Mercy

Reaper had no way of seeing it coming. The bullet passed through his neck clean and lodged itself deep into the blood-spattered wall next to Angela. She watched in horror as Gabriel grabbed at his throat, gurgling inhumanely and evaporating in a cloud of shadows and smoke. What had he become? A monster. Plain and simple. Moira had had her way with the vulnerable man, and little tied him to the old soldier Angela had known. It was tragic, because part of the good doctor thought she could have brought him back. That was obviously not the case. It wasn't worth the risk.

Widowmaker and Sombra sauntered into the room, then, and Angela had never been so relieved to see the former Talon agents. Amelie was wielding what appeared to be an enemy sniper rifle, and Sombra was already hacking the intercom within the immediate area, blocking Nemesis for the time being.

'We don't have time. Big baddy Nemesis isn't gonna take this little rebellion laying down, but he isn't gonna just send anyone to deal with us either since Reaper was forced out of here.' Sombra spoke calmly, tapping away at a self-projected screen and manipulating mechanics within what was left of the network of Overwatch at will. Her fingers moved as though they were a professional pianist, and it was quite the ability to see firsthand.

'Angela…' Fareeha had made her way to the bed, leaning on it with the arm that had been crushed by Reaper, the healing taking time to pick up momentum.

'I'm fine, Fareeha. Allow your nanomachines to do their work.' Angela touched the woman, subconsciously allowing her superior, more developed self-recovery to leak into her lover, assisting with the extensive damage that had been done to her body over such a short period of time.

'I failed you. I'm sorry.' Fareeha apologized, but Angela could only shake her head with a wry grin.

'You were against one of the world's greatest soldiers. Do not condemn yourself, my knight. You fought ever so bravely.' The words were pretty enough, but it was clear Fareeha's pride had been severely wounded; an injury Angela couldn't hope to heal immediately even with all her power.

'Gabes? Yeah. He's a treat. Battle maniac, that one. Takes on four to five enforcers for a "little training". S'all good, Birdy.' Sombra chuckled.

Angela turned away from Fareeha for a moment, the dread that had weighed her down prior remaining and only grasping her soul more prevalently than before.

'You both have my thanks.' She stated clearly, seeing Widow's eyes flicker at the gratitude expressed. 'Talon wishes to eliminate Overwatch completely before beginning their war. They hardly care for my wellbeing or potential contributions to their cause anymore. With the black omnics, they feel it's time to reawaken the nightmare from yesteryear…but without Overwatch to stop it again.'

'Obviously.' Sombra finished whatever she was doing, closing up her monitors.

'What is the plan, then? I can still fight.' Fareeha stood up, her chest heaving, and the blood covering her clothes bothering Angela. She was an utter disaster. Sweat. Scabs. Scars. Bruises. They were fading, but it would evidently take time for the barrage of damage to disappear completely. Perhaps it never would. Angela's body had been conditioned slowly to the point it was at now, her nanomachines evolving alongside her physical growth. Those same nanomachines couldn't be expected to perform perfectly within a new host. The fact they worked as well as they did was a miracle in and of itself, but their limitations and lifespan concerned Angela, and Fareeha was a first-class warrior, utilizing her new powers almost recklessly. It pained Angela to speak up in that moment, but she couldn't let the woman throw her life away; not yet.

'I don't recommend you push your luck any further, Fareeha. Surely you can tell that your regenerative powers are having difficulty keeping pace with your demands.'

Fareeha's brow furrowed, and she simply frowned as she answered.

'I don't think there's a choice.' She said stubbornly. 'Although, I'll admit that I shouldn't fight so recklessly anymore.'

Angela supposed that was the best she could ask for. Given the situation, there wasn't enough room to hold back. They had to counterattack with everything available to them.

'Moving through the base is risky business.' Sombra started. 'I can hack my immediate area well enough, but this Nemesis freak's got everything else locked down. I say we go for the head.'

'What do you mean?' Fareeha asked, thankfully, for Angela wasn't confident she knew what the somewhat mysterious girl meant.

'Destroy Nemesis.' Widow almost sighed.

'It's our only chance. The longer this drags the more Overwatch crumbles. Can't be protected if you guys are gone, right?' Sombra shrugged.

'Do you know where Nemesis is?' Angela pressed, although she had a more than educated guess.

'The control tower, where your monkey friend hangs out. He's probably messing with all the data there as we speak. I wouldn't hold out hope for the big guy, though.'

Angela's heart jumped. If they made it there quick enough, however, perhaps she could…

'It would take more than some machine to beat Winston.' Fareeha replied sharply. 'He countered Doomfist himself, from what I've heard.'

'And this guy stands above that loser. I'm just sayin'.' Sombra rolled her eyes, continuing her surprisingly thorough thought process. 'Anyway, we get ourselves over there and once Nemesis is on sight, I just need to make direct contact to hack the bastard. As soon as he's vulnerable, Widow here will work her magic and find the soft spot to fill with bullets.'

'How long do you need?' Fareeha asked wisely.

'Hah! That's the thing: I got no idea. Might not even be able to break into his code. The guy is obviously some kinda super computer, and there's only been one time I've been forced back playing my games, so, as long as he's not directly in connection with that shady bunch, then we should be okay. Maybe. Probably.'

It was foolhardy at the very best, but what choice did they have? Talon had them cornered. Overwatch was scrambling like rats in a maze, and this could very well be the last line of defence. Angela hated the odds, but it certainly beat being slaughtered here, where so many precious memories had already been formed.

Angela turned to Fareeha, the young woman sensing her gaze and looking back at her, the hardened resolve on her soldier's visage softened subconsciously. She wanted to spend the rest of her life with this person; this girl who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere in an attempt to bring Angela back to this very place. Their friendship developed hastily, Angela admiring Fareeha's calm demeanor and loyal dedication to justice. Her androgynous allure took Angela by surprise, and she once again recalled that hot, sweat-filled day when Fareeha was digging away at the hard earth, having brought Angela back to say goodbye to patients she had cared for so, and Angela had discovered the unfiltered joy of falling in love.

Would her hand be forced again? If Winston was barely holding on to life, would Angela be willing to give more of herself for another? If Overwatch was crumbling around her, would she draw from the limited pool of power remaining to save them all, or would she turn her back, covering her hands with blood just so that she could hold Fareeha's for a little longer?

The answer was irrefutably simple. And Fareeha knew it.

'No…' The Egyptian said in a hushed voice, and Angela's heart jumped at how connected they were now.

'There might not be a choice.' The doctor answered as bravely as she could muster.

'The world needs you…!' Fareeha was a strong girl. So very, very strong. But this broke her. Her voice trembled. 'I need you…!' She finished selfishly, but honestly. Ever honest. Always honest.

'And you will always have me.'

Fareeha's lip quivered, restraining herself because of the others present.

'The heck you two going on about?' Sombra asked in annoyance.

'Nothing. Nothing at all.' Angela closed the subject and her heart. She had to steel herself for what was to occur, potentially. She would make the decision when the time came; if it even did that. Perhaps all would be well. Perhaps this "plan" would be executed perfectly. She could only pray because…because she truly wanted more time with this incredible woman standing so close to her now, as if enacting the perfect sentinel.

'Well, alrighty, then.' Sombra nodded to Widow. 'You're going to have to do most of the fighting, Bae. Not a whole lotta anything stands a chance against you when you get serious. Leave the omnics to me. I can even mess with those lame black ones if they get too close. We just gotta get to Nemesis and take him out. Risky? Uh…duh. But what else can we do, right?'

Widow examined her rifle closely, shrugging in minor irritation.

'This shall have to do…' She hummed, and Angela couldn't hide how impressed she was by the assassin's lack of complaints considering she would be more than a little taxed throughout the mission.

'If we get into trouble, you're gonna have to fight, too, yeah?' Sombra poked at Fareeha. 'Spider here can only do so much. I mean, she's crazy when she gets going, but we gotta do our part and all that.'

'Fine. I would have contributed either way.' Fareeha had regained most of her composure, although Angela could sense her lingering apprehensions.

'Nice.' Sombra grinned. 'Then we better not waste any more time, am I right? Nemesis has probably already sent a goon or two to…'

What happened next took place so fast Angela almost lost track of where she was. An explosion erupted outside the entrance to the apartment, and everything shook, Angela's ears ringing as the base's alarms insisted on buzzing in harmony with the unpleasant sounds. In near immediate succession, another bomb went off, followed by another until Angela felt her body being pressed into the wall, Fareeha holding her in place and the sound of maniacal laughter replacing the high-pitched squeaking that was shaking the doctor's brain.

Through the smoke created, Widow was already dashing within it, the sound of gunfire and combat filtering into the montage of unpleasant noises. A low, almost animalistic grunt. More laughter and further, although minor, explosions. It was chaos.

Fareeha held Angela in place, turning to the fight that had suddenly broke out, giving her one final squeeze on the shoulders prior to joining. When the dust finally settled, Angela could make out that two men had infiltrated her and Fareeha's living quarters, and they were somehow making a stand against Widow and Fareeha. The one who laughed insanely was unsettlingly thin, with explosives of every nature jingling about his form, his sunken in eyes and toothy smile frightening in every way as he bounced about, his one mechanical leg springing him around like a deranged drunk. The second individual was enormous, his makeshift shotgun only adding to the unprecedented destruction the two foes caused. He took the brunt of the damage Fareeha and Widow exacted, pumping himself full of a strange liquid that must've been some sort of drug that allowed his already durable, round body to absorb more damage than normal humans could dream of.

'Heheheh…! Not every day you get a gig like this, huh?'

'Just finish the job…'

A weasel and a pig. That's all Angela could amount the two men to being. They were tricky enough to deal with, and the string of explosions only cemented the fact Overwatch Gibraltar could very well be a thing of the past considering the surplus of damage the base seemed to be enduring. At the very least, Angela and Fareeha would need a new room.

Still, despite these fresh foes making quite the entrance, they were little more than the "goons" Sombra had eluded to, and they stood no chance against the combined might of Widowmaker and Pharah, even if the two girls were fighting with minor handicaps. Although the thinner man was dealt with easily enough with the right blow to the head, the larger foe required a little more effort; effort that was readily available once Widow and Fareeha could focus their attacks on him and him only. They had to get particularly violent with the beast of a man, crippling him brutally with bullets until he grunted deeply, a final knock-out occurring thanks to multiple vicious elbows to the head via Fareeha, the rate at which she delivered the snappy movement impressive.

'Nicely done, ladies.' Sombra clapped. 'Hope you got some energy left for the boss.'

Fareeha looked to Widow, and the woman gave her a daring expression, as if to tell her that she personally had more than enough to deliver.

'We'll be fine.' Fareeha cracked her shoulders, the nanomachines surely helping with her confidence.

'Tch.' Sombra kicked at the men, pure disgust upon her face. 'Gross. Talon getting desperate or what? What's with all this hired help? I mean, they're not bad, I guess, but really?' She looked over her own body, the girl's violet-toned makeup almost glowing. 'Anyway, this is the part where I go invisible for a bit. When I see the right opening, I'll get on Nemesis, but until then, no point risking my pretty little head, right? Good luck, "friends".'

Sombra waved her hand over herself and did as she claimed she would, the technology behind her disappearing act picking at Angela's scientific mind.

"Good luck!' Sombra encouraged, Angela getting the feeling she was already on her way. It was a bit of a leap to fully trust the woman, considering what she had done in the past, but there was little choice, really. Abandoning everyone wasn't an option either; not to Angela. She nodded to Fareeha, and her knight responded in kind.

'Let's move.' Fareeha commanded, and they pressed onward and out, one of the riskiest missions Angela had ever partaken in on its way.

Navigating to the main communication tower wasn't a simple task nor a terribly difficult one thanks to Fareeha and, admittedly, Widowmaker. The assassin was something else completely, and Angela could almost see Fareeha's frustration upon realizing the gap between their abilities. Not a single Talon agent stood a chance against Widowmaker, and while Fareeha could handle the troopers easily enough, any agent beyond that proved somewhat troublesome save for when Widow herself engaged. Indeed, some of the Talon agents actually retreated on sight of Widowmaker, having enough sense to know they couldn't compete with Talon's greatest human weapon.

However, Angela had time to observe the woman while she fought, and although she was certainly a marvel in the way she could dismantle any threat that came to stop them, there was an undeniable sadness in the sniper's eyes as she engaged in violence, and Angela prayed this would be one of their last fights. If Nemesis could be dealt with here and now, would that at least postpone further conflict?

It took no longer than ten minutes for the small band of women to near the communication tower, taking a higher-leveled route that connected two of the buildings via a tiny bridge to get a better angle on what they were dealing with exactly. Fareeha took in the sight first, a Talon sniper out cold nearby. She leaned back, keeping her voice low as she relayed what she had seen.

'It looks like some sort of glacier has encased Winston's tower. I think I saw Nemesis outside it with three black titan-class omnics near him and approximately fifty Talon agents of various types.'

Thankfully, on their way over, the alarm had finally been cut, which somehow made the scene all the more eerie. Angela was holding Fareeha's hand tightly, thankful Winston was potentially safe for the moment, but still ill from the sight of so many dead Overwatch agents witnessed upon making it this far. She couldn't bring them back. Reviving and healing were like night and day as far as what her body could realistically perform. She knew this. But it hardly stopped her from imagining doing just that. Her sense of duty overrode logic at times. Perhaps she was allowing Fareeha's contrastingly admirable yet dangerous traits to invade her psyche.

'Targeting Nemesis is our only chance. The others will have to be ignored. Defeating him is everything.' Fareeha went on. She sounded sure of herself, and anyone else would have thought nothing of the comment, but Angela's chest tightened, and she realized she was witnessing a very rare, deeply hidden emotion in her knight: fear.

'A lion's den…' Widow reinforced the idea. 'Hmph. So be it.'

'Fareeha…' Angela started, but the woman only gripped her hand tighter.

'It's our only choice. We take the initiative now or allow ourselves to be hunted. He might even know we're here already because of his ability to tap into Overwatch's network. Who knows? Either way, we have to fight.'

'Be careful…' Angela forced herself to say instead of begging Fareeha not to go. She wouldn't cry. She wouldn't make it harder for this brave, young woman. She couldn't be selfish, just as she wouldn't expect Fareeha to let the same thing happen to her. No. Instead, she would say one last form of encouragement.

'I trust you.' Angela uttered. 'And I love you beyond words.'

Fareeha grinned at this, touching Angela's head and encircling her face with her strong hand.

'I'll be back to tell you the same. Until then, stay hidden here and safe, my princess.'

'…Come. There's no time.' Widow hissed, although Angela hardly felt as though she was irritated by Angela and Fareeha directly. Perhaps a sense of personal longing pushed her over the edge. In any case, she wasn't wrong, and Fareeha released Angela, her and Widow descending a staircase around the corner of cover to confront one of the – perhaps even the – leader of Talon.

'How much longer will you delay the inevitable, Winston? Your soldiers die around you, your good doctor is seconds away from death, and your base is compromised beyond salvation. You've lost. I doubt a barrier of this nature will prevent your death beyond the hour. Stop wasting our time. I'm a busy machine. Surely, the rest of Overwatch shall return soon enough, and I was truly looking forward to their expressions upon finding their beacons of hope dead.'

Angela waited with bated breath, her chest growing tighter with every painful, drawn out second that passed. Fareeha was about to risk it all. Surely she knew this. The terror Angela had seen upon her face was clear enough. Nothing was really known about Nemesis. What was he capable of? Was there even a point in Fareeha and Widow trying? If Fareeha was hurt, could Angela stay hidden so that she alone would survive? No. Even then, she would only live a little longer. She would be found, and…

The doctor's eyes widened when she peeked around the opening to the bridge herself. A slender, unmistakable individual peeled herself away from behind Nemesis' larger form. Moira O'Deorain. They had broken her out of holding. Damn it. If Talon managed to get her back, what kind of progress had Overwatch actually made? They were always two to three steps behind Talon, chasing an entity that had U.N. backing while they could only pick up the scraps from leaders who were forced to slide money under the table as conservatively as possible. The odds remained stacked, this current standoff a perfect mirror of the ongoing struggle. It wasn't like before. It would never be like the glory days of the past. Overwatch was battered and bruised, raising a fist against Goliath with not even a slingshot at ready.

Angela wasn't prepared for that very comparison to be presented to her in its entirety the moment Fareeha and Widow launched their attack. They waited for Nemesis to begin talking again, his somewhat theatrical way of speaking making him appear more vulnerable than he potentially was, his sleek, overly human features imposing as he snapped into combat, parrying bullets from Fareeha's gun and snickering audibly.

'Very good, Overwatch. This is the demonstration I was hoping for.' He claimed, taking on a wide stance not completely unlike Doomfist, not a weapon beyond his arms and legs seemingly present. 'Winston! A traitor and whelp contest me while you hole up in a cave? What does that say about your organization's current leadership?'

Despite it all; despite the horror of what was surely about to take place, Angela admired Fareeha (and even Widow) for their bravery. They circled Nemesis, keeping a fair distance from the strange omnic/human hybrid, their guns at ready. They were truly incredible, and Angela wished, for once in her life, she was more capable of fighting herself.

'Leave all of Overwatch to me, Talon. One by one they will fall by my hand. I am the perfect being! The pinnacle of science! The God Program incarnated!'

The ice shattered around the communication tower in an ear-piercingly sharp sound, and Winston leapt out of the building, roaring as loud as he could and burning red, his eyes electrifying and the undeniable anger blistering off his body.

'Heh. Finally. Now, we shall – '

Nemesis couldn't complete his thought, Winston tackling the machine, slamming him into the ground and pounding him over and over again with his enormous, monstrous fists. It was a seeming chain reaction from that point, for a barrage of missiles littered the battlefield immediately thereafter, and Hana's mech entered the fray, scattering the average agents of Talon until she landed, unloading a sea of bullets into the group, forcing them back until the black omnics perked up, making a move toward the young woman and her incredible machine.

However, Winston's massive form flew across the sky, cushioned only by a slope of ice Mei expertly created, the pudgy doctor panicked as she cradled the primate, obviously distraught by the violence. Lucio also appeared out of the tower, likely unsure of how to contribute to such a fight effectively, considering Winston had just been launched so high.

'Such power…' Nemesis stood up within the miniature crater Winston had helped create. 'But ultimately futile.' He turned to the black omnics slowly making their way to Dva. 'Stop. Did you not hear me? I alone will plummet Overwatch into destruction.'

'They struggle with reason.' Moira contributed coldly, making Angela's skin crawl.

'Ah, yes. Feral beasts, as it were. Very well.' Nemesis dashed in between the three black omnics and…Angela couldn't follow what happened next. It was instantaneous. All three titan-class omnics crumbled into pieces, pulsating black matter strewn about their remains like organs and muscle tissue. A triad of machines the combined might of Overwatch could barely handle a third of. Yes. Angela wasn't wrong when fear had clutched her heart upon hearing this "omnic" speak for the first time. Nemesis was capable of complete annihilation. What on earth was he? Where had he been created? The God Program? Was there more to it than being a mere virus of some form?

'Collect the remnants after as needed. They can always be rebuilt.' Nemesis readied himself before Dva and her mech, clenching his fists dramatically.

'Final boss, huh?' Dva said aloud, confident but a touch of tentativeness in her voice. 'Okay. Let's do this!'

She was much smarter than she would lead others to believe. Dva kept her distance, initiating her shield matrix between litters of bullets, dashing about the area and evading with top-tier piloting skills. She wasn't Korea's best for nothing, and she proved it before all of what remained of Overwatch.

Yet, Nemesis not only had power, but speed as well, and he was constantly closing in on Hana and her mech, grabbing at its limbs and managing to tear off an arm, halving Dva's output of power effectively. She squeaked in frustration, but continued the fight bravely, an incredible display of defensive and offensive maneuvers belying her flippant mannerisms in most social situations.

'Hana! Pin him!' Fareeha called out after some time.

It was a risky proposition, but it made the most sense. If anyone could succeed at it beyond Winston, Dva and her mech were the next best option. Getting close enough to do such a thing would be problematic, nonetheless, and Hana's M.E.K.A. was already missing a limb. Still, she awaited the right opportunity, and when she made her move, Lucio seemed to react in kind, boosting Mei to the omnic's position, the young woman blasting cold air all over Nemesis, his movements slowed enough for Widow to make a shot, filling the machine's head full of bullets. Amongst the chaos, Sombra appeared in a veil of violet light, taking hold of the twitching Nemesis' head directly, her whole body convulsing as she presumably began the hack.

Nemesis attempted to flail, incoherent sounds blitzing from his mechanized voice, but the combined might of Overwatch had him, and the remnants of the Talon assault were being held at gunpoint, from what Angela could tell, McCree himself leading a small band of leftover Overwatch agents alongside Torbjorn and his mobile turret squad.

'Ugh…!' Sombra groaned, a seldomly shown discomfort overcoming the girl, her hands glowing red and veins protruding from her neck.

It was the end, presumably. Angela made her way down the stairs and crept around the corner of the building next to the communication tower, eyeing Winston's downed form and contemplating making her way to it so that she could begin immediate first aid. Once Nemesis was completely dealt with, she would make her move. Fareeha caught her eye, however, and flicked her head upward, a glare upon her visage. She still felt it was dangerous. Ever overly cautious.

'Jesus…! This network is a damn maze…!' Sombra yelled through grit teeth.

'Make yourself useful!' Widow chastised, and this only brought a pained grin over Sombra's expression.

'Easy for you to say, Spider…!'

A burst of energy scattered the group, and Nemesis seemingly teleported around the area, one by one dealing with the agents that had dared defied him. Inhuman noises crackled from his channel, and it was like something out of a horror film, Angela's burning eyes incapable of comprehending the brutality of his attacks. Lucio, Mei, Sombra, Dva, and even Widow – who managed to delay the monstrous omnic for but a second – toppled to the side, her neck sliced clean open and only her hands available to try and hold the blood in. By the time Angela's brain processed the death closing in around her, Nemesis was an inch in front of her, steam emanating from his body, the heat of his systems overloading practically burning the material that made up Angela's clothes.

Her body was like lead, her head weighing a tonne as she attempted to look up at the machine, his singular lens like the eye of a cyclops bearing into her soul, lifting his spasming, blood-covered hand just as slowly.

It was as she thought. Just as she feared. This being was Death quantified.

'Hng…!' Fareeha was in front of her, both arms shattered by Nemesis and her scream burning Angela's mind. The omnic throttled her knight's neck, lifting her up and readying the deathblow. Not again. Not again! Not again!

The world froze. And yet, it didn't. Nemesis became still. Fareeha collapsed on the ground, and the machine simply…stopped.

'Another failure…' Moira could be heard in the silence, stepping toward the outer rim of the cape Overwatch Gibraltar rested on and leaping off the ledge, the distant sound of an aircraft of some kind distancing itself from the base. Angela couldn't be sure. She didn't care. Her mind was still piecing it all together. They had survived…barely. No. Many were dying. Some were already dead. Angela's legs shook, giving out from under her. She knew what had to be done, but for once, she hesitated. How much more time could she give? How much more was she willing to?

A soft touch to the back of her neck. A tender, familiar, loving graze.

Angela's tear-filled eyes looked to the woman next to her, a fatigued yet relieved gaze returning the contact made. Then, resolve mixed with agony.

'I'll…help you.' Fareeha whispered solemnly. 'You need to…' Her lip twitched, but her bravery remained evermore. 'You need to save them all, my angel.'