Pharah

Clicking. All she could hear was clicking. High-pitched clicking. Low pitched clicking. Chewing. More clicking. A high-pitched squeak. Click. Click. Click. Fareeha's heavy lids stretched open, and she could only see a warm ceiling, a coolant placed over her head and her whole body aching something terrible.

'Are you awake, Fareeha?' The question came tentatively, a slight accent accompanying the words.

'Yeah…' Fareeha groaned, completely disoriented.

'Oh, yay! Gave us a little scare, huh, Snowball?'

The machine beeped. Beeping and clicking now.

'Where am I?' Fareeha proceeded, too achy to move much.

'I brought you to my hotel room. It's quite large, and I hope you don't mind. They were going to take you to the hospital, but Winston told me we should keep an eye on you instead. A lot happened…'

Fareeha blinked, lifting her arms up and rubbing her eyes. The images came back to her. The black omnic. Moira. The sudden attack. Angela. Angela…? Angela!

'Angela!' Fareeha jolted up, and despite her entire body screaming against her she almost fell off the bed, Mei catching her and easing her back down.

'Now, now. Can't do that quite yet now, right? You need to rest.'

'Where is she?' Fareeha glanced around, trying to stand again. 'She's here isn't she?'

Mei looked to Snowball, and then shook her head.

'She went with Dr. O'Deorain…apparently to keep you safe. They were going to kill you otherwise, I guess. Winston reviewed the video your suit took. He's trying to broadcast it or something. I'm not sure about all the details. I just know I'm supposed to take care of you until…'

'I need to save her.' Fareeha cut the other girl off, her heart hurting now. 'She's alone with Talon? That's all I need to know. I'll rescue her.'

'That's the plan, Fareeha, but we need to get ready.'

'My suit…' Fareeha finally took in her surroundings, and was shocked to find her armour strewn about the floor and what appeared to be a giant rodent tinkering with it. Obviously, the creature was some form of genetically modified animal, like Winston, but Fareeha was a second away from slapping it off her suit; the only power she had which could be used to save Angela.

'Hammond's working on it now, but it'll take time. It was badly damaged. You have bruises and cuts all over you I had to try and take care of because of the damage done to your armour. Scary!'

'How much longer?' Fareeha demanded to know, but "Hammond" didn't even turn.

'He said about five to eight hours.' Mei smiled, but Fareeha pounded her fist into the bed, grunting loudly for multiple reasons and pushing her face into her hands. This couldn't be happening. Angela was taken under her watch. If she was hurt…

'God…' Fareeha's lips quivered, images of her princess drenched in blood at the hands of Talon plaguing her mind. 'Please, no. Not her…'

'Fareeha?'

Mei's voice was a muffled sound of nothing. It was all settling in. Angela was gone. She might even be lost completely. Their relationship had only just begun. It was too perfect. Fareeha knew she was unbalancing the scales of her life. She had been blessed beyond compare, and the world demanded a price be paid. But not Angela. Not someone who had dedicated almost every waking hour to bettering the reality of others. It wasn't right. It didn't make sense. How could this turn of events possibly be fair?

'Angela…' The tears were coming now. How long had it been since she felt such perfect despair?

'Killed in the line of duty. Reports say she was beat by another sniper. Hard to believe. She was the best…or so we all thought. Who could have possibly…?'

'Shh. Quiet. Um…Hi, Fareeha. Didn't see you there.'

'Where is she?'

'Hm?'

'My mother. Where is she?'

'Oh…uh…well…'

She was that important already. What Fareeha felt for Angela was on par with her feelings for her mother and the reality that she had been killed. If she lost Angela…The thought was mortifying. She was already her best friend. She had never been more honest and comfortable with anyone in her life. They had made love, and it was perfect.

Wait.

Those lingering gazes. The unfinished sentences. The instigation of such raw, intimate physical contact. Angela had known. She knew this was a possibility. She went with Moira totally aware it might be her last time with Fareeha. Why didn't she say anything? The answer was obvious. Fareeha would have taken her and ran. She would have aborted the mission immediately. Then again, Fareeha was also conscious of the risks. So, what was the difference?

'Fareeha!' Mei shouted. How many times had she said Fareeha's name before the woman heard her?

'What?' Fareeha said breathlessly.

'It's Winston. Your phone was broken in the fight, but he called mine. Are you okay to talk to him?'

Fareeha took the communication device without a word, lifting it to her ear and steadying her airflow.

'Fareeha Amari.'

"Hi, Fareeha. Are you okay?"

'Physically I am sound.'

"But you're compromised emotionally. I understand. I've never seen Angela so close with someone so quickly. It was nice…"

'Yes. It was.' Fareeha took a moment, gathering herself. Even all her military training barely sustained her composure. Every other thought was of Angela. Her blue eyes. Her sneaky smile. Her teasing remarks. What Fareeha wouldn't give to be made hilariously uncomfortable by one of her jesting remarks.

'I have to save her.'

"That's the plan, Fareeha. I had Hammond meet up with Mei for this very reason. He's an old friend, and although he can be a bit mouthy, he's a skilled mechanic. He'll have your suit ready in no time, and then you can do everything in your power to help Angela, if you wish. Your suit will be able to track her, and from what I'm seeing here, her location isn't that far from your current one."

Fareeha nodded, her heart aflutter with the good news. Yet, an oddity pinched at her brain, and something in the way Winston delivered the news simply seemed off. Fareeha wasn't a professional at reading the rhetoric behind words, but she wasn't an idiot either, and she could work with information, or lack thereof, relatively well.

'…Was this planned?' She asked instinctively before registering why she even did so.

A pause in the phone, and Fareeha felt her blood quicken in immediate anger.

'Did you expose Angela to such a risk on purpose?'

"It…was a possibility we were all aware of. We wanted to uproot a piece of Talon, and capturing Moira is a critical part of the organization to start with. I gave my consent, and so did Angela."

'Fareeha? What's happening?' Mei's distant question pried, but Fareeha could hardly hear her. Her temples were throbbing, and the phone was shaking against her ear.

'Who proposed the plan?'

"It doesn't matter. I agreed to it."

'Winston!'

"I would never force Angela to do anything. She was aware of the risks, but she's seen this kind of fight before, and she understood that something needed to change this time. Talon can't keep having the upper hand. I already have a squad moving in, but I doubt they'll be able to make any drastic moves easily, since the facility we suspect Angela is being held in is still technically within Oasis' jurisdiction. Moira planned this all very well. She's quite protected. Only the best will be able to infiltrate. You must be careful. Getting close will be difficult."

'No…' Fareeha shook her head. Did she really think she could do it all on her own? Winston was right; just making it to Angela wasn't enough. Could she fight another black omnic alone? What about the multitude of Talon agents surely protecting this golden opportunity for Moira?

"Fareeha." The monkey went on. "Angela told me about the two of you. I…understand your pain. I do. But this is the reality of war. With great risks come greater rewards. We had to do something."

The fact Winston knew about her relationship with Angela didn't bother her as much as the following claims. Those weren't Winston's words. Fareeha knew that kind of mindset all too well from being in the army.

'Jack. He orchestrated this.'

"Er…"

'He fed her to the wolves! That bastard!'

"I'm not one to say anything about letting your emotions get the better of you, but…"

'I'll save her.' Fareeha decided. 'I'll save her or die trying. Amari out.'

She couldn't talk to him anymore. Winston was right; her emotions were running rampant. Until her suit was ready, there was nothing for it. Fareeha would have to wait. It would be agony. She couldn't imagine doing anything knowing Angela was possibly in pain or worse.

Mei could be heard in the background having an extensive conversation with Winston, but Fareeha's ears were ringing, and she managed to make her way to Hammond, the strange rodent tinkering away with dexterous ease.

'How much longer, my friend?' Fareeha tried to calm her voice, but when the little guy raised his hand with a squeak, indicating five more hours, more than likely, Fareeha almost broke down right then and there. How long had she been out? How much longer would Angela have to endure whatever sick experiments Moira forced upon her?

'T-thank-you…' Fareeha managed. Getting angry would be a foolish reaction. She somewhat limped her way to the door of the hotel room. 'I need some air.' She declared, and didn't wait for an answer from anyone.

Fareeha didn't want to stray far from Mei's room. The moment – the second – Hammond was finished with her suit, she would go. However, she was a mess, and hated anyone seeing her in such a state. She was obscenely upset to the point of lunacy at the thought of Angela being hurt. Never before had she felt such devastation, and the fact she could do nothing about it in this moment borrowed a hole in her heart and simply continued to ravage any semblance of normalcy. She couldn't distract herself either. One moment she was thinking of how beautiful and charming Angela was, and the other second a flickering of torture and agony upon the same visage stabbed her brain from every angle.

She wiped her eyes over and over again, a silent sobbing escaping her lips and black mascara covering her arm. She couldn't stop it. This helplessness was overwhelming her. Fareeha could barely stand. She almost forgot to breathe. Her mother's "death" had a similar effect, but even that – even that – didn't compare, because it was final. It was done. She couldn't change her mother's fate. Angela's future relied on Fareeha's capabilities. Every second counted. Every second she wasn't with Angela her princess was enduring pain.

'God help me…' Fareeha whimpered.

'God is dead.' A voice answered immediately, and Fareeha looked up, embarrassed by her state of being, but numb and uncaring at the same time. It was like a dream, viewing this figure through her tear-filled eyes.

'But that is fine. Reality bends to my will. God is unneeded.'

Satya Vaswani. The hard-light technician. Her work had been brilliant during the presentation. If Angela was with her, this conversation might have been more intriguing. Yet, Fareeha could barely find her voice, and as she struggled, the woman before her avoided eye contact as well, strangely distant as she stood a little awkwardly.

'My apologies. My…presence may be unwanted, but I wish to help.'

'What?' Help? How? Fareeha didn't know this woman. Why would she make such an offer at seeming random?

'There may be time for further discussion in the future. Just know that I am an ally for the moment. I…worry about the motivations of my company and of Oasis, based on what I have seen today.'

Fareeha tried to compose herself, finally meeting Satya's gaze for but a millisecond before the woman glanced away, searching the ceiling and walls.

'May I?' She indicated the door near Fareeha, and the Overwatch agent saw no reason not to. The possibility of Satya being a threat hardly appeared possible.

Fareeha knocked upon the construct, and Mei let her and Satya in promptly.

'Oh! M-Ms. Vaswani! It's an honour!' The bubbly scientist bowed partially.

'Good day. But the honour is mine, Dr. Zhou. Your work is to be commended. We both want a better world. I just pray I am still pursuing that goal correctly. I can at least do this.'

Satya approached Hammond, focusing her eyes at last on something for more than a little fragment of time. The hamster squeaked, flailing his hands about and clicking his tongue.

'Your battle with Dr. O'Deorain is being covered up by powers I cannot fathom contacting within my lifetime. My…superiors claim ignorance as well. It is quite troubling, these events…' Satya fiddled with a cube of hard-light in her right hand, manipulating it in a fidgety way.

'That's what Winston was saying. Um…Winston's a friend. He networks and everything. Er…' Mei bit her tongue.

'I know who this Winston is. Vishkar…is well aware of Overwatch's movement as of late. They are cautiously observing, although I do not understand why, considering Overwatch is evidently the other side to Talon's presence.'

'Right!?' Mei practically yelled, her Snowball friend beeping enthusiastically.

'I will not say more than this: I believe Talon is not the true enemy. They are the face of evil, but there must be a bigger foe supporting them, and…I fear what we may find if that vein of thought is followed.'

Fareeha grunted, stepping forward, her chest caving in. She wanted to be patient, but…

'You said you could help?' She spoke with enough irritation that her mindset was obvious.

'Y-yes.' Satya nodded, blinking rapidly. 'May I, little one?'

Hammond screamed in frustration, throwing a couple of his tools and scurrying out of the way. He was a bit of a spitfire, it seemed, which annoyed Fareeha. She was trusting him with such important repairs?

'It will be but a temporary fix, yet a fix nonetheless. Please equip your armour, and I will proceed from there. Our…talented friend has taken care of the essential pieces, I believe.'

Hammond yelped in seeming affirmation, and Fareeha got to work, shakily weighing her weakened form down. Mei helped, thankfully, and it only took approximately fifteen minutes to be fully donned in her wonderful suit, although it felt as though it might fall apart here and there.

'Now, allow me…' Satya's entire demeanor changed, and she practically danced as she manipulated the cube of hard-light she had been toying with earlier. Various slivers of the cube peeled off, and the pale, soft light moved about alongside Satya's rhythmic hand gestures, fastening themselves onto Fareeha's suit and tightening various spots with apparent ease. It was incredible seeing such mastery of the craft up close, and Satya sighed as she stepped back, moving her hands straight horizontally and then vertically prior to something like a small shield encompassing Fareeha's entire body, a satisfying, deep click signifying everything being finalized, it seemed.

Fareeha's heart quickened. Was this truly happening? How could she ever repay the woman?

'It is done.' She nodded. 'Hard-light has been used to re-enforce the damage. With this hasty of a job, however, it will not last forever. A day at most. Proper repairs will need to be carried out in time.'

Fareeha moved her limbs, the onboard computer booting up and facilitating her operating systems. She could tell her suit was compromised still, but it passed all the checks, and she smiled, removing her helmet.

'I can't thank you enough.' She said anxiously to the Indian woman.

'You can start by continuing the fight. I can do no more than this for now, but I will be in touch should I uncover anything further.' Satya's eyes shifted about. 'I…cannot linger. My absence will be noted soon enough, and I cannot risk further deviation.'

'If you ever need me, please do not hesitate to ask. I'll do everything I can.' Fareeha offered, at the very least.

'Thank-you. All of you. Good luck.' And the somewhat strange woman departed, vanishing as seamlessly as she arrived, a mirage in the desert of desperation.

'We can take a taxi to the outskirts of the city. Winston forwarded me Angela's location. It won't take – ' Mei began, but Fareeha lifted a hand in dismissal, placing her helmet back upon her head.

'No.' She refused, Winston's data filling up her visor's display and pinpointing the spoken of location. She had enough fuel to get there and at least create some distance from the facility once Angela was in her arms again. 'If what Satya says is true, I won't take the risk of being exposed to Oasis authorities. I leave from the roof. The fact you were able to smuggle me here is a feat in and of itself. I recommend you both leave this city as quickly as possible. Satya has given us time our enemies likely suspected we wouldn't have. Moving here and now is our best chance.'

'A-are you sure? I mean, they seemed willing enough to let me look after you.' Mei touched her chin, but Snowball beeped angrily.

'Your machine agrees, I think.' Fareeha grinned, focussing on what she would do now. 'Take the emergency exit and then a taxi to the airport. Get to Overwatch Gibraltar by any means necessary. Contact Winston and have him help you. I can't stay any longer.'

'Right. Right.' Mei nodded, fortunately capable of understanding when someone with more experience regarding such things was speaking the truth. 'Okay. You just…rescue Angela.'

'That's the plan.'

Fareeha didn't look back. Adrenaline fueled her sore muscles and joints. She opened the windows of the room and jumped out, her suit pushing her high into the air. The onboard map blinked with indicators, and she redirected herself as needed, bursting forward toward Mercy of Overwatch. Dr. Angela Ziegler. Her princess.

'I'll save you, Angela. I swear.' Fareeha muttered like a prayer, and as the wind pushed against the bottom half of her face, Winston's voice came on over the intercom.

"You're out already!?"

'I am. There was some unexpected assistance.'

"Thank goodness!"

'Yes.'

"Now, you might want to approach this delicately. As you get closer, the tracker is capable of syncing with your suit's abilities, narrowing the precise location of Angela down to almost her exact location. Tracer and Widowmaker are already nearly there as well, believe it or not."

'Pardon?' Fareeha's temple throbbed.

"I know. I know. But Lena has Widow under control for now. She wants to save Angela as much as any of us. She needs her to get better, after all."

'She is still unstable, correct?'

"…Somewhat."

'Then I'd prefer they do not help. I'll do it myself.'

"Fareeha…Don't forget who we're fighting. They're…they're not just some street thugs."

'And I am not just a simple civilian. Amari out.'

Enough. No risks. No more hesitation. Fareeha burned through her reserves, checking the numbers periodically and ensuring they remained accurate. She could see the facility in the distance, and her body felt a wave of anticipation. The tracker was creating a more detailed report as she got closer, and Fareeha knew she was personally running on fumes. She hadn't fully recovered from the black omnic attack. She was tired. She was stressed. She was emotionally unstable. Adrenaline kept her focussed, but it would only last so much longer. Would it be better to rendezvous with Tracer and Widowmaker? No. Widowmaker was a variable. No more risks. Taking on Talon herself was a better option than worrying about being shot from behind.

Please be okay. Please be okay. Please be okay.

She repeated the mantra over and over within her head, knowing she had to be at her best if she planned to truly solo this mission. It was the least she could do. Poor Angela. If only Fareeha was stronger. If only she had managed to get away with her before the black omnic had pinned her.

Enough. Regret solved nothing; action did. And Fareeha was doing everything within her power now. Her mother didn't teach her to be weak. She taught her to always face adversity with courage and confidence. There was no better time to practise such lessons, and Fareeha pushed her suit a little harder, the building within range soon enough.

'Angela…I'll save you.'

The grid within her visor populated with extreme accuracy, the tracking device sending data by the second until Fareeha could practically see the heat signatures of everyone within the facility. She breathed out shakily, knowing the next few minutes determined her future based on every action she took. She said one final prayer, and scanned the building, no less than one hundred men circulating the vicinity. Fortunately, Angela was alone with, presumably, Moira in a somewhat isolated sector, only a few guards nearby. Did she just not suspect an attack? No matter. Hesitate now and it could be all for not. Fareeha readied every rocket she had, her suit whirring into attack mode.

'Justice…' She murmured to herself, and glanced to find Tracer and Widowmaker already moving in. They had taken out the guards outside. Surely the rest would be alerted soon enough. The element of surprise would be removed entirely.

Now. Now, for the woman she cherished more than any other.

'…shall rain from above!'

The recoil shook her entire body, but Fareeha had learned how to maintain her altitude, and adjusted her stabilizers as needed. Approximately twenty rockets flew from her suit, and once the final one was released, Fareeha twisted in the air and dove like the legendary Horus. As the rockets made impact, Fareeha broke through the rubble, dust and pebbles flying all around her as electricity flickered across her visor. She found Moira, the woman's eyes widening in unfiltered shock, and pointed her hand cannon at the woman, sending one directly at her prior to ripping Angela from a bed, cords and wires snapping off her bloodied form and reddened dress.

'Haaah…!' Fareeha screamed, launching herself as high as her Raptora Mark VI would take her. The wind cut at the part of her face which was exposed, but she concealed Angela's with her hands, hoping the metal encasing her wasn't too uncomfortable.

Fareeha reached her maximum altitude, the nearly completely set sun glimmering over her armour, and as the Egyptian glided toward earth, she finally could take a moment to observe Angela's beautiful face. She hesitated, because what she would find in the next second literally shaped everything that came after. Her heart nearly stopped, and Fareeha's vision blurred in focus and backward before she finally checked Angela's state.

She was unconscious but breathing, if barely. Angela…was alive.

'Oh, God…Thank-you…Thank-you…Thank-you…' Fareeha held Angela tight, the tears streaming down her cheeks. As long as she was alive, there was hope. Whatever Moira had done, surely there was a way to reverse the damage. Angela. Angela. Angela. Angela!

Fareeha landed, and it was as though everything she had been through caught up with her. She could barely stand. Her legs gave out, and she found herself collapsing while holding her princess. They were between Oasis and the isolated facility. A road wasn't too far, with cars blitzing back and forth, but otherwise, there was a fairly vacant piece of dry land surrounding them. Fareeha managed to shuffle herself and Angela behind some natural cover, not wishing to be seen quite yet, and initiated communication again.

'Amari here.'

"Fareeha!? You sound…upset. Does that mean…?"

'Angela Ziegler is with me. Operation is a success.' A chill ran her spine. To say those words. She never wanted to report so fervently. Another weight hit Fareeha's whole form, but she grinned, listening to the excitement on the other line.

"Then there's no need to hold back. Thank-you, Fareeha. You've done well. We'll take it from here."

A click, and Fareeha took off her helmet, her breaths coming in rasps, her mascara painting her cheeks morbidly. She held Angela's head tenderly, staring at her with unparalleled passion, stroking her hair softly.

But then her heart jumped into her throat.

Blood was pooling within a grotesque hole that had been caked to her blonde mane. It was above her left eye. The bleeding wasn't stopping. Fareeha's suit was getting soaked from the other end of the wound as well. A puncture wound that penetrated Angela's head? Her skull? Her…brain?

Fareeha frantically ripped a piece of Angela's dress from the base and applied as much pressure as her weakened state could.

No. No. No. No. No. No…!

'Angela?' Fareeha sobbed. 'Angela…?'

A white, shattering, ear-piercing ringing made Fareeha wince.

'Angela…!'

And the angel's small breaths ceased altogether.