Chapter 12 – Recovery

"I'm sorry, Colonel. Athena, Winston, and Tracer can find no information about Amélie. It's not for lack of trying…"

Gérard mutely accepted a data drive containing hundreds of leads and thousands of pieces of evidence (sanitized to his clearance level). None of it led anywhere, even though many seemed promising up to the very end.

His wife vanished over a month ago. He'd returned to find an empty house and closed business as "the proprietor has been placed on the local list of missing persons."

So upon returning from a touch-point with the Egyptian Army's Raptora unit over vidcall to find Amélie cooking dinner as if nothing happened, he was more than a bit shocked.

"I just had to spend some time alone" she'd answered after he asked what happened. "It was a bit of a shock what happened to my business—and I needed to get professional help."

He didn't press the issue. Anyone who investigated further would be unable to find any corroborating patient records, private supplemental insurance claims, or check-ins at nearby hospitals to support her story, leaving a completely dead end. Even if she was lying (which he firmly believed she was), no additional avenues of investigation existed. Thus, Gérard concluded he should not question fortune.

The Colonel did think it odd that she wasn't absolutely bashing down doors to reopen her greenhouse.

"I'll get to it" she'd said serenely, too serenely at that. It tore him up; his wife was back, but something just felt off. Wrong. But what was he going to do, send her to Overwatch's psychological evaluation wing? A discreet appointment was made, though due to an influx of possible recruits and her apparently-normal personality she got bumped to the back of a months-long line.

She also ignored messages left by social services, which Gérard couldn't understand. They'd essentially adopted in all-but-houseroom the five kids who helped around her greenhouse, and suddenly she no longer cared for their well-being?

"Fine" she huffed after one-too-many "concerned" talks from her husband. "I'll go see what's going on out there."

She left for the greenhouse, annoyed that he simply would not drop it.

Upon arriving, Amélie found herself surrounded by anxious would-be customers inquiring when the greenhouse would reopen.

"Soon" she replied.

A few of her well-wishers were shorter than the rest.

"Mdme. Lacroix! We've missed you!" chorused GreenWatch.

"Also" said Clement rather shyly, "Mei's power cells are empty again." He held the toy up toward the woman they had come to regard as a surrogate mother.

"Oh, just buy some new ones" she replied absentmindedly, as if she'd forgotten it would take all five of their daily pay combined to purchase just one. Mei needed two.

"What happened to her?" asked Lucie after Lacroix left. "It's like she's never met us before."

"I knew it!" thundered Gérard upon fielding a call from social services reporting the kids' strange experiences with Amélie. "Something's wrong, and I need to get that appointment moved up."