Contact on her skin woke her up. Sombra was untying her feet. She was too tired and too weak to try and understand what was going on.
She untied her hands and, this time, she started hoping. « Alright, girl, get up.
- What…
- The boss insisted on making you less… miserable. »
She tried to get up, but couldn't. She was too weak and her muscles weren't responding correctly after days strapped onto a chair. Sombra had to carry her on her feet and only then was she able to stand up, her entire body trembling and shivering.
Sombra took out the chair and brought another, longer rope that she used to tie her hands once more, only this time, she was attached to the wall on her left. She couldn't make out all of her actions, only being half awake.
It was only when she felt cold water touch her body that her senses really came back. Sombra had a bucket and a large hose. « What's the meaning of this?
- What does it look like I'm doing? I'm cleaning you up.
- Why? Why… are you doing this to yourself? »
Sombra looked at her, she had a weird grin on her lips. « What's to say I'm not enjoying it? »
Angela preferred not to interpret whatever that was supposed to mean. She let the water flow on her body, a relief after all these days. Her clothes were completely ruined, with all sort of body liquid stuck onto them that had dried up on her skin. It was a miracle she hadn't gotten sick from all of that already, although she always had a strong immune system. The water flowing through her hair and on her face made her feel alive again, she could wash away the horrible taste in her mouth and, although she didn't like Sombra, the touch on her body and the towel she rubbed on her helped her relax. « You know, my offer's still up.
- Do not think that this will excuse what you've done to the hospital.
- I know. But sometimes, you gotta make deals with people you don't necessarily agree with to stay alive. Maybe after a few more visit from Widow, you'll understand that a bit more. »
Angela frowned and tried to forget about Sombra's nonchalance to her situation. « You said you were from Mexico?
- I used to live next to Dorado, where the pyramid was built.
- I've already been to Mexico. I help your people there. »
Sombra looked at her from head to toe and laughed. « You helped my people or the one who could actually afford roofs to sleep under at night? »
- I helped rebuilt hospitals all over the country after the Omnic crisis. I spend a lot of time helping those in need after the war. »
Sombra rolled her eyes. « Rebuilding hospitals was more of a mistake than anything else really.
- What do you… how could you say something like that?
- Where I come from, those things you call hospitals are just ways of draining money from miserable people's pockets. I could never afford to stay in any of those building, even for a night. They kicked me out when I was a kid because I didn't have enough to stay. In Mexico, you find street surgeon for your problems. At least, you see their faces and you know there's a chance they wont screw you up. Plus, you make your own justice where I come from, so everyone from the slum is honest with one another, unlike all of those people in big uniforms. »
She sighted, turned her over and went under her clothes to rub her back. « You know, when I was younger, I never once see you in person, but I did see what you did all around, with brand new and even more expensive hospitals running all over the place. »
- Health care is free where I come from, Angela answered, devastated by what she was hearing. I always made sure that it was free in all of the hospitals I commended.
- Oh, it was, as long as your face was on all the posters inside. But then you left the country and they started all over again. They removed your face off the buildings, but there were still a lot of them around the streets. I saw way to many guys from my neighbourhood collecting them for their… collections. »
The last thing Angela wanted to think about was the sight of young boys discovering their bodies with images of her, she cringed. « But do you know what I though when I saw all of those posters? Sombra added. I though « What an egocentric bitch she must be to put her face like that everywhere. To make sure everyone knows it's because of her they are saved. » That's what I though back in the days. »
Angela turned around to face her, her wet hair was falling over her face and covering one of her eye, but the other one was giving a dark look onto Sombra. « You think I wanted them to use my face like that? You think I chose to be a mascot like that? They chose me to represent the movement because of what I was doing. I saved thousands, if not millions of lives through my research. I spent so many years of my life into horrible living conditions just so that others could live a normal life. I tested technologies on myself when no one wanted to risk their own bodies. I made a vow to always fight for life and to never give up. To never seek revenge. To never harm anyone unnecessarily. »
She got closer to her and shook of the hair from her face, their eyes met and hers started watering. « I'm sorry I couldn't help you. I'm sorry I didn't inform myself enough about the situation in Mexico. I should have, and I have made mistakes. That I'm not afraid to admit. If this is how people see me, then so be it. I won't seek revenge and keep filling my duties as an agent of life. »
She didn't realized how miserable she looked right now, doing such a big speech while she could barely speak complete sentence with half of her face recovering from a punch, with her wet hair all messed up on her head, with ruined clotting stuck to her, wet from head to toe and barely able to stand on her feet. Sombra looked at her and let the towel fall in the bucket. She didn't answer her, looking oddly deranged by what she heard.
The sound of a door opening violently could be heard in the background, with a strange, inhuman voice following up. « I go on a mission for three days and by the time I come back, you manage to give up our location to the god dam monkey. »
A dark figure entered the room, with black clothes and a mask that represented a skull. Widowmaker entered right after him, apparently following him around. His voice was menacing, otherworldly. As he got in, he noticed her and stopped, staring at her for an uncomfortable amount of time before simply asking. « What is she doing here?
- We were having a tea party, » Sombra answered.
The man didn't react, instead walking up to the global hologram and grabbing Angela's locator. « They were able to find her with this, and you just let it happen.
- Listen, Gabe, you wanted to locate the agents, well now you'll have them all at the same time. »
« Gabe? » Angela mumbled, but the figure didn't budge.
« The plan was to find them and eliminate them separately.
- What? Are you afraid you can't take them all?
- They work in team. We risk way more by confronting them directly.
- Well, now we'll have to improvise. »
Widowmaker frowned. « You think this is a joke? How many times are you going to screw us up like that?
- Well if you could do your job and actually assassinate people, we wouldn't be there.
- You… »
She took her sniper riffled and aimed it at her. Sombra reached out to get something inside her cloak. « How about I start with you? Now that the Overwatch agents are coming, you're no longer useful to us. »
Gabe grabbed her by the back of the neck and pulled her next to him. « We still need her.
- Excuse me? Sombra asked.
- If the monkey is coming to us directly, we need someone to stop his program from breaching our security system.
- Athena?
- You nearly hacked her last time. You can resist an attack from her.
- You don't seem to know what kind of mess you've just put yourself into now, do you? »
Gabe didn't react, waiting for an explanation. Sombra shook her head. « That's a god program. I won't be able to hack it a second time.
- Just do what you did last time.
- You don't know how those types of programs work. They can adapt to what they experience. They are highly intelligent and conscious. The only reason I was able to get that far last time was because no one had try to hack it before. Now, that program must have tons of protection, plus she knows my way of operating. I won't be able to withstand an attack from that.
- You have to. If she gets inside our security system, then the enemy gets in. If they get in, you die like the rest of us.
- Well maybe them you should just do your job and actually kill them. I though they called you Reaper because of your lethality, but apparently you're still afraid of big monkeys and english girls.
- Do not start this. »
The room went dead silent, but the air was heavy, filled with static. « We're in the same boat, Reaper said. We need to make a new plan. »
He pointed at the door and Sombra rolled her eyes only to exit the room. As he was doing the same, he stopped, then turned to Angela, still attached to the wall. Widowmaker tried to grab his arm to make him leave, but he got out of her reach, stating. « Leave us alone. »
She looked at him, then at Angela, and left while closing the door. « Gabriel… » Angela said, her voice cracking.
She couldn't make out what happened to him after what she did, but he looked filled with hatred and sorrow. He walked up to her and simply stared at her. She couldn't make out what he was thinking, with the mask removing any kind of communication they could have together. « Why are you doing this… she asked.
- You should know why.
- This is not what I intended. You know that.
- Doesn't matter now, does it? »
After his battle with Morrison, she picked him up and did what she could to save his life. It wasn't the first time she had done such extreme procedure, with the closest case being when she saved the Shimada from dying at the hands of their own rivalry. Gabe had already done horrible things at the time, but she was an agent of life, her vow was to save all the lives she could. But now, with this monstrous creature in front of her, she could only imagine the repercussion of her actions. « I don't know why you reacted this way to the treatment… I tried what I could to save you.
- You did. But it wasn't enough.
- I didn't think you would use it with those intentions. I gave you a second chance, to redeem yourself.
- You're a slow learner, aren't you? »
He grabbed her by the neck and lifted her up to his level. He was strong, with a metallic grip that incrusted itself in her skin. « You'll be the last one to die. I'll make sure you watch it all happen.
- I… saved… you. I could've watch you die in the mud… but I picked you up. I worked for days… I though there was still hope… for you… for everyone. »
She was crying. It seemed like everything she did in her life had been a lie. Everyone had turned on her when she turned her back. How many times could she show the other cheek? How many times would be too much for her? She tried to remove his hand slowly suffocating to his grip. « You had a good heart, but it was too big, Gabriel said. It covered your eyes to the reality of this world. This poor heart of yours is going to be your demise. »
He let her go and she crumbled on the floor, crying all the tears in her body. A strange black mist surrounded her, then quickly got out of the room from under the door.