Overwatch: Jinxed

Chapter 34: Alone

"Isabell," Jamie croaked, finally managing a noise. Moira didn't even look in his direction.

Neither did Isabell.

"Isabell," Jamie said again, a little louder this time. A few of Overwatch's gazes flickered to him, and Isabell looked at him.

He had been wrong.

That was worse.

So much worse.

But there was a flicker, a tiny spark of recognition, just for a second.

"You promised me," Jamie said, his voice strangled. She was in there. She had to be.
"You promised me you wouldn't go away."

There. That flicker. Just for a second. She was listening. Somewhere, she was in there.

Moira frowned, looking at Isabell. She didn't move.

The collar glowed brighter. Brighter, brighter, until it was so bright it was difficult to look at. Reaper snarled at Moira, and she was glaring frantically at Isabell.

Isabell's eyes lifted - almost like shutters were opening from within them. She took two steps back, and the collar went out like a candle.

"Jamie," she whispered, a hand over her mouth.

Oh God - she was alive. She was there.

She stumbled forwards, two steps, three.

Moira stared in horror as Isabell crashed to her knees in front of him and wrapped her arms around him. 

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

Jamie dug his fingers into her jacket. As if just one second, just one tiny slip, and she'd be gone again. He had no words.

He made a strangled sound as her fist dug into his cracked rib.

Moira laughed while Reaper smoldered, and Isabell took a step back - in front of Overwatch, but not yet back with Talon. Jamie stared. No, he'd gotten her back, he had--

She carefully took his hand in hers, kneeling down, and she smiled at him. Isabell's cheerful, happy smile. Her bright eyes were clear and happy - the darkness and emptiness in them had all been an act, the flickers of recognition, all of it. An act within an act.

"You promised me," he croaked.

"This is science, Mr Fawkes," Moira said, satisfied. Her frustration, frantic glaring, that was all part of it. All part of the act. "Promises will get you nothing and nowhere here. She can't remember you - so she doesn't know what promise you made her. Memory patterns are blocked. She doesn't even know who she is herself."

He couldn't see Moira - all he could see was the endless smile, the eyes, the face inches from his that was so lifelike. His friend and his weakness, right in front of him. Moira was right. This was nothing like the movies. In those, you could see emptiness, something different, the wrong smile, the wrong scowl.

There was nothing different in her face. It was that beautiful smile, her pretty eyes that caught the light and shone when she was happy. 

There was no difference between his Isabell's smile and the one that stared him in the face.

"As I was saying, Jamie," Moira said sweetly as Isabell released him and stepped back, "This is science. Not science fiction. She belongs to us now."

Jamie looked down and forced himself to breathe. His lungs weren't working.

Neither was his heart.

"We can't collar all of you," Moira sighed. "We don't have enough collars. Producing them costs Tayanna too much energy - it's not worth it for the expanse of abilities she has. So we'll just collar a few of you. Our favorites. The ones who are just too good to waste."