Chapter Text
The perfect experiment.
She dedicated her entire life to genetic research. Rewriting the human genome was simple. What Moria craved, what she wanted most, was to rewrite the mind. To prove once and for all that she and only she held the key to change mankind, to make her species superior to all others, and finally secure its place as the superior being.
It was perfect.
All she needed was a subject.
----
“Why am I doing this again?”
“For the twelfth time, Hana, you are the only one capable of doing this.”
Hana Song, more commonly known as the international superstar “D.Va”, pouted. She sunk deeper into the seat of the jetliner, failing to get comfortable. She was accustomed to private jets funded by the South Korean government or dropships piloted by Lena. Not some regular commercial airline where the air was stuffy, kids were screaming, and whoever was behind her decided to use her seat as a kickstand.
The young superstar glanced out the window, catching her reflection in the window. She didn't look like a superstar.
What she was complaining about was her mission. To go undercover. That meant the less she looked like a celebrity, the better. Her brown hair was dyed red, and her signature pink whiskers had been replaced with regular makeup. She wore pink-framed glasses as a final touch. Really, just by doing that Hana didn't recognize herself.
She hated it.
“How long is this going to take?” She turned to her traveling companion. After being assigned this mission she was still not allowed to go alone. Winston had told her it was “too risky,” and that she needed someone to “mentor” her, like she needed a babysitter or something. She felt like he didn’t trust her.
So of course, who better to babysit than the resident physician, Angela Ziegler, aka “Mercy”? Hana would have picked literally anyone else to go with her. Angela was known to be a bit of a buzzkill.
“The flight? Probably another hour.” The doctor was also going undercover, her blonde hair dyed brown. She wore thick-rimmed glasses and a scarf around her neck. Hana pretended not to notice that Angela would breathe into it whenever someone on the plane coughed. Angela too looked unrecognizable as the famous doctor and hero she was.
“No, I mean the mission,” Hana replied, making no effort to lower her voice, causing Angela to glare at her.
“Our vacation will take as long as we need it to,” Angela hissed, placing the bookmark into the absurdly large book she was reading and pushing up her glasses.
Hana groaned and tossed her head back. It was bad enough she had to leave Overwatch and have Mercy as her “handler”. What was worse was leaving her stream and her fans. Of course, Winston already took this into account and with Genji and Lucio’s help she pre-recorded a few streams with the two of them feeding her questions she would answer while playing a single-player game so no one would notice she was gone.
“I don’t even get my mech,” Hana whined in a harsh whisper. “What good will I be infiltrating a Talon training facility without the one thing I am good at doing?”
Angela’s glare hardened and she ducked her head lower so she could whisper. “Because,” she sighed heavily, tired of having the same argument, “Talon is recruiting out of local high schools. You are the only one who looks young enough to pull it off.”
Hana pursed her lips in distaste. She hated when other team members pointed out the age difference between her and practically everyone else. “Brigitte’s 23…she could do it...” she muttered under her breath as if to state something that wasn’t already considered. Brigitte, being four years older than Hana, was the closest to her age (not including Zenyatta, who was technically 20). However those four years might as well be a millennium for all Hana cared. The point was no one else was even considered for this part. It had nothing to do with her skills, her command history, her piloting, or her faster-than-lightning reflexes. No, she was simply put on this mission because she looked young.
Angela sighed and rubbed her temples. She was tired of having this same argument with Hana. She was asked to be put on this mission to keep Hana in line. Ever since Hana had agreed to join Overwatch, the gamer and the doctor butted heads. Hana was headstrong, overzealous and oftentimes reckless. She held the record for second-most trips to the medbay (after Reinhardt). “Hana, I don’t see what the big deal is. This is a fact-finding mission only. You are to go in and collect data, not fight the entire base,” she warned, knowing that the thought had probably crossed the young woman’s mind.
“Whatever.” Hana crossed her arms and went back to looking out the window. It was a big deal. It was a huge deal! In all her time in Overwatch, Hana was never assigned to any type of solo mission or even small teams. It grinded on her. While some called her behavior reckless, she called it quick-thinking. Not everyone could blow up a fusion core hundreds of feet above the ocean, nearly drown, and walk out of it with only a few minor scrapes. Now that was a real mission...
She must have fallen asleep, because the next thing she knew she was being shaken awake by Angela. Hana sat up with a jolt as Angela announced, “we’re here.” Most of the plane had already cleared out. Angela reached to the overhead bins to grab their bags.
Hana stretched and grabbed her inconspicuous bag and headed into the terminal. All she knew was that they were somewhere in North America, but she had no idea where exactly. Geography wasn’t her strong suit. She was, however, able to determine they were in Canada judging by the large billboard of Niagara Falls at the top of the escalator.
“This way!” Angela nearly scared Hana half to death as the woman snuck up behind her. In the busy airport it was easy to do.
Hana stuck close to Angela. While the older woman had world travel experience, Hana felt like a deer in the headlights. She didn’t get to travel much, and when she did she had agents pick up her things for her while she was busy signing autographs and taking selfies with fans. Now Hana knew what it felt like to be just another nameless face in a crowd.
Angela grabbed their bags from baggage claim and was quick to meet the valet. Hana was hot on her heels as people swarmed to get their rideshares. “Wait!” Hana scrambled to catch up, dodging through people with acrobatic ease. Angela stopped and turned around just in time for Hana to run into her.
“You really should be more careful,” Angela scolded, trying her best to hide her German accent. It surprised Hana how well the woman could assume a different identity. It also made the young Korean woman wonder just how much Angela has done in her life. “This is us.” She directed her attention to the scrawny young man holding a sign for valet service.
Written in sharpie marker was the name “Brady”. It was the assumed last name they both had to take on for this mission. Cassidy came up with it, referencing some ancient TV show that even Reinhardt wasn’t familiar with. Hana rolled her eyes and followed Angela to the car.
Hana was captivated by the sprawling city as they drove past soaring skyscrapers and gorgeous green spaces. Hana was able to pick up the city they were in from the travel brochure in the back of the cab. They were in the Canadian city of Toronto, she quickly flipped through the brochure, stopping on one page in particular. “Can we go to Niagara Falls?” She asked her travel companion. Angela quirked an eyebrow up almost as if seriously considering the offer. She opened her mouth to answer when the car halted at their destination. They were parked in front of a towering apartment building, its glass facade reflecting the sunlight and nearly blinding anyone that dared look at it.
“We’re here,” Angela said tersely, getting out of the car and grabbing their bags from the trunk.
Hana had never done espionage before, and she was quite impressed by how smoothly everything ran. The two women got into the spacious two-bedroom apartment with no questions asked. It was a modest, standard fare. There was a couch, television and full kitchen. Angela set her bags down and breathed a sigh of relief as she plopped herself on the couch.
“How did Winston pull this off?” Hana asked as she set her bags down and opened the curtains to reveal the city skyline. She coughed a bit as she kicked up dust.
“This old place? It’s a safehouse that Overwatch has had for years,” Angela explained as she kicked her shoes off. “Why, Fareeha and I once…” she began but cut herself off sharply.
This piqued the young girl’s interest, craning her neck from her view of the city. “You and Fareeha…?” she goaded the doctor with a smirk.
“Nothing. I’ll tell you when you’re older.” Angela dismissively waved her hand. Effectively ending that conversation and took her bags to the bedroom that was connected to the living room. “Your bedroom is on the other side of the hallway.” She said over her shoulder, missing the way Hana’s face twisted into disgust at her words.
Hana grabbed her bags and went about unpacking her things in the other smaller bedroom. Even for being unused for so long, the sheets on the bed were clean, so she couldn’t complain much. For the first time Hana felt the weight of the mission on her shoulders. She had to actually infiltrate Talon, something no other agent was capable of doing. As she placed her clothes into the dresser she was reminded of how this trip could be a huge turning point in the battle between Overwatch and Talon. Part of her was proud that she was chosen for the mission, even though she was the only one qualified. Hana pulled out her little piece of home, her handheld game console.
“Hana?” Angela’s voice tore the girl back to reality. She hid her game behind her back and whipped around to see Angela standing in the doorway. “I ordered pizza, then we can go over the mission details one more time.” Angela furrowed her eyebrows. “What is that?” She pointed to whatever Hana was hiding behind her back.
“Nothing!” Hana snapped back. Angela took one step into the room and Hana took one step back. Before the young woman knew it Angela had Hana’s arm in a lock behind her back and her hand had let go of the game console that clattered to the ground. “Hey!”
Angela bent over and picked up the small device. “Winston said no contact with the outside world.”
“It doesn't connect anywhere!” Hana made a lunge for the handheld console. Angela kept it just out of her grasp. “Angela give it back!”
The older woman sighed and relented, not wanting another argument. “Fine, as long as you stay off the internet.”
Hana grabbed the console back. “You know I wouldn’t put the integrity of a mission in jeopardy for a game.” Hana hissed as she put the game back into her suitcase and zipped it up.
There was a knock at the door and both women were startled into ready stances.
“Pizza!” Said the voice on the other side of the front door.
It wasn’t too much later that both women sat on the couch in their pajamas pouring over paperwork. Pizza boxes were splayed on the coffee table amongst the manilla folders and files. “So, according to this I am an 18-year-old in my last year of high school? Just moved here from...where?” Hana looked up to Angela, her mouth full of pizza.
“Bloomington, Indiana,” Angela replied, “Jack insisted on putting that detail in there so it would be easy to remember.” She took a bite of pizza but was sure to swallow before continuing. “But we moved around a lot due to my job as a medical supply consultant.”
“Alright, and you adopted me from Busan? Orphaned by the omnics? Really?” Hana didn’t like how closely her new persona mirrored her actual upbringing, it sent a cold chill down her spine.
Angela shrugged nonchalantly. “Easy to remember.”
Hana bit her tongue and decided to move on, flipping through the pages of the persona file. “Winston really went into detail with this…” she commented before grabbing another slice of pizza.
“You can actually thank Cassidy for that. He put together these files,” Angela explained.
Hana’s jaw fell, she couldn’t believe the man who dressed as a cowboy could put together such extensive undercover personas. She needed to ask Cassidy more about his Blackwatch days when she got back. Hana then looked back to the file in her folder, “my name is...Haniko…?”
Angela nodded, “Yes, and I am Angelica Brady, single mother from Zurich trying to make a living here in Toronto.”
Hana felt her stomach knot. She didn’t like the fact that Angela had to be her mother for the cover story. Hana never knew her actual mother, she was killed by the Omnic of the Sea when she was little. To Hana, no one could take that place in her life. “Why couldn’t you be my sister or something?” She grumbled to herself.
If Angela heard the question, she made no move to acknowledge it. Instead she dug around in her bag and pulled out a small black box and held it out.
“Doctor Ziegler I don’t think we are this far into our relationship,” Hana joked but Angela didn’t even so much as crack a smile as she opened the box revealing a small silver watch inside.
“You are to wear this,” she instructed and took the watch out. This was something that wasn’t covered in the briefing, and Hana shot a confused look at Angela.
“What for?” the words came out of her mouth before Hana had time to process them.
Angela took Hana’s wrist and slipped the small silver watch over it. “It monitors your heart rate,” she stated flatly. “But also it’s a direct line to me. Since we have to be discreet in this I can remotely monitor your vital signs from here. If you press this button on the side three times…” Angela pointed to the red button on the side of the watch, “It will send a distress signal, and we will know something is wrong, and I’ll pull you out and send in reinforcements if need be.”
Hana felt a lump rise in her throat as the device was secured on her wrist. She wasn’t sure if the lump came from the actual danger of the situation she was about to face or that she had a panic button in case she got scared. She swallowed the lump and tried to reassure herself it was the former reasoning.
Angela smiled, that soft reassuring smile she used for patients and that Hana had seen many times while in the medbay. “Well, it’s getting late. Shall we head to bed?” She started to pack up her things before waiting for an answer. Hana took that as a sign, and she gathered her things before heading to her room.
“G’night!” she called before closing the door, not waiting for Angela’s response.
----
Hana was quickly reminded the next day why she hated high school.
If it wasn’t the gossip about who was dating whom, then it was what clique you were in and who you associate with. For Hana, being “the new kid” meant she was clumped into the “outsiders” clique. Basically the catch-all for everyone who didn’t fit into a stereotype. Everyone within this clique was looked at like some leper by everyone else, so no one really noticed Hana, much less recognized who she actually was.
While sitting in class, she began to daydream about how the “popular” kids would react knowing someone so famous was in their ranks.
“Haniko…”
Yeah, she would totally own everyone. They would be lining up to try and beat her in some game or another.
“Haniko!”
Maybe she would make the losers clean her consoles.
“Haniko Brady!” The yelling of her history teacher snapped Hana back to reality. Everyone was staring at her as if she had just dropped in from another planet, which wasn’t too far off. “I’m glad you can finally join us, Ms. Brady,” the teacher snarled. It wasn’t like Hana cared about grades. She was here for an infiltration mission, not for her damn GPA.
----
“Hana, can you at least try to take this seriously?” Angela asked. It had been a week and Hana had gotten her first report card. Angela sat at the kitchen table with her laptop in front of her and the report card in her hand.
“I’m trying, it’s not my fault I haven't heard anything about Talon recruiting!” Hana spat back.
It was obvious to Hana that her sharp tone didn’t sit well with the doctor as she shifted in her chair and pushed up her glasses. “I mean, will you at least try to make an effort in your studies?” Hana was taken aback. “The principal called, she’s concerned about your work ethic.”
Hana’s jaw fell. “I’m in the middle of a covert operation and you’re going to harass me about grades that don’t even matter?” Hana couldn't stop her voice from rising.
“The point of an undercover investigation is that you make your cover story believable!” Angela stood her ground.
Hana saw red. “You are not my mother!” she yelled and stormed off to her room, slamming the door.
Angela sat in silence.
----
After that particular argument, Angela gave Hana space. She would see the girl off in the morning and would typically work on her computer for the rest of the day. She was lucky that Baptiste had recently joined and had taken control of the medical wing in her absence. They emailed back and forth, and she trusted him in her lab. Aside from that she would try to do some digging into Talon’s movements.
Today was a bit different. After seeing Hana off to school, Angela had an important video call to make. It was the weekly report she had to give Winston about the status of the mission. Angela was on her second cup of coffee for the day when she called.
“Hello Angela! It’s good to see you!” Winston greeted with a huge smile, showing all of his canine teeth.
Angela smiled back. “Hello. It is good to see you, too.”
“Oi! Let me see!” a voice from off camera chirped up. Angela could recognize the cockney accent anywhere. The camera panned so that Lena was in the frame. “Hiya, Angie! I hardly recognized ya with yer hair all dark like that.” The energetic British woman scooted closer to the camera, effectively shoving Winston out of the way. “How’re ya doin’? Is Hana there?” She started to rapid fire questions.
Angela shook her head. “No, Hana is at the school. She hasn’t been able to glean much information from the students, but she says that colleges routinely give recruitment presentations so she thinks it’s only a matter of time before Talon shows up on the radar.”
Winston shifted the camera so it was back to him and he pushed up his glasses. “How much time do you think you’ll both need?”
Angela shrugged, “I’m not quite sure really.”
The camera violently spun back to Lena. Angela was beginning to feel motion sick. “How’s Hana doin’? She hasn’t broken cover, yeah?”
Angela shook her head. “No she hasn’t. Her grades could use some improvement though.”
“Yer such a mom, Angie,” Lena giggled, and Angela rolled her eyes.
The camera pulled back to Winston, he snorted a bit becoming clearly agitated by the constant interruption. “Tell her that keeping up appearances is important, and she shouldn’t draw any unwanted attention to herself.”
Angela sighed. “I did. That conversation didn’t go well.”
“Well I’m sure you both can work something out.” Winston replied.
“I just don’t trust her to take this mission seriously.” Angela stated flatly.
“I know,” Winston sighed, taking his glasses off to rub his eyes. “But we have a contingency plan. You gave her the watch right?”
Angela nodded.
“Good. Make sure she wears it at all times. I know you both can do this, Angela.” He smiled softly before ending the call.
Angela rested her head in her hands with her elbows on the table. She needed more coffee.
----
A week went by when Hana rushed in the front door of the apartment in a manic frenzy. “Angela!” Hana threw her backpack in the chair opposite the doctor at the kitchen table. Angela, who was in the middle of her third coffee of the day, nearly choked as she was taken by surprise. Hana didn’t give the woman time to respond as she rifled through her bag. “I was doing some digging in the library during free period today,” she began to explain as she pulled out a stack of yearbooks from the high-school. Hana threw them on the table with such gusto that Angela had to scramble to pull her laptop out of the way lest it be smothered.
Frantically, Hana flipped through the first book and stopped at a page in the back. Angela took the book with curiosity as she looked over the full-page dedication. “What is this?” She asked as she read.
“Three years ago a student went missing,” Hana began to explain, pointing to the in memoriam segment. “He left after basketball practice and was never seen again. But get this,” Hana opened the rest of the books and among them were similar dedications. “Not only did students go missing, some were mysteriously killed or found dead.”
Angela furrowed her eyebrows and looked to Hana, concerned about what this all meant. The doctor set her laptop back on the table and began to cross-reference the names of the students with local news articles. “Do you think Talon has been operating here for longer than we thought?” She asked after a few moments of silence.
Hana looked seriously at Angela. “A lot longer.” She answered gravely and dumped her bag out of the chair and pulled it around so she could look at Angela’s screen..
Angela hovered over a news article from a week ago. She clicked on it and both women read about a student in a neighboring city going missing and then presumed a runaway. According to the student’s mother, this was something “he just would never do”. The article finished with a description of the missing teenager and a number to call for tips.
“I’m going to keep digging, maybe try and glean information from teachers to see if they noticed any students acting differently in the days leading up to their disappearance.” Hana stood up and took a sip from Angela’s coffee as she gathered the yearbooks.
“That’s a good idea. I will see if I can get a hold of some of the police files,” Angela began typing on her computer before looking up to see Hana writing down names in a notebook. “I’ll make us some more coffee.”
----
It wasn’t until the third week that Hana began to hear rumors about colleges scouting for students. She was sitting at lunch with her normal group of social outcasts, and (like usual) she was daydreaming about how everyone at the school would swoon over her if she just revealed her true identity.
“...I mean, honestly I am probably going to go to the University of Toronto, but I hear there’s this new college giving a presentation tomorrow, Vialli Memorial or something like that…”
Alarm bells went off in Hana’s head. She knew that name.
“Vialli what?” Hana asked the girl sitting at her lunch table.
“Oh, she actually speaks,” teased another boy that sat with them.
“What was the name of the college giving the next presentation?” Hana asked again, ignoring the snarky comment thrown her way.
“Vialli Memorial. It’s some new college that just started up. I hear it’s like a work-study program,” the chatty girl filled in.
“Yeah, they’re going to present here tomorrow,” the boy added.
Hana settled in her seat as lunch returned to its usual chaos. She looked forward to tomorrow, where seniors got a few extra minutes to talk to college recruiters who had tables set up for them at lunchtime.
Hana couldn’t focus the rest of the day. She only thought of that new school that the others mentioned. That name sounded so familiar! She wished she had her phone so she could tap into Athena’s archives. After school Hana raced back to the safehouse and threw open the door in a whirlwind.
“Angela!” Hana threw her bag to the floor, locking eyes with the blonde who sat at the kitchen table sipping her coffee again. This time she was able to finish her drink without choking. “Tomorrow at the school there will be another college presentation. This one is called Vialli Memorial, and I know I know that name somewhere. Like it came up in history class or one of Morrison’s long-winded rambles. What is it from?”
Angela wiped her mouth, “Vialli was in Talon’s inner council while Doomfist was imprisoned. He was the one that ordered the assassination of Katya Volskaya. When Doomfist came back...well, we don't know what happened to him,” Angela filled in.
“Then that’s it! That must be the name that Talon is operating under!” Hana grinned excitedly. She single-handedly figured Talon out! She had played puzzle games way harder than that!
Angela didn’t seem pleased though. She kept a scowl on her face as she looked lost in thought. “Why would Talon make it so easy for us to figure out though?” she muttered.
Hana shrugged and took the other chair, sitting confidently. “Who cares?” Hana took another drink from Angela’s coffee. “Maybe they didn’t think that we’d get the intel we did!”
That answer didn’t seem to sit well with the doctor as she pulled out her computer and began typing. Hana pulled a chair up next to her and watched as Angela searched this new university. “It says on their admissions page that they are new, this is their first enrolling class…” She read.
Hana shifted uncomfortably in her chair, “do you think this has to do with the missing students?”
“I don’t know. It could be that Talon was operating under a different alias then,” Angela offered.
Hana dug into her backpack and pulled out her notebook. “Well get this,” she said, flipping pages. “I was able to ask around the school and look,” She opened the notebook to a page where she had written down various names and connected them with pink pen to other names and locations. “Two students went missing after just getting a job at a frozen yogurt place.” She said, guiding Angela’s eyes to another part of her map. “Three more disappeared after a basketball game where it was rumored a talent scout was there. And get this, two kids were killed when their car spun out of control and hit a tree. The break line was found to be faulty.”
Angela hummed as she stared at Hana’s map. “And you’re talking to this recruiter tomorrow?” She asked, her icy blue eyes locking with Hana’s warm brown ones.
“Yes. I think that’s my way in.” Hana said with confidence. It was the same confidence she reserved for when she was D.Va.
“Just...be careful,” Angela frowned.
----
Butterflies flew circles in Hana’s stomach as lunch approached. She had a whole spiel planned to tell the recruiter. She went with the idea that she was a free spirit that was tired of being held back by her overprotective mother. What recruiter wouldn’t want to hear that?
So confidently Hana walked into the lunchroom. Her eyes landed immediately on the table off to the side with a red and gray tablecloth.
“Bingo,” Hana smirked and with the poise she usually reserved for D.Va, she walked right up to the table.
Standing there was a well-dressed woman in her thirties in a form-fitting red dress that matched the tablecloth. Her cat-like eyes fell directly on Hana and her thin lips curled into a smile. “Why hello.” Her voice was smooth as silk as she spoke. “Are you here for information on our college?” She flipped her straight black hair behind her shoulder.
Hana’s train of thought derailed as the woman looked her up and down. She felt like a tiny microbe being studied under a microscope. “I...uh…yes,” Hana stammered.
The woman’s smile went wider and she handed Hana a pamphlet and began talking. “We are an intensive work-study college geared towards students who value real-life knowledge.” Hana couldn’t care less, but she looked over the pamphlet. The uniforms the students wore, the red, black and gray; it had to be Talon.
“When can I schedule a visit?” Hana blurted out abruptly, cutting off the woman who arched a perfectly manicured eyebrow in surprise.
The woman’s cheshire smile grew wider and her predatory eyes sparkled as she spoke. “We can set one up for Saturday,” she said. Hana signed her fake name on the sheet the woman pushed in front of her.
After classes had ended, Hana raced back to the safehouse, excited to tell Angela what she had discovered. When she arrived she found Angela sitting at the kitchen table as she had almost every other day, typing furiously on her laptop.
“I got a campus tour scheduled!” Hana announced as if she had just aced a huge test.
Angela hardly looked up from her screen as she held the now cold coffee cup to her lips, even though there was a warm cup on the table across from her. “Good,” she replied flatly as her eyes scanned the screen.
That was not the reaction Hana was expecting and she dropped her bag on the floor. “What gives?” She asked, peering over Angela’s shoulder to what she was so intently looking at. It was the website for the school.
“I have been researching this “school” and it seems like there are several more locations being planned across the world.” Angela’s tone was dark as she set her drink down.
“So...more undercover missions?” Hana asked with a hint of dread in her voice before picking up the warm cup of coffee. This mission was hard enough, she didn’t want to be globetrotting with Angela until she was 30.
The doctor shook her head,“no.” Angela closed the computer so sharply it made Hana jump a bit, “Once we have enough information on how Talon is training their new recruits, we should be able to convince local governments to shut down each one without bloodshed.” She picked up her computer and walked out of the kitchen.
----
Hana couldn’t sleep. She was equal parts nervous and excited for her first (almost) solo mission. Hana tossed and turned on the starchy sheets. The digital clock on the nightstand glared at her - 1:45 am. Growing frustrated, the young girl got up to go to the kitchen. Maybe a midnight snack would help.
While Hana had been at school on her fact-finding mission, Angela had pretty well stocked the safehouse with provisions. To Hana’s dismay, everything was healthy even though Hana SPECIFICALLY asked for the Lucio-o’s in the grocery list she gave Angela. With a frown and a determination to find the sugariest thing in the cupboard, Hana began her search.
She settled on some granola when she heard voices coming from Angela’s room. Hana looked at the closed door with the light coming from underneath it. Curiously, she strode closer until she could make out two distinct voices. One was definitely Angela; the Swiss-German was hard to miss. The other was grainy, as if it was over a phone or speaker.
“...She goes in tomorrow.” This voice was Angela’s. “I just don’t know how comfortable I am with this, Fareeha.”
“She’ll be fine,” the voice over the speaker replied. “We all had our first solo mission once.”
A sigh. “I know. I just wish Winston had sent reinforcements in case something goes wrong.”
“And what makes you think something will go wrong?”
“You know Hana, she can be a bit...impulsive.”
It felt like a cold knife was stabbed into Hana’s gut. Angela didn’t trust her? She thinks that she’ll mess this up? The young girl leaned in closer to the door to hear the conversation better.
“Angie, you worry too much.” At least Fareeha had her back, Hana thought. “And besides, you gave her the GPS tracking watch right? Winston has been monitoring everything. At the first sign of trouble, Lena will have the jet ready for an emergency extraction.”
Hana couldn’t listen anymore. It wasn’t just Angela who didn’t have confidence in her, it was the entire team. As the stinging hot tears pushed forward demanding to be shed, Hana quickly spun on her heel and went back to her room.
Unaware of the angst occurring outside her door, Angela’s conversation continued. “You’re right Fareeha,” she bit her lip and wrapped the blankets around herself. “I worry about her. She’s so young, yet she knows so much of war. Isn’t that what we fought to prevent in the old Overwatch? So that no other children would know what it felt like to lose those closest to you in a war you never asked for?” Angela couldn’t stop the tears that began to fall.
There was silence on the other end of the video call as the question hit close to home for both of them. Fareeha looked solemnly at Angela, watching silently as the doctor hugged her pillow. “I remember in the old Overwatch there was a doctor, a very pretty doctor I might add, and all she wanted to do was help. She would run headlong into the battlefield if it meant she could heal someone or drag them to safety if she had to. I remember my mother cursing in Arabic as she ran after that doctor before she got herself hurt.” Angela sniffled as Fareeha continued, “and how old were you? Eighteen?”
Angela wiped her nose on the sleeve of her shirt. “Seventeen,” she corrected.
Fareeha couldn’t help the smile on her face. “You were seventeen, Ange. Give Hana a chance.”
----
Angela was up early the next morning and had coffee ready for both of them by the time Hana woke up. Neither woman was an early riser, but the combined nerves kept them both awake. “Good morning,” Angela greeted once Hana finally came out of the bathroom with her red dyed hair pulled back.
“Mornin’,” Hana grumbled. She was still tired and hurt from the night before. After overhearing the conversation between Angela and Fareeha, she didn't sleep much.
“I trust you are ready for today?” Angela asked as she sipped her coffee.
“Yeah,” Hana replied as she grabbed a yogurt cup from the fridge. She tried not to visibly cringe at the way Angela said “trust”. “I studied the college, and I believe I have the map of the place down.” Hana took a seat across from Angela at the kitchen table.
Angela nodded. “Did you sleep well?” she couldn’t help but ask. Hana was silent as she ate her yogurt. Angela had known the girl long enough to know that the answer was no. It took all of her resolve not to push the issue, remembering what Fareeha had told her. Angela took another sip of her coffee.
“Alright,” Hana said once she had finished. “I’ll need to wear a wire to record everything right?” she asked and took a drink of her own coffee.
Angela nodded. “Yes. Mei designed it.” She got up and pulled out a small little gray box from her bag that sat next to her. She opened it revealing a pair of silver earrings with diamonds in the center. Angela picked one up and flipped it over. “Pressing here will start the recording.” she pointed to the diamond in the center. “Make sure to press the back of each of them as one is audio and one is visual. They feed directly to a satellite feed that can be then uploaded to Athena,” she explained.
“So everyone back at base will be able to see what I’m doing?” Hana asked as she reluctantly took the box.
Angela shrugged. “With a few minute delay, but yes.”
“Gotcha.” Hana put the earrings in, not satisfied with that answer.
Angela could feel the distaste and anxiety in Hana’s voice, “I think you are the best suited for the job, with your acting history and all.” Angela’s attempts at cheering Hana up failed miserably as the younger girl stared at her blankly.
“You mean the movie I was forced to be in as propaganda for the MEKA program?” Hana deadpanned back. “Yeah, I’ll keep that in mind.”
----
Hana took the bus to Vialli campus. “Campus” wasn’t really a word that Hana would use to describe the large office building, which shared a strip mall space with a taco shop and a nail salon. Hana turned on the recording device in the earrings and looked at her “watch”. She remembered what she overheard Angela say the previous night about how the team back at base was watching her every move. Hana felt disgusted and with haste, she took off the “watch” and threw it in the trash can.
She took a deep breath and walked through the glass doors.
What she was not expecting was a fully set up admissions office. Sitting at a mahogany desk was the woman Hana had previously spoken to. Her dark eyes flickered up upon hearing the door open and her mouth unzipped to reveal her perfect smile.
“Haniko, was it?” She stood to shake Hana’s hand. Hana nodded, remembering her alias. “I am so glad you could make it!” The woman grinned. “You can call me Delilah.”
“Nice to meet you, Delilah,” Hana replied.
“So,” the woman seemed to go back to business as she pulled out a folder from her desk and gave it to Hana. “Here is a list of the different majors we offer and the different businesses we do our work-study through.” Hana took the folder and began flipping through it slowly, she wanted to be sure the camera in her earrings caught everything. “I am sure you will find something that sparks your interest. We do a lot of work with local programming companies and video game startups.”
This jerked Hana’s attention away from the folder and back to the woman. “How did you know I liked video games?” Her heart started racing. Hana was sure that somewhere in Gibraltar alarm bells were going off and Winston had Lena’s jet on the tarmac.
The woman’s portentous smile did not falter. “You told me when we talked at your school the other day.” Did she? Hana couldn’t remember. It was probably something she let slip during their conversation. Delilah moved around the desk. “Unfortunately the other two families that were scheduled to take the tour with you today couldn’t make it. So it will just be you and me!”
Hana put on the best faux smile she could and followed the woman behind the desk and through another set of doors. Sprawled out in front of Hana was nothing but empty office space. Hana was confused and turned to look at the woman.
She was met instead with a blow to the back of the head.
Then darkness.