First off, a big thank you to the readers who favourited/followed/reviewed this fic, you guys are seriously wicked! Wasn't expecting a lot from this AU idea, just thought it'd be interesting to write. I'm really enjoying this a bunch, so cheers for that! Anyways, here's chapter 2, hope you enjoy!
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Sunlight streamed through the circular window of Lena's cabin, warming her cheeks and making the darkness glow red behind her eyes. She awoke to the sound of squawking seagulls, and her cheek sore from leaning against the window.
She cracked her eyes open and rubbed her face, trying to regain the feeling there before sitting up; blinking the sleep from her eyes while yawning. Lena was surprised to see how late in the morning it was; the sun already high in the sky.
Above her, feet shuffled and clunked, along with the sound of loud chatter on the main deck. A loud bell rang in the distance.
She gasped, bolting back towards the window. What she saw lit her face up with a wide smile.
Ilios.
She let out a laugh and hopped up, grabbing her jacket and goggles before scrambling through the door. Getting above deck would give her a better view.
Shrugging on her jacket and using her goggles to push back her hair, Lena climbed the steps up to the decking. Straight away, she felt the cool wind blow against her face. The deck was busy, the crew hauling the cargo off the ship in an assortment of different containers; wooden boxes, bags and satchels, some odd looking jars- that Lena failed to get a better look of before they were taken out of view- and a few heavy looking chests.
Lena manoeuvred her way through the crates, dodging and darting to stay out of the way, narrowly missing bumping into a few containers that were being carried, by swerving to her left quickly.
Reinhardt stood near the docking area, clipboard in hand, checking off the goods that left the ship. Noticing Lena, he waved her over.
"Captain? Somethin' you need?"
Looking over the sheet in his hands, he flipped the page and squinted.
"Aye."
Leaning down to her level, he held the board up to her face, pointing out a few of the entries. "Would you mind picking up some of these, lad?"
Lena looked down at the list, smiling when she saw the last item.
"So, you want me to trade for these," She took the list from him, reading it more thoroughly. On the list she could see animal fat, matches, gunpowder, sugar and medical supplies, the words 'for Angela' were sprawled hastily next to that request. Further down the list she saw an untidy sprawl, which looked like a last minute addition. "and get you some fish n' chips? Y'know they taste way better in King's Row, yeah?"
Reinhardt grunted. "I am well aware."
Lena chuckled, nudging his side. "We'll get you some when we're next in my hometown, eh?"
That made him smile. "That would be grand." He handed her a large pouch full of gold coins, more than enough for trading, then made a shooing motion with his hand. "Now get going!"
As her feet hit the platform, she breathed a sigh of relief. As much as she loved being out on the open waters, it was a nice change being on solid land.
They were docked at the main harbour, which was, as usual jam packed and busy. She could hear music and singing, probably from the pub, which she would have fun visiting later. Plenty of ships littered the port, which was surrounded by dozens of wooden huts, scattered as far as the eye could see. The medical supplies were the first thing she bought, lucky that the stall was so easy to find among the rest. The bright red crossed sign giving it away instantly. Lena haggled, finally settling on giving five bronze Doubloons coins for the supplies that Angela needed. She clipped the medium sized box (which contained bandages, an assortment of syringes and plasters, a few antiseptic creams and several packs of painkillers) to her overalls.
Lena walked further into town, looking over the many other stalls. She could see that some were selling animal skins and trinkets, a few held a number of deadly looking weapons and nets, or sold a wide variety of different foods; from fresh produce to hundreds of spice jars. Lena took it all in, feeling great from having a change of scenery, the busy bustling of the town felt comfortable to her.
She breathed in deeply, the cloud of food smells around her mingling together. She caught whiffs of spices and fish, coming from the closest stall to her left.
Reinhardt can wait a bit, can't he?
"COME GET YOUR FREE SAMPLES!"
Snapping her head in the direction the voice came from, she could see steaming hot plates, completely choc-a-block with mountains of food. Waiting for her.
… Course he can.
She grinned, thanking the gods before making her way over to the closest stall. Ready to try anything and everything.
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Oh, the regret I'm feeling...
Lena groaned, now completely stuffed full of free samples of spiced fish. Not even thinking to check the watch on her wrist, she wondered how long she had been eating for. She hoped she hadn't been too long, Reinhardt was probably waiting for his supplies.
Gotta walk this off.
She winced, getting up from the small barrel she sat on. Eating like a pig probably wasn't the best idea… free samples though.
Still, the weather was nice, and taking a stroll along the beach wouldn't take long.
She set off, leaving the booths and stalls, making her way closer to the harbour.
Once there, she bent down to take off her boots and socks, ready to walk across the sand. Getting sand in your boots was something you had to get used to, though Lena still tried her hardest to prevent it.
With her shoes swinging in her hand, she pressed forward, feeling the warm, gritty sand between her toes. Moving closer to the shore line, she wandered further down the beach; the foamy waves rising up to her ankles, and the medic pack bouncing against her thigh.
It was rather peaceful here, maybe at some point she'd consider living here a while. She wondered where life would take her next, or if she'd stay with her current group of sailors. A good job was hard to come by, and she was lucky to land the one she currently had. It was well paid with a friendly atmosphere, a lot more than she could say for her last one.
Maybe one day, she'd pilot again. Buy her own little biplane. The thought of donning her old, British pilot jacket and aviators brought a smile to her lips. Often she saw planes fly over the sea as they sailed to each destination, making her long to be up there with it. She sighed.
"One da-"
A piercing shriek pulled her from her thoughts. Her heartbeat sped up; focused eyes darting back and forth, looking for the source. Her breath quickened as she readied herself for anything, cramming her hand into her overall pocket and fishing out the first tool her fingers touched. A heavy wrench. She never went anywhere without at least one tool on her, what kind of engineer would she be otherwise?
The woman's shrill scream cut through the air yet again, making Lena panicky. She whirled around, trying to find where the commotion was coming from.
A desperate woman calling for help? But where is sh-
"We should teach her a lesson. This'll teach you to try and mess with us, bitch!"
Deep laughing along with a loud slap came soon after, making her gasp in alarm. Peering around the side of a solitary beach hut, she found the woman in question, trapped underneath a thick fishing net and surrounded by three burly looking fishermen.
They looked pretty ordinary, or so Lena thought. Dressed in your average, dark coloured fishing waders and wellies. One wore a hat which was adorned with hooks and fishing flies. On his left was a man who was a bit beefier than the other two. He wore a life jacket which was covered in badges. The last fisherman was bald, short and stocky. His hands and lower arms were covered in tattoos.
Jesus, they're bloody huge.
She looked from her wrench, then back to the three blokes in front of her, mind already made up. They might be big, but Lena was fast. She'd use that to her advantage.
"Oi, tossers! You're real brave taking on a defenceless woman like that!"
Calling them names probably wasn't the best way to sort this, but she didn't care. These arseholes needed to be dealt with. Funny how she found herself in these sorts of situations, trouble never could stay away for long.
One by one, the men spun around to face her. Their faces filled with anger.
The biggest grunt with the hat stepped forward, towering over her. His hard face scowling as he snarled at her. She held her ground, determined not to let this brute intimidate her. Up close, she noticed that his shirt was ripped in several places, deep red gash marks bit into his skin. Looking over the other two, she noticed similar marks adorning their skin as well.
"You call this a 'defenceless' woman? Listen, boy, and you listen good. This thing, right 'ere?" He gestured towards the beaten up woman. "Is a monster. Deadlier than anything you've ever seen, I'd wager." He kicked her, none too lightly and spat down at her.
"A sea dweller. A filthy mermaid".
Mermaid?
Her eyes widened as she looked down at the woman underneath the net- who was looking back at her through sharp eyes. Curious, bright yellow irises bore into hers, watching her every move.
Other than that, she couldn't see much, only the fact that the poor woman had taken quite a beating. It made Lena's blood boil.
Mermaid or not, I'll be damned if I don't do something to help her.
"Why don't you run along home, kid. Forget this ever happ-"
She swung her arm around and struck the man swiftly in the face, whacking him straight across the jaw with her wrench. Effectively cutting him off. A sickening crunch rang loudly as it made contact. She was pretty sure that broke his jaw. He spun, falling forward and dropping to the ground. His dislocated jaw hanging wide open, his blood seeping into the sand. Completely knocked out.
Good.
She growled as she looked over the other two. If she wasn't so pissed off, she'd be quite amused at the sight before her. Both men were looking from her, to the unconscious figure on the floor, then to each other. The shock evident on their brutish features.
She twirled the wrench in her hand, a neat trick she'd learnt from Torbjörn. Lena only hoped it looked menacing. Not that she wasn't familiar with duels, Lena had her fair share of scraps in the past. This one however, she hoped to avoid. She made a mental note to ask Reinhardt for some lessons.
Lena straightened up, staring them down, defiantly. "Leave her alone. I won't ask twice."
As if awoken from a spell, the two grunts snapped out of it, advancing on her. Sighing mentally, she prepared herself for a fight. At least they didn't know about her chronal accelerator.
They circled her, arms outstretched menacingly. The short, bald one cracked his tattooed knuckles. The other grinned maliciously at her.
She blinked out of the way as both of them charged at the same time towards her, making them both look around in confusion as she appeared behind them. The look on their faces was priceless as she feigned boredom, picking at the peeling red paint on her wrench. The tattooed man lunged for her, his hands grasping at thin air as she blinked again, back into her last position. She took as many jabs with the wrench as she could, blinking around and hitting them in various places. Lena laughed before feeling a large pair of arms wrap around her, making her struggle in panic.
No!
Lena kicked her legs out, hitting as many body shots she could. One of her kicks hit its mark, striking the man in the balls. He grunted in pain, releasing his tight hold enough for her to throw her head back, smashing him on the bridge of his nose. The weight on her middle disappeared instantly, dropping her on the ground as the man behind her howled. She looked behind her shoulder, noticing the blood gushing from his crushed nose, which now looked quite off center.
Think I improved it, really.
She rounded on the last guy, who had hurried to haul his friend to his feet. He looked ready to attack again before a hand on his shoulder stopped him.
"Fuckin' freak, he is!"
The behemoth of a man scowled at her, spitting out the blood that ran from his nose. Both men hastily moved over to the still unconscious body, the shortest picking him up in a fireman's lift.
"Let the blue bitch 'ave him!"
Backing away slowly, with their eyes still on her as the grunts hobbled further back. Once far enough, they turned and ran, leaving her alone.
… Or not so alone.
Her blood ran cold, suddenly remembering the reason why she tussled with them in the first place. She glanced over her shoulder, surprised to see the other figure still beneath the net.
… Surprised she hasn't gut me yet, unless she's too weak to.
She was unsure of what to do. Sure, she fought off those men for this mysterious woman, but to actually engage her? Especially after what her captain had said?
"Be on your guard at all times, I would hate to lose any of you to them." His words still rang through her temple.
Lena sighed. The least she could do was see if she was alright though, right?
She made her way over slowly, measuring her steps. Afraid of startling the woman into attacking her. Her every step was watched, making her feel uneasy. Those eyes of hers were downright predatory, she looked ready to pounce on Lena. She was sure that the woman would, if she made any mistakes. About a metre away, she chose to speak up.
"You, uh… Alright, love?" She winced. Course she's not, idiot.
The look she received in return would have killed her, if looks could kill. The woman's eyes narrowed into sharp slits, her nostrils flared. She said nothing, not that Lena was expecting her to. Deciding to bite the bullet, she got closer and carefully dropped to her knees next to the other woman. She ran her fingers along the threads of the net, looking for an opening.
Lena kept her eyes on the mermaid, afraid that if she let her attention go elsewhere, she'd regret it. Always be aware of the predator, never show weakness.
What the hell am I doing? This is such a bad idea. Bad idea, bad idea, bad ide-
"Are you just going to sit there staring?" Her voice held quite a husky, low purr. Her French accent noticeable, though she spoke in perfect English.
French? Really? Wasn't expecting that.
Lena raised an eyebrow. "I am trying to help you, y'know." Looking her full in the face, she gave her a pointed look. "Sorry for not letting my guard down enough for you to shank me." She added sarcastically.
Searching for the net opening proved useless, she'd have to cut it open. Without thinking, she dug a hand into her overalls, pulling out a pocket knife. The blade sprang open at the flick of her wrist.
The blue woman tensed and hissed loudly at the sharp little knife in Lena's hand. Her own hands curling into claws, ready to wrap around the young sailor's throat.
"Whoa!" Lena dodged the swipe at her neck, scrambling out of harm's way. She caught the woman's eyes on her knife, realisation hitting her at what she'd just done.
"I didn't- I wasn't gonna-" her heart hammered in her chest. So the other woman wasn't as helpless as she originally thought… another reason why this was a bad idea.
"Do not think of me as so easily trusting, chérie." her honeyed words just a little too sweet. Everything about this woman just screamed dangerous.
"Give me your knife."
Lena gave her an incredulous look.
"You're 'aving a laugh, like I'd give you my only weapon!" She wanted to laugh. This woman seriously had the gall to make demands of her? "You can either let me get you out, or I'm walking."
The mermaid chuckled, humorlessly. It sent shivers down Lena's spine.
"You won't leave, I know your type. The hero. You did rescue me, after all." She was smirking slightly. Lena didn't even need to look at her to tell, she could hear the smug tone of her voice.
Lena sighed, running a frustrated hand through her hair, making it stand even more on end. The woman was right, scarily so. She'd just fought with three beefy blokes, not like she was gonna just up and leave. Barely any contact and the woman seemed to know her character.
"Fine. You just remember that I saved your arse, preferably before you decide to do me in."
Instead of getting closer, Lena flicked the blade back under the safety lock before throwing it on the sand, next to the woman. She watched the woman take the pocket knife between her slender fingers. She flicked open the blade, copying Lena from earlier. The mermaid studied it, running a finger over the sharp edge, as if testing the sharpness.
Nodding to herself, she started to cut the threads of her prison.
Lena watched her, noticing that every now and then, the woman's gaze flicked to her before resuming her work. Lena had questions, and while she knew it was a long shot, it could be worth trying.
"So…" She shifted uncomfortably, the mermaid's gaze snapped to her. Lena cleared her throat. "How'd you get caught up in this mess anyway?"
The other woman studied her, her face unreadable. Lena was sure she was debating on whether to answer her or not. Then…
"That is neither your concern, or business."
Lena huffed out a small laugh. "Just trying to make conversation, love."
"Well don't. I prefer you silencieux."
She raised an eyebrow at that. This woman was a bit on the touchy side, wasn't she? Lena didn't know much French, but it wasn't hard to figure what she said. They resumed their silence, the only sounds were the foamy waves rushing over the shore, and the snapping of nylon strings.
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So Widowmaker was fun to write, I'm actually preferring how I've written her in this one compared to my other story. Ah well, c'est la vie! Also if you're wondering, I didn't go into much detail on her appearance because Lena can't see much while she's underneath the net. Until the next chapter!