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The screeching of two wheels against old pavement. Sirens echoing in the distance. The air whooshed around your body as your motorcycle weaved slickly in and out of ongoing traffic, causing drivers to honk their horns and yell out their windows. You could feel the weight of a suitcase nestled snug against your back, and couldn’t help but wonder what was so important that police from all over the city would be sent out to pursue you? The police pursuing you were halted by the mess of cars, bless rush hour traffic. Of course, where several stopped, seemingly hundreds more popped out from obscure side streets and tried to cut you off. Had you not been wearing a sleek, orange helmet, you would have been blinded by their obnoxious lights.A wide, diabolical grin stretched across your face as you leaned your motorcycle to the side, vanishing into a narrow alleyway, almost to the outskirts. You zipped through the gritty side-streets and hurried into the slums of the city, ignoring the poor beggars and shabby conditions that the people were forced to live in.“09, where are you?” A harsh, female voice rang out from your ear piece, “We can’t waste any time! The pigs are gonna find the extraction point if you keep dawdling!” You whistled as your grip on the handlebars tightened, hearing more squad cars race towards your location. “Almost to the extraction point—” You cut yourself off, reaching into one of your pockets and taking out a bright, orange grenade with a smiling cat on it. Using your thumb, you took out the pin and tossed it behind you. It exploded, sending debris flying into the air. Neon, orange smoke obscured the entire area, blinding your pursuers. “Yeah, I think we’ll be fine.” You said languidly, passing a large, white sign that read “Leaving so soon? Come back anytime! Grimwald always welcomes you!” in huge, blue lettering. She scoffed in your ear, but you hardly heard it. Desert stretched all around the highway and you soon found yourself weaving in and out of traffic, again. The landscape was made up of dull sand, and you could feel the rays of sun warming up your black riding suit. Your hands grew sweaty in your gloves, but you didn’t have time to pay attention to the small details. The wheels of your bike pounded angrily against the searing road.You turned down a small path that peeled off the main route, hearing sirens scream behind you. Somehow, they sounded angrier than before. The whirring of several helicopters sounded from nearby, and you were forced to duck and weave as shots hit the ground from above. Up ahead, there was a dead end taped off by yellow police tape, beyond it laid a steep cliff, towering hundreds and hundreds of feet from the ravine below. You could hear the distant whirring of airship blades, and knew that you’d have to trust the rest of the team.Instead of slowing down, you sped forward and full force, tearing through the yellow tape, throwing yourself off the ledge. For a few, devastating seconds, you felt your stomach drop as you soared through the air. Before you could freely plummet, a deep, metal airship surfaced from the gap, doors wide open. You hit the brakes, but landed harshly inside, feeling your heart thump erratically in your throat. You were thrown to the other wall, tumbling off of your bike, as the doors slammed shut behind you, shooters fending off the helicopters while the pilot weaved through the air to make a swift escape.The airship jumped and jostled as you slid down the wall, feeling the straps over your shoulders unlock. The case you had gone through so much trouble to steal fell into the hands of your employer, who let you sit down and take a breather while she opened it and examined the contents, giving you a pleased smile.“I have to admit, I underestimated you,” She said, the ship’s fluorescent lights gleaming off of her silver hair, tied in a tight bun. “But that was impressive. I’ll make sure to recommend you to some of my friends.”“No problem, boss.” Your breathing heaved in and out of your body. You had been completely alive and awake during the entire chase, but now that the adrenaline drained from your body, you were completely exhausted. You could feel the fatigue tug at your bones, but you still managed to look up at Ms. Suisha with a weary smile. She was a bright, Japanese woman with sharp features. Despite how often she smiled, the bags under her eyes and the crows feet at the edges of them gave her an aged look, not that you cared or minded. She looked kind of like a mom. A mom who paid people to steal things and kill people. You really didn’t know what she does for a living, but you know it isn’t pretty.“Sooo, what’s in that box, anyways?” You asked, looking up at her with a hopeful expression, which quickly turned into a stubborn frown when she didn’t even spare you a glance. “C’mon. I risked by entire life to get that dumb thing for you. Can you at least give me a hint?”“If you must know,” She turned to you with a sharp glare, her light smile turning into a frozen expression, making you wish you hadn’t questioned her in the first place. It was like being scolded by your mom, or something, “It’s a serum that Talon developed a few months ago—a replica of the super-soldier serum they gave to Jack Morrison and Gabriel Reyes. When UN caught word of it, they raided the lab and stole it.”“Aaaand you’re in charge of getting it back?” You squint. To your knowledge, Suisha didn’t work for Talon, preferring to play both sides of any conflict.“No. I just beat Talon in stealing it back. So, it’s mine, now,” She told you with a wide grin, icy blue eyes glowing bright yellow—a devastating change in expression that made her resemble a smug monster than anything else. “I might make them pay ransom for it, but honestly… I think I could make better use of it.”“You probably could.” You averted your gaze. The rest of the dropship looked sickly underneath the high lighting. By now, the jostling had stopped, signalling that the pilots had successfully navigated away from the feds. Deeming it safe, you stood up and stretched your arms above your head, sighing in content as your joints stretched. You swung your hands when they came back to your sides, picking up your bike, even though your muscles screamed in protest. Your shoulder had beared the brunt of it, when you slammed into the wall. But it was nothing that a few painkillers and a hot shower couldn’t fix.Suisha would and could inflict terrible wounds upon humanity, if she did chose to use it for her own purposes. Not that you cared. You learned long ago that saving the entire world was impossible. It was much easier to worry about yourself than fret over humanity’s fate. Still, as you glanced over your shoulder at her face, which was twisted in an expression of sick fascination, you couldn’t help but feel your insides clench with dread.Nothing that a few shots of bleach couldn’t make me forget. You smiled inwardly at your own joke.---New York City was quite charming, by all means. The hustle and bustle of the constant crowds truly never died down, and the myriad of attractions and sights to see made sure you were always busy when you decided to return. Being one of the most well-known mercenaries had its perks, one of them being the constant supply of money you were getting from different jobs. Most of the time, you were defending items, places, or certain factions that didn’t have the numbers to protect themselves. You often weren’t hired for search and destroy or search and steal missions, like the other day. But you had owed a favor to Suisha, and she had rewarded you handsomely for it.The sky above held no stars. Instead, it was a canvas of dark swathe. The moon wasn’t completely full, but getting there. Your legs dangled off the fire escape, eyes squinting at your phone’s fluorescent screen. Traffic rumbled below, coupled with the roar of music, the chatter of passerby, and other, miscellaneous noises characteristic of the city. You absentmindedly browsed apps and scrolled through your texts, not really hoping to see anything specifically.Your thumb swiped across the screen, aiming to head to Google Chrome for some late-night meme searching. However, when you tapped the little icon, the screen seemed to freeze. Your eyebrows furrowed, expression becoming bewildered as your screen began to glitch, colors freezing and moving in weird, distorted places. Your lips tilted into a frown as it blacked out, fading to a dark, dark purple. For a few moments, there was dead silence until the phone jumped back to life. A strange, purple skull emblem appeared, one that was strikingly familiar to you.The name Sombra is one you’ve heard floating around most circles. From what you’ve always been able to gather, they’re one of the best hackers in the world, if not the best. They toppled Helix’s firewalls, breached LumériCo’s systems several times, stealing precious data and leaking it to the public. To be honest, you’ve always admired them. Your phone’s speaker crackled to life, all of the sudden. The static noise caused the hairs on the back of your neck to raise.A distorted, feminine voice uttered your name.“Are you Sombra?” You knew that the answer was “yes” but it didn’t hurt to ask.“Yes, I am. I wonder what tipped you off?” The voice drawled, sarcastic and taunting, “I really can’t say. It’s not like most of the world knows what the purple skull is,” You shot right back. After completing a successful mission only two days ago, you weren’t in the mood to lose. “Honestly, I’m surprised. I never expected a bigshot like you to come find ‘lil ol’ me,” Your lips curled into a smirk, “So, what can I do for you?”“I’m glad that you get straight to the point,” The voice sounded like it was smiling. “There’s something that you stole a few days ago, from Talon. I know who has it, and I want you to steal it back from her,” That was a surprise. Sombra has allied themselves with organizations before, but those ties were temporary. You supposed it really shouldn’t come as a shock. The hacker was known for their moral ambiguity. Talon would probably reward you handsomely, but the idea of challenging Suisha didn’t appeal to you in the slightest. “The rest of Talon doesn’t know you had anything to do with the robbery. Only I do. And I don’t think you want them to know, either.” There was an underlying threat to their words. “Alright, alright. So you’re blackmailing me, then?” You gave a hassled sigh.“I mean, you’ll get a reward, too. Carrot and the stick, you know?” You could practically hear the smirk in their voice, “Anyways, I want to arrange a meeting. Just me, and you.” That was more surprising than anything you could have predicted. You stared at your screen incredulously. No one had ever actually seen Sombra, before. And you weren’t sure if you could even trust them to actually show up. What if it was a trap? What if they were leading you straight into Talon’s clutches? Was this a risk you could afford to take? Talon’s influence had spread across the world. There was no telling if they were watching you, if one of the operatives was living in the apartment next door.“Alright.” You said it slowly. You wouldn’t even bother making her promise to come alone. Enemy operatives would obviously not keep their word. It was a dog-eat-dog world, out there. Words meant nothing. All that mattered was action.“Great. I’ll make sure to send you the time, date and coordinates.” Of course, they wouldn’t tell the address, either. Never knew who was listening in. “Look forward to seeing you, mi amigo.” With that, the phone crackled again. The purple skull disappeared off the screen and you could once again access everything in your system. Though, you didn’t even question if Sombra had taken your data. If they had been able to completely shut off your phone, then they likely had access to all of your contacts, regardless of the firewalls you used. You had no doubt that your technological skills were nowhere near their level, seeing how they made a living off of it.You slid your phone back into your pocket and gazed out towards the horizon, half looking forward to, and half dreading what was to come.---The coordinates you had been given sent you to an old warehouse, build on one of New Jersey’s oldest docks. It’s clearly abandoned and run down. Multiple of the glass windows are completely shattered, broken shards litter the outside. The warehouse’s bricks are worn and old. Your footfalls don’t make a sound as you slip through one of the many entrances. It’s a wide-open space. The floors on the inside are cold, white cement. Rusted, iron freight boxes line the walls. You nimbly slip into the space, making sure to stick to the walls.You’ve come armed to the teeth. There’s no telling whether this is a legitimate job offer or a trap, but they have your information, so you’re more or less at their mercy. The texts and calls in your phone are enough to prove your guilt in multiple cases of robbery and assault. You sweep your gaze around and tentatively step further inside. When the lights above hit you, it happens.Several, nimble omnics drop from the ceiling. Their bodies are nimble and metallic, with glowing red eyes and red accents. Instead of hands, they have blades which emerge from their elbows. They’re machine in every part about them, but they give a low, animal growl that makes them seem disturbingly life-like, to you. You reached into the pocket of your long, black coat and whipped out your propulsion shotgun. The initial three omnics found themselves blasted back. The two that lagged behind were suddenly upon you. With the click of a switch, a bayonet extended from below the muzzle of the gun. A large hand with several, clawed fingers swung at you. You ducked, swinging underneath the swing. Now facing the omnic’s back, you forced the blade through their abdomen, earning an air-splitting screech. A bullet whizzed by your ear and you dragged the howling omnic backwards, using their body as a shield. They showed little to no care for their ally, blasting his body with bullets. You winced as two of them grazed you, tearing a small cut along your cheek and the other going through your jacket and flying by dangerously close to your hip. You forced him forwards, cringing as the red light faded from the accents in his body. Once close enough, you shot another blast at the three, before throwing their ally’s body at them. A whoosh of air behind you caused you to swing just in time to dart away from the swing of a bladed arm. You tossed your shotgun into your left hand and shot the omnic in the chest as you stumbled. There was no chance to regain your bearings as two more came towards you. You leaped upwards, grabbing onto one omnic’s shoulder. You yanked its shoulder around as it fruitlessly swung its blade, causing it to slash the second omnic across the chest, before leaping into the air. You snatched three daggers from inside your jacket and dexterously threw them towards two of the omnics still alive. One of the blades embedded into one’s head, the other nailed the second’s shoulders, causing them to scream in agony. The one that had been hit in the head crumpled over into a heap.Two down, three to go. Your feet landed on the shoulders of a third, knocking it to the ground and impaling your bayonet into its chest. You could see the life fade from it as the red glow vanished. You wretched your weapon from the mess of cables and metal, firing another bullet, hitting one of the other omnics as they got onto their feet. You whirled around to decapitate the omnic with daggers in its shoulder, causing its corpse to tumble to the ground, while the other gave a ghoulish scream and charged forward, ducking underneath your gun and catching you by surprise. You gave a scream of pain as your chin was hit by the blunt side of the blade, rolling backwards to put more distance between yourself and the enraged creature.As soon as you stood, you aimed your propulsion gun and fired a wide-ranged blast, throwing the omnic away from you and allowing you to shoot it down with a hail of bullets. Only when the horrible noises quieted did you finally begin to relax, before realizing there could easily be more of them.The loud sound of clapping hands caused you to look upwards. A woman clad in bright purple was applauding your performance, a smile that easily could be called a sneer on her face. “Bravo, bravo!” She cheered. Instantly, you knew this was Sombra. It was a striking, gut feeling. But her accent was the same as the one you heard over the phone, and the outright smugness in her expression confirmed it, for you. You had no time to be relieved. There could easily be reinforcements coming. “You passed.” She said, placing a hand on the catwalk railing and jumping onto the second floor, easily landing from the ten foot drop. “I… passed? You tested me be trying to kill me?” Your eyes narrowed, displeased at her reckless methods.“Wasn’t my idea. The big wigs at Talon are letting me handle this mostly on my own, but they want to be sure you’re good at what you do.” She gave you a casual shrug and you felt your nerves settle a bit, but not completely. You didn’t think you could completely trust her, but her explanation made sense.“Alright. So, when are we going?” You weren’t particularly eager about who you were going to be stealing from. You had witnessed first-hand the horrors that Suisha could conjure up, and you definitely didn’t want to be on the receiving end of her anger. However, you knew the evils she’s committed. She wasn’t a morally upstanding person, and certainly not someone you were close with. And as long as she didn’t know you were the one who stole the formula from her, you really didn’t care.Still, you couldn’t deny that Talon likely had a ton of info on you, courtesy of Sombra. And if they were willing to blackmail you once, you knew they would likely do it again. Even if she agreed, would she make good on her word? You didn’t have that kind of confidence in her. You were a mere mercenary against an entire, evil organization. There wasn’t anything you could do about it, if you weren’t alone with her. But you were alone with her, right now. In a split second, you angled your propulsion blaster and fired, launching yourself over at the hacker. She startled, eyes widening, and you could immediately tell she was going to flee. But you were already on her, hand snapping out to grab her wrist and tug her backwards, gun aimed at her temple.“Also, I’m going to need you to delete any info you have on me,” You said flatly. “A job is a job, and I’ve already agreed to this one. But I know that you’ll blackmail me again if I let you hold onto whatever you took.” “Alright, alright,” You could practically hear her roll her eyes, “Just don’t blast my brains out while I do it.” You allowed her to reach up, a hologram screen spawning from the palm of her hand. You could clearly make out file titles. Your name was clearly listed, alongside contacts, gallery, and various other pieces of information that you certainly did not want to be made public. There was no telling if she had a backup drive, but there was nothing you could do if that was the case. At least, not right now. You watched as she cleanly deleted each one, emptying out the folder until the screen was blank. Only then did you cleanly step away, immediately creating distance as you took the gun away from her temple.“I have to admit, I’m impressed,” The purple-haired woman gave you a sly smile, not at all deterred by the gun you had just held tight to her temple. “You handle yourself well. Don’t worry, this mission will be a cinch if you’re on board.”“So, are you going to give me the details for the mission, or are you going to give me coordinates, again?” You narrowed your eyes at her, not fond of being left in the dark.“Yeah, yeah,” She gave a sigh. “Meet us at Pier 11, Streila. Tuesday night, at 11. We’ll take care of transportation. I’ll give you the briefing while we head to the site.” Again, more brief instructions. Still, you supposed it was a step forward from being straight up blackmailed. Talon wasn’t an organization that you wanted to trifle with, so you decided to simply nod, ignoring the dread that settled in your stomach.---Your stomach churned the moment you set foot inside of Suisha’s base. The disguise that Sombra had masterfully crafted (or stolen) for you hid your actual expression, and for that, you were grateful. The visor on your forehead projects the image of an omnic guard over your face and entire body. It didn’t really seem like something she would build… But then again, most of her techniques focus on stealth. Your heavy metal boots thumped against the tiled floor as you walked passed yet another wide open window, ignoring the horrible screams of the subjects inside. You swallowed nervously and kept walking into the darkness of the corridor ahead, almost flinching when your earpiece buzzed to life, Sombra’s voice beginning to chatter.“Pretty bad, isn’t it?” Sombra sounded remarkably apathetic about the entire ordeal. Then again, she wasn’t there to actually see the atrocities being committed. She only had a small camera positioned on the top of your visor, that helped her give you directions. You’ve placed several small, circular devices around the base. When all were triggered at once, they would give Talon’s operatives a clear look at the base’s entire layout. It seemed fairly harmless. Despite having taken up allegiance with Suisha’s enemies, you wanted to harm her property as little as possible. You were a neutral party. Aligning yourself permanently with either side would cause too much trouble, later on.You paused behind another large, black column and place the small device on the back of it, before continuing further inside. There were only a few more left.“You’ll want to head through this chamber, and through the first door on your right. There’s a garden that we want to bug.” Sombra hadn’t sounded snide once throughout this mission, and that was something you could definitely appreciate. There was an unpleasant feeling of anxiety bubbling up within you.“We don’t have all day. Get to it.”Though, she was being pretty snappy. You swallowed a stringing retort and headed outside, narrowing your eyes against the harsh sunlight. A small, charming cobblestone path immediately began where the door was. You stepped warily inside, gaze roving across the wide space. Rose bushes bloomed despite it not being the proper season, azaleas clustered closer to the ground, their vivid pinks lining the path. Potted orchids and yellow Kalanchoe hung from the glass ceiling. A large fountain stood proud in the middle of the garden, hugged by bountiful, blue hydrangeas. You strolled in slowly, eyes gaze roaming over the glorious flora so gracefully assembled.“You’re certainly taking your time.” Sombra drawled in your ear. You resisted the urge to roll your eyes, and muttered a quick reply.“We all die someday. What’s wrong with making the most of everything?” You murmured in reply. She gave a small chuckle in return. “Fair enough. Don’t blame me if you get in trouble, though.” She hummed. Your boots struck against the cobblestone with each step as you wandered to the other side of the courtyard, nonchalantly pinning another device to the back of one of the statues. You made sure to linger, both to appreciate the flowers and perhaps aggravate Sombra a little more. To her credit, she didn’t say anything else. The distant bubbling of the fountain served to soothe you as you reached the door on the other side. “I’m too good to get caught.” You replied sharply, feeling ballsy. Had she been able to see you, you would have wiggled your eyebrows at her. You heard her give a low snort of amusement, but she didn’t say anything else, otherwise.However, before you could grab the doorknob, the door was swung open.Suisha’s surprised face stared up at you. You almost gasped, but hurried to realize that you were still in disguise, and she had no way of knowing who you were. “My apologies, Mistress Hitotose.” Your robotic voice rumbled deeply. You rigidly stepped to the side, allowing her to pass by. “It’s no trouble.” The silver-haired woman gave you a tender smile, and you watched her stroll into the courtyard. There were no guards with her. It would be easy to point your rifle at the back of her head and fire. But that wasn’t what you were there for. You took in a deep breath and exited the courtyard, willing your beating heart to calm down.“Warn me next time,” You hissed under your breath. Sombra had access to the security cameras, didn’t she? She probably just stayed quiet to fuck with you.“And that’s why you should try to make it quick.” Sombra’s tone was blatantly amused and you rolled your eyes this time, knowing full well she couldn’t see it. “Nothing my wicked improve skills couldn’t fix.” You grumbled, though you, heading back into the building. She gave another soft laugh, before giving you another list of directions. A long hallway with black walls and floors stretched in front of you, alongside several, huge windows. You gave a nervous gulp as you heard another harrowing scream. You strolled down, desperately keeping your gaze glued to the floor. After another terrible scream, you glanced inside. Instead of focusing on the intimidating figures clothed in white, or the test subject tied to the sterile, metal table. Instead, you managed to spot the Lumerico Label on one of the horrible, rumbling machines.“Go to the garbage chute, next. If you go down this hall, you’ll wind up in the garage. And the chute should be in the utmost right corner.” You followed her instructions and head to the garage. Omnic guards bustled through the entire area, pushing worn, yellow carts with electrical equipment. There were various, small planes and sleek vehicles lined up. Most of them were state-of-the-art, made of cutting edge technology. In the back of your mind, you wondered if it would be worth it to steal one. You spotted the garbage chute in the back of the garage, exactly where Sombra said it would be. The floor was flat and concrete like the rest of the garage, but there were lines on the ground, in a square shape, where the concrete slab would likely fall away. Above the floor, there was a sign that read “GARBAGE CHUTE OPENS EVERY DAY AT 9 AM AND 9 PM”.You reached a hand into your pocket and dropped the smallest device onto the ground, only able to hope that no one would take any notice.However, as soon as you did that, a low rumble came from the ground beneath your feet. You turned, ready to lunge towards the edge of the chute, however, it had already opened up beneath your feet. The air whooshed out of your lungs as you were sent down the metallic chasm, along with several hundred pounds of full on trash. You felt your heart thump in your throat, your stomach raising and flipping as you plummeted downwards, desperately trying to find any footing. You landed on your behind as the tunnel slanted beneath you, causing you to cry out in pain as you were flung towards a bright light at the end. White flooded your vision as the sun overwhelmed your eyes. You tumbled out of the trash chute and onto the concrete ground, rolling back to your feet. As soon as you looked up, you saw a large, sleek dropship hovering only a few feet above the ground. A familiar, cloaked figure poked her head out and called to you.“Hurry up!” Sombra beckoned, and that was all you needed. As pissed as you were about being literally dumped into the trash, you knew that you had no other way out. You raced over to the dropship and jumped upwards, hauling yourself inside and landing flat on your shoulder. There would be plenty of aches and pains to deal with, one of the largest being in your tailbone. You shut your eyes and stayed on the floor for a brief second, feeling the ship climb higher and higher into the air, “You did a good job.” The praise sounded weird coming from Sombra. You turned yourself to sit up, grabbing the visor and yanking it off your forehead.“Ugh,” You groaned, “I smell like trash. Isn’t there any other chute you could have thrown me out of?” You stumbled to your feet, nose wrinkling at the scent. Sombra rolled her eyes, but was unable to keep a sly grin off her face.“Nah, that one was the easiest,” You took in a deep breath, reigning your temper in. You would have tried to shoot a snarky remark right back at her, but a loud sound suddenly pierced your ears from inside the ship. You stumbled over to one of the windows, eyes wide as you witnessed the carnage below. The base you had just been inside was a mess of flame and thick smoke. The explosion had likely rocked the entire ground, as part of it was completely collapsed. You felt fear race through your mind and your body, so strong that it caused the back of your head to throb painfully. Your eyes squeezed shut, before you gave a shaky sigh and turned back to her. “I knew you wouldn’t do it if I actually told you the actual plan.”“You lied to me,” You exhaled shakily, turning to her with rage in your eyes. Sombra had betrayed your trust, though you knew you should have expected that. She was a hacker, an informant for hire, someone who frequently worked for Talon. You couldn’t trust her, but a job was a job. You wouldn’t be able to take any missions with her in the future, though. “I should’ve expected that, huh?” You turned back towards the window. Suisha’s ruined base faded into a small speck, the wispy smoke rising into the sky, staining the vivid blue with gross, dark grey.You felt something within you wither at the sight. ---Two weeks later, and you received another message from Sombra. It was more abrupt, more frantic than the previous. Suisha had raided a Talon base shortly after the bombing, and found your data in one of Sombra’s many computers. The record of your mission was still there. Even though you demanded she delete it, she had left a backup. And Suisha had found it. To her credit, Sombra had offered to immediately meet you and keep you safe, knowing it was her fault that a ravenous killer was now hunting you down. But you really weren’t in the mood to give her any sort of credit. Thunder crackled in the distance as you trudged down the streets, feeling your heart beat heavy in your cheat. The small, downtown Manhattan building she had to go to was barely noticeable at best. The brick walls were worn and several of the windows were broken. You managed to slid in through a gap in the fence, journeying inside through an old door that looked like it could fall off its hinges at any moment. The halls were dark, overgrown with dirt and plants. You could hear the scurry of mice and rats, but chose to pay no mind to it. You spotted a light coming from a doorway down the hall, narrowed your eyes, and surged forward. The small room you entered was dimly lit by a soft, purple glow. Sombra’s slender figure leaned up against an aged, wooden desk.“I’m glad you decided to show up.” There wasn’t the usual bite to her words.“This is all your fault,” You don’t waste any time, “You had to butt into my life and fuck it all up. Get off your high horse.” It was her fault and she knew it. Even in the low lighting, you could see her struggling not to bite back at you.“Yeah,” She gave a long sigh, “Usually I wouldn’t do things like this… But there’s a safe house I can bring you to, until we kill her. You can sit tight there, and let us do all the heavy lifting.” Instead of sarcastic, she sounded oddly genuine. You weren’t sure if you liked it, or not. Still, the minor submission mellowed out your nerves, if only slightly. Sombra could have easily left you for dead, after you fulfilled your purpose. Either she wanted to use you in the future, or was genuinely concerned for your safety. You couldn’t tell what it was, but you didn’t much care, either. This woman had put your life at risk for her own selfish gains.“Alright,” Still, you wouldn’t turn up your nose at the opportunity to get somewhere safe. “Where is it? Are we going now?”“Yes.” She seemed to bite back another smart quip. You could tell from the expression on her face. She wasn’t used to being in the wrong. So maybe this would be a useful, humbling experience for her. The black-haired woman strode over to you, speaking as she moved, “There’s a high-security Talon base in Florida. Don’t worry. You’re not a prisoner, there’s no tricks this time. And I can assure you of that because the bigwigs there really liked the way you moved. They’re interested in working on a few more… things with you.” That came as a surprise. No one at Talon contacted you after you went home.“Because I told them to review your profile, of course,” Sombra waggled her eyebrows at you, giving a smile that still looked sly, but more genuine. As much as you wanted to be mad, you felt the resentment in your heart melt a little. Damn you and your softness! “So, if you’d like to work for them… And I definitely recommend you do, because they pay more than any shoddy little backwater organization will, then I can get the papers ready. And you can read over them however many times you’d like.”“Why are you being so nice to me?” You raised your eyebrows and she rolled her eyes. You weren’t sure if she was genuinely annoyed or kidding with you. “Because I think we could work together in the future,” At least she was straight to the point, this time. No more riddles, no more vague instructions. This was what you wanted. This was what you felt safe with. “You’re pretty handy in a fight. And with my smarts, I think we could do some great things. You know?”“I guess so,” You crossed your arms and struggled to keep a smile off your face. “I need time to think about it.” Sombra shrugged and twirled around you. You turned on your heel, keeping your gaze right on her. She may be acting sweeter now, but the change was sudden and you have no intention of trusting her completely.“That’s fair,” She shrugged. As she headed towards the door frame, you could hear the whir of helicopter propellers in the background, a normal sound for New York City. There were news copters, hospital copters to rush trauma victims to the hospital, and—and it sounded closer than before, “I understand. Take the aaaaall the time you ne—” You managed to rush forward and tackle her out of the way just before the wall was blown through. The noise rocked the entire building and screamed in your ears. Propeller blades gnashed against the ceiling, the glass at the front had shattered. The entire room was practically debris. Old, stone walls had been thrown onto the floor. Lead pipes were stuck up in different directions. You had landed on your side, Sombra curled up next to you. As much as you wanted to ask if she was alright, you could already see the silhouettes of soldiers running through the thick smoke.You rolled to your feet, Sombra following suit. You didn’t have time to be glad that she was okay before she was grabbing your wrist and tugging you out of the room and away from the fire. “Hurry!” She tugged you along. You didn’t have to be told twice. You raced at her side, careful to avoid debris and spare roots that littered the abandoned hallways. Soldiers screamed orders and called down the halls and you realized that there were more than you realized, likely coming from every entrance in the building. Your legs carried you as fast as they could. Your heart thumped wildly in your throat, adrenaline raced through your veins as the two of you scurried up flights of stairs. “There’s a hover ship waiting!” She didn’t turn around to tell you. Up ahead, the door to the roof seemed like a glowing beacon of safely. The pair of you burst onto the roof and were greeted by the sounds of gunfire. Talon operatives were doing their best to fend off Suisha’s men while in mid-air. You hurried as fast as you could to the hover ship marked with Talon’s emblem. You would have made it there on your own two feet, but it all happened too fast. In the corner of your eye, you could see a spare gunman on the roof. Sombra’s gaze was focused straight ahead, for once unable to notice the obvious. The shot rang out, the bullet towards her. In perhaps the most reckless move of your life you thrust yourself forward.And it all stopped.The shouting, the gunfire, the sirens, were all dull background noises as your consciousness faded in and out. You were being dragged somewhere, could hear Sombra’s voice. For the first time, you heard her sound angry, passionately angry. Visions flashed before your eyes of paramedics in white, Sombra somewhere near your body.“Why would you do that?” You might have heard her ask.“I don’t like watching lovely women get hurt.” Was your answer, perhaps said aloud, perhaps only in your thoughts. Maybe it was a lie. But the ultimate truth was that your body moved before you could even think about it.---“Morning.” Sombra said, slowly. You stared at her across the table, moving your attention away from the slice of apple pie on your table. For an evil organization, Talon had some pretty talented bakers on its staff. She didn’t seem too happy, probably because it was 8 in the morning. But you decided that you wouldn’t remark on it. If you were going to be working together, then it would be better to get along rather than quarrel endlessly. And teasing her when she was grouchy probably wouldn’t go well. Upon arriving, Talon basically told her that you were “her problem”, which probably meant she was going to be the one dispatching you on missions. But to you, it sounded like she was just your full-time babysitter. Whatever. At least the pie was good.“Morning,” 8 AM really wasn’t your favorite time of day, either. Sombra was probably just taking it worse because of the night hours she worked. You doubted she had a steady sleeping schedule. You moved your gaze across the wide room. Metallic guards seemed positioned in every corner, and grizzled soldiers of all shapes and sizes walked back and forth, some seated and eating breakfast. “You look like a mess.”“Is that any way to talk to a ‘lovely woman’?” You cringed as Sombra threw your words back in your face. She smiled smugly at you, and you quieted. One of the guards passed by your table and you saw her expression twist into one of disgust. “I could program better droids than that.” She murmured softly, making you raise your eyebrows.“Then, why don’t you?” Maybe Talon’s leaders wouldn’t allow her? Though, given her abilities, it seemed like a far-fetched answer. They were the type of organization to make use of everything they had. “Because I’m not letting them get their hands on my tech,” Sombra waved her hand dismissively, “I have some of the best programming skills in the world. If I make soldiers for anyone, they’ll have pieces of my tech that I can’t control.” “Protecting your intellectual property is always a good idea.” Maybe she just didn’t trust Talon. Not that you could blame her. Even though they were technically your employers, you didn’t quite trust them either. All of them dressed very darkly and had menacing demeanors. Pretty off-putting. Not to mention the countless murders, assassinations and ethically questionable experiments they conducted. Still, all you could do at the moment was stay out of their way and obey their orders. An awkward silence settled over the two of you, and you struggled to grasp for a conversation topic. She seemed to be in a pretty grouchy mood, so maybe this wasn’t the best move, but… “What do you like to do in your free time?”Sombra turned to you with an expression that said “...Really?” but fortunately decided to humor you.“I like to listen to music and code.” She answered simply, resting her cheek on the palm of her hand. “Really? You seemed more like the knitting type, to me.” You drawled. The corners of her lips turned upwards at your joke, though she refused to laugh, or even chuckle.It was a step forward. By this point in life, you learned to celebrate the smaller victories.---The city of Cairo bustling sanctuary in the middle of a scorching desert. It wasn’t the first time you had been to Egypt, and it likely would not be the last. You sit in the shade, idly sipping a canteen, waiting for Sombra to finish doing… whatever she’s doing and come back to you. She was pretty easy to spot, despite wearing a completely different outfit and a boring, brown cloak. It was probably in the way she moved. The way her steps usually bounced or her excessive gesturing. It was weird to think of her in such a familiar way. You had only officially been working for Talon with two weeks, but this job wasn’t from them. It was Sombra’s personal trip, a mission which she asked for your help. You had no reason to refuse. Being stuck at headquarters without her would suck. Over the past two weeks, you had grown used to her company.You could see her talking avidly with a merchant, pointing to a few of the hats before turning to you, and beckoning you over. There wasn’t much for you to do until nightfall. Who robbed one of the world’s largest tech companies in broad daylight? Well, you. But that was only one time, and it was for Suisha. That woman could never take “no” for an answer. She made her plans without considering anyone around her. A part of you could respect that. You stood in front of Sombra and she reached up, plopping a flowery, straw hat on top of your head. “Yeah… Magenta is not your color,” Was all she said, reaching back up and removing the hat before you could even look in a mirror. “I’ll take… that one.” She put the hat back on the rack and pointed to a different straw hat, decorated with bright, blue flowers. The salesman gave a wide smile.You couldn’t understand what he said, particularly because you don’t know any Arabic. But Sombra managed to converse with the man for several minutes. Throughout that amount of time, their tones and expressions became harsher. Was she haggling with the man? After an awkward period of time, Sombra’s expression split into a smile and she slid a few bills across the counter to the man, who in turn bagged the hat and handed it to her. Her hand grabbed onto your shoulder as she lead you both away, and you only dared to speak once out of earshot.“You should have let me try the hat on.” You tried to sound as cross as possible.“You would’ve taken forever admiring yourself in the mirror.” Sombra responded cheekily. At that, you really couldn’t say much because she was right. Was magenta really not your color? It was merely another worry to cast into the sea of them. After a few moments of comfortable silence, you spoke again.“Were you haggling with him?” You inquired simply, shoving your hands into your pockets and immediately regretting it. Damn this heat! You thought summers in New York were bad, but they couldn’t compare to Egypt’s! Fortunately, you had caked yourself in sunscreen prior to this outing. “What did it look like?” She raised an eyebrow, leaving you to answer your own question. Her gaze wandered along the various stalls in the market, eyeing bouquets of bright flowers and fresh fruit.“You seem pretty good at it.” You hummed, “I don’t do it that much. It can be kind of a hassle, especially if I hold up a line.” “You can’t worry about what other people think, especially strangers. You’ll never see them again, so why worry?” Sombra scoffed. As much as you resented it, she did have a point. “You’re too considerate. I grew up haggling. They didn’t call me ‘la zorra’ for nothing.”“Where did you grow up?” You raised an eyebrow. She lead you through a metal arch, down the stone street, towards the temple. Given her age, she likely grew up sometime during or after the omnic crisis. Maybe an orphan? You felt your heart ache at the prospect. Thousands of children were left on their own after the war. And just the thought of it made you want to leave Talon and head straight into the arms of the recently recalled Overwatch—the UN be damned. It wasn’t your job to save the world and solve every problem. But goddamn, the urge to try was so tempting. There were countless companies and groups that sought to take advantage of the less fortunate. And the woman who stood in their way was walking right next to you. Her distaste for major corporations and corruption made you somehow feel safer with her. She used underhanded methods, but most of it was for a good cause. Right? Why else would she single-handedly destroy Lumerico?Busy civilians strolled back and forth through the avenues, merchants selling goods and friends eagerly chattering. You suddenly regretted not buying a hat. The sun beat down on your head, urging you to head into the shade. Sunscreen couldn’t protect you from that. Instead of cowering in the shade, you let her drag you along.“Mexico.” She suddenly grew quiet. In the midst of your thoughts, you had almost forgotten about the question you asked her. “The city name?” You inquired, pushing your luck. She gave you a pointed stare, to which you replied with a sly grin. “I literally took a bullet for you. If we’re going to work together, we have to be able to trust each other.”“Dorado,” Her demeanor thankfully loosened. Though her answer was almost lost among the commotion in the background. The idea of Sombra being quiet and serious was foreign and almost uncomfortable. “But that’s all you’re getting. For now. Take another bullet and I’ll tell you more.” You gave a small shrug. The smaller victories, you reminded yourself, the smaller victories. Rome wasn’t built in a day.“Fine with me. Didn’t expect you to tell me your entire life story,” You weren’t stupidly optimistic. But you were stupidly persistent. You would wrangle the truth out of her at some point or another. Apart of you wasn’t sure why you were so invested in her. But was it really such a problem? No matter how aggravated you had been with her weeks ago, she had warmed up to you considerably. That was enough for you to give her a chance. “But you seem pretty against corrupt governments and the like. So… why’re you working for Talon? Don’t those guys own Vishkar?” “It’s convenient and it’s temporary. Now, stop asking complicated questions. You never know who’s listening.” Sombra elbowed you in the side as the both of you came to stand in front of the temple’s grand arch. “...Are you sure we can pull this off?”She turned to you with a grin, almost wild, definitely sly.“With the two of us? We could take the world.”---“The light pollution is pretty intense, here.” You gave a small sigh, slithering through the shadows. The temple was heavily guarded, still. The moon was a mere sliver in the sky, its silverlight almost nonexistent. At your side, Sombra shrugged.“Blame Vishkar for that. They’ve been trying to occupy the slums here for the past ten years,” She informed you, a displeased note in her voice, “As much as I’d love to stargaze, we have a job to do,” Though, she didn’t seem too thrilled about it. The black-haired woman tossed another grin over her shoulder. “Meet me at the opposite entrance. Kill only when you have to.”A nod, and she was invisible, gone in the blink of an eye. You peeked around the corner, glad that the guards wore flashlights. While it would make it easier for them to spot you, it also made them walking targets. You ducked backwards as a tall, slender omnic rounded the corner, reaching out from the shadows sticking a small, metallic device onto his skull. The robot fell into your arms, and you lowered him to the ground, before continuing on your merry way. The guards clearly weren’t prepared for your stealthy attacks. You struck from the darkness and easily downed each and every one, before any alarms could be pulled. Fortunately, Sombra seemed to have the same luck.It wasn’t long before you were meeting up in the center of the temple. You slid inside, gaze sweeping along the machinery in the room. The entire chamber was alight with a soft, blue glow. But the contraption in the center, giant and eerie, was what immediately snagged your attention.“So, this is Anubis,” You swallowed nervously. You had heard tales of the legendary god AI before. All of them were fear-striking, and awe-inspiring. This massive being was alive (abet dormant), and when awakened, it could take control of any omnic in the area. “You’re going to… hack into it?” You looked over at Sombra, who had already started on the control panel. Her fingers diligently worked, wires and nails glowing soft purple. Seeing how concentrated she was, you decided to stand guard at one of the two entrances, keeping your gaze sharp and ears open. Soon enough, you heard footsteps rushing in your direction. While you desperately wanted to ask Sombra how long she would take, you knew that breaking her concentration could delay the possibility. Anubis was heavily guarded, so you had expected an ambush. You had suggested setting up traps, but the stone of the temple was ancien. You didn’t want to risk causing a massive collapse.“I’ll handle it!” You called over to her, flinging an electrical field down near the left entrance. It burst to light as uniformed guards swarmed in, catching about three of them. The smell of burnt cloth reached you as they were thoroughly electrocuted. Three out of the seven guards were already out of commission.You shot your propulsion rifle at four of the others, blasting them away from Sombra, and swiftly used a pistol to keep the other three at bay. You managed to nail one in the shoulder and the abdomen, which was great, considering the darkness of the chamber.In your relief, you almost didn’t notice one of the guards get up and rush towards Sombra. To buy time, you shot another propulsion blast, and winced as you heard the walls creak and crumble. You threw out a grappling hook and managed to snag the guard’s arm. He gave a loud scream as the hook dug into his flesh. When he turned to face you, he was met with a boot to the face. He stumbled backwards, into the electrical field, and was fried crispy.(Maybe it was just your imagination, but you thought you heard Sombra laugh among the commotion.)“How much longer!?” You called back, catching a fist and twisting an arm until it popped from its socket. In your haste, a hard, metal baton hit your knee, causing you to howl in pain and flinch backwards. You shot the unlucky assailant in the face, deliberately keeping your focus away from the carnage. “Dammit!”“Relax! I’m handling it!” She called back, and you felt the ground beneath your feet shake. A few months ago, you wouldn’t have trusted her. Funny how things can change in no time at all. You were unable to make a snarky retort before a bullet whizzed passed your face. You ducked, grabbing the muzzle of that gun and forcing the man’s arm to point towards another guard. Another shot rang out and the other guard dropped, but the one still alive howled in rage, punching you square in the jaw. “You’re telling me so much more about you, after this!” You snarled in Sombra’s direction. You saw another fist flying towards your face.But it didn’t land. A brilliant, purple light engulfed the room and the guard froze, as though levitating. In bewildered relief and awe, you turned to look at Sombra. She wore perhaps the most brilliant grin you had ever seen on a woman, confident and radiant. “Fuck.” You breathed, gaze drawn to the massive AI in back of her. The hulking piece of machinery began to shift and move on its own. The once blue lights on it were now dyed deep purple. It gave a low, ringing call that caused shivers to run up your spine, goosebumps to rise along your arms. Looking back at it, that was the day you began to associate the color purple with victory. That day, you realized working with other people might be worth the trouble.---If you started to die, and your life flashed before you in brief snapshots, you probably wouldn’t regret that much. Sure, everyone had choices that they’d like to change, horrible events that they’d like to go back and prevent. But you liked to think that everything you had experienced was worth it. You stared at the ruined rubble that was once Talon’s New York base, gaze running over the carnage. The ledge that you were stood up on provided quite the view. An eerie, purple glow could still be seen in various parts of the destroyed building, evidence that Anubis still had not left. “You done staring?” A low, rumbling voice questioned. Heart suddenly beating in your throat, you turned to greet the Reaper, who towered above you in his black cloak and grim mask. Even if he wasn’t much taller, he was still terrifying. You had heard countless tales of his murderous exploits (though many probably exaggerated), and had the privilege to watch him in combat only once or twice.“It’s just weird, is all,” You provided, nervous and quick. Goddamn, this guy was scary! You didn’t know how Sombra could tease him on the regular without being petrified out of her mind, “I mean, weird as in I’m going from a really evil client to a good one? Overwatch is the good guy organization, right?” You inquired, only hoping that he didn’t smite you on the spot. “Right.” You could practically hear him roll his eyes, and wondered if this was where Sombra got her sass from.“Gabe, quit scaring him,” Sombra, seated on a crate a few feet away, scolded her ally, “Overwatch’s dropship is gonna be landing in five minutes. McCree is on it. Think he’s gonna welcome you with open arms, Gabe?” She teased, wiggling her eyebrows. Reaper gave a long, heavy sigh. You didn’t quite understand the intense network of relationships between Overwatch’s members, yet. But you supposed you would have plenty of time to get to know Reaper, and the rest of Overwatch’s crew. Whether that was a good or bad thing had yet to be seen. The only thing you knew for sure was that joining the “good guys” felt much better than working for Talon.Reaper might have replied, had the frantic whirring of the dropship’s blades not interrupted him. The massive, metallic ship descended towards the ground slowly. It levitated off the ground by a few yards, the front door opening. A roguish-looking man dressed in cowboy costume stood at the front, one of his eyebrows raised, a smirk on his face. Reaper gave a scoff at the sight of him.“Afternoon, boss.” The man called down, voice dripping with sarcasm, as Reaper begrudgingly approached the ship. A blond woman poked her head around the entrance.“McCree, leave him be. He’s been gathering data for us for years. You should be thanking him!” She scolded, sounding awfully like a disgruntled mother. You recognized this woman as ‘Mercy’, a woman renowned for her advances in the medical field. Her technology had changed countless lives. It seemed you’d be working with some big shots. The prospect was kind of intimidating.You blinked at the group, who all seemed to be familiar with each other. “You look like a deer caught in headlights,” Sombra’s voice chimed at your side, making you turn to look at her. Somehow, the sight of her made you feel relieved. “Let me make it worse.” Before you could ask her what she meant, her hand was reaching forward, fingers curling into your hair and shoving you forward. Her lips pressed to your own in a rough kiss, the gesture making your eyes widen. In the background, you could hear a whistle. But as she pulled away, she was the center of your world, your gravity. “What? You couldn’t confess to me like a normal person?” You teased, earning a prompt smack in the chest. The black-haired woman strode passed you, leaving her to follow you into the drop ship. Come to think of it, you had been following her for the past few months or so. What? Were you some sort of lapdog?Though, when she turned to you with a smile as the doors closed behind you, you couldn’t think of that as a bad thing.