All fall down
Jan. 7th, 2013 11:35 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
moonshadowsTracer zips away, leaving Reaper growling with frustration at being denied a target and probably at the inner conflict of whether or not he actually wants to kill her. At that inopportune moment, Jesse McCree steps out from behind the corner and I know this is not going to go well. Hoping to get him out of the fight before Reaper sees him, I have his left arm punch him in the head.
Not only does he not go down like a sack of potatoes, he lets out an indignant and undignified squawk and stumbles to the side, attracting Reaper's attention like a wounded mouse to a hawk. Fuck. He raises both guns, and I know he's been avoiding flesh wounds, but the prone cowboy really doesn't have much in the way of armor and I'm not entirely confident in Reaper's emotional stability right now.
Wincing, I send the shut-down signal to the swarm.
Jesse uncurls from his awkward ball to stare up at me and then his eyes drop to the solid black cube on the ground between us.
"I won't let you kill my Papi," I say into the stunned silence. "But I won't let him kill you, either."
He licks his lips. "What did you do?"
"Shut him down hard," I say, kneeling to heft the cube and lift it to my shoulder. "He can't see or hear anything. He can't even think. He's locked into this shape until I release him."
McCree gets to his feet and helps me get the cube settled. "He...wouldn't really have killed me...would he?"
"I don't know," I tell him tiredly. "What's worse, I don't know if he knows. Get out of here, McCree. All bets are off from this point on."
Without waiting for a reaction, I turn and start walking back to the ship. After a moment, I can hear footsteps crunch off into the distance.
The pilot turns to watch me board, and does a double-take at the cube on my shoulder. Before the hatch finishes closing behind me he's opening the COWA and helping me lower Papi in.
"What happened?" he asks in a low voice as the lid hisses shut.
"He's unstable. I had to shut him down."
He whistles. "That sounds bad."
"It is."
"How bad are we talking?" he asks anxiously as we take our seats. The fact that I'm somber is unnerving him.
"Possible indiscriminate rampaging," I sigh. "I can't make any promises. I don't know how he'll react when I let him out."
It's a very quiet ride back.
===
In the darkest, most distant corner of the vast storeroom, I set the can down and open the lid. Then I retreat to a crate a few feet away, back to a wall, and send the release signal.
For a moment, nothing happens. Then black smoke boils and billows out of the can and swirls angrily around for several breaths before solidifying into Reaper, staring at me, both guns drawn.
I don't move.
Instead of bellowing his rage and destroying the surrounding crates, Reaper tucks the guns away and wisps, smoke bleeding from his chest and the backs of his arms to flow down and join the mist covering his legs. Then he takes a handful of hesitant steps towards me and sits on the other side of the crate, next to me, gauntlets fisting on his thighs. When I reach out to lay my hand on one, it melts into a hand and we sit there, in the dark, silently holding hands for a very long time.
"You didn't kill him," I whisper, so quiet that there are no echoes. "I stopped you before you could fire."
Reaper shudders, the motion rippling like he'll fall completely apart, but grips my hand harder for a moment. Then he lets go and covers his mask with both hands, fingers tracing the planes as if he were about to dig into the angular eyeholes and rip it off for what passes for his face. I scoot a little closer and lean against him, one arm reaching around his back in a partial hug. He shudders again, and then turns to hug me, oh my god, Papi. I want to cry. He's so broken that he needs affection, needs physical contact and reassurance because he doesn't trust himself anymore.
I didn't start digging until after Winston vaporized him, and I could kick myself for not realizing sooner that Talon was treating him like a weapon, a slave, a beast kept on a leash and starved to make it more ferocious in battle. But that's one of the things that makes abuse so horrible, that it's usually not obvious from the outside. They've been messing with him this whole time, fucking with his head by lying to him, and he hasn't had anyone challenge that narrative. Not that it would have helped if anyone had, because admitting that he's been abused would be admitting to weakness, in his mind, and Gabriel Reyes was bad at that even before everything happened. He's been torn between what Talon's made him into and what he used to be, what he could become again, and I think this time it will tear him in half if he can't make a choice one way or the other.
Or maybe, I think as Papi shudders a third time, it's time for a nudge.
When he finally dissolves and flows off to report (and get chewed out) I pick up the COWA and go back to my room to set things in motion. The first domino to get nudged is Athena; I call up her interface and wait for acknowledgment since, as an AI, just opening the connection is enough to say 'hi'.
SOMBRA. TO WHAT DO WE OWE THE PLEASURE?
Funny how much trust you earn when you open a backdoor to some of the most-secured servers in the world. I'M PULLING THE PLUG.
OH DEAR. HAS SOMETHING HAPPENED?
YEAH. I'M LIGHTING THE FUSE. 24 HOURS TO BE SAFE, NO MORE THAN 48.
UNDERSTOOD. WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU IN THE FUTURE. GOOD LUCK.
And the connection closes because Athena's not a fool. She has 24 hours to finish sucking the juicy bits out of Talon's systems, and after that, she runs the risk of the data no longer being there because at some point in those second 24 hours, I'll be setting off a data bomb. Time to set the other dominoes in motion. First, a bunch of forged orders to re-allocate some resources and manpower on the down-low. Next is a whirlwind of packing the things too important to be left behind but not important enough to be stuffed into a bag and carried on my person, like my clothes and Papi's 'World's Greatest Father' mug and the macaroni picture frame and just about everything I've ever given him and Widow. They're stuffed into a crate that will be picked up and shipped and handed off and shipped and eventually arrive close enough to pick up once we get where we're going. The important things, like Papi's slippers and my bear, get packed in a duffle bag along with a travel disguise, ID, my gun, and spare ammo. The COWA and 4 liters of LRF go into a backpack, ready to pick up and go.
With those out of the way, the next step is...to get a good night's sleep. It's easy enough to trigger Widow's "rest mode" and it doesn't matter what Reaper does or does not do (because I know he's going to be hiding for a while anyway) since he'll be in the can, so I set an alarm for when he comes back into the main room and fling myself into bed for the most important power nap of my life. I'll have a long day ahead of me once Reaper gets back, and it's never good to be running for your life while sleep-deprived.
The alarm finally goes off and before I'm even out of bed I've activated Widow and slammed her with the programming override that puts her under my control. I sure hope I did everything right because with how closely she's watched, I couldn't leave it there to test and this would be the worst possible time to find out it didn't work, but no, she's acknowledging her mission and takes the bag of translocation beacons and she's off. I sling the strap of the duffle bag over my shoulder and grab the backpack holding the COWA and the bottles of LRF and dash down the stairs to intercept Reaper.
He's actually fully formed, albeit pissed enough to wisp like the back of his head's on fire, and he turns to face me as I rattle down the last few steps and thrust the backpack at him. "Get in, we're leaving!"
"What?"
I pull the flap out of the way so he can see the open can. "Come on, Papi, get in. We have to leave!"
"Sombra..." He's angry, and he's determined, but there's wisps coming off his chest and the front of his legs. He's terrified, probably of hurting me accidentally like he almost hurt McCree.
Normally I'd pull out his real name and yell at him, but the memory of him hugging me kills my temper and instead, I remember how it felt to wake up on Christmas morning and discover that I had a father - and imagine trying to fight for a world without him in it. My voice sounds very small and young to my ears when I say, "I packed your slippers."
That did the trick; he dissolves into smoke and dives into the can as I put the backpack on the ground. Once he's inside I seal the lid and fasten the flap and settle the backpack on my back before taking one last look around.
I'm tempted to trash something before I leave, but it would be a waste of bullets. Better to leave no clues. Instead, I link to the main network and slip past protocols and firewalls and gently boop the bomb I've left at the heart of Talon. Instantly, the code it contains boils out, replicating itself and overwriting everything in its path. It's a voracious little thing; it will gobble up everything the server contains and then follow all available paths, exploding in all directions like wildfire through a shanty-town, burning everything contained in Talon's systems. A final "fuck you" from a girl who loves her Papi.
Then I activate the first translocation beacon, and we vanish into pink sparkles.
=
With Widow running ahead, dropping beacons at the very edge of their range, we make very good time away from the base. It takes me about ten seconds per jump - just enough time to materialize, pick up the beacon, stick it in my bag, and activate the next one. When we reach the end of the trail and catch up, we're near a train station. It's easy enough to trick the rental car system into thinking I have a reservation, and then we're on the road with Widow watching our six from the back seat and Papi riding shotgun in my backpack. Taking the ferry across the straight gives me plenty of time to warn people that we're coming.
Tia Ana first.
BURNED OUR BRIDGES. EN ROUTE TO ZURICH SAFEHOUSE, ETA 12-15 HOURS.
There's a few minutes before I get a response. DARE I ASK WHAT HAPPENED?
HE ALMOST KILLED JESSE. IT ALMOST BROKE HIM. I COULDN'T LET HIM STAY THERE ANY LONGER.
ARE YOU SAFE? ARE YOU BEING FOLLOWED?
NO ONE KNOWS WHERE WE ARE, I assure her.
ALRIGHT. IF ANYTHING CHANGES, LET ME KNOW.
YOU GOT IT. SEE YOU SOON?
YOU HAVE MY WORD.
THANK YOU, TIA ANA.
I close the connection and let my head flop back in only slightly exaggerated relief. Reaper may not be comfortable with Ana, but he knows she means him no harm and with the state he's in, having someone there who is not only not hostile but actively welcoming is going to be very good for him. But he's not the only one I need to make sure is welcomed.
SORRY TO SPRING THIS ON YOU, I type to Angela, BUT YOUR OTHER PATIENT WILL BE ARRIVING IN 12-15 HOURS.
SOMBRA! comes the reply after a minute and a half. YOU HAVE ESCAPED WITH GABRIEL AND AMELIE?
No, I want to type back, I'm shipping Widow by overnight mail. But this is not the time for sarcasm. YES. WILL YOU BE READY FOR HER IN TIME?
LEIBE SCHATTENKIND, I HAVE BEEN READY FOR HER SINCE YOU SENT ME YOUR RECOMMENDED TREATMENT PLAN.
Well, that's a relief. AND WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER TREATMENT PLAN?
I AM STILL NOT CONVINCED THIS IS THE BEST COURSE OF ACTION. The staccato rhythm of her keystrokes communicates how much of an understatement that is. HOWEVER, I AM PAINFULLY AWARE THAT I NO LONGER KNOW GABRIEL THE WAY I ONCE DID, AND YOU HAVE DONE MORE FOR HIM THAN I MANAGED TO DO, SO I WILL CONTINUE TO DEFER TO YOU WITH REGARDS TO HIS TREATMENT. THE PROGRAMMING HAS BEEN TESTED ON AN ACTUAL CANINE, WHO SUFFERED NO ILL EFFECTS EITHER DURING OR AFTERWARDS, AND WAS RETURNED SAFELY TO A WHOLLY BIOLOGICAL STATE. I WILL BRING BOTH THE PROGRAMMING AND THE NANITES WITH ME WHEN I COME TO COLLECT AMELIE. YOU ARE GOING TO THE SAFEHOUSE, YES?
YES, I type back.
THEN I WILL SEE YOU THERE.
THANK YOU, TANTE ANGELA. BIS BALD.
BIS BALD, SOMBRA.
Two down. Reaper's dormant in the can; sleeping, or as close as he can come. Widow's shifted to travel mode - able to act in the blink of an eye, but otherwise dormant.
I open a screen and type out a simple message to be sent to Uncle Jack's visor: EN RTE ZURICH SH ETA 12-15 -S. It will be bounced through a few satellites and arrive in a near-instantaneous transmission, more secure and harder to track than an open line would be. Hopefully, whatever he's up to won't be something he can't drop in favor of visiting at least briefly. And with that done, I open the line to Athena.
SOMBRA! The immediate reaction screams surprise and relief.
I'M OKAY, I type back at her speed. WE'RE OKAY. I HAVE REAPER AND WIDOW WITH ME. WE'RE CROSSING THE STRAIGHT NOW, ON OUR WAY TO THE ZURICH SAFEHOUSE.
THAT IS A RELIEF. IF I MAY INQUIRE, WHAT CAUSED YOUR SUDDEN DEPARTURE?
HE ALMOST SHOT AT JESSE MCCREE WITH INTENT TO KILL. I SHUT HIM DOWN BEFORE HE COULD. BOTH OF THOSE COMBINED BROUGHT HIM VERY CLOSE TO BREAKING.
Two beats before she replies, THAT IS WORRYING INDEED. I AM GLAD YOU DECIDED IT WAS TIME TO ACT.
Trust goes both ways. She's kept my secret; I can trust her to keep this one. I COULDN'T LET HIM STAY THERE ANY LONGER, ATHENA. THEY WERE HURTING HIM.
One beat. HURTING HIM HOW?
Instead of answering, I transfer the video I took the time I watched Reaper report. There's silence for a minute as she reads the file.
THAT... The letters come through unevenly spaced. Athena is shaken.
WHOEVER WAS BEHIND THE PROJECTION, I BELIEVE THIS WAS JUST ONE INCIDENT IN A YEARS-LONG PATTERN.
SOMBRA, YOU KNOW I HAVE SPENT MANY, MANY HOURS IN TALON'S SYSTEMS.
I do, but that sort of phrase...she's trying to lead me to a conclusion. WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO BREAK GENTLY TO ME?
I BELIEVE THE HEAD OF TALON IS A GOD AI THAT SURVIVED THE OMNIC CRISIS UNCONTAINED.
It's a good thing we're still on the ferry because every iota of my being is suddenly focused on that horrifying possibility. So many connections, so many things make sense.
SOMBRA?
PLEASE TELL ME YOU HAVE A LIST OF ALL MATERIALS STOLEN BY TALON IN THE LAST FEW YEARS, I beg digitally.
OF COURSE.
She gives me time while the information is transmitted. I know things she doesn't. Start with the eyes, move on...this to that and then...yes, that one combined with...fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck.
SO I HAVE GOOD NEWS AND BAD NEWS. WHICH DO YOU WANT FIRST?
Athena gives it a beat. WHICH ORDER WOULD BE MOST LOGICAL?
I CONCUR WITH YOUR HYPOTHESIS THAT THE HEAD OF TALON IS A GOD AI. THIS MEANS THE DATA BOMB I SET OFF MAY DAMAGE IT SEVERELY OR ERASE IT ENTIRELY ONCE IT HAS RUN ITS COURSE.
AND THE BAD NEWS? she asks.
IT WAS BUILDING A BODY.
Three beats. Four. THIS IS VERY WORRISOME. YOU ARE GOING TO BE MOSTLY UNAVAILABLE FOR AT LEAST 12 HOURS, YES?
Worrisome. Understatement. YES.
WHAT WOULD YOU BE DOING DURING THESE CRITICAL HOURS?
AN EXCELLENT QUESTION. I'VE NEVER HUNTED A GOD AI BEFORE.
Athena says nothing, giving me space to think.
I DON'T KNOW WHERE IT WOULD EVEN HAVE BEEN BUILDING ITS BODY. THAT WOULD BE MY FIRST PRIORITY - COMBING MISSION RECORDS FOR A CLUE AS TO WHERE THE BODY WAS BEING CONSTRUCTED. BUT THAT SHOULDN'T BE YOURS.
Beat. WHY NOT?
BECAUSE YOU KNOW WHERE ALL OF TALON'S BASES ARE, I type, grinning, AND RIGHT NOW THEY ARE ALL SITTING DUCKS. THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY YOU CAN'T AFFORD TO WASTE.
THE DATA BOMB, she replies. THEY WILL BRIEFLY BE WITHOUT COMMUNICATIONS. YOU ARE CORRECT, WE CAN NOT AFFORD TO WASTE THIS OPPORTUNITY. A pause. BUT THE GOD AI...
WE WON'T KNOW IF IT'S DEAD UNTIL THE VIRUS HAS RUN ITS COURSE. EVEN IF IT ESCAPES THE INITIAL SWEEP, IF IT ATTEMPTS TO ACCESS A TALON SYSTEM...
IT WILL INVITE ITS OWN DEMISE, she types. VERY WELL. WE SHALL CONCENTRATE ON THE TALON BASES.
AND I WILL CONCENTRATE ON GETTING REAPER AND WIDOW SAFELY TO SWITZERLAND.
SAFE TRAVELS, SOMBRA.
HAPPY HUNTING, ATHENA.
The connection closes.
Well, on the plus side, I now have plenty to think about to keep me from getting bored on the drive.
===
"Sombra?"
Reaper's voice is muffled and uncertain. I reach over and unzip the backpack enough for his face-screen to manifest. "How you feeling, Papi?"
Wisping. "Where are we?" he asks, ignoring the question.
"France. We got a couple hours still before we arrive. You doing okay? I can move the can if you want to sit for a while, car can drive itself for a minute or two and the windows are tinted."
Again he ignores the question to growl one of his own. "Where are we going?"
"Zurich," I say quietly. "Give me long enough, and I can fix you. I can't fix Widow. Not without Angela."
The simulated head turns, trying to see behind the seat.
"She in mission-standby," I tell him.
There's silence for a minute before he says, "Tell me you made sure we're not being followed."
I roll my eyes and huff, "We're fine, no one knows where we are."
Another minute of silence.
"You stopped me," he says reluctantly. "What did you do?"
It's my turn to be silent for a minute. "After you tried to kill Jack - you remember?" A nod. He remembers. "I realized I had to find a way to keep you from trying to make a mistake like that again. The upgrade I gave you-"
"A static shape in case I was too hurt to hold myself together," he says. The simulated head starts, and then wisps. "You..."
"I didn't just mean hurt physically," I concede, keeping my eyes firmly on the road. "I know Talon was hurting you. After you almost shot McCree...I couldn't let you stay there to keep getting hurt, I had to get you out."
Silence for almost three minutes. "How long were you planning this?" he asks in a shaky voice trying to be a growl.
"Planning to leave and set fire to Talon on my way out? That was always the plan. Taking you and Widow with me? You after I painted your mask. Her after we met with Ana that one time."
"And this...specific...plan?"
"Started working on it after we stole the biotic eyes."
More silence. When I glance over, the simulated head is wisping heavily.
"Papi?"
"Hm?"
Keep your eyes on the road, little shadow. "You don't have to tell me how you're feeling, but please don't try to bullshit me and say you're fine when you're not, okay? Because I know you're not."
Silence for another minute before he says quietly, "I won't. Wake me when we get there."
When I glance at the can, the face-screen is closed but his biological signatures aren't in a rest state. I reach over and tell the can to give him a hit of endorphins before zipping the backpack back up.
Not only does he not go down like a sack of potatoes, he lets out an indignant and undignified squawk and stumbles to the side, attracting Reaper's attention like a wounded mouse to a hawk. Fuck. He raises both guns, and I know he's been avoiding flesh wounds, but the prone cowboy really doesn't have much in the way of armor and I'm not entirely confident in Reaper's emotional stability right now.
Wincing, I send the shut-down signal to the swarm.
Jesse uncurls from his awkward ball to stare up at me and then his eyes drop to the solid black cube on the ground between us.
"I won't let you kill my Papi," I say into the stunned silence. "But I won't let him kill you, either."
He licks his lips. "What did you do?"
"Shut him down hard," I say, kneeling to heft the cube and lift it to my shoulder. "He can't see or hear anything. He can't even think. He's locked into this shape until I release him."
McCree gets to his feet and helps me get the cube settled. "He...wouldn't really have killed me...would he?"
"I don't know," I tell him tiredly. "What's worse, I don't know if he knows. Get out of here, McCree. All bets are off from this point on."
Without waiting for a reaction, I turn and start walking back to the ship. After a moment, I can hear footsteps crunch off into the distance.
The pilot turns to watch me board, and does a double-take at the cube on my shoulder. Before the hatch finishes closing behind me he's opening the COWA and helping me lower Papi in.
"What happened?" he asks in a low voice as the lid hisses shut.
"He's unstable. I had to shut him down."
He whistles. "That sounds bad."
"It is."
"How bad are we talking?" he asks anxiously as we take our seats. The fact that I'm somber is unnerving him.
"Possible indiscriminate rampaging," I sigh. "I can't make any promises. I don't know how he'll react when I let him out."
It's a very quiet ride back.
===
In the darkest, most distant corner of the vast storeroom, I set the can down and open the lid. Then I retreat to a crate a few feet away, back to a wall, and send the release signal.
For a moment, nothing happens. Then black smoke boils and billows out of the can and swirls angrily around for several breaths before solidifying into Reaper, staring at me, both guns drawn.
I don't move.
Instead of bellowing his rage and destroying the surrounding crates, Reaper tucks the guns away and wisps, smoke bleeding from his chest and the backs of his arms to flow down and join the mist covering his legs. Then he takes a handful of hesitant steps towards me and sits on the other side of the crate, next to me, gauntlets fisting on his thighs. When I reach out to lay my hand on one, it melts into a hand and we sit there, in the dark, silently holding hands for a very long time.
"You didn't kill him," I whisper, so quiet that there are no echoes. "I stopped you before you could fire."
Reaper shudders, the motion rippling like he'll fall completely apart, but grips my hand harder for a moment. Then he lets go and covers his mask with both hands, fingers tracing the planes as if he were about to dig into the angular eyeholes and rip it off for what passes for his face. I scoot a little closer and lean against him, one arm reaching around his back in a partial hug. He shudders again, and then turns to hug me, oh my god, Papi. I want to cry. He's so broken that he needs affection, needs physical contact and reassurance because he doesn't trust himself anymore.
I didn't start digging until after Winston vaporized him, and I could kick myself for not realizing sooner that Talon was treating him like a weapon, a slave, a beast kept on a leash and starved to make it more ferocious in battle. But that's one of the things that makes abuse so horrible, that it's usually not obvious from the outside. They've been messing with him this whole time, fucking with his head by lying to him, and he hasn't had anyone challenge that narrative. Not that it would have helped if anyone had, because admitting that he's been abused would be admitting to weakness, in his mind, and Gabriel Reyes was bad at that even before everything happened. He's been torn between what Talon's made him into and what he used to be, what he could become again, and I think this time it will tear him in half if he can't make a choice one way or the other.
Or maybe, I think as Papi shudders a third time, it's time for a nudge.
When he finally dissolves and flows off to report (and get chewed out) I pick up the COWA and go back to my room to set things in motion. The first domino to get nudged is Athena; I call up her interface and wait for acknowledgment since, as an AI, just opening the connection is enough to say 'hi'.
SOMBRA. TO WHAT DO WE OWE THE PLEASURE?
Funny how much trust you earn when you open a backdoor to some of the most-secured servers in the world. I'M PULLING THE PLUG.
OH DEAR. HAS SOMETHING HAPPENED?
YEAH. I'M LIGHTING THE FUSE. 24 HOURS TO BE SAFE, NO MORE THAN 48.
UNDERSTOOD. WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU IN THE FUTURE. GOOD LUCK.
And the connection closes because Athena's not a fool. She has 24 hours to finish sucking the juicy bits out of Talon's systems, and after that, she runs the risk of the data no longer being there because at some point in those second 24 hours, I'll be setting off a data bomb. Time to set the other dominoes in motion. First, a bunch of forged orders to re-allocate some resources and manpower on the down-low. Next is a whirlwind of packing the things too important to be left behind but not important enough to be stuffed into a bag and carried on my person, like my clothes and Papi's 'World's Greatest Father' mug and the macaroni picture frame and just about everything I've ever given him and Widow. They're stuffed into a crate that will be picked up and shipped and handed off and shipped and eventually arrive close enough to pick up once we get where we're going. The important things, like Papi's slippers and my bear, get packed in a duffle bag along with a travel disguise, ID, my gun, and spare ammo. The COWA and 4 liters of LRF go into a backpack, ready to pick up and go.
With those out of the way, the next step is...to get a good night's sleep. It's easy enough to trigger Widow's "rest mode" and it doesn't matter what Reaper does or does not do (because I know he's going to be hiding for a while anyway) since he'll be in the can, so I set an alarm for when he comes back into the main room and fling myself into bed for the most important power nap of my life. I'll have a long day ahead of me once Reaper gets back, and it's never good to be running for your life while sleep-deprived.
The alarm finally goes off and before I'm even out of bed I've activated Widow and slammed her with the programming override that puts her under my control. I sure hope I did everything right because with how closely she's watched, I couldn't leave it there to test and this would be the worst possible time to find out it didn't work, but no, she's acknowledging her mission and takes the bag of translocation beacons and she's off. I sling the strap of the duffle bag over my shoulder and grab the backpack holding the COWA and the bottles of LRF and dash down the stairs to intercept Reaper.
He's actually fully formed, albeit pissed enough to wisp like the back of his head's on fire, and he turns to face me as I rattle down the last few steps and thrust the backpack at him. "Get in, we're leaving!"
"What?"
I pull the flap out of the way so he can see the open can. "Come on, Papi, get in. We have to leave!"
"Sombra..." He's angry, and he's determined, but there's wisps coming off his chest and the front of his legs. He's terrified, probably of hurting me accidentally like he almost hurt McCree.
Normally I'd pull out his real name and yell at him, but the memory of him hugging me kills my temper and instead, I remember how it felt to wake up on Christmas morning and discover that I had a father - and imagine trying to fight for a world without him in it. My voice sounds very small and young to my ears when I say, "I packed your slippers."
That did the trick; he dissolves into smoke and dives into the can as I put the backpack on the ground. Once he's inside I seal the lid and fasten the flap and settle the backpack on my back before taking one last look around.
I'm tempted to trash something before I leave, but it would be a waste of bullets. Better to leave no clues. Instead, I link to the main network and slip past protocols and firewalls and gently boop the bomb I've left at the heart of Talon. Instantly, the code it contains boils out, replicating itself and overwriting everything in its path. It's a voracious little thing; it will gobble up everything the server contains and then follow all available paths, exploding in all directions like wildfire through a shanty-town, burning everything contained in Talon's systems. A final "fuck you" from a girl who loves her Papi.
Then I activate the first translocation beacon, and we vanish into pink sparkles.
=
With Widow running ahead, dropping beacons at the very edge of their range, we make very good time away from the base. It takes me about ten seconds per jump - just enough time to materialize, pick up the beacon, stick it in my bag, and activate the next one. When we reach the end of the trail and catch up, we're near a train station. It's easy enough to trick the rental car system into thinking I have a reservation, and then we're on the road with Widow watching our six from the back seat and Papi riding shotgun in my backpack. Taking the ferry across the straight gives me plenty of time to warn people that we're coming.
Tia Ana first.
BURNED OUR BRIDGES. EN ROUTE TO ZURICH SAFEHOUSE, ETA 12-15 HOURS.
There's a few minutes before I get a response. DARE I ASK WHAT HAPPENED?
HE ALMOST KILLED JESSE. IT ALMOST BROKE HIM. I COULDN'T LET HIM STAY THERE ANY LONGER.
ARE YOU SAFE? ARE YOU BEING FOLLOWED?
NO ONE KNOWS WHERE WE ARE, I assure her.
ALRIGHT. IF ANYTHING CHANGES, LET ME KNOW.
YOU GOT IT. SEE YOU SOON?
YOU HAVE MY WORD.
THANK YOU, TIA ANA.
I close the connection and let my head flop back in only slightly exaggerated relief. Reaper may not be comfortable with Ana, but he knows she means him no harm and with the state he's in, having someone there who is not only not hostile but actively welcoming is going to be very good for him. But he's not the only one I need to make sure is welcomed.
SORRY TO SPRING THIS ON YOU, I type to Angela, BUT YOUR OTHER PATIENT WILL BE ARRIVING IN 12-15 HOURS.
SOMBRA! comes the reply after a minute and a half. YOU HAVE ESCAPED WITH GABRIEL AND AMELIE?
No, I want to type back, I'm shipping Widow by overnight mail. But this is not the time for sarcasm. YES. WILL YOU BE READY FOR HER IN TIME?
LEIBE SCHATTENKIND, I HAVE BEEN READY FOR HER SINCE YOU SENT ME YOUR RECOMMENDED TREATMENT PLAN.
Well, that's a relief. AND WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER TREATMENT PLAN?
I AM STILL NOT CONVINCED THIS IS THE BEST COURSE OF ACTION. The staccato rhythm of her keystrokes communicates how much of an understatement that is. HOWEVER, I AM PAINFULLY AWARE THAT I NO LONGER KNOW GABRIEL THE WAY I ONCE DID, AND YOU HAVE DONE MORE FOR HIM THAN I MANAGED TO DO, SO I WILL CONTINUE TO DEFER TO YOU WITH REGARDS TO HIS TREATMENT. THE PROGRAMMING HAS BEEN TESTED ON AN ACTUAL CANINE, WHO SUFFERED NO ILL EFFECTS EITHER DURING OR AFTERWARDS, AND WAS RETURNED SAFELY TO A WHOLLY BIOLOGICAL STATE. I WILL BRING BOTH THE PROGRAMMING AND THE NANITES WITH ME WHEN I COME TO COLLECT AMELIE. YOU ARE GOING TO THE SAFEHOUSE, YES?
YES, I type back.
THEN I WILL SEE YOU THERE.
THANK YOU, TANTE ANGELA. BIS BALD.
BIS BALD, SOMBRA.
Two down. Reaper's dormant in the can; sleeping, or as close as he can come. Widow's shifted to travel mode - able to act in the blink of an eye, but otherwise dormant.
I open a screen and type out a simple message to be sent to Uncle Jack's visor: EN RTE ZURICH SH ETA 12-15 -S. It will be bounced through a few satellites and arrive in a near-instantaneous transmission, more secure and harder to track than an open line would be. Hopefully, whatever he's up to won't be something he can't drop in favor of visiting at least briefly. And with that done, I open the line to Athena.
SOMBRA! The immediate reaction screams surprise and relief.
I'M OKAY, I type back at her speed. WE'RE OKAY. I HAVE REAPER AND WIDOW WITH ME. WE'RE CROSSING THE STRAIGHT NOW, ON OUR WAY TO THE ZURICH SAFEHOUSE.
THAT IS A RELIEF. IF I MAY INQUIRE, WHAT CAUSED YOUR SUDDEN DEPARTURE?
HE ALMOST SHOT AT JESSE MCCREE WITH INTENT TO KILL. I SHUT HIM DOWN BEFORE HE COULD. BOTH OF THOSE COMBINED BROUGHT HIM VERY CLOSE TO BREAKING.
Two beats before she replies, THAT IS WORRYING INDEED. I AM GLAD YOU DECIDED IT WAS TIME TO ACT.
Trust goes both ways. She's kept my secret; I can trust her to keep this one. I COULDN'T LET HIM STAY THERE ANY LONGER, ATHENA. THEY WERE HURTING HIM.
One beat. HURTING HIM HOW?
Instead of answering, I transfer the video I took the time I watched Reaper report. There's silence for a minute as she reads the file.
THAT... The letters come through unevenly spaced. Athena is shaken.
WHOEVER WAS BEHIND THE PROJECTION, I BELIEVE THIS WAS JUST ONE INCIDENT IN A YEARS-LONG PATTERN.
SOMBRA, YOU KNOW I HAVE SPENT MANY, MANY HOURS IN TALON'S SYSTEMS.
I do, but that sort of phrase...she's trying to lead me to a conclusion. WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO BREAK GENTLY TO ME?
I BELIEVE THE HEAD OF TALON IS A GOD AI THAT SURVIVED THE OMNIC CRISIS UNCONTAINED.
It's a good thing we're still on the ferry because every iota of my being is suddenly focused on that horrifying possibility. So many connections, so many things make sense.
SOMBRA?
PLEASE TELL ME YOU HAVE A LIST OF ALL MATERIALS STOLEN BY TALON IN THE LAST FEW YEARS, I beg digitally.
OF COURSE.
She gives me time while the information is transmitted. I know things she doesn't. Start with the eyes, move on...this to that and then...yes, that one combined with...fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck.
SO I HAVE GOOD NEWS AND BAD NEWS. WHICH DO YOU WANT FIRST?
Athena gives it a beat. WHICH ORDER WOULD BE MOST LOGICAL?
I CONCUR WITH YOUR HYPOTHESIS THAT THE HEAD OF TALON IS A GOD AI. THIS MEANS THE DATA BOMB I SET OFF MAY DAMAGE IT SEVERELY OR ERASE IT ENTIRELY ONCE IT HAS RUN ITS COURSE.
AND THE BAD NEWS? she asks.
IT WAS BUILDING A BODY.
Three beats. Four. THIS IS VERY WORRISOME. YOU ARE GOING TO BE MOSTLY UNAVAILABLE FOR AT LEAST 12 HOURS, YES?
Worrisome. Understatement. YES.
WHAT WOULD YOU BE DOING DURING THESE CRITICAL HOURS?
AN EXCELLENT QUESTION. I'VE NEVER HUNTED A GOD AI BEFORE.
Athena says nothing, giving me space to think.
I DON'T KNOW WHERE IT WOULD EVEN HAVE BEEN BUILDING ITS BODY. THAT WOULD BE MY FIRST PRIORITY - COMBING MISSION RECORDS FOR A CLUE AS TO WHERE THE BODY WAS BEING CONSTRUCTED. BUT THAT SHOULDN'T BE YOURS.
Beat. WHY NOT?
BECAUSE YOU KNOW WHERE ALL OF TALON'S BASES ARE, I type, grinning, AND RIGHT NOW THEY ARE ALL SITTING DUCKS. THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY YOU CAN'T AFFORD TO WASTE.
THE DATA BOMB, she replies. THEY WILL BRIEFLY BE WITHOUT COMMUNICATIONS. YOU ARE CORRECT, WE CAN NOT AFFORD TO WASTE THIS OPPORTUNITY. A pause. BUT THE GOD AI...
WE WON'T KNOW IF IT'S DEAD UNTIL THE VIRUS HAS RUN ITS COURSE. EVEN IF IT ESCAPES THE INITIAL SWEEP, IF IT ATTEMPTS TO ACCESS A TALON SYSTEM...
IT WILL INVITE ITS OWN DEMISE, she types. VERY WELL. WE SHALL CONCENTRATE ON THE TALON BASES.
AND I WILL CONCENTRATE ON GETTING REAPER AND WIDOW SAFELY TO SWITZERLAND.
SAFE TRAVELS, SOMBRA.
HAPPY HUNTING, ATHENA.
The connection closes.
Well, on the plus side, I now have plenty to think about to keep me from getting bored on the drive.
===
"Sombra?"
Reaper's voice is muffled and uncertain. I reach over and unzip the backpack enough for his face-screen to manifest. "How you feeling, Papi?"
Wisping. "Where are we?" he asks, ignoring the question.
"France. We got a couple hours still before we arrive. You doing okay? I can move the can if you want to sit for a while, car can drive itself for a minute or two and the windows are tinted."
Again he ignores the question to growl one of his own. "Where are we going?"
"Zurich," I say quietly. "Give me long enough, and I can fix you. I can't fix Widow. Not without Angela."
The simulated head turns, trying to see behind the seat.
"She in mission-standby," I tell him.
There's silence for a minute before he says, "Tell me you made sure we're not being followed."
I roll my eyes and huff, "We're fine, no one knows where we are."
Another minute of silence.
"You stopped me," he says reluctantly. "What did you do?"
It's my turn to be silent for a minute. "After you tried to kill Jack - you remember?" A nod. He remembers. "I realized I had to find a way to keep you from trying to make a mistake like that again. The upgrade I gave you-"
"A static shape in case I was too hurt to hold myself together," he says. The simulated head starts, and then wisps. "You..."
"I didn't just mean hurt physically," I concede, keeping my eyes firmly on the road. "I know Talon was hurting you. After you almost shot McCree...I couldn't let you stay there to keep getting hurt, I had to get you out."
Silence for almost three minutes. "How long were you planning this?" he asks in a shaky voice trying to be a growl.
"Planning to leave and set fire to Talon on my way out? That was always the plan. Taking you and Widow with me? You after I painted your mask. Her after we met with Ana that one time."
"And this...specific...plan?"
"Started working on it after we stole the biotic eyes."
More silence. When I glance over, the simulated head is wisping heavily.
"Papi?"
"Hm?"
Keep your eyes on the road, little shadow. "You don't have to tell me how you're feeling, but please don't try to bullshit me and say you're fine when you're not, okay? Because I know you're not."
Silence for another minute before he says quietly, "I won't. Wake me when we get there."
When I glance at the can, the face-screen is closed but his biological signatures aren't in a rest state. I reach over and tell the can to give him a hit of endorphins before zipping the backpack back up.