CHAPTER 8

SWITZERLAND - ZÜRICH

Widowmaker had been scouting out the territory for hours now. She had already donned the local apparel of the common people. Fantastic, Reyes didn't give me enough intel for this mission. Time to find where Miss Ziegler lives… If a famous ex-Overwatch agent lived nearby, it would most likely be known by passerbys. Widow decided she would ask and listen around to see if she could locate the angelic former agent.

The french assassin readied her best swiss accent when approaching a nearby citizen. "Hallo." She greeted warmly as she walked by the stranger. Widow obviously felt nothing but disdain for this entire situation, and it made her wish she had travelled somewhere else that wasn't this cold in the winter.

She sputtered and tumbled over onto her knees as she mentally acknowledged the temperature. Almost like a broken mirror's image, the remnants of her former self from just a day before still lingered. Her mind flashed back to the freezer, and any feeling of slight cold immediately brought the trained killer to her knees.

Get a hold of yourself, there is a target at hand. The person who had been walking by was bending down beside her. "Are you ok, miss?" The man asked in English. Widow's eyes opened wide for a moment. His accent wasn't Swiss, it was French.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" He asked. She nodded. "My ankle feels somewhat sprained, do you know where the nearest hospital is?" Widow responded. He extended his hand to help her to her feet. "It's a few blocks down, on Flerr Street I believe." He explained as he put her arm around his shoulder to aid her walking.

Widow was flattered by his gentlemanly attitude. "So how long have you been living here?" He asked while they walked. She chuckled. "I don't live here, I'm on vacation. I supposed I would attempt to blend in with the locals by talking like them." She falsely confessed, revealing her true He smiled. "That seems as good a reason as any to talk like the people here."

Her curiosity had gotten the best of her. She just had to ask about his accent. "You don't seem to be from around here either, are you?" The man smirked at her comment. "I was born in France, as by your accent it seems you hail from there as well?"

She knew she shouldn't be making any sort of small talk that wouldn't relate to the mission, but while her conscious mind screamed at her not to engage with this man, a small part of her was screaming louder. "Indeed, I'm…" You cannot give him your true name. Yet you can't say Widowmaker either… After some careful thought, se crafted her sentence. "I'm Amélie Guillard, perhaps you've heard of me?" The man seemed to pause and think about his answer. "I'm not sure, it sounds familiar, though."

They approached the hospital. "I'm fine from here, merci, au revoir." She frantically said, the Widowmaker taking back its place in her shared mind. If I was taken into a hospital I would be found out, what was I thinking? The focus is on the mission. "No, please, let me come in with you. You're hurt."

"No, no, I will be just fine on my own, thank you very much for your help sir." Widow told him as she turned away and began to walk into the building. He grew angry. "No!" He shouted and grabbed her arm. She was taken aback by his action. "What are you doing?" Widow asked, confused.

"Get your ass back here!" He yelled, attracting the attention of a few passersby who were watching the spectacle. "I'm sorry, who even are you?" Widow asked, restraining herself from just running away. The little voice inside her head kept telling her to stay and listen. By this point it almost pained her to look at him. She could still feel the cold of the freezer. The man took wild breaths and spoke with vigor imbedded into his words. "I'm Gerard, Gerard Lacroix."

"Gerard!" Widow screamed as she awoke in a bed. It must've been past 3 AM at this point. What had she dreamed of? She couldn't remember… Although, a deep emotion that lurched beneath her surface could not decide if it was nostalgia or dread.

It didn't take her long to realize she wasn't alone in this bed. There was a man sleeping next to her… Should I wake him? Who is it? What is he doing here?

"H-hello?" She asked as she tried to shake him awake. He rolled over and opened his eyes. "What is it, Amélie?" He asked. The details of her nightmare returned to her, although if this was the man that had helped her, she had nothing to worry. He looked nothing like Gerard.

"Go back to sleep if you're not going to say anything, I have work in the morning." He told her. Why am I sleeping with him? Why is he so casual with my blue complexion? Widow tried to talk, but it seemed that the small part of her brain had taken over.

It was like someone else was controlling her body. "Don't worry, love, I'll only be a few minutes. I just need to wash my face." The words escaped her mouth, but Widow neither thought nor commanded them to come out. "Alright, be back soon." He said while Widow felt her body move into the washroom.

The force that was controlling her splashed some cool water on her face. Widow felt the refreshing liquid on her face, and though she was still panicked in her loss of her own body.

As she wiped the moisture off her face through the being that had its hold over her, it looked in the mirror. "You are not going to take this from me. I'm in control now. I'm Amélie Lacroix, Widowmaker no more."

If Widow could've screamed she would have. "You took my life from me, and now, you are banished from my mind." Widow couldn't respond, and Amélie knew it. Instead of waiting for Widow to comprehend what had happened to her and why she had been retaken by her former self, Amélie simply left the washroom.

The wisp of a thought that was left of the Widowmaker had just died inside her head. Now there was only Amélie. I'm finally back. She thought. Now just to keep Talon from bringing me back.