Kindred Spirits

Chapter Seven: Flight

~ o ~

The cunning warrior attacks neither body nor soul

No... the cunning warrior attacks the place with the least chance of recovery

The heart

~ o ~

"You tracked him down?"
"He's going to be in Venice until tomorrow night. Then he'll be going to France." I replied.
"...I see. Are you sure you can handle it on your own?"

I paused for a brief moment, feeling slightly light-headed. After catching my breath, I looked back to the video call.

"I'll be fine." I replied.
"You looked as if you were dizzy for a moment. Are you alright?"
"A little out of it. But I'll be okay once this is over; I can take all the rest I'll ever need once that man lays dead at my feet."

My tone took an unexpectedly sadistic turn and for some reason, I felt almost disgusted sounding like that it in front of him.

"Take it easy. Don't push yourself too hard. The last thing you want to happen right now is for things to go wrong." he said.

I smiled, thankful for his unending concern for me.

"I'm so close. I can put this at rest and then move on." I said.
"And what does that entail?" he asked.

I put a hand to my chin and attempted to say something a few times but for some reason, I couldn't figure out a proper answer.

"...I suppose I haven't given it much thought." I said.
"Have you ever thought about just retiring to a normal life? One that doesn't involve the use of a sniper rifle?"

I shook my head, laughing softly at the mere thought of hanging up my rifle for good.

"I don't think this life will be something I can simply walk away from; I'm not like you when it comes to my moral standings." I replied.
"Fair enough. I suppose all I can hope for is that you don't kill innocent people in the name of Talon again." he said with a shrug.

I put my coat on and placed my rifle on my back.

"You're leaving to go there already?" he asked.
"Yes. The sooner this gets done, the faster I can leave Italy; it's not the most exciting of places." I replied.
"Stay out of trouble. I'll be waiting at the hotel in Florence."
"...Thank you Aiden."

He smiled at me and nodded.

"Anytime. Good luck Amélie."

The video call cut off as I breathed a sigh of relief.

I had spoken to the assassin for the past four hours, filling him in on everything that went on thus far in Italy. He of course wasn't particularly thrilled to hear that I had killed so many people since I arrived, but he understood that it was my decision to make. He didn't try to be a voice of reason, which was something I was grateful for because I was never a woman who could settle for just sitting down; I was someone who had to act.

He was very patient with me; I could tell that he was sleep deprived because he also told me what had gone on since I left France. Talon discovered his hideout in Paris and since then, he's been on the run. Sombra was helping him remain hidden and also allowed him to stay with her until he could sort things out. I could imagine how much she was teasing him and it was very clear that she has a thing for him. However, I had no idea if Aiden even noticed it; he seemed far too busy with other matters.

Once I told him that I intended to assassinate Oscar, he immediately called in a favor from an old friend to fly to Florence. There, he would ensure that I got back home to France safely...almost like an escort. My cheeks heated up slightly at the mere thought of it.

He told me about the progress that Nicole made on the countermeasures to Project Darkwind and thankfully, Overwatch seemed to be ready to counteract the weapon. For once, Overwatch was doing something useful. I agree with Reyes when he said that he didn't like the thought of a world without real free will, which was ironic considering that Talon always talked about freedom for the planet when ironically, they sought to control the population themselves. I suppose that's what happens when a power hungry psychopath is the head of the only terrorist organization in the world that's capable of challenging a military powerhouse like that of Overwatch.

Then...Aiden asked about me, in his usual deeply concerned manner. He asked me if I was eating healthy, if I was getting enough sleep...if I was hurt in any way. Beforehand, his concern was a little annoying but for some reason, I deeply appreciated that he checked on me. He was also very understanding about the fact that I didn't talk to him for a few weeks, though he did express that he thought I was in trouble which worried him. However, he quickly returned to his pleasant disposition, giving me advice on how to tackle the mission and finally, offering to help in any way he could.

Rather than to risk worrying him to the point where he would refuse to allow me to do this on my own, I asked him to meet me in Italy to go back home to France; I had a very strong feeling that killing Oscar would cause my name to be cast around a lot so in the interest of escaping safely, I decided it would be best that I didn't return alone...especially if I continued feeling tired in the same way I have been.

"Maybe a break from all of this...is exactly what I need."

After ensuring all of my equipment was ready, I turned off the lights to the hideout for what I hoped would be the final time. Now...it was time for payback.

Three Hours Later

It took a little while...but I finally began to see signs of life from the private villa. I had arrived to the site half an hour ago but due to the presence of the black ops agents, I had to keep myself hidden. This wasn't anything like the property in France, where it was actually feasible to pick off the guards one by one.

These men were practically back to back and the problem I faced was that I didn't bring enough ammunition to deal with them all. Every shot I take had to count because if I ran out without killing Oscar, there was a chance that I would never get an opportunity like this again. I activated my visor and zoomed in on the main bedroom. It looked as if Jaeger was sleeping and he had now woken up and was getting ready to go to a dinner. If there wasn't a total of four agents in the room with him, as well as the window being bulletproof...I would end him right now.

But no, I had to wait for him to reach a point in the building that my bullet could pierce and hit him. The challenge now...was to be patient.

"A...A...araña..."

My earpiece buzzed to life as I immediately answered it.

"Sombra? How did you get this line?" I whispered.
"You have to get out of there mija! They know you're coming!" she cried.
"No they don't. I've been here for a while and none of them seem even remotely aware of my presence. What's going on?" I demanded.
"I've been keeping an eye on Talon's traffic for a while and Oscar Jaeger activated Project Specter." she explained.
"What the hell is that?" I replied.
"You...n...ne...to...get-"

The line suddenly went hazy, forcing me to turn it off from the deafening noise. I cursed under my breath and turned my attention back to the property where Oscar had dressed himself and was now making his way outside to his limo. I readied my rifle and took aim, watching for the slightest opening to end him.

"Amélie?"

My eyes widened at the sound of the voice but I ignored it, believing it to be some kind of trick. I placed my finger on the trigger and got ready to pull it only to feel a hand on my shoulder.

"Hey...you don't want to do that and expose yourself now do you?"

Chills went down my spine and I turned around...

"No...this can't be..."

To my astonishment, the man I had so many dreams about...was standing in front of me with a warm smile.

"G...G...Gerard?" I cried.

He nodded and smiled brightly at me.

"It's me mon amie." he replied.

I dropped my rifle to the ground, suddenly overcome with emotion as I approached him. He looked perfectly fine; no scarring or anything of the sort. He looked just a tad older...but I suppose that's natural considering I haven't seen him for several years. He immediately took me into an embrace, gently rubbing the back of my head. I began to cry profusely, burying my head into his chest.

"I...I...I watched you die..." I cried.
"I'm here now. I survived. The grave you visited was a fake location...I'm so sorry that I didn't get to tell you." he explained.

He leaned away from me and placed a hand on my cheek.

"Thanks to Talon's medical scientists, they brought me back from the brink of death. Your mission was to kill me but I just barely survived. They took my body and managed to save me." he continued.

I nodded slowly, still feeling the tears pour from my eyes.

"Thanks to them...I'm back. Oscar is the one who helped me. Do you really want to kill him?" he asked.

I shook my head vigorously, holding both of his hands and sighing into his embrace.

"...I don't want to leave you ever again Gerard...I'm so sorry...I had no idea what I was doing..." I sobbed.

He hushed me, soothing me with another embrace as he kissed my forehead.

"You won't have to. Now how about we go have a word with Mr. Jaegar? He'll understand everything." he said.

I nodded and turned around to pick up my rifle...only to feel something hit me in the chest. I looked down to see a dart and I turned around to Gerard, who looked visibly shocked.

"Amélie? Are you okay?" he asked.

My eyes closed against my will and it wasn't long before everything went back...

~ o ~

Meanwhile- Florence, Italy

"Just as I remember it."

The hotel room was just as I remembered it from my days as an assassin. Just about everything was in the same place and astonishingly, Amélie didn't use much of the equipment that I left for her. She had only taken a few clips of ammo and a few rifle parts.

"Shouldn't expect anything less from Widowmaker; she's far better with a sniper rifle than I ever was."

I ran my hand along my old set of pistols, smiling at how mint they still looked even after locking them here for years.

"Aiden! Aiden! Do you copy?!"

I felt my heart jump as I quickly answered my PDA.

"Sombra? What's going on?" I asked.
"It's araña. She's in trouble!" she cried.

My heart then sank as fear began to wash over my body.

"What happened?"
"I did more digging after getting a tip from Gabe...about something called Project Specter." she explained.
"What the hell is that?" I asked.
"It's an android prototype that is capable of taking on the appearance of any person, intact with memories and personalities. That being activated can only mean that they're using the prototype to protect Jaegar. And she has no idea what that android is capable of." she cried.

My fists clenched.

"Do you have a fix on her location?" I asked.
"What are you going to do?"
"I'm going in to rescue her; if Oscar has awakened that project, there's only one person on the planet he could turn that thing into to get her to listen."
"...Gerard..."

I placed the PDA down and removed my shirt as I began to suit up.

"Tell me everything you know about the place." I said.
"It's about an hour away from your current location. I've already sent for transportation for you to get there faster but you've got one hell of a way to go if you intend to get to her; the place is practically a bunker." she continued.

I pulled a long sleeved underlay of tactical nano fiber, which would make me very difficult to see with infrared and thermal imaging due to it masking my temperature. I then strapped a strong but light set of body armor to my chest and attached several holsters, allowing me to carry four pistols. After ensuring all of the weapons were in working order, I holstered them and added ammo clips into the pockets.

"I don't expect anything but the most elite of the black ops division to be there guarding Jaegar so you need to be even more careful mijo."
"My goal isn't to kill him. My goal is to rescue her...because I know exactly what they're doing to her." I said.
"...What is that?"
"Completing the neural reconditioning. If she refuses, they're going to kill her in another way...which I'm now sure of."
"What do you mean?"
"You remember that her skin is always blue? And that her heart rate is extremely slow? They don't need to pull the trigger of a gun to kill her; all they have to do is deactivate the pacemaker that keeps her alive." I explained.
"...How did you know that?"
"I could tell from the way she was talking to me earlier. She kept talking about feeling very tired for no apparent reason, which is one of the symptoms of generalized hypoxia. Her skin is blue because her cells are not getting enough oxygen and that can only mean that Talon's reconditioning removed her sinotorial node from her heart and replaced it with a pacemaker that's under their control. The only way to save her is to remove the pacemaker and replace the node." I explained.
"That sounds difficult...and very dangerous."
"The only doctors I know who are capable of that are from Overwatch. And that means I'm going to have to take her there and hope that they can forgive her crimes."

After ensuring all of my gear was ready, I donned my hooded trenchcoat and reached for my mask.

"...You haven't worn that uniform in a very long time." she said.
"It's needed right now...and Sombra. I'm going to need to ask you a favor." I said.
"Anything for you mijo." she replied.
"Once I arrived at the site and I break in...activate the implant I asked you to put into my body."
"Are you sure? Will you be able to control yourself?"

I let out a deep sigh.

"I don't know for sure...but I can't afford to show mercy when I get there; one wrong move could get us both killed."

I knew how much she was hesitating on the other end but she finally conceded, letting out a reluctant sigh.

"I hope you know what you're doing Aiden...just please be careful." she begged.
"I will. Wish me luck."

I placed the mask over my face before looking in the mirror.

"...So much for keeping the oath...but this is necessary to protect her. I must not lose myself during this...last flight"

I took in a deep breath.

"It is likely...that I go to my doom. There's no guarantee that I will survive this considering the odds against me...but I will not stand by and let everything she's felt these past few months go to waste. She is so close to rediscovering her humanity that she could finally be free...far sooner than I when I was freed."

I looked down to my locket and opened it, showing a picture of Sombra, Nicole, Amélie and I. We took this just before she left for Italy. It was one of the very few times I had ever seen her smile so genuinely and even though Sombra childishly gave her bunny ears, she still didn't choose to get angry but instead put an arm around her friend.

"That happiness...these memories...are worth fighting for."

After closing the locket, I turned off the lights and left the hotel.

"One last flight...to end this game of cat and mouse."