Chronal Disassociation Ch. 59 (Patreon)

‘Alright, I’ll bite. Did you plan this?’

Lena couldn’t help but miss the pulse pistols she usually had. She had no weapons on her, at the moment, other than the chronal accelerator on her chest. Even then, she doubted that she would be able to get Emily to safety within a reasonable enough time. Not when they were in the middle of criminal territory.

“Believe it or not, no.” 

As always, the response from Archer was that of utter calm. And why would it be anything else? The man could literally wipe Ashe and her posse with no issue whatsoever. The only variable unaccounted for would have been how many of Ashe’s men were lurking around, which would invariably put the possibility of civilian casualties a bit higher than anyone would want.

‘There’s no bloody way. She was saying somethin’ about Cassidy’s gun parts, the parts you supposedly picked up for him. There’s no way that you didn’t plan this shite out!’

The bar they'd entered was nearly deserted. Ashe's people had efficiently cleared out the few patrons, and the barkeep, clearly accustomed to the outlaw's presence, had already begun preparing drinks without being asked. It suggested a familiarity that spoke volumes about Ashe's influence in this corner of the city.

The Deadlock leader guided them to a large circular table and settled into her seat with the casual authority of someone used to being obeyed. Archer mirrored her movements across the table, while Lena and Emily took their places beside him. The rest of the gang dispersed throughout the establishment, maintaining a loose perimeter that gave them the illusion of privacy. Only the massive omnic standing sentinel behind Ashe remained close.

“I really didn’t. Last Sombra and I checked, the Deadlock Gang was off in Colorado for some weapons deal. The gun parts really are just gun parts that Cassidy wanted.” Archer sent the impression of a frown.

Lena closed her eyes as she screamed internally. This. This was exactly what she was afraid about! Emily kept getting put into situations that she had no business in! Situations that very well could and would kill her if Archer wasn’t a bloody ghost!

Paranoia made its way onto Lena’s head. She didn’t fight it, not when the paranoia was screaming at her for ways to keep her wife safe from any harm that could befall on her. Not when they were, figuratively speaking, being held at gunpoint by one of the most notorious criminal organizations on American soil.

Speaking of her wife, Emily was doing a remarkable job at keeping calm. The only visible sign that she was anything but was the worried glances that she kept throwing towards Lena. The pilot gave a small smile that she hoped was reassuring. Judging by how the frown deepened, she had failed in that regard.

‘Archer…’

“I know.” Archer gave a mental sigh of frustration, “I’m sorry, I really didn’t think something like this would happen. I assure you though, you and O’Hara will get out of this in one piece.”

‘We better, Archer. We better.’

…

As the barkeep silently but quickly brought their drinks, Ashe stared at Archer. While Lena had been the target of glares before, there was still something unnerving about the outlaw’s bright red eyes doing the same. Coupled with the white hair, Ashe made for an intimidating individual in the best of lights, and like some sort of demon in the worst.

“I noticed that you have the locals quite enamored with your image.” 

Surprisingly, it wasn’t her that broke the silence. Or rather, it was surprising to Ashe. Lena had already figured that the Spirit would be one to always get the first word in. The leader of the Deadlock Gang was clearly not used to it. More than likely, she was used to people being cowed by her.

Regardless, she recovered quickly, “What can I say? Good public relations run in the family, even if they’re hiding more than one skeleton in the closet.”

“This seems to go beyond just public relations.” Archer raised an eyebrow as Ashe took a sip of her drink. Archer had yet to touch his, though Lena doubted that he’d even be affected by it, “The police certainly haven’t bat an eye on your activities, have they?”

“Why, are you accusing little ol’ me of engaging with…untoward activities with the cops?” Ashe smirked, somehow a mirror of Archer’s usual ones, “Perish the thought.”

“Of course not. Such a thing would be beneath you, I would think.” Archer snorted as he finally took a drink of his own. Neither Lena or Emily did the same, despite the glasses still in front of them. The both of them were too focused on the scene in front of them, nevermind that Lena didn’t want to be under the influence if things did come to blows.

Which, with how everything in her life went, was more than likely to happen.

“Right! Some good news, the Deadlock Gang is not affiliated with either Talon or Null Sector.” Sombra echoed in her ear, “Means that I can mess with their shit without pissing anyone off. Bad news, they’re almost all on some local connection that’s a pain in the ass to connect to remotely. It’ll take a while for me to do that. Just keep distracting them, guapo.”

At least Sombra was taking things seriously. The woman had a particularly nasty attitude when it came to people that wronged her, even slightly. If what Archer said was correct, the hacker was feeling particularly peeved at being proven incorrect as to the Deadlock Gang’s location.

It was a pettiness that worked in their favor. Lena promised to buy the woman a couple of drinks when they got back home.

Archer, clearly being able to hear them, didn’t so much as blink. 

Ashe snorted, “Let me clue you into a little secret: the cops in this place, unlike you Overwatch folks, don’t have a death wish.” Red eyes had flickered towards Lena when Overwatch was mentioned. Lena stilled as she hated the implication that she was the one that people recognized.

She loved being part of Overwatch, don’t get her wrong. But that kind of fame was more than a bit much for someone like her. Especially if it put Emily in danger like this.

Archer frowned and his eyebrows furrowed, “And what would the public say when they find their local Robin Hood has been threatening the police?”

Ashe laughed out loud, “Now that’s a riot! Naw, me and my folks haven’t threatened anyone who hasn’t deserved it. We have, say, an agreement with them. Keep things on the down low, nothing more than’a game of cops and robbers.”

“Cops and robbers that sell weapons to the highest bidder?”

“The robbers need to make money somehow.” Ashe smirked once more, and Lena felt more than a bit disgusted, “Though, I suppose I don’t need to tell you any of this. Everyone who’s been here already knows it, even if they don’t publicize it.”

Lena certainly didn’t. Though, maybe she should have, considering that Emily didn’t look surprised either.

"A highly pragmatic view of capitalism." Archer replied, his tone conversational, as if they were discussing the weather rather than illegal arms dealing. He steepled his fingers, leaning back in the creaking wooden chair, "Though, I must admit, I requested this little parley for a reason beyond admiring your local business model."

Ashe’s red eyes narrowed, the lazy confidence in her posture stiffening just a fraction. She rested a hand casually on the heavy lever-action rifle slung at her hip, "Is that right? And here I thought you just wanted to buy me a drink, silver."

“I suppose I should just say it.” Archer shrugged irreverently, “How much would it take for you to accept a contract?”

…

“Pardon?” Even Ashe seemed to have been taken aback by the question. 

Archer chuckled as if there was nothing wrong with what he said, “I meant exactly what I said. A business proposition." Archer smiled, his posture remaining the picture of absolute relaxation.

Lena's mind raced. Archer hadn't mentioned anything about a contract. What was he planning? And why was he dragging them into it without warning? Her gaze flicked to Emily, who looked equally bewildered. The pilot's hand found her wife's under the table.

“What the hell, guapo…” Her anxiety wasn’t helped by Sombra’s running commentary in the background. Even she didn’t know what Archer was doing, then.

"You think you can just buy me off, silver?" Ashe's southern drawl tightened into a dangerous edge, "After you scooped up my hardware to give to that ungrateful traitor?"

"I think," Archer replied, completely unbothered by her venom, "That a smart businesswoman who runs the biggest gang in the entire state recognizes a lucrative opportunity when it sits at her table." 

There was a moment of silence as the two white-haired individuals stared at each other. One the image of perfect calm, the other radiating barely contained fury. Lena held her breath, her heart pounding against her ribs. This could go sideways in a dozen different ways, and Emily was right there in the middle of it.

Finally, Ashe broke the silence and crossed her arms, an eyebrow raised in challenge, “Alright, say I’m interested. What do you want?”

This time, when Archer smiled, it was one that was all teeth, “Perfect. Truth be told, I was fully prepared to contact you in a few months, since the details of what I need are still a bit hazy. In hindsight though, giving you time to prepare would be much better for both parties.”

“I ain’t sitting here just to listen to you prattle on with shit I don’t care about.” Ashe rolled her eyes, but Lena caught the flicker of interest beneath the impatience, “Get on with it.” “Get on with it.”

“Certainly.” Archer coughed, “In a few months, maybe a year, a cross-country cargo train will be passing along Deadlock Gorge. It will be carrying a certain package. Whether or not it needs to be reappropriated is still up for debate. I will need it to be tracked, however.”

“Archer, what the fuck are you doing?!” This time, Lena didn’t bother talking through their link, her voice louder than she had intended. Though, considering that Archer was basically saying that he was going to be paying criminals to do something illegal for him, she didn’t care all that much.

Of course, he seemed to know what she was getting at, as he raised a hand placatingly, “Relax. Both of you.” His eyes had flickered towards Emily, who looked just as ready to blow up as Lena did, “I can assure you that this is nothing illegal.”

“I beg to differ,” Ashe snorted derisively, “Considering you’re hiring a third party, I doubt it’s somethin’ you want dirtying your precious little hands for.”

“Oh, I certainly could do what needs to be done myself, don’t get me wrong. However, there are circumstances that will keep me far and away from said package. And yes, it’s not illegal.” Archer rolled his eyes, “Can’t be illegal when, according to the UN, it’s something that isn’t happening.”

The sound of a hand slamming into the desk came through her communicator, “¡Loco cabrón, a eso le tirabas!” Lena’s basic Spanish only picked up cabrón, and nothing else. Judging by how Sombra said it though, she could guess that the hacker was equal parts in awe and shocked at whatever Archer was doing.

Ashe’s expression shifted, the outright hostility melting into a calculating stare. Even Lena could see the writing on the wall. If the United Nations was denying the existence of whatever was on that train, it meant one very important thing for the Deadlock Gang: no official retaliation. No federal investigations, no military blowback.

"A ghost train." Ashe drawled, testing the words on her tongue. She leaned back, tapping a black-gloved finger against her chin, "You’re tellin' me there’s a payload rollin' through Deadlock Gorge, and the suits in Geneva are playin' make-believe that it ain't there?"

"Precisely." Archer replied, his tone as pleasant as ever, "Complete deniability. Which makes it the perfect opportunity for an organization that specializes in...informal logistics."

Lena felt Emily’s hand tighten around hers under the table. Emily was doing a remarkable job at keeping calm, but Lena was practically vibrating with disbelief. She had been terrified that this encounter would end in a bloody shootout, but instead, Archer was casually contracting the most notorious criminal organization in the state to do his dirty work.

“I can’t believe this.” Sombra crackled over the private frequency she had set up for Emily and Lena, “The absolute cojones on this guy. He’s dangling a risk-free heist in front of a gang leader.”

Ashe scoffed, though the glint in her red eyes betrayed her interest, "Words are cheap, silver. If you want me to put my people on standby to track a phantom train, it’s gonna cost you. And I don’t work for pocket change."

"I don't expect you to." Archer nodded in understanding, "Name a reasonable fee, and I'll make sure you get it. So long as you accept."

Half will be transferred to an account of your choosing within the hour, untraceable. The other half upon delivery of the train's schedule and manifest. If, at that point, the package requires... reappropriation, we will renegotiate a much larger sum for the extraction." 

Ashe’s gaze flicked to the bag containing the gun parts, then back to Archer. She was weighing the variables of the business proposition.

"And what about the parts?" Ashe demanded, tilting her cowboy hat up slightly, "You think you can just buy my services and still walk out of here with Cole's shiny new toys?"  

"The parts are non-negotiable." Archer's smirk was a bit more playful now, "However, I think I have something else you might be interested in. Sombra, get me those photos."

The fact that none of the Deadlock Gang members even batted an eye with Archer’s sudden order was testament to the fact that they at least knew that someone else was listening in on them.

“The ph-ohhhh. Those ones, got it.” Sombra’s confusion quickly turned into laughter, “Alright, I’ve sent them.”

A small beep was heard as Archer gestured to Ashe. Warily, the woman pulled out her phone, and whatever it was that she saw had her fuming instantly, “This real?”

“Yes. In exchange for the parts, we’ll send the coordinates of where it is.”

The tension in the room didn't so much dissipate as it shifted, transforming from the threat of immediate violence into the cold, calculating energy of a business transaction. Ashe pocketed her phone, the ghost of a genuine smile playing at the corners of her red-painted lips.

With a lazy flick of her wrist, she signaled her gang. The Deadlock enforcers lingering near the exits subtly relaxed their postures, their hands moving away from their holsters. The massive omnic, emitted a low, mechanical whir and took a half-step back, no longer looming like an executioner.

"You've got yourself a deal, silver." Ashe declared, leaning back and resting her boots on the edge of the table, "You'll get your tracking, and I'll get my coordinates. But let's get one thing straight - if that train doesn't show, or if this is some elaborate Overwatch sting operation..."

"I assure you, Overwatch is as blind to this as the United Nations," Archer interrupted politely, standing up and smoothing out his coat, "And as for Cassidy, I will pass along your regards. Whether he chooses to heed them is entirely out of my hands."

Ashe scoffed, tipping her cowboy hat down slightly, "Just get out of my bar before I change my mind and decide those parts are worth the hassle."

"A pleasure doing business with you, Ashe." Archer offered a crisp, perfectly executed nod. He turned to Lena and Emily, his demeanor as casual as if they had just finished a pleasant brunch, "Shall we?"

…