Tracer

'Welp, this is where I go. Sorry, Luv. Wish you were coming with. I can move a lot easier knowing you got my back.'

'…'

'Come on. Don't be like that. We still got lots to figure out, right? I ain't going anywhere.'

'…Be careful.'

'I will! I'm always careful!'

'Liar. Your movements are erratic.'

'Makes me harder to hit, you know?'

'You take unnecessary risks.'

'But they get me sweet rewards!'

'You…always play the hero.'

'That's my job!'

'Enough! Emily won't be the only one waiting for you this time. Remember that.'

'R-right…'

'I'm…sorry. I shouldn't have said such a thing before your mission.'

'Stop apologizing. Really. It's all good, Luv. I just like knowing you care about me, you know? Kinda touch and go in the beginning.'

'It still is…no thanks to me and these accursed emotions.'

'Bah. It's actually really cute, if I'm gonna be honest.'

'…Cute?'

'Yeah.'

'I hardly see myself as "cute".'

'Right. Well, being told you're beautiful, elegant, or sexy all your life must be nice, too. Hell if I'd know though.'

'…'

'What? I didn't mean to tick you off.'

'…You're…'

'Annoying? Hahah!'

'…No.'

'Oh! Selfish? Heheh!'

'Be quiet!'

'Ah. I'm loud. True.'

'You're…y-you're more than attractive, Lena! I won't say it again!'

'O-oh. Ahah…Um. I-I mean…Emily says it here and there, but for you to…Wow. Uh…thanks? I guess I kinda get it if you're into young-looking boys, but…'

'…Fool!'

'Did you hear me, Lena?' Jack was addressing everyone, the aircraft completely full, with monitors and satellites projecting Rialto and their target sector.

'What's that, Luv? Sorry. Sorta dozed off there.'

He sighed, rightly irritated.

'Check your weapons. We're landing in an hour. If there are any issues with our equipment we need to take care of them now.'

'Right. Gotcha.' Lena handled her pulse pistols, their familiar weight somehow just a little more burdensome than she remembered. To say she had slight whiplash from her dealings with Amelie as of late would be an understatement, and her semi-strained conversation with Emily over the phone just before boarding the aircraft didn't help matters either. Her girlfriend could obviously tell something was slightly amiss, but she kindly didn't press for answers, and simply told Lena to do her best and come back alive.

Two women were on her mind. Now, more than ever, she cared for them both fiercely, wanting nothing but to be the best person she could and make them proud. Somehow, Amelie's admittance to loving her wasn't as daunting as Lena had thought it might be. Sure, initially, she was panicked, wondering how on earth she was supposed to move forward. But when Amelie awoke, and when she managed to explain she wasn't necessarily looking for a relationship of exclusivity, everything seemed to make a little more sense. It's almost as if Emily had read the future the way she proposed the three women's contact be made reasonable.

Truthfully, this only made the bizarre scenario a little less dramatic. Emily had made it clear she didn't want anything too intimate happening between Lena and Amelie if she wasn't present. During their big talk after Amelie's surgery, however, Amelie had confessed that she didn't precisely want to commit to that idea, and although she liked Emily enough, she "loved" Lena, and foresaw struggling with "urges".

This obviously made Lena grin like an idiot, but it was a short-lived bliss considering the implications.

Lena really, really didn't want to sink as low as to become a cheater. She saw a life with Emily. A future. Maybe even a commitment. Yet, at the same time, she adored the idea of having an off and on again fling with the dangerous and rather mysterious "Widowmaker". Two sides of her persona vied for dominance, and after this mission, Lena knew she would have to decide, essentially, between Emily and Amelie. Two women with such similar names and even more similar places in the time traveler's heart.

'Seemed like a dream come true at one point…' Lena muttered, and Genji (who was seated somewhat close to her) perked up, speaking out to the mumbling girl.

'Are you unwell, Lena?'

'Nah, Luv. Just got a lot on the mind.'

'Unfortunate, considering how imperative we are to this mission.'

'I know. I know. Trying to get in the zone, believe me.'

'If we do not succeed, we put many more at risk by involving them.'

'I was there for the briefing.' Lena said with a little edge.

'But were you truly?'

Lena chuckled at that.

'Fair enough. Sorry.'

'An unnecessary apology. We are all burdened in one way or another.'

'Thanks, Genji.'

'My pleasure.' The cybernetic ninja appraised his weapons, storing the various knives, shuriken, and swords away safely.

'Do remember to narrow your focus, Genji.' Zenyatta's voice rang through the aircraft, his soothing recommendation lingering amongst those present. 'We fight for this planet's tranquility. We must cleanse our minds in collection and prepare for the task ahead.'

'Hahah! I live for this! There is not a fearful bone in my body!' Reinhardt guffawed.

'And to make up for his crazy antics, I'll be around to be everyone's shield.' Brigitte assured.

'Bah. That piddly thing? Get behind my shield and none shall come to harm.'

'I got a defense matrix program in my mech, so, I can help too, everyone!' Hana pumped her fist.

'Hopefully it doesn't come down to that…' Ana's distorted tone behind her mask added somberly.

'Sound check. Lena? Genji? Do you copy?' Jack adjusted an earpiece, his gruff voice entering Lena's brain directly.

'Yeah, Luv. Loud and clear.'

'Indeed. Your support will be appreciated.'

'Good. Review the map Sombra provided. Its finer details have been omitted, but it's better than nothing.'

'I have more than studied it.' Genji responded calmly.

'I'll take another look.' Lena accessed the data, glancing over their point of entrance and the infiltration route meticulously organized for them both. Her eyes fell into a glaze, however, and she wished she was capable of "cleansing" her thoughts as Zenyatta had encouraged.

Amelie. Emily. What did the names do to her heart when she thought of them? Emily was stability. Amelie was adventure. She wanted them both. Simultaneously. At once. Selfishly. Arrogantly. Foolishly.

'I suspect we will encounter the most resistance here.' Genji snapped Lena back, and she slapped her cheeks, looking to where the cyborg pointed.

'Right. Lotsa space. Black omnics and maybe Talon will be guarding it heavily.'

'If one is required to stay back while the other finds the main lab and destroys it, I will shoulder that burden. My ability to evade and deflect attacks has more longevity than your blinks and recalls.'

'Deal. I just gotta wreck the joint when I find it, after all.'

'Even if there is opposition, our primary objective is to destroy the lab and get out. Once that's done, our status as a team determines how we handle the rest.' Jack reiterated.

Lena nodded slowly, deciding she had to ask one last question before she adjusted her attention to the task at hand.

'Everything good on the home front?'

'At base?' Jack chuckled. 'I haven't heard anything. Winston implemented enough enhancements to our security there that it would take an A.I. as powerful as Athena to decode the system. Sombra gave her seal of approval, and even made some minor tweaks under heavy surveillance. Talon will have a lot of trouble getting in, and would have to bring quite the squad to even put up a decent fight, leaving Rialto's facility completely vulnerable.'

'Right…' Lena wasn't convinced for some reason. The hairs on the back of her neck were standing up on end. Perhaps Ana had a similar notion, for she spoke up soon thereafter.

'It wouldn't hurt to call, would it, Jack? We're about to head into a dark zone, and I would like to know my…that our team is safe.'

'Angela's wellbeing is paramount to Overwatch's stability as well.' Genji added, trying to sound nonchalant.

'Fine. I'll give Winston a ring.' Jack sighed.

'Tell Torbjorn to get working on my new armour while you're at it.' Reinhardt jested, laughing heartily.

'Papa said he had a bunch of new projects he's been mapping out. Really exciting stuff!'

'It's ringing.' Jack lifted a hand, and the aircraft fell silent. There was one too many tones for Lena's taste, but finally, someone picked up.

"Hello?"

It was Winston. At least…it sounded like him. Was he just napping? He seemed a touch off. Lena had an intimate connection with the monkey. His voice was the first she heard after being saved from her brush with death, after all. He was one of her closest comrades in Overwatch.

'Just checking in. We're almost in Rialto, so you won't hear from us for a bit.'

"How long until landing?"

Lena squinted. Was it just her? Did nobody else notice? Was she being paranoid?

'I'd say an hour or so.'

"Good luck."

'Everything alright?' Jack finally asked. He must've had an inkling as well. Good. He wasn't one of the leaders of Overwatch for nothing.

"Great! All's quiet around here."

A silence followed, and Jack turned to Ana, getting a nod from her. Lena wasn't sure what it meant, but then Jack expressed his own concerns to everyone on the ship with his next question.

'You want us to grab you some strawberry jam on the way back? We know how much you like eating that by the jar.'

Another minor pause, but "Winston's" answer came quickly enough thereafter.

"Don't you mean…peanut butter?"

'Yeah. That's what I mean.'

This time, Jack found Lena's eyes, and she instinctively shook her head. She wasn't convinced. Not in the slightest. Something seemed off. She couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was, but she would hate herself if she flippantly dismissed what her instincts were saying.

'I need to speak with Angela. Is she there?'

"I'll see if I can reach her. One moment."

The line went quiet, as if it was on hold, but then a loud shriek pierced the interior of the aircraft, and everyone covered their ears.

'Bloody hell…!' Lena cursed, the image of a purple skull flickering in her brain.

'What on earth was that!?' Reinhardt demanded to know.

'Line's dead.' Jack appeared to try and call again, but his frustrated grunt as he turned away from the communication device illustrated his failure to get through.

'Sombra. That was her symbol.' Ana made clear.

'It would appear she transmitted the signal through that sound and managed to cut the connection.' Zenyatta offered.

Jack sighed, looking at the group before him.

'Something's wrong. I don't think Sombra is behind it either. Talon made a move, and somehow, even with our preparations, they got in.'

'Then we gotta go back!' Lena yelled.

'We will. But first, we need to destroy this facility. Have faith in our agents.'

'Is that the right call, Jack?' Ana wondered.

'Don't know. But we're almost in Rialto now. The best thing to do is take care of this mission and haul ass to base immediately after.'

'Fought them off last time with all of us. Think it's wise to jus' let em' be?' McCree finally said something, and Jack shook his head.

'I don't. We'll use the emergency planes built into this craft to send some of you back. Genji and Lena, you both can't go, but I'm willing to take volunteers.'

'I'll go!' Hana raised her hand. 'I'll use my mech.'

'Can it make it there okay?' Jack raised a brow.

'Aw, yeah! Fully fueled and ready to launch!'

'I'll go, too. Ya'll don't need me on this one. Always thought the manpower here was a little overkill.' McCree was already standing and adjusting himself.

Lena bit at her lip. She wanted to help. She wanted to be there for Amelie if she needed her. The thought that she could be hurt burrowed into Lena's chest, and she touched her chronal accelerator, twisting her jaw.

'On your way, then. Be careful.' Jack decided quickly.

McCree and Hana unfastened themselves and descended into the loading bay of the aircraft, Hana's voice excitedly contrasting with the cowboy's unenthused muttering.

'The rest of you, prepare for descent!'

Lena was flying through the air, the wind cutting into her face. The world was rapidly approaching her, and she handled the straps to her chute, preparing to launch it and land atop the seemingly normal facility within Rialto. It was just another museum, apparently, but Overwatch knew better now, and Lena watched as the warm hues of the city became clearer.

It was time. The roof was discovered to be the least guarded space of the Talon research lab, and Sombra had revealed a blind spot, the cameras incapable of monitoring a very tiny space where Genji and Lena were about to make their entrance.

With a snap of her arm, Lena felt her parachute yank her upward temporarily, and she directed herself to the desired location, Genji a little later launching his chute, and thus, landing half a minute before her. With but a nod exchanged between the two agents, Lena stuck a pulse bomb in place and moved just far enough away to avoid the blast, the intensity of the explosive creating a hole with just the right amount of space for small-framed individuals like Lena and Genji to slip through.

'We're in…' Lena whispered, checking her miniature map displayed on her phone and zooming in to the upper levels.

"Good work. Proceed until you're forced to drop down onto the main floor and utilize Sombra's hacking device to bypass any restricted sectors. We're picking up multiple signs of life as well as omnic signals. Be careful."

'Hm.' Genji seemed to almost laugh.

'Let's go.' Lena encouraged, and they were blinking and dashing through the facility, both capable of moving with hardly a sound. Everything was proceeding smoothly thus far, but Lena wasn't going to relax just yet. The hardest part was to come, when there was no choice but to make their presence known and do what amounted to a near-kamikaze run in an attempt to completely demolish the research lab that was presumed to be conducting the most pivotal experiments in relation to the black omnics and the alien matter that contributed to their overwhelming strength.

It didn't take long. The building wasn't that large. Lena tapped the point of entrance and nodded to Genji.

'At the access point.' Lena muttered.

"Okay. Not getting a clear reading of that area. Signal is being scrambled." Jack said with irritation. "Even your voice is off. Be cautious but efficient. Good luck."

'Ready, Luv?' Lena shrugged at Genji, and he made a sound of affirmation.

'Always.'

'Let's do this!' Lena emptied her mind of the girlish drama she had somehow gotten herself into and kicked through the ventilation door, dropping into a hallway and noting the pair of guards at both ends. They were regular grunts, and were dealt with as such, easily disabled and knocked unconscious before the first door was bypassed thanks to Sombra's hacking app installed into Lena's phone and Genji's cybernetic programming.

Unfortunately, an alarm began to sound the moment there was any sign of forced entry, the security proving much more sensitive than planned for.

'Bloody hell…' Lena rolled her eyes.

'Come!' Genji and Lena were on the move again, their destination not terribly far, but the next rooms they were being forced to pass through large and likely housing more than a few foes to contend with.

"…ultiple…nics…ck…erful…" Jack could barely be understood. They were getting too deep, with far too much interference present to maintain clear communication thanks to the slew of machinery working and demanding wireless signal strength.

'This was the room everyone said would be loaded, right?' Lena began the hack, watching as multiple purple skulls floated on her phone and periodically giggled. She thought of Sombra, then. She thought of the way they had danced together. Had kissed. It was bittersweet.

'Indeed. It is, after all, the space before the main laboratory. Are you prepared?'

'Yeah.' Lena breathed out slowly, more of the skulls laughing on her phone to indicate the hack was almost complete. The constant siren overhead only added to her stress, and the flashing red lights did little to calm her nerves. However, acting with a level head in the face of such danger was something she had trained for. Lena wouldn't let this get to her. Amelie wouldn't have. She'd be as cool as ice, sniper rifle ready and skills prepared to make that impossible shot when death looked right back at her if she missed.

The door slid open, with Genji and Lena dashing in, instantly fired at by hundreds of bullets, the lights and sounds paired with the security blaring jarring. Genji glided through the air, bouncing about the walls and deflecting anything that got too close to him. Meanwhile, Lena managed well enough herself, blinking here and there, only just catching sight of the opponents before them. A small battalion of grunts, enforcers and assassins amongst them this time making for a difficult fight by its very nature.

'Do it…!' Genji urged, but Lena couldn't. The door was practically blocked by the Talon agents, and the sea of attacks made hacking a near impossibility with the time it required.

'I can't get close enough!' She told the cybernetic man, and it sounded as though he sighed, because not a second later he drew the large sword from his back, swinging it about midair and chanting something in Japanese.

'The dragon becomes me…!'

Lena rarely saw him use the infamous technique, for it demanded an insane amount of power and focus to unleash proper, but an aura of raw, physically manifested energy surrounded Genji, and he flew through the air, a comet of strength cutting down any who got too close. The Talon agents scattered wisely, and Lena blinked to the door, beginning the process of hacking as soon as she could. She could only offer support fire from behind Genji, his zone of attack ranging enough to repel any bullets or enemies who dared to get too close to Lena.

'Come on…!' Lena begged, the purple skulls beginning their work again.

'Hyaah! Hah…!' Genji hollered, his abilities ever impressive, and the fact Lena could even keep up with such a monster in training perplexing her to no end. He was single-handedly keeping a small army of Talon agents at bay while simultaneously reflecting any bullets that flew from their weaponry.

'There…! Alright!' Lena's phone beeped, an enormous giggling skull indicating the hack's completion. She readied herself for what came next, allowing the door to slide open before something that felt like a truck slammed into her stomach, smashing her across the entire room and nearly destroying the wall's very foundation at the other end. She instantly coughed up blood, her whole body shutting down desperately, but before it could do that, she recalled, reappearing back at the entrance to the targeted laboratory and blinking to the side, Doomfist's gauntlet thrust just past her face as she evaded, her back cracking she twisted so unnaturally away from the brutal attack.

'Hmph. Cheating death again, are we? Hard to consider your abilities true strength.' Akande mocked, rotating his shoulder, his weaponized arm humming in preparation.

'Can't say I care what you think!' Lena snapped back.

'Naturally.' Akande chuckled deeply, and the walls on either side of him crumbled into pieces, two large omnics caked in black matter hissing beneath the insanity that encased them, their eyes flickering red. 'But what does a dead girl matter anyway?'

'Jesus…!' Lena's eyes widened, and Genji was sheathing his blade, standing back to back with her and shuffling his feet, having been capable of downing most of the battalion, but not all of them.

'Code red. All units follow up now.' He spoke smoothly; calmly.

It was the worst-case scenario, but part of Lena was thankful Doomfist hadn't gone to Gibraltar. That left only Reaper and maybe a black omnic or two to contend with there. The rest of Talon's known most powerful agents were imprisoned or in front of her now.

'We got to get in behind him and destroy the lab.' Lena muttered.

'Then nothing's changed.' Genji had both blades he carried with him drawn now. He meant to fight and create an opening for Lena. Reinforcements might not make in time. They had to make their move now or never.

'Got it, Luv. Leave it to me.'

'A fool's response.' Doomfist laughed, and he burst from his spot, flying through the air and navigating the sky as if it were his domain. He slammed into the ground, practically upheaving the foundation of the building itself before he charged up his gauntlet, grazing Lena and barely being parried by one of Genji's swords. The black omnics howled, and they also charged, and although slow in nature, their sheer girth made them difficult to avoid. One remaining Talon agent failed to keep a safe distance from the feral machines, and before he knew what happened, he was crushed to death, a bloody mass of gear and limbs twitching on the ground.

'My God…!' Lena wasn't used to it yet. Such raw power and no remorse whatsoever. Omnics weren't created for this purpose. It was terrible! Mondatta would be reeling in his grave. Talon had to be stopped at all costs!

'Such is the fate of all who are weak!' Akande was no better than the beasts fighting alongside him, his duel with Genji escalating, but his ability to command the zone of battle impressive as always. His presence was just enough to keep Lena cautious, for another full-on hit from his gauntlet could spell certain doom for her if she couldn't recall in time. The toll on her body from reversing time and twisting the damage done to her wasn't recommended either.

'Hmph…! Not bad!' Genji taunted, intercepting Doomfist again, flipping about midair and narrowly avoiding the raging omnics.

'Heh! Your skills are wasted in the ashes of a failed organization, boy!'

Lena finally managed to squeeze into the lab that Akande and the omnics had emerged from, but when she finally made it, her heart sunk into her stomach and she shook her head, eyes burning at the sight.

'No…! No! No! No! No!'

It was already in shambles. Doomfist himself could have done it, and perhaps he contributed, but the researchers that had evidently been conducting experiments on the freshly produced black omnics were all dead, their corpses strewn about the sparking machinery like rag dolls.

Were they set up? Had Sombra lured Overwatch here so that the base after all…?

No! Amelie! Angela! Winston! Torbjorn! Everyone…!

A black omnic crashed into the room, and Lena blinked away, stumbling over the debris and barely keeping herself up, the monstrosity hissing out steam from its mouth, its glowing, blood-red eyes staring Lena down with lethality. It slowly arose from the destruction, preparing to charge again, but Lena had another bomb on her, and she stuck the omnic with it, apologizing to Mondatta in her brain, and recalling as the explosive went off, unloading three rounds of pulse bullets into the omnic's head until it stalled, giving her the chance to escape.

'It was a trap…!' Lena screamed, and Genji grunted angrily, still contending with Akande and the other omnic. 'It's all gone. They must've moved the research!'

'Imbeciles.' Doomfist chuckled. 'Reaper is surely having his long-awaited fill by now.'

The doorway to which Lena and Genji had entered suddenly crumbled as well, and three more black omnics stepped in, this time, their slender builds making for much more agile foes, presumably. They screeched inhumanely, and pounced, the area filled with enemies leaving Lena and Genji hardly any space to move.

'Now, you die.' Doomfist claimed deeply, and for a moment, Lena believed him. She was trapped, and all the abilities she had been blessed with couldn't get her away from this new foe. This alien, uncanny representation of what could be so good and so wonderful twisted into demonic proportions. She recalled the way Mondatta's body had fallen in slow motion before her. One of her greatest failures. One of her largest regrets. She pictured the first time she lay eyes on Emily. She visualised the look Amelie had given her when Lena had begged for a reason to the death she had caused.

Lena didn't want to die. Not again. Never again. She had far, far too much to live for now. More than ever before…no matter how confusing it all could be.

'Lena…!' Genji hollered, grabbing her by the collar and pulling her up, the whole building shaking as Reinhardt charged in, pinning the enormous omnics and swinging his incredible weapon around like the beast he could be. His whole body was glowing a hue of blue, and his movements were faster, more deadly than Lena could remember seeing them in recent memory.

A nano boost.

'I feel powerful…!' He exclaimed, mutilating one of the larger omnics until it was a heap of scrap. Brigitte was present not a minute later, and even Jack was mowing down the agile omnics that had avoided certain destruction.

'No need for finesse now; destroy it all!' Jack commanded, and although Lena half-expected Doomfist to retreat, he remained, and fought with unimaginable strength, punishing Reinhardt into a wall, throwing Brigitte after him, and bursting to Jack, crushing his gun and kicking him clear across the room.

A golden orb passed by everyone, circulating above Reinhardt, and a deep purple, seemingly toxic colour overtook Doomfist, his confusion momentary just prior to beginning his attack anew.

'I'll kill you all here and now…!' And he launched into the sky, pieces of the roof collapsing in from where he disappeared.

'Scatter…!' Jack demanded, but it happened too quickly, and Akande crushed where the man attempted to recover, a ray of light flashing as Zenyatta pushed back, having defended Jack with what appeared to be a pure aura of spiritual energy.

'I owe you one…' Jack grumbled.

'A mere omnic stopping my attack like this?' Doomfist marvelled.

'Life is…mysterious, isn't it?' Zenyatta answered wistfully.

Genji appeared behind Doomfist a moment later, his blade already nearly wrapped around the man's enormous neck, but the remaining black omnics stopped him, and Lena herself sprang back into action, attempting to fend off the beings as best she could, the fight forcing both herself and Genji to utilize their agile styles to the maximum.

It was hardly a simple matter, and without Jack's gun, and with both Reinhardt and Brigitte being close range fighters, the already fatigued individuals were forced to dig into their reserves, giving everything they had to at least end the confrontation without any severe casualties.

Fortunately, Lena caught Ana at the doorway, and she was able to rest a little easier, knowing the woman would be providing unparalleled support from the wings. Not only that, but Zenyatta was also using his unique, healing techniques to push Lena and Genji to the brink, allowing them to fighter harder and more aggressively than they would be comfortable enacting without him. With Reinhardt and Brigitte protecting both individuals, it made even Doomfist's assaults more manageable, and the man must have known it was a losing battle, for he disengaged, distancing himself from some of Overwatch's best with a grunt. Only two of the black, smaller omnics remained, and they were twitching strangely, Lena noticed.

'Well done, Overwatch. You have forced my hand.' Akande declared.

'We're taking you in, Akande. Give up.' Jack pushed, and this made the larger man laugh.

'Where?' He said menacingly. 'To Gibraltar? Hard to take me to a base that no longer exists.'

'Enough with the bluffs.'

Lena bit at her lip. What if it wasn't a bluff? Something was obviously happening back at base, and despite only Reaper being the known threat within Talon's ranks still, what if Sombra had betrayed them? What if all her friends who had stayed behind were…?

'You'll just have to wait and see. This little game between Talon and Overwatch ends today, regardless. You were always the weaker organization. Now, it is time to be devoured.'

'The omnics…!' Ana screamed.

Lena saw it as well. They were glowing a dangerous red, grunting and having unsettling spasms. Self-destruction!

'Behind my shield!' Reinhardt bellowed.

'Behind our shields!' Brigitte encouraged as well.

It was the only way. Lena grabbed Genji and blinked snug in next to Reinhardt, and not a second later, the world went white with a sound that muted all else.