Chapter Text
Satya had to admit that she was in a very unique position.
Overwatch had been responsible for her rescue, and aided in her recuperation, but she was not truly part of their organization.
She was “associated” with Sombra because of their relationship, but she had never had a connection to Talon. In fact, Sombra revealing the depth of that organization’s ties to Vishkar had been a major reason she had chosen to go rogue.
It left her in the position of being a bit of a detached observer as Tracer, Widowmaker, and Sombra attempted to rally support for moving on Oasis, if not an entirely unbiased one.
Given the way the man who called himself Soldier:76 had treated them on their arrival, she was not surprised he was the most resistant, but his objections seemed more fueled by personal distaste than any practical concern.
Others, like Fareeha and Aleksandra, seemed resistant as much for their concerns over the dangers and repercussions in attacking a sovereign entity as their personal conflicts with Widowmaker and Sombra, but they were at least willing to offer some suggestions on how the mission could be executed.
It left the tight knot around Tracer with few options, particularly with the limited time.
“Hana and Lucio are in,” Sombra reported as they sat around the table in Winston’s lab. “The little Lindholm wants to go, too, but she’s worried about leaving her papa.”
Winston frowned. “She’s talking to her father? Torbjörn hasn’t responded to the recall.”
Sombra grinned. “I meant her other papa.”
That got a grunt from the scientist and a giggle from Tracer. Even Widowmaker seemed somewhat amused.
“Still,” Winston said as he leaned in to look at the map grid. “With their help, and the four -”
“Five,” Satya interrupted.
“Five of us,” Winston corrected, “that’s a good special action force, with some impressive abilities.”
Widowmaker shook her head. “It would still be seven against an entire city. A frontal assault will not work.”
“Venice all over again,” Tracer agreed glumly. “Maybe worse, since we’d be trying to get a civilian out.”
Satya nodded. “I do have some experience in covert operations - and in constructing teleportation waystations for an extraction.”
Winston’s frown deepened. “Even if we give her one of Lena’s spare accelerators, I’m not sure putting her through a teleporter will be safe. Getting the team in, though, that’s a possibility.”
“It sounds better than trying to land on the roof again,” Sombra agreed.
Satya made a mental note to ask her about that later.
Winston shifted slightly to focus on her, and Satya reflexively straightened in her chair. “What would you need to get a teleporter system set up?”
“Line of sight, ideally within twenty meters. Alternatively I could construct a temporary path using hard light that could take us from a nearby rooftop to the top of the Ministry.”
Sombra shook her head. “There’s too much air traffic at night, and the surveillance systems would be too likely to spot it.”
Tracer tapped her fingers on the table, a nervous tick Satya had noticed on several occasions since her rescue, then looked up at the converted cavern’s ceiling. “So it’s got to be quick and it’s got to be quiet going in …” She looked back to Winston with a grin. “Could be loud going out.”
“It would still be risky,” Winston said as he considered the idea, “but I admit that we might be able to arrange for a quick getaway in that situation.”
“It’s not a bad idea,” Sombra agreed. “But how are we getting into the city in the first place? Even if you use one of your Orcas to get us out, they aren’t exactly subtle.”
A new voice joined the conversation, making everyone turn in surprise.
“Actually,” Angela Ziegler said with a smile. “I believe I can help with that.”
The aircar slid smoothly over the sands of the Syrian desert, occasional splashes of desert flora and the remnants of old mining roads breaking up the monotonous stretches of sand as it flew towards Oasis.
Angela tapped a key to confirm there were no expected delays on the half hour journey, then leaned back, smiling over to where Satya sat in the passenger seat. “We’re looking good here. Do you have all your papers in order?”
“Of course,” she replied, raising her hand. “Entry documents, visa, and my invitation.”
The doctor gave a little grin. “Good. Then this should be very interesting...and I really cannot wait to see the look on Minister O’Deorain ’s face.”
It was a fairly quiet ride. Satya seemed content to concern herself with a book she’d brought along, and Angela didn’t really mind. Really, she had to admit it was refreshing after missions with some of her more vocal teammates.
That made Satya breaking the silence even more unexpected than her question.
“Why are you helping us?”
Angela turned, her brows knitting. “I’m sorry?”
Satya had put the book away, her head tilted inquisitively. “You were one of the members of the original Overwatch who stated repeatedly that the organization was shut down for a reason, and should remain so. And from what I understand, you took the longest to respond to Winston’s recall.”
“That’s true,” she admitted.
Satya nodded. “Several of the recalled...group...refused to support this operation, for quite logical reasons. Yet you came forward to offer your assistance. Why?”
Angela considered her answer for a few seconds, watching the desert pass beneath them. “When Lena was lost, I was part of the original accident team. The one that determined she’d been killed in action.”
“You could not possibly have known,” Satya observed. “No one could have imagined what happened to her.”
“But we do now .” Angela sat back with a sigh, looking up at the ceiling of the car. “And I know what that experience did to Lena, when we finally understood what had happened. When we finally brought her back.” She closed her eyes and shook her head. “I thought about someone being taken against their will, being put through that experience. Even though Aleksandra, Fareeha, and the others are right about the risks of this operation, I couldn’t stay away.”
Satya hummed thoughtfully. “Particularly since you could provide us with an advantage...and a history with our opponent.”
“And that,” Angela admitted ruefully. “I cannot help but wonder if I was...responsible for this, in some ways.”
“You did not help her,” Satya objected.
“Moira had access to a great deal of my work and my notes,” Angela countered, rubbing at her face with a sigh. “I may not have actively helped her, but it’s quite possible I set her up to succeed.”
“And you feel guilty for that.”
Angela gave a little shrug. “You know, you really are quite perceptive, Satya.”
“I appreciate the compliment.” The Architech turned back to face the road. “But for what it is worth...you shared knowledge with your colleagues believing it would be used to help create a better world. That was an admirable act, and a generous one. From what I understand, Moira chose to misuse the gift you offered - and to steal what you did not share willingly.”
“Yes. But if I’d done things differently -”
“From what we have seen,” Satya interrupted, “I would characterize Minister O’Deoran as quite...ruthless. I believe she would have found a way to acquire the knowledge she sought, no matter the difficulty.”
Angela turned that over silently before she finally nodded. “Thank you, Satya. That does help.”
“Vishkar misused everything I did for them,” Satya noted as she pulled out her book again. “I am still proud of the things I did which helped others, but at the same time I also had to accept that some of my actions that I had been told were beneficial to all were only beneficial to a few, and take responsibility for them.”
Oh . Angela could feel a blush creeping up her face. That does put things in a different light.
“I decided that working against Vishkar to make amends for the harm I did was the best option - and to accept that I was not responsible for...certain acts. Particularly ones I had no knowledge of until after the fact.”
“So the best thing to do is to accept my own actions, then?”
Satya nodded. “I believe so.”
“When you look at it that way...I do see your point. Thank you.”
“You are very welcome,” Satya replied with a smile, “and thank you for your help. I do appreciate it.”
The rest of the ride passed in a pleasant silence, with Oasis rising slowly out of the desert as they made the turn onto the road that led to the security and customs checkpoint.
Angela took control of the car back from the automatic systems, slowing them down and coming to a graceful stop in front of the force-shielded gate.
“Doctor Angela Ziegler,” she introduced herself to the guard who came to her window, handing over her credentials. “I have an invitation to speak to the Minister of Health on behalf of MSF.”
The guard nodded, waving a wand over the ID, the tip of the device going green with a soft beep as it validated her pass. “And your passenger?”
“Satya Vaswani,” she introduced herself as she provided her own documents. “I am accompanying the doctor as her guest.”
Another beep, another green light. “Thank you both - you may proceed once the security field is raised for you.”
“Excellent,” Angela smiled, “thank you.”
“Welcome to Oasis - please enjoy your stay.”
Oh, Angela smiled as they made their way through the gate, I think we will.