"Yah!"

The man swung his arm, nearly hitting the black suited woman in the face with a balled fist. She avoided it easily and smiled cockily at his third attempt.

"Come on, is that the best you can do Ahmed?"

He huffed and came at the woman again, aiming at her stomach. She twirled, taking her arms under his and with two hands she had him in a backwards headlock. He yelled, unable to reach the laughing woman.

The other soldiers that stood around joined their lieutenant in laughter. The man then removed himself after feeling her grip weaken and brushed himself off like he hadn't been beaten by a woman just now.

"Who else wants a go?" Fareeha said, bouncing on her heels with her defined arms ready to take the next victim. "I can do this for hours!"

"Me, lieutenant." A man said, coming down after being seated atop one of the artillery crates. Fareeha smiled as her friend joined her in the ring she had made in the dirt.

"You sure you don't want another rookie to take me on? There seems to be plenty here with pride to try and wrangle me down." She said, seeing his aging copper eyes smile. The man whom she had come to know as her second laughed towards the newer soldiers, intimidating them with his widespread grin. She noticed their wary stares and kept to herself her amusement.

"They'll know why you're the leader'."

Fareeha nodded, trusting him. Their quarrels were lighthearted to them unlike the others who were prejudiced with their friendship. Like any old relationship, she liked them rough and interesting. It spiced up their time when others imagined a rivalry, when in reality, they were like family.

He was at arms with her, standing only a foot taller. She was already tall enough and towered over the others whenever they came up to her. He offered the first move, a strong strike of the knee which Fareeha blocked with her own. They waltzed around multiple times before, as she predicted, he swung his beefy arms to knock her straight in the jaw. Fareeha deflected the blows and sidestepped his movements that were unlike hers. She was more agile while he was built to withstand anything.

Another punch he gave and she ducked. The man nearly twice her size could have killed her if he aimed at her chest, had she no knowledge of defense. He aimed there with a fist and with both her palms, she shielded herself from collision. The force drove her feet a few inches backwards into the dirt. The others around her were amazed at her feats which were unlike what they proved to her within the hour.

Fareeha blew a few strands of black hair that fell between her eyes and looked up to see her friend.

"Anything else?" She asked with a smug grin.

The man withdrew his fist and without warning, he took Fareeha into his arms and lifted her off the ground. She fidgeted in his grasp, losing her cool as the man and the others laughed with their leader's struggle.

She gave in after a few moments and then hugged back to be released.

"Tayyeb!" She commanded after seeing the cooks signal her that they were ready. "Playtime's over! Everyone eat!"

After patrolling her crew line up from the outside of the large ship docked, Fareeha grabbed her own plate of boiled ta'amiya, rice and kofta.

The wind blew gently as she ate in solitude atop a large rock. She overlooked the vast plains of the Iraqi desert seeing as far as her eyes could take her. This land reminded her of home, back in Giza. Fareeha smiled to herself while she ate her meal quietly, relishing the scents of warm air and sand in her nostrils. The sun beat down on them all, most of the soldiers having taken refuge in the shade of some date palm that were around their stations.

She saw some of the newer soldiers glance her way. They were halted by the elders of the crew, who knew her better than most. Her soldiers respected her as she was alone often, busy gathering thoughts or simply taking time for herself from the busy work day. She always had to keep these people in line, even if they were only idle and standing guard.

As she rested back onto an elbow, someone approached her from the side with a small cup in hand and a smile. Her second, Jamir.

"Your favorite." He said then walked back to sit with his companions. Fareeha took the cup, and sipped it lightly, favoring the taste on her tongue with pleasure. The tea was hot but not hot enough to burn. It was mellow and piquant with the few mint leaves that rested along the bottom of the cup.

Then, she felt a buzz. Fareeha took out her phone while setting the tea down and glanced towards the unknown caller I.D. It was odd for them to call since it was a private number but out of curiosity she answered.

"Alo."

"Is this Fareeha?" The voice asked in the other line, carrying a Swiss accent. The lieutenant shifted her body and sat up on the rock.

"Who is calling?" She pressed, growing a bit suspicious.

"It's your personal guardian angel."

Fareeha's eyebrows raised and she quickly cleared her throat in embarrassment. "Oh! I'm so sorry Angela, I didn't recognize the number. How are you doing?"

She chuckled on the other line, calming Fareeha with her soft voice. "It's ok, I didn't think you would. I should be asking you the same thing."

The lieutenant lay down onto the hot stone and stretched her legs out from underneath her. "Yes yes! I'm doing fine, just relaxing here since it's the lunch hour." Fareeha held the cup's handle by her index and thumb and swirled the small amount of tea left. "What can I do for you, doctor?"

"I need to ask a favor. Would you be able to take work leave?"

All was quiet. The search lights were bright against the clear night sky of the Midwest, stretching vast along the plains. The moon was high, marking it near the new morning. A few birds sung their songs which brought music to the lieutenant's weary ears.

Fareeha set her rocket launcher down on the table where there were a few clipped papers and an empty tea cup she had from earlier. She set her phone down on the table as well and sat down on the floor with her legs spread out.

"Are you tired, lieutenant?" Jamir said, coming to rest by her side.

Fareeha lifted her honey colored visor and replied with a slight chuckle. "Not even. Though it is tiring standing about all day carrying this armor."

Her friend nodded, lifting his helmet well above his eyes to take it off. He allowed for his chocolate dreadlocks to come down from the bun he wore to join the others that were resting on his neck. "I hear you. Just don't tell the others."

Her eyes wandered around Jamir, searching for a certain thermos. "And the tea? Have you brought it?"

"Of course Fareeha. Always for my favorite captain." He smiled, taking from behind him an old worn down satchel. He placed it on his lap and opened the thick leather flap, showing inside the large ceramic cups and a tall ginger thermos. He took them out carefully and handed Fareeha a cup, prepared the leaves, and poured hot water into the cup that turned dark as the leaves soaked at the bottom.

The woman took her cup and smelled the minty aroma that overrode her senses with memories of her homeland. As a child, she always took time to drink her favorite beverage and with her second being from Mansoura, it was always possible.

"Thank you. Have you finished the last patrol?"

"Yes." He confirmed, placing his elbows on his knees akin to her. She could tell he was exhausted. "We covered the four ends and secured the stations. Though if you want to double check, you might as well do it now. The night is high and everyone's asleep."

"I guess I should, the rookies never do that."

Jamir laughed, stroking back his hair. "They never do. Good night, leutenant."

Fareeha nodded, standing back up after she finished her tea. She gave it back to the man and took off a few feet in front of him. She guided her flight with her body's maneuvers, flying with her jets high above the facility she was assigned to keep secure. She flew past a banner that waved frantically as the wind picked up, bearing the tragic sign of Overwatch along the watchtowers.

The lieutenant shot upwards and continued till she reached the warehouses. She landed on both feet as her footwear absorbed the shock. She leaned to the left to place the password into a thin touchscreen pad, that had recognized her name. Amari.

One by one she went till all the warehouses were covered. Fareeha walked inside the last one, holding her rocket launcher firmly. This was the one the boys liked to mess around in, since it contained all the weaponry Overwatch had developed or was developing before the program's shut down.

It was dark inside without the lights, and with the only one emoting from the exit sign above, she searched quickly for the large box on the wall. Her fingers felt the switches and she flicked them all at once to light the arsenal. Rifles, cannons, bazookas, grenades, and a mile high of ammo laid in a blanket of dust on the stands. Some of the weapons she recognized from when she went with her mother to the workplace. One caught her attention, a high powered rifle that was only a prototype to the one they never fully created - or so they said.

Fareeha looked carefully at the weapon that was displayed in a glass case. She wiped away the dust that had hardened on the glass and revealed the blue barreled rifle.

In the description, said: Heavy Pulse Rifle, prototype 00376D. Developed by Overwatch [HANDLE WITH CARE].

She stepped back, looking at the case again. There was something different about this gun than the others. Maybe that it ran on energy rather than bullets. It emitted a strange feeling, something that only Overwatch could bring. Nostalgia maybe, but this was a feeling that dropped down Fareeha's stomach and chilled her nerves.

She turned away and continued until she was back to the exit to turn off the lights. Scanning the room for one final check, she flipped the switches and exited the room, locking it from the touch pad on the side.

Fareeha's ears perked.

Hearing the sound of boots running behind the walls of the warehouse, she paused to listen closely. These footsteps were faster than what her men could run at most by several strides. She reached for the touch pad again, but hovered it over. Maybe they were just some foolish rookies, she thought.

Crash.

She unlocked it urgently and blasted herself high above the stands of artillery. She searched around while she hovered with her jets and found the glass case shattered on the floor and the thief running towards the back.

"Code red! I repeat, code red! There's an intruder! Move out now!" She commanded into the headset on her helmet. She flew above and tracked down the man who had disappeared into the shadows.

Jamir answers her call immediately. "We're on our way. Is he armed?"

"Yes," she replied and got hold of his figure turning the corner. The man blasted his way out the secure exit way and sprinted out with the prototype close to his chest. "He's got hold onto one of the weapons. Section 24C, keep your eyes on him!"

At once the alarms sounded, waking every individual in the watch point. Fareeha kept her eyes glued to the intruder's jacket with the number 76 and aimed her gun to him. "You're not going anywhere." She said to herself and fired the first shot.

One rocket flew past the man, marking a crater onto the ground next to him. Pieces of concrete and dirt flew in all directions with the second rocket. Fareeha stretched her neck, losing the intruder in the smoke below but regained her vision as he continued to run.

A fleet of soldiers came, all armed and flying towards her in V formation. They fired at the man, without her mindset to keep him alive through this. Fareeha held her breath. Once the rockets hit the man, he would be dead.

As the rockets neared, the intruder activated a holographic visor from his mask and countered each rocket with a shot that exploded them back towards her men.

Fareeha gasped as she witnessed them falling back hard, colliding onto the ground with broken wings and blood coming from their visors. She saw Jamir to be one of them, and grit her teeth. The man shot again, sending three energy charged missiles towards her.

She dodged them by nearly a foot with one colliding with her wing at the tip. The lieutenant forced her jets to extend to full throttle, holding her up in the air for a limited time. She had to catch him before he ran out of the area, her mind screamed. Fareeha twisted her head as she heard gunshots and saw more of her men fall down towards the earth.

"Ibn el caleb!" She cursed. The lieutenant lowered her head. She had to shoot him, she had no other choice. Fareeha aimed her rocket launcher as she zoomed through the air like a bullet. She aimed a few feet in front of him and shot. He dodged, already knowing her middle would land where she aimed for.

She shot again, he rolled away from the smoke.

Another, missed.

"Jamir!" She called into her headset. "He's headed for the dam. Get the others to block his path!"

A heavy dam lay along the borders of Grand Mesa, rimming out a large river for energy around the entire area including the Overwatch base. The falls of the dam, which were sectioned out by four cube shaped holes within the massive walls gushed endless gallons down below, where the water pooled and continued hundreds of feet below. The intruder headed towards the dam and had not stopped short of the missiles sent his way.

Fareeha halted. She feared the safety of the dam as well as her men around it. She was ordered to protect it and secure the shutdown base. If anything powerful were to strike the dam, the entire thing would collapse and they would lose the power that had been generated. For her men and the intruder, she could not take the risk of having any lives taken and for the man to be dead when she would hand him in for the government's custody.

"All soldiers retreat!" She commanded, as more were coming. "Do not engage!"

Jamir's weakened voice rang in the intercom. "What about the intruder lieutenant?"

"I will get him." She said, lowering her visor.

At once, Fareeha dipped down as she saw the man jump off the edge without a second thought. She cursed out loud, flipping herself in the air and zooming down at full velocity down to the man. She had let go of her rocket launcher and extended as far as her arms would allow to grasp even the tips of her fingers to the man's clothing. He sensed her, and flipped himself over to come mask to mask with the lieutenant.

She had no time to react as the prototype was pointed towards her. She had to release the corner she had held onto or fight him. Fareeha grabbed the barrel of the thick gun and pointed it up just as he shot. He kicked at her suit, Fareeha spinning lower into the forming steam as they neared the bottom. She propelled them both through the air, losing firepower the longer her damaged wings worked.

She used her upper body strength to keep the gun from her body at the same time trying to pull it from his grasp. But his grip was so strong, and they were falling fast. She expanded her wings once more to hover, but smoke began to erupt from the machinery hooked onto her Raptora suit.

Fareeha's eyes widened and she screamed, seeing her frightened reflection in the man's red mask before plunging into the foggy steam of the falls.

She felt weightless.

A heavy weight released from her shoulders and from her visor she saw nothing but white.

Fareeha breathed.

She blinked once, not even realizing she had closed her eyes and saw the light soften with a heavenly light. How could that be? Am I really...dead? She wondered. The lieutenant tried to move, but felt slender arms around her waist. She felt no concussion, no pain. What caught her chocolate eyes was the golden light in front of her. It expanded through the fog like feathers and behind the wings waved a burned ginger banner.

Fareeha moved her fingers and felt what had touched them. At once she heard the most beautiful voice coax her ears softly.

"I did not expected to see you again like this, Fareeha."

Before she could ask who, the voice answered her as if she already knew. "I promised I would always be your personal guardian angel."

"Oh come on! Why do I have to wear this?" I groaned, tugging at the tight sky blue dress I was forced to wear. I looked into the mirror, twisting myself to see different angles.

Angela placed her hands on her hips and looked me over. "Because Lena, we have a meeting tonight and I want you to dress elegantly. Oh! You look so cute!"

I rolled my eyes. Of course. Angela Ziegler, the woman who looked gorgeous in a tight black dress with a built-in scarf would say that. Whoever we were seeing has got to be important, or else I'd be upset for having to wear this scratchy thing for no reason. "Yeah, yeah. Y'know, you could have picked out a suit or something for me. I hate wearing these things!"

"You always wore dresses before. Why not now?" Angela said, tying the sash around my waist a little too tight for my liking.

"That's cause' I never got the chance to have a suit. I was always stuck with that one dress – remember the frilly yellow one? My mum got it for me at a city fair once and shipped it to me for prom while I was at Gibraltar." I laughed, causing Angela to chuckle as well.

"Yes I remember. You could have told me you didn't like them before, I don't have a bad memory." She said, turning towards the door. I followed her out, making sure the straps of my charger weren't damaging the dress. I didn't like it when people bought me things, but it was Angela and I couldn't say no to her gifts. She thought of me which was already enough since she bought me a dress that was two times the amount of my yearly paycheck…

I shrugged and saw Winston with a suit on. For a gorilla, he looked posh in his attire, and was awfully cute as he adjusted his bowtie. He smiled at me as did I and said, "How do I look? I haven't worn this since our awards ceremony."

"You look amazing Winston!" I said, giving him a thumbs up.

"Alright, is everyone ready? Our driver is outside waiting for us." Angela said, clapping her hands and readying the small black purse she carried under her arm. We nodded and went out the door before I locked it and secured the facility. We were taken a few miles away from King's Row, near to the heart of London where there was a big fancy restaurant named The Ledbury. Everything was elegant – from the fine black and white entrance, to the employees and their posh manners. They greeted Angela as if they knew her personally and walked us to a reserved place in the back with a hand extended to guide us there.

I hid behind Winston who wasn't bothered by the eyes of the servers who waited for us to be seated. They stared us down, knowing who we were. If it weren't for this charger I would be unrecognizable, I thought. The people smiled at me and I smiled back, but something in my gut told me otherwise. I breathed, walking till a door leading to the next room blocked their vision of us. Here I exhaled and saw who we were meeting.

A woman, tall and beautiful with a few strands of raven hair in small braids greeted us as she rose from her seat in a big round booth. Her attire was similar to Winston's with a navy suit, and white blouse. The only thing that was different was that she had on a tie and a few metals from some country's military. She stood with her back straight, her eyes sharp and smiled serenely. "Hello Angela."

Angela tucked her blonde bangs behind her ear as she smiled and took the woman's hand who had extended towards her. "Fareeha."

"Well I'll be. Fareeha Amari!" Winston said while touching his glasses up his nose. "It's been so long since I've seen you!"

He took Fareeha's hand and shook it in both of his, as if admiring her. I had no idea who this was, but her name was the same as an agent I knew. Angela turned towards me and brought me into the woman's presence with a hand on my back. "Lena, this is the daughter of the late Ana Amari."

Fareeha took my hand in a shake. Her hand was callous and firm, making me feel how thin I was compared to her. I could've sworn she'd break something with all that strength. "Uh yeah, hi!"

She laughed. "Please sit, I've ordered us all wine in the meantime."

We all got ourselves seated, Angela to Fareeha's side and myself to Winston's. He and I looked over the menu together, as I noticing all the high priced meals. I shouldn't worry about paying since Angela would have us covered. Her late family was extremely wealthy from their medical careers and since I've known my dear friend for a while, she'd always insist on her paying for everything, so I've grown accustomed to it. Hell, if I could ever afford a 80 pound dinner for myself.

"So uh, not to seem rude but why are we here?" I asked shyly from behind the menu. Fareeha looked to me and then towards the doctor.

"What, you didn't tell them?"

Angela set down her menu and looked at us. "For the past week I've been observing you two and I've concluded both of you are in terrible shape and need to work out a bit more." Her blue eyes practically glared at Winston. "Particularly you."

My friend gulped. I wasn't that unfit, I ran often with the help of my accelerator. It was freeing to sprint and jump around with powers that let you zip past like one of those comic book heroes. Winston on the other hand…I didn't know about. By the looks of it, he had gained some weight but I didn't want to say anything because it would just be mean. His diet of bananas and peanut butter wasn't going to sustain him around much if he wanted to go out and protect civilians like the good ol' days.

"Which is why I contacted the best trainer I know." Angela continued. "She's going to help you get back into shape and off your lazy asses. And don't you but me, I've seen your medical records written into Athena's system and she tells me exactly what you've been doing."

Winston grumbled beside me and looked away. I wanted to laugh but I was just as guilty. So much for Coke and crisps. Angela must've found my stash of beer in one of the mini fridges back at home too near where I usually play pool to. Since I lived alone for the last few years, it was always out in the open for me to reach for whenever I was around that area.

"As for you." I heard her. "Your records are good, healthy heart rate. Your diet could also use some fixing and maybe some hand to hand combat should beef up those arms. Just in case, you never know when you need to fight hand to hand. Fareeha will train you both accordingly, starting tomorrow."

We both groaned while Fareeha laughed at our 'misfortune'.

-A/N-

UGH I'm so sorry for the long wait! My sister just recently got married and I was one of her bridesmaids! So, it was a very busy few weeks and sadly I haven't had time to settle down and write since I've been so busy helping her. That being said, new chapter will be written soon. No telling when but soon! :) Thank you all for your patience and I hope everyone's had a good week!