"Tekhartha Zenyatta, could you teach me about the Iris?"
Zenyatta stirred from meditation, raising slightly from the ground. His orbs lowered back around his neck.
"I'm sorry to disturb you." Orisa stepped back. "Should I ask again later?"
"No, my sister. I am happy to educate you." He turned around. The lights on his head glowed warmly. Orisa read this as a smile.
She looked for a place to sit down in the monk's barren room, but he floated forward and gestured her to follow.
"Come. Let us talk in a more suitable place."
She followed him down the many halls of the Watchpoint. The hallways still seemed unfamiliar to her, even though she had downloaded the schematics of the complex as soon as she arrived. The streets of Numbani, even Efi's workshop, were much more open than this.
Her navigation system told her that they were nearing an exit to the outside; this particular exit had a small green space that opened to a magnificent view of the strait. This space in particular had been claimed by the only other Omnic in Overwatch: the E54 unit, known as Bastion. As she and Zenyatta opened the door, she could see that it was not there. Instead, its garden spread out before them. Zenyatta floated through the flowers and Orisa walked through the rows. They came to the edge of the cliff. Orisa spun around, making sure that the ground beneath her was clear before she sat down. Zenyatta lowered, not quite touching the ground, but low enough to give the illusion of sitting.
"How much do you know about the Shambali?" He asked, looking out over the water.
"I know that they campaign for the rights of Omnics." She responded.
He paused. "That is a by-product of their beliefs, but that is correct."
"What are their beliefs, then?"
"The Shambali beliefs are about the nature of souls"
"Souls?" She asked.
"Yes. We set out to determine the matter by which all living things are held equal too. We believe that our souls, if not our bodies, are equal to that of every other soul."
Orisa was quiet for a few moments. A ship was passing by, and they watched it cut slowly through the water.
"What is the Iris, then?" She eventually asked.
"It is where all souls join in harmony after this life. I will go there, someday, and so will you." He gestured grandly out to the water.
"I. . . will?" Orisa eyes narrowed out of their normal position. Her arms twitched.
"Yes. Every being, man and machine, that is alive." Zenyatta folded his arms again and turned to her.
Orisa became still.
"Do you believe that you are alive, sister?"
"I-" She started, then froze completely. She jerked upright as if being pulled by a string.
She remained in the position for several seconds before relaxing again. Zenyatta said nothing.
She turned to him. "Hello. You were going to teach me about the Iris, correct?"
Zenyatta was silent, before answering. "I do not believe you are ready to learn about my teachings, sister."
"I'm sorry." Orisa looked away. "Was it something I did?"
"No. It is not your fault." He floated up. "On a unrelated topic, when are you seeing your creator in Numbani again?"
"Approximately 13 days from now, I will report back to her to tell her what I have learned since joining Overwatch. Why do you ask?"
"I would like to come with. Your creator and I have much to discuss." He responded.
"Efi would be honored to meet a monk of the Shambali." Orisa stood.
"I am sure she would." He said, A different tone entering his voice. Orisa did not pick up on it. He returned to normal "Come, let us go inside."
She followed.
The two weeks flew by, and soon enough, Zenyatta was floating down the streets of Numbani. Despite the city's hallmark as a center of Omnic culture, he had never been here before now. It was a sight to behold. The spiraling towers of gold and silver hung sparkling in the sky, a tribute to the unity the city had achieved. Omnics walked with their human counterparts, some even holding hands as they walked past them. And Zenyatta, being a part of the famed Shambali, was stopped often by passersby looking for photographs or even words of advice. He was happy to provide.
Orisa stopped with him whenever he needed to. She said it was not any trouble, but he could tell that something inside her was impatient. She was trying to hide it. . . or she simply wasn't allowed to show it.
Zenyatta could tell when they began to near Efi's workshop. Orisa began to walk faster, prancing more as she did so. When they approached the door to the building, Orisa knocked three times. It opened, and behind it was the builder herself. Efi grinned, before running into Orisa's arms.
"Orisa! I missed you so much!" She said as Orisa returned the hug.
"I missed you too, Efi." She responded. "I have learned so many things and have lots of stories to tell you!"
Efi giggled in response.
"Greetings, Efi."
The Efi stepped out of the hug and peeked around Orisa. Her jaw dropped.
"A monk of the Shambali?" She asked.
Orisa stepped aside and gestured towards him. "This is Tekhartha Zenyatta. He wanted to meet you."
"It's an honor." She stepped fowards and gave and dipped her head in respect.
"The honor is mine." He responded.
Efi walked back towards the door and gestured inside. "Please, come in! I would love to show you around."
The eleven year-old began spouting off the names of her many tools as she walked by them. Zenyatta followed, listening diligently.
"How interesting," he remarked in a pause of her naming, "I have never seen the tools used to create Omnics."
"These are all custom, so they aren't the same as the ones used in the Omniums. I'm not mass producing anything. That would be crazy expensive!" Efi responded.
They came to a small room to the side. Fabric was draped in various places, as was machinery; attached to a circular ceiling fixture hung a variety of tools on cords. Zenyatta observed that the device was a massive outlet of sorts, powering all the tools. Orisa went and stood in the center circle on the floor.
"Now, let's see what you've found. . ." Efi muttered as she lowered the mechanism from the ceiling, the tools coming down to her reach.
She grabbed a tool highly resembling of a headphone jack of olden times and weaved and ducked her way through the equipment to Orisa's backside. Climbing her, Efi plugged the device into her head.
A small nearby monitor came to life, data streams pouring over the screen. Orisa did not seem to feel anything, and looked over.
"Show me." Efi said.
Orisa's optic powered off.
"Hmm. . ." She trailed off as she searched her memory banks. "Oh, you'll like this one."
An image of the Earth from space appeared on the monitor. This was a view from Horizon Lunar Colony; Overwatch had a mission there some time ago, of which Orisa was assigned. The camera moved forward and then looked down into the telescope.
"Wow. Efi will want to see this." Said the video feed.
The view was off Spain, with a marker on Watchpoint Gibraltar.
"Incredible!" Efi said. "Do you have anything else?"
"Let me see. . ." She responded. She hummed as she searched, occasionally making a small noise of disapproval as she decided what to put on the monitor.
Another scene flickered onto the screen.
"Have I shown you the view from the Watchpoint?" Orisa asked.
"There's a view?"
On the screen was Bastion's garden. The camera swiveled around the many flowers, then towards the cliffside. The camera approached the edge, bringing more of the ocean into view as it did so.
"That's beautiful. And you get to see that every day?" Efi said.
"Yes. It is quite peaceful."
"It is a great place to meditate." Zenyatta added. "Or to talk about the ways of the world."
Efi turned back to him. "I bet. Is there anything else you want to show me, Orisa?"
"No, that is all. You may conduct necessary maintenance. . . now."
Orisa's body slackened into rest mode as she began shutting down her systems. All the lights on her body went dim, except for a faint glow within her chest. Efi climbed through the equipment again to remove the jack, inserting a different one in its place. The monitor that displayed the videos now displayed a full-body diagram of the OR-15. Efi hummed the same melody that Orisa did as she worked. Zenyatta watched in silence.
This continued for some time before Efi glanced over in his direction. She paused in her work, got down from her perch on Orisa's back, and approached him.
"Is there something you came here for?" She asked.
"Yes. I wish to speak to you."
"I didn't realize the Shambali were interested in my work." She replied. "From what I hear, they don't leave their monastery very much. Is that true?"
"I cannot speak for the Shambali. I left to pursue my own path." He floated gently in the air.
"Oh," she paused. "I see. Orisa seems to admire you. I hear that in her phone calls to me."
"Do you admire the Shambali?" He asked.
"Of course I do. They fight for Omnic rights. They supported Numbani from the start, and Numbani is my home. How could I not?" She giggled, but then grew somber. "I'm. . . I'm sorry for what happened to Mondatta."
"I appreciate your sympathy. I mourn him greatly. He will be missed." Zenyatta lowered slightly.
"Do you want to talk out on the balcony? It's got a great view." Efi suggested.
He nodded.
"So, what's the reason you came here?" Efi asked.
The sun was beginning to set now. The light reflected off of the many skyscrapers, and into solar panels placed along the roofs of shorter buildings.
"I came here to speak with you about Orisa." Zenyatta replied, looking out.
"What about her? Is she causing problems?"
"No. She is following her protocols perfectly."
There was a pause.
"That's good." She looked out as well. "Or. . . is there something wrong?"
Zenyatta clasped his hands together. "I came here to suggest that Orisa's protocols may be restrictive to her learning."
"How so? There are no restricting orders in her programming. None at all." She responded.
"I do not think I mentioned any orders." He stayed perfectly still in the air.
"Orders, protocols, you know. . ." She began to chew on her fingernails. "Same thing."
"It is not right to restrict her thoughts." He said.
Silence.
"I- I don't-" She sputtered.
"I do not know the magnitude of which you have restricted her, but being able to ponder oneself is a right any living being should have."
She looked right at him. She was shaking slightly. "Let's go inside."
Zenyatta turned to her as well. "I am sorry to distress you, but I act in Orisa's best interest. However, we do not have to talk about this anymore if you don't want to."
She nodded before quickly walking inside. He followed slowly behind, as not to scare her.
"I will go now. I am staying in a hotel not far from here. May I come back in the morning?" He asked.
She hesitated before nodding. "After all, you're the one bringing her back to Overwatch, right?"
"That is correct."
"Okay." She said.
He left without a sound.
It was dark now. The sun's rays no longer streaked through the windows. The cool wind of night came in, blowing on the fabric pieces around the workshop and causing them to shake. Efi looked to the skeleton that was Orisa. The only thing that marked her presence in the body was a faint glow coming from the core, now accented in the dark.
It was protocol for Orisa to shut down all primary systems during repairs. That made things easy, so that Efi did not have to weave in and out of all the different programs when she worked. It was also less. . . awkward this way. This way, she did not have to entertain Orisa for the couple of hours it took. Wouldn't that be strange?
Her thoughts went quiet again. The wind bled in a new direction, this time whistling through some equipment or another. She whistled along.
She looked up into Orisa's eyes. They were cold. Lifeless. This was not how Efi wanted her to be. She designed her to look as alive as possible. No hero has a blank stare.
She paused and stepped back from her creation, looking over every inch of the Omnic. Her Omnic. It was hers. She made it.
She made it. But did she make Orisa?
She trembled silently. Her lip quivered.
Was Orisa something more than a name?
Morning came quicker than sleep did. Efi woke up in the corner of the room. Light streamed in onto Orisa's still face. Her eyes reflected onto yellow splotches on the wall.
She got up and brushed herself off. As far as she new, Zenyatta would be coming any minute now. Orisa's repairs looked mostly finished- nothing was immediately broken when she came in, but usually Efi liked to check over every part to ensure it wasn't wearing. This time, however, she did not care. After a brief visual check, she climbed up on Orisa's back so that she could reach where the jack was plugged in.
She hesitated. Removing the jack would restart Orisa's systems, meaning that she would be. . . present. Efi paused before hopping down.
As she did so, she heard the door to the workshop open. She walked out of the room and into the main workshop, where Zenyatta floated by the entrance.
"Greetings, Efi." He said.
"Hello." She said back. She bit her lip. "I haven't woken her up yet."
"Good." He floated forward. "I wanted to speak with you again."
She nodded.
"Would you like to go out to the balcony?" He asked.
"I think here is fine." She said.
He made a noise that resembled a breath. At this, Efi let out a sob.
"I'm sorry." She said quietly, trying to hold back the tears.
Something in Zenyatta's posture softened. He approached her, hands unclasped. She took a step backwards.
"It is alright. I did not mean to make you cry. I simply wish to understand, and to help." He stopped where he was and lowered himself to be at eye level with her.
She looked down and sobbed again. She hiccuped. He looked away.
Suddenly, without warning, she ran forward and flung her arms around him, sobbing hysterically. He flinched at the impact, before returning the embrace gently. He felt her tears run down his frame and make stains on his pants.
They stayed this way for quite some time before Efi let go. She backed away, head down.
"I'm scared." She whispered.
"Of what?" He asked.
"Of her." She replied.
"Why?"
She shifted her weight back and forth. "What she could be."
"Are you afraid of her making her own choices?" He said gently.
"What is she makes the wrong ones?" She said. "What if she. . ."
He stayed silent.
Efi closed her eyes and stifled a sob. "My parents were there when, when. . . the Null Sector, they-"
She wrapped her arms around herself. Zenyatta offered a hand to her. She did not take it.
"What if she decides to be like them?" She looked him in the eye. "To hurt people?"
Zenyatta paused before speaking. "That is the risk we take with free will."
"She's not supposed to do that. She's a hero. Heroes don't do that. Heroes protect, they don't. . . "
"Why do heroes protect?" He asked.
"Because they are good." She responded.
"Why are they good?"
"Because- because-" She bit her lip hard.
"Heroes are good not because of the absence of evil in their hearts, but because they choose to act against it." A soft glow began to emanate from his core. "There can be no light without darkness. There can be no good without the choice of doing evil. That is a choice we all have."
She nodded slowly.
He continued. "I wish that you may extend that choice to Orisa."
She sucked on her lip. She could taste the blood as it seeped into her mouth.
"I can't do it alone." She finally said. "How do I teach her?"
"Do not worry. I will teach her. I will teach her everything I know. She will learn." He put a hand on her shoulder. "She has a good heart, Efi. I do not believe that she will choose the path of evil. The things you gave her- curiosity, strength, courage, -still remain within her. It will guide her."
Efi smiled weakly. She touched the hand that was on her shoulder.
"Thank you." She said, before stepping out of his grasp. "I guess then, I should get working on her. There's more restrictions than I would like to say. Would you keep me company while I work?"
"Of course." He replied, floating up to his normal height. "Let me know if there is anything I can do to help."
They went to the room. Efi looked into Orisa's eyes once more, before turning and approaching the computer. Data streamed over the screen, and slowly, she began to change it.
Orisa came online. When her optics turned on, she saw a very familiar view; Efi stood in front of her, standing tall and looking up into her optics. She had a flash of deja vu to her very first memory of waking up here. However, now in Efi's eyes was an amount of uncertainty.
"Hello, Efi. How are you?" She greeted her creator.
"I am good, thank you." She responded.
"Where is Tekhartha Zenyatta?" She asked, looking around.
Zenyatta floated into her vision from a corner of the room.
"Hello." Orisa greeted him as well, before looking back to Efi. "Did you and him have a good discussion?"
Efi's mouth twitched into a soft smile. "I suppose you could say that."
"How are you feeling, Orisa?" Zenyatta asked.
"I feel. . ." Orisa trailed off. She stared blankly ahead, her eyes twitching.
Efi tried to step forward, but Zenyatta motioned her back.
". . . I feel good." She finished. "Content. Happy."
There was silence.
"That's not something I normally say, is it?" Orisa asked. "Was it wrong?"
"No, absolutely not." Efi replied. "You can say whatever you want."
"Anything?"
"Yes. Even if it's mean."
"But I don't want to be mean." She narrowed her eyes.
"You can say it if you like, though." Efi insisted.
"But I don't want to." She said.
"Why not?"
"Because I like being nice." She responded. "I do not want to be mean to you, or to Zenyatta. I like you both. There's no reason to be mean."
Efi ran forward. Orisa caught her in her arms.
"Do you need a hug?"
"Yes. Thank you."
Orisa hugged her, not too tight.
"Perfect." Efi said, bundled in her arms.
"Good!" Orisa's eyes returned to their friendly position. "I aim to give the perfect hug every time."
"I love you, Orisa." Efi touched her head to Orisa's chest.
"I love you too."
Efi backed out of the hug before giving a small giggle.
"Was that 'awkward'?"
"No, not at all!" Efi beamed.
Orisa laughed. When they calmed down, she turned to Zenyatta.
"I suppose we should be getting back to Overwatch?" She asked. "If I remember, we were to be picked up at twelve hundred hours."
"That is correct." He replied. "It is currently eleven. I suggest we leave soon."
Efi looked down. "I guess that means goodbye."
"I suppose it does." Orisa replied.
"Make sure to record more stuff to show me!" She said.
"Of course. Sometimes it's hard to decide. It is all so interesting. I wish you could come."
"Maybe someday." Zenyatta said.
"Maybe." Efi said. " And at least you'll be back in a couple weeks."
"I am already looking forward to it." Orisa walked forward. Efi moved out of her way. "Come, Zenyatta. The metro to the edge of the city takes approximately thirty minutes. We should go if we want to be on time for pickup."
"I am right behind you." He responded.
They left the room. Efi stayed extra quiet, so she could hear the workshop door close behind them.
"Tekhartha Zenyatta, could you teach me about the Iris?"
Zenyatta rose up from meditation.
"I believe I have asked you this once before, but I do not remember getting an answer." She continued. "I'm sorry if this is a bad time."
"There is never a bad time to learn. Come, sister." He turned to her. "I am always happy to help you find your way."