Author's note: Chapter three! Yeah! I wanted to say I wouldn't have written this far if it wasn't for everyone's kind support. Thank you to everyone! This chapter took waaaay to long to write, I'll explain at the end of this. With school starting up soon, updates shouldn't become too infrequent. Here's number three!
Talon's inner council stared at Sombra impatiently.
"Well, Agent? Do you accept or not?" The powerful voice echoed from the gauntlet-clad commander.
An audible gulp was heard from the Latina's throat before she looked Doomfist in the eye. "I accept the mission. When will I be dispatched?"
"You will be sent off as soon as possible. You are to pack enough belongings to last a few days or so. There is a city nearby the Watchpoint where you can get your food and water from. Any other details will be sent to your quarters, along with necessities for your mission. Meeting adjourned."
The hacker nodded before she turned towards the tall, intimidating doors. Everything in this room was intimidating, from the seemingly endless darkness to the icy glares given to her by the Councillors. She squinted as her eyes adjusted to the light as she left, a leftover shiver running down her augmented spine.
Let's see, what do I know about Watchpoint: Gibraltar? Surely the majority of Overwatch's most important authorities reside there… I need to do some research on their security, though.
As Sombra pondered on how to infiltrate their front lines, she realized something was wrong. Very wrong.
She had no clue where she was.
Her heartbeat began to race as she spun around, trying to realize which path she had come down on. Every hall looked symmetrical, and as the stream of Talon officials and grunts pushed their way past her, she accepted the fact that she was hopelessly off track. The hacker's eyes scanned over the premises, trying to find someone she could identify—
"Don't tell me the almighty Sombra is lost!"
The shadow mentally cursed as she turned to face the blue-skinned assassin.
"Hola, Widow. For once, you might be correct." It pained Sombra to admit that Widowmaker was right, or any other person for that matter. She preferred to be the one in charge, not the other way around. "Look, this is my first day on the campus. Do you know where the mess hall is? I'm sure I can find my way back to my quarters from there."
Widowmaker simply chuckled, a horrid sound filled with malice. "Of course. You should go down that hall, take the third right, then the second left. Turn right at the end of that hallway, then take the last left. Can you retain that simple line of information, or should I escort you?" Her French accent was dripping with venom as she gestured to an opening on Sombra's right.
The hacker clenched her teeth as she managed a curt nod. She turned towards the doorway, then paused. "How did you manage to memorize this place? I'm sure I can hack the planet before I'll know my way around."
The assassin turned the corner of her lips up in a plastic smile. "It took a few hours of studying the map that was given to you in your quarters." The false friendliness vanished. "Now, are there any other arbitrary things you must ask me?"
A huff emanated from Sombra's lips as she walked off in hopes of finding the mess hall. She was tired of Widowmaker's bitter attitude towards everything. Granted, she was Talon's very own heartless mercenary, but there were times the hacker wanted to wipe the sass off her face.
A few minutes of mindless wandering later, Sombra found herself staring at the cafeteria's doors. A sigh of relief escaped her painted lips as she headed down towards her suite's door, opening with a wave of her hand. She flopped onto her bed unceremoniously, only to have something crinkle under her jacket. Her hand pulled out a black envelope with her sugar skull icon imprinted on the front.
Her clawed hand slipped out a rather intimidating looking list. At the bottom of the thick paper, Doomfist's initials were signed.
This must be the information slip from the Council! Let's see what it has to say…
For the eyes of Agent Sombra only
Classified mission briefing sheet #082781
Mission: Infiltrate the Overwatch base Watchpoint: Gibraltar and place bugs in strategic places to gather data from at later dates. Retrieve DNA samples from Dr. Angela Ziegler AKA Mercy, Jack Morrison AKA Soldier: 76, and Lena Oxton AKA Tracer. Finally, gain access into their main computer system and download all files to bring back to HQ for further review.
No emergency extraction team will be provided, nor a partner to work with. You will be alone. You are not to deviate from the mission in any way, punishable at the Council's discretion. When all given instructions have been successfully completed, you are to meet Agent Widowmaker outside the San Felipe Pier.
You are to bring solely necessary items to your mission, nothing else. Recommended items would be your machine pistol, thermoptic jacket, and a set of translocators. Sterile containers will be provided for the DNA samples.
You will be dispatched via helicopter as soon as you are ready to leave.
Good Luck.
After reading it over a few times, Sombra set the sheet down with a worried sigh.
This…This is going to be difficult. First I have to sneak in, then I have to place mics and cameras without setting off any kind of alarms, then I have to collect DNA samples…Finally I have to download every file on their system. That's going to take about twenty minutes, considering they had a terabyte or two of data the last time I hacked into them. I'll have to make sure they don't approach the computer while I download as well, or they would immediately notice the USB. I'll need to bring a few charging cables for my stealth as well…
As the Latina packed the bare essentials, she performed some research on Watchpoint: Gibraltar's security. She accessed the camera footage from outside the gates, and looked on from there. She saw an electric fence with watchtowers posted at every corner, and noticed the infra-sight cameras positioned near the entrances. She scribbled down the location of each camera, guard rotation, and watchtower.
After Sombra was certain she knew their security system by heart, she grabbed her smallest suitcase and began packing for the second time within the week. She managed to fit her machine pistol and ammo, three charging cables, an emergency translocator repair kit, her wetsuit in case she was deployed in the ocean, and a set of casual clothing inside.
Let's see… I'll wear my tactical outfit and attach the USB sticks to my belt. I'll bring two translocators and the containers for the DNA samples, which shouldn't be too hard to obtain. Afterwards, the hardest part of the mission should be downloading all of Overwatch's data and escaping without a sound.
A long, readying sigh escaped her before the hacker grabbed her suitcase and shuffled out her door. Reaper was leaning against the wall outside her door, and stood at attention as Sombra dragged her baggage with her.
"Are you ready to leave?"
A rather forced smile plastered her face. "Guess so, Reapy. When and where will I be dispatched?"
"You should arrive around 8:30PM and will be dropped off about a half mile away from the base in the Bay of Gibraltar. I assume you brought your underwater gear and oxygen canisters? You're going to need them." His gravelly voice cut through the air as a PA system echoed through the open hallways.
"Of course. I checked out their security systems, and there weren't any kind of sensors in the water that could detect a person. I had a hunch you would deploy me in the bay, and apparently I was right…as usual." Her cocky demeanor spread over her once more.
"If you have all you need, it's time for you to leave. Come with me to the helipad."
The two mercenaries strode in silence down the twisting maze known as HQ while various grunts stared, a feeling Sombra detested. She was filled with relief as a pair of doors opened to find a stealthy helicopter waiting for her outside. Reaper gestured towards the passenger door as he let her off with a final warning of "Don't mess up" before he trudged off back to base.
Wow, I can tell he really cares about my success in this mission. Then again, Reaper doesn't really care about anything.
The hacker slung her suitcase into the back seats before she stepped into the front. Her pilot, a nervous grunt who called himself Amos, gave her a nervous look before he launched the aircraft into the sky.
The flight lasted a few hours, and by the time the helicopter began to circle a spot in the bay, the stars were beginning to twinkle.
Amos cleared his throat next to her. "Okay, M-Ms. Sombra, this is where you need to jump out. Literally. You're wearing your wetsuit, right?"
Sombra nodded as she grabbed her waterproof suitcase from the back. "Yeah, of course. I need to be as stealthy as humanly possible, and leaving puddles of water from a soggy battle suit wouldn't do much to hide me."
The grunt nodded before he gestured to the open sea below her. The hacker took a deep breath, held on tight to her luggage, and leapt off the seat and into the sky. As she hit her apex, she glanced at the starlight reflecting off the foaming waves below before sliding on her goggles. The cool water surrounded her as she sliced through the Bay of Gibraltar, occasionally pausing to switch oxygen containers.
It wasn't too much longer before Sombra could see the Overwatch flag flapping in the ocean wind.
Upon realizing she had finally arrived at the illustrious Watchpoint: Gibraltar, the Talon agent emerged from the water and activated the quick-dry function of her wetsuit. She then opened her bag, snatched up her stealth jacket, and dove into the shadows with a relieved expression.
No alarms going off, that's good. First step: place the recording equipment. I should probably place them in the most frequented areas such as their cafeteria and conference hall.
The hacker stuffed a handful of tiny cameras and microphones into her suit's pockets before ducking around the corner. She primed and nestled a translocator into a bush before easily bypassing the weak security systems built into the door. Sombra let out a silent chuckle.
Hmm. If Overwatch wants people like me to keep our hands out of their little cookie jar of information, maybe they should place it on a higher shelf. These security systems could be overwritten by a child! I can't help but wonder if that means something else is in store for me, though.
After making sure Athena, the resident AI system, had been silenced, the mercenary dove through one of the side entrances—only to be met with a group of agents gathered at a table, apparently playing a game of cards. A load roar echoed from a man wearing a cowboy hat, voice dripping with a Southern drawl.
"Aw, c'mon! I just barely jump'd in this game, n' you're callin' me out every chance ya get!" The cowboy grabbed his bottle of beer and took a swig before slamming it onto the table with a thud.
A bubbling laugh emerged from the three others in the room. A thick British accent filled the room as a certain Lena Oxton mocked, "Aw, is Jesse getting angry? Are you going to ride off into the sunset angrily, or storm into the saloon?"
A vile mixture of fear, repulsion, and hatred filled Sombra as she recognized who was in the room. Not only was she graced with the presence of four high-class Overwatch agents to welcome her, but one of them had to be Tracer.
After Sombra had done a rather sloppy job of clearing her tracks when accessing Lena's Chronal technology, the spunky pilot had learned about the hackers' existence and vowed to hunt her down. In the few times their paths had crossed, only destruction was left. Bullets, punches, and harsh words were exchanged in the battlefield. They despised each other, and that was that.
This made it very difficult for Sombra to leave her machine pistol in its holster and try to continue sneaking into the main hallway.
The door shut with a mild hiss behind her, and the hacker froze in place, thankful for the camouflage surrounding her at the moment. Three sober heads turned in her direction, one gleaming in silver and green metal, one lined with a silvery braid, the other topped with chestnut-colored spikes. A suspicious expression rested on each one.
The cyborg spoke up. "Athena, has anyone unusual entered the Watchpoint today?"
"No, Agent Shimada. The only person who has left or arrived within twenty-four hours would be Agent McCree."
The doubtful look didn't leave the senior sniper's face. "If anyone is there, identify yourself at once."
Silence reigned over the small room.
Ana raised two fingers to her ear, activating a comm of some kind. "Jack, I think we have an intruder in the area, but I'm not sure. Put the Watchpoint on a yellow alert until further notice." She chuckled lightly. "I might be getting too old for this. However, I know this isn't my age affecting me—Lena and Genji heard it too. Keep an eye out for yourself. Over and out."
The three right-minded agents kept their guard up, but continued their game of cards. The now scared-straight Sombra took a deep, calming breath and continued to make her way towards the conference room.
After a few moments of peeking around corners and stealthily making her way towards the official meeting room, the hacker approached a set of wide doors that mimicked that of the Council's room at Talon. She put her ear to the entry, listening for any kind of activity inside.
Not a sound was heard.
A feeling of moderate worry began to fill Sombra as she realized she hadn't come across a single agent or worker on her way through the central passageway through the base.
This is one of Overwatch's most renowned bases in the world! Shouldn't it be bustling with people eager to do their part, or all they all playing card games in the back rooms?
Or were they expecting someone along the likes of me to infiltrate the base any time soon?
After a short prayer to anyone who would listen was sent out, the Latina slowly pushed the doors open.
Not a single person sat at the massive conference table. A sigh of relief was gently released by the more-than-nervous agent, and she disabled her cloaking after triple-checking for security cameras or tripwires of any kinds. A clawed hand snatched a few recording devices out of her pocket, and set them in the ventilations shafts, under the table, even perched on top of the hanging lights.
A simple wave of the hand was all it took to bring up Sombra's integrated computer system. She connected to each of the gadgets, made sure each one was functioning properly, and encrypted each signal to prevent anyone from tracing the network back to her.
Ugh, the last thing I need is Tracer starting another manhunt for me. Or all of Overwatch, for that matter.
After making sure the conference room was completely bugged, Sombra called upon her camouflage once more and fled back to the shadows. This time, she saw other workers—a seemingly bratty girl who gripped a staff as she nagged about something, an omnic who had an Italian accent, and a few custodians.
It didn't take long to find the mess hall and bug it, since there was plenty of cover to hide behind and lots of good places to stash a camera. As the hacker slunk back to the hallway once more, she began to contemplate the next part of her mission: DNA samples from Tracer, Mercy, and Soldier: 76. It wouldn't be hard to gather a few hairs from their hairbrushes; she would just need to identify and access each of their quarters.
The invisible maiden darted to a small supply closet where she could hack without being caught. She threw off her cloaking and infiltrated into the AI's files to find an old map of the base, which she quickly downloaded to her own hard drive.
After memorizing where the trio's rooms were, Sombra sped through the base to the first room: Tracer. It was all she could do not to gag as her eyes took in the Slipstream posters, airplane models, and neon-orange sheets on the extravagant bed. On the wall rested a corkboard covered from top to bottom in sticky notes, some spinning ridiculous theories about who Sombra really was, why she stole the Chronal tech, and where she resided.
Aww, look at this. I have my very own fan. I should be honored someone is paying this much attention to me! If only she wasn't Tracer, worldwide symbol of "hope and peace". Ugh.
The Talon agent silently walked past the loudly snoring Lena Oxton and into her bathroom, before plucking a few hairs off the vibrantly patterned hairbrush. She sealed the sterile container and placed it in a separate pocket.
One down, two more to go.
As Sombra calmly exited the more-than-lively room, she swore she heard some kind of rustling emanating from the bed. She moved faster down the hall, just in case she woke the energetic girl.
It wasn't difficult to retrieve the sample from Dr. Ziegler's room, considering she had fallen asleep working across the hall in her lab. Apparently, sleeping in the lab was a common thing for her to do if Genji didn't drag her back to her room or Ana didn't sedate her. Her room was covered from floor to ceiling with research papers, vials of serums, and scattered parts of her Valkyrie Suit or her Caduceus Staff. It was a minefield of fragile things, and it had taken Sombra a solid five minutes just to maneuver around the bed without touching or wrinkling anything.
The final room belonged to the infamous Soldier: 76. He was nearly as wanted as her, apparently spending his time breaking into facilities or beating up Los Muertos around the globe. Sombra had a bone to pick with him for making her old gang suffer, but she knew this wasn't the time to be starting a one-man war.
The first thing she noticed when the door to his room opened was how barren it was. Everything was a dull shade of gray or a weak shade of blue, and his polished Heavy Pulse Rifle sat on his dresser. An American flag was hung over the simple spring mattress, and the utter silence the blanketed the room put the hacker on high alert. She stepped over an easily visible tripwire that was likely put there to alert the old soldier of some kind of intruder, and quickly pocketed the DNA sample. She double-checked she hadn't set off any kind of silent alarm before slipping out the door.
Final destination: The main computer.
Downloading the few terabytes of data Overwatch had on their hard drives was going to take time, and her camouflage couldn't hold up for more than ten minutes at a time. So instead of trying to act like a fugitive, she decided to act as if she belonged in the Watchpoint while she plugged in one of her USBs encoded with her Shadow Protocol.
DOWNLOADING… 1%
24MB/7.3TB
Estimated time remaining: about 23 minutes
Sombra settled into one of the chairs while she waited for the download to finish.
After this successfully copies to my USB, I just need to meet with Widow at the San Felipe Pier. That's about two miles from here. I'll send out the pickup signal now, so la Araña should meet me around the same time I arrive… I hope I get a raise from this.
The download was about halfway finished when a loud crash echoed from the entryway, followed by a string of German curses. The surprise that filled the hacker was soon replaced by a feeling of malicious glee as Dr. Ziegler shuffled into the room sleepily.
Time to make a new friend.
The doctor's hand was loosely wrapped around a coffee mug printed with cats, and it took nearly fifteen seconds for the medic to realize she wasn't the only person in the room.
"Genji, is that you? You know you should be in bed right now, it's late." The voice rasped from exhaustion.
A wicked grin spread across Sombra's face as she stood to face the doctor. "I can say the same for you, Doctor Ziegler. The scientist who advanced nanotechnology by centuries! The woman who learned how to bring people back from the dead! What an honor it is, meeting such a world-renowned person in the flesh." Her voice dripped with insincerity.
Mercy dropped the mug, startled. "Who are you? What do you want from me?! Couldn't you have come in the morning, for goodness' sake?"
"Aww, morning's no fun. But you know what is fun? Finding dozens of videos on what you did to find the cure for death." One of the mercenary's arms draped around the doctor's shoulder while the other summoned dozens of images of graphic torture. "The so-called 'Angel of Mercy' standing by as your little lab rats scream in agony. It would be saddening if these images appeared all over the world, wouldn't it?"
Doctor Ziegler's face gradually lost all color as the situation slowly sank in. Yes, she had found a way to resurrect recently deceased people, but the power had come at a cost. Death Row prisoners had been kidnapped and experimented on when the good doctor required human subjects. Their cries for help had pierced her soul over and over again, and after the ordeal was over, she had done her best to try and forget it.
But now that these images had resurfaced, the nightmares returned to her in a flash. However, that wasn't all.
"Oh, and Genji! The world's first cyborg! I wonder what happened to him during those procedures, physically and emotionally." Sombra's hand waved again, and the Holovids changed to a recording of multiple medical staff holding Genji Shimada down while Mercy soldered metal plates to scarred and raw skin. The wails that filled the room were unearthly.
"G-genji… Get this out of my face." The doctor's face had gone deathly white, and her eyes were misty. "What do you want from me? I know you didn't dig up my past just for 'fun'."
"Oh, from you? I want nothing from you. All I ask is that when the time comes, you help me with a favor. That's all—that is, unless you want the world to know about these recordings. I wonder what would happen if they did." The hacker turned to face Mercy, holding out her hand. "Consider us friends. Do we have a deal, ¿amiga?"
The pale scientist hesitated before beginning to hold out her hand. Her face suddenly lit up with joy, looking at something behind Sombra. The Latina's face contorted with a mixture of dread and confusion.
"Athena, scramble and sever all frequencies being transmitted outside this room. Also, set the base to a red alert." The gruff voice held an air of authority. Sombra whipped around, only to stare into the glaring mask of Soldier: 76.
Panic bloomed inside the Talon agent's chest as she activated her translocator, only to have an alarm in her earpiece indicate the connection had been lost. Translocation was too dangerous to attempt, and doing so would kill her.
Looks like I'm going to have to get out of here the old-fashioned way.
Her clawed hand curled around her machine pistol, tore it out of its holster, and began to wildly spray bullets around the room. Mercy screamed and ducked for cover behind a desk as a bullet nicked her arm. Soldier: 76 simply activated his Tactical Visor, armed his Heavy Pulse Rifle, and fired—only to find he had nothing to fire at.
It was at that moment Ziegler decided to pop up from her shelter and cry, "Jack, she's invisible! Watch your back!"
Wow, thanks Doctor! It looks like some unfavorable information about you is going to surface if I can make it out of here.
Soldier: 76 whipped around to check the area behind him, which was just what the hacker was expecting. She pounced on him, pushing him to the ground. She lined up her weapon and fired a nonlethal shot into his right shoulder, and he let out a roar of pain. Mercy screamed and fled for her room, running for her Caduceus Staff.
"Oh, no! You're not getting away from me, ¡amiga!"
Sombra leapt to her feet and continued the chase. If Ziegler could reach the bedrooms, the Talon agent would have the strongest Overwatch members hunting her. She would be captured, and her chances of rescue would be very slim.
The two sped down the hallway for a minute, Mercy crying for help the whole way. Sombra then raised her machine pistol, aimed—
-and fell to her knees in a heap of nausea and pain. She yanked a deep purple glass dart out of her now burning flesh, realizing with dead seriousness that she wasn't getting out of here anytime soon. The hacker then bent over and vomited.
Heavy footsteps made their way towards her as she was weakened. Each thud of their shoes increased the pace of Sombra's heart and heightened the panic that consumed her. She slowly turned to face her captor.
The cold, one-eyed stare of Overwatch's veteran sniper silently examined the hacker for threats. In a blur of motion, Ana's Biotic Rifle slammed against the Shadow's brow.
A flash of blinding pain overwhelmed the girl before everything went dark. The last thing she saw were the officials of Overwatch surrounding her.
There's no way I can get out of this. I guess I can kiss my freedom goodbye…
Either I'm imprisoned for life, or I'm executed for my crimes. I can only hope Talon has a shred of liking for me and somehow tries to strike a bargain… Otherwise, I'm screwed.
Wow! I have a LOT of respect for the people who can write 10,000+ word chapters. Cheers to you!
So, why have I been so inactive? I'm really sorry about this; I planned on updating every other week. However, I was hit by the Category 4 Hurricane Harvey, and I had to evacuate. Everything's fine now, no need to worry. I was just delayed for a while, so expect updates every other week or so.
I have to say thanks to everyone who reviews, favorites, and follows! Every time I get a notification, it encourages me to keep going. A special thanks to Lianou for getting me back on track!
I won't abandon this story! Not until I can get to where we started at Chapter One. I have things planned for the next three or four chapters, and an unnaturally long hiatus will have a solid reason behind it. Don't worry!
If you have any questions or suggestions/ideas for the future of LSAOT, feel free to leave a comment or PM me. I should respond within a day or so!
Aaaaanyways, this is where I sign off. Thanks for sticking with me for three chapters! ~Wynter ;)