Breaking News: "Reports of a possible terroristic attack on Numbani reach the studio. The situation is unclear as of now, but according to well-informed quarters a bomb was detonated at Devaraja Ramachandran's public speech concerning the possible harmony between humans and Omnics. The number of casualties is not yet determined, but is said to be at least seventy. The major was confirmed to be among the victims. A spokesman of the Numbani security battalion (NSB) let it be known that until now no organization claimed to be responsible for the attack. Connections to Talon however do seem to be reasonable.

Numbani has been placed under martial law for an indefinite amount of time, the generals of NSB were put in charge of all governing and constitutional responsibilities.

The Federal Foreign Office issued a travel warning for Numbani and the surrounding areas.

While the dust of this horrible attack clears, voices blaming the local security forces are getting louder. In the past national defense and police forces worldwide failed to proof that they are capable of reliably defending their citizens from terroristic attacks. Both the Omnic rebels as well as Talon achieved key-victories in the past years. More and more people are demanding a appropriate reaction from the UN, namely the abolishment of the Petras-act and the immediate re-establishment of Overwatch.

As of now there hasn't been an official statement on behalf of the UN.

We will keep you updated on the situation, should new information become available.

You heard it first on BBC America, from our studio in Los Angeles, Britney Silverman"

-/-

Congress of international medical affairs, Zürich, a few hours earlier

Mercy came out of the quiet little hallway she had used to talk with Tracer and walked back to the main area of the night's event. It was a sublime formal reception, with mandatory evening attire, where all the invited guests gathered to talk about the various different presentations of their colleagues the days prior to the gala. The smartest heads the medical world had to offer came together to present their newest breakthroughs in their research, giving the expert audience the opportunity to evaluate the research while also hoping to draw the attention of wealthy investors to themselves.

Dr. Ziegler, despite not presenting research on her own, had been invited to give a speech this evening in front of the entire audience. She was the guest of honor, having won two Nobel-prizes for her ground breaking work in nanobiology. Though Mercy would never admit it, she was preeminent in her field. And now she was here, in Zürich, mingling with all the other practitioners. Part of her felt terribly out of place... which might have been due to her wardrobe. It had been years since the last time Angela wore evening attire. She was so used to white lab coats or her Valkyrie-suit that something like her white, form fitting cocktail-dress made her almost feel uncomfortable. It was most likely the fact that the dress was backless and Mercy kind of cursed herself for thinking it was a good idea buying something like this on a whim. A whim and the look her bodyguard gave her when they went shopping for today.

Luckily it was 'only' her attire, which made Angela feel a little strange. The speech itself was something Mercy was actually looking forward to. It had been quite some time since she had been at one of these gatherings, and she would have been lying if she said that the attention and respect people paid her wasn't nice on some level. Still, Angela wished the same kind of dedication her colleagues put up to appeal to her would flow towards helping those in need.

She shouldn't complain. Most of the scientists and researchers inside the beautiful, hyper-modern event-hall in the heart of Zürich dedicated their life to exactly that purpose.

"Are you alright, Ma'am?" someone asked and Mercy turned a bit to her left. Her eyes fell on her bodyguard, who came along because Winston insisted on it. Or better yet, because the Egyptian spent enough time talking Winston into it, telling him that in times like these, with Talon on the hunt for Overwatch-agents, it would be close to suicide letting the one and only Dr. Ziegler, their greatest resource and biggest advantage, walk around in open public without at least some form of personal security. Mercy naturally protested heavily, but in the end her reasonable side, and Winston, won.

That was why Fareeha Amari was now standing next to Angela, wearing an admittedly very sharp looking black suit with a light grey button down shirt and black tie. Her hair was partly pulled back into a ponytail, but the golden ornaments she wore in the bangs on the front were still hanging down to the sides of her face. Together, with her stern features and seeing how tall Pharah was, she really left a striking expression of someone you should not mess with.

"I'm fine, don't worry. Just a little nervous, that's all" Angela replied with a smile. "And I already told you, could you please-" drop the Ma'am?

"No. As long as I am on duty, it stays." Fareeha said before quickly realizing how harsh she just sounded. Being around Mercy made her act strangely, and it was really bothering her. Maybe it was because she had been idolizing the woman since the day she had first met her. Years ago, on the one day her mother took her with her to the Watchpoint, Mercy had been there as well alongside some other Overwatch-agents and they all took a picture together. But of all the people she had met that day, it was Mercy who was stuck in Fareeha's head. She had been so nice to her on that day, showing her around and talking to her about so many things, when her own mother had more important things to take care of than her daughter. Whenever Fareeha thought back to that day, she automatically thought about Mercy as well. These memories were one and the same. "I-I mean, if I call you by your name, people might think I am your date or something" she quickly added in an attempt to fix her fuckup.

Mercy just smirked "Oh, you wouldn't want to be my date then?" she asked, and cursed the influence Tracer had on her as soon as the words had left her lips.

Poor Pharah turned completely red from one moment to the next, searching for something correct to say in this situation. "N-No, that's not what I meant, I just thought that-"

Mercy cut her off with a silent laugh "Relax, Ms. Amari. I was just messing with you, don't worry about it. You want to separate business from private matters. I appreciate that." She said with a supportive nod. Damn, now Angela felt bad; she only wanted to make a joke to lighten up the mood, not upset her bodyguard.

"Thank you for your consideration, Ma'am" Amari replied after catching her breath. Angela just smiled, as she couldn't help but notice how different Fareeha was now from the last time she had seen her. Back then, Ana's daughter was a child, lively and curious about everything. To her, everything concerning Overwatch was nothing short of a miracle, at least judging from the excited spark which had been glowing in little Fareeha's eyes.

Seeing her again so many years later was almost a bit sad for Angela. The overexcited little girl was gone, replaced by a dead-serious woman, with the utmost no-nonsense attitude Angela had seen in a long time. Her eyes had lost that lively excitement from the past, and had aged years past Fareeha's actual age. When Angela looked at the Egyptian now, she had difficulties seeing the happy little girl who she got to know in the old days. Now, Fareeha reminded Angela a lot of Ana in her younger years. Loyal to the cause beyond any imagination, and driven solely by purpose and honor. It was almost scary how similar to her mother the daughter had grown up to be. Scary and sad. There never was a lot of room for warmth and affection in Ana's heart. But Mercy was sure that the mother would be proud of her daughter.

Just as Angela wanted to comment on that, a man in an expensive khaki suit, standing on a tiny stage with a lectern made of glass on top of it, tapped the microphone two times before clearing his throat. His voice was carried into the event-hall by speakers placed to the sides of the stage and around the room.

"Ladies and gentlemen. May I have your attention for a moment please?" he started, pausing for a second to allow the audience to calm down and turn toward the stage, which was placed in front of two giant semicircular staircases made of beautiful white marble. In between the two stairs was a great fountain with a large, all natural black rock inside. It reached almost up to the third floor and was framed by the white stairs. The stage was placed in front of it, blocking the entrance to the stairs.

"As you all know, today's evening concludes our annual congress of medical affairs. It has been a very interesting, innovative, and especially exciting event for all of us, and it pains me that this great happening comes to an end today. But something is still missing and those of you, who are attending this event on an annual basis, might already know what that is. As usual we prepared a very special guest for all of you; someone you all may aspire to be like and someone who may widen the horizon of all of us."

The man made a small pause, seeking out Angela with his eyes. The doctor was already walking towards the stage, Fareeha following shortly behind her. The Egyptian was alert as usual and had an eye on the crowd surrounding them. She somehow got the feeling that things weren't the way they were supposed to be. Something was amiss, yet Fareeha couldn't pinpoint what it was exactly.

There were so many eyes on them, and Pharah was certain, some of them weren't just looking at Mercy with interest. Some of the guests looked at her like they had an eye on her movements, and that worried Pharah. Still, maybe she was overreacting. Angela was someone very famous in medical spheres. So maybe she got those looks everywhere? Fareeha doubted it and quickly checked if her handgun, which she carried under her jacket was still in place. Just in case.

Someone very suspicious caught her attention in the far corner of the room, and she was about to reach out for Mercy to stop her from going on the stage, but then the suspicious guy Fareeha saw appeared harmless again. He seemed to just search a toilet. Thus, she didn't say anything and just followed Mercy on the stage.

"Tonight's guest has won two Nobel-prizes for applied nanoscience and medicine. She has fought for years on the frontlines of the Omnic-wars and, as far as we know, she also is the only one who can resurrect the dead. Our special guest for the 67th annual congress of medical affairs is not only a brilliant mind, but also a true hero and role model for all of us." The man, who was the president of the world medical association, continued, making Angela blush slightly. She wasn't used to such praise and, quite frankly, she wasn't too comfortable with it either. At all times she just did what needed to be done. Still, it was nice that people thought so highly of her.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I am sure you all know who I am talking about. Please give her a warm welcome: Dr. Angela Ziegler"

Mercy smiled and thanked the president of the medical association as she went up to the rostrum while people were applauding loudly.

At least most of them were.

Some guests seemed to be searching something. They were pushing through the audience toward the small stage. One of them reached up to his ear and pressed a finger to it. It didn't escape Fareeha's watchful eyes.

Her attention darted toward the large glass doors, which were the main entrance. Outside were the dark streets of Zürich... And an unusual number of black SUVs. Pharah immediately realized what was going on.

Fuck!

Without hesitation, she almost jumped forward and pulled Mercy away from the lectern in exactly the same moment in which the huge glass front of the event-hall exploded. The vehicles which had been parked outside a moment prior, crashed through the glass walls and inside the building, sending broken bits of glass flying into the crowd. Tires squeaked on the polished floor of the hall while the large SUVs were locking the entrance.

There was a moment of completely out of place silence before chaos erupted.

The heavy doors of the cars opened and soldiers in battle armor darted out, their heavy military boots stomping on the ground. The doors of the driver and his passenger were used as shield while the barrels of rifles were pushed through in between the gap of door and car.

While the guests screamed in panic and tried to run away from the soldiers rapidly closing in on them the private security organization tasked with the safety of this event attempted to attack the black clad soldiers. The assailants were moving in small squads of three people, each group apparently tasked with another objective which they were carrying out with precision.

The private security firm however was hopelessly outclassed. In a matter of moments their employees were mercilessly gunned down by blazing assault rifle fire from the SUVs' position.

Mercy only felt how Pharah grabbed her rather roughly and pulled her off the stage in just the same moment when the president of this event got riddled with bullets. The doctor didn't notice an awful lot apart from Fareeha's strong grip on her, while the Egyptian quickly pulled them into cover.

"Keep your head down!" she ordered, an elbow pressed roughly to Angela's chest, making sure she wouldn't run off in panic, while Fareeha reached for her gun.

"I know how to handle myself in battle, thank you" Mercy replied dryly. Still, she could understand Pharah's reaction, as bullets were whipping past their heads and people screaming in panic. Fareeha was here to protect the doctor, she was just doing her job. And the Egyptian had never fought alongside Mercy, she had no way of knowing that, if worst comes to worst, the gentle Swiss doctor could just as well dish out damage as she could heal her comrades.

Not that Mercy particularly enjoyed the heat of a battle, like Tracer or Reinhardt always did. To them the fight was the ultimate kick, the proof of their capabilities, their wits, their skill, their strength and their tactical prowess. The battlefield was their ground to shine. To Mercy it was the complete opposite. Battle was no ground to shine, it was a shameful testimony of failure. It should never come to a fight, no matter how bad the dispute was. To her violence always was the last resort, the final means, should all other possibilities fail. Or in case you needed to defend yourself and your loved ones.

Much like now. The rattling of gunfire and empty casings crashing to the ground filled the event hall, almost drowning out the sound of Mercy's rapidly beating heart in her chest.

Damn, it had been a while since someone had been shooting at her. It was a feeling she could have lived without. She turned to Pharah, who pressed a hand to her ear, using her communicator.

"Pharah to HQ, come in! Athena are you there?" she yelled over the loud cracking of gunfire, quickly peeking out of cover to evaluate how much time they had left until the soldiers would have worked their way through the crowd and to their point of hiding. "We are under attack. A large number of enemy forces. I got Dr. Ziegler with me, but we need a taxi ASAP. RV-point blue or yellow, preferably."

Pharah was silent for a moment, in which she leaned out of cover for a second, taking potshots at the enemy while trying to not shoot the next civilian in his back. Mercy didn't understand Athena's reply, to her the AI's voice was nothing but a faint buzz coming out of Fareeha's earpiece. But judging from the way the Egyptian's body stiffened up for a second, she didn't like what Athena had to say. Not one bit.

"What!?" she suddenly yelled, her face contorted with dismay. Her back crashed back into cover and Mercy noticed how the Egyptian gave her look full of worry and concern. The doctor kept silent and shot her protector a reassuring smile. She was sure Pharah would handle this situation the best she could.

Fareeha's face froze solid and she definitely lost all of her warm chocolate brown color. "We don't have two hours!" she screamed. "Fuck!" cursing loudly Pharah quickly thought of other options. There had to be a way to get out of here and to a safe place! Something, anything really. She would never allow that anything happens to Mercy. Never. There was no one like her, no one this gentle, no one this heartfelt, or this caring like Angela Ziegler. Even now the doctor was smiling at her, her head cutely tilted to the side. Fareeha would not disappoint her. She would not fail.

"Ma'am" the Egyptian said, grabbing Mercy's hand and squeezing it tightly. "I will get you out of here. I promise!" Fareeha's eyes were stern and burning with determination, even though her voice was starting to tremble. She had an expression on her face, which Angela couldn't quite place. Was it concern? Was it fear? Whatever it was, Angela could tell her bodyguard was promising this to herself as much as she did to the doctor.

So, Mercy smiled once again. "I know you will" she reassured with a nod.

-/-

A/N:

Small teaser chapter. I had to cut somewhere, the next chapter would have been too large otherwise.

If you want to support me and my story, you can do so here:

tipeee com slash e82s-fanfiction

-/-

Beta for this chapter, as usual, the one and only EhMattissimo. I added some parts after he worked through it, so should some paragraphs be worse than others, you know the reason for it. I don't know if I already mentioned that I am not native to English, so yeah. I am trying my best.

Thank you guys once again for all the love and support! You are all rockstars!

A guest complained that it was generic and predictable that Tracer would make Widowmaker remember. I completely understand your problem. But let's be serious for a moment. What else should have happened? There were really two options. Let Widow remember or not. And not remembering would have resulted in Widow killing Tracer. Which would have made for a very shitty end, don't you agree? It is a romance Widowtracer story after all. I am trying my best to keep it original and entertaining.

Next chapter will be out in a few days or so, you won't have to wait too long.

Until then, leave me a review, follow or fav, do whatever you feel needs to be done :D

I'll see you soon

o7

E82