his careful embrace.

"You really are something else," Gabriel replied as he brushed a piece of her hair from her face. "Especially under the influence,"

"I must keep you on your toes," Kallista smirked as she went over to the man's bed. "Will you be long?"

"Unfortunately...I may be up for a while," Gabriel watched as the woman stripped down to her underwear. Normally he would forgo whatever he was going to be with her, to have her warmth against his now chilled body, but the bandages around her rib cage, the fading purple bruises on her skin reminded him of his hesitation.

"Alright, don't pull an allnighter," Kallista said as she got into bed snuggling underneath the blankets.

"No promises," Gabriel replied as he grabbed the back of his desk chair and sat down. "Goodnight,"

"Goodnight, Gabriel,"


-The next morning-

"When do you leave HQ?" Kallista asked as she looked at the datapad in her hand.

"I dunno...I mean I have been taken off the Talon team…" Malik trailed off as they wrung their hands together.

"You have a choice Malik, if you feel more comfortable somewhere else we- I can make those arrangements for you, confidentially of course," Kallista began.

"I know...it is just awkward," Malik replied.

"The only person making this awkward is you," Kallista replied and placed the datapad onto the desk.

When Kallista had returned to her office yesterday and took a preliminary glance at some of the notifications and mail she received she saw that there was a pending transfer request for Malik. Not only was she curious about the transfer but she was even more surprised to find out that Malik was indeed pregnant. She didn't ask questions but signed the document and held off from sending it until she was able to talk to them.

She was hoping that they would be available to help the department longer before they departed. They were the only one within the department that knew about the double agent and some of the evidence related to them.

"When you're ready just let me know, ok?" Kallista nodded. Malik looked at the woman and her signature on the datapad.

"I am glad they picked you," Malik began.

"What do you mean?" Kallista questioned.

"I mean for this position, the Director. I knew I would be shit for this job,"

Kallista thought back to the early years of Blackwatch and how they were both being considered as the new Director of Blackwatch's Intelligence Department, the main component to rebuild. They were both equally experienced in their own ways and seemingly qualified for the position but in the end, she was the one chosen to be the Director.

"Well that is in the past, I'm sure you would have adjusted to the position just like I have," Kallista replied

"I dunno...I am stubborn in my ways," Malik replied.

"That is something we both share," Kallista smirked. Malik sneered as they leaned back in their chair. "But while you're here. I will require your assistance on other matters,"

"I figured as much. Their clean up game is impressive," Malik replied

"So you've noticed as well," Kallista nodded as she looked at the other datapads in front of her.

On the datapads were incomplete, partial signatures, codes, files accessed under false credentials, all of these things were compiled by herself and by Malik. The double agent within Overwatch, possibly Blackwatch, had weaved their way into the Foundation to the point that tracking and pinpointing who was the agent had become more difficult.

Despite that, Kallista had her suspicions, and since being alerted Malik had their suspicions as well.

"They have been busy...or seems like information gathering," Malik replied

"Clearly. No action until we have more concrete evidence," Kallista said and sighed.

"I know but depending on how long they take to make a move...you may be the one to call them out,"

"We'll see," Kallista gave a small smile.


"It's a shame...at all of these casualties, do you really think another omnic war is coming?"

"I hope not but that's what a lot of people are saying on the web at least,"

"Speaking of the web have you seen the shit on Overwatch that suddenly came out of nowhere?"

"Will, you know I don't read conspiracy theories, especially anything relating to Overwatch,"

"Oh come on...Hien, what about aliens? The Illuminati?" Will chuckled.

Two Overwatch staff spoke among themselves as they rode the elevator down to the sub-basement level in the Overwatch medbay facility, they continued to speak as the elevator stopped and as they entered the morgue.

"I'll get the lights. Hold on," Will said as he walked over to the light panel

Within seconds the lights flickered on-

"Holy shit!"

"AH! W-What? What?!"

The two men nearly jumped out of their skin as they saw the petite figure of a woman standing in front of the cold chambers.

"Citlali….what are you doing here?" Hien sighed.

The small woman stood motionless in front of the refrigerated cold chambers where the bodies were kept until they were able to be examined.

"Holy fuck I nearly had a heart attack," Will sighed heavily as they continued to turn on the lights in the morgue.

"Citlali what are you doing down here? You're scaring the hell out of us and we work with the dead," Hien began.

"I'm sorry...Hien...Will," Tali replied quietly. "Have...you started on his body?" Tali clenched her jaw at the thought of it, her new husband ripped away from her arms but Talon.

Hien sighed softly as went over to the woman, with one look he could tell that the woman had been crying, her eyes were puffy and she seemed to be barely functioning. Since they received the agents' bodies, Tali has been down in the morgue nearly every day at various times, frightening both himself and his colleague. At first, it didn't bother the two men but now it was becoming concerning

"We will let you know...I promise...ok?" Hien said quietly as he looked down at her. "I know you would prefer to do it but...you wouldn't have been cleared for the position,"

Though she was a daughter of a scientist and had certifications and experience that put some of the high-ranking officials within Overwatch to shame but also he knew that they wouldn't clear her to be part of them no matter how hard she tried.

"Do you know when that'll be approved?" Tali asked.

"I don't know honestly. I'm not even sure who is in charge of those approvals," Hien replied.

"Isn't it Dr. Ziegler?" Will chimed in

"No, she's with the out patients…." Hien replied.

"Ah, you're right about that," Will nodded as he began to put on his protective gear.

"Will it be approved...Hien?"

"Honestly, I don't think so at least not in time for you to do the examination yourself," Hien replied.

The man knew it wasn't what she wanted to hear but knew that it was necessary for her to hear it. The older man could see the woman trembling before she suddenly turned for the exit.

"Please, keep his brain intact…" Tali said as she quickly exited the morgue and on to the elevator.

The two men watched as the woman disappeared behind the steel elevator doors, normally the morgue was a silent workplace as the dead waited to be seen, ready to be carted to their eternal resting place.

"Should we…?" Will began

"It's not our place to stop the grieving from requesting body parts be saved," Hien grumbled.

"I guess...but…you know you can approve her request right?" Will said.

"I know and that would be against the ethics protocol...and you know it," Hien replied.

"I guess...but I feel guilty…" Will sighed.

"I know...but it can't be helped...unfortunately," Hien replied.


" I will admit, I did not expect to be working with Overwatch again so soon,"

"I understand. It took some strings to get you employed," Gabriel replied.

"I'm quite sure it did and all of this for your-"

"O'Deorain," Gabriel replied firmly. The tall, slender red-haired woman placed her hands behind her back and sighed softly.

"You're a Blackwatch agent now, a field medic as far as your papers say. I'm your Commander and you report to me. Is that clear?" Gabriel explained.

"Crystal, Commander Reyes,"

The previous dishonorably scorned scientist Moira O'Deorain stood in front of Gabriel's desk. Though they were short on agents he and Lyudmila already decided not to recruit any additional agents or staff but she was a special case, he needed her here for a specific reason, specifically for him.

"Things aren't like Overwatch here, we're short-staffed and have minimal resources," Gabriel began.

"I am aware of the cuts Overwatch is facing and I assume Blackwatch as well," O'Deorain replied.

"Good. Then I don't have to explain further, McCree!"

On cue the door to Gabriel's office opened and in walked Jesse, he gave the stern-looking a head nod before he glanced at the silent woman next to him.

"Howdy," Jesse nodded and turned his attention to Gabriel giving him a confused look.

"As of today O'Deorain is part of Blackwatch," Gabriel began.

"Huh?!" Jesse said surprised "Reyes what-"

Gabriel held up his hand to silence the man and continued.

"You don't need to give her a full tour of the place, just at least introduce her to Doubek, Tali and the Director and the Blackwatch designated medbay,"

Jesse purses his lips together and stares at Gabriel before he glanced at O'Deorain immediately noticing the woman's heterochromatic eyes, one red, one blue.

"I guess, come on," Jesse said as he turned from the woman and headed for the exit.

"Until then Commander Reyes," O'Deorain nodded slightly and followed Jesse out of the man's office, closing the door after them.

Gabriel sat in silence and sighed heavily, as he sighed he caught a glance of his breath as if he was outside in winter temperatures.

"I guess ... it's this bad…" Gabriel sighed as he reclined back in his chair.


"It seems you are against me being here," O'Deorain began as she followed Jesse.

"I have no comment about why you're here. If Reyes and Lyuda think it's a good idea for you to be here then whatever," Jesse replied.

"Ah Lieutenant Dontsova, I haven't had the pleasure of meeting the fabled survivor of SPETSNAZ," O'Deorain replied wistfully.

"Hol' up. You haven't met Lyuda yet?" Jesse asked as he stopped, O'Deorain stopped as well

"No," O'Deorain replied.

"How did ya-" Jesse began.

"Executive Decision, I presume," O'Deorain replied.

Jesse looked at the woman and cleared his throat to say something but the hurried patter of feet caught their attention.

"Yo Konrad-" Jesse began as the young man quickly approached them.

"Is Reyes in his office?" Konrad asked with a sense of urgency in his voice.

"Uh yeah, what's-" Jesse started as the young man passed by him without a second glance.

"No time to talk, family emergency," Konrad said as he continued down the hall. Jesse sighed as the dread that had pooled and settled in his gut started to bubble and began to weave itself through him again.

"Well...that was Konrad Doubek, he's one of the Senior Field Medics,"

"I see…" O'Deorain commented.

Jesse exhaled a big breath as he turned and continued down the hall. "C'mon...gotta see if Tal is around and Lyuda isn't here she's out," Jesse explained, silently the woman followed.

Within a few moments, they entered what seemed to be a laboratory-workshop combo but it was empty.

"Yo Tal are you here?" Jesse called out and was greeted with silence. "Normally-"

"I-I'm here," a hand gripped the work table and a head slowly popped up from behind the table, Jesse watched as the woman stood confused at why she was hiding behind the table.

"Tal, you ok?" Jesse asked as he went over to the woman concerned laced in his features.

"I'm fine…how can I help you?" Tali asked as she ran a hand through her hair and attempted to slick back the strays while adjusting her disheveled clothing.

"You sure you ok Tal? You look-"

"I said I'm fine," Tali replied firmly as she frowned at the man and turned her attention to the silent woman behind him. "You are?"

"Dr. Moira O'Deorain, a pleasure to meet you," O'Deorain replied curtly. Tali tilted her head slightly at the woman before she spoke.

"Citlali, nice to meet you Dr. O'Deorain," Tali replied.

"O'Deorain will be joining the crew as a field medic," Jesse began.

"Field Support…." Tali arched an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Jesse nodded as if he agreed with her confusion and surprise. "I'm sure Reyes will give us the full story,"

"Oh...ok. Welcome to the team I suppose," Tali said and gave a quick smile.

"If you do not mind me asking Citlali...what are your duties within the division?" O'Deorain asked.

"I am mostly supporting the team when needed, although most of my time is spent within the Overwatch division assisting with the creation of Commander Amari's nano boost serum and Lieutenant Dontsova's concoction specials," Tali replied.

"Have you been on the field?" O'Deorain asked.

"No, but that is by choice. I have other things I am working on, discovering, creating, perfecting," Tali replied confidently.

"I see, you are a scientist yourself," O'Deorain nodded.

"I am a woman of many trades...within the scientific field," Tali replied firmly.

"Well...I look forward to seeing your discoveries, Citlali," Tali nodded as she watched the two exit the workshop.

Though she was grieving her stomach dropped at the realization that the woman was now a member of Blackwatch. She was well aware of the woman's infamous reputation but purposely omitted it from the conversation. Tali was sure that Reyes was well aware of the position that the woman was in and the controversy that surrounded her.

"Reyes...what are you planning?" Tali murmured as another wave of dizziness washed over her. Her memory of what happened before Jesse called her was hazy, did she pass out? Why was she on the floor?

"I assume we are going to see the Director?" O'Deorain began.

"Right," Jesse replied.

"Is there a reason they are referred to as the Director ?" O'Deorain asked.

"To be honest, I have an idea but you'll see," Jesse asked as he opened the door to the Intel Office and was greeted by soft electronica music and muted blue and orange lighting. The heads that were focused on the monitors around them turned to them as they entered the office.

Kallista was in the center of the room surrounded by holographic screens of various colors when she looked over her shoulder at the two near the door. Jesse could see her immediately focusing on the woman behind him and knew that something was wrong.

"Yo McCree, what's up? We're kinda busy at the moment," Magnus said as he worked.

"That's a first," Jesse sneered.

"Blow it out of your ass cowboy," Magnus scoffed. With a swipe of her hand, Kallista closed the holographic screens around her and ran a hand through her waist-length hair.

"A guest?" Kallista began as she walked over to the two. Jesse looked at her from head to toe, there were no signs of the woman being injured but she seemed different. She no longer hid her accent, she wore what looked to be something like a Blackwatch uniform and wore her hair down.

"You are-"

"Kallista Kaines, Director of Blackwatch Intel," Kallista began. "A pleasure to meet you Dr. Moira O'Deorain,"

The tall and slender woman was silent for a moment before she spoke.

"A pleasure to meet you, Director Kaines," O'Deorain replied.

"I am afraid that I am short on time so I apologize that this meeting will be short," Kallista began.

"Right. Reyes wanted me 'ta introduce you to Blackwatch's newest recruit," Jesse said as he gave the woman a look. Kallista arched an eyebrow as she looked at the woman, aware that her crew had stopped working to watch the scene in front of them.

"Oh? Is that so?" Kallista replied as she quickly glanced at the woman from head to toe and gave a small feminine smile.

"I was unaware of this but welcome to the team Dr. O'Deorain," Kallista replied.

"I must admit I am a bit shocked to know that you have an accent, Director. What parts do you hail from?" O'Deorain questioned.

"I am well-traveled..." Kallista replied simply.

"I see, interesting," O'Deorain replied.

"If you will excuse me, I have time-sensitive matters to attend to," Kallista smiled at both the woman and Jesse.

"A new look and a shit ton of work, you sure you're gonna be ok?" Jesse asked.

"There is no rest for the wicked, Jesse," Kallista smirked as she turned away from the two and took her spot back in the middle of the room.

"I 'pose not," Jesse replied. "Alright, see y'all," Jesse nodded to the working group and exited the office followed by the woman. As the door closed, Kallista sighed softly and listened to her crew whisper about the new recruit.

"All I have to say is that I'm surprised," Magnus commented.

"I think we all are," Elias commented as he glanced at the woman in the middle of the room. "Including the Director,"

Kallista remained silent as they spoke, they were right they were all caught off guard, especially her as she had spent the night with the man and he made no mention of this.

"Gabriel...what are you doing?"