Overwatch - Deception (Sombra x Reader)

Chapter Twenty Four - On the Run

As with every day, the morning brought with it something of a moral dilemma. Olivia's last words as she shoved you from the transport hung in your head like a bad omen. She wants me to disappear, but, how can I? Being forced to forget everything you had seen in the past year and hunker down, it may have suited some people, but not you.

For the past week now, you had been wrestling with a frankly insane idea that had entered your head. The group which had fought Talon in Antarctica had swiftly disappeared after the fight, leaving no trail whatsoever. And unfortunately, you yourself had no contact with the Indian general, having entrusted that to Olivia. No aid would come from India for now. In your mind, this left you with one option. Go to the US Government, the FBI, CIA, anyone who would listen. Because no matter how hard you tried, you couldn't just sit around and do nothing while Talon grew stronger and stronger.

The only problem, of course, was that any proof you had of their schemes had been lost when you gave Doomfist the data drive to maintain your cover. And so, if you did approach the authorities, you would look just the same as any other madman, preaching world destruction. It seemed a hopeless situation, where you were bound to lose either way, but if that were the case you still felt like you would rather do something than nothing at all.

With your backpack slung over your shoulder, you strolled down a creaking staircase and headed towards the motel reception. You passed a metal bucket, placed on the ground to catch the drips from a leaking roof. The tinny noise of droplets landing in the bucket had kept you awake for half the night. You entered the motel foyer to find the receptionist stood playing on her phone, utterly disinterested with anything else around her. Placing your room key on her desk, you coughed to get her attention.

"Huh...hope you enjoyed your stay..." she commented quietly, not looking up from her phone as she spoke to you.

"Yeah, it was swell..." you remarked in response, though she didn't seem to pick up on your sarcasm.

Rolling your eyes, you adjusted your backpack before walking out into the blinding sun. The street outside was packed with cars, just about piled on top of one another in the morning rush hour. Horns blared through the air as angry drivers swore bitterly in the hopes of moving up another few inches.

At times like this, you saw the benefit of walking, although after three weeks of it, even you were starting to yearn a proper rest. It was so easy to get tempted, to see a nice hotel in the distance and consider blowing all of your money on a night there. After all, there had been no sign of Talon in weeks. But resistance was key.

In the melee of it all, you found yourself glancing around thoughtfully. On the street, a large bearded man sat behind the wheel of a rusted pickup truck, hurling obscenities at the car in front of him. To your left, a trio of children played on the path, kicking a half-deflated football between them. And nearby, a young couple were leant over, donating a sizeable amount to a beggar with only a moth-ridden blanket to his name. If I don't do something, all of these people and a million times more will die...

It was with that very thought in mind that you finally made your decision. You would not skulk in the shadows whilst the world went to ruin. If these really were the end times, then you would make a stand against them. Plus, the sooner you took the fight to Talon, the sooner you stood a chance of seeing Olivia again. And the thought of that moment alone made you smile.

You soon decided that if you were going to approach the authorities about Talon then your best bet would be to travel to Washington DC. As well as being the obvious location of both the White House and the Pentagon; the J. Edgar Hoover building, headquarters for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, was also situated here. So, you could approach the FBI with a tip, and if that failed, bother the White House until President Cavanoy agreed to meet you. Perfect...

One of the many problems with this ludicrous, hastily organised plan was the fact that Washington DC was still another eleven hours away. And that was if you were lucky enough to find transportation, otherwise it could be upwards of a week. You briefly considered boarding one of the day-trip coaches bound for the city, but as you had learnt from Olivia long ago, public transport was an easy place to find people. If Talon were still on your trail, then you would be taking an unnecessary risk by using a coach. It was at that point that you spotted a crummy-looking car dealership just across the road. Bingo.

The dealership consisted of a small dusty yard within which a dozen or so cars were clumsily parked. A neon red sign hung up above, with several of the letters no longer functioning. As for the cars themselves, you weren't sure they were from this century, let alone decade, but hopefully their engines had one final trip left in them. You approached the dealer, a bearded hulk of a man with a round belly; and prepared to do business.

"Hi there...I was wondering which of these cars is up for rent" you greeted, watching as the man smoked a cigarette for several seconds, silently eyeing you up and down.

"Ones on the left. Sixty dollars a day...one fifty deposit...no tryin' before you buy" the man responded gruffly, gesturing towards a selection of aged cars in the corner.

All of them looked as if they had seen better days, covered in rust with certain panels just plain missing. Most were missing their license plates, which seemed less than legitimate, but a soldier on the run from terrorists could hope for little better. There was one though, an old Ford Ranger pickup truck, which seemed in good condition. Its red paint was faded, and one of the wing mirrors was completely smashed in, but otherwise it looked a damn sight better than the others.

"I'd like to rent this pickup, please. I've got cash" you stated, causing the man to sigh and slowly walk up.

"Name...what's your name? For the book" the man questioned with a cough, snatching the money out of your hands.

"Richard Jenkins...I'd give you my phone number, but I've lost my phone" you answered, lying slightly.

You still carried a satellite phone with you, untraceable by software, but you were hardly going to tell him that.

"Name's enough...you've got her till sundown. You get deposit back when the car's returned" the man explained, causing you to nod your head in understanding.

You had no intention of returning this car. The man gave you the keys before strolling away, sifting his way through the dollar notes with a satisfied grin on his face. Meanwhile, you clambered into the driver's seat and turned on the ignition, feeling the engine rumble grumpily. You would just have to pray that this hunk of junk would get you to Washington DC without exploding...

Brief Summary – After spending several weeks on the run, you make the decision to try to warn the US government about Talon by handing yourself in. You rent an old pickup truck from an unscrupulous dealer, before setting off towards Washington DC...