Chapter Text
Barely an hour after her call with the new Talon council, Vaira’s assistant approached her. They presented a datapad, an article pulled up on the blue screen. “Miss Singhania. I thought you would want to see this.” They handed the datapad to her mechanized arm, which had extended a glowing palm to receive it.
The headline read "Watchpoint: Gibraltar Attacked!”
She laughed, startling her assistant.
The report was posted only minutes ago. She read further, ”Footage of the incident confirms that the notorious militia group, Talon, was responsible for the attack. While well-known for their violent incursions, they have never before launched an outright attack on Overwatch. The article went on to mention the redesign of the organization's logo, ”...a menacing new look, and a hint that something has changed behind the scenes…” They made no attempt to guess what had changed, but the insinuation was there. Perhaps to stir up speculation among the media.
This is a new era, the article implied. Vaira had a feeling that it wouldn’t be long until the world met the new leader of Talon.
“Oh, how awful,” she said, feigning sympathy. She let the datapad fall back into the assistant’s hand, expressing her true lack of care.
“Those poor souls. I suppose they were asking for it, reassembling without permission. Who knows what kind of criminals are running around Overwatch’s ranks these days without proper regulation.” She shooed the assistant away. “What a hopeless cause.”
If there was one thing that Vaira had learned through her meetings with Marzia, it was that she was bold. Bold and full of surprises. Vaira anticipated that her newest business partner would attempt something like this, she just didn’t think it would be so soon. It had only been a few days since she had taken control of Talon. Vaira had to admit the speed at which she had organized her troops was impressive.
She only wished she could have had a little warning. The prospect of a new conflict was certain to have people scrambling to protect themselves. Panic always brought business to Vishkar’s doorstep.
And that it did. The day that followed was the busiest day her business had seen since the Null Sector attacks.
In a moment between calls and meetings, Vaira unmuted the monitor at the other side of her lavish office. Reports of the attack had been playing all day as more information came in. It was still unclear if anyone had been killed. There was still no word from Talon. Overwatch was keeping quiet as well. The correspondent blathered on, expressing how tragic the event was, even given Overwatch’s current contentious existence.
“Ugh, please.” Vaira motioned her hand, and the mechanized arm standing sentry beside her pressed a button on her desk, muting the broadcast.
Other, more daring reports suggested that Overwatch may have done something to deserve such retaliation from Talon. The organization’s history still left a bad taste in people’s mouths. Not that Talon’s reputation was any better, but Vaira had to give Marzia credit for having taken advantage of the controversy. Speculation about the attack had spread into her office, Vaira noticed when she overheard two lower-level engineers speaking rather loudly over their stations. One mentioned he’d heard a rumor that Talon was crawling with former Overwatch agents. The other replied that the two organizations seemed one and the same these days, operating outside the law. She kindly reminded them to keep conversations work-appropriate.
What was confirmed was that the Overwatch agents had fled after a short but brutal attack. Significant damage has been dealt to the Watchpoint. Given Overwatch’s lack of funding, it would be a miracle if they were able to recover anytime soon, regardless of where they had escaped to. Talon seemed to have claimed the Watchpoint for themselves, their new banner flying high upon the cliffs of Gibraltar.
The gladiator continued to surprise her. Of course, Vaira had known of the infamous campionessa prior to their meeting, but she never could have expected the level of competence that the woman exhibited. Her physical prowess was impressive, yet it was her level of cunning, such which was not typically found in warrior-types, that intrigued Vaira most. From what she had gathered, Vendetta had crawled her way to the top in the absence of her influential family by her own merit. They were similar in that way.
No. Vaira’s family hadn’t been absent, she reminded herself with a spike of anger. As much as she tried to distance herself from them, they were annoyingly present throughout her growth into the woman she was. They provided their money, their criticisms, their influence.
Their expectations.
Vendetta could claim that she rose to power through her own tenacity, and no one would bat an eye. She fought for it with her own fists, she had bled for it.
No one would ever believe that Vaira did the same. They would laugh in her face, no matter what the truth was. They would say it was nepotism, bribery, cheating.
Pain bloomed in her palm, breaking her from her trance. Vaira winced, looking down to see that her nails had dug so hard into her palms that they had left angry red indents.
“Ah, blast it.” She brought her hands together to soothe the irritated flesh. A few measured breaths later, the intense envy she had begun to feel over her new business partner waned, if only for the time being. “Get it together, Vaira,” she scolded herself.
Besides, the She-Wolf still needed to prove herself as a worthwhile investment before Vaira decided if she was worthy of her envy. She could always just be another farce, a flash in the pan.
Vaira certainly hoped not. Not only would it be beneficial to her if Marzia was worth her mettle, but she couldn’t deny that she was invested in whatever she had planned with her newly acquired organization. It had become clear over the past years that Talon’s power was waning, and past partnerships with them had proved less than satisfactory. A shake-up in leadership was long overdue.
And La Lupa herself was an entertainer, after all. Whatever she had planned was sure to be a spectacle. So long as they aligned with Vaira’s own plans, it would be fair to say the partnership between the two women would go over splendidly.
In the afternoon, Vaira found herself on the open floor of the testing bay. On the other end of the room, two of Marzia’s gladiators were locked in an intense spar, testing their new programming. Benches had been pushed aside to make more room for the omnics, whose show had attracted the attention of every engineer and architect on the floor. They had collected alongside her behind a viewing shield. Some took notes on their datapads, others simply watched in awe. Vaira could even see employees on the upper floors stopping to stare down through the blast-proof glass above.
”Useless,” she said, mostly to herself, but Satya gave her a curious glance from where she stood beside her. “What do I pay them for?”
Naturally, the testing floor was confidential. Everyone who was able to view the brawl was under a strict NDA, and they likely knew that if they were to spread word that Vishkar was developing custom shielding for the new Talon leader’s lackeys, they would face harsh consequences. Not that Marzia was the known leader of Talon yet, but when the truth came out, her employees knew to keep their heads down and not ask any questions.
The larger omnic, the one named Titus, surged forward. The point of his javelin was aimed at the center of the other gladiator’s chest. The other omnic, Camilla, was smaller and more agile. She moved forward quickly, blades raised, as if to meet Titus in the middle. Less than a meter from the tip of his weapon, Camilla planted her foot and gracefully ducked underneath him. As she slipped past him, Titus whipped back around. With a powerful back-handed strike, Titus slammed his shield into the side of Camilla’s head.
Or rather, what would have been a powerful strike. A pulse of energy from Camilla’s shielding absorbed the blow, negating any damage the hit may have caused.
“They’re going to break something if they aren’t careful.” Vaira watched as Camilla flung a hard-light projectile from her blades at her opponent, similar to the technology on Marzia’s sword. Titus spun his javelin in a clean arc to deflect it. “Who approved this?” she asked rhetorically, knowing full well this entire operation was her own doing.
Satya stood beside her wordlessly, a perplexed look on her face as she watched the fight.
Vaira let out an exasperated sigh. “Out with it, Vaswani,” she said, “I can tell there is something on your mind.”
Satya looked over, clueless, which only made Vaira more annoyed.
“Do you have something to say about the programming, darling?”
“No, the engineers did a fine job."
Vaira scoffed. She didn’t buy it.
The gladiators had finally called a draw. Titus walked over and clapped Camilla on the back, sending a loud clanking sound across the room. They rejoined with the other three gladiators, who had been watching the fight up close.
“Do you have something to say about our clientele?” Vaira asked, though not out of genuine interest.
Satya seemed to be aware of that fact. “I find them intriguing. The way they fight, it's like dancing in a way.”
’You are such a horrible liar’, Vaira wanted to say. She settled for a polite hum.
She stayed awake late into the night, answering calls from other Vishkar executives and reviewing contract proposals sent their way.
Doing what she did best; negotiating.
Business owners, militia groups, and even local governments and cities in the area surrounding Gibraltar sought out her company’s technology, worried that the nearby conflict might soon reach them.
As exhausting as it was, and as painful as the headache forming behind her eyes had become, Vaira felt a rare sense of optimism. The way things were going, it seemed this partnership would be fruitful.
And this was only the beginning. Time would only tell what kind of collateral damage Vishkar would be called in to help clean up.
Midnight had passed by the time she returned home. Late nights were commonplace in Vaira’s line of work. There was always more to do, more to prove. Even when the lights at Vishkar Headquarters had dimmed and most employees had long returned home, Vaira often remained.
That night as she left, she had seen Vaswani on the architect’s floor, leaning over a workbench. Normally, she would stop to check in with her most prized architect, but her headache had grown nearly unbearable. She couldn’t imagine being subjected to listening to Satya go on about her newest invention that the investors would surely fawn over at the moment.
In the dim light of her apartment, Vaira stared into her vanity. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other. She had already changed into her sleek nightgown, but she wasn’t ready to rest.
Without a contract or a subordinate directly in front of her to occupy her time, her mind began to wander. Her exhaustion fought with the gnawing feeling that there was more she could be doing. Vaira thought of the stack of proposals on her desk that needed to be looked over, the contract negotiations that needed to take place, the technology that needed to be manufactured.
And there was the matter of her partnership. What if she was going through all of this trouble for nothing? What if she was spending all of this time and money manufacturing and programming resources for another organization, only for Vendetta to not deliver on her side of the deal? Or worse, what if she were to betray her, out her company for conspiracy, and take the technology that Vaira had willingly given her?
“What are you doing?” she asked herself, pushing away from the vanity and turning towards her bed. “You should be resting, or working, not worrying about silly things.” What a waste of time.
The sudden trilling of her phone from her bedside table made her jump.
She had silenced it earlier. Only a handful of important contacts were given priority. Naturally, Marzia was one of those people. Her name stared back at her from the screen as the phone continued to ring.
Despite how tired she was, she was struck with an unexpected rush of adrenaline. She picked up the phone, composed herself, and answered.
“Marzia darling, what a surprise,” she answered, poised and amiable as always. “I wasn’t expecting to hear from you so soon. Congratulations on your mission. It seems you made quite the impact on those criminals at Gibraltar.”
“Vaira,” Marzia replied, not bothering to acknowledge the hour of her call. “The world had the privilege to bear witness to Talon’s power today.” Vaira’s eyes rolled so far back that it ignited her headache once again. “But that is not why I called.”
“You never stop, do you?” As much as she wanted to be annoyed with the She-Wolf’s boasting, Vaira found it endearing. “I do like that about you. What do you need, darling?”
“When my gladiators are finished being outfitted with your shields, you will accompany their shipment to Rome.”
“I will?” Vaira chuckled, amused by her boldness. “As much as I would love to, I am a very busy woman. I am needed here.”
“I have important matters to discuss with you.”
“Sanjay can discuss business matters with you, that is what he is stationed there for, after all.” Her fingers began to rub the side of her head, attempting to soothe her headache. “Or I can arrange a call with my-”
“Do not test my patience,” Vendetta growled.
Vaira’s hand paused in its path down the side of her face at the outburst. ‘So it's going to be like that?’
Her fingers brushed over her lips as they curled into a feline smile. Part of her was tempted to see what the She-Wolf would do if pushed farther, to see if she really had the mettle that she claimed. Then again, her company’s reputation was on the line. She’d only just nearly had a breakdown over the idea of it.
Marzia continued before Vaira got the chance to make up her mind. She would have to test the wolf’s fangs later.
“Sanjay has his uses, but he has already offended me once. I expect that you’d prefer your company’s relationship to my organization to rest on your shoulders rather than his. I require you here, in person.”
Vaira bit the tip of her finger as her smile grew wider. She already knew she was a better negotiator than Sanjay, surely hearing confirmation of the fact shouldn’t have made her feel so giddy.
“Well… alright, darling. I suppose I can make it a day trip.” She tried not to sound too thrilled at the idea. “I’ve been meaning to visit some of the designer stores you have there anyway.”
“Good...”
There was a pause, then a faint sigh from the other end of the call. Vaira closed her eyes. The sound felt so casual, intimate.
It would be late in the afternoon in Italy, Vaira wondered where Marzia was, what she was doing, who she was with. Her mind went awry with speculation.
Perhaps she had stayed late alone in a meeting room, after debriefing with her agents and the council about their mission. In Varia’s mind, Marzia sat in a high-backed chair. She imagined her as she had been when they first met, only a few weeks ago. Relaxed and confident.
Or perhaps she had already returned to her quarters. Vaira imagined it would be a large but tastefully decorated room, not quite so elegant as to fit Vaira’s standards, but perfectly fitting for a woman of Marzia’s nature. In this scenario, she was leaning against the frame of her window, gazing out into the nightscape of Rome. She held her phone lazily against her ear.
Vaira inhaled sharply, imagining how the other woman’s silhouette would look lit up by the bright light of the moon, dressed in casual clothing. Or none at all.
“Good,” Marzia repeated herself, sharper this time. More final.
She straightened herself out. What was she, a schoolgirl? Vaira wasn’t one to fraternize with her business partners. All it could serve to do was stain the image she had perfected over the years. That didn’t mean she didn’t like to imagine. Still, never had she fantasized this wistfully over anyone, let alone over someone doing something so simple as sighing.
’Stupid’, Vaira thought to herself. ’Weak, distracted.’ People in her position didn’t drool over their associates.
’Imperfect.’
“Am I allowed any notion of what this meeting will be about?” she asked, mostly to distract herself from her own thoughts.
“I wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise.” Marzia’s sharp tone from moments before was gone, her roguish voice now teasing Vaira. It was lighthearted and comfortable. She wanted more.
“Hmm, cheeky,” Vaira said, so much for distracting herself.
From the other line came a distant and muffled voice. Masculine. Based on their inflection, it sounded as though they were asking a question. Her fantasy of Marzia calling her alone from her darkened room was shattered, replaced with the burning question of ’who was that?’
“I must go.”
Without giving Vaira a chance to reply, Marzia had hung up. Vaira scoffed, offended. She stared at her phone for a moment before tossing it back to her bedside. “The audacity…” She had half a mind to call back and demand answers, if she wasn’t certain it would make her seem pathetic.
It wouldn’t be long before the augmentations were complete. Vaira only hoped it would all be worth it.