" NIGHTHAWK " genji shimada.

xiv. infiltrated

KAILANI'S LEG BOUNCED WILDLY up and down, her throat tight. She jumped slightly as she felt someone's touch on her leg, and she looked down to see a familiar metallic hand resting on thigh. She glanced towards Genji briefly, meeting the green glow of his visor. She could not see his eyes, though she was brought a sense of comfort by only imagining the softness of his gaze.

The team had managed to grab an airship and sneak out of the Overwatch base without any issues, yet Kailani couldn't help but worry. Things seemed to be going almost too smoothly, and she was unable to ignore the pit of dread forming deep within her gut. She stared around her, studying each of her teammates in turn. Genji had not left her side from the moment they boarded the ship; he sat beside her with his head resting on the seat behind him. He was silent as he stared at nothing in particular. Across the ship, Lucas had plopped down next to Tigress. Kailani snickered quietly upon noticing the annoyed stature of her omnic friend as Lucas rambled on, although too quiet for her to hear.

Lena was piloting the ship, and she looked right at home in the cockpit. Kailani oftentimes forgot that Lena was once a trained pilot for Overwatch in its early days, though it was obvious that the British girl still enjoyed flying. A wide grin was spread across her face as she pushed several buttons on the console in front of her.

Kailani was pulled from her thoughts as someone took a seat beside her. She turned to see Lucas settling down in the seat, and he sent her a wide grin in greeting. "Tigress didn't seem too talkative," he said to her, and she couldn't help but notice the hint of disappointment lacing his words. "But you always seem eager to talk to me."

"Of course," Kailani responded. She glanced down as Lucas rubbed his hands together nervously, and she saw the faint dusting of pink on his cheeks in the low lighting of the ship. She remembered that this was his first true field mission, and while it wasn't official, she knew that it must have been nerve-wracking. "Are you nervous?"

"Was it that obvious?" Lucas questioned with a rather bitter laugh. "I've never done something like this before. I've spent all my time in labs for as long as I can remember."

"Thank you for coming, Lucas," Kailani smiled at him. She knew it was hard to be thrown into unfamiliar territory, so she was more than thankful that her friend was willing to come help her anyways. She reached out and placed a hand on his bicep, rubbing it comfortingly. "You'll do great, I just know it."

Lucas returned her smile, seeming a bit more confident. "Thanks, Kailani!" He paused for a moment, his toothy grin flipping into a frown as he glanced behind her. "Uh... does he always stare like that?"

Her eyebrows pulled together in confusion, Kailani glanced over her shoulder. She realized that Genji had been listening in on the entire conversation. He sat silently beside her, his glowing green gaze glued onto Lucas as though he was the most important thing in the world. Kailani rolled her eyes good-humoredly and turned back to her friend with a shrug.

"It's kind of his thing. He likes to think it's intimidating. You get used to it," she explained, nudging Genji in the side as she did so. She looked towards him once more to find that he had finally torn his gaze away from Lucas. She was unable to see his eyes, but she knew that he must have been rolling them.

The airship shuddered a bit as it was hit by a sudden wave of turbulence, and Lena mumbled a quick apology through the comms unit. "We're approaching a landing strip. Might I suggest you strap in and prepare for landing!"

Kailani did as she asked, pulling a safety belt over her torso and latching it on the other side. Her heart hammered against her chest, her pulse beating at what seemed like a million miles a minute. It was now or never, she realized as her throat tightened anxiously; now could be the time that she finally freed herself from the man that held her hostage for so many years, turned her into the shell of the person she once was.