Victoria was awoken the next morning by the sound of scratching at the door, the rising sun streamed through the open curtains landing on her face. Dexter whined before he bounced up on the bed knocking Victoria onto her back as he sat on her chest licking her face, "Aright, alright," the blonde laughed pushing the dalmatian back slightly.
Dexter barked at her twice, she whined for a few seconds back at him Dexter's eyes seemed to narrow on her before she huffed and swung her legs out of the bed and walked into the bathroom closing the door behind her. Dexter sat at the door looking up expecting his mistress to exit any minute now. He whined a few moments later nudging the door with his nose just as it opened, Dexter yelped as he tumbled forward into Victoria's legs the blonde laugh as she looked down at her baby boy. With a quick scratch behind the ear, Victoria dressed in Overwatch standard gear. Slipping on her trainers she hooked the lead to Dexter's collar, grabbing her phone and keys she left the apartment.
It was just going past six in the morning in Washington DC as Victoria jogged through the streets weaving in and out of the business men and women making their way to the early morning shift at work. She loved this small piece of freedom to herself as she had circulated the main paths and stepped back onto the Overwatch compound. Dexter panted at her feet as he trotted beside her as she pushed the door to the apartment complex open.
"Stairs?" She questioned him.
Victoria giggled as Dexter glared at her and trotted towards the elevator sitting down waiting, Victoria's smile fell as the doors dinged open and General Secretary Adawe and General Jackson stepped out. "Good morning Miss Johnson," Adawe greeted.
"Good morning General Secretary, General Jackson," she greeted forcing a smile onto her face, the one that made her cheeks hurt.
"You were out early this morning?" Adawe questioned.
"Just for a run, didn't go anywhere special," Victoria stated.
"Well, I would like to see you after you have breakfast if you do not mind, in my office," there it was the question fake as a demand, Victoria wanted to argue she wanted to spend the day with Fareeha and Ana. Just have a normal day within all of this commotion.
"Of course not General Secretary," Victoria forced the pretty smile as she stepped passed them into the elevator.
Dexter trotted into the elevator and sat down at her feet as Victoria pressed the button to her floor, as the doors shut Victoria let put a sigh of relief and sunk back against the cold metal wall feeling the small pull on her stomach as the elevator went up.
Dexter bounded out of the small little box as they came to their floor, the door swung open as he dove towards the water bowl drinking like this was his last drink as Victoria slipped back into her bedroom. A shower and a fresh set of clothes later Victoria stood fully dressed in her standard Overwatch uniform.
Dexter barked happily within the living room as Victoria came back out, she was thrown slightly off balanced as a small force slammed into her legs.
"Good morning Aunty Vic," a small excited voice sounded.
Fareeha was wrapped around her legs and Ana was standing in her kitchen making her a cup of coffee, "I saw Adawe this morning, she was looking for you," Ana stated.
Victoria sighed as she picked up Fareeha resting the seven-year-old on her hip, "She caught me when I was just coming back in," she answered Ana, "And good morning to you too Fareeha, looking forward to your birthday?"
"Yes very much," she grinned widely, "What did you and Uncle Jack get me?"
"Fareeha Amari," Ana scolded Fareeha, "You will be grateful that you are receiving anything at all."
Fareeha dipped her head against Victoria's shoulder, "Sorry," she muttered to her mother as Victoria put her on the counter top.
Victoria gracefully took the steaming cup of coffee from Ana, "Thank you."
"What did Adawe want?" Ana looked Victoria up and down, "Is that why you are in uniform?"
Victoria hummed in reply as she drank deeply from the mug, "No idea what Adawe wants though but..." Victoria's voice became singsong and a wide smile across her face as she tapped Fareehas nose making the girl laugh, "I will be going out and getting someone's present."
Fareeha giggled smiling widely at her aunt and mother, "Thank you Aunty Vic."
"It is my pleasure sweetheart," Victoria replied.
"Well, breakfast?" Ana asked as she started rifling through Victoria's cupboards pulling out bowls and pans.
"Ana you don't have to," Victoria whined looking over at her friend.
"Nonsense," Ana waved her off.
Fareeha slipped off the counter bounding towards the sofa which Dexter laid down on, she grabbed the controller and flicked through the kid's channels.
"Shouldn't she be in school?" Victoria asked passing Ana the milk as the older woman cracked eggs into a bowl.
"Special week off, the school knows what we do and has allowed her the week off to see family," Ana answered as she started to add a bit of milk to the mixture before handing it back to Victoria to place in the fridge.
"So I class as a family now?" Victoria joked a small smile across her face.
Ana nudged the blonde softly smiling at her, "We are all family."
"I don't think you want to class Reinhardt as a brother Ana," Victoria winked.
Victoria laughed as the bright blush covered Anas face, "You madam," Ana warned.
"Of course Captain," Victoria mocked saulted her.
"MUMMY LOOK!" Fareeha yelled pointing at the Tv.
Both woman turned to the tv seeing that the Fareeha had managed to put on the news, the images on the tv were of the team back in Eygpt. "Fareeha turn up the tv," Ana requested.
"Course mama," Fareeha smiled.
As the volume turned up they both heard the tv clearly, "Though mysteriously the Overwatch woman was not present in last nights raid, however, sources in Washington is suggesting that the girls are back in Washington." Two pictures appeared up on screen blocking out the reported on the right was Ana and Fareeha, who seemed to be in a toy store Fareeha was pointing up at something. The picture on the left was Victoria who was jogging through one the streets in Washington with Dexter at her heels. The reporter came back on screen, "As you can see Ms. Ana Amari and Miss Victoria Johnson both seem to be happily enjoying life back here in the Us. But, it does make this reporter wonder why are thy suddenly back home whilst the boys fight our war this Helen May signing off back to you Trevor."
Victoria glared at the woman on tv her stupid over white smiling was something Victoria would enjoy wiping it off her smug face.
"Glaring at the tv won't shut her up," Ana told her as she handed the smaller woman a plate with red pepper and chili omelet before going to hand Fareeha a smaller one. "You are ok with me taking over your kitchen?"
Victoria smiled widely sitting down on the small island in the open space kitchen as Fareeha had switched to the Disney channel watching some film that must have come out during the time she was captured by Talon. "Of course not Ana, all honestly... I am missing Jack having you in the apartment makes it less lonely... Where is your mum?"
"Oh, mum she's gone on some day out with the senior centre, think it's a hike of some sort," Ana answered.
"You do listen to her right?" Victoria asked.
Ana swatted Victoria slightly laughing, "Do you?"
"No cause the woman is a broken soundtrack I swear," Victoria sighed.
"She cares about you, and worried Victoria you were captured for three years any mother would be," Ana explained to her.
"I know she does, but saying that Overwatch shouldn't be formed and we should leave it to proper soldiers rather than a group of mismatched lunatics is another thing entirely," Victoria ranted.
Ana blinked a few times, Ana was never sure on her opinion of Deliah Johnson she was a protective mother that tried to fight the government and had her daughter declared as dead. "Do not worry about my dear, you will be alright."
"Do I need to do anything for the party tomorrow, for some unknown reason Adawe thought it was today," Victoria sighed.
"It was scheduled for today. My mum told me but the hall was double booked for today so they moved it back, Adawe must have forgotten."
"Well speaking of Adawe," Victoria popped her plate in the sink, she tightened the coat around her waist, "I have a meeting with her, I'll see you for lunch... or dinner depends on what the woman ones. You ok to lock up?" Victoria asked.
"Of course, we will try lunch," Ana told her.
"Bye Aunty Vic," Fareeha waved from the sofa, Victoria smiled softly at Fareeha thinking back this time last year she was chained to someone's bed now she had a family that loved her more than anything.
Adawe scanned through the file in front of her, Gabriel and Victorias full reports from the last month everything seems to be in order the team was wiping through the omnics. It was now June ten months since Overwatch revealed themselves to the worlds and they seem to be making the world a safer place.
A knock on the door took Adawe out of her thoughts, "Enter," she called.
The Overwatches brightest star stepped into her office, Victoria Johnson was a girl envied by all and loved by many. Victoria knew how to act to the press and media, which Adawe was impressed about no matter the hell she went through Victoria knew how to put on a smile.
"Good morning Victoria, please take a seat," Adawe instructed.
The smile on Victorias face to the none trained eye looked relaxed, but Adawe could see that the corners of her smile wobbled ever so slightly.
But she was still graceful as she floated down into the chair across from her, "You wanted to speak with me madame secretary."
"Yes I did," Adawe turned the screen so Victoria could see.
Victoria looked at the mission report from the other week when she and the team took down a titan, Victoria looked slightly confused to why she was being shown a report she had typed up alongside Reyes.
"Sorry madame Secretary I am confused, why am I being shown this?" She asked.
"The new recruits have been reading your reports, I must say they are all impressed with what you have done. We did not expect you to be able to take out a titan from within," she explained.
"Oh... it was honestly simple," Victorias smile was becoming more genuine, "It was mainly Torbjorns and Laios idea, actually Laio was the one meaning to go in I was there for support."
"And what did your commander do?" Adawe asked.
This confused Victoria slightly wondering why she was asking about Gabriel's performance, "Him and Jack..."
"I just want to know Reyes roll within this Victoria."
"Oh... umm... well he commanded the pilots keeping them information," she answered.
"Yet you still lost a pilot to the heat seeking missiles and on top of that, you lost the prototype Emp grenade," Adawe listed off.
"The grenade was my fault," Victoria defended.
"What was the plan for when the titan went down?" Adawe asked.
"It was mine and Laios idea to go into the titan."
"Please answer the question, Victoria."
"We... didn't have a clear one, we planned... we..."
Adawe hummed slightly looking over Victoria knowing the woman didn't have a plan for it, the mission report itself made it clear Victoria and Laio did not have an escape plan. Adawe was surprised that Victoria only came out of that fight with a bang to the head over 100 feet she dropped.
"Who interrogated Mr. Clayman?" Adawe looked over Victoria releasing her face was slightly blank not really knowing who the Secretary General was on about. "The man from Cleopatras NightClub."
"Ohh..." Victoria breathed, "Gabriel..."
"A clear answer would be helpful Victoria."
"But Jack mainly, he was angry and I think Gabe let him interrogate Mr. Clayman because of what..."
"Was he one of the men that raped you, Victoria?"
Victoria felt pain sear through her temples, as she tried to remember pressing a hand to the side of her temple trying to relief some of the pain. "I think so..."
"Victoria if this is hurting..."
"No I just... the men we arrested a few years ago, apparently they weren't as important as we thought."
"In what way?"
"Mr. Clayman, when we were able to take him away from the crowd said I was a whore to the heads of Talon."
That made Adawe freeze Victoria was in deeper than she thought, Victoria watched Adawe closely seeing that the woman was on edge. The room was silent for a few minutes as Adawe typed away at the holographic screen for a few moments. Victoria assumed she was taking down everything she had told her over that last twenty minutes from her guess at the clock.
"What is your opinion of Gabriel Reyes, Victoria?"
"In what way?"
"As a commander, what type of would you say he is?"
"He's a war commander, he gives his soldiers orders and expects them to be followed correctly."
"Would you say he has built relationships with the team?"
"...Yes."
There was a small pause as Adawe's eyes locked onto Victoria, Victoria felt like she was under the scanner that Ana uses throughout missions. "Victoria nothing you say here will get back to Ana, Gabriel or Jack I can promise you."
"I am telling the truth General Secretary."
Adawe hummed, the hum made Victoria feel like the woman did not believe her. "Tell me about what happened last night?"
"In which sense?"
"Overwatch's satellite over Eygpt has been moved to the middle of the desert when it was over Anubis, I watched you find Torbjion but what concerns me is that your commander did not use the resources he had at hand and instead went straight to you."
Victoria tugs on her lower lip before she answered, "Our lines are secure, the lines to Anubis aren't purely Overwatch."
"Your point Victoria?"
"My point is that out there it is easy for Talon or even the onmics central hub to get into their lines, Overwatches communication hubs are built with that in mind. General Secretary I am sorry to say but the reason we are losing this war is because the omnics knows everything we are doing. We have been at war with these things for over twenty years and every day more and more people are suffering from this fight. Because their technology the people have that are fighting the omnics is so outdated that their satellite images mistook talon agents for omnic slicers!" Victoria breathed heavily her cheeks flushed slightly pink.
Adawe smirked behind her screen, this was the Victoria Johnson from the files. Passionate about her work, argumentative telling the world they are outdated.
"I am sorry Secretary..."
Victoria stopped as she noticed Adawe raised her hand, "No you are correct and without you yesterday Torbjion will most likely still be in the Talon camp, what happened last night has been placed in a black file no one other than myself and Reyes will see that file," Adawe explained.
"Because if that file gets leaked... people will lose trust in us," Victoria realised.
"Yes the public looks to the team as a symbol of hope and I don't want that trust damaged in anyway am I clear," Adawe told her.
"Crystal Madame Secretary," she responded.
"I am sorry to have mucked up your week, I only just saw the note that Fareehas birthday celebrations are tomorrow."
"You are a busy person Madame Secretary it is understandable you didn't see the note until today," she smiled.
"Well the interview with Amelia Vale is tomorrow at mid the party is not till five so you will have time," Adawe stated, "A driver will take you into the city so you can get Fareehas shopping."
"I don't..." Victoria realised that the entire time she had been back, Jack had paid for everything every meal every coffee he paid for.
A little chip was placed down in front of her, again the Overwatch symbol was painted on the chip. The chip looked familiar to Victoria.
"Do you remember what these are?" Adawe asked.
"They're money chips... designed to only be used by the designated person... when it's being used... they take a fingerprint test if it doesn't match then the authorities are called," She mumbled a lot of that sentence not really remembering clearly what it was.
"Yes, I asked Jack to collect it before you went to Austrailia but apparently he forgot. Your last eleven months worth of pay is on that," Adawe stated.
"Thank you Madame Secretary," she smiled widely a true smile and not the forced ones she normally uses.
"However, the doctors want to ask you some questions then you may go," Adawe stated.
"Is that all Madame Secretary?" Victoria asked.
"Buy yourself something nice for the interview tomorrow, you are dismissed," Adawe dismissed her.
"Thank you Madame Secretary," Victoria smiled sweetly at her as she raised gracefully from her seat, taking the chip off the table slipping it into her pocket.
"Doctor Burr is going to meet you outside, and remember to make the country love you," Adawe commanded.
A haze came over Victoria's mind as she stepped out of the office, the door clicked shut behind her. She rested back against the white walls, she wanted to scream through a fit and throw everything out of the room. She wanted her freedom, she felt like she had been taken from one prison and dumped straight into another one.
"Miss Johnson?" A new voice questioned.
"Oh sorry," she put the smile back on her face, Doctor Burr was a small man shorter than her coming up to her shoulders, he seemed to be in his late thirties dark skin contrasted against his white lab coat, his head fully shaven and dark brown eyes locked onto her own.
"Doctor Burr correct?" She asked.
"Yes," a scanning tablet was in one hand but he held out his free hand.
"What has happened to..."
"As Ana is your call doctor, I am your on base Doctor as we believe Ms. Amari needs as much rest as the rest of your team," he explained, "Please follow me."
Victoria flew into step with the doctor, they left the main building which held the offices and meeting rooms and their It hub.
She passed the fields which held the obstacle course on, she watched the new recruits run across the course that she had mastered a while ago. "AH Victoria," General Jackson called.
"General Jackson," she smiled moving towards the course, "How are they doing?"
"Well, nothing compared to your time though," he chuckled.
Victoria laughed, "To be fair I did run it for five hours straight."
"True," he grumbled.
Victoria hid a giggled behind her hand as she watched one, the three more recruits land face first in the mud. "Would you like to show them how it's done?"
"Oh... do I have time...?" She turned to Doctor Burr who was looking at a tablet, which when she looked over his shoulder she could see that he was checking the files on the drug concoction that was in her system a few months back.
"I can see how your body has adjusted as your first physical was awful I am surprised they let you out on the field," he told her.
Victoria practically bounced on the balls of her feet at the thought of it, she remembered once in the last month after a fight with an Onmic patrol group that the team called her a bouncing ball of energy.
General Jackson let out a sharp high pitched whistle catching all the cadets attention, "Fall in soldiers!" He demanded.
Soon twenty soldiers stood in front of her all sweaty looking exhausted, "Now I don't think I need to tell you who this is," General Jackson stated pointing to Victoria, "But for those who do not read the news, this is Victoria Johnson Overwatches field agent in Team Alpha."
"Ma'am," a lot of them saluted making Victoria feel slightly uncomfortable a small blush covered the pale cheeks.
"Miss Johnson will be showing you how to do this," he stated.
Victoria undid the white jacket, the soldiers were quite as they watched her hand the coat to General Jackson, all the photos of the team had Victoria's coat tightly secured. Her top was a long blue sleeved shirt with a white corset under the chest and the Overwatch symbol was sewn into the breast pocket. The material was durable but flexible, both her's and Laio's uniforms were made out of this stuff rather than true armour plating like the others. They needed to be able to move and the plating Ana or Reinhardt had might actually stop the two fighting.
"Don't worry I won't cheat and use the boots," she joked to General Jackson.
General Jackson walked with her to the start of the course, the order of the course had been changed slightly and made longer but she knew she could whip the kid's arse's at this.
"Ready Miss Johnson?" General Jackson asked her.
"Ready General," she responded.
"ALRIGHT SOLIDER MOVE MOVE MOVE!" He yelled.
Victoria was off like a light, the tips of her toes touched the floor inside the tires, this time she didn't trip over the last tire this time around instead took off running across a gap towards the steps. Her feet hit against every step and echoed loudly in her ears as she counted the steps, her hands reached up grabbing hold of the zip line, as she flew down towards the ground she smirked to herself as she saw the wall, swinging her legs up she hooked them over bar and once the time was right she grabbed hold of the wall pulling herself over. She rolled off the top of the wall, she wobbled on the edge of the large pool of water. A small gap but a long jump to the rope.
Two steps between the wall and the pond of water, she turned back towards the wall jumping upwards she slammed her feet against the wall. She pushed herself off the wall sending herself through the air, she just grabbed hold of the rope she let go as quickly as she had grabbed hold of the rope. Landing hard on the ground she rolled under the nets that had been pinned to the ground, she pulled herself quickly through the obstacle. As she bounced up onto her feet she smiled softly at the last obstacle, stepping stones in a large bit of mud, she could see a number of times this had been attempted as she stepped onto the first stone. She could have done this with her eyes close, as she continued stepping on the stones the slightest wobble didn't effect her as she stepped on the last step and then off.
"Well done Miss Johnson," General Jackson held her coat out for her, she smiled slipping her arms into the jacket.
"Thank you, General Jackson," she smiled brightly walking back with him to the cadets.
"That boy, is how a real soldier tackles it," he told them, Victoria could tell that Jackson was not entirely impressed with them. "None of you, will touch the field until you can do what Miss Johnson did today."
"Maybe because she's screwing one of the actual fighters she's on the team," she heard one of them mutter.
She didn't change face but knew both General Jackson and Doctor Burr heard that the look on the men's face showed her they were not impressed.
"Want to step forward," General Jackson growled looking at the twenty men and women.
"Jackson its fine, you can tell when men feel inferior when a woman can do a better job than them," Victoria's voice was coated in sugar as she smiled, "Doctor Burr I believe you wanted to run a few tests."
She could see the confusion on the cadets face as she walked towards the medical facilities, Doctor Burr soon fell into step with her.
"The drugs seem to be working, you are at peak performance Miss Johnson. You are on par with Ana Amari at the moment," he told her.
"That's fantastic," Victoria smiled brightly.
"Yes it is," he told as they walked through the medical facility, he pushed open the door to one of the many examination rooms.
He pointed to the chair in the center of the room, "Coat off and unbutton your sleeves please."
Victoria did as she was told throwing the coat over the back of the chair she rolled up her sleeves. Doctor Burr pulled up a chair next to her a few moments later, she didn't have time to register what was happening before a needle was jammed into her arm. She bolted upright, green eyes wide as the serum burnt through her veins. The beeping sound of a heart monitor thudded in her ears, she grounded her teeth together trying to keep a scream at bay but instead, a small whimper left her throat.
"The liquid you have been injected with is a mix of the super solider serum and a relaxant, we believe you have believed you have been under too much stress. That is the reason for the memories not coming back as quickly as they should have," he explained.
The pain was something Victoria's body was trying to reject, it felt like fire through her veins as the serum worked to improve her. The relaxant did not feel like it was working, she had never felt this tense in her life.
"You are fighting it Miss Johnson you must relax," Doctor Burr explained as he readied another needle.
"I thought that was what the relaxant was for," she got out through gritted teeth.
"Medicine does not work if you continue to fight it, Miss Johnson," he explained to her.
"I am not!" She yelled, "It's painful... I can't..."
If it was possible for fire to be a liquid it would be what is coursing through her veins at the moment, she felt tears trickle down her cheeks. She hated this, she was a brilliant soldier why did they feel the need to pump her through with drugs.
She didn't hear or see Doctor Burr move but did feel the mask being put onto her face.
"You will send yourself into a panic attack if you do not breath properly Miss Johnson," at least Doctor Burr was nice, his smile was nice and inviting, unlike Adawes which made Victoria question the motives behind that smile.
She wanted this war over, she didn't want to stay in Overwatch longer than she had too.