Overwatch: Jinxed

The Widow's Kiss and the Hacker's Caress

"I don't trust her."

Amelie walked side by side with Gabriel down the long hall. Since that chienne had shown up and they'd brought her back, there had been a strange tang in the air - metallic and odd. The smell of technology, computers and sarcasm.

"Of course you don't," Gabe said in his ridiculously low-pitched voice. "That's your job."

"We don't even know her name," Amelie growled in frustration. "You do not seem to be grasping the gravity of what we've done. She isn't on our side, Gabe - only her own."

"She will serve our needs," Gabe said without emotion. 

If Amelie had still had the capability to be furious, she would be. But instead, her words were - as always - cool, clipped and sharp. "For how long until she betrays us?"

"That is up to her," Gabriel ground out.

"Exactly," Amelie cut in. "That is exactly my point. She should be on our terms. There is a better way to control her, Gabriel."

He raised an eyebrow, waiting for an elaboration. She obliged.

"The brainwave control collars worked excellently in Australia," she answered. "It was as you predicted - Overwatch attempted to steal the location of the base. Since they are not yet raining hell upon our walls, I assume that they were unsuccessful. But the collars worked. The Junkers were completely submissive, and once the collars are on, they do not come off without decapitation or killing the subject otherwise."

"Excellent," Gabe growled, but gave no other response.

"There is a certain Mexican I believe we should more assuredly place on our side in this war," Amelie pressed. "She will still have all function of ability and all her usefulness, but she will no longer have the strength to betray us when she deems fit."

"You're suggesting that we collar Sombra?" Gabe asked. No emotion.

"Quite plainly, yes," Amelie answered. The remainder of her emotions left were concentrated on the satisfaction of seeing Sombra lose her sarcasm and sass and completely under her control. Chienne. 

Gabe said nothing.

"Don't pretend she hasn't pissed you off before," Amelie rolled her eyes. "You remember that Volskaya incident?"

"She slammed a door on me," he said, as if it were no big deal.

"She is using us, Gabe. Don't be a fool."

There was a long silence. "Sombra is an excellent agent."

"So am I," Amelie told him. "After I was reconditioned. You have done nothing to her and you have done nothing to change her to our side. You know that she will bring down Talon from the inside out if it suits her needs."

Gabriel paused in a doorway, his head lowered, thinking.

"I'll leave you to your thoughts," Amelie nodded, and headed away into the darkness.

***

Not what Sombra would have expected for the most powerful weapon on earth. 

Her abilities were so expansive - Sombra's favorites were what she could do to the mind. Messing with the cyborg's muscle memory and communication between his omnic and human halves had been very interesting. And the effect that they had on the girl - the Australian, Isabell Isaac. Nineteen years old, going on twenty this year. From what Sombra could tell, the radiation blast she'd received had changed the blueprints to her cells. Watching her, staggering and scared, had been the highlight of Sombra's week.

The brainwave-pattern control collar was brilliant. One of Sombra's own genius ideas. It isolated the conscious thought of its host and blocked the patterns that created sentient thought and self-aware decision, leaving the person a blank slate and very susceptible to suggestion. This was then transmitted through the collar, giving a mission and a purpose to the newly sealed brain. Definitely Sombra's favorite.

She could do so much more, if only they could crack the next layer of defenses.

Sombra moved slowly and deliberately around the containment chamber, stalking like a cat to her prey. Tayanna was hovering doe-eyed in the air, pupils dilated and with thick tubes in her wrists and just behind her ankles, as well as the base of her neck, inside the cubelike glass cell.

"What are you?" Sombra wondered. The first layer had been so easy to crack - just enough to gain them access to her mind and a degree of control over one side of her split personality. Enough to make her leak energy which would disorient their foes. But then Overwatch had shown up, and they'd had to get her back which was a feat in itself, doing it so seamlessly. Oh, Isabell's face when she had waved at her was priceless.

The second line of defense was relatively difficult, but once done, they'd incinerated an entire Polynesian island. But she'd had to recharge for days, and the third line of defense was not letting up.

"Think of all the destruction you could cause, Tayanna," Sombra murmured, running a fingernail across the glass. "Think of the team we could be. Once I have the information I need, you would help me destroy those who would take it from me. And you would help me bring down the ones who do not deserve the power they were given."

Tayanna remained motionless, bobbing slowly in the low-gravity environment she'd put herself in.

"Widowmaker does not trust me," Sombra muttered, almost to herself. "It won't be long before they make a move against me. I hid the information about Australia from them, just enough to tell them that the collars worked but not enough to tell them whether Overwatch succeeded. They did, by the way," she added, stroking the glass of the case. "But by the time they get here, you and I will be long gone, Tayanna."

Gone where? The barest whisper of the alter-ego of Tayanna - Annayat. Just strong enough to speak after the immense drain of energy. I want my brother.

"Tayanna, you don't remember him," Sombra reminded.

...Remember who?

"There's a good girl," she purred. "You and I have places to be, chiquita. I will see you soon."

I don't want you to go.

"Of course," Sombra murmured.

You promise you won't go away?

"Promise," Sombra told her, and strode off into the darkness. "I'm not leaving this building without you."

That's what they said, too, Annayat whispered. They said they would come back. We made them promise.

Sombra paused in the doorway. "What?"

We made them promise they wouldn't go away. They never came back.

Ah. Of course. "Don't worry, Tayanna," Sombra smiled. "I have the feeling that you are going to do great things. And I will be there to preside over you."

Thank you, Annayat whispered, before, at last, her drained presence sank back inside her body.

Sombra opened up a holovid in front of her as she walked, easily hacking into the facility's security cameras. She tapped twice on the hallway cameras and watched as Widowmaker spoke to Reaper quietly as they walked, before leaving him and splitting off.

"Oh, no you don't," Sombra whispered, and smiled her beautiful, perfect, devil's smile.

Hack the world, they said. It'll be fun, they said.

They were right.