Tracer

'…I only wondered if there was an element of attraction in association with your selfless deed.'

'Huh.' Lena leaned back in one of the chairs, beeping and humming keeping her company as she watched over Widowmaker in her sleep. She had lost interest in the mobile game on her phone after about an hour or so, unable to truly give the adventure her all when Angela had so easily managed to plant a little seed Lena herself wasn't even sure could take root ever.

She wouldn't deny attraction. Of course, there was. But that didn't mean anything, really. Trickster tendencies aside, Lena thought Sombra was attractive enough as well. At least enough to fool around with harmlessly. So, what of Widowmaker or, more accurately, Amelie Lacroix?

Lena went through the data Angela had compiled, thankful her friend trusted her so to the point of not even locking the files behind any form of password. It was a vast array of medical jargon, but Lena could make sense of the basics. The heart thing. The physical enhancements. The brain issues. Trauma on various levels. Even Lena could figure most of the facts out by now, if in not so detailed wording. However, the final two details of Angela's reports sent a chill through Lena's spine, and her stomach turned in disgust, the food she had recently barely begun digesting boiling.

"Subject's reproductive organs visibly mishandled. One confirmed D&C. Potentially another. Damage too severe to tell. Compromised psyche."

And then…

"Subject mutters the name 'Gerard' frequently when brain waves are at their peek of discomfort. Connection to death? Sleeper agent? Brainwashing earlier than initially concluded? Death confirmed by strangulation. Nail marks. Smaller hands. Talon?"

'Bloody hell. Bloody, bloody hell…' Lena whispered, wiping her eyes of the tears already beginning to fill them. 'I know I can't save them all, but…why?' She turned to Widowmaker, and she flinched back, the woman's yellow eyes, once again, staring at her piercingly. For a moment, Lena wasn't sure how to conduct herself, but she was nothing if not confident and welcoming even in the darkest of hours. Widowmaker needed Lena's light. Amelie had to see light still could exist in her life if she would allow it.

Lena waved, smiling as best she could, having to – with great effort – not allow her expression to faulter because of the information she had just taken in.

'Heya, Luv. How you feelin'?'

Widow blinked long and hard, turning her gaze back to the ceiling. After more than seven seconds passed, it was safe to assume she wouldn't be answering the question. She seemed numb, her eyes losing any semblance of fight or desire. Lena had seen such a look before, and the story that followed any individual left unchecked with such eyes didn't end well.

'I brought you a little food and a change of clothes. You hungry or anything? Been here for a while now, yeah? Girl's gotta eat! I can barely go an hour without a little something. Heheh!'

Nothing. She was a blank slate. Despair was pushing down on her body and soul. Lena could almost see the mass of darkness consuming the poor woman. Angela had noted a mixture of present and past personas likely fighting over Amelie's state of mind, and if Angela's notes were any indication, the memories Widow and Amelie were reflecting upon could be nothing better than the worst of nightmares.

Lena had to do something.

She moved to the woman's side, leaning on the bed with her arms and seeing, with even more conclusive evidence, that Widow's eyes told a story of complete disconnect. She was giving up. Her will to live; to "feel" anything ever again, was at its limit. Lena reflected briefly upon the three fights the two women had had. While they were life or death situations, even that version of Widowmaker was preferable. At least she talked.

'Psst. I…uh…know things are rough right now, but we're totally gonna make it better, okay? Angela's figuring it all out, and I'm…I'm here, you know?' Lena grinned, her cheeks flaring and her neck shrinking, but the need to maintain her composure strong. She sympathized so easily with those who were vulnerable, and something about the incredible Widowmaker being in such a state broke her optimism practically. 'You remember grabbin' my hand before I left? Caught me by surprise, let me tell you! Made the heart go aflutter havin' a beauty like you even think about needing me.'

Still nothing. But Lena wouldn't give up. It was too late for that.

'Your hospital gown looks nice and all, but I brought you some new clothes when you're ready for them. They're nothing fancy, and I don't have the same…uh…measurements, but they're uber comfortable. I've slept in them, like, a bunch of times.' Lena brought out a plain black t-shirt and sweatpants. 'See? I made sure they were all dark and stuff for you. Figured you wouldn't wanna stand out just yet.'

Was she breathing? That heart slowing was no joke. It was like trying to have a conversation with a statue. Widow blinking was the only indication of life.

'So, yeah. I can help change you, or…you can change yourself? I've gotten permission to let you wander around a little – under my supervision, of course – so just say the word and I'll deal with the I.V. Huh? What's that? You're impressed I can do some medical stuff here and there? Oh, go on. I know the basics, right? Studied hard. Really wanted to do well in Overwatch, you know? Helping people and all. Comes with the territory. Plus, Angela's given me tips here and there. Ah!'

Lena went back to the necklace she and Winston had crafted.

'Please don't hate me, but it was the only way. Just insurance, alrighty? You gotta wear this if we go anywhere. It has a shock mechanism to immobilize you if anything daft goes on with your brain. It's to protect you, innit? I tried to make it sorta pretty, but I'm not the best with that kinda stuff. Hope you don't mind.'

Widow finally turned, but she neither confirmed nor denied any interest whatsoever in moving herself.

'Uh…Ahem. I'm just…gonna unlock you for now. Help you eat maybe? Get you changed? Fresh clothes and a full tummy is always a good way to shake off an old day, I say.'

Tracer felt as though she were approaching an injured, poisonous snake. One wrong move and it would lash out, injecting her with venom until she succumbed to the toxin. She moved slowly, trying to get any form of read on Widowmaker. The woman's eyes stayed locked on Lena, and she met them head on, wanting to give her respect and condolences at the same time, wishing to connect with the woman who struggled to find meaning amidst her living hell.

The bonds snapped off, and Lena's whole body tightened, but Widow didn't even move. She simply continued to stare. Was she searching for something? What could it be?

'Wanna sit up?' Lena offered. 'Need any help?'

In one smooth motion, so perfectly controlled despite her circumstances, Widow was now sitting upon the hospital bed. In another, she yanked her I.V. out, and blood spewed down her arm.

'Oi!' Lena's stomach turned at the sight for a moment, but she was dabbing the mess up thereafter, knowing she should've had the necklace on Widow first, but not wanting to insult her to that degree just yet. It was a balancing act, as if attempting to train a lion and build a relationship with another living being that couldn't fully be understood yet.

'Leave it.' Widowmaker's cold voice finally spoke out, her words cracking like ice.

'Leave it?' Lena wasn't quite sure she understood, but once her hand was smacked away, stinging upon the recoil, she began to comprehend. The blood still poured out from the brutal disconnection, and Widow gripped the area on her arm, digging her nails into the skin to puncture more holes.

'Bloody hell! Don't do that!' Lena grabbed at Widow, easily overpowering the weakened warrior, which broke her heart more than it should have. The assassin struggled, and within her condition she was still rather powerful, yet Lena held her wrists out, breathing heavily.

'Leave me alone…' Widow muttered, more dangerously now.

'No can do, Luv. Didn't you hear me? I'm gonna save you.'

'Save me…?' She almost grinned, and Lena did feel a little foolish for the simplicity of her statement. 'You can do no such thing, little girl. Can a shattered vase ever be the same?'

Lena swallowed. She hated what Widow was saying, but at the same time, it was as though she were speaking to the other woman for the first time without the influence of Talon's brainwashing. She was catching a glimpse of the person Amelie had been before being forced into the skin of Widowmaker and…

'It can always be fixed up real nice again. Torbjorn could make it like new, I think. Just takes the right person.'

'The individual required for this task is dead.' Widow answered solemnly. 'And I have no desire to converse with you further. Leave me.'

'Why? So you can hurt yourself?'

'That doesn't concern you.' Widow glanced around, and Lena understood. This disconnect. This coldness. This emptiness. Widowmaker had no desire to live. Indeed, she wished for the exact opposite. Whatever memories had returned, be they akin to the data Angela had compiled or something else entirely, Widow was tipping over the edge. She may have already fallen, as far as Lena knew.

'Amelie! Really, Luv, I'm here if – !'

'Don't call me that!' Widow hissed, and she broke from Tracer's hold for but a moment, driving the palm of her hand into Lena's chin, snapping her neck and forcing the girl to see stars. If Widow had been at full power, Lena could have very well been much worse off. Fortunately, that wasn't the case, and Lena pushed in, stumbling onto the ground with Widow, and knowing she would get an earful if Angela happened to walk in on the sight.

Why didn't you put the necklace on before unbinding her?

'It's your name, innit?'

'Ugh…!'

She was so ridiculously feisty! Lena finally pinned Widow, straddling on top of her waist and holding her wrists to the ground. Both women huffed, their chests expanding and deflating with every breath.

'Normally this sorta position leads into a different kind of fun for me, but I can hardly even enjoy that because you're downright looney right now!'

There was just a little more struggle beneath Lena, but then, at last, Widow seemed to run out of what little energy she had to work with. She reverted back to silence, although her eyes were red and shiny.

'Don't look at me.' She practically pouted.

Lena gave way to the quiet, baffled with how best to even try and approach this scene. She decided to not think overly hard on it, and lowered her tone as if she were speaking to a child.

'Hey. I read a coupla your files. Ange has an idea of what you've been through. I know it ain't easy. I mean, I'm anchored here thanks to a piece of technology, but at least I wanted to be experimented on. I can't even imagine how you might feel.'

'…'

'There's always a reason to keep living though, right? Don't throw in the towel yet, Luv. It'd be such a waste. You have all this potential, don'tcha think? Weren't you a, what, super popular ballet dancer or something? That's totally daft! Imagine the moves you could pull now!'

'…'

'And…uh…if all goes well, you can fight with me and Overwatch. I mean, we are tryin' to take down Talon; you know, the guys who did this to you? Might be a nice way to make up for everything's that's happened while they had you, too.'

'…'

Lena waited, but they were back to silence. The only time Widowmaker had bothered speaking was when she thought she might escape in some fashion. She was shutting down again. She wasn't even looking at Lena anymore. It was all beginning to feel hopeless.

'Alrighty.' Lena managed to reach for her bag and get the shock necklace, blinking it on to Widow before she knew what happened. The black trinket rested upon the woman's wide collar, and it actually didn't look half bad. 'There. A gift from me to you. Now, let's get you changed and go.'

Lena tried to lift Widow, but she wasn't interested in co-operating whatsoever. She was practically limp, which made removing her hospital wear even more difficult. Fortunately, the assassin simply couldn't care enough to resist anymore, so Lena was eventually able to get a bandage on her insertion wound from the I.V., and actually get the clothes she brought over the other woman's ludicrous form, squinting and attempting not to peek too much while doing so. Only little flashes of odd coloured flesh peppered Lena's vision, but it was enough to get her imagination going, and she was still struggling through some minor frustrations if she gave such thoughts the time of day.

With her hair down and dishevelled, expression softened to a vulnerable, temperate state, and the casual, black everyday wear equipped, Lena swallowed hard, finding that Amelie could be undeniably appealing. She was becoming more human to the Overwatch agent by the second, and Angela's probing questions didn't seem so utterly out of this world now. Not completely, anyway.

'Upsy daisy.' Lena put Widow's arm around her shoulder, and the woman at least dragged her feet enough to be moved. She likely knew Lena would be willing to pull her along if it came down to it, and maintained just enough pride to prevent that particular scenario.

'You're intolerable.' She muttered in Lena's ear, and the time traveler could only giggle.

'That a fact?'

Lena hailed a ride by one of the many four-wheelers hovering about the base at low altitudes, not against walking through the various sectors, but more so not wishing to draw too much attention to Widow just yet either. The sun was beginning to set, Lena assumed, which meant she directed her driver to the shoreside view near Winston's main control tower.

'Is this her?' The agent asked, rumours about the infamous Talon agent's arrival, unfortunately, already circulating clearly.

'Yep. Mind keeping it quiet though, Luv?'

'…Yeah.'

Lena had a feeling he might not, but that was fine. She wasn't leaving Widow's side any time soon. If someone had an issue with the sniper, they could take it up with Lena first and foremost, which wasn't exactly recommended considering her rank laying within the top five of Overwatch.

Lena soon assisted Widow down from the transportation vehicle, waving at their driver happily as she escorted the woman to a small bench overlooking the water, an incredible view impossible to not stare at in awe, especially with the sun bleeding in the horizon, painting the sky and water a brilliant myriad of reds, purples, oranges, and hints of the blue that once was. A large boat could be seen in the distance as well, with miles upon miles of ocean reaching beyond what one could hope to grasp. Flowers had been strapped to the bench, the accumulation of such decorative pieces something of a homage to soldiers and agents lost in battle. They made the setting both more beautiful and grounded at once.

'There. See that? The world is stunning, innit?' Lena indicated the spectacle, watching Widow slump into the bench, although she was at least gazing straight ahead, her nearly mechanical eyes fluctuating with contemplation. Lena fiddled with the device that directly controlled the shock necklace, but any overly aggressive intentions could set it off automatically as well. She hated using such a ridiculous means of control, but there wasn't much choice, was there?

Lena took in a deep breath of air, and knelt beside Widow, still waiting for something.

'What do ya think? Pretty, huh?'

Widow sighed, shaking her head and closing her eyes.

'You will never give up, will you?'

'Hmm. Nah.' Lena shrugged, relieved the woman was at least speaking again.

'Nothing holds beauty for me, little girl. All I see is death.'

'And that's what I'm trying to tell you: there's more to life than all that morbid stuff Talon stuffed you with. You just gotta look past it and – '

'Blood.'

Lena paused, her mouth hanging open.

'Um…what?'

'All I see is blood. Take me back. Or leave me. Just…go away.'

'Ain't happenin', Luv. You're stuck with me until Ange's nap is done. I brought you here, and I'm willing to let you walk around and all, so let's just relax and…I don't know…chat or something? And the sky isn't blood, okay? Seriously. Look on the bright side. The world can be so gorgeous, and you – '

Lena's mind snapped, her vision turning white from the impact, and then a hand grappled her neck, Widow's voice and spurts of electricity shocking them both.

'Listen…you naïve imbecile…' Widow hissed, saliva mixed with blood spilling out the sides of her mouth. 'I killed him…! I killed him…! How can I possibly…ever…!?' The necklace finally brought her down, Widow twitching on the ground. Lena hastily disengaged the restrainer, and the girl that was Amelie lay still, gripping at her stomach and sobbing into her arm with the frightening tattoo etched into it.

'I killed him…I…the only man I've ever…Our child…My little piece of him…ripped from my…Gerard…Oh, my sweet…sweet Gerard. You didn't even know. You didn't know…and I…Your eyes were so…so sad. God…I'm so sorry…So sorry. H-hah…Ugh…'

Lena's eyes instantly filled with tears. She didn't understand enough French to make out Widow's later wails clearly, but the raw, pained emotion behind her despair was awfully evident, and Lena felt shame for even attempting to bring light to the abyss of torture this woman had endured for no other reason than to be used as a convenient tool for Talon's bidding and Overwatch's undoing.

Angela's notes and suspicions were right on the money. How horrible. How…unbelievably horrendous. No words or actions could help Widow, her ability to withhold the emotions stemmed from release at its limit finally. Lena simply placed a small hand on the woman's shaking back, her bellowing crying muffled as best as she could manage.

'You're right. I was being an idiot. I'm sorry.' Lena said under her breath, so softly she wasn't sure she had even uttered anything at all.

'What's going on here, Lena?' Jack's voice demanded, and he approached with a number of higher ranked agents, all of them carrying themselves with an air of superiority.

'Not now. Really. I got it.' Lena almost pleaded.

'The hell is she doing out of restraints?'

'I'm taking her for a walk. I've taken precautions. Please. Give me a sec.'

'Not happening.' Jack nodded to his men, and they encircled the broken Widowmaker, beginning to lift her up like the ragdoll she had become in the shattering. More agents were gathering, the spectacle prior already summoning attention.

'Stop! She shouldn't be jostled around like that!'

'Think I care? I agreed to keeping her bound in the medical wing until we were 100% certain she was no longer a threat. Angela's last report stated she was severely unstable still. What I see before me proves as much. No risks. You want another death on your hands?'

That hurt. Lena almost buckled from the imaginary impact, but she wasn't scared of Jack anymore, and Widow's wellbeing was more important than her own silly pride.

'You better believe I outrank you right now, Mr. Soldier 76, so you boys best listen to your superior and let her go.'

The men hesitated, looking to Jack for confirmation or denial. His shoulders slouched slightly, and his jaw shifted in irritation.

'We're a vigilante group now, Lena. Your rank doesn't actually amount to – '

'But it's the truth, innit?'

'…Yes.'

The men released Widow then, and Lena took over, holding the woman with a heavy heart. Her eyes were sunken into darkness, and her mouth hung open. Her head twitched here and there, and the tears were stained on her cheeks.

'She needs help. You know she's just as much a victim as anyone; if not more so once Ange sends you the full report. Overwatch helps those in need. We never turn our backs no matter what. That's the U.N. Not us. Not what we fight for. We're heroes. Heroes always extend a hand of love. We never discriminate. Am I wrong?'

Jack blinked, the words countering him hard, and his scowl softening suddenly. The silence hung over all who had gathered for seconds that could have been minutes, the sounds of the crashing waves dispersing time in tangible intervals. Finally, Jack answered with fortitude and understanding.

'You're not wrong.' He turned to his men. 'And that's why she outranks me.' He also admitted. In another second, he was at Widow's side, helping Lena with the weight, his amazing strength more than making the job a breeze from then onward.

The release of some of the burden gave Lena's mind time to digest what she had learned. It gave her time to comprehend precisely what she needed to do for Amelie Lacroix…if anything could be done at all. For once in her life, Lena's eternal optimism couldn't overcome the shadow that ravaged Widowmaker without an amount of effort and resilience the young agent of Overwatch wasn't sure even she was capable of.

Only time would tell…

Time Lena couldn't control…