Being on a helicopter heading towards Overwatch's base of operations in Gibraltar wasn't how Angela envisioned her future. In fact, she publicly spoke of her disapproval for the organization many times back in her home of Switzerland. Regardless, the organization was still interested in her and by extension she hopped the work she pioneered in the field of nanobiology.
"We're almost there, Doctor Ziegler. Please hang tight while we land." One of the pilots from the front seat said over the headset radio.
Angela craned her neck to get a better look out of the widow in the small cabin and saw her first glimpses of the new place she'd be living for the foreseeable future. The Gibraltar base was just as Captain Amari described in their correspondences. A huge spiraling island with peaks of advancing buildings and machinery all threw out it. Watching the sun rise over the cliffs was differently a highlight of the view too. She could definitely see herself getting used to this at least.
The helicopter finally touched down on a landing pad and as the door slid open to treat Angela to her first in person meeting with the infamous, Captain Amari. Even if the captain was getting up in years she was still a statue of leadership and sternness. She stood ramrod straight in front of a group of soldiers who were all doing the same in addition with saluting.
"Doctor Ziegler, welcome to Overwatch!" The captain cheerily exclaimed as she stepped forward to greet Angela at the chopper. "If you follow me right this way I'll show you around."
"Thank you, Captain Amari." Angela smiled at the warm welcome as the captain dismissed the men and they scattered away back to their assigned stations.
"Oh, none of that; call me Ana when we're alone," Ana lightly suggested, "The formality of calling me captain all the time seems silly."
"If I do that you must return the favor by calling me Angela then."
Ana chuckled, "I think you'll fit in just fine here, Angela."
Ana's tour guiding skills left much to be desired... The captain did try her best but, by the time they finished the tour Angela could honestly say she couldn't recall most of the places they visited. The base itself was full of winding corridors that led to nowhere and spiraling hallways that twist and turn you around at every chance. Just navigating this place was like what she read about Hogwarts.
"And finally here we are at the lab." Ana said as she opened a door and led them into a darkened room.
The lab itself was quite a mess as far as Angela could see. Beakers, flasks, and test tubes were scatter across the floor making it almost impossible to walk forward without being worried of crushing them or stepping on some unknown leaking substance. In addition, lab coats and socks were mixed together and hanging off desks like someone's week old laundry. Finally, the place reeked of a godawful smell that no person should be smelling. Ever.
"Moria!" Ana screeched in rage as she stomped deeper into the mess piles, "I thought I told you to clean this disaster up ages ago!"
A load groan of disapproval could be heard from somewhere in the recesses of the room and Angela could barely make out the silhouette of Moria slumped over presumably sleeping at their desk.
"This is my lab, Amari. How I utilize it..." A load crash could suddenly be heard as they moved, "Is up to me." Moria growled back.
"If you had any goddamn brain cells you would remember what I told you days ago!" She protested back then grumbled in what Angela thought was Egyptian as she cleaned up dirty lab coats. "Starting today you have to share this space with your new lab partner, Doctor Ziegler."
"No."
Ana looked like she was about to blow a gasket at that remark. "What do you mean, no? Are you a child? Get over here and clean this mess up right this instant!" She roared while throwing her assembled pile of lab coats at the shadow of Moria.
"I'm not sharing my work space with some bloody knacker of an assistant you decided to pick up straight from a subpar college." Moria hissed out. Angela felt angry at that comment and almost corrected them but Ana stepped up to the challenge first.
Ana lost her patience and forged ahead to where Moria was, "You'll respect Doctor Ziegler and do what I tell you, O'Deorain." She commanded while throwing a punch at a control panel to finally light up the room to a presentable level.
Doctor Moria O'Deorian was way different in person then they were in the photos captured over the years. For starters none of the pictures showed off Moria's heterochromia or how ridiculously tall they were; they could easily make Angela look like a dwarf in comparison. These factors combined made them look intimidating. Besides that, their attire was a severely rumpled up collared shirt and what was once a tie lay undone around their neck. If all this was what Overwatch held to their standards then Angela was once again reconsidering why she accepted the offer to be here.
...How could this person be a doctor? She wondered.
"Leave us alone then so I can get..." Moria paused for a moment to scowl, "Acquainted with my new coworker." They spit the word coworker out like it was simply venomous.
"Fine." Ana reluctantly said, "Angela, if you need anything feel free to contact me at any time." With that the captain made a swift exit. Angela could only guess she didn't want to be around Moria any longer. She couldn't blame her either.
Moria wondered over to meet her in the middle of the room, "Now that harridan is gone, Ms. Ziegler..."
"It's D-doctor Ziegler." She didn't know why she stuttered like that.
Moria only raised an eyebrow in question at her falter, "Doctor Ziegler then, I read your papers on nanobiology. I found them to be quite disappointing."
"Excuse me?" Mercy couldn't believe the gall Moria had to bluntly comment on her hard work like that to her face.
"You didn't take the research to its logical conclusions. You failed to show results for all the hypothesizing you ramble on of."
Angela dropped the facade of trying to play nice. Nobody insulted her and by extension the work she did like this. "If you follow my work as you claim," She sneered, "Then you'd know that the medical boards decided my work would be too dangerous so I was ordered not to go forward."
"So instead you decide to join Overwatch in hope by working here as a cover it'll help you slip under the board's eyes and by extension the rules. Am I correct in that deduction, Doctor?" Moria taunted with a small smirk making its way onto their face.
"Yes." She begrudgingly admitted. For the first time in Angela's memory she wanted to cause real physical harm to someone by slapping that smug look straight off Moria's face. She couldn't help but feel completely exposed underneath that look.
Moria chuckled and turned away from Angela to return sitting at their desk, "You're more devious then I originally pegged you for, diabhal. Congratulations on that, because no goody snot-nosed doctor would even dream of going to these lengths of deception."
Angela scowled, she wasn't actually trying to lie to anyone. She just didn't disclose one of her reasons for wanting the job here. "I'm not lying about my intentions to work here! I want to help more people and I think Overwatch can help me do that."
"Keeping lying to yourself like that if you wish, but we both know deep down you just want to do your work. All scientists are obsessive like that." Dropping the conversation at that Moria started scribbling on lab papers and ignored Angela's further protests for the rest of the day.
The next few days Angela never saw Moria; it seems they keep odd work hours. The only reason she was sure Moria even worked at all in the lab was because of the mess piles growing steadily. For someone so meticulous in their work Moria could surely use that same trait in their cleaning habits. Seriously, how lazy can someone be they couldn't even throw away an empty ramen package?
Looking up from her thoughts, Angela spotted Moria looking dead on their feet as they entered the lab. "Well, look who finally appears."
"I don't need your sass." Moria snapped, grabbing a file of paperwork from their desk and flipping threw it in a frenzy. Angela never imagined she'd see them so put out before.
"What has you so worked up, Doctor O'Deorian?"
Dropping papers onto the floor Moria growled and brought a hand up to further mess with the red tornado of hair on their head. Whatever was bothering them was causing severer agitation by the looks of it.
"Moria, are you okay?" Angela approached her inquiry delicately.
"Where are they?" They barked, pushing the stack of papers underneath their hands off the desk completely.
Raising her eyebrow at the display she replied, "Where are what?"
"Where are my papers don't act like you don't know!" Moria screeched, while tossing more papers around the lab.
Angela was officially lost, "I have no idea what you're talking about, Moria. You have your papers right there."
"No, no!" Moria chided, "My latest papers!"
"I haven't seen or touched them."
"Don't play dumb. You're the only other person in here!"
"Moria, calm down. Have you looked in every spot you put papers?"
"Of course, I have you dunce! I wouldn't bother bringing this up with the likes of you if I hadn't."
"First, calm down I'm only trying to help. Now what are the papers about so I can look for them?"
"That's classified information, Dr. Ziegler."
"Well, if they're so important then how and why did you lose them?"
"Shut it," They quipped angerly but gave in, "Fine, they're about a hypothesis for combining more cybernetics with human bodies."
"So, like my nanobiology work?" Angela claimed with a small smile working its way up her face. Regardless of Moria's rude statements when they first met they did on some level think her work was something to approve of.
Moria didn't reply just grumbled again and kept tearing apart the lab looking. This was becoming a common habit for them to engage in. Moria would just zone out when they didn't want to engage anymore and Angela would have to talk with a wall for the rest of the day. It was quickly becoming frustrating being completely ignored like that. Maybe it came from Moria not seeing her as an equal worth their time? She could only guess because the other doctor wouldn't be replying anytime soon.
After hours of looking for the missing papers Moria fisted their hair even more to the point she was worried they'd pull some of it out if the act continued. The doctor in her also recognized Moria's actions as something similar she sometimes encountered at the hospital back in Switzerland. Deciding it was worth a go to calm them, Angela went to her desk and grabbed a tool she gave her patients numerous times before.
Angela put her hand out in front of the redhead with the cube in hand, "Here take this."
Moria eyed the cube like it would jump out and bite, "What is that?" They didn't know what a Rubik cube looked like. This was an odd development.
Angela answered with a smile to try and calm their worry about the toy, "It's a puzzle where you rotate the blocks until each face of the cube is a single color."
"And why are you giving it to me?"
"Just solve it." Angela told them as she returned to her side of the room to continue the search.
Moria seemed to be enjoying the cube, Angela noted as she slowly cleaned up the lab to search for the missing papers. It was completely capturing their attention and Moria hadn't taken eyes off it. Angela was just glad she could calm them down. All that fretting around Moria did earlier was just going to give them problems.
Picking up another pile of ramen wrappers and various candies Angela noticed something underneath them. Smiling, she picked up the papers and read them to discover they were Moria's missing ones. The scavenger hunt was finally over it seemed.
"I found the papers." She said laying them on the desk in front of Moria as they ignored her to continue to rotating the cube. "A thank you or acknowledgement would be nice, you know."
Sighing at the silence meeting her statement Angela decided to leave them be for the night. It was way passed her usual time to sleep and the day Moria O'Deorian would be showing her appreciation was nothing but a wish.
A/N: This was shorter then my usual work but this has been bothering me for a while. Had to get the idea out there. Review if you want more, I guess?
-Roxy