Kindred Spirits

Chapter Eight: Taking Chances

~ o ~

Love can grant incredible strength

Even enough to face one's greatest fears

True love however is so powerful

It allows individuals to do the impossible

~ o ~

One Hour Later

"So Mrs. Lacroix. Will you consider our offer? As you can plainly see, your husband is alive and well." said Oscar.

Widowmaker had barely been able to say a word as all of her attention was focused on her husband, who sat next to her and held her hand.

"...You want me to rejoin the organization." she said.
"Yes. To ensure that you don't lose your grip on your persona again, we will have to make a few adjustments with your reconditioning but rest assured, we will allow you to feel the attachment you do towards Gerard." he replied.

She looked down towards the ground, her face now genuinely in conflict.

"Project Darkwind will be ready very soon which means that you will need a new tracker in your body to prevent the nanomachines from destroying you. I suggest you make your decision quickly." he urged.

Gerard ran his fingers over her hand before smiling again.

"I'll be with you every step of the way." he promised.

His reassuring words finally broke the sniper's internal conflict as she looked up and nodded.

"What has to be done?" she asked.
"First, your memories of the last two months will have to be wiped in order to prevent any sort of relapse; short term memories have a way of jarring emotions loose." explained Jaegar.

He then took a breath and sighed softly.

"After that, we'll just need to apply a new tracker and then about an hour of mental training. None of it will be painful." he replied.

Widowmaker got to her feet and nodded.

"I'll do as you ask." she said.
"Excellent! Let's not waste any time shall we?"

Jaegar got to his feet before leading the couple out of his office.

~ o ~

"You're above the target position now Aiden." said Sombra.
"Thank you Sombra...activate the implant." I said.
"...Don't lose yourself mijo...and please come back in one piece."
"I'll do my best...and Sombra?"

I heard her pause on the other end, her voice still very worried.

"Be ready with that new tech you've been toying with. I'll let you know when it's the right time."

My words helped her to calm down a little; she laughed very softly because of how proud she was of her accomplishment.

"Kick their asses mijo."

I felt the implant in my neck inject the adrenaline into my bloodstream. It took several seconds, but I felt my killer's high return in full force. With this implant, I theorized that I would be able to tap into my alternate persona at will and because the implant prevents my anger from building too much, I wouldn't lose myself to the darkness. I leaped out of the helicopter, free falling towards the property. I caught sight of a guard as I guided myself towards him. I drew two of my pistols and just before I landed, I adjusted my trajectory to land on the guard himself. I had thankfully adjusted in time; any sooner and I might've broken my legs.

The guard didn't survive the impact of my weight on his body, snapping his spine and neck as if they were twigs. I quickly hid his body in the bushes as I began to swiftly make my way to the property. I managed to move at a very fast pace; the adrenaline that was constantly pumping into my body allowed me to move at almost superhuman levels. I took down any guard that was in my way, choosing to spare their lives instead of killing them with knockout darts instead of bullets. I arrived at the entrance before looking around. I noticed a guard at the balcony, smoking a cigarette. I climbed up the scaffolding with ease and managed to ambush him, grabbing him in a hold and pressing my gun to his neck.

"Where is Widowmaker." I demanded.

The guard was clearly terrified as he struggled to remain calm upon feeling my arm grab his neck.

"You have five seconds before I pull the trigger. Talk." I warned.
"Sh-sh-she's d-d-downstairs in the laboratory!" he cried.
"How do I get there?" I asked.
"There's a retinal scanner to get into the laboratory discreetly and there's a large atrium that you can enter from the main lobby...but the glass is bulletproof." he explained.

I smiled, nodding against the back of his head.

"You don't sound very old. What's your name kid?" I asked.
"J-J-J-Johnny." he replied.
"I'm gonna let you go Johnny. Don't tell anyone I was here and I won't come back for you. Do we have a deal?" I asked.
"Wh-Wh-Who are you?" he asked.
"Just a guy who wants to save someone he cares about."

I released the guard and allowed him to turn around. Just as I suspected, he looked absolutely astonished to see that it was me.

"Y-Y-You're The Eagle?!" he asked.

I nodded before raising my gun at him.

"You're going to sleep for a little while. So you don't get blamed for me getting inside. When you wake up, find another job kid; Talon's not worth it." I said.

The man nodded eagerly before I shot him in the chest with a knockout dart. He slumped to the floor, causing me to smile.

"Goes to show that not all Talon operatives are cold-blooded killers. Some of them are just people trying to get by just like everyone else."

I quickly made my way inside the building, being careful to avoid any guards in my way until I arrived at the atrium. True to Johnny's words, I could see right into the lab through the massive glass structure that made up its ceiling.

"They've strapped her to a chair...but it doesn't look like she's struggling."

Then...much to my horror, I saw Oscar and what looked to be Gerard walk into the room.

"That must be Project Specter...it really can copy the looks of anyone it chooses to."

I couldn't believe how much it looked like Gerard. It was the same face I saw years ago...the same short blonde hair left to flare over his eyes. The same smile...

"That must be why she's not struggling; she's not aware of what that thing is."

I then noticed Oscar reach for a syringe...filled with an all too familiar blue liquid. My eyes widened in horror.

"She's allowing them...to wipe her emotions?!"

I could only assume that they used the android to talk her into agreeing, saying that it was really Gerard talking. They must've made up some kind of story about him surviving the assassination attempt...even though there's no way he could've considering that she slit his throat in his sleep. I read numerous accounts of what happened to him on that fateful night and there was a reason why she felt such guilt for doing something so unspeakable.

I removed a hand grenade from my jacket before pressing my finger to the earpiece.

"Activate the EMP on my jacket in five seconds Sombra." I said.
"Standing by."

I pulled the pin and dropped it onto the glass and after three seconds, it destroyed a large portion of it. I jumped through the hole and landed on a table, immediately knocking out the five guards surrounding me and pointing my gun towards Oscar. He smiled at me.

"How nice of you to join us Aiden!" he cheered.

The android got up from its chair and looked at me, death clear in its eyes. Amélie looked thoroughly confused; she clearly didn't expect me to arrive here, especially in the way I did.

"Aiden? What're you doing here?" she asked.

Her voice sounded uncharacteristically timid and confused. The reconditioning must be nearing its break point, especially since I detected no form of malice or anger in her words. If anything...she sounded almost childishly innocent.

"What did you do to her Jaegar?" I snapped.
"Nothing that she didn't want me to do." he replied.

I looked back at her to see that she looked...scared. I had never seen her looked so terrified before...and that was the truly scary part of all this.

"I'm going to take away all of her pain and suffering...bring her back to our side with nothing left to hold her back from her true potential." he explained.

I shook my head.

"Over my dead body you will." I growled.

He laughed loudly before turning to the android.

"You heard him." he said.

It sprung into action and I just barely managed to dodge its lunge. I jumped off of the table before holstering my guns, knowing that knockout darts would do absolutely nothing to a mechanical target. It closed the distance once more very swiftly, but thanks to the adrenaline going through my system, I was able to dodge all of its blows. However, it did manage to knock my mask off with a whiffed punch. Jaegar raised his eyebrow.

"So you've figured out a way to tap into your other persona have you? That can be fixed."

He immediately produced a gun from his jacket and fired, hitting me in the arm. I felt a substance go through my skin and into my bloodstream and it wasn't long before I felt anger and rage begin to build within me.

"What the hell did you do." I growled.
"You've been hit with an experimental berserker serum. It's built to allow soldiers to bypass fear and to fight without any morals holding them back on the battlefield." he explained.

I felt my self-control ebbing away and the darkness begin to take over. The android came at me once again as Amélie screamed for it to stop...

I felt two of my ribs break as the punch finally connected, sending me flying into some machinery and destroying it. I fell to the ground, struggling to get up because I needed to maintain control of myself else I risked hurting Amélie. I took a deep breath and focused as I dashed towards the android.

"EMP Activated!"

The entire building suddenly went dark. Making use of my temporary superhuman state, I swiftly made my way to her and made short work of her bonds but before I could do anything else, the android tackled me to the floor. Astonishingly, the EMP didn't shut it down. It pinned me to the ground with one hand and drew the knife from my jacket with the other. It then slammed the blade hard into my shoulder, causing me to howl in agony.

"Finish him Widowmaker!" shouted Jaegar.

Much to my horror, the sniper got to her feet and picked up a revolver that was sitting on the table before raising it towards me.

"No...Amélie don't listen to them. That's not Gerard. It's an android!" I urged.

She didn't seem convinced as she approached me, still with the gun extended towards me.

"Finish him my love. Then we can be together forever..." said the android.

She looked at him and smiled timidly before cocking the hammer of the revolver. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.

"...Would Gerard ever want you to kill his best friend Amélie? Would Gerard Lacroix ever want you to take the life of someone you care about? That's not your husband or my best friend. It's a fake!" I urged.

My words appeared to be hitting home as she pointed the gun at the android.

"What...what is he saying?" she cried.

The android got off of me before approaching her, trying to calm her down.

"He's here to keep us apart. He doesn't care about your feelings. All he wants is to destroy Talon...by any means necessary." it said.

She shook her head vigorously, backing away from the android.

"He...he saved my life...didn't you know that?" she asked.

The android didn't answer her, as if it were trying to find the right answer to give her.

"He came here because he felt I was in danger. What are you not telling me Gerard?!" she cried.

She pointed the revolver at the android as it released its hold on me. I rolled away and yanked the knife from my shoulder before quickly applying some bio-foam, which sealed the wound. However, I noticed that the android had shifted form and was now...

"Ronard."

The man who headed the program to train all Talon assassins was a victim of Widowmaker. He did not survive the interrogation that she conducted two months ago and now, it seemed as if he were back from the dead. I remembered how guilty she felt about going so far, even though he was the one who engineered her training. He could've easily killed her after she completed her mission to kill Gerard, but he chose to turn her into what was supposed to be the ultimate sniper who could kill any target in a single shot...now, she was reverting back to the loving woman that lived before the time of Talon. Before everything went to hell...before her greatest mistake.

The android grabbed her by the neck and slammed her into the wall.

"I don't believe she will be willing to join us anymore Mr. Jaegar. Should we dispose of them both?" it asked.
"I suppose so." replied Jaegar.

I took the chance to load several of the EMP rounds Sombra gave me into my pistol and managed to hit the android in both its legs. That gave me the opening I needed to grab Amélie and run towards the rendezvous point. She looked at me in astonishment.

"How did you know where to find me?" she asked.
"Sombra triangulated the radio signal she used to contact you and I followed it here. I knew you were in danger the moment she mentioned Project Specter." I replied.

Gunfire began to follow us as I continued on ahead towards the large window. The pain in my ribs was excruciating, as was the deep gash in my shoulder that was only haphazardly healed with some bio-foam. I didn't have much time before I was rendered immobile from the sheer amount of pain and I attributed my endurance to the serum that Jaegar shot me with. I had lost the urge to lose control of myself through the sheer force of will to protect the woman I was carrying in my arms.

"Sombra. You ready with the escape plan?" I asked.
"Jump out that window. You'll be in range once you approach the ground level."

I looked down at her before looking at the window we were fast approaching.

"Do you trust me?" I asked.

Her eyes narrowed before she nodded slowly. Her grip around me tightened as I launched us both through the window.

"Now Sombra!" I shouted.
"Translocating."

One Hour Later

"I...should've been more aware." I said with a deep sigh.
"There's no way you could've known about any of this. It's not your fault." he replied.

I wiped the blood from his shoulder as I continued to stitch up the gash with a suture kit. He didn't even remotely respond to the pain as I sealed the cut slowly but surely. I guess I shouldn't be surprised; he didn't react as violently to getting stabbed with a combat knife than I thought he would.

"...You saved me again." I whispered.
"And you saved me; you managed to distract that android long enough for me to disable it and get us out of there." he replied.

I rolled my eyes as I finished sewing. I then wrapped a bandage around the wound, pinning it securely with a safety pin once I was satisfied with the tightness. He then replaced his long sleeved shirt and smiled at me.

"Thank you." he said.

He got to his feet before gesturing for me to follow him. He led me to the kitchen before looking towards a seat. I took it as he reached for some pots.

"There's something we need to discuss." he began.
"What is it?" I replied.
"It's about your skin color. I'm worried that there's a problem that runs far deeper than just the way you look." he explained.

He filled one of the pots with water and some salt before placing it on the stove and lighting it. After covering the pot, he turned back to me.

"Your heart rate is extremely slow and I presume your pulse rate is about the same. That's very dangerous." he continued.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"You feeling tired all the time. Has it ever happened before?"

I put my hand to my chin, shaking my head upon remembering no other time before recently. He shook his head and sighed.

"That means that Talon must've been doing something to keep you from deteriorating. That can only mean that your body is now weakening because whatever they were doing to you before has stopped...you're dying Amélie." he said.

I began to feel fear wash over my body as the sudden realization of my mortality came into mind.

"We're going back to Paris tomorrow. I'd like to have a friend of mine run some tests on you so we can get to the bottom of this. Is that alright?" I asked.

I nodded slowly, not meeting his eyes as I stared down at the floor.

"...I nearly allowed them to suppress my emotions...permanently." I gasped.
"They used Gerard's likeness against you. There was no way you could've been prepared for something like that...but now you have to be ready for it; that android can become anyone it chooses to be." he said.

He then turned to me before handing me a gun. Before I could ask why, he lifted it to his chest.

"Right here...is about where the power core is. If it comes down to it, shoot there...whether it's the android or me." he said firmly.

I looked at him in disbelief.

"...But what if it's you?" I asked.
"That's a risk you're going to have to take from now on; no one is safe." he replied.

I placed the gun beside me as he began to cook dinner for us. As he toiled over the stove, I unconsciously approached him and placed my hand on his shoulder. He turned to me, looking confused. I couldn't figure out what I wanted to say to him. So instead, I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him close to me. He at first, hesitated to move but he soon returned the gesture, wrapping a single arm around my back and allowing himself to relax.

"I'm always putting you in bad situations..." I sighed.
"And I'll always find a way out of them. I'm not dying anytime soon." he replied.

It still puzzled me as to how he could be so determined even after everything that's happened.

"...Why do you go so far for me Aiden? What makes me worth it?" I asked.

I had no idea where this question was coming from as it suddenly blurted out of my mouth. He leaned away before turning off the stove.

"Because you're my friend Amélie. And that's what friends do: see the good in each other and do their best to preserve it." he replied.

Friends...was that really all we were?

I had never known someone who cares enough about me to risk their life multiple times for me. Normally, I was used to being on the receiving end of hatred. I lost count of the number of people who wanted nothing more than to see me draw my last breath because of my actions in the past. Both organizations I used to work for now see me as a criminal who needs to be killed on sight...

And the only person who's been there for me through all this was Aiden Beuclair. A man who I met years ago...in my previous life. He didn't care what I became and for some reason, always believed that I would be able to rediscover my emotions and humanity. He believed in me so much that he went beyond the call of duty. He broke his years of silence and hiding to save my life when he found me that fateful night at Gerard's grave. He took care of me when I was injured despite knowing all the dangers that accompanied helping a fugitive from an organization as powerful as Talon. He protected me from everything until I healed enough to go on my own and despite how worried he was, he allowed me to find my own path. He didn't forbid me from doing anything that I saw necessary and he didn't judge me for my actions. Though he expressed a little disappointment that I had killed so many people during my time in Venice, he didn't scold or lecture me on it...instead choosing to accept it and move on.

He's been so good to me...and I haven't given him anything in return. He didn't even ask for anything...only that I kept myself safe wherever I went and that I should call him if I ever find myself needing help.

"...Is this just friendship?"

Half of me wanted to believe that his feelings ran far deeper than just friendship and he was choosing not to act on them because of his respect for Gerard. He even had the excuse of seeing me fully nude, something that I knew a lot of men would kill to see because of my reputation...but he chose to not act on his own selfish desires. He instead, always put me first...even before himself as he did tonight. He jumped headfirst into what was supposed to be a suicide mission, especially alone...and yet here we were, a little worse for wear but still very much alive.

My hand unconsciously went to his cheek and for some reason, I couldn't break away from his crimson eyes. It was a powerful feeling...something I hadn't felt in so long that it seemed almost alien. But it wasn't something I wanted to go away. As if he felt the same way, he couldn't break away from my eyes either as he began to drift a little closer. I found myself doing the same...

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

The irritating sound of Aiden's PDA broke us from the moment. He then suddenly realized what he was doing before turning away and clearing his throat. I moved away shyly, feeling heat begin to build within my cheeks.

"Aiden here." he said into the PDA.
"You guys safe and sound?" asked Sombra.

He pressed a few buttons on the PDA which brought up a holographic interface which showed the hacker. She smiled at me.

"Good to see you safe mija." she said.
"You're the one who sent Aiden to find me. Thank you Sombra." I replied.

She smiled brightly at me as she looked to Aiden.

"I managed to break away from my contracts. I'll have the next month free so is there anything you need amigo?" she asked.
"Yes actually. I need you to get in contact with an old friend of mine. Up to the task?" he asked.
"Who is it?" asked the hacker.

He looked at me for a moment before sighing.

"I believe you've heard the names Winston and Angela Ziegler before?" he asked.

My eyes widened in shock.

"How do you know they'll be willing to help?" asked Sombra.
"I don't. But Dr. Ziegler is one of the leading medical minds in the world and Winston is a famous inventor. Considering all that my daughter and I have done for Overwatch's efforts recently, I'm hoping they'll be willing to help me with this." he explained.
"Though you have a good history with them mijo, Spider here doesn't. She's the one who took out Ana Amari's eye and also the one who assassinated Mondatta. I find it difficult to believe that they will help her." she explained.

The assassin's determination didn't falter for even a moment.

"Please Sombra. You're the only one I know who can get into contact with them discreetly. Though it's not a great chance, it's one I have to take."

I had never heard him take such a tone and it was enough to astonish her visibly as her face softened. She nodded slowly and smiled.

"Alright mijo. I'll see what I can do. Focus on getting to Paris for now." she said.
"Thank you." he said.

She winked at him before turning to me.

"You're a lucky woman araña. A lot of girls would kill to have that kind of concern from a handsome cabron like Aiden." she said with a wink.

I blushed profusely at her words and before I could scold her, the call cut off. Aiden then set the table for dinner and gestured me over to him.

"I'm sure you haven't had a homecooked meal in the two months you've been gone." he teased.

I rolled my eyes, but laughed softly.

"You'll never hear me admit to missing your cooking if that's what you're saying chéri." I replied.

He shrugged and laughed softly.

"How fast you eat it all will tell me everything I need to know."

After playfully punching him in the shoulder, I sat next to him and happily ate the dinner he prepared for us.

"Whatever we are...I know one thing is certain. I don't want to leave his side again; I missed him a lot more than I care to admit."

Meanwhile- Jaegar's Private Jet

"They evaded all our pursuing forces sir. What will we do now?" asked Specter.

Oscar smiled to himself before reaching into his jacket and removing a small device.

"How long will it be until we arrived in Germany?" he asked.
"Approximately three hours sir." replied the attendant.

The mastermind behind Widowmaker's attempted assassination laughed once more as he brought the device to life with his fingerprint. The screen then showed a picture of Widowmaker's face along with very detailed biological information.

"Specter. What kind of weapon in your opinion is the deadliest?" he asked.

The android shook its head.

"I am not sure how to answer that sir." it replied.

The attendant placed a glass of champagne on Oscar's table before taking her leave from the room.

"Conventional weapons are effective because they inflict deep wounds that everyone can see which attacks both the body and the mind. Biological weapons are effective because they are capable of wiping out a species in the blink of an eye. But...there is no greater weapon than the one that cuts on its own." he snickered.

He pressed the large red button on the device until the screen read:

TERMINATING ASSET: SUBJECT WIDOWMAKER.

CEASING SUBCONSCIOUS CIRCULATORY SUSTENANCE DEVICE FUNCTIONS.

He replied the device in his pocket before looking at the android.

"She will be dead within one day. Once she's been taken care of, it is time to move on with our plans." he said.

The android nodded firmly.

"What's the first step sir?" it asked.
"Our first order of business is to kill Mr. Beuclair's daughter; she's become quite the thorn in our sides with her research on Project Darkwind's countermeasures. Once she is dead, it will be time for a live field test of the weapon. With all of Overwatch's agents as our guinea pigs..."

He took a gulp of his champagne and smiled to himself.

"Once the vermin have been dealt with, we will rebuild the world to be stronger...better. We will rule with an iron fist and not even Overwatch will be able to stop us!"