The Detached Chaperone (transcript)
From Wraith's perspective—
>Mirage: Mirage for Wraith. I repeat, this is Mirage for Wraith. Do you copy, Wraith?
>Today's the day, I think to myself. Today’s the day I finally snap and kill him.
>Wraith: Go for Wraith.
>Mirage: ...whatcha doin'?
>Yup. Definitely the day I kill him.
>Wraith: Same thing I was doing five minutes ago when you asked. Running surveillance on Octane's "date."
>Mirage: Yeah? We're fighting prowlers. Scary, nasty, rabid prowlers. It's really exciting. Not as exciting as... chaperoning a date. But exciting.
>Wraith: I'm turning on the recording device. Don't radio in again.
>Mirage: Is your heart racing? Is your adrenaline pumping? I need updates every 60 seconds!
>Wraith: Here's an update: it's not going so well, and you're not helping.
>Mirage: Oh no! Is it an appetizer crisis?
>Wraith: Good-bye, Mirage.
>Mirage: Did he eat his salad with the wrong fo--?!
>I disconnect the comm. Turn my focus back to Octane's "date" with Yoko. She's the Chief of Staff for Cheryl Amacci, who heads up Hammond's legal department. Basically, she's the woman who makes it easy for Hammond to get away with... everything.
>And we sent in a guy with all the subtlety of a jackhammer...
>Yoko: So you said you had a question about one of Cheryl's meetings last week?
>Octane: Cheryl Amacci, right? Yeah, she had some secret meeting with the new chick, Loba. I'm supposed to ask you what that was all about.
>Note to self: Never send Octane undercover again...
>Yoko: Oh, I see. So the only reason we're out right now is so you can find out details about my boss's meetings behind closed doors, and totally put my job at risk. Why am I doing this again?
>Octane: Caaaaause... I can get Lifeline's autograph for you?
>Yoko: Why would I care about Lifeline's autograph?
>Octane: Caaaaause... I can get Bangalore's autograph for you?
>Yoko: For real? Bangalore never hangs around for signings after a match. That would be a collectors item for sure. Are the two of you friends or something?
>Octane: Sure. Two peas in a pod. We're like twins.
>Damn, Octane. You make a terrible spy, but you stumble into wins more than anybody else I know.
>Yoko: Well... you didn't hear this from me. But my boss wanted to talk to Loba about what she was after in that warehouse under Skull Town: something called a source code.
>Octane: Uh-huh. Cool.
>Yoko: Apparently, this code was teleported out of the bunker by some kind of security system before Loba could grab it.
>Octane: Awesome. Nodding head.
>Yoko: My boss can get Loba the coordinates where the source code went. But she wants something in return. She wants-- wait, did you just say "nodding head"?!
>WHAT THE HELL IS THAT NOISE?!
>I rip the headphones off. Are my ears bleeding? Damnit, where'd that feedback come from?!
>Mirage: Mirage for Wraith, do you copy?
>Wraith: Damnit, Mirage! I said not to radio while I was working with the--
>But what he tells me next stops me dead in my tracks. I waste no time, open a portal and appear behind Octane, startling Yoko.
>Wraith: Change of plans. We gotta go.
>Octane: Oh good. I was dying of bore--
>But we're already moving through the Void. I relay Mirage's message to him. Two words that send a chill down our spines:
>Wattson's down.
>When we get to Mirage's bar, it's chaos.
>Wraith: What happened?
>Loba: We were stationed inside the--
>Wraith: Not you. Path, what happened?
>Pathfinder: We were scoping out the nest. Wattson told us she was going to plant fences. We didn't realize she went into the building.
>Pathfinder: By the time we got inside, there was nothing to do but be sad.
>Pathfinder: I'm still sad, friend.
>I see Caustic standing over Wattson's bed. I look to Pathfinder, confused.
>Wraith: Not the guy I expected to hold vigil.
>Pathfinder: He hasn't left her side since we got back.
>I don't keep many friends. The girl in the bed is in my top three. Caustic acknowledges me with a sad nod of understanding. It's a look I've never seen on his face before. It's almost... sympathetic. To everyone else, he and I are outsiders.
>To Natalie, we're family.
>Somehow, we got on the bad path. Now how do we get off it?
>Loba: She'll make a full recovery. What matters now is finding the other half of the Gemini--
>Caustic has her pinned against the wall by the throat before I even realize he can move that fast.
>Caustic: Should Ms. Paquette's condition worsen, you will live out your days so unrecognizable, you'll beg me for death.
>She gasps when he drops her. Her hand presses to her throat as he storms out of the room.
>Wraith: Is this all worth it, Loba? All these pieces? This artifact? Is it worth all this suffering?
>Loba: It's everything.
>Wraith: Why? What is it?
>Loba: I already told you, all I know is that it's a piece of tech--
>Wraith: I'm not talking about the artifact. I'm talking about the source code. What is it?
>Her eyes go wide when I mention it. I struck a nerve. She opens her mouth, starts to say something, but...
> ...a different voice answers.
>MY voice. Three words.
> "He's above you."
>And I know who it is before I even have a chance to look up...
>Revenant: I have a better question, girlies... when were you going to tell me there's a whole world out there where I'm worshipped like a god?
>And as I reach for my kunai and try to piece together how long he.s been up there, I realize I was wrong earlier. This isn't the bad path we're on...
> ...we chose the worst path.