Disclaimer: We don't own OW. This fact is sad for two reasons; one because I do not have the resources and ability to do so, and the other because I have to state it.
Author's (Alec) Notes: As promised, chapter 9. Three notes I want to make. If you play overwatch on PC, pm us and we can give you our names. We love play with new people. Next thank you everyone, you have been so kind and understanding despite our bad posting schedule. We honestly appreciate you. And last, this chapter is graphic. I will not spoil how or why, but there is violence in this fanfic. I hope that everyone can hold on and continue reading.
Chapter 9 - Je désire la Vérité
Flashback: Amélie
Rays of light made their way through the expansive wall of glass, alighting the interior in a warm glow that was not normally there. Two pale, empty chairs sat bathing in this golden light, facing the floor to ceiling window, giving whoever sat upon it a view of the nearby docks and stretch of water below, all complete with the view of the nearby cityscape. A sitting area sat to the side of this, two couches on top of a white rug, a dark brown ottoman separating them. Beside this, a smattering of bookshelves stood dark and tall, an array of titles nicely placed throughout the shelves, most not having been touched for a while. The rest of the space remain somewhat plain: a mixture of white walls, pale furniture, and few decorations; save for a few pictures taking residence on the side table by the small, glass enclosed fireplace nearby.
To the side of the well stocked and up-to-date kitchen and sitting area sat a long white table with three of the four chairs pushed in and unused. Across the surface lay scattered binders and series of loose papers, all of which were in the process of being opened and looked at. Occasionally, a mug would be lifted, the woman taking a sip of its dark contents before setting it back down with a soft clink, her eyes never leaving the current paper she was looking over. Her long, dark hair was tied and pulled back, its long ponytail trailing down the back of the chair to the middle of her back. Around her neck twisted a muted silk scarf, accenting her throat with the gradient of greys that almost perfectly matched the slate cotton twill blazer over her outfit, the front panel left open and unbuttoned. A long silver necklace resting in the middle of her chest, its twisting pendant sitting as the focal point of her black blouse underneath matching her form fitting dress pants.
The mug touched her painted lips once again when a harsh knock was heard on the door, cutting it short and tearing her eyes away from the text in hand. Setting it down, she got up from the chair, heels lightly clicking on the wooden flooring as she parted across the apartment before peering through the gold ring of the peephole. The familiar sight of a scarred face and grey hoodie presented itself to her. Taking little time to pull it open, Amélie simply stared at the man, her perfectly shaped eyebrow raised at not only him, but his presence. "How did the meeting go?" She asked as she stepped aside, allowing him into the space, soon shutting the door behind him.
Standing halfway between the kitchen and front door, Gabriel stood nearby her, his arms crossed and face held continuously firm. "We lost the docks." He began, his usual gruff voice cutting through the previous silence of the still space. "It's fine. We'll get it back. But that's not what I came here for." A short sigh parted his lips, arms slipping from their previous stance and resting at his sides. "Lena came to me."
The mentioning of the familiar name brought interest, clear intrigue from the dark haired woman. "Oh?" She asked, "and what did she want?"
"She told me what you've been doing." His amusement clearly not there.
A surge of annoyance shot through her, one that was not easily pushed down and hidden. "And?"
"I took care of this time, but next time-"
Before he could finish his sentence, Amélie stopped him in his tracks, cutting him off halfway. "What did you do?" A sense of urgency, almost worry laced her words despite her narrowed eyes locked on him.
Despite mild surprise coming from being stopped short, Gabriel's voice and overall appearance remained generally uninterested. "I sent her to the docks with a message. They most likely will kill her on sight just to spite me." His came by way of being matter-of-factly, an almost sick certainty resting on the message.
An anger began bubbling up inside the dark haired woman, one that left the tips of her painted fingernails embedded into the soft pale skin of her palm, leaving harsh and deep red marks as she balled her fists. "Vas t'en faire foutre." She spat, words tipped with poison as she paced past the man in front of her, a new sense of urgency in her movements as she grabbed for a nearby duffle bag propped against the wooden staircase. Slinging it over her back, her steps became quicker and quicker in nature as she ran out of the apartment, letting the door slam shut behind her as Gabriel was left alone inside, almost lost but not surprised with what happened.
It took her little time to get to her car parked below, quickly unlocking it before throwing the duffle bag into the leather of the passenger's seat before sliding in herself. Jamming the key into the ignition, she quickly drove off. As she parted from the apartment building and into the street, Amélie pulled out her phone, pressing a few buttons before placing it between her ear and shoulder. A few rings were heard, but were soon cut short by way of a familiar, questioning, accented voice. "Send everyone available to the docks, the deal has gone south." Despite the returned chatter and excuses from the other side, she simply continued the demand. "I don't care what he said, do it now." Before any more could be said, the call was quickly dropped and hung up as she threw the phone into the seat next to her, the docks not too far away.
The car was parked nearby in a way that could best be described as haphazardly as she quickly got out of it, urgency fueling her steps. She began climbing a fire escape ladder of an unused nearby building, her duffle bag sling over her shoulder, its contents resting across her back. Gunfire cut through the air as the noise of struggle and the activation and halting of cars could be heard below. This only quickened her pace as thoughts and further worries began to cloud her mind. Once on top, Amélie set her bag down onto its concrete roof, pulling open the black zipper and exposing its contents to the light. Pulling out the SR-25 sniper rifle, her grasp on it was firm as the cold metal sank into her skin. Laying down with haste, it took her little time to gaze through its scope, pressing the ring to her heated face as the sight of pale green and black met her. Examining the scene below, she could see the struggles below on an up close and personal level, watching as the commotion unfolded in front of her of men scrambling into action and more parting from the doors of nearby vans. Mild frustration bubbled up inside as part of the sniper's view was taken due to the placing of metal crates around the area. But only aspect of this situation came up positive: no body found.
In a quick scan, Amélie finally found what she had been looking for: the familiar mop of brown hair. Slumped up against one of the closer crates, Lena was seen almost folded up on herself, her hand placed firmly around her opposite upper arm. In front of her, a man clearly recognized as one of the enemies stood, gun pointed at the waitress's. Without a moment of hesitation, the sniper pulled the trigger, applying no more pressure than was necessary as she hooked her freshly painted finger around the steel, the bullet launching itself clear through the air and striking the attacker perfectly in the middle of his forehead. Exactly where the crosshairs had landed. His body soon fell forward, collapsing onto the brunette below as it went limp, all life draining from it in an instant. Just as her shot had connected, two people came from the van stopped closest to Lena. One of the people she recognized, a blonde woman; Angela. They took little time to remove the fallen body from on top of her, soon pulling the woman inside and into safety.
With a sigh of relief, Amélie removed herself from the scope, her face slightly more heated than it had been before. As she rolled herself back and flat onto the roof, the bout of worry that had filled her not even moments ago slowly escaped her, as her gaze connected with the sky above. Overhead, planes passed, leaving their chemtrails to cross through the smattering of clouds above. She watched one pass overhead as the crack of gunfire continued raining down below.
Slowly, Lena's eyes parted, allowing the light of the outside world in, though images remained blurry as she awoke. Beneath, a thin mattress supported her, plain white sheets wrapped around her in a way that provided little comfort and heat in the sterile environment. Attempting to blink away the haze, the brunette began to look around, eyes landing on bags supported by thin, metal rails, suspended and leading to thin tubing: one filled clearly filled with blood, and another with a clear fluid. In the background, blipping could be heard from a monitor, each passing second recording on screen the rise and fall of her steady heartbeat. A woman parted through the doorway as she slowly came into view. Although her features remained blurry, her tied back blonde hair stood as a telltale sign. "Angela?" Lena said, voice still groggy and dazed with an added layer of confusion. What would Angela be doing here?
Despite the questioning, the blonde haired woman closed in, bringing with her an air of warmth that was not previously there. The corners of her lips turned up in a sweet smile as her gaze shifted from the equipment to Lena. "How are you feeling?" She asked, gingerly placing her hand on the brunette's shoulder while her fingers brushed gently around the wrapped upper area.
"What's going on?" Lena asked, growing more aware of her surroundings as it came more clearly into view.
This elicited a frown from the blonde as she withdrew her touch, eyebrows knit gently with concern. "Do you not remember?"
Lena began to slowly sit up a little, giving herself a better view of the blonde. With her face breaking out into a cringe from the pain shooting up her arm with each subtle movement, it may have not been the best of ideas on her part. "I remember getting shot if that's what you mean. I meant, what's going on here? What happened?"
Angela's hand found itself on the brunette's shoulder once more, giving it a small, but comfortably firm massage with her fingertips and palm before sliding down a little to her upper arm. Unwrapping the bandages from the site, the wound was exposed to the air for just a moment, drawing a hiss of pain between clenched teeth from the patient. "You seem to be healing up fine." The blonde said, giving her approval of the progression before expertly rewrapping.
As Angela went over the task at hand, the brunette's eyes connected with the bandages as she watched from faraway, finding herself more lost in her thoughts than anything else. The connection between the blonde and the new, never before seen side of Talon was not making any sense. Having been with her since day one, this new aspect of Angela did not make any understandable connection to what she had grown to know and love. "You sent me to Gabriel." Lena began, voice quiet as each word stuck towards the back of her throat, finding not only difficulty getting them out, but also struggle with reasoning the fact that she could have planned for this. "Did you know..?"
Angela's face only fell further, her eyes half-lidded as their gaze almost refused to part from her deft hands reworking the bandages around the pale skin of the waitress's upper arm. "No," she said, firmly as to remove all beginning of suspicion. "I wouldn't have if I had known." A slow, steady sigh escaped from the small part between her pale pink lips. "This is all my fault. I'm sorry."
Lena's light brown eyes scanned the blonde's face, gaze resting on her lips before landing on her eyes, searching for any sign of confliction between words and intentions. "What was in the package I delivered?" She asked, words beginning to grow stronger and hold more ground.
"I don't know, I overheard them talk about a deal on the docks. We all got a call to go there. I came along in case anyone was injured."
To say that the pain developing in her chest was nothing would be an outright lie. Having such a close relationship to the other waitress in the past, Lena couldn't help but feel completely lost in the situation, fully open and exposed to the other as a new side presented itself to her. "And you're one of them?" The confliction between inward and outward emotions was clear as the hurt she felt was portrayed as minimal.
This notion was quickly cut short. "No." A pause hit the air, the blonde's fingers leaving the bandages now that the rewrapping had been completed to an acceptable standard. "I mean, yes. In a way. I needed money for school."
"And so you just thought, 'Hey, I think I'll go join a gang?" The other's words came out laced with an added layer of disbelief, eyebrows raised as she stopped her in her tracks.
"It's not like that." Angela began, voice slightly raising as it was clear that her point had not understood. "I was working at Talon, just like you, and my loans and debt were adding up quickly. Gabriel must have found out and offered me this." A sigh elicited a pause in her story, her face further falling as she looked over the arm she had so expertly wrapped. "I didn't know who I was patching up until later, when it was too late… I didn't want the same for you, Lena. I'm sorry I got you into this."
Reaching over with her unhurt arm, Lena grasped for the other's freehand, lacing their fingers together as she squeezed it lightly. "I don't blame you."
Squeezing back, Angela returned a small somber smile as she looked over the other woman. "We will see if you feel the same after the pain medicine wears off." Leaning slightly forward, she reached up with her unoccupied hand, pushing back a section of dark brown hair that had threatened to slip into the other's face.
Despite the heavy darkness that surrounded her and the plush warmth from her hot pink comforter, Hana found herself spending another night sleepless. Staring up at the ceiling dotted with glowing plastic stars, the need to rest hit her heavily. It could, however, not be satisfied properly; a pattern that had plagued her for a few nights. As she lay amongst her sheets and blankets, her mind began to wander once again.
In the dark of the night, her thoughts began to get the best of her, circling around her as she tried to fight them all. But her struggles were to no avail. Once again, the images presented themselves to her as the dark haired girl was forced to relive the viewing of the video over and over again. As she tried to push them back and away into her unconscious, the filtering gave way, playback coming to her in full force. All she could see, hear, think was what she saw in Amélie's office. The nakedness of Lena's chest, the way her eyes alit with panic as the manager forced her unwanted advances onto the vulnerable waitress. The thickness of Amélie's accent as she increasingly fought the other woman back with simple but harsh words and actions, pushing the continuous exposing of Lena as she tore away all barriers separating the two before ultimately forcing herself onto the younger girl.
It made Hana sick, both physically and mentally as another sleepless night passed by, the overall queasy feeling of bile rising up in her throat but never truly escaping staying with her as a permanent reminder of the situation she was in. She was the only person to know.
The night before, the manager had called the younger girl's cellphone. She didn't have the heart to pick it up and speak directly to the cause of her forced wakings. Via voice mail, Hana had been instructed to come into work an hour early the next day, dictating that a talk between the two was necessary. Initially, her heart rate spiked as her mind rushed, ultimately fearing that she had been caught. Scrolling through her contacts, the dark haired girl wondered if calling Sombra would be necessary, gathering an inside form of help to assist her against whatever the manager had planned for her. This notion, however, was brushed off instead, the idea setting that no matter what came at her, it could be handled by herself.
After getting dressed the next morning, Hana began gathering her things, only hesitating slightly when grabbing for her phone. The thought of what was on it disturbed her, leaving it mostly unused for the past few days as she became generally sick when the intrusive thoughts came to her. Stashing it in her jacket's pocket, she began conjuring up a plan just in case the situation went south in any way. Despite the harshly negative reaction she had to the video, at the very least, she could show it to a cop, ultimately ending in the arresting of that disgusting woman. Taking a deep breath, she began heading to Talon.
Parting through the metal back door, she was immediately presented with the image of the manager, down from her high heeled shoes up to her dark pencil skirt and light, form fitting blouse, all complete with her dark hair pulled back into its typical long ponytail. Her heels clicked lightly against the floor as she made her rounds, inspecting the kitchen area as the chefs were busy at work, preparing for the approaching dinner. As the back door squeaked open, the manager's head snapped over, taking in the sight of the young waitress almost frozen in place. She gestured towards the office with a slight tilting of her head to its direction, silently instructing her; an order that was quickly fulfilled.
Hana soon found herself down the short hallway nearby, turning into the door that she had been standing in front of just a few days ago. It was quickly pulled open and silently shut behind her as the dark haired girl pulled out the wooden chair in front of the manager's desk before sitting herself down on the firm wood. Inside held an eerie silence, only making the sterile environment colder and more foreign than expected. In here, the light clanging of pots and pans from the general activity of the kitchen was gone, the only noise heard being the gentle whirring of the air conditioner above. She shifted anxiously in her seat, dark brown eyes searching the plain office for any sort of stimulus to remove her from her thoughts. Apart from the plain black rectangle of the computer monitor and a generally empty desk, a small, delicate glass vase took residence housing a single gently blooming red rose. The only hint of an world existing from outside of the office.
Not even a few moments later, the door behind her creaked open before firmly closing, the hard clicking of heels cutting through the air and pulling her attention from the small bud. The manager pulled out her leather chair before taking a seat, sliding it further into the desk, arm propped up on its surface. "I'm going to get right to the point, Hana. You're fired." She said plainly, voice as cold as ever. "Between breaking everything you touch and hurting fellow employees, I don't think you're a good fit for this restaurant."
As her blank expression and chilled gaze met the 19 year olds', Hana found herself without words, lips moving silently with no speech following it as she struggled to find the right words. "You can't." The younger girl managed to get out as she straightened her posture, sitting herself up straight as a look of partial confidence decorated her features.
"Oh? And why not?"
"I know what you do to Lena when you call her in."
Amélie arched an eyebrow in mild, feigned confusion playing across her features. "What are you talking about?"
Pushing out her seat lightly, Hana got up, justification of her actions hitting her full force. "I know. I have it all on camera." Digging into her pocket, she pulled out her phone before turning it on. With a few, quick swipes of the pad of her thumb, she turned the screen around, exposing the video file to Amélie before pressing play. From the little speakers the soft voices of the waitress and manager trailed through the air as their activities from a few nights ago were presented to the dark haired woman from a different, more sneaky point of view. "It's disgusting what you're doing." The younger woman said, voice cutting over the recording.
The manager's gaze only fell, eyes narrowing as her gaze shifted from the video at hand to the former employee daring to challenge her. "And what do you plan to do with that?"
Hana's expression housed a mixture of emotions, all of which fought for dominance as her plan fell all around her. The widening eyes of surprise soon cut by the fallen features of an almost lost, forlorn hope, all mixed with the scrunched eyebrows of displeasure as her dark eyes scanned over the older woman in front of her before resting back down on her phone at hand. The video had almost come to an end, the clear insult of Lena's inability to close a door playing through the air. "I was originally just looking for dirt, but now," she paused, eyes reconnecting with Amélie's. "I'm going to turn you into the police."
Without hesitation or the sound of protest from the other, she slipped the cell back into her jacket pocket before turning on her heel and parting from the office, leaving her chair in its pulled out state. Reaching for the metal handle, she twisted it open, pulling the dark wood in towards her as she took a step outside. But it was quickly halted short.
Blocking the opening stood a mountain of a man, his mop of grey hair reaching the top of the doorframe. If his height wasn't enough, the rest of his stature sat heavy on his frame, his bulk and girth taking up almost every available space, leaving the younger girl nothing but taken aback. "Umm? Excuse me?" She whined, looking up at him as though expecting a step to the side.
Amélie stood up from her place at the desk, walking a few paces around it before landing a few feet away from the dark haired girl. From its position at her side, her hand extended, thin fingers outstretched in front of her. "Hand me the phone, Hana." She commanded, voice tight and firm like a parent giving their child one last warning.
"No way." She shot back, taking a half step to the side as though attempting to move back the blockade.
"Is there nothing me nor Mako here can do to convince you otherwise?"
Hana twirled around, placing a hand on her outturned hip as her eyes alit with a force of confidence, a smug smile tweaking on the corner of her lips. "No, you deserve everything that is coming to you."
"Pity," Amélie said simply, her hand falling back to her side. "Because I'm all done playing this game. Mako, take care of her."
A large hand was placed on her with a harsh force, grabbing it firmly as his thick fingers wrapped around her shoulder, dwarfed by comparison. As a wave of confusion began to wash over the younger girl, a sickening crack cut through the air, a sharp, unforgivable pain shooting through her along with it. It was as though her entire chest crumpled in an instant, her breath coming out short and shallow as each second of her existence became a misery. There was a yanking, twisting on the middle of her chest, her body, now weak and limp with unimaginable searing pain, following through the movement as it jerked along with it.
Her head dropped down, gaze slowly focusing on the growing circle of dark red staining her shirt. From the top of her sternum stuck a large protrusion, sticking a good five inches out of her as its old, rusted metal hooked up and through her, cementing Hana in place, not only in through the absolute bout of shock it had sent her through, but also the added fear it presented. As she struggled for breath, her eyes became blurry, vision leaving her as the world became a series of blobs and colors, twisting and distorting out of reality as touch with it left her.
Weakly, she reached up, her shaky fingers wrapping around the hook, hands staining with her own blood through. Using her remaining bit of strength, Hana slowly lifted her head back up, eyes falling onto Amélie's for one last second, all life slowly fading from her eyes as the younger girl fell back, her body slumping further onto the protrusion, back making contact with Mako's stomach.
As the show came to an end, Amélie's gaze left the scene in front of her as the manager turned around in her place, stepping back over to her desk as she sank back down into the material of her chair once more. With a few clicks of her nails on the keyboard, her eyes locked themselves back to the screen of the computer as she went back to the paperwork at hand. Lifting the wooden handle of the meat hook fixed between his thick ring and middle finger, Hana's body slumped further over onto itself as it raised up, her middle folding over as the rubber soles of her feet left the ground.
As Mako made his way down the hall connecting the office to the kitchen area, her body hung pathetically on the metal point, arms dangling as her head limply swung side to side. With every step, a trail of fresh blood pouring onto the ground, marking his path as he made his way to the outside.
Author's (Kate) Note: And you say now that there's violence. After the scene in the previous chapter where Lena got shot. Perfect. I have been waiting for this part of the story for a long time, mostly the part that just happened. Alec is wanting me to tell you that there will be happy times coming up soon, but.. Where is the fun in that?