Chapter Text

Shortly before six in the morning, Friday. Not at all an unusual time for Fareeha--her job required to sleep and wake at the most unpredictable of hours. She was lucky that yesterday's shift had ended near dusk and that she could get a good night's sleep in anticipation for a day of travel. Now, she finally understood the purpose of the concierge at Anubis. She thought he was only a perk for the highest officials and scientists at the compound, but it turns out she was qualified to receive his assistance herself. Fareeha was hesitant at first to use a resource at work to plan her personal time, but at the insistence of another Raptora guard, she had given the headache of her travel logistics over to the man.

She was glad she had. She wanted to take the train on the way there, to give her some time alone to think and see the countryside, and a direct flight on the way back. Before her was a small folder with an itinerary, meticulously crafted, specifying every single step she had to take to get from her door to the international train station in Geneva 3500 miles away and 10 hours later. In the right pocket were a series of discrete envelopes, each labeled with perfect penstrokes in Arabic, French, and English containing the train tickets she would need for each wing. Behind that, a reminder to call in to the office in a few days so that the office may mail the tickets for the return flight directly to her vacation destination.

Fareeha closed the folder and set it on her bed. Her apartment was neat and silent, even a bit chilly before dawn. She opened up her phone to read one of Angela's more recent messages. "Dress nice, dear." She guessed that they would be going to a nice restaurant the night of her arrival. However, at the moment, Fareeha had trouble deciding what she would wear. An evening gown would probably meet Angela's standard of "nice," but she wouldn't want to wear one all day while travelling, which was a problem secondary to the fact that she didn't have an evening gown. It wasn't that she disliked dresses, she just had not had a need for one all throughout her military days. Whenever there was a formal event requiring her attendance, she usually wore her military dress suit, the standard outfit for formal or public appearances.

She took a navy suit out of her closet. Neat and ironed, identical to her dress uniform except without her medals and other embellishments, but still maintaining a distinct military style. To some, it may be too restrictive, and unsuited to travel. For Fareeha, it was like a second skin, next to her battle armour. She zipped up her suitcase and took out the suit to start getting dressed. As she went through careful motions of buttoning her shirt and putting on the trousers while maintaining their creases, she took a moment to think of what Angela would be wearing. Surely she wouldn't be showing up in a suit, and hopefully she wouldn't mind that Fareeha had brought hers. Angela would probably be wearing a full length gown, maybe pink or red? Or perhaps it was more like her to wear something subdued in a black or a navy. Fareeha grew flustered and a bit rosy herself as she thought about whether Angela might wear something low-cut, or form fitting. It really had been too long since she had last been with her.

Fareeha took a moment to compose herself before picking up her suitcase and the folder and heading out the door. She didn't want to be seen all dressed up and blushing like a schoolgirl. Suddenly, she wished she had asked for a plane ride both ways.

Fareeha had past the check-in at the station and spotted her ride for the next several hours. A high-speed train, capable of peak speeds of 500 kilometers an hour. Checking her phone, she noted that she was not a moment too early, and had plenty of time to board. On the streets she had passed to catch the train, she had seen only a few laborers, finishing up their night shifts and heading home for some much needed rest. The train station, however, was already full of life, a huge diversity of people in class and background darting about from train to train. Unfamiliar with the particular line she was to take, Fareeha stepped up to the attendant at an entrance for one of the middle cars, expecting to find her seat after boarding. She stepped up and handed the first envelope to the stewardess, who looked about her age, maybe a bit younger. The woman took the envelope, and retrieved a study looking card.

"Madame..." As the stewardess studied the ticket, Fareeha had a jolt of uncertainty. What could be wrong? She realized she hadn't inspected the tickets herself. She had trusted from their presentation that they would be good. Maybe she was just at the wrong train?

The woman looked up at Fareeha. "Miss Amari, these are first class tickets." She smiled at the privileged customer. "You should board in the front of the train, at the part of the platform marked in gold."

Fareeha was relieved. "I see. Thank you, my mistake." She smiled back and nodded her head in understanding as she took her tickets as they were returned to her and left to board in first class. There, a man wearing a darker hued, more expensive-looking version of the train company's outfit was already occupied with a businessman talking into an earpiece. After a brief wait, she was graciously welcomed on board and got on to find her seat.

The car was quite long, but there were probably no more than a dozen very spacious booths. Walking towards the back of the car, her seat was on the left. Tall walls separated it from the seats of adjacent passengers. The seat itself was on a swivel and had space to recline back entirely. It was well-crafted from comfy-looking cream leather and built out of a fine, dark wood. The color palette was shared with a personal table that folded into the wall. Helix had really gone all out with her accommodations. She stowed away her bag in a personal drawer and sat in her seat to flip through a brochure of amenities that could request. Not wanting to spend any more company money, she almost put it away after a few pages until she read that everything had already been covered in the cost of her ticket.

Fareeha took the breakfast menu from the corner of her table. She ate breakfast every day, if she was awake during those hours. However, she had long ago grown tired of the regular offering of oatmeal and eggs at the compound. The standard breakfast served on the train looked tantalizing. Coffee, butter, slices of baguette and biroche, jam, honey, and her choice of fruit juice. Well, Fareeha didn't want to be so rude as to turn down such a polite offer...

The train was well on its way by the time Fareeha finished her meal. She took it slowly, savoring each bite, appreciating food that for once was neither made in a massive portion to feed an entire compound of workers, nor a single plate just for herself at home. Almost as soon as she put down her finished cup of coffee, the last part of her meal, the platter was wisked away from her by the steward who welcomed her onto the train, and she was offered a wide selection of reading material. She refused, having already brought a book of her own, if she got bored. However, at the moment, she had something else to attend to.

She relaxed in her seat for a few minutes, until the train entered the underwater tunnel that was most of the distance to Athens. It was really a marvel of engineering that she had not gotten to see yet. The Mediterranean was calm today, and looking out her window, Fareeha thought she might even be able to see the blue sky through the semi-transparent water. Even after having the privilege of flying in the sky in a rocket suit, she was still amazed by the feeling of being surrounded by ocean. The train was going much too quickly to see any sea life, but the feeling of looking out into the water was deeply calming to her. She realized she was leaning forward slightly, her body stiff, as if trying to concentrate to get a closer look out the window. She chuckled at how tense she had become, and reclined back to enjoy staring out into the depths for the next hour.

Slightly before nine in the morning. The train was still in the underwater tunnel, and its hold on Fareeha had weakened a bit. She found that her mind had drifted naturally to daydreaming about the long weekend. Checking the clock, she realized it might be a good time to send her host a message. Or was it? She felt embarrassed that she didn't even know Angela's normal working hours. Now would be a fairly safe time. She took out her phone.

"Good morning, Angela," she typed. She wondered where Angela was now. Maybe stepping out of the shower? Or already in the lab. Or perhaps taking a relaxed breakfast at a corner cafe. She had forgotten the power that Angela had on her. When she got absorbed in her job, she could focus on her task. But now that she was going to see her, Fareeha found it impossible to think of anything else.

Her phone vibrated, and Fareeha turned immediately down to her screen.

"Good morning, dear. Are you on your way here?"

"Yes."

Fareeha typed out the answer, but didn't send. She thought for a moment, before completing her message.

"Yes. I cannot wait to see you."

Fareeha's conversation with Angela was brief, interrupted by Angela's having to leave the house and head off to work. She would be taking a half-day, so she could get ready to prepare for their weekend together. Still, the conversation and a half-chapter from the history book she had brought with her did a good job of passing the time until lunch, which occured shortly after a brief stop in Athens. Fareeha was admiring the mountainous landscape as a menu was given to her.

She took the leather bifold and studied the options. She didn't want to spoil her appetite for dinner; Angela had said there was something very special planned. A roast cod filet and a Greek salad sounded like a perfect light lunch, and would suit the view out her window. Definitely better than the granola and nuts she had brought with herself for food on the trip.

Rome. Fareeha was getting close to Geneva. It would not be her first time. She was on special assignment at Overwatch Headquarters during what would later turn out to be the run up to Overwatch's final days, when she was also going through the steps to apply to become a member. That, of course, was when she met Angela, and when the two had begun their romance. Fareeha felt uneasy remembering this period. The time she spent with Angela, with the anticipation of joining Overwatch were some of the best of her life. Having Overwatch come apart before her eyes, and the day of worrying about her girlfriend and her mother both when the headquarters was destroyed, well, that was probably the one of the most traumatic days, short of actual combat injuries.

The time after that was an emotional blur. Finding out Angela was okay, and her reunion with her. Finding out that Overwatch would be shut down indefinitely. The sudden offer from Helix Security. It was brash of her to accept the offer so soon, but after all that had happened, her homeland was all that she knew. Angela would stay in Geneva, but Fareeha had no more business there. Angela had her work to do, as did Fareeha.

Fareeha realized how her heart rate had picked up. Thinking about this period of time always put her on edge. It was hard to think about her carefree time with Angela without then having to remember what happened afterwards.

She leaned back to calm herself down. This was their weekend. It was their weekend to write some new memories that wouldn't be damaged.

Slightly after four, the train had come to a rest. Fareeha packed the folder bearing the Helix Security logo into her bag, as everything from here on out was arranged by Angela. She got up to leave, and found the way to the door was clear. Only a portion of the cabin had their stop here, so there was no wait for her. As she stepped out, thanking the train steward on the way, she stretched her legs and arms in place. The cabin of the train was spacious, but it's always cramping to be stuck inside for some ten hours. She looked around the train station, which was much busier at midday than the one she had departed from in the morning. The station's large glass windows all around the high vaulted ceiling let Fareeha see that it was a beautiful day, clear blue skies, the mountains surrounding the city on both sides standing high, green to their peaks at this time of year.

She walked towards the area for departures, looking for the driver that Angela had arranged. She realized she had no idea who she was looking for, but it turned out to not be a problem as she was briskly greeted by a young man in a company uniform who approached her.

"Miss Amari?" he asked, presumably having been given a description of his client.

"Yes, hello."

"Hello there. Your car is ready. Do you need help with your bag?" The man reached out his hand, as if expecting an answer in the affirmative.

Fareeha moved her arm ever so slightly backwards. "No, that won't be necessary." She could handle it herself. It would be strange to ask for so much from the man.

The man nodded in understanding and led Fareeha to the vehicle, a discrete black car in a classic model. He opened the trunk for the bag, and Fareeha stowed it away and went to get into the back of the vehicle.

"By the way, the restaurant is a little ways away, so it might be a bit of a drive."

Fareeha sighed as she sat down. "Thanks for letting me know."

The drive was fairly long, as promised, and Fareeha grew a little impatient. Well, maybe a bit more anxious for what was to come. She looked out the window as she left the train station, was taken through downtown, and finally on a large but winding road around the mountains, appreciating the foliage and peaceful Swiss scenery. She wanted to think about the night ahead, but the thoughts made her stomach flutter like a songbird, and she preferred to clear her mind and stare out the window until she got there.

Eventually, she saw a large, impeccably designed building on the road ahead which was sure to be the destination. She looked down and checked her outfit one more time, to make sure it was spotless. As she was rubbing a scruff on her shoe, the car rolled to a stop.

"We have arrived, madame."

Fareeha opened the door. "Thank you for driving me." She began to get up, when she remembered something. "Oh! I need to get my bag."

The driver undid the partition and looked back at her. "It's not a problem, I'll be waiting here for you two after the meal."

Hearing that made Fareeha uneasy. What would he eat then? How long would the meal take? She felt like a burden, being waited upon. However, now was not the time to worry about this, and it's not as if she could just tell him he was done for the night.

"...Very well then. Thanks again."

Fareeha stepped out of the vehicle and closed the door behind her, which drove away after a moment. She was just a few steps away from stairs that led up to the front entrance. The restaurant, upon closer inspection, was perched on a cliffside, of course facing east, probably over a gorgeous valley, maybe even a waterfall. That remained to be seen. The air was cool as the sun was setting, and the moon looked eager for night to come so it could bathe the valley in its light. Fareeha cursed how perfect Angela had set everything up to be, and looked down at her clothes again to make sure she would fit into that vision.

"Deep breaths, Fareeha."

She took one and began up the marble steps.