Lena Oxton (callsign “Tracer”) stood in the shadows of the forest’s edge, gathering her thoughts. Ahead of her loomed the building (or complex of buildings) she was about to try to infiltrate – all bright lights and bare concrete, no particular hint of what could be inside beyond a vague impression of something sinister. From her vantage point she could see a few guards; although she was at risk of being seen from this distance none of them glanced her way or seemed to be on higher alert than normal.
“Alright,” she said quietly to herself. “It’ll be nothing. Easy-peasy, done this a hundred times.”
ABOUT A DAY AGO:
“We don’t actually know what they’re doing in there,” said Winston, “which is all the more reason to get inside.”
“Can’t say I feel all that great going in without even knowing what’s waiting for me,” Tracer replied.
“Well, it’s not anything military,” Winston reassured her. “We know a little about what comes and goes, and we haven’t seen any large weapon shipments or anything like that. Plus there aren’t that many personnel from the looks of it. Most likely they’re developing some kind of experimental technology.” A pensive look creased his simian face. “Although, I suppose it could be an experimental weapon they’re developing…”
He noticed this was not reassuring his colleague. “Er, in any case,” he continued, “all you need to do is look around a little. Any information you could get would be helpful. No need to engage – first sign of trouble, you get out of there. OK?”
“Oh, loud and clear,” said Tracer, with no enthusiasm in her voice.
“You’ve been on much more dangerous assignments,” Winston said. “It really should be nothing.”
“Cheers,” said Lena flatly.
BACK IN THE PRESENT:
So far it really had been nothing. She’d snuck in without even getting near any of the guards, and getting past the locks and scanners had been child’s play. I’m sure he was right, she thought, recalling Winston’s debriefing. Dunno why I gave him an attitude. I guess I’ve been in a bad mood –
She was jolted from her contemplation by an unexpected noise from her own chest. The device she always wore – the one that kept her anchored in this timeline – was behaving strangely. Specifically, it was making a noise she didn’t recognize, and a rather loud noise at that. Bollocks! I may have to cut this short… there better be something good nearby, or I’ll have to leave empty-handed.
Fortunately, the reason she came was waiting for her in the very next room. Walking through the door, Tracer stopped and stared at the imposing scene before her.
Whatever it was, it was huge – big enough to fill a whole room, and a large room at that. The most scifi-looking tech she’d ever seen, and it was all running at what looked like max capacity. Unfortunately, nothing about it was giving her any clues about what it was supposed to be.
“Magnifique, oui?” came a painfully familiar voice behind her.
Tracer turned around to see the voice’s source, though she hardly needed to: it was a woman named Amelie LaCroix, or at least it had once been. Now she was known as Widowmaker, Talon’s top assassin. They’d tangled before, and it had been brutal each time.
“Fancy meeting you here,” Tracer said jocularly. That was just how her personality worked – she was almost incapable of keeping a serious tone in times of stress. Not by choice; it worked like more of a defense mechanism, keeping fear at arm’s length whether she wanted it that way or not. The heavier things got, the lighter her mood became. Unhealthy, perhaps, when you thought about it, but worrying about these things was for some other time.
“Oh,” purred Widowmaker, “ze pleasure is all mine, cherie. I confess, I was not…excited to be tasked with mere guard duty here. But it seems fate had somezing special in store for me after all.”
Suddenly her expression changed from a predatory smirk to a look of confusion and even concern. “Eh…Are you…alright?”
Tracer followed Widowmaker’s gaze to the device on her own chest. It had stopped making the troubling noises, but now it was sparking. Well, that’s not good at all… Tracer glanced around at all the strange machinery. Could it be reacting to whatever all this is? Either way, I don’t think I have time to stay and chat…
“Is zis some kind of trick?” Her foe was regarding her with narrowed eyes. “You have somezing planned, don’t you?”
“Care to find out?” quipped Tracer. It was a bluff, but only the confidence part. Lena was starting to suspect that the assassin was right to be nervous. Well, if she played that up, maybe she could buy herself an escape opportuni-
The world began to slow down. Oh, no. Tracer recognized the signs of an oncoming shift. This isn’t supposed to happen! Even if my vest wasn’t working, I should be stable for a while! That damn vest…it was glowing now, a bright white light that almost seemed like it was coming through the device rather than coming from it. A malfunction… She tried her best to brace herself. But it wasn’t quite the same as when she’d shifted before. This time, there seemed to be a radius, as she noticed that Widowmaker looked to be caught in it too. The two of them were moving in sync: Widowmaker mirroring Tracer’s dreamlike speed as if they were performing some bizarre dance together. The assassin was coming straight for her, having apparently decided that attacking was the best course of action after all. But she’d never make it in time. “Sssorrrrrrryyyy” Tracer apologized. She wasn’t sure why.
The white light drowned out everything else, and then abruptly went black.
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