"With the amount of weird shit goin' on did someone put a fucking curse on Overwatch or something?"
"I highly doubt that, calm down," Rodel replied.
"How can I when Reyes is not recruiting but managed to recruit a disgraced scientist?"
"Bayar, chill," Rodel said firmly as he looked at the older man.
"Shit's bad, I know but give Gabe and Lyuda a break. They can only do some much with what they have," a woman said as she straightened her hijab.
"Agapita is right," Rodel added. "If you have problems take it up with Reyes,"
"If he's alive. He looks sick as a dog," Yavorov commented.
A tense silence settled in the locker room, Gabriel and Lyudmila were under pressure and tried their best to mitigate the stress and responsibilities from the agents by promoting new senior positions while things seemed to crumble around them.
The door opened to the locker room and casually Jesse walked into the room.
"I could hear y'all out in the hall…" Jesse smirked.
"McCree, what the fuck is goin' on here?" Bayar asked
"A lot," Jesse replied. "It's not just Blackwatch, it's Overwatch too something is happening inside...dunno what it is but hopefully the Director can figure it out,"
"Ok, but what does that mean though?" Bayar began. "The fucking world is falling apart around us...and it feels as if there's nothing we can do about it,"
The words of the older man rang true, things were seeming to take a turn for the worst outcome possible. Another wave of silence engulfed the locker room, Jesse knew about the team's uncertainties, hesitation but knew if they all abandoned Blackwatch there would be nothing left to support the division. He was sure that Lyuda was well aware of the situation and the unexpected reappearance of the missing agents Reyes had his hands full again, leaving Lyuda and Kallista to pick up what was left.
"Listen, things will get figured out some way so let's just do our jobs," Jesse replied.
"Easy for you to say," Bayar scoffed.
"Listen, I'm out there bustin' my ass just as much as y'all don't give me that shit," Jesse said casually.
"Then why were you here?" Bayar questioned as he stepped over to the man in an attempt to intimidate him. Jesse chuckled, he had the man figured out.
"Bayar!"
Everyone turned their attention to the tall graying woman standing in the doorway of the locker room.
"I don't know what you were planning to do but drop it, we don't have time for games,"
"Lieutenant Dontsova," the older man tensed up as he looked at the woman, she was still dressed in her field gear. Jesse smirked at the woman and crossed his arms, she wore a scowl, a scowl that had been plastered to her face recently. It wasn't difficult to piece together what was bothering the woman.
Stress.
"For those on this next mission, get cleaned up and head to the briefing room, otherwise you have the day off until your next mission," Lyudmila said before she quickly began down the hallway.
"Well shit…" Yavorov commented.
"With Null Sector making an appearance...more so than Talon what else do you expect," Marla spoke up as she closed her locker.
"Yeah…" Rodel commented.
"Let's get moving people," Jesse said as he looked at the older man in front of him, Bayar scoffed and went back to his locker.
Kallista watched silently as the infamous Dr. Moira O'Deorain was slowly and eventually integrated into the Blackwatch team. Though she could do nothing or even speak to Gabriel about the sudden addition, another wave of what seemed to be orchestrated propaganda against Overwatch was released. She and her team worked diligently to mitigate some of the disastrous propaganda so that the Overwatch PR team had enough time to react and launch its own PR counterattack.
It was a dual division operation despite Blackwatch still having their own missions and work to deal with, Kallista knew they were being pushed to their limit and would crack under any additional work. The team's normal workload consisted of at least six missions they were responsible for providing intel, assistance, or whatever was needed.
To alleviate the stress of the workload, she completely took on the responsibility of combatting the propaganda against Overwatch and the movement to expose Blackwatch to the world that surfaced on the dark web. If she had time she would trace back to the one who created the article and keep tabs on them. Though she knew that her team could handle the workload they were given she would still occasionally take on mission management for some of the agents on the field.
Three months had passed since the double agent had made their move and had since gone silent, which Kallista expected. It was just a matter of time until Kallista was the only one against the double agent. A few weeks later, Kallista was wearily cleared by Angela to officially work on and off the field, though the woman knew that Kallista's injuries had nearly healed three weeks after she had returned from the United States.
In her office, Kallista stared at her cellphone and the messages she had received from Hermes about the deciphering of the file. The AI had been disguised as something it wasn't and was much older than her or anyone that was in the God Brigade. What worried her the most was the fact that the original coding of the AI was from the Omnium, before the start of the Omnic Crisis.
She knew that she couldn't jump to conclusions of what the AI could be, but knew that more time was needed to decipher what was actually in her grasp. However, from what she could tell, this wasn't an ordinary AI based on how it controlled people with omnic like implants. The amount of security the AI would have to pass by, an AI to bypass the brain of a human, was a terrifying thought.
"What the hell is this damn thing," Kallista sighed heavily as she placed her cellphone down as her office door opened revealing Gabriel with a small smirk plastered on his lips.
"Oh no...now what is it?" Kallista asked and sighed.
"Is that the reaction you have towards me now?" Gabriel chuckled as he walked in.
"It depends on what you're going to have me do. We're up to our bloody eyeballs in...work," Kallista replied as she crossed her arms. Gabriel was well aware of all the work that the division was being given and knew that his hands were tied, he gently placed a datapad in front of her.
"Oh? What's this?" Kallista asked as she lazily swiped opened the data page. Her perfectly manicured nails tapping at her desk as she quickly reviewed the information.
"To Sweden?" Kallista asked surprised, she briefly knew of the man's schedule and he had no time for additional trips.
"Do you really have time for additional trips like this Commander Reyes?" Kallista asked with a small smirk on her lips as she tapped the datapad.
"Are you scolding me?" Gabriel smugly. "That's new,"
"You would know if I was scolding you, Gabriel," Kallista replied as she glanced up at the man and back to the datapad, Gabriel smirked.
"Didn't think you had time to look at my schedule,"
"I don't have time for many things, but you asked me to, did you forget?" Kallista replied.
"I didn't forget...but it also sounds like you're too busy to go," Gabriel commented casually.
"It's not that...you 've been treating me like an injured animal just a couple of weeks ago," Kallista replied as she scrolled through the data on the pad again.
"You were literally cleared less than a week ago," Gabriel crossed his arms. "But it also seems like you don't wanna go, so..."
Gabriel reached out to take the datapad from her but she smacked his hand away as she continued to scroll through the information.
"Don't put words in my mouth," Kallista replied. Gabriel chuckled but smirked knowing he had her interest.
"It's just a recon mission…" Gabriel trailed off
"Why did you ask me?" Kallista asked
"I want you to go,"
Kallista paused for a moment at how easily the man answered her question, she pursed her lips together in an attempt to hide her excitement.
"It was given to me by Holland...and it's not like I'm in the position to ignore requests," Gabriel replied as he scratched his chin.
"When...when is the departure scheduled?" Kallista asked.
"As soon as you say yes," Gabriel replied.
"You sly dog," Kallista laughed.
"So that's a yes, see you in twenty," Gabriel said with a grin plastered on his lips as he left her office.
Her cheeks tinged a dusty rose color as she leaned back in her chair, heart a flutter at the simple request from him. It had been some time since they were on the field together, or just together in general, yes she knew that she was injured but she was left longing. They barely saw each other unless it was deep into the night when they were too tired to speak. With a swipe of her hand the monitors and holographic screens around her vanished, she stood and stretched before she exited her office and into the main office.
"What's up Director?" Aleks asked as he turned to face her.
"I will be gone for two at most three days on a recon mission. I will still be available to offer support for mission management if needed. While I'm gone I'll still be working," Kallista explained her upcoming steps to her team.
"On the field again? My, my, my Director," Elias smirked.
"So a fuckation with Commander Reyes," Magnus sneered
"Excuse me?" Kallista began.
"Oh god, Magnus, please," Aleks sighed.
"A fuck vacation. I get it. That is a clever one," Malik commented.
Kallista rolled her eyes at the man and placed a hand on her hip. She glanced at each of them before her eyes settled on the silent woman in the room.
"Linda, I'll be sending you some information about the recon mission, if you're too busy-"Kallista began.
"I should be fine Director Kaines," Linda nodded.
"Alright then, If anything changes let me know, Kallista nodded.
"Have fuuuun~" Magnus smirked.
"Athena, Director Kaines logging out; SIC active,"
[Confirmed. SIC active; Malik Ramos…]
"See you all in two days," Kallista waved to the crew as she exited the office. Once the door closed Elias turned to Magnus
"Really? A fuckation?" Elias questioned.
"I stand by my choice of words," Magnus replied.
Viktor Lennartsson, a previous Overwatch agent that was released on suspicions of drug consumption in trafficking, and instead of those stains on his records he was released with false pretenses - an injury that impeded his ability to retain his position at Overwatch.
Kallista was informed of their target and researched as to why Gabriel had been chosen to do recon on him and his work. The man was now the CFO at an Industrial company called Steelstien and was still on Overwatch's watch list as there was mounting evidence that the man was still supplying and possibly manufacturing illegal drugs at the location. In addition to manufacturing and supplying, he was still under suspension of human trafficking, Overwatch, and Blackwatch agents.
Gabriel was chosen for this particular recon mission due to his proximity to the man, he was a member of Overwatch before it became the Overwatch Foundation.
"Are you sure this bloke will not notice us?" Kallista asked.
"It's not like you being worried, besides as long as you play your part everything will be fine," Gabriel replied casually.
"Right," Kallista replied as she tightened her grip of his arm as they walked through the Vaxjo Airport.
The couple had arrived at the Vaxjo Airport in Jonkoping, Sweden. They took on the appearance as a couple visiting from Mexico for a job offer tour extended to the person Kallista was playing, Livia Cavalcanti, a graduate from MIT in engineering, Gabriel in the meantime maintained a more casual persona.
"I forgot to tell you," Gabriel began and leaned in close to her as they slowed down walking. "You look good as a brunette,"
"Do I? Thanks, I didn't want to be blonde this time…" Kallista smiled
With their bags in their hands, they continued through the airport and caught a taxi to their temporary vacation home.
"Tack sa mycket," Gabriel said to the taxi driver as they opened the door to help Kallista out.
"Thank you.." Kallista said to the taxi driver, the driver smiled and chuckled before they got back into their taxi and drove away.
The two quickly hurried into the safe house and out of the cold. They quickly entered the home and began to settle in, the house was tucked away in a quiet and secluded residential area and blended in easily with the other homes, perfect for their temporary stay.
"Geez, it's so cold," Kallista began as she looked at the digital thermostat, it felt nearly as cold as it did outside the home.
"Hopefully, this place looks old but that's what it said before we booked it. They did say that maintenance was planned…" Gabriel trailed off as he looked at her.
"I suppose they didn't say when…" Kallista trailed off as she thought about all of the cuts and casualties Overwatch was facing and Blackwatch's liability to the Foundation. Her thoughts spiraled as she thought about what would happen to her if Blackwatch would dissolve.
Would she be sent to prison?
Would Gabriel let that happen? Could he even do anything about it?
It didn't help that the man's sudden actions troubled her as well, the sudden recruiting of the shamed scientist into the ranks of Blackwatch. There was a part of her that wondered how did Morrison even allow the woman back in Overwatch.
"You should check the place out," Gabriel motioned to the rest of the apartment as he stood in front of the electric fireplace.
"Alright," Kallista nodded as she took out her cellphone and began to walk around the home, scanning the walls, corners, windows, for any traces of cameras and listening devices that could have been placed in the home before their arrival.
"Hey, we made it. The weather isn't bad….but the snowstorm is supposed to be coming, don't know if we'd be able to beat it on the way back though," Gabriel began. Kallista continued to scan the safe house as the man spoke on a casual phone call, a check-in back to Overwatch.
"Yeah, Livia and I are safe and we'll keep warm...not too sure about the place though, it looks nice but you can tell it's old," Gabriel said as he watched Kallista.
Kallista nodded to the man giving him the sign the house was in the clear.
"It's old but we'll make do," Gabriel said, "But we're gonna get settled in and call it a night, we have a tight schedule tomorrow so we're gonna turn in ...so take care alright?"
Just as Gabriel ended the call the lights flickered through the home just barely staying lit as the couple looked around the home.
"I assumed Overwatch will not be sending a maintenance team out for the place anytime soon," Kallista commented.
"Correct. Not with how things are going now," Gabriel replied with a sigh. "I'm expecting it to go out...it's been a while since someone has been here,"
Kallista nodded silently as she ran a hand through her hair, Gabriel noticed the woman's silence as she stood motionless for a moment.
"You ok?"
"I'm alright, just a bit of a headache," Kallista replied. There was a part of her that couldn't tell the man that she was worried for the future of Blackwatch, worried about her own future. She hastily dug into her purse on the island counter and pulled out a pack of pink cigarettes.
"I'll be back," She quickly slipped on her boots and buttoned up her coat before she went outside to have a cigarette.
Gabriel watched silently as she exited the house with a sign he ran a hand through his hair and shrugged off his coat. He knew that something was on her mind and would talk to her when she came back if she'd let him. He knew that he didn't actually need her to be on the mission with him, he wanted her to come, he wanted her to be there with him, he wanted to spend time with her outside of the walls of the Overwatch.
Suddenly Gabriel heaved and began coughing uncontrollably, hard and wet coughs erupted from his lips, searing pain in his chest Gabriel quickly made his way to the bathroom and threw up a muted crimson-colored blood. It was almost the normal crimson color it should be than the black sludge-like blood he had been sputtering and throwing up for months. Perhaps the medication that O'Deorain had given him was working. Or so he hoped.
He was thankful that Kallista was nowhere in earshot of him but knew that at some point she would find out and hoped that she would find out after he was on his way to being cured of whatever was happening to him. Silently Gabriel turned on the faucet and watched as the water washed down the blood, he cupped a handful of water and washed his mouth, he cupped a handful to splash on his face.
"Gabriel? Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Gabriel replied as he looked at himself in the mirror.
Exhaustion. He was tired.
After a moment of recouping, he exited the bathroom and saw Kallista yawning as she leaned on the kitchen island.
"Tired?" Gabriel chuckled.
"A little bit...I suppose I'm drained from just traveling in general…" Kallista replied
"And the fact that you've officially been cleared with your injury," Gabriel said as he brushed the back of his hand across her cheek.
"I suppose so," Kallista murmured and allowed him to pull her into his embrace with an arm. Kallista sighed as she relished the heat and embrace of the man, it had been months since he held her as tightly as he did now.
"I...missed you…" Kallista whispered as wrapped her arms around his waist.
"I missed you too…" Gabriel murmured softly.
"Welcome, Welcome, you must be Miss Livia Calvacanti and Gabriel Reyes. My name is Lukas Heidenstam, I will be your tour guide today"
"Yes, thank you for having us," Kallista smiled.
"Thank you for coming all this way especially with the blizzard coming. I was sure you would cancel," Lukas began.
"Gabriel was so adamant about making sure I was able to come," Kallista began as she turned to Gabriel.
"There aren't many chances like this and you were so excited so I wanted to make sure that you were able to be here," Gabriel replied. "Had to pull some strings to be here with you but we're here,"
"He's right, but I am glad that you made it here as you know that Steelstein is prestigious and competitive when it comes to adding to the team," Lukas nodded and smiled at the couple.
"Of course," Gabriel nodded.
"Yes," Kallista also nodded.
"Well, then shall we get started with the tour? If you have any questions about how Steelstein operates, the application process, etc please do not hesitate to ask,"
"Of course, thank you,"
It wasn't until hours later that Kallista and Gabriel finished their tour and recon mission, they managed to grab food before the blizzard completely took over the city of Jonkoping. They were grounded until tomorrow as all flights had been canceled till the next day. The couple quickly barreled into their safe house and out of the blizzard.
"The blizzard came quicker than I thought," Gabriel chuckled as he stomped the snow from his boots.
"Yeah I suppose we don't have to worry about being followed," Kallista sighed as she unzipped her boots and coat before she went to the thermostat. After a few moments of silence, the lights were on in the home and was heated.
"I'm still glad that this place has power, freezing my ass off doesn't sound pleasant," Kallista commented.
"Same. I also got word they're reviewing the info we got. So I'll be updating Morrison soon," Gabriel said as he stood in front of the electronic fireplace.
"Maybe a hot shower for your old bones," Kallista sneered.
"Old bones? I can still give you a run for your money without breaking a sweat," Gabriel scoffed.
"It's so cold though, think about your joints," Kallista teased.
"I'll remember that. Don't come running to me when you're freezing your ass off, Kallista," Gabriel said as he gave her ass a hard smack as he walked past her and to the bathroom. Kallista yelped and attempted to swat at the man's hand only to miss, Kallista watched as he disappeared into the bathroom.
As he showered, Kallista warmed the food they had managed to purchase before the storm hit. During their tour at Steelstein they gathered information, siphoning through a suggested prototype from the R&D department, all the information was sent back to HQ and now it was just a matter of waiting till the storm was over so they could return back to Switzerland.
Kallista placed a piece of her hair behind her ear as she looked at her cellphone, the blizzard winds howling outside, her mind wandered to their day. Though they were on a mission, the casualness, the civility of their day together reminded her of the world she would never have without being under Overwatch's surveillance. Kallista stared blankly at the screen as she felt the warmth that had blossomed in her chest had quickly faded at the realization and how their relationship started.
There was a sense of guilt, guilt that she wanted to convince the man to lessen the restrictions on her but she had fallen in love with the man who didn't initially trust her or even wanted anything to do with her.
"I guess...I was just dumb...but I suppose lucky," Kallista laughed to herself as she went over to the home's terminal.
Lazily she looked at the status of the home, yesterday the home lost electricity which left Kallista with the impression that the generator would fail again. Sighing, Kallista began to inspect the systems to see if she could prolong the life of the system until a maintenance order could be completed. It wasn't until Gabriel's voice pulled her from her thoughts.
"All yours," Gabriel said as he draped his towel over his shoulder.
"Done already?" Kallista looked at the man from head to toe, he was dressed in sweatpants, and had his shirt in his hands.
"Lost track of time?" Gabriel asked as he walked past her and to the kitchen island.
"Huh?" Kallista began when she realized fifteen minutes has passed. "Oh, I guess so,"
Kallista pulled a holographic screen from the terminal and closed another one.
"Did you get anything from Linda?" Gabriel said as he pulled his shirt over his head and turned his attention to the food.
"No, not yet. But I'm sure I got something from Steelstein. You can take a look at that in a moment,"
"Mmm...what are you doing?" Gabriel asked.
"Checking to see how long we have until the generator gives out and we freeze in the blizzard," Kallista replied, pushing back her thoughts of freedom she would never have.
"Mhmm," Gabriel commented. "Come eat,"
"After I go wash up. A hot shower sounds lovely for this weather," Kallista replied. "You can eat," Kallista smiled and headed towards the bathroom to shower.
"Oh wait...before I go. How many languages do you know?"
"Is that what you're curious about?" Gabriel asked, a cocky smirk spreading across his lips.
"I can be curious, sometimes," Kallista replied as she crossed her arms.
"Sometimes is an understatement and you know that," Gabriel replied.
"You sound like you know me," Kallista scoffed.
"You have your eyes on everyone so don't give me that innocent act," Gabriel waved off the woman. "I know several, it comes with the job,"
"Swedish though?" Kallista asked
"Had to learn it for a mission a while back, made things easier for missions that followed," Gabriel said before he cracked his neck and sought out his phone.
"Hm...I wonder what other secrets our fearless commander holds," Kallista said with a gleam in her eyes.
"Don't, leave them where they are," Gabriel said as he retrieved his cellphone.
"That only makes me more curious," Kallista laughed.
"Don't bite off more than you can chew, Kallista," Gabriel warned.
"Fine, fine," Kallista waved off the man's warning and continued towards the bathroom.
He watched silently as the woman disappeared down the hall, Gabriel knew she had eyes on everyone at HQ, it was her job and yet she didn't try to invade his privacy. He knew that she could easily have done it with her credentials and her experience as a hacker she could get past anything that could block her way.
His mind wandered back to the propaganda about Overwatch in the early days, his early years in the military, the SEP incidents, the struggle of the Omnic war, the death, carnage, sacrifices made in order for him to survive, to carry out his mission and to get him where he was today. He had years to bury his guilt ridden, dirty and secrets that she didn't need to know.
Some days the guilt of his secrets, the guilt of what he had done was overwhelming and most days he felt nothing. He hadn't considered telling her anything and had no intention of doing so. It was the last thing on his mind, he needed to focus on the mission and the safety of his team. Maybe in the future, after he retired from Blackwatch and if they had a future together, he hoped that he would have enough courage to tell her everything.
If they lived long enough.
This line of work never promised a future for the individual but a future for the others but there were days he hoped for a future. A future to settle down away from the fighting, a home where he could start a family if it wasn't too late...and if she wanted one with him. Lost in his thoughts Gabriel sighed softly when suddenly the power went out in the home.
"Oh hell," Gabriel sighed heavily as he pressed the small communication device in his ear "Magnus…"
[Yeah Boss?]
"Can you connect with the surveillance systems outside to check the perimeter?" Gabriel started when he heard a thump outside. Immediately he reached tof the concealed weapon underneath the island in the kitchen, he began to move through the home and towards windows using the shadows as cover.
Were they followed in this blizzard?
[Jonkoping is really being hammered by this blizzard. It knocked out the power in parts of the city as well as others]
"You can confirm that it was due to the weather and not by man?" Gabriel murmured
[The CCTV system hasn't been hacked or tampered with, the power grid is down but it looks like they are working to get the power up… There are no signs of it being tampered with by man...so this looks like a good ole power outage by a storm]
"Get the power back on here," Gabriel replied as he continued to move carefully and quietly around the home despite the confirmation that this was caused by the storm.
[I will try...the connection to this place is in bad shape…]
"Bloody hell," Kallista grumbled as she walked from the bathroom.
"You ok?" Gabriel asked, gun in hand as he leaned away from the window.
"Besides getting doused in freezing water...I'm fine," Kallista replied as she went over to the terminal.
Within moments the backup generator buzzed to life, lights flickering on Kallista turned to Gabriel and the gun in his hand.
"Precaution," Gabriel replied with a sigh and moved to conceal the weapon again.
Kallista watched him as she placed the towel over her shoulder, crossing her arms.
"What's wrong?" Gabriel asked.
"The thump that you heard was something blowing outside and colliding with a tree," Kallista replied as she dabbed her face with the towel. "The storm is coming from the east...I was listening,"
"Right," Gabriel nodded.
It happened nearly six years ago, with a few years she had managed to grasp control of her sensitivity and used it to her advantage. In the back of his mind, he wished for harsher punishment for those that experimented on the new cadets, harsher punishment for what they did to her.
"I knew it was coming but I wish it would have happened while we were asleep or something," Kallista sighed as she walked over to the island.
"Looks like you're about to freeze your ass off," Gabriel smirked.
"Let's eat," Kallista pouted.
There was silence between the two as they focused on their work, the sound of wind howling, snow blowing sounded through the quiet house. Gabriel grumbled softly as he moved under the blankets with his laptop in hand. Kallista moved over giving the man space, never taking her eyes off the holographic screens in front of her.
Minutes and hours passed in silence as the two worked. Slowly and unconsciously the two gravitated closer to one another, her head on his shoulder, his hand on her knee.
"I can't look at these files anymore, my head will explode," Kallista sighed
"Rest. You don't need to develop a migraine here," Gabriel replied as he adjusted his glasses.
"I at least wanted to get more for you to work with, " Kallista said as she leaned heavily onto the man's shoulder.
"Let Malik and Linda do their jobs. Besides the info you pulled from Steelstein is more than enough for me," the man replied as he gently squeezed her knee underneath the blankets.
"It's not just that, we're just really bombarded by a lot of things…" Kallista trailed off.
"I...I'm aware and I apologize for it," Gabriel said quietly. "My...hands are tied...on a lot of things and you and Lyuda have to suffer because of it,"
Kallista studied the man for a moment before she sighed and placed her head on his shoulder.
"You owe us big time, a nice long vacation sounds perfect...I dunno to the Maldives...or maybe Montenegro...those sound good," Kallista sighed, Gabriel chuckled softly.
"Sure I owe you both but I dunno about a long vacation," Gabriel replied.
"You owe us," Kallista poked him in the side.
"I owe you but I can only offer so much," Gabriel replied chuckling slightly.
"Fine, Fine," Kallista said. "I'm sure the Lyuda will accept any form of vacation as long as she doesn't have to do anything,"
"You're probably right…" Gabriel trailed off as he thought about all of the work that the woman was being subjected to.
"A vacation with you...would be nice," Kallista murmured.
"I would like that too,"
"Mmm," Kallista murmured. He maneuvered her ever so slightly to tilt her head up to seal their lips together in a longing kiss.
"Go to sleep, you need it," Gabriel replied as he moved to sit on the side of the bed, his back to her.
"Yeah, Yeah, Yeah don't stay up late," Kallista said as she got comfortable under the blankets.
"Don't stay up late,"
"Yes dear," Gabriel quipped.
As soon as the words left his mouth he was hit in the back of the head with a pillow.
Some time had passed when Kallista felt a dip in the bed and the familiar warmth of the man behind her. The bed creaked underneath the shifting weight of the two bodies huddling together for warmth.
"You're always so warm…" Kallista commented sleepily as she snuggled back into the man. A soft grunt slipped from his lips as he wrapped an arm around her pulling her close to him.
"You keep moving your ass like that I won't be held responsible for what happens," Gabriel growled softly.
"You like it though," Kallista replied softly, her voice still heavy with sleep.
"Is this better?" Gabriel asked, his voice low and playful.
"Much better… you're like a walking heater," Kallista commented.
"It happens," Gabriel sighed.
There was a soft pause between the two before the man's deep voice cut through the silence.
"You know...you're ridiculously comfortable for being so small," Gabriel murmured.
"I'm not sure if that's a compliment or not," Kallista replied.
"Not many people that get this close to me," Gabriel murmured.
"Well you kept me around for a reason..." Kallista trailed off.
"I didn't plan...on you," Gabriel replied. Kallista laughed softly at the man's response.
She knew that both of them didn't plan for any of this to happen, it wasn't supposed to go this way, they weren't supposed to fall for each other, they weren't supposed to confess.
None of this was supposed to happen.
"Neither of us did and yet here we are," Kallista sighed softly.
"Yeah…" Gabriel trailed off leaving the two in silence. Kallista slowly opened her eyes as she listened to the man's soft measured breaths, she knew he was deep in thought. He gently pressed his lips on her shoulder
"Kallista…" Gabriel's voice was low, muffled slightly.
"Mm?" Kallista mumbled as she reached back to gently scratch at his beard. A soft grumble came from the back of his throat before he spoke again, his lips at her ear. He whispered her name softer causing her to turn to look at the man. He gently caressed her cheek before pressing his lips on to hers in a gentle kiss.
"I love you," Gabriel whispered against her lips.
"I love you too, Gabriel," Kallista whispered as he placed a kiss on her forehead and another on her exposed shoulder. He pressed his lips on hers once more before getting comfortable and letting sleep take them both.
The following day the two were able to leave Jonkoping and returned safely to Switzerland, upon their arrival back to base, Gabriel was back on the field and Kallista returned to her team to continue striking down attacks to expose Blackwatch.
"Director-"
Kallista looked from her holographic screens, pulled from her thought and to the dark-haired man in the doorway.
"How can I help you, Elias?" Kallista asked.
"I love that you've embraced your accent," Elias smirked as he entered the office.
"I know you didn't come here to tell me you appreciate my accent," Kallista leaned back in her chair as she noticed the tablet in his hand.
"You're right, I received an encrypted call...from Van Gogh,"Elias muttered. Kallista immediately closed her screens and leaned forward.
"Athena increase the opacity to 100 percent and mute all audio for my office,"
[Yes Director Kaines]
The glass walls of Kallista's office immediately blurred out the images and items within the office making it difficult for anyone to figure out what was what in the women's office. She knew that it would have pulled more attention to the office but the fact that one of their best agent who had gone missing nearly six months ago suddenly contacted the department was a serious matter.
"Answer it,"
Elias nodded and answered the call
{Hello...please….anyone...please..}
"Van Gogh…" Kallista began.
{Kaines...bloody hell...is that you?}
Kallista glanced at Elias, Elias nodded silently as he placed the phone on the desk and began to record the call.
"Van Gogh...where are you? What do you need? Are you injured?" Kallista asked despite hearing the exhaustion in their voice.
{Bloody fucking hell Kaines…}
"It's me," Kallista replied.
{Help me, please...I was captured by Talon or someone... I somehow managed to escape...I have no clue where I am…}
"Calm down. Van Gogh, can you determine any defining features of where you are? Is it day? Night? What of the temperature? Hot, cold? Do you smell water? Is it salty?" Kallista shot out quick and concise questions to help the agent identity where he could be.
{Day...maybe noon...I...fairly warm...maybe an ocean? I…}
Kallista looked at the time it was noon in Switzerland but that meant that he could be anywhere in Europe or Africa, too many options.
"Director...he could be in Europe or Africa...one moment…" Elias began
{I am...exhausted…}
"We're trying to find you Van Gogh...please stay with us," Kallista began.
"I can't pinpoint his exact location, but he is not in Europe from what I can tell," Elias commented.
{Kaines...I do not know what they did to me...but something is not right...I...feel wrong}
"When we retrieve you we will make sure you get the best care available Van Gogh, I promise,"
{Thank you...I suppose}
Kallista knew that she had to react quickly to the discovery of the lost agent before it was too late.
"Van Gogh. Are you at least in a safe location?" Kallista asked knowing that the man didn't even know where he was let alone feeling off.
{Honestly, I have no clue. I can tell that I'm meters from the nearest city...ah...my head…}
"If you're able to make it to the city we should be able to pick up your location...and we will come to you,"
{I...will try…}
"Elias...take this over, continue to work on locating Van Gogh," Kallista ordered.
"Yes Ma'am," Elias replied as he watched as holographic screens appeared around Kallista.
"I know that we are low on manpower and if he's not in Europe Africa would be the next location based on timing…." Kallista began as she quickly typed. "The only group that is in Africa...North Africa is Danica and her small team, we need to get them into Numbani as quickly as possible for a starting point…"
"Should I-?" Elias began
"No. This is between you and me," Kallista replied. Elias nodded as he quickly grabbed the phone and exited the office.
Kallista sat quietly for a moment in her thoughts Van Gogh wasn't the first to suddenly reappear after being missing for months. He was actually the sixth agent to reappear and knew that Lyudmila and Gabriel would have their hands full despite knowing that these agents were mostly Overwatch agents that had vanished and Van Gogh would be the second Blackwatch agent.
The sudden reappearance of these agents was strange but they were welcomed back and treated as quickly as possible.
There were so many things happening amongst the barrage of damning articles about Overwatch and the apparent agenda to oust Blackwatch to the public.
Blackwatch's existence was becoming a liability.
