The regret grew tenfold. Fareeha listened to Angela. She knew that this woman had been through war already. Seasoned just like she'd been. It was hard to remember. With the conflict raging on in Egypt, the rest of the world seemed far away. From the ferocity of the ongoing fight, it felt, to her, that her people was carrying the world. But that was a false thought. The world was burning as well. No matter how little or how grand. Innocents died everyday. People like Angela kept them from passing to the other side. People like her, soldiers skilled in arts of killing, was a shield through destruction. For the preservation of humanity, she dealt death. Majority of the time it was to omnics. Sometimes it was onto her own.
When Angela stood, so did she. Fareeha shook her head. "Stop. Stop. I'm sorry, Angela. I'm tense. I haven't had a normal conversation in a very long time. I've been stuck out there," Fareeha pointed in the general direction of the front lines, "for as long as I can remember. I've stopped counting. Rocket fuel and copper is all I smelled. Not the flowers and greenery that sprouts upon the shores of the Nile. The omnics burned it. Burned it all!"
Fareeha gently grabbed Angela's hand and sat her back down on the cot. She sat back on her chair. "I command some of the best most hardened jumpers I've had the pleasure of meeting. They're too good for me. I ask of them much, and they give me more in return. Egypt's odd. Everyone knows how to fight. When the machines came to us, the standing army wasn't enough. We've resorted to the draft," Fareeha said. "Have you ever seen a child hold a weapon, told to fight against an unfeeling enemy, and then die? Alone? Forgotten?
"When the coastal cities fell, Tanta was the second line of defense before nearing the outskirts of Cairo. Command had a total war mentality. Children and whoever else was capable were given weapons. Some were trained. Others weren't. There was a kid who fought with a ground company my company supported." Fareeha looked at her hands, frowned, then looked back up. "I don't want to go into too much details. I'm still trying to resolve it myself. If you were here, I - you - could have saved him. Our medics couldn't. Not even Dr. Marsala. I ... gave him mercy."
Reining in the emotions that welled in her chest, Fareeha offered a sad smile. "Leading is two edged sword. Pride and doubt. I doubt many things I've done in this war. But my jumpers still fly. For now, that's all I can do. Save whoever I can. Win the war," she said. "I remember when I grew up with Overwatch. Especially you. I always saw you around my mom. As long as you're with me, you have authority with anything medical. All I ask is you trust me with the fighting."
She reached over and placed her hand on Angela's shoulder. "If I say, you run. I've lost my mom. Maybe she's dead. Maybe she's not. I've lost the one family I've always wanted to be with but no longer exists. I won't lose one of the few remaining people that remind me of a different, happier life. Do, you, understand?"
