Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The perfect experiment.

She dedicated her entire life to genetic research. Rewriting the human genome was simple. What Moria craved, what she wanted most, was to rewrite the mind. To prove once and for all that she and only she held the key to change mankind, to make her species superior to all others, and finally secure its place as the superior being. 

It was perfect. 

All she needed was a subject.

----

“Why am I doing this again?”

“For the twelfth time, Hana, you are the only one capable of doing this.” 

Hana Song, more commonly known as the international superstar “D.Va”, pouted. She sunk deeper into the seat of the jetliner, failing to get comfortable. She was accustomed to private jets funded by the South Korean government or dropships piloted by Lena. Not some regular commercial airline where the air was stuffy, kids were screaming, and whoever was behind her decided to use her seat as a kickstand. 

The young superstar glanced out the window, catching her reflection in the window. She didn't look like a superstar.

What she was complaining about was her mission. To go undercover. That meant the less she looked like a celebrity, the better. Her brown hair was dyed red, and her signature pink whiskers had been replaced with regular makeup. She wore pink-framed glasses as a final touch. Really, just by doing that Hana didn't recognize herself. 

She hated it. 

“How long is this going to take?” She turned to her traveling companion. After being assigned this mission she was still not allowed to go alone. Winston had told her it was “too risky,” and that she needed someone to “mentor” her, like she needed a babysitter or something. She felt like he didn’t trust her. 

So of course, who better to babysit than the resident physician, Angela Ziegler, aka “Mercy”? Hana would have picked literally anyone else to go with her. Angela was known to be a bit of a buzzkill. 

“The flight? Probably another hour.” The doctor was also going undercover, her blonde hair dyed brown. She wore thick-rimmed glasses and a scarf around her neck. Hana pretended not to notice that Angela would breathe into it whenever someone on the plane coughed. Angela too looked unrecognizable as the famous doctor and hero she was. 

“No, I mean the mission,” Hana replied, making no effort to lower her voice, causing Angela to glare at her. 

“Our vacation will take as long as we need it to,” Angela hissed, placing the bookmark into the absurdly large book she was reading and pushing up her glasses. 

Hana groaned and tossed her head back. It was bad enough she had to leave Overwatch and have Mercy as her “handler”. What was worse was leaving her stream and her fans. Of course, Winston already took this into account and with Genji and Lucio’s help she pre-recorded a few streams with the two of them feeding her questions she would answer while playing a single-player game so no one would notice she was gone. 

“I don’t even get my mech,” Hana whined in a harsh whisper. “What good will I be infiltrating a Talon training facility without the one thing I am good at doing?” 

Angela’s glare hardened and she ducked her head lower so she could whisper. “Because,” she sighed heavily, tired of having the same argument, “Talon is recruiting out of local high schools. You are the only one who looks young enough to pull it off.” 

Hana pursed her lips in distaste. She hated when other team members pointed out the age difference between her and practically everyone else. “Brigitte’s 23…she could do it...” she muttered under her breath as if to state something that wasn’t already considered. Brigitte, being four years older than Hana, was the closest to her age (not including Zenyatta, who was technically 20). However those four years might as well be a millennium for all Hana cared. The point was no one else was even considered for this part. It had nothing to do with her skills, her command history, her piloting, or her faster-than-lightning reflexes. No, she was simply put on this mission because she looked young. 

Angela sighed and rubbed her temples. She was tired of having this same argument with Hana. She was asked to be put on this mission to keep Hana in line. Ever since Hana had agreed to join Overwatch, the gamer and the doctor butted heads. Hana was headstrong, overzealous and oftentimes reckless. She held the record for second-most trips to the medbay (after Reinhardt). “Hana, I don’t see what the big deal is. This is a fact-finding mission only. You are to go in and collect data, not fight the entire base,” she warned, knowing that the thought had probably crossed the young woman’s mind. 

“Whatever.” Hana crossed her arms and went back to looking out the window. It was a big deal. It was a huge deal! In all her time in Overwatch, Hana was never assigned to any type of solo mission or even small teams. It grinded on her. While some called her behavior reckless, she called it quick-thinking. Not everyone could blow up a fusion core hundreds of feet above the ocean, nearly drown, and walk out of it with only a few minor scrapes. Now that was a real mission... 

She must have fallen asleep, because the next thing she knew she was being shaken awake by Angela. Hana sat up with a jolt as Angela announced, “we’re here.” Most of the plane had already cleared out. Angela reached to the overhead bins to grab their bags.

Hana stretched and grabbed her inconspicuous bag and headed into the terminal. All she knew  was that they were somewhere in North America, but she had no idea where exactly. Geography wasn’t her strong suit. She was, however, able to determine they were in Canada judging by the large billboard of Niagara Falls at the top of the escalator. 

“This way!” Angela nearly scared Hana half to death as the woman snuck up behind her. In the busy airport it was easy to do.

Hana stuck close to Angela. While the older woman had world travel experience, Hana felt like a deer in the headlights. She didn’t get to travel much, and when she did she had agents pick up her things for her while she was busy signing autographs and taking selfies with fans. Now Hana knew what it felt like to be just another nameless face in a crowd.

Angela grabbed their bags from baggage claim and was quick to meet the valet. Hana was hot on her heels as people swarmed to get their rideshares. “Wait!” Hana scrambled to catch up, dodging through people with acrobatic ease. Angela stopped and turned around just in time for Hana to run into her. 

“You really should be more careful,” Angela scolded, trying her best to hide her German accent. It surprised Hana how well the woman could assume a different identity. It also made the young Korean woman wonder just how much Angela has done in her life. “This is us.” She directed her attention to the scrawny young man holding a sign for valet service. 

Written in sharpie marker was the name “Brady”. It was the assumed last name they both had to take on for this mission. Cassidy came up with it, referencing some ancient TV show that even Reinhardt wasn’t familiar with. Hana rolled her eyes and followed Angela to the car. 

Hana was captivated by the sprawling city as they drove past soaring skyscrapers and gorgeous green spaces. Hana was able to pick up the city they were in from the travel brochure in the back of the cab. They were in the Canadian city of Toronto, she quickly flipped through the brochure, stopping on one page in particular. “Can we go to Niagara Falls?” She asked her travel companion. Angela quirked an eyebrow up almost as if seriously considering the offer. She opened her mouth to answer when the car halted at their destination. They were parked in front of a towering apartment building, its glass facade reflecting the sunlight and nearly blinding anyone that dared look at it. 

“We’re here,” Angela said tersely, getting out of the car and grabbing their bags from the trunk. 

Hana had never done espionage before, and she was quite impressed by how smoothly everything ran. The two women got into the spacious two-bedroom apartment with no questions asked. It was a modest, standard fare. There was a couch, television and full kitchen. Angela set her bags down and breathed a sigh of relief as she plopped herself on the couch.

“How did Winston pull this off?” Hana asked as she set her bags down and opened the curtains to reveal the city skyline. She coughed a bit as she kicked up dust. 

“This old place? It’s a safehouse that Overwatch has had for years,” Angela explained as she kicked her shoes off. “Why, Fareeha and I once…” she began but cut herself off sharply. 

This piqued the young girl’s interest, craning her neck from her view of the city. “You and Fareeha…?” she goaded the doctor with a smirk.

“Nothing. I’ll tell you when you’re older.” Angela dismissively waved her hand. Effectively ending that conversation and took her bags to the bedroom that was connected to the living room. “Your bedroom is on the other side of the hallway.” She said over her shoulder, missing the way Hana’s face twisted into disgust at her words. 

Hana grabbed her bags and went about unpacking her things in the other smaller bedroom. Even for being unused for so long, the sheets on the bed were clean, so she couldn’t complain much. For the first time Hana felt the weight of the mission on her shoulders. She had to actually infiltrate Talon, something no other agent was capable of doing. As she placed her clothes into the dresser she was reminded of how this trip could be a huge turning point in the battle between Overwatch and Talon. Part of her was proud that she was chosen for the mission, even though she was the only one qualified. Hana pulled out her little piece of home, her handheld game console. 

“Hana?” Angela’s voice tore the girl back to reality. She hid her game behind her back and whipped around to see Angela standing in the doorway. “I ordered pizza, then we can go over the mission details one more time.” Angela furrowed her eyebrows. “What is that?” She pointed to whatever Hana was hiding behind her back.

“Nothing!” Hana snapped back. Angela took one step into the room and Hana took one step back. Before the young woman knew it Angela had Hana’s arm in a lock behind her back and her hand had let go of the game console that clattered to the ground. “Hey!” 

Angela bent over and picked up the small device. “Winston said no contact with the outside world.” 

“It doesn't connect anywhere!” Hana made a lunge for the handheld console. Angela kept it just out of her grasp. “Angela give it back!” 

The older woman sighed and relented, not wanting another argument. “Fine, as long as you stay off the internet.”

Hana grabbed the console back. “You know I wouldn’t put the integrity of a mission in jeopardy for a game.” Hana hissed as she put the game back into her suitcase and zipped it up. 

There was a knock at the door and both women were startled into ready stances. 

“Pizza!” Said the voice on the other side of the front door.

It wasn’t too much later that both women sat on the couch in their pajamas pouring over paperwork. Pizza boxes were splayed on the coffee table amongst the manilla folders and files. “So, according to this I am an 18-year-old in my last year of high school? Just moved here from...where?” Hana looked up to Angela, her mouth full of pizza. 

“Bloomington, Indiana,” Angela replied, “Jack insisted on putting that detail in there so it would be easy to remember.” She took a bite of pizza but was sure to swallow before continuing. “But we moved around a lot due to my job as a medical supply consultant.” 

“Alright, and you adopted me from Busan? Orphaned by the omnics? Really?” Hana didn’t like how closely her new persona mirrored her actual upbringing, it sent a cold chill down her spine.

Angela shrugged nonchalantly. “Easy to remember.” 

Hana bit her tongue and decided to move on, flipping through the pages of the persona file. “Winston really went into detail with this…” she commented before grabbing another slice of pizza. 

“You can actually thank Cassidy for that. He put together these files,” Angela explained. 

Hana’s jaw fell, she couldn’t believe the man who dressed as a cowboy could put together such extensive undercover personas. She needed to ask Cassidy more about his Blackwatch days when she got back. Hana then looked back to the file in her folder, “my name is...Haniko…?”

Angela nodded, “Yes, and I am Angelica Brady, single mother from Zurich trying to make a living here in Toronto.” 

Hana felt her stomach knot. She didn’t like the fact that Angela had to be her mother for the cover story. Hana never knew her actual mother, she was killed by the Omnic of the Sea when she was little. To Hana, no one could take that place in her life. “Why couldn’t you be my sister or something?” She grumbled to herself.

If Angela heard the question, she made no move to acknowledge it. Instead she dug around in her bag and pulled out a small black box and held it out. 

“Doctor Ziegler I don’t think we are this far into our relationship,” Hana joked but Angela didn’t even so much as crack a smile as she opened the box revealing a small silver watch inside.

“You are to wear this,” she instructed and took the watch out. This was something that wasn’t covered in the briefing, and Hana shot a confused look at Angela.

“What for?” the words came out of her mouth before Hana had time to process them. 

Angela took Hana’s wrist and slipped the small silver watch over it. “It monitors your heart rate,” she stated flatly. “But also it’s a direct line to me. Since we have to be discreet in this I can remotely monitor your vital signs from here. If you press this button on the side three times…” Angela pointed to the red button on the side of the watch, “It will send a distress signal, and we will know something is wrong, and I’ll pull you out and send in reinforcements if need be.” 

Hana felt a lump rise in her throat as the device was secured on her wrist. She wasn’t sure if the lump came from the actual danger of the situation she was about to face or that she had a panic button in case she got scared. She swallowed the lump and tried to reassure herself it was the former reasoning. 

Angela smiled, that soft reassuring smile she used for patients and that Hana had seen many times while in the medbay. “Well, it’s getting late. Shall we head to bed?” She started to pack up her things before waiting for an answer. Hana took that as a sign, and she gathered her things before heading to her room. 

“G’night!” she called before closing the door, not waiting for Angela’s response.

----

Hana was quickly reminded the next day why she hated high school. 

If it wasn’t the gossip about who was dating whom, then it was what clique you were in and who you associate with. For Hana, being “the new kid” meant she was clumped into the “outsiders” clique. Basically the catch-all for everyone who didn’t fit into a stereotype. Everyone within this clique was looked at like some leper by everyone else, so no one really noticed Hana, much less recognized who she actually was. 

While sitting in class, she began to daydream about how the “popular” kids would react knowing someone so famous was in their ranks. 

“Haniko…”

Yeah, she would totally own everyone. They would be lining up to try and beat her in some game or another. 

“Haniko!” 

Maybe she would make the losers clean her consoles. 

“Haniko Brady!” The yelling of her history teacher snapped Hana back to reality. Everyone was staring at her as if she had just dropped in from another planet, which wasn’t too far off. “I’m glad you can finally join us, Ms. Brady,” the teacher snarled. It wasn’t like Hana cared about grades. She was here for an infiltration mission, not for her damn GPA.

----

“Hana, can you at least try to take this seriously?” Angela asked. It had been a week and Hana had gotten her first report card. Angela sat at the kitchen table with her laptop in front of her and the report card in her hand. 

“I’m trying, it’s not my fault I haven't heard anything about Talon recruiting!” Hana spat back.

It was obvious to Hana that her sharp tone didn’t sit well with the doctor as she shifted in her chair and pushed up her glasses. “I mean, will you at least try to make an effort in your studies?” Hana was taken aback. “The principal called, she’s concerned about your work ethic.” 

Hana’s jaw fell. “I’m in the middle of a covert operation and you’re going to harass me about grades that don’t even matter?” Hana couldn't stop her voice from rising. 

“The point of an undercover investigation is that you make your cover story believable!” Angela stood her ground.

Hana saw red. “You are not my mother!” she yelled and stormed off to her room, slamming the door. 

Angela sat in silence.

----

After that particular argument, Angela gave Hana space. She would see the girl off in the morning and would typically work on her computer for the rest of the day. She was lucky that Baptiste had recently joined and had taken control of the medical wing in her absence. They emailed back and forth, and she trusted him in her lab. Aside from that she would try to do some digging into Talon’s movements. 

Today was a bit different. After seeing Hana off to school, Angela had an important video call to make. It was the weekly report she had to give Winston about the status of the mission. Angela was on her second cup of coffee for the day when she called. 

“Hello Angela! It’s good to see you!” Winston greeted with a huge smile, showing all of his canine teeth. 

Angela smiled back. “Hello. It is good to see you, too.” 

“Oi! Let me see!” a voice from off camera chirped up. Angela could recognize the cockney accent anywhere. The camera panned so that Lena was in the frame. “Hiya, Angie! I hardly recognized ya with yer hair all dark like that.” The energetic British woman scooted closer to the camera, effectively shoving Winston out of the way. “How’re ya doin’? Is Hana there?” She started to rapid fire questions.

Angela shook her head. “No, Hana is at the school. She hasn’t been able to glean much information from the students, but she says that colleges routinely give recruitment presentations so she thinks it’s only a matter of time before Talon shows up on the radar.”

Winston shifted the camera so it was back to him and he pushed up his glasses. “How much time do you think you’ll both need?” 

Angela shrugged, “I’m not quite sure really.”

The camera violently spun back to Lena. Angela was beginning to feel motion sick. “How’s Hana doin’? She hasn’t broken cover, yeah?”

Angela shook her head. “No she hasn’t. Her grades could use some improvement though.”

“Yer such a mom, Angie,” Lena giggled, and Angela rolled her eyes.

The camera pulled back to Winston, he snorted a bit becoming clearly agitated by the constant interruption. “Tell her that keeping up appearances is important, and she shouldn’t draw any unwanted attention to herself.”

Angela sighed. “I did. That conversation didn’t go well.” 

“Well I’m sure you both can work something out.” Winston replied. 

“I just don’t trust her to take this mission seriously.” Angela stated flatly.

“I know,” Winston sighed, taking his glasses off to rub his eyes. “But we have a contingency plan. You gave her the watch right?”

Angela nodded. 

“Good. Make sure she wears it at all times. I know you both can do this, Angela.” He smiled softly before ending the call.

Angela rested her head in her hands with her elbows on the table. She needed more coffee.

----

A week went by when Hana rushed in the front door of the apartment in a manic frenzy. “Angela!” Hana threw her backpack in the chair opposite the doctor at the kitchen table. Angela, who was in the middle of her third coffee of the day, nearly choked as she was taken by surprise. Hana didn’t give the woman time to respond as she rifled through her bag. “I was doing some digging in the library during free period today,” she began to explain as she pulled out a stack of yearbooks from the high-school. Hana threw them on the table with such gusto that Angela had to scramble to pull her laptop out of the way lest it be smothered.

Frantically, Hana flipped through the first book and stopped at a page in the back. Angela took the book with curiosity as she looked over the full-page dedication. “What is this?” She asked as she read.

“Three years ago a student went missing,” Hana began to explain, pointing to the in memoriam segment. “He left after basketball practice and was never seen again. But get this,” Hana opened the rest of the books and among them were similar dedications. “Not only did students go missing, some were mysteriously killed or found dead.” 

Angela furrowed her eyebrows and looked to Hana, concerned about what this all meant. The doctor set her laptop back on the table and began to cross-reference the names of the students with local news articles. “Do you think Talon has been operating here for longer than we thought?” She asked after a few moments of silence.

Hana looked seriously at Angela. “A lot longer.” She answered gravely and dumped her bag out of the chair and pulled it around so she could look at Angela’s screen..

Angela hovered over a news article from a week ago. She clicked on it and both women read about a student in a neighboring city going missing and then presumed a runaway. According to the student’s mother, this was something “he just would never do”. The article finished with a description of the missing teenager and a number to call for tips. 

“I’m going to keep digging, maybe try and glean information from teachers to see if they noticed any students acting differently in the days leading up to their disappearance.” Hana stood up and took a sip from Angela’s coffee as she gathered the yearbooks.

“That’s a good idea. I will see if I can get a hold of some of the police files,” Angela began typing on her computer before looking up to see Hana writing down names in a notebook. “I’ll make us some more coffee.”

----

It wasn’t until the third week that Hana began to hear rumors about colleges scouting for students. She was sitting at lunch with her normal group of social outcasts, and (like usual) she was daydreaming about how everyone at the school would swoon over her if she just revealed her true identity.

“...I mean, honestly I am probably going to go to the University of Toronto, but I hear there’s this new college giving a presentation tomorrow, Vialli Memorial or something like that…”

Alarm bells went off in Hana’s head. She knew that name.

“Vialli what?” Hana asked the girl sitting at her lunch table.

“Oh, she actually speaks,” teased another boy that sat with them. 

“What was the name of the college giving the next presentation?” Hana asked again, ignoring the snarky comment thrown her way.

“Vialli Memorial. It’s some new college that just started up. I hear it’s like a work-study program,” the chatty girl filled in. 

“Yeah, they’re going to present here tomorrow,” the boy added. 

Hana settled in her seat as lunch returned to its usual chaos. She looked forward to tomorrow, where seniors got a few extra minutes to talk to college recruiters who had tables set up for them at lunchtime.

Hana couldn’t focus the rest of the day. She only thought of that new school that the others mentioned. That name sounded so familiar! She wished she had her phone so she could tap into Athena’s archives. After school Hana raced back to the safehouse and threw open the door in a whirlwind.

“Angela!” Hana threw her bag to the floor, locking eyes with the blonde who sat at the kitchen table sipping her coffee again. This time she was able to finish her drink without choking. “Tomorrow at the school there will be another college presentation. This one is called Vialli Memorial, and I know I know that name somewhere. Like it came up in history class or one of Morrison’s long-winded rambles. What is it from?” 

Angela wiped her mouth, “Vialli was in Talon’s inner council while Doomfist was imprisoned. He was the one that ordered the assassination of Katya Volskaya. When Doomfist came back...well, we don't know what happened to him,” Angela filled in. 

“Then that’s it! That must be the name that Talon is operating under!” Hana grinned excitedly. She single-handedly figured Talon out! She had played puzzle games way harder than that! 

Angela didn’t seem pleased though. She kept a scowl on her face as she looked lost in thought. “Why would Talon make it so easy for us to figure out though?” she muttered. 

Hana shrugged and took the other chair, sitting confidently. “Who cares?” Hana took another drink from Angela’s coffee. “Maybe they didn’t think that we’d get the intel we did!” 

That answer didn’t seem to sit well with the doctor as she pulled out her computer and began typing. Hana pulled a chair up next to her and watched as Angela searched this new university. “It says on their admissions page that they are new, this is their first enrolling class…” She read. 

Hana shifted uncomfortably in her chair, “do you think this has to do with the missing students?”

“I don’t know. It could be that Talon was operating under a different alias then,” Angela offered. 

Hana dug into her backpack and pulled out her notebook. “Well get this,” she said, flipping pages. “I was able to ask around the school and look,” She opened the notebook to a page where she had written down various names and connected them with pink pen to other names and locations. “Two students went missing after just getting a job at a frozen yogurt place.” She said, guiding Angela’s eyes to another part of her map. “Three more disappeared after a basketball game where it was rumored a talent scout was there. And get this, two kids were killed when their car spun out of control and hit a tree. The break line was found to be faulty.”

Angela hummed as she stared at Hana’s map. “And you’re talking to this recruiter tomorrow?” She asked, her icy blue eyes locking with Hana’s warm brown ones. 

“Yes. I think that’s my way in.” Hana said with confidence. It was the same confidence she reserved for when she was D.Va. 

“Just...be careful,” Angela frowned.

----

Butterflies flew circles in Hana’s stomach as lunch approached. She had a whole spiel planned to tell the recruiter. She went with the idea that she was a free spirit that was tired of being held back by her overprotective mother. What recruiter wouldn’t want to hear that? 

So confidently Hana walked into the lunchroom. Her eyes landed immediately on the table off to the side with a red and gray tablecloth.

“Bingo,” Hana smirked and with the poise she usually reserved for D.Va, she walked right up to the table.

Standing there was a well-dressed woman in her thirties in a form-fitting red dress that matched the tablecloth. Her cat-like eyes fell directly on Hana and her thin lips curled into a smile. “Why hello.” Her voice was smooth as silk as she spoke. “Are you here for information on our college?” She flipped her straight black hair behind her shoulder.

Hana’s train of thought derailed as the woman looked her up and down. She felt like a tiny microbe being studied under a microscope. “I...uh…yes,” Hana stammered. 

The woman’s smile went wider and she handed Hana a pamphlet and began talking. “We are an intensive work-study college geared towards students who value real-life knowledge.” Hana couldn’t care less, but she looked over the pamphlet. The uniforms the students wore, the red, black and gray; it had to be Talon.

“When can I schedule a visit?” Hana blurted out abruptly, cutting off the woman who arched a perfectly manicured eyebrow in surprise. 

The woman’s cheshire smile grew wider and her predatory eyes sparkled as she spoke. “We can set one up for Saturday,” she said. Hana signed her fake name on the sheet the woman pushed in front of her. 

After classes had ended, Hana raced back to the safehouse, excited to tell Angela what she had discovered. When she arrived she found Angela sitting at the kitchen table as she had almost every other day, typing furiously on her laptop. 

“I got a campus tour scheduled!” Hana announced as if she had just aced a huge test. 

Angela hardly looked up from her screen as she held the now cold coffee cup to her lips, even though there was a warm cup on the table across from her. “Good,” she replied flatly as her eyes scanned the screen. 

That was not the reaction Hana was expecting and she dropped her bag on the floor. “What gives?” She asked, peering over Angela’s shoulder to what she was so intently looking at.  It was the website for the school. 

“I have been researching this “school” and it seems like there are several more locations being planned across the world.” Angela’s tone was dark as she set her drink down.

“So...more undercover missions?” Hana asked with a hint of dread in her voice before picking up the warm cup of coffee. This mission was hard enough, she didn’t want to be globetrotting with Angela until she was 30. 

The doctor shook her head,“no.” Angela closed the computer so sharply it made Hana jump a bit, “Once we have enough information on how Talon is training their new recruits, we should be able to convince local governments to shut down each one without bloodshed.” She picked up her computer and walked out of the kitchen. 

----

Hana couldn’t sleep. She was equal parts nervous and excited for her first (almost) solo mission. Hana tossed and turned on the starchy sheets. The digital clock on the nightstand glared at her - 1:45 am. Growing frustrated, the young girl got up to go to the kitchen. Maybe a midnight snack would help. 

While Hana had been at school on her fact-finding mission, Angela had pretty well stocked the safehouse with provisions. To Hana’s dismay, everything was healthy even though Hana SPECIFICALLY asked for the Lucio-o’s in the grocery list she gave Angela. With a frown and a determination to find the sugariest thing in the cupboard, Hana began her search. 

She settled on some granola when she heard voices coming from Angela’s room. Hana looked at the closed door with the light coming from underneath it. Curiously, she strode closer until she could make out two distinct voices. One was definitely Angela; the Swiss-German was hard to miss. The other was grainy, as if it was over a phone or speaker. 

“...She goes in tomorrow.” This voice was Angela’s. “I just don’t know how comfortable I am with this, Fareeha.” 

“She’ll be fine,” the voice over the speaker replied. “We all had our first solo mission once.”

A sigh. “I know. I just wish Winston had sent reinforcements in case something goes wrong.”

“And what makes you think something will go wrong?” 

“You know Hana, she can be a bit...impulsive.” 

It felt like a cold knife was stabbed into Hana’s gut. Angela didn’t trust her? She thinks that she’ll mess this up? The young girl leaned in closer to the door to hear the conversation better. 

“Angie, you worry too much.” At least Fareeha had her back, Hana thought. “And besides, you gave her the GPS tracking watch right? Winston has been monitoring everything. At the first sign of trouble, Lena will have the jet ready for an emergency extraction.”

Hana couldn’t listen anymore. It wasn’t just Angela who didn’t have confidence in her, it was the entire team. As the stinging hot tears pushed forward demanding to be shed, Hana quickly spun on her heel and went back to her room. 

Unaware of the angst occurring outside her door, Angela’s conversation continued. “You’re right Fareeha,” she bit her lip and wrapped the blankets around herself. “I worry about her. She’s so young, yet she knows so much of war. Isn’t that what we fought to prevent in the old Overwatch? So that no other children would know what it felt like to lose those closest to you in a war you never asked for?” Angela couldn’t stop the tears that began to fall.

There was silence on the other end of the video call as the question hit close to home for both of them. Fareeha looked solemnly at Angela, watching silently as the doctor hugged her pillow. “I remember in the old Overwatch there was a doctor, a very pretty doctor I might add, and all she wanted to do was help. She would run headlong into the battlefield if it meant she could heal someone or drag them to safety if she had to. I remember my mother cursing in Arabic as she ran after that doctor before she got herself hurt.” Angela sniffled as Fareeha continued, “and how old were you? Eighteen?”

Angela wiped her nose on the sleeve of her shirt. “Seventeen,” she corrected. 

Fareeha couldn’t help the smile on her face. “You were seventeen, Ange. Give Hana a chance.” 

----

Angela was up early the next morning and had coffee ready for both of them by the time Hana woke up. Neither woman was an early riser, but the combined nerves kept them both awake. “Good morning,” Angela greeted once Hana finally came out of the bathroom with her red dyed hair pulled back. 

“Mornin’,” Hana grumbled. She was still tired and hurt from the night before. After overhearing the conversation between Angela and Fareeha, she didn't sleep much. 

“I trust you are ready for today?” Angela asked as she sipped her coffee. 

“Yeah,” Hana replied as she grabbed a yogurt cup from the fridge. She tried not to visibly cringe at the way Angela said “trust”.  “I studied the college, and I believe I have the map of the place down.” Hana took a seat across from Angela at the kitchen table. 

Angela nodded. “Did you sleep well?” she couldn’t help but ask. Hana was silent as she ate her yogurt. Angela had known the girl long enough to know that the answer was no. It took all of her resolve not to push the issue, remembering what Fareeha had told her. Angela took another sip of her coffee. 

“Alright,” Hana said once she had finished. “I’ll need to wear a wire to record everything right?” she asked and took a drink of her own coffee.

Angela nodded. “Yes. Mei designed it.” She got up and pulled out a small little gray box from her bag that sat next to her. She opened it revealing a pair of silver earrings with diamonds in the center. Angela picked one up and flipped it over. “Pressing here will start the recording.” she pointed to the diamond in the center. “Make sure to press the back of each of them as one is audio and one is visual. They feed directly to a satellite feed that can be then uploaded to Athena,” she explained. 

“So everyone back at base will be able to see what I’m doing?” Hana asked as she reluctantly took the box.

Angela shrugged. “With a few minute delay, but yes.” 

“Gotcha.” Hana put the earrings in, not satisfied with that answer. 

Angela could feel the distaste and anxiety in Hana’s voice, “I think you are the best suited for the job, with your acting history and all.” Angela’s attempts at cheering Hana up failed miserably as the younger girl stared at her blankly.

“You mean the movie I was forced to be in as propaganda for the MEKA program?” Hana deadpanned back. “Yeah, I’ll keep that in mind.” 

----

Hana took the bus to Vialli campus. “Campus” wasn’t really a word that Hana would use to describe the large office building, which shared a strip mall space with a taco shop and a nail salon. Hana turned on the recording device in the earrings and looked at her “watch”. She remembered what she overheard Angela say the previous night about how the team back at base was watching her every move. Hana felt disgusted and with haste, she took off the “watch” and threw it in the trash can.

She took a deep breath and walked through the glass doors. 

What she was not expecting was a fully set up admissions office. Sitting at a mahogany desk was the woman Hana had previously spoken to. Her dark eyes flickered up upon hearing the door open and her mouth unzipped to reveal her perfect smile. 

“Haniko, was it?” She stood to shake Hana’s hand. Hana nodded, remembering her alias. “I am so glad you could make it!” The woman grinned. “You can call me Delilah.” 

“Nice to meet you, Delilah,” Hana replied. 

“So,” the woman seemed to go back to business as she pulled out a folder from her desk and gave it to Hana. “Here is a list of the different majors we offer and the different businesses we do our work-study through.” Hana took the folder and began flipping through it slowly, she wanted to be sure the camera in her earrings caught everything. “I am sure you will find something that sparks your interest. We do a lot of work with local programming companies and video game startups.”

This jerked Hana’s attention away from the folder and back to the woman. “How did you know I liked video games?” Her heart started racing. Hana was sure that somewhere in Gibraltar alarm bells were going off and Winston had Lena’s jet on the tarmac. 

The woman’s portentous smile did not falter. “You told me when we talked at your school the other day.” Did she? Hana couldn’t remember. It was probably something she let slip during their conversation. Delilah moved around the desk. “Unfortunately the other two families that were scheduled to take the tour with you today couldn’t make it. So it will just be you and me!” 

Hana put on the best faux smile she could and followed the woman behind the desk and through another set of doors. Sprawled out in front of Hana was nothing but empty office space. Hana was confused and turned to look at the woman. 

She was met instead with a blow to the back of the head.

Then darkness.

Chapter Text

We kill the lights and put on a show

It's all a lie but you'd never know

Your star will shine and then it will fall

And you will forget it all

~ The Birthday Massacre

----

“Kid, get back here! This isn’t some game!” Soldier:76’s gruff voice rang throughout her cockpit. D.Va scanned the battlefield and gritted her teeth at the corner they backed themselves into.

She was certain he was expecting an apology, but instead she just laughed, “are you sure life isn’t a game, Soldier: 76?” She knew that her retort wouldn’t be taken well by the old commander but she had a strategic move to make. The group of Talon soldiers were right where she wanted them, and she had the tactical advantage. What started out as a small operation to flush a few Talon operatives out of a stronghold in Luxembourg turned into a big ordeal. There were more soldiers than they originally anticipated and a brute leading the pack. 

“I could use some cover!” Cassidy hollered from where he was crouched behind a car at the left flank position. 

“My shield’s are giving out!” Reinhardt held Talon at the choke point, Mercy stood protected by him. Tracer blinked along the back line with Lucio hot on her heels for speed boost and healing. 

“D.Va! I said get back here!” Soldier barked again from the right flank position behind a dumpster. They had been on the defensive ever since this fight began, and if there was one thing D.Va hated it was losing.  

D.Va ignored her commanding officer, instead opting to make her own path. She blasted her way to the center of the largest group of Talon soldiers, where the brute opened fire. Bullets pinged and bounced off the outer shell of her mech. Her shields were on cooldown and she was crippled. “WARNING” written in bright bold Korean was plastered all over her HUD. 

“Nerf this!” D.Va propelled her damaged Tokki forward and hooked around so she was right above the largest group of Talon forces before hitting her self-destruct button. 

With the grace of a cat she ejected at the last second, launching several yards away and rolled for cover. She was just in time to see Tokki explode, taking out 85% of the Talon troopers with it, including the brute. Body parts and gore were strewn everywhere as a result of the explosion but Hana just told herself it was special effects. It was better that way.

This gave the rest of the team the opening to clean up the remaining forces. D.Va proudly walked back to where Reinhardt and the rest of the strike team had gathered by their predetermined rendezvous point. “Did you see that?” She grinned triumphantly. Soldier: 76 spun on his heel to face her. She couldn’t tell by the mask that hid his face, but he appeared to be upset. 

“You disobeyed a direct order!” He growled. 

D.Va scoffed, “it worked, didn’t it?” she crossed her arms defiantly. This only enraged the hardened soldier more. 

“I told you to get back and you ignored it! What if one of us got caught in the crossfire, humm?” 

D.Va wasn’t afraid to stand up to the old man, “I knew where all of you were. Between Tracer’s blink, Cassidy’s roll, your super run and Mercy’s tether you could all have gotten distance. If Lucio speed boosted that would have doubled it! Plus Reinhart’s shield to protect! We needed a blitz attack, holding our own wasn’t working.”

By now the rest of the strike team made their way over to where the two were arguing. It wasn’t an uncommon occurrence to see Soldier: 76 and D.Va quarrel. Both were very hard headed.

“That isn’t the point!” Soldier: 76 shouted. 

“Your way wasn’t working commander ,” D.Va used the word as an insult as she went toe-to-toe with the hardened mercenary. Even though she was a good head and a half shorter than him she had the fire to back it up. 

Mercy decided she had seen enough and slipped her staff in between the two, lest they come to blows. “That’s enough,” she scowled. 

“Calm down, love,” Tracer did her best to diffuse the situation, putting her hands on D.Va’s shoulders and pulling her back a bit. D.Va shrugged it off with a snarl.

“I’ll be in the ship,” D.Va snapped before storming off.

----

Slowly she opened her eyes as the memory faded and she came back to consciousness. 

Everything hurt. 

Hana grabbed her head, feeling a lump on the back where she was hit. Slowly, things began coming back to her. The college visit, Talon, the mission, Angela…

Hana sat bolt upright. That was a mistake as everything in the room began to spin. Hana closed her eyes and held her head in between her legs to keep her breakfast down. As the nausea subsided she began to take in her surroundings. She was sitting on a cot. The bed sat on a concrete floor. Slowly looking up, Hana didn’t like what she saw. 

The room she was in couldn’t have been more than 10 feet square. On the opposite side of the bed was a commode and sink made of concrete. Above her head on the wall adjacent was a tiny window. The other side were metal bars. 

She was in a cell.

Hana leapt to her feet, now would be a good time for that panic button. She went to reach for the earrings, hoping she still had them. They were gone. Hana looked for the watch only to find her wrist bare and the memory of throwing it in the trash came to mind. “ 씨발,” she cursed before running up to the bars. The room where her cell was housed was little more than three walls and a hanging light. To her right was a staircase that led upwards. 

Hana was a quick thinker. She prided herself on her unorthodox strategies and her insane APM. So of course every possible scenario was playing out in her mind as to where she was, how she got there, and what she needed to do to escape. She spent a whole five minutes weighing her options before coming to only one conclusion.

She screamed. 

It was only a few seconds before she could hear the scrambling of feet upstairs then eventually one person descending. Hana readied herself, expecting some crazed axe-murderer or serial killer to be her captor. 

Instead, coming down the stairs was someone she could not in a million years have expected. 

Dr. Moira O’Deorian.

She was poised with her head high and her arms folded behind her back. A wicked smirk sat plainly on her face as she locked eyes with Hana.

“Good, you’re awake, I was worried Delilah hit you too hard,” Moira’s smile dripped venom as she approached the bars of the cell with her hands folded behind her back.

Hana was confused. “What do you want?” She asked, trying to ignore the cold chill that ran down her spine. 

Moira was unperturbed, “you, my dear.” Moira’s grin widened and her eyes sparkled with some kind of malicious joy. Hana furrowed her brows, unsure of what to make of that statement. During multiple fights Overwatch had with Talon’s inner circle, Moira never seemed all too interested in her. Opting instead to target Angela since the two had been rivals. 

“Me? What could you possibly want from me?” Hana scoffed, falling back to her confident D.Va personality to protect her. 

This only seemed to delight Moira more as her eyes sparkled. “I want that brilliant mind of yours,” she pulled one hand out from behind her back and went to brush a strand of Hana’s hair back behind her ear but the young woman pulled away. Hana didn’t know whether to be scared or flattered. She stared at Moira with a confused expression on her face. “All in due time…” Moira dug into her obnoxiously large sleeves and pulled out a small bag of Doritos. She tossed it haphazardly into Hana’s cage before she spun on her heel and left. 

Hana didn’t think it was possible to be more confused after meeting her captor. She was never one to look a gift horse in the mouth, however, and she tore into those Doritos like her life depended on it. 

For who knew, maybe it did.

----

Flames surrounded her as the heat was licking at her face but she was frozen in fear.

One minute the little four-year-old girl was playing games with her parents, everything was fine. There was a loud mechanical screaming noise and suddenly everything around her was on fire. What used to be her house was now an inferno and she was pinned in her chair. 

“ Eomma !” Hana shrieked as she struggled to break free but pain shot through her legs. Her mother was right there next to her! Where was she? Hana strugged more and this caused the debris to shift. 

It revealed a hand. Limp. Lifeless.

“Hana!” It was her father who had appeared amongst the flames and grabbed her. “The omnics! Let’s go!” He scooped her up as if she weighed nothing and ran out of the blazing building. 

“ Eomma !” Hana cried as she was being carried away, knowing that was the last time she would ever see her mother.

She awoke by falling onto the floor, the sheet that she was given was tangled around her. Hana hadn’t realized she had fallen asleep. She rubbed her eyes to get the hot tears out. She had that dream again. 

“Bad dreams?” Asked a voice that made Hana jump. She wasn’t expecting Moira to be sitting on the other side of the bars sitting in a chair that wasn’t there before.

Hana composed herself as quickly as she could and sat back on the cot. “It’s nothing,” Hana shrugged, pulling the sheet over herself to face the wall.

“It didn’t sound like nothing,” Moira commented nonchalantly.

Hana had heard enough and threw the blanket off, sitting up again. “What are you doing? How long have you been sitting there?” She snapped. 

Moira answered by simply standing and walking up to the bars, she set down a brown paper bag and a water bottle. “You missed dinner,” she said.

Hana stared blankly at the woman “How do I know it’s not poison?” The young girl asked as she leaned over and slowly opened the bag. 

“If I wanted you dead I would have killed you already,” Moira said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Hana didn’t realize how hungry she was until she opened the bag and found a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, apple, and more Doritos. She sat right down on the floor and began to eat. Moira only sat back down across the room and watched silently. 

“So you just like to watch people then?” Hana asked, hating the silence. 

“I observe.” Moira replied simply. 

Hana didn't like that answer and she finished her meal in silence. Once she was done Moira took the empty bag and ascended the stairs without another word.

----

She was tired. 

How long had she been here?

She wasn’t sure. 

She hadn’t seen or heard anything from Moira in approximately two days. At least that’s what she could tell from the stark moonlight that filtered in through the small window above her. 

She was tired. She hadn’t slept more than an hour at a time just in case someone was around to help free her. She was hungry. Not hearing from her captor meant no food either. There was at least a sink she could take water from but that did little to plug the pit her stomach had become. She was lonely. With Moira as her only company and with what little company the scientist was, Hana craved any human interaction. 

She laid on the stiff cot mattress and was about to drift off to sleep when she heard footsteps above her. The only sign of human life she had in days. Hana was too weak to get off the cot so she watched as the door above opened and the owner of the footsteps descended the stairs. She hoped (beyond hope) that it was someone coming to rescue her.

It was a misplaced hope.

However Hana did feel a little relief when she saw Moira descend the stairs. The scientist wore a stoic look on her face as she came up to the bars. Her heterochromatic eyes glaring at the small girl crumpled on the bed. 

Wordlessly, she dropped a small paper sack on the floor on Hana’s side of the cell and walked away, going back up into the abyss. It took all of Hana’s remaining strength to get off the bed. She dragged herself to the familiar brown paper bag and dropped out a water bottle and a banana. 

Hana was stunned. Usually she was fed more than that. She looked in the bag in vain, thinking something was still inside. It was empty. Hana sat on the floor looking at what she was given. Her rational brain thought to ration the banana because she wasn’t sure when her captor would be back. 

Her stomach thought otherwise and she ate the whole thing. She considered eating the peel but she remembered a time in primary school when a kid at her lunch table was dared to eat the banana peel. She remembered him throwing up his whole lunch so she didn't try it. 

It only took a few seconds for the food pangs to come back and she regretted her decision of eating the whole banana. The more she thought about it the banana would have gone bad anyway. 

She returned to her cot and tried to sleep. Dreamless sleep.

Chapter Text

Sleep in our eyes, her and me at the breakfast table

Barely awake, I let precious time go by

Then when she's gone, there's that odd melancholy feeling

And a sense of guilt I can't deny

~ ABBA

----

“Doctor Ziegler?” 

An unexpected voice at the door pulled Angela away from her research. It was her assistant, Nina. In the years after Overwatch, Angela took a job in research at The University of Zurich Hospital. The meek young woman had been her assistant for the past two years and she knew not to interrupt the doctor unless there was an emergency. Judging by the worried expression on her face, Angela feared the worst. “There’s a phone call for you.” Angela felt her stomach churn as she directed the call to her office phone and answered. 

She was on the next flight to Busan within the hour. 

It was no secret that Angela was staunchly against South Korea’s MEKA program. After all, she joined Overwatch to prevent the very thing that MEKA stood for. Now that Overwatch was defunct there was nothing standing between the omnic attacks and whatever means necessary to keep people safe. 

South Korea had chosen to place professional gamers, most of whom were children, at the helm of multi-million dollar machines. It was really only a matter of time before one of them got extremely hurt. 

As soon as Angela disembarked the plane she was met with two very official looking men. Clad in suits and staring at her with stoic faces. “Doctor Ziegler,” one of them said, “we are here to escort you to MEKA headquarters.” He spoke in English. 

“If you’ll excuse me,” Angela had no time for pleasantries. “But with your ace pilot clinging to her life I would like to forego formalities and get to the hospital.” Angela brushed past them and went to get her bag.

After arguing with their supervisors, two men agreed to take Angela to Pusan National University Hospital in a charter car. Upon arrival, she was escorted immediately to the surgery department. She wasted no time before scrubbing up to assist with the surgery.

Angela entered the clean room outside of the operating room. She was immediately greeted by the chief of surgery, Doctor Park-Sung. “Doctor Ziegler,” the older woman greeted, though it wasn’t a happy greeting. 

Angela had known the doctor for some time now and she had never seen the older woman look so tired. Her gray hair which was pulled in a tight bun was loose a few strands. Her eyes were tired behind her glasses. She wasted no time with banter before letting out a sigh. “I’m sorry to call you on such short notice.” The doctor apologized, before her gaze shifted through the observation window to the patient laying motionless on the table undergoing surgery. “She single-handedly defeated a surprise attack by the Gwishin." The doctor began to speak of the patient, "not only that but she then blew up her own MEKA and fell 10 and a half meters into the ocean so that no one would get hurt.”

Angela remained stoic. That kind of reckless altruism is what got people killed. Angela walked up next to the doctor and looked at the chart notes sitting up on the computer. “Shattered left tib/fib, broken left radius, dislocated right kneecap and right wrist, several broken ribs, a right pneumothorax, and a fractured left orbital.” The doctor explained what it was they were looking at. “They are working on correcting her lacerated liver and spleen but that’s not why I called you.” 

Angela took her eyes off the computer to look back at the doctor. The older woman’s gaze had never left the window. “What I called you here for, Angela, is this.” Doctor Park-Sung finally looked away and turned to the computer. She flipped a few virtual screens to show an MRI. “We found significant intracranial pressure and a cracked C6 vertebrae as well as possible spinal cord damage.” 

“I see,” Angela replied flatly. She was the leading-most neurosurgeon in the world, and this was no easy task.

“That, and you owe me one, Doctor.” Doctor Park-Sung let out a soft smile, thought it was short-lived. The doctor replaced her scrub cap and gloves and Angela did the same. 

Doctor Park-Sung led Angela into the operating room where several others attended to the frail body on the table. Of course, Angela had heard of D.Va, it was hard not to. But the broken and bruised body laying on the table was far from the larger-than-life superstar. Her patient wasn’t more than a child, beaten, broken, and clinging to life, wrapped in monitoring equipment with a tube down her throat. 

How many children had she seen in the same state? So many that were too young to have their lives ripped away from them. Too many she couldn’t save. 

Angela’s attention was pulled away as dinging and beeping filled the room.

“Code Blue.” 

—-

The dinging from the dream is what woke Angela up from where she had fallen asleep buried in her notes on the kitchen table. It took her a second to regain her composure and realize that the dinging was continuing even now that she was awake. It was her computer, alerting that she had an incoming video call. 

Angela felt her stomach churn as she noticed it was an unexpected call from Winston. Angela stood up and grabbed a mug to brew herself another cup of coffee.

“Afternoon Winston,” the doctor greeted as soon as she sat down and the call connected and Winston’s face appeared on the screen. 

“Angela! Have you heard anything from Hana?” Panic laced his voice and it made Angela sit up straighter. She looked at the clock. It was only a quarter after 2 and Hana’s meeting was at 1pm.

“I haven’t…” She could feel bile rise in the back of her throat. 

“Her watch is offline and her earrings are sending back static. She is supposed to be at the meeting with the college recruiter right?” Winston asked. 

Angela felt her heart quicken and she pulled up her tablet that was directly linked to the watch Hana was wearing. She furiously tapped at the screen. “That’s impossible, I would have been alerted if anything…” Angela began to rationalize until she read the biometrics. 

DISCONNECTED. Was in bright red lettering on the screen.

Angela was going to be sick. How did she not know? There was supposed to be an audible alarm if the watch was taken off. It seemed Winston noticed that the color had drained from her face. 

“Lena has the ship prepped, we will launch a strike team within the hour.” He stated before logging off. 

Angela was left alone with a blank screen. She wasn’t going to sit and wait for a strike team. She was going to do something. She grabbed her coat and raced to the last place Hana’s earrings had pinged her. 

She was met with a vacant storefront in an unassuming strip mall. Angela pulled out her tablet to confirm that this was the actual place. A cold breeze whipped her hair around as she scanned the mostly vacant parking lot. 

“I should have gone with her…” she scolded herself as she peered into the darkened windows to see an empty retail space. Nothing looked out of the ordinary or suspicious. She moved to look for security cameras when a light “clink” noise at her feet drew her attention. It was the watch. 

Angela picked it up and inspected it thoroughly. It appeared completely intact but dead. “What happened here?” Angela muttered to herself. She searched around the sidewalk and soon found the pair of earrings. Picking them up carefully, they too looked intact. Upon further more detailed inspection however, she noticed that in the camera was a small, almost indistinguishable purple skull.

“Sombra…”

—

No one was talking and it was deathly silent within the safe-house.

Angela sat on the couch, having laid out everything that she and Hana had uncovered to those in the apartment. What Talon was planning, the college recruitment, the yearbooks, everything. 

Ana sipped from a cup of tea she had prepared herself upon her arrival. She had gone over all of Angela’s notes from where she sat at the kitchen table. “And you think Talon targeted Hana specifically?” She finally asked, breaking the suffocating silence.

Angela nodded in reply. “I just don’t know why.” 

“Ransom?” Cassidy spoke up from the corner where he leaned against the wall. He had his cigar in his mouth, but it wasn’t lit.

Lena shook her head from where she sat on the loveseat. “Winston has been searching the web and he says there’s nothing.” The young woman fidgeted with the drawstrings of her oversized sweatshirt she wore to hide the chronal accelerator. She had a hard time holding still and rocked back and forth.

“So, what is our plan?” Fareeha asked, she had placed herself beside Angela on the couch. 

Angela sighed, “I don’t have one.” 

“Well how far could they have gone with her?” Cassidy stood straight. “I say we fan out and search a radius,” he looked to everyone else in the room. 

Lena hopped up and blinked to where he stood, “I’m with Cassidy on this one! We can’t find her just sitting here and moping around!”

“I know you want to go gallivanting into the unknown, but you have to think here.” Ana stood, walking slowly into the living room. “We don’t know why they have her. For all we know it could be a ploy to stretch us thin while another attack is plotted."

“Then what do we do, mother?” It was Fareeha’s turn to stand, challenging the older Amari. 

“We wait, see if they try anything.” Ana replied bluntly before looking out of the window. “It is late anyway. We won’t find anything in the dark.” 

Reluctantly, the impromptu search team settled.

—-

He walked down the hallways of the Watchpoint aimlessly. Since getting back from recruitment he was yearning to go out again. Cassidy didn’t like sitting around. He usually got this itch in the middle of the night when he couldn’t sleep. So a walk around the base usually cleared his head. When he passed by the firing range he heard the soft rhythmic sound of a gun being fired off.

Now this intrigued him. Not many people were up this late. Or if they were, they certainly weren’t firearm training. Cassidy slunk up to the door to look inside, not sure of who he will see.

He surely wasn’t expecting Hana, dressed in her pajamas, firing her light gun at the targets. He watched her silently for a few moments. Her form was good to start with. She had a proper stance and didn’t once take her eyes off the target. But upon further examination he saw the way her hands trembled as she held her pistol. 

Cassidy slowly entered the firing range so as to not startle Hana. He waited until she emptied her clip and set the pistol down before he introduced his presence.

“Didn’t expect to see you up this late,” he said, startling Hana as she whipped around to face him. 

“Oh, it’s just you.” Hana let out the breath she didn’t know she was holding. 

Cassidy’s eyebrow raised, “who were you expecting?” 

“No one.” Hana answered dryly, turning back to her pistol. Her usual cocky and arrogant attitude was nowhere to be found. 

“May I ask why you’re in the firing range alone at 3 in the morning?” He asked her.

Hana shrugged, reloading her pistol. “Couldn’t sleep.” She answered flatly.

Cassidy nodded, “me neither.” He answered. He could tell she was annoyed by his presence. Hana took her pistol and raised it again, aiming at the targets. She fired a few times, missing completely. 

Cassidy saw the way her hands trembled. “Relax your arms,” he instructed. He stood behind her, grasping his hands around hers holding the weapon. “Breathe out when you fire.” 

Hana let out a couple of rounds that nailed the head of the target. “Not bad,” Cassidy smiled. Hana looked at him with a smile as if they had solved a horribly hard math problem together.

“Thanks for that.”

—-

Cassidy woke up in a cold sweat staring at the ceiling of the safe house. It took him a moment to collect his thoughts and he sat up from where he was sleeping on the couch. Lena was still asleep on the loveseat, snoring softly. Angela and Fareeha had retired to the main bedroom. Ana took the guest bedroom.

He ran a hand through his hair and looked at the clock. 3 am. Cassidy stood and walked to the window, looking at the city in the moonlight.

He wasn't going to go back to sleep any time soon. 

Chapter Text

I was just guessing at numbers and figures

Pulling the puzzles apart

Questions of science, science and progress

Do not speak as loud as my heart

~Coldplay

----

“You bought a new coffee maker.” Spoke the voice from the door.

Moira slowly turned around from where she sat at her desk in the lab. Standing in the doorway was her lab partner, Doctor Angela Ziegler. The woman briskly entered the lab, her blonde ponytail flowing behind her as she made a beeline for the new machine. 

Moira stood and walked over to the counter on the back wall where she had set up the coffee maker. Angela was eyeing the new toy, her blue eyes sparkling. Since they began working together several weeks ago this was the first time they actually spoke to one another. 

“Well,” The closeness of Moira’s voice startled the younger woman and she turned around to be face-to-face with her lab partner. “You broke the old one.” Moira smirked and reached around Angela to press the “power” button. The machine hummed to life. 

“I did not break it!” Angela scoffed, acting offended. “Its time had simply come.” She crossed her arms in a way that made Moira let out a sharp laugh. 

“For one so obsessed with giving things a second chance, you couldn’t at least save the coffee maker?” Moira asked, a small smile played on her lips. The Irish doctor stood tall over the Swiss woman. Angela tensed a bit. Neither woman particularly liked the other, the only thing they had in common was their obsession with coffee.

Angela took a moment to collect herself. If Moira was trying to intimidate her it wasn’t working. “Not if I knew that you would just get a new one.”

—-

Moira had to remind herself that dreams are just random neurons firing in her brain. Memories sometimes come through in dreams if they are pushed away for long enough. She read that in a book once. She looked at the alarm clock on the nightstand. It was only 4:15 in the morning. Might as well get up. Moira got out of bed and walked out of the bedroom and to the cozy, one-room, living area. Would she have chosen a small hunting cabin in the middle of the Canadian wilderness to start her experiment? Absolutely not. But Akande said he had a cousin who didn’t use it and with a few modifications it became her home for a while.

Moira made a beeline to the coffee maker, it was so old she was sure a museum was missing it somewhere. Her mind flashed to the memory of the coffee maker in the lab. She wondered if Angela still had it. She wondered if Angela ever thought of her when she looked at it.

No.

Moira shook that thought from her head. She took the freshly brewed cup of coffee and sipped it without a thought to the temperature. 

She walked over and took a seat on the dilapidated couch in the living area. Dust rose around her. Moira turned on the small television just to hear the sound of a different voice. Even though she wasn’t entirely alone out here in the middle of nowhere, her companion wasn’t much for talking. She took another long drag from the mug and gazed out the dirty window. Through the haze of grime she could see the leaves start to turn colors as fall’s icy grip took hold. 

“In a statement released today by Overwatch…” that drew her attention back to the TV. “…confirmed that they are still looking for MEKA pilot and Overwatch agent, D.Va who went missing two weeks ago…”

Moira turned the TV off. Enough of that. She finished her mug of coffee and placed it in the sink to wash later. This cabin, while unassuming and decrepit, had one feature she adored. A small, unfinished basement hidden by a trap door in the floor. It took her quite awhile to get a contractor who didn’t ask too many questions. 

Moira kicked back the rug that covered a small door built into the floor. She yanked it open and descended the stairs that led to the basement. She turned on the singular light that hung on a string from the ceiling. It revealed a room about the size of the living area above it. Half of it was sectioned off by a set of bars that looked like a prison. Inside was a sink, a toilet, and a cot. 

There was a lump on the cot, covered by a scratchy wool blanket. “Rise and shine, little one!” Moira announced in a sing-song voice. 

The lump stirred a bit. Moria frowned, that simply wouldn’t do. 

With a sigh Moira pulled her purple, livid right hand out of the large sweater she wore. Bracing her hand she began to suck the energy from the small figure on the cot. Wisps of purple were pulled from the lump on the cot and into Moira’s hand. 

Hana fell to the floor tangled in the blanket, “Ssi-bal Moira!” she cursed, too weak to get up. The girl was not her vibrant self. Her cheeks were sunken, her eyes had heavy bags under them. Her skin was pale from the lack of sunlight and her hair was dull and flat. Purple bruises colored her arms and legs.

“It’s a bright new day, child. Don’t you want to be awake for it?” Moira asked with a wicked grin on her face.

Hana groaned, dragging herself so she sat up. “Not really, no.” She grabbed her head, now she had a headache.

“Oh well that’s too bad, I was considering letting you upstairs,” Moira teased. 

“No!” Hana did her best to scramble to the bars. “I take that back!” She would give anything to be able to see the sunlight. 

Moira leaned in so she was close to Hana’s face. Her lips twisted into a despicable grin before she faded back up the stairs and out. 

Hana let out a long groan and fell back on her back to stare at the ceiling. “Hana, what is wrong with you?”

A creek from the trapdoor alerted Hana to her captor re-entering a few minutes later. This time though she had a plate with her. Hana’s mouth watered. It was a full breakfast of toast with eggs, sausage, beans and, Hana sniffed again, bacon too!

Moira sat down in the chair that faced Hana’s cage. “It’s been two weeks now that you’ve been my house-guest,” she said as she placed the plate on her lap and began to eat. “I will admit, I would have liked to see more progress from you,” she shoved a bit of toast in her mouth, “but I think we’re close to a breakthrough.” 

Hana had to stop herself from drooling. Her stomach growled and ached. During her time here she received minimal food, a banana here, some toast there, one time she got a peanut butter sandwich. So fixated she was on the delicious meal she didn’t pay any attention to what Moira was saying.

Suddenly a ringing came from upstairs. Moira sighed, “of course…” she muttered and set the plate down on the chair just outside the bars and just outside of Hana’s grasp. She then faded back up the stairs and up through the trap door. Moira sat down at the small card table she used as a desk that had her laptop on it. The Internet was another hard thing to obtain in the wild, but with the help from Sombra, she was able to connect to Talon’s private server. She opened her laptop, seeing that it was a secure call, meaning it could only be one person. 

She pressed the button to answer, “Good morning Gabriel.”

The dark figure on the screen growled, “progress update Moira.” 

Moira sighed, “not even a simple Hello” she complained. “Our puppy-dog is coming along nicely, but you cannot expect results so quickly.”

Reaper growled in response. He had a vested stake in this little project of hers which is why he green-lit it to begin with. But Gabriel was an impatient man, Moira knew this all too well. 

“Hola, Moira!” Sombra appeared on the screen, pushing Reaper to the side. She lifted her welding goggles she wore. “When are you coming back? I almost have everything finished, and frankly, our medical team isn’t much without you. Plus Amelie is boring to talk to.” She complained. 

Moira smiled slyly, “soon dear.” She replied. 

“Well sooner is better than later,” Reaper pushed Sombra out of the screen to speak again. “We have a rumor that Overwatch is narrowing in on your location, you will have to move soon.” 

Moira frowned, this was not according to plan. “Did Jack send his dogs to do his dirty work again?” She asked. 

Reaper growled again. “We will be sending an extrication team to you later today.” He stated flatly before logging off. 

Well, that was not ideal. Moira ruminated. As with all experiments, unusual setbacks are not unheard of. She faded to the kitchen area, she will just have to expedite things a little. Moira opened the cupboard and pulled out a few prescription bottles. She began to brew another cup of coffee. 

After a few minutes Moira faded back downstairs again. During the time she was gone Hana had used the blanket to wrap around the leg of the chair and tip it over. The plate and all of the contents spilling on the floor. That didn't stop the girl from eating about half of what was left off of the floor. Upon seeing Moira, Hana scrambled back away from the bars with her back to the wall. She trembled in fear, expecting another energy drain or worse. Moira instead glanced at the half-eaten meal and then back to Hana. She was impressed. She set the cup of warm coffee on the floor on Hana's side of the bars.

“What is this?” Hana asked skeptically, slowly creeping up to the bars like a wounded animal.

“What does it look like?” Moira quipped back. 

Hana narrowed her eyes. During this time she had come to expect the bare minimum from Moira so the fact she was simply handing her coffee made her all the more suspicious. However, this long without caffeine and Hana was going through severe withdrawals. The headache, the shaking, the nausea, it was what kept her company down here. So she couldn’t refuse the offer. 

Hana grabbed the cup of hot coffee from Moira and chugged it. Moira’s smile didn’t falter as she took the mug back. “Good girl,” Moira faded up the stairs. 

——

Hana stormed into the mess hall, a whirlwind of rage. “Ji-Ral!” She swore in Korean as she shoved chairs out of her way as she passed by. Ana, who was sitting at the bar sipping her tea, tweaked an eyebrow up. Before now, she was the only one here because most of the team was out on a mission. Before now, Ana was enjoying the silence. She wasn’t expecting Hana to still be here. She certainly wasn’t expecting the rage and anger the girl was giving off. 

“What seems to be the problem, dear?” Ana asked, taking another sip of her tea. 

Hana jumped and spun around. She had thought she was alone. Her surprise was replaced with resentment. “This stupid organization is my problem!” Hana stormed up to Ana, an easy target to take her anger out on. “Your daughter is among them!” Hana kicked over a defenseless chair in rage.

Ana took a sip of her tea. Fareeha was chosen to lead this current assignment, thus got to pick the agents assigned to it. “You were passed over for this current mission, again.” Ana answered bluntly. 

Hana spun on her heel and glared at Ana. “I don’t get it!” Hana threw her hands in the air. “Out of everyone here I have some of the most combat experience! Out of everyone here I have been on the least amount of missions!” 

Ana closed her eye as she took a long drag from her tea. She let the silence fester for a moment before she spoke up, “have you ever thought about why?”

Hana was a bit taken aback by the question. Of course she knew why! “They all see me as some reckless kid and not the warrior I am!” Hana yelled back, kicking over another defenseless chair.

Ana let out a small chuckle, deciding to play with fire. “Well with this temper tantrum I would be inclined to agree,” she muttered. It was loud enough that Hana heard it and she clenched her fists and bared her teeth. Would she get kicked off the team if she punched an old woman? Instead she watched as Ana took one final sip of her tea before setting the cup on the table. The elderly woman stood to her full height. Even at her age she still stood taller than Hana. Her icy gaze locked on to Hana as she walked closer to the young woman. It was a look that could bore holes into anyone. It gave her a reputation around the base that commanded respect. A reputation Hana couldn’t care any less about. “Think about it my dear,” Ana finally said as she looked Hana up and down before letting out a sigh. “They see themselves in you. The pain you endured,” she lifted a wrinkled hand and caressed Hana’s cheek. 

A cold chill ran up Hana’s spine and for a moment she forgot about her outrage. Ana locked eyes with Hana’s. She could see the pain in Hana’s eyes. It was such a look she had seen in much older soldiers that had been through so much. “They… we,” she corrected herself as she was also guilty of this, “don’t want to see what happened to us happen to you.” Ana sighed and turned back to the table to pick up her cup. “That was what Overwatch was founded on. And it seems we have failed.”

——

Ana slowly opened her eye, peering around the inside of the drop ship. When had she fallen asleep? The old woman sat upright and heard her bones crack. 

“Sleepin’ beauty is awake I see?” Cassidy was sitting at the table adjacent playing Solitaire. Ana didn’t regard him with an answer and instead walked up to the pilot’s cockpit. Lena was flying with Fareeha as her co-pilot. 

Angela hung in the background, staring blankly out the cockpit window. Ana could sense the turmoil in the younger woman. “Angela,” Ana placed a hand on Angela’s shoulder causing the doctor to startle. “Why don’t you rest?” 

Angela gave Ana a weak smile and took Ana’s hand off her. “We will be landing soon. I don’t have time.” She answered before turning back.

Ana sighed. She seriously considered just injecting the doctor with her weaponized sleep serum. Fareeha would kill her if she did. 

So with a slight nod Ana walked back down to the main deck of the drop ship and sat at the table with Cassidy. “Didja ask if Angie slept?” He looked at her as he shuffled his cards. 

“Deal me in,” Ana answered.  

——

Several hours later the drop ship landed in a field in the Canadian wilderness. “Alright, according to what Winston and Satya were able to piece together, Hana's possible position cannot be further than a five mile radius from this location." Fareeha informed as she pulled out the data tablet and examined the map.

“Well darn I didn’t bring my hiking boots,” Cassidy quipped. 

Angela shot him a deathly glare before wordlessly leading the party into the woods.

It seemed like forever before the form of a small hunting lodge took shape in the distance. It was built just off of one of the logging roads so one wouldn’t know it was there unless that person traversed the forest frequently. 

“This is it!” Lena bounced and blinked around the group with excitement once it came into view. 

“Hold up,” Cassidy loaded his gun and spun the revolver. “If anyone is in there I’m expectin’ a fight,” he dampened his cigar on a nearby tree. 

“Let me see,” Ana pulled out her sniper rifle and looked down the scope. “I don’t see any movement,” she informed the group. 

“It doesn't mean they aren't hiding,” Fareeha answered. 

“Lena and I will run recon, Fareeha sit up high so you can watch for anyone running. Ana get as high as you can to nail any one escapin’ with your sleep serum, and Angie…” Cassidy began to bark out orders. 

Angela was loading her sidearm, her caedus staff still back in the drop ship. “I am coming with you.” Cassidy didn’t dare argue with the woman and simply tipped his hat. Lena blinked, taking the right flank. Cassidy rolled and used low cover to the left flank. Angela had no time for this and stormed straight up the logging road. 

“Angie!” Cassidy whisper/yelled to her. This whole plan he had in his head was just dashed as Angela threw caution to the wind.

If Angela heard him she didn’t make any acknowledgement. She walked right up to the door and pounded on it. “I know you’re in there!” She yelled. She pounded on the door again. “Get out here!” She jiggled the knob of the door and to her surprise, found it unlocked. Angela clutched her weapon and entered the small hunting shack. This was the cue to the others to follow, any idea of an ambush having long gone out the window. 

“No one’s here,” Angela’s voice sounded hollow as the rest of the group joined her in the entryway. The shack was dated, its gaudy curtains hung on the cloudy glass windows like cobwebs. The couch looked ancient. There was a layer of dust on the antiquated television with the aluminum foil on the antennae. The coffee maker looked like it belonged in a museum. 

Cassidy sauntered up to the old coffee maker and placed the back of his hand on the pot. “Still warm,” he informed “whoever has Hana they were here, and we just missed them.” 

“We’re too late,” Angela felt a pang of guilt and frustration hit her gut. 

“Look for anything unusual, proof that Hana was here.” Ana ordered. 

Lena blinked around the bedroom. Cassidy checked the windows and doors. Fareeha checked the kitchen. It was there that she stepped on a squeaky floorboard. She paused and got down on the floor to examine further.

Lena blinked over, “are you alright luv?” She peered over Fareeha’s shoulder as the woman pulled back a rug. This drew everyone’s attention as a door was revealed.

“Here!” Fareeha announced as she pulled open the trap door. 

Angela pushed her way so she was the first down the stairs into the damp basement below. She found the light rather quickly as she bumped her head on the bulb. She turned it on. Bathed in the light of the singular fluorescent bulb was a dungeon. Half of it contained a cell with thick metal bars and a door with an intricate lock. The door was open, hanging on its hinges inviting the doctor in. 

Angela obeyed and took a few steps inside. She observed a sink and toilet on one side. There was a cot on the other, an uneven mattress and wool blanket were left behind as if someone left in a hurry. She fell to her knees, holding onto the rickety bed frame for support. She wanted to be sick, cry, and scream all at the same time. Guilt ate at her from the inside.

“Holy shit…” Cassidy muttered as he looked around the room.

“They kept her here…” Ana let her fingers run down the wall of the basement. This was far beyond anything Talon had done in the past. She felt her stomach tie in knots. 

They were no closer to solving this than they were before. Lena bit her lip, “what do we do now?” she whispered.

Angela could do nothing but stare at the far wall. How could she be so foolish as to think they could just waltz in here and save Hana and everything be fine?

“We keep looking,” Fareeha ordered, trying to hide the wavering in her voice. She too was visibly shaken as she slowly ambled into the cell.

“Wait,” Angela spoke up, causing everyone to freeze in place. Something had caught her eye on the wall. She looked closer, and with a surgeon’s precision she felt the wall and what appeared to be scratch marks. The doctor froze in place, Fareeha was the first to Angela’s side.

Fareeha furrowed her brow as she had to squint to see what it was that had Angela petrified. Looking closely Fareeha could make out what appeared to be a name written on the base of the wall close to the floor. It appeared carved in with fingernails as there were small drops of blood nearby. Hana left a message.

Fareeha’s eyes went as wide as saucers as she read the name aloud, “Moira.”

Chapter Text

Wait, I'm starting to suffocate

And soon I anticipate

I'm coming undone

What looks so strong, so delicate

~Korn

----

“Dad, I’m joining MEKA,” 

Hana had spent several nights contemplating how she would tell her dad about her decision. She knew he wouldn’t take it well. Ever since she started high school he kept pushing the idea of college. As she climbed the ranks to become one of the top gamers in the country he pushed the idea of her getting a degree, a stable job, and starting a family. But that wasn’t her. Hana yearned for adventure, for something more. So she went behind his back and applied for the MEKA program. The program itself wasn’t new. Every few years when the Gwishin awoke, the government would send out drones to fight it back. Every time would end in a stalemate. The letter outlined a new idea. Put professional gamers in the seats of the drones. 

The unpredictability of a human at the controls was perfect. If not extremely dangerous. Hana’s father stopped sipping his coffee and looked at his daughter over his bifocals. “What?” He asked, not for lack of hearing. 

Hana sat straighter at the dinner table. “I got the letter today, my official invitation to join MEKA. And I’m going to do it.” She held out the letter with the official letterhead of the South Korean government stamped on it. Her father reached over to read it himself. 

“Miss Song, it is of great pleasure we invite you to join in the launch of South Korea’s new Mobile Exo-Force of the Korean Army..” he began to read it aloud. He looked up from the letter to his daughter. Hana was barely 18, scrawny in build and spent most of her free time behind a computer screen. She was no soldier. “Absolutely not.” He handed the letter back to her. 

“What do you mean?” Hana asked, clutching the letter close to her chest.

“Exactly what I said. I do not approve of you throwing your life away to the Gwishin!” His tone was harsh and stern as he stood, his hands clutching the edge of the table. Usually her father was a mild-mannered man. He hardly ever raised his voice at her. Having to raise Hana on his own, he spoiled her. So for him to put his foot down was something she was not expecting in the slightest. 

“Well, I’m going to join.” Hana growled "and you can’t stop me!”

Her father’s brown eyes held the sorrow he carried as he looked to his daughter. Hana was the spitting image of his late wife. When he looked at Hana he saw his precious Da-Eun. He couldn't stand to lose her again. “Hana, I know you want to fight the omnics. I know how much it means to you,” he tried to appeal to her. “But I… I can’t stand to lose you too,” he deflated into the chair. 

Hana’s gaze softened and she wrapped her arms around the aging man. “Dad, you won’t lose me. Remember, I play to win.” She pulled away with a smile though there were tears in her eyes. 

Her father let out a sad chuckle, his own tears were falling down his face. He gently caressed her cheek, wiping her tears away. Hana leaned into his hand, not wanting it to go away. “I know you do, little bunny.” He said.

He died a week later. A sudden heart attack, she was informed by her commander. Hana didn't go to his funeral, she had work to do. 

——

She slowly opened her eyes. She was more groggy than she had been before and everything ached in her body. Her vision was blurry as she tried to focus her eyes. She touched her face, was she crying in her sleep? Hana felt a pang of embarrassment. She collected herself and sat up to look around the room. It was nothing but a white room lit by a fluorescent light. Disoriented, she shakily got to her feet. She was so weak she could only walk a couple of feet before falling to her knees. She got back up and stumbled to the door. It was nothing more than a rectangle cut out of the wall. There was no handle and nothing to look out of. She fell against it, partly to try and open it and partly because she was exhausted. Hana tried to swallow the panic that started to rise in her throat. She really wished for that basement again. Hana stumbled backwards and fell back to the floor. 

She stared at the door until it opened. Revealing none other than Moira. “You’re awake, good.” She grinned wickedly. “Now we can finally begin.” 

“Where are we?” Hana asked, her throat was dry. 

Moira only continued to smile. “Nowhere in particular.” She pulled out her right hand from her long sleeve. Hana’s eyes widened, she knew what this meant. Moira began draining any remaining energy from the frail girl. It was only a few seconds but to Hana it felt like hours as her energy was drained. She could hardly raise her head off the floor. 

Moira crouched down, looking at Hana in the eyes. She pulled the girl’s hair, forcing Hana to look at her. “Your little friends made us move to a more secure location. Unfortunately for you.” She let go and Hana fell back to the floor, too weak to do much else. 

Moira stood up and tisked her tongue before turning heel and walking out. Hana could only watch as the door closed behind her captor. She felt sleep begin to take her.

—-

Hana held her little pink backpack close to her chest. D.Va was scared of nothing. Hana, on the other hand, was terrified. However, she had a persona to keep up and people to please. So Hana had to take a backseat and let D.Va take care of things. When she was told she would be switching assignments to assist with the Overwatch initiative she was hesitant, but she had no choice. As the plane landed on the private airstrip on the island of Gibraltar D.Va took a deep breath. She can’t show weakness, not now.

As she departed the plane she was immediately met by two Overwatch agents. She could recognize them anywhere. “Lucio?” D.Va was appalled to see one of her favorite musicians standing on the tarmac to meet her.

Lucio waved and smiled, “in the flesh!” He laughed. 

“Don't forget me!” The lithe British woman blinked around. 

“Tracer?” D.Va remembered her from the old Overwatch cartoons she watched in History class. 

“The one and only!” Tracer’s smile rivaled Lucio’s. 

“We are your official welcoming team!” Lucio added and threw his arm around D.Va. “We’re glad you’re here,” he smiled before the two of them led D.Va into the large compound built into one of the many cliffs on the island. 

“This is your room!” Lucio stopped at a door in one of the many hallways they traversed. “Each door is coded so only you can get in. That and anyone with the override key but only Winston and Mercy have access to that so you don’t need to worry about that.” He dismissively waved his hand.

D.Va nodded and placed her thumb on the scanner. The door opened with a soft “whoosh”. This room was much larger than her dorm back at MEKA headquarters. It even had a window looking out over the ocean.

“What about the rest of my stuff?” D.Va asked her tour guides as she tossed her backpack on the bed.

Tracer blinked into the room. “Winston said your stuff will be here by the end of the week!” She informed, “until then there is a change of clothes in the closet!” The chipper woman exclaimed. D.Va wasn’t particularly happy about this but she had no control over it. 

“We have to show you the rest of the base!” Lucio urged, switching his lights on his outfit to green. D.Va tried her hardest to keep up with the two most excitable agents Overwatch had. They navigated down each hallway with ease. D.Va was already lost. 

“This is the infirmary!” Lucio stated proudly as they finally stopped in front of a large set of doors labeled “MEDICAL WING”. As Lucio opened the door he nearly collided into someone who was leaving. 

The blonde doctor dropped her clipboard and all the papers that she previously had her nose buried in. “Oops! Sorry Doctor Ziegler,” Lucio helped her pick up her papers that had scattered. 

“It’s not a problem, Lucio.” The woman said before standing back up. “But you better learn to be more careful,” she lightly scolded.

“D.Va,” Tracer grinned brightly, “meet the team's doctor, Mercy!” 

Mercy was finally able to look away from her papers to see who the newest recruit was. She went as white as a ghost.

—-

Hana slowly woke up again. How long was she asleep? She had no concept of time any more. She got to an upright position, sleeping on the floor was painful but there wasn’t much else to do. The door across from her opened again. Once again Moira entered, but this time she had a tray of food. Hana could smell it from where she sat but struggled to get to her feet. Moira strode over to Hana and set the tray down on the floor unceremoniously. Hana had no idea what the food even was but she didn’t care she was just so hungry. Moira stood silently as Hana ate every last morsel of the gray mush from the tray. “Are you quite done?” She asked in a disgusted tone. “I’ve seen dogs with better manners than that.” She spat. 

Hana felt guilty, “sorry…” she responded meekly. Moira sighed and picked up the tray. 

“Honestly, Overwatch probably kept you around because they felt sorry for you.” Moira growled before leaving through the same door.

Hana was left alone with her thoughts.

—-

Hana was able to determine a pattern of Moira’s comings and goings. She would give food then after a time later she would return with a commode. This cycle continued many times over. Hana was reliant on Moira’s regular schedule. So this time, when she expected Moira’s return with food, nothing came. Hana grew concerned. Hana lifted herself from the floor and glared at the door. She wasn’t sure, but judging by her stomach Moira should have been here by now with the tray of food. Hana waited, for that was all she could do. 

After what felt like an eternity Moira did return. “You’re late…” Hana croaked, using the wall to force herself to stand. 

Moira scoffed, tossing the tray of food on the floor. “Some of us don’t get the luxury to do whatever we want all day.” Moira accused. Hana felt guilty again and slid back to the floor to eat the mysterious gruel that was food. “If you would care to know, I was watching a press conference and you might be interested.” 

Hana didn’t look up as she continued to eat, she wasn't given a utensil. Moira continued, “it seems that Overwatch has pulled back their little search party…” She knew that would get Hana’s attention. It did, Hana stopped eating to look up at Moira. The shock in Hana's eyes made Moira giddy. “In fact,” Moira continued, a sly smile tugging at the edge of her mouth, “the press conference I was watching was MEKA officially announcing that they are promoting D.Mon to Overwatch.”

Hana felt a cold knife in her stomach. Suddenly she felt like she was going to be sick. How could they just do that to her? Was she forgotten?

“To be completely fair, I think it was the right choice.” Moira shrugged and crossed her arms, “D.Mon is much more mature than you, they don’t have to pay for a babysitter!” Moira threw her head back and laughed as if it was the funniest joke she had ever heard. 

Hana looked at the half-eaten food. She wasn’t hungry any more. 

Moira snickered before she took the tray away. “You could say I actually did Overwatch a favor.” She laughed on her way out.

—-

Hana packed her things in her suitcase. She couldn’t believe that she was actually leaving to join Overwatch. She felt the butterflies in her stomach. It was a big change. She had never even left the country before! Now she was going off by herself to meet people she didn't even know! Even when she left home to join MEKA she still had her best friend, Yuna, with her. Hana picked up the picture of her with her squad that usually sat on her desk. She remembered this picture. They had gone out for ice cream in one of the rare instances where Captain Myung let them leave the base. It was a selfie she took where she was in the center, throwing up her peace sign. Yuna was to the right of her, slurping her slushie with a smile with her arm draped around Hana. To the left was Kyung-Soo and Seung-hwa, the latter of the two had just dropped his ice cream and Kyung-Soo was laughing. Behind her was Jae-eun. He pretended that he wasn’t interested in what the others were doing but his slight smile told Hana otherwise. She set the picture in her carry-on backpack.

“Hana?” Yuna's voice came from the doorway. Hana spun around to see her best friend. Yuna was uncharacteristically bashful and looked to be in a staring contest with the floor.

“Yeah?” Hana stopped packing to regard her friend. “What’s up?”

Yuna shifted awkwardly from foot to foot. “I just wanted to stp by and say…” she stammered and looked around the room nervously, she had a blush on her cheeks. She opened her mouth to say something but no words came out. Hana twerked an eyebrow up, confused. Yuna took a deep breath and said, “Just…don’t forget to write okay?”

Hana threw her arms around her friend. “Of course I won’t forget! You are my best friend after all!” 

—-

Hana only had her thoughts to keep her company. She hoped that Yuna enjoyed her time in Overwatch. What Moira said repeated over and over in her mind. Did Overwatch really replace her? It made sense. While Yuna didn’t have the same KDR that she had, her MEKA was durable and could take a ton more hits than Tokki could. Yuna was a tactician and level-headed. Yuna wasn’t the one who darted recklessly into battle. Yuna wasn’t the one constantly being patched up after a hard battle. Yuna wasn’t the one who was constantly trying to prove her worth. Yuna wasn’t the one who got herself kidnapped. 

Hana felt her eyes water with tears. She wrapped her arms around herself as she sat in the corner of the room. She could see Yuna fitting right in, playing pranks with Lucio, Lena, and Genji, lifting weights with Zarya and Fareeha. She could see her friend in the garage helping out Brigitte and Torbjorn with repairs. She could picture Yuna in the forefront of an assault, next to Reinhardt holding the front line in her mech, Beast.

She could see Yuna receive praise from Jack about a job well done. She could even see Yuna having a better relationship with Angela than Hana ever could.

Hana took a sharp breath in. Why did that sting so much? She pulled her knees to her chest and buried her face. “Maybe…” Hana spoke to herself. Her voice cracked, it had gone unused for so long. “They are better off without me…” Hana continued to cry. 

After an eternity, Moira wordlessly entered the room, heels clacking against the tile floor. Hana didn’t even look up from where she was a sobbing mess. “My dear,” Moira knelt down so she could see eye-to-eye with her captor. “Whatever is the matter?” Her voice was soft as she wiped a tear from Hana’s face. 

Hana choked back sobs, trying to explain. “Overwatch…doesn't need me…”

“Aw,” Moira handed over the water bottle she had brought with her. She gently caressed Hana’s cheek. Out of instinct Hana flinched but when Moira’s hand didn’t leave she leaned into it. “They may not need you," Moira spoke, "but I do.” 

Chapter Text

Master of puppets, I'm pulling your strings

Twisting your mind and smashing your dreams

Blinded by me, you can't see a thing

Just call my name, 'cause I'll hear you scream

~Metallica

----

“Moira! I was looking over your notes on the regeneration formula and I….” Angela was looking at a clipboard as she walked into the lab. But she stopped dead in her tracks as soon as she crossed the threshold. “What…what is that?”

Sitting in her lab chair was Moira and cradled in her arms was a small, white, innocent, rabbit. The rabbit’s nose twitched when Angela walked in but it seemed tranquil. Moira petted it affectionately. “I had a few…ideas…” Moira began to answer but Angela cut her off.

“Oh, no you don't!” The blonde doctor protested. “There is no way I will allow you to test your experiments on this poor defenseless creature!” Angela was outraged. 

Moira sighed and stood up, “I’m not going to kill it, that would be pointless.” She rolled her eyes. Still, that did not sate Angela’s anger. 

“No, you are not going to do anything to harm this precious creature!” Angela stormed over and yanked the rabbit out of Moira’s arms. The rabbit, for the most part, was calm as it was passed back and forth. 

Moira stood, a scowl painting her face. “This is for science! It is not some crude pet!” She snapped back.

Angela shot Moira a vexed glare, “and why can it not be a pet?” She scratched the top of the rabbit’s head between the two perky pink ears. “She’s cute!” The rabbit twitched its nose and after a few seconds started to lean into Angela’s hand. “I will name you Häschen.” She held the rabbit up so it could look at her. The rabbit blinked its brown eyes in response to the new name. “You are so cute!” Angela cooed, cuddling it.

Moira sighed and fell back into her chair. “You already named it?” She asked. Leave it to Angela to immediately bond to the first thing she could care for. She watched longingly as Angela doted on the rabbit. She wished so badly it was her there in her arms instead.  

—-

Moira regretted slipping the rest of her sedatives into Hana’s drink. These memories were getting completely out of hand now. She ran a hand through her red hair as she got out of the dinky bed. As she stretched she could hear the bones in her back cracking. She missed the cabin in the woods, that bed was far comfier. She silently cursed Angela and all of Overwatch for making them move to this research station in Middle-of-Nowhere, Iceland. Moira left the bedroom and walked down the hall to the kitchen area. 

The place wasn’t much to look at. It used to be a research station whose primary purpose was to study the toxic effects of pollution on plants in the arctic or something like that. To be honest, Moira didn’t care much. Originally built for 4 scientists it now held one scientist and one project. Thanks to Talon’s lackeys the original scientists were thrown into the sea when the place was commandeered for her. Moira pulled over a large sweater. She hated the cold.

She began to rifle through the cabinets. While they were originally pretty well stocked with food, they were beginning to run low on a few things. Everything here was either freeze-dried or stale. That meant Moira would have to go into town. The closest town was Husavik 10 miles down the coastline. She at least had a vehicle the scientists left behind.  

Moira faded down the hallway past the rest of the living quarters, past the recreation room, showers, and finally past the main research lab. She stopped at a door labeled “Research Samples”. She opened it, revealing a blank white room with a single fluorescent light.

Hana was crumpled on the floor, too weak to get up. 

“I am going into town, do you have any requests for anything?” Moira asked. Hana slowly raised her head and looked at her as if she was crazy. 

She knew Moira was taunting her, “no.” Hana curled up tighter. 

“Suit yourself.” Moira shrugged before leaving.

She went back into the main recreation area and bundled up in a heavy coat. As fall began to turn into winter the tundra was getting much colder. Moira passed through the secure iron door and out into the wilderness. 

——

“Hana, I got your text and I…” Lucio began to say as he walked into Hana’s room. He stared at the pathetic pile of blankets on the bed. Hana was nowhere to be seen. “Hana?”

The blankets shifted and a small face peered out, it looked like Hana but her hair was a complete mess, her eyes red and her face flushed. “Do you have the water?” She asked, her voice was hoarse and sounded congested. Lucio slowly skated over and touched Hana’s forehead with the back of his hand.

“Girl! You’re burnin’ up!” He pulled his hand back before he gave her the water bottle she had requested. 

“I’m fine,” Hana replied, taking the water and slowly retreating back into her cave of blankets. “It’s just a little cold is all…” she muttered.

Lucio sighed and closed his eyes. He pictured the board that he had set up in the Infirmary. It was a list of agents that would do ANYTHING in order to get out of a simple check-up. Hana’s name was up there along with Reinhardt, Jack, and a few others. Lucio took a deep breath out. He knew this was something far above his capabilities. “Hana, it’s not just a cold. I’m going to get Angela.”

Hana flipped the blankets off of her just enough to glare at him. “No, don’t…” Hana tried to interject but Lucio was already out the door. “…get Angela” She groaned and threw the blankets back over her head.

It seemed like only seconds had passed before Angela appeared in the doorway. “Hana, Lucio came to get me saying…” She looked around Hana’s room. It was messy and unkempt like normal. There was no sign of the gamer, but on the bed was a mountain of blankets. Suddenly, Angela realized the reason as to why so many blankets around the Watchpoint went missing recently. 

“I’m fine!” Came a weak voice from under the massive pile. At least Angela knew Hana was still alive in there. 

Methodically, Angela walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. Hana was one of her more difficult patients so she had to be tactful. Carefully she peeled back a few of the blankets so she could see Hana’s face. The poor girl looked like a wreck, sweaty and shivering and most importantly, she didn’t have on her patented whiskers that Angela knew she meticulously painted on each morning. “You’re sick, Häschen.” Angela explained simply, using the pet-name she often used for Hana. “How long have you felt so bad?”

Hana groaned. She tried to pull the covers back over her head but Angela held them in place. “What day is it?” She answered. Angela sighed again, this time she got up and yanked off as many blankets as she could. Exposing Hana in her pink pajamas. “Angela no!” Hana desperately tried to grab at them but she was so dizzy with sickness that she mostly just flailed around like a fish out of water. 

“Come on,” Angela didn’t have time for this and she certainly wasn’t going to fight the girl. She let Hana grab one blanket before scooping her up bridal-style. If Hana was in the right state of mind she would have been equally embarrassed and impressed. “I’m taking you to the Infirmary myself.”

——-

Hana slowly awoke, she was more tired than she had ever been. Her body hurt and she felt dizzy as she sat up. Her stomach twisted and turned, forcing her back down. She stared at the stale ceiling. She had been alone with her thoughts for so long that she wasn’t sure if she was still dreaming or if she really was still sick in that infirmary bed at the Watchpoint. 

It wasn't long until the door to her solitude opened and Hana turned over to see Moira walk in. The woman strode over confidently and Hana could tell she had something hidden behind her back. She hoped it was food or water. “Guess what?” Moira asked in a sing-song voice that was uncharacteristic for her. Hana just narrowed her eyes as Moira crouched down to be closer. "I got something for you," With a wide smile the scientist pulled out what she was keeping secret. It was a stuffed white bunny, about 12 inches long with empty plastic eyes and a sewn-on smile. Hana just stared at it blankly. “It’s so you have a friend!” Moira explained and forced the toy onto Hana. The latter looked suspiciously between the bunny and Moira. Was there a caveat to this kindness? 

Hana reached a weak arm out and took the bunny. “Thanks…” She croaked out before closing her eyes. 

——

“Hana, this is the third school you’ve been expelled from,” her father sighed once they got home after yet another principal meeting. 

The 15-year-old had her arms crossed as she sat on the couch in their small two-bedroom apartment. Hana’s bloody nose had now dried but her eye still stung from where she was punched. She was silent as her father scolded her. “...you don’t get it…” Hana muttered, still not looking at him.

Kim Seo-Jun sighed and sat across from her in a chair and rubbed his temples. “Hana. I know kids are mean, but you can’t just resort to violence whenever you get mad.” This was a conversation they had many times before. “Remember what your therapist said?” 

Hana sighed and took a deep breath. “To channel my anger into something productive…” She recited as if from memory. 

Seo-Jun had a small, sad smile on his face. “I know you can do it, my little bunny.” He stood up and kissed her on the forehead before walking to the front door.

“Where are you going?” Hana looked up to him. 

With a sad sigh Seo-Jun put his coat back on. “I have to get back to work. I’m pulling a double tonight,” he explained, he was a mechanic in the airline industry which made him work odd hours. “There’s leftovers in the fridge. Call me if you need anything,” he smiled and left.

Hana was alone again. 

That night, Hana lost herself in her videogames. It was the only thing she was good at. It was her escape from the real world. In videogames she didn’t have to be the friendless, scrawny nerd that was Hana Song. She could be anything she wanted! 

“Channel my anger…” the phrase repeated in her mind after she slew various forces of Amon. New high score. She looked at the leaderboard. She was slowly climbing her way up but was still far from her father’s Starcraft score. She still wasn’t good enough. She wanted to be the best!

Hana threw herself back into her chair. She stared at the blush pink ceiling of her room, painted for her before she was born by her mother. Hana’s eyes fell to her desk where she kept the last picture she had of her and her parents. If it wasn't for that picture she would have long ago forgotten what her mother looked like. As tears began to fall Hana got out of the chair and threw herself onto her bed. If she wanted to truly be the best gamer in the world she couldn’t have emotional outbursts like this! Hana buried her face in the pillow. If she wanted to be the best she couldn't be Hana Song.

With this revelation fresh in her mind, Hana rolled over. What if she wasn’t? What if she was someone else? What if she was someone who was confident and brave? What if she was someone that people would look to and adore? What if she was strong and never cried? What if she was the best gamer in the world?

What if she was the type of person she needed when she was younger?

The rest of the night she spent working through different ideas. She knew of several Vtubers and streamers and she decided to blend the two into the real world. She had a rough idea of a look with pink whiskers painted on her cheeks. Her dad always called her bunny so she incorporated that into her theme. All she needed was a name. Again her eyes fell to her desk where her PC was sitting. It was a modest build that she and her dad worked on last year. She loved that it had pink lights and a clear side panel so that she could see the inner workings of the machine. She looked at the CPU, she spent forever trying to find the right one. Written on the plastic casing was the name of the company that made it, D.Bug. 

That was it!

The name for her new persona: D.Va.

——

When she opened her eyes again Moira was gone and all that was left was the stuffed bunny to keep her company. She rolled over, facing away from the toy to stare at another blank wall. She tried to sleep again, since that seemed to be the only thing her body wanted to do.

“…Hana…” An unfamiliar voice rang in her ears that startled Hana awake. 

The stuffed bunny stared back at her. 

Hana scrambled backwards, her heart raced, making her chest hurt. That was the most physical activity she had done in a while. “What…?” Hana breathily asked as the plastic eyes of the toy bored holes into her soul. “I’m going crazy…” Hana pulled her knees to her chest and began to cry.

“Get a hold of yourself,” the voice said again. Hana looked up to the stuffed bunny. It hadn’t moved. 

Hana narrowed her eyes at it. “You’re not real, this isn’t happening.” Hana found her voice. 

The bunny laughed, its sewn-on mouth not moving. “I am very much real, Hana.” All she could do was stare at the toy that viciously mocked her. “After all, you created me.” 

Hana narrowed her eyes at the stuffed animal. It stared blankly back at her. “Who are you?”

“Me? I am the last shred of sanity you have left. I am D.Va.” The rabbit replied back.

Hana rolled her eyes, “no you’re not, I am.” 

The rabbit laughed, its mouth not moving as words continued to pour out. “You used to be. The fact of the matter is that D.Va was simply a personality that you created so that you, Hana Song, didn’t have to feel so vulnerable. Do you think that D.Va would have allowed herself to get captured like this?” Hana stared at the stuffed rabbit. It had a point. D.Va would have escaped this long ago. Hana rested her head on her knees, balling herself up. She covered her ears. 

“I’m not listening!” She yelled. She didn’t have to listen to this rabbit insult her. 

“You know as well as I do that won’t work.” The rabbit’s voice rang in her head. Mystified, Hana looked up to see the rabbit staring at her, its eyes glistened. “After all, D.Va is what got you into MEKA. D.Va got you into Overwatch. D.Va was the one that pushed everyone away for the fear of getting hurt again. Do you think Hana Song could have done any of that?” Hana’s breathing rate increased and she looked at her hands. No. Hana Song was still stuck in her childhood bedroom staring at the pastel pink ceiling feeling sorry for herself. The rabbit laughed again, its stitched smile not moving. “Even the one person who saw through your ruse abandoned you, didn’t she?” It said, Hana looked up, she could feel tears coming on again. She could see Angela in her mind’s eye and the look of disapproval that painted her face. “Without me you are nothing.”

Hana began to shake with rage. How dare this thing come in here and ridicule her! She had enough! With a swift motion and white-hot rage in her veins she picked up the rabbit and thew it against the wall. All it did was continue to laugh and jeer at her. With a primal scream Hana used all of her remaining energy to lunge at the stuffed toy. In her mind it wasn’t the toy that made fun of her. It was everyone. It was her father, it was Commander Myung, it was Yuna, it was Overwatch, it was Angela. They all scorned her and she had enough! Hana used her remaining strength to rip the stuffed animal apart. Cotton and fabric flew everywhere but that wasn’t enough. She could still hear the laughter loudly in her mind. She used whatever she could, her hands, her teeth to rip the infernal thing to shreds so there was hardly anything left. 

She continued until the laughing stopped.

—-

Moira re-entered the room some time later with food. When she opened the door she noticed that Hana was no longer crumpled on the floor. She was standing against the wall, using it to keep herself stable. Her hair hung limp around her face and her knees shook from exhaustion. Littered around her was the carnage that was once a stuffed animal. Hana looked up when Moira opened the door. Her eyes glistened with pure unadulterated rage, it was beautiful, like a train-wreck you couldn’t look away from. 

Shakily, like a newborn giraffe, the girl used all of her remaining energy to lunge at Moira. The woman let Hana get a hand around her neck. Moira knew that Hana was too weak to pose any real threat to her. The doctor smiled. This was the breakthrough she was longing for. 

Hana was broken.

Moira pulled back Hana’s hand away from her neck. The girl fell to the floor, unable to keep herself upright anymore, she was hardly able to keep herself awake. With a sickening smile Moira set aside the plate and knelt down. She scooped Hana up, carrying her out of the room. “Finally, we can start to work.”

Chapter Text

Come Back Home

Can you come back home?

차가운 세상 끝에 날  (don’t leave me at the end of a cold world)

버리지 말고 내 곁으로 (come back to my side)

Come Back Home

Can you come back home?

~2NE1 (unplugged ver.)

—-

If there was ever a time where she felt the end encroaching in on her, now was the time. She was lying prone on the ground, having just been shot out of the sky. Pharah spit out a bit of blood as she looked down at her Raptora suit. The shining blue armor was dented, scraped and broken. Pain shot up from her legs if she tried to move. With every breath she could feel her ribs scraping against each other sending shockwaves of pain through her chest. 

Around her Talon’s forces only pressed the attack further. They had intel that Talon would try to stop them while escorting the payload of a top secret omnic project. What she wasn’t expecting was this much of a fight in a ghost town in New Mexico. Pharah looked across the battlefield where Mei had her icewall up. Baptiste used his remaining supplies to try and heal Brigitte who was unconscious in his arms. Pharah had told Commander Morrison that a five-person strike team was a bad idea. She closed her eyes, picturing her first mission as a captain to be a complete failure and this brand new team falling to pieces. This new Overwatch had only been together for a month and a half and hadn’t even made a name for themselves yet.

“Get up, Captain!” The final member of their strike team yelled. It was D.Va. She towered over Pharah with her defense matrix up. One blaster cannon was inoperable and her mech had taken serious damage but she continued her barrage of rockets. 

“D.Va, fall back, we need to evacuate!” Pharah ordered. 

“We can’t Captain, if we fall back now that will only create an opening. Reinforcements are still 15 minutes out.” D.Va fired back. Pharah gritted her teeth, she was right. She and D.Va were separated from the remaining team with only a car providing partial cover. There was no way they could get back to the drop ship without drawing a final assault. They were running out of options. “Captain Amari,” D.Va’s voice was clear as the noise of the battle faded away. “I have an idea but I’ve only done it once before so I don’t know if it will work. Permission to try?” 

Blackness was beginning to encroach on the edge of her vision. Pharah was lightheaded and she knew she was probably bleeding internally somewhere. Their situation was dire. Anything would help. “Permission granted, Hana.” 

D.Va turned her large pink mech around so she could wink at Pharah with a smile. Even as her HUD screamed at her that her systems were failing, D.Va was calm. She was in her element. D.Va turned back and fired up her thrusters and launched herself high in the air above the attacking forces. This action drew fire away from the rest of the team long enough for them to regroup safely. Pharah could only watch in terror as the thrusters ran out of fuel and D.Va became a victim to gravity. 

A pit of fear opened in Pharah’s stomach. She didn’t know much about the young recruit but she did know that D.Va played to win, no matter the cost. Did that mean her own life as well? How will she explain that to Commander Morrison? Pharah watched helplessly as D.Va ejected from her mech. The pink mech continued on a downward trajectory as D.Va pulled out her light gun. The fire from the remaining Talon forces was split between the mech and the girl. 

Pharah could have sworn she heard her earpiece crackle to life and a whisper of “nerf this,” as D.Va fired her gun at her precious mech. It was over in seconds as the mech exploded right over the heads of the remaining Talon troops, wiping them out completely. 

D.Va tucked and rolled when she hit the ground. She ended up on her back and she laughed as pieces of her beloved mech rained down around her. “We won.” 

—-

Fareeha was startled awake. She rolled over, looking at the alarm clock on her end table. 3:15. When was the last time she actually slept through the night? She couldn’t remember. Fareeha rolled back over, expecting her partner to still be sleeping beside her. The space was instead empty. Fareeha resigned herself to get out of bed and put a robe on. It wasn’t abnormal for Angela to be awake at this hour, though it was never a good sign. 

Quietly, Fareeha walked to the sliding glass door that opened up to the private balcony. There were relatively few places around the Watchpoint her bed partner would be this early in the morning. As she stepped out into the cold of the early morning Fareeha was glad she put something on. 

Leaning against the railing, her blonde hair whipping around with the wind, was Angela. She took a long drag from her cigarette as she stared at the black waters of the ocean as it crashed against the cliffs. Even with the stark lighting of the moon Fareeha could tell that the bags under Angela’s eyes only grew heavier with each passing day. The woman was a shell of her former self. 

“I thought you quit,” Fareeha broke the silence. Angela didn’t look at her but instead snubbed the butt of the cigarette out on the railing of the balcony before flicking it over the side. 

“I did.” Angela replied flatly. 

With a sigh, Fareeha saddled up next to Angela. She too leaned against the railing and looked into the black abyss of the Mediterranean Sea below them. “When was the last time you slept for more than a few hours?” She asked seriously. Angela shrugged in response. Fareeha sighed, she considered stealing some of her mother’s sleep serum. 

“Three months…” Angela finally answered, her voice was hollow. Fareeha bit her lip. It was the last time any of them had any semblance of normalcy. The entire Watchpoint was a somber and silent place nowadays. Laughter was hard to come by, there were no more team dinners or movie nights. Fareeha could go entire days without seeing anyone at all.

“It’s been hard on all of us…” Fareeha whispered and wrapped her arms around herself. 

Angela turned away from the railing and slunk to the floor against the outside wall. “I know, I’m sorry for being so selfish.” 

“Hey, that’s not what I meant,” Fareeha picked Angela up. “We’re all struggling, that is true. But no one has worked as hard as you. It’s ok to give yourself a break, what you need is sleep Ange.” She led her lover back into the bedroom. “You won’t be any good to anyone if you’re running on coffee and adrenaline”

Angela opened her mouth to protest as she sat on the bed.

“And don’t say that you’ve done it before and were fine, because last time it took me two hours to stop you from writing an entire research paper.” Fareeha interjected before Angela could get a word in edgewise.

Angela gave in and leaned against the headboard, “you’re right.” She admitted. 

Fareeha was half-surprised that Angela relented so quickly. “Alright? Try and get some sleep.” She kissed Angela’s forehead before leaving the room.

When she needed to clear her mind Fareeha would take a run. It became routine to run around the Watchpoint. She also used it to check up on everyone. With most of their resources being siphoned to the search, she took it upon herself to keep things running.

She changed clothes, tied her hair up, and began her run. She ran the perimeter first, going around the Watchpoint and up on the roof. As expected, Bastion was sitting in his garden. As the winter chill hung in the air, his flowers began dying. That didn’t stop the omnic from trying his hardest to keep them alive. This morning he kept his eye on a particular flower more than the rest. It was a pink lily. He had a makeshift heat lamp set over it to keep it warm. Ganymede stomped the dirt around it while Bastion watered it. Fareeha slowed her run to a jog. “Good morning Bastion, Ganymede” she addressed them both. 

Bastion set the watering can down and let out several happy chirps in greeting. Fareeha slowly walked up to the flower that he was hovering over. “It’s looking very healthy,” she observed. Bastion twirled happily. Ganymede took flight and sat on Fareeha’s shoulder. “That’s the flower Hana planted last year with you right?” She asked as she scratched under Ganymede’s beak. Bastion’s tune went soft and he beeped again sadly. For the past three months the omnic had been taking special care of that one flower. “You’re doing a great job,” she assured and Bastion’s chirps turned happy once more. 

As the sun began to rise, Fareeha continued her jog around the corner to the upper roof meditation sand garden where she would find Zenyatta. He had been in a state of constant meditation for three months now and Fareeha was there to make sure that he didn’t get rained on or birds start making their nest on him. She brushed off a little leaf that had fallen in his shoulder. She smiled a bit remembering the one time Zenyatta offered a meditation workshop to help stress levels around the Watchpoint. 

It was nice until a light snoring drew everyone’s attention to the back of the garden where Hana had fallen asleep. Fareeha laughed a bit at the memory before continuing her jog. She ran down the slope of the cliff and almost collided into Orisa as she did. The omnic was checking the Watchpoint’s defense systems. She currently had an entire panel off the wall and was connected directly into Athena’s motherboard. Orisa had been helping Fareeha in keeping things running around the place.

“Be careful, Captain Amari!” She warned, disconnecting from the wall. 

“Thanks Orisa, and I told you, you can call me Fareeha.” She reminded her. “Oh. Can you tell Efi thank you for letting you stay here through all of this,” Fareeha meant to say something earlier but everything else got in the way.

Orisa’s eyes smiled. “Of course! Efi would be here too if it wasn’t for school. She and Hana are good friends and penpals! You know Hana helped Efi win a science fair?” 

Fareeha tweaked an eyebrow up. She doubted that Efi needed help winning a science fair, that girl was a genius. Orisa’s eyes turned happy again as she nodded and continued, “Efi said that Hana showed her how to overload the reactor of a hoverbike to make it go faster. The science fair team loved it so much that they gave her first place so long as they didn’t explode it!” Orisa was strangely happy about the statement. Fareeha laughed and shook her head, of course. 

She bid Orisa farewell before continuing her run around the base. She navigated around corridors with ease. The hallways, once filled with life, were vacant silent caverns. She missed the laughter. Her run slowed to a jog as she traversed the cliffs of the Watchpoint. She ran past the gym, glancing in, she spotted Zarya. The large Russian woman spent most of her time in the weight room. She was dedicated to pushing her limit in order to “crush Talon like the pathetic bugs they are”.  A memory rose to the surface of Fareeha’s mind...

“Hana, lifting weights takes a lot of stamina and build-up. You cannot expect to be able to lift 500 pounds right away,” Zarya said. She and Fareeha were in the weight room when Hana walked in. She looked like something straight out of an athletics magazine from the 1980’s. She wore a tank top and shorts (on brand of course), with a pink sweat band around her head, and pink sweat bracelets.

“Well duh,” Hana put her hands on her hips, “I’m not expecting to lift 500 pounds Zarya!” Hana rolled her eyes dramatically. “I just want to be able to fight outside of my Mech and I need to bulk up if I want to be any threat!” 

Fareeha looked at Zarya, the girl had a point. She followed Zarya’s gaze back to Hana who was trying to lift a bar with 150 pounds on each side. They watched as Hana grunted as she struggled to lift it off the floor with her noodle arms. “Alright,” Zarya interjected, “before you hurt yourself.” Zarya walked over and grabbed a simple 25 pound kettlebell. “We will start here,” she displayed it to the girl.

Hana let go of the bar and stood up confidently. “Oh, easy mode! I got you!”. Either she wasn’t prepared for how much weight it was or the fact Zarya made it look light as a feather. But the minute Hana took the kettle bell she was dropped to the floor. 

Fareeha couldn’t help but let out a few chuckles. After helping Hana up from the floor and a few more sessions they were able to figure out a good workout program. One that didn’t involve too much heavy lifting. She continued her circuit and passed by the firing range, expecting more silence but instead she heard the rhythmic sounds of a weapon being discharged. It was strange how comforting the sound was, anything that broke the silence was welcome. Carefully, Fareeha approached the door to the firing range. She peered inside, seeing Cassidy with his revolver and Hanzo with his bow. Both men were solely focused on their targets. 

She entered once she made sure all weapons were emptied. “Good morning,” she greeted softly. 

Cassidy set his revolver down and smiled a bit, “mornin’ darlin’” he greeted with a signature smile and tip of his hat. Hanzo looked up at Fareeha and nodded slightly before turning back to his bow. Fareeha looked to Cassidy who simply shook his head sadly. Cassidy had confided in Fareeha that he and Hanzo had grown closer through this, but aside from that, Hanzo hardly spoke to anyone. Fareeha casually walked to the wall of lockers behind them. Each member had their own locker to store their weapon when not in use. Everyone knew which one was Hana’s, it was completely covered in cute stickers. Fareeha ran her fingers along the edges of the stickers. Most of them were cute little ones in the chibi and kawaii art style.

Fareeha hardly noticed as Hanzo rubbed his finger along the lower limb of his bow. He stopped when it hit a certain spot. His mind was elsewhere as he stared into the middle-distance. A memory played in his head…

“You’re always so serious,” Hana teased him as she placed her light gun back in her locker. 

“The battlefield is no place for games.” Hanzo answered as he re-strung his bow. They were the only two in the practice range today. Hana crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. She didn’t think she had ever seen Hanzo smile, like ever.

“Yeah but it can’t hurt to lighten up a bit,” she answered.

Hanzo sighed, she couldn’t understand what he went through. How could she? He never really talked to anyone about his life before Overwatch. The only person who really knew anything was Genji. “I must atone for my sins,” he whispered, as he set his bow down. 

“That doesn't mean you have to be miserable all of the time.” Hana countered, she walked over and sat on the bench usually used to brace one’s elbow when firing. “What you did, what happened, that’s all in the past now. And how can you enjoy your present if you’re so consumed by the past?” She asked him. 

Hanzo was silent as he pondered her words. Maybe he was too quick to judge her. Hana gasped as an idea hit her, “I know what will help!” She hopped off of the shelf and went over to her locker. She shuffled around until she found what she wanted. With all the confidence in the world, she walked back over and snatched Hanzo’s bow from where he had set it. Hanzo was shocked and couldn’t move. He watched helplessly as Hana placed a little sticker on the lower limb of the bow and set it back down. “Now you can look at this and smile,” Hanzo looked at the sticker, it was small and was in the same kawaii art style as the rest of the stickers on her locker. This was a chubby blue lizard. “I’ve been saving this one!” She smiled proudly before skipping out of the training room. 

Hanzo was stunned. First, that she had the audacity to not only grab his bow but to also put a sticker on it. But most importantly, that she cared. 

His thumb traced the now-worn sticker on his bow he sighed.  Both Fareeha and Cassidy watched as the archer reloaded his bow and began firing at targets once more. 

Fareeha looked to Cassidy, “let me know if you guys need anything, ok?”

Cassidy tipped his hat. “We will ‘Reeha, and thank you.” He said sincerely. 

Fareeha continued her jog around the Watchpoint. Her path led her to the kitchen for a water break. As she wiped the sweat from her brow she grabbed a water bottle from the fridge, gulping it down quickly. It wasn’t until she closed the fridge door that she noticed her mother sitting at the kitchen island that separated the kitchen from the dining area. She almost spat out her water, not expecting the woman there. 

“ Alqaraf ! Mother!” Fareeha cursed and coughed. 

Ana snickered behind her cup of tea. “I am sorry, Fareeha, I had no intention to scare you.”

After a few minutes Fareeha was able to catch her breath. “It’s alright,” she breathed before sipping more water. The air grew still between them. 

“How is Angela doing?” the old sniper asked, shattering the silence. 

Fareeha sighed, “she’s doing her best. Did you know she began smoking again?” 

Ana hummed before taking another sip of tea. “I did not.” 

“Yeah,” Fareeha filled her water bottle again and took another drink. “She blames herself for what happened to Hana.” 

Ana sipped her tea, staring at the far wall. She was deep in thought. Her eyes landed on the industrial-style stove against it. There were still soot marks from not long ago and it triggered a memory in her head…

“What is that amazing smell?” Hana asked as she walked into the kitchen. 

Ana looked up from where she was placing the puff pastry in the baking sheet. “Umm Ali,” Ana replied. “An Egyptian dessert. Like a bread pudding.” She explained. She had one batch already cooling and began on her next one.

Hana curiously set her mobile game down on the counter and joined Ana in the kitchen. “Show me.” 

Ana didn’t know Hana had any interest in baking, the girl primarily lived off of snack food. “Alright, you need milk, cream and sugar.” She instructed. Hana nodded and grabbed the necessary ingredients from the fridge. 

“Now what?” The young girl asked as she set everything on the counter.

Ana had a saucepan on the stove. “Now we just measure,” she began, instructing Hana on the proper measurements. Once everything was unified in the pot Ana turned on the flame. “Then you just mix until all of the sugar has dissolved.” She handed Hana the wooden spoon she had been using. 

“No problem!” Hana confidently began to stir. Ana turned back to the oven and placed the puff pastry inside. She wasn’t expecting help but she did appreciate it. “Uhhhh…ANA! HELP!” The panic in Hana’s voice caused Ana to quickly turn around.

Somehow, Hana had lit the entire saucepan on fire. Flames licked into the air as smoke started to roll along the ceiling. Quick to act, Ana grabbed the fire extinguisher on the wall and discharged it. The stove, the saucepan, and Hana were all covered in a light white foam. Hana was banned from any form of cooking after that.

Ana finished her tea and set the cup down. “Well, if either of you need anything, you know where to find me.” 

Fareeha smiled, “thank you, mother.” She said sincerely. She continued her jog around the base, refreshed from her small break. She wound her way up the stairs to Winston’s lab. The doors slid open with a “whoosh”.

“Fareeha!” Mei greeted her from where she sat across the room. She was surrounded by the mountain of files that Hana and Angela had collected during the undercover mission. 

Winston looked up, he hadn’t realized how much time had passed since the last time Fareeha had stopped by. He was slightly embarrassed by the amount of empty peanut butter jars that littered his workstation. He tried to clean up but Fareeha let out a chuckle, “you’re fine, Winston. I was just jogging past and thought I would stop by.” She took this time to do some stretching. 

“Oh, well I’m glad you’re here Fareeha.” Winston said as he turned back to his computer. Fareeha hopped up the stairs that led to his section of the laboratory. He began to type on his computer, pulling up several windows on his many screens. “I wanted you to look at something…” 

Fareeha leaned over his shoulder and squinted at the screen. It was a grainy video that showed the underbrush of a forest. “Okay, what am I looking at?” She asked.

Winston pressed play. For a moment, a tall figure appeared in the top left of the grainy screen. It was only for a few frames that the blurry figure was visible. “This is a trail cam that was not far from where the cabin you found was. It only records when it detects motion.” Winston explained. Fareeha leaned closer to where Winston had paused the video. The figure appeared human in shape, tall and lanky, carrying something that looked like cloth or something limp. 

“What…is it?” Fareeha asked, stepping back.

The gorilla shrugged. “I don’t know yet,” he sighed, “I’m working on cleaning it up to analyze it.” 

Fareeha smiled, laying a hand on his shoulder. “This is good!” She praised and hopped down the stairs. Winston turned back to his work station. He would be the first to admit, he was a sentimental gorilla. On the wall were several pictures from over the years. There was the picture of the original Overwatch, a picture of him, Lena, and Emily celebrating Christmas, another picture was of one of the halloween parties. His eyes landed on one picture in particular. It was only a piece in the collage of memories that were tacked on the wall but it stood out among the rest. He remembered this picture…

Hana had the idea in her head for a while to picnic on the roof. After having several nice days in a row she couldn’t stand it anymore. It was around noon when Hana burst into the recreation room where most everyone was relaxing after a mission. “That’s it!” She loudly proclaimed. “I’m having a picnic on the roof and no one can stop me!” She and her picnic basket abruptly left just as she entered. 

Her approach, though unorthodox, worked. It was only a few minutes before over half of the team was hanging out on the roof. Hana had a picnic blanket and basket and at least 40 small snacking sandwiches. Everyone else had pitched in their own dishes and drinks. 

“This was a great idea, Hana!” Winston said to her, he had brought his own peanut butter and bananas to snack on. He viewed this as valuable team bonding time.

Hana smiled proudly. “Thanks Winston!” 

Lena blinked around in her usual excited self, snapping pictures as she did. “Say cheese loves!” She blinked over. Hana and Winston looked at each other and shared an unspoken agreement. As Lena snapped the picture the two of them made the goofiest faces they could muster. “Perfect!” Lena laughed.

Winston smiled at the picture of him and Hana on a warm day. He missed the smiles and laughter that once echoed down the hallways and corridors of the watchpoint. It was why he spent most of his days in the lab. He couldn’t stand the silence.

Fareeha turned her attention to Mei. The woman was all but buried in paperwork at her workstation. Snowball, her assistant scuttled around in the air trying to keep order. “Any updates?” She asked.

Mei pushed her glasses up and spun in her chair to face Fareeha. “Nothing definitive, but take a look at this.” Mei pushed her wheely chair to the other side of the large desk and tapped a bit on her computer. The large computerized map on the wall began to change. It only showed the Americas now. “I began pulling up missing person’s cases with similar MO’s in North and South America and…” with a single keystroke the map lit up with little yellow dots scattered across it. 

“Woah…” Fareeha was taken aback by the sheer number of yellow dots there were. 

“Each dot is an unsolved disappearance of a person between the ages of 16 and 21.” Mei informed her. 

“And we think Talon is behind some of these?” Fareeha asked, looking back at Mei. 

The Chinese scientist nodded, “It’s almost impossible to determine based on the information we have, but yes.” 

Fareeha was impressed. She walked back to Mei, “this is a good lead!” She praised her. It was then that Fareeha noticed how glossy Mei’s eyes were behind her glasses. 

“We’ll find her, right?” Mei’s voice was shaking. Her gaze was locked on a book at the top of one of her mountains of papers. She had forgotten she had been looking at her old travel journal the night before…

“Mei! I love reading your journal! I’m jealous you get to go to all of those places!”  It was strange to see Hana star-struck. The Korean idol had only just landed at the Watchpoint yesterday and she was already making herself at home, decorating her room.

Mei wanted to introduce herself but, as she found out, Hana already knew her. She laughed a bit, “that’s true, I’m guessing you don’t get to travel very much.” 

Hana shrugged, “It comes with the territory. But have you ever been to Korea?” Hana asked with a sparkle in her eyes. 

Mei shook her head. “I can’t say that I have.” 

Hana’s eyes lit up with an idea. “I know! Next time we’re free I’m taking you to Seoul and we’re going on a shopping trip! I’ll find you all the cutest stuff!” Hana squealed excitedly.

Mei blushed, she was flattered.

Fareeha followed Mei’s gaze to the travel journal. She looked back at the scientist who was openly crying now. Snowball had come over, balancing a tissue box on top of it. Mei gratefully took a tissue and blew her nose. Fareeha placed her hands on Mei’s shoulders, she smiled sadly, “of course we will.” She answered before pulling Mei into a hug. 

Finally Fareeha looked to the last member of the team in the corner workstation. Satya primarily kept to herself anyway and since all of this began she only retreated more. Fareeha would be lying if she said she wasn’t concerned for Satya’s mental health. She walked over carefully so as to not alarm the woman and looked over the various blueprints that were tacked up on the corkboard above her desk. “What are you working on?” She asked. 

Satya jumped a bit, startled that Fareeha was so close. Cautiously, the architect scooted her chair further away to put more space between them. “I have been perfecting a drone to further expand the search area.” She muttered, focusing back on her blueprints. 

Fareeha nodded, she didn’t want to make Satya more uncomfortable. She turned to continue her run, but a particular page of blueprints stood out to her. It looked different than everything else Satya had meticulously organized on the corkboard above her desk. “What’s this one?” Fareeha pointed.

The Indian archetect looked up at what Fareeha had pointed out and a blush filled her face. “That is nothing!” She defended. Fareeha picked it up off the wall.

“A schematic for DanceFloor doesn't seem like nothing.” Fareeha knew the game well, it was a dancing video game often played by many members. Satya currently holds the high score, much to Hana’s irritation.

Satya sighed, resigned to explain herself. “Hana and I were working on designing a better dancing game. I have a few…improvements that I wanted to run by her.” 

Fareeha smiled and placed the schematic back on the board where it originally was. “I like it, keep at it.” She encouraged her, glad to see a small smile on Satya’s face.

Leaving the lab, Fareeha continued her run. She ran out onto the catwalk and saw the sun hanging low in the sky, it was probably mid-morning by now. It was a shock at first, to watch the rest of the world carry on as if nothing happened while their world had completely stopped. It was hard to see the sun rise every day and set every night and their Hana wasn’t there to see it with them. So deep she was within her own thoughts, she didn’t even see what she ran into until she was flat on the floor.

“Oh! I’m sorry Fareeha,” It was Brigitte. The young Swede helped Fareeha up off the floor. “I didn’t see you there.” She said sheepishly. 

“It’s alright, I wasn’t paying attention.” Fareeha shrugged. She looked at Brigitte, she was dressed differently. She wore a simple black button-up shirt and black pants with a green apron over it all. “What are you up to?” She asked.

The young woman blushed, looking at the floor. “Uh, well…since Winston has canceled all of our contracts to focus everyone on the search I took a job in the town as a barista. To help with finances.”

Fareeha was stunned, she had no idea that Brigitte was sneaking out in the early morning to a job. It warmed her heart just as much as it broke it. No one should have to go through this. “Brigitte, that is awfully thoughtful of you.” The Egyptian woman said.

The younger woman shrugged nonchalantly. “It’s what you do.” She answered simply. Hana and Brigitte were close so Fareeha knew the young woman was taking this hard. “It’s like Papa says, idle hands make for restless minds. Now I must go before I’m late!” Brigitte smiled and ran off. 

Fareeha had one last leg of her run left. She descended the stairs all the way down to the garage. It was a large area cut out of the cliffside that held all of the vehicles and other equipment that they used. Lena’s jet was there, Cassidy’s motorcycle, the drop ship, and of course Tokki stood idle in the corner. Hana had been working on updating her rocket boosters before her last mission. Now the husk stood there silently as a monument to their grief. 

Fareeha walked up to it and placed her hand on the cold metal. Because it was dormant for so long, it was understandable that Fareeha leapt back as something shuddered from within. Hammond popped his head up from the top of the mech. “Hammond? What are you doing?” She asked, upset that the hamster would be inside. She could only imagine what he was doing, scavenging for parts? Eating at the wires? Every possibility only made her angrier. 

The hamster, seeing Fareeha was upset, squeaked several times before climbing down and scampering to his own mech. It took several seconds for it to come to life. This was the only way that Hammond could communicate to the rest of the team. The large metallic ball shuddered to life as Hammond plugged in. “The hamster sleeps there when he is sad.” The mechanical voice whirred and any anger Fareeha had melted away. 

“Oh…” Fareeha felt bad for even being angry in the first place. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-” she began to apologize but the voice of the machine cut her off. 

“It is no problem. The hamster would like to know when Hana will be back. He would like to resume bowling nights on Tuesdays.” The voice translated the chatter from the rodent. 

Fareeha smiled sadly, “I…I don’t know…” she answered. She lightly placed a hand on the cold metal of the ball. “I’m sorry.”

Hammond squeaked again. “He said he will work on his game.” With that Hammond retreated into his ball and rolled away. Fareeha sighed and picked up her jog again. She passed the armory where she heard two distinct voices arguing. 

“I told you that won’t work!” Yelled one. 

“Well it wouldn’t hurt to try!” The other voice yelled back.

Fareeha peeked her head inside. She wasn’t surprised to see Torbjörn and Reinhardt at the forge, arguing over something. “Can I help?” She offered as she entered the room.

“Fareeha!” Torbjörn greeted, lifting his welding mask. “Yes actually, tell this numbskull that titanium alloy would be more useful than stainless steel!”

“I said that we should consider materials that can be made quicker!” Reinhardt fired back.

Fareeha had no idea what either man was talking about. “For what?” She asked. 

Torbjörn jumped down from where he was standing on a stool next to the forge. The small man hopped to his workbench and picked up a set of blueprints that looked familiar. “I assume you know Satya’s working on a drone to increase our search area.” He said and held out the schematics. “I’m working on a prototype, but she didn’t specify the material it should be made with. I suggest titanium, it is more durable and resistant to weather.” He explained. 

“I really don’t know.” Fareeha shrugged. 

“Bah!” The small engineer threw his arms in the air, expressing his frustration. “I’ll just have to figure it out myself then!” He grumbled to himself as he left the armory.

“You’ll have to forgive him.” Reinhardt said, walking over to a bench and sat down on it. “He has been working non-stop to get these drones in the air.” Reinhardt didn’t have his usual boisterous voice. He was quiet, in fact he looked tired as he stared at the floor of the forge.

Fareeha sat down next to the large man. “It’s alright, we’ve all been stressed recently.” She assured him as she placed a hand on his thigh. She looked to her workbench, pieces of the Raptora suit were scattered about, forgotten.

The large German man sighed sadly and placed his hand over hers, dwarfing it. He looked over to the wall where he had a framed poster…

Reinhardt was excited when he heard who the new recruit would be. While he couldn't be there when she landed, he took the next opportunity to meet her. 

Hana was in the garage, taking her personal bags off of the cargo jet that had landed earlier. Brigitte was with her, helping her get her things. “Who is your mechanic then?” Brigitte asked as the two made idle conversation.

“Dae-hyun! He does great work!” Hana replied.

“I’m sure he has a lot on his plate,” Brigitte made a lighthearted jab and Hana laughed. 

“Miss D.Va!” Reinhardt waved as he walked up to the two girls. Hana was much smaller in real life than she was on TV. Still, he had her attention. He suddenly turned bashful, “I was wondering if you could sign something. It’s…for a friend…” He held out a large movie poster for “Hero of My Storm”. Brigitte rolled her eyes, the man had watched the movie several times, calling it a “masterpiece of cinema”. 

“Aww,” Hana was flattered and pulled out a sharpie from her pocket. “Of course! And you can call me Hana.” She said as she signed the poster with “Love, D.VA” on the bottom.

It was the same poster that now sat framed above his workbench in the forge. He tore his eyes away from it to look back at Fareeha. “How is Angela?” He asked her.

Now it was Fareeha’s turn to look at the ground. “She’s…coping…as much as we all are.” She told him. 

“She didn’t take up smoking again, did she?” Reinhardt knew that the nasty habit would rear its ugly head. The look of defeat in Fareeha’s face was all the answer he needed. “I will tell Torbjörn to talk to Ingrid. If anyone can talk sense into Angela, it would be her.” He offered. 

Fareeha sincerely smiled. “That would be appreciated.” Her smile was infectious, he smiled for the first time in three months. 

After finding Torbjörn and agreeing that titanium should be used to make the drones, she continued on. By now it was afternoon and she was starting to get hungry. She ended her run at the showers. She let the warm water cascade off of her sore muscles. She let the steam wrap itself around her like the welcoming hug of an old friend. 

Once the water began to get cold Fareeha stepped out of the shower. She kept a spare set of clothes in her locker so she didn’t have to disturb Angela. Drying her hair, she looked at the line of lockers in the women’s locker room. Much like in the range, Hana had decorated her locker here too. Was there no surface safe from kawaii stickers? Fareeha chuckled at the thought. 

Hungry now, Fareeha made it back to the kitchen. She opened the cabinet to grab a granola bar when her eyes fell on Hana’s cereal. Living with so many people meant that everyone labeled their food. Communal food was kept in a separate cabinet. 

On a sticky note on a box of Lúcio-O’s was written in Hana’s handwriting:

“PROPERTY OF HANA SONG. DO NOT EAT.” 

Fareeha couldn’t help but smile a bit before she closed the cabinet door. She checked her watch. She had a meeting with Jack in half an hour so she decided to make her way towards the communications room. On her way she passed by the recreation room. She wasn’t expecting Lena and Genji to be there. She certainly wasn’t expecting them to be playing video games in bean bag chairs. Fareeha stopped and peered in. She watched from the doorway silently for a moment until Genji won the round. 

“What are you two up to?” Fareeha asked as she walked in, munching on her granola bar. 

Lena spun around in surprise. “Oh, hi Fareeha!” She greeted, her normal cheery tone was muted. “We were just practicing.”

Genji looked back as well, his faceplate was off and showed all of his scars. He too shared the same tired expression that most of them carried. “For when Hana gets back. We want to be able to show off our skills.” He explained. Fareeha nodded; she didn’t blame them for wanting to return to some sense of normalcy… 

GAME OVER

The screen flashed again. Lena set the controller down, defeated. Hana was grinning. She had lost to the gamer. Again. “How can you be so good at shooting in real life but so bad in games?” Hana taunted.

“Mmmm…not the same thing I guess,” Lena shrugged. She didn’t mind losing to Hana so long as they were having fun.

Hana sighed and laid back in the bean bag chair in front of the large screen television they had in the recreation room. “It’s lonely at the top…” She said, staring at the ceiling. 

Lena laughed, “I can beat you at those cooking games though.” She chided. Hana sat up abruptly and stuck her tongue out at Lena playfully. The two then burst into laughter. 

“What’s going on in here?” It was Genji, he was walking by when he heard the two girls giggling. He walked in casually and sat on the couch. 

“I was just schooling Lena in FPS games.” Hana explained.

Genji nodded, “you know, I was the reigning champion at the arcade in Hanamura…” Genji nonchalantly bragged. 

Both girls’ eyes went wide. “No way!” Lena was shocked. 

Hana’s jaw fell slack,“you never told us that!”

Genji shrugged, “you never asked.” He teased her.

Hana scrambled to the game console and grabbed a third controller. “Get in here Genji!” 

Genji’s thumb idly circled the thumbstick on the controller. His eyes were far off as the memory replayed in his head. 

“Genji?” Lena asked, pulling the man out of his reverie. 

The cyborg stood, “I am going to meditate with my master.” He said and precipitously left. Fareeha sighed and turned back to Lena. The younger woman sat, deflated. Any amount of energy she once had looked to be completely zapped from her body. 

“I’ve been wanting to ask you,” Lena began to say, looking up to Fareeha. “Is it alright if Em comes up and stays for a while?” 

The Egyptian woman smiled softly, “I don’t see why not,” she shrugged. Lena got up suddenly and hugged Fareeha tightly. The older woman was taken aback momentarily. She felt Lena shutter with a sob and held the woman while she cried into her shoulder. 

“Why couldn’t it have been me?” The British pilot asked, her voice was muffled by Fareeha’s shirt and broken with sobs. 

Fareeha wrapped her arms around the lithe woman. “I know,” she replied and held Lena as she cried. The only way to calm Lena down was to call Emily so they could talk. Fareeha was able to excuse herself to get to the communications room. She was only a couple of minutes late when she walked in. Winston, Ana, Reinhardt, and Jack were already in the midst of a conversation. 

“What did I miss?” Fareeha asked as she sat down at the conference table.

“I was just filling these two in on the video footage I had been working on.” Winston informed her, “Mei is expanding her map of missing persons cases and then comparing that information with known Talon bases.”

“And I was following up with the drone project. We have a basic prototype built. Torbjörn and Satya are working on testing it.” Reinhardt added. 

Jack nodded, taking notes all the while. The longer Fareeha looked at him the more she noticed his deep-set, tired eyes. He looked so much older than even the last time she saw him, a feat she considered impossible. He too seemed to have his mind in a far off place as he stopped writing and stared at the paper in front of him... 

It was late. He often took walks around the Watchpoint when he couldn’t sleep and the nightmares started. It was quiet, the only noise being his footsteps as he roamed through halls. He had no destination, just a journey. He turned down a hallway where he saw a light coming from the recreation room. Checking his watch it read 1:45 in the morning. There was no specific curfew for agents that lived in the Watchpoint but it was an unspoken rule to be in your room by eleven.

Cautiously, so as to not startle whoever it was, Jack approached the doorway. The large tv flashed a huge title of “WINNER” on the screen. It took a minute for his eyes to focus on the form that was sprawled across the bean bag chairs. It was Hana, she was passed out asleep on the floor of the recreation room. Again.

Jack made a mental note to talk to Hana about her odd sleeping habits, or at least make Angela aware. But all of that could wait. For now he turned off the TV and the game console. Carefully, so as not to wake her, he scooped Hana up and carried her back to her room. 

“Jack?” Ana’s question pulled the tired mercenary back to the present. 

“Sorry,” he quickly apologized before looking back at his papers. “How is medical fairing?” He asked.

“We’ve been trying to keep up with monitoring everyone’s mental health however it is taxing.” Ana replied. “I have asked Fareeha to help with the matter,” all eyes then turned to Fareeha. 

The woman shifted in her chair. “It seems that everyone is coping in their own way, some better than others,” she added. “Lena is having Emily come up to stay for a while. Brigitte has taken a job in the town to help with funding.” She informed them. Reinhardt raised an eyebrow, apparently this was news to him.

There was a beat, “what about Angela?” Jack asked. The woman was the topic of many conversations.

Fareeha sighed, “she’s taking this the hardest, understandably.” 

Jack made a few notes on the papers he had in front of him. He opened his mouth to get to the next part of business when a call came in on the screen on the wall. “Just in time….” He muttered and answered the call. “Sojourn, Echo, what have you been able to find?” He asked as all eyes turned to the screen.

Vivian’s face filled the screen so everyone saw her roll her eyes. “Hello to you too.” She replied sarcastically. Behind her was the backdrop of Toronto. She and Echo had been stationed there for the past three months collecting clues. Since both of them were primarily metal, the cold didn’t bother them.

Echo pushed herself onto the screen. “Hello, Reinhardt, Ana, Fareeha, and Jack!” She was chipper, which was refreshing to see. “We have some news for you!” 

Vivian nodded and flipped open a panel on her arm. She began typing something in. “I’m sending over some files for you to take a look at.” On the table, a small screen popped up. A picture of a woman was prominently displayed for each of them. Fareeha looked at the picture of a woman, possibly in her mid to late 30’s. This woman had straight black hair and predatory cat-like eyes. 

“The woman you’re seeing is Delilah Walton,” Echo filled in for them. “From what we’ve been able to gather, she too went missing around the time Hana did.” 

“What does she have to do with this?” Fareeha looked up, asking what they all were thinking. 

Vivian smiled, “Glad you asked. She went missing after taking a job as a recruiter for a non-existent university, A Vialli Memorial.” Vivian informed them. The air went ice cold. “Yeah, what a coincidence to have a fake university named after a former higher up in Talon’s ranks.” 

“Angela had notes thinking that this was the college recruiting teenagers. Teenagers that later went missing.” Ana filled in, tapping her chin in thought.

“We have an address of her last known residence.” Echo informed them, but her tone went somber. “However, local law enforcement won’t help us gain access,” She said.

Everyone turned to Winston. It was well known that he wanted to keep the new Overwatch on the right side of the law. The gorilla sighed, he knew that sometimes the law wasn’t so black and white; most of the time it was gray. “Gain access however you can,” he told them. 

Vivian smiled mischievously, she already had a plan formulating. “All evidence we collect will be sent back here.” She told them. The room went silent for a moment as everyone contemplated the information they were just given. Vivian sighed..

As the drop ship prepared to take off, Vivian took a deep breath in. While this isn’t her first time leading a strike team, it was her first time leading these agents in battle. Jack and Winston wanted her to take some of the younger agents into the field. It was not an assignment she particularly looked forward to. She looked over her team. 

Her support was Lúcio and Brigitte. Both were very talented and under Angela’s tutelage, their healing was top notch. Both looked over their weapons for any last-minute adjustments. She wasn’t worried about them too much. 

Her partner in damage was Jamie, or Junkrat as he liked to be called both in and out of battle. He maniacally laughed to himself as he loaded his strange junk weapon with his signature grenades. Vivian looked away, if he was going to blow them all up she didn’t want to see it happen. 

So finally she looked to the last member of their strike team. Sitting on the bench with her feet kicked up and playing a video game, was Hana. She was notorious for disobeying orders and doing her own thing. She and Jack butted heads a lot because of this. So when Vivian got the roster of agents assigned with her she wasn’t surprised to see Hana’s name on the list. 

But Vivian had a soft spot for Hana. She walked up to the girl, “in the mood to follow my orders today, Song?” she jested.

Hana looked up, putting her game on pause and popping her gum she chewed. “If those orders involve wrecking the bad guys, you bet!” Hana replied in her usual cocky way with a smirk on her face.

Vivian laughed, “I’ll see what I can do.”

The silence in the room was broken as Vivian pulled herself away from the memory. “How is everyone?” she asked, her tone went somber. All eyes looked to Fareeha for the answer to that one. 

For a moment, Fareeha considered lying, saying that everyone was doing fine and that everything wasn’t falling apart. Maybe if she said it enough it would turn out to be true. “Everyone is doing their best.” Fareeha eventually answered, her tone carried a weight to it that was heavy with sorrow. 

Vivian took a deep breath, “we’ll find her.” She stated, sounding certain. It gave Fareeha hope, calming the pit of fear in her stomach.

“Tell everyone we said hi!” Echo waved and the two signed off, leaving a black screen in their wake.

It was silent in the communications room for a moment as everyone processed the information. “This is great news!” Reinhardt spoke, his volume at about half of its normal range.

“You caught the part where she said that this woman is missing right?” Jack growled, he was ever the pessimist. Fareeha flipped through the files that Echo and Vivian had sent back. There wasn’t much information on this Delilah woman. A missing persons file, some basic information from her driver’s license, and a handwritten grocery list. Nothing stood out. Still she downloaded the information onto a flash drive to show Angela. 

Fareeha stood, pushing her chair back. “If you’ll excuse me,” she began to say, cutting through whatever conversation was going on. “I have to go to the Infirmary and check on everything for Angela.” She excused herself out of the room, pocketing the flash drive as she did so. 

Fareeha left the communications room and headed down the stairs to cross over to the other side of the base. She chose to take a shortcut through the men’s dormitory floor. Soft music emanated from under Lúcio’s door, it was sad like all of his music was nowadays. She lingered by his room, listening to the sad ballad that played. She knocked on his door. After a few seconds the music turned off and Lúcio answered. His eyes were red from crying, “Fareeha? What are you doing here?” He asked.

Fareeha shrugged, “I just heard music, are you composing again?” In the three months since Hana went missing Lúcio hardly touched his DJ equipment. In truth, Fareeha was worried about how Lúcio was coping. He hardly left his room anymore.

The Brazilian shrugged, “a little bit.” He answered. 

“Well, it sounds nice,” she tried to encourage him. 

“Thanks,” Lúcio shrugged and closed the door. He slumped against the wall. He didn’t want to talk to anyone anymore…

“Ok be honest, how do you like it?” He asked, fidgeting nervously. Lúcio spent the past four and a half minutes in anxious anticipation as Hana listened to his demo. 

Hana took off the headphones, her expression was unreadable. She sat there for a moment before a huge smile filled her face. She couldn’t keep a poker face no matter how hard she tried. “Lúcio! I love it! This track might be your best one yet!” 

Lúcio let out a sigh of relief as Hana handed back the player with the headphones. “Honestly Hana, that means a lot coming from you,” he said. 

Hana laughed, “I’m no award winning composer or anything, but I really like it!” 

Lúcio never released that song. 

Fareeha stood on the other side of the door, she wasn’t entirely surprised that Lúcio shut the door in her face. She made a mental note to talk to the rest of the medical staff about him. For now, she continued down the hall, passing by Mako’s room. The door was open so she peered in. Sitting on the floor facing each other was Mako and Jamie. They were both strangely quiet and focused on what they were doing. That scared her.

They were painting each other’s nails black. Fareeha had no idea what was going on. Jamie looked up, seeing Fareeha and smiling. “Oi! ‘Reeha! Yer just in time!” he greeted, putting the nail polish brush back into the bottle. “We’ve missed our usual spa day with Hana so I haveta be the one to paint ol’ Mako’s nails here until she gets back!” He explained after seeing the look of confusion on her face. 

Mako looked at Fareeha, he never took his mask off so she couldn’t gauge his reaction... 

“Now it’s perfect!” Hana proudly displayed her work. She had painted her nails purple and pink. “Now it’s your turn Mako!” She took the man’s large hands and her black nail polish. They were enjoying an impromptu spa day she had insisted on. Hana began painting the large man’s fingernails black. Mako didn’t want to upset her by refusing and he had to admit, he liked the black.

“How do I look?” Jamie hobbled over, his hair was gelled back looking like a greaser from the 1950’s. 

“Stupid.” Mako told him. Jamie’s hair deflated back to its normal spikiness and he frowned, defeated. 

Hana laughed, lightening the mood, “I think it’s great no matter how it’s styled!”

“You wanna join?” Jamie asked, excitedly showing off his messily painted nails.

Fareeha smiled, “thank you for the offer, but I have some errands to run.” She excused herself. 

Up another flight of stairs Fareeha finally made it to the infirmary. She was so familiar with the place that she didn’t knock before she walked in. Baptiste was standing in the center of the room holding a data pad. Kiriko was across from him. Both looked up when she entered. 

“Fareeha!” Baptiste greeted with a wide smile. “Good to see you!” He set the datapad down. “I was just going over some operational things with Kiriko.” he explained. Their newest recruit nodded, she had only joined a week or so before Hana went missing and was still finding her way around.

Fareeha smiled in greeting. “I was just stopping by to let you guys know that Angela may be out of commission for a few days. She’s been having trouble sleeping so I’m trying to get her to relax a bit.” She explained and hopped up on one of the exam tables, making herself at home.

Kiriko nodded, “that’s fine, we pretty much got things covered here.” 

Fareeha smiled, “how is everything here?” She asked, knowing that will be one of the first things Angela would want to know.

“We’re good!” Kiriko said and swift-stepped so she was sitting next to Fareeha on the exam table. 

Baptiste went over to his desk, typing a few things on the computer. “We’ve been keeping track of self-reported feelings of distress from agents, making notes and following up.” He informed her. 

“Good,” Fareeha smiled, visibly relaxed a bit. The medical wing was in good hands with Baptiste. She had nothing to worry about. She watched as Baptiste closed the computer and rolled his chair to the specimen fridge. He pulled out two Nano-colas he was able to smuggle in. “Don’t tell Angela,” He chuckled and rolled over and handed one to Fareeha and cracked open the other for himself. Baptiste looked into the can of the flashy sugary soda. He watched the carbonation bubbles swirl around... 

“You’ve got to cut back on those sodas. That stuff’s not good for you, have some water instead.” Baptiste reminded Hana as she finished her third of the day. She was in the middle of a streaming marathon and she kept a stash next to her desk. Baptiste just happened to be walking by when he spotted her and the pile of empty soda cans next to her.

Hana made a show of crushing the can in her hand. “You just want to drink it yourself!” She teased with a mischievous grin. 

Baptiste looked around nervously, “ahhh….maybe.” He quickly made his exit.

Baptiste was quiet for a second before looking up to Fareeha. The woman swallowed a few gulps of the soda. “How are you doing?” He asked her.

Fareeha stopped drinking. If she was being honest, she had no idea how to answer that. She had been so consumed with making sure that the Watchpoint was running, that the agents were alright, that Angela was coping, she never stopped to consider how she was doing. 

“I….I don’t know…” Fareeha answered, looking down at the can in her hand. She suddenly felt sick.“It’s funny, I didn’t think the Watchpoint could ever be this quiet.” She said. 

Kiriko looked worriedly at Baptiste before speaking up, “It’s ok to take time for yourself, you know.” She placed a hand on Fareeha’s shoulder. The older woman just stared at the soda can in her hand...

Fareeha liked to watch the sunset. The roof had the perfect viewing spot and it was nice to have a little quiet time for herself away from the chaos that came with living with 23 roommates. When she answered the recall she wasn’t expecting to be promoted to Captain so quickly. It was all more of a whirlwind really. Sometimes it almost felt like too much. She took a deep breath of the salty sea air and let the wind play with her hair. She was glad she had Angela here to keep her grounded. She wasn’t sure what she would do without the woman. 

Fareeha leaned against the railing of her private spot. There used to be a bench here, but the salty sea air had corroded it away. She watched as the light glistened off of the water and various sea birds rode the thermals. She was so lost in thought that she was taken by surprise when she heard footsteps approaching. She was usually alone during the evenings. 

She looked over to see a pink figure climbing the stairs. It didn’t take a genius to figure out it was Hana wearing her signature pink hoodie. Her brown hair spilled out from underneath the hood that was pulled up, hiding her face. It wasn’t until Hana was a few feet away that she realized she wasn’t alone. 

“Ah!” Hana leapt backwards as she noticed Fareeha was already here. “Oh, I’m sorry,” her face turned almost as pink as her whiskers. “I don’t want to interrupt anything…” she stammered, awkwardly retreating.

Fareeha couldn’t help the slight laugh that escaped her lips. “It’s alright, Hana. It seems my secret spot isn’t as much of a secret as I thought.” She kept her smile and Hana sheepishly returned. 

The young girl copied the tall Egyptian’s stance, leaning against the railing. The two were silent as they both watched the sun sink lower and the sky light up with twilight colors. They were quiet for a while until Fareeha broke the silence. “Do you come up here to think too?” She asked. 

Hana looked over to the tall Egyptian woman then back to the sea. “Yeah,” she answered, her voice sounding far away. The sound of the waves rushing against the cliffs filled the silence between them. “Fareeha?” Hana asked after a moment. 

Fareeha looked at Hana. She had never noticed how fragile the young girl looked. When she wasn’t hiding behind a boisterous personality and snarky comments, Hana looked like glass, almost breakable. The wind that played with the drawstrings of her hoodie looked like it could just blow her away. Hana took Fareeha’s silence as a cue to continue. “Do you…” She began to say, her eyes never leaving the waves as they continuously crashed into the cliffs. “Do you ever get scared?” This time she looked up, her eyes glistening. 

Fareeha was stunned into silence. She certainly wasn’t expecting a question so personal. Hana took this to mean she had to explain herself, “you’re always so calm and reassuring even when the enemy is surrounding us. You’re a natural leader.” Hana played with the drawstrings of her hoodie. “And me? I have to tell myself it’s all a game-”

“I do.” Fareeha interrupted Hana’s ramblings. Judging by how quiet it got Fareeha assumed that wasn’t the answer she was expecting. She pushed away from the railing and sat on the grass behind them. She patted the ground next to her and Hana timidly joined. “We all do. I can assure you that Jack has been scared before, Reinhardt, Cassidy, Angela, we’ve all been terrified.” She explained. 

Hana lowered the hood of her sweatshirt and was hanging on every word. “But, you guys never seem scared. Like ever.” Hana pulled her knees to her chest. “I just…I don’t know how to not be scared…” she admitted, her brown eyes filling with tears as she turned back to the horizon where the sun was grasping to the very last tendrils of sky before night took over. 

Never before had Fareeha seen Hana this way. She was so used to the brash and headstrong teenager that she never really saw Hana for what she was. A teenager. A child soldier. “Hana, it’s okay to not be okay.” She said, reaching a hand out and pushing back a tendril of Hana’s hair to tuck it behind her ear. 

Hana looked back to Fareeha, her bottom lip quivering as tears began to roll down her cheeks. Fareeha pulled Hana into a hug as she cried. 

Fareeha finished the soda and bid the two goodbye. It was late afternoon so she hoped that Angela got some sleep but she also wanted to make sure that Angela didn’t skip lunch. Again. She quietly opened the door of their shared apartment. “Angela, I hope you got some sleep…” She began to say as she walked into the room. She stopped in her tracks. Angela wasn’t there. 

“Ange?” Fareeha called, wondering where the woman would be. She looked out onto the balcony, nothing, bathroom? Not there. Fareeha would have seen her if Angela was going to the infirmary, she took the same way every time. 

Maybe she got hungry and was in the kitchen. Fareeha rationalized and left the room to walk down the hallway of the girls’ dormitory floor. She almost missed it as she passed Hana’s door. The door had been shut tight and locked for three months. Now it stood wide open. 

Curiously, Fareeha carefully took a few steps inside. Hana’s room was untouched since she left. There were clothes and junk food wrappers on the floor. Hana’s very expensive and very lavish gaming system sat dormant against the far wall, collecting dust. Fareeha looked around until her eyes landed on Hana’s bed. 

Laying there fast asleep and hugging one of the pillows, was Angela. 

Fareeha smiled sadly, she could feel her heart breaking. Quietly she took a nearby blanket and draped it over the sleeping woman. She then left the room and closed the door.

Chapter Text

Exile

It takes your mind again

Oh, you meant so much

Have you given up?

Does it feel like a trial?

Does it trouble your mind the way you trouble mine?

Does it feel like a trial?

Now you're thinking too fast

You're like marbles on glass

Vilify

Don't even try

~The National

——

She slowly opened her eyes. Her body throbbed in dull pain but she was on something soft. She stared at the ceiling, boring and beige in color but different than what she was used to. Her body felt like one giant cement brick. As her eyes began to focus she took stock of her surroundings. 

No longer was she in the white room, she was in what appeared to be in a bedroom, on a bed no less! To her right was a small window with the curtains drawn, blocking out any light from the outside. Directly across from her on the far wall was a dresser. She had to squint as her eyes focused on top of the dresser where a small electronic music box sat. A soft instrumental aria played from it, though she didn’t recognize the song. 

She pushed herself up in the bed, her back against the wall. It took a minute for her head to stop spinning. When she raised a hand to her head to stop the vertigo she noticed there was an IV in her arm. The tubing led to a bag of some fluid. 

Where was she? 

Slowly, she pulled the blankets off but was met with an immediate cold chill. Tenaciously, she tried getting out of the bed. She had to know what was going on. She tried getting to her feet and stood, shakily. She made one step towards the door before collapsing in a heap. She was still too weak to do anything. 

The noise alerted someone to her movements and the door slowly opened. Stepping through the threshold was a tall and angular woman. Her fiery red hair contrasted her porcelain skin. She looked down with her heterochromatic eyes. 

“Oh! I wasn’t expecting you to be awake so soon!” She smiled and knelt down, helping the girl up. “You really shouldn’t be out of bed, dear.” She spoke in an Irish accent. It sounded familiar to her, but she couldn’t quite place who the woman was.

“...What…?” the girl tried to ask as she was helped up and back into the bed. Her voice was raw from lack of use. 

“Shhhh….” the woman tucked her into bed. The girl watched as the woman pulled something out of her lab coat pocket. It looked like a syringe and she injected the fluid into the IV line. “Just sleep now dear.” She said before walking over and turning the volume up on the music box.

The girl couldn’t keep her eyes open any more and she fell back asleep.

—-

When she woke up again, the woman was already in the room with her. “There we go, nice and easy.” She opened her eyes, she was in the same beige bedroom. The angular woman from before sat at the foot of the bed, staring at her. “How are you feeling, Hana?” She asked.

Hana. That was her name. She remembered now. Slowly her senses came back to her as she tried to sit up in bed. The woman stood and gently pushed her back down. “Hana,” the girl repeated to herself. 

The woman nodded and sat back down, this time closer. “Yes dear, that is your name.” Her voice was soft, almost maternal in nature. “My name is Moira,” she introduced. 

Slowly things started to come back to her in fragments. All that came were feelings and flashes of things that didn’t make any sense. She recalled the heat of flame, the color of pastel pink, the feeling of falling, the smell of the ocean, the taste of blood in her mouth, a drive to be the best, the sound of waves crashing against the cliffs, the look of blonde hair, the sound of insane laughter, the feeling of being alone. 

“Do you remember Overwatch? Do you remember what happened to you?” Moira asked. 

Overwatch. More images flashed before Hana’s eyes, more emotions bubbled to the surface. She focused on the boring white blanket that covered her as her vision blurred with fresh tears. “I remember…being forgotten…” Hana spoke slowly as images and emotions came back to her in waves. Tears fell onto the blanket.

“That’s right, you remember Overwatch and how they left you?” Moira filled in for her. “I saved you, remember?”

Hana closed her eyes, she remembered the scent of dirt and the feeling of being alone. When she thought of Overwatch she remembered the feeling of always wanting to prove herself. She remembered feeling like she was never good enough. She remembered the mission she and Angela had undertaken. Details were fuzzy but she remembered feeling like she wasn’t trusted. She remembered faces and names, but not much else. 

“Hana?” Moira asked after a moment of silence. 

The girl took a sharp breath in before looking up at the woman. Tears streamed down her red face. The music from the music box repeated over again, this time louder. Hana let out a sob and her nose began to run and she began to shake.

At that moment, Moira felt a deep pang rip through chest. As she watched Hana wrap her arms around herself Moira felt a new emotion, something welling up from deep inside her. Something she tried for so many years to push down and forget about. Did she feel sorry for Hana? 

Did she care about her? 

No. 

Science and emotion should never intertwine. Moira lived by that motto ever since Overwatch disbanded. She never again wanted to feel the heartbreak of losing someone that she cared deeply about. 

She didn’t want another Angela. 

However, this was different. The more she looked at Hana; the more she saw herself. In her eyes she saw the young scientist who was always told that she couldn’t make it in the big leagues. She saw the face of absolute defeat. She saw the same self-doubt that plagued her. She saw the determination to prove herself. 

Before Moira could stop herself and before her logic got the best of her, she lunged forward and pulled Hana into a hug. It was the hug she herself needed as a child. The hug that she never received. Both women sat there for an awkward moment. Moira pulled away, with her face beet red and entranced with the floor. Hana, who still had tears rolling down her face, stared dumbfounded back at her. 

“I…” Moira broke the silence. “I must go.” She stood quickly and made a lunge for the door, trying to forget her slip-up. 

But something stopped her, it was Hana. The girl had reached out and grabbed Moira’s right arm. “No.” Hana demanded, her voice broken and heavy. “Please…stay.” She looked up with the fear of abandonment in her eyes. 

The music box began to repeat the same song. And Moira stayed.

—-

“Status update, Moira.” Growled the deep voice on the video call. Moira took a deep breath into her coffee. She sat in the kitchen on her laptop with the secure connection back to Talon’s base. She was honestly surprised that she had any sort of reception out here. 

“Such impatience, Gabriel.” Moira took a sip of her coffee just to watch Gabriel seethe. He didn’t have his mask on so she could see every scar that ran across his face. Funny, she once considered him her greatest achievement. 

“We are on a timeline, you know that.” Gabriel continued. “Ramattra expects results if we want Talon and Null Sector to be able to work together. Your little “project” is the linchpin to ensure that happens.” 

Moira rolled her eyes, of course she knew that. “I’ll have you know, everything is going according to plan.” She explained. “I realize now that my previous forays into this realm of science were misguided.” 

“What?” Gabriel asked, he didn’t have time for another of Moira’s long ramblings. 

“Did you know that the human mind doesn’t mature until the age of 25? It is when the prefrontal cortex of the brain matures enough to handle complex behavioral performance.” Moira continued. 

“What does that have to do with…?” Gabriel started to interject but Moria continued as if she didn’t hear him. 

“Results, Gabriel.” Moira took another sip of her coffee. “You want results? Give me one more month and I will have what you want.” 

Gabriel snarled, he had no idea what she was talking about, but he knew better than to defy her. “Fine. You have one month, Moira.” He abruptly signed off and the monitor went black. Moira purred and smiled around her mug. It was more than enough time. 

“Hey!” Exclaimed a voice from behind her. Moira choked on her coffee in surprise. “What are you up to?” Hana asked as she walked into the kitchen looking for a snack. Moira coughed, struggling to regain her composure. The girl threw open the cupboards, humming the tune of the music box to herself. 

Moira cleared her throat, “nothing dear.” She closed her laptop and focused on the girl. “If you’re looking for cereal it’s on the top left.” 

Hana immediately found what she had been looking for, “thanks!” Moira watched as Hana grabbed the box and a bowl. It seemed like only a week ago Hana was struggling to get out of bed. Now with her strength back, she was ravenous. “Who were you talking to then?” Hana asked, getting the milk and spoon before sitting down across from the woman. 

Moira narrowed her eyes, wondering what all Hana had heard. “I was talking to one of my associates.” She explained. 

Hana shoved her mouth full of cereal but that didn’t stop her from her next question. “The creepy man with the deep voice?” She asked, spitting crumbs in Moira's direction.

“For Christ sake, chew your food…” Moira grumbled, wiping off the crumbs from her side of the table. “Yes, the creepy man with the deep voice is my boss, one could say. He and I have been working together for the last several months on a top secret project.”

Hana’s eyes lit up with curiosity just as Moira expected them to. “Secret project?!” Hana swallowed her cereal before continuing, “I want to know!” 

Moria grinned as she brought the coffee cup to her lips. “Know? My dear,” she took a sip before she slowly brought the mug back to the table. She locked eyes with the girl. “You are the secret project.” 

Hana sat back in her seat, bewildered. “Me?” She asked as her spoon slid further into the bowl of cereal, forgotten. 

Moira let out a sharp laugh. “It always has been about you.” She stood and walked to the sink to put her now empty mug in. “How else are we supposed to break up Overwatch?”

At the name of her former organization Hana bristled, just as Moira planned. “What am I going to do?” She snarled with hatred.

Moira turned around to see Hana staring intensely into the bowl of cereal. Her knuckles were white with how tightly they grabbed the table. Moira was almost giddy with how perfect Hana’s reaction was. “In due time, my dear.” She said as she walked back over. She carefully took a finger and drew it down the side of Hana’s face and stopped at her chin. She then flicked it so Hana looked at her. “For now, continue with your practice.”

The “practice” Moira referred to was the video games that Hana played. Moira was no fool and had Sombra take out anything that could connect to the internet. She couldn’t dare run the risk of Hana knowing the truth. Not after all this time. However she didn’t want Hana’s reflexes to atrophy. She had a lot riding on the girl's fighting ability.

Hana nodded as Moira withdrew her finger holding her head in place. A whirlwind of emotions ran through the girl as she thought about her former associates. She would show them. She would show them that misjudging Hana Song was the wrong thing to do. She wanted to prove to them that she was worth so much more. She wasn’t some kid they could boss around. Not anymore. 

Moira grinned wickedly.

—-

A month passed. Today was finally the day they were going to get out of this hellhole of a snowy wasteland. Moira could hardly contain her excitement as she packed her things. She wasn’t sure how she accumulated so much stuff being as isolated as they were. Then she thought back to all of the “special requests” that Hana had made every time Moria went on a trip to town. So now she had two suitcases laid out on her bed. 

“What will happen when your friends get here?” Hana asked from the doorway of Moira’s room. She looked insecure as she held the now silent music box close to her chest. Hana reminded Moira of a kid on their first day of school, a mix of excitement and fear.

Moira set down the pants she was folding and walked over to Hana, gently guiding the girl further into her room and onto the bed next to the suitcases. She spoke softly, “we will be leaving to take you back to our headquarters. You’ll meet some new people and I have a very special surprise for when we get there.” Moira explained. She took the music box out of Hana’s hands momentarily to turn it on. It began playing the instrumental aria it always played, causing Hana to relax.

Hana listened to the music as Moira turned back to pack her things into the suitcase. They were silent for awhile before Hana spoke up, “you’ll still be there?” she asked. She looked at Moira with her big brown eyes. 

Moira wasn’t expecting that sort of question and it stopped her dead in her tracks. She looked back at Hana who wore a worried expression on her face. Moira stopped folding clothes and placed a hand on Hana’s shoulder reassuringly. “Of course I will be there.” 

A loud banging on the front door of the research facility alerted both of them to visitors. Hana closed the music box. Moira smiled as she left her room and went to the foyer that separated the internal facility with the cold extremes of the outside. “ Mierda, Moira let me in!” A new, somewhat angry, voice came from the vestibule.

Hana hung timidly in the hallway as Moira opened the door and the visitor came inside. The visitor stomped her large snow boots on the floor. She was a bit taller than Hana herself, and bundled in several jackets, a scarf, mittens, and a hat. 

“Welcome to our little hideaway…” Moira laughed sarcastically as she welcomed the new visitor. Hana watched as the visitor took off her hat and pulled down her scarf, revealing her face. What caught Hana’s attention most was her purple hair and how it was shaved on one side of her head and long on the other. Were those…augmentations on the side of her head too? Hana was fascinated. 

“More like a hellhole if you ask me.” The visitor scoffed. Her catty eyes fell on Hana who stared back. “This is it?” She asked, pointing in Hana’s direction. 

Moira clicked her tongue, “You know better than anyone not to underestimate me, Sombra.” 

Hana recognized the name but she couldn’t remember how. She knew that she had heard it before but it wasn’t coming to her. Mustering all of her confidence, Hana walked over to the woman and introduced herself. “Hana.” She held her hand out for the woman to shake. 

This new woman, Sombra, knitted her eyebrows in confusion. She turned to Moira, the two having an unspoken conversation. When Sombra looked back she took the girl’s hand and gave it a shake. “You may call me Sombra.” She introduced. “Now,” she was quick to change the subject, “can we get out of here? I hate the cold.” 

Moira nodded and got her bags and coat. Hana clung to the music box and put on the large winter coat Moira had gotten her on one of her excursions. Sombra redressed herself in all of her cold weather gear before they walked out of the research station. They were so far north that the snow hadn’t even begun to melt and the air was still bitter cold. Hana could see her breath as they walked outside.

The bright light of the sun against the snow would blind anyone. For Hana, who was so used to the inside it was overwhelming and she tried to block it out. “Come,” Moira wrapped an arm around the girl and led them to a large black jet that sat idling in the snow. Hana was only able to open her eyes once the loading doors of the plane closed. 

It was a lavish private jet, the likes of which normally reserved for the extremely wealthy. Sombra wasted no time to make herself at home. She sprawled across one of the leather seats and smirked, “Nice, right?” Sombra watched as Hana ran her fingers over the trim of the seats, completely in awe of the fancy accommodations. “It’s good to have friends in high places.” 

“You could say,” Moira rolled her eyes and sat down in one of the seats directly across from Sombra. Hana was quick to take the seat next to the woman. 

In no time at all the girl could feel the jet’s thrusters throttle upward as the jet ascended vertically. It felt familiar to Hana, though she couldn’t quite place why. As the jet gained altitude Hana’s attention was drawn across Moira and out the window. With childlike wonder, she watched as their home all this time became smaller and smaller. Moria chuckled, “would you like to switch seats?” Moria offered up her window seat to Hana, who eagerly took it.

Sombra watched the two interact and narrowed her eyes. Something was off about Moira. Though she didn’t know the scientist as much as she would have liked, she could tell by the way she spoke that something was different. The way the woman looked at Hana as she stared out the window was almost affectionate in nature. Sombra had never seen Moira look at anything like that other than research papers. 

She would find out what was really going on.

Chapter Text

Lately I've been thinking about changing myself

 Into everything I ever wanted to be

~Self Against City

----

She was working late, again. Her eyes were tired from looking at the computer screen for hours. 

Moira pushed her chair back and went over to the coffee maker to get another cup of coffee. She lost count of how many she had, four? Five? It didn’t matter. She looked up at the clock, it was 10:30 at night.

With a sigh she looked back to the coffee maker as it bubbled to life. Her mind drifted to the thought of what else was going on at the base tonight. Tonight was the annual Overwatch/Blackwatch holiday party. Of course, she had a standing invitation, but she much preferred her work. As she stared at the dark liquid she imagined everyone having fun without her. 

She was certain that Cassidy and Genji would be locked in some game of beer pong. Torbjörn and Reinhardt were probably both drunk off of their asses. Ana usually sat in the corner keeping a watchful eye over everyone. Winston and Lena loved the new karaoke machine and Moira was sure they were trying it out. Gabe and Jack were probably off sucking each other’s faces in a broom closet. 

And Angela…

The beep from the coffee maker signaled it was done. Moira filled her mug and brought the hot liquid to her lips. She relished the heat as it slid down her throat. Her mind drifted, Angela could be dancing with Lena; she could be sipping tea with Ana; she could be cheering on Cassidy and Genji. Whatever she was doing Moira knew one thing, and that was she wasn’t here with her. 

The shuffling of wood shavings from across the room beckoned Moira’s attention away from her drink and her thoughts. The little rabbit in the cage was awake and twitching its nose. It looked at her with its big brown eyes. Moira couldn’t help but chuckle, “conditioned to like the smell of coffee I see.” She walked over to the cage, “how…Pavlovian.” Moira mused as she carefully reached two fingers into the cage and scratched the rabbit behind its ears. The rabbit leaned into Moira’s touch. “It’s just you and me tonight, Häschen.” She said. The rabbit looked up at her and wiggled its nose. 

As if on cue, the door to the lab swooshed open suddenly. Häschen scampered back into its hide in fright. Moria whipped around on her heel, almost spilling her coffee. She expected Lena or Cassidy to come barrelling in and complain that she wasn’t at the party. She already had a retort ready but it died in her throat as she saw the very drunk young doctor stumble in.

“Moira!...Verdammit…” Angela’s words were slurred, “I’ve been looking for you everywhere.” 

“Angela? For Christsakes what is going on?” Moira grabbed a chair that Angela could sit in. Her hetero-chromatic eyes scanned the young woman up and down. Angela’s blonde hair, usually neatly pulled back into a ponytail, was wild and hanging around her face. Her normal bright blue eyes were bloodshot and glossed over. She clutched a half-filled drink in her hand as if her life depended on it.

Angela sat for only a moment. “No…Moira…” Angela stood back up, shakily. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” She pointed a finger at Moira’s chest as if she was accusing the older woman of doing something wrong.

Moira twerked an eyebrow up and held her hands up defensively, “yes, you said that already. Why?” 

Angela frowned as if she was trying to find the right words. “You’re not at the party.” 

“You know as well as I do that I don’t do parties…” Moira began to say but Angela put a finger to her lips to silence her. This close Moira could smell the booze wafting off of the younger woman.

Angela pouted, “come to the party, plleeeeaaase?” She looked at Moira with the most pathetic face any one could muster. “We miss you!...I miss you!” 

Moira’s breath caught in her throat and she stiffened. Her face went red hot. It took her a few moments to find her voice, “I…” she tried to answer. 

Angela’s face lit up with an idea and she pulled away. “I know!” She gulped down the rest of her drink and placed the empty cup on the very expensive mass spectrometer. “If you won’t go to the party I will just bring the party to you!”

Moira watched as Angela flittered to her computer and began typing. Moira grabbed the empty cup off of the extremely expensive machine. She got a whiff of tequila. “How much have you had to drink?” She asked. 

Angela didn’t reply and instead started music from the computer. Angela was three sheets to the wind as she grabbed Moira’s wrists and dragged her into the center of the room. “I’ll give you the first dance!”

Moira’s face went bright red. “I don’t…” she tried to protest. Trying to contain her emotions, she looked over to Häschen. The animal twitched its nose silently. A terrible wingman. 

The music that came from the speakers sounded tinny and strange at first. The melody was catchy and a vocalist began singing in what she believed was Italian. She had never heard the song before. 

When Moira turned back she noticed Angela staring at her with a playfully intoxicated smile on her lips. She coyly held out her hand. “May I have this dance?”

—

Moira jerked awake just as the plane hit turbulence. It took her a moment to regain her composure and remember where she was. If it wasn’t the dreadful black upholstery that gave it away, it was Sombra who stared at her from across the small table. She was in the private jet that Talon sent to pick her and Hana up from Iceland. 

Moira rubbed her temples before looking over to the window seat. Hana was fast asleep with her head against the wall of the plane, clutching the music box. Moira looked out the window, they were still high above the ocean. “How much longer?” She turned her attention back to the Hispanic woman. 

The younger woman looked up from where she was filing her nails and took out her earbuds. “About four more hours until Havana.” Sombra replied. Moira visibly relaxed. There was still plenty of time before the sleeping pills wore off. Sombra’s eyes narrowed as she looked between Hana and Moira. “This better be worth it Moira. Rammatra and Maximillion both have a lot riding on…this.” Sombra pointed her nail file at Hana.

Moira hummed and crossed her legs, “and what makes you think it won’t?” 

Sombra snarled, “I don’t trust her.” She went back to filing her nails. “It’s not that I don’t trust your methods, Moira, but do you really think she is ready for this?” 

Moira wordlessly opened the small fridge that was underneath the table between them. Sombra watched as she pulled out two clear plastic cups and a chilled bottle of champagne. “I will be the first to admit,” Moira popped the top off of the bottle with ease. “I didn’t go far enough with Amélie. She was my first dip into the networking of the mind.” Moira poured out some champagne in one glass. “Through time and some…external motivation,” Moira’s lips curled into a smile thinking of Gérard. “She was able to be controlled.” Moira passed the glass across the table for Sombra.

Moira then poured herself a glass with Sombra’s eyes trained on her the entire time as she spoke. “I confess that I may have gone too far with Siebren. The man’s genius-level intelligence was easy to exploit, but I wasn’t expecting him to completely disconnect from the world.” She sighed but continued, “I did learn a few tricks though.” She set the bottle down and brought the cup to her lips. 

Sombra left her drink untouched, meeting Moira’s glare with one of her own. It infuriated her when Moira spoke in metaphors and riddles. “What do you mean?” 

Moira chuckled in amusement. She was a cat toying with her prey. “Did you know that a human’s brain doesn't fully mature until one’s mid-20’s?” She finished her drink and set the empty cup down. “Before then, the mind is more… pliable…” Moria’s attention turned to Hana’s sleeping form and the music box in her lap. Casually, the scientist brushed a few strands of the girl’s mousey hair back behind her ear. Hana hardly stirred. “The prefrontal cortex is underdeveloped and critical thinking hasn’t been fully developed. It is more…suggestible.”

Sombra was silent as Moira’s words sunk in. She took a drink of her own champagne and relished the bubbles that slid down her throat. She was both in fear and awe of the woman before her.

—-

“Hana. Wake up,” 

“Wake up little bunny,”

“Yo Hana! Rise and shine!”

“Agent Song, report for duty!”

“Oi Hana! Whatcha doin’ sleepin’ on the job?”

“Häschen, it’s time to wake up.”

She jerked awake in a cold sweat. She tried to slow her breathing down as the voices that haunted her faded and the last tendrils of sleep left her. Hana held her head as it pounded in pain, it seemed she always awoke with a headache now.

As she steadied herself she began to take in her surroundings. The last thing she remembered was falling asleep on a plane from Iceland. Now she awoke here in a bland dorm-style bedroom, similar to what she had in South Korea. It was almost comforting in its militaristic simplicity. 

Hana swung her legs off of the bed and stood up, her head swimming. She didn’t appreciate waking up in new places all of the time, she needed to know where she was. Hana stumbled to the window where the curtains were pulled closed. She threw them open only to be accosted by sunlight. “ Ttong …” she covered her eyes and stumbled blindly backwards.

With the grace of a newborn giraffe, Hana tripped and fell back onto her back. On the way down she hit her head on a desk that she hadn’t seen there before. A hefty object fell off of the desk and landed square in her gut, taking the wind with it. Hana laid there in a daze as the room spun. 

“Well, it’s about time you woke up.” A familiar voice said from the doorway. 

Hana tilted her head to see an upside-down version of Moira standing there. The woman had an amused smile on her face. She walked over and lifted the heavy object that was on Hana’s stomach. The mahogany music box. “How did you know I was awake?” Hana asked as she slowly sat up.

“Subtly, my dear,” Moira carefully placed the music box back on the desk, “is not your forte.” She stepped past Hana and threw open the curtains wide, bathing the room in sunlight. Hana shielded her eyes. 

“Where are we now?” Hana asked as she slowly got to her feet, using the bed to stabilize herself. 

Moira waved dismissively, “nothing to bother yourself with.” The Irish woman spun to face Hana. “Though there are several people that have waiting to meet you and they grow impatient.” She walked out of the room, a silent invitation for Hana to follow. 

Hana trailed behind Moira as they walked down a seemingly endless hallway. She looked around to take in everything. Tapestries of black and red lined the hall, letting in a limited amount of light from the windows. Hana tried to get clues as to where she was when she caught her reflection in one of the windows and stopped. 

She hardly recognized herself. 

Her dull hair was now down to the small of her back. Her cheeks were sunken. Her eyes were tired and heavy black bags sagged below them. She looked almost 20 years older than she actually was. In horror, she brought a hand to her face, hoping that the reflection wasn’t real. As she did, a small shock of static electricity discharged at her fingertip.

“...you really should be more careful…”

The sudden voice startled the girl and she spun on her heel. “What did you say?” Hana asked Moira, though the voice she heard wasn’t Moira’s at all. 

“I said,” Moira towered over her, the woman was over a foot taller than her and Hana felt incredibly small. “You need to keep up.” The older woman resumed her walk. 

After a moment, Hana followed silently until they ended up in front of a pair of massive doors. Moira pushed them open revealing a large meeting room. What caught Hana’s eye first was the giant Talon “T” on the far wall. The black and red motif continued in this room as well. 

Her attention was then drawn to the occupants of the room. Multiple people sat around a large conference table. Doomfist stood at the head, dressed in a pristine white suit. She could spot his shiny bald head anywhere. Next to him, covered in shadow, was Reaper. The man had his mask off, revealing the wistful look on his rough and scarred face. 

The rest of Talon’s inner circle was gathered as well. Across from Reaper sat an omnic man dressed in a black suit. Hana recognized him as Maximilien, the owner of several Monaco casinos and Talon accountant. He stared at her with his unblinking eyes that made Hana feel like a small bug under a microscope. Finally, sitting next to him was a meek man dressed in a Vishkar uniform. Hana recalled Satya briefly mentioning her former boss, Sanjay Korpal. 

“Welcome, Hana.” Doomfist grinned. “I hope you found your accommodations…comforting.” He said. All Hana could do was nod and take a seat. All eyes were on her but all she could focus on was Moira as she took a seat next to Reaper. 

“I don’t have time for pleasantries, Akande.” Maximilien spoke up, his mechanized voice reflected his impatience. “Can we get to the point here?” 

Doomfist smirked and sat back down. “Of course,” he folded his hands in front of himself on the table. “Hana, welcome to Talon. We are very excited to have you with us.” 

Reaper grunted, “some of us…” he growled as Moria shot him a glare. 

Doomfist waved his hand dismissively. “Moira has spoken highly of you, Hana, and I look forward to our collaboration.” 

Hana shifted in her chair. Her soft brown eyes flickered between everyone assembled. “And what is that, exactly?” Hana asked.

The smile never faltered from Doomfist’s face. “We recruited you, Hana, because we believe that Overwatch refuses to see your full potential. They hold you back. No one else has been able to single-handedly stop a rogue omnic attack, much less be willing to sacrifice yourself for the greater good. It is that mindset that is needed here.” Hana sat straight up at attention. She would be lying if she said she didn’t feel flattered by the compliments. 

Doomfist continued, “what has Overwatch done for you? Have they protected your country? Have they trusted you to lead a mission? Or are you just a reckless child in their eyes, someone who needs a babysitter?”

That hit a cord with Hana and she sat back in her chair. She held onto the armrests with white knuckles. Her jaw tightened and her eyes were locked on the shiny surface of the table. “Have you ever thought about why they treat you that way?” Ana had said to her, her voice echoing in her ears. It was Overwatch that abandoned her. They didn't even bother to look for her! They just moved on without caring. She had no one left anymore, no one but Moira. White-hot tears stung her eyes as she looked up to Doomfist. “What do you want me to do?” She growled. 

Doomfist’s eyes sparkled. “You see, we in Talon are in the business of progress. We believe that the current system is unjust. It was created in the interest of protecting and rewarding criminals who seek to profit from injustice.” He explained. “Through the ages, great advancements in civilization were brought about by conflict. Think of your history books, every major war that was fought brought humanity further advancements in technology, medicine, philosophy, and resources. For us to advance further, for us to be considered worthy of inheriting the earth, there must be conflict so that only the strongest survive. Didn’t Darwin say the same? We have teamed up with a very special group of Omnics who see the injustice just as we do. The oppressed will become the oppressors.”

“Overwatch is an altruistic organization whose only goal is stagnation and conformity." Maximilien informed. "They cling to the misguided hope that peace can be achieved without bloodshed. That omnics and humans can live simultaneously in harmony. But we all know that cannot happen without conflict. The only way is to destroy Overwatch.”

“That is where you come in,” Moira spoke up. “We want you to lead a squadron for a direct attack on their Gibraltar base. We know how well you command a team. You are a strong leader whose natural talents are not something to be wasted.”

“You know Hana, she can be a bit...impulsive.”

Angela’s voice whispered in her ears and her blood boiled. She would show them. “I’m in.” She replied flatly.

Doomfist smirked as he leaned back in his chair, “Sombra will tell you everything else you need to know.”

The large doors opened and Sombra leaned casually in the doorframe. “Ready, conejita ?” She asked. 

Hana glanced between Sombra and Moira. “We just have to finish up a few things,” Moira explained as she saw the worried look painted on Hana’s face. “I will meet you afterwards.” Sombra grabbed Hana’s wrist and led her out of the conference room, the large doors shutting behind them. Hana stopped in the hallway. She hadn’t been this far from Moira since the beginning of this. Dare she say that she felt a tinge of jealousy and panic in her gut? She craved Moira’s attention and after being the only other soul she had interacted with in all this time, Hana wasn’t sure what to do.

Sombra’s eyes narrowed as she observed the turmoil in the younger girl’s face. It intrigued her. “We don’t have time for you to just stand there.” She said and dragged Hana down the hallway and out to the courtyard. 

Hana took in her surroundings. This was far from any basement, white room, or snowy hellscape she was used to. She seemed to be on a tropical paradise, palm trees decorated the area. Sea birds squawked from the thermals they rode in the sky. Between the cobblestones of the path and the grass was sand. The compound was an open training field and everywhere she looked Hana could see Talon soldiers practicing. Some were doing firearms training at a shooting range, others were doing hand-to-hand combat or cardio. 

“What is this?” Hana asked as they walked past a group of cadets running in formation. She caught a glimpse of the face of one. He couldn't have been much older than her, lanky with messy blonde hair. She did a double-take, his face looked so familiar, like she had seen it printed somewhere.

“This is our base.” Sombra answered, seemingly unaware of the cadets that passed them. “One of them anyway. This is where you will train.” She seemed unperturbed as they passed a group of operatives working in large robotic exo-skeletons. Hana stopped in her tracks to admire the engineering. It reminded her of something from that ancient movie Reinhardt made them watch once, it was called ‘Alien’ or something.

Wordlessly, Sombra grabbed Hana’s wrist again and dragged her away. They ended up on a large airstrip lined with hangars for what Hana assumed were different aircraft. Though all of them were closed at the moment. Sombra stopped at one particular hangar and punched in a door code for them to be let in. It only took a few seconds for the lights to flicker on to illuminate the area.

Hana’s mouth went dry.

Standing in the center of the hangar with fluorescent light reflecting off of the fresh black paint, was a large mech. It was similar in build to her beloved Tokki. Two fusion cannons were mounted on the sides of a darkened cockpit. Two wide wings jutted out sharply from the engines in back. The legs were sturdy and seemed to be reinforced for better repulsion. The entire thing was painted black with subtle red and white accents. Proudly emboldened on the side, where she was used to seeing the word MEKA, was the Talon symbol.

It was beautiful. 

“Like it?” Sombra asked after a few seconds of watching Hana nearly drool. “I hacked the schematics from MEKA, so you will be familiar with how it handles.” She explained as the two got closer. The mech was much larger than Tokki was. “It’s carbon fiber, strong and lightweight. Powered by not one but two fusion reactors. Dual engines in the back generate a total of 250 horsepower for more sustained flight. You have twin fusion cannons that draw from the secondary reactor for continuous short range fire. Micro-missiles launch from the sides for more medium and long range attacks.” Sombra proudly explained as Hana walked a full circle around the machine. “The hardest part was the defense matrix.” Sombra explained, “I was able to increase the effective spread to 15 meters instead of 10 but the majority relies on your APM.” Hana was impressed by Sombra’s knowledge of the mech.

“Did…did you do this?” Hana turned to Sombra in disbelief.

Sombra smiled and said, “get in.”  

Hana’s face lit up like a child on Christmas. She instinctively ran to the back where she would board Tokki. Just as she expected, she pressed the manual override panel and the back of the machine opened. Hana wasted no time climbing inside. The red interior lighting and HUD sprung to life. Hana was speechless as she took the joystick controls in her hands. “With the plug suit you will be integrated with the interface and able to summon the mech at your will.” Sombra continued to speak, her voice amplified in the cockpit. Hana pressed button after button, feeling the familiar layout. “There is just one thing,” Sombra pointed out loudly, catching Hana’s attention. “There is only one of these so don’t go exploding it, alright?” 

Hana laughed for the first time in a long time. She felt at home again. 

Chapter Text

Where are you

And I'm so sorry

I cannot sleep, I cannot dream tonight

~Blink-182

—-

The press filled the boardroom of the hospital. Mumbling and the general buzz of voices and whispers made the room feel so much more full than it already was. Angela had counted at least 15 different news media from around the globe in attendance. It seemed the entire world was focused on Busan. Since the news broke about the unexpected gwishin attack, the government was tight-lipped about what exactly happened. Rumors flew about what caused the attack and what stopped it. Everyone wanted the first scoop of the story. 

Angela stood in the back of the room, using the wall to keep her exhausted form upright. When Doctor Park-Sung said there was going to be an official statement from MEKA about the incident she was expecting only a few local press to be here, not the world. The clicking and flashing of cameras alerted her to someone walking up to the hastily assembled lectern at the front of the room. The woman that entered couldn’t have been much older than Angela herself. Her high cheekbones and perfect posture made her a domineering figure for sure. Her shiny black hair was pulled back in a tight bun with not a hair out of place and she was flanked on either side by the same suit-wearing men that Angela had met at the airport. The woman adjusted the microphone before she spoke, “good evening.” 

The room quieted down but the cameras kept flashing and clicking. This didn’t phase the woman as her dark eyes scanned the crowd. Angela could have sworn those cold eyes lingered on her a little longer. “I am Captain Myung of the MEKA program.” She introduced, “I am here on behalf of MEKA and the government of South Korea to address rumors about the light show over the sea last night.” Angela had to check the clock to notice that it was indeed almost 12 hours since she first landed in Busan. She had completely lost track of time in the surgery suite.

The press in the room settled down as Myung continued. “The incident is indeed confirmed as an unforeseen attack by the Omnic of the Sea.” Gasps and resounding unrest erupted around Angela. Captain Myung had an intimidating presence and the commotion stopped as soon as she raised her hand up. “It is also confirmed,” she continued firmly, “that the attack was prevented by MEKA pilot Hana Song, in an unauthorized launch.” Even from where she stood in the back of the room, Angela could see how Captain Myung’s knuckles were white from gripping the lectern. “The explosion over the ocean was indeed D.Va destroying her mech, putting herself at risk and saving countless lives in the process.” An uproar of questions exploded around Angela.

“Captain! Is she alright?” One reporter asked.

“No one has ever taken on a gwishin by themselves and lived!” Yelled another one.

“Why was she the only one on base?”                                                                                    

“Do we know anything about the gwishin’s motives?” 

“No one has heard from D.Va since the attack, what happened!” 

More questions piled onto each other until it was a cacophony of sound. “After conferring with the head medical officer of MEKA and the chief of medicine here at Pusan National University, Doctor Park-Sung, I can confirm that D.Va emerged from her entanglement with the gwishin without a scratch and is resting comfortably at home.” She hadn’t even finished her sentence before the room exploded again into sound. 

Angela was stunned in silence. She knew the horrible truth. As Captain Myung began to take questions Angela couldn’t stand there any more. She needed to get out of there. No one noticed her slip out of the room. 

Angela didn’t hesitate to burst into Doctor Park-Sung’s office. It seemed the old woman was expecting her, she had two glasses of whiskey poured from her secret stash. Angela walked right up to the doctor who sat lazily at her desk. “What was that, Mina?” Angela could feel her anger boiling in her gut. “Hana Song didn’t “emerge without a scratch”! She coded twice! She’s still under sedation! Her spine….” Angela winced, knowing full well the recovery that Hana will have to go through. It physically hurt her.

The elder doctor saw the flash of pain on Angela’s face. She was slouched in her desk chair and invited Angela to take a seat. “A drink?” She asked, changing the subject. 

Angela took a seat across from her colleague. Doctor Park-Sung offered Angela a glass of the amber liquid. “I don’t drink anymore…” Angela refused. 

A sad smile filled the elder doctor’s face. “Of course,” she said and threw back her entire drink. “You know as well as I do that I had no choice, Angela.” She sighed. “MEKA threatened to cut funding for the hospital if I told the truth.” The doctor looked at her tired reflection in the glass. 

Angela sat dumbstruck. “Be that as it may, it is perjury to lie about the condition of a patient!” 

“No,” Doctor Park-Sung’s grip tightened around the glass. Any more and it would surely break in her hand. “She is not a patient, she is property of MEKA.” 

Angela was silent, her eyes narrowed on her old friend. Doctor Park-Sung was quiet for a moment before she opened a drawer in her desk. Angela assumed it was to get the whiskey bottle to pour herself another drink. She was not expecting a manila file folder. “Allow me to explain, Doctor Ziegler.” She said and sat the file on the table, spilling its contents across her desk. Angela leaned in closer, looking at the papers. 

The best thing she could equate it to was if someone made a scrapbook of their entire life. All sorts of papers littered the desk. Angela picked up one on top to look at it. It was a medical record dating from only one month ago. SONG, HANA was printed on top. “Hana Song has no family,” Doctor Park-Sung began to say as Angela scanned over physical assessments and physician recommendations going back years. “She has no life outside of gaming and piloting that mechanical monster.” Doctor Park-Sung continued as Angela flipped through medical records, each of them stating clearly that Hana Song was physically and mentally perfect. “She has nowhere to go.” 

As Angela flipped through the files, she began to pick up more things. Financial records of all earnings that Hana made through her streams, a promotional flier for “Hero of My Storm” with notes written in Korean on the back. Angela’s eyes widened as she saw everything about this girl’s life displayed proudly in front of her. She stopped for a moment and pulled out what appeared to be a certificate from the very hospital they sat in. “You have her birth certificate?” Angela gasped. 

Doctor Park-Sung nodded, “MEKA does. These are just the physical copies I held on to.” 

Angela hesitated as her rummaging led her to a picture. She picked up the old photograph to get a better look. It showed a simple family at a park. The man in it was lanky, his thick black hair was starting to gray even though he looked fairly young. His eyes sparkled with happiness behind the thick-rimmed glasses he wore. The smile that was frozen on his face looked like it was taken mid-laugh. Next to him stood a woman, shorter than the man and thin as well. Her brown hair was up in a ponytail as it appeared to be a warm day. She had a relaxed look on her face as her arms were around the man. More importantly, Angela focused on the third person in the picture. Sitting on the man’s shoulders was a girl, no older than three or four. Child-like innocence forever suspended in time. Her hair was the same color as the woman’s. Her eyes sparkled like the man’s. 

It didn’t take long for Angela to put two-and-two together.

“Why does MEKA have all of this?” Angela looked up at the doctor. 

Doctor Park-Sung threw back the other glass of whiskey. “It’s insurance. Hana Song is perfect for MEKA to exploit. They use her as a poster child for their program. You’ve seen the billboards, the movie deals, the game tournaments, endorsements, and paid promotions? All of that is revenue for MEKA. Sure, Hana gets a cut, but she has no idea the amount.” Doctor Park-Sung sipped the drink again, finishing it off. “So, in order to appease the public and keep the MEKA program funded, Hana is, and always will be, healthy and in perfect physical condition.”

Angela’s gut twisted as she looked back at the photograph still in her hand. She looked at the little girl, the very same one who was lying comatose in the ICU. She looked at the parents, existing only in memories and photos. Is this what they would have wanted? Their little girl was just a puppet and MEKA held the strings. 

Angela’s eyes locked on those of the mother’s in the picture. Her heart beat in her ears. She made a promise that day.

—-

Her alarm blared, dragging her drearily from her dream. Sunlight poured into the room from the large glass doors that led to the balcony. It was a bright and beautiful day. Angela groaned as she turned the alarm off on her phone and pulled the pillow over her head. She would have loved to stay in bed all day, but she had already spent several days in bed and feared blood clots. So, begrudgingly, the tired doctor pulled herself out of bed and shuffled to the en suite bathroom. 

Angela didn’t look at herself in the mirror as she passed. She didn’t want to see how deep her eyes sunk, how her nightgown hung limp off her shoulders with the weight she had lost. She didn’t want to see how short her hair was now. Mei had cut it last week after she had stopped brushing it. 

She turned the water on in the shower and let her nightgown fall to the floor before stepping in. The heat felt like a million needles pricking into her. It felt wonderful, to feel something besides empty. Angela sighed and began her routine, trying not to notice the bones poking out beneath her skin or the way her hair fell out in clumps as she washed it. She closed her eyes as she let the water and steam wrap around her like an embrace. 

8 months. 

That was the last time anyone at the Watchpoint had any semblance of normalcy. 8 months her heart ached. 8 months they had been searching, Talon always one step ahead. 8 months Angela felt the pang of guilt and loneliness settle into her chest as she closed her eyes. 

8 months since anyone had seen Hana.

Understandably, the whole nation of Korea declared a period of mourning for their fallen super star. MEKA repainted all of the mechs bright pink in her honor. Hana’s streaming site was more of a memorial page now, with people from all over the world leaving comments and emoji’s expressing their sorrow. There was an outpouring of support from around the world as people sent condolences. However, time moves forward and life moves on. Overwatch had to take missions for revenue. The search for Hana still pressed on, though efforts were waning. The world kept turning.  

Angela’s world stopped 8 months ago. 

She opened her dull blue eyes to stare at the water as it circled the drain of the shower. From what Fareeha had told her, Talon was largely MIA. No one had seen or heard from anyone in the organization. All of their leads had dried up after Sojourn and Echo found Delilah dead in her apartment. 

The Watchpoint was a dim place now without their shining star. No one really saw or spoke to each other outside of what was necessary. They were all broken. Angela just existed. 

None of them felt the pain the way that she did. The turmoil of grief, guilt, and heartbreak were the only things she felt anymore. No one understood what she was going through.

How could they?

No one else cleaned Hana’s wounds when she inevitably got in over her head…

“You really should be more careful,” the doctor warned as she poured isopropyl alcohol on a cotton ball. Her patient, reluctantly sitting on the exam table, rolled her eyes. 

“Well it’s not my fault that the plug suit doesn't have reinforced knee pads.” Hana held her knee out for Angela to clean up. It was just a scrape, but she still winced and looked away when the cotton ball was held to her knee.

The doctor’s eyes flickered up to Hana, “I’m not just talking about this, Hana. What about the sprained wrist last week? And the twisted ankle before that?” 

Hana scoffed and looked away, “occupational hazard.”

No one else monitored Hana’s eating habits to make sure that she didn’t just live off of junk food... 

Angela knocked softly on Hana’s door before entering. Hana was in the middle of yet another one of her streaming marathons. Everyone knew not to disturb the girl when she was in the midst of “wrecking noobs”. 

Still, Hana had a habit of surviving on sugary soda and nacho chips when she gamed. So Angela took it upon herself to bring Hana whatever dinner they had made that day. She quietly slipped into Hana’s room, side-stepping the mass of clothes on the floor. She carefully set the aluminum-foil covered dish on Hana’s desk where the girl was streaming. “Satya made chicken makhani and naan,” she whispered before picking up a few discarded soda cans. 

Hana didn’t acknowledge Angela’s presence as she stared intently at her computer. With her headphones on, Angela wasn’t sure Hana even knew she was there at all. She turned to leave when she heard, barely audible;

“Thanks, Angie.” 

No one else knew how meticulous Hana was in painting her whiskers every day... 

“ANGELA! WE HAVE A CODE PINK!” Hana burst into the doctor’s office. 

Angela, who up until now had been drinking her coffee, choked a bit. “What?” She asked between coughing fits. Once she regained her composure, it was obvious what Hana meant. The girl’s signature pink whiskers were half-missing, only having two on one side. 

“I lost my facepaint!” Hana hyperventilated.

Angela’s eyes went wide. The last time Hana ran out of makeup for her whiskers she had a meltdown and destroyed the TV in the recreation room by throwing a controller at it. Angela began rifling through her desk, she did not want a repeat of the Rec Room Tragedy. This time, she was prepared, “It’s not your brand but I do have this pink lipstick.” She pulled out the aforementioned item. Hana hastily grabbed it from her and shoddily drew on the other two whiskers. 

Angela let out a sigh as if she had disarmed a nuclear bomb. 

No one else made her coffee for her in the mornings…

No one got in the way of Angela and her coffee. She typically got up early to get the coffee brewing before anyone else awoke. Today was no different. She poured her coffee into her “Self-Healing” mug that Genji had gotten her for her birthday. Without waiting for it to cool off, she sipped it and lavished in the heat as it went down her throat. 

She grabbed another mug from the cabinet and poured another cup. This time she went to the fridge and got out the liquid coffee creamer and sweetener from the cupboard. She poured sickening amounts of both into the new mug and set it aside to cool a bit. 

Angela leaned against the counter and took another sip from her mug. She pulled out her data-tablet and started going through the list of things she needed to get done today. She enjoyed this time in the morning when no one bothered her. She hardly heard the lazy footsteps of another early-morning visitor. 

Hana sluggishly entered the kitchen, still half asleep. Angela wasn’t sure if Hana slept at all, if she did it was restless at best. Her hair was a mess and her eyes were half closed as she plodded up to the counter and grabbed the mug that Angela had set aside. She about-faced and made her way back to her room. 

“Thanks, doc,” she muttered before she left. 

No one else would let Hana sleep in her bed after another nightmare…

“Hey Angela…Angela....Angie…..Wake up….” The light repetitive tapping on her arm startled the doctor awake. 

It took a second for Angela’s eyes to adjust to the dark lighting of her bedroom. Once the dreariness of sleep began to fade away she made out the silhouette of her late-night visitor. With her hair a complete mess, her eyes puffy and red, her cheeks stained with tears and clutching one of her stuffed bunnies tightly, was Hana. With the light of the moon behind her, Hana appeared so small and fragile. Angela sat up and rubbed her eyes, “another nightmare?” 

Hana replied with a silent nod. 

“Alright,” Angela scooted over in bed closer to Fareeha, who was still dead asleep, and lifted the duvet. “Come on.” 

The invitation had hardly left Angela’s lips before Hana jumped into bed. She nestled into the sheets and curled up next to Angela as she had done so many times before. The woman watched and waited for Hana’s breathing to slow, indicating to the doctor that the girl had fallen back to sleep. 

Angela bit her lip. Why were these memories bubbling to the surface now? As the water started to run cold, Angela heard the bedroom door open. Fareeha was probably back and would want a shower so Angela rinsed her hair out one final time. 

The sound of the water falling around her did nothing to mask the voice she heard, loud and clear in her ears:

“You are not my mother!” 

Angela’s eyes went wide. That was Hana’s voice. She knew it.

Startled and without thinking, Angela yanked open the shower curtain. The water still rushed around her and suds from the soap created a slick at her feet. The quick movement caused her to lose her balance and the naked doctor came crashing to the floor. The shower curtain came with her, fluttering down and covering her.

“Angela?” Fareeha rushed into the bathroom to find Angela sprawled on the floor of the shower. She quickly turned off the water, “Angela, are you okay?” She knelt down to help but the doctor briskly pulled the curtain away. 

Angela’s eyes were wild as she looked around the bathroom. Her heart sank as she found it empty save for her and Fareeha. “Oh…” she said dishearteningly. Fareeha looked confused as she helped her to her feet. “I thought I heard something.” Angela wrapped a towel around herself before going to the bathroom sink. She took one of the many prescription bottles that littered the vanity and popped a few pills into her mouth. 

Fareeha only watched her with concern. This wasn’t the Angela she knew. This was a husk of a woman who lived on a day-to-day basis because anything more would break her. Fareeha bit her lip as Angela mindlessly went to the closet to get clothes on. She wanted to say something, to tell her how much she loved her, how seeing her like this broke her heart. The words never came.

“I am going to my office.” Angela stated tersely as she emerged from the closet, drying her hair with a towel. 

“Oh!” Fareeha was surprised. “Well, that’s good.” She was glad that Angela decided to get out of bed today. However she knew that it was only to go bury herself in work and to not think. 

Angela grabbed her phone and left the room swiftly.

—-

Angela sighed and rubbed her temples. Her eyes hurt from staring at the screen for so long. Blueprints of the Valkyrie suit were scorched into her eyelids when she blinked. She took another drink of her now-cold coffee. She was trying to upgrade the suit to be faster, for the staff to connect better, anything so that nothing like this would ever happen again.

The door of her office opened slowly, tearing Angela’s attention away from her work. She was surprised to see it was Ana, the old sniper had her cup of tea in her hands. “Fancy seeing you here, doctor.”

“I thought I locked the door.” Angela snapped in reply.

“You did.” Ana had an roguish look on her face as she took a sip from her cup. 

Angela bristled, “well typically that means the person on the other side of the door wishes to be left alone.” 

Ana hummed in response as she looked around Angela’s office. “Can an old woman not check on someone she cares about?” Ana asked as she passed a pile of papers in the organized mess. “No one has seen you in days, Angela.” The old sniper’s eye fell on Angela. “And when I heard you were in your office I had to see for myself if it was true.” 

Under Ana’s maternal gaze, Angela deflated. “I’m sorry,” she set her coffee mug down and rubbed her eyes under her glasses.

“Angela, everyone is concerned about you.” Ana said as she walked up closer to the cluttered desk and sat in the chair adjacent. 

“Tell them I appreciate the concern, but I have work to do.” Angela tiredly turned back to her screen. 

Ana took another long sip of her tea as she looked at the papers sprawled out across the desk. To the untrained eye, one would assume that Angela was working on modifying the suit and her staff. But Ana had the eyesight of an owl and her attention was quickly drawn to the old manila folder hiding at the bottom of the pile. 

She didn’t hesitate to grab it and slide it out from under the mass of notes that Angela had used to conceal it. “And what is this?” Ana asked as she held it up. Angela’s eyes went wide as saucers and she tried to grab it from the older woman but Ana was fast for her age and snatched it away. She wasted no time opening it.

Ana couldn’t read Korean but the words: PROPERTY OF MEKA and CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS were in bold in English. “Angela, what is this?” Ana looked up to see Angela slumped in her chair. 

Angela sighed and relented, “that is everything MEKA has on Hana Song.” 

Ana flipped through more pages. Though she couldn’t read most of it, there were a few pages that stood out to her. Medical records, death certificates, financial papers, promotional flyers. “Why do you have this?” She looked up at the doctor. 

Angela was now in a staring contest with her desk. “Before she died, Doctor Park-Sung gave me all the physical copies.” 

“Agent Mina Park-Sung?” Ana asked.

Angela nodded, “after the fall of Overwatch she returned to Korea and became the chief of medicine at one of the hospitals there. When South Korea decided to launch the MEKA program she was signed on as their medical liaison.” Angela explained. “Her history in helping launch the Valkyrie project made her more than qualified.”

Ana was silent for a moment as her calculating brain put the pieces together. “You and her worked together extensively on that project if I remember correctly.”

Angela nodded. “It was her that came up with the idea of nanites for healing, I only improved upon it in order to create the Caduceus staff.” 

Ana nodded, remembering more clearly now. “She disagreed with your idea of injecting yourself with the self-healing nanites that weren't tested.” Ana closed her eye, remembering the argument between the two all those years ago. “You did anyway, in order to create the Valkyrie swift response suit.” Ana opened her eye to stare at the pages in her lap. Sitting on top was a photograph, it was old and showed a small family on a summer day. She carefully picked it up and inspected the three people in the photo. She held up the old photograph for Angela to see, “but what does any of that have to do with her?” Her finger pointed to the little girl in the picture. 

Angela visibly stiffened at the sight of the picture. “Because, when D.Va exploded her mech over the ocean, killing the gwishin, Mina asked for a favor.” She began to explain, she was shaking like a leaf. Angela looked over to where her suit and staff sat untouched in a display case, collecting dust. “Hana’s body had sustained so much damage that normal resuscitation efforts would have been futile. Even the Caduceus staff couldn’t keep up.” Angela’s gaze never left the staff as she spoke, her mind far, far away. “Hana died on the operating table.”

Ana sat stoically, following Angela’s line of sight to the staff. Ana was beginning to piece together the puzzle years in the making. She had known the doctor for years and also knew her to be almost as reckless and altruistic as Hana herself. Angela continued, tears welling in her eyes as she clenched her fists, eyes closed. “I couldn’t let another innocent child die because we failed again to do what Overwatch was created to do.” Angela paused, trying to regain her composure. “Mina knew I had the nanites in my bone marrow from the Valkyrie project. She had Hana’s medical records so she knew that Hana and I not only shared the same blood type, but also shared 8 out of 12 HLA factors.”

Ana took a sharp breath as she stared at Angela. She may be old, she may not have the medical knowledge or the several degrees that Angela had, but she was no fool. “You injected Hana with the same nanites from your bone marrow, didn’t you?” It was phrased as a question but Ana already knew the answer.

Angela bit her lip and looked away, “the nanites are keyed in on my genetic material, I had to do a marrow transplant to trick the nanites to treat Hana’s body as if it were mine. It was the only way.” Angela closed her eyes, “afterwards I made a promise to Mina that the nanites will never be used in that way again. I burned all of my notes.” 

Silence fell between the two women. Ana’s gaze was locked on the photograph in her hand. She studied the laugh lines on the man, the kind expression on the woman, and the innocence of the girl. She looked up at Angela, the woman was hunched over in her chair, staring at the floor and letting tears fall freely. Things started to make sense now, all this time she thought Angela just felt guilty for letting her guard down long enough for Hana to get kidnapped. She now realized it was much, much deeper than that. “Does Hana know about this?” 

Angela looked up sharply. “No.” She answered. “I don’t think she needs to know…and I…don’t know how to tell her.” She admitted. Ana watched as Angela’s eyes drifted to the photograph. “The only people who know now are you, I, and Mina.”

Ana sat back in her chair. There was so much that she wanted to say, so many questions she wanted to ask. They hung unsaid in the air as several explosions rocketed throughout the Watchpoint.

Chapter Text

With a thousand lies and a good disguise

Hit 'em right between the eyes

Hit 'em right between the eyes

When you walk away, nothing more to say

See the lightning in your eyes

See 'em running for their lives

~ The Offspring

—-

The dust and debris hadn’t even settled when she took her first steps back on the peninsula. Funny, she thought she would have more of an emotional reaction seeing this place again. Instead she only felt anger and disgust as she looked around the Gibraltar Watchpoint, a place she once felt at home. Smoke rose from somewhere inside. The gunships did well in exploding much of the formal structure of the Watchpoint. They had particularly focused areas to destroy, Winston’s lab, the armory, the garage, and the medical wing. The latter of which was where her intended target was. 

Hana flipped a few switches in her mech. The HUD switched to ultraviolet mode, showing her nearby heat signatures. “No hostiles detected.” She said aloud, picked up by the communicator that was built into her mech. 

No sooner had the words left her mouth than a Talon-operated dropship came from above. It hovered over her, right outside of the Watchpoint. Hana watched as ropes fell from the sides of the ship and 12 figures landed with her. Her squadron. 

Making up her crew were four tanks in mechs similar to her own, she had three snipers, and five gunners with plasma rifles. Underneath all of the red and black uniforms she knew them to be 12 of the newest group of cadets. All of them were not much older than herself. “Remember the objective.” Hana told her team through their private communication line. “We’ve hit them hard and they’re stretched thin, but expect a good fight, and incapacitate anyone who gets in the way.” She ordered. 

“Yes ma’am!” Her team all said in unison before taking to their posts.

Hana led the team into the broken Watchpoint. Shattered glass, concrete, and sparking wires guided her path. As she trudged through the familiar passageways she continually scanned. Her HUD picked up no heat signatures. If she didn’t know any better, she would have considered this place abandoned. What happened since she had left?

Her question was answered by the ping of several bullets hitting her armor from behind. Hana spun around to see her attacker. She wasn’t surprised to see Soldier: 76 with his weapon drawn and pointed directly at her. “I don’t know who the hell you are,” he sneered, “but you have a lot of damn nerve coming in here like that!” Without his visor, Hana could see the dark circles under his eyes. He looked so old and tired.

“Hana! Would you put down that game for two minutes?” Jack growled at her from across the conference table. They were in the midst of another one of their long mission de-briefings. To her credit, Hana listened to the first 30 minutes of it. After that Jack usually began nitpicking every move everyone made, every formation, every exchange they had with the enemy, he was sure to go over in excruciating detail. 

Hana didn’t bother to look up at him as she played her handheld game. “We get it, old man. We need tighter formations and watch each other’s backs. You say the same thing every time.” 

Jack fumed, her insubordination was getting on his last nerve. “Fine then,” He crossed his arms and straightened his back to appear more intimidating. Hana never fell for it. “If you don’t want to participate in mission debriefings then you can sit out for the next mission.”

That caught Hana’s attention, she threw her game down and stood up so quickly her chair slammed into the wall behind her. “You can’t do that!” She shrieked, appalled. She looked around the room, hoping that someone would stick up for her, say that it wasn’t fair and that she was being singled out for no good reason. 

Hana scanned the room. Though every agent was present, no one said a word. She couldn’t believe it and she stood in stupor, “you all suck!” Hana snarled as she grabbed her game, and stormed out of the room.

Where did that come from? 

A sharp headache split through Hana’s head as the memory faded. There was no time to dwell on it as Soldier: 76’s helix rocket was fired directly at her. Hana narrowly dodged it by using her rocket boosters to jump out of the way, landing on her mech’s stomach. “Where’s my backup?” She growled into her communicator. 

One of her gunners began firing at Solder: 76 who, with inhuman speed, ducked for cover. This gave time for Hana to return to her feet. “Awfully bold of Talon to stomp on in here.” An unexpected voice came from high above, drawing Hana’s attention up to the catwalk. She knew Cassidy’s southern drawl anywhere. Of course Soldier: 76 hadn’t come alone, had she listened to the after-mission briefings she would have known that. The cowboy snubbed the butt of his cigar out on a support beam. The light glistened on the metal of the gun as he fired several shots. 

Hana hissed as bullet after bullet flew past her. She was out of her mech, which was never an ideal situation. On top of that she had been shot in the shoulder, rendering her right arm useless. She hissed as she ducked for cover behind an overturned car. She would have to fire her pistol using her left hand. 

With a deep breath Hana waited for a pause in the gunfire before she could break cover and fire off a few shots. She leapt out from behind the car with her gun drawn. She was stunned to find Cassidy before her, standing over the bodies of the Talon soldiers that were once firing at her. He turned around to look at her, “there ya are kiddo.” He smiled as he tipped his hat. He looked relieved to see her. “No one could get a hold of ya.” He explained as he put his gun away and walked over to her. It didn’t take him long to see the wound on her right shoulder. “Yer hurt,” he placed a hand on her good shoulder. “Let’s get ya to Angie and get fixed on up.” He tried to guide her back to the ORCA. 

A sick feeling sat in her stomach as Hana shrugged off his hand. “I don’t need any help, cowboy.” She growled, a fire in her eyes. “I had them right where I wanted them.” She snapped as she turned heel and marched back to the rendezvous point. Leaving Cassidy to stand there dumbfounded as to what he did wrong.

“Damnit.” Hana scolded herself as she pushed the memory back. Why were these memories coming back now? She had no time to dwell on it as raised her defense matrix to absorb the rain of bullets fired down upon her. From the corner of her eye she saw one of her tanks fire his rocket boosters. “I got this one!” He said over the comm-link as he charged Cassidy with his defense matrix up. She watched Cassidy try to roll away as he was fired upon.

Just as Hana turned to continue her march into the Watchpoint, she was stopped by Soldier: 76. The old man was running straight at her at top speed. “I need backup!” Hana barked as she raised her defense matrix. 

A singular loud gunshot cut the air in half and the old man fell limp to the ground. “Sorry for the delay,” one of her snipers spoke over her headset. “There’s a guy with arrows and some cyborg dude up here really hounding us.” Hana looked up to where her sniper was trying to fend off both Hanzo and Genji. 

They were running out of time. She clenched her jaw, she knew that they didn’t have long until the rest of the Overwatch tried to defend their home. The destruction caused by the gunship only slowed them down. She had to come up with a plan. 

“Ryū ga waga teki wo kurau !” Angry Japanese caused Hana’s stomach to drop.

“Get down!” She ordered as two large blue spirit dragons launched straight at them. 

“Not today, Hana.” Genji told her, leaving Hana deflated and alone as she stood in the recreation room. 

“But what could be more important than kicking virtual ass?” Hana threw the two game controllers down. She didn’t want to play alone and besides, Genji had PROMISED her a team-up in Titanfall 7.  She ran to catch up with him as he walked through the Watchpoint. 

Genji had the hood of his sweatshirt down and he turned to her, his faceplate was off so she could see his disappointment, “you didn’t read the daily briefing did you?” He asked her as he rounded a corner with Hana hot on his heels. 

She scoffed in reply, trying to play it cool. “Pffff no. Those go straight to my spam folder.” 

Genji stopped suddenly, Hana almost running into his cold metal body. He turned sharply and looked at her. “Today is the day my brother joins Overwatch.” 

Hana blinked, dumbfounded. “That’s today?” She felt embarrassed for not knowing what day it was. She chalked it up to her weird sleep schedule. Genji sighed and continued his walk to the main hangar where the ORCA was due to land with their newest member on board. 

Once Hanzo arrived, Genji was sure to introduce him to everyone. The young cyborg was ecstatic that his brother, the one that tried to kill him, was joining Overwatch. Hana was still confused as to why Genji would want Hanzo in his life. Every time she asked him about it he would say something about their “sibling bond” and then go into an hour long spiel about his enlightenment with Zenyatta. Hana still didn’t get it, she had no siblings. 

“This is D.Va” Genji introduced his brother to her. 

“You can call me Hana! World’s best gamer and mech pilot!” She smirked with her usual cockiness that she reserved for her D.Va persona. 

Instead of the swooning response she was expecting, she merely got a scoff. “The battlefield is no place for children.” Hanzo remarked before moving on, disinterested.

A blood-curdling scream wrenched Hana out of her memory. She turned just in time to see one of her snipers get vaporized by a spirit dragon. Hana fixed her jaw and fired her rocket boosters. She flew up to the high platform just as Genji and Hanzo had knocked down one of her gunners. Sometimes to get a job done right, you have to do it yourself.

As Hana landed on the platform Genji’s attention turned to her. “Talon even stole the schematics to her mech” he growled. He flicked the shuriken from his knuckles and fired some off, Hana retaliated by launching her mini-missiles. The ninja was quick and was able to dodge. 

“You dishonor her!” Hanzo snapped and fired several arrows, he aimed for the joints of the limbs on her mech. They hit their targets and Hana saw on her HUD that her mech was taking damage. With an enraged scream she charged at the archer, her miniguns firing in succession. He was able to dodge a few but she had pushed him to the ledge of the platform. He teetered for a moment and Hana smiled wickedly, she raised the arm of her mech and pushed him off.

“Brother!” Genji’s attention was split and he ran towards her. Hana was quick to shove her arm into his gut. She raised him high above her and tossed him over the ledge too. Both Shimadas landed with a heavy “thump”.

“Go.” Hana ordered her team, not wanting to wait around. She heard Cassidy screaming behind her as she launched deeper into the Watchpoint. Her stomach churned and she felt like she was going to be sick. But she didn’t have time for that. 

Her team followed her, she still had her tanks, but she was down a sniper and a gunner. She weaved around fallen beams and crumpled concrete as they pushed further into the Watchpoint. She knew that the longer they spent fighting the more time it gave for everyone to grab weapons and defend the Watchpoint. She was no idiot, there was no way for her to go up against all of Overwatch, even if some were inevitably injured from the explosions. 

Hana led her team further into the Watchpoint and deeper into the cliff it was built into. They all charged down the large hallway that led to the living quarters. As they rounded the corner the group nearly ran into more of Overwatch’s reinforcements. Reinhardt blocked the way with his shield at the ready. He obviously didn’t have time to get his armor and he was pretty bruised from the explosions. His voice was hollow and cold, “this stops now.”

Brigitte stood with him. She appeared much more ready with her shield up and her flail swinging. “We’re not accepting any visitors.” She smirked just as two of Hana’s gunners charged forward. Hana had no time to stop them as they fired indiscriminately at the shields. The bullets just pinged off. Reinhard dropped his shield momentarily in order to raise his large hammer. Hana could do nothing but watch as Reinhardt swung his hammer directly into the ground. The shock wave was enough to move the floor and throw everyone, including the two gunners, into the air. Brigitte quickly ended the two with her flail and smashed them into the wall

Hana’s blood went cold as gore splashed onto the visor of her mech. 

They were too late. 

When Overwatch got word of Null Sector activity in King’s Row they weren't expecting the devastation that they encountered. Bodies littered the once busy streets. Blood ran into the sewers. It was sickening. Hana was lost as she walked down the street without her mech. There was no need for fighting anymore, Null Sector was long gone, now was a recovery mission. “Hello!” Hana called out, hoping for a reply but receiving none. She continued looking at overturned vehicles and crumbled buildings. She only found bodies. “Anyone there?” She called out, trying to hide the crack in her voice. She was ready to move on but movement in the corner of her eye stopped her.

She spun on her heel with her pistol drawn and her heart beating in her ears. It was only a rat that scurried away with its next meal in his jowls. Hana sighed, she really shouldn't be this jumpy, she had a job to do. She holstered her weapon, “get it together Hana,” she scolded herself and looked to where the rat ran off to. She went to investigate when her foot hit something. Hana looked down to find the half-burned remains of a child’s doll, the owner nearby, crushed by falling debris.

Hana’s knees buckled and she fell to the ground. Her hands shook as she picked up the small handmade doll. She ran her fingers across the stitching, she looked into the button-eyes. Staring back at her were the echoes of her past. She could hear the sirens warning them that the gwishin was back. She could see the panicked look on her father’s face, she felt the heat of fire as it swarmed around her. She remembered the last look she ever got of her mother before she was taken by the flames. Hana pulled the doll to her chest and curled up on the ground. 

That was how Brigitte found her, curled up in a ball with silent tears falling from her wide and unblinking eyes. “Hana?” Brigitte approached slowly. “We’ve been looking everywhere for you.” She sounded relieved at first but the feeling was fleeting as she got closer. “Hana?” She knelt down as Hana continued to hyperventilate and shake uncontrollably. “Hana, hey, talk to me…” Brigitte gently placed a hand on the younger soldier’s shoulder, trying to shake her out of it. Strangled sobs were the only reply she got as Hana’s gaze was locked someplace far, far away. Hundreds of people died here with no one to save them. Didn’t she promise that would never happen when she joined Overwatch? She failed. She failed them just like she failed to save her mother. Just like she had failed to protect her county. Everyone counted on her and she had failed. “Lillasyster,” Brigitte tried to get through. “Hana, look at me,” She forcibly turned the younger girl’s head so Hana had to look at her. 

Hana blinked. Memories fading back into the distance.

Brigitte smiled in relief as Hana’s watery brown eyes locked onto her. Hana’s breathing slowed and she nearly launched herself into the larger woman, openly sobbing into her shoulder. “We….we were too late…” Hana cried, desperately clinging to Brigitte’s armor. “We couldn’t….we couldn’t save them…” Too many times she had seen the same carnage and devastation and once more she felt powerless to stop it. She began to hyperventilate again as the memories began to surge forward like an impending tsunami.

“Shhhhh….don’t think about that right now.” Brigitte hugged the girl tightly, forcing Hana to stay grounded and push the memories away. “It’s okay, I’m right here.” Brigitte stroked Hana’s hair as the younger girl desperately tried to keep herself from drowning in the ghosts of the past. “Tell ya what,” the Swede got an idea and she stood up, Hana adhering to her. Brigitte detached the lithe girl and placed her on her back. “I’ll give you a piggyback ride back to the dropship. We’ll get back faster that way. Besides, Angela has been worried sick and I believe Ana made tea.”

Hana felt the bile rise in the back of her throat and her head throbbed in pain. She needed to get this done quickly before she was swallowed whole by the memories. “Fire!” She ordered the remainder of her squad. She knew that both shields could only take so much before they had to regenerate. Reinhardt’s shield fell first but he was able to swing a firestrike at one of her tanks, knocking him out. Her gunners retaliated, peppering him with bullets.

“Reinhardt!” Brigitte’s attention was turned towards her godfather, the distraction was the opening they needed. One of the gunners used the butt of his gun and bashed her in the head. It was just as Moira had told her, their connections to each other were the key to their downfall. 

“We need to keep moving.” Hana looked to her troops. 

“Ma’am, what about our casualties?” Her sniper asked, Hana could hear the quiver of fear in her voice.  

Hana looked to the bodies of the fallen. “They are useless to us now.” She replied coldly as she turned her mech and marched down the hallway. She had a goal in mind and she had to complete her mission. With the remaining troops behind her, she continued the infiltration of the Watchpoint. They passed more destruction, one of the walls was completely blown asunder, giving the recreation room a new open-concept feel. Hana paused as they passed. The television that was normally mounted to the wall was now hanging lifeless except for the occasional spark. Chairs and tables were haphazardly tossed aside and the ceiling was partially caved in. 

Where is it? Where? Where!? 

Hana had searched what felt like the entire Watchpoint in search of her backup whisker make-up. She had thought her next shipment would be here by now but storms delayed delivery. Now she was trying not to freak out and not doing a very good job.

Her whiskers were everything to her. It was what defined her as D.Va, not just boring Hana Song. Hana was a nerd and played it safe behind the screen of a computer. D.Va was the one that piloted a mech and saved countless lives. D.Va was the one who took on omnics and protected her home. D.Va was the superstar, not Hana. Without the whiskers she couldn’t be D.Va! She tried to remain calm. She knew it was somewhere and the only place she hadn’t looked was the recreation room. Of course! She spent a lot of her time there so that was the next logical step!

Hana was desperate to find her make-up. She stormed into the recreation room and began tearing up couch cushions, throwing tables and chairs aside. “Where is it…?” She muttered to herself as she lifted a beanbag chair, "어디야.” 

“Hana?” 

She didn't hear her name being called as she looked behind a bookshelf. “It’s gotta be here somewhere….” Hana tried looking behind the blinds, turning over rugs, and searching underneath coffee tables. 

“Hana!” A booming voice stopped her in her tracks as she raised her head and bumped the underside of a coffee table. It was then that she realized that she wasn’t alone in the recreation room. In fact, it was far from it. Since today was a rare day off, almost everyone had gathered in the common area. 

“Oh.” Hana remarked, looking around the room. Lena and Lúcio were once engaged in a speedy foosball tournament. Brigitte, Reinhardt, and Torbjörn were on the couch in front of the television, their football game long forgotten. Angela, Fareeha, Mei, and Zarya stared at her from where they sat on the couch against the far wall. Their idle chatter was now silent. Hanzo and Satya were sat at the bar, though their usual gossip had stopped, they both still sipped their tea as they eyed her with interest. Cassidy had his arm around Hanzo and took a long draw from his cigar. Next to him were Jack and Ana, their reminiscing of the old days had stopped as their attention was turned to her. “Well good!” Hana clapped her hands together, trying desperately to hide the embarrassment she felt. D.Va thrived on attention, Hana did not. “Now that you’re all here. You can help me find my backup whisker make-up.” She explained.

“That’s what this mess is about?” Fareeha asked with an eyebrow quirked up. Hana took a moment to realize that she had completely torn the place asunder in her search.

“Well I’m out of my regular stash and I know I left my backup somewhere-” Hana began to defend herself before she was interrupted by Torbjörn. 

“That’s all it is? Bah! I thought it was something important!” He dismissively waved and went back to watching his team. 

Hana froze in place as she felt the air pushed out of her lungs. It took a moment for her brain to process what he had said to her. Once it did she bolted over with Lena-like speed and yanked Torbjörn up by his shirt. “Not important!?” She screamed in his face. “Is your hammer important?” She demanded as she threw him back down. Her rage rivaled Winston’s as she stormed past the couch. “I’ll show you ‘not important’!” Before anyone could react, having been in shock at the outburst, Hana had thrown a nearby game controller into the television. It stuck in the screen, sparks shooting out of it and a little puff of smoke signaling its death. 

“Остановка,” Zarya appeared behind her. The woman had enough of Hana’s antics. She effortlessly picked the girl up by the back of her sweatshirt and easily held her a foot off the ground. “Enough of this.” 

“젠장! Zarya! Let me go!” Hana wasn’t done, and she flailed around uselessly. 

“Come, Häschen,” Angela had stood and led them out of the room. “We’ll find your make-up.” 

“Captain!” One of her gunners pulled Hana away from the memory. Her head throbbed in pain. The voices that rang out in her head were only becoming louder. She was finding it harder to distinguish what was reality and what were the ghosts of the past haunting her. Her moment of delay cost her team dearly. Hana could only watch as an icicle flew past her and nailed her sniper in the chest. The young woman fell over immediately. Hana followed the trajectory to Mei. 

She, Torbjörn, Zarya, Lúcio, and Symmetra were barreling down the hallway towards them. “Shit.” She cursed, “I need my snipers on the high ground, I want my tanks in full frontal assault and my gunners-“ Hana was unable to finish her instruction when Winston came down from above. He didn’t have his weapon but the sheer force of his large body sent her and her team flying in every direction. Hana’s mech sustained the most damage, her armor was at 55%. Zarya wasted no time in tackling a tank, ripping the arms off of it to use as her own weapon.

Hana looked at her snipers. One was frozen in place with ice and frantically trying to free herself. The other was face down in a puddle of blood. One of her gunners was entangled with Symmetra, who gracefully dodged every attack with ease while setting up her turrets. Hana’s tank was trying to stop the onslaught of bullet’s from Torbjörn’s turret he had set up on the high ground. Hana’s plans changed. Her team was doing well distracting the members of Overwatch. If she was going to get out and finish the mission, it had to be now. Quickly, she scanned the area until she found a hole in a wall that wasn’t there before, most likely blown out by the explosions. Still, she wasn’t one to look a gift horse in the mouth and she fired her thrusters and narrowly fit through it.

Hana ended up stumbling into the weight room with a loud crash. She took a moment to scan her diagnostics. Her armor was beaten. Her hydraulic fluid was leaking and she was getting dangerously close to overheating. Her right arm cannon was crushed, rendering it useless. Her left leg was also badly damaged, exposing the interior wiring. “Sombra’s going to kill me.” She muttered to herself as she exited the weight room and began her trek down the hall. Her target was right ahead on the left. It was a path she knew very well. 

So focused as she was, she nearly ran into her next opponent. The large Egyptian woman was holding an equally large pipe and held a fire in her eyes. Without the Raptora suit she wasn’t as imposing but her figure was still menacing. “Finally found you,” Pharah sneered and charged. Hana’s blood ran cold as she saw the rage that was written on Pharah’s face. “How dare you charge in here! Haven’t you put us through enough already?” She roared as she swung the pipe. Hana did her best to dodge the attack. Pharah was quick on her feet, more agile without the Raptora weighing her down. Hana fired her mini-missiles but Pharah dodged, using a slab of concrete as a shield. “Answer me!” She demanded as she charged again. Hana hardly had time to react before Pharah smashed the makeshift shield into her mech. Hana was on her back now, looking up as Pharah loomed above her with the pipe raised high above her head. “Who are you and what do you want with us?” She swung the pipe down with all of her strength. At first, the glass of Hana’s cockpit began to splinter and crack. She could only watch helplessly as Pharah continued to bash in the cockpit until the glass exploded. 

Covered in shattered glass, the open cockpit revealed her to her attacker. Hana heard the pipe clatter to the floor as Pharah backed up, her hand over her mouth and her eyes wide in shock. “No….Hana?” On her face was a mix of emotions; pain, betrayal, disbelief were only some. 

This was her opening. Hana used her momentum to raise herself from the floor and whip her only good arm around. It connected with Pharah and she flung the woman into the far wall. A loud crack echoed down the hallway as the woman fell to the floor in a limp heap.

The summer heat was oppressive. The air conditioning at the Watchpoint was broken. Everyone was suffering. Hana laid on her bed in her bra and underwear, sweating as if she had just run a marathon. Even her equipment was struggling to keep cool so she dared not fire up her gaming rig. 

“All agents to the conference room. Agents to the conference room.” It was Fareeha’s voice on the intercom. Hana groaned, it was probably some dumb training regiment involving extreme sweat. She dragged herself off the bed and threw on whatever she could, when Fareeha called a meeting it was usually something dire. 

The last thing Hana was expecting was an impromptu beach trip. She had never been to the beach here, and honestly didn’t know there was one. Everyone was going and Hana didn’t want to be left out. So she too donned her swimsuit that she typically used for modeling, grabbed a towel from the bathroom, sunglasses, and joined in. 

Most headed straight for the water, anything to cool off from the heat. Hana set up her towel on the sand. Hanzo had an umbrella for shade and sat in a beach chair reading his book. Mei had brought a cooler filled with iced drinks so Hana took one and laid back on the sand to work on her tan. 

She must have fallen asleep for a few minutes because when she woke up she was alone on the beach. Hanzo had joined Cassidy in the water. She was pretty certain they were playing some game called “chicken” but there was no resemblance to poultry. 

“Hana! Come on in!” Lena waved from where she was positioned on Winston’s shoulders. Mei and Zarya took the opening to attack and Mei pushed Lena into the water. The speedster came back up a moment later laughing. 

“I’m alright here.” Hana yelled back, she drew her knees to her chest. 

“C’mon Hana, you gotta be hot girl!”  Lúcio chimed in as he swam towards the beach.

Hana was getting visibly annoyed, it came out in her voice, “no really, I’m fine.” 

 Lúcio and Lena looked at each other, sharing mischievous grins. They were good friends and didn’t want Hana to be left out, and when the girl got annoyed their response was usually to buckle down. Both Lúcio and Lena got out of the water and swarmed Hana. Lena grabbed one arm and Lúcio another and they dragged her towards the water’s edge. 

Hana dug her heels into the sand as much as she could. Her chest tightened as the vast blue ocean drew closer and closer. Panic rose in her throat as her toes touched the cold water. “NO!” Hana screamed and broke free. She scrambled to her feet, eyes wide in fear and ran back towards the Watchpoint. 

She ran to her room, where she was safest. She didn’t want to hang around and try to explain herself. She grabbed her Pachimari plush and pulled it close. She was still in her swimsuit so at least the heat wasn’t as oppressive. 

There was a soft knock at the door. Hana faced away as she heard the door open and someone walk in. “Mind telling me what’s going on? You kind of scared us back there.” It was Fareeha. Hana could feel the woman sitting at the edge of her bed. 

“It’s stupid.” Hana mumbled in reply. She felt a hand stroke her hair. 

“فتاة صغيرة, I am certain that it is not stupid.” Fareeha replied, her voice soft. 

Hana turned over so she could face the woman. Fareeha too still had her swimsuit on but her hair was mostly dry. Her muscles still shimmered in the light and her tanned skin practically glowed. Fareeha was everything Hana could ever wish to be, strong and sure of herself. Hana sat up against the headboard, fiddling with the Pachimari plush still in her arms. “I…I can’t swim.”  She admitted. 

Fareeha smiled and chuckled a bit. “That’s okay Hana,” she smiled and ran her fingers through the girl’s hair in an effort to comfort her. “You know what,” Fareeha paused as an idea came to her. “I think I still have my old life vest from when we used to go swimming back in the old days. It was too flowery for me but I’m sure it would fit you!” Fareeha grinned at her own genius. “You don’t have to go in the water if you don’t want to, but if it would make you feel better about being around the ocean we can give it a shot if you would like.” 

Hana looked up and smiled, “yeah I would like that.”

Hana’s head buzzed with static and it felt like her brain was pounding against her skull. Hana gnashed her teeth together and hit the eject button on her mech. With a hiss her plug-suit disconnected and she was able to slide out of the back like she had done with Tokki so many times before. 

Her boots hit the floor and she stood to her full height. She wore a suit that was similar in style to her original plug suit. The differences were primarily the color. The blue of her old suit was replaced with black, the pink accents were now red and it was trimmed with white. Her signature bunny logo was replaced with the Talon ‘T’. She wore her long hair up in a ponytail to keep it out of her eyes. She even had new state-of-the-art headphones so she could communicate with her teammates. She still had her painted whiskers, though they were black instead of pink.

The place was eerily quiet, aside from the distant sounds of gunfire and yelling. She tuned it out and grabbed her plasma pistol before walking just a bit further down the hallway. She had reached her destination. The medbay. The doors hung lifelessly on their hinges, sparks erupted from the mechanism periodically. None of this deterred her. With the grace of a cat, and poise taught to her by Amélie, Hana slipped inside. 

She was met with the ravaged remains of the medical wing. Exam tables were turned over, screens were smashed, expensive equipment was laid waste. It looked like a tornado and an earthquake convened on this one spot. Hana didn’t linger and went straight to a door on the back wall. The door was intact for the most part, and she knew what was inside. 

It was Angela’s office.

Hana kicked the door in and swept the room with her gun drawn. The place was demolished. Bookshelves were toppled over, papers and notes were strewn haphazardly across the floor. It didn’t take her long to find what she had come all this way for. The Caduceus staff was still secured in a glass case against the wall. 

With a grin Hana lowered her weapon and made her way towards her prize. She had to duck to avoid the broken light fixture that was dangling from the ceiling. She moved carefully around toppled chairs. As she made her way across the room, beneath her boot she heard a noise that sounded much like the crunch of a crisp leaf in the fall. Hana looked down where the unexpected noise came from. It was a photograph, bent and singed on the edges. She knelt down to get a better look at it, her heart beating in her ears, her headache intensified.

She remembered this picture. The trip to Yongdusan Park so many years ago. Carefully she picked up the photograph and stood. She felt like someone kicked her in the gut. She saw the kind eyes of her father, the visage of her mother. She remembered wanting to go up into the observatory, the beautiful flowers in the spring and the many sculptures that dotted the grounds. 

This very photo used to sit on her desk at home. How in the hell did it end up here? She tried to stop her hand from shaking as she stood up. “Remember the mission, Hana.” She told herself and with a swift motion she ripped the picture apart and tossed the two halves aside. She had to stick to the mission. 

As Hana made her way to the case, the whispers in her head were at a crescendo. 

“Hana, what are you doing?”

“Please Hana, stop this.”

“Why are you doing this, lillasyster?”

“Agent Song, stand down.”

“We miss you, 妹”

“Häschen, please come home.”

Hana raised the butt of her pistol and smashed the glass containing the Caduceus staff. The voices stopped.

When she grabbed the staff, it briefly lit up yellow in her hands. Hana felt a strange warm tingling sensation work its way up from her fingertips all over her body. Just as suddenly as it started, it was gone and the staff went dark. Hana stared at the staff, she wasn’t expecting it to be as heavy as it was. Angela wielded it with such grace it seemed as light as a feather. Still, the Caduceus fit in her hands like a glove. Hana keyed up her mic. “Objective acquired, returning to rendezvous point.”

—-

Moria took her headset off and set it down next to the monitor where she oversaw the entire operation. She turned to those assembled in the control room. “Do you believe me now?” She asked with a smug grin.

Reaper only grunted in response with his arms crossed. Doomfist looked to Ramattra who slowly clapped his hands. “Impressive indeed.” The omnic spoke, pleasure in his voice. 

Doomfist smiled before speaking, “with the Caduceus staff in our possession we can proceed to phase three.” Pride laced his voice. “The newly brainwashed soldiers will be perfect guinea pigs after we re-tune the nanites and inject them with the serum.” 

Moira nodded, “re-calibrating them will be easy with Sombra’s help. We can create the next evolution of humanity.” 

“And have the super soldiers needed to launch a full scale attack on the masses.” Doomfist added. 

Ramattra electronically hummed. “I must say, for as weak-minded as you humans are, I am inspired by the work you have done here.” He turned to Moira, his red eyes looking her up and down. “I may just have to keep you around once the battle is over.” He said before leaving the room. 

—-

She never had the lights on in her room. The only light she needed was the backlight of the computer monitors that took up almost an entire wall. Now that the mission was over, Sombra allowed herself to relax a little. 

She lazily paged through the files she had downloaded from her hack of MEKA. She had to hand it to the South Korean government, they were thorough. Not only did they keep meticulous details on the blueprints of each mech, they kept detailed records of all of their pilots. She already had bank account numbers, phone numbers and addresses, so now she skimmed for whatever else she could find. She was reading about the failed MEKA pilots killed at the hands of the gwishin.  

She clicked through page after page when something caught her eye, "qué es esto?”  Sombra asked herself. This page was different from the others, it wasn’t written in Korean, but instead German. With a few keystrokes her translation software decoded it. “Look at this…” She read further into the medical report, her cheshire smile widening with each word. “It seems our little Hana and Angela are more connected than we thought.” She purred.

Chapter Text

'Cause I'm only a crack in this castle of glass

Hardly anything there for you to see

~Linkin Park

—-

It was May. 

Spring had set in on the Gibraltar peninsula off the southern tip of Spain and spring was Angela’s favorite season. She loved the cool breeze on a warm day, the sounds of the birds singing in the trees and the smell of blooming flowers. It was a time of rebirth and rejuvenation and there was nothing Angela loved more than the prospect of a new tomorrow. Which is why she made sure to spend a little extra time outside on days like these. The breeze off the ocean tousled her hair playfully as she walked on the upper ledge of the Watchpoint. She watched the seabirds ride the thermals and listened to the ocean break and crash against the cliffs. 

“BEEWOOP!” 

Angela froze by Bastion’s panicked beeps. He waved his arms and she only now realized how close she was to stepping in his garden. Bastion beeped and whirred sternly at her in reprimand. 

“Oh Bastion! I am so sorry, I will pay better attention.” Angela apologized profusely as she redirected herself. Bastion chirped in acceptance as Ganymede flew off his shoulder and across the garden. He landed right next to the last occupant on the roof of the Watchpoint, and probably one of the last people Angela would expect to see outdoors.

It was Hana. 

She was bent over in the dirt with a floppy hat on her head to protect from the sun. As she wiped the sweat from her brow, Ganymede chirped and bounced on the soil. “Huh?” She asked the bird and looked up, surprised to see Angela up here with her. “Oh, hey doc.” She greeted with a smile, though it was a bit forced. 

“Hallo Hana,” Angela waved back. “I didn’t expect to see you up here. Don’t you have a stream planned for this afternoon?” She asked. 

For a second Hana paled and looked at her phone. “I still have a few hours before then.” She explained and went back to packing the dirt around one flower before digging a hole for the next one. 

“What are you planting?” Angela asked, peering over her shoulder. 

Hana paused as she hovered over the last flower. “Carnations.” She answered flatly as she gently pruned some of the petals off of the red plant. “Bastion said I could plant a few things as long as it doesn't interfere with his gardens, Satya’s hibiscus’ or Zen’s meditation area.” She explained. 

Angela hummed as she let the wind play with her hair more. “Why carnations then?” She asked innocently and Hana froze. 

Hana looked at the flowers and then out to the ocean. “It’s stupid.” She muttered, her voice was so soft it was almost lost to the wind. Had she been further away Angela wouldn’t have heard it at all. “Today is Eobeoi Nal in Korea. It’s actually a big holiday at home. It translates to Parent’s Day and most people get off work for it, there’s a song and kids usually give their parents carnations as a token of their appreciation and thanks for their…sacrifice.” She answered, biting sharply on the last word as she stared at the flower in her hand. Two red carnations.

Realization washed over Angela. It had been years since she ever thought about something like that. Her parents died when she was young, she had years to grow numb to the feeling of loss that always hit around this time. Not that she didn’t still feel it. Angela stood frozen. She wanted to wrap the girl in a hug and tell her that everything would be alright. She wanted to assure her that the pain would go away. But that was a lie. The pain only became easier to bear but it didn’t hurt any less. Instead, she placed a hand on Hana’s shoulder, “if you ever need to talk you know where to find me.” She said before walking off and mentally scolding herself for not being what Hana needed. 

—-

It was the loud squawking of seabirds that brought her back to reality. 

Angela was met with the insulting sunlight through her bedroom windows when she opened her eyes. Funny, she didn’t remember going to bed. “ Scheiße …” she cursed as she tried to sit up. Her body ached and her head pounded in pain. She slowly opened her eyes again and was able to take in more of her surroundings. On the nightstand next to her bed was a “Get Well Soon!” card and a bouquet of flowers.

Among the flowers that were no doubt picked from Bastion’s garden, were red carnations. 

There was a rustling from across the room. “Thank the Gods! You’re awake!” Fareeha scrambled onto the bed. She could recognize Fareeha’s voice anywhere, though now it sounded like a thunderclap in her head. Angela hissed in pain. “Oh…sorry,” Fareeha whispered an apology. 

Once Angela regained her composure she was able to look at her lover. She was expecting her Egyptian goddess, not the Egyptian mummy that sat before her. Fareeha was covered in cuts and bruises. Around her torso, covered by a t-shirt, were bandages. A soft cervical collar was fitted around her neck. Her left arm was completely covered in a cast, keeping it at a 90 degree angle and secured by a sling. Even still, she greeted Angela with a smile. Angela looked Fareeha up and down with her jaw slack. “What happened to you?” She asked bluntly, in shock. Instead of an answer, Fareeha’s demeanor went melancholy and she sighed. This caused Angela’s heart rate to quicken. “Fareeha, what’s going on?” She scrambled to get the sheets off and get out of bed but was stopped when the Egyptian woman grabbed her arm. 

“Take it easy, habibi, ” Fareeha’s voice was low. “You were…out for awhile.” She explained, not making eye contact. 

This only heightened Angela’s anxiety but she sat back down. “Fareeha, liebe , you know if you don’t tell me what is going on I will find out myself.” She gently caressed Fareeha’s good arm, feeling the bandages. She noticed how Fareeha flinched almost imperceptibly at her touch. 

Fareeha took her hand and drew it up to her face. “Angela, listen carefully. What is the last thing you remember?” 

Ice ran down Angela’s spine, “I was…in my office...then nothing.” The doctor shivered, “Fareeha?” Her voice wavered in fear.

Fareeha tucked a strand of Angela’s blonde hair behind her ear. “I’m so glad you’re okay.” She smiled solemnly. “You’re largely unhurt, no doubt thanks to the nanites in your blood. But Angela, you were unconscious for a while.” She explained and bit her lip. 

“Unconscious? Fareeha, what happened?” Angela’s voice quivered. 

Fareeha pulled her hand away. “We were attacked, it was Talon.” She became entranced by the bed sheets. “They destroyed the Watchpoint…they…” Fareeha squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to block tears from falling down her face.

“Is everyone okay?” Angela asked, gently guiding Fareeha’s face to look at her. Fareeha’s brown eyes glistened with unshed tears. Angela feared the worst and started to panic. She scrambled to the nightstand and grabbed her glasses. 

As Angela got up, still in her pajamas, she passed Fareeha who reached out and grabbed her arm calmly. “Listen, I believe my mother can explain this better than I can.” She said as she slowly regained her composure. ”She’ll be happy to know you’re awake.” Angela nodded and she followed Fareeha out of the room. 

Nothing could have prepared her for the amount of devastation she saw as they walked the once lively halls of the Watchpoint. Now it looked like a post-Apocalyptic wasteland. Lights flickered, briefly illuminating the shattered walls and fractured ceilings. Fareeha led her down the hallways past broken pipes and sparking wires. Angela’s heart sank into her stomach as they went by the recreation room. Glass crunched beneath her feet and she was pretty certain there was blood on the walls. She stopped in her tracks as they approached the medical wing. The whole section of the building was half-collapsed. The doors hung lifelessly on the hinges. “Why would they do this?” Angela asked and she gently touched the access panel. It sparked in return. 

Fareeha didn’t answer, she didn’t even look at Angela. Instead she continued walking. “Right up here,” she instructed and they kept walking until they ended up in the main hallway. Angela was reminded of the remains of Zürich after the fall of Overwatch. It sent chills down her spine. 

Fareeha led her to the large dining hall. Thankfully It was largely untouched by whatever had desecrated their home. However, if she thought what she had previously seen was terrible, looking upon her broken friends was infinitely worse. The entire dining hall was turned into a makeshift emergency room and medical suite. Tables were pushed aside leaving the main area rather open. She recognized some of her equipment had been moved down here from the original destroyed medical wing. Mattresses and couch cushions were brought over to lay the injured on. Chairs were stacked in order to hang fluids. 

Angela was frozen in her tracks. Baptiste was pulling medications out of one of the refrigerators in the kitchen. He turned to see her standing in shock. “Angela!” He set the medications down and hustled over to her. He wrapped her in a firm but gentle hug. “Thank the heavens you are alright!” He was largely unhurt but he looked exhausted.

“Yeah, I’m fine…” Angela’s voice was hollow as she limply hugged back. Angela was now the center of attention of everyone in the room. Kirko stopped writing her ofuda to look up and smile. She looked exhausted and obviously hadn’t slept in days. Lena, who had been blinking back and forth delivering the ofuda to the injured, stopped in her tracks. 

“Angie! You’re awake!” She dropped the remaining papers and hugged the doctor in the tightest hug she could give. “Once we heard about what happened we flew back as quickly as we could!” She began to talk a mile a minute. “I brought Emilly with me, I hope that is alright. She’s with Bastion and Mei trying to rebuild the south retaining wall. Did you get the flowers? They were Bastion’s idea. We were so worried you wouldn't wake up and-”

“It’s alright, Lena. I’m here now.” Angela cut her off. The Brit bit her lip. Things were definitely not alright. 

Zenyatta was out of his months-long meditation and had a healing orb on Brigitte. The girl was unconscious on one of the mattresses with bandages wrapped around her head. Keeping a constant vigil was Reinhardt. Even though he didn't make it out unscathed, he had his entire chest wrapped up, special attention made to his left shoulder. 

Lúcio had his healing music turned up as he hovered in the back corner. This was the first time Angela had even seen the DJ in 8 months. His eyes reflected hers, sunken and hollow. But that didn’t stop him from helping. Cassidy was bandaged up and slumped against the wall next to Hanzo. The Japanese archer was unconscious on a mattress and receiving IV medications. Genji was propped up nearby, tweaking the electronics in his leg. Satya, though beaten and bruised herself, was helping him. Ana was folded over Jack, injecting him with healing serum through an IV in his arm. “Will someone tell me what is going on?” Angela asked with her voice raised. 

Ana looked up. She sighed and grabbed her crutches and hobbled over to the doctor. “Angela, we are glad you’re okay.” She smiled wanly and brought a wrinkled hand to Angela’s face. 

Angela gratefully took it. “Ana please, what happened?” She pleaded. She didn’t miss the way that Ana and Fareeha shared a concerned glance. There was something that they were hiding from her. She knew it and it only fueled the anxiety that boiled within her.

“I believe it is best if you sit down.” Ana suggested and in the blink of an eye Lena brought over a chair. 

Angela growled. “No. Fareeha, get my staff. I have a job to do and I intend on helping the best that I can. There is no time for sitting idly by. Haven’t I done enough of that already?” Angela’s new-found resolve was met with some relief. Though she may be thinner than ever, she may appear to be like a leaf in the wind, she was able to prove that she was anything but frail. 

Still, no one moved. Everyone just looked nervously at each other. Baptiste looked awkwardly at Fareeha. Fareeha looked to her mother, Ana opened her mouth to speak but it was Cassidy who broke the silence. From the corner he used all his strength to stand up. He held his side gingerly as he got to his feet. “Yer staff is gone, Angie.” He grumbled, his voice low, “they took it.”

Angela whipped around to stare at him in disbelief. “What do you mean?” 

Cassidy shuffled over and met Angela’s eyes. He seemed tired and defeated but there was a familiar fire in his eyes. “What I mean is,” he got so close to her that she could smell the cigar smoke on his breath. “Talon got past our defenses and attacked us with the sole purpose of taking your Caduceus staff. They knew every nook and cranny of this place! They strategically bombed some of the most vital systems of the Watchpoint!” He snarled. “You wanna know who it was that led them right here!?”

“Cole…” Fareeha tried to prevent a confrontation by stepping in between the two. It was reminiscent of when the three were younger. Fareeha usually took it upon herself to break them up. 

Cassidy snapped, “it was yer precious Hana that attacked us!” He continued, “Hana damn near killed Hanzo and Brigitte! Hana was the one that smothered you and Ana in the rubble of your office! It was Hana who crushed ‘Reeha and shattered Genji!” He yelled at her. 

Angela felt as if the air was sucked out of her lungs. She looked at the other faces in the room. Kiriko and Lena wouldn’t look at her. Jack was as stoic as ever. Zenyatta focused his attention on healing Brigitte. Reinhardt didn't look up. Lúcio skated from side to side nervously. Satya and Genji pretended to be deeply invested into fixing his leg. Baptiste bit his lip. Ana and Fareeha looked at Angela sadly. “What…what do you mean?” Angela’s voice cracked and her knees buckled. She wanted to scream, to cry, to run out of the room as quickly as she could. Her feet felt like cement bricks and her chest was heavy. 

“Angela,” Fareeha approached gently, “I saw her. There is no doubt it was Hana Song that attacked us. She led a team of Talon soldiers here, destroyed the Watchpoint and stole your staff.” 

Angela stumbled backwards into the corner. She ran her hands through her short hair and tugged at her scalp. “No…it can’t…” she muttered as she slumped against the wall on the floor. Her mind was a swirl of questions without answers. Why would Talon want her staff? Why would Hana be the one to get it? Why would Talon use her like this? Angela tried desperately to make sense of everything. Her world was melting away. She deftly felt Fareeha’s strong embrace wrap around her but she was in a universe far away. “No…” she croaked as tears fell down her face. Voices crescendoed in her head like a sickening chorus; 

“You’re not my mother!”

“She single-handedly defeated a surprise attack by the Gwishin."

“What makes you think something will go wrong?”

“We found significant intracranial pressure and a cracked C6 vertebrae as well as possible spinal cord damage.”

“And you think Talon targeted Hana specifically?”

“Hana Song has no family,” 

“Code Blue”

It couldn’t be her. 

This couldn’t be happening. 

Distant voices from distant memories surged through her mind and burst open old wounds. This wasn’t the first time she had lost her family. 

“Angela, mein Liebe, we’ll be back.The hospital just needs help with the influx of patients from the Crisis. Wir lieben dich so sehr.”

“Are you Angela Ziegler? On behalf of the mayor of Zürich we regret to inform you that the hospital suffered an air strike. Your parents didn’t make it out.”

She felt as if a white-hot knife had stabbed her through the gut. The girl that she had sworn to protect was gone and out of her reach. Once again, she felt completely helpless.

“Overwatch has fallen…The United Nations is officially setting up an investigation into the demise of the organization that resulted in the deaths of Jack Morrison, Ana Amari, and Gabriel Reyes.” 

Voices swirled around her, some were distant echoes of memories and others were more present desperate pleas. To her it was all a jumbled mess of sound in her head. 

Then everything went black. 

—-

Angela sat alone in bed. She hated the nights that Fareeha had missions. She tried to pull rank so that the two were deployed together. However, this new Overwatch still struggling to get off of the ground Winston said he couldn’t afford his best healer in the field. This left her alone and unable to sleep. She typically remedied this usually by working herself into pure exhaustion. Tonight she decided to stay in bed and read a few medical journals so she could keep up with the newest research.

All was peaceful until a loud scream split the night air in two. 

Angela jerked up in bed and looked out the glass doors of her bedroom. It sounded like some wounded animal so she didn’t hesitate to throw the covers off and rush to the balcony to see if some nocturnal critter had climbed up the rock face and got stuck. 

Nothing but the cold night air greeted her.

“Strange…” She said to herself and walked back inside. She was about to pick up her data pad to resume reading when she heard the sound again, this time the scream was clearer. 

“NO!” It yelled audibly and Angela flung open her door. She heard strangled sobs down the hallway. Most everyone was deployed on the current mission so it could really only be one other person making the sound. She followed the harrowing noise until she found the source.

It was coming from behind Hana’s door. 

Hana Song had only been with Overwatch for a little over two weeks now. Aside from a brief introduction, Angela hadn’t really had the chance to sit down and talk with the girl. Every time Angela would bring up the required routine physical, Hana would make up some excuse that she was busy or tell her to look at the file MEKA gave her. What Hana didn’t know was that Angela had thrown the file away almost immediately upon receiving it. She knew it to be full of lies anyway and she wanted to create her own chart.

Again the sobs exploded through the closed door. There was now no doubt in Angela’s mind that it was Hana making them. The sorrow and pain was palpable and drilled holes in the bottom of Angela’s gut. She used her override passcode on the door (a trick she tried to avoid when she could) to open Hana’s door. 

Upon walking in, Angela could see Hana in the throes of what appeared to be a night terror. Even with the dim light of the nightlight in the corner Angela could see Hana actively engaged in hand-to-hand combat with her sheets. The girl whimpered, still obviously asleep.  “Hana,” Angela gently crossed the room. Psychology wasn’t her forte but she had read a few articles. She timidly approached the girl and placed a reassuring hand on her side. “Hana, it’s alright.” She tried to gently reassure and not startle the girl awake. “Hana, it’s me, Angela.” She whispered and softly guided Hana’s arms away when she flailed.

Hana whimpered in her sleep and muttered in both English and Korean. “No…please…” Hana began to tremble. 

Angela just stayed there, kneeling next to the bed. The way that Hana quivered in the midst of a night terror reminded Angela of a time years ago before Overwatch fell. Moira had brought a rabbit into the lab, no doubt with the intention to experiment on it. Angela was staunchly against the idea and decided to keep it as a pet. She had named it, “Häschen.” She said aloud. “Häschen, wake up for me.”

Suddenly Hana went lax and she slowly began to wake up. It took a few seconds for her brain to register what was going on. Tears still rolled down her cheeks as she became aware of her surroundings. “A…Angela?” Hana asked, her voice was hoarse and cracked. 

“It’s alright, I’m here.” Angela said, gently stroking Hana’s hair and tucking it behind her ear. “How long have you had these night terrors, Hana?” She asked.

The strong and arrogant façade was shattered and Hana broke down. “I’m sorry!” She sobbed and brought her stuffed bunny to hide her face. “You must think I’m pathetic…” She cried into the stuffed animal. 

Angela sat on the bed and gently untangled Hana from her sheets. “Not at all.” She said compassionately. “Night terrors and nightmares aren't uncommon around here.”

Hana sniffled and rubbed her nose with the back of her sleep shirt. She shivered again, evoking the image of the frightened bunny in a cage once more to the doctor. “I’ve tried all sorts of medications, rituals, meditations, nothing works anymore.” The young girl explained. 

Angela could feel her heart breaking. “It’s alright, Häschen,” Angela reassured and wrapped an arm around the girl. “I have trouble sleeping sometimes too. In fact when I can’t sleep I typically work, if you could believe that.”

That elicited a small chuckle from Hana, “you? overwork? No” she laughed sarcastically. 

Angela felt relieved to see Hana smile. “I have an idea, why don’t you sleep with me tonight? That way we can both get some much needed rest.”

Hana sniffled once more and nodded with a grateful smile.

—-

“Mother, you didn’t have to put her to sleep.” Fareeha growled at Ana. The elder Amari removed the syringe from Angela’s arm from where she sedated the doctor. 

“It is for her safety, Fareeha.” Ana sighed and rubbed her temples. “The nanites in her system will metabolize it quickly.” She explained, “I may have an idea about what Talon may be up to and I do not think Angela is in the right state of mind to hear it.” Everyone in the room went silent. Attention was turned to Ana as the elderly woman took a seat. “First, I think you all need to know something about when Hana defeated the Gwishin over the South China Sea…”

Chapter Text

It wasn't love, it wasn't love

It was a perfect illusion 

Mistaken for love, it wasn't love

It was a perfect illusion

~Lady Gaga

—-

Moira made one last check over everything again. She had her suitcase packed with the essentials. Toothbrush, hair gel, Blackwatch beanie, and whatever other clothes she needed. She had to be honest, when Gabriel told them that they were needed for an undercover mission in Rialto, Moira was less than pleased. She had much more important work to do here.

However, Gabriel promised a large payday and she could always use more funding for some of her more…unsavory experiments. Moira stood back and looked at the clock. The airship would be leaving in half an hour. She went to grab the suitcase from off of her bed when a blood-curdling scream echoed down the hallway. 

Moira faded to the doorway just in time to see her blonde co-worker running at a full sprint down the hallway. There was something cradled in the young doctor’s arms. “Moira!” Angela sobbed.  

“What-?” Moira could only breathe out one word before Angela was right in front of her, holding the limp form of a white rabbit in her arms. 

“I went to feed Häschen and…and….Moira, she isn’t breathing!” Tears rolled down Angela’s porcelain cheeks. “We have to do something!”

Moira froze, her heart beat in her ears as time seemed to slow down. Her gaze slowly drifted from the frantic woman to the limp body in her arms. In slow-motion she reached out and touched the lifeless form in a futile attempt to feel for a pulse. The rabbit was cold. “She’s dead, Angela.” She stated flatly. 

The blonde collapsed on the floor, clutching the small rabbit. “Nien…nien….” she muttered in German. She was shaking in grief as she looked up. “Moira, you have to do something!”

Moira stood there with her mouth agape. She didn’t know how to react. Emotional vulnerability was something she never quite had the gasp on. She knelt down and placed a hand on Angela’s shoulder in a daft attempt at comfort. “I can’t bring back the dead.” She stated.

Angela shuddered, shrugging Moira’s hand off of her shoulder. Her sorrow was replaced with a different emotion. Angela boiled in anger. “If you won’t do something. Then I will.”

—-

The loud knocking on the door startled Moira awake. How long had she been asleep at her desk? As she sat up, a paper with diagrams of the Caduceus staff stuck to her forehead. 

When was the last time she actually slept?

Moira pulled the piece of paper off and looked at it. It had been over a week since Hana returned with the Caduceus staff in hand and without a scratch on her. Ever since, Moira toiled away at unraveling the secrets of the staff. Having Akande and Ramattra breathing down her neck didn’t help matters. Another loud knock on the door was like nails on a chalkboard to Moira. She sat up and glared daggers at the door. Everyone knew not to disturb the scientist when she was in the middle of something, especially something of this magnitude. 

Still, she stood up to answer the door, because she knew who would be on the other side. Her most adoring little parasite stood in the hallway. “What do you want, Hana?” She asked in a monotone.

Hana’s face lit up when she saw her mentor. “Moira!” She greeted with a huge smile on her face. She wore her whiskers again, painted in black on her face. Hana shoved a mug of hot coffee into Moira’s face. “This is for you!” 

It took Moira approximately 4 seconds to register what was happening and take the mug. That was all the time Hana needed to slip inside Moira’s lab. The teenager wasted no time looking around and touching things. “What is all of this for?” Hana asked as she picked up a few papers. In her boredom, Hana had explored all of the Havana base, Moira’s lab was the last on her list.  

Moira snatched the papers away. “None of your concern.” She growled. 

If Moira was trying to be foreboding it didn’t work. Hana put her hands on her hips in indignation. “I didn’t infiltrate the base of my worst enemy and risk my life for something that,” Hana used air-quotes: “ is none of your concern” 

Moira just stared at Hana as she brought the hot mug to her lips. Since when did she have a miniature version of herself glaring back at her? It was unnerving. “If you must know,” Moira set her coffee on the table and walked over to Hana. She brushed a strand of hair behind the girl’s ear. “The Caduceus staff contains nanites that Mercy uses in her healing.” Moira avoided calling any Overwatch operative by their real name in Hana’s presence. “This technology holds the key for many advancements in medicine,” she placed her hands on Hana’s shoulders. “Think of the potential we have here, the cure to cancer, reversal of degenerative diseases, even bringing back the recently deceased.”

Hana’s eyes went wide. “Like zombies?” 

Moira rolled her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. “No. Not like zombies. More like a type of life support.” She said and picked up one of the papers that fell to the floor. She held up the schematic for the Caduceus staff. “However, Mercy is afraid of the very technology she helped create. She shackles herself to the binds of ethics and wouldn’t even consider the prospects of mass-production.” Moira gingerly set the paper back on the table.

Images of the blonde doctor drunkenly dancing with her flashed into her mind. “May I have this dance?” It was Angela's voice that taunted her. Angela's visage that she saw when she closed her eyes. It was the smell of Angela that Moira longed for more than anything else. It was Angela that Moira wanted to destroy. 

A metallic clattering drew Moira’s attention away from her self-reflection to the corner of the room. Hana stood frozen where the Caduceus staff had fallen to the floor. “I’m sorry!” Hana profusely apologized as Moira glared. “I just wanted to see what all the fuss was about and I went to touch it…then it just kinda…lit up…and…” Hana tried to defend but Moira faded over to her and got in Hana’s face. 

The rage in her eyes sent a cold chill down Hana’s spine. As she reached her right hand out, ready to drain Hana’s energy, the girl quivered and winced. This caused Moira to pause. Instead, she grabbed Hana by the shirt and dragged her across the room. “Hana.” She took a deep breath out, in an effort to quell her anger. “Please.” She opened the door to her lab and forced Hana into the hallway. “Let me do my work.” She then slammed the door in her face. 

Hana stood there and stared at the locked door. Her knees went weak and tears stung the corners of her eyes. Hana raised her hand to knock on the door again when a voice from behind stopped her.

“Don’t take it personal, conejita.” Hana spun around, quickly wiping her eyes. Sombra leaned casually against the far wall. “She shuts everyone out.” The older woman pushed herself off from the wall and took a few steps forward. 

Hana inhaled sharply, “how long were you…?” 

Sombra shrugged in response. “Long enough.” She replied. 

Hana bit her lip and stared at the floor, “It was my fault, I shouldn’t have touched anything.” The girl looked so small. It was a far cry from the normally pompous and arrogant teenager Sombra had known on the battlefield. Instead, Hana reminded her of another little girl from a time long ago in a place not terribly far from here. That little girl would have also done anything for a place to belong. Sombra knew what it was like to be used as a pawn in a game she didn’t ask to play.

Shaking those memories from her mind, Sombra shrugged. “Don’t worry about it. Look, Amélie, Gabe, Siebrien, and I were going to watch a movie. Would you like to come?” Sombra found herself asking. 

Hana looked up in surprise. Sombra was an enigma to her and the last thing she expected was an invitation from the woman. Sombra typically stuck to the shadows, only making herself known when it was convenient to her. However, loneliness plagued Hana and she couldn't stand to be alone. “Yes!” She agreed eagerly.

Something about that innocent yearning to be included made Sombra smile, but she turned quickly before Hana could see it. She led the younger woman down the various hallways to the large recreation room. There was a screen that took up the entire far wall, strewn about on various couches and chairs were other Talon members. “Make room for one more!” Sombra announced as the two walked in. 

Amélie sat on a few pillows. Her dark hair was pulled up and she was wearing silk pajamas. She was casually painting her toenails black, one of the few colors that went with her blue skin. “Thanks for keeping us waiting, Olivia.” She said sarcastically and didn’t even look up as the two entered the room. 

Hana furrowed her brow and looked at Sombra, “Olivia?” Never had it occurred to Hana that Sombra wasn’t her given name.

The Hispanic woman waved it off. “It doesn't matter. We’re here now.”

Siebren, whom Hana knew as Sigma, got up from his chair in the back of the room. As he came over, he towered over her. Hana shrunk back instinctively. She was surprised when he bent over to shake her hand. “You must be Hana!” He shook her hand furiously. “I have heard so much about you!” His smile was genuine.

“I must have your autograph!” 

Hana’s eyes went wide and she pulled back as if struck by lightning. She looked frantically around the room for the voice that echoed in her head. The panic in her face did not go unnoticed by the scientist. Siebren frowned as he pulled his hand away and stood to his full height, “ah, you hear them too.” He said with a hint of sadness in his voice. When Hana furrowed her eyebrows, he continued. “The memories.” He answered her unasked question. Hana felt her stomach tie up in knots but before she could inquire further Sombra had pulled her away and set her on a pillow. 

“Get on with it,” growled the shadow in the corner of the room. Hana didn’t need to look to know it was Gabriel that was sitting there. She felt his red eyes on her as she sunk lower into the oversized pillow.

“Patience papi,” Sombra retorted back as she began to dig through a pile of movies in front of the screen. 

“Do you guys…do this often?” Hana asked. Since she moved here, Hana spent a lot of time alone in her room or training for the infiltration. There wasn’t any time for “trivial indulgences”, as Moira liked to call anything fun. 

Sombra shrugged, “we try to make it a weekly thing,” she pulled out a holovid. “It’s Moira’s turn to pick the movie but since she’s busy we’ll skip her and go to me!”

Amélie rolled her eyes. “At least we don’t have to watch another anime.” 

“I liked the last one!” Siebren piped up, completely forgetting the tone of the previous conversation. “Oh what was it called?

“Spirited Away or something like that.” Sombra shrugged as she looked through her choices.

“It was… stupide.” Amélie stated dryly.

“Oh…I like that one too…” Hana muttered softly as she played with the hem of her shirt. 

“It was better than your pick, Amélie.” Sombra quickly jumped to Hana’s defense. She turned to the girl to explain, “we always have to sit through some foreign drama.” 

Amélie set down her nail polish, looking like she was ready to fight. “It is not my fault you have no culture.” 

“You call that culture?” Gabriel rasped from the corner causing Sombra to burst into laughter. 

To Hana, the playful banter felt both strange and familiar to her. As she adjusted herself on the pillow a warm feeling rose from the pit of her stomach…

“It’s my turn to pick the movie!” Lena shouted as she leapt up. 

“No! Last time you picked we had to watch a movie where the dog died. I don’t want to relive that emotional trauma!” Lúcio protested from his spot next to her. 

“I shall pick then!” Reinhardt announced from where he sat on the couch. 

Brigitte groaned next to him. “Not another Hasslehoff movie.” 

Everyone laughed and Hana looked around. She had her beanbag chair from her room and her usual array of snacks to share with Lena and Lúcio who sat next to her. Brigitte, Reinhardt and Torbjörn sat on the couch behind her. 

Jamie piped up from the back of the room. “We need something with explosions! Something by Michael Bay!”  He stood excitedly.

Mako was quick to pull him back down to his seat. “No.” He grunted. 

“What about romance?” Mei commented from the couch on the wall to Hana’s right. She sat next to Zarya. Angela and Fareeha were sitting on her other side. 

“We don’t need another one of those,” Cassidy groaned from where he was at the bar with a whiskey in one hand and his other arm draped around Hanzo. Satya sat next to them, sipping tea with Hanzo. Ana and Jack weren’t far, only ever pretending not to like movie night but both happy to have everyone together.

“…I like horror…” Kiriko squeaked from her spot to Hana’s far left. She clutched a pillow as the entire room went silent. It lasted for only a moment before laughter and other movie ideas were tossed about. 

Hana listened as the cacophony of noise grew around her. This gave her an idea. With a grin, she slipped out of the room, almost running into Genji and Zenyatta on her way out. She came back a few minutes later with a holovid in hand and a blanket wrapped around her like a cape. Baptiste had returned with popcorn for everyone but the arguing was still going on. 

“Documentary?” Winston asked, he had his jar of peanut butter in his lap. Bastion let out a few beeps of approval. He loved nature documentaries. 

“I fell asleep watching the last one,” Fareeha rolled her eyes. While the room erupted again in movie suggestions, Hana quietly made her way to the television to pop the holovid in. As the movie began to play, the arguments quelled. 

“Hana, what movie is this?” Baptiste asked as the opening credits rolled, he shoved more popcorn into his mouth.

Hana grinned, “probably the best movie ever made, it has everything you all want…”

Hana blinked and the memories of the Watchpoint faded away. Sombra had finally settled on a movie and held the holovid up. Hana felt a cold chill go down her spine as she read the title. “ Pacific Rim .” She breathed out as reality set back in.

“You’ve heard of it?” Sombra asked as she turned the movie on, “it’s kind of obscure and old but it’s charming.”

Hana swallowed hard. “Yeah…I uh….” Hana’s mouth went dry. “I…really like this movie.”

“See?” Sombra smiled smugly at Amélie as she started the movie, “who doesn't love giant fighting robots?”

“Children.” Amélie groaned, “I work with children.”

Normally, Hana would have some quip to say about how she wasn’t a child. However, her mind was far away…

Friday night movie nights were a tradition in their household. Hana looked forward to when her father got off work and they could order pizza and watch movies. “Appa!” The six-year-old bounced on the couch waiting for her father to return from the kitchen. “Hurry up!” She whined impatiently. 

Her father laughed from the kitchen. “Do you want popcorn or not, Hana?” 

The little girl pouted and plopped herself onto the couch. The microwaved dinged and she looked excitedly as her father came back into the living room with a bowl of hot popcorn. “What are we watching tonight, little bunny?” He asked and set the bowl of popcorn on the end table.

“The best movie ever made!” Hana excitedly gripped her blanket.

Her father chuckled. “We watched it last week, are you sure you don’t want to watch something different?” He asked but still looked through their expansive movie collection. 

Hana shook her head and stuffed her hand into the bowl of popcorn. “Nope!” 

Her father chuckled, “alright.” He pulled out the movie in question, Pacific Rim, and popped it into the holovid player. “Do you have your blanket?” He asked as he sat down next to her. 

Hana nodded as she snuggled up next to her father and threw the blanket over the two of them. She pulled her stuffed bunny close to her. “Appa, I’m gonna pilot a Jaeger when I grow up!” Hana made finger guns and “pew” noises. She loved to imitate the giant fighting robots in the movie. 

Her father raised an eyebrow. “Oh you will?” 

Hana nodded, “yeah! I’m gonna protect you and Busan and the world!” She announced as the opening sequence played on the screen. 

She was so entranced by the movie that she didn’t notice the sad look in her father’s eyes. He ran a hand through her soft brown hair.  “We’ll see about that little bunny….” 

The loud sounds from the movie are what tore Hana back to reality. Without her knowledge, the movie had progressed to a particular scene that she could never watch as a kid. She looked around frantically for a blanket to hide her face. With nothing of the sort around, she was forced to watch as the female lead character relived her home being destroyed by the Kaiju. Hana’s heart beat in her ears and she broke out into a cold sweat. She felt as helpless as a passenger on the Titanic as it approached the iceberg. “I have to go!” She announced abruptly and stood up quickly. 

Everyone looked at her with a mixture of curiosity and confusion. “You said you like this movie, jah?” Siebren asked. Up until now he was scribbling notes and formulas on a pad of paper. Now his, and everyone else’s, attention was focused on Hana. 

Hana’s eyes were glued to the screen as she felt like she was going to be violently ill. “Yeah…it is…I just….I have to…” She stumbled backwards and tripped over a pillow, falling to the floor. Like a wounded animal trapped in a cage, she leapt up in fright. “I have to do something!” She announced before scrambling out of the room at top speed. 

Sombra paused the movie and looked at Amélie. “What was that about?” She asked. 

The French woman actually seemed intrigued, having not ever seen an outburst like that. “I do not know.” She answered. 

The dark corner of the room grumbled as Gabriel spoke up. “She’ll just end up like all of Moira’s other experiments.”

—-

“Absolutely not.” 

“It is the only way, doctor.” 

Moira was first and foremost a scientist. So when she heard arguing from down the hallway she felt obligated to investigate. That is how she ended up right outside the main research lab where the discord was taking place. She listened in as the two voices inside grew louder. 

“Angela,” sighed the voice accented in Korean. “It is plain foolish to inject yourself with the nanites. They are simply not tested enough. It could potentially be suicidal!” Moira gritted her teeth. Since the hiring of Doctor Park-Sung, the majority of Angela’s attention was completely absorbed into the Valkyrie project. She would lock herself in the lab for days on end toiling away on it and would completely ignore Moira.

“Mina, I have to disagree,” this was distinctly Angela’s voice. “The nanites cannot stay active outside of the body for longer than 30 seconds. Not nearly enough time to be able to administer aid.” It wasn’t too often that Doctor Park-Sung and Angela disagreed. This was monumental and Moira didn’t want to miss a second of it. She practically had her ear to the door. “To truly test their viability,” Angela continued, “we must inject them into a living person.” 

“I said no, Angela!” Doctor Park-Sung snapped.

“The Valkyrie project hinges on the bionetwork of the wearer.” Angela began to sound more desperate and Moira could hear her voice move around the room as she spoke. “It cannot progress further if we don’t…” Angela continued but a loud bang, as if someone slammed a rather large book, stopped her. 

“Angela. I don’t want to hear it!” Doctor Park-Sung yelled. There was a shuffling sound like papers being gathered and Angela stormed out of the room.

In her haste and blinded by righteous fury she didn’t see Moira standing outside of the door. The blonde doctor collided with the Irish scientist and they landed in a heap on the floor, papers floating like confetti around them. “Moira!” Angela squeaked, “what are you doing here?” Angela asked, her face bright red as papers floated around her.

“I work here too, you know.” Moira found it easy to keep her composure when Angela had lost hers. She stood up and offered her hand to help Angela up. It was a gesture the younger doctor appreciated. 

“Right…” Angela stood up and started to collect her notes. “How long were you standing there?” She tried to hide her blush with her bangs but Moira noticed.

“Long enough,” Moira responded and grabbed the last piece of paper on the floor and held it for Angela to take. “And I believe I may be of assistance…” She smiled wickedly.

—-

Another knock at the door meant another startle back into the waking world. Moira had fallen asleep at her desk, again. She knew she needed to actually sleep, but she couldn’t so long as the Caduceus staff kept its secrets. Rubbing her eyes, Moira took a sip of her long-cold coffee that Hana had brought her earlier in the day. She looked at the clock on her computer screen. 1:32 in the morning. There was another knock at the door, this time more demanding. 

Moira grumbled and got up to answer the door. “Hana, do you even know what time it is…?” Moira started to scold, but stopped mid-sentence when she saw Sombra standing on the other side. 

“We need to talk.” The short Hispanic woman pushed past Moira into her lab. Moria was still too tired to stop her. Sombra froze in the center of the room, her eyes fixated on the Caduceus staff in the corner. 

Moira was taken aback, “pardon?” She asked, not awake enough for this.

Sombra spun around to glare at Moira. “You may have Akande and Ramattra fooled but you can’t hide things from me, Moira.” The woman continued. “I know that you’re just using Hana to get back at Angela for dumping you all those years ago!” 

That statement woke Moira up quickly. She snarled as a flash of anger crossed her face but she clamped it down quickly. “I didn’t think you cared that much about her.” She was quick to deflect.

“I don’t.” Sombra spat back. “I just know what happens to all of your experiments when you’re done with them. They are left to drift aimlessly, broken and unable to be healed. I can’t stand idly by while you ruin someone else’s life.”

Moira's demeanor changed and she laughed. “My dear, you have no idea how wrong you are.” Moira grinned, “this isn’t about petty revenge. This is using Overwatch’s most valuable resource as a means to it's end.”

Sombra gestured to the Caduceus staff that still stood lifeless. “You have the staff. What else do you want?”

Moira shook her head, a playful smirk on her lips. “It was never about the staff. Sure, Akande wants it and I was more than happy to comply. But my sights are set on something much bigger.”

It only took a few seconds for realization to wash over Sombra like a tidal wave. “You…you’re using Hana just like you used Amélie!” She could feel her blood boil and she clenched her fists.

Moria’s smile took up her whole face. “Now you’re getting it. Gabriel was the imprudent idea. Amélie was the unwilling prototype. Siebren was the flawed first draft. But Hana,” Moira took a few steps forward, folding her arms behind her back in a smug fashion. Her eyes held a glimmer of euphoria. “Hana is my magnum opus!”

For the first time, Sombra was terrified of the woman that stood before her. A pit formed in the base of her stomach as she took a step back. There were now things set in motion that she no longer had the ability to stop. She gathered up all of her remaining resolve to look Moira in the eyes. Righteous fury burned in her chest. “How will you do this when you care about Hana almost as much as Angela does?” 

The words hit Moira like a thousand ice knives in her chest. Sombra watched as Moira physically recoiled. She knew she had hit a nerve with the older woman. When she came to her senses Moira's eyes went dark and she faded so she was mere inches away from the younger woman. “How dare you insinuate such a thing!” Moira practically roared in Sombra’s face. 

“It’s my job to know things, Moira.” Sombra spat back before she turned on her heel and stormed out of the lab. 

—-

A shape faded down the dark hallways of the Havana base. Silently, the figure moved across locked doors and closed windows. The light of the pale moon was the only illumination as the shadow settled in front of a door. 

A livid, purple hand reached out and turned the doorknob, she knew this door to always be unlocked. Slowly, the figure opened it, revealing a bedroom and the single occupant sound asleep. Quietly, the figure entered the room and sat on the bed. 

Hana didn’t wake up, but turned over in her sleep as a battle raged behind her eyelids. It was obvious to Moira that the girl was having another nightmare. Gently, she reached out her left hand and gently brushed a lock of hair out of Hana’s face. Moira watched as the expression on Hana’s face softened as her dream shifted. 

She sat there for what felt like hours, just watching the girl sleep. When it was time to go she stood and walked over to the desk against the wall. Carefully, she picked up the music box and turned it back on. Softly, the song that was programmed into it began to play its haunting melody. Moira stood, just listening as she was brought back to a time long ago. This song was the one that Angela had turned on all those nights ago when she drunkenly stumbled into the lab. As the tune progressed, Moira remembered dancing late at night. 

Chapter Text

When it's time to live and let die

And you can't get another try

Something inside this heart has died

You're in ruins

~ Green Day

—-

As the Havana sun shined brightly through her window, Hana rolled over in bed. She threw her pillow over her head trying to block out the morning. It was morning already? Hana groaned, not wanting to wake up. She rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling, content to stay in her room all day and play video games like she had been doing the past couple of days.

Her stomach, however, had other ideas. It growled loudly and dragged Hana out of bed. She threw her slippers on and made the trek to the dining hall. Since she was part of Talon’s elite, she had full access to the base. While the normal recruits had specific hours they could be in the dining hall, Hana could go whenever she wanted. It was something she would often take advantage of late at night when she needed a caffeine boost. 

She was relieved when she walked into the dining hall to find it mostly empty. The only other occupant was Siebren who sat at a table towards the back. He was sipping his coffee and reading through one of his astrophysics magazines. “Ah! Goedemorgen, Hana!” The Dutch scientist greeted cheerfully, raising his mug in her direction. 

“Mornin’” Hana replied as she went to the kitchen to find her favorite sugary cereal. She poured herself a bowl and took it back to the main dining area and sat down a few tables away from Siebren. They sat in silence for a while. Hana hated the silence. “Can I ask you something?” She asked out of the blue.

Siebren raised an eyebrow and looked up at her. “Go on,” he said.

Hana took a deep breath. “The other day, you said something about…hearing the memories…” She swallowed hard. She wondered, did he hear the voices too? 

Siebren closed his eyes and set his journal down. He was quiet for a moment before speaking. “Did you know that rabbits are social creatures?” 

Hana was taken by surprise at the randomness of the statement. “Uhhh…No…I didn’t…” She blinked slowly.

Siebren nodded enthusiastically, a smile growing on his face. “Oh yes, they require companionship from either other rabbits or humans, otherwise they get neurotic. However, they do not cohabitate well with guinea pigs.” He tapped his chin in thought. “Aside from different social structures, they communicate differently and thus can’t understand each other. I found that rather interesting.” 

Hana just stared at the old man. Maybe he was just as loony as Moira always said he was. As he went back to reading his journal Hana realized he wasn’t going to give her any answers. She took her coffee to go. 

—-

Today Hana had plans to train in the simulation room. It was a high-tech virtual reality room with a built-in AI. Sombra showed it to her several weeks ago and this was her first time in it alone. She did a quick check of her light pistol before fishing a small piece of paper out of her pocket. Sombra had written down a code she could use to train. 

“Computer?” Hana called into the empty room. 

“Agent Song.”  Replied the cold computerized voice so loud it made Hana jump a little bit. She was so used to Athena’s calm presence that the harsh tone of this computer was unexpected. 

“Oh, uh..can you run a simulation…” Hana uncrumpled the paper, “04…19?” She read. The walls of the room melted into pixels and those pixels changed and morphed into the scene before her. Hana’s heart was in her throat as she looked at the main launch bay of Watchpoint: Gibraltar. “Okay…” Hana breathed out through her nose, she could smell the saltwater in the air. “Wasn’t quite expecting that.” She said to herself. Still, she dug her heels into the simulated dirt and readied her light pistol. 

Like an apex predator her eyes scanned the battlefield. Her stance was firm and her jaw was set. She had a faint idea as to what enemies the computer would launch at her. To the left she heard rustling and she spun on her heel. A perfectly simulated version of Soldier: 76 was barrelling towards her. He had his gun drawn and was firing in her direction.

Hana locked her sights on him and fired two shots. 

His holographic body fell into pixels. 

Hana lowered her pistol, preparing herself for the next assault. The sound of spurs hitting metal was easy to locate Cassidy on the catwalk above her. 

Three shots.

These versions didn’t speak. They only looked like her former teammates. However, she could hear in her head the reprimands they would give her.

“Keep your stance straight, Hana.” 

“Too slow on the draw there, kiddo.” 

Hana gnashed her teeth and raised her pistol again. Genji was next as he swung his sword so close she had to take a few steps backwards to avoid the blade. “Your reflexes are slow, Imōto.”  He would have said to her. She watched as the simulated version of Genji stood to his full height and popped several shuriken out of his knuckles. Hana wasted no time and put two rounds in his chest. He fell to the floor in a limp heap. His digital body disappeared into data pixels. 

The familiar sound of hardlight turrets drew Hana’s attention. She was too open in the hangar and needed cover. She located a stack of shipping crates and ducked behind them. She took a quick breath and locked onto the three turrets. One by one she nailed them with a single shot. With them out of the way, Symmetra would be easy to take down. Peeking out of cover for only a second, Hana scanned the battlefield. She spotted the architect preparing a teleporter. Hana quickly fired two rounds and the woman collapsed. “Not nearly close to perfection.”  The disembodied voice of the hardlight architect rang in Hana’s ears. 

Hana growled and stood up from behind cover. Of course, she heard the distinctive sound of Tracer’s blink behind her. Hana spun quickly on her heel just in time to see the speedster in her face. Though they were only holograms and couldn’t hurt her, panic still rose in Hana’s throat as she raised her weapon.

Headshot.

Hana watched as the digital version of the British woman fell to the ground before pixelating into nothing. “Still not quick enough, luv.” Tracer laughed in Hana’s mind. The moment’s hesitation was all that was needed before she was sent flying backwards into the far wall by Lúcio’s sound gun. 

“ Ttong …” Hana cursed herself as she fell to the floor. The shots may be fake but the pain of hitting the wall was real. She saw stars and it took her a few seconds before she could focus to find Lúcio wall-riding. She raised her pistol and fired three times. 

Missed. 

Hana growled and got to her feet. “Don’t get sloppy on me, D.”  The DJ laughed in her head. 

“I won’t let you get away with that.” She replied to the hologram. She knew Lúcio liked to play in the back lines, swapping from his healing to speed boost when necessary. She just needed to line up the shot. She had Lúcio in her sights and was about to fire when a force flung her back yet again. This time it was by Winston’s jet-pack jump. Her head hit the floor with a thud, her gun flew from her hand and she saw stars. 

As Winston fired up his Tesla cannon, Hana took a quick look towards the observation window high above. Next to it was a large scoreboard showing the amount of damage she theoretically would have taken. Hana picked up her pistol and rolled over. She needed a health pack, conveniently scattered around the simulation. Hana scrambled to her feet. Lúcio was bearing down on her and she had four shots left. She emptied her clip on Lúcio, and he fell to the ground before disappearing in a digital array. 

Hana took the time to reload and race towards a health pack. Once she got her numbers up and her pistol reloaded she was ready to face Winston. “It was a mistake drafting you into Overwatch.” He growled at her. The giant gorilla leapt in the air again, before he could come down, Hana dove underneath him. She fired off several shots upwards. The gorilla had taken significant damage. Hana looked to his health bar that was placed over his holographic head just like in so many of her video games. She aimed and fired off five more shots before the scientist fell over and disappeared. 

Hana wasn’t able to catch her breath before several bombs exploded right next to her. She looked up to see Junkrat standing on top of Roadhog as the two charged. “ Gettin’ soft there, Sheila.” The younger Aussie’s laugh echoed in her ears. Hana was able to dodge as Roadhog threw his hook towards her. It would have been an instant KO but she was light on her feet and fired several shots that connected to the large man. 

Junkrat used a mine to launch himself into the air. Hana knew that she needed to kill Roadhog before he used his self-healing, but Junkrat was making that difficult. She was caught by some of the splash damage from one of Junkrat’s bombs and was knocked sideways. Hana tucked and rolled, coming out of the roll she emptied the rest of her clip and both of the Junkers fell to the floor in a pixelated mess.  

Hana panted heavily and reloaded just as an icicle flew by her head. She traced it back to Mei. She and Zarya were racing towards her. Hana had to run to cover as ice was blasted behind her. Zarya bubbled Mei on the attack and Hana had no choice to go on the defense. She broke cover and rounded the corner to launch herself to a stairwell and onto the high ground. Mei was on her heels the entire time. Hana had to wait for the bubble to dissipate before she could fire. Two shots. Mei became an iceberg, healing herself. "Of course." Hana took the time to get some breathing room between them. Up on the catwalk, she made sure to keep Zarya in her line of sight and stay out of her beam. 

Mei’s iceberg broke and Hana fired two more shots. One hit, one missed. She snarled and found another stairwell on her way up. She began to climb but Mei walled off her only exit. She was cornered. “Silly girl,” the scientist laughed in her head. Hana smirked, she knew Mei’s ice was on cooldown, now was her chance. She fired three shots and the scientist disappeared.

Nearly out of breath, Hana raced along the adjoining catwalk as Zarya tried to fire her short blasts. Hana would return four shots kind until Zarya bubbled herself. She was sure to keep a safe distance from the large Russian woman. She fired two more shots and Zarya’s digital health bar read that it was critically low. 

Hana raised her pistol to fire again when suddenly Zarya’s heath bar increased. Hana looked to her left, seeing Ana on a platform high up with her sights trained on her. Cursing in Korean under her breath, Hana slid out of the crosshairs. She needed to take Ana before she could fire a sleep dart. Hana took a look around and saw a low-hanging cable dangling about 20 feet from her. With no time to think, she got a running start and flung herself off of the catwalk, grabbing onto the cable in mid-air. 

“Sloppy work, Hana.”  The old sniper chided her. Hana fired four shots as she clung to the cable. The old sniper fell and faded in digital smoke. Hana grunted as she climbed the rope to get more space between her and Zarya as the latter circled like a shark below. However, Hana’s palms were slick with sweat and she lost her grip, falling towards the ground. Of course, the simulation wouldn’t let her get seriously hurt. Before she could hit the ground, Echo swooped in to catch her and set her gingerly on the ground. “Must you always be so reckless, Hana?” The Omnic scolded. Hana didn’t hesitate and placed her pistol to Echo’s head and delivered one fatal shot.

Zarya fired at her again. This time Hana was within range and it took the rest of her clip for the large woman to fall. “It took you too long, дорогая”  Reprimanded the Russian in her head. If Hana thought the simulation would give her a break she was mistaken. The sound of clanking armor alerted her to her next attackers. Reinhardt, Brigitte, and Bastion were charging from the choke point. Hana had no choice but to run and seek cover to reload. She had to take Brigitte out first, as a support she would be able to heal both Bastion and Reinhardt. Hana ran and fired at the same time, getting several shots off and breaking Reinhardt’s barrier. This was perfect timing and she leapt out of cover and fired off five shots, knocking Brigitte down. “You know you could do better, Lillasyster.” The Swedish woman snarled in her mind. 

Hana dove for cover again as Reinhardt raised his shield and Bastion configured into his assault form. “No use hiding, Mein Schatz.” Reinhardt’s voice echoed in her head. She heard Bastion configure back into his mobile recon form. She knew Reinhardt would want to attack and for that he would need to lower his shield. This was her move. 

Hana leaped over cover and charged towards the both of them. She fired four shots at Bastion but ran towards Reinhardt. Her lithe form and athletic build made it easier for her to slip under his legs. Reinhardt wasn’t able to swing his hammer in that position and she popped up behind him. She fired round after round at his back. The large man fell, leaving Bastion by himself and she finished him off in the final five shots left in her gun. Both figures pixelated into nothing at her feet. 

Panting heavily, Hana reloaded again. Racing footsteps alerted her to her next attacker. Sojourn was racing towards her firing her railgun. Hana whipped around, four shots and she was down. “Gotta be quicker, Agent Song.” The grizzled commander criticized as she combusted into pixels. Hana didn’t see Zenyatta behind her until he had a discord orb on her. Turning quickly on her heel, she wasted no time and fired three shots before he fell into a heap on the floor. “Always quick to act, not to think,” The omnic’s voice rang in her head loud and clear.

“Stop yelling at me!” Hana screamed. Bullets whizzed past her and Hana's attention was quickly drawn towards an adjoining catwalk on the high ground. Baptiste stood next to Torbjörn with an immortality field around them. She had to move quickly to evade the turret and fire simultaneously, destroying the immortality field before the turret. She dove behind an old forklift before lining up a shot on Baptiste. “All of that anger is no good for you, Hana.” The combat medic snarled in her head. Hana needed to take him out first.

Four shots and he was nothing but pixel dust. 

Torbjörn was much easier to deal with now that he didn’t have support. Hana barred her teeth as she rained hellfire on the Swedish man. He fell off the platform and to the ground below before pixelating away.

Hana reloaded her weapon. By her count there were only six opponents left. Her legs quivered in exhaustion, she wished she had more to eat for breakfast. She didn’t have time to dwell on her eating habits, however, as metallic clanging alerted Hana to Orisa charging forward with her fortify up. Hana fired off several shots but Orisa’s javelin spin swiftly took care of them. Flanking Orisa was Kiriko, her ofuda at the ready. With only seconds to react Hana charged forward, firing shots that only pinged off of the large omnic’s armor. Not deterred, Hana leapt up, used Orisa as a springboard, and landed a flying kick right to Kiriko’s face. The support crumpled to the floor before disappearing. 

Hana had no time to celebrate her victory before an energy javelin was thrown her way, forcing her to duck. Orisa would be a much harder target. However, she followed the same practice she used with Reinhardt, sliding to Orisa’s underbelly and unloading her clip. The Omnic collapsed to the floor. 

Hana was able to wipe the sweat off her brow and reload her weapon just as the ground shook and threw her into the air. She knew Wrecking Ball’s Piledriver anywhere. The rodent popped out of his large armored ball and began firing his miniguns at her mid-air. Hana knew she was hit several times as the overhead alarm sounded that her health was getting low. 

She landed in a roll and went searching for the next health pack. As she did so, she nearly ran straight into Hanzo, who had his bow at the ready. “Foolish child.” He chided her in her head right before Hana raised her weapon and emptied several shots into him. The archer crumpled to the floor. Hana located a health pack and hid behind a support beam to reload her weapon. She could hear the mechanical legs of Wrecking Ball’s mech getting louder and louder. Now was her chance. She peeked around the beam and emptied her entire clip into him until Wrecking Ball’s mech exploded into digital fanfare.

Hana took a deep breath as she reloaded again. By her count she had two opponents left. Of course, the last two wouldn’t be easy. High above her head she could hear Pharah’s jet pack. She knew that where Pharah was, Mercy wasn’t far behind her. Hana set her jaw and stayed concealed by the support beam. Without her mech hitting Pharah would be significantly harder. She knew she needed to take out Mercy first. 

Hana crouched and peered out from behind cover. Just as she suspected, Pharah was in the simulated sky, tethered to Mercy who floated next to her with her damage boost. Hana raised her gun, lining up the shot. But her hands shook. The gun wavered as she fired several shots only to have them miss. But she gave away her position and Pharah was quick to exploit it and fired her rockets towards her. Hana narrowly escaped the splash damage as she ran. 

“Damn…” Hana cursed under her breath as she entered a stairwell. She couldn’t fight the two in the sky, she would have to make them come to her. Hana raced up the stairs with her back against the wall. Her plan worked as Pharah entered the base of the stairs, Hana had the high ground. She let out a primal scream as she fired her pistol numerous times. Pharah fell into pixels. However, the fight wasn’t over as Mercy swooped in, her resurrect at the ready. 

Hana froze. She knew she had to stop Mercy before she could revive her fallen teammates but Hana’s stomach felt like she was on the downhill of a rollercoaster. 

“We miss you, Häschen.”

It was that voice, Angela’s voice, that sounded so clearly in her head. Without another thought, Hana raised her pistol and fired twice. Mercy’s holographic body crumpled away. Breathing heavily now, Hana lowered her weapon as the overhead alarm sounded, signaling the end of the course. Shakily, Hana fell to the floor as the simulation ended and faded away around her. 

Moira hummed to herself as she watched Hana’s performance from the observation deck. She had her hands folded neatly behind her back as she looked at Hana’s vitals on a separate screen. A smile tugged at the corners of her lips. “Impressive, isn’t it?” She spoke to no one, at least, so it seemed.

Sombra materialized in the corner of the room. She hated the way Moira always seemed to know where she was. “You could call it that.” Sombra sounded unimpressed. Moira chuckled and turned to face the woman. The scientist looked like she hadn’t slept in days, which was probably true. However, she was out of her lab which could only mean one thing. “I take it, you figured out the staff then?” Sombra asked. 

Moira’s smile grew as if she was waiting for Sombra to ask that very question. “It took a few tries but Angela was always so…predictable.” The scientist turned her attention back to the control panel and pressed the button for the intercom. “Hana. Report to the medical wing as soon as you clean yourself up.” She ordered. Swiftly, Moira turned and headed towards the door but not before giving Sombra a fleeting glance. “Since you are so…invested…in my work, I suggest you come along.” She said before leaving the room.

Hana did exactly as she was told. After her intense workout she hopped in the shower before changing into her basic pajamas. Since she didn’t have any other plans for the day, she forewent her usual makeup in order to be punctual. When Moira ordered her somewhere she was expected to be prompt. So about 20 minutes later Hana appeared at the doors of the medical wing. She didn’t have to knock or ask for permission to enter. 

Before her was the sterile white examination room. Everything looked as it usually was. Several examination tables were off to her left side, each separated by a curtain. Only one bed was set up to take a patient. Moira stood by, setting up an IV pole when Hana walked in. “There you are, my pet.” She finished what she was doing and walked over to Hana. “I saw you training. I was very impressed.” She cupped Hana’s face. “Sombra was too.” She gestured to the back of the room where Sombra was sitting on Moira’s desk, looking less than enthused. 

Any praise from Moira was more than welcome to Hana. Her face lit up, “you saw? I promise I’ll keep training and get better!” 

Moira hummed in approval. “I’m sure you will, my dear.” She withdrew her hand but not before slowly dragging her nails across Hana’s unblemished skin. She gestured for Hana to sit on the bed. 

Hana looked around to the monitor, already turned on and beeping. “What’s all this for?” She asked, turning to the scientist with genuine curiosity. 

Moira’s smile never faded as she sat down on the bed next to the girl. “As you know, Hana, I only have the best intentions for you at heart.” She began as she tucked a stray strand of hair behind Hana’s ear. The girl eagerly nodded and Moira continued. “I saved you from people who only wanted to use you and never saw your true potential. Everything I do, I do because I want you to have a better life. You know that, right?”

“Of course!” Hana replied. The girl clung onto every word Moira said, like an obedient puppy. 

Sombra wanted to be sick.

Moira’s smile grew wider and she stood up abruptly, clapping her hands together. “Wonderful, now I have a small favor to ask of you.” She pulled over a small metal table. On it were several medical instruments. Some Hana recognized as needles, IV lines, and alcohol wipes. What caught her eye the most was one syringe that was filled with a bright golden liquid that practically glowed. “As you know,” Moira spoke up, “I have been working on reverse-engineering the Caduceus staff.” 

This caught Hana’s attention. “You did it?” Hana gasped excitedly. She was glad that Moira was finished with her project. That meant they could hang out again!

The annoyance Moira felt in the interruption was quickly clamped down. “Yes.” She answered, “and I need someone I trust to be the first to experience the effects. This is where you come in. Imagine, you will be stronger, your reaction times will be quicker, your stamina and endurance will increase to levels unheard of!”

Hana’s mouth went dry. Somewhere in the back of her mind was a very small voice warning her that this was a bad idea. Quickly, Hana shook it from her thoughts. This was a woman who gave up part of her life for her! Moira saved her from terrible people! Hana owed everything she was to this woman! It was an honor to be chosen to be the first. “I’ll do it.” She said after a fleeting moment of trepidation.

For the first time, Moira’s smile reached her eyes. “Wonderful.” She guided Hana to lay back on the bed. “Now all you have to do is relax. Sombra is going to hook you up to the cardiac monitor. Just so I can observe any changes.”

Reluctantly, Sombra came over and began to hook Hana up to various monitoring equipment. She didn’t look at the girl in the eye as she placed the electrodes on her chest. Sombra tried not to trace the scars that peppered Hana’s skin. All of it was testament to the torture that Moira had put Hana through for the name of science. 

Moira had settled to the side of the bed. Hana hissed as Moira placed an IV in her arm and attached fluids. “Now Hana, all you have to do is relax.” Moira said as she pressed a few buttons on the screen of the monitor. She rolled up the sleeves of her lab coat and used her right hand to drain only a small bit of energy from the teenager. Hana began to feel heavy, as if an elephant was sitting on her chest. Her eyes fluttered, growing harder to keep open with each blink. Sombra watched silently as Moira picked up the syringe with the golden liquid. She raised it to her scientific eye and tapped it a few times. With practiced ease, Moira twisted the syringe to the IV line and gently pushed the plunger. Slowly the fluid disappeared into the IV and Hana could feel her veins on fire as the serum began to work its way through her body. 

Hana’s breathing became heavy, then labored. The monitor started to alert and Sombra watched in horror as the heart rate began to skyrocket. She looked back to Hana. The girl was pale and she began to sweat. “Moira?” Sombra gasped as Hana’s eyes rolled back and her body tensed as if she was being electrocuted. 

Hana began to seize. 

Chapter Text

She was drowning.

Hana was certain of that as she sank deeper and deeper into the waters of the South China Sea. Above her were the exploded remnants of her precious Tokki, erupting into smaller fireballs as the Gwishin was defeated for now. 

Hana closed her eyes as she let the cold waters drag her deeper and deeper. She was content to die. It was a sacrifice she was willing to make if it meant that the people of Busan could continue to sleep peacefully. Her lungs burned as the last bubbles of air escaped her and floated freely to the surface. How many times had she relived this memory? 

“Oh Hana,” spoke a vaguely familiar voice around her. “What have you done?”

Hana’s eyes shot open and she took a deep breath in. That wasn’t right. As water replaced the air in her lungs Hana panicked and began to flail and flounder her arms and legs wildly. In all of the other times she had this dream there was never a voice there. She looked around the abyss around her when she spotted something odd. 

It was a fish. The only fish in the entire ocean. It was small, no bigger than 6 inches and even in the darkness of the sea its yellowish-white scales shimmered radiantly. Suspended in space, it looked supernatural the way its long fins trailed behind it like a wedding dress train. Hana recalled in one of the nature documentaries that Bastion loved that an angelfish looked somewhat similar.

Hana took a deep breath in, the water provided her air and she tried to find her voice. “...Am I…?” She croaked out, her throat sore. “Am I dreaming?” 

The fish slowly swam closer, its long trailing fins caressed Hana’s cheek. It felt simultaneously like an electric shock and a warm hug at the same time. The feeling was so warm, so familiar. “Not quite.” The fish responded, its feminine voice was clearer now. 

“Am I dead?” Hana croaked out. 

The fish swam around Hana before stopping in front of her, hovering in space. “Again, not quite.” She answered again. 

Hana snarled, she didn’t like the vague answers this creature was giving her. “Okay, if I’m not dreaming and I’m not dead then where am I?” 

“망각,” the fish replied in Korean, causing Hana’s heart to drop. “Sort of like limbo, the Greeks used to call it Lethe.”

Hana eyed the fish suspiciously. “Okay so whatever drug Moira gave me is sending me on a really bad acid trip,” she rationalized. She pushed her way through the water and away from the fish. “Whatever you’re doing, I want no part of it.” She said as she made futile attempts at swimming. She didn't get very far until the fish was in her line of sight again, seemingly to have teleported. 

“This isn’t a drug trip, Hana.” How did the fish know her name? “You have suppressed so much,” the fish sighed, something Hana didn’t think fish could do. Of course, none of this made any sense to her. “Let me remind you.”

Though muffled by the water, the sounds of a helicopter were deafening and drew Hana’s attention to the surface. She looked up to see a body being pulled out of the water, her body. The searchlights of naval search-and-rescue helicopters illuminated the waters. Their lights were so bright that Hana was forced to close her eyes for a brief moment. 

When she opened them again she was no longer in the cold waters of the ocean. Instead, she was surrounded by the white, sterile walls of a hospital. In truth, she would have preferred the ocean. She hated hospitals. 

“Hana! Stay with me Hana, I’m here.” It was Dae-hyun’s voice that pulled Hana’s attention down the hall where the trauma team was wheeling a bed down the hallway towards her. In a brief moment she stood over her own crippled and broken body barely clinging to life as they rushed past her. She recalled only brief glimpses.

As the scene shifted again, she was blinded by surgical lights. The figures of doctors above her were silhouetted against the bright backdrop. This time, she was able to make out more detail in the worried faces of the clinical staff around her. As monitors beeped and dinged urgently, she caught a glance of blonde hair out of the corner of her eye. To her left, she heard a soft whisper, distinctly accented in German: “Heroes never die.”

—

Sombra bounced her leg impatiently from where she sat in the chair across the room. Moira was quick to act and get Hana’s seizure under control. Now the girl laid in a medically induced coma while Moira figured out what was going on. Sombra focused on the constant beeping of the heart monitor as Moira paced the room.  

Moria muttered to herself as she paced the room. “This is impossible.” The scientist ranted to herself. “I triple checked the math. Her body must have had a reaction to the nanties…but how?” She went over every scenario in her head. 

Each question Moira asked herself, the pit of guilt only sank deeper in Sombra’s stomach. Something that Gabriel had said a few days ago echoed on repeat in her head: 

“She’ll just end up like all of Moira’s other experiments.”

With a clenched jaw and a bubbling anger, Sombra stood up forcefully. She glared at Moira, causing the woman to stop in her tracks. “You don’t get it, do you?”

Moira arched an eyebrow. “What do you mean?” 

Sombra clenched her fists in frustration. “You looked at those documents I hacked from MEKA didn’t you?” 

Moira scoffed, offended that Sombra would insinuate such a careless thing. “Of course I did! Her clean medical record was part of the reason that Hana was chosen for this.” 

Sombra rolled her eyes dramatically. She began to type in the air and a purple screen manifested at her fingertips. “MEKA kept diligent records of each of their pilots including a mandatory monthly physical. Now, look at this.” Sombra clicked past a few pages, showing a series of folders. Each was labeled with the name of a pilot. Sombra clicked through one and dozens of documents populated. “There is no physical assessment for Hana Song for the month of April, 2075. It is entirely blank. Now I didn’t think this was simply an oversight, as MEKA was highly meticulous. So I dug deeper. I stumbled across some datamined files and found this.” Sombra typed some keystrokes in the air and a document popped up.

It read:

Donor 1: 

Gender: Female

Blood Type: AB

Rh factor: +

Human Leukocyte Antigen compatibility percentage: 67%

Nantie compatibility percentage: 100%

Recipient 1:

Gender: Female

Blood Type: AB

Rh factor: +

Human Leukocyte Antigen compatibility percentage: 67%

Nanite compatibility percentage: 88%

Moira narrowed her eyes and turned her focus from the digital page to the younger woman. “Why am I looking at this? What does this have to do with anything?” She asked, growing more agitated. 

Sombra gritted her teeth, the answer was obviously staring her in the face. “In April 2075 the Gwishin attacked Busan unexpectedly. Hana was the only pilot on base and was able to explode her mech over the ocean, defeating it. I did the math, Moira.” Sombra waved her hand and the digital page disappeared. “From a fall that high, with the force of the explosion, no one could have survived that. But Hana did. The file I just showed you? That was the translated version.” Sombra locked eyes with the doctor, “it was originally written in German.” 

It took approximately half a second for the dots in Moira’s head to connect and Sombra watched as Moira’s confusion turned into something much darker. “ANGELA DID THIS?!” Moira yelled, filled with unadulterated rage. With an animalistic scream Moira tore across the room towards the younger woman. As she passed, she flipped a surgical tray and knocked over an IV pole. Nothing was safe from her rampage as she screamed and punched a light box to examine X-Rays on the wall. Sombra had never seen Moira this enraged as she went toe-to-toe with the hacker. “You knew!” Moira screamed in her face. “You knew that Hana had Angela’s nanites in her system already!” Moira accused. “You knew and you didn’t tell me!” 

Sombra kept her back straight, not afraid of the woman. “I gave you all of the information I had.” She defended. “How was I supposed to know that whatever nanites you injected were going to hurt her? That she could die!” 

Moira froze. She looked over to the sedated body of her masterpiece. Her anger began to subside as she ran a hand through her short hair. “You know…” She regained her composure. “I think this may work in our favor…” She grinned wickedly as she looked at Hana. 

—-

“Why are you showing me this?!” Hana screamed at the fish. She was back in the ocean, floating in the abyss and face-to-face with her aquatic tormentor.

The fish swayed back and forth in the water. “I am only showing you what you have forgotten.” It replied matter-of-factly.

Hana tugged at her hair as tears welled in her eyes, mixing with the sea water. “I didn’t know…” She muttered. “I didn’t know it was her…” She repeated as the fish swam up to her, lightly trailing its fins across her face. 

“It’s understandable, through times of stress our minds compartmentalize.” The fish explained. Hana didn’t realize she was leaning into the touch of the fish as it passed. She yearned for that warm familiar feeling. “Just like how you don’t remember me.” 

Hana’s eyes shot open as she looked at the fish. “What? Am I supposed to remember every fish I’ve ever seen?” 

She wasn’t sure how, but the fish appeared amused by the question. “I only take this form because you do not remember what I look like. Not completely anyway.” Hana only looked confused and irritated over the vagueness in the way the fish spoke. “I have gotten fuzzier over time, only a murky figure at the edge of your recollection. You have even forgotten what my voice sounds like. Haven’t you, 내 딸?”

Hana felt like she was being frozen by Mei’s ice gun from the inside out. Slowly, realization wrapped around her like a warm blanket and the dots connected in Hana’s mind. “Eomma?” She asked.

The fish’s silence confirmed the answer.

“Eomma!” Hana sobbed as she watched the fish’s form morph and twist. The figure before her, just out of arm's reach, was that of a woman. She was obscured by the water and Hana couldn't make out the details of her face. Her long hair was brown, just like her own, and held up in a ponytail. “Eomma!” Hana thrashed in the water, desperately trying to get closer. “Please, don’t leave me again!” The girl cried as she got closer. “Eomma! 사랑해요” Hana propelled herself forward enough to touch the woman. She wrapped her arms around her, the familiar warm feeling returning. Hana could have held onto the hug forever as she sobbed. She wanted to look up at the face of the woman. She dreamed of seeing her mother again, seeing a face that had long since faded into obscurity.

What looked back at her wasn’t the brown-haired woman of her faded reminiscent memories. Instead, the woman that looked back at her was tall and blonde. Her hair was also in a ponytail and her blue eyes sparkled. A soft smile on her lips. 

It was Angela.

Chapter Text

Call my name and save me from the dark 

Bid my blood to run

Before I come undone 

Save me from the nothing I've become

~Evanescence

—-

When Moira got back from the disastrous mission in Rialto, all she wanted to do was sleep. What was the old adage? “No rest for the wicked''? That was how she felt as she dragged herself to the lab, set her bag down, and plopped herself into her lab chair without even turning on the light. She needed to upload some files onto the computer before she could relax in bed. She was in the process of booting up her computer when she heard a familiar rustling from the corner of the room. 

The imprudent sound caused ice to run in her veins. She was frozen in place as the rustling continued, little squeaks joining in. After what felt like an eternity, she pushed her chair to the light switch and filled the room with luminescence. Moira followed the direction where the sound was coming from. Häschen’s old cage. Inside, wiggling her nose innocently, was the very same rabbit. Häschen was unmistakable with her snow-white fur and little red eyes. Her little body wiggled in excitement at seeing one of her owners. Moira, for her part, was frozen in shock seeing the creature she thought was dead. 

“You’re back.” A cold voice spoke next to her. Moira spun around quickly to see Angela in the doorway. The woman looked ready for bed, dressed in her pajamas and with her hair down. Her sharp blue eyes glared daggers at the woman.

The joy and comfort that Moira felt in seeing the doctor was now mixed with the sour taste of fear. “Angela, what did you do?” Moira asked, gesturing vaguely towards the enclosure that Häschen occupied, very much alive. 

Angela scoffed as she walked further into the lab. “Me!?” Angela deflected as if it was absurd that she was the one being interrogated. “What did you do, Moira? Blackwatch? Murder?” She had a hostile venom in her voice that made the hair on the back of Moira’s neck stand up. 

Moira immediately went on the defense. “What happened in Rialto was necessary.” 

“You were complicit in murder, Moira!” Angela snapped, stepping further into the lab. 

“Antonio would have been freed in two weeks time had we simply apprehended him.” Moira stood her ground. “Reyes did the right thing.” 

Angela was shocked and stood with her mouth agape. “You can’t mean that…” 

Moira took a step forward. “The world isn’t black and white, Angela. We live in shades of gray. You of all people should know that.” She gestured towards the rabbit. “You used the nanites to bring the dead back to life.” 

Häschen blinked a few times and wiggled her nose, oblivious to the argument surrounding her. Angela looked at the poor rabbit. “I…I couldn’t let her die.” Her voice cracked when she spoke but she clenched her fists and her glare held steadfast. “Not after what you did to her.” 

Moira felt her mouth dry. In all honesty, she didn’t think her experiments on the little rabbit would end up in the creature’s demise. She had hoped that her small forays into genetic sequencing would be subtle enough that Anglea wouldn’t notice. Of course Moira was wrong. It was laughable to even think she could pull the wool over Angela’s eyes. It was one of the many reasons Moira was incredibly infatuated with the woman. Though she was young, Angela had the mind of someone who had spent their entire life in the medical field.

Even now, as Angela seethed with rage, Moira couldn’t help but marvel at how brilliant she was. “I did a necropsy on Häschen after you left.” Angela began to explain. “I found that the RNA sequencing was altered.” Angela’s sharp blue eyes tore holes into Moira. “There is only one person I know who has the capability to do that.”

Moira was unperturbed but impressed that Angela figured it out so quickly. She folded her hands behind her back and a sly smile filled her face. “Then I don’t see why you are so upset about Antonio being dead. You could simply bring him back to life.” 

That comment threw Angela for a loop and she physically recoiled. “That’s not the same and you know it!” Angela snapped. 

Moira scoffed, “no? And who are you to make that determination?” She asked bluntly. Angela didn’t have a response. “How arrogant you are, to think you have dominion over such things as mortality.” Moira threw her head back and let out a bitter laugh. The file transfer could wait until morning. She faded out of the room, leaving Angela standing there in a state of shock.

—-

“Moira.” 

It was at Sombra’s insistence that she was brought from the dredges of unconsciousness. Mora slowly opened her eyes to be met with the sterile white ceiling of the medical wing. Moira groggily sat up from the chair she must have fallen asleep in. Her neck hurt as she was laying at such an unnatural angle.

As she sat up she peered around the room. Hana still laid in bed with monitors all beeping in regular intervals. The young girl was still unconscious with no end in sight. After countless tests there was no scientific reason that Hana wasn’t awake. The blood samples Moira had taken had shown far more regenerative progress than she could have ever imagined. 

“Moira,” Sombra’s sharp tongue pulled her attention to her. “The recruits are assembled in the main mess hall. Akande is waiting for you and he is getting impatient.” 

Moira looked at the clock above the far wall and stood up quickly. “Yes,” she straightened herself out and grabbed the locked metal box that sat on her desk. “I lost track of time.” She didn’t remember falling asleep, she surmised that she passed out from exhaustion, again.

Sombra shrugged. “I’ll watch Hana for you,” she took the spot in the chair and pulled her laptop out, which until now had been neatly tucked under her arm. “I’ll let you know if anything changes.” 

Before she left, Moira paused and gazed over to Hana. Up close the girl looked more like a precious doll, untouched by grips of age and yet, so harrowed by sorrow and pain that could take up twice as many lifetimes. Moira reached over to the bedside table where the music box sat mute. She turned it on, the haunting melody mixing with the electronic beeps of the heart monitor. 

Moira faded out of the medical wing and down the hallway to the mess hall. Weeks she had spent toiling over the nanite serum, deconstructing it and replicating it so that this very moment could happen. With a deep breath she pushed past the doors of the mess hall. The room was filled with their recruits. Teenagers with faces so unmarred by the scars of senescence gazed at her in awe. 

Akande looked at her from where he stood in the center of the room. “Glad you could join us, doctor.” Even though his tone dripped with sarcasm, he smiled with exhilaration for what was to come. 

Moira held her head high as she strode into the room with her hands folded neatly behind her back. “I do not want to disappoint.” 

Akande addressed the room; “recruits!” He began settling the murmurs and thrusting the room into silence. “The time has come to put your training to use. As some of you may know, for three years we have been preparing for this moment. Each of you have worked tirelessly and now you will be rewarded with abilities that your fellow man could only dream of. You are the pioneers of the next step of evolution. A new world order!” The room erupted in triumphant cheers from the brainwashed soldiers. Each of them with names Moira didn’t bother to remember and lives she had taken away. But Moira could not dwell on such matters. If humanity were to progress  there must be martyrs for the cause. 

“Line up in a single-file line.” Moira ordered as she unlocked the metal box and sat in on a nearby empty table. The inside glowed with a golden light coming from a large ampule filled with the nanite serum. Gingerly, she picked it up and broke the glass off the top and pulled out the first syringe. 

The recruits stood silent and at attention like the finest military troop. Moira made quick glances over the faces of the children whose names she found pointless to memorize. She injected each one with the nanite serum that she had spent so long in decoding. Each young adult that received it thanked her before heading back to their quarters. Moira had almost lost count of how many perfectly reconditioned mindless soldiers they now had. 

“I am pleased with what we have accomplished here, Doctor O’Deorian.” Akande’s smile never left his face as the nantie-laden serum was injected into the final recruit. “Finally our last step can begin.” He said. Moira tossed her last used needle into the sharps container she brought with her as Akande continued. “It seems your little pet project has paid off as well. Tell me, how is she doing?”

Moira felt her stomach do summersaults as she closed the metal box and locked it back up. “She is still in the medical wing, she hasn’t woken up.” She didn’t look at him as she stood.

Akande’s smile quickly turned into a frown. “You know how integral she is in our next step.” He warned. “The summit in New York is in five days.” He growled at her.

Moira scowled, “I am well aware, Akande.” She snapped as she packed up her things. 

Akande didn’t take well to her retort and his frown deepened. He positioned himself uncomfortably close to her. “Then fix it, Moira.” He ordered and left her. 

—-

Sombra preferred to listen to music while she hacked. She would never admit that she quite enjoyed Lúcio’s last album. It kept her focused as she designed the little Trojan virus to slip into the UN’s top-of-the-line security system. So focused she was, she didn’t notice the figure on the bed begin to stir. 

Hana lazily opened her eyes to take in the sterile white walls of the medical wing. Immediately, she was vividly reminded of her hospital stay in Busan. The assaulting smell of antiseptic, the bright sterile lights, the starchy sheets against her skin, and the loud mechanical dinging of the heart monitor were so amplified they assaulted all of her senses at once. Hana grabbed at her head, clenched her eyes shut and whimpered.

It was that whimpering that made it through Sombra’s headphones and she looked up to see Hana curled in the fetal position in the bed. She almost threw her laptop down and raced over to the side of the bed. “Dios Mio! Hana, you’re awake!” She didn't want to admit how relieved she felt seeing the girl awake.

“Sombra...everything…hurts…” Hana muttered. “Make it stop…” Hana pleaded, her voice breaking. 

Sombra tried her best to comfort the girl. “Hey, it’s alright. You had a seizure after Moira injected you with the nanite serum.” Sombra kept her voice soft, seeing how much pain Hana was in physically hurt her. “You’ve been unconscious for a few days now. We didn’t know when you would wake up.” Sombra bit her lip, biting back her own emotions. “I’ll go get Moira.” She stood suddenly and turned to the door when she felt a vice-like grip on her arm, stopping her. 

“No!” Hana protested. “Don’t leave.”

Sombra turned to look at the girl and ask why but her breath caught in her throat. Hana’s usually dark brown eyes now glimmered in the light. Her irises shimmered bright gold. The same color as the nanite serum that now coursed through her veins. Sombra was at a loss for words as she stared at the girl. 

Hana looked at where she held Sombra’s arm, she could already see a bruise begin to form and she quickly let go. “What’s happening to me?” Hana’s voice cracked as she looked at her hand, baffled at the strength she now possessed. 

“I…I don’t know.” Sombra answered once she found her voice. 

As if on cue, Moira stormed into the medical wing, still seething from her encounter with Akande. Upon seeing Hana awake, her demeanor completely changed. She dropped the metal box and it clattered to the floor before she faded over to Hana’s bedside. “Hana! Thank the Gods you are awake!” Moira sounded genuinely grateful as she caressed Hana’s cheek maternally before hugging her. 

Hana didn’t reciprocate and instead her posture stiffened. “Moira? What’s happening to me?” She asked, fear lacing her voice. “Everything is so…sharp.” Her golden eyes were wide as she stared at the scientist. 

Moira hummed gently as she looked Hana in the eyes. “It seems the nanites have not only used their restorative properties on you, but you now possess heightened senses as well.” Moira’s wicked smile filled her face as she caressed Hana’s face gently. “Welcome to your new life.” The scientist couldn’t contain her excitement at her life’s work coming to fruition. 

Sombra felt her heart beat in her ears and she felt her mouth go dry as she squeaked out, “I…I should go…” She quickly grabbed her computer and raced out of the room. She navigated down the hallways of the Havana base with one clear destination in mind. She burst into the recreation room where Amélie, Siebren, and Gabriel were lounging. 

Amélie was the first to look up and upon seeing the wild look on Sombra’s face she set the book she was reading down. “I take it Hana has woken up?” She asked. 

Sombra nodded, “it’s worse than we feared.” She absentmindedly grabbed at the bruise that was forming on her forearm. 

Gabriel grunted from his dark spot in the corner. “What else were we expecting? You know as well as I do that there is no stopping her.”

“He is right,” Siebren spoke solemnly. “Hana is one of us now…” He muttered forlornly. 

Sombra looked at the group of outcasts. “It doesn't bother you that Moira’s doing the same thing to Hana as she did to you?” She asked, exasperated. A silence fell over the room as the three looked at each other, unsure of how to answer that question. “Fine then,” Sombra growled, a sense of resolve filled her. “I will deal with this myself.” She stormed out of the room. 

Chapter Text

Can we pretend to leave and then

We'll meet again

When both our cars collide?

~My Chemical Romance

—-

Ever since the original Overwatch, it was customary after a big victory to go out drinking. It was a sacred tradition that Reinhardt wanted preserved during this new iteration of Overwatch. After the day they had fighting back Talon’s offenses in the streets of Circuit Royal, Fareeha thought they all deserved it. It was Lena’s turn to pick the bar they went to so of course she opted for the most touristy and gimmicky one she could find. 

At least the shark tank was cool. 

Fareeha mused as she found herself sitting at the table, finishing off her drink and simply enjoying the time they were still alive. Baptiste and Zenyatta did a great job of patching wounds and no one was seriously hurt, which was always a relief. Fareeha scanned the bar for her strike team, keeping a watchful eye on everyone. Baptiste was on the dancefloor, what was the English phrase? Cutting a rug. Fareeha chuckled as she watched several people swoon over him and his dance moves. 

Zenyatta, not wanting to be left out, watched from the sidelines. Though he too got a few flirty looks in his direction from both omnic and human alike, he kindly turned them all down. Lena stumbled over from the bar with a few more drinks. Her metabolism was almost as fast as she was, so even though she could drink twice as much as them, she would really only be tipsy. 

“Oi, you havin’ fun?” She asked as she set another drink in front of Fareeha. 

The older woman nodded and looked at the drink. “What is this one?” She made the mistake of letting Lena order drinks, the woman had a very eclectic taste in liquor. Fareeha took a few sips and regretted it immediately as the alcohol burned her throat on the way down.

“Oh it’s the house special, some kinda Long Island Iced Tea.” Lena explained before taking several gulps of her drink without being phased. “I got one for Baptiste but he seems preoccupied.” She pointed to where Baptiste was out dancing, “and Hana, but…I don’t know where she is.” Lena looked around.

“I thought she was with you?” Suddenly, Fareeha was stone-cold sober. 

Lena shook her head, a worried pit forming in the base of her stomach as well. “No, she said she was going to the bathroom, I haven’t seen her.” 

Fareeha stood up abruptly, every worst-case-scenario going through her head. She was known to be one of the most level-headed of their group so it was rare that Fareeha panicked. However, they were in a foreign country and everyone’s safety ultimately fell on her shoulders. “Get Zenyatta, fan out. Find her.” She ordered before trudging to the dance-floor and grabbed Baptiste by the arm, dragging him off.

“Hey!” The man protested but his tone quickly changed when he saw the look on Fareeha's face. “What’s wrong?” 

“Have you seen Hana?” Fareeha asked, the narrator of one of Angela’s true crime documentaries played in her head. Hana, with her celebrity status could easily be taken by some psycho stalker or anyone with bad intentions and a lust for ransom money. 

“I thought she was with you.” Baptiste’s eyes went wide as he too began to worry. Fareeha looked around at the crowd of people, looking for anyone who looked slightly sketchy. If she had to shut the whole place down and interrogate every last one of them, she would.  

It was Lena’s furious waving that caught her attention, “over here!” She called. Fareeha and Baptiste rushed over to an area near the restrooms where there were several games. Pinball, old-school arcade games, and claw machines with prizes. There, so drunk she was using the machine to hold herself up, was Hana. She was furiously focused on winning at a claw-machine game. Her considerable hand-eye coordination was severely hindered by the alcohol.

“Oh Hana, thank the Gods,” Fareeha felt a wave of relief wash over her seeing their youngest member was safe.

“What are you doing, Hana?” Zenyatta asked as he noticed she hadn’t broken eye-contact with the machine. 

“I haveta get it…” Hana muttered under her breath, not blinking as she fed another credit into the machine. “It’s a rare Pachimari with a defect in the third tentacle, see it?” She pointed through the glass at her coveted prize. “I need it.”

The other four leaned in, trying to decipher what Hana was talking about and why it was so important. “How much have you spent on that thing?” Baptiste asked. 

“Dunno, 300?” Hana slurred as she took the controls again. 

“300 credits?!” Lena gasped. Hana shrugged, unphased by the amount of money. Instead she concentrated on the game. She dropped the claw and managed to snag a tentacle, the Pachimari raised in the air and wavered as the claw redirected. Everyone held on with bated breath as the claw moved ever so slowly to the left. 

Then the Pachimari fell out of the claw’s grasp and back into the pile. 

“씨발새끼!” Hana cursed and kicked the machine furiously. “I swear I will break this stupid machine!” She yelled in a drunken temper tantrum as she hit the glass with her fists.

Fareeha was not going to be responsible for any more damaged property and terrible financial decisions. “Okay, that’s enough.” She wrapped her arms around Hana’s midsection and easily lifted her off the ground and pulled her off of the machine. 

“Fareeha!” Hana screamed and thrashed violently in her arms. “Let me go!”

“We’re going back to basecamp.” Fareeha tightened her grip on Hana as the girl wiggled.

“I will NOT REST until I have the Pachimari safe in my arms!!!” Hana screeched as Fareeha carried her back through the bar. Hana slurring every curse word she could think of and causing a scene. 

“It’s okay!” Baptiste sheepishly announced as they made their exit. People were staring at the five of them with confused and concerned expressions. “We know her!” 

—

Turbulence awoke Fareeha from sleep. 

She always had trouble sleeping during long flights. She was never comfortable and every bump and turn had her on high alert for a possible air attack. Still, even with the lights in the ORCA dimmed she could tell that everyone else on this special assignment was still asleep. Fareeha sighed and rubbed her eyes. What time was it? She looked at her watch. They had been in the air for three hours which meant they were due to land in New York for another four. 

This was probably the most important mission in recent memory and thus, everyone was required to go. Since the influx of new recruits, Torbjörn had to redesign the interior of the cabin to accommodate more people, almost every seat was filled.

Every seat but one. Inscribed on the jumpseat directly across from Fareeha was the name H.Song. Chip crumbs and soda stains still littered the area around it. Looking at it sent sharp needles of pain into her heart. In her mind she saw Hana, the young girl invested in one of her video-games as she was wont to do instead of sleeping.

She couldn’t bear to look at it anymore. With a sigh, Fareeha unbuckled herself and got up. She took a second to stretch, hearing her bones crack. She then climbed the stairs that separated the pilot deck from the fuselage. 

Lena was playing on her phone when Fareeha sat down next to her. The Brit was startled a bit at the sudden intrusion. “Oi luv, you don’t have to relieve me for another hour and a half.” Lena said in her cockney accent as she put her phone away.

Fareeha shrugged. “I couldn’t sleep.” She said half-truthfully as she strapped herself into the co-pilot’s chair. 

Lena was quiet for a moment as she stared at Fareeha. She knew there was more that the Egyptian wasn’t telling her but it wasn’t her place to push the issue. Instead, she changed the subject. “What do you think is going to happen tomorrow?” She asked. 

“At the summit?” Fareeha looked away from the controls to face the younger woman. “Who knows really.” She shrugged. “It seemed that the UN was willing to look the other way when it came to Overwatch’s operations. But now with Null Sector ramping up again and Talon largely unheard of, I wouldn’t be surprised if they repeal the PETRAS act all together.”

Lena hummed as her gaze turned out the cockpit window to the stars outside. Faintly, Fareeha could make out unshed tears in her eyes. “I’ve heard rumors that South Korea won’t sign a repeal. They blame Overwatch for what happened to Hana.”

Fareeha sighed and stared at the controls, “I know, I’ve read the articles. That is all just conjecture.” She answered before casting a glance behind her to the full fuselage. “And no one blames themselves for what happened more than Angela.”

Lena paused and kept her voice low, “How is she doing, anyway? Now that everyone knows what happened in Busan…” Lena followed Fareeha’s gaze to where Angela was asleep in a corner.

Fareeha turned back to Lena. “Now that the cat is out of the box…” She began.

“Bag,” Lena interrupted. “The English phrase is “cat is out of the bag” luv.” 

“Whatever.” Fareeha rolled her eyes. “Now that we all know how far Angela went to save Hana’s life, things are…different between us.” She admitted.

Lena hummed, “kinda like yer not sure what all she’s hidin’ from ya?” Fareeha looked sincere and nodded. Lena continued, “but yer also not sure how this changes the dynamic between the three of ya. If Hana wants anything to do with not only Angie, but by extension, you as well.” Lena tapped her chin in thought. “Considerin’ yer own mum isn’t really any contender for the “mother of the year” award you don’t have much of a basis to go on. Not like there is any manual for this.” 

Fareeha stared at Lena with her eyes wide and her jaw agape. It was like the Brit had read her mind.. “How did you…?” She couldn’t even finish her sentence before Lena snickered.

“I notice a lot more than people give me credit for, luv.” 

—-

It was 9am local time when the ORCA landed in New York.

“Alright,” Winston stood on the level just above the main fuselage. He looked over every new and recalled Overwatch agent with pride in his chest. “When we land we’ll be escorted directly to the UN’s headquarters.” He announced. “There will be a short meet and greet with the delegates and then the summit will begin at 01000 hours. Any questions?” 

Jamie’s hand shot up from the back. “When will we get breakfast?” 

Winston rolled his eyes, “there will be hor d'oeuvres at the meet and greet. Any other questions?” 

Jamie’s hand shot up again, “when can we get out of these itchy suits?” He asked, tugging at the collar of his dress blues. Everyone was required to wear the official Overwatch suit for this event. Even Bastion had adornments attached to him courtesy of Satya. 

“When you shut your mouth.” Zarya snapped back at Jamie. The Australian Bombardier opened his mouth to fire back a retort but thankfully Lena interjected from the cockpit. 

“I suggest bucklin’ in luvs! We’re approachin’ the airport!” She called. 

In all honesty, Fareeha wasn’t expecting much of a welcoming committee when they landed. She was surprised to see a rather sizable limousine waiting for them. Even more surprising was the large group of people who waited for them. As the doors to the ORCA opened Fareeha got a better look at the crowd that greeted them. 

It was evident there were two sides, those that supported Overwatch coming back, and those that didn’t. Between them was a runway carpet leading to the limousine. To Fareeha it might as well have been a canyon separating the two ideologies. 

She quickly found Angela and stood to her right, between her and the angry crowd that shouted hurtful things. “Overwatch should stay gone!” One yelled. “The world doesn't need you!” Shouted another. “You’re just a bunch of washed-up has-beens!” A woman screamed. “It’s because of you Hana Song is dead!” 

The last one made Fareeha’s blood run cold. She turned to find the son-of-a-bitch who said that and deck him square in the face. However, before she could, she felt a lithe hand on her arm pull her back. Fareeha looked at Angela and all of the rage in her chest disintegrated.

The doctor’s eyes shimmered with unshed tears. “Maybe they’re right…” She murmured. 

“No.” Fareeha draped her arm over the doctor’s shoulder and ushered her forward. “We know the truth, the world needs Overwatch. Hana needs Overwatch.” She said as they got into the car to take them to the United Nations Headquarters. As the car drove off, leaving behind both detractors and supporters alike a thought remained in Fareeha’s mind. Maybe it was better that the public thought Hana dead, because the truth was far worse. 

—-

“My father once told me,” Winston began his speech. All of Overwatch was behind him in the grand hall. Delegates from countries all over the world sat before them, several television cameras and news reporters were all fixated on them. “Never accept the world for what it appears to be, dare to see it for what it could be. As we gather here to discuss the repeal of the PETRAS act I implore you, think of what the world could be. As the second Omnic Crisis rages around us, the world looks to you as leaders of this global community for help. In being here today, we are offering a life line. A joint venture between some of the greatest minds the world has to offer to finally put a stop to this. So that your children, and your children’s children can know peace.”

It was brief but it got the point across. Winston sat back down in his chair as one of the United States senators took the podium. “With opening statements finished, we will now open the floor to questions.” He said, almost every hand shot up. 

“If we repeal the PETRAS act,” Spoke the delegate from France. “Who is to say it won’t end up like last time?” 

Fareeha looked at her mother and Jack. Both had their faces covered, Jack in his visor and Ana in her Bastet mask. They weren't ready for the world to know who they were yet. Winston cleared his throat and got back up to the podium. “While we still mourn the loss of Ana Amari, Jack Morrison, and Gabriel Reyes,” To her left, Fareeha could see Reinhardt shift uncomfortably in his seat. “We vow to be transparent and participate in as many UN meetings as possible so that nothing like what happened in Zürich will ever happen again.”

“And what of humanitarian aid?” Spoke the delegate from Ukraine. “With the omniums up and running again thousands of people are without homes and stable sources of food and water. What can Overwatch do about that?”

“We have some of the brightest minds working for us. We will have an entire humanitarian section just focused on relaying aid to those in need. Not just those affected directly by the Omnic Crisis but those affected by natural and man-made disasters as well.” Winston replied. Each answer seemed carefully scripted. 

“Mr. Winston.” The delegate from the United States stood. “You have quite the roster sitting behind you. If I’m not mistaken, some of your members have quite the bounty on their heads. Care to explain how you intend to harbor criminals in your court?” 

Winston cleared his throat. The questions were getting tougher now. “We would request amnesty for those involved. We would work to repay the debt they owe.” 

“How do you intend to get funding for these programs?” the delegate from China stood. 

“Private donations as well as grants.” Winston replied. Every question that was thrown his way he had an answer to. Fareeha was quite impressed as she watched, glad it was him answering questions and not her. It seemed like hours they were questioned, it felt more like an interrogation than a discussion. Finally the senator from before took the podium again. 

“We have time for one last question.” He announced. 

The delegate from South Korea stood. “For the past year and a half you operated in violation of the PETRAS act in secret. While I cannot speak for the private citizens involved in the decision making, ultimately you were entrusted with the life of one of our country’s finest heroes. A trust that was broken when she went missing and presumed dead during an undercover mission of all things.” The delegate glared daggers and Fareeha felt her heart sink to her feet. Next to her, Angela slumped further down into her seat. “How can we trust you to protect innocent citizens when you can’t even protect your own?” 

Silence fell over the entire assembly hall. Fareeha wanted to stand up and scream. She wanted to tell them the truth, that Overwatch wasn’t the enemy here. Talon was. That every day for nearly the last year they all have been living in a personal hell knowing that Hana was not only still very much alive, but working for the enemy. 

She didn’t get the chance to. Panic suddenly erupted from the back of the room as the doors to the assembly hall violently exploded out of their frames. Dressed in red and black were dozens of Talon soldiers, filing in with guns drawn. Fareeha leapt to her feet, reaching for her rocket launcher only to find it not there. In fact no one had their weapons, they were caught completely off guard. 

They were forced to stand there as helpless as everyone else as two large figures entered. The cameras kept rolling as none other than Akande and Ramattra stood with the dust settling at their feet. “Ladies and Gentlemen may I welcome you,” Akande’s grin filled his face as he turned to the cameras. “To the end of Overwatch and the beginning of a new world order.” 

Chapter Text

Mother looking at me

Tell me what do you see?

Yes, I've lost my mind

~t.A.T.u

—-

Hana sat atop Tokki, the mission in Vancouver really did a number on her armor. She had been up all night trying to hammer out dents, rewire some of her cockpit controls, and make sure everything ran smoothly. She was still new to this team and didn’t fully trust anyone else to work on her precious mech. Winston was kind enough to let her use the garage as much as she wanted. So what if it was 3am? She finally got some alone time.

At least she thought she was alone.

The sound of the doors leading to the garage alerted her to a possible intruder. Her heart raced as she reached for her light gun instinctively. She was relieved when just Mercy wandered in. She too looked tired from the previous week’s events and didn’t seem to notice Hana until the latter cleared her throat. “Oh!” Mercy jumped when she realized that she had interrupted Hana working. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to intrude on you, D.Va. Sometimes I get so lost in my thoughts I forget where I’m going.”

Hana relaxed on her perch. She had heard the doctor also worked long hours into the night so seeing her wasn’t too surprising. “It’s okay, please, call me Hana. D.Va is for when I’m in the mech.” She smiled as she lied through her teeth. 

“Angela.” The woman nodded. “I’m sorry I haven’t had much time to properly introduce myself.” Angela apologized as she looked around the garage. She side-stepped countless empty energy drink cans that littered the floor. 

“Yeah, we’ve all been so busy dealing with Null Sector and everything.” Hana laughed nervously, hoping Angela didn’t realize that she was actively avoiding the doctor.

Angela nodded as she looked back up to Hana sitting on top of the pink monstrosity.“You’ve been doing a lot around Gibraltar lately.” Her gaze made Hana feel like a bug under a microscope. “Are you taking care of yourself?” The question was innocent in nature, probably the inquiry of a doctor. 

To Hana, it felt like she was being scolded. She immediately went on the defensive. “I’m fine! I put in hours like this all the time back in Korea!” 

Angela let out a long sigh, filled with years of exhaustion. “That’s exactly what I’m worried about.”

The lines between memories and reality were blurry. 

Did that conversation happen a year ago or last week? 

Did it even happen at all? Hana couldn’t remember. 

She sat in the Talon transport airship with the rest of her team, prepared to make the initial invasion of the United Nations. Hana took a deep breath, “remember the mission, Hana.” She whispered to herself before standing up abruptly. She looked around to see her troops getting ready. Her troops. She led a team now, a sizable one of about 30 soldiers all willing and ready to follow her every command. “Mission brief!” She yelled causing all chatter to cease and all eyes to fall on her. “You know the objective. Clear a path to the general assembly hall. Dispose of anyone who gets in the way.” As she spoke she looked over all of the young faces of people around her own age who stared back at her. “Unit A, you’re with me in the initial assault. The tank units fly in first. Units B and C will take the flanks and provide cover for Unit D who will set up on the high ground and provide lookout for reinforcements. Any questions?” 

Silence was her answer and Hana smiled. “Good. Now to your stations!” She watched as the young soldiers took their places. Her head held high and her shoulders back she took the stance of a leader. 

Once she was satisfied that everyone was in position she put on her whiskers and took her own station. Her mech stood above all the others as the largest. After the attack at Gibraltar, Hana worked extensively to rebuild her mech to withstand more force. She reinforced the plating and made the cockpit more secure. Sombra helped with making her fusion cannons fire faster and her rocket boosters last longer. 

She opened the back panel to get in when she froze. 

The inside was wrong. The interior wasn’t the sleek black she was used to. This was a soft gray with pink and blue accents. Her signature bunny insignia was proudly displayed on the cockpit window and MEKA’s emblem was stitched into the interior. 

This was Tokki.

Hana blinked a few times and still it remained, clean and shiny as the day MEKA gave it to her. Shakily she reached out to touch the seat, to assure herself that what she was seeing was real. A voice next to her ripped her attention away. “Commander?” Hana spun on her heel to see one of her tank co-pilots standing next to her. He had a worried look on his young face. “Are you alright?” He asked her.

Hana quickly turned back to her mech. She felt her heart drop to her feet as she looked back to the sleek black interior. Red accents and the Talon insignia were proudly displayed. It was how it was supposed to be. “Yeah…” She responded, her voice sounding hollow and far away. “I’m fine.” It seemed the young soldier was satisfied and he nodded before taking his place inside his own mech. With her hands still trembling, Hana wasted no time slipping her headphones on and climbing into the machine. 

With her jaw fixed she began her pre-flight checklist. She flipped the main power switch and the familiar hum of her engines starting up. She took the controls in her hands, trying to ignore how disconcerted she was. She was about to test her ailerons when a voice rang in her head: “Any chance you’d let me peek under the hood of your mech?” Hana reflexively snarled and looked frantically for wherever Torbjörn was hiding. 

Nothing.

Moira’s voice crackled to life in her headset. “Your heart rate is spiking, dear.” At least she knew that was real. Moira loved to keep tabs on Hana, including monitoring her vitals while her plugsuit was connected to the mech.

Getting irritated, Hana responded curtly, “I’m fine.” She continued her checks and pulled on her control sticks to check her flaps and spoilers.

Moira hummed in her headset, she didn’t seem convinced by her answer. “Why don’t you take those pills I got you? I’m sure you’ll feel better.”

Hana paused and drew her attention to a small personal satchel built into the wall of the mech. With trepidation, she dug into the pouch and pulled out a nondescript orange bottle. Where one would typically find prescription information instead was a sticker with her name written on it in Moira’s writing. 

“Are you taking care of yourself?”

With a growl Hana knocked the bottle back and swallowed several pills. Now the voices will go away. She went back to prepping her mech as the lights in the launch bay all turned red, bathing them all in a hellish glow. Hana knew this to be the signal to prepare for launch. She fired up her rockets and waited with the rest of her team. 

The red light flashed and the back of the ship opened showing them their target below. The wind tousled Hana’s hair as it filled the bay. The light turned green and Hana fired up her rockets and launched out of the ship. 

She loved the feeling of flying. The way her stomach dropped as she defied the law of gravity. It was freeing. Up here, no one could tell her what to do or how to act. However, she had a job to do. She angled her control sticks and led her team of tanks to the large greenspace in front of the United Nations Headquarters. They had the element of surprise as she landed with a ground-shaking thump. “Defense matrices up!” She warned her teammates as they landed beside her. 

It was seconds before the doors of the headquarters burst open and secret service special agents swarmed the lawn. They wasted no time opening fire with several sub-machine guns and shotguns. “가다!” Hana screamed and launched forward and the assault was on. 

—-

From a separate airship several kilometers away off the eastern seaboard sat Sombra. In front of her were several screens showing various security camera angles of the ensuing battle on the ground. She panned different angles, keeping Hana in focus on at least one screen at all times.

“Worried about something?” Moira’s voice came from behind her, startling the Hispanic woman. 

“Of course not.” Sombra spat back. It was then she realized she had been chewing on one of her fingernails. She switched between a few more camera angles until she got a close-up view of Hana in her mech. She was distinguishable by the angry bunny insignia on the rocket boosters. 

“Good.” Moira purred before taking a step back. “All Talon units are on the ground.” She announced to Akande and Ramattra who were watching out the window as the ship neared the firefight below.

Ramattra stood to his full height, towering over everyone else. “Very good.” He looked at all of Talon’s upper echelon that sat around the ship. If he had a mouth, he would be smiling. “Everyone to their stations and prepare the drop.” He announced. 

—-

Down below the mission could not be going better. The secret service had no response when every Talon trooper they shot would stumble, maybe fall, but then get right back up again as if they were invincible. Little did they know, the soldiers pretty much were thanks to the nanite serum injections. 

Once she was sure every defense was dead or mortally wounded, Hana keyed up her comm. “You’re clear to land.” She announced. 

“Acknowledged.” Came the response from the pilot who landed the second ship neatly on the greenspace outside. 

Hana exited her mech just as the doors to the ship opened. Akande and Ramattra exited first and Hana stood at attention with her hands folded behind her back. “Very good.” Ramattra praised, patting Hana on top of her head, disparagingly. Hana didn’t hold back her sneer. 

Moira, Gabriel, Sombra, Amélie, and Siebren filed out of the ship after them. They all began to enter the building. Gabriel entered first to make sure that there were no other threats looming. Hana brought up the rear with her pistol at the ready. They made it to the doors of the great hall where they could hear voices of a one-sided conversation inside: “How can we trust you to protect innocent citizens when you can’t even protect your own?” 

“Now.” Akande ordered and kicked open the doors. Before the dust could settle, Gabriel used his wraith form to get inside and Amélie took to the rafters. Moira faded from sight. “Ladies and Gentlemen,” Akande had a flair for the dramatic, “may I welcome you, to the end of Overwatch and the beginning of a new world order.” 

Hana wanted to get a better look inside. She wanted to see the shocked look on her former friends’ faces. She wanted to laugh and spit at them for ever belittling her or doubting her. She wanted them to see how strong she was now! They wouldn’t be laughing at her any more!

However, before she could take a step she felt someone tug on her shoulder. Hana’s golden eyes locked onto the hand with the formerly manicured fingernails. She looked up to see Sombra, a dark expression on her face. “Go back to your mech, Hana. We will take care of this.” She ordered somberly. 

Hana’s jaw fell to the floor. “What!? No way!” She shrugged the hand off of her shoulder and took a step back only to bump into Siebren whom she had forgotten was there. The three of them stood in the hallway just out of sight. “I am not going to miss this!” White-hot rage filled the girl as she snarled. 

Siebren and Sombra both looked at each other. Sombra’s face contorted into some emotion between sadness and anger. “You did your part, now get back in your mech and await further instructions.” Siebren told her, his voice emotionless.

“No! I’m done sitting on the sidelines!” Hana yelled, feeling the familiar feeling of belittlement. 

Sombra set her jaw. “I said, get in the fucking robot, Hana!” The woman yelled and Siebren raised a hand and used his gravitic flux to lift Hana off the ground and throw her back into the main foyer. The doors that separated the foyer with the hallway slammed shut. 

With a thud Hana felt the back of her head hit the tile floor hard. For a second she saw stars. “ Sshi-bal !” Hana roared and scrambled to her feet. 

“Hold it!” Yelled a commanding voice from the main entrance behind her. Hana spun on her heel to see about a dozen military police. Judging by the sound of gunfire coming from outside, she could only assume reinforcements had shown up. She didn’t have time for this! She reached for her sidearm when several machine guns were trained on her. “Put the gun down and surrender.” Ordered the captain of the squad.

Hana rolled her eyes. Did they really not know who she was? “Or what?” Hana smirked, she was already in a bad mood and these ants in her way weren’t helping matters. 

“We will shoot to kill.” The commander replied. 

Hana let out a laugh. “I’d like to see you try.” She raised her pistol and the room erupted in gunfire. Hana fired off a few quick shots, one hit the target square in the throat. She felt several bullets tear through her and the sharp burning pain that quickly followed. She leapt for cover behind a reception desk to assess her wounds. She was shot in the upper thigh, blood was pooling around her leg. Her first immediate thought was that she needed to dress the wound and possibly apply a tourniquet. She wasted no time tearing the leg of her jumpsuit, expecting to find her leg in complete shreds. 

It was fine.

The nanites had worked quickly, and although she still felt the pain, she had no physical wound. Hana didn’t have time to think, she reloaded her weapon and with a primal scream she leapt out from behind the desk and began firing wildly. 

She could feel the bullets hit her skin, tear through her muscles and shatter her bones. She felt the searing pain as her body was torn apart only to be put back together in quick succession. She stumbled a bit but not before six of the squad fell to their wounds. She could feel the blood start to trickle down her side, and though she clotted quickly, she wasn’t immune to the pain. Hana tried to block it out as she fell two more of her targets. 

Suddenly, the world went black as she was shot in the head. Hana fell to the blood-stained floor in a limp heap. 

“Is she…dead?” Asked one of the remaining soldiers as they carefully approached. 

“That thing wasn’t human.” Another soldier replied. He used the barrel of his weapon to nudge the girl in the side.

Hana’s eyes shot open, glowing with a bright golden light she reached out and grabbed the smoldering hot barrel of the machine gun. She felt her skin burn and melt to the metal as she pulled the gun away and used it to mow down the last of the squadron. With a twisted pleasure she smiled, she finally felt like the action hero she was forced to play in a movie. 

“Who…” the captain writhed on the floor, his ragged breathing signaling his final words. “Are you?”

“I’m Hana Song.” Hana replied and began to make her way back into the headquarters. “Don’t forget that.” With her newly acquired weapon and her newly healed body, Hana raced down the corridor to the main assembly hall. She wanted to meet up with her team and help them take down Overwatch. Now was her revenge and she planned on taking it. 

She froze at the threshold of the room and time stopped.

Talon was locked in a fierce battle with Overwatch. At least, what she thought was Overwatch.

Instead of the formidable fighting force Hana had known them to be, the people who wore the dress blues didn’t look anything like her former friends. These weren’t the same people that Hana remembered watching on Saturday morning cartoons. They weren’t the powerful and intimidating figures her history books made them to be. These were shadows of people.

Ghosts.

Genji, Zenyatta, Echo, Bastion, Orisa, and Sojourn were lumped and lifeless all in one corner, having been hacked by Sombra. Since they were the only ones with built-in weapons they were taken out first, Hana surmised.

Soldier: 76 was locked in a fierce battle with Gabriel. His visor was cracked so Hana could see the deep crows feet that set in the corners of his eyes. Lying nearby was the motionless body of Cassidy. Hana could see the blood mixed with the gray hairs in his beard. He laid protectively over Hanzo. Had she not seen Hanzo’s apneic breathing she would have thought him to be a corpse as well. 

Several sniper shots drew Hana’s attention across the room. Symmetra had thrown up a hard light wall that separated the civilians into one side of the room. Baptiste punched a window, and with Ana’s help they both began to help the delegates and media personnel flee to safety. A well-timed shot from Amélie’s rifle tore through Symmetra’s arm, shattering it and the wall fell, leaving them exposed. 

Hana could only watch as she saw Wrecking Ball, sans mech, race up the rafter and climb up Amélie’s leg and bit her on the shoulder. The woman screamed and threw the rodent to the floor below. Reinhardt took this opening to place himself between the sniper and the civilians, using his body as a shield. His shirt was completely gone and Hana could see several recent scars across his midsection. He quaked in place as Amélie raised her rifle again.

“Pick on someone your own size!” Torbjörn yelled as he threw a chair at Amélie, knocking her off balance. 

“No you don’t!” Akande raised his fist and charged it before throwing himself at full-force at the engineer. Torbjörn’s body hit the wall so hard it left a crater. 

“Papa!” Brigitte stood from where she had been taking cover under a table with Tracer. Until now, she had been furiously working on Tracer’s cracked chronal accelerator. The speedster was fading between this time and another. Hana could see the panic in Brigitte’s face as she looked between the crumpled body of her father and Tracer who was fading away slowly. 

Stepping out of the shadows behind her, Gabriel loomed. He had finished off Soldier: 76 and raised his shotguns. With a few shots Brigitte fell to the floor. Lúcio tried skating towards the fallen engineer. To Hana, he looked like nothing more than a skeleton draped in tattered clothes. He used the limited healing of his skates as best he could. However, he was so tunnel-visioned that he didn’t notice Akande charging up his fist again. 

“Lúcio!” Winston, who up until now had been holding his own against Ramattra, came crashing down between Lúcio and Akande. He took the full hit of the fist, sending him flying and hitting the wall right next to Hana. As the dust settled, Hana looked at his motionless body. His fur was matted with blood and Hana could see how much of his blue fur was turning white. His glasses were shattered.

“No you don’t!” Roadhog used all of his body weight and flung it at Ramattra, causing the omnic to falter to the floor and drop his staff. The large man chuckled but was broadsided by Akande’s fist. With a stumble, Roadhog got up just as Akande prepared for another punch. At the last minute Roadhog caught the fist with one of his own large hands. From where she was, Hana could see the cracked and chipped nail polish that adorned Roadhog’s fingertips as if he hadn’t taken care of them in a long time. 

Akande pressured more and the floor cracked around Roadhog’s feet. The large man grunted and it almost looked like Roadhog’s arms would break. However with a maniacal laugh, Junkrat came to his friend’s rescue swinging a flagpole as a weapon. He bashed Akande over the head, throwing off the leader of Talon’s concentration. This was all the opening Junkrat needed to push Akande off.

Ramattra picked up his staff just as Zarya came barreling down. She had ripped up the podium from the floor in a display of strength Hana had never seen before. She had been standing over the limp body of Mei. Kiriko knelt over the climatologist, trying to write ofuda on any piece of scrap paper she could get her hands on. 

Sniper shots, shotguns, and screaming surrounded Hana. She began to feel sick to her stomach. This wasn’t how Moira told her this would go. Overwatch was defenseless. She had been told that Overwatch would be prepared for an attack. She had been told that they had been training for this moment and would be armed to the teeth. Hana had been told no civilians would be involved. She began to hyperventilate as she realized that she had been lied to.

She had to find Moira. 

With the machine gun raised she raced into the fray frantically trying to find the geneticist. She sweeped the room until her sights fell into the far corner that up until now was obstructed from her view. She recognized Pharah’s crumpled body on the floor. Blood was pooling around her head. 

Standing in the corner with her back to the rest of the room, was Moira. The initial relief Hana felt upon seeing her was quickly replaced with dread as she got closer. Moira had cornered her prey. Hana took in the scene in front of her. With a vice-like grip, Moira had her livid hand around the neck of her victim. 

Mercy desperately clawed at her attacker. Her eyes bulged out of her skull as she frantically searched for air. Moira chuckled darkly as she tightened her grip. “Tell me, what does it feel like to lose, Angela?” Moira’s voice sounded different to Hana. It sounded deeper and had a harsh edge that she had heard at the beginning of her captivity. 

The blonde doctor looked around frantically. She built a resolve to answer the woman as the life was choked out of her. As she did, she noticed Hana standing there doe-eyed and petrified. With her last few breaths before the darkness took her Mercy croaked out, “...Hana?”

Chapter Text

I've played all my cards

And that's what you've done too

Nothing more to say

No more ace to play

~ABBA

—-

Angela stared at the ceiling. Sweat beading down her forehead and onto the pillow. She breathed deeply, exhausted but euphoric. She closed her eyes and let herself sink into her bed as she tried to let the moment of bliss last just a little bit longer. However, the sound of flicking from a lighter next to her brought her back to reality. Angela opened her eyes to glare at her bed partner. The geneticist laid on top of the duvet, her pale, naked skin glowed in the moonlight that came in through the bedroom window. Her fiery red hair was a complete mess. Moira lit her cigarette and took a long drag from it. Angela sat up and pouted, “you know I don’t like it when you smoke.” 

Moira laughed, a sound that was rarely heard by anyone save for Angela. “Have you ever tried it?” She held out the cigarette. 

Angela blushed, “no!” She was shocked that Moira would suggest such a thing. She had a reputation to maintain at Overwatch. What would Jack Morrison think if he saw her smoking? 

“Take a puff.” Moira offered her the smoldering cigarette. There was a hint of mischief and playfulness in her heterochromatic eyes that intrigued the young doctor. It was enticing, like a forbidden fruit; and she wanted a bite. “You might like it, especially after sex.” The geneticist wore a wry smile. 

Angela looked at the smoldering cigarette. What would Overwatch think if they saw her now? What would Ana Amari say if she saw the chief of medicine sleeping with their genetic scientist? However Moira’s beguiling smile made her push the intrusive thoughts aside. The way Moira looked at her, the way her eyes shimmered in unbridled adoration made her mind up for her. Angela quickly grabbed the cigarette and brought it to her lips and inhaled. Only to immediately begin coughing and sputtering. 

Moira burst into laughter as if she knew this very scenario would happen. “You’re doing it wrong.” She chuckled as she took the cigarette back.

Angela’s lungs were on fire. “There’s a right way?” She asked between gasps for air. She threw off the covers and sprinted to her en-suite bathroom for a glass of water. Moira’s predatory eyes followed her, making note of the red marks that now criss-crossed the doctor’s skin. A sign of their passion. 

Moira took another drag from her cigarette. Slowly letting the smoke out as she took the opportunity to snub the rest out on the nightstand next to her. That was when she caught sight of an unusual box sitting there. Intrigued, she picked it up. It was small, able to fit in the palm of her hand. She ran her fingers over the old wood. It was ornate in decoration though the paint had been worn away from the years. As Angela got back into bed Moira held up the box and asked; “what is this?” 

Angela’s eyes went wide and she lunged for the item. “Give that back!” 

With a smirk, Moira pulled it a bit further away, teasing the doctor. “What sort of secrets are you hiding in here?” She goaded her lover more as she opened the little box. The old rusted gears turned a tarnished wheel that plucked metal teeth and a song began to play. “I never took you for the music box type.” She jeered as she listened. She recognized the melody. That night in the lab, when Angela was so drunk she could hardly walk straight, they danced to this song. 

Angela snatched the box away and closed it, ceasing the music and the memory with it. “It was my mother’s.” Angela gingerly caressed the intricate wood carvings with her fingertips as she explained. “It used to be her mother’s.” Her voice was soft as she remembered. “She was an opera singer, my grandmother. This was her favorite song, an Italian aria. My mother used to sing it to me all of the time.” Angela’s expression darkened. “I don’t remember the words.”

Moira sat in silence, just watching as Angela rotated the box in her hands. A pit formed in her stomach, she was jealous that Angela had something tangible from her upbringing that didn’t bring her pain. “I didn’t know that song meant so much to you.” Moira stated in a serious tone. 

“Yeah,” Angela sighed and turned to place the little wooden box back on the nightstand. “I don’t really listen to it anymore.”

—-

As the world around her began to focus and the blurry haze of unconsciousness left her, Angela felt nauseous. The tile floor felt like ice under her and any slight movement left her reeling. As her vision began to clear she took in the horror surrounding her. She was able to focus enough to see Fareeha lying nearby, motionless and surrounded by blood. 

She needed to move! 

She needed to help! 

But what could she do? 

The attack had caught everyone off guard. Overwatch was unarmed and she was still without a staff. She was useless. All she could do was watch the pandemonium unfold. Her heart beat in her throat as someone stepped into her field of view. Seeing a flash of fiery orange, Angela knew her torment was far from over. However, Moira’s attention wasn’t on Angela, but someone else. Angela tried to focus but her vision was still blurry as she tried to make out this other person. 

“What are you doing here?” Moira’s voice spewed venom at this person. 

“I came to be a part of this.” The vaguely familiar voice snapped back with the same fervor.

Moira snarled, “Your mission is done. I don’t have any use for you anymore. Go back to the ship and wait for departure.” 

Angela tried to focus and slowly the other figure who stood across from Moira came into view. Before she blacked out, she thought she had seen Hana. Her eyes must have been playing tricks on her. This wasn’t Hana. This young woman was much thinner than Hana ever was. Her long brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail. On her face was black warpaint, and resting around her neck were a pair of headphones. She wore a tight armored jumpsuit, adorned in the Talon red and black. However, the jumpsuit was tattered and ripped in places, dried blood clinging to the battered fabric but no visible sign of injury. She carried a machine gun with her.

As she studied the young woman’s face she was completely in awe. Her eyes were unlike anything Angela had ever seen before. She had yellow, almost gold irises, reminding Angela of a wolf. They glistened in the light like a predator whose only instinct is to hunt and kill. 

“You said you needed me to destroy Overwatch!” This mysterious young woman tossed aside her weapon and stood toe-to-toe with the conniving geneticist. 

Annoyance plagued Moira’s voice as she rubbed her temples. “I did.” She stated, sounding tired of having to explain herself. “It was thanks to you we were able to get the staff. Look around you Hana, we did it.”

Angela felt like vomiting as her world began to spin.

She couldn’t hide behind the curtain of denial any longer, not when the truth was staring her in the face. The jumpsuit she wore, though in Talon’s color scheme, was the same design as Hana’s MEKA one. The bunny logo that used to adorn the center was replaced by the Talon “T”.  The headphones were similar to Hana’s old ones. What Angela had thought was warpaint, were actually whiskers drawn on her sunken cheeks. Her umber eyes, once full of warmth, laughter and mischief, that Angela had dreamed to see again; were now gold in color, dead and devoid of feeling. 

There was no doubt that it was Hana Song standing in front of her. 

With a newfound determination and a hole in her heart, Angela gathered up every last ounce of strength to shakily push herself up off the floor. She could feel the nanties working in overdrive as she forced them to the limit. “Häschen?” She croaked out, her voice hoarse.

The air around them stilled as two sets of eyes narrowed on her. 

Hana looked at Angela and stepped towards her, a rage burned in her eyes. “You don’t get to call me that!” She snapped. Moira’s stomach churned at the use of the nickname. 

“Hana…please…” Angela began to say but the words were lost. Now that she was closer, Angela could see the deep bags under the girl’s eyes and the wrinkles that beset her young face. Her golden eyes sparkled in an unbridled fury that reminded Angela of another previous agent that turned against them.

What had Talon done to her?

What had Moira done to her?

Angela feebly reached out a hand to touch her, to confirm once and for all that it really was Hana standing there and not a dream. Before she could, her hand was smacked away. Hana growled, “I’m not playing your games anymore.” 

Angela’s eyes widened in shock. “What?”

Hana’s anger dialed up a notch. “I’m not stupid.” She snarled. “Ever since I joined Overwatch I have been belittled and laughed at.” All of her resentment poured out in her words and all of her hatred was directed at Angela. “All of you treated me like I was some fragile child who needed coddling. I am a war hero and professional pilot. I am not someone to be left abandoned, replaced, and mocked! 젠장!” She screamed, tears began to form in her eyes.

Hana’s words cut into Angela like a thousand hot knives. “No…” Was all she could manage to croak out. She used a nearby overturned chair to keep her knees from buckling. “None of that is true!” Her blue eyes desperately searched Hana’s face for some hint that this was all some elaborate prank. For a fraction of a second, the little girl in the picture stared back at her. “Hana,” Angela pleaded, “we never stopped looking for you! We scoured the globe, built drones, and sent out search teams. We could never replace you, we just wanted you to come home!” 

Moira stepped up behind Hana and placed her hands on her shoulders dominantly. She snarled at Angela, “even after all of that you still failed. Pathetic really.” 

Hana felt her heart sink to her feet. Angela was usually calm in the face of danger and a virtuous light one could look to on the battlefield. None of that calmness or serenity could be found here. Instead what stood before her was simply a broken woman. Around her, scattered on the floor were simply more broken people. People she used to consider friends. People who she used to fight alongside are now reduced to shadows of their former selves. But Moira had said that Overwatch gave up on her! She told her that no one in Overwatch cared about her and that they replaced her the moment she went missing! 

“All Overwatch has ever done is lie to you, Hana.” Moira’s grip tightened, trying to keep hold of her captive as if she could sense Hana’s inner turmoil. “And no one has lied to you more than the guardian angel herself,” Moira’s eyes narrowed. 

Hana’s eyes widened and she looked at Moira. “What…what do you mean?” 

Moira’s smile could have lit up the room. “I think Angela can explain it better than I can. Why don’t you tell her, Doctor. Tell her what you did to her that night after she exploded her mech over the South China Sea.”

Angela went as white as a ghost. “How…?” 

“I have my ways, Angela. You of all people should know that.” Moira interrupted. “Now tell her. Tell her what you did to her years ago!” Moira knew she had the upper hand. She began to use her draining energy on Hana, weakening the girl. Hana gasped as she felt her knees begin to shake. “Tell her!”

Angela took a deep breath. It was now or never. “Hana, you have to understand that there was no other option.” Her voice lacked its usual clinical steadiness, instead it was shaky and insecure as if the right words couldn’t be found. “That night, when you were fished out of the ocean half-dead, I was called in.”

Hana’s stomach did somersaults, like a rush of cold air she remembered the frigid depths of the ocean. She remembered Dae-hyun in the hospital. She remembered the operating room and a glimpse of blonde hair. All brief flashes she had to piece together thanks to the help of a spectral fish. 

Angela continued, “the chief of surgery at Pusan National University Hospital used to work for Overwatch.”

“Doctor Mina Park-Sung worked extensively on the Valkyrie project.” Moira interrupted. “She protested the idea of injecting nanites into a living human.” Moira’s grip on Hana’s shoulders tightened and her draining energy increased. “Angela did it anyway.” She tactfully left out the part about her role in the project.

It didn’t go unnoticed by the doctor as she narrowed her eyes at Moira. Nevertheless, she continued. “Hana, you have to understand, you were dead on that operating table, my normal healing wasn’t enough. I…I couldn’t let you die!” Angela tried desperately to appeal to reason. “You see, the nanties I use are keyed specifically to my genetic material and don’t last long outside the body, Mina knew that you and I share similar genetic factors. She knew that the only way to save you was to do a bone marrow transplant. Splicing your DNA with my own.”

Moira sneered, “entangling the two of you together for eternity.” 

Hana’s world was spinning. She felt her body go limp and she fell to the floor on her knees. She stared at the tile floor as the world around her seemed to melt away. “Oh Hana,” A familiar voice broke the silence. Hana clenched her eyes shut though when she did, in the darkness behind her eyelids a little light appeared. It was small, similar to the flicker of a candle. As she focused on it, the light began to morph and change shape until the same ethereal angelfish from her coma dream stared back at her. Its fins waved as if it was swimming in her mind. “What I’ve been trying to show you, Hana.” The fish continued, though its lips never moved. “Is that the very thing you have been searching for has been right in front of you the whole time.” The fish then opened its mouth, and when it did dozens of voices all came pouring out at once:

“We don’t want to see what happened to us happen to you.” 

“Just…don’t forget to write okay?”

“Hana, it’s okay to not be okay.”

“If you ever need to talk you know where to find me.”

“She’ll be fine, we all had our first solo mission once.”

“I have an idea, why don’t you sleep with me tonight? That way we can both get some much needed rest.”

“Who doesn't love giant fighting robots?

“Did you know that rabbits are social creatures?”

“Tell ya what,I’ll give you a piggyback ride back to the dropship. We’ll get back faster that way.” 

“Mind telling me what’s going on? You kind of scared us back there.” 

“I was wondering if you could sign something. It’s…for a friend…”

“I can beat you at those cooking games though.” 

“Honestly Hana, that means a lot coming from you,” 

“I know you can do it, my little bunny.”

The voices grew louder and louder and soared in pitch until they crescendoed into a singular squeal, like the feedback from a microphone. Hana could do nothing but squeeze her eyes shut as she curled up on the floor. Tears streamed down her face and she grabbed at her ears.

Having no idea what was going on, Angela rushed over to the girl. She knelt down and gently stroked Hana’s hair. “What’s happening?” She felt Hana’s pulse and was alarmed with how fast it was. She looked up to Moira, “What did you do to her!?” She demanded. 

Moira’s voice chirped with glee, “I unlocked her potential.” Moira was nonplussed by Hana’s suffering. She only smiled wickedly and continued. “The weakest member of Overwatch is now the strongest thanks to me. After I extracted the nanite serum from the Caduceus staff it was only a matter of re-sequencing the synthetic RNA.” Moira took a step forward, her dark draining energy at the ready. Ice filled Angela’s veins as she was frozen in fear. “I will admit, I was surprised by how Hana reacted to the injection. The other soldiers only possess quick healing abilities, but Hana, she was far more adept. It was as if she already had some of the nanites in her blood.” Moira sneered. “Then Sombra found a file buried so deep in MEKA’s files it would have slipped by anyone without a keen eye. It didn’t take long to put two and two together.” Moira snarled. 

“Why, Moira?” Angela croaked out, disbelief pouring into her words. “Why would you do this to her?” 

Moira’s sinister delight sparkled in her eyes. “Why?” She repeated as if to confirm what she heard. “Why do all of this?” She asked rhetorically. Around her grew the tentacles of her dark draining energy. Now the black and purple power coursed around her like an aura. “At first, Akande needed leverage against Overwatch.” Moira began to slowly walk towards Angela, the darkness surrounding them both. “Hana was an easy target, stupid enough to walk right into a trap and cherished enough that you all would drain every resource to find her. Your protectiveness of her on the battlefield didn’t go unnoticed, Angela.” As Moira spoke, the wisps of draining energy began to entangle and ensnare her former lover. “After I broke her spirit and her mind, rebuilding her was easy.” 

Moira’s power began to drain any and all energy Angela had left. To the doctor it was as if the very air was being pulled from her lungs. With a smug smile and several steps forward, Moira continued. “Hana grew to hate Overwatch as much as I did. In turn she looked up to me as something she needed, a mentor, a guide, a mother-figure even.”

Angela felt her heart sink to her feet. She looked to Hana, who was shaking like a leaf on the floor. She was reminded of the broken figure on the operating table years ago and how frail and fragile she had been. She looked back at Moira with an icy fire in her eyes. “You know nothing.” She spat. 

This seemed to hit a particular nerve with the geneticist and she slapped Angela across the face. “To think I ever loved you!” She snapped. With the doctor still reeling, Moira grabbed Angela by the collar and threw her to the opposing wall. The doctor’s head connected with the concrete with a sickening crunch. “I had never loved like that before, and you took it away from me! I was left with nothing!” 

As Angela struggled to get up off the floor, the draining energy surrounded her like a black firestorm. Everywhere she looked there was just darkness. The only other figure she could make out was Hana, still curled on the floor but no longer shaking. The black blaze seemed to part as Moira approached. “So,” Moira knelt down and grabbed Angela’s face, forcing the woman to look at her. “I took what you loved and I destroyed her.” Moira’s eyes were wide in a blinding fury, an insane retribution. “And you got to watch as she demolished everything you have ever held dear, knowing that all the while I was the one behind it all!” Moira cackled as the inky flames proliferated around them.

Angela could feel her very life being taken from her. It hurt to breathe. It hurt to think, it hurt to move. Her body buzzed in agony as it frantically tried to repair the damage already done. She knew it wouldn’t be enough. 

She had failed. 

She had broken the silent promise she had made years ago to a woman she never knew outside of a single photograph. She had promised to keep Hana safe and she failed. She looked at Hana one last time, “I’m sorry.”

The voices in Hana’s head all stopped as soon as Moira let Angela’s limp and lifeless body fall to the floor. The roaring wildfire of draining energy evaporated and they were back in the partially collapsed UN building. For Hana, time had seemed to stand still. She was faced with the carnage of what she had done. Strewn about like motionless ragdolls, were the bodies of people she had once considered her friends. 

But she had won.

She always played to win.

So why did this victory feel so empty?

Hana slowly got to her feet and began to instinctively follow Moira out the door. She surreptitiously walked around the discarded remains of the deceased. Realization hit Hana like Reinhardt’s hammer. 

She would never play videogames with Lena and Genji again. She wouldn’t get to help Bastion tend his garden or catch a nap during Zenyatta’s meditation hours. She wouldn’t get to help Efi and Orisa with science fair projects anymore. She would never have to listen to Vivian’s lectures again and she would never get to 1v1 Echo like she promised. 

A heavy pit formed in the base of Hana’s chest, like a dense black hole where her heart is supposed to be. She would never sit through one of Jack’s post-mission briefings ever again. She would never get to join target practice with Hanzo and Cassidy. She would never beat Satya in Dancefloor or fight Baptiste over Nano-Cola. She would never get to taste-test the delicious desserts Ana made. 

Who would bowl with her if Hammond was dead? Who would she argue with over the schematics of her mech if Torbjörn wasn’t there? She would never again hear Brigitte’s vivacious laughter as Reinhardt told one of his stories. She would never get to listen to Lúcio’s unreleased tracks. There would be no more impromptu picnics with Winston or spa-days with Jamie and Mako. No more jokes and pranks with Kiriko. Zarya wouldn’t be there to help her with her training physique and she would never get to take Mei on a shopping trip in Korea. 

What had she done?

“Hurry up.” Commanded Moira. Hana instinctively scurried to the door, conditioned to obey. In her haste, she tripped over something soft, landing face-first into the tile floor with a thud. Once the stars she saw faded, she turned to look at what she tripped over. Her breath caught in her throat. It was a hand, limp and lifeless. As she looked at the owner she felt a heat rush up to her face. Her heart raced as she saw Fareeha laying facedown in a pool of her own blood.

In a blinding flash, Hana suddenly wasn’t in the UN building anymore. She was trapped in a burning house nearly 15 years ago. In her ears was the roaring and crackling of fire as it ate away everything that dared stand in its way. Her nose was assaulted with the smell of burning plastics and wood. She felt the heat of the flames as they playfully licked her face. She saw, across the room and in between the flames, a glimpse of blonde hair stained with blood. Hana tried to get up, but she was frozen in the same fear that seized her years ago. Her heart beat in her throat as she felt helpless once again. “Eomma!” It was her own voice that echoed in her head. Tears stung at the corners of her eyes.

How could she have been so blind?

As quickly as it appeared, the inferno around her extinguished. Once Hana could breathe again she scrambled to her feet and ran away from the door and away from Moira. She couldn't describe it, but some compelling force was telling her that she needed to get to Angela. 

Before she could, Moira faded in front of her and stopped her in her tracks. “And what do you think you’re doing?” The woman had an unhinged and malicious look in her eyes. 

“This is wrong!” Hana screamed at her. She felt like a dark curtain had been pulled back and she could finally see clearly. “You are wrong!” She tried to get past her captor but Moira grabbed her by the arm.

Moira hissed and began to use her draining energy on the girl to keep her in line. “You stupid, pathetic child!" She grabbed Hana's arm and began to pull, "after everything I have done for you!” Guilt sat heavy in Hana’s chest as Moira yanked her towards the door. Hana knew the rest of Talon was waiting for her and she couldn’t help but feel obligated to go with them. 

However, a defiant spark lit up in her eyes, “I said no!” Hana used every ounce of strength to break free. “You used me! You lied to me!"  She took a step back. 

For a moment, so quickly Hana didn’t notice it, Moira looked hurt. She pushed it down quickly and snarled, “I sacrificed everything! I made you stronger!” Moira took a step forward and drew a manicured finger under Hana’s chin. “I created you.” A cold chill went down Hana’s spine and she turned her head away. Every part of her body screamed that she shouldn’t upset Moira. After all, the woman gave her so much. Hana shuddered as she felt herself give in. “Good my pet.” Moira could sense Hana’s resolve breaking and she opened her arms. “Come, feel Mother’s kindness.”

Hana could feel the heat of the flames from the past and the feeling of being trapped again. “...no…” She whispered at first, trying to find her voice. “No!” Hana screamed and stumbled backwards. Her eye caught a glint of something shiny silver next to her. She had no time to think. She had to fix this. 

Hana picked up the discarded machine gun and held it up. In a blinding frenzy she pulled the trigger. She squeezed her eyes shut as a hail of bullets rained down in Moira’s direction. She let out a tormented wail that mixed with the sound of gunfire in a nightmarish melody. Tears streamed down her face until the hellfire ceased and only a hollow clicking noise of an empty clip filled the silence.

Hana let the tears fall as she slumped to the floor. She didn’t hear the footsteps that approached her. “Conejita,” said a voice next to her. Hana raised the weapon to the direction of the intruder. Sombra didn't even flinch as she took the gun away from Hana and tossed it aside. She had a tumultuous look on her face, "it's over." She said, not even she expected the level of depravity that surrounded them. 

Hana whipped her head around to where she last saw Moira. All that was left was an empty wall filled with numerous bullet holes. Moira was nowhere to be found. “Where…?”

“Gone.” Sombra answered curtly. “We need to get you out of here before she comes back for you.” Sombra helped Hana to her feet. 

“No!” Hana took a step back, her golden eyes shimmering with unshed tears. “I can’t leave!” 

Sombra felt as if her heart was being ripped from her chest. “Hana…” She bit her lip. She couldn’t stop Hana from racing to the badly broken and beaten body of the doctor, and she couldn't stop the tears that stung the corners of her eyes as she watched Hana fall to her knees.

“I’m sorry!” Hana apologized and with a shaking hand, she brushed away some of the blood-matted blonde hair from Angela’s face. “I’m so sorry,엄마.” The doctor wasn’t breathing and her vibrant blue eyes were closed. Sombra could only watch as Hana collapsed over Angela’s body in haunting wails. “I’m sorry Eomma!” She screamed. 

That was when Hana felt it. 

It was small at first, a minute tickle in the center of her chest. But it grew and Hana felt enveloped in warmth. The same spark of affection that the fish teased her with when it brushed its fins against her. It was the touch that she unknowingly longed for. It now filled her, it encased her, it cradled her. 

She felt safe. 

She felt loved. 

Sombra had to shield her eyes from the radiant white glow that suddenly filled the room. 

“HEROES NEVER DIE!”

Chapter Text

“Haschën please, wake up.”

Like a jolt of lightning, her eyes snapped open. Her body felt like it had been run over by a dump truck. The world seemed to spin around her as slowly, everything came into focus. Hana was vaguely familiar with her surroundings, the smell of antiseptic, the sound of the constant beeping, and the feel of starchy sheets. As she sat up, two things were immediately observed. One; she was in the hospital. Two; she wasn’t dead but she sure as hell felt like it. Her head pounded in pain as she looked around the empty room. Her stomach churned as she half-expected Moira to be there looming over her and ready to scold her for failing the mission.

The mission.

Hana’s memories came flooding back to her like a tsunami. The kidnapping, Moira, desperation, abandonment, torture, hatred, destruction, sadness, blood, and blonde hair. Hana felt like she was going to be sick and the heart monitor started to beep faster. Panic began to overtake her and her vision tunneled. Moira would surely find her as long as she lay here like a bump on a log! With the clumsy and uncoordinated movements of someone who had just been in a coma, she ripped off the heart monitor wires and pulled off the blood pressure cuff and pulse oxygen sleeve. This of course sent alarm bells ringing throughout the room. Hana didn’t care, she had to get out of here!

Hana threw the covers off and swung her legs over the bed, she made one move to get up and collapsed to the floor. Her legs were too weak from being bedridden and they couldn't hold her weight. From across the floor she heard the door to her room swing open and footsteps enter. The cold tile hurt her skin as she laid as still as she could. It had to be Moira ready to dish out her worst punishment yet. Hana desperately looked around for something to defend herself with when the person rounded the edge of the bed. Her heart beat in her throat as she mentally prepared herself for the lashing to come.

To her relief, it wasn’t Moira. To her dismay, it was a nurse. She was young with dark hair and thick glasses. She couldn’t have been much older than Hana herself and she was obviously new, her scrubs still had creases from being folded on a shelf.

“Oh my you're awake!” The woman was surprised and was quick to scoop Hana up and lay her back into the bed. “Are you hurt?” She asked.

Hana shook her head slowly, her mouth was dry and she couldn’t form words. She knew she had a look of confusion and stupor on her face. The nurse only smiled and tucked the sheets back over Hana and began to hook all of the wires back up. She must have felt Hana staring at her because she paused to look at the girl, “you’re in the hospital.” She explained as if Hana was some alien that just dropped in from another universe. “In fact, you’ve been in the hospital for…awhile…” Hana recognized the accent as American so Hana assumed she was still in the United States.

“How…long?” Hana croaked out, her voice hoarse from being unused.

“About three months?” The nurse posed it as a question as she herself wasn’t sure of the exact point in time.

Hana felt her stomach sink to the floor and the nausea came back full force. She sat upright again, tearing off more wires much to the nurses dismay. How could she have been out for that long? Did Moira know where she was? Where was she? The last thing Hana remembered was a white light and a warm feeling in her chest. Panic surged from her gut and settled in her throat as she made a move to get out of bed again. The nurse was quick to put an end to that, however. "You need to relax dear," she said as she pushed Hana back into bed with minimal force. Hana couldn't put up any sort of fight as she was too weak and in too much pain.

Pain.

It was then that her body caught up with her and she realized how much pain she was actually in. The nausea started back up again, though the nurse didn't seem to notice as she reconnected the wires for a second time. "Don't worry yourself," she reassured as she pressed several buttons on the monitor. "When I'm done here I'll call your family and let them know you woke up. I'm sure they will be very relieved!"

Hana was now sure of three things. The third being that she must be in someone else's body living someone else's life. Her brows furrowed in confusion. "I...I don't...ha...have...any..." Her voice came out in fragments as her throat was sore from being intubated.

The nurse cut her off before Hana could finish her sentence. “Some amnesia is common after waking up from a coma, it should be transient.” She said almost more to reassure herself than Hana. “Who do you think brought all of those cards?” She nodded to the other side of the bed where on a nightstand were several cards, too many to count. Some were hand made and others were not but all of them had the same “get well soon” sentiment. “We couldn’t fly you back home due to your fragile state," Hana's attention was turned back to the nurse, who stood closer now, "but your mother has come every day to visit and she always brings more cards." She finished explaining with a warm smile before going back to fiddle with the settings on the monitor screen.

Hana was now positive she was actually dead and this was all some purgatory punishment. As she felt the blood pressure cuff begin to inflate on her arm, she absentmindedly glanced over and saw the wristband on her wrist. Maybe it held a clue as to what was really going on here? Though as she read it, it only raised more questions.

Mount Sinai Hospital
New York City, New York
Patient: Haniko Charlotte Brady
DOB: 6/22/2057

Hana blinked a few times and touched it gingerly to make sure that what she was reading was real. That was her birthday but not her name. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but the name itself seemed familiar. The nurse turned back to see Hana’s gaze transfixed on the bracelet. “When you came in you were a Jane Doe, brought in with all of the ruckus that happened at the UN building.” The nurse answered the unspoken question as she walked over to a large dispensary machine and pressed a few buttons, several medication vials popped out. “Honestly, to think so many people actually survived the attack is a miracle.” She spoke casually as she placed each medication on a metal tray next to the bed.

Hana’s heart rate spiked as panic washed over her. If she had been brought in with others from the UN building that means that Talon must know where she is! It is only a matter of time before they find her!

The beeping on the monitor increased in volume and rate as Hana's anxiety spiked. In a quick motion, she ripped the IV from her arm and made a move to leap out of bed. The nurse was quick to grab her, however, and force her back in bed. “Haniko please,” the nurse pleaded, "you cannot keep straining your body like that." She lightly scolded as she let Hana go. She tisked her tongue, "now I have to restart that IV..." she seemed perturbed and Hana couldn’t help but feel guilty.

It was a short lived feeling that was quickly replaced with horror as she saw the needle. A fire burned inside as the needle glinted in the light, for a moment, Moira was there with a wicked smile on her face. "No...needles!" Hana screamed, startling the nurse. Hana made her escape attempt and stumbled out of bed like a drunk gazelle. She didn't care that she knocked over the end table sending all of the "Get Well Soon" cards to the floor along with the heavy thump of something else that had been on the table. Hana pushed past the nurse, she had to get out of here!

Hana stumbled to the door, and upon flinging it open she was greeted by several other nurses and hospital security. “LEAVE ME ALONE!” Hana yelled, her golden eyes sparkling in rage and fear like an animal trapped in a cage; but this animal had teeth.

She balled her fists, ready to fight but before she could take even one step she was tackled to the ground by security. Hana squirmed and thrashed on the ground, trying to get free but it looked more like a floundering fish out of water. “I’m sorry Miss Brady!” The nurse apologized before Hana felt a sharp sting in her upper arm.

Hana's wide, hysterical eyes flashed to the nurse, "what did you do?” She screamed, struggling with all of her might to get up but it was useless. "What did you do!" She began to hyperventilate.

The nurse towered over her with an empty syringe still in her hand and a sad look on her face. “I’m sorry."

In only a few moments Hana's eyelids became heavy and it became harder and harder to move as if weights were tied to her arms and legs. It was getting more and more difficult to stay awake. The last thing she saw before she drifted into unconsciousness was a small music box on the floor. It must have fallen when she knocked over everything else on the end-table. Next to it was a note that had scribbled handwriting on it in purple ink but she couldn't read it before she fell asleep.

—-

She didn’t know how long she stood in front of the closed door. Minutes? Hours? She used to feel so at home in the sterility of a hospital. Now it felt like it was sucking the life out of her. All she could do to keep from completely falling over was to grip the door handle like a life preserver. Apprehension held her in place. How many times had she been here over the past three months? With Hana being too fragile to airlift back to Gibraltar, Angela had no choice but to stay in America until she recovered.

So why couldn’t she open the door?

When she got the phone call that Hana had woke up she was elated beyond words. But the dread of what was to come sat in the pit of her stomach. She was afraid that if she opened the door, Hana would still hate her.

“Ma’am?” A polite voice asked next to her. Angela spun around, surprised by the sudden intruder. The nurse who appeared next to her seemed equally as frightened. Angela could spot a new nurse a mile away. She wasn’t sure if it was the way the scrubs appeared too clean or that the cynicism hadn’t yet sunken in all the way. “Sorry to startle you, it’s just that visiting hours are going to end in an hour and a half.” She informed.

“I’m actually here to pick her up.” Angela responded, nodding her head to the closed door.

“Oh!” The nurse’s eyes lit up and a smile formed on her face. “You must be Mrs. Brady! I was the one that called you when Haniko woke up.” She explained.

Angela’s stomach churned at the use of the old aliases. It was the only way they could keep Hana safe from the press, fans, or Talon. Cassidy’s deeply detailed pseudonyms even stood up to the hospital’s scrutiny. “Yes, is there any paperwork I need to fill out?” Angela asked, knowing the routine well.

The nurse nodded as if she had forgotten about that detail. “Yes! I’ll get that prepared for you.” She went to turn around but she hesitated, “one more thing, when Haniko woke up she was…upset.” She explained. Angela tweaked an eyebrow up and the nurse continued. “We had to give her a mild sedative, it should be wearing off soon.” She then made a prompt exit and Angela couldn’t keep putting off the inevitable.

With a deep breath Angela opened the door to the private ICU room. Hana laid there in the bed sleeping peacefully, different than the coma she had been in. This time Hana looked restful. Angela felt a wave of relief wash over her as she approached closer. Even though she had been in this very position many times in the past three months, this felt different. It was like she was seeing Hana for the first time.

The apprehension that was knotted in Angela’s stomach suddenly disappeared as she got to Hana’s bedside and gently tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. The movement made the girl stir in her sleep, unconsciously nuzzling into Angela’s hand. A warm feeling filled Angela’s chest and she could feel the hot tears begin to form behind her eyes. “It’s time to go home now, Hana.” She whispered.

Angela began to clean up the room as she waited for the nurse to return. She gathered all of the “Get Well Soon” cards that the team in Gibraltar had been sending for her to give to Hana. As she did, her eyes fell on a small peculiar box sitting innocuously on the bedside table.

Strange, that wasn’t here the last time she visited.

Angela set the cards aside and picked up the box. It was small, able to fit in the palm of her hand, and heavier than she expected. As she ran her fingers over the ornate decorations carved into it, she stopped at the hinges. She carefully opened it.

Immediately the room was filled with an ethereal electronic melody. Angela’s face went white.

The haunting tune that drifted through the air was one she hadn’t heard in many, many years. With it came a flood of memories; the sound of her mother's voice, the feeling of drunken dancing in a dark lab, the hazy smell of cigarette smoke and sex, a bright flash of fiery red hair...

Angela was quick to snap the box closed, ceasing its evocative lullaby. As she did so a small piece of paper fell out and wistfully landed on the floor. With a crease in her brow, Angela picked it up to read it. Handwritten in purple ink was this:

“Conejita,
I found the music box back at HQ. I thought you may want it. It took some digging, but I finally found the lyrics. ~S.

Cara bella, cara mia bella!
Mia bambina, o Chell!
Ché la stimo...
Ché la stimo.
O cara mia, addio!
La mia bambina cara,
Perché non passi lontana?
Sì, lontana da Scienza,
Cara, cara mia bambina?
Ah, mia bella!
Ah, mia cara!
Ah, mia cara!
Ah, mia bambina!
O cara, cara mia...
Mia cara!
Ah, mia cara!
Ah, mia bambina!
O cara, cara mia…”