Rain hammered against the trio of outlaws as they approached Gibraltar agitated and hurried. A large wide shouldered omnic did his best to shield two women from the onslaught of rain. Cursing up a storm, the white haired woman struggled towards the entrance of the base, arms straining as she clutched a dying girl to her chest.
Head bowed, she kicked harshly at the metal door aware of the trembling frame in her arms. When no one answered, the omnic accompanying her rapped at the door repeatedly until it swung open revealing a dissatisfied and guarded Cassidy.
"What in the hell are you doing here?" Cassidy demanded, tugging the cigar from his lips to scowl at Ashe.
"I need help. She needs help," Ashe insisted, fighting the urge to force her way past the insufferable man before her. It wasn't until Ashe nodded down at the fading woman in her arms that Cassidy even seemed to notice the third party member.
"Is that Lacroix?" He frowned, eyes wide as realization dawned on him. "How-"
"Get the damn doctor!" Ashe barked. The bite in her voice was enough to startle Cassidy as he awkwardly shuffled aside to reveal a large looming white haired man.
"Zis is going to be interesting," he sighed, expression complex and marred with anger as well as sadness. "Follow me."
With a small sigh, Ashe stepped through the door, following the giant man down a stretch of hallways, very much aware of Cassidy trailing behind with a hand on the gun at his hip. Bob seemed to notice too and moved to separate Ashe from Cassidy's line of sight.
"I ain't gonna shoot her in the back, Bob. I'm just nervous. Lacroix ain't exactly a good person," Cassidy explained, following Reinhardt into the large common area of Gibraltar. As soon as the large group entered the area all activity stopped save a few conversations.
"Angela," Reinhardt called, drawing the blonde's attention away from her conversation with Hana Song. "Your help has been requested."
"Absolutely not!" Torbjorn scoffed, shuffling over to look at the weak visage of Amélie Lacroix tucked carefully against Ashe's chest.
"She's dying," Ashe hissed, eyes shifting from the tiny man to the blonde. "Please. Help."
"That woman is a criminal. She nearly killed-" Torbjorn protested.
"I know who she almost killed," Angela sighed, silencing the man. "But I'm a doctor, Torbjorn. My job is to help no matter what."
"And how is Fareeha going to feel about your help?" Came the next bitter question.
"She'll understand," Angela insisted, but it was clear she wasn't certain. "Come with me. Explain on the way what's wrong. I have my guesses but I'd like to be certain."
Relief washed through Ashe's veins as someone finally seemed to care about the dying woman in her arms. Relaxing ever so slightly, she matched the doctor's hurried stride despite the squeaking of her boots.
It wasn't long before Amélie was snatched away from her and it took everything in Ashe not to protest. She was very much aware of the woman's crimes, and very aware of Overwatch's stance on the matter.
"You have a lot of nerve coming in here," Cassidy remarked, "we damn well outta arrest you and Lacroix!"
"Then do it," Ashe replied, pausing to face the man she hated most in the world. "I'm not gonna stop you. Not this time."
Surprise once more washed over Cassidy's face. Ashe never gave herself up. Not for anyone or anything. Sure, she'd break you out of prison but she sure as hell wasn't going in with you.
Standing in the hallway, Cassidy blinked away his confusion and shock before looking at Bob as if the omnic held all of the answers to his questions. "Come on Bob, let's give her some space. I'll show ya around."
Dutiful as ever, Bob stuck to Cassidy like glue. As much as he wanted to be with Ashe, he knew Cassidy was right and it was better to stick with someone you knew over anyone else. As Bob was introduced to the others, Ashe watched as Angela set to work, determination etched into her features as she stole Amélie away to some secret room barking orders to other medical personnel. She had to give the blonde credit, she took her job seriously, and that meant a lot to the outlaw.
Anxiously pacing, Ashe didn't sit still for hours until at last, the Doctor emerged from whatever sterile room she'd been in. She looked tired, but a small smile played across her lips that gave Ashe hope.
"She's okay for now," Angela explained, waving for Ashe to follow. "It's a complex case I'll admit. It'd be easier if I knew exactly what Moira was up to with her."
"I could arrange that," Ashe insisted, eyes settling on Amélie who looked far paler than ever before. "I have a contact so to speak."
Hesitant, as if she were afraid disturbing Amélie would cause her heart to fail, Ashe approached the sleeping woman. Taking a fragile hand in her own, a pale thumb ran across the tops of Amélie's knuckles. A slight shake riddled Ashe's frame as she ran a hand through Amélie's wet and messy hair attempting to smooth it out.
It didn't take a genius to notice what was going on, but Angela was a genius and she knew right away what the fuss was about. "How long has she been with you?"
"You mean Overwatch doesn't have that info stowed away somewhere?" The outlaw asked, expression soft as she studied the thin frame of her lover.
"We have an idea of how long. She'd been missing for a while then reported dead. Most of us were skeptical. I presume a lot of that was your work?" Angela asked, her voice even and non judgmental.
"She's been with me seven months," Ashe conceded.
"That sounds about right," Angela nodded, pursing her lips as she scanned over some notes she'd scribbled down earlier. "Look, I can't guarantee anything, but I will help her if I can. If you can get into contact with your...contact, that would be appreciated. As for arrests, that's not up to me. Though it seems you have a lot of valuable information. It might not be the most ethical but I recommend bargaining with the others. Information for her life and your freedom."
"How would I go about that?" Ashe asked.
"As much as you might hate it, you'll have to talk to Cassidy," Angela sighed. "He's a piece of work so I understand a bit of your reservations."
"You don't know the half of it," Ashe chuckled, her posture loosening the more she talked to the other woman. As far as she could tell, Angela was good natured and honest. That was more than she could say about half of Overwatch.
"I'll send him in," Angela laughed, her voice airy as she abandoned the room. It wasn't long until Cassidy came shuffling in looking out of place and awkward.
"I was told you wanted to negotiate," He muttered, eyes hesitantly settling on the unconscious sniper. "You're not in much of a place to do so."
"How much does Overwatch care about Talon?" Ashe asked, having released Amélie's hand the moment the door began to open. She couldn't risk revealing her relationship. Not yet. They'd use it against her.
"A fair amount," Cassidy laughed, somewhat amused by the seemingly stupid question. "I don't think you can offer much that we don't already know from an outside perspective."
"What about an inside perspective?" Ashe asked, a tiny smirk tugging at her lips.
"What do you mean?" Cassidy frowned, voice weary.
"I've been in the belly of the beast, Cole. It ain't pretty," Ashe sighed. "And it sure as hell ain't good. Not with that psychotic doctor runnin' amuck. You know her. I know you do. She mentioned you more than once."
"You talked to Moira?" Cassidy shivered, his standoffishness vanishing. "Most don't come out of that alive."
"I got lucky," Ashe shrugged. Silence settled between the former friends before Cassidy gave a curt nod.
"Fine, I'll pitch you an offer. You tell us everything from the moment Lacroix ended up in your possession until now. No secrets."
"No secrets," Ashe nodded.
———
Sitting in front of the entire Overwatch roster was unnerving to say the least. It very much felt like an interrogation, where they were the judge, jury, and executioner. Still, if Ashe could give Amélie a shot of survival so be it. She'd endure their questions for as long as it took. No matter the unpleasant expressions or callous whispers.
"Jack Morrison," came a gruff voice, as a scarred man took the seat before Ashe. "Nice to meet you, Elizabeth."
"Don't call me that," Ashe glowered.
"Ashe, then," Jack corrected, slowly lowering his extended hand. "I'll be asking you questions. Everyone else is just playing witness. Understood?"
"Seems a bit unfair but so be it," Ashe sighed, somewhat comforted by Bob who sat beside her.
"Why don't you start at the beginning," Jack encouraged. "How'd you make your way into Talon? I've been told you're quite persuasive."
"It had nothin' to do with persuasion," Ashe frowned, eyes settling on the floor as she recalled what exactly had happened.
She'd been on a heist, same as always, unbothered and mildly invested in what was going on. The arms dealers she was robbing weren't particularly secure and it'd proven to be an easy grab. All she had to do was clean up a few stragglers with a couple well placed shots. Frankly that should have been the end of it. Only it wasn't. From the dust of the desert emerged a group of people Ashe had never seen before. She watched them intently, noting their black and red suits, the strange logo plastered on their chests, and the red haired woman leading them through the heat and sand.
Agitated at the third party's arrival, Ashe left her perch behind in an attempt to negotiate. She got the impression these strangers were after whatever was in the crates down below. Prepared for some type of conflict, the outlaw readied herself for a potential scuffle but that scuffle never came. The oddly dressed soldiers opened fire in an instant but instead of bullets they fired darts. Ashe's companions fell to the ground paralyzed in a moment's notice. As she looked to Bob for help, she noticed he too was paralyzed as a small Hispanic girl waved smugly at her.
"Howdy," the girl smiled. "Don't worry, it'll wear off."
"Don't play with your food Sombra," the red headed woman sighed, suddenly standing in front of Ashe. Before she could react, a needle was plunged deep into the side of her neck and Ashe's legs gave way. "We told them we'd be back before sunset. Let's make good on that promise."
"Fine, fine," Sombra grumbled, rolling her eyes. "Welcome to Talon, Elizabeth. You're going to love it."
The last thing Ashe saw before blacking out was the smug smile of two people she'd never seen before. When she woke, she was naked, tied down, and horribly cold. The room holding her was pitch black, and the sound of equipment humming filled the empty space. Head pounding, she attempted to figure out her surroundings when a bone chilling voice echoed from the dark.
"Good, you're awake." It was the same red headed woman as before. "I was worried I might have over done it."
"Who the hell are you?" Ashe demanded, squinting in the dark as if that'd help reveal her enemy.
"A friend," came the reply. "Talon is in need of a new agent. You're the lucky pick. Consider it an honor."
"The only thing I'm considering is kicking your ass!" Ashe called out, straining against the bonds that held her. A deep mirthless chuckle sounded by her ear, as two different colored eyes stared down at her like a slider regarding its prey.
"We'll see about that when I'm done with you."
Once more, Ashe lost consciousness. From there, things were fuzzy. She remembered a dull sensation encompassing her entire body, the feeling of being suspended, and some weird apparatus being attached to her face. When she truly woke up, she was on the ground, wet, naked, and shivering while the Hispanic girl from before coaxed her to her feet.
"We don't have much time," she explained, shoving a towel into Ashe's hands. "If we're going to get you outta here you need to get dressed fast."
"We?" Ashe coughed, her mind still cloudy. It wasn't until she saw Bob that she came to her senses. Standing to the side, Bob held out a set of clothes for her. "Bob!"
"Keep your voice down," Sombra warned, glaring at the white haired woman.
Walking towards a tank full of a light blue liquid. Ashe watched as she ran a hand over an odd looking control panel. A series of buttons ignited in a purple hue followed by a couple mechanical sounds. Then the blue colored liquid began to drain. It was then Ashe noticed another woman locked inside with a mask upon her face. It smothered her elegant features forcing oxygen in and out of her lungs.
It wasn't until the tank sprung open and the mask released itself that Ashe realized the woman was also naked though her skin was a strange blue color. Moving to catch the other woman before she could fall over completely, Sombra lightly slapped at the unconscious person's cheek.
"Come on Araña wake up," she hissed, until a soft groan escaped the woman and she stirred.
"I'm up, I'm up," came the raspy voice.
"Good, here." Snatching up another set of clothes from Bob, Sombra hurriedly helped the other woman dress. "Now that everyone's dressed, let's get going."
Still disoriented, Ashe tried to get her legs to work the way she wanted but they didn't seem to listen to her. Falling to her knees she felt an intense bout of nausea rack her body.
"The drugs will do that," came the same rasp as before, and suddenly Ashe was hoisted to her feet by two surprisingly strong arms.
"Drugs?" Ashe slurred, the more she was awake the more her faculties abandoned her.
"Sedatives and the like. Your body is not used to it." Practically dragging Ashe along, the blue skinned woman passed her off to Bob and the group of four slunk through the shadows until they arrived outside.
"I've dismantled the security systems. They won't notice until morning," Sombra explained, rushing over to what looked like an empty space until she waved her hand and a car materialized. "This will get you out of here. It's been programmed to drive to your hideout before leaving and self destructing. "
"You know where my hideout is?" Ashe asked, alarm replacing her nausea.
"It isn't rocket science. Now, before you leave, here's the deal," Sombra sighed, moving to stand in front of the groggy outlaw. "You take care of Araña and I take care of you. Moira won't find your hide out and she won't come dragging you back here anytime soon. If you so much as abandons my friend, I will send Talon down upon you like a swarm of locusts. There will be nothing left of you."
"Are you blackmailing me?" Ashe asked.
"Oh, so you're familiar with the practice," Sombra mused. "Look, I don't expect you two to be friends, but I expect you to at least be understanding. Is that clear? Because this is your only chance Amélie. If they find you again it will be far worse than before."
"I know," Amélie nodded, the raspiness of her voice now softened as an accent forced its way through. "Thank you, Sombra. For everything."
"That's what friends are for. If I can make this work with you then there's hope for Sigma," Sombra insisted.
"I wish you the best. Stay safe. If Talon finds out-"
"I can cover my tracks," Sombra insisted. "We'll meet again, I promise. In the meantime take care of yourself."
With that, Sombra vanished from sight leaving Bob alone with two fugitives. Polite as ever he opened the door for both of them and soon enough they were driving off into the night.
"So you left Talon unfollowed?" Jack asked, prying Ashe from her recollection.
"Yes," Ashe nodded. "The car dropped us off and went on its merry way as we were told."
"What happened from there?" Jack pressed.
"Nothing," Ashe shrugged. "I wanted nothing to do with her. I was just glad to be home."
"And yet she's still with you," Reinhardt remarked though it seemed to be more of a question.
"I didn't have much of a choice but to keep her around," Ashe insisted. "The last thing I wanted was to go back to that she devil. I didn't ask Amélie any questions and she didn't bother me. For the most part she was a ghost those first couple of weeks."
"Did you know anything about her crimes?" Jack asked, brushing past Reinhardt's interruption.
"Course not. I don't busy myself with Talon and Overwatch bullshit. While you guys are killin each other I get busy elsewhere. I make my fortune from your negligence and so long as you're distracted nothing can interrupt my profit. Though I'll admit I got curious and did some research. The two of us came to an understanding that at any moment we could kill the other. Mutually assured destruction if you will," Ashe explained, leaning back in her seat as she pondered the early days of her time with Amélie.
"So you knew you had a fugitive with you? You knew what she was capable of? How she killed her husband?" Jack asked. The questions made Ashe bristle. Her expression grew sour at the insinuation of his words.
"Don't go making that her fault," Ashe warned. "You have no idea what she went through with all of that."
"And you do?" Jack arched a brow, leaning forward. He'd gotten himself an opening and Ashe knew it much to her dismay.
"Course I do," Ashe nodded, looking to Bob of reassurance.
Ashe remembered quite clearly when Amélie finally opened up to her at least a little bit. She'd been shooting at a set of empty bottles and noticed the French woman watching her from the upstairs window. She'd beckoned her down not expecting much but when Amélie actually appeared by her side she was taken aback.
"Want to shoot?" Ashe asked, holding out her gun. She never really offered it to anyone, but she'd be lying if she said she wasn't curious for herself as to how good of a shot Amélie was.
"You would trust me with a weapon given my history?" Amélie asked, her gold colored eyes regarding Ashe with a dead stare.
"It's not like you've shot one such as this before. That fancy Talon garbage doesn't fly around here," Ashe shrugged, setting the gun down between them.
"Hmm," Amélie hummed, leaning on the wooden railing of the make shift shooting range. Her long blue fingers ran over the framework of the weapon before snatching it up and in three consecutive shots, blasting clear through the remaining bottles. "They're all the same."
"Impressive," Ashe whistled, tipping her hat ever so slightly. "Have you always been able to shoot like that?"
"No," Amélie remarked, collecting a spent shell casing and turning it over in her hand. "Though I no longer know what it's like to not shoot like that. It is muscle memory as the doctors say."
"Who trained you?" Ashe asked, curiosity getting the best of her as she gently took the gun and reloaded it before passing it back. Amélie regarded it wearily. "Go on, shoot at whatever you want."
As far as Ashe was concerned, she'd let the woman shoot whatever she wanted so long as it kept her talking.
"I was not trained traditionally. In fact, I used to be a dancer before I was an assassin," Amélie explained, taking aim.
"What changed?" Ashe chuckled.
"I killed my husband." The gun went off obliterating a pan hanging up on a wall out in the range.
"Did he deserve it?" Ashe questioned, admiring the shot.
"No," Amélie replied, the gun faltering in her hands. "He was good to me. Always."
"So why'd you kill him?" Ashe frowned, not following the logic.
"Moira," Amélie glowered, taking aim again and firing. "Talon kidnapped me. My husband had ties with Overwatch. They wanted him gone. I didn't know what had happened. All I knew is I woke up in bed the way I'd gone to sleep. I didn't know I'd been missing. When he asked me, I wanted to tell him that I didn't know where I'd gone. Instead, I told him I just got lost in the city. It came from my own two lips though I never wanted to say it. He believed me as we'd recently moved. That night I strangled him to death as he slept."
The gun faltered again and this time Amélie set it down. Her eyes were no longer on the shooting range but her own hands. Her fingers trembled ever so slightly.
"I was awake the whole time but I wasn't myself. I wanted to stop. I wanted to hold him and say that I was sorry, but all I could do was watch the light leave his eyes. I killed him and I couldn't stop myself," Amélie confessed. "Once he was dead Talon came back and the rest is history."
"That wasn't your fault though. They brainwashed you or something," Ashe insisted. "Hardly fair to blame yourself for something like that."
"Maybe, but I felt his pulse grow faint beneath my finger tips. It was my hands that killed him. No one else's. Regardless, I was the perpetrator," Amélie sighed, tucking her hands into her pockets. "It is my burden to carry the weight of my crimes."
"Widowmaker's crimes," Ashe corrected. "Not yours."
This seemed to surprise the French woman. She arched a perfect eyebrow as if questioning Ashe's statement. "We are not the same?"
"No, sugar," Ashe sighed, shaking her head. "As far as I'm concerned, there's Amélie Lacroix, and there's Widowmaker. There's before Moira and during Moira. What you've got going for you now is after Moira. You might not be the same Lacroix as before, but you sure as hell ain't Widowmaker. If you were, you'd have smothered my in my sleep day one."
Once more Ashe's recollection was paused. "If the brainwashing that took place in order for her to kill Gerard was so severe, how did she escape Talon in the first place?" Jack frowned, trying to piece together a story that made sense to himself.
"Sombra," Ashe smirked. "As off putting as she was at first, I gotta give her credit where it's due. I found this out much later, but Sombra had been disrupting Moira's treatments for some time before she sent me off with Amélie. These tiny disruptions broke through the brainwashing. At one point Amélie asked Sombra what was going on. She felt different, could think clearly, could feel herself in her own body. Sombra came clean and from there they worked together to mask the changes until Sombra felt if was safe enough to get Amélie out of Talon. Of course, certain things were noticed by Moira but nothing severe enough to alarm her too much. She just assumed that Amélie had grown tolerant of the treatment. At that point Talon would need a replacement for the renowned Widowmaker. "
"And that's when they came after you," Jack concluded.
"Precisely," Ashe nodded, glancing at the watch on her wrist. She hadn't expected so much time to pass yet it was nearly midnight. "Look, I ain't gonna run away but I'm mighty tired and you seem to be out of relevant questions. So how about we all retire for the night and get back to it tomorrow?"
"That's a fair assessment," Jack nodded. "Cole, get her a cell. One of the nicer ones."
"Sure thing," Cassidy nodded, gesturing for Ashe to stand. She cooperated but wasn't keen on being bossed around by an old man or Cassidy. As the two made their way down the halls to the lower wings of Gibraltar, Cassidy stopped just outside of the cell Ashe would be staying in. "You're not gonna escape are you?"
"Now why would I do that and ruin what I got goin for me?" Ashe asked, but it was clear Cassidy didn't believe her. "Fine, I won't leave the base. Deal?"
"Deal," Cassidy nodded, opening the cell and letting her in.
Ashe behaved as normal until it was a decent ways into the morning and all of Gibraltar was asleep. Then, with the familiarity of an experienced criminal, she picked the lock of her cell and returned to the room containing Amélie. Stepping inside she eased the door shut and made herself quite comfortable beside the sleeping woman. Some color had returned to Amélie's skin by now, but her heartbeat was still impossibly faint.
"Hey Sugar," Ashe whispered, pressing a light kiss to Amélie's forehead. "You doin' okay?"
There was no response save a small jump in heart rate. That was enough for Ashe to know that on some subconscious level the sleeping woman was aware of her presence. Sighing, she swallowed the lump in her throat and settled back against the pillows. She knew there was a slim chance Amélie would make it out of this alive, but that slim chance was worth it as far as Ashe was concerned.
"They're gonna know everything about us by the end of this, I hope you know that," Ashe mused, biting back tears. "God, I hate this fucking universe. If I had it my way we'd live on the edge of the galaxy, just the two of us, Bob, the boys, and Bars. There'd be no Overwatch, no Talon, no one we didn't want. But that ain't the way it works, and God does it make me mad."
Pursing her lips, Ashe wrapped her arms tightly around Amélie as she slept and stayed silent the rest of the night until she was inevitably discovered in the morning half asleep and fighting to stay awake.
"I wondered if you'd be here," Angela remarked, settling a gentle hand on Ashe's shoulder. "You better get yourself ready. They'll undoubtedly have more questions."
"Joy," Ashe sighed, collecting her hat and reluctantly abandoning Amélie's side. "Take care of her for me."
"I will," Angela assured, and Ashe trusted her. Straightening her clothes, Ashe realized she hadn't changed at all and the fabric was stiff having finally dried from the onslaught of rain.
"Today is going to be incredibly uncomfortable isn't it," she sighed, swallowing tightly as she ventured back to her cell and pretended to be asleep by the time Cassidy found her.
"Come on," Cassidy encouraged, opening the cell door. "It's show time."
Showtime, Ashe mused. It was easy to call something a show when you weren't the one put on the stand.
"Let's call it what it is, Cassidy," Ashe frowned, setting her jaw, "a confession."