Chapter 17- Permanent

Hanzo waited among the rooftops for his brother. The air was fresh and crisp as it wafted by, sending a pleasant chill down the sniper's spine. Sirens wailed in the distance in tandem with the honking of car horns from the busy streets a few miles away. Hanzo's old home peaked over the walls on the top of the hill, only a few miles away. The roof was concrete and quiet, the noise of the city fading into distant ambience with no soul nearby to interrupt as Hanzo sat and waited, lit only by the moonlight.

The fact that Genji had managed to find out his HoloVid information, despite it not even being linked to his identity, was somewhat incredible, though not nearly as much of a surprise as it should've been. Hanzo's brother always had a knack for finding information that he had no right to know. The message was also anonymous, but it required no name.

"Shimada Clan still active. They have info I need. I swear to God if you don't help me, I won't be the only one that was killed by his brother. Old base, you know the one. I'll be there in a day, tops, assuming I don't crash the jet. GTG to Nepal first. And yes, I know I'm using proper punctuation for once. Voice to text is dumb."

Hanzo snorted as he recalled the message. Genji always had an immature sense of humour, relying on fairly generic and predictable jokes in a relatively self-aware way, yet he somehow never caught on that the elders didn't exactly appreciate his cynical and snarky personality. That, or he did catch on and never cared. Hanzo would wager the latter. It was evident his brother had held onto that wit despite everything Hanzo had done to him.

Deciding to be productive, Hanzo prepared the items they would need for the invasion. This particular hideout was one Hanzo had been to on occasion, and he knew how to get below the elevator rather than damaging it. From there, his quiver was full of sonic arrows with jamming signals on them to stop cameras, and as Genji once taught him, Hanzo was to always carry a thumb drive with him. There were regular arrows, and some of his scatter arrows as well, and he had enough energy built up for one or two uses of his dragonstrike arrows. Hanzo absently wondered how often Genji was able to use his dragonblade and dragonstrikes. Did Genji even know how to use a bow anymore? Surely he did.

How valuable was the information they were seeking? Genji wouldn't contact Hanzo for just anything. Sure, the destruction of the Shimada clan was important, but after some poking around, Hanzo had found out Genji was in Overwatch this whole time, and that he was responsible for their initial collapse. Why couldn't Overwatch take them out again, especially with their revival hitting all the news outlets? No, this was something personal for Genji. The Shimada clan and Talon did something to him, harmed someone close to him. They did something that made Hanzo's rash baby brother wish to destroy the Shimada Clan in the most painful way possible: with the two princes of the organisation.

If all this was true, then a robotic body had barely changed Genji. Still, the fact remains that Hanzo had stolen Genji's body, and now Hanzo must redeem himself. Hopefully, this could help. The ninja tipped his head. Off in the distance, he heard the thrum of an aeroplane steadily getting closer. Hanzo stood up and waited, watching as the lights of a small jet came into view, much closer to the ground than any plane not planning to land nearby.

The jet was small, barely large enough for a five or six people. However, when the door opened, only two people stood at the door. One was Genji, the green lights shining brightly on his body. The other was an Omnic, likely the same model as Mondatta given the appearance. It was probably equipped with state-of-the-art hover technology, and electromagnetic hands made for the purpose of dealing with metal in regards to manual labour. Right now, the Omnic dressed as a monk walked next to Hanzo's brother.

"Hello, brother. I'm pleased you came to help. I wasn't sure you would," Genji admitted as he walked out into the cold Hanamura air, his mechanical limbs squeaking no louder than one would hear clothing rustling against their body.

"So, you are the brother I have heard so much about," the monk greeted. "I am Zenyatta. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"A pleasure?" Hanzo asked, quirking his eyebrow towards Genji. "I would have expected you to give me a bad reputation. Not that it was undeserved."

"Meh. I did at first. But then I found inner-peace and other cool ninja-y things like that. The past is in the past," Genji dismissed, tossing Hanzo an earpiece. "I gave Master access to the feed in there because we both know how bad they are at securing their Wi-Fi. He'll be watching through my cameras and the security feed there as we do our cool ninja stuff."

"Nice to see you have not changed," Hanzo mused as he began climbing down the wall after a curt nod to Zenyatta, who headed back into the ship to move it to a more hidden location.

"Nice to see you're just as grumpy as last time," Genji retorted, using a windowsill to perch for a second before jumping to a small ledge on another building. Hanzo grunted in disorientation as he only heard Genji's voice through the earpiece despite being nearby.

"Mind telling me what information you need before we can use our dragons?"

"Remember Tracer?"

Hanzo quirked an eyebrow. "I am mildly familiar with her, based on the propaganda from years ago."

"Talon has her." Genji's voice was so much more monotone than earlier, it surprised Hanzo.

"What does this matter to you? It's not like it's the first time you've ever experienced a team member being captured. The Shimada clan failed their missions from time to time."

"She is a valued team member, and she helped me come to terms with my new form. If it weren't for her, I'd have never found my master. Now Talon has captured her, and I plan on finding out where she is so I can take them down myself."

Hanzo landed gently on the roof of the facility, Genji following suit as they ran to the ventilation shaft of the laboratory.

"The alarms are off," Zenyatta commented from the ship as the twosome opened a nearby vent and began to crawl through, Hanzo being sure to keep his voice down.

"Under what pretence do they have her captured? For information?"

"For conversion," Genji spat, his voice laced with vile rage. "They're torturing her."

"That… seems like something Talon and the Shimada clan would both do. Regardless, are your agents not trained to endure such treatment?"

"We are, and she is very resilient but given her general condition… It's already been three days. We're running out of time."

"Quiet," Hanzo ordered as they both dropped through the shaft. The reception centre was just as Hanzo remembered it. He quietly strode behind the desk, grabbing a book and unlocking the elevator. From there, Genji followed as he pressed a single button on the elevator before running out, much to Genji's confusion.

"Where are we…?" Genji mumbled through the communication device.

"If you had paid any attention, or ever visited this place, you'd know that they include a secret entrance," Hanzo retorted as the blue-clad ninja opened the door to the stairwell, which was only supposed to lead up. Instead, there was a new door, previously hidden by blending into the wall, that had slid open to reveal a downward spiralling stairwell.

"Meh, not worth it," Genji retorted humorously, jumping downward from level to level as he fearlessly vaulted across the easily one-hundred-meter pit. Hanzo did the same, though with slightly more caution as he refrained from jumping across the gap, instead of dropping from rail to rail, as though descending a massive ladder.

When they reached the bottom, Zenyatta chimed in again. "There are people right outside the doorway, as well as a camera."

Hanzo wordlessly prepared a jamming arrow, nodding at Genji.

Genji quietly swung the door open, revealing the entrance to a rather small hallway. Hanzo located the camera in a matter of milliseconds, firing his arrow and jamming the feed before anyone could react. The two Shimada clan agents let out surprised chirps, quickly silenced as Shurikens buried themselves into both of their throats. One of the men fell unconscious, soon to be dead, on the spot, while the other let out a guttural, choking sound as he writhed on the floor for several seconds. Hanzo paid him no heed as he continued, firing arrows with the jamming frequency whenever Zenyatta alerted him to a nearby camera, while Genji quickly killed the men they came across. It was only a matter of time until someone found one of the bodies.

Hanzo led Genji through a corridor of twists and turns until they finally reached a room locked with a key card scanner.

"There is a camera in the chamber you approach, however, jamming it with another one of your arrows might damage the computers in the room."

"Then let us act fast. Brother did you…"

"Way ahead of you," Genji bragged, pulling out a key card scanner from one of the men they had killed. The cyborg swiped the card. The light beeped red.

"It would appear only authorised access is allowed in there," Zenyatta commented. "Given the lack of time, I suggest tearing the door down."

"On it," Genji replied, unsheathing his green blade. Using his augmented strength, Genji jammed the sword into the door where the main latches would be, quickly swiping his blade to cut the locks. No distinct sounds could be heard, though Zenyatta chimed in again.

"Silent alarms are going off. Be quick. Soldiers are approaching."

Hanzo swung his bow over his shoulder and ran into the room, quickly plugging in the USB chip he brought as it automatically started downloading any files it could. After roughly sixty seconds of anxious waiting, the chip had seemingly absorbed all it could, a small light turning off as Hanzo pulled it out and pocketed it.

Grabbing his bow, he and Genji nodded to each other as they began to run. They heard men scrambling in the distance, likely preparing a defence for the exit.

Sure enough, probably three dozen agents were waiting as Hanzo rounded the corner to the door. Genji was prepared as they began to fire, jumping in front of Hanzo with his blade as he moved, almost too fast for eyes to track as he blocked all the bullets, protecting Hanzo from any bodily harm.

"Now!" the cyborg shouted, jumping out of the way. Hanzo was ready. Drawing an arrow, he called upon the ancient energy manifesting itself in his blood as his tattoo sparked dangerously.

"Ryuu ga waga teki wo kurau!" Hanzo's voice echoed through the hallway as two blue dragons wrapped and surrounded the arrow, sprouting outward with a mighty roar that shook the very building. It was a symphony, as dragons roared and man screamed in agony as the dragons bit through and burned their flesh, tearing their lives away from them. The scent of burning flesh assaulted Hanzo's senses as he stumbled slightly from the sudden drain of energy before righting himself and leading the way to the stairwell as Genji followed close behind, leaving the mound of mangled bodies behind.

The opening into the stairwell was surprisingly large. It would figure Talon would pack one more soldier in there. The main difference was this person dressed in a more traditional Shimada garb, likely a graduate from the ninja classes some were forced to take. His face was hidden by a black hood, with blue stripes trailing his outfit.

"Katsuro," Hanzo greeted, his voice stony as he slowly strung an arrow. Genji whipped his head towards his brother, probably shocked under the visor.

"Katsuro? That quiet kid from our classes?" he asked aloud.

If Katsuro was surprised to hear Genji's voice, he didn't show it, merely glaring from behind his mask. The soft-spoken, timid boy they recalled from their lessons was all but missing, the style of his outfit and weapon choice being the only telling signs of his identity.

His weapons were two gauntlets, both of which had four long blades extending from them, much like claws. Both of his legs were prosthetics beneath the outfit, as indicated by their odd shape

"Katsuro, do not make us harm you," Hanzo warned, voice low. Genji was already crouched, ready to dash in a moment's notice.

"Return what you have stolen from the Shimadas," he commanded, no sympathy in his voice. He pointed a single clawed hand at the two.

"We stole information that has more to do with Talon just so you know," Genji retorted.

"Talon is the claws of the dragon, that allow it to fight for all it's worth. Just as you cannot declaw a dragon, the Shimada clan is one with Talon. Perhaps you would be a part of the empire had you not turned your backs on us. Now, return what you have stolen."

"Never," Genji stated plainly, his voice cold.

"So be it." Katsuro lunged at Genji, claws outstretched. Genji ducked swept his foot out in front of him to knock Katsuro off balance, who jumped upward, propelled by his sturdy prosthetics. Genji dashed around the spiral stairs to the next floor, chucking a shuriken at the ninja, who wedged it between his blades and deflected it to the side. Hanzo drew an arrow, following the two of them up the stairs as he prepared a shot, letting it fly as Katsuro appeared across from him one story up.

Katsuro hit the floor, causing the arrow to miss before he lunged off the balcony, diving towards Hanzo, who caught his bladed hand in his bow. Genji fired another shuriken before his brother could be impaled, causing Katsuro to duck to the side. Hanzo grabbed Katsuro's arm and flipped him over the railing.

Much like a feline, Katsuro flipped himself over and landed gently, vaulting upward again the next moment towards Genji, using his claws to climb the support beams. Hanzo ran up the stairs as the two scuffled. Genji slashed with his sword as Katsuro countered with his claws, using his other in an uppercut motion that forced Genji to backflip away.

Katsuro used his claws to deflect another arrow by twisting them to catch the projectile, and Hanzo could tell his quiver was running low.

Genji vaulted over the gap again, launching a three more shurikens as he twisted around, grabbing firmly onto the railing. Katsuro chased after him, and the two launched themselves upward several more flights until they reached the top, Hanzo following close behind. Hanzo shot again, missing by mere inches, the arrow clattering against the wall as Katsuro dove behind Genji and used his robotic legs to break Genji's balance as he dropped his blade. Hanzo's brother stumbled to the ground as he pulled out his sword to intercept the claws intent on slitting his throat.

Hanzo roared as he grabbed lowered his grip on his bow to use it as a melee weapon, swinging at their assailant as he threw up his gauntlets to protect himself, wedging the bow in his claws, and throwing it out of Hanzo's grasp as it bounced against the wall.

Genji lurched to his feet and swung at Katsuro again, his blade narrowly missing the man. Katsuro took the opportunity and lunged at Hanzo, who tried to jump back, a gash tearing open in his shoulder. He grunted, his hand instinctually moving to cover the wound as Katsuro attacked again, a straight jab, one of the blades completely piercing Hanzo's right arm, the blade poking out the other end, drenched in crimson.

Hanzo flung himself backwards, dislodging his arm as he landed clumsily on the ground. Katsuro towered over him as he drew his arm back, prepared to end Hanzo's life.

"Stay away from my brother!" Genji cried as he used Hanzo's bow to bludgeon Katsuro from the side, knocking him off the balcony as he crashed through the flimsy railing. Katsuro quickly caught himself on the other side, digging his claws into the support beam. Genji was prepared quickly taking one of Hanzo's remaining arrows as the green lights on his body began to intensify their glow. He drew back the arrow, bellowing the chant Hanzo knew so well as he fired the shot down at Katsuro.

"Ryūjin no ken o kurae!" From the arrow, two neon green dragons erupted forward with a mighty roar. Katsuro seemed to go limp, even before the dragons reached him. He bowed his head as the jaws of one of the dragons snapped shut around the ninja, and he fell down to the floor twenty metres below, the clang of his gear being the only sound of his landing. Burning flesh wafted up to the brothers; Hanzo wrinkled his nose.

"We should go," he stated through grit teeth, untying his headband with his good arm, wrapping it around his wound. It was drenched in red in seconds, but it would suffice.

Genji nodded, grabbing his sword and leading the way through the facility as Hanzo followed close behind, holding a small knife with his left arm.

They made it out of the building with relative ease. "Brother, are you able to climb the wall?" Hanzo sighed. "I doubt it," he admitted. "The blade completely pierced my arm."

Genji nodded. "My master is on his way to pick us up now. We will head to Overwatch, where we can get you some proper help."

"I never agreed to go to Overwatch!" Hanzo retorted sharply. "They would likely turn me in!"

Genji made some sort of mechanical snorting sound as the two watched the small jet approach. "Overwatch hosts several criminals. One of the best operatives in Blackwatch is an outlaw cowboy, spurs and all."

Hanzo raised an eyebrow.

"Do not ask." Anything else Genji might've said was lost to the roar of the jet. The door opened, and Hanzo was greeted with the Omnic setting out medicinal equipment, already grabbing disinfectant and gauze.

"You know how to treat wounds?" Hanzo asked sceptically as he sat down. The Omnic made a robotic chuckling noise.

"No, but my pupil certainly doesn't. A quick Internet search taught me what I needed. Now please be still."

One thing was sure: Zenyatta was much better at treating wounds than Genji would ever be. Genji flew the jet for the next ten minutes as Zenyatta treated Hanzo's wound. Soon, his arm was completely wrapped with most of the bleeding stopped.

"You will still need proper medical attention, but this should prevent further injury," Zenyatta told Hanzo as he stood up to take the controls from Genji, who had only been haphazardly flying up to that point.

"Thank you, Zenyatta-san," Hanzo expressed, pulling out the USB chip from the pocket in which he had been holding it. "Brother, what should we do with this? If anything has the information you seek, it'll be on here, along with plenty more details about the Shimada Clan and Talon."

Genji hummed, stretching as he sat in one of the flight seats. "It's probably encrypted, and we'd better run it on a computer separate to Overwatch just to be safe. We'll let Winston dig through it to find what we need, and do what we want with the rest later."

Hanzo nodded, tossing him the chip, which he deftly caught, rolling it around in his hands. "Very well. And what do you expect to do once you've got this location?"

"Storm the place. We're going on a rescue mission. I am going to save Tracer. Nothing will stop me. Talon messed with the wrong person, and now, they're going to pay. I'll kill them all. Anyone who tries to stop me from reaching the one they stole from us."

…

If there was anything Symmetra was expecting when she unboarded the plane, it was more… organization. Instead, a blue gorilla lumbered over to the small crew haphazardly flipping through notes on a clipboard.

"Ah, yes, you must be Satya Vaswani, correct? Welcome, welcome! We're glad to have you! I'm Winston."

"That is your surname?" One of the associates next to Satya asked sceptically, her clipboard already full of any of the paperwork that needs to be done.

"No, I do not have a surname," he answered distractedly as he prepared some documents. "I have all the necessary files for the agent transfer. 'In exchange for Satya "Symmetra" Vaswani's services in field work and construction, she will be permitted a spot in Overwatch's higher council.' All I need are a few more signatures, and we will be ready."

Five minutes later, all the paperwork was done, and Vishkar left her with a small bag of her equipment and a giant Gorilla.

"So, Agent Vaswani, I'll be having our lead doctor, Angela Ziegler, lead you around. I figured you would prefer her company as to our more… rowdy additions."

Satya nodded. "That will be most appreciated. Thank you, Mr Winston."

"Just Winston will do," he assured as the two exited the hangar and passed through a few hallways.

"I would rather refer to you with an honorific. Everyone is deserving of one."

Winston nodded stiffly. "O-okay. That is fine. Regardless, we have currently been devoting most of our resources to a particular mission, but you will still likely find yourself faced with a fair amount of free time. In that time, we have prepared a workshop for you that you are free to do with as you please, and so long as you aren't given an assignment, your time is yours."

"That seems somewhat lax, if I may be so bold," Satya admitted, her hand twitching nervously.

"Yes, but most everyone here is good about getting in their training. We have had no reason to be stricter. Ah! We're here!" Winston knocked gently on a spotless white door with "Medical wing" labelled above it in red.

Symmetra could feel herself relax as she stepped into the orderly room. Shelves were lined with medicinal items, each of them carefully labelled. On several sides were doorways leading to other rooms for patients, likely filled with even more items. This was the bulk storage room.

"Dr Ziegler?" Winston called. Shuffling could be heard from one of the rooms as a woman wearing a lab coat with a blonde ponytail exited in a hurry.

"Oh, Winston! What a pleasure! You must be the new recruit, Ms Satya 'Symmetra' Vaswani, correct? It is wonderful to meet you!"

"Likewise. You are Dr Ziegler?" she asked stiffly, bowing slightly.

"Yes, I am. Winston, you may go." The doctor turned to Symmetra after Winston gave a curt nod and lumbered out. "I must finish up with this patient. She will be joining us as we go. I will show you the main facilities."

Symmetra nodded, "As you wish," she mumbled with a growing unease that this would be one of the "rowdier" recruits.

As it turns out, Ms Mei-ling Zhou was incredibly calm and comfortable to be around. "Ms Vaswani, what do you do in your free time?" The short Asian girl asked as the threesome walked out the medical wing after the introductions were out of the way.

"I utilise the latest hard-light technology to manufacture whatever is needed."

"Hard light? Is that a recent technology?" the climatologist asked with interest sparkling in her eyes.

"It has been used publicly for approximately three years."

"Ah, no wonder I don't know about it then. See, I was frozen in cryostasis for a while, so I'm still catching up on everything I missed," the girl admitted, her eyes dulling slightly.

"I see. That must be… difficult," Satya comforted awkwardly.

"Haha, don't worry about it." Mei assured as the group reached a room with a name tag reading "Agent Satya 'Symmetra' Vaswani" on it.

"Here we are!" Dr Ziegler cheerfully declared, pressing a few buttons on the keypad. "Here, Satya. If you would please put your hand on the fingerprint scanner?"

"Yes, Dr Ziegler," Satya pulled off her white glove and presented her prints to the device, grateful for the distraction. The room was… tidy, if Satya had to describe it in a word. The walls were baby blue, with clean, white covers on the bed. They seemed comfortable. The curtains were a silky white and cold to the touch. The dresser was sanded to perfection, with a lamp on top.

"I hope you find the room to your liking. We tried to keep it somewhat organised. We like to keep the rooms comfortable for the agents."

"I do not need to share the chamber? I was expecting bunks," Symmetra nervously admitted.

"Well, we do not have enough agents here to justify using the bunk rooms. Even then, you were promised a high-ranking position among us so you will be equal to us. The only one here we consider to be the superiors are Winston, the commander, the captain, and myself. You will meet them later, though."

"I see. Thank you. You have been most hospitable," Symmetra commented lamely, soaking it all in.

"You haven't seen the lab, yet! Come on!" Mei declared in excitement, marching across the hall. The lab, as it turns out, was a large room with plenty of electrical outlets, desks, HoloVid monitors, and tools for various uses.

Symmetra stepped in tentatively, not sure what to say. "And this lab is… mine, you say?"

"Of course," Dr Ziegler assured with a smile. We want to make sure you are comfortable while you spend your time here. Overwatch has many of the rowdy types here, and I figured someone coming from Vishkar would need a place where we don't have cowboys and pyromaniacs making a hubbub."

Symmetra paled. "Pardon?"

Mercy chuckled. "As I said, Overwatch has fairly odd groups here."

"I-I see."

Mei fiddled with her hands. "They're really not so bad once you get to know them. They're just super chaotic. Now come on, want to go to the kitchen? I can make us some tea in the meantime."

"Oh, Mei! That sounds lovely. How about it, Agent Vaswani? You can drop your stuff off in the lab or your room, and we can go. How does that sound?"

"As you wish." Setting her bag on the nearby table, Symmetra followed the twosome to the kitchen. Keeping her head down, she felt herself bump into another agent.

"Hey, watch it, Vishkar!" she heard the man snap. She looked up to come face-to-face with Lúcio Correia dos Santos, the DJ that robbed Vishkar.

Symmetra glared at the man. "I was not aware that you would be here," she commented coldly.

"I wasn't excited to hear you were coming either, to be fair."

"You will return what you have stolen from Vishkar," she demanded, ignoring the twosome behind her.

"Stole? Yeah, I took a device made to brainwash those who listen to the music. I did the world a favour. Besides, where do you think this fancy tech comes from?" he retorted, almost crushing the soda can he was holding. It was then that Symmetra noticed two children behind him, one likely eighteen or nineteen, and one who couldn't be above twelve. They exchanged nervous glances.

"The hard work of our scientists," she declared, clasping her hands in front of her.

Lúcio barked a laugh. "Hah! Ask your bosses where this tech came from, then we'll talk about returning it."

"How would a street ruffian like you know anything?"

Lúcio fumed. "Wanna know why we're at the bottom? It's because of bigots like you." The DJ whipped his head around. "Hana, Efi, let's go."

"Uh… it was nice to meet you, Ms Vishkar?" the little girl asked in confusion.

"Vaswani. Satya Vaswani." Symmetra corrected stiffly, watching the DJ storm off with cold eyes.

Of course. Sorry. Well… see you later, Ms Vaswani?" the bowed slightly, and turned to follow Lúcio. Hana frowned but still followed.

"I was not aware I would have to work with him," Symmetra sighed, turning back to her new acquaintances.

"Unfortunately, you will be working with him on occasion. Regardless, do not feel obligated to train with him or anything of the sorts. He is just as on edge as you are."

Symmetra nodded curtly. "As you wish."

Mei hummed. "But enough with that downy-frowny stuff. Come on, I'll make tea!"

"Tea would be enjoyable," Symmetra admitted as she followed Mei to the kitchen.

…

Tracer woke up coughing and sputtering as the electrical current jolted her awake. She managed to stay on the bed as she squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the pain to subside. She felt the cold claws of Reaper grab the collar of her jacket, yanking her off the table and onto the ground. She kept her eyes shut, not wanting to see anything, in hopes that it would go away.

"Good morning, my pet. How did you sleep?" Reaper cooed, planting his foot firmly on the cuff of Tracer's right leg.

Lena said nothing, only yelping as another electrical current ripped through her, fast and intense.

"I am speaking to you."

"I slept wonderfully,love," she retorted bitterly. "Bet we have another day of fun planned, huh?"

"Immense fun. However, you could avoid it all by joining us," he offered ominously.

"Go to hell," she spat. Reaper laughed.

"I'll meet you there. Now, ready for the rules? I'm going to press a button, and you will find yourself able to recall. When I say so, you will recall.

She felt the weight on her leg increase as he picked his other one up. Tracer gritted her teeth and tipped her head away.

Her shrill screams drowned the sickening snap. Red. Her vision went red, she couldn't think. Blood roared in her ears. Her knee. Her knee. Her knee. She was screaming. She couldn't stop. Pain. Bloody, roaring, red agony. It was consuming, hungry for her mind as each heartbeat radiated with hot and cold and sharp pain.

"Recall," she faintly heard Reaper order. She became aware of that ever-present feeling of the roar of time, as she dove into the current, letting it sweep her back several seconds before she was forced back into Reaper's clutches. Tracer gasped for breath at the few moments of relief.

Then it was gone. Reaper snatched her ankle upward, causing her head to hit the ground as he drew his other hand back. Tracer started shaking.

Snap. Screaming. She couldn't control the wailing as she writhed in his grasp. Her knee. Her knee. Her knee. The bones grinded against each other, rattling loosely as she jerked from side to side in agony. Fire consumed her and red was her vision as pain closed its jaws around her being.

"Recall." Tracer didn't hesitate, plunging backwards in time for a blissful second of relief. She gasped as tears rolled onto the ground.

Snap. The pulsing agony wouldn't let her go as she screeched, begged, pleaded for an end. She recalled, only to be reduced to a shrieking, writhing mess as sparks jutted out from her collar, her skin almost smoking.

"I did not tell you to recall!" Reaper scolded furiously. "You do not get to act of your own accord. You are not your own person anymore. A freak like you is a weapon to be owned and controlled. You will surrender the controls to me!"

Tracer whimpered as he grabbed her leg again. Snap.

Screaming.

"Recall."

Snap.

Red.

"Recall."

Snap.

Blood.

"Recall."

Snap.

Anguish.

"Recall."

Snap.

Crying.

"Recall."

Tracer panted, desperately attempting to scramble away before Reaper could grab her ankle to no avail. She gritted her teeth, humiliation burning as much as the pain.

Snap.

No.

"Recall."

She wouldn't be his pet so easily.

Snap.

Not… give… up…

"Recall."

If she was going down, she needed to fight!

Snap.

End it.

"Recall."

She would not give up like this… if she was lucky, she could finally be free, one way or another.

Snap.

No. No. No.

"Recall."

No. No. No.

"I said Recall!" Reaper commanded as Tracer lied there, trembling and crying, leg bent forward with bones jutting out.

No. No. No.

"Recall!" he ordered again. SNAP.

Screaming. Agony. Blood. No. No. No.

"Recall!"

No.

"You will not recall? I believe you only have a few seconds left before this is permanent. Now. Recall."

No. No. No.

"Fine."

Zapping and crackling and screaming and blood and it never ended. It never ended. She couldn't move, couldn't move, could not move. Cuffs stuck. Tracer was stuck. She coughed and cried and blood came out but nobody heeded her calls. She was alone. Her right leg was forward, bent wrong. It was wrong. Very wrong. Nothing was right. Or was this right now?

Every beat of her pulse was agony as everything in her was enveloped by the monster that was pain. She whimpered and trembled and shouted, her pleas falling on deaf ears. Reaper. Reaper was there. He was bending down. His cold claw was on her chin, making her look at the mask.

"Next time, when I say recall, you recall. Understood?"

Lena pathetically moaned and tried to nod. Couldn't move. Burning. Crimson.

"I think you'll just stay right here for a while. How about that? I think you'll be ready to behave by tomorrow, won't you? Maybe if you obey tomorrow, you can have a meal. You've voided your options considerably with that stunt. I'll be surprised if your leg can heal after that."

Reaper laughed, dark and creepy and frightening. "Ironic, is it not? A crippled freak show who is only good for running." Reaper left. Vision was blurry, spots everywhere. Couldn't feel leg. Knee still hurt. Everything else was angry and burning. Stuck to floor. A pet to be punished on leash.